Desert Storm II: Bekilk, the Gem on the Crown

If the Osmad Desert is the Crown of Civilization, then Bekilk is the crown's brightest jewel. The city has a lot to explore and people to meet, as well as its own adventures and subplots. This chapter will contain most of the encounters that can happen in Bekilk throughout the whole campaign.

Plot points/Scenes

After arriving in the city of Bekilk and speaking to Captain Kabir, the party will have some down time while the Sultanate investigates their claims. The city of Bekilk is available to explore with a few options for side quests. Consider the following:

• The party passes an open site seemingly getting ready for some kind of event. The people working on it are getting ready for the Princess' wedding.
• The party casually bumps into Miriha Al-Sharaf, who simply introduces herself as "Miriha, or Miri for short" and will awkwardly fawn over Yoshi's fur before inviting them to her wedding.  

The Emerald Bazaar

When the players first visit the Emerald Bazaar, read the following:

Before you stands a market district unlike anything you've see before. Dozens of makeshift stalls and colorful stands crowd the plaza which is swamped with easily over a hundred people both buying and selling all kinds of goods. It's difficult to walk even 10 feet without having to push past someone or having to deal with someone trying to sell you something. You see people selling all kinds of stuff, from exotic fruits and vegetables, fancy rugs, shiny trinkets, jewelry, weapons, books, and fully cooked meals. To the eastern side of the square is a large fancy building with a few palm trees adorning it. To the south, you make out a building that appears to be some sort of bar with many purple awnings and colorful smoke coming out of its windows. Not far from where you are, you also spot a dark blue tent with a weird green glow coming from within.

The party can find practically any service they would require in the bazaar, whether it'd be general supplies, tool repair, food, or alchemy. They might even find some individuals who deal in magic items. While exploring the Bazaar, the party can begin The Merchant's Prince. Some other places they can find not listed below are:

• Dara's Herbalist Shop - Female elf Dara sells potions, including Basilisk Anti-Petrification potions for 50 gp. She needs a new supply of Basilisk blood and asks for help.
• Tariq's Horde - Human male Tariq buys and sells curios. The party can get their lamp appraised here, but massively undercut for only 10 gp (it's worth far more). Ali will approach and inform the party they are being cheated.

The Merchant's Guild

The large building to the east is the Merchant's Guild and it has the offices of the nobles who manage it, as well as a few more shops inside. To enter, one needs to have the associated membership with the guild, though perhaps with the help of a certain individual, the party could gain access to its resources.

The Prism Parlor

One of the more luxurious establishments in Bekilk, the Prism Parlor is an upper-class hookah bar. People of all sorts come here to do business, either in the open, or rentable private rooms, or simply just to relax and socialize. The hookah offered also comes in a variety of flavors, as well as some specialty ones that can bestow temporary benefits to the user. These special varieties burn in different colors, so often times colorful smoke can be seen coming from the parlor's windows, which is how it got its name. The establishment is ran by an older female copper dragonborn named Surina who knows better than to interfere with people's business and is no stranger to the darker side of society. Sultana Nala knows Surina and will often come to Prism in incognito to discuss her covert operations with others. If the party enters the bar, read the following:

The first thing you notice as you enter the establishment is the scent. A very sweet smelling tobacco with a hint of spice and a mix of other flavors. The crowded interior is a low-light den with many tables, a bar, and about a few inches of dense smoke on the ground. On the tables are tall, elegant, and colorful glass and metal waterpipes with tubes that are used to inhale the prismatic vapors.

The Hookah takes about an hour to consume and everyone who partook in its consumption gain the benefits at the end. The services and goods offered are as follows:

• Standard Hookah - 1 gp
• Premium Hookah - 4 gp
• Rejuvenating Hookah (1d4 healing for each consumer & remove exhaustion) - 10 gp
• Heroic Hookah (gain benefits of a potion of heroism for 1 hour) - 50 gp
• Rent a private room - 1 gp/hr
• Rent a VIP room - 5 gp/hr

The Fortune Teller

In a lone dark blue tent within the Bazaar is a mysterious fortune teller. The only thing inside is an ancient looking blind elven woman and a crystal ball. The woman will silently reach out her hand expecting payment of 10 gp for a read fortune. Once exactly 10 gp is placed in her hand (she knows), she will meditate on the crystal ball and the character will see their fortune. This can be used to foreshadow the upcomming plot points but will also confer a mechanical bonus to the player. Have the player roll a d20. On an even number, they witness good fortune and can reroll a single failed saving throw, ability check, or attack roll within the next week. On an odd number, they experience misfortune, and a they must subtract a d6 from a single saving throw, ability check, or attack they make in the future (the DM can determine which roll). They can only have one of these benefits at a time. When performing this for the first time, read the following:

As the mist in the crystal ball swirls, it begins to paint a picture you can see clearly in your mind. You see the white and gold palace on top of the plateau in the city. The vision shifts and you see a woman, though you can only make out her striking emerald green eyes. It quickly shifts to another vision - an ancient creature surrounded by a maelstrom of sand. It shifts again - this time you are in an ancient temple of sorts. No, a library. Buried under the ever shifting sands. Next, you see the blue dragonborn you saw earlier, pointing and cackling, before he dissolves into dust. The dust becomes yet another sandstorm and from within the storm, you make out a shape. A creature. A monster? A... dragon? It rears its head back and breathes... not fire, but mosquitos and death. But wait, you and your companions stand unharmed. A beacon of light, a golden diamond shaped aegis shields you from the burst. Your friends draw their own glimmering weapons and charge at the monster. The vision ends and you stumble back into reality.

The Dawnbreak Oasis

While the city itself is beautiful in its own right, it is nothing to the majestic view of the Dawnbreak Oasis, a lush blue body of water that supports the city and the life around it. The oasis and the area around it is practically the only green place in the entire desert. Some followers of the Dawnfather also consider it holy and come out to meditate. If the party lingers too long near the Oasis, a malevolent giant crocodile will emerge and attack them. The Sultanate has a reward for the slaying of the beast - a reward of 60 gold as well as keeping its hide. Inside the beast, among bones and flesh, is a +1 Scimitar. Don't ask how it got in there.

The Temple of the Dawnfather

Pelor, the Dawnfather is the deity devoted to the sun and agriculture. Therefore, it is only natural for him to be primarily worshipped in the Sultanate, where they get a lot of sun. The temple to Pelor in Bekilk is located near the Ivory Palace and is a beautiful building with an intricated gold domed roof. Any religious player devoted to Pelor will be warmly welcomed and allowed to use the temple's services.

Related Locations

• Bekilk