Quietly Sanket walks to the wagon and helps the head of the caravan to unload it. It does look like its going to be another clear day. Nice he thinks to himself, he enjoys the sun. Even Katapesh,s merciless one.
A cheerful elf walks to the wagon to help unload. He wears the usual garb of a Katapeshi, but runic facial tattoos and dread-locked hair tell of his Mwangi wild elf past. He goes to the wagon with an unusual friend, a tiny dinosaur standing around 2 feet tall, and carries a sword, although his physique and lack of armor tells he is not a warrior.
"Let's go, Haroun." the elf tells his scaly friend, "I may obviously be not as strong as these other guys, but I can carry a crate or two! Old friend Iska is not as flimsy as you think! Ahahahaha!"
The dinosaur simply complies and walks beside the elf in a skittish gait as his partner joins the crew line to pass crates from the wagon. The elf positions himself beside the Vudran who seems to be enjoying the day as well. The elf is able to carry the crates, but to no surprise, he has more trouble than his bulkier counterparts.
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As the caravan prepares to settle in, Nasir will help the others unload and set up camp. as he moves around the campsite a pair of well worn scimitars swing from his hips, musically jingling against his armor. before setting up his own, he puts up an awning for the fair haired priestess first. after settling down with the morning meal, he pulls a silver holy symbol from underneath his shirt and give it a quick kiss before intoning a blessing for his food.
Once the caravan stops to make camp for the day, Beatrix, the fair-haired priestess in question, takes a moment to grab a couple of large, tarnished bowls from one of the wagons. She dips them into a water barrel before setting them on the ground near the camels, ensuring they would have something to drink for what was sure to be another long, hot day.
"I thank thee," she says to Nasir with a smile, upon noticing that he'd already set a tent up for her. She silently helps him with his own in turn, and once everyone has settled in, she doffs her backpack and spreads out her bedroll beneath the awning.
After the unloading is done and the camp is set Sanket comes back to the resting place assigned to him and spreads out his bedroll, lying down on it and using his backpack as a pillow. His eyes fixed on the celling. His possessions are so few that they can barely fill the pack, not that this bothered him. All his life, since the Padaprajna, he was drilled into traveling light.
But for all the time he has spend in this foreign land, his cloths, the armor he is wearing, so much lighter then he is used to, and even the sword on his hips, they all fell alien to him. Just not quite right, a little off balance or just not made the way it would be more intuitive. Yet in his heart he has learned to call this place, Katapesh, home. And soon he would be a free man to explore it.
Marossa breaths in deeply as the sun makes its slow crawl into the midday. The slight young girl wears a simple white cotton long skirt and a midriff baring shirt. A single copper bangle hangs tightly on her upper arm and though she tries to hide it with her long raven black hair, a wrought iron collar around her neck. While the fair-haired priestess set out water for the camels, this girl helped the camels eat a few rations before she looks around for a place to hide from the sun. She had been given nothing to help her with living out in the desert, just a back with her few basic possessions and her flute. Still, knowing her place in this caravan, she settles on laying out her blanket under one of the caravan wagons and folds her small body under the wooden construction. Though she wasn't far from where the more wealthy members of the caravan had setup a shady awning.
Marossa looks up from her curled arm upon hearing Nasir call her over. Hesitating only a moment before quickly crawling out from under the wagon, she steps with a light dancers grace over the sand towards the shade of awning and lays out her blanket quickly before sitting on it with her legs folded under her.
"Shokran Assayed. You are very kind." Her voice soft and unremarkable and now that she is closer, the fact that her skin is paler than it should be given her heritage becomes readily apparent.
Iska keeps a smile as the various caravan people pass by with their glum faces and sun-dried hearts. Nobody seems to care about others except for the well-equipped Keleshite who has been quite the gentleman to the ladies. It's alright. Iska has never been good with others and has grown used to it.
As the sun rises to its climax and the day's fire spreads throughout the desert sand, the elven wizard starts to wave his hands around his clothes as if he was painting the air around it with an invisible brush.
"Kisebb varazslatos." he says silently.
As soon as he say the two words his clothes and backpack start to feel colder, although the sun's heat still hits him. He then takes his turban and wraps his face, leaving only his eyes seen, and takes Haroun to his bag. As he is certain they are both well cooled, he carries on with what he knows best: smiling and minding his own.
Once Beatrix is certain she is not needed elsewhere, she takes a seat atop her bedroll beneath the tent and takes her breakfast, occasionally glancing about at the others as they rest for the day. Once finished, she sits facing the rising sun and begins her morning prayer, remaining in this spot for about an hour, silent and with eyes closed.
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"It is nothing." Nasir says to the girl "Lying under the wagon would indeed get you from under the sun, but soon it would be stifling under there with little or no breeze to reach you. No one willing goes to sleep in an oven if they can help it."
Percaeption:
Nasir notices her unusual pallor as she stretches out to sleep
Heal check:
"From the looks of it though, I'd say you could use a little more sun."
As the sun rises Sanket sits down facing it and siliently pray for the goddess. He then resumes his sleep.
As soon as the caravan hits the town, Iska jumps off with Haroun. Unfortunately, the elf has no spells prepared that can help in this situation. He searches for a faster solution and instructs his tiny friend to do so as well whilst running towards the wagon to help the people douse the flames.
"Anything, Haroun?"
His experience on the road tells the vudrani the worst case scenario now would be for the flames to spread to the other wagons so he rushes in to help the man to move it out of the way.
While running he worries that this may be part of an attack and look for his hated enemies, the gnolls, on the surrounding area.
Iska smiles to Nasir and Sanket, recognizing them as part of the caravan crew. The smile is weirdly shared by Haroun.
"Hi!" briskly says Iska as he helps people pass buckets of water form the reservoir to the fire.
The elf's mind was blank of all but despair and Haroun could feel it. Nothing but "There might be people inside these fires. It has to be stopped. This WON'T happen again."
Beatrix catches the singed card, but gives it only a passing glance before her attention turns to the crisis at hand. Swiftly pulling back the hood of her cloak, she runs ahead with the others, approaching the burning wagon quickly in order to first pull free anyone who might be alive inside, provide first aid if necessary, and then do what she can to get the blaze under control.
"It would be easier if I were strong enough to carry this barrel to the flames!
Iskandariel continues passing water as he was.
"You there," the elf tells Nasir, "You think you are strong enough to carry this barrel? I will help you. We can call for additional help."
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Seeing the men fall to the ground Nasir is dismayed. At Iskadariel's suggestion Nasir shrugs "I don't think we'd be doing anyone any favors by destroying their water supply. The wagon is lost, the best we can hope for is to keep the fire from spreading."
So saying he joins Sanket in moving the burning wagon away from the others. Turning to the elf he shouts "Come, give us a hand"
Aid another (DC:10):
"I'm not touching that thing!" says Iskandariel almost arrogantly, "I'm better off as I am now and helping than burnt!
The elf continues to douse the flames, bucket by bucket.
Sanket puts his hole back into it but, even with help from Nasir, the wagon doesnt seem to move. He takes a deep breath and gets ready to try again.
Marossa becomes more and more weary as the evening drags on and she walks through the desert. Obviously she has not spent much time among the wild lands of Katapesh. As Marossa crests the hill to see Sultan's Claw, a sense of foreboding fills her mind though she can't place where from. Though that fleeting thought is replaced quickly by the sight of the black smoke licking up into the sky from one of the wagons near the Sultan's Claw. Marossa's eyes widen with fright as the fire fills her vision and she stands nearly paralyzed for several moments on the top of the hill while others move down to help.
By the time Marossa snaps out of her fear she sees several men throwing off scorched shirts and their bodies are flushed red with burn marks across their arms and chest. Quickly moving up to the closest man, she holds her arm out and concentrates as best she can despite the waves of heat that roll over her body and make her skirt billow out around her feet. A green energy flows from her hand into the man as she softly chants.
"Life flows as the river,
Making pains fade and wither."
Beatrix, seeing that the men's injuries are not life-threatening, leaves them to Marossa's care while she hurries to fetch the nearest bucket to help with dousing the fire. She narrowly avoids running into Iskandariel as she hauls the first bucketful over, dumping it as close to the blaze's source as she can manage.
"If only I knew how a spell to help," says Iskandariel, "Something that could extinguish the flames or at least make more water to help out."
As the flames are determined to consume the wagon, so is Iskandariel to help it survive.
Seeing more people gathering to help, Sanket combine his effort with the keleshite to give one more try.
Dawnflower give us strengh.
He prays in a wisper.
In spite the fact that Sanket have worked with and around horses all his adult life he grew up been trained as a footsoldier and could never quite get over his awe of the large beasts. He decides to help with the water buckets and leave the horses for more skilled hands.
He runs to the line where Beatrix and Iskandariel are and join them on their effort.
Beatrix pauses once she finishes tossing a bucket of water, seeming to decide that the problem is severe enough to warrant divine aid. She speaks a couple of words which are lost to the ear among the cacophony, but the bucket in her hands instantly begins to refill, and she splashes it on the fire.
Even after the flames have been extinguished, Iskandariel still feels an emotional attachment to the wagon. He goes closer to it to investigate with Haroun by his side.
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With the prospect of the fire spreading to another wagon averted, Nasir will join the others hauling buckets of water to help put out the burning wagon. Once Lady Beatrix begins using her divine power the work goes much quicker and the flames are soon out.
Once Lady Almah give her speech Nasir will go over to the burnt out wagon with Iskandariel.
"After you." he jokes before climbing in the ruined hulk. He takes a look around before dealing with the charred remains of the poor soul who perished in the flames.
Perception check:
"Why thank you, dear sir." Iska jokes back with a fake womanly intonation, "You are most graciously kind"
Iskandariel was fearful of the situation, but was never one to pass on a good joke.
"By the way, I am Iskandariel. This is my friend, Haroun"
Beatrix breathes a relieved sigh upon hearing the final hiss of the dying fire, then sets her bucket on the ground. As Almah introduces herself, the cleric brushes the soot and ash off her clothing, then glances about to see whom might know anything about the incident.
Sanket go back to the place where he saw footsteps earlier. Now that the fire is extinguished its getting hard to follow the trail into the dark so he turns to the elf and the knight that are examining the wagon.
Hey friends, would one of you have a torch by any chance? I saw some footsteps here earlier going away from the wagon.
Iskandariel scruffles his backpack to look for his torch. After a few seconds, he pulls out a dull, grey gem which glows as a lantern would. He passes it on to Sanket.
"Here!" says the elf "You're supposed to release it into the air. Ahahahaha. Just return it when you're done."
Thank you.
Sanket says without really understanding what the elf said. He lights the torch in one of the dying embers and follow the footsteps he saw earlier.
Nasir finds Beatrix momentarily distracted as she surveys the caravan's population. "Hm? What is it?" she says as she turns, showing a hint of a frown as her gaze falls on the burned body. Silently, she moves closer and kneels next to Nasir and the recently departed, closing her eyes in silent prayer for a moment before inspecting the remains for cause of death and any sign of a struggle.
Slowly Sanket approuches the strange man. He keeps his right hand empty as a sign of peace. Now that he is closer to the person with his torch he tries to see whats unhuman about the guy.
Hey friend, are you alright? Lets get back to the camp, its getting cold here in the dark.