Ep. 2 - Search for the Isle of Black Palms: Kal-Arath Solo Actual Play
The second episode of the actual play write-up of my game set in an upcoming Arabian-nights themed setting book called Al-Rathak: Tales of the Crescent Kingdoms
The Kal-Arath system by Castle Grief can be found here.
You can find Al-Rathak in both Print and PDF here.
Format Notes:
The fiction of the adventure will be written in regular text, but any game mechanics will be in grey code blocks or italicized. O> Refers to the game oracle being used.
Kal-Arath uses a 2d6+Attribute vs 8+ resolution system.
Example: 2d6 + 2 Agility = (7+2) = 9, Success!
"I am Khalid Al-Fayez, a proud sailor of Al-Rathak! My humble yet reliable ship, The Grey Starling, and its loyal crew have sailed the coasts near Anipsed for years. But now, we yearn for adventure—to seek out distant shores, unearth lost treasures, and claim eternal glory as explorers. Rumors whisper of a lost island hidden in the Sea of Whispering Winds, a place where a great treasure lies beneath the canopy of black-leafed palm trees."
Daily Procedure:
1.EXPLORATION
2.WEATHER
3.GETTING LOST (1-2 on d6 = lost)
4.FORAGE (Forest or River +1)
5.ROLL FOR POINT OF INTEREST (POI)
6.ROLL FOR ENCOUNTER
7.CAMP, SPEND RESOURCES, RECOVER
8.END OF DAY/SESSIONIn his last adventure, Khalid discovered a new island and found a magic amulet at the bottom of a well. Not bad, but not the fabled Isle of Black Palms! The search continues…
Day 8: Warm
The warm weather makes for calm and uneventful seas
Rations: 4 Left
Day 9: Mirage
Khalid spots another mirage he knows instantly is false
(The advantage to Getting Lost skill is saving me out here!)
Rations: 3 left
Day 10: Partly Sunny
Through his excellent sailing, Khalid manages to keep them from getting lost in the mists and veils of the Sea of Whispering Winds.
Rations: 2 left
Day 11: Warm
Does Khalid think they should stop and forage? O>Yes
They stop and fish the deeps for a while, but unfortunately, it seems the seas are barren here…
Encounter: 6 Porpoises, Reaction> Neutral
“If only we had a way to hunt those” Khalid thinks, as he watches them swim away.
Night Encounter: 9 Pirates on a small dhow. Reaction> Actively Helpful
Oracle> Corruption, Dark
The pirates shout a friendly warning over that the seas to the south seem to be cursed with a corrupting shadow that darkens the waters!
Khalid asks if they have any food they would sell, (no, but) but the pirates say they have nothing to spare. They tell him however that there is a small island to the north that has good hunting.
Khalid thanks the pirates as they sail away
Rations: 1 left
Day 12: Heavy Rain
They sail north as the pirates suggested but get hopelessly lost thanks to the warm summer monsoon drenching them. They make no progress
Rations: 0 left
Day 13: Clear Weather
“Push to find the island or try to fish here?” thinks Khalid
Reckless Vs Cautious 12 = 6, Reckless!
“Fortune favors the bold!” he says as they sail north in search of the island.
POI Discovered -
I rule that POI is the island the pirates spoke of> Small Island - 1 Hills hex
They find a small hilly island full of wild pigs that they hunt with gusto.
(+5 Rations)
Rations: 4 Left
Day 14: Sunny
They decide to forage again but have less luck, the pigs seem to have wisened up to their tricks. (+2 rations)
Rations: 5 left
Day 15: Warm
Khalid decides to sail northeast, and they travel till…
POI Discovered > Small Island
The small grassy island holds nothing at all, so they leave it to their rudder and continue northeast.
(Three islands discovered so far, so there’s a +3 to the modifier to see if the next island is the Isle of Black Palms or not)
Rations: 4 left
Day 16: Cloudy
They stay on course, finding nothing but empty seas.
Rations: 3 left
Day 17: Heavy Rain
POI Discovered> Sea of Djinn (unique)
As they battle through the rain, Khalid notices blue and green glows in the water. They watch in wonder as they sail into long strands of shimmering seaweed, swirling in large circular currents in the choppy waters.
Khalid notices with worry that the Grey Starling seems to be somewhat trapped in these swirling currents…
Encounter > 11 Pirates on a dhow, Reaction> Hostile
These pirates seem to be trapped in the same currents, but turn towards us with hostility!
Sea Combat: (Al-Rathak adds sea travel and combat rules to KA)
Initial Distance (2d6) = 9
(I’m ruling everyone will have disadvantage to sailing rolls in this location)
Round 1: Khalid desperately does what he can to steer The Grey Starling away from them
Grey Starling: Rolls 1 on sailing check, Pirates roll 4
They close the distance distance on Khalid! (Difference of 3 closer), etc.
After (4 rounds) of careful sailing, Khalid outruns the pirates (12+ distance) and leaves them and the accursed Sea of Djinns behind!
Rations: 2 left
Day 18: Sunny
The skies clear, and they sail through calmer seas heading north-east.
Rations: 1 left
Day 19: Clear
They decide to try and forage in these waters.
Forage = (+5 & Bonus) They find plenty of fish and they even dredge up some of that special glowing seaweed from the Sea of Djinn. Samir and Rafi carefully secure it in the hold, in case it has any value once they return to Anipsed.
Rations: 5 left
Day 20: Heavy Rains
They find themselves utterly lost on misty seas. They make no progress at all.
Rations: 4 left
Day 21: Windstorm
The rains grow into a storm that lashes their sails and tosses the Grey Starling around. Khalid does all that he can to keep them afloat!
POI Discovered: The Fortress of the Sea King (unique)
Suddenly, they spot the glow of a distant lighthouse beckoning them through the storm. Khalid fights his way there and they find themselves looking up at the safe harbor of the coral-encrusted Fortress of the Sea King!
I’ll post more of these as Khalid explores and (playtests) the Al-Rathak setting book created by Charles F Bryant, II & me, SilverNightingale! You can find Al-Rathak in both Print and PDF here.
Character Sheet
Name: Khalid Al-Fayez
Stats:
STR(ength) +1
AGI(lity) +1
TOU(ghness) +0
INT(elligence +1
PRE(scence) +1
HP: (10/10)
Skills:
Sailor - Advantage to "Lost" rolls when at Sea
Weapons: Spear (d6)
Equipment:
Torch
Waterskin
Flint&Steel
Hammer and Stakes
Smoke Bomb
Amulet of Clean Waters
Silver: 24
Notes:
Has a small dhow ship called the Grey Starling, crewed by two hired crew (Samir & Rafi)
Personality Matrix*
Reckless/Cautious 12
Cruel/Empathetic 7
Paranoid/Rational 10
Deceptice/Honest 8
Indulgent/Frugal 9
Curious/Indifferent 14
Greedy/Generous 14
*The personality matrix works by rolling a d20 vs the personality score to see how this character will react to different situations. From Just One Torch solo toolkit.
Awesome write up! Looking forward to seeing the Al-Rathak setting book!
Really love the sailing rules. They adapt very well from Kal-Arath in a way that feels intuitive