[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 10: Adventuring

[Zeta Kai]

Featured NPCs

Imperial Overseer Jaruq Azmar

Quotes

• “A broken spirit is one that need not be caged.”
• “This is my city.”
• “Tonight I shall relish hearing your screams.”
• “It is the right & the duty of the strong to dominate the weak.”

Background
Jaruq Azmar started his military career as an elite guard in the Ostazai army, smarter than most but not exceptionally so. Then, one day, while escorting a caravan, he came across a Ring of Wizardry (I), a relic from the imperial period. He kept it, & studied it in secret, lest it be discovered & confiscated. His work led him to understand the rudiments of arcane magic. Thus he was able to become a wizard in his own right, using the Secret Art to advance his career. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually attaining the position of Imperial Overseer of the Mamluqai Annexation. He now resides in the so-called Palace of the Overseer, which used to house the former Potentate.

Personality
Jaruq is cruel & efficient, quickly dispatching anyone or anything that interferes (or even threatens to interfere) with his vision of what Mamluk should be. He supposedly takes orders from Ostaz, but he has been given a wide amount of leeway to do as he sees fit, which he has taken great advantage of over the years. Universally despised, he is now something of a despotic warlord in his own right, with almost enough power to rival the emperor himself.

Appearance
Jaruq has a long, thin face & cruel, narrow eyes, making for an unpleasant visage. Last year, he gained a long jagged scar on his neck from an assassin’s blade. For this reason, he is never seen in public without his full plate armor.

Goals
Most people believe that Jaruq is gathering his political & military strength, & that one day, he will attempt to take on the capital, deposing Grand Emperor Aqram & usurping the Ostazai throne for himself. While this may one day come to pass, at the moment, he is still loyal to the grand emperor, & is currently planning a military campaign to conquer the city of Raqam & its surroundings. He is mostly concerned with amassing personal power in the form of arcane mastery. His progress in the Secret Art is stymied at the moment by his spellbook, which is nearly full. He is hunting for another suitable book, & since wizardry is highly illegal, they are hard to come by. He cannot advance as either a wizard or an eldritch knight until he acquires another one, so he has directed his troops to capture all magic users alive, & to bring them to him.

Combat Tactics
Jaruq is a warrior, through & through. He prefers to wade into melee, closing with his enemies & looking them in the eyes as he dispatches them. His hands-on approach to combat can get his into trouble at times, so he is often backed by subordinate soldiers, charmed allies, or dominated slaves. He uses his falchion to surprising effect, throwing it with deadly accuracy or wielding it with both hands. He likes to use the element of surprise, hiding his advantages from his opponents, causing them underestimate his defenses. He will capture defeated opponents alive, if possible, so that he can enslave them for later torture & humiliation.

Jaruq works to hide his mastery of the Secret Art, pretending to be a mere warrior. He hides behind his magic items, attributing any supernatural abilities to them. He uses subtle magic whenever possible, hiding flashier effects from the eyes of others at all costs. He prefers to use mind-affecting spells to convince others to do as he wants, which supplements his talents for intimidation. He will negate spell components whenever possible, via Silent Spell & Still Spell, so as to better disguise his arcane power. Before any major conflict, he will secretly cast as many defensive spells on himself as he can get away with. He will almost never cast buffs on those under his command, except in rare circumstances (non-sentients, dominated allies, etc.)

3E Stats

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RACE: Human (Ostazai) male
CLASS: Fighter 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 7
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil
DEITY: Johoum (Taj al-Caliph, non-practicing)
SIZE: Medium
AGE: 43 (born 312 AF)
HEIGHT: 5’10”
WEIGHT: 185 lbs.
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Black
LANGUAGES: Common, Gnoolun, & Archaic
HIT DICE: 10+1d10+5d4+7d6+28 (80HP)
INITIATIVE: +7
SPEED: 30’
ARMOR CLASS: 28 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, +9 armor, +3 shield); touch 13; flat-footed 25
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +11
GRAPPLE BONUS: +13
ATTACK: +14 Throwing Returning Shock Scimitar (1d6+3 +1d6 electricity, 18-20/×2, 10’ range increment, slashing)
FULL ATTACK: +14/+11/+8 Throwing Returning Scimitar (1d6+3 +1d6 electricity, 18-20/×2, 10’ range increment, slashing)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +10, Reflex +10, Will +7
ABILITIES:

• Strength 17 (+3)
• Dexterity 16 (+3)
• Constitution 14 (+2)
• Intelligence 18 (+4)
• Wisdom 12 (+1)
• Charisma 10 (+0)

SKILLS: 95 points

• Climb +6
• Concentration +19
• Intimidate +15
• Knowledge (arcana) +14
• Knowledge (history) +14
• Knowledge (nobility & royalty) +21
• Ride +8
• Spellcraft +21

FEATS: Bulwark Warrior (all techniques)**, Cleave, Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Scribe Scroll (bonus), Sharper Edge (×2)**, Silent Spell, Still Spell
WEAPON: +1 Throwing Returning Shock Scimitar (32,315gp, 1d6+3 +1d6 electricity, 18-20/×2, 4 lbs., slashing)
ARMOR:

• +1 Spell Resistance (SR19) Full Plate (37,650gp, +9, maximum dexterity bonus +1, check penalty -5, 35% AFC, speed 20’, 50lbs.)
• +1 Animated Heavy Steel Shield (9,170gp, +3, check penalty -1, 15% ACF, 15 lbs.)

EQUIPMENT:

• 8,390gp
• Amulet of Natural Armor +3 (18,000gp)
• Boots of Speed (12,000gp)
• Gloves of Dexterity +4 (16,000gp)
• Handy Haversack (2,000gp)
• Periapt of Wisdom +2 (4,000gp)
• 3 Potions of cure moderate wounds (900gp)
• 2 Potions of cure serious wounds (1,500gp)
• Ring of Mind Shielding (8,000gp)
• Ring of Wizardry (I, 20,000gp)
• Spellbook, Wizard’s (96 pages used (of 100), 0gp, 1 lb., disguised as a copy of the Hymns of War)

SPELLS: 4/5/5/5/4/2/1 (Caster Level 11th, save DC14 + spell level)

• 0th Level: acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, stinging breeze**, tally**, touch of fatigue
• 1st Level: charm person, disguise self, disgust**, jump, shield, true strike, unseen servant
• 2nd Level: bull’s strength, minor image, protection from arrows, resist energy
• 3rd Level: clairaudience/clairvoyance, fireball, heroism, suggestion
• 4th Level: charm monster, confusion, greater invisibility, locate creature
• 5th Level: dominate person, hold monster, teleport, ward object**
• 6th Level: chain lightning, mass suggestion

FAMILIAR: Ansari, a weasel (14HD, 33HP, AC17 (+2 size, +2 Dexterity, +3 Natural Armor), BAB+11, Bite +13 melee (1d3-4), Fortitude +9, Reflex +5, Will +7, Intelligence 8 (-1), Attach, Deliver Touch Spells, Empathic Link, Share Spells, Speak with Master, Low-Light Vision, Scent, Agile, Improved Evasion, Weapon Finesse).