Desert of Desolation VII

Sir Blanque - swordsman and handsome, dashing noble half mer-person
Marion - stabby stabby dagger specialist; Nihrain who currently carries the Runestaff
Destiny - Menastrai sorceress covertly raised on Melnibone
Bomilcar - Weeping Waste nomad from a chieftain's family

Campaign Narrative
The four characters are in the legendary land of Quar, in an area known as Kwan on the far side of a mountain chain to the northwest of the Eastern Kingdoms. They have just investigated an unfeasibly large pyramid, lifted the curse on it, restored the River Athis, and recovered the second of five Star Gems they are seeking. Not bad for a day's work!

Schematic of the pyramid's interior, with the levels laid out in almost isometric fashion. My scribbles are partly visible. In ascending order, you can see the false plundered tomb level at the very bottom of the photo; then the maze with all the strange orange mists; the Halls of the Upper Priesthood; the deadly Gauntlet level; and finally the actual tomb of the last Pharaoh of Quarzhasaat. The players didn't explore all of it, since they are very mission-orientated. Single-minded, even.

The River Athis is now beginning to flow once more eastwards  towards the mountains. It goes through them via an ancient canal, and will eventually debouch into what is currently known as the River of Sand in the Eastern Kingdoms. That was the ancient course of the Athis before the source dried up and the canal was sealed long ago.

While in the pyramid, they met an odd creature serving the Balance. It told them to seek the remainder of the five Star Gems  in the Temple of Set at the Oasis of the White Palm; the Crypt of Badr-al Mosak; and the last in the city of Medinat Muskawoon in the midst of the Sea of Glass. It also gave them a handy regional map. After being greeted incredulously by the dervish guards of the pyramid, they load everything (including their horses) onto the two flying reed boats they found inside. After all, why walk or ride when you can coast serenely above the desert sands - and this will be quicker, too. The boats are 30' long, so each can take two characters and their horses. The group takes some time to practise steering the craft, which is just as well because at one point Bomilcar falls out altogether - landing in a drift of soft sand 15' under the keel of the boat. The adventurers decide to stay relatively close to the surface in case something like this happens again.

Their map shows them the Sandvoyagers' Trail, a trade route through the desert that has been made by the local merchants' guild (hence the name). They could use the flying boats to cut across some of the rougher patches or the hilly areas, but decide for the sake of safety just to follow the low-lying desert trail. Besides, they might see someone who can give them news of the Efreet Lord they are here to banish. 

In the event, it is a while before they see anything. A day or so into their trip, they come across a battle site. A great conflagration has burned a troop of local warriors, so they land to investigate. Bomilcar spots some drag marks leading off to one side and finds a survivor of the massacre, clutching a medallion of office. Weakly, he coughs out a story of his patrol having come across a burned and destroyed oasis, with scorch marks in the desert heading south-west from there. Incensed by the devastation wrought on an important desert resource, they followed in this direction. Unfortunately for them, they encountered the Efreet Lord. The man is about to expire, but the party has exceptional healing resources, so they stabilise his condition and bring him back to something approaching full health - he is suitably astonished.

Hassan - for that is indeed his name - is even more taken aback at the sight of the flying boats. "These will take us to the Oasis of the White Palm at great speed! I serve Sheikh Kassim Arslan, and I must report what I have seen. You will be welcomed as heroes for having saved my life so that I can tell my story."

With that, they take flight again, soon passing by the site of the destroyed oasis. All of the vegetation has been burned to the ground, and even the waters have been blackened. Hassan shakes his head sadly: "This place will recover, but it will take time. That creature must delight in destruction for its own sake!" The players wisely choose not to tell him that they are the ones who released the fire lord in the first place...

After a few days, the trail turns to the northeast and then heads straight eastwards. "We are almost there, my friends." says Hassan. Sure enough, the next day sees a patrol of white-clad desert warriors on beautiful horses cresting a hilltop up ahead and to one side of the Sandvoyagers' Trail. They look up at the flying boats in astonishment, and Hassan waves at them; he asks the players to land so that he can tell his people to beware the fire lord. They do so, and then lift into their standard travelling position for the last leg of the journey to the Oasis of the White Palm.

Umpire's Comments

I originally rolled up Bomilcar to increase the numbers in the players' party. Even though they were clearly capable, even at the start of the campaign, three characters will have a hard time of it in Stormbringer, so one extra seemed like a good idea. At that point (over two years ago!) I had a vague series of notions about where it would all be going, but it has developed in the telling. Even so, Thomas (Sir Blanque) wanted Bomilcar to accompany them on this particular set of adventures because he had a feeling things could become very dangerous. Bomilcar has turned into something of a buffoon, the butt of the party's jokes if you like, providing light relief by doing things like falling out of a flying reed boat. He is also quite a strong warrior in his own right, and indeed saved Sir Blanque's life at one point inside the pyramid.