The Merchant's Prince

The power of the Merchant's Guild in Bekilk is said to rival that of the Sultan. Four noble families comprise the merchant's guild, and a young boy of the Isthar family is destined to take his place at the top. However, having gone against tradition numerous times, he has earned the scorn of all the noble families, including his own mother.
However, if the party investigates, they will discover a much deeper plot, one that reveals the mother's dark dealings, and one that involves one of the party members. All fingers point to Ali's mother, Qistina. They discover how she really feels about her own son and reveal that she is not necessarily what she seems to be.
In truth, Qistina's greed made her hate the idea of giving the family's wealth to her son who will most likely squander it, so she sought out ways to prolong her rein so she could enjoy her wealth in vain. Such an opportunity came up thanks to a powerful fiendish entity, offering her immortality in return for servitude. Thus she became a creature of greed and hedonism - a Lamia - a vain predator that gathers wealth and slaves to admire its ever growing collection. Though to ensure her empire never ends, there must be no heir. Even as a monster, how could a mother ever harm their child?
As such a creature, Qistina discovers that the party would make a fine addition to her collection. When the party infiltrates her home, she will capture them and make them her playthings. As all hope seems lost, Ali himself will find his way into his mother's lair to save his new friends. In doing so, he must come to terms with what his own mother has become. He realizes this must be put to an end - he must face his mother. However, his mother has amassed an army of Jackalweres and Eclipse mercenaries to defend her interests.
After defeating the Lamia and after investigating this secret lair, the PC Sett will discover that Qistina had his three sisters in her lair, only for her to sell them off.

Plot points/Scenes

This quest starts when the party interacts with the Emerald Bazaar. When they go to appraise the brass lamp they found on a kobold in Messan, Ali Isthar will intervene on their behalf when he notices them being ripped off.

The shopkeeper takes a look at the artifact for a moment and says, "I'll give you 10 gold for it." Before you are able to consider the offer, an individual intervenes on your behalf. "10 gold? I'm afraid you're being cheated, friends." You see a young man, maybe 20 or even late teens, tan skin, short jet black hair, and well groomed, approaching you. "From what I can tell, that appears to be an old brass lamp from the early days of the Sultanate. People used to believe they would contain Genies and they would come out and give you three wishes if you gave it a rub, but of course that's just a myth. In reality, people would use them to hold oil for use in lanterns. Of course we have much better designs now, but such an antique is a very nice find indeed. If you'd allow me to take a better look, I can give you a much more reasonable price than this man here, assuming you are looking to sell it."

Ali introduces himself as the son of Qistina Isthar, one of the noble families in charge of the merchant's guild. After inspecting the item, Ali informs the party that their artifact is over a thousand years old, and could easily go for over 100 gp to the right person. After handing the artifact back, he asks the party who they are, where they are from, and why they have come here, simply to be nice. He tells them to find him if they need anything, since Ali knows the city pretty well. As Ali is explaining this, whoever is talking to him will notice behind him an individual drawing a weapon and getting ready to strike Ali; an assassin! The party can easily warn Ali, who, once aware of the threat will duck for cover as his attackers engage. The attackers consist of a few bandits and one leader, who will emerge from the crowd like that Indiana Jones scene. They attack the party if they defend Ali.
Ali, assuming he is unscathed, will thank the party for defending him. He'll remark about increasing attempts of his life and that they were bold to attack in the open. The guards finally arrive at the scene, and Ali will vouch for the party. Investigating the bodies reveals they are members of the Eclipse, a group that once saved the Sultanate from the Church of the Sun, but has long since forgotten what they stood for. This will be significant to the PC Sett, because he will recognize the symbol of the group as the ones that he has been hunting!

Art of the Deal

The next time the party returns to Bekilk, possibly after advancing the main quest, a courier will find the party and "I've got something I'm supposed to deliver; your hands only." It is a message from Ali, asking the party to meet him at the Prism Parlor (see Desert Storm II: Bekilk, the Gem on the Crown). Ali has secured a private room and a hookah that he plans to share with the party when they join him.

You pull back the curtains to see Ali relaxing in the private room and a hookah device on the table. "Hello again!" he says, "Good to see you all. I figured I should probably pay you back somehow for saving my life and what better way to do so than invite you to one of the finer establishments in the city. Traditionally, it's socially accepted that sharing hookah with someone is a symbol of mutual trust and friendship, since we all are breathing in the same vapors. And I wish to trust you and hope that you can trust me, because I have found something."

Ali invites the party to sit with him (he will try to sit next to the PC Sett if he can). Ali understands that there may be a connection with the people who attacked him and the people who took Sett's siblings, and after a bit of digging around on his own as well as some of his own intuition, he conjectured that the Eclipse may be using the Prism Parlor's special underground club to conduct business.
The entrance to the club section of the parlor is a door with a window slit and a beefy guard behind it who asks for a password. The password, however, is different every time, and usually involves the guard saying a number, and the person who wants to enter responding with a number. The puzzle here is the one in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything p.182. Each passphrase will allow one party member inside. If they get it wrong, they must try to disguise themselves to try again, or perhaps persuade the guard. Once inside, the guard will remark about how they've "never seen you before," but will ultimately let them pass, since they clearly know how to enter.

Compared to the surface level parlor, this underground club is no less extravagant. A similar sweet aura fills the air, and the floor is yet again covered in a layer of colorful smoke that has mixed together to form the equivalent of a jungle juice of vapors. Unlike above, there are somewhat less people here, and the ones that are here do not look like the type of people you would want to make friends with.

The sub-level of the Prism Parlor is a place where influential people of the city's underworld congregate. The sub-level club offers the same services as the surface level, as well as a few other hedonistic services. Every underground empire has its head, and the head of Bekilk's criminal underground is an individual known as Ibrahim. Ibrahim appears as a handsome Osmadi male with a pointed chin and an almost as long pointed goatee that curls up at the end. Wherever Ibrahim goes, he is followed by two nearly nude women, Sahdi and Layla, who are constantly caressing him, as well as his loyal Saber-tooth Tiger named Sultan. Though human on the outside, Ibrahim is actually a Rakshasa, and his two female companions are succubi. Thankfully, unless the party causes a ruckus, they probably won't have to deal with him.
The target individuals (though the party does not quite know them), are two Eclipse mercs sitting at a table waiting for someone. A character with a keen perception roll will notice the mercs' emblems and similar color scheme marking them as Eclipse. Alternatively, the party can ask other people in the parlor for information, and there's a chance they will point to the same individuals, though this will almost certainly arouse suspicion. The two Eclipse mercs, a male and a female human, are supposed to meet with a prominent but anonymous individual, who arrives shortly after the party identifies the mercs. The mercs refuse to speak with anyone until after their meeting is done. If the party watches from a distance, they will see the individual, a hooded nobleman, sit down with the mercs and begin speaking. Assuming the party hasn't been noticed eavesdropping, they catch some aspects of their conversation:

• Noble: "I'm in need of your services again. One of my traders was hit by nomads recently. Perhaps I could hire your group's muscle?" Merc: "It won't come cheap. We work solely for our benefactor." N: "That's fine, I have gold, but I can pay in something else. Something your benefactor might want."
• N: "I understand your benefactor controls the majority of the market. I myself have a decent share with my connections. With the upcoming wedding I'd imagine the price of fabrics would rise. Whoever controls this market stands to make a lot of money yes? It's perfectly legal of course." M: "I don't know why you're telling this to us. We're mercenaries, not merchants." N: "Yes, I understand that but I figured you would carry this information to your benefactor. Please let her know that I would like to acquire a portion of the fabric market from her. For a good deal of course."
• M: "You're starting to waste our time. I doubt our benefactor would agree to any of this unless you have something worth the time and loses of what you're proposing." N: "Yes, of course. Like I said, I have gold, but I have something better. She loved last time when I gave her that painting of Wolfsbane, yes? Well have at look at this." M: "Who is that?" N: "Who else but the very person who founded the Sultanate! The first of his dynasty: Saladin Al-Sharaf! Painted on canvas by the famous painter Babayaka!" M: "I guess it looks nice, but this would be better handled by our benefactor in person."
• N: "If only that Merchant's Prince boy married the Princess all of us nobles would be raking in all the profits! But he had to go and screw it up." M: "Again, not our problem." N: "Yes, but you must do something about him, right? What does your benefactor have to say about this?" M: "She has already contracted us to deal with him, as well as almost every other noble in the guild."
• N: "Lastly, do you know if your benefactor still has the... umm... Rabbits?" M: "Whoa, quiet. You know that's dangerous to mention even here." N: "I mean the pet rabbits of course! For my kids. Does your lady still have them?" M: "Right... the pet animals. Last I believe another interested party has made an offer on them, but that was a few days ago. I haven't heard about it since then." N: "Alright then. Forget I said anything."
• N: "Please carry my words to your benefactor and perhaps we could come up with a reasonable time and place to meet in person. Here, for your time."

With the conversation over, the man places a hefty gold pouch on the table and leaves. If the party is noticed for the first time, the mercenaries cover their mouthes and speak with a hushed voice. If they are spotted more times, they will be confronted by the mercenary thugs, as well as the parlor's enforcers.* The gist of the conversation that good listeners can pick up on are that: this noble wants to team up with the female benefactor of the Eclipse to manipulate the market by price gouging fabrics just before the big wedding. This benefactor owns the majority of the market and has dealt with this individual before, considering she has obtained a portrait of Wolfsbane from him previously. The benefactor also has qualms with the Merchant's Prince, Ali, and has her mercenaries "dealing with him." Lastly, this benefactor is in possession of "Rabbits" that are being sold. This information can be brought to Ali, and he responds accordingly.

• "The person who controls the majority of the market is my mother."
• "Ah yes. Market manipulation. I'm all to familiar with it."
• "My mother also has a painting of Wolfsbane. He was an inspiration to us all."
• "The Merchant's Prince? Of course I know him, he is me."
• "They probably don't like me because I always foil their schemes to play the market at the expense of everyone else."
• "Yes, my mother wanted me to marry Princess Miriha, but honestly, she isn't my type."
• "What? Why would my mother hire mercenaries to kill me? I mean sure we don't have the best relationship but she's not that low of a person. Are you sure you're understanding this right? Perhaps you heard wrong. This doesn't make sense."

From Ali's knowledge, all clues point towards his mother, Qistina Isthar, though Ali himself refuses to believe his mother is behind all of this.
*If the party gets in a confrontation, a brief fight will break out, before it is stopped by Ibrahim, who asks everyone to calm down, and invites the party to speak with him. Ibrahim takes the party to his office and discusses the following:

• "I've heard rumors of a 'band of unique looking individuals' who have come to the city. I take it that's you? Then I welcome you."
• "My sources tell me you have spoken with the Sultana? What did you talk about?"
• Ibrahim's knowledge is comparable to that of the Sultana's. He is willing to answer simple questions about the Sultanate. Some for a price.
• For 500 gp or a favor, Ibrahim will tell the party who is the benefactor of the Eclipse.
• "I'll have work opportunities if you are interested. Come back later and I'll tell you about it."

The Sins of the Mother

With Qistina Isthar being a suspect, the party must investigate her to find something conclusive. Fortunately, Ali, now also suspicious of his mother, is willing to help. He admits his mother keeps secrets from him and offers to distract his mother long enough for the party to infiltrate their home. First, Ali will invite them over for dinner, where they will meet his mother Qistina, but also gives them the opportunity to scout the house for potential areas of interest. The house is impeccably clean and very finely decorated with expensive looking paintings and lush, green gardens. The servants who assist them are finely dressed and each one is beautiful in their own right. The dinner is awkward, with Qistina often remarking about how "Ali has such good taste in friends," and how "everyone looks so unique." Once the dinner is over and the party leaves, Ali will begin to distract his mother, asking her business questions and indulging her about the artwork in their home.
This should allow the party to proceed through the house unimpeded and eventually discover the entrance to a secret lair on the second floor. If, during their infiltration, the party causes a disturbance, Ali will try his best to cover for them. The house itself is guarded by three Eclipse Mercs (two on the front door, one walking perimeter) and four servants (actually Jackalweres, three on the first floor, one on the second). During the infiltration, if the party is noticed by a guard, they will first question them before alerting Lady Qistina and the other guards. Ali can attempt to cover for them once if they are detected ("Oh yeah, they told me they forgot something so I let them back in and I didn't want to trouble you, mother!").
Assuming the infiltration is successful, the party will discover the extent of the this underground lair. A network of caves and a combination of new and old structures littered with valuables, beautiful plants, pristine paintings, and finely dressed servants, much like the main house. These tunnels are guarded by Jackalweres and Eclipse mercenaries. If spotted, the Jackalweres will try to use their sleep gaze to capture the party and imprison them. The lair is also ridden with sleep traps meant to incapacitate the party but not kill them (in case Lady Qistina wants to add them to her menagerie).
If the party finds themselves captured, they will be put in cages for Qistina to admire for the rest of their lives. That is, however, until Ali himself braves the secret chamber revealed by the party and frees them. He offers a silvered dagger to Sett and a few silvered weapons can be found among the lair to defeat the jackalweres. The party can escape or choose to confront Qistina, who they discover her true form - that of a half woman, half lion creature known as a Lamia!
Qistina, in her Lamia form, rarely engages and throws her large number of servants onto the party. If Ali is present, he will defend himself from the servants, but he can't bring himself to even look at his mother after he knows the truth. If given a chance to explain, Qistina will admit that her greed made her hate the idea of giving the family's wealth to her son who will most likely squander it, so she sought out ways to prolong her rein so she could enjoy her wealth in vain. Such an opportunity came up thanks to a powerful fiendish entity, offering her this form in return for servitude. She admits that her menagerie will never be complete and she must keep finding the best specimens to add.
Qistina will attempt to negotiate for her life, promising huge quantities of gold and anything they want from the market on the condition that they leave and tell no one what they saw. She even offers to sell them property or give them access to anywhere in the Sultanate they would like. She will not, however, concede any of her slaves, give up any property she owns, or submit to the authorities. If Qistina is defeated, the party has a moment to console Ali, who at this point is devastated. Shortly afterwards, a troop of guards barges in, led by Master General Arjhan Bahar and Sultana Nala Al-Sharaf herself. It was Ali who tipped off the guards that something suspicious was going on, and on a hunch that this involved aspects of slavery and trafficking, Nala decided to show up to deal with the situation personally. Describe the situation like this:

There is a moment of silence as the conflict settles. Ali is huddled in a corner, an expression of grief and disbelief on his face as he struggle to come to terms with what just happened.
You hear the sound of a handful of heavy metallic footfalls approaching. About a dozen armed guards rush into the room, their pikes drawn. "This is the Osmad Royal Guard! Drop your weapons!" Two familiar figures follow them, the first is the familiar dragonborn Master General Arjhan, both hands on a greatsword on his back, ready to draw, and the other appears to be the Sultana herself, in a more tactical outfit and scimitars in both hands. As she notices you and Ali, she lowers them and orders the soldiers to stand down. "It appears we missed the action. Are you all alright?"
Ali manages to steel himself and stand to properly greet the Sultana. "Sultana! I..." But before he can speak, Nala puts up a hand, "it's alright Mr Isthar. Thank you for tipping us off about your mother. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you. I had Arjhan mobilize the guards immediately, and I decided to come because I had a hunch that something sinister was going on here. Unfortunately, it appears I was right." She begins to walk towards the now empty cages. "I swore that I would protect my people from something like this happening again. Yet here we are. How could something like this happen without me noticing?"

Any remaining commoners realize that they are free from the mental influence and break down. The remaining Eclipse mercs and Jackalweres try to flee through and alternate entrance. Sett can find a note from Qistina (or get the information from her if she lives) that explains how she adored having three rabbitfolk siblings in her possession but she eventually had to give them up to pay a debt to an individual named "Raan." She regrets giving them away because they were "such a unique addition to her menagerie."

Aftermath

With the help of Nala and her guards, any remaining unexplored areas can be safely traversed. If they havent already, the party can discover a shrine to Graz'zt and a room full of skeletal corpses. Any of the defeated mercenaries can be investigated to discover that they are, in fact, Eclipse mercs. By the time they finish, Ali will have gotten past the initial shock. The party can find him speaking aloud:

You see Ali, eyes still watery, kneeling down and looking over an emblem - that of the overlapping circles of the Eclipse. "This doesn't make any sense. If the the Eclipse were working for my mother, why did they try to kill me? Did my mother hire them to kill me? Why would she want to kill her own son?"

Nala offers to leave some guards to protect Ali and, if the party offers, they too can stay in Ali's home. The next day, Ali approaches the party (or finds them if they did not stay with him). He thanks the party for their intervention and apologizes for not knowing what he dragged them into. He confesses that his mother stopped being a mother to him for a while now and that he hasn't had anyone he could trust until the party came along. He tells the party they are welcome to stay at his place since it is empty now and that he can offer his aid when they need it. Particularly, he confesses that he would like to spend more time with the PC Sett because he feels partially responsible for what happened to his siblings and would like to help him find them. That, and he has a romantic attraction towards Sett.

Plot type

Side Quest

Related Locations

• Bekilk