Ep. 7 - Search for the Isle of Black Palms: Al-Rathak Solo Actual Play
The 7th episode of the actual play write-up of my solo game set in the Arabian-nights themed setting of Al-Rathak: Tales of the Crescent Kingdoms
The 7th episode of the actual play write-up of my solo game set in the Arabian-nights themed setting of Al-Rathak: Tales of the Crescent Kingdoms
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 the last episode Khalid and Amir barely defeated the guardian of the castle ruins, a terrifying undead Warlord wielding an enchanted runeblade. Now laden with treasure they decide if they should escape the Isle or explore further…
Day 48: Partly Sunny (Continued)
As they step out of the castle ruins and back into the jungle, they discuss their next steps.
(Explore the rest of the island? Indifferent vs Curious, 13 > Curious) They decide they should see what else this Isle hides before departing.
(Rest > No Enc, 4 Rations left.)
Day 49: Partly Sunny
They forage around the area and find a wealth of food, (5 rations) worth. Khalid uncovers a patch of (5) rare Gruul Herbs, which are said to make the user quicker for a whole day! They split the findings (3 for Khalid, 2 for Amir).
(Rest > No Enc, 8 rations left)
Day 50: Light Rain
Though he’s still not back in proper shape (10/15 HP), Khalid doesn’t want to waste any time resting.
They head north first, following the coastline, but find nothing of interest other than dense jungle. They set up camp and decide to head south in the morning.
(Rest > No Enc, 7 rations left)
Day 51: Hot Weather
They slowly make their way back through the muggy jungle heading south past the castle ruins. They find a flowing stream of cool water and decide to camp there.
Rest > No Enc, 6 rations left, Khalid back to full HP
Day 52: Hot Weather
The blazing summer heat slows them down and addles the mind, they find themselves lost in the jungle!
POI > Garden of Eternal Twilight > Desert, Conquer, Luminous. They stumble across a strange sight deep in the jungle. An overgrown garden stretches out before them. All manner of exotic trees and flowers grow in abundance, competing with the native black palms of the island. The sudden rainbow of colors in the middle of this black-leafed jungle gave the garden a dreamlike quality…
A massive marble fountain stood at the center, with a statue of a heavily armed man standing atop it. Khalid recognizes the armor on the figure, it’s the same set he’s wearing now! This garden must have been built by the same warlord, or at least in his honor. The crystal clear water in the fountains looks luminous and inviting… (Reckless vs Cautious, 4 Reckless!)
Khalid leans in and takes a sip of the water (Good? Yes, and) it feels almost magical. It soothes his aches and even quiets the pangs of hunger in his stomach. “What a wonderous blessing we have discovered!” he remarks to Amir as he starts dumping out the contents of his waterskin and filling it with this blessed liquid. They both decide to camp in this hidden glade for the night.
(Rest > Encounter! (5) Pirates, Angry.) Amir was keeping watch at the time and spotted the pirates as they crept towards the camp! He wakes Khalid and motions that they should try to sneak away. (Stealth > K Success, A Fail!) Khalid carefully steps away into the treeline, but Amir steps on a twig and alerts the pirates!
Combat > Initiative > Khalid
(Pirate Stats - 1d6 HP, 1d6 Atk)
Khalid erupts out of the treeline and runs at the toughest-looking pirate, who barely parries his strike. Amir aims for the one furthest back and immolates him in flame! (1dmg, poor guy only had 1 HP).
(Pirates > Attack Closest) The other pirates yell and shout as they swarm Khalid from all sides. He desperately tries to keep them at bay and they only manage to slash him for (2dmg).
Amir tries to shoot another Blazing Palm, but the spell fails in his hand (1 dmg and loses access to spell.) Khalid swings his new Runeblade through the air and catches a pirate across the chest hard (Crit! 2in6 Special Activates: Instant Kill). The unfortunate pirate’s eyes begin to glow as his whole body burns and disintegrates from where the Runeblade struck him. In moments the man was turned to hot white ash floating in the night air. (Are the pirates scared of the Runeblade? > No, But...). They seem terrified of the sorcery, but he can see the greed in their eyes in equal measure. Such a treasure was worth dying for, as he himself could attest to. He gave a dry laugh…
The pirates redouble their efforts, but the runeblade’s wide swings keep them from getting too close to him or Amir (1 dmg).
Khalid cuts another pirate one down in a single blow (4 dmg), spraying the blue and white flowers of the garden a deep crimson. “We can’t…we can’t kill him! Run!” one of them shouts as the pirates falter and break, running for the trees!
Khalid and Amir stay awake for the next few hours till morning, unable to settle their nerves.
Day 54: Hot Weather
They leave the secret garden behind and head south, still lost without the coastline to guide them.
Rest > No Enc, 6 rations left, Khalid back to full HP
Day 55: Heavy Rain
The thick jungle is almost impossible to traverse in the downpour, forcing them to shelter in place under a rock shelf till the weather clears.
Rest > No Enc, 5 rations left
Day 56: Sunny
They wander the jungle aimlessly, hoping to find a game trail at the very least.
Encounter >(1) Merchant with (5) Bodyguards>Shining, Competition, Conquer>Friendly
(Does he look associated with the Silver Merchant’s Guild? O>Yes. Does Amir (also a guildmember) know him? O> Yes, but…) It didn’t seem amicable judging by the scowl on Amir’s face.
The merchant was wearing so many gold necklaces that the delicate chains fell like water over his large gut. He approached them confidently with big toothy smile on his wide jaw. He gives a condescending laugh and gestures towards Amir. “dear gods, is that you under all that Amir? You’re covered in blood and jungle muck! I didn’t realize you were in such…dire financial straits”
(Reaction > Neutral) “Hello, Lord Al-Basir, I’m glad to see you finally arrive. I thought you may have gotten lost at sea. You can see that I’ve already discovered the island a week ago and claimed it, and you seem to have just arrived.” Amir responds cooly and professionally. “Had they been competing to find the Isle of the Black Palms?” wondered Khalid.
(Reaction > Neutral > Alliance, Majestic) “The Guild will lavish us all equally with gifts and praise for our discovery, don’t you think? What say you and your man there join us?” Al-Basir gestures lazily towards Khalid with ring-laden fingers. “We can all return to my grand ship together and we can sail back to Anipsed as partners”
(Amir Reaction > Hostile!) Amir can’t help but laugh. “Trust you, you gilded snake!?” he looks at Khalid and says “You can’t even begin to consider his offer, it’s nothing more than a trap! We need to leave.” Khalid agrees, trusting Amir, “We must decline.”
(Al-Basir Reaction> Angered!) His face suddenly darkens like a summer storm overtakes a placid sea. “Gentlemen, that is a terrible choice I assure you” he growls, his smile gone. His expensive-looking bodyguards place their hands on their well-oiled weapons. Khalid draws the Runeblade and points it’s glowing tip directly at the big merchant. “You really don’t want to risk it, why don’t we all just go our separate ways?” (Pre Check > Success!)
The merchant’s eyes narrow as they examine the blade and the one wielding it. He shrugs, then motions to his men to stand down. “I trust we shall meet again,” he says darkly as Khalid and Amir walk away.
Amir insists they get as far away as possible from Al-Bassir and the two elect to set up camp hours away from here deeper in the jungle.
(Rest > Enc! > Shipwrecked Sailor, Friendly, Tall, Long Face, Exotic, Sailor, Seeks Fame)
A disheveled-looking woman stumbles onto their campground. She seemed wary, “Are you people pirates?” she asked, wielding a stick at them. Once assured they were not indeed pirates, the woman relaxed and began to talk. She explained that her name was Kumari, and that she was “…a deckhand on a merchant ship, the Work Horse, which shipwrecked on this godsforsaken island months ago! I washed up a little north of here and I’ve been surviving off of fruits and rainfall, but I can’t risk exploring the jungle to find my crew alone and unarmed, not with all those creatures and pirates lurking!”
Khalid and Amir agree that Kumari can join their campfire, and they share their food and water with her (3 Rations Left). Khalid gives her a sip from the waterskin of enchanted fountain water, which seems to soothe her somewhat and help her sleep. Khalid wonders if the storm that had destroyed her ship was the same tempest that had forced him to find shelter in the Fortress of the Sea King all those weeks ago.
Day 57: Partly Cloudy
They start early and travel for miles through the endless jungle, but still find themselves hopelessly lost as night draws near again. Khalid can smell the faintest tang of salt in the air, they must be getting close to the coast!
(Rest > Rations 1 left)
Day 58: Light Rain
After several more grueling hours, they hack through some vines and finally see white sands and blue waters stretching to the horizon. They were finally not lost anymore! Khalid leads them north along the coast, looking for the cove where he had moored The Grey Starling.
Encounter> (4) Shipwrecked Sailors>Angry> Are they Kumari’s crew? O>Yes!
The sailors brandish makeshift weapons at them and yell “Get back, pirates!” Kumari runs towards them, and they instantly calm down. She reunites with her crew with hugs and exclamations of “God is Great!”. They were convinced she had died alone out there in the jungle or drowned like another of their shipmates had. Khalid informs everyone that his ship was just north of here, and he was happy to sail everyone to Anipsed if they could gather the supplies for the trip.
(Forage> (5) Rations + (3) Tarnak Berries) Luckily, this lush island was never lacking for food, and they gathered plenty over the course of the day. Coconuts were always great for a sea journey.
(Rest > No Enc)
Day 59: Clear
(Arrive > Ship still here? Yes, but) for some reason, they were far offshore. The ship sails towards the beach as soon as it spots them, and soon Khalid is back onboard his beloved Grey Starling. Samir and Rafi seemed confused about all the new people, but relieved to see their captain back safe. They explained that they had sailed away since they’d spotted “ghosts and monsters in the forest.” A smart choice, no doubt.
Once everything is ready, the crew sets sail away from the island, cutting smooth and fast through the azure waters. Khalid looked back at the black trees, so dreadfully distinct against the white sand. He was certainly in no hurry to come back here again! He turned towards the stern. The feeling of safety was fleeting, for he knew the journey back to the Veiled City of Anisped could prove to be just as perilous…
End of Session Notes: The Runeblade is truly terrifying! Might be handy just as an intimidation tactic. Decided to try out a “dialogue system” for the encounter with the merchant. I would roll Reaction again after every “round” of conversation, applying Advantage and Disadvantage as I felt applied based on what was said. I think it really helped make the conversation feel dynamic and natural, as someone who struggles with writing dialogue at least. Also loved how the oracles worked together to create a dynamic adventure location full of different factions on this Island.
I’ll post more of these as Khalid explores the Al-Rathak setting book created by Charles F Bryant, II & me, SilverNightingale! You can find Al-Rathak in both Print and PDF here. For the other episodes in this and other series:
You can also find more of my work here: https://silvernightingale.itch.io/
The Kal-Arath system by Castle Grief can be found here.
Character Sheet LV 4
Name: Khalid Al-Fayez
XP: 3/5
Stats-----
STR(ength) +1
AGI(lity) +0
TOU(ghness) +0
INT(elligence +1
PRE(scence) +1
HP: (15/15)
Skills:
Sailor - Advantage to survival related rolls when at Sea
Stealth - Adv to stealh checks
Weapon: Runeblade (1d6 + Special: 2/6 chance to instantly kill enemy on a crit)
Equipment:
Torch
Waterskin
Flint&Steel
Hammer and Stakes
Spear (d6)
Masterwork Chainmail (3 Armor, no stealth penalty)
Silver: 102
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.
The blade got some use pretty quickly haha. That conversation system seems really interesting! Th dilogue flowed really naturally, so it's cool the dice dictated some of the moods of it!
Alot of interesting encounters on the island. The garden was pretty interesting, too. An eventful session. Looking forward to the next one.