[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 10: Adventuring

[Zeta Kai]

Sultan Syed Awazi Aq-Hazaqan VI

Quotes

• “I have a proposal that should please both sides, if you would care to hear it.”
• “I believe that someone close to me wishes me harm. I have slept little, & am wary of every shadow.”
• “It would be best for all parties, I judge.”
• “For the good of my people, I must find them a queen. The Awazi dynasty must continue.”

Background
Syed Awazi Aq-Hazaqan VI was born to rule. His father was Syed Awazi Aq-Hazaqan V, the sultan of Meraya & fourteenth in the line of the Awazi dynasty, & his mother was Amina-Israt, the first of his father’s seven wives. The oldest of his father’s 20 children, he was trained almost from birth to one day succeed his father as sultan, & he learned his lessons well. He studied history, law, astronomy, war, poetry, economics, diplomacy, mathematics, combat, alchemy, literature, & more, excelling in every course.

When the time came to sit upon the Adamant Throne, Syed was ready to rule, & rule well. He quickly became a dynamic & charismatic sultan, one who would inspire his people to achieve greatness with his bold leadership. Under his rule, the city has become even more prosperous than it was in his father’s time, with arts & sciences flourishing, & ever-taller towers being constructed. He’s been the sultan for over 20 years now, & most of the citizens hope that he will be their leader for decades to come.

Personality
Syed is a studious, introspective man, one who prefers to look at all sides of an issue before making a decision. A wise & judicious ruler, with a gift for strategy & public speaking, he has led the city & its people with a measured, prudent hand. Cool & dispassionate, he isn’t prone to whims or sentiments, opting in most cases to take the most practical path for long-term gains. In his youth, he was much more impulsive & daring, even traveling with a group of explorers for a time. But his time as an adventurer is long past, & the years have taught him patience & caution, though he recalls his brief life of excitement & discovery with fondness. He now looks to the future, & he worries about the welfare of his beloved Meraya.

Appearance
The sultan has pale, delicate-looking skin with no wrinkles, despite his age. He is extravagantly dressed in exquisite robes of red silk, black velvet, & golden stitch work. His long salt-&-pepper beard is braided & clasped with many jeweled bands & rings. He speaks & moves with an air of slow, measured importance, as if every moment was part of a great myth in which he was participating.

Goals
Syed is a man of many plans & objectives, one who carefully sets events in motion to achieve his desires. He wants what is best for his city, but he demands what is best for himself & his family even more. He suspects that a conspiracy exists within his palatial tower to assassinate him, but he isn’t certain who are among the plotters, so he doesn’t know who to trust. He suspects one of his brothers or half-brothers is behind the scheme, but he can’t be sure. His lack of an heir has compounded the issue, & so he is also in search of a worthy bride. He is keenly aware of his limited time in this world, & he fully intends to make the most of it, ensuring that his legacy (like that of the entire Awazi dynasty) will be long & well-remembered.

Combat Tactics
Syed hasn’t seen a battlefield firsthand in nearly 20 years, but his memory is long & his wits are still as sharp as they were in his youth. If anything, his years of study & diplomacy have left him even more formidable an opponent than he once was. He is deeply familiar with the Secret Art (something that he hides from almost everyone), & his magical powers aid him in all of his endeavors.

Syed fights with a quarterstaff, which has flames on one end & frost on the other. His stately robes hide numerous defensive items & charms (as well as his spellbook). He usually has multiple protective spells cast on himself, including feather fall, mage armor, detect thoughts, see invisibility, nondetection, &/or protection from energy. He will allow his servants to fight for him, but is not above defending himself personally, relishing a challenge that reminds him of his younger, more adventurous days.

Syed has a surprising number of combat options available to him for a person of his age & position. He will usually engage an opponent by using one of his pharaonic talents, like his Commanding Voice, Enthralling Voice, Fascinate, or Rebuke Humanoid. If those are not effective, he will cast aggressive spells, such as cause fear, touch of idiocy, fear, or summon monster IV. If he were to face a losing situation, he would likely take to the air to escape via animate carpet or a potion of fly. He knows that his position as sultan & positive reputation would shield him from anti-magic sentiment, so he is not afraid to cast spells in public if he feels the need to do so.

3E Stats

Spoiler

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RACE: Human male
CLASS: Aristocrat 5/Wizard 7/Pharaoh 5***
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
DEITY: Johoum (Ayat)
SIZE: Medium
AGE: 47 (born 308 AF)
HEIGHT: 6’2”
WEIGHT: 216 lbs.
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Black (Graying)
LANGUAGES: Aquan, Common, Ghul, & Terran
HIT DICE: 8+4d8+7d4+5d8+17 (83HP)
INITIATIVE: +6
SPEED: 30’
ARMOR CLASS: 20 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +6 armor); touch 12; flat-footed 18
BASE ATTACK BONUS: +11
GRAPPLE BONUS: +11
ATTACK: +11 Flaming Burst/Icy Burst Quarterstaff (1d6/1d6, ×2, bludgeoning)
FULL ATTACK: +11/+6/+1 Flaming Burst/Icy Burst Quarterstaff (1d6/1d6, ×2, bludgeoning)
SPACE/REACH: 5’/5’
SAVING THROWS: Fortitude +8, Reflex +9, Will +19
ABILITIES:

• Strength 10 (+0)
• Dexterity 14 (+2)
• Constitution 12 (+1)
• Intelligence 24 (+7)
• Wisdom 13 (+1)
• Charisma 15 (+2)

SKILLS: 156 points

• Bluff +4
• Diplomacy +22
• Intimidate +27
• Knowledge (History) +27
• Listen +21
• Move Silently +18
• Sense Motive +21
• Spellcraft +27
• Spot +21 (+24 in bright light)

FEATS: Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership, Persuasive, Scribe Scroll (bonus), Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Still Spell
WEAPON: Flaming Burst/Icy Burst Quarterstaff (32,600gp, 1d6/1d6, ×2, 4 lbs., bludgeoning)
ARMOR: N/A
EQUIPMENT:

• 3,500gp
• Amulet of Natural Armor +2 (8,000gp)
• Bag of Holding I (2,500gp)
• Bracers of Armor +6 (36,000gp)
• Cloak of Resistance +3 (9,000gp)
• Headband of Intellect +4 (16,000gp)
• 2 Potions of fly (1,500gp)
• Potion of haste (750gp)
• Potion of heroism (750gp)
• Potion of resist energy (acid) 30 (1,100gp)
• Potion of resist energy (cold) 30 (1,100gp)
• Potion of resist energy (electricity) 30 (1,100gp)
• Potion of resist energy (fire) 30 (1,100gp)
• Spellbook, Wizard’s (64 pages used (of 100), 0gp, 1 lb.)
• Staff of Charming (16,500gp)
• Wand of cure moderate wounds (4,500gp)

SPELLS: 4/5/5/5/2 (Caster Level 8th, save DC17 + 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: cause fear, charm person, disguise self, feather fall, identify, mage armor, unseen servant
• 2nd Level: detect thoughts, lesser herald/courier**, see invisibility, touch of idiocy
• 3rd Level: dispel magic, nondetection, protection from energy, suggestion
• 4th Level: animate carpet**, fear, lesser globe of invulnerability, summon monster IV

CLASS FEATURES:

• Summon Familiar.
• Rebuke Humanoid.
• Exalted Aura +3.
• Oratory.
• Enthralling Voice.
• Opulence.
• Aura of Leadership (Belief).
• Commanding Voice.

FAMILIAR: Skygazer, a hawk (17HD, 41HP, AC21 (+2 size, +3 Dexterity, +6 Natural Armor), BAB+5, Talons +14 melee (1d4-2), Fortitude +4, Reflex +7, Will +15, Intelligence 9 (-1), Deliver Touch Spells, Empathic Link, Improved Evasion, Low-Light Vision, Share Spells, Speak with Birds, Speak with Master, Alertness, Weapon Finesse, Diplomacy +18, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (History) +19, Listen +22, Move Silently +19, Sense Motive +22, Spot +22).