Lyriah begins casting create water on the fire itself.
Tariq moves up beside Lyriah, nods at her, and also begins casting Create Water on the fire, trying to coordinate their efforts to maximum effect.
Lyriah beams a bright smile back to Tariq and tries to wipe an errant hair from her face, but only manages to smear soot on her forehead.
It seems the smoke and confusion has gotten to Novid, as he stands there in a daze.
With the addition of the group who pulled the wagon away, the bucket brigade and the spellcasters are able to make short work of the fire. After that everybody is able to round up the livestock together.
As everyone catches their breath, Almah commands, "Garavel, gather your new recruits and join me in the tent. We have something to discuss."
Reza walks over to where Tariq and Lyriah are standing, the water they have created having put out the fire.
"Thank you, Tariq," he says, looking the priest over. He offers Lyriah a grin. "Nicely done, sister."
He looks around at the other members of their little group, then at Garavel.
"Sir? Any idea what the lady wishes of us?"
Before making his way to join Garaval and the others, Tariq calls returns to the woman who was injured, then raises his voice to be heard.
"Any who are in need of healing, any who may have been burned, join me here!"
First, Tariq will cast Rebuke Death on the same woman as before, to bring her to consciousness.
Then, after any who were injured are present, he will Channel Energy, healing any who need it.
If needed, he will repeat this until all are healed.
The old healer speaks up after Tariq channels for the first time, "Best to see the mistress, lad. She may have other needs for your resources. Thanks for your help."
The burned woman smiles and nods.
In general, the guards at Sultan's Claw seem appreciative of the new recruits' efforts, though the drovers still seem to be anxious about something. And there a few sidelong glances towards the burned wagon.
Garavel and the others join Almah in the tent, where she immediately takes charge of the situation.
"We have lost a valuable resource today. I'm not sure how much I believed in Eloais' divinations, but he was good for morale."
"I know he used many candles in his wagon, but I find it hard to believe that he would be careless enough to allow one to set the wagon on fire, especially when he was in it."
"I need somebody to investigate, and the seven of you were not present when the fire started, and can be seen as impartial in the matter."
"Go out, look around, and talk to my people, unless you have other questions for me first."
"Excuse me, but..." Novid rubs the back of his head, the excitement of the former situations still having his mind swimming. "Was there anything out of the ordinary happening around camp? I mean you said yourself that Eloais wasn't the type to be careless enough to set his wagon ablaze."
Reza rolls his shoulders under his armour, the stress and tension of their recent rescue finally coming home to tired muscles that had to work harder than they have had to on horseback the past few days.
He raises one gloved hand to indicate a question.
"Why do you suspect the fire was deliberate? Was someone looking to prevent this expedition?"
Almah answers Novid curtly, "Nothing odd that I know of."
She seems more receptive to Reza, who helped with the fire.
"I hope it was NOT deliberate. However, it seems a bit odd, and I'd like to be sure."
After considering Almah's words, Tariq speaks up.
"What puzzles me, even assuming Eloais was careless enough or unlucky enough to set his own wagon on fire, is how is it that he wasn't able to escape his wagon before it killed him? Surely he would have called for help at the outset? Called for water?"
"Even the deepest of trances would falter when the air filled with smoke or at the first touch of flame. More likely, he would awake long before that. Which to my mind suggests he might well have been unconscious or dead before that."
"Perhaps I should examine his body before we speak with others in the camp."
Clearly an afterthought, Tariq reaches into his pouch and pulls the scorched Harrow card, The Cyclone, from within. Handing it to Almah, Tariq speaks once more.
"This struck me as we came upon your camp. I am no seer, but as I understand it, this card reputedly portends war, arson, and destructive plans. Take it for what you will."
Lyriah still straggling at the back of the group, pushes her way forward to meet the gaze of Almah. But once she does, it quickly becomes evident who has greater selfconfidence or perhaps even self worth, as Lyriah casts her gaze downward, in difference to Almah.
“If you... if it is believed that his death was suspicious, if it is alright, I... we, would like to interview each person in the camp. If not only to determine their whereabouts, then to determine if anyone has a grudge against the deceased.”
Lyriah pauses, then begins to speak, but stops before a sound escapes her throat. Two more time she tries, and seems to fail. Each time it seems what she has to say is important, but is unable to bring herself to say the words. In the end she closes her mouth tight blows politely to Almah (a few too many times and quite awkwardly) and while still bowing she backs away toward the back of the party, only to bump into Tariq, then Reza and each time she almost jumps out of her skin as she makes unexpected contact, then continues her backward journey as she attempts to remove herself from Almah’s gaze.
"Yes, yes. Interview the others, inspect the wagon. Do what is necessary to investigate, within reason."
Almah pales when she looks at the card, and adds, "Eloais gave me a series of increasingly grim Harrow readings, and the last focused on that card. I asked him if it had to do with Kelmarane, and he said yes, but only as part of the Legacy of Fire. He refused to say more."
"Forgive my ignorance, my lady, but, the Legacy of Fire?" Reza asks, making a note to himself to ask Lyriah if she's alright after they leave the tent.
"What is that?"
"Eloais only said that Kelmarane was part of it, but wouldn't say more when I asked. I've never heard of it."
"Ah," Reza says, running his gauntleted hand across his stubbled jaw. "Well... perhaps we shall discover more as we look into this. I shall interview some of the guards, if others wish to help me with that, it would be most welcome. One of us should also try to look into what's left of his equipment... if he had any notes, for instance, that might shed some light on this 'Legacy of Fire.'"
Almah prods, "Then if there is nothing further..."
I would like to examine the wagon, and the remains, before we start asking questions, please. We may find some information that would guide our questions, and perhaps shed light on some of the answers we receive.
Perhaps if Lyriah were to accompany me? It should not take too long.
Garavel nods when he hears the plan of the group, and everyone takes their leave of Almah.
There is not much left of the fortune teller's wagon. A charred skeleton lies in the middle of the blackened wood, along with broken glass vials and bottles, a cracked crystal ball, pools of melted wax, and a scattering of singed Harrow cards.
Tariq approaches the body of the late fortuneteller carefully, taking note of its position. After a short prayer to Sarenrae, he begins to examine the remains for any indication of what might have been the cause of death.
As he is investigating, Tydus also notices a greasy-looking man watching the adventurers from behind the wagon which was pulled away.
"I can see no injuries that would have caused death prior to the fire. He could have died from smoke inhalation, though I can't rule out poison. Why would he be asleep, though, in the late afternoon, and why would he have left candles burning if he had lain down for a nap?"
"One thing I do notice is that the body is far more completely burned than everything else in the wagon. See how badly the body is burned, but yet there are still flammable items that have not been incinerated. Perhaps he was doused in something that would burn faster. Oil or something like it."
"I still see far more questions than I do answers, I am afraid."
All of the wagon is fairly badly burned. The body is on the floor near the bed, but was not in it, nor was it near the burned door of the wagon. There is no sign of an exterior lock.
Lyriah silently starts to look over everything. At one point while looking about the wagon she almost stumbles apron the body. Going pale, she stands agog, almost transfixed in horror. After an amount of time that seemed shorter to everyone else, she runs from the wagon to vomit in the dry desert dirt.
Lyriah will examine the broken glass vials and bottles. She will try to recreate them (reassemble the pieces) to see if any is missing, what they came from (type of bottle {common, or uncommon}) and what the contents may have been by sniffing, touching and even by taste.
She will also see if she can determine the direction the fire took as it burned. Did it come from one area and move to another? Where did it originate (presumably where it is most burned).
She will also try to determine if there was any means to do this by spell and/or if a creature of a magical nature could have been responsible.
And she will also cast Detect Magic to have a look in and around the wagon.
At first, Reza joins the others in looking around the wagon, and trying to make sense of what happened. That said, his skill set lies far more in speaking with people.
Knowing this, Reza begins to speak with the guards, asking them to give the others space to work and to study, smoothing any ruffled feathers as the 'strangers' investigate a tent these guards were supposed to protect.
He then asks a few of them to speak with him and the others once the party is finished working on the wagon, and setting up a queue for interrogations. Reza's silver tongue helps calm their fears a bit, and so he asks a few basic questions along the way, hoping to get their side of the story.
, to attempt to set up interrogations, and keep the guards from interrupting the others until we're ready for them.
Garavel shakes his head at Lyriah's reaction.
"Wasting water."
Lyriah isn't sure about a starting point for the fire, as many of the more scorched areas are near broken glass which could have contained things which made the fire hotter. Piecing together the bottles would take a great deal of time, and better light than the setting sun provides. The searchers are fairly certain they have found all that they can, for now.
Reza sees that there are two distinct groups of guards. There are a four disciplined guards watching Almah's tent, wearing red chitin-like armour. And there are a half-dozen unkempt warriors who have returned a firepit, where they are passing a waterskin around.
The old healer, the two drovers, and Garavel seem to round out the expedition.
Tariq, after seeing that we have learned all we can, makes his way back over to where the old healer is.
"Sarenrae's blessings be upon you, Sayyid. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tariq ibn Fadil Al-Fulan. May I join you?"
Tariq will spend the time needed to 'gather information'. He will offer water if it is seen to be needed, or in short supply. Also, if needed he will offer to aid any under the healers care who might benefit from it, including the older man, if needed.
Topics of conversation that might be pursued could include the habits of the dead fortuneteller, whether he was given to strong drink, who among the company might bear him a grudge, or if he saw anything suspicious before the onset of the fire.
Reza heads towards the guards, figuring that, like him, they are trained warriors, and disciplined, and thus more likely to respond well to courteous words.
Lyriah casts light so that she can continue searching the area, her elven eyes giving her the ability to see as though it was daylight in the star filled sky. Words her mother said to her sprung to mind, “better to be thorough than miss something important little one.”
To also aid in her search, she will cast detect magic, hoping to glean some more information about this unfortunate death.
Novid continues to stand in a daze, overwhelmed by all that is happening.
Lyriah detects no magic in the cart, and finds no further clues.
"Eloais seemed nice enough..."
"for a foreigner."
"Didn't understand his talk about Cyclones and Fiends and Uprisings."
"The Lady vouched for him though."
"Good enough for us."
When Durandel asks why they are anxious, Hadrod nearly comes to tears.
"Poor little Rombard, lost out there in the dark!"
"Rombard was his favourite goat."
"I was trying to read by the fire pit, but the mercenaries were being too loud and I was going to return to my wagon when the fire started. I can say that all of the mercenaries, save the two who traveled with you, were with me at the pit."
"Eloais was a charlatan, and Almah is probably better off without him. Still, she was fond of him. And I will miss having another educated man to discuss poetry with. He enjoyed his drink, but no more than the next man, and less than the mercenaries."
Podarn speaks up, "I saw that Dashki skulking about near here, trying to get a look into Almah's tent. That boy is obsessed!"
Reza bows politely to the guards, greeting each by name in turn.
"It was only what any traveller would do, when seeing his fellows in need," he replies. "I'm sure you would do the same!"
When they suggest Dashki was sneaking about, he looks over at Podarn.
"Which one is Dashki?" he asks, eyeing the speaker. I wonder how this one 'saw' this boy if they were busy guarding the tent... he thinks.
Lyriah, frustrated by finding nothing, but slightly reassured that it may have just been an accident heads over to Durandel.
“Have you found something?” She asks.