S1E1: Sword & Sorcery

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E2: Our Gangs

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E3: The First Rule of Fight Pit

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E4: The Two Towers

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E5: In the Blink of an Eye

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E6: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Zealots

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S1E7: Hot Time in Old Town

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S1E8: Va’r City Blues

Synopsis/Notes Coming Soon

S1E9: Do you Ever Get the Feeling?

Arslan at home, work, or in the comforts of a tavern—cannot shake the thought that he is being watched and/or followed. (This is Khalil Azmi, who is reconnoitering Arslan before he decides to speak with him about the key to the Treasure House of the Lictors, and his own past). He eventually spies Khalil in the Great Souk, during a story from Anahd, but leaves before he can be confronted.

Sabine has an encounter with Princess Dapheen, the wife of the Patrician, and her ladies in the Temple of Baal, where they are giving a donative and receiving gifts of honey from the sacred beehives. Sabine and Lady Narthu exchange catty words (possibly over a broken urn or spilled wine); Narthu calls Sabine an “Elk” (a Khalifan insult meaning “pretty to look at, but possessing no brains”)

Encounter with Farooq the Mad: Farooq lives in a shack in the Gate of Heaven quarter and relies on the charity of its few decent souls for his well-being. Wild eyed and wild bearded, and clad in a filthy loincloth, Farooq works himself into a frenzy near the steps of the Ziggurat of Baal. He spits profanities at passersby and yells curses at those who would silence him or try to move him. He rants about terrible fates awaiting the locals and many of these same worthies laugh and jeer at him. When he sees the Zealots, he cries aloud about their imminent destruction at the hands of an ancient evil: the “great worm from beyond.”

Elliendro (“Ellie”) a wealthy merchant, member of the Vadashar Bourse (stock exchange) and friend of Arslan, comes to see the Trancosi to tell him that people have been asking questions about him, in the context of his relationship to a certain Attalis. Elliendro tells Arslan about his former master, Rasul, who owned the Souk shop before Arslan: he confides his suspicions that the old man was a spy in service to the Dread Overlord of Venar and was “summoned” (a euphemism for executed) by the Dumanoi to Venar for offenses real or imagined. (Elliott Gould)

Khalil Azmi sends an invitation for Arslan to join him for chocolate. They meet at the sumptuous environs of his market emporium. It is the equivalent of a modern shopping mall. (F. Murray Abraham)

S1E10: Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot

Flashback: Attalis has a confrontation with a minion of Count Hamar Hadrithas leaving The Gilded Palm (they mention the 100 year old stew). Hamar mocks Attalis, mentions his sister, Zenobia, and her husband.

Khalil Azmi confides to the Zealots the story of the Treasure House key that was in the possession of his slave, Dirhan, who was formerly owned by the late Count Lernaos Palamon, one of the Tribunal of Lictors. He relates the story to Arslan and Company (including his fears of Kemesh presence in Vadashar), and offers a proposition to rob the Treasure House, that includes transferring the monopoly in the city for Andossean Cobalt Varnish Clams to the Trancosi.

Attalis is accosted by three beggars in service to the Beggar King. They remind him that time is a premium for all men. Even the son of Rathik.

After approaching Elliendro he tells them everything he knows about the Gardens of Kamâl and Count Lernaos Palamon. He also tells them that they aren’t the only rogues thinking about hitting the Treasure House. He advises Attalis to approach Queen Esmeera to learn what she knows.

The Archpriest Harven of Konox sends for Anupam. He tells Anupam that he has requested that Refugee status be accorded the Gandharan under the ancient laws of hospitality.

Sabine receives flowers (Agapanthus Andossean) from Godrigo as a gift of friendship and affection. While at the Temple of Baal, she meets Rhadamanthus, the cross-dressing Chief Priest of Ishtar and his acolyte, Glyco, who is secretly—to all besides himself and the chief priest—his son and one of Mardoxes’ Bastards from the Week of Sorrows of 25 years past.

S1E11: Plans, Fans, and Caravans

Attalis meets with the legendary Vadashar master thief Queen Esmeera to learn what she knows about another crew planning to rob the Treasure House of the Lictors, which he and the Zealots are planning to knock over themselves.

The Person In The Mask tells Arslan and Khepri secrets of the Treasure House and Gardens of Kamâl

Sabine learns about Lord Trimalkes’ upcoming party in the Gardens of Kamâl.

The slave of Khalil Azmi, Dirhan, approaches the Zealots. He tells that, in addition to one of the gate keys, he has—unbeknownst to his master—in his possession the Central Lock key that belonged to Count Lernaos Palamon. He tells them that three keys (or the equivalent) are (simultaneously) needed to open the Treasure Room door, and that he wants to be cut in for an equal share.

Khepri finalizes travel plans to rendezvous with his sister, Ozeera, in the Kuranian outpost Fort Zayad.

Sabine encounters Rhadamanthus, the Chief Priest of Ishtar and his acolyte, Glyco, who is secretly—to all besides himself and the chief priest—his son and one of Mardoxes’ Bastards from the Week of Sorrows of 25 years past.

S1E12: Memories are Made of This

Flashback: In Gudwara, Anupam and his friend and fellow Brother of the Scale of Fate Parshottam engage in playful sport in the highlands near the Monastery of the Scale of Fate. They hear the alarm raised announcing attack by the forces of the Rakshasa Kings of Sinhela.

Elliendro takes Sabine to the Gardens of Kamâl to the villa of Lord Trimalkes to apply for the entertainer position for his Yalda fete.

While Sabine is speaking with Lord Trimalkes, Elliendro approaches Trimalkes’ cook, Themista, with a gratuity. He tells her that the courtesan has “weak bowels” and will need a discrete place to relieve herself between sets. The snooty cook obliges.

Sabine encounters Rhadamanthus, the Chief Priest of Ishtar and his acolyte, Glyco, who is secretly—to all besides himself and the chief priest—his son and one of Mardoxes’ Bastards from the Week of Sorrows of 25 years past.

Potiphan the Blue summons Arslan to the Vadashar Bourse to discuss the prospective Kemesh silk trade.

Anupam receives another gift from Tamir Khan, the Ambassador from Gudwara.

The Zealots prepare to depart from Vadashar for the Howling Waste.

S1E13: Here is no Water, But Only Rock

Flashback/Cut Scene: In deep space, a planet explodes in a pyrotechnic display of cataclysm and spectacular beauty. As it breaks apart a solitary chunk is propelled into space, where it cools and travels distances beyond human imagining. Eventually the gravitational pull of a distant world captures this mass of iron it enters an alien atmosphere. Below, almost every creature for miles around is aware of it. The meteor (it becomes a meteorite only upon impact; before it begins its fall, it’s a meteoroid) is visible long before it is audible. It appears as a great mass of light, mostly white, but also green, red, and yellow (the color changing during the course of the fall). The mass is trailed by a long tail the same color as the head. People below aware of it see the meteor streaking at a steep angle across the sky. Great tails of smoke trail the tail of light—this smoke trail persists for hours in the upper portions of the sky. As the meteor moves quickly through the upper atmosphere, it violently compresses the air in front of itself. The air gets very hot, which in turn heats the meteor, and it gives off light and smoke as a byproduct of this heating process. As the meteor plunges deeper into the atmosphere, gravity pulls it ever more rapidly toward the surface of the planet. When the velocity of this descent exceeds the speed of sound, observers below hear the meteor giving off a booming noise not unlike thunder, or a gunpowder cannon detonation. The strike causes a massive explosion. A fountain of earth and released heat from melting rock destroys everything in the immediate area. The shock wave and air blast from the explosion move outward concentrically, like a colossal ripple on the surface of a pool where a stone has fallen, in a quickly widening radius. The air blast produces hurricane-force winds. Within 1,000 feet from the impact, winds in excess of 600 miles per hour scour the ground. The air blast flattens trees out to a distance of about 2 miles, and everything within a 1/2-mile radius of the impact point take 800 points of damage.

The Zealots leave Vadashar for the Howling Waste.

The Zealots travel through the countryside beyond Vadashar.

The Zealots arrive at the Waystation of Antleeon, an ancient caravanserai located at the threshold to the Howling Waste, four days west of Vadashar. Through the centuries, the Waystation has prospered because it adjoins a clear well, the only source of water nearby.

A trio of Er’Mazdari (“Despised”) brigands seeks to rob the Waystation, using the threat of poisoning the well. The brigands are members of a band loyal to Akmal, a Mazdari chieftain known to his people as Er’Thaelabu (“the Fox”); they are currently disguised among the caravaneers. Harull is disguised as an impoverished priest, while Ramdar and Beysad pretend to be caravan guards.

In the small hours of the night, Ramdar and Beysad drain all the water bags they can find, and they drill a hole in the storage vat in the kitchen. Only the watering trough for the camels remains full since the camels are guarded throughout the night.

Just before dawn, the Waystation Master, Salman, runs outside among the camel tenders, clutching a note in his hand and shouting as if to rouse the dead. The note was attached to a dagger stuck by Harull into the Station Master’s pillow during the night. Unless their demands are met immediately, everyone will suffer a slow, lingering death from dehydration.

S1E14: The Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind

The Zealots travel through the Howling Waste. They encounter a pack of Hyena Men during the night.

The Zealots arrive at Fort Zayad, the base for Kuranian Imperial authority at the edge of the Howling Waste. They interact with the inhabitants and Kuranian garrison soldiers and officers.

The Zealots meet the Kuranian officer Keroona Bey, commander of the Fort.

Just before dawn, the remnants of the Caravan from Kemet arrive at Fort Zayad. They have survived an attack from desert raiders. Lady Ozeera is not with them.

S1E15: The Shadow of This Red Rock

The

S1E16: Pillars of Wisdom

The Zealots meet Sharif Mulay Namshuri Er’Jabani The Magnificent and are introduced to the ways of the Jabani and the Kuranaji.

The Jabani executes two thieves.

The Sharif Muqrin, the Sheik of the Er’Faisari and one of Sharif Mulay’s most devoted followers accompanies the Zealots to the territory of the Er’Mazdari to learn if they kidnapped Ozeera, Khepri’s sister.

The Zealots journey towards the Empty Waste, the territory of the Cult of Er’Ramal.

S1E17: Fear in a Handful of Dust

Flashback: Anahd the Storyteller tells the story of the Sea of Bones, and the battle between the armies of Utu and Hengal, part-human sons of the Giant Kings who fought for supremacy over the Erg when that harsh place was yet fertile, before the crash of the great Ishtaroid…

After leaving the Er’Mazdari, the Zealots are led by Sheik Muqrin to the edge of the Waste of Er’Ramal: He tells them that there a stirpes of madmen wanders the Waste, “searching through a lost battlefield of ancient times for the Four Prophets know what…” They worship a demon, Er’Ramal, the God of the Sands, which they say causes the flesh-rending desert storms. He says that he does not believe in Er’Taninu, (“the Dragon”), but says he knows others who claim to have seen it with their own eyes. (“Of course, one of them was Mansour the Ferocious.”) Muqrin thinks that the Cult may have gotten their hands on the Sultan’s granddaughter, Hanin, somehow through the evil efforts of the Er’Mazdari spy Aram: he explains that “she was stolen by a dog [Aram] who works for Keroona Bey, an Er’Mazdari so foul even the Er’Mazdari would not suffer him.” He does not think she yet lives. He wishes the Zealots well.

The Zealots encounter the Sea of Bones.

The Zealots encounter the Hyena Men and Azam. The Hyena Men encamped with the remains of Aram’s camel and the man himself battered and in bonds.

The Er’Mazdari spy has what are obviously Kemesh articles on his person and upon his camel. He begs for his life in exchange for what he knows of the Cult of Er’Ramal, the granddaughter of Er’Jabani, and Ozeera.

The Zealots see the Crater of the Ishtaroid.

The Zealots meet Er’Ramal, the God of the Howling Waste.

S1E18: Vadashar is for Lovers

Flashback: Sabine is 14 years old living in the House of Cunoarda in Venar. She has a dispute with Lateela, the daughter of Cunoarda, over a fashionable cape that Lateela lent her but has now demanded back. Cunoarda witnesses the altercation and later that evening gives Sabine a far more beautiful one with gilt threads. He calls her Little Songbird and tells her that when he was a boy, he would get up very early to stand in the courtyard of the house where a songbird would serenade him and only him every morning. But he no longer needs to go outside mornings because his house his now filled with music, thanks to Sabine.

(Later her mother, Nanaia, tells her, “I have little patience for joy.”)

Khepri attends the Embassy to the Patrician of Vadashar with his sister Lady Ozeera.

Sabine receives an invitation from Lord Kenthon, the Ambassador to Vadashar from Venar. He gives her two letters, one from her mother, the other from the Dumanoi.

Anupam receives a note from Prince Akbar VIII, the Nawab of Gudwara.

Arslan receives an invitation from Asao Baolmer, the Great Chamberlain of Vadashar. He is told that he is likely to be assassinated by the Dyer’s Guild if he doesn’t change his plans to import Kemesh silk. He is also offered to be elevated to the College of Custodians of Vadashar, to represent the Precinct known as the Anvil, which abuts his own precinct through an alley behind a clutch of kiosks.

Elliendro takes the Zealots into the tunnels under the Gardens of Kamâl. He tells Arslan the way the Heist plans have advanced. He also says that his first choice of a lockpicker, Nuri the Rat, won’t work with Attalis.

The Zealots meet their additional Lockpicker.

End of Season 1Coming Soon