The original party's clan is largely massacred during the Festival of Tamrach, on the 30th evening of the month of Tabrechi, last night of High Summer, and a night of a Moon. The event takes place at the Oasis Khojah-Tretachme in the al-Zholith desert. The al-Tretachme is the domain of the clan Trabechi and is a part of the al-Zholith desert known as the Seddif-Khazoum, the Lands of the Crimson Mesas. During the month of Iasco the Wind-Serpent, the party tracks the killers of the clan, it appears to be the work of sand-elves, but further tracking discovers the attackers to be a motley group of desert clans of various races, who were taken away by a flying ship. This suggests that the Pelai were behind the attacks of their clan. The party undergoes the ritual ten days of mourning,the funeral rites for their clan, and learn from the hakima Kalisheera that they should travel to the ruins of Old Zarnath. There the party has a break with Kalisheera and the hakimazim of the Ta'ax haru, and meets Abu Zharr and Deverin.
They party adventures in the ruins of Tel-al-Zarnatha seeking weapons to revenge themselves on the murderers. They become entwined with the Triple Goddess, gain new party members: Sha'zar and Talon and lose their friend Kareem who dies, and Charuke who vanishes through a portal. Charuke is later briefly reunited with the party, but perishes in the course of their adventures. The party learns of a possible dark future for humanity devastated by the Purple Plague, a disease of virulent fever demons who make mad those they do not kill. They learn of a plot by the Illithids to turn elvenkind beginning with the Eloi Sidhe into members of their dread race, thus revitalizing the leaders of the Pelai. The party learns from their adventures and Seer Abudel, the history of the Demonstone, and the Ceremony of Remaking which is involved in utlizing its most frightful and wonderful powers. It is then that the party begins questing for the fragments of the Demonstone, intially on behalf of the First Sibyl of the Triple Goddess. They learn of a possible destiny for their group in which they are to lead a great Jihad to sweep clean the world of the Pelai and other evil forces who have been gathering on H'kartha like a storm. They also encounter Lokatha, the trickster goddess for the first time. Then they encounter Thoth-Atuk, an ancient god of magic who has assumed the form of the sage Antac during the meeting so as to be familiar. He clarifies their quest:
"Seek the Demonstone first by not seeking it.
Embrace the Moorish Sha'ir who is, but isn't dead.
Find the Papyri of Hushku in the ruins of Nippya
Find the Lost City of the Elves beneath the Lake that Isn't
There, Seek the Crystals of the Koori beyond the High Desert
recruit allies among the desert tribes. This is my advice to you...."
After their visit with Thoth-Atuk they are transported to the Sphinx that is the entrance to the ruins of Tel-al-Zarnatha. Immediately they encounter the Moorish Sha'ir that the god spoke of (Lazarus) as well as facing an ambush of the dark haz known as the Jharghaz-haz whom the goddess Lokatha spoke of. In the ambush Fatima and Charuke are killed. This takes place during the beginning of the month of Ledkkgharu the Hyena-god.
The next chosen objective of the party, the lands of the Koori, the dreaded Scorpion-Men are in the Faruka Wastes far to the South. The party heads for this target. More immediately to the south is the Taljiq-Saqqar (Shifting Sands). This area is the dry lakebed of what once Lake Ariana. It is a perilous place. The party would surely evade pursuit by travelling that way, but the dangers they would find there might exceed those they were trying to elude. The party risks this and travels to the Taljiq-Saqqar, and enter finally in the Shifting Sands for which the campaign takes its name.
After eight hours travelling through the Taljiq-Saqqar, the party rests in the shadow of some ruins, massive stone blocks and columns lying helter-skelter and half buried in the sand. A statue of a large demon is half buried nearby. The party battles a giant scorpion and digs out the statue. They also notice the Pelai conducting a military exercise nearby, they investigate and witness what they later learn is a massacre of leaders of the war against the Pelai. After a battle with a Scorpion they enter a buried ziggurat. While investigating the chamber they meet two of the survivors of the massacre, Talabrinar Devir and her bodyguard the half-orc Sunbarr. The party then proceeds from the first chamber, the site of some strange and dark rite to shrine of Balakhesh,the Knower of Fates. There they gain some insight into their missions. Next they proceed to the a Chamber with a statue of Balakhesh and Lokatha and access to a crypt. The statue of Lokatha animates and answers a question about the Demonstone.
Then Lazarus leaves the party, ascending a staircase to become one with Balakhesh which is the fulfillment of his destiny and the furthering of the destiny of the party. The party then descends into a crypt, where they gain rewards and discover that Talabrinar is an imposter, a Ophidian spy. They make a deal with the Ophidian, and Fatima's soulforce is wedded to the goddess Taurt .
As part of the deal the Ophidian shares the following info:
The Papyri of Hushku contain the writings of an ancient sage on the properties of seven objects of power that he claimed could be utilized to remake the world. They are the Paal taleyun Dyumbe (Demonstone), The Staff Shakrakah, the Crown of Kolinthe, the wand of Tabor, the Crystals of Khoori, the Ring of Yülith, and the Zaohraiate-also known as the Throne of the Gods. The papyri are in the Ark of Revelations in the ruins of the ancient temple of Thoth-Atuk. This temple is located in the half-buried ruins of Ancient Nippya. The ruins of Ancient Nippya are a perilous place, and the Temple of Thoth-Atuk is forbidden to the Ophidians, for it is said only those chosen by Thoth-Atuk may enter the place, and even those must prove themselvesworthy in a series of life and death tests.
The party opens a sarcophagus revealing a portal, which they know has a demon on the other side. The party suddenly finds a strange woman has come up behind them, a half- elf named Kala Siath. They cross through to find themselves on a great staircase with a large slumbering demon looming over it. They ascend and come face to face with a lost clansman, Kalek. The party discovers there are nine chambers along the staircase, each with a valuable relic. The party first recovers the Bow of Daelimedes, but at the cost of the lives of Sunbarr and the Ophidian. Next they enter the chamber of the Sphinx and recover the ring of Yülith. That is all but for Deverin who went off on his own to chamber Four and encountered the dreaded Fever Demons. The party coming to the rescue of Deverin successfully battles the dreaded fever demons,and it was in this encounter that Kala Siath was unknowingly infected and became the plague bearer. The party recovers six large golden rings and a vial of liquid cure. Kala claims her elvish blood protected her from the demon and refuses to take the cure, which the party thinks is a necessary precaution, she prefers to go her own way and the party agrees. This they later learn is a mistake.
Through various adventures in these caves, the party recovers in addition to the Ring of Yulith and the Bow of Daelimedes: the wand of Tabor, the periapt of Ghofru, the Crown of Kolinthe, the Jewel of Abankarxas (the Jewel of Truth), the Staff of Shakrakah, Pharuk gains some items from the Hoard of SNARL-UJAKSHKJE but the full rewarding from that treasure trove is denied the party because of imprudent acts.
The party then travels through a magic portal to the upper- Salamwardu river in search of the Papyri of Hushku which are located in the city of Nippya. The time distortion of the portal has brought the party forward in time into the month of Ghalanu the Oathmaster. In the forest by the great river they come to the home of Sharill of Tsabusruta. Pharuk calculates the impish sprite is a legendary creature known as a Forest Gnome, mentioned only in legends involving quests. Sharill calls himself a fharagheski. Sharill tells them how to get to Nippya via the Tower of the Alchemist. On the way they encounter seven spirits representing the seven lost cities of Gebra-Salamwardu: Nippya, Tilyit, Gogul, Talash, Anawahr, Gilish and Culkhay. The maidens lament that their essences lie in the seven crystals of the Koori. The maidens tell of how they may be redeemed. Next the party meets the shade of the Alchemist who calls himself, Honebamerreb-The Defiler.
He tells them:
When the Sanctuaries of Nippya are set right
When Thoth-Atuk regains his house,
When the Pantheon of Old is New Again,
When the Temple of the Sands rises like a phoenix
My trials will be at end.
The party learns that the Papyri of Hushku besides listing the properties of seven items of power, also contain the formulae for removing one deity from a ziggurat and replacing him or her with another. It is also the means by which Thoth-Atuk (or Lokatha) can be restored to his (or her) place in the Ziggurat of Nippya. In the tower the party battles some dreadful Harpies and then moves to free Catrika, the daughter of the Alchemist from her slumbering imprisonment. They battle a giant serpent, losing Talon, Sha'zar and Rashad in the ensuing battle. Encountering Lokatha again, she enters into a bargain with them promising to reincarnate Rashad. This leads to Rashad reincarnated into the past as Rasoudis, to live the same years of his life again (thus in a temporal paradox existing for a time simultaneously as Rashad and Rasoudis). On the death of Rashad, Rasoudis gains his memories, and eventually joins up with the party who venture in the catacombs underneath the city of Nippya to the Ziggurat of Thoth-Atuk, formerly the Ziggurat of Lokatha. The party also meets a strange half-elf named Canis.
The party travels through the catacombs discovering the chamber of lost souls, where Rasoudis is freed of the control of Lokatha, and the party discovers the lost souls of the Tabrechi. Through a magical ritual the souls are harnessed into a rams horn. The party ventures on and comes to a set of three doors. One door is bronze, one door is silver and one door is gold. Abu translates the hieroglyphs on each door. The Bronze door reads: Justice, The Silver Door reads: Truth, and the Golden door reads Faith. The party enters the Room of Justice first and using the Feather of Truth they had gained earlier, they obtain a silver key from the Scales of Justice. They proceed to the Room of Truth. There they encounter an Oracle and learn truths about themselves, Sethu (Nyarlathotep) and the Ceremony of Remaking.
The party travels to the next room, large octagonal antechamber with a door across from you, above that door is the emblem of the Inner eye. Six of the other doors are set with various emblems. A Chest, A Bridge, A Spade, A Plow, A Demon and a Ram's Horn. The center of the chamber has a large golden statute of Thoth-Atuk in the center of a Thaumaturgic circle. They encounter Lokatha again, The party following on clues from the Trickster goddess, opens the door with the plow, there they encounter the Garden of Redemption where samples of magic plants are taken that are linked to the Demonstone. The party then travels to the chamber of the Spade, and braving the hazard of the sand sharks, enters a Golden Ziggurat under an arch that reads "Knowledge is Power beyond the Knowing". The hall runs 30' down before turning to the right. The original hall has two doors on each side, at 10' Left, 1st right, 20' left and 25' right. Around the bend the hall runs for about 30' without any apparent openings and ends in an archway with two great golden doors carved with the image of Thoth-Atuk. On the doors before the bend Abu Zharr translates the hieroglphics identifying each chamber: 1. Come forth and gather like the dew these Mist-strewn words; 2. See in the Reflection of Possiblities-Your Destiny; 3. Gather the Strength for Your endeavors; 4. Find your renewal in the Waters of Truth. They open the first door and encounter another Oracle. Next they go to room 3 and discover an armory in which they garner some valuable items. Next they travel to Room 2 and encounter a Room of Magical Portals.
Through one portal Kalek finds a tomb and is transformed into an Elemental priest. Through another portal, Pharuk encounters Tokalamalukin and gains their first fragment of the Demonstone. He also gives them the means to find Kala the Plague Bearer. Through another portal, the party encounters Hasana and Elcin in a ruined temple known as the Shrine of Jal-ai-Oieein located in the vast wastelands called the Al-Faraqa. Another portal leads to the city of Taliban, where the party rescues Albrecht from the clutches of an Illithid disguised as a Muerrin prince. The party unmasks the Illithid, who seems to have summoned Albrecht from his home beyond the clouds, and flees back through the portal escaping from the clutches of the Mindflayer. Finally using the magic gem provided by Tokalamalukin, the party travels to a cave where they defeat the Demons of the Purple Plague, losing Dhavo, Catrika and the unfortunate Kala the Plague Bearer in the process. The party discovers they have once again travelled through a time distortion and are in the middle of the month of Malax, in the season of Low Winter. The Cave is located in the Khuli-Asherath, the Womb of Asherath, a place sacred to the Triple Goddess. The Party inducts those members of the party who were not born into the clan Tabrechi into the clan as honorary members, setting the party firmly on the path of the resurrection of the Clan and the renewal of H'kartha.
In the Khuli-Asherath, the party discovers the Tsil Ubarinnik Ulathi (Place of All Places), the nexus of all transitory portals and quizathek (fixed portals) on H'kartha and the link between H'kartha and the Nexus of Worlds. They encounter Corak, a long lost member of the clan Tabrechi having gone to live with the Order of the Flame, a sect of pyromancers. Corak is the brother of the late Fatima. They also meet two members of the Rebels of the Delta, Ganthanor and Andreos who on the instructions of the Arch-Druid Sheyaste Kelaine, deliver to the party their second fragment of the Demonstone. The Tabrechi explore the caves of the Khuli-Asherath, finding the Crypt of the Ancients, a chamber created by a race known as the Siderthe. They gather treasures of magic, knowledge and monetary value there, but two valued clansmen Rasoudis and Kalek fall the victim of traps. Rasoudis turns back into his Rashad incarnation and seems dead, Kalek is turned to stone. They are later returned to life as guardians of the Khuli-Asherath and servitors of the Triple Goddess. The party then travels back to Taliban in the hopes of visiting the bazaars and academy of Magic there, perhaps recruiting new party members and learning what mischief is afoot there having encountered a taste of it in their first visit to the city.
In Taliban, they encounter Sharill (in disguise) who leads them to the Inn of the Blind Basilisk to find the treasure of the Tabrechi, which turns out to be Khalid, rawun of their tribe who had been away from the homeland and thus survived the massacre. It is the beginning of the month of Malax. They have a battle with the Veshin, hated enemies of the Tabrechi who appear to be in the service of some dark powers. They also have a tangle with the Innkeep's harridan wife, the infamous Fatmanur, who was like the ugly barwenches of the establishment once a troll transformed into a human. The party gets to know some of the new members, and these new additions learn of thebackground and adventures of the established members of the party. The party then explores the Bazaars of Taliban gathering important information and items. The party frees Valeriyah of the Perfumed Winds, a Jann from her bottle and she joins the group. She has been exiled in her bottle and reduced to mortal form should she escape her flask. The party learns that there is something going on of a dark nature in the city of Taliban, that the leadership has fallen under the influence of the Pelai. One of their number, the half-dark elf who goes by the nickname Canis vanishes, and the search for their friend leads part of the group to the Street of the Baals. This party encounters a plot brewing by a group of demons known as the Iuz , and have a raucous encounter with some sort of manifestation of the demon-goddess Ghozur. Meanwhile that night there is a bloody coup against the Illithid influenced Sultan. The party's mages establish good relations with the mages of the Academy of Magic in Taliban and are able to conduct important research there. Later several members of the party encounter the mystical shop of Phandaal of the World of Seven Moons. They gain important items like the Atlas of the Chronomancer, the Amethyst of Avoidance, and the Pebbles of Pyromancy.
The party is next led on their quest to find the Oil of Yaoil . This takes them to Doomgate Pass, the gateway through the Shari-Wazir-Khokhazume (Mts of the mystics). They first come to Sshuk'itzzz, a Haz trading station at the mouth of Doomgate pass. The pass leads to the Vale of Dooms which leads to the Taljiq-Saqqar, the Shifting Sands. The other end of the Vale where Sshuk'itzzz stands leads to the Great Salt Waste. The party finds a Quizathek there. They encounter the Haz shamaness Systeria who explains how they can obtain the item they seek. The area is guarded by creatures the Haz call Jhuzak, which translates as Liches. The party encounters the strange traveller, the island Dwarf, Thundre and learn some of the legends of the time of the Age of Six Empires and that of the Dark Overlord. A short cut is discovered that will cut down on the time in the mountains the party is exposed to potential attack of the Liches. They are the Tunnels of the Ancients. In the tunnels, the party encounter strange spider creatures. From cocoons they discover another long lost clansmember, Layla bint-Sharif and aldo Vonak, a Ghatazkhe (minotaur). Ghatazkhe in this age were merely thought of as legends, so the appearance of Vonak is a startling surprise. The party battles some more of the spider creatures and the party members Elcin, Corak and Valeriyah are poisoned. The party encounters and overcomes the Head of Laden, a Riquitaiz, constructed from the head of a dark necromancer skilled in blasphemous arts. It is a weapon of terrible and unholy power.
The party explores the tunnel of the ancients which is a crypt complex and encounter Rajeev, the Justiciar of Fire, one of the "Liches" they have been warned about. They learn that he is a potential ally in the fight against evil, and learn many things about the past and the complex from him. The party travels through the tunnels out into the mountains to the nearest Yaoil tree, only to encounter some Iuz, battling these demons for the first time. Then they learn that the creatures they fought, while having some of the capabilities of the Iuz, were in fact shadow things, created as tests for the party to see if they were worthy of the quest set before them. The party then travels on to the lair of Lokatha, and redeems the Goddess. Valeriyah is used to create the redeemed avatar, and Corak and Elcin are restored to full hale. The party then travels back to the Library of Library of Abudel, where they learn many things, particularly with regard to the Demonstone, Ritual of Qijah and the Ritual of Remaking. The party encounters the moor Ka-in bin Erkan Abdul Bozkhurt al-Koymet who joins their group.
The party then travels on to Qarnaa in search of the final segment of the Demonstone. It lies on an island off the coast, and is possessed by a pirate prince name Yudenaithe. On the island of Yudenaithe, they encounter Ghujast who is an Illithid created out of their old friend Canis. In the ensuing adventure Ghujast is killed, and the party encounters Yudenaithe and is in the process of forming an understanding, even an alliance with the pirate who turns out to be a creature known as a Siderthe. Pharuk however has made a promise when he obtained the first segment of the Demonstone not to make an alliance with Yudenaithe, a promise he now regrets. Thundre parts ways with the company, in search of a return to his homeland. Yudenaithe is not willing to hand over the third fragment of the Demonstone to the party, so Pharuk uses a limited wish to obtain it, a magic that sends them catapulting foreward in time. There in the crypt of Yudenaithe, they obtain the third fragment of the Demonstone as well as other treasures. Escaping the crypt, the party is transported to a strange world called Chadra into a place called Audience of the Gnostic Precepts. There they meet Hitahirraine of the Order of the Clarion (later known to the party as al-Hitah) a creature most inhuman, but who later assumes the semblance of humanity. al-Hitah explains to the party that his world lies under the dominion of a Vampire-Queen, and the party agrees to help liberate Chadra at some point in the future. Pharuk creates a portal to the Nexus of Worlds, and the party leaves Chadra and travels to this strange enchanted place. The Nexus is overrun by Illithids, whom the party manages to avoid. The party encounters an Oracle which they probe with many questions, until they wear the entity out. Albrecht uses the Nexus to travel back to his own world. The party travels back from the Nexus to the Place of all Places on H'kartha. There they learn from the Triple Goddess that they have arrived too late to stop the Ascension. With the help of the Goddess the party sets out to travel back in time for several days, before the ascension of the Triad, the harbingers of the Old Ones. We must find them, and prevent the ascension of all 3 of them - either by interrupting the ceremony or even by eliminating them. On there arrival back in time, they arrive in an unfortunate spot and are soon set on by giant pig-like creatures called entelodonts which are the conjurings of summoners. They then must fight the summoners and assassins, but these enemies have the unfortunate habit of not staying dead. Elcin, Cain, al-Hitah and Hasana are killed. The party is joined by a group of adventurers with whom they form a United Fellowship, thus ends the campaign of the Shifting Sands.