The Forgotten Road

Activating the statue mystically opens a path to another Magic regio containing a duplicate statue and the road to the Basalt Pillar. This regio has an aura of 10 and is aligned with Ignem (add an additional +10 to all Ignem related activities). This road borders the Twilight Void, near the Ignem Boundary that contains the City of Brass. The sun is exceedingly bright and it is exceptionally hot. If characters stay upon the road as marked, they are safe from harm.

If characters stray off the path into the endless desert, they are blinded by the sun's glare and suffer +6 heat damage per round. They also run the risk of being attacked by wild 'afarit or other creatures that have strayed into this regio from the Magic realm or are traveling to the City of Brass.

Extolled be the perfection of my Lord, who hath appointed me this severe affliction and painful torture until the day of resurrection!

*—*Declaration of Dahish ibn El'Amash, the 'afrit trapped in the Basalt Pillar

After some time traveling the road the characters come to a pillar of black stone, and see a humanoid creature embedded within it. This is one Aspect of the Malik, imprisoned here long ago by King Solomon. The Malik, Dahish ibn El'Amash, is sunk into the stone up to his armpits, and is unable to affect anyone or anything physically, although he can still converse. When the magi encounter him he is alternating between screaming in pain and crying out in repentance in Arabic.

When asked about his current condition, he tells the Tale of the Idol of Red Carnelian, interjecting cries of re-

King Solomon ordered the idolatrous king to break the idol and give his daughter to Solomon as a wife. Dahish counseled refusal, and convinced the king to rebel against the Prophet. Millions of 'afarit fought on both sides of the conflict, but Solomon's 'afarit ultimately proved more powerful. The idolatrous king was defeated. Dahish was beaten and captured, bound in chains and thrown down before King Solomon. The Prophet-King was kind in his punishment, and bound Dahish in this pillar prison until the day of resurrection, to repent and plead for forgiveness until then.

In truth, Dahish and the Malik are aspects of the same Daimon. Solomon's power was so great that he could bind Aspects, and the 'afrit is also compelled to honor the bargain he made with the Prophet-King to spare him. The Daimon must forever maintain an aspect of himself bound in a Basalt Pillar at this location. Attempting to disenchant the pillar or some other attempt to liberate the 'afrit requires knowledge of Solomon's magic (at least 30 Insight points), and is considered equivalent to a 75th level ritual.

Dahish know many details of the City of Brass, for this Aspect can still see and hear all that happens in the city, even if he can't use his powers while imprisoned. He is very tight lipped and never gives out information freely. He trades information for favors however, and in this way he manipulates events from his prison. The only thing he freely admits to is the location of the City of Brass, for it is just over