"Jarva, you are too quite my friend. You must join us at cards tonight and let us see if we can free your tongue some. You can tell us more about why the locals are in such awe of you."
"I'll play cards..but I'm not very good. And I, I still am not sure why people are so fascinated by me. I guess I'm a pretty good gardner, because I can make a lot of water and move the sand well. It always seemed normal to me, but I guess, I dunno, it's weird to most" he shrugged.
I have heard of that place! They say it is a holy place. People used to go there on pilgrimages to see the lifeless tree - like a sticking claw...that was before the gnoll depradations. There was also a story about it and how it came to be as it is....but ..blast me! I cannot remember...
Brebork sighs in resignation...he was not a exactly a star pupil in the Church history classroom at the Temple School. But he remembered this landmark - which is something.
With everyone aboard their respective camel, the caravan leads out of the North Gate of Solku.
After a 3-4 minute slow ride, you reach the watering well, where you stop to fill up your personal waterskins, if needed, and the spare 20 waterskins on the supply camel. At the well, you also see five women (ages vary from 20s-40s) with a young child, about 5-6 years old, being held by the hand, looking to the northern horizon. They speak among themselves when they see you stop and disembark and they seem to pick the youngest one, in her early 20s, who approaches your caravan and says,
"Good morning, young soldiers, peace be with you, I am Raza. May I trouble you too much to ask if you are riding out of Solku today, and if so, will you pass by the village of Samil on your ventures?" She seems to look back nervously at the other 4 women and the child as she speaks to you.
Quzman nods toward the young lady. "We plan to head out, but had no plans to go directly to Samil. We will pass a days journey from it."
"Oh....", says Raza, clearly disappointed, as she looks back to the other 4 women, and nods her head no (from side to side). You see disappointment in the faces of the 4 women too, as again, they look towards the northern horizon. Raza mumbles "Sorry for bothering you" and walks back toward the women.
Quzman follows the woman back to the group, "That's not to be saying that we can't necessarily make a side trek if the need was pressing. However, you'd have to convince that man to make it happen. He's in charge of this caravan." . He nods in the direction of Garavel. "Either way, safe travels miss.
"Well, maybe you can speak to him on our behalf, then kind sir", says Raza, before Quzman returns to the group. "My father Jevi and my 3 older brothers left Solku last week to Samil to pick up a shipment of spices for us to sell here in Solku. It's more profitable to sell them here rather than in our small village. Father told us that the latest he would return was yesterday by noon. But he has not, and my mother and sister-in-laws are very worried, as you can see. I told Father that the desert was dangerous, but he said not to worry, that the gnolls were much farther in the north, and not to the east, that he would be safe. We don't know what has happened. Maybe their wagon cart wheel broke and that is the delay. But what if something worse happened?" Tears start to well up in her eyes. "If you could perhaps inquire as to his safety and those of my brothers...."
"I can not promise we will be able to go there, but I will see what I can do to convince him to head that way. Either way, I will keep an eye out for your father. Is there anything that may stand out in terms of recognizing your father or brothers?
After waiting for a response, Quzman will bow his head towards Raza before turning back to the rest of the group.
Upon approaching Garavel, "The lady is missing her father and brothers who were heading towards Samil to pick up a load of spices for Solku. They were evidently supposed to be back no later than yesterday. If we can spare the time, would you mind if we strayed a little east to see if we can find any trace of them, or what may have happened to them?"
To Garavel, out of earshot of strangers but perhaps close enough for others of our group... If there is gnoll trouble at this outlying village, they may be beasts ranging out from our destination. It may be an opportunity to weaken their numbers away from their stronghold without rousing too much suspicion. I of course defer to your leadership as well as your knowledge of our commitments.
If it looks like we are going to be here a few minutes, Dumah will ask some of the locals if they've seen a swordswoman by the name of Haleen passing through these parts in the last half year.
"I can not promise we will be able to go there, but I will see what I can do to convince him to head that way. Either way, I will keep an eye out for your father. Is there anything that may stand out in terms of recognizing your father or brothers?
"Father is a man of nearly 50 summers, silver grey hair on the sides with a widow's peak on top. He is easily recognized by his scar on his forehead sloping down vertically across his left eye. The result of an argument gone awry with my mother's brother years ago. My brothers are all no older than 30 summers, green eyes, short black hair. Bless you stranger for helping us." Raza kneels down in gratitude and kisses Quzman's hand.
In response to Quzman's and Dumah's comments, Garavel says, "Our journey has us going 2 days NE and one day north to the Sultan's Claw. I have strict orders from my Lady to meet her there in 3 days. While I feel for this girl and her family..." Garavel pauses as he ponders the situation. "We'll see what can be done, maybe we can push the camels to make it there faster. I will think about it. But gnollls?? This far south and east??? I've heard rumors that the tribes gather in the shadows of Pale Mountain to the far north, some 14 days distance from here. If gnolls are in this village, 3 days from Solku, then the situation is dire indeed, much worse than I had been led to believe. For all our sakes, I hope this is not true!" You all see a very worried look on Garavel's face.
If it looks like we are going to be here a few minutes, Dumah will ask some of the locals if they've seen a swordswoman by the name of Haleen passing through these parts in the last half year.
Jarva moved his camel alongside that of Garavel. "If there, you know, is a possibility the gnolls are this close, if we could spare the time, a quick visit to Samil might be in order. To check things out, I guess," he volunteered to his boss.
Diplomacy
I think Dumah and Javra are thinking correctly. It seems there is trouble in Samil - and it may well be Gnolls. For the sake of our mission, Garavel, it behooves us to know more about what it is. And this woman's men may be in dire peril, needing our aid. That should be weighing on our conscience. I vote that we make the detour to Samil.
Garavel smiles. "All of your good intentions are clear, I see I have brought together men with noble hearts. As I said, we will see. For the first two days of our journey, we are headed in the general direction of Samil, before veering off to the north. Who's to say we don't meet up with this merchant and his sons on the way and then all this worrying is for naught. If not, I will make a decision in 2 days time. Now let's finish filling those waterskins so we can be on our way."
Kyra lets Quzman do most of the talking, nodding in approval most of the time.
But at the mention of the gnolls so close to Solku ... she snaps to attention.
"Gnolls .. this close .. if only they had .."
Kyra shakes her head and continues.
"Nevermind, there's no way back to that now."
"I say we get rid of these smelly dogs, the more gnollblood spills into this desert, the better my day will be."
"And if they are indeed part of this larger group, then we'd do good to get rid of some of them away from reinforcements."
"Control your gnoll bloodthirst people, you will have plenty of time to quench it in Kelmarane", says Garavel. He packs the filled waterskins tight on the supply camel and mounts his camel, waiting for the party to finish.
Once he sees Garavel secure all of the waterskins in place, Quzman will swing up on his mount. Turning to the rest, "If we want to have time to see about Samil, we'll need to make haste."
As an aside to Kyra, "Which may give us enough time for a proper hunt...", as he breaks into a grin.
Dumah is very appreciate to the women for their words. Three months! That puts him three months closer than he has been in the whole time he has been searching for her!
Yes! Let's pack and go! Dumah seems more animated, eager and lively than any of you have seen yet.
Let us see what the north has in store for us!
Once his water is secure, he is mounted and ready to go.
Jarva tops off his flask which was nearly full already. He hops back on his camel, and like his compatriots, is anxious to be off. He was excited to get back in the sand and take the battle to the gnolls. He instinctively rubbed teh scar on his cheek, lost in his thoughts.
Eli nearly falls off the camel while trying to dismount and quickly heads to the well to help fill the skins. While there he kneels down and secretly slips off the gold bracelet he is wearing and drops it to the ground. After finishing with the refills he makes a show of pointing out the jewelry and saying, "Miss, it seems you have dropped this." Picking up the bracelet he takes it to Raza and gives it to her with a kind smile. He then returns to his mount and flounders his way back on top.
Raza stares in disbelief at the gift and sends many blessings to Eli and the rest of the party, as you leave.
You head off to the NE in the same marching order as before. Quzman and Kyra are in the lead, on point looking for any hidden dangers or surprises. As the hours pass, the heat of the desert begins to take its toll on you. Within a couple of hours, the temperature is in the mid-80s with no relief in sight. You all feel lucky you are not traveling during the summer months (still 2 months away), where you have heard the temperature can reach as high as 120! You see no other travlers of any sort. It seems the gnoll threat and the dangers of the desert have scared people off.
By 2pm, the heat is at its strongest, and you each have used up more than 2 waterskins, as your clothes stick to your skin, drenched in sweat. As you come over a sand dune, you see to the north a rather large stone structure with towers and gates and figures stationed at top, manning large ballistas. There is a crimson flag on top.
As you pass by on your caravan, coming within 10 blocks of the structure, you see the flag depicts 2 crossed scimitars on a crimson background. "Ah, the Swords of Longjaw, the seemingly last bastion against the possible gnoll invasion. Hey, Quzman, Kyra, care to stop by for some lunch?", Garavel asks with a smile on his face.
Eli rides next to Jarva and passes the time teaching him the basics of Turrat. As the caravan approaches the fortification he sips the last drops of water from a skin and says, "I don't know about lunch, but I sure could use a bit of time under shade and out of this blasted sun."
In a soft chant Brebork approaches al six members of the party, brushing off the dust from their clothing and calling on Sarenrae to speak through them and illuminate their way.
.
Kyra looks at Garaval, then dismisses the notion to reply ...
Someone who looks close enough can see her knuckles turning white grasping the reins of her mount in anger.
Quzman glances at Kyra and turns back towards the group addressing Eli. "Our 'host' is being a bit facetious and taking a bit of jest at our expense. We would not find much of a welcome inside the fort I fear. Commander Secondstride is not known for her hospitality in the best of times, and the last time Kyra and I spoke with her, some bad blood was spilled...on both sides I fear. We should be able to find a place not that far in the future if my memory serves me correctly where we can rest, as safe as anywhere on this sea of sand."
Quzman will give Garavel a scowling glance as he turns back towards the front, and urges his camel forward at a slightly faster pace.
I would be just as happy to dine on the move if it would help make up more time. But of course, I defer to our leader and our experienced guides. Is it worth hailing the fort to see if they have news. Perhaps they've seen the traders we have been asked to look for?
"Er, maybe we can just ask if they have you know, seen the traders, like Dumah said," Jarva adds in, noticing the reaction of some of the group to this particular area.
"Yes, I am having far too much fun at your expense Kyra and Quzman, I apologize, I just could not pass it up", says Garavel. "But in all seriousness, I have never gotten along well with Fort Longjaw's soldiers. As for the traders, if they would reached the fort, then they would have made it home safely. We will not learn any new information there. No, I feel it best to leave the fort alone."
Your caravan passes by without incident. After a few more hours of marching, you set up camp for the night, tired and sweaty. You eat your trail rations and drink your water, trying to conserve as much as possible. Garavel joins the party for dinner. After dinner, he excuses himself and goes into his tent. He wishes you luck on your card game, if you decide to engage in it. He also reminds you that there are only 6 full waterskins left.
You are marvelled by the night skies out in the desert, which look something like this: Starry Night
"Um, if no one minds, I'll take the first watch. Don't want to get jumped out here in the dark," the druid volunteers, paritally jsut wanting to look at the amazing night sky a bit longer.
Eli looks down heartened as the promise of shade passes by and turns a bit grouchy as the day grows long. His spirits rise a bit after they stop and make camp for the night and he finally gets to stop bouncing along on the back of the camel. After a humble meal he pulls out a deck of cards and invites the others to sit and play for a bit, while they swap stories of what brought them together and how they came to meet Garavel.
As night draws near he packs up the cards and says, "I must say the stars here in the desert are magnificent, if no one minds I will volunteer to join Jarva at first watch so I can enjoy their splendor a bit longer. They remind me of nights at my fathers vineyard, but much grander. Does three watch shifts of two look outs sound reasonable?"
Quzman will see to the animals before coming in for dinner. He spends some time trying to rub them down, and make sure none of them picked up any stray stones or brush. After getting the beasts settled for the night, he'll join the rest for supper, quietly eating while paying attention to the interplay of the group.
When time comes for cards, he joins in, and shares some of his experiences on the open desert and some of his favorite sites. To Eli, "Yes, the stars are beautiful, and bountiful, out on the open desert. They twinkle like diamonds in the sky. However, in my humble opinion, they do not match the unrivaled beauty of the rising sun over the land. It shows many more colors than you maybe used to, and causes the ground to shimmer in joy in response. It is truly my favorite part of the day."
"Three watches will probably be best. I prefer to take third, if there is no objections. It means I am up for the dawning of the new day, and most things on the desert are most active right before the light of day as well."
May I join you for the third watch? I am more than willing to pull my weight, but I know little of the desert life. I would hate to call an alarm over a harmless element of the desert due to my limited knowledge there.
Uncertain of what needs to be done in a caravan or camp, Dumah will watch the others, mimicking their chores, helping where he can and asking politely if there are aspects of it he doesn't understand.
Brebork calls out his daily prayers at sundown and sings soft hymns in a low register while tending any fire or food preparation..And he watches the stars in contemplative silence.
I will accept any watch friends, but let us ensure that one of Kyra, Quzman or Javra ar on watch at any given time - as they are most attuned to the sounds and ways of the desert...perhaps I will take the second watch with Kyra then.
In any case Brebork will awaken in time for the sunrise, when he performs his daily sunrise ritual.
He will also add Create Water to the next day's batch of Orisons prepared.
1st Level Bonus Domain Spell: Shield of Faith
1st Level Spell: Bless; Divine Favour
So that leaves Brebork and Kyra for the second shift. The night passes uneventfully, except for some coyotes that appeared to be drawn by the fire, but you are able to scare them off without resorting to combat. The wind picks up during the night and the temperature drastically drops, but your clothing (i.e. hoods, cloaks, etc. protect you from the whirling sands and the cold). Quzman however seems quite unfazed by the temperature change. As dawn breaks over the desert, Quzman's comments from the previous night seem prophetic, as words cannot describe the beauty of the desert sunrise for those awake to see it, which looks something like this:Sunrise
14th day of Gozren
In the morning, the camels seem energized and full of spirit, thanks to Quzman's care the night before (). The party eats breakfast, shares pleasantries, and then mounts up again. Quzman's uncanny memory from the days of his desert patrols reminds him that there are a couple of watering holes nearby.
The monotonous trek through the desert continues at a brisk space, as the party continues NE, passing dune after dune, hill after hill, and making a path through the pristine sand. By 2pm, you're almost hoping something happens to break the monotony of the heat and humidity, when Quzman and Kyra call out, what very quickly becomes quite evident: there are vultures circling in the distance to the north over an area not quite visible from your vantage point.
Kyra leaves the camels in Quzman's care, and agrees to take the 2nd nightwatch with Brebork.
Upon seeing the vultures, she mentions to Quzman.
"Vultures ... that's a bad sign ..."
She then turns around and addresses Garavel;
"Look, vultures ... probably found some carrion ... or soon to be carrion."
"I'd like to check it out, might be the those travelers ... or someone else who met an ... unfortunate death at the hands of the desert."
"Sure", says Garavel, "we'll follow close behind in case there's any trouble. You going alone?"
"Well, no one should go alone out there. We can all go together to check things out. And, if you know, there's trouble, we can deal with it," Jarva adds, listening to the conversation.
Quzman turns to regard Dumah, and his offer, after a moment of contemplation he grins, "But of course, I shall be glad to try and teach you some of the nightly songs of the sand." Over the course of the watch, during the patrolling of the camp site, he will try and show Dumah some of the things to look out for on the desert. How to use the animals reactions to gauge sounds and threats, and the difference between the bay of the coyote and the laughing bark of the hyena.
After finding the vultures the following afternoon, after the uneventful morning, he turns to Kyra "So it is, so it is. Let us hope it is not those we seek.."
Turning to Garavel, "I think the Whisperer is right. If there's still anything around, it would be best if we went there in numbers. Come, let us ride."
Having decided to march forward toward the vultures in numbers, the party heads towards the site. Quzman fails to find any tracks anywhere. Perhaps, they have been cleared by the shifting sands. As you approach closer, you see 5-6 vultures in the sky, while a number of vultures huddle around two main areas, seemingly picking and eating at something on the ground. Each area looks something like this:Vultures
The second huddle is twice as big, is about 50 feet further north up a hill, and is surrounded by some 20+ vultures. It is too far to see what is in the middle.
"I can't see what they are huddled about, but I do know that they will attack anyone who will come too close to their prey."
"It might be best if we can scare them away from afar ...
In order to investigate we will anger them and provoke an attack. Does anyone possess magic or any other idea to chase them away without the need for combat? I can think of some ways to engage in combat if that is the only coice we have...
There is a horse there...which means that they are also probably feasting on someone`s remains and we cannot ignore this scene.
I think we should approach on foot. I am not sure I will be effective on the mount, I am not an accomplished rider. Also, our party will appear more numerous and frightening to them if we are dismounted. By spreading out a little they may be confused and we can prevent them from concentrating their attack on any one of us.
I would prefer not to use all of our strength and magic to take out a few birds. But if it comes down to combat...
I might be able take down one or two of them down with my fire bolts before engaging them in melee. Kyra might do the same with her javelins. I can shoot 30 feet. Domah may be able to neutralize several of them with his Burning Hands or Sleep magic - if we can bring eniugh of them together into his range. Quzman can take some down from afar with his bow. Any other ideas?
Perception
Jarva listens to the plan proposed by Brebork and nods in agreement. "I might be able to knock a couple of them out from roughly 30' as well. I agree with dismounting right now, too, but, well, someone should stay with the camels just to be on the safe side."