"There shall be no theft among us, theif. Not if we are work together. We must find the attackers here, and bring them to justice. If not for retribution then at least to stop it from happening again.
While the theifs actions are not the most honourable, we will need as many supplies as we can gather here, we have no idea how long it will take. These people died pointless deaths at the hands of thugs. ?? ??? ???? ??????. No killing without payment. Killing for anything other than money or survival is foolish."
"No theft? Well that's disappointing. One of my skills already crossed off as useless. Not sure how much use I'll be all told if that's the case. As for killing, unless my life's at stake I won't even consider it. Not even for a city's worth of gold."
Dreylan wasn't even paying attention by this point. He was examining a nearby tent for anything of value.
'While I don't consider thieving noble, not killing unless threatened is.' Tarrik turned and look around. Such slaughter but it appeared nothing of value was taken. Why kill these people? It didn't make sense. He started looking for things of use, not taking from the bodies.
'Once we are finished we should burn these people. They may have been slaughtered like beasts, but they deserve better then to be left for the birds.'
"Thieving, as it has become, is not noble, which is why I refuse to join any of the guilds though many have tried...persuading me" Murtan replied. "Thieving as I do it however, no killing, and only stealing from those who can afford to lose what I take, that has a sense of nobility for most people I believe. Well, except the people who are stolen from obviously."
"Are you done with the moral debate?" Asked Dreylan as he left the tent. "We have other things to do..."
"Fine, fine, we can debate later" Murtan replied, walking to the south of the camp to check for tracks or some sign of passage.
'I don't know about you but I can talk and search at the same time.' Tarrik considered Murtans words, 'It is an interesting point of view. We should discuss this more at lenght later.'
"Indeed. We should find what supplies we can and I agree we should burn the bodies. They should not be left here to be eaten."
White Lion continued to loom menacingly for a bit, then went to examine the bodies to see what exactly had brought their fate - or lack thereof - upon them.
Salman listen to the moral debate, a bit amused. While he wasn't exactly going to steal from someone himself, he understood that men have to do what it takes to survive, especially in the desert. He zoned out a bit, and began playing with a small flame in his hand, working on his fine pyromancy a bit.
Farooq went off to search the dwellings, there may be some clues there as to why someone would want to attack this place. Also, any food that would keep would be useful to the party as a whole.
Zaag simply laughed to himself. The place was a mess, and their first thought had been to steal everything they could? What were these people?
"Surely we have something better to be doing than wondering about what we should or shouldn't be stealing. We should be instead looking for where those responsible for this came from or went afterwards." He looked around at the others he'd met. "Or maybe there could be survivors?"
Salman listened to Zaag. "Looking for survivors would be good. I think we have determined the assailants are headed south though. Although judging by this, I would rather not confront them head on."
Salman thought for a moment. This had not been tribal warfare clearly. The next logical conclusion was that the attackers were robbers. However, it did not make sense, as if the raiders had been looting it would make sense for them to take the valuables from the bodies of the dead. Yet the thief had found gold in the camp, suggesting that it was not a thieving raid. And the mysterious head gear that the one man had seen. What on earth could it all mean?
Prae'tor scanned the area, looking for some hint of what had happened. The attackers had ben ferocious and by the looks of things, quite thorough.
'Personally, I think we should wait here for a few days. Clean up this mess, rest and look for any other clues. Then we should follow them.'
Quote from: Vyper on May 02, 2012, 06:50:16 PM
'Personally, I think we should wait here for a few days. Clean up this mess, rest and look for any other clues. Then we should follow them.'
"A few days? Here? Are you out of your mind? A few days is more than enough time for their trail to be hidden even better than it is already. We'd never find out where those responsible have gone."
"I agree with the Thief. A few days and they will be gone. Also, soon it will not just be the carrion birds looking for food. The smell of death travels far across the desert, and other, larger creatures may come looking for a bite to eat, creatures that are not impartial to hunting their prey."
Salman examined the flesh of one of the burnt dead. Salman had become rather adept and telling the cause of burns, be it burning arrows, fire from a burning tent, oil and flame, especially magickal flame, as he had many encounters with that. What type of burns were these?
[OOC] Rav could you Identify the type of burn that is present? I am sort of assuming Salman could identify it, but you can roll for it if you want.[/OOC]
'You have obviously never met a true hunter before. I could track you blind folded. Besides we know not what foul sorceries surround these 'things'. If we get to close they could learn of our presence. Maybe days was not a wise choice, but by no means should we follow them immediately.'
Quote from: Vyper on May 02, 2012, 07:09:45 PM
'You have obviously never met a true hunter before. I could track you blind folded. Besides we know not what foul sorceries surround these 'things'. If we get to close they could learn of our presence. Maybe days was not a wise choice, but by no means should we follow them immediately.'
"A day max would seem more sensible. I imagine whatever did this will be long gone in 2 or 3 days."
As the rest of the party bickered over when they should leave, the Lion spent a while watching the sky, trying to discern what effects the weather would introduce to the tracking...
Quote from: Vyper on May 02, 2012, 07:09:45 PM
'You have obviously never met a true hunter before. I could track you blind folded. Besides we know not what foul sorceries surround these 'things'. If we get to close they could learn of our presence. Maybe days was not a wise choice, but by no means should we follow them immediately.'
"Me? Perhaps, though it would not be so easy as you think. If you're so confident in your abilities though, why haven't you found any tracks of whatever did this yet?
'Tracks are not the only evidence a creature leaves. Look at the way the area has been destroyed. It was a methodical slaughter, they left the same direction that they entered. Ask Farooq. We go south.'
Farooq emerged from one of the dwelling munching on a fruit he had found.
"Rather than bicker about who is the more skilled practitioner, perhaps those of you who are inclined to tracking should just get on with it, those of you who are are good with healing can look over the bodies and see if we can learn what we may come up against, and the theif can make himself useful and see if he can open any locked doors or boxes so that we might gather more information. The rest of you can amuse yourselves, build a pyre for these bodies or just stand guard.
Staying here overnight is far from ideal, we can still cover a good few leagues before night fall after we have finished up here."
With that the hashishim slipped silently into the next dwelling and began to search again.
"I don't exactly see the need for burning burnt corpses," White Lion quipped. "Regardless, we'd better get on with it. Make sure we know how each one died, though - we don't want to destroy any clues."
Zaag had been staring intently at a collection footprints in the sand for some time.
"Look here, there are the normal footprints you'd expect from the people living here, and working from the depth of the footprints in certain areas of the foot, you can see they were running. These people were not expecting this attack. But that we already knew. The interesting bit are the other prints. They don't seem to be anything I'd normally expect to see."
He looked around at the others. "Does anyone else recognise these as something you've seen before?".
"I didn't claim to be a practised tracker. I can hunt beasts, this does not look like the work of beasts. I was simply pointing out that spending any time more than necessary here would be a complete waste. They're not exactly about to come back because they forgot their sandwiches. It may have been methodical, but anyone with sense enough for that would not leave by the route they came. It's too obvious, too predictable."
'There is a small wooded area about 6 leagues south of here. If these murderers have kept that direction, then I recommend we head there, set up camp and leave at first light tomorrow.'
And with this Prae'tor moved to the southern edge of the encampment to see if he could gain any more useful knowledge of the assailants.
"I can take care of the burning, its a bit of a specialty of mine. That is, unless, anyone feels it should be non-magical fire?" Salman said, snapping his fingers and producing a red flame.
He turned to Farooq. "Hashishim, tell us everything you saw of these mysterious dark warriors. How many were there? How fast did they move? Did they appear to be just raiders, or was did they look like a tribe, with cattle, women and children?"
"I see little to be gained by waiting here for longer than it takes to examine the area and burn the corpses, if you must. I doubt you'll need my help for that, since I am no tracker and my healing magic isn't backed up by any great store of medical knowledge. If you need me, I'll be searching for any supplies, or items of value."
'I agree we shouldn't stay here. There has been too much death here.'
Tarrik realised he hadn't take much actual notice of the dead, other then the fact they were there, 'Has anyone seen any bodies that might have been attackers?'
"Good point, Vedas tribesman. I have not seen any yet, although I have not looked for them. It would not surprise me if there were none, either due to them taking their dead with them, or there not being any dead."
Salman began to search to see if he could find any dead bodies that seemed different. He tried to sense the essence in the air, feel skeins and see if he could get more of a sense of what had happened here. If these mysterious warriors used magic, he would be able to tell by the disturbance of the essence around him, as he had not performed enough magick to cause any true disruption and it was unlikely the victims had been mages.
Rolls
Dreylan's Searching (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500045/)
Murtan's Tracking (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500052/)
Farooq's Searching (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500058/)
White Lion's Examination (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500062/)
Salman's Examination (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500068/)
Prae'tor's Tracking (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500082/)
Zaag's Tracking (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500091/)
Tarrik's Searching (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500113/)
Dreylan found himself inside one of the smaller tents, idly rifling through a small travel chest. Whoever had lived here had been slightly richer than the the rest of the camp. The contents of the chest turned out to be worthless, wood snippets, carved bones, even a small wrap made of sandray flesh. The chest itself was worth something, but carrying it around would look suspicious
Prae'tor shouted back towards the others
'One of you, a mage, come here!'
He had an idea of what he had just found, but he wanted someone else to confirm his suspicions first.
Farooq began the process of sorting though the supplies. Things that were more perishable would need to be delt with first. He took a few strips of the meats and put them in his pouch under his robes for later, they would keep well for several days.
He stepped outside and alerted the others to what he had found, so that they might collect what they needed to augment their own rations.
With nothing else to do, Dreylan hurried over to Prae'tor. "How can I help?"
"Guys, you might want to be on your guard. We've found bonewyrm tracks." Murtan called. He checked his equipment over, making sure his weapons were readily accessible then proceeded to the storage building. As he entered his keen mind took in the available resources, prioritising them according to value, then usefulness. He ignored value for the moment, surviving was more important than valuables, and took what he calculated would be sufficient for 4 days worth of decent meals. At a push he could extend that to 6, assuming the food stayed edible for that long.
Tarrik heard Murtan's call and quickly checked his gear. He then headed into the supply hut and added extra rations for himself, enough so he had a weeks worth all up. He then looked to see if there was faggots of wood. He'd grab one and suggest everyone else do the same. The desert nights got cold.
'Scarab, some kind of ritual happenened here, something involving great power.'
Turning back to the circle, he continued:
'I think they opened some form of portal. Look, the tracks just stop. There is this circle, then nothing. Unless our friends suddenly gained wings and took flight, there are no real other explanations. Although, I doubt the wings theory, as the sand has not been dispersed ina way that a flying creature would cause.'
Rolls
Dreylan's Investigation (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3500322/)
Hurrying over, Dreylan could sense the skeins shifting uneasily, Essence beginning to ebb. Someone or something had used a lot of power to cast some very specific magicks. Which magicks, the veteran chaosigan couldn't be sure. Fulgromantic, most likely, from the spark in the air. More than that, well, he just didn't know. They had so little information with which they could use to track these dark people, and investigating the deaths of the tribespeople had yielded nothing of value either, save for the fact alchemical fire was used.
With the bodies in this part of the camp stacked, the White Lion joined the others at the rations tent, to stock up to a week's supply. His own supply was preserved, and would last many weeks without spoiling, so he would be able to use these rations before they spoiled. That was the plan, anyway.
"I'm afraid there's not much I can make out" Dreylan informed Prae'tor. "It appears Fulgromancy was used, but I can't tell you much more. Lets go back to the others, maybe they can shed some light on this."
Bonewyrms? Farooq had heard of such things, but he had no idea what they were, what they looked like, or how to kill them. That part worried him the most. He hoped that the "axe to the head" method worked on them like it did on just about everything else. He noticed others checking their gear and wondered why they didn't already know where every weapon was and if it was secure.
He walked over to Murtan and asked him about this new threat, the thief knew more than he did and that made him useful. "How do we deal with these bonewyrms? how do they attack?"
"It depends on the bonewyrm. Like us they have varying levels of intelligence. I was lucky the last time I faced one, it simply charged at us straight across the sand and we had time to react, but I've heard tales of others who you never see coming until they're emerging from the sand beneath your feet. Looks like this one was driven off, probably by the fire. So it's sensible, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's smart. Best thing we can do is be on our guard and hope. A fire would probably help too, but that's no guarantee."
"If they are afraid of fire, I think I can keep it away" Salman said. "Does anyone have any objection to me burning the bodies now?"
"They fear fire, but like any creature they fear starvation more, and I don't know how they behave with regards to territory. They're strange beasts, and I'm not from these parts, so I don't really know much more about them unfortunately. Hopefully what I do know will be enough if it comes to it."
Zaag continued looking at the marks this 'bonewyrm' had made. Had it exited into a tunnel or fled across the sand. Considering those thoughts he had a final look around to see if there would be any trace of this and then left to join the others taking his share of the rations.
After some thought he said. "Is it best we camp somewhere with a good source of fire this night, in case a bonewyrm decides to return? Or push on and try our luck?"
"If there is a forest to the south, we could do worse than to get to it so we have plenty of firewood. I'm sure our pyromancer here can get them going, then whoever is on guard can keep them hot."
"I don't think we want to risk a forest fire. Saving our skins is one thing, but in doing so, annoying every tribe who uses that forest for supplies. Think of the problems that would cause us if they don't want to help."
"Do you not trust my skill with a flame, Envoy?" Salman said jokingly. "The forest seems like a good choice, I am in favor of that route."
'We needn't build our fire in the forest, but just beyond. We can set up camp in the trees, and who ever is on watch can keep their eye on the fire. I recommend two people per shift. But any way it is all well and good talking of camps and fires and I believe the first is the best route, but we have a short while ahead of us before we camp and I suggest we focus on here and now.'
"There's definitely a forest to the south then? As I say, I don't know this area particularly well, but I can navigate well enough by day or night if I have a route."
"Sounds like a good plan. If we are ready to leave, I shall burn the bodies." Salman pulled his staff off of his back and began swinging it back and forth, fire filling the air.
"Then let it be done quickly, we need to get moving. I am going to scout ahead, ensure there are no suprises."
'I shall go with you Farooq.'
"Would you like a blindfold?" Murtan asked Prae'tor with a grin "I have sharp eyes and ears, I'll form a rearguard and make sure nothing sneaks up on us without warning"
[OOC]Rav I am going to pretty much assume I can take care of this easily[/OOC]
With the bodies stacked up, Salman swirled around his bladed staff, as flames spouted out of the tip. The fire settled over the bodies and burned, slowly reducing them to ashes.
"I shall follow behind you, make sure everything is cleaned up here." In his mind, he knew he needed to perform a few final rituals to ensure the innocent lives passed on to the next world.
As the bodies burned, the White Lion adjusted his cloak to better cover himself, and turned to the south.
"We should get moving. We have no reason to continue waiting."
Prae'tor turned to Murtan, gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder and walked to the front of the group quietly laughing.
'Well then, if were all quite done here, lets get moving.'
Tarrik looked around the camp one last time, thinking about what these people could of taught him, and now never will.
He checked all his gear was with him and moved over to the group, 'I'm ready to leave.'
Rolls
Salman's Flames (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3502000/)
Murtan spared one last glance at the pyre as they left. Several of the bodies still had jewellery on them. Being dead, they were unlikely to miss those items, but he couldn't do anything while the others watched. So, with a heavy sigh, he turned south and began following Prae'tor through the sands. It was, to a man, a strange group of travellers. It seemed odd that so many would be drawn to the same event, but he had seen stranger things back in the western cities.
Further ahead, walking with Prae'tor, Farooq wondered why they were all so insistent on travelling during the day. For now, it was late afternoon, but surely they knew what the heat of the Firetide sun did to the sands. Perhaps he would bring it up when they stopped. Travelling at night would be so much easier. The air was cooler, the ground a little firmer, and one could always draw moisture from plants they passed. Some plants would even enhance their perception of reality. Others, however
"Leagues would be an overstatement, but next time you say forest, perhaps you should mean forest and not copse. If you think I'm soft, you can think again boy. I may not be the toughest here, but I've survived my fair share, including in the wilds."
After watching Prae'tor and Murtan bicker for a moment, Dreylan turned to the others. "So, while those two argue for a bit, what do you all think our next move should be?"
Tarrik tried some diplomacy before a fight could get started, 'Perhaps describing it as an oasis would of been better. Still, I'm glad of the water and the shade.'
He then turned to Dreylan, 'Resting while the sun is still so hot and moving on again once it has set. I would of suggested waiting back at the camp we found, but I didn't want to be so close to that much death.'
'For someone so tough, you seem to complain an awful lot. Anyway, there is water here, shelter, fruit, not fully ripened, but a fair meal none the less. If we are going to find out what evil has encroached on these lands, then I suggest we stop these pointless arguments.'
Turning to the nearest tree, Prae'tor edged his way up the side of the tree until he came upon a cluster of kimri. He cut the cluster of with his knife, before tossing them down to the others.
'Here, try these.'
"Complain? Perhaps you should learn the difference between complaints and pointing out your poor terminology. I've had kimri before. I'm not native to these lands, but this isn't my first time in the east."
Taking another Kimri cluster, Prae'tor slid back down the tree and turned to face Murtan.
'Maybe we should learn from each other raher than pointing out faults. I am willing to forget the arguments and go back to square one, so to speak. Are you?'
And with that Prae'tor held out his left arm towards Murtan.
The White Lion rested against the shady side of one of the trees, watching the thief with interest. Whilst this certainly wasn't his first visit, Caffran didn't usually hang around in the east for longer than it took to acquire a slightly different identity after an unusually complicated job. What exactly, then, was he doing out here, in the desert? How badly did his last job go?
The lion drank a little more water, and pondered that he might also be somewhat out of place in a desert. The armour would make travelling during early afternoon even more awkward than it already was. Perhaps some modifications would be required if this was going to happen more often; perhaps a canteen integrated into the helmet, with a small valve to stop water escaping when it shouldn't? Lost in thought, the mighty warrior phased out of the conversation for a while.
Tarrik decided to ignore the two bickering for the time being. If they wanted to fight while everyone was resting, let them. He looked over at the armoured giant and decided to speak to him.
Walking over he asked, 'I understand you are from the west? What can you tell me about those lands?'
Farooq climbed the tallest of the trees and looked around to see if there was anything that might give them an idea where to go, it was getting darker now, but there may have been something further south, it could have been a mirage though. He would check again in the morning. Grabbing one of the fruits while he was up there he clambered back down and drew his utility knife, a small but still very sharp blade. Eating the fruit he filled his canteen to the brim with the water nearby and then approached the group.
"We should in future travel at night where possible we will be able to travel further with risking the effects of the sun. Now, we need to set up a good camp, we also need firewood." He drew his axe. "I can handle that bit."
Salman had relaxed a bit after he had gotten rid of the bonewyrm. He would have felt better if he had actually killed it though, as it was still out there.
"I can take first watch with someone. Hashinish, if you collect wood I will get the fire going."
"Fine, fine, just be more careful with your wording next time" Murtan replied with a small smile taking the proferred hand. "For now, I need to refill my flask and consider potential options"
The Lion took a moment to phase back in. Then he spoke. "The East and the West do not share an awful lot of similarities. The land in the West is far more temperate than here; whereas here the tribes travel the plains and deserts, the west forms small settlements and sets up farms. The magick is also very different - Healing is significantly more powerful and direct, but its closest equivalent here, Moonsinging, has the ability to charm. Jin and Eryje are not known in the West; likewise, Seia has little power in the east.
"The cities, though... the cities have many similarities. The cuisine varies from region to region, but the streets are always the same. And the damn marketers always, always drive a hard bargain." The warrior huffed to himself. "There is plenty more I can tell you, but I fear I would never stop talking. You could probably write a book, scholar that you are - except, there's another difference - the East uses scrolls more than books."
The White Lion hauled himself to his feet. "In the mean time, I suggest that if we're going to be camping around here, we should set up some sort of perimeter, and work out who shall be on watch."
"I will take watch over night, the darkness is my greatest ally. Anyone sneaking up on us will find very quickly that they are not alone. 2 people should be on watch at any time though.Ii suggest 3 hour shifts."
Hefting his axe he moved to one of the smaller trees and began to hack the branches from it. The wood was suprisingly dense, which was of benefit to them as it would burn more slowly, lasting longer. It wouldn't be as bright, but using lots fo the smaller sticks and twigs would remedy that as they would burn faster.
Tarrik listen intently to The White Lion as he spoke. He always found it interesting listen to other peoples points of view. Tarrik had only been to a city once, many years ago and had only spend a day. He hadn't visited the markets or much of the city really, but he had talked and traded with the 'vanners that his tribe traded with and he knew they liked to try and haggle you down.
When The White Lion commented on Tarriks scholary additude he smiled, 'I'm a warrior at heart really, my father insisted I learn as much as I could about our tribe and the skills of our people. I guess I've always taken that with me and tried to learn as much as I can from everyone.'
Tarrik stood up as well, 'I think it would be best to rest untill it's cooled off then travel for a few hours. Maybe we should see what the others think?'
'I will take first watch as well if you wish. How long shall we rest here? I agree with moving at night, however these patches of life become more sparse as we travel further into the wastes. Just an idea, but we could fashion some sort of sledge to carry water and any spare supplies. Take turns dragging it.'
Murtan started looking around for deadwood to start the fire with, partly because dead wood burns more easily, but mainly because it would give off less smoke, less likely to attract unwanted attention.
'A pack animal would be better then a sledge. Would also allow us to take more stuff with us. The problem would be in a fight keeping it calm and from getting injured. Most of the rumors I've heard place these people as coming from the coast. So places like this would probably be more common. Although I must admit I'm guessing on that. The Verdas tribe travel more inland. We have traded with tribes that live near the coast.'
'As we reach the coast yes, they shall become more apparent, but there is a fair amount of desert between here and the coast.'
"Hashinish, are you saying you would take watch all night with the other rotating? Or that you will take a shift? I would take an early shift so I can make sure the fire is going well."
Zaag stepped out from where he had been leaning against a tree avoiding most conversation. Just listening and taking as much in as he could.
He drew his hatchet, and walked over to Farooq. "You cut the big branches and I'll cut them into smaller pieces. Sound like a plan?"
"Agreed, look out then."
Farooq Hacked at a branch causing to crash down in front of Zaag.
"And no, I'm saying 3 hour shifts for everyone. We all need sleep, even me. But the darkness works for me."
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Replied Zaag as he got to work cutting the branch.
Rolls
Sled Construction (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3503076/)
First Watch/Watchfulness (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3503085/)
Farooq's Distraction (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3503101/)
The eight travellers worked quickly, setting up the camp, starting a small fire, and even trying to construct a sled on which to carry extra supplies. The sled did not work out. Any dead wood cracked too easily, and they were loath to cut down a tree just to help themselves when other tribes might need the resources. A lack of rope for lashings was another concern. A few of them had rope, but nowhere near enough to lash the branches together. In the end, Prae'tor and Tarrik collected their rope, and heaped the wood on the fire with a sigh of disgust.
In the west, the sun had sunk far below the horizon. Above, the stars twinkled overhead, pinpoints of light in the night sky. To the east silvery Cronos and pale green Aberros rose into the sky, casting a wan light across the desert. Both moons were nearly full. In the western sky, a tiny point of black marked the face of Disyrious, visible only as it blocked the stars above. The air was already growing cooler, a light wind shifting the nearby sands. In an hour, maybe two, they would be able to walk the sands safely under the light of the moons.
Farooq and Prae'tor took the first watch, standing on opposite sides of the camp as the others rested. Occasionally one of them would stir, it would not do to fall into a deep sleep just yet. Prae'tor heard the rumbling hiss first. The sand rippled towards the camp in a herringbone trail, turning away to the north at the last instant. Catching Farooq's attention, the tribesman pointed to the north, at the trail in the sand. The Hashashim nodded, wrapping a shawl over the lower half of his face. As he did so, Farooq seemed to fade, moonlight passing through the space he had been standing in.
He knew it was unlikely to fool a creature like the bonewyrm, but Farooq would take every advantage he could get. Carefully, he paced the trail, stamping at its end. A sudden spray of sand in the distance told him it had worked. Taking a small alchemical sphere from beneath his robe, the hashashim inserted a short length of match, lit it, and threw the device as hard as possible to the west. Then he ran back to the safety of the camp.
The spray of sand seemed to be getting dangerously close. Prae'tor watched with increasing alarm as Farooq ran towards the fire. Halfway there, a loud bang, followed by several sharp reports, echoed across the desert. The bonewyrm turned, arrowing towards the source of the sounds. Something that loud could only be a nightwing crashing into the sound. Seeing that the bonewyrm had turned away, Farooq turned to Prae'tor and bowed briefly before resuming his post. It would not be long, and they would then be moving swiftly across the desert sands.
Salman was half awake when he heard noise. Rising quickly, he saw that Farooq and Prae'tor seemed to have things under control. He walked over to Farooq. "What have I missed?" he asked. After a brief explanation, he said "I can take over watch now if you or The archer wants to rest."
"I can continue Salman, however it may be prudent for us to move on, within the hour. If the creature knows we are here, it could bring others."
Dreylan was a light sleeper at the best of times, so the noises quickly roused him. As he got up he heard the conversation. "I agree with Farooq. I'd rather avoid danger that isn't relevant to our quest. Let's wake the others and leave, unless they come up with better ideas"
'I suggest that seeing as you are awake, you the two of you should try to collect as much water as you can. We will be moving at night, but it is always advisable to carry as much water as possible.'
"A wise plan. Pass me the canteens and I will take them to the water while you all prepare your sleeping gear."
Dreylan also took some canteens and began filling them with water.
"Sounds like a solid plan. I can begin scouting ahead, make sure we have the trail following the dark warriors."
"Wha... I heard something loud." Zaag awoke, sitting bolt upright and looking around, instinctively reaching out for his crossbow.
"Do we have something to hunt?"
Checking his gear over carefully, Murtan hadn't slept well, but hadn't really needed it having only been awake for about an hour before he found the ruined camp. He had awoken at the sound of the explosion and kept his eyes focussed on the sand around the area of the noise while the rest of the group made ready to depart.
Returning to the group with Dreylan and an armful of canteens, they were returned to their respective owners.
"If we are prepared, we should move out. Speaking from experience, staying in one place to long after being found is never a good idea. Do we have a direction of choice, or do we keep heading south?"
There was a loud clank from under one of the trees as the Lion hauled himself up from his seated position.
"I'm game for south, but if the trackers can pick something up so much the better."
Zaag looked up, having now finished packing his stuff, ready for the day ahead.
"Are we going to see what that was? Or avoid the bonewyrm like the plague?"
"Unless you fancy dying, I'd avoid the bonewyrm. It's distracted for now. I suggest we take advantage of that and make tracks while we can. I doubt it'd kill us all, but they're tough bastards and I'd really rather not face one again if I can help it."
"South is good, considering that was their route. I cannot think of any other significant landmarks along the way that would cause them to change course."
Salman gathered his gear, which was not much. As a guide he had learned it was better to travel light in the desert, mostly just carrying his weapons, food, and water, leaving other, nonessentials at home.
Prae'tor took the remaining kimri that he had not eaten and stored them in one of his belt pouches.
Turning south, he looked to the others,
'Come, let us travel as far as we can while it is still dark.'
As the moons rose in the night sky, the eight began their trek across the desert, not knowing when they would next encounter food, water, or any sign of life. The stars above offered no clue as to what they might find, but to the tribesmen in the group, they told them that they were still headed south, in pursuit of the dark people. The ground was easy to cover, massive low lying ergs of pale sand. Plants were few, a handful of ankle high succulents, and a single flower of the white death lily.
The hours wore on, and the moons began to sink. If it weren't for their own footprints, the travellers could have sworn they were no further from the oasis than when they started. As it was, they were now seven leagues south of the camp. At least, the stars said it was south. No one had a compass, but the tribesmen were sure of the way, and assured the westerners that the sky could not lie to them. With the moons setting all eight began setting up camp, preparing rolls of cloth to use as shades, and smaller sheets to place on top of the sand.
There was time for a small meal, and some short conversation, but if they wanted to travel a full night, they would have to be asleep by dawn.
"Okay, looks like rest is sensible right now, lets get this food sorted and get rest as quickly as possible. Who wants first watch?"
'I'll take first watch. Who wishes to join me?
"I will" Dreylan volunteered, before getting some of his rations out.
Tarrik nodded to Dreylan and started getting his own rations out for a quick snack.
Taking out his rations, Salman squatted down and had a small meal. He was a bit tired, and decided he would prepare to sleep.
Farooq quickly set up his sleeping area, and arranged his robes to protect him from the sun. He was weary having taken guard before.
He took some of the liberated roast meat and ate a few strips and washed it down with some of the water.
"If I am needed, wake me, carefully."
Then he quickly fell into a restful sleep.
"I'll take second watch if that's alright" Murtan commented as he readied himself for sleep. "I'm still not convinced that bonewyrm's left us alone"
Prae'tor prepared his sleeping gear an lay down near the others. Without saying a word, he closed his eyes and sept.
After a brief meal and a temporary disappearance to relieve himself, White Lion set up a small tent. "I shall take second watch as well. The rest of you can debate who wants third watch, but right now, some rest is required."
Zaag looked around as he ate. It still appeared empty. He looked to see those taking first watch. "3 hours, wake me up and I'll switch".
"Second watch is taken Zaag. Myself and the Lion. You'll be woken in 6 if you still want the earliest watch possible." Murtan replied.
Farooq was awoken by a strange noise. He heard voices floating in the air.
"Necron. . .looted Deffkopters. . .put reigns on it"
"Did anyone else hear. . . ?"
The voices faded, and the hashishim returned to his rest.
"Ah, I did not hear that Murtan. I'll take that then."
Tarrik looked at Farooq, he hadn't heard a thing. He went back to setting his sleeping gear and having a light meal before he started his watch.
Rolls
First Watch Encounters (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3517213/)
Second Watch Encounters (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3517216/)
Third Watch Encounters (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3517217/) 17/18
Tarrik sat opposite Dreylan, each of the tribesmen watching over the other's shoulder. It let them keep watch and converse quietly at the same time. With nothing but the current situation linking them, each of them began talking about his tribe, their customs, and what they thought of the so called dark people. They knew these people could use magick. They also knew they had very dark skin
"After a meal we should get moving."
"Are we continuing on south?"
"A meal would go better. We've just enough wood for a fire if there's any meat to cook. We can decide where we're heading once we've all woken up a bit and eaten something" Murtan replied.
"Speaking of meals, Tarrik and I saw some camels in that direction while we were on watch. One of them got eaten by a bonewyrm, but they could be a source of food and could mean that there's water in in that direction."
Farooq appeared over Dreylans shoulder.
"Camels you say? Good eating on one if you can find one that hasnt been ravaged. And they know where the water is. We should head to where you saw them once we have eaten."
'Maybe we could use one of the camels to transport our gear, a pack animal.'
"IF you could tame the beast. Camels aren't exactly the nicest of creatures."
"The question is what do we need more, a pack animal or a meal. All of us have no more than we can carry as it stands, however we have limited food and don't know when the next chance to obtain supplies will arise." Murtan commented. "I vote meal" he said, drawing his bow.
"A pack animal can quickly become a meal if necessary however. And it is not as if camels are heavy eaters." Salman chimed in.
'I say meal too. We have neither means nor the time to tame one.' Tarrik then turned to Farooq, 'When you say they are 'dark people', could they have been covered in warpaint?'
Farooq considered this. It is possible certainly. But it was not just their apperence I was reffering to, they felt. . wrong. . to me.
Tarrik considered Farooq's words. He'd never met anyone that 'felt wrong', but he trusted his judgement on this. He had no reason to distrust him. 'Hopefully we will get some answers soon.'
Rolls
Encounter Chance (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3536508/)
Encounter Type (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3536510/)
Dreylan's Shelter (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3536526/)
Backfire (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3536529/)
Dreylan's Healing Attempt (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3536536/)
Prae'tor and Zaag consulted for a few moments, sketching something in the sand that the others couldn't quite see. After a moment more, they nodded in agreement and turned to the others.
"We are heading south, into the heart of the Katuni wastes. We have water enough for four nights' travel, and food enough for ten," Prae'tor spoke first, informing them of their current location.
"It is claimed that across the three hundred leagues of hamada desert that there is not a single oasis. This is true. There is not a single oasis
on the surface of the wastes," Zaag told the group what he knew of the wastes from speaking with all the tribes nearby. "But beneath the sand and stones there is something more than any mere oasis. Do you know why the long-arms grow only in the waste?"
The others shook their heads. Most of them didn't even know what a long-arm was.
"The long-arm tree, the sacaruo tree, has a drinking root that can pierce even the hardest rock. This root sinks until it finds water. Then the plant grows tall, feeding on this water."
"They take a long time to grow, many tens of years," Tarrik said, remembering something he had been taught as a child. "It is a crime to drink from them if they are shorter than a man."
"That is true, Tarrik, but it is not a crime, merely inadvisable. Young sacaruo have a poison of madness in their water. Some claim it lets them See. Others claim it protects from the harm of the desert. All I can say is that it is not pleasant."
"You've been through here before?" the White Lion asked pointedly.
"Once. We found the heart of the waste, the deep spring that flows to the oasis of Hirikash."
"Then we must move quickly to find this spring, to find water for our travels."
"We move," Prae'tor urged the others on. "Time must not be wasted."
The group rose, their gear light on their backs, and began heading south, across the last few sandy ergs of Astar's Torment. In the distance they heard the shrill cry of a nightwing on the hunt. A soft wind began shifting the sand around, pushing at their backs as if urging them onwards. The stars glowed brightly overhead. Cronos and Aberros lit the desert with their pale faces, Disyrious hidden by the night and the shadow of the world.
As time passed, the wind at their back group stronger. All the tribsemen grew uneasy. A strong wind in the desert was usually a harbinger of ill events. Turning, Dreylan saw that their fears would soon be realised. In the distance grew a swirling wave of sand and dust, rolling across the desert floor.
"Stop. Now!" Dreylan shouted, pointing towards the distant cloud. The others halted after a moment, turning to face the oncoming storm.
"We must make shelter, now," Tarrik said, hurriedly unfurling his bedroll. "The storm will be upon us in mere moments."
"Stand back!" Dreylan warned, already weaving the skeins through his magelines, preparing to make the group an instant shelter in the rocky surface. He was not to know the swirling desert winds would also stir up the skeins, suddenly flooding the area with wild Essence. The resulting explosion gouged out twelve yards of rock along a trench fifty yards long and six feet deep. The side closest to the storm was hit hardest, a curtain wall of rock seeming to thrust up from the desert floor, the force and heat of the explosion fusing it in place.
Dreylan was thrown twenty feet through the air, landing hard against a rocky outcrop, groaning in pain. He could see that the magick had essentially worked. Worked a little too well in fact, as the others rose and dusted themselves off, shaking their heads or massaging their ears. Rising slowly, Dreylan once more attempted to call on the skeins, and found to his annoyance that the either the explosion or the approaching storm had stripped the land of Essence.
Well, I'll just be sore in the morning, he thought ruefully.
The storm was almost upon them, and everyone took shelter behind the wall of rock, drawing their bedrolls and shades tightly about them. It was going to be a long night. Around the wall, the wind howled and the night grew black as pitch, as dark as Morrde's black heart.
Health
Farooq: 12/12
Tarrik: 17/17
Zaag: 20/20
Pare'tor: 15/15
Salman: 16/16
Dreylan: 11/17
Murtan: 14/14
White Lion: 16/16
Rations: 10 Nights
Water: 4 Nights
"I didn't hurt any of you did I?" Dreylan asked as they settled down in the shelter. "That didn't quite go as I'd hoped, but I'm fairly sure I know what went wrong. Shouldn't happen again."
Tarrik tried to hear what Dreylan said over the wind but it was useless. He pointed at his ears, then to the storm, then shrugged. He then tried to get everyones attention before pointing to himself, his eyes, then swept his arms around. He was offering to take first watch while the others rested but he wasn't sure the others understood him.
"Well, after that bit of success, shall we make some shelter?" Zaag says, with an edge of sarcasm in his voice.
Farooq sighed at the explosion. In his experience mages were far too trigger happy. He adjusted his robes so that only his eyes were exposed and he pulled a gauze like layer over his face to protect them. He saw Tarriks guesture and got his attention and repeated it. He would stand watch with him, he was used to such weather conditions, assassinations could take a man all over the globe, and you had to be ready.
Tarrik nodded to Farooq. Before quickly having some water and then making sure he was covered up and then tried to find a sheltered spot with a decent view.
'Wow.'
Prae'tor shook his head in disbelief, before pulling his cloak around him and adjusting his face scarf. Flattening himself against the rock, he closed his eyes and waited for the storm to pass.
White Lion reached inside his helmet and flicked down a thin layer of cloth as a sand visor against the storm. Then he got the edge of his shelter embedded in the wall and took cover underneath it.
Friggin' mages.
Based on some of the looks he was getting, Dreylan was fairly sure not all of his companions appreciated his impromptu shelter. He couldn't figure out why (it worked, didn't it?) but then he had always had trouble understanding people. Magick was so much simpler, and surprisingly often less explosive.
Sitting in the centre of the shelter Murtan gave a nod of appreciation to Dreylan. Things may not have gone as the mage planned, but shelter was shelter and the mage was the only one harmed by his mistake so no harm, no foul as far as he was concerned. Especially as the mage could simply have made shelter for himself and let the rest suffer. As he rested he considered their plan. He didn't know these lands particularly well, but was it really wise to head into the wastes without the slightest idea what they may face there? As a whole the party looked like they could handle themselves, but they weren't exactly numerous.
Attempting to put those thoughts out of his mind for now he listened carefully for any changes in the wind which may indicate that the storm was starting to die down.
Salman chuckled slightly to himself. Even though Dreylan had helped the party, people were not exactly appreciative. Salman was used to it; Easterners never appreciated mages. Salman himself often tried to avoid telling people he was one unless necessary. Better to let them think he was simply a very skilled swordsman.
Rolls
Sandstorm Duration (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547295/)
Dreylan's Pathfinding (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547297/)
Salman's Pyromancy (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547298/)
Salman's Exhaustion (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547299/)
Encounter Chance (Travel Time) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547302/)
Encounter Chance (Arrival) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547304/)
Encounter (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3547302/)
The night remained black as pitch, the moons visible only as the merest blur overhead. The wind continued to rage, grains of sand beating at the far side of Dreylan's barrier. It seemed as if the entire desert was destined to move across the Katuni wastes. Conversation was impossible, and the forced inactivity made everyone restless. In time all eight found themselves in a tight huddle, shouting to be heard above the winds. It was clear the winds would not abate any time soon.
A plan was hatched to continue moving, proposed by Salman and endorsed by both Dreylan and Farooq. Anything to get them across the wastes. And perhaps moving through the storm might allow them to gain ground on these mysterious 'dark' people. Dreylan would lead the way, following the skeins, and using the moonsense he had developed to keep them moving straight and true. Salman would travel at the rear of the group, using his pyromancy to maintain a shield of flame to drive the sand away as it blew at their backs. The rest would travel between them, all their hands linked so as not to lose their way.
It was slow going, but as Salman wove the skeins around his arms and performed the gyrkata of immolation the pressure behind them seemed to wane, a warm glow at their backs driving them onwards. At the head of the column Dreylan drew on the absolute minimum amount of Essence he needed to follow the skeins and 'see' the moons. With that, he set the party true, heading south through the desert. It remained as black as Morrde's heart, but none dared shut their eyes in case they somehow lost the group.
The odd grain of sand still blew past, and flurries descended from above, making them all itch, but no one complained. This was the desert. If you couldn't handle a little itch, you went mad, and then you either left the desert, or died. It felt like they had been traveling for an eternity when an odd glow seemed to limn the storm from the east. The sun was just cresting the horizon, the light of dawn a welcome sight as the storm finally seemed to be easing.
As the sand began to fall from the air they all saw that the wastes had changed since Zaag had last seen them
Tarrik sworn in his tribes tongue on seeing the fissure. He'd never heard of or seen anything like this. He asked the obivious question, "What magick is this?"
"Now that's a long way down" Murtan commented with a whistle. "What's our plan for getting around this? Is one of our mages a geomancer perhaps?"
"This is not how it should be. Things have happened here, big things and not good things."
Zaag looked around searching for anything that could give an idea as to what could possibly cause such a change to the landscape.
"I hadn't even heard this from the tribes, this must have changed recently."
"I don't know about you, but I am going around. Magick is all well and good, but walking works. I have not the patience to wait for magick to be prepared and calculated. I will see you on the otherside."
"I daresay the mages will be waiting for us to meet up with them again, but I'm with you." Murtan replied. "I am not taking my chances with a drop like that."
'Walking seems a good idea. The end can be seen, it shouldn't take us too long to detour around.'
"I have a few ideas for getting across, but that drop makes me unwilling to try. I'll go around too, but first let me see if I can sense any magic behind this formation." Dreylan focussed, trying to sense any sign that the essence in this area had been disturbed recently.
"Feel all you like mage."
Farooq began to walk around the fissure, following the edge of the great chasm.
Rolls
Dreylan's Investigation (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3550864/)
As Dreylan spread his senses out wide, he was immediately aware that the strangeness of this place was magickal in nature, and recent as well. Not more than three days had passed since the land had been changed. A shimmering wake of Essence seemed to cover the strangely coloured vegetation, implying that perhaps it had been summoned rather than grown. There was also the distinct tang of fulgromancy in the skeins, something much more recent, perhaps only hours old.
As fast as they had tried to move, it seemed that the dark people, and the mage leading them, were always one step ahead. Sighing in disgust, Dreylan stood and began walking the long way around the fissure. He would get answers, one day.
Catching up with the others, Dreylan quickly informed the others that the fissure was no more than three days old. "Also," he added, "Fulgromancy has been used recently. I'm no expert on storm magicks, but I'm starting to doubt that sandstorm was a coincidence."
Zaag thought for a moment. "Can anyone recall if there was a tribe around here? I haven't been around here in a while. If there was maybe we could go and see if they can tell us anything."
He thought again. "If that sandstorm was no coincidence, that would mean that they know we are coming. I do not like the idea of that."
Tarrik looked around, he couldn't shake the feeling something was gonna happen soon. He wasn't sure what but he didn't think it'd be good. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he followed the other.
Edit; I see we lost the OOC thread. :P
Rolls
Encounter Chance (Morning) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3606801/)
Encounter Chance (Noon) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3606802/)
Encounter Chance (Afternoon) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3606804/)
Encounter Chance (Night) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3606806/)
Searching the Wastes (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3606807/)
Safely past the fissure, the travellers began searching for shelter, some shade in which to spend the day. After half an hour's walk, they found a low rock outcrop, wide enough to shade them all if they lay at its base. Bedding down, they rested, taking turns at watch while the sun walked across the sky. The day seemed to be completely uneventful, without so much as a single creature to break the monotony of the hamada. The Katuni wastes had been given that name for a reason, after all.
As the sun began to set, the eight travellers rose from their rest, taking stock of their supplies, then continuing to move southwards, hoping to find some sign
Farooq knelt down and examined the object in his gloved hand. It was an intricate little thing, certainly not something a commoner would have just lying about.
"Theif, get over here and have a look at this. Have you ever. . .aquired. . .anything such as this during your works? It is a fine peice yes? Something from a nobles pocket perhaps? Maybe there was somone a little special in that camp?"
Roll (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3610036/)
"It's a fine piece of work certainly. Very good craftsmanship to be found in such a simple camp. From the size and oarnate nature I would say this belonged to a female. That may seem obvious, but it's not unheard of for prized bodyguards and the like to be rewarded with silver, or even gold bracelets. However they're usually quite a bit thicker than this, covering the entire wrist.
There may be some clue as to who this belonged to from the tracings. I know in the West each noble has his own sigil, and other such marks which will be commonly left on House jewels, makes fencing them a pain, but I don't know enough about the East to tell if the filligree pattern is significant in any way."
"Zaag is a Messenger, he may know if it's part of the tribes markings or just random design."
Zaag cracks his knuckles. He leans over to view the design.
Roll (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3625115/)
Guys, you're not going to like this. I do not think I know what this could be. I know of many designs but this is not one I instinctively recognise. At a push I can tell you Murtan is right and it would be designed for a woman, maybe the lover of a noble, it is certainly an expensive piece. I guess the camp could be targeted due to this? I can not be sure.
Has anyone else got a better idea? Check around everyone and I'll do some more thinking.
Rolls
Tarrik's Inspection (Bracelet) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3660322/)
Ritual Magick (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3660354/)
Dreylan's Altermancy (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3660365/)
Magickal Backlash (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3660385/)
Tarrik looked around. Aside from the great rift behind them, the hamada plateau was empty. They were called the Katuni
wastes for a reason after all. Sighing, he turned to take another look at the bracelet. Having looked it over, and not knowing what else to do with it, the Vedas tribesman raised it towards the sun, squinting at the design. Then it hit him. He had seen a design like that before. Once. An Envoy had come from the far south of the desert, and she had worn jewellery like this piece.
It wasn't a bracelet. It was anklet, and the symbol was from the Ghaswin tribe. It meant Envoy. Which meant that the dark people had moved very quickly indeed to track the Envoy down. It also meant the dark people had been in the desert longer than expected, if that Envoy had had time to race across the sands and warn one of the northern tribes. The implication was that the Envoy had been taken by force, and maybe, just maybe, was trying to leave a trail of clues for any would-be rescuers to follow.
Tarrik quickly and animatedly explained his theory to the group.
"We must move quickly," Salman urged. "Time is not our ally, and every moment we waste, the further away these dark people are getting."
"But which way would we move, Rikashi?" Prae'tor asked. "We have an anklet, not a trail. We do not know which way this Envoy was moved."
"Perhaps our mage will know
Farooq stood, he felt a little of, somewhat off balance by the ritual. He shook his head and the sensation subsided. Regaining his composure he looked over Dreylan.
"I am no healer, but I believe our friend needs some attention. Especially if we are going to find out what he saw."
Tarrik stood and shook his head before shivering. He was no mage and didn't enjoying being apart of rituals. He just hoped it worked.
Zaag walked over to the unconscious mage. He turned the mage onto has back and slapped his face to try and wake him. He looked up "I've seen it work before, anyone else want a go?"
"More seriously, lets wake this guy up, anyone good at healing around here? We should get moving soon."
Waking Dreylan (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3668277/)
Dreylan groaned a little when Zaag slapped him, but remained unconcious. He mumbled something, but all that the others could make out was the word "toadstool". Who knew what strange thoughts were going through the chaosigans mind?
Rolls
Tarrik's Salts (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3689326/)
Seeing the others milling around, Tarrik reached into his pack and withdrew a pinch of a very pungent crystal. He wafted the fumes across Dreylan's face. The mage sat bolt upright, coughing and spluttering as Tarrik took the salts away.
"East
"Indeed." He then turned back to Dreylan, "What did you see young Mage?"
Healing (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3689367/)
Healing amount (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3689369/)
After retching a little more, Dreylan was finally able to answer Tarrik. "I saw a few different things, but the only one I am certain of was the towers of Asrya. We need to go east."
After glancing warily at the 'smelling salts' that Tarrik was putting away, Dreylan began singing:
"Maan skyn en gloei,
Laat jou krag skyn,
Maak die klok omgekeerde,
Terug te bring wat eens myne was.
Genees wat seergekry het,
Verander die lot ontwerp,
Red wat verlore geraak het,
Terug te bring wat eens myne was,
Wat eens myne was"
Glancing up at the sun, Dreylan cursed softly. His healing had barely helped at all. He decided to try again later that evening.
Health
Dreylan: 5/17 [Exhausted]
Zaag looks to the mage.
"I think I'll try and find something that might help with that headache you've got there."
He then turned to the rest of the group: "Anyone want to help me try and find something, I'm sure there could be something around here."
"We might find something back at that cayon. Might find something edible at least. I can't think of any reason to do that other then to grow edible food."
"Much appreciated, Zaag, as long as it smells better than those salts."
"If we can avoid retracing our steps that would be good. Maybe we should scout forward and see if there is anything nearby."
Roll for suitable area to use as a lookout (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3689403/)
"I think there is something over there." Zaag points further east. "At the very least, I think it's a tall dune."
Farooq volenteered to scout ahead, he was good at tracking and concealment which made him the obvious choice.
"I'll take one other if you can keep up. I don't have the patience to babysit you, but two sets of eyes are better then one."
"I'll go with you."
"Very well, keep up, and keep your eyes open."
Farooq moved off swiftly with Tarrik in tow. He was hoping for some high ground, or better, some trees, as these could be climbed for observation, dug near for water and if needs, cut for firewood.
Rolls
Encounter Chance (Travel Leg 1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3792167/)
Encounter Chance (Travel Leg 2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3792168/)
Encounter Chance (Travel Leg 3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3792169/)
Tarrik trudged through the sand next to Farooq. The hashashin barely seemed to leave footprints, so light was his step. High ground would have been useful, incredibly so. The problem was that they were deep in the Katuni wastes, a rocky hamada that stretched for many leagues in all directions. The only raised ground of any note was a low mesa, a few feet higher than the surrounding rocky plain. Small drifts of sand blew slowly across the mesa.
"If we cannot find higher ground from which to plan our route, what use is scouting ahead?" Farooq spoke softly, a note of bitterness in his voice.
"To find food and water first," Tarrik replied. "To explore between dunes and down gullies. Or to simply be apart from the others."
"All good points, but the first two are moot in this land."
Tarrik nodded, unhitching his pack and setting up a small tent. "Then we should rest. We will move again at dusk, towards the great rift."
"Whatever made that
"I'm not certain, but if we could harvest some of these crystals we might discover more. In any case they could prove useful and are certainly very valuable. I'm going to try to retrieve some."
Tarrik was looking at the crystals and trying to remember what his tribes mystic had told him about essence, "Could these crystals be drawing the essence up from the water?" When everyone gave him a blank look he explained, "One of my tribes Mystics once said that running water will carry essence. That river that was here was moving and still could be."
"Regrettably I know nothing of these strange rocks, or of the workings of essence. However I do know that if Dreylan's getting involved I'm standing well clear" Murtan commented with a small smile. "If these can be used safely then they could indeed be very useful, or very valuable.
Tarrik looked at Murtan as he spoke and then at Dreylan as he tried to think of a safe way to harvest some crystals, poking and prodding them on occasion, "I think you might be right, though I'm not sure how far we would have to go be safe if I understand Magick properly."
"You will need a material that dampens essence. Unless you know of one you will need to ask a runesmith. I believe they can create runes that can dampen magic, and using magic to stop magick seems illiogical. Other than that, try just wrapping your hand very thickly and picking one up. I shall be over there with the other people who wish to survive your attempt."
"Do any of you have a gun or a crossbow I can borrow? I'd like to see what happens if I break one of them, and I don't want to stand too close or use magic to do it."
Farooq stepped forward "Stand away from the crystals, all of you, I shall attempt to answer your question."
Once they moved back he moved a close as he dared to get, drawing a small throwing knife in the process. His arm unfurled with a complex interplay of forces that were second nature to him, sending the sliver of blackend steel flying towards the stones in a blur. The target was small, but he was up to the task, he hoped. . .
Dreylan swiftly moved away from the crystals as Farooq prepared to throw his blade. He was carefully feeling the skeins, ready to call upon them for a healing spell, but didn't try to draw on them just yet in case there was some kind of magical backlash.
If this failed to break the crystals - or broke them without incident - then he would attempt to sever one with magic, he decided. Perhaps not the safest course of action, but he would be slow and careful with it and flee at the first sign of trouble. If it did explode or otherwise prove to dangerous to break, then he would probably leave them alone. Dreylan was curious, but not that reckless.
Unless it was only a small explosion...
Farooq's knife flew true, striking a small crystal just above the ground. Thunder rumbled across the desert and raw Essence haemorrhaged from the broken crystal, a shockwave that knocked everyone present to the ground. Dusting themselves off the group stood, shaken but unharmed. Dreylan couldn't help but notice the area was now awash with Essence, somehow more pure than before.
Slowly, carefully, and warning everyone well back, Dreylan wove the skeins into a chaotic spell, a tiny orb of destruction. When it touched the crystal the result was even more spectacular. The entire crystal shattered, a bright burst of light and a crack of thunder so loud as to deafen them all for several seconds. Everyone remained unharmed, although once more thrown to the ground. Instead of a cystal, there was now a slowly spreading puddle of liquid light, the other crystals touched by it starting to liquify.
Salman stood, his magesense feeling the pure Essence in that strange liquid falling through the desert sands. It seemed unwise to attempt anything else with those crystals now. In the back of his mind, however, a thought was forming about how the crystals had been broken
Tarrik got back up and dusted himself off again. "I'm glad I was standing over here." He looked at what was left of the crystals, the curious part of him taking over, "Any ideas as to what happened to the crystals?"
"None whatsoever" Dreylan replied. He cautiously approached the crystals, deciding not to try and touch the liquid light, in case it disolved his finger the way it was disolving the crystals. He'd lost one years ago and had no desire to repeat the experience.
Tearing a small strip of cloth from his robe, Dreylan carefully dipped it into the pool.
"Well that could have gone better. . ." said Farooq as he dragged himself up from the ground. "And now we have no crystals. Maybe magick wasnt the best idea? Still, this liquid could be worthy of study. I am not an alchemist proper, but I know some of the basics."
He edged forward, feeling the essence in the air. He wasn't as attuned as the real mages were, but he felt invigorated by it.
He knelt by the puddle of. . .whatever this was now. . .and retrieved his knife which had fortunatly landed clear of the mess. Cautiously he dipped the blade into the liquid. He wanted to see if it would survive. Maybe even absord something from it. If the metal survived, he would try to collect a glass phial or two. Given what had happened, he was thinking about the effect of adding a small amount of this liquid to gunpowder and seeing what happened to his grenades.
Rolls
Farooq's Alchemical Intuition (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3813122/)
Dreylan watched carefully, ready to drop the cloth in an instant as he cautiously dipped one end into the puddle. At first, nothing seemed to happen. All he could see was the strip of cloth getting wet, absorbing the liquid Essence. Then the edges started to blacken and crisp, pale smoke rising from the scrap of cloth. Dreylan tossed the cloth aside, kicking sand over it in an attempt to douse the non-existent flames.
Hot smoke rose from the sand, and suddenly the blackened edges of cloth were limned with glass. The 'burning' had stopped, but it had been real enough to fuse sand to glass, and to make smoke rise from bare cloth. It was less easy to explain how it had bonded the cloth to the glass without breaking either.
Having seen this, Farooq decided to see what would happen to a simple throwing knife
Tarrik was watching and listening intently, he.pulled out.one of his scrolls and started taking notes. His tribes mystics might find.this.interesting. He couldn't remember them ever talking about.something like this.
"We should definatly try to secure some of this liquid. It may prove useful, if not valuble"
He considered carefully. He had seen acids before, and they could usually be safely contained in glass. Well he had a few glass phials that were for chemicals, or animal blood. There were many things it could be used for, some creatures blood was in high demand for its magickal properties. It paid well to be able to collect it.
Two phials were produced from their padded pouches within his robes. Glass clinked and that was not acceptable to a man requiring stealth. Now came the tricky part. Collecting the liquid without risking his hands. . .