"Yeah, let's get this show on the road then."
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A halfling watches from a distance as he finishes pulling the straps tight on his erdlu mount's saddle. As Kamzar walks away he comes over.
"You going into the desert? You want a guide?" he asks, his speech heavily accented. His skin is dark brown and bone jewellery is pushed through his earlobes and nasal septum. He grins - his teeth are filed to points.
Arakan looks irritated at Kamzar trying to rush them out, he was the one that made them wait until noon. Regardless, the man had already walked away, and all Arakan's grumbles were meant to be heard. Man, he hated people acting like they're in charge of him!
He looks at the assembled group, and is even more baffeld by the Kreen. There was just something not right about it, first it wears clothes like a man, now it chooses to ride. The thing has some serious identity crisis going on. Though he does have some questions for the thing.
He decides it's time to make preparations, "Okay, we are a small group, and a likely target for an ambush. I would like that we spread out or riding order some to give an impression of a larger force. Kreen, your kind are known as hunters, I would have you ride point. Gladiator, you and I will act as rear guard, while the old man and dwarf take center. We will travel as a wedge. Kreen, Jareen back and left, Dwarf back and right. I will ride back and right of the dwarf, and the gladiator will be back and left of Jareen."
As soon as they are ready to roll, the approaching halfling piques Arakan's naturally suspicious mind. "It depends, what are you asking for in compensation? How well do you know this region, and why do you care if we need a guide?"
"Sounds good to me. I'll follow your lead. I don't even know what our objective is." Gart laughs.
"People have a tendency to vanish into the desert without being seen again. You never know what will happen out there. I know a bit of the desert. Places to avoid and places where you won't be found if needed. My fee depends on how far you want to go and how dangerous the trip will be." Araven eyes up the companions. Taking stock of their gear and appearance. He has a feral look about him. Someone who has not had a proper meal for some time or a good nights rest. He carries himself with confidence but his eyes are always darting around. As if he is ready to run at a moments notice.
Jareen looks impressed despite himself "The areena eh? How did you manage to get out of there?"
"I was....liberated into a different sort of slavery. And now, I am free. free,......" he shudders; obviously uncofortable.
At noon, Kamzar shows up. “Alright,” he says, “It looks like you guys have met. I’ve got your gear outside – let’s go.” He saunters off through the gate, slapping the sergeant at the gate on the back like an old friend as he goes.
Outside is the gate is the caravanserai – a large, walled enclosure, mostly open to the sky with a covered gallery running around the interior wall. The place smells of spices and animal excrement from the merchant caravans that have rested here, past and present. Kamzar strolls up to where a stable boy is finishing saddling a group of crodlus.
“These are your mounts. Right now they’re borrowed, but if you fulfil your side of the bargain you get to keep them. There’s also food and water for the trip, and spare weapons. You can check the stuff over now.”
Just curious; how dangersome is riding a crodlu untrained?
Not that Furio cares......he's tough.
crodlu mount. Each one comes with 5 survival days of food and water, a healing fruit (potion), two daggers and a spear.
Arakan lets out a derisive snort, "If either of us had visitid the Tyrian arena, it wasn't luck that put us there that's for sure. Let's hope that it was skill and not luck that got you out of there." He eyes the Kreen suspiciously, a little curious about their opinion of half-elves, considering their 'affinity' toward elves.
"I don't know what luck is; it was.....more like....." furio looks at one of the crodlus as it takes a goat nugget dump in a little pile,....."more like......s$~$ happens."
Furio says nothing; although he stares at the halfling quixotically.
"You want a fee? Um, well,.....I'll pay your fee in carnage, once we stumble into some halfling pumping slig in one of those best avoided places."
"People paid good coin, to watch the havoc I wreaked in the sands of the ring...."
"Provide me with good gear that I keep once the job is done and an equal share of anything found."
"I'm down with that. Let's go!!!"
Arakan's suggestion about marching order seems valid, if Furio and Gart do not object, then Th'Kal would fall in formation...
Once Ruscer is in sight, Th'Kal's antenna stay fixed on the little mammal throughout the entire exchange. It's the first halfling he's encountered, but he knows of their hunting abilities and taste for flesh... he also knows that the little thing is just as likely to try and eat Th'Kal as eat the bothersome almostelf. To Furio, "Agreed. He appears to make a good kalak ." Whether the little one is friend or foe, it is better to keep him in sight in front of him, rather than having the mammal try hunting after them.
"Let's saddle up!!!"
I'll jump on my crodlu and do this thing.
Just curious; how dangersome is riding a crodlu untrained?
Not that Furio cares......he's tough.
Gart adjusts his carrikal to the side for comfort and hops up on the crodlu.
"Yes, the sooner we leave the sooner we can get paid."
Jareen eyes the crodlu warily, and replies to Furio "'Liberated'? Sounds interesting. Now, let's move." With that, he mounts, slowly.
The group rides out of the caravanserai, heading south.
Jareen doesn't take much notice of the halfling, other than to say "Anyone who knows a bit about this place will be of help. I don't trust those that gave us the information as far as I can spit."
An hour or so into the journey, with the sun beating down, and the settlement far behind them, Jareen decides it's safe to talk.
"So, what have you been told of our mission? Or of us?"
"I was told nothing more than that there was money in helping you. I need a good chunk of money and probably some much better gear for some travel I'd like to do."
Considering he doesn't really know where exactly they are headed, Arakan decides maybe the guide could come in handy. The little man doesn't appear duplicituous, more like needing a purpose and us looking desperate enough to take him up on it. More importantly, he hears what matters most. "A share of the spoils, for your part, and some gear. I think that sounds reasonable. You'll ride at the front with the Kreen."
As they get under way, and Jareen looks to be about ready to pour his heart out of information, Arakan decides to speak up and offer the basic facts. "We are headed east, to a place called the Bloody Neddle, know where it is?" he asks, directed more toward their new guide. "There are bandits there that have taken something, and we intend to take it back." He hopes Jareen doesn't open his big mouth about the orb. Their kind gets a bad enough rap for their talents, the last thing these brutes need to know is the orb deals with defiling.
As they get under way, and Jareen looks to be about ready to pour his heart out of information, Arakan decides to speak up and offer the basic facts. "We are headed east, to a place called the Bloody Neddle, know where it is?" he asks, directed more toward their new guide. "There are bandits there that have taken something, and we intend to take it back." He hopes Jareen doesn't open his big mouth about the orb. Their kind gets a bad enough rap for their talents, the last thing these brutes need to know is the orb deals with defiling.
Jareen considers what he was about to say, and then decides Arakan has probably said as much as he needs to. "We expect to be rewarded once the items have been returned. Anything we acquire from the bandits we will split between us. As you can imagine, I do not fight well. But I have other skills that come in useful. You have been hired to give us the protection we need to acquire the goods."
"I know the area for the first few days. After that we will be out of my normal hunting grounds. The desert is mostly the same but trouble has a way of moving around. I need to know if you are running from anything I should know about. Watching out for trouble ahead is different than watching out for people following."
nature check:
Furio cedes the floor to the halfling;
"so, guide; what do you know of this waste we ride through?"
trying to seem unintimidated by his crodlu.
"Babes in th' woods...."
Nature Check:
"I know a little about that place. The fast way is along the river bed. It is open and easy to be spotted. We have enough people and weapons to make a small group of raiders think twice but a large group will see us as a prime target. The canyons provide cover, but have nests of raiders in them. The canyons are what I advise." Ruscer smirks as he says it. "Unless you want them too see you coming. Either way I'll still eat."
"What's to eat out here? Sand?"
Furio looks around.
"Let's opt for the canyons, then. You seem to know the deal, Ruscer. My dumb ass would run up the river bed, smelling water just up ahead the whole way."
Jareen looks at Furio wondering how one can be so naive.
"Ruscer knows his routes. I fear you will eat well on this trip."
The ride along the People's Road for the first day is uneventful. This close to Altaruk, the patrols keep the bandits away. However, for those unaccustomed to riding, the bounding rhythm of the crodlus' gait proves an effective enemy. As the evening approaches, the travellers can see the Bloody Needle to the north. In the sunset, it lives up to its moniker.
With the proper equipment, camping out in the cold desert is no problem. The following morning, the time comes to decide on how to approach their destination.
Nature Check:
Jareen eventually gets down of his Crodlus as though he's been in the saddle a week. He grumps about "damned lizards" all night.
Arakan agrees to the halfling's assessment. It sounded fairly reasonable, and he surely seemed to know a lot more about the region than Arakan himself did. The day's ride was a little tough to get used to, but compared to walking the desert, the crodlu was a nice break.
The raptor is a bit strang eto get used to... mammals should just learn to run for longer periods and then this would not be necessary. But Th'Kal can endure most punishments, and if he showed any discomfort, the rest of the group would have a hard time reading it anyways.
Upon reaching camp, Th'Kal busies himsefl with the mounts, seeing to their care, assuming someone else will take on the job of making up camp. He won't even argue 'why stop' -- he's too used to mammals needing a break to sleep, he's even stopped questioning it.
In the morning, the group saddle up with grim purpose (Jareen is especially grim, given his aching thighs and backside) and head into the twisting canyons that lead to the ill-reputed Bloody Needle.
Go Ruscer! It's your birthday!
Intimidate +5. Furio tries to scare the desert.
Just kidding.
Perception;
Furio tries his best to watch for any trouble as they cruise through the canyons.
If streetwise would help; since we're going through natural alleys, and the same ambush opportunities might be present (in this nonurban urban jungle nonjungle)......
streetwise
but I admit, it's a stretch.
I like the second roll even though it's b#@%$$#s.
Endurance
"Hey; I can get used to this riding stuff!!!"
Nature Check:
Jareen keeps his aged, but still hawk-like eyes peeled.
Arakan keeps a paranoid eye out. He has concerns from the last time they were in a canyon, as it was a rather harrowing experience.
I'll stick with the perception then; it was my first thing.