"I concur, Segang. Other options are cost prohibitive. Rings of nondetextion for everyone? Ugh"
ugh, witches don't have Endure Elements. How dumb.
To the extent there is downtime, Jarha will wander Kaer Maga invisibly, in particular checking on the condition of the Korvosan refugees. But if there is little downtime or if movement out of the area where we are staying is difficult, Jarha will remain mostly in meditative prayer until the group is ready to depart.
Absinthe is our info-gatherer, eh? Abby, can you make some Diplo Gather Information rolls before we leave town?
While the rest of you tend to your needs, Jarha explores the city streets invisibly. As you heard from the Duskwarden, the majority of the Korvosan refugees are gathered in a shantytown covering about four ruined blocks of the Warrens. The conditions are deplorable but relatively secure. The majority of the refugees are middle class, tradesmen, merchants and their families -- most of the richest citizens can afford better quarters, and the poorest hadn't the means to escape Korvosa.
Security in the slum is enforced by toughs in the employ of Devargo Barvasi, the self-proclaimed King of Spiders. As far as Jarha can tell, the man rules primarily through a protection racket -- the refugees have little money, but food and crafted goods are bartered for influence. Barvasi lives like a lord in a rundown manor house.
"Perhaps on the way back we can take care of this Spider King," says Melianthe. "I dislike leaving that bit of scum not dealt with, but we have larger grubs to pluck from the earth right now."
Agreed. I was ready to depart this place the moment we entered.
After a couple relatively uneventful days in the city, you pack up the carriage and leave in the quiet hours just before dawn. You cross the Yondabakari River a ways above the waterfall. Segang knows the Skoan-Quah territory is in the eastern part of the Cinderlands, centered on the sacred Kallow Mounds. Without a map or guide, you take a bearing and head east.
The terrain around Kaer Maga and the river are generally green and lush, but no more than a few miles out, the land quickly becomes dry, rocky and barren. Signs of life are still prevalent, but hidden in the shadow of stones and low crevasses. Wind blows off the badlands and down the Storval Rise to the verdant Varisian valley below.
For a Shoanti and a barbarian Segang know surprisingly little about survival in the wilderness. Well, maybe not too surprising since he was raised in a city. Cinderlands. Sounds hot. We should bring lots of water and some tarps for shade, and perhaps hot weather gear for daytime travel. Beyond, that perhaps we should consult with someone who has traveled there?
"Good thinking. Perhaps those who are good at it should ask around? Although Khepri's gifts to me are modest, I am able to make an unlimited amount of drinkable water."
You drive the carriage east into the Cinderlands as the edge of the Storval Rise runs away to the south. Before long, you lose any sign of a trail among the rocky desert. Still, the clear skies and wide, open horizon make for relatively simple navigation. The first day passes without trouble. You camp for the night near the edge of a narrow crevasse, carved into the bedrock centuries ago by a long-since dried up waterway. A tall cairn of stones, topped with an animal's skull, watches you from the far side of the crevasse.
You set watches and get some rest. The night is dark but the desert comes alive with noises of nocturnal life. The stars shine brilliantly across the clear sky, illuminating the land almost on their own.
Pretty. This is my heritage that was stolen from me. Segang states to no on in particular. I wonder if I will ever feel at home here.
"That saddens me Segang. I feel as if I've been callous about your people. Shall I change to something other than a Shoanti so as not to offend you ... or the others we encounter for that matter?" Seren wrinkles a brow in thought.
We have gone through much together Seren. We have fought and bled together. No casual act you perform will offend me. But I suspect you are wise to consider what others, who have spent less time with you, might think. Some of the scars and tatoos you presume to wear are honors earned.
Like a ripple through water, Seren's form shifts and the strong, dark Shoanti female becomes a pale, fragile elf woman hiding behind a deep white hood.
"I'll keep a lower profile, I think."
"Do Shoanti not object to Elves? Something to do with the Thassilonians waging war on them or somesuch?" Abby says.
Jarha spends his time in contemplation of the landscape, which reminds him in some ways of his home Osirion. But his reverie is tempered by the knowledge of the dire dangers that face the group.
"Seems like some mixed history there, Abby. As far as I know there is about zero relationship between the Shoanti and elves. Do elves even live in Varisia? Mierini forest maybe? The Shoanti ... correct me if I'm wrong, Segang ... are descendants of the slaves of the Thassilonian empire. And the Thassilonians themselves were Azlanti immigrants. All human."
"Yeah. And the Thassilonians and the Elves were at war. World conquest was on the Runelords' to-do list."
"I doubt the Shoanti are holding a candle for the Runelords. We will be OK."
"Yes, of course there are elves in Varisia," says Melianthe. "There are elves in just about any forest, and other natural places. Just not in the same density as in Kyonin. My people were in Varisia for a long time, although we trace some storylines from the Ekujae."
Melianthe smirks at Seren. "Wonderful. We can braid each other's hair by moonlight, sister."
She looks around, enjoying the evening. "What is the significance of the skull, Segang, and the stones? Do you know? Or was that...stolen from you?"
It is a grave. I know nothing more. It is forbidden to disturb it.
As you break camp in the morning and start to ready the carriage and horses, you suddenly notice a half-dozen silent figures watching you from atop boulders around your camp. They are Shoanti, wielding longbows with arrows readied. The archers wear facepaint giving them the appearance of skeletons and white corpses.
"What do you want here, tshamek?" one of them calls in accented Common.
Segang stands and steps forward to show himself but says nothing and does not reach for weapons.
Melianthe just raises her hands, not that that would prevent a hexing, and wisely keeps her mouth shut. I hope Absinthe knows what to say, she thinks to herself.
The Shoanti speaker nods, lowering his bow a touch. "What do you wish to consult with them about?" he asks, again in Common.
Segang replies in Shoanti. In this time of darkness we seek Thousand Bones and his wisdom. Will you take us to him?
Seren, recognizing that the Shoanti probably aren't keen on deception and illusions, keeps his mouth shut and plays the quiet and aloof elf.
Jarha does not speak Shoanti, so he cannot follow or contribute to the negotiation. He stands and holds his hands out to show he holds no weapon, dressed in simple light grey traveling robes.
"He will know us," says Melianthe carefully. "We assisted him some time ago, in the city of Korvosa."
The Shoanti scout gives Absinthe a hard look, but his eyes are disturbed. After Segang speaks, he nods and you see the hint of a smile on his skull-painted face. He waves off the other Shoanti, who swiftly back away and melt into the terrain. He jumps down and approaches, extending an open hand. "I am Hargev. Gaekhen was my first cousin. Thousand Bones told us what you did for him. For the Skoan-Quah."
"I will lead you to the Kallow Mounds. Thousand Bones is there." Hargev stands by silently while you finishing preparing the carriage and horses.
"I am Absinthe," Abby says as she accepts and shakes Hargev's hand. "What we did for the Skoan-Quah was our honour. It will be a pleasure to see Thousand Bones again, even in these dark times."
Well met Hargev. Segang says as he takes the man's hand. It will be good indeed to see both the Mounds and Thousand Bones. These are troubled times and I seek wisdom.
If Hargev seems to want to shake everyone's hands, Jarha will step up and do so, stating simply in common, "My name is Jarha Madu. Thank you for your help." If Hargev does not seem to care about hand shaking, Jarha will make his statement while nodding at Hargev in greeting.
Melianthe looks around as if startled. "Oh. I'm Melianthe. Thank you, Hargev."
Hargev clasps each of your hands firmly, looking you in the eyes as he shakes. "Follow me. The Kallow Mounds are a half-day from here. We should arrive by high sun." He collects his horse from a sheltered crag nearby and rides alongside the carriage. The several miles of desert pass quickly and quietly, and you reach the Shoanti camp at mid-day.
The Kallow Mounds is a collection of hundreds of cairns -- all of differing sizes, topped with animal skulls or carved totems, some of them quiet ancient. The yurts of the Skoan-Quah are scattered among the cairns. The Shoanti watch you ride into the camp, looks of curiosity mixed with distrust. Having Hargev as your vanguard seems to put some at ease.
Hargev leads you to a circle of yurts near the center of the holy site. Three elders sit in the shade of an awning. One you recognize immediately as Thousand Bones, while the next is a tall, gaunt man, bald with a stylized rictus grin tattooed wide across his face. The third is an elderly woman with long gray hair braided into multiple plaits. She is painted up like Hargev and the scouts.
All three stand as you approach, and Thousand Bones steps out to greet you. "Young Segang. It is good to see you again. I knew it would not be long though I'd hoped it were not in such circumstances."
Segang rides beside Hargev noting how the man rides overtly and even how his eyes search the trail ahead. None of my people have taught me these skills. he thinks to himself. [i[I feel much like an outsider among them.[/i]
Venerable and wise elder. Segang greets and shows proper respects. It it is most good to see you again as well. I am my friends have come seeking your wisdom in this time of, as you note unwelcome circumstances. He turns, showing proper respect to the other elders.
Jarha will follow the lead of Segang and the others regarding how to address the elders. As humility is his default position, there is little risk of him coming across as arrogant or rude unless by a cultural misunderstanding. Otherwise, he lets the others do the talking, taking glances of the surroundings and watching the faces of the elders to gauge their reactions.
Melianthe also stays respectfully quiet, keeping her head down. Should we have brought a gift? she wonders.
Seren is seriously uncomfortable with this very natural and far from the city set up. The face painting unnerves him as well and he slinks within his cloak as they ride on, trusting his illusion to mask his feelings.