"The better question is how long will it take to get Hazem to tolerate camels? Khasul, think you can work with him on that? I can get the camels calm enough to tolerate him for 5 minute or so, but he has to do the rest, and I know animals a lot better than the people who ride them."
Watches Hazem's camel take off towards the oasis.
"Well, to his credit, he does have the camel going in the right direction at least."
Will trot ahead with Mark.
"I could attempt something of instruction, but he needs discipline. Hazem, if I were to instruct you, would you listen and not hear? Would you obey and not doubt? If you can do this, we may be able to make something more of you yet. You must possess the ability to listen and obey, as a student, before we run into anything truly dreadful. Do you understand?"
He turns to stare deeply at the youth. He has no hands on the camel for the time being, and guides it with his knees - as though showing prowess. He does, however, hold back a chuckle as the camel runs for the water.
Sihdrin will stay with the group as they move to the oasis, wary for trouble.
Garavel holds his tongue with some dismay as Hazem rushes towards the oasis, followed by Mark and Yantur. He glances at Alfred. "I am starting to question the lineage of the Al Kareems."
You all arrive at the oasis within minutes; the sight of water in the middle of the desert is eerily beautiful. A multitude of trees are spread around, giant palms with great leaves that almost reach down to the sand. The camels all walk up to the water to sate their thirst, and Garavel umounts. "Fill your waterskins. I do not want any of you to keel over with thirst."
He gathers the waterskins from his camel's saddlebags and starts filling them with water.
Mark shakes his head, and proceeds to get out his waterskins and simply cast Create Water into them, filling them with fresh water. "You know Garavel, we did not need to stop. I can fill the waterskins no matter where we are."
"And we would still have to stop to retrieve the waterskins from the saddlebags. I do not believe any of you is comfortable enough in the saddle to perform acrobatic stunts to retrieve them." He looks at the elf. "Maybe Sihdrin would - he fares well in the saddle."
Garavel has finished filling his waterskins, and is loading them in the saddlebags. "Do not be mistaken, your gift is beneficial. Yet it is preferable to stop here, in the shade of the trees, than in the middle of the desert sea. Or am I mistaken?"
"It does take extended contact and a firm hand or four to see their potential, I will admit. But they do wonders in teaching the patience required to ultimately survive in the desert. As for creating water, you are not the only one gifted so, Mark. Though my talents are earned, not given, they are not inconsiderable."
"Indeed, you are correct. Only the sun maddened travel in the open during the height of the day. Best we use the shade to rest, and continue in the afternoon."
Mark bows his head. "Sorry. I am not used to travelling in such a place. I will do as I am told from now on."
Yantur asks Garavel:
"Sir, how long will it take us to reach Kelmarane?"
Having just mounted his camel, Garavel looks at the halfling. "It will take us about a week. Possibly more if we are struck by a sandstorm. Get ready. We are leaving shortly."
He guides his own camel to the north of the oasis, waiting for the rest of you, and hoping that Hazem will in fact have gained some tolerance with the camels. Garavel's mentioning of a storm makes you notice that the wind seems to be slightly stronger than usual.
it seems the impeding danger has settled Hazem and his camel, as the two begin keeping pace with the caravan, with minimal distractions..
Sihdrin eyes the sky and scans the horizon. "If a sand storm is coming, perhap we should take cover in the shelter of the oasis, rather than continuing in the exposed open."
"If it strikes, it will be close to evening. If the path north goes without incident, we should reach an oasis in time for the night's rest." Garavel takes the lead as you set off north once more.
Half the day goes by when the wind starts whipping sand, and far to the east, at the edge of the horizon, is a vortex of sand. The camels seem uneasy, to the point that their pace increases even further. Garavel says nothing, though he glances at the great cloud on occasion.
At the rate the storm advances, it won't reach you until evening.
"Looks like a storm on the horizon..."
"We should have till evening, when the oasis can shelter us."
Glancing every so often, Marketus watches the stormclouds in awe. "I know how bad storms can get at sea but...how bad can a storm of sand get? Whats it like?" He seems genuinely interested in this.
"You'll find out soon enough, just hope from from the inside of one."
Hazem rolls his eyes, "UUUUGH! I HATE sandstorms! The sand gets in my underwear and... "stuff", and it's SO HARD TO GET OUT.."
"The sand gets WHERE?!" Marketus says, alarm on his face. He remembers being on the and going swimming, and how annoying the beach sand was when it got into those...private areas.
"Lets hurry a bit....this whole sand storm thing is making me nervous." he says, as he keeps checking on the storm clouds.
"No need to be anxious, Marketus. If Mr. Windbottom's judgement is to be trusted, and I have no reason to distrust him, we will reach shelter before the storm reaches us."
The ride north goes onwards; the heat grows stronger for the next hours. There is no halt in the pace until the sun is far to the east, hovering over the horizon. Darkness is slowly settling, and the sandstorm to the east is growing closer and closer. "There," Garavel points forward. Another green beacon in the middle of the bronze desert is in view. "We should find some shelter there."
The camels begin drinking water as Garavel ties his camel to a palm. He advices you to do the same as he starts unloading what appears to be an enormous, dismantled tent. "There are several parts of the pavilion in your saddlebags," he barks. "Bring them here and let us get this pavilion up before the storm hits."
Quickly hopping down from his camel, Marketus roots through the saddlebags and finds the parts to the pavillion he was carrying. He rushes over, almost a bit too fast, trips slightly but manages to catch himself, and hands the parts over. "Ok lets get this thing built I do not want to be caught outside in...that thing!" He looks meaningfully over his shoulder at the approaching storm.
Hazem takes armfuls of whatever he can carry out of his saddlebags and dumps them at the base of the tent.
"Oof. Ok, now what? HEY MARK! We're over here!!"
Yantur will quickly unpack everything needed to help setup the pavilion. He will also keep Mark up to date on the progress of the oncoming storm. After the pavilion is set up, if Garavel doesn't ask him to do anything specific, he will double-check to make sure all the camels are securely tied.
"Maybe it's because I rarely got to travel but that storm makes me uneasy. These storms seem more ominous when you're in the country compared to the city. There, you could just stay indoors until it was over."
Thanking Yantur, Mark hides inside the pavilion. He knew that logically he could BARELY see the storm, but what he saw, the edges, the corners, the darkness, was unpleasant.
Garavel helps with setting up the pavilion, and nods approvingly at Yantur's common sense of checking the camels. He gives him this proof of trust, strange as it may be, as he enters the pavilion with Marketus. "Do not worry. Best find your bedroll. Storms rarely last throughout an entire night."
Setting Ruven on guard outside, as she could bury down into the sand and be unbothered, Alfred finds a place close to the opening, and settles down to see what entertainment people come up with.
Marketus simply nods, gets his bedroll out, and hides in it as best he can, attempting to make sure that no part of his is exposed. He knows from his experience that nature, in all its forms, is a furious beast and that storms at sea are monstrous affairs.
Hazem has long since passed out, sprawled over his bedroll, snoring loudly..
"Do we have enough room in the pavilion for the mounts? It may be cramped and smelly, but sandstorms will scour and blind camels and horses as well as they would for us."
"Aren't we supposed to make them lie down, and keep their bodies out but have their heads in..? Zzzzz...."
Alfred will help Sihdrin protect the camels from the storm before the full brunt of it hits.
"We only have room for three camels." Garavel gestures around the pavilion; there is indeed not much space left, and with Marketus already nestled on his bedroll it probably would be best to leave them outside. "They have endured sandstorms before, and they will do so again. As long as they are tied properly to the palms, we will find them in the morn. Distraught, yes, but nothing we cannot handle."
In that case, we can secure the camels outside in the best place possible, but I'll bring my horse into the pavilion.
AS Garavel hasn't given me anymore instructions, I'll go to bed. I have no doubt he'll wake me otherwise. I'll set up me bedroll as close to the opening as possible in case he needs me.
"Zzz.. cobras... zzz... Cobras! Zzzz.. COBRAS!!!!"
Peeking out from his hidey hole, Marketus glares at Hazem. "Keep it down!" He looks around the room, making sure to keep mostly covered and protected.
The sandstorm rages throughout the night. The pavilion, at some point, seems ready to fly off the ground. Yet it is only a few hours of sand whipping against the fabrics of the enormous tent before it calms down - and almost poetically does the end of the storm come with the first rays of sun.
Garavel lets out a yawn as he wakes up. He rises from his bedroll, walking over to the entrance to peer outside. There's a bit of ruckus. "The camels are, as expected, distraught."
"Should be easy enough to deal with." Alfred comments as he calmly ties up his bedroll before going to calm them down.
Hazem has slept through the night, and is still sound asleep, "SNOOOOOORE.. hack, ZZzz.. Snort.. ZZZzz.zz... "
Sihdrin will also help soothe the camels and get them ready for travel.
Garavel joins Sihdrin and Alfred in their attempt to calm the animals, though Sihdrin does not quite manage. Garavel and Alfred however succeed in easing the camels' minds and within ten minutes are they all ready to move on. "Let us dismantle the pavilion and get on our way. Hazeem, wake up!"
It's clear Garavel has little patience today as he has already begun plucking apart the pavilion.
Marketus peers out of his bedroll, smiles, and gets up. Upon hearing Garavel shout at Hazem, he grins mischievously, and casts Create Water right over Hazem's head, causing a gallon of water to appear in thin air and drop on the sleeping man.
He then quickly begins to help taking down the pavillion, smiling the whole time.
After finishing up his meditation as Ruven eats breakfast, Alfred helps with the remainder of the packing, and stays close to Hazem to quell any problems before they start today.
"Let us dismantle the pavilion and get on our way. Hazeem, wake up!"
"Zz... but I.. Zzz.. snore.. dun wann...a...zz...."
Upon hearing Garavel shout at Hazem, he grins mischievously, and casts Create Water right over Hazem's head, causing a gallon of water to appear in thin air and drop on the sleeping man.
"Zz.. HACK!! PPPPTT!!! COUGH!! AAAGRGH!! WE'RE BEING ATTACKED BY WATER!! ... wha..? What.. huh?"
Hazem sits up groggily and spits out a stream of water
"Why am I wet...? Hey, where is everyone? Are we leaving? What's for breakfast?"
"Break fast while we ride," Sihdrin says smiling, handing Hazem a piece of horse jerky. The elf saddles his horse with a speed born of years experience and then hops into the saddle with a sigh of contentment. It is clear he is comfortable on the road.
After the pavilion has been dismantled, you set off north quickly. Garavel is grateful of Alfred and Sihdrin taking care of Hazem. Like yesterday, he stays quiet as you head on north through the desert.
In the aftermath of the sandstorm, the desert seems to be glimmering of gold rather than bronze today. The sun lights up the golden sea, with the odd patches of green far off in the distance - oases and thickets of cacti, by the looks of it. There is a warm wind in the air as well, the aftermath of the storm.
The day seems to end almost as quickly as it came - and as the sun begins to drop beyond the horizon far to the west, Garavel stops the caravan on top of a sandy hill. "We stop for the night. Get the pavilion up - the quicker we get through the night, the quicker we can begin tomorrow's travel."
"Break fast while we ride," Sihdrin says smiling, handing Hazem a piece of horse jerky. The elf saddles his horse with a speed born of years experience and then hops into the saddle with a sigh of contentment. It is clear he is comfortable on the road.
"What's this? is this for the camel? "
"No, it's for you. It's called trail food. Better get used to it." Alfred smiles as Hazem puzzles over the jerky.
When they setup camp, "Perhaps some kind of watch would be good tonight, as we don't have the sandstorm and oasis to provide us protection. I can take last watch."