'The Saif of Sorrow' One-off Campaign
'The Saif of Sorrow' was a PRPG one-shot campaign.
"You sold it to a pony!" Sand Walker thumped his hoof on the small table, nearly spilling a glass of date wine. "A pony!!!" Palm Oasis continued fanning herself under the outdoor cafe's shaded awning and shrugged with indifference. "She had the gold." "The saif belongs to camels," Sand Walker snarled. "You should have kept in our hooves. You knew I wanted it." "She offered twice as much as you ever did before you stormed out in the middle of negotiating." Palm Oasis rolled her eyes in boredom. "And I'm supposed to do what? Turn down double the price because she's not a camel? You would do no such thing. I know you, Sand. Long time doing business together. You're only too eager for pony gold yourself." Sand Walker raised his voice and snarled. "This is different!" Palm Oasis stopped fanning just long enough to take a drink of her date wine. "Maybe it was a different kind of treasure, yes. But gold is gold. That's no different." "And a pony is a pony, not a camel," Sand Walker retorted. "Don't forget that." "You would know all about ponies, yes." Palm Oasis nodded. "If you're upset about losing the saif to a pony, then do whatever you feel you must about it. I'm sure you know how to turn that kind of missed opportunity into something even better. You always have. You complain to me, but we both know how you solve your own problems in times like this." Sand Walker stared at her. "Are you suggesting something?" "Not suggesting." Palm Oasis shook her head. "Only saying, I know what else you like to sell. It's an honorable trade, just as much as antiquities. They are only ponies, after all, and farm labor must come from somewhere. How else could we enjoy the finer things?" She tapped her glass of date wine. "Yes." Sand Walker wrinkled his muzzle. "Well. Raids are one thing. Kidnapping within the safe haven of the Bazaar is another." "Suit yourself." Palm Oasis shrugged. "I sold the saif, my hoof in this is done. Whatever you still want with it is your business. Not mine." "Hmmmph." Sand Walker drank down the last of his date wine. He tossed a silver coin on the table, then stood up and stalked away back into the flowing crowds of Bactrian Bazaar traffic. Not even the burning mid-day sun could drive away the dark scowl clouding his face...
The Story So Far:
The sun is setting to bring on the night of the full moon, a busy time in the Bactrian Bazaar. Numerous bands of nomadic camel tribes are present, as are a wide assortment of the ponies and zebras who trade with them here. The streets bustle with activity as merchants and vendors hawk their wares. Jewels, clothes, cookware, baskets, fresh foods, exotic spices, deadly poisons, magical items, tools, books, scrolls, rare pets from far and wide, exquisite hoofwoven rugs – almost anything can be bought and sold here. Items both savory and sinister change hooves in great quantity.
But even so, not everyone can get what they really want with coin alone.
The Sand Walker, a wealthy camel who deals in rare antiquities, was recently frustrated in his hopes for obtaining the Saif of Sorrow, an ancient sword recovered by the adventurer Palm Oasis. While The Sand Walker was in the process of negotiating, a unicorn mare from out of town swooped in and purchased the saif for an extraordinary price, leaving Palm Oasis happy and The Sand Walker outraged.
In his anger, The Sand Walker has turned to methods less mercantile and more mercenary, tasking his hired paramilitary security with fulfilling his ambitions for seeing the saif in his hooves. The Sand Walker wants this mare taken quietly under the cover of darkness, and both her and the Saif of Sorrows brought back to him. Delivery is expected before sunrise. As an incentive to perform well and quickly, The Sand Walker has promised his agents whatever valuables they may find in her possession as a bonus to divide among themselves – a considerable motivation, since to buy such an item, she must be either quite wealthy or be trusted to handle a great deal of money. All The Sand Walker wants is the saif, and to see this outsider in slave's chains as punishment for trying to poach an irreplacable relic of the camel heritage.
Time is of the essence: many caravans will be departing the Bazaar at sunrise to start the journey back East across the lowland deserts, ferrying traders and merchandise to the pony towns of the Isle of Yore. The mare will likely depart with one of them, forever closing any window of opportunity for recovering the saif.
Pre-gen Characters:
Gawain: Gawain is a male griffin with a gyrfalcon head and a mountain lion body. In keeping with the ancient traditional values of his people, the question he's usually most concerned with is, "Got bits?". To this end, he works as a mercenary for whoever will dole out the best rewards. The Sand Walker has been paying well lately.
Dust Cloud: Dust Cloud, or "Dusty," is a ragged but fiesty young adult pegasus mare with a tan coat and a sage-green mane. Born out in the lowland desert and a fighter out of necessity from a young age, she settled in the Bactrian Bazaar for the opportunities it offered in working various jobs, and most lucratively security, for its many merchants.
Sand Stone: Sand Stone is an earth zony stallion with rusty stripes over a lighter coat and faintly reddish stripes in a white mane. Unlike most of his family, he didn't want to entertain the prospect of settling for spending his entire life having no experiences other than farming, so he took his earth pony strength and applied it to military pursuits instead. Caravans and their ever-present need for security, and therefore employment opportunities, have led him to spend much time either in the Bactrian Bazaar or traveling to and from it.
Sweet Water: Sweet Water is a camel mare. Her background is in being a caravan escort and guide, and sometimes a desert explorer. Between caravan runs, she often takes on local bodyguarding and security work. She's literate and has read a bit, and aspires to compile a complete map of all the desert oasis locations near the Bactrian Bazaar. However, this project has been on hold since The Sand Walker recently placed her on retainer to work for him on a permanent basis. She is reasonably, but not excellently, proficient with the spitting weapons of her people.
Longstrides: Lonstrides is a middle-aged camel stallion. Most of his life has been spent in the Bactrian Bazaar, variously working as a trader, laborer, and bodyguard. He has no formal military training per se, but the school of life has left him well-credentialed in close combat. Experience and awareness of the various methods used by crooks and thugs in a place like the Bazaar makes him a good security operator, and good at some other less than above-the-board tasks.
White Teeth: White Teeth is a camel mare. She was trained as a spitsmare in her tribe's traditions and is keenly proficient. Endless nomadic tribal wandering didn't agree with her, however, so she gravitated toward a more fixed settlement in the Bactrian Bazaar. Being both tough and quick-moving from the rigors of the nomadic life and good at spitting has left her with a skillset most marketable for security and private paramilitary work, both in a defensive and offensive capacity.