+++ Before +++
<[i]Good idea.
Leaving with a caravan is a great way to leave without causing suspicions.
I will get us a map at the market and look for a good path that will bring us close to the report position.[i]>
+++ At the meeting +++
Amari remains silent, keeping a careful eye on the assistant and later on the residual official, checking him for signs of betrayal.
Ashivla says, "Good day. I believe our business arrangement has concluded. You'll find the your interests have been taken care of. All I ask is for the remainder of the funds promised, and, since we are becoming fast friends and business partners, I would ask a favor as well. I would like a job for my friends and I in protecting one of your caravans out of town."
The man smiles with a raised eyebrow. "Indeed? That may take some time to verify. It would certainly look bad if I sent one of my subordinates over to the warehouse today or tomorrow. Perhaps I will read the authorities' report on the matter once it has been filed.'
He nods thoughtfully to himself. "But it seems you would prefer to be leaving town sooner rather than later. I can arrange a job for you, depending on the route you wish to travel. In addition, I can offer you a promissory note that may be redeemed at any Crimson Caravan office. This note will only become valid, however, once I have had time to verify what you say. Is this agreeable?"
Ashivla nods. "Yes, that is acceptable."
She tries to pick a caravan route not headed directly toward where the cave is, but instead in the general direction so to avoid anyone tailing them right back to their handler.
Amari helps Ashivla in the task using his natural instinct with directions and distances to judge a good fit.
The man provides you with the promissory note for 500 gp and talks routes with you. With Amari's input, you decide on a caravan heading toward Hatavit. You travel for 2 days before meeting up with another caravan also heading to the same city. Guarding that caravan, you see a woman with fiery hair you recognize from your training days as a fellow Shadows recruit.
You are coming from a mission in a small town on the western end of the Zho mountains in which you were the only survivor from your team but succeeded in completing the mission. Ad-lib details on the mission and share them with the others as you see fit.
Ashivla eyes the woman with the strange hair. "Indeed."
Could this be another test?
"We've been very successful these past few days, luck has shined on us and I hope it will continue to shine. We have much to do. Be wary here. The desert hides its dangers well."
Ashivla will suggest a tight perimeter around the caravan, perhaps with Amari keeping watch next to the driver on the seat with his bow ready.
The tall, well-muscled black man in simple, white fatigues takes a watch position atop a Camel for a better point of view over the area.
His long, composite bow is out and the quiver with dozens of long, black arrows hangs ready from the animals load, well within reach of his arms.
He seems to be a silent type but with keen eyes and a remarkable will, remaining unmoving atop his position for the better part of the day, sweat running over the black skin from the heat of the day.
You never heard him speak so much as a single word.
During the evenings, you may see him 'talk' with Ashivla via some kind of sign language.
Ashivla, the woman who spoke to Zatinya before, is a woman of medium height and build. Her body is lithe, muscles meant for precision, not brute force, and she always seems a little too confident in her movements, striding the sands, wrangling a camel, talking animatedly with a trader, that she almost seems a caricature of herself. A mask to hide behind.
On her hip she wears a deadly-looking kukri, the leather handle worn in most places, and peeling due to the sun. Her other weapon is a short bow that she carries on her back along with her pack.
"If you are here under the good sun," Ashivla says to the newcomer, "Then you must be quite successful as well."
As the caravan winds through a tight turn with dunes on either side, Lo'Laan cries out a warning as a large tan shape lifts itself up from its hiding place, buried in sand and moves toward one of the pack camels, claws snapping and large legs pounding through the loose material.
This scorpion looks a little different to you. It's shell seems thicker at the joints than most of its kind, rendering it a little slower but less vulnerable to piercing and slashing attacks. Your knowledge of arthropod exoskeletons leads you to believe this adaptation would also make the scorpion's shell more brittle and vulnerable to bludgeoning attacks.
Ashivla looks at Lo'Laan and Amari. "You know what to do. Let's finish this thing and be on our way!"
She charges the creature while drawing out her kukri and she strikes out at the creature, pulling on her timeline to aid her precision.
A game board. The first piece has been moved?
Lo'Laan moves closer and manages to slightly harass the giant beast... Probably.
Serenity approaches the flank of the vermin and lashes out as well.
Serenity and Ashivla manage to damage the giant creature somewhat but fail to deal significant damage (leading those watching to re-roll on the 2nd spoiler if they wish). Serenity tries to bring the large creature to the ground but it is too strong and has too many legs!
Watching from atop the camel, Amaris intuition about this particular species would be to use solid weaponry to crack open the chitin-armour of the creature rather than using sharp attacks that would surely slide off its thick armour.
Dropping the already readied arrow, he produced one of his flat arrows and sent it on the way.
He will carefully watch whether his intuition was right or wrong.
Over the sound of the battle, a rasping, deep voice calls: "Ash! Ash!"
Once Ashivla turns (probably in surprise at the virtually-unheard-of voice), Amari will make two simple signs that are well visible even over a distance.
<Use. Blunt.>
Amari's first arrow delivers a surprisingly solid crack to the creature's exoskeleton! His second goes wide.
Enraged with pain, the scorpion strikes out at those around it!
The scorpion lashes out at the panicking camel with one great claw and pierces its hide while grabbing a fierce hold of it. It then plunges another claw into the beast, ending its life. Searching for a new target, it then thrusts its tail toward Ashivla striking her hard in the shoulder. It's venom begins coursing through her but she manages to withstand it.
Seeing the Camel being struck down that easily, Amari focuses on his target even more fiercely.
Ashivla casts about, looking at the guards' weapons. She tries to find one with a blunt weapon.
"Someone hand Lo'Laan a blunt weapon so he can finish this creature!"
She then attempts to plunge her kukri into the beast's carapace.
Blades flashing. Another piece turned.
The concerned guards are scattered around in confusion.
The weight and high number of legs that made the creature hard to trip make it that much harder for it to stay up! The scorpion falls prone, its feet scrabbling for a hold on the... greasy sand?
Amari holds back another flurry of strikes, fearing to hit his comrades around the downed creature.
Another blunt arrow is on the notch and aimed.
Should it rise, it will fly!
Lo'Laan brings his weapon down at the creature while Serenity snaps fiercely at it.
Once again, the big cat's teeth find home in the large creature's exoskeleton while the burly half-orc's weapon cannot.
Driven mad by pain, the scorpion begins to stand. Amari takes the opportunity to send an arrow punching through the creature's exoskeleton, drawing a fierce hiss of pain from it.
Serenity and Lo'Laan prove unable to take advantage of the opening.
Ashivla brings her kukri down, attempting to end the thing, but failing to connect.
Nearly dead, the great arachnid lashes out blindly and wildly.
It grabs Ashivla in one claw, lifting her off the ground with it's enraged strength. It emits a rasping hissing sound while rearing back with its tail to end her.
A gout of flames washes over the beast, pulling a screeching hiss from it. The creature drops Ashivla and falls to the ground, ravaged by weapon and flame.
The other members of the caravan nervously keep their distance for a bit but then approach to help deal with some of the panicking camels.
Ashivla shakes head and wriggles out of the scorpion's claw. "Thank you. It was very fortunate that you were here. I'm moderately injured, but Lo'Laan will be able to heal me a little, if you could Lo'Laan?"
She helps wrangle the remaining camels and also transfers the dead camel's pack onto one of the living ones.
"Let's be on, then. Time is money."
Lo'Laan stows his weapon before approaching Ashivla with a healing spell.
"How's that?" He asks.
Zaza ponders the scorpion and decides someone who knows more about those beasts might be able to determine what is useful. And someone skilled in the ways of healing and medicine could take what was needed.
Ashivla attempts to help redistribute the load to the other camels, directing the guards and the other pack men to aid as well.
"Lift with your legs, not your back!" she tells herself.
Amari slips silently from his camel and moves over to help shift the loads.
With the added help, the caravan's workers are better able to get the string of camels moving more quickly. It is never a good idea to waste time in the desert.
The string of camels resumes winding its way across the desert. After a three more days of travel, the caravan stops for the night within a couple of miles of your rendezvous point. Tents are pitched in a circle and watches are set.
Amari signs
<We should slip into the night and head to the cave.>
Ashivla nods and then signs to Amari. <Yes, let's go.>
Then she signs to Zatinya, hoping that whatever group she was apart of, she learned sign language as well, <Are you coming?
She nods to Lo'Laan, flicking her eyes toward the desert.
Lo'Laan nods an follows his team through the night.