[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 10: Adventuring

[Zeta Kai]

Qaled al-Shayq

Quotes

• “May the day smile upon you, my child.”
• “I don’t recall the exact passage right now…”
• “It’s getting late, & I have a prior appointment. Let us continue this discussion another time.”
• “Gold reflects the light of day most clearly, my child.”

Background
Qaled al-Shayq was born into the aristocracy, the son of a merchant prince from Fandaq & a vizier’s daughter. From an early age, he displayed an aptitude for business, able to deftly leverage capital in order to generate large profits with ease. He followed in his father’s footsteps (against his mother’s wishes) & took over the Shayq-owned businesses. His growing financial power led him to covet political power, & it wasn’t long before he found a ripe opportunity in the city of Aqur.

While he didn’t invent the Aqurai commercial empire, which masquerades as a church of Akasha, he certainly perfected it to fine art. Soon after he joined as advising partner, profits hit record highs due to his savvy dealings, & the city itself became a more gainful investment, as well. Within three years, he became the Head Minister of Aqur, solidifying his position expanding mercantile operations into new markets (& eliminating a few key rivals). The church has never been more profitable, the city looks better & has a better reputation that it has been in decades, & real business of the church has never been better hidden. All of this has made Qaled more popular with the citizens of Aqur, as well as his commercial colleagues, although a few of his staunchest enemies have grown to loathe him all the more venomously.

Personality
Qaled is extremely deceitful, lying & manipulating everyone around him almost as a matter of course. Even those closest to him don’t rightly know him, including his wife (or his mistresses) & children. On the outside, he appears to be a genial & pious gentleman, one who is eager to help the souls of everyone he meets, & is thought to pray for days at a time in his private chambers. In reality, he couldn’t care less for the wellbeing of others (except where it benefits himself), he spends much of his time arranging commercial deals or philandering, & he isn’t even very familiar with the tenets of Akashan dogma.

Appearance
Qaled’s hair is mostly hidden by an enormous mitered hat. He has a beatific & stately demeanor, with impeccable manners. He always wears a smile on his face, although it sometimes appears to be somewhat mirthless & ingenuine. He walks with a very slight limp, the result of an injury in his youth.

Goals
Qaled is attracted to power even more than most, & it is this ambition & greed that drives him. He would prefer to do away with the pretense of running a church, but for the time being, he is forced by cultural inertia to live with the religious façade. He plans to expand his mercantile empire’s influence in the region (&, by extension, his own influence); to that end, he is working to undermine the commercial operation in Fandaq & other nearby trade hubs. He often employs low-level “Akashan acolytes” to rob or otherwise sabotage caravans from those rival city-states, & even sometimes to conduct assassinations of key merchants & nobles. He rarely commits these acts in person, preferring the deniability of using unwitting pawns. He has also been selling several Akashan shrines to the Taj Sunnah for a tidy profit, thereby freeing him from the duties of administration at the cost of letting the Johoumites get a foothold in the city.

Combat Tactics
Qaled doesn’t fight his battles personally unless he is forced to by circumstances, favoring the use of bodyguards (usually fighters, other rogues, or assassins). His usually excuse is that he is a feeble old minister, more accustomed to matters of faith & politics than those of war; like almost everything that he says, this is a lie. On the rare occasions that he is pressed into armed conflict, he is a wily foe, surprisingly agile for someone of his age. He hides an enhanced short sword under his voluminous robes, which he can brandish with shocking speed. He will order any subordinates in earshot to flank his opponents with him, setting him up so that he can perform sneak attacks as often as possible.

3E Stats

Spoiler

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RACE: Human (Iludai) male
CLASS: Aristocrat 1/Rogue 7
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
DEITY: Akasha (non-practicing)
SIZE: Medium
AGE: 52 (born 303 AF)
HEIGHT: 5’11”
WEIGHT: 224 lbs.
EYES: Brown
HAIR: White
LANGUAGES: Common, Ghul, & Gnoolun
HIT DICE: 8+7d6+4 (36HP)
INITIATIVE: +3
SPEED: 30’
ARMOR CLASS: 21 (+5 Dex, +6 armor); touch 15; flat-footed 16
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +5
GRAPPLE BONUS: +6
ATTACK: +7 Bloodthirsty** Short Sword (1d6+2, 19-20/×2, piercing)
FULL ATTACK: +7/+2 Bloodthirsty** Short Sword (1d6+2, 19-20/×2, piercing)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +6, Reflex +12, Will +5
ABILITIES:

• Strength 12 (+1)
• Dexterity 20 (+5)
• Constitution 11 (+0)
• Intelligence 15 (+2)
• Wisdom 9 (-1)
• Charisma 13 (+1)

SKILLS: 105 points

• Appraise +13
• Bluff +12
• Diplomacy +11
• Forgery +13
• Gather Information +12
• Intimidate +11
• Knowledge (Local) +13
• Search +10
• Sense Motive +10
• Sleight of Hand +16

FEATS: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Quick Draw
WEAPON: +1 Bloodthirsty** Short Sword (8,310gp, 1d6+2, 19-20/×2, 2 lbs., piercing)
ARMOR: +2 Light Fortification Chain Shirt (9,250gp, +6, maximum dexterity bonus +4, check penalty -1, 20% AFC, speed 30’, 25lbs.)
EQUIPMENT:

• 1,440gp
• Cloak of Resistance +2 (4,000gp)
• Gloves of Dexterity +2 (4,000gp)

CLASS FEATURES:

• Sneak Attack: +4d6.
• Trapfinding.
• Evasion.
• Trap Sense +2.
• Uncanny Dodge.