[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 10: Adventuring

[Zeta Kai]

Haqalil ral-Shuqa

Quotes

• “Greetings, my subjects! I bear thee good news: the Caliph has arrived to brighten your day!”
• “You’ll have to try harder than that if you wish to retain my company. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Caliph must brighten the lives of his other subjects.”
• “The Caliph kindly requests that you provide your liege with your finest lodgings for the night. Please show him to his room as soon as you are able.”
• “The tax collectors have been lax as of late, so the Caliph may have to levy the tithe himself.”

Background
Haqalil ral-Shuqa is the so-called Caliph of Dajajah, a whimsical & charismatic individual that has no claim to the sheikh’s throne, either in Dajajah or anywhere else. His antics have garnered a lot of attention regardless. Born to an adulterous human noblewoman, he was sent to live with his father, a half-djinn musician, who taught him the intertwined arts of music & social manipulation. He was an apt pupil, & quickly became a sensation in his hometown of Aqaba, in the southern Sahra Basit.

Due to a scandal involving an imam’s daughter, he was forced to flee his home, leaving him virtually penniless. His nomadic wandering led him to the city of Dajajah, which he soon fell in love with. His musical performances on the streets garnered a lot of attention, which he parleyed into several ludicrous (albeit profitable) schemes. These plots often involved fanciful stories & amazing lies, the most audacious of which is the repeated claim that he is the city’s true leader, the Caliph of Dajajah. Thus he began his bizarre & daring career of vexing authority figures & amusing the common man.

Personality
Haqalil is witty, jovial, boisterous, & above all, capricious. He is a talented musician & a consummate showman. He is quick with a comeback, & he has a seemingly-endless supply of clever jokes & entertaining stories. He is irrepressibly optimistic, & often insists that nothing is utterly impossible, even if some things are a bit unlikely. His tricks & pranks have been known to irk some, but most people find him to be hilarious & charming.

Appearance
Haqalil’s hair is a wild shock of shimmering silver, which always seems to be blown by an erratic breeze. He has a lithe, sinuous gait, full of fluid & flamboyant motion, & his skin is very pale, appearing bluish in certain light. He nearly always wears a smirk, as if he were amused by some private joke. He is usually dressed in leather armor or in the robes of a musician, but always wears a battered brass crown on his head.

Goals
Most people would say that Haqalil has no real objective; that he is slightly mad, & just does things for the sake of doing them. But there is a method to his madness, albeit a strange & circuitous one. He wants to one day be the master of his own city-state, & he wants to have a good time doing it. Therefore, he wishes to garner widespread popularity, eventually leading to a populist revolt, which he hopes will usher him into a position of wealth & power. His plans, however, are somewhat hampered by his lack of understanding of the process of governance, as well as the system of constitutional monarchy in place in Dajajah. Some have suggested to him that he would be better off relocating to a more democratic city, such as Sa’ifah, but so far, this advice has fallen on genially deaf ears.

Combat Tactics
Haqalil would rather talk than fight, & he’d rather laugh than do either. He is, however, as skilled at wielding his whistle-dagger as he is at playing it. When forced into a fight, he will usually try to hypnotize his “audience” with his performance. He will then keep his opponents off-balance by casting dancing lights, distraction, echo mask, grease, &/or gust of wind. When faced with melee opponents, he will take the high ground with a potion of fly; when taking on casters, he will employ Adimas’ annoying arrow to disrupt their spells; & if any useful bystanders nearby, he will sometimes make a suggestion to them to fight in his stead.

3E Stats

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RACE: Hawasabi male
CLASS: Bard 7/Rogue 3/Arcane Trickster 2
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral
DEITY: Adimas (non-practicing)
SIZE: Medium
AGE: 40 (born 315 AF)
HEIGHT: 5’10”
WEIGHT: 162 lbs.
EYES: Gray
HAIR: Silver
LANGUAGES: Auran, Common, & Terran
HIT DICE: 6+6d6+3d6+2d4+12 (54HP)
INITIATIVE: +6
SPEED: 30’
ARMOR CLASS: 23 (+2 Dex, +2 deflection, +9 armor); touch 14; flat-footed 21
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +8
GRAPPLE BONUS: +8
ATTACK: +9 Whistle Dagger (1d4+1, 19-20/×2, 10’ range increment, piercing or slashing)
FULL ATTACK: +9/+4 Whistle Dagger (1d4+1, 19-20/×2, 10’ range increment, piercing or slashing)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +3, Reflex +11, Will +9
ABILITIES:

• Strength 10 (+0)
• Dexterity 15 (+2)
• Constitution 12 (+1)
• Intelligence 13 (+1)
• Wisdom 10 (+0)
• Charisma 23 (+6)

SKILLS: 107 points

• Bluff +21
• Decipher Script +8
• Diplomacy +21
• Disable Device +8
• Escape Artist +9
• Knowledge (Arcana) +5
• Open Lock +9
• Perform (Wind Instruments) +21
• Sleight of Hand +17
• Tumble +17

FEATS: Combat Expertise, Diverse Background (bonus)**, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip
WEAPON: +1 Whistle Dagger (16,302gp, 1d4+1, 19-20/×2, 10’ range increment, 1 lb., piercing or slashing)
ARMOR: +3 Spell Resistance (SR13) Studded Leather (25,175, +6, maximum dexterity bonus +5, check penalty -0, 0% AFC, speed 30’, 20lbs.)
EQUIPMENT:

• 223gp
• Bracers of Armor +3 (9,000gp)
• Cloak of Charisma +4 (16,000gp)
• MW Flute (100gp, 3lbs.)
• Handy Haversack (2,000gp)
• Hat of Disguise (1,800gp)
• Pipes of Sounding (1,800gp)
• 2 Potions of fly (1,500gp)
• 2 Potions of invisibility (600gp)
• Ring of Protection +2 (8,000gp)
• Wind Fan (5,500gp)

SPELLS: 3/5/5/3 (Caster Level 9th, save DC16 + spell level)

• 0th Level: bend fate**, dancing lights, know direction, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic
• 1st Level: Adimas’ annoying arrow**, distraction**, echo mask**, grease
• 2nd Level: false sun**, impossible feat**, silence, whispering wind
• 3rd Level: charm monster, gaseous form, glibness

RACIAL FEATURES:

• Darkvision 60’
• Breathless: Hawasabi do not breathe, so they are immune to drowning, suffocation, & attacks that require inhalation (such as some types of poison).
• Genie Heritage (Sp): +1 racial bonus on saving throws against all air spells & effects. This bonus increases by +1 for every five class levels the Sabi attains.
• Spell-Like Abilities
  
  • 3/Day: stinging breeze
  • 1/Day: gust of wind (DC12)
  • Caster level 5th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

CLASS FEATURES:

• Bardic Music.
• Bardic Knowledge.
• Countersong.
• Fascinate.
• Inspire Courage +1.
• Inspire Competence.
• Suggestion.
• Sneak Attack +3d6.
• Trapfinding.
• Evasion.
• Trap Sense +1.
• Ranged Legerdemain 1/day.

LEVEL ADJUSTMENT: +1