You have been traveling for more than a week on a dreary camel caravan from the town of Solku to an unknown location in the northern scrublands of Katapesh. You are part of a ragtag group of adventurers, mercenaries, freed slaves, guards, and rapscallions under the watchful eye of a man named Garavel. Garavel is the no-nonsense major-domo of a merchant princess awaiting you at the caravan's destination.
Garavel has traveled throughout Katapesh to gather you and others to aid in the reclaiming of Kelmarane, a remote village in northwest Katapesh. This village once held the southern end of a trade route between Katapesh and Osirion, but it fell upon hard times and has lain abandoned for years. Said now to be the home of a tribe of gnolls in service to someone called the "Carrion King," ruined Kelmarane represents a great possibility to the Pactmasters of Katapesh. If the village can be reclaimed and rebuilt, the trade resulting would strengthen Katapesh's western and northern reaches, a region long plagued by gnolls, monsters, and worse.
In the distant haze to the west, you can just make out the immense outline of Pale Mountain looming over the mid-evening horizon like a tombstone. Everyone has had a few days to get acquainted and interact a bit.
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Sakura sat quietly. Her long blonde bangs fell in front of her face, the rest kept high up on her head in a pony tail that angled upwards, in the end a mass of hair cascaded down from it reaching her upper back. Her blonde hair and bright blue eyes paradoxically juxtaposed her Tian features. She was not a large woman, neither tall nor thick and looked young. Though at 5'5" she stood taller than most women back home.
She was a pretty girl, young, maybe 18, clearly exotic looking in this region. She had soft facial features that seemed to be a mix of Tian and possibly something from the inner sea. Andoran or Taldoran perhaps. Her eyes lingered on the exotic weaponry she saw in the caravan, the camels as well. All things that were new to her.
She was a long ways from home.
She wore a red Kimono, not the type worn by women but rather the style worn by men, by Samurai. Not that such a distinction would be known this far from home. It was worn light and loose fitting allowing as much of the breeze in as was possible considering that over was Tian styled armor. The curious armor consisted of hexagonal squares of metal connected together by bits of chain mail over padding and leather. A rather curious style for Katapesh. Her loose fitting armored allowed an occasional peak at a modest amount of cleavage that she kept trying to hide in embarrassment. At her thin waste was a Tian styled belt, little more than cloth designed to hold a thick scabbard or two. Which it did.
Curious curved blades were kept there in hard wooden scabbards, one on top of another. The larger of the two was kept on the top, turned with the curve facing up. She constantly kept one hand on them. Even when she was doing other things her right hand managed to make it back to the sword as if to confirm it was still there. On the other side was a small dagger though it appeared to be made in a similar fashion.
Her name was Sakura. She announced upon arriving in a Tian accent. It had been several days and she really had not spoken very much.
She reached into her backpack, kept at her side at the moment, and pulled out a wayfinder. She inspected it closely then looked at the large mountain in the distance, She then put up her wayfinder. She sat there quietly and patiently waiting for further instructions. Occasionally making small notes in a small book before putting it back away in her backpack. She smiled politely at the stranger as she met them, or as they walked by. She was unaccustomed to this region and was doing her best to fit in.
Sakura sniffed the air, made an unpleasant expression than sniffed herself, "Camels... uhg..."
Nervously Sakura sat in the heat, occasionally wiping the sweat off her brow. She was uncomfortable and nervously fidgeted in her seat waiting for the hour of battle.
A curious sight she had been, the entire way. A tiger of all things, and it has been following them, a few knew her already, as up until recently she was a scout for the gaurds at the last city, but for most she was an odd and unsettling presence. Luckily, some think, she spends most of her time out of sight. But she does speak to the few that know her enough, for most to realize by now that she really can, and does speak.
Not only that but one that wears a hat, a necklace, and weird bags on either side.
Zira trotted up to the strange woman, "Yep, smelly camels, I didn't like the smell before and I really don't like the smell now." Zira come to rest near her. Being an outsider herself for the past year, Zira really didn't mind the kimono clad warrior's status.
"So what brings you out here re-establishing viliages?" Zira flpped her hat in front of her using magic to dust off the sand and carefully inspecting it, before magicing it back on her head, with care and a few adjustments.
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The blonde haired Tian looked at the strange creature. "I am a Pathfinder. I was..." she struggled for a moment to find the right word. "Assigned." she said in a heavy accent.
"They are curious about village. I mean the village. And I am good with fight." She looked puzzled for a moment as if something did not sound quite right. He brushed a bit of long bonde hair out of blue eyes. 'Fighting I mean. I am... Samurai." She pats her longer sword with one free hand.
"Do many Tigers talk here? In Minkai they do not talk people. They just eat people. I find this most... I think... Curious?".
She eyed the strange creature curiously holding back a desire to pet it, and embarrassed that the tiger seems to have a better grasp of 'common' than she does.
The scent of camels didn't faze the Katapesh native one bit. Compared to some of the scents he'd had the misfortune to sniff out when he was chasing down vermin - rats and insects - a camel's scent was like rose scented water to his senses. Still, he was growing more and more impatient the longer and longer the caravan had to travel, adjusting his turban slightly, tucking back a strand of crimson hair inside of it.
Alanar was his name, no last name to call his own. In the city of Katapesh, some just called him the exterminator, for his business was the elimination of pests. Not the most exciting job to have in the world, but it was a trade that he could call his own. Something that he owed a great deal in part to the support of his foster sister. Haleen was probably the most important person in his life, helping to raise him from just another strange orphan scrounging about in the markets to someone who could be roughly considered his own man. He had so much that he needed to repay to her - which made it all the more frustrating to him when she suddenly disappeared.
He was used to her going off on odd jobs from time to time, but after a couple of months that he hadn't heard from her, he grew incredibly worried. It was only a month back that he'd caught a lead that someone had spotted her in Kelmarane. Aside from being totally abandoned and a known gnoll occupied territory, he didn't know much about it. But he wasn't going to just sit on good information like that. That was his purpose for being here, after all - to find Haleen.
He checked the straps on his armored coat, wondering if he should take it off for now. It was easy enough for him to put on or off, but if they came under attack, he wanted to be prepared. So he would bear the weight and the added heat for now. Heat didn't bother him too much, after all - the bronze skinned young man actually welcomed it. He wore dark red loose fitting pants and a loose white shirt underneath the coat - good for beating the heat and matching his personal style. A scimitar was sheathed at his side, along with a short sword - he was fairly proficient with the blade, especially with cutting the heads off of rats.
His Amber eyes glanced over at the tiger - a tiger of all creatures, talking! - and the exotic foreigner conversing. He'd been keeping mostly to himself for the time spent on the trip, but now that people were speaking, he felt like he should say something as well.
"Talking tigers are about as common in Katapesh as a merchant who will chase you down to give back your correct change. In other words, practically unheard of." He looked over at the woman - if she ever gave up swordfighting, she could be a lucky man's wife. "I imagine there's a story to tell as to why a tiger can speak the same tongue as you or I."
Zira faced the arriving bronze skinned man as he spoke,
"It is because the man who brought me back to life used a rather fickle spell, one where you can't predict the new body of the newly not-dead. Apparently returning as an animal is rare but not unheard of, of course that is in the rare case such a spell is used. Most people are risen by clerics who seem to have refined raising the the dead. Not that I am complaining to much, my life ended a little short and I am happy to live it a bit longer, if not with the general response I get."
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Sakura looked the bronze skinned man up and down slowly, her eyes examining his clothes and sword. She had seen a lot of this style since she arrived but she was still curios about it.
"Wizards then? I see." She glanced down at her feet before looking back up with a smile. "I am Sa-ku-ra." She said phonetically in quick short syllables. Then she decided to add her family name as well.
"Sakura Akahana. Who is you twos?", she wrinkled her brow. "Sorries, that sounded rude, I will ask different way."
She thought for a moment and then added, "May I know your two names?"
Looking around at the strange people and just smiling as everyone is annocing themselves, I slightly jump up and says
That you know I heard about this place from my mum. Camels are a way of life here, not too bad, their smell, is umm.... well pleasent, but not too bad. I am sure that this is what is that place called again? oh ya... umm.... Kelmarane maybe? Stand on the seat on the cart to get a better view of the surrondings, looking down at the tiger. Pretty Kitty!!!! oh Pretty KITTY!!!! can I ride you pretty kitty? Jumps down and tries to mount the tiger
Not that you'd find a comfortable seat with her pack on.
"Touch me and die, kid!" Zira growls, hops up and keeps Sakura between her and the halfling.
"My name is Zira by the way." She says slightly irritatably, though obvious that the irritation is the running around halfling.
Shouldn't I be happy that someone isn't wary of me? or am I just too annoyed that someone thinks of me as a toy?
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I think I chose wisely by not petting the Tiger....
"Please no fighting now. Fight later, and we'll fight better if we currently are un-killed." She said trying to string together the best sentence in common she could. "Nice to greet you Zira-san."
"I think Zira-san dislikes being a ride." she added to the halfling.
Fine Kitty but one day I will ride you
"I think not, kid"
Zira glares a little bit and keeps a close eye on her, but otherwise settles down.
"Sakura-san, why did you come here?" The honorific sounds a bit off, as she is clearly copying Sakura's form of address, but she seems respectful about it.
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She smiles politely not expecting to be addressed as such. "I was assigned by the Pathfinder society." She rumaged quickly through her bags and pulled out a small compass like device. It was a wayfinder, she uttered a command word and it light up magically. Though an unimpressive spell to a sorcerer Sakura's eyes implied she was pleased by it.
"They want me to learn about the ruins, and maybe learn how they..." she paused for a moment looking for the right word before giving up and trying something else. "Got made ruined." she said knowing it was not the best phrase to use.
"Can I ask 'what is your reason' ? " She casually pulled out her longest sword. The three foot curved blade in size and function rather resembled a scimitar, but in form was clearly something all together different for this region. It glistened in the sun light, reflections danced along its length, a wavy pattern in the smooth sharp steel high lightened the edge. She pulled out a whet stone from her bag and began to sharpen it on her knee as she continued to talk to the handsome man and the tiger.
"...I'm looking for someone. I heard they might be in the area we're traveling towards. That's why I'm here," He tells the blonde woman, looking at the smaller, childlike girl. A halfling, pleasant enough to be around, though he wasn't particularly sociable around any people. He'd rather they didn't think him soft for looking for his big sister, after all.
"My name is Alanar. I don't have or need a last name. It's...all right to meet you all, I guess."
I am here to get my home back. I was born here from what I was told I was taken away form here when I was a youngen. I am not sure how much in will be able to find but I hope to find my mothers ring
Zira glanced at Wilrana when she answered, but addressed Sakura first, "My family's estate is there, I plan to reclaim it from the gnolls.", then Zira looked at Wilrana doubtfully, "Are you of the Felldutch Clan?"
John stayed quiet as he watched the interesting group converse. His blue eyes intently watching the group as he did his best to act like he wasn't watching them. They seemed to be friendly enough but, as his mother said ,"Best to be sure first as to not be caught in unwanted trouble." Thinking about this his hands held onto his mothers gift to him. He had to earn it you see. The ability to have it was given to him only if he could fit it up worthy of there shops shelf. What had been broken and useless before was now a very beautiful masterwork musket. Before he knew what had happened, he found himself tripping and about to bash into the Miss. Sakura Akahana he believed her name was from his at one point safe eavesdropping spot in the caravan.
This is going to be bad He thought as he failed to catch himself.
La-Lo-Look out! he just managed to "yell" out to her in warning.
The girl certainly had quick reflexes if she was able to grab the falling man before he landed. He edged himself out of the way for the moment, glancing at the man's weapon. He could tell it wasn't something that you could buy in a regular weapons shop, that was certain. He picked it up from the sand in one hand, marveling a bit at its weight, taking a look and wondering how someone fought with this, before handing it over. "You dropped this. Pay attention when you're walking, because it would be a shame for something like this to be lost forever in the desert."
As John stands up on his own two feet he nods shyly. "Yes, are you ok?" As he lifts his head up the hood that was casting a shadow over his face hiding some of his looks fell off. He smiled a little his brown hear slightly moving in the air that wasn't there before. Turning to Alanar he put out his hand to take back his weapon the sleeves of the sun guard sliding up as he did revealing very well kept muscles and skin. "That is true its something I can't allow to be lost."
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"Yes. I am well." Sakura says with a polite nod. "I am Akahana Sakura, You may call me Sakura. But you must have more care. If you fall and accidentally ride the tiger she might eat you."
She smiled hoping her joke went over well.
"What is that?" She examined the strange weapon, walking around the man.
John nods and as he does his shaggy brown hair moves as if the wind was flowing through it even at a time like this when there is no wind. "As you say Miss Sakura, I will be more careful." The way he responds to her is as if hes trying to be respectful of her as if she were holding some sort of military rank above him.
When she mentioned his weapon his eyes lit up. "This here Miss is a gun. Think of it like a long bow but, more expensive, more accurate, and hurts a heck of a lot more."
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Sakura looked the weapon over closely, she brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes as she looks it over. Examining the trigger mechanism. Then as if remembering something suddenly she originally missed she stood up straight and looked into his eyes.
"Am not 'Miss', am sam-- mean, *I* am samurai." Sakura had a no-nonsense offended look in her eyes.
"'Miss' is a respectful title for an unmarried woman." Zira says calmly, figuring she misunderstood his intent.
A gun - It seemed like a particularly rare weapon if it was supposed to attack something at range. He had to wonder just how it was possible - did he load some kind of bolt into the tube? If that was the case, how did it fly out at an enemy? Alanar shook his head at all of that. He didn't know enough to make any kind of judgment. He would probably see how it was used eventually.
"It's better to walk while we talk. We don't want to be left behind," the Katapesh native reminded them all, following the caravan and thinking about what he would do when they finally arrived. His first priority would be to look for Haleen, but he also had the job he signed up for as well. He hoped Saraenae would show them all favor for the trials ahead - he expected some hard fights in the future.
Kitty? tell me why can you talk again?
moves away from the tiger and just walks behind the strange man with the gun.
Oh a gun, how does that work does it work like this?
points toward the kitty
POW! got ya kitty
does it work like that gun man?
John looks shocked at the halflings actions. "No nothing like that, its not a toy and something to be treated with respect. Some have compared the sound it makes to that of a thunderstone." He looks off into the desert deep in thought and for a moment his eyes snap back into focus. Ah yes, If memory serves I should be call you Akahana-sama correct? The sound of his voice comes off as if he is in fact trying to be respectful of her way of life and not disrespectful but, his shy nature starts to show again as he starts to shy away from the group.
Alanar glances back at the halfing's antics - while he didn't think that whatever she just did caused any permanent damage, he had to call out a word of warning. "You realize you just assaulted a larger creature that can crack your skull open with their teeth, right? One probably faster than you are." In other words, the girl ought to start running or start strumming up an apology quickly before the tiger decided on what to do with her - whether threaten, let it go, or basically eat her.
If it did get murderously violent, he grasped onto one of the razor discs clipped to his belt, ready to intervene if he had to do it. He'd prefer not to get into a mid-travel internal scuffle, and wondered if the caravan leader might let the halfling stay in the front for a day or two - just to keep an eye out on her.
You are nearing your destination, a common watering and caravan gathering spot called the Sultan's Claw. As soon as the craggy trees appears over the next hill, it becomes obvious why it is called the Sultan's Claw. With five immense, mostly leafless branches, the growth looks more like a giant skeletal talon than a thing of living wood.
As you top the last rise, a caravan of a half-dozen wagons and a large tent clustered around the distinctive tree comes into view. Camels in a nearby pen prance in agitation, and a clutch of confused goats and livestock wander the grounds around the wagons. Perhaps a dozen men and women rush around the campsite, chasing down an animal or hastening toward the center of the cluster, near the Sultan's Claw, with pails of water in their hands. One of the wagons is on fire!
Lush orange and red flames engulf an elaborate wooden wagon emblazoned with painted moons and stars. A gout of smoke pours from an open door, and as you approach an ill wind blows a number of colorful fortune-telling Harrow cards from inside the wagon. One of these singed cards blows directly at John Lo, catching against his chest in a burst of orange cinders. It is the Cyclone, signifying a force that tears through whatever it meets at the behest of an intelligent being. The card portends war, arson, and destructive plans.
As your eyes shift their focus from the Cyclone back to the wagon, the whole of the Sultan's Claw erupts into brilliant flame.
The central flap of an elaborate tent flies open and a regal woman who can only be Almah, Garavel's patron and the one who is calling you all together to recapture the town, steps out into the firelit night. "Douse that flame!" she shouts to the men surrounding the wagon before turning in your direction. "Ah, Garavel!" she says. "And just a moment later than the nick of time, as usual." Looking specifically past her major domo and directly at the party, Almah barks out a simple order before running off toward the fire: "Find some way to help!"
Almah, Garavel, and four soldiers dressed in the distinctive red chitin-plate armor of the Pactmaster Guard run back and forth between the burning fortune teller's wagon and an uncovered wagon about 20 feet away. The latter contains a huge barrel holding enough drinking water to serve the entire campsite for a week.
Four burly mercenaries struggle with an enclosed wooden wagon within feet of the burning wagon, hoping to move it to safety before an errant spark causes it too to burst into flame.
A red-headed halfling cleric kneels next to two severely burned mercenaries who tried to enter the burning wagon. The priest is tending to a badly wounded mercenary but he is unable to focus on his second patient, a female sworder who lies near death from terrible burns and smoke inhalation.
A modest collection of pigs, goats, and sheep accompanies Almah's party on the journey to Kelmarane. The flaming wagon has unsettled these creatures, which somehow escaped from their pen in the confusion surrounding the fire's outbreak. The middle-aged human camel driver and his wife do their best to wrangle the panicking animals, but their efforts are quickly being overrun by the chaos of the situation.
Round 1 begins.
Fire. Normally, it is a soothing sight for Alanar. He enjoys every curl of flame, the flicker of heat and light as it slowly consumes whatever fuels it. In this particular instance, its a portent of terrible things rather than warmth, as he sees the wagon being consumed.
For a few brief moments, he is torn as how he should help - the woman who was badly burned and looking like she was on death's door certainly looked like the first priority. He had no skill in triage, but he had to try and save her life - what if it was Haleen?
He rushed forward along with the others, kneeling down by the woman's side, looking up at the halfling healer. "I'm here to help. Tell me what I need to do," He spoke up, before starting to attempt to save her life.
I quickly point my figer at a empty bucket of water adn watch it zoom into my hand I grab some water out of the barrel and run towards the cart {ooc] Casting mage hand[/ooc]I get in the fire bucket line and start splashing water on the cart. Making sure that I am up right next to the cart passing my bucket back to get another full one.
Zira casts unseen servent and commands it to dump sand on the base of the flames until they are out, then moves to help Sakura move it.
John sighs and quickly goes to work trying to calm the animals. Unsure of how much help he will be. However, he can't just stand there and watch them escape o it could be his dinner on the line.
Sakura runs to help the mercenaries push the wagon, they all push as hard as they can and the wagon budges a little, but is still in danger.
Alanar rushes over to comfort and aid the dying woman, asking the halfling how to help, he replies, "Try to staunch the bleeding and help to clear her air passages from all of the smoke, while I try to keep Trevvis here from dying. By the way her name is Kallien."
Wilrana uses her magic to move bucket after bucket of water and dump it on the fire with Zira's unseen servant helping by dumping sand on it as well. Almah and Garavel look relieved to get the help and it appears the fire is going out substantially faster with the help.
John runs out trying to keep the pigs, goats and sheep from panicking and running away.
"All together, 1, 2, 3, push."
Alanar nods, continuing to try and help the woman. He's not very good at this - he only understands what to do because of the healer's advice. "Don't die on me, Kallien!"
He can tell this effort was about as useful as the last, so he tries to see if he can borrow some kind of supplies to aid him in his next attempt.
John moves to help with the animals hoping his survival skills will be enough to get them. "Wow there pigs!"
Sakura, Zira, and the others continue to try to move the wagon as the flames lick dangerously close to it, but it's stuck in some sort of rut and while the group rocks it back and forth in the rut, it doesn't make it over the lip.
Wilrana and Zira's unseen servant carry more water to the fire, reducing it some.
Alanar, desperately tries to save Kallien, but hasn't staunched the wound yet. The halfling sees Alanar's difficulty in trying to save Kallien and he speaks in a very calm and reassuring manner, "You can do it, don't panic, take those healing herbs, place them in the wound, then take the bandages there and press them firmly over the herbs."
John chases the pig all over the place, but it keeps squealing and running in panic.
Alanar nods, taking a deep breath and tries again.
He's more than pleased that he's finally managed to stop the bleeding, quickly finishing wrapping up the wounds, making sure that she's not going to start dying again, before nodding to the halfling. "She's all right. I need to help the others now."
Alanar rushes off to help put out the fire, grabbing a bucket of water to put it out - considering that its the caravan drinking water, he hopes that they can put it out before they use up much of the precious resource.
"This isn't working, time to switch tactics, you guys let's focus on the closest flames and put them out first. And you can catch any sparks before they catch fire." Zira indicates one of them to watch for sparks and everyone else to start fighting fire, then Zira casts Shield on the wagon hoping it will help protect it from some of the sparks.
John stops for a moment and looks around looking for anything to help him in his task.
He whoever gets distracted with the fires beautiful glow and after a moment snaps back to his current task at hand with renewed passion.
I am making sure that the mage hand is still working keeping my concentration on the fire, and then also helping put out the fire some more with the buckets myself to splash more water on it.