Al-Malik Mansion

Bird's eye rough sketch of its surroundings

It was the personal estate of the now deceased wealthy lionel merchant and slave trader Kasim al-Malik and his immediate family members. Built between two huge rock formations that acted as a canopy, the estate was pretty much sealed on its sides. Its back and front were sealed off with sturdy, sandstone walls. There were constant patrols around these gates day and night by his personal guardsmen.

It was a single-floor mansion that had sandstone walls, an airy interior with many rooms, a small stable, many cells for slaves and a front yard for important occasions. It's entrance gate was well protected and the road traveled northwards to connect with Shajar, before losing its traces to the winds of the desert midway.

Kasim lived and spent most of his time here after it was built, when he wasn't out there shaking hands, sealing business deals and persuading politicians usually in Ammarid settlements. His daughter, brother, uncle and wife lived there with him, along with a handful of workers, guards and slaves.

For the past year or so, Kasim made his slaves dig the state's underground tunnels to search for a secret artifact called Akirash (Dragon Tear). This task was secretly given to him by Karys bin Habbas, Grand Vizier of the Ammarid Empire, who he was exchanging letters frequently back and forth.

It is now unprotected, abandoned and up for grabs with starving slaves in its cells.

## **Recent Events**

In 1429 AH, Kasim's slaves launched an uprising and tried to escape the compound. One of Kasim's slaves, a shady tiefling spy named Davos have been seducing and convincing Kasim's daughter Noura to retrieve the Akirash that Kasim was hiding and organize the escape. The plan was semi-successful, as Noura failed to execute the distraction phase while her father was throwing a feast to a wealthy merchant, nonetheless she secretly handed a bag of useful items to the escaping slaves including grappling hooks, personal gear and the Akirash Davos was after.

During the escape, a clash between the guards and the slaves ensued, resulting in the deaths, including Davos (which later proved that he instead transformed into another body) of several participants from both sides. He dropped the casket holding the Akirash, and it was taken by the remaining escapees, they would later call themselves The Chainbreakers. The estate raised an alarm and searched for the escapees.

The group then made a run towards the vast desert for a while, but decided to turn back and avenge their captivities.

That same night, Kasim in a hurry took his daughter Noura with him and headed for Shajar to seek help and spread the word for escaped slaves. While on the way, bandits of The Adders ambushed and took them both as hostages. On the way to the bandits' hideouts, Kasim tried to break off and run for his life, but paid with it in the end, falling face down to the cold night sands of Krush Varok with an arrow to his back.

Estate's remaining guards tried to fight and stop the returned slaves, but failed. All but a few slaves, and Kasim's uncle Faisal al-Malik were slain during the clashes. After a while, a horse without its rider galloped to the entrance of the estate. Following its trails, the slaves witnessed the death of Kasim by the hands of The Adders, and even confronted them. The bandits left the vicinity in fear, after being shown the Akirash and intimidated in the hand of one of the slaves.

The slaves then returned to the estate and raided the interiors for valuables, abandoning the estate to its own faith with sunset.