More Polo, plus some hair-raising book reading
As we set up for the second round, Harald proposes a supplementary wager: if we can defeat the Caliph's party without their scoring a single point, then the Caliph will promise to cast 3 (non life shortening) spells for us. If not, we must perform yet another side quest for him. The Caliph agrees and we start of the second round with renewed vigor.
The Caliph is once again serially unhorsed as we score a second goal, sealing our victory. The Caliph congratulates us on a game well played, and we part ways in good spirits to prepare for our visit to the library.
The next day we cast some protective spells and head into the library. Ibn Unis follow us to first warn against our entering the forbidden room and reading the books contained therein, then to watch and see what happens to us when we do. After giving the librarian a long list of less dangerous knowledge to find for us we discreetly disarm and open the door to the forbidden room. Inside are three lead boxes, each presumably containing a book. The boxes are adorned only with a swatch of velvet, skin and wood, respectively. All three are trapped.
Harald successfully dispels the trap on the velvet box, and we fight of a poisonous skeletal snake that leaps out to bite us as we open the box. Inside is a book bound in velvet. Ailyll's god tells us that reading the book is.. well.. probably weal. Harald resists the charms of the beautiful lady painted on the first page, reads through a collection of love poems of varying quality, and finally comes to the end of the book, where the following inscription has been handwritten in:
<Someone with notes hand please fill this in>
We fight off another snake monster and come to the next, skin-bound book. God tells Ailyll that reading it is.. eh.. statistically... weal? She makes her saving throw and reads portions of the book aloud, avoiding the parts that make her feel like her head might explode. It contains some interesting stuff about Octopuses and the end of the world. We copy down the introduction and summarize the rest.
Ailyll then attempts to read the last book, narrowly escaping death or madness, only to find that it is written in Hebrew. Harald takes over, risking his life in the quest after knowledge. The first page is a chart of numbers, and the rest a very old fancy version of the Torah.
When Harald gets sick of rolling saving throws against death, we do a last search of the room for hidden books then head out. We discover that the rest of our party (thieves on book-copying duty) were not feeling well and have returned to the boat. Saiiq finds himself with an entire boatfull of diseased thieves, maidens and pets to cure. Harald kindly gives priority to Ailyll's pets, since they really are just so cute and fluffy.
Upon return to the city, we discover that the illness has become an epidemic, and the entire city is under quarantine. We go back to the boat to slowly heal our way through our passengers. Harald cheerfully transmutes some crocodiles into tigers for Ailyll then, deciding that we really don't have enough adorable animals, suggests we go down to the safari to collect some more. Put off by the mere 1000 mile trip the others refuse, leaving Ailyll to study potions while Harald attempts to transmute some more crocodiles. He then proposes we finish off our business here and head off to India in pursuit of a cure for space aids, plus the chance to meet some pretty awesome fuzzy friends.
After being repeatedly refused entry to the city, we sneak into the palace at night to take leave of the caliph and cash in our free spells. We are immediately apprehended and firmly scolded for sneaking in before being taken to see a somewhat disgruntled Caliph. Mamun is by now quite suspicious of Harald's new found love for fauna and indicates to the Caliph that all may not be well. He casts Holy Word on Harald and imprisons him while he goes to memorize some insanity-curing spells.
