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Felliped stands back while Dashki moves in to finish the snake. He looks around at his companions to check for wounds. " You weren't looking so good Dross, how are you feeling? " Seeing that everyone is ok, and after Daski is finished with the snake Felliped has a look around the building.
"My friends! " Shouts Ali, gesturing with one hand while he maneuvers the camel with the other. "We have reached the end of the dunes! By sunset we will be to our next stop! " Skillfully drawing his camel up next to Felliped and Theodric, Ali's gleaming white teeth flash though his beard. "It's going to get hotter soon, and the rest of the way will be though several rocky hills. We should stop of a few moments and let our mounts water before we continue. " Swinging one leg off of his camel Ali retrieves a waterbag from his saddlebag and starts to fill it with some of their precious water, before slipping it over the head of his mount. "I'm sure you have all heard that camels can survive for weeks off its store in the desert, and that’s true, but there is no reason if we have the water to force the noble beasts into hardship. " Half smiling at the antics between Zafira and Theodric. "Well some are noble at least. Regardless, before we go further, if you have brought with you any armor or weapons, I would keep them close at hand. Now that we have moved away from the desert, bandits and wild animals are far more common. It will be hot and uncomfortable wearing layer upon layer, but I assure you that it will far more comfortable than an arrow to the chest. " As if to emphasize his point Ali begins digging around his saddle bags only to withdraw a pitted and dented breastplate. Slowly and methodically strapping it on, he then tests each buckle and strap making sure that it fits correctly, once he is done he hangs his Falchion across his back and then begins to check over his mount. "It is better my friends to be prepared, and not need it, then to need something and not have it. Let me know if you need help looking to your mounts, you especially Theodric. Ha Ha Ha "
" It's going to get hotter? " Felliped asks as he dismounts rather ungracefully. He follows Ali's example, watering his camel and takes out his chainshirt, pulling it over his head and checking his weapons. He takes a sip of water for himself.
"Still looks green in the gills. Hmmm. Let me see the wound site for a moment."
Valik works on the wound for a few moments, pulling items out of his pack, massaging the wound site and moving Dross's limb around.
"Well you will live." he says brushing off his hands as he looks around the room.
"Dashki, do you think the dogs were using the snake as a guard animal, or are they too hard to train? Also, do you think this town has sewers?"
Dross nods weakly. "I think it's done now. The wound don't hurt at all, guess the potion took care of it. I just sort of ache all over."
The building appears to be more-or-less empty. The pile of jumbled rocks and wood in the corner is covered in dried white snake droppings and a gigantic shed skin, now mostly in tatters. You don't see anything else of interest or value. It would be possible to move the snake back into the rubble pile, so that the body wouldn't be immediately visible at the door.
Dashki snorts and shakes his head, eyes watching the entrance and various areas of collapsed walls. "Nah, snakes ain't smart like some animals. Eat anythin' what moves, they will. No friend of the Kulldis, that's for sure. Might be they let it alone, hope it eats intruders. Us, say. Feed prisoners to it now and again, might be." In response to Valik's question about the sewers, he chuckles a little. "Why, you gotta go? Nah, no sewers. Ground's too hard, and it weren't ever that big a city anyways. Not much rain in these parts neither." He spits.
A gentle breeze blows past, and then it is still. The calm before the storm, as they say. You must act, and quickly.
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As Ali finishes watering his camel and he makes ready to mount the lumbering beast he briefly looks towards the horizon before his eyes snap back up to the north east. "Felliped! Theodric! Ali sharply commands, pointing with his hand towards darkening blur on the horizon. "There, to the north-east! A sandstorm! Quickly my friends, mount and follow me. There is not a moment to lose. Running a hand though his beard, Ali scans the area before nodding to himself. "I know of a cave not far from here that we can weather out the storm, but it is at least a mile off, and we may not reach it before the storm hits us. We must move very quickly." Putting action to word Ali mounts his camel and begins to guide the beast with a heightened sense of urgency directly into the path of the oncoming storm.
Goddess, I pray, be with us now!
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"By the Golden Fist of Abadar!"
Theodric's eyes grow wide as he notices the large cloud of oblivion flying in their direction. Although inexperienced in the desert, awkward silences in the face of impending doom spell disaster in more than just one context. He tries to stay composed as he turns his camel to follow Ali.
"Zaphira, this isn't just about me anymore! Run!"
Surprisingly enough, Zaphira seems to react well to the situation, with some level of natural instinct combined with a broken will guiding her actions.
The clanging of pots, cups, and other objects hanging down from the side of Zaphira are now making quite the ruckus. Theodric pulls the turban out from the breast of his robe and slowly ties it around his face.
"Well. It was a thought. Let's move the carcass back onto the rubble and press on."
After moving dead snake for a few minutes, Valik pauses. "Dashki, did you see if any of the buildings across the street have a way to the top of the cliff? From the roof maybe?"
Dashki slinks over to the door and looks out, remaining concealed from outside observation. "Cliff's about fifty foot to the road, then thirty more. One building is two story, roof is maybe... thirty foot up. Twenty foot left to climb. Rock is rough, broken. Any of you a climber?"
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Dross, still looking a little pale, digs around in his pack and pulls out his trusty grappling hook. "How's that?"
"Perfect. Lets see if we can get this to work. Felliped, you go up, get the rope tied off, then we can all climb the rope after you. We get easy access to the upper level. Since everything down here is ruined, we should go and see what we can do up on the top level. There might be an opportunity there that isn't down here."
"Dashki, please lead us to the building that has the intact second floor."
Dashki leads the party across the rutted road to a large, two-story building . A faded sign above the door, now loose on its hinges, along with the stables alongside suggest that it was once a common house. As the party slips inside, the impression is confirmed. Stools are scattered about and tables are upended, but the spacious room was clearly once a sort of tavern, and a dimly lit stairway in the back leads to an upstairs hall with rows of rooms on each side.
There don't appear to be any stairs going up to the roof. Dashki whispers, "Have to go out a window, reckon."
Travis, looking out the single grimy window at the north end of the hall, says, "What about that building over there, past the stables? It looks taller than this one."
Dashki joins Travis at the window. "Taller, aye. But farther from the cliff. Cliff's higher there too. Have to jump to the cliff from that one. Got a grapplin' hook though. Might do." He shrugs.
"Lets try it. If it turns out to be too hard, we will back off and find another way. I want to make sure that we are in fighting strength for gnolls, rather than getting hurt climbing some rocks."
"Besides, it might be fun. Just don't scream when you jump for the cliff."
"Wait a second, if Felliped takes the rope with him when he swings to the cliff, how are we going to climb up too?" Valik asks, perplexed.
Valik watches the attempt to scale the cliff pensively, wincing at every clink of steel on stone.