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"Slow you down? Then surely you've had little dealings with agents of the Pathfinder Society until now," Aki smiles at Jamila. "Please believe me when I say that you quickly grow accustomed to traveling...whether it be traveling light or heavy."
Turning her attention to Mahmoud, the young woman looks thoughtful. "Haggling? Hmm...appraisal isn't exactly a talent of mine but if you give me enough information to work with then I'm sure I can spin an enticing sales pitch for customers," she grins.
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Slightly Earlier
Curious, Aki lifts up the discarded bottle of oil. "Well! This doesn't look like your typical lamp oil now does it? I wonder what it is?"
She pops the lid and tips the bottle just enough to get a dab on her finger, which she then presses to her lips.
"Oh! It's an Oil of Bless Weapon, I'd recognize this taste anywhere!"
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"Lamashtu cultists?!" Jamali stands from her seat. "I will not tolerate the risk of such a thing affecting my caravan. If that's really what's here, we are moving on. Come on, bring the body. We depart at dawn from the west gate."
"It's obvious, but I should warn you that these deserts are as vast as they are dangerously hot. Be prepared."
With that, you're free to make any final purchases before leaving.
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"Well, that got a reaction," Aki whispers to the others. "Whatever works though, right?"
"The west gate, at dawn," she repeats more loudly. "Sounds simple enough! And hmm...more hot weather...I can think of a few things that might provide protection. How long do you estimate the journey will take?"
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"Dawn at the West Gate. We will be ready." Kembe looks at the corpse, then at the others, then back to the corpse. Now what do we do with our esteemed guest until dawn..
Gain a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saves against severe weather while moving up to half your overland speed, or gain a +4 bonus if you remain stationary. You may grant the same bonus to one other character for every 1 point by which your Survival check result exceeds 15.
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"Indeed. Whatever works," he murmurs to Aki with a raise of a suspicious eyebrow.
He nods to Jamila as the caravaneer has agreed to allow them to follow her on the way to Katheer. "Thank you."
Turning his attention to the others and provisioning, he says, "I am used to sleeping in the wild and can manage in the desert, but I should buy a tent in case of sandstorm."
"Beyond the sun, the wind, the sand, the lack of water, and the cold at night, what other dangers do you anticipate?" he asks Kembe.
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"The trip to Katheer will take about four days," Jamila adds as you discuss provisioning. "Most of our travels will be done in the morning and evening hours, when the temperature falls. Shade and water will go a long way during midday rests, as will hot weather garments."
Raul has a good sense of the dangers presented with desert travel.
____
The next morning, the caravan gathers in the cold hour before dawn and sets out due northwest just as the first bit of pink touches the horizon. You're given the rearmost position in the camel train (eating the trail dust of the others) since you were the last to sign up. Directly in front of you are the camels of Hokama Pashket tended by him, his slave Atmar, and a pair of drovers.
The first day goes without incident, and the caravan makes good progress towards Katheer. Targos' body is kept safe slumped over the camel during travel, and placed into a tent provided by Raul at rest. Just after the midday break on the second day, Jamila and her crew pick up their mats and dust the sand out. Mahmoud can't help but empty a waterskin over his sun-beaten head. It's hot.
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Kembe rides his camel a bit awkwardly, not being trained in camel riding, or any riding to be honest. "These beasts are unwieldy, but their hooves dig nicely into the sand at least."
He does manage to keep himself, and most of the others in a tight line, reducing the amount of wind driven sand and eye strain from the bright environment. "Gery, you look pretty hot, that armor isn't helping you here. Maybe you should take it off."
Seeing as the others of the group are well prepared with loose fitting clothes and eye coverings, Kembe focuses on helping their animal companions to keep cool.
It doesn't seem to matter, Kembe is used to heat, but this dry heat and sun wilts him.
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Raul tends to Maudi's wounds before they settle down for the rest of the evening to guard Targos' body.
-- - --
While Raul is silent most of the journey, conserving his body's water, he does occasionally socialize with others in the caravan. He rides up to Hokama and his slave, offering them both water. "Do you travel this route often?"
-- - --
While his druidic magics keep him comfortable, he is not blind to the tole the heat takes on the others. The hunter keeps everyone's waterskins fulls, and even offers to dampen their clothes if they like. He kindly refills Mahmoud's waterskin after the man empties it over himself.
Noting Grey's suffering, he says to his companions, "I can ward two more of you from the environment, but it will leave my magics depleted. How fair you?"
Whether it is Kembe's kindness or a natural affinity for the desert, the monitor does not seem bothered by the heat.
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"Guh...it's...hotter than I expected..." Aki pants by the time midday of the second day rolls around. She wipes at her forehead with her sleeve. "But I'll be okay, I think. Save your magics for now, Raul. Taking my armor off should help," she adds, taking a moment to slither out of her armor before the caravan gets moving again.
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Much like Maudi, Cake doesn't seem particularly bothered by the extreme desert heat. When not perched atop Aki's shoulder (or camel) she rides with Kembe, who seems to have a knack for caring for critters.
"Hoot!"
I'm glad there's *someone* here who understands how to take proper care of creatures such as Maudi and myself!
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Hokama's eyes widen as Raul offers him water. "Ah, I know a thing or two about water! In fact, I'm a successful water merchant from the ancient kingdom of Osirion. I travel the Silken Way to establish new contracts," he points his head at his camels. They're overburdened with waterskin upon waterskin and dowsing rods. "Water's quite the commodity out here, but you already knew that."
Most of you feel the impact of the heat on your tired bones, and Aki and Gery both stow their armor in hopes to make the conditions a little more manageable. As Gery takes the last strap off his armor, a sudden wind blows off a dune, carrying a literal wall of dust and grit towards the caravan. A thick torrent of sand fills the air in the immediate area, and the wind only grows stronger, to the point where Hokama, his slave, and their camels are just barely visible. "S.. Sandstorm!" Hokama cries from somewhere in the storm. Jamila and Mahmoud rush away from you, towards the sound of his voice.
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"Ack! Phbtt!" Aki splutters as the sand kicks up and she gets a mouthful while in the process of yawning. "Cake, hold on!" she calls out to her feathered friend, placing one hand protectively over the owl's talons and using the other to shield her eyes as she searches for the camels and the others...
"There, I think I see them!" she calls out to the others, casting about with her free hand for one of her fellow agents. "Come on, take my hand!"
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Gery, Maudi, Raul, and Kembe feel their eyes sting from the whipping sand, but Aki is quick to shield her eyes with her arm. "Over here! Quickly!" Hokama cries. Aki forms a link of Pathfinder agents with the rest of you, and before long, you are able to draw nearer to the water seller’s camels during a slight lull in the storm.
A cry from the merchant’s young slave rings out as he points into the blowing sand where several humanoid creatures approach, most smaller than humans and all muffled in heavy robes. Each stranger’s head has a great helm wrapped in keffiyehs, and each faceplate has only a small eye slit to keep out the fury of the storm. Each holds a curved sword, and it is clear they are converging on your position.
"G-goblins!" The slave cries, ducking behind a camel. Jamila, Mahmoud, and Gaspar are nowhere in sight.
The goblins advance on the caravan, slashing with their blades.
... And Kembe feels a horrible twinge of pain as sand flows into a fresh wound on his leg.
-- Bold is up --
Black (2 NL), Orange (3 NL), Blue (1 NL) Goblins
Kembe (-6), Raul, Gery, Hokama, Atmar, Aki, Maudi, Drover blue, Drover green
White, Purple (2 NL), Brown, Pink (3 NL), Yellow (1 NL), Red Goblins, Green, Red, Yellow (4 NL) Hobgoblins
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Though visibility is poor and the odds seem even poorer, Aki draws her rapier and begins to sing, projecting her voice over the howling winds.
"~Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm~"
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With your visibility impaired by the whipping sands, most of you are unable to land a hit on any of the ambushers. The exception is Kembe, who delivers a knockout punch to the face of the same goblin that tore his leg open.
Hokama draws a dagger from behind the cover of his camel, and throws it at the blue goblin harrassing the drover. Atmar peeks up and slings a stone at the same foe.
The sling strikes the goblin between the eyes, and it falls over into the sands unconscious.
Both drovers use their slings as well, targeting the pink goblin.
And then the goblins advance...
Kembe endures another slice across his arm, and Maudi takes an especially deep wound in a soft spot under his belly. The hobgoblins all miss the drovers, and the camels remain safe.
-- Bold is up --
Black (2 NL) Goblin
Kembe (-8), Raul, Gery, Hokama, Atmar, Aki, Maudi (-6), Drover blue, Drover green
White, Purple (2 NL), Brown, Pink (-2, 3 NL, staggered), Yellow (1 NL), Red Goblins, Green, Red, Yellow (4 NL) Hobgoblins
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Kembe winces again as more of his blood flows. That armor wand would be very helpful right now, if only. He grits his teeth and fights on, determined to drop the greenskins, hopefully faster than they arrive.
With his legs injured he switches to vicious elbows to get the job done, hollering to Aki as he fights "That tale is invigorating Aki! Keep going!"
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Maudi roars into the sandstorm. 'The indignity!'
He turns his fury upon the goblins within reach. He bites down on the goblins head with a crunch and then steps over to the next goblin. This goblin receives a slash across the neck and then across his belly.
Full Round: Full Attack vs. Brown (and maybe Pink)
Other: Contingent 5 ft step during Full Attack
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Kembe comes within a hair of punching the white-helmeted goblin's lights out, just missing. Gery lunges forward and cuts down the goblin, while Raul shanks the black-tuniced creature through its heart. Maudi tears open another two goblins with tooth and claw while Aki rips out purple's innards with her rapier, quickly ending its life.
"It is by Osiris' luck that we have been accompanied by such skilled Pathfinders!" Hokama calls, throwing his second - and last - dagger at the yellow goblin. His slave and the drovers do the same.
The yellow goblin is pelted with stones, and topples over against a camel.
The remaining hobgoblins drop their bows and take out curved swords. Curved. Swords.
They rush at Aki, their oversized helmets jangling over the green flesh underneath, and obviously obscuring their sight.
-- Bold is up --
Kembe (-8), Raul, Gery, Hokama, Atmar, Aki, Maudi (-6), Drover blue, Drover green
Red Goblin, Green, Red, Yellow (4 NL) Hobgoblins
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Maudi looks up from the bloody mess at his feet when his companion whistles. Taking stock of Raul's direction, he springs around the other side of the drovers to flank the bandit. He snaps at the hobgoblin's arm with his powerful jaws.
Move: Move 25 ft
Standard: Attack vs. green dash hobgoblin
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Kembe watches goblins fall all around him, nodding grimly "We'll get these two." He hollers above the storm, moving through the whipping sand to attack the red hobgoblin. He forms and open hand and strikes it quickly at the creature's throat.
Instead of his throat he merely catches the side of its helmet. Failure.
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Raul and Maudi flank a hobgoblin leader. Raul cuts him down, and Maudi picks him up in his jaws, crushing his bones and throwing him across the desert. Kembe and Gery both fumble, while Aki jabs the hobgoblin's sword arm with her rapier.
Atmar and the drovers continue slinging stones over at the yellow hobgoblin, pelting its exposed body.
The two remaining hobgoblin leaders look at each other and back over at Maudi. They turn and begin running across the desert as far as they can.
A few minutes later, the sandstorm tapers off and eventually ceases entirely. It's clear now that the rest of the caravan, including Jamila, Mahmoud, and Gaspar are nowhere in sight. Though its wrappings are sand-covered, Targos' body remains safe still strapped to a camel.
"Even in the desert, we aren't safe from goblin brigands," Hokama grunts. "Atmar, collect my daggers. It appears we've lost the others, and the Silken Way has been mired by a changed landscape thanks to the storm," he points to a sprawl of rising sand dunes that hadn't been there earlier. "We will have to make a best guess at the northwestern route we had been following."
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Raul wipes the goblin blood off of his halberd and inspects Maudi's wound. He sucks the air in through his teeth with a his. "That wound is awfully deep," he says with concern. "You will need to be careful. You are an effective deterrent, my friend, so we will leave you unbound until we find our ways or you start to scare the camels."
He gives the saurian an affectionate pat and moves to check on the others, stepping over dismembered goblin bits. "Thank the gods that skirmish was brief."
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Gery watches the hobgoblins flee across the desert sands, knowing it would be foolhardy to pursue them. Sheathing his blade once again, he glances up to the sky shading his eyes from the blinding glare of the sun.
This is where having a Wayfinder would be handy! I need to purchase one as soon as the opportunity presents itself!
"Well, I think I can determine which direction the caravan was heading," He squints closely first at the sky then the ground.
"That way."