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Umaveti nods and takes the gold ahead of time, "All the scrolls will be ready by 0800 tomorrow." He then goes back to his research, and without looking up, adds, "I suppose I should mention I've been to see the mayor. He's expecting one of you soon. I wouldn't exactly recommend keeping him waiting." -Posted with Wayfinder
Umaveti sighs, "Well alright then, the bandits it is." The troop, small boy in tow, heads to the east down the straighter, wider road. Soon the sand dunes became rock formations, and the howling winds became a salt-spritzed breeze. They came to a series of formations that were more than a little familiar to them, but something was different. In place of jovial laughter, there was shouting. In place of music and song, there was chanting and grunting. And rather than a welcoming, if mischievous, rogue, the party was met by closed wooden gates, and two thugs guarding them.
"Alright, that's one vote for the bandits. Odd'n? Bronan? Mikaiela?" It was clear that the nagaji was getting a tad impatient.
Umaveti chimes in, "Well, if she wants to cook for us, I'm not turning her down. Besides, with Gwyn staying here, we could use the help. Alright? Let's go..." Garret:
Just go ahead and roll, I'll let you ride the plot device train and catch up to them directly after.
When everyone's ready to go, Umaveti takes up the rear, staying behind with the boy during the hike.
Along the road, they come to a fork, much like the one they found on the way here, only this one was it's mirror: the left road leads up to the mountains, the right one leads out to the bandit camp. Umaveti again defers to you, but cautions, "The bandits will not likely take kindly to seeing our faces again, I'd honestly prefer to take my chances in the mountains. But as I said, I'm just a humble librarian, I defer to your better judgment."
A dark sky daunts not the strangely haughty nagaji librarian. The escorts are awakened by the sound of his hasty collection of his things, pots and pans clanking against tools of survival and trade loudly. He also kicks dirt into the smolders, extinguishing them for good. "Come now sleeping children! Onward!" Umaveti proceeds to simply walk down the road without awaiting their preparation or response.
Four hours later, the group finds that Odd'n's feather-lamp only glows in a five-foot radius around Odd'n. The feather even blinks briefly at true midnight. "Okay, everyone it's time, I've been awake for 18 hours, and I'm simply bushed." Umaveti says plopping his pack on the ground, "If someone would gather firewood, I'll start a fire. I know I'll need it so I don't freeze while I sleep...cold blood and all." His voice seemed calmer and more harmonious, it's clear that he's more relaxed and in his element in the dark of night. Perception DC 10:
You see a patch of bushes and aster about 20' away from the path. The bushes appear quite dry. Umaveti begins to retrieve his flint and steel and a vial of alchemist's fire from his pack.
An hour later along the road, the sun has set. DC 15 Perception:
You can see that Odd'n's makeshift lamp's radius of light is five feet smaller. Umaveti pipes up, "So, shall we make camp for the night? Or shall we press on toward Fwey? It's about another 7 hours from here. I can see perfectly in the dim light of the moon, and I slept a good bit before I started my tasks this morning...nagaji are nocturnal after all...so it's entirely up to you."
Umaveti grunts and twitches like a child about to throw a fit because the other kids aren't playing fair. Then coolly, he sighs and says, "Sneak up on a gang of twelve bandits and a deadly highwayman? It's your funeral," He adjusts his pack, "If any of you don't fancy dying soon, you can accompany me to Fwey." He turns and walks away.
Umaveti rolls his eyes at the troupe behind him. He says in a tone heavy with annoyance and just a touch of fear, "You know, the mayor isn't likely to pay anyone who has to be carried back because their throats have been slit." He makes a throat-slitting gesture with his clawed forefinger. "I don't know about you lot, but I'd like to make it to Fwey, before breakfast." He turns and begins trudging forward.
"Yes, prayer is good warrior. Unless I'm mistaken I think these might be the bandits from whom we're meant to protect the Mayor's son." He quickly adds, "Not to worry though, if they were going to hurt her, they'd have done so by now. It seems she looks poor enough not to bother with."
Two beats of the bird's magnificent wings kick up the aromas of the forest beneath it. One more beat and the bird is gone, further south, towards the mountains. "Right," Umaveti says watching the bird fly over them, "onward then!"
Garret: As they are the last thing he places in his pack, they are sitting on top.
"Ah! Thank you, Master Powers," Umaveti says, relieved to have all his materials back. Garret's inspection of Umaveti's bag proves uneventful: a great deal of parchment, ink, quills, a book or two, navigational and camping supplies. Nothing else out of the ordinary. Standing up he addresses the group again, "Are we to follow the road east, around the mountains then? If you remain silent, you submit to the will of those who speak up."
Garret:
All three scrolls are magical, one's aura seems to be shrouded in shadow, another's burns a reddish-orange, and the third is a whispy grey. Umaveti smiles at Odd'n's vote for the smoother path as he recollects his things. "I have to agree, fighter, we nagaji are a people accustomed to low, smooth paths. And you all?" He asks this last bit absently as he confusedly looks about, and around him.
Umaveti, now rested (and a little cramped), had unintentionally snuck up on the group, and had overheard Garret's explanation of the letter. "A monk you say? Hm, the only monk I know of in these parts is one named Sun from the temple of Pyralis on the mountain. Didn't think he had a steady lover...would you mind if I took a look at that letter?" he asked in his hiss of a voice. Holding out his hand he noticed the man behind them, the horse, and the tent. "No one's going to check the tent? Never know what we might need on a trip like this, and it's clear that man won't need them anymore."
The troupe leaves him to rest and ventures into the brush. Bronan also remembers that centipedes love to hide and surprise their prey...
Bronan studies the tracks for a few moments and sees they belong to a colony of house centipedes. Beneath the tracks, however, is something more disturbing: Bronan is able to make out that a large body of some kind was dragged in the same direction of the centipedes' movement. Perception (Hearing) DC20:
You hear the feint, weak whinny of a horse in the direction of the tracks. "Why have we stopped?" an upset Umaveti asks his troup. "It's a long way's yet to Fwey." It's clear to everyone that although he's been doing a good job of staying afoot, he's very tired and can't seem to stand still comfortably. Heal DC 10: Umaveti's feet are in terrible pain, as he isn't accustomed to using them for long periods.
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