May 22nd, 761, 12:41 PM; Day 66 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"I'll take your fashion advice under consideration..." Lily said with a certain arch annoyance. But then the reporter paused, turning the thought over in her mind. One thing you had learned over the course of the Expedition was that the reporter was understandably proud of her looks, and you could almost see the idea forming in her mind. If one had to suffer for local customs, one could at least look good doing so.YalenusVeler wrote:"The laws about modesty for women aren't as bad as you'd think. Yes, the basic coverings are pretty drab...but there's some beautifully patterned ones available at market. I've always thought someone should bring them back to Dementlieu, and start a fashion trend."
"I might just do it, actually." Miss D'Envers murmurred, considering the possibilities.
"There are public wells and drinking fountains, and the river is actually pretty clean as far as rivers go, certainly compared to the Musarde." Michel shrugged, not too bother by the heat as of yet. "Pharazian laws are pretty strict about throwing anything in the water."Rock wrote:"I speak Pharazian if anyone needs it. But there is one important thing you have not yet said, De Angelis. What about water? Is there water publically available which is safe to drink? And closeby?"
Whistler wrote:"...I am personally being looking forward to exploring the markets...there is still some of which I have to stock up, and I am looking forward to seeing how Lamordian bargaining is comparing to the international sort."
"Haven't got the foggiest clue." The Borcan organizer said with a forced cheer. "We need to get maps of the desert and we need to get supplies, and we need to trade the horses for camels if we plan to actually travel across the Wastes. Otto, you can help with a lot of that."Rock wrote:"How long do we actually play to stay in Phiraz?" Lia asks. "This Library sounds interesting to me, but I'd hate to go there, just to hear I have to leave in the middle of a good book."
"Yes..." Professor Marchand-Renier offered, viewing the city as a whole with a civilized disdain. "And the Library of Phiraz may well be our best opportunity to try and research Menetnashte's Tomb and the Eye of Anubis, as well as whether or not some of our 'foes' are well-known in this area."
"In other words, we shall stay as long as is necessary." Professor Pelletier finished the speeches.
Lily sighed at this and got a scarf out of her bag, tying it around her head in a makeshift fashion. Sarari glared for long moments, then pulled the hood of her forest green cloak up.
The Bridge of the Crocodiles, Phiraz
May 22nd, 761, 1:13 PM; Day 66 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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The Expedition rode down to the nearest gate of Phiraz, actually a huge, sandstone bridge that spanned what you thought was the Simurgh river. Might have been the Chakor, you weren't quite sure, but probably the Simurgh.
Up close, the river was even more impressive, an immense, rushing mass of water that flowed into Lake Ousserd with surprising speed and fury. Something told you that anyone who fell into the river would not be getting out of it easily.
Across the river, a wide bridge spanned the water, placed atop heavy stone pylons that had a weathering on them that spoke of a remarkable span of years. Reliefs of pebbly-hided reptiles adorned the sides of the bridge, and two pairs of stone crocodile statues graced the ends of the bridge.
For their part, the end of the bridge was guarded by you guessed at least a dozen guards of Phiraz. Most of them were men as any other, soldiers with dusky skin and neat, short-cropped beards, sweating in the mid-day sun in their polished steel breastplates, each one with a spear and a short-bow. They looked remarkably professional, as a whole, reminding you more of the soldiers of Falkovnia than the more lackadaisical militiamen seen in Barovia.
With them, however, was another man, a tall, imposing figure in a hooded white robe, the blazing sun making it almost painful to look at him. A coiled scourge hung at the man's hip, along with a remarkably utilitarian-looking curved sabre.
Further Conversation in Pharazian
"Halt, in the name of the Prophet." The white-robed man announced in a ritualistic tone. "Know, Dhimmi, that you approach the City of Purity, and all seekers of Enlightenment are welcome here. Do you first swear to uphold all laws of Phiraz, and to give the Prophet the respect he is due?"
Professor Marchand-Renier, the highest ranking member of the Expedition with an actual knowledge of the Pharazian language, rode up slightly. "We do, Honored Confessor."
"So shall it be." The Confessor dropped his ritual tones, and looked at the Expedition with a more appraising eye. "Merchants?"
"Explorers, rather." Prof. Marchand-Renier explained. "Looking to rest and resupply, and maybe make use of the Library here."
"That may be difficult. You come to Phiraz at a poor time, foreigner." The white-robed man continued. "The Prophet has decreed a curfew in force, that all are within doors from sun down till sun up. There's a nervousness in the city right now."
"Why is that?" The linguist asked. You noticed the normally acid-tongued professor turned smooth, placating in the face of the nominal authority, though you wouldn't have bet anything you weren't ready to lose on it being more than skin-deep.
"I cannot say, not knowing the answer. Still, you are aware of all the laws?" At the professor's nod, the Confessor yelled at his guards. One of them came up bearing a number of bright, vivid green armbands. In a halting, poor High Mordentish, the Confessor spoke to the group at large.
"You wear these. No wear, fine 250 gold dinars." The Confessor gestured to his sword, not a threatening gesture, but an explanatory one. "We bind weapons to sheaths, no cause trouble. Not have weapon bind, fine 500 gold dinar and we take weapon."
Turning back to his guards, the Confessor waved them on. "Search the Dhimmi for weapons or contraband."
[OOC: Alrighty... present all your weapons for peace-binding, unless you want to test your Sleight-of-hand against the guard's search checks. All weapons that are found are Peace-Bonded.
There are two types of Peace-Bonding, one in Gaz II and one in Cityscape, so I merged the two slightly.
Peace-Bonding is a kind of enchanted knotwork that attaches a weapon to its sheathe. You can untie the knotwork with a DC 25 Use-Rope check (You can take 20 if you have the time), pull it out in a single round with a DC 20 Strength Check, or you can Dispel the enchantment (DC 14), which reduces the Use Rope and Strength checks to DC 15 and DC 10 respectively.]
