The harsh winds have blown across the Southern desert for the entire week you have been traveling across them, the relative safety and comfort of Gem now but a distant memory. You have traveled in the cool of the mornings and evenings, resting beneath white canvas shelters during the worst of the midday heat, but the man who has hired you, a Guild mercenary named Garavel, claims you are at long last approaching your destination.
Garavel is a man of middle years, a sharp hawk nose in a sun-worn, leathery face framed by salt-and-pepper hair and goatee. Though no longer in his prime, he carries himself like a trained warrior, and he has suffered little on the journey, despite the heat and scalding wind. Around his neck he wear a curious jade torc, one that he never removes, but he will not speak of it to anyone. Garavel is a cold and humorless man, seeming intent solely on getting his cargo – that is, you – to his mistress, the Guild factor Almah Roveshki.
Other than Garavel and a pair of pack mules, you are the only members of this “caravan,” and you have wondered whether such a small group was asking for trouble from the raiders – Dune People and hyena beastmen – rumored to travel the area, but so far, your journey has been quiet, with only the Sun’s piercing gaze to threaten you.
Crux is a man of advancing years or at least it seems so. He wears a mask of wood and cloth that covers his face and his heavy robes hide everything else except his hands, which are wrapped. He walks with a limp, but has been able to keep up with the caravan with no apparent difficulty. His pack mules are laden with all manner of samples of items used in thaumaturgical rituals and, as he has shown on more than one occasion, food preparation. Crux keeps his most precious materials in a satchel that stays at his side at all times.
Flametongue is not his native language, but he is fluent in it. He seems well educated, which befits a thaumaurge. Crux is rather cynical, but he can’t hide his excitement when the certain subjects come up, like Kelmarane.
Unfettered Silhouette walks alongside the caravan, whistling a merry tune. He rests his staff on his shoulder, and a sword is on his hip. He adjusts his hat before speaking. "So, why did the rest of you join up anyway? Certainly not for the fun of it."
Auric walks at a pace natural to experienced desert travelers. His gait bespeaks the mercenary life he has lived to this point, feet always ready for action. He wears a ruddy brown leather duster over plain, tough creme cloth garb meant for hard travel. A sand-colored scarf wraps around his neck, and a brown leather hat adorns his head. At his side, he carries a flame piece belted to his thigh, and his hunting knife sits along his waist. His bow is hung across his back, in position for easy loosing, along with his quiver of arrows.
As he speaks, he tilts his head to edge the sun out of his eyes, his voice a good-natured bass tone, with a touch of stone to it. "Members of my company were hired out for this trip, myself included. If I had to guess, we're to provide defense for the operation, and possibly act as scouts and guides. I'm a pretty mean shot, so if any good meat comes by, we'll be sure of a meal, too!" Auric finishes off with a rumbling laugh, hands at his waist.
"What about you? You look a bit like the mercenary type, but I've never seen you about these parts. New company?"
"Yeah, you could say that. Not sure we're big enough to be considered a company. Still, I doubt you'd find any cheaper mercenaries than us. That's probably why we got hired, actually."
"I didn't join... I was assigned."
Ata adjusts his hat to keep the sun off his head. He takes a small sip of water and puts the waterskin back in his dufflebag. A quiver of javelins is secured to the side.
"What about you?"
As your group reaches the crest of the current hill, Garavel raises his arm and points ahead. "There it is," he intones. "The Dragon's Claw." On the next hill, a lone tree - massive but leafless, five twisted limbs reaching for the heavens much like the Wood Dragon's talons for which it is named - serves as the center of a large campsite, several tents and wagons surrounding a firepit just to one side of the Claw. From the largest tent, a flag bearing the sigil of the Guild is just barely visible from this distance.
Even as the campsite comes into view, however, there is a sudden blossoming of light, followed an instant later by the roar of flames. One of the wagons has just caught fire!
"What the?!" Unfettered quickly looks for what caused the explosion.
As Auric sees the fire sprout, he begins running towards the campsite at full speed, eyes scanning to try and pick out whatever he can as he closes the distance to the camp.
Unfettered holds his staff tight in his hands as he runs after Auric to check out the camp.
As Auric sees the fire sprout, he begins running towards the campsite at full speed, eyes scanning to try and pick out whatever he can as he closes the distance to the camp.
7d10
Crux rolls his eyes. (Sigh) Then he hurries after his traveling companions.
Ata follows those running towards the camp. Looking ahead to see what he is running towards.
Roused by the sight of the sudden fire, the group rushes down the cracked-dirt slope of the ridge toward the hill of the Dragon's Claw. As they get closer, more details of the camp become apparent: there are a total of six wagons, making a circle around the Dragon's Claw along with a single large white-canvas tent. On the far edge of camp, a collection of animals - chickens, goats, and camels - rushes around in a frenzy of fear in a makeshift pen; even as the heroes see them, however, the panicking animals collapse one edge of the wooden fencing and spill out across the hilltop.
As the group reaches the top of the hill, a beautiful woman in the dress of a rich merchant sweeps out of the tent. She has golden-brown skin and light blue eyes, a rare combination in this part of the world, and her full lips are compressed into a tight line as she sweeps her gaze across the camp. She quickly comes to stare at the new arrivals, including Garavel, and she gives a curt laugh. "Ah, Garavel," she says, "just a moment later than in the nick of time, as usual." She looks past him to the rest of the group and snaps, "Find some way to help!" before rushing toward the burning wagon to join the forming fire brigade there. Garavel immediately moves to join her.
I shall go assist the 'doctor'.
"I know a little about medicine. Allow me to assist you."
Ata drops his gear and starts helping to put out the fire.
Unfettered drops his staff and moves to help move the other wagons away from the burning wagon.
Knowing he can do little for his companions at this time, Auric rushes to the animal handlers, knowing the value of a good mule in a desert.
"What can I do?!"
I shall go assist the 'doctor'.
"I know a little about medicine. Allow me to assist you."
The patient - a woman, apparently, the only one in the mercenary group you've seen - has apparently suffered soem serious burns , but also has a chunk of blackened timber the length of your hand buried in her stomach .
Ata drops his gear and starts helping to put out the fire.
Ata joins the others carrying water to the fire and tossing it on, sending steam high into the air. The group seems to be having an effect, but it is agonizingly slow.
Unfettered drops his staff and moves to help move the other wagons away from the burning wagon.
5d10
Unfettered joins the mercenaries trying to pull the wagon and leans his full strength into it. The wagon rocks on its wheels, but doesn't quite move.
Knowing he can do little for his companions at this time, Auric rushes to the animal handlers, knowing the value of a good mule in a desert.
"What can I do?!"
"Try to calm them down!" shouts one of the handlers, a middle-aged woman with sun-wrinkled skin.
Unfettered pulls on the wagon in vain. There's no way he's going to move this wagon. As he leans on the wagon catching his breath, he realizes something. With one wagon gone, this expedition probably still has enough supplies. If two wagons were destroyed, there's no way they could last long enough to get more. People would starve, just because he didn't feel like putting in a little more effort.
"Come on, put your backs into it!", he yells at the other guards helping as he once again tries to move the wagon, a determined gleam in his eyes.
Crux goes through his bags and pulls out some burn ointment, painkillers, gauze, alcohol, and a few other medicinal supplies. Then he goes to care for her wounds. With the burns being the lesser of her wounds, he begins by taking the piece of wood out of her stomach. She screams in agony. Crux uses some gauze steeped in medicine to clean the wound as best he can, then uses some fast decaying herbs to fill in the wound before stitching it closed and bandaging it. After that, the burn is only a small matter of coating it with some ointment and covering it with bandages. He offers her a taste of some potent alcohol before he starts and once again while working on hers.
'Of course the only time I get to touch a woman, she's in need of medical attention.'
Wits + Med, dif 1
Wits + Med, dif 2
Int + Med, dif 1
Ata continues his efforts helping to put out the fire.
Unfettered pulls on the wagon in vain. There's no way he's going to move this wagon. As he leans on the wagon catching his breath, he realizes something. With one wagon gone, this expedition probably still has enough supplies. If two wagons were destroyed, there's no way they could last long enough to get more. People would starve, just because he didn't feel like putting in a little more effort.
"Come on, put your backs into it!", he yells at the other guards helping as he once again tries to move the wagon, a determined gleam in his eyes.
With a groaning creak, the wagon shifts again... and then slowly starts to roll across the cracked-dirt hilltop. Once it's moving, it's easier to keep it so, and it only takes a few moments for the wagon to be safely shifted across the circle, well away from the fire or any blowing sparks.
Crux goes through his bags and pulls out some burn ointment, painkillers, gauze, alcohol, and a few other medicinal supplies. Then he goes to care for her wounds. With the burns being the lesser of her wounds, he begins by taking the piece of wood out of her stomach. She screams in agony. Crux uses some gauze steeped in medicine to clean the wound as best he can, then uses some fast decaying herbs to fill in the wound before stitching it closed and bandaging it. After that, the burn is only a small matter of coating it with some ointment and covering it with bandages. He offers her a taste of some potent alcohol before he starts and once again while working on hers.
'Of course the only time I get to touch a woman, she's in need of medical attention.'Wits + Med, dif 1 4d10
Wits + Med, dif 2 4d10
Int + Med, dif 1 4d10
Auric moves into the herd cautiously, with his arms up at a 25 degree angle, the light of fires amidst the camp his only way to see, interspersing calming sounds with "Whoa!", and such. One creature bolts from Auric as he attempts to calm it, knocking him aside into another horse. As the horse turns, its fear makes it rear into the air, the fire glinting off its hooves, creating the illusion of crystalline flame trapped within.
Auric moves into the herd cautiously, with his arms up at a 25 degree angle, the light of fires amidst the camp his only way to see, interspersing calming sounds with "Whoa!", and such. One creature bolts from Auric as he attempts to calm it, knocking him aside into another horse. As the horse turns, its fear makes it rear into the air, the fire glinting off its hooves, creating the illusion of crystalline flame trapped within.
4d10
Crux's treatments seem effective, and in a few moments he realizes he has done all he can for the woman; if she avoids infection, she'll live, though without some kind of magical healing it will be weeks - more than a month, at least - before she's fully recovered.
"Come on boys, we've got a fire to put out."
2d10
Auric's calming attempts cannot truly add to the chaos, but they certainly don't seem to be helping either. Moreover, the impact from the horse knocks the wind out of him for a moment . Undeterred, he tries another tack.
Realizing that all his arm waving is just creating pandemonium, Auric instead attempts to grab the reins of a nearby horse, hoping that calming one will make it easier to calm the others.
The reins swing wildly through the air as Auric grabs at them, flickering between the spots of light given by the fire before they are hidden by the darkness of horse shadows amidst flame. Auric suddenly strikes, sinews contracting and releasing as he stretches his arm to gain hold of the reins.
Realizing that all his arm waving is just creating pandemonium, Auric instead attempts to grab the reins of a nearby horse, hoping that calming one will make it easier to calm the others.
The reins swing wildly through the air as Auric grabs at them, flickering between the spots of light given by the fire before they are hidden by the darkness of horse shadows amidst flame. Auric suddenly strikes, sinews contracting and releasing as he stretches his arm to gain hold of the reins.
4d10
4d10
Crux goes to help put out the fires.
Auric's efforts to calm the horse are surprisingly successful, and that seems enough to spread the calm to the other horse as well. The larger animals pacified, that still leaves chasing down the smaller livestock and returning them to the pen as well.
Behind him, as Crux and Unfettered join those fighting the fires, the burning wagon steams and smokes with greater fury, but it seems as though the water-throwers are beginning to gain the upper hand.
Seeing that his efforts are beginning to have some success, Auric passes off the reins of the quieted animals to the other handlers, and moves to begin calming the other animals.
Desperation beginning to set in, Auric steels himself to action.
Without these mounts, we'll never survive here, nor will we get back to Gem or the Lap. I have to corral these beasts now, it all may end right here. And I'm not going to let that happen.
Releasing his pent up tension, Auric does his best to exude calm as he approaches the remaining pack animals. He meets their watery, fearful eyes with his own steady, calm ones. Soft noises fall from his lips to calm them. Each step he takes, he makes like he is a sentinel, to guard them from harm.
Auric's efforts are successful, and as the flames finally die down under the efforts of Ata, Unfettered, Crux and the others, the animals too have all - or, almost all, for one of the animal handlers keeps calling for his goat - been calmed down.
As the fire dies and some kind of order returns to the camp, a sweating and soot-covered Almah turns to the group and looks you all over. "Well," she says after a brief examination, "your timing was either perfect or terrible, I'm not sure which." She looks over at Garavel, then at the smoking ruins of the wagon. "My astrologer, Eloias, was in there. Given that trying to save him nearly killed two of my mercenaries, I'm assuming he's dead as well." She shows very little discomfort at this statement. "I'd like to know how and why he died, however. It's hard to imagine something like this was an accident." Her blue eyes sweep across the group again, and she nods decisively. "Garavel, since you and your group arrived after the fire started, I think I can safely assume none of you were in any way involved with it. I'd like you to conduct an investigation, now, using these" - her hand sweeps through the air to signal you all - "as you see fit. See to it, and report as soon as you can."
Garavel nods to Almah's suddenly retreating back, then turns to you as well. "Very well," he says coldly. "Best you be about it, then."
Crux finds a stick and begins to poke at the smoldering ruin of the wagon. ‘Seems like a bad way to go, even for someone who would have probably been my competition for the lady’s favor’, he thinks. ‘I wonder if anything salvageable remains.’ Crux takes his time looking for something to show how the fire started. He leaves the talking to the others.
Per + Investigation
Rather pleased with himself for accomplishing his task as he is, Auric puts aside pride for now, and moves to check on the other members of his company. Adjusting his coat, he walks briskly back first to the one that was being treated for injury, then to the others who were pushing the wagon. Assuming they are conscious, he will question them regarding events prior to the attack.
Ata will walk around counting everyone. Then take a walk around the camp in a wide circle. Looking for tracks of people that do not fit with the numbers. Keeping track of our incoming groups footprints too. If he finds any tracks he will come back to the camp before going off to follow them.