Al-Azid's Ghostly Palace was a magical building connected to a cursed key to its front gate, which could summon the palace to wherever the wielder desired.[2][3]
Location[]
The palace typically resided on the Ethereal plane, but could be summoned by the wielder of its gate key to appear in any plane in the multiverse.[2]
Structure[]
This huge palace was made from fine white marble and was decorated with slender minarets,[2][4] topped with gleaming golden ornaments.[4] A marble fountain stood just outside of the palace's gates on a well manicured lawn.[4][5]
The palace was invisible during the day, though occupants could see everything within the palace once they were inside. At night the palace shone with a white light.[2][note 1] The palace was also protected against scrying.[4]
Interior[]
The palace was quite spacious, beautiful,[1] and fully furnished.[2] It had gleaming, polished floors of marble, an interior fountain,[6] and an open courtyard. This courtyard was peppered with fountains, alluring flowers, and trimmed hedges.[7]
Inhabitants[]
Beyond whosoever claimed ownership of the Ghostly Palace, its halls were forever inhabited by a staff of unseen servants. These catered to the every whim of whoever owned the palace, owner's every whim, whether it be cleaning, cooking, or menial chores. Invisible musicians also filled the palace's halls with gentle, strumming music,[2][3][1] that trailed out its windows.[4]
History[]
The palace was named for its original owner, Al-Azid, who placed a curse upon his home to ensure that any future owners would not enjoy the palace after his death. Once someone used the key to the front gate of the palace, they would be forever haunted by an invisible stalker.[2] Even if the invisible stalker were to be destroyed, another would appear to take its place.[8] Long after his death, Al-Azid's legendary home and the key to summon it became valued by some at values as high as 40,000 gold pieces.[3]
In the late 14th century DR, the last known owner of Al-Azid's Ghostly Palace was a retired Zakharan merchant from Huzuz by the name of Gorar Al-Nisr[1] and his djinn wife Zuelia,[9] who in turn had inherited it from his late father.[8] Undeterred by the curse, the two regularly moved from place to place, settling down for a time before the invisible stalker inevitably discovered their location. The two came to enjoy their game of cat-and-mouse with the invisible stalker.[1][8]
One warm summer day in the Vast,[4] three years after they had initially acquired the Ghostly Palace, Gorar and his wife chose to have it appear in that region, believing this locale would buy them some extra time.[1] It stood in a break between low hills north of Ravens Bluff, noble-owned land that was a roughly two days' ride away, in the middle of a merchant trail that was both frequently used and the easiest to exit on from Ravens Bluff.[10] This blocked not only the trail, but the land on either side of it.[4] in turn disrupting merchant traffic in the area[1] and covering up a local bandit tribe's buried cache of treasure.[4] Gorar was unaware of these problems his palace's manifestation point had caused.[1]
This treasure included pieces of art[11] and four iron flasks, the contents of which the bandits had planned to unleash in Ravens Bluff during a council meeting and then use the resulting mayhem as cover to loot noble homes. However, the Ghostly Palace's weight broke the iron flasks, unleashing the elementals and monsters they held within upon the nearby grounds. Desiring compensation for their lost plan and revenge upon the palace's owner, the bandits were determined to keep any Ravenians from getting near until they could find a way around the creatures and inside to loot the palace.[4][note 2]
One of the Lord Mayor's messengers were on their way back to Ravens Bluff when they came across the Ghostly Palace. They were amazed by its presence, as its size would have required years of construction and yet they had just camped to the right of the pass but a few weeks ago. The messenger left their horse to graze in the grass as they approached to investigate the structure, but was forced to crawl back to their horse after being attacked at its front gate a varrdig,[4] one of the creatures that had been unleashed by the iron flasks.[5] A few days later, the messenger finally returned to Ravens Bluff and reported his encounter. The Lord Mayor in turn reported this to the Ministry of Magic on a sheet of parchment, entrusting them to look into the matter and take whatever steps were necessary to remove the palace and its mysterious snow attacker.[4]
Finding themselves unable to scry inside the palace, Ambassador Carrague assembled a group of around five to eight adventurers, whom had all been recommended to him by Chief Constable Rolf Sunriver, to ride out and investigate.[4] He tasked them with discovering how the palace got there, who owned it, and if possible bring the owner back to the Ministry so that they could question them,[10] impose fines,[1][10] and possibly take action against them. The adventurers rode off on horses provided to them,[10] encountering the rumored bandits and griffins along the way.[12] Outside the palace, they fought off three varrdigs,[5] before being greeted by Zuelia. Eager to receive visitors, the djinn wave her hands and manifested next to the fountain a table spread of fresh steamed fish, recently picked sweet prunes, butter-topped bread, and goblets of fruit juice.[13]
Zuelia regaled the adventurers with the details they sought, of the palace's curse, the couple's wayfaring life, and the broken iron flasks she had learned of from a bandit.[8] She then professed that the two were planning to only stay for one more day, leaving the next dawn for the land of Kara-Tur. She then invited the adventurers inside to meet her husband and magically dressed them extravagant attire befitting Zakhara.[6] Gorar was equally pleased to have visitors and asked with great interest for them to tell him all they could about the Vast, but Zuelia suggested that her husband engage the adventurers to an archery contest. Delighted by the idea, Gorar led them to the palace's inner courtyard, where an array of targets and wooden bows stood ready for them, and wagered either a ruby ring worth 15,000 gold pieces if they could best him or simply that amount of coins. All the while, Gorar expounded upon his many travels and eventually they were asked to leave.[7]
Some sources spoke of the couple flying away as the adventurers tried to apprehend Gorar, whilst others claimed the two groups departed amicably and that the Ghostly Palace disappeared from the trail soon after. In its wake, the heavy structure left a huge square depression upon the ground and trail that would require fixing at a later date.[14]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ This invisible quality of the palace is never brought up within A Snowball's Chance, but this is likely just an oversight.
- ↑ It is unclear which "council" the text is referring to, as Ravens Bluff has an Advisory Council, Council of Lords, and Merchants Council. The text mentions this failed plan would have occurred "in the midst of the city lords and politicians", so it could possibly be referring to the Council of Lords.
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Wolfgang Baur (November 1993). Secrets of the Lamp. Genie Lore. (TSR, Inc.), p. 60. ISBN 978-1560766476.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 slade et al (December 1994). Encyclopedia Magica Volume I. (TSR, Inc.), p. 26. ISBN 1560768428.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 7.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 19.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 17.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), pp. 16–17.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 8.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 20.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), pp. 10–14.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 16.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (July 1994). A Snowball's Chance. Living City (RPGA), p. 20.