The Inheritance
It has been already more than one hundred years since an Al-badia called Namir, in one of his excursions into the desert, found that the sand had left an old corpse exposed in the open. Among its few possessions he found a bottle of ceramic, closed with sealing wax. Upon opening it, a Djinn emerged from it, introducing himself as Bagul. The genie was caught in the bottle very long time ago and had been there for many years. It promised to Namir to fulfil three wishes in exchange for him releasing him but Namir refused the offer and he broke the bottle. Bagul, thanked Namir for his altruistic act and gave him a small fortune, and a brass ring, with which Namir could summon it but a single time.
Namir was a humble man and decided that he would not spend the gold, nor would he use the favour owed to him with the use of the ring, until he really needed it. But Bagul, moved by its freedom, had thrown over him spell of protection, by which neither Namir, nor his family, nor his descendants would have to endure miseries again.
Namir died old and happy. He left to his children his few possessions and the secret of the owed favour, for a time of need. The years passed, and his family prospered and never did they endured hunger, thirst or misery. The story of the genie and the treasure were becoming a familiar myth and soon in a history that the parents told their children. Nobody ever thought about demanding the family treasure, because there was no necessity for it and no one was sure that it even existed.
But sooner or later something shakes the calm. Janim, great grand nephew of Namir, a young man who, after to being turned away by a young aristocratic girl from the Al-Hadhar, has returned looking towards material wealth as his answer, something that his family traditionally has rejected. Janim, like his father Jamil, had heard the history of the families inheritance by word of mouth from his grandfather Jarid, but he had not given it too great an importance until his encounter with Harim the Old. This old kahin hermit, brother of Narim, the father of Jarid, confirmed to Janim that the inheritance was indeed real.
Janim immediately realised that his father never would try to recover the treasure when there was no need for it. He could find out where it was by questioning old Harim, but the young Janim did not have the sufficient courage to undertake a solitary trip to look for it.
It was by Fate’s will that Janim met in his trips Korhal, an evil and astute sorcerer, who made himself pass off as his friend and confidant. Korhal suggested that young man, with his aid, to simulate a kidnapping and demand a ransom for his rescue. Thus, Namir would be forced to unearth the treasure and surrender it.
Sketch of the adventure
The PCs, in search of Izaiah Qadím, finds the tribe of Jamil in the middle of the desert, where they are welcomed, according to the rules of hospitality of the desert. The PCs will soon after notice the distressed nature of the family and of their host.
If asked, Jamil confesses the reason of their anguish. His son has been kidnapped, and a 10000-dinar ransom has been asked from them for his return, a sum that they do not have. They have no idea who the kidnappers could be, and they are in deep sorrow, because it is the first misfortune that has happened to him or his lineage in more than one hundred years. He does not understand because nothing before has ever happened to him or them like this, so that they never have had more coins than is necessary for them to deal with the Al-Hadhar. Jarid, the father of Jamil, old an almost senile, and almost always drunk, tells of them the story of the Inheritance.
Desperate, Jamil expresses his scepticism with respect to the old story but he suggests they consult with Harim, the Old one fore some advice. He pleadingly requests that the PCs go in search; Harim lives only in the Western Erg. Jamil gives them an old brass ring so that kahin recognises them as friends of the tribe.
When they find him (rather, he finds the PCs), Harim confirms to them the story of the Inheritance, and also it mentions to have spoken with Janim on the matter. He offers himself to lead them until the place where the Treasure is. One is a cavern at the top of a mountain. Kahin waits for them outside.
In that site there is a troll of the desert living there. At heart of its abode there is a tunnel sealed with earth. This one leads towards the site where the coffer with the treasure is, but there is a carrion crawler in their way.
After recovering the Treasure, Harim takes them to the tribe, where Jamil receives them and is very thankful. He requests that the PCs do one last favour: that they accompany him to the place designated by the kidnappers to make the exchange. He does not wish to fight with them, and the only thing that worries him is that his son returns to him and out of danger.
In the decided site, they find Korhal with four shapechanged kenku (of 4 HD), taking the tied and gagged Janim. The wizard scorns at all attempts of conversation and demands the money. When they hand it over, he takes it and leaves. Then, Janim, who has seemed calm enough through the entire ordeal, begins to struggle desperately. Korhal orders the kenku to get rid of them, and goes away (using a spell, mount of the desert, that the sand on which he is on moves away at great speed in the direction that he decides). Kenku have the task of giving him time to escape, and will flee flying if they find too strong a party. Janim, when untied, vociferates his fury on the sorcerer’s treason, putting himself in evidence.
Everybody return to the tribe in silence. Jamil is enraged when he finds out the truth, and Janim is ashamed and sorry, and is incapable of raising his head. When they arrive at the camp, they find out that the oasis has been gone dry, and that jackals attacked their animals, killing a few and driving away to the rest.
While Jamil is lamenting his misfortunes, Harim arrives. The old one announces that the protection sorcery that had covered the family for a century has been broken by the greedy act of Janim. The young man decides go himself to the desert in search of Korhal, recover the Inheritance, and, at least partly, repair the damage he caused. Before going away, Harim remembers the brass ring and summons Bagul. The Djinn appears and listens to the story.
Bagul promises to take them to where Korhal is, and to help them to recover the Inheritance.
Actually, there´s a rest of the story, but I see most fit to let everyone who run this adventure to do it by itself. I used the Map of Mystery of a Dungeon issue, placed in a volcano a pair of days (in genie’s shoulders) from the tribe. I may send you the map and the references. In the end, they fight Korhal, and the whole lair begins to sink in lava. The PCs flee through a big hole in the roof, by using the silk tapestries as a kind of hot-air bag that carries them away. Janim also tries, but the Treasure chest is too heavy. He finally leave the chest, and flees the place. Once outside, Janim regrets his failure, but Bagul informs him that, by his late act of unselfishness (leaving the chest, so he could survive and work all of his live to restore some of his tribe´s possessions) the warding sorcery has been restored. So, happy end (in the end).