[Tarlith]-Seven Suns

1. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #81

   With nothing more to discuss, Rhen followed the others out of the tent. The merchant retreated to his private chambers, Rhen assumed. The scout considered returning to the inn, but his coin pouch was light, and the furnishings of Alm-Alrhed's tents were that of a king, as far as Rhen was concerned. He reentered the tent and made himself comfortable in a corner, allowing sleep to overtake him.

2. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #82

   Ss'kerswihpp walked away from the tent with an over-full stomach, and wobbled through the streets to his usual filthy yet familiar resting place: An alley behind The Drunken Tankard. He quickly fell asleep and had sweet dreams of adventure, treasure, and rich foods.

3. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #83

   The morning dawned and the rosy third sun brightened the landscape for a time before it's brothers joined it in the sky. The crowds murmured about the old adage concerning the third sun as they flowed in their business around Amn-Alrhed's caravan.
   The merchant was surely as rich as he appeared, with a couple dozen wagons laden with fine goods brought around in a circle.
   Xanathur and Ss'kerswihpp walked onto the scene to find Rhen already conversing with the fat merchant.
   "...And we will most likely find the oasis before the second night. It will be up to you and your fellow guards to make sure that it is safe to camp. This is mostly the sort of thing that you will be doing on our trip."
   
   He broke off as he saw the two, "Ah, I see you have arrived. We are waiting on just one more before we depart. I was telling your compatriot of the duties that will be required of you on this trip.
   "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable while we await our last guest. I fear that it may be some time."

4. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #84

   Now, with time to waste he nodded to the merchant and went to lean on one of the adjacent wagons. Taking out his longbow he began to string it. He decided to make conversation while he prepared. "Well, I suppose this is our chance to learn a bit more about each other? What is your story fellows?"

5. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #85

   "Wait... our elven friend is late?" Rhen smiled. "So much for being punctual."
   
   The scout turned to Xanathur. "Why don't you start, then, since you suggested it."
   
   

6. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #86

   "My tale is not long in the telling. I do not remember my parents, nor who cared for me as a child. I have wandered these deserts for so long, it is all I can remember. I travel, my sword for hire everywhere I go. It puts food in my mouth. It is not the most comfortable profession, but I enjoy the thrill of adventure. Enough about my sorrowful past, from whence do you come?"
   

7. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #87

   "Surly there is more to you than that. Like you, I've had to fend for myself for most of my life, and in my journeys, very few wanderers I’ve met can speak as well as you can. Perhaps you have more noble beginnings than you let on…” Rhen replied with a grin.

8. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #88

   "Heh heh. You are a clever one my friend. Like I have said, my tale is tragic in the telling and there is no reason to divulge a sorrowful story before the start of an adventure. I have traveled far and wide, with all kinds of folk. These wanderings have labeled me Xanathur of the Wastes and much has been revealed. Enough with speak of myself, I am quite curious as to how you accquired this thirst for adventure. Or perhaps a thirst for coin?"

9. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

   #89

   A brute warrior who's... shy? Rhen thought. Given the opportunity, a fighter would make any excuse to boast of their adventures and conquests, to intimidate or gain the respect of those around him. This man has either nothing to boast about, or perhaps, Rhen mused, he has every confidence in himself to not have to. The scout hoped, for his sake, it was the latter.
   
   "My story is not so bold. I come from a hearty village many days from here. My mother was a water farmer, along with my father, who was also part of the local militia. They taught me how to survive, each in their own way, before sacrificing everything they had to give me a future in the wider world. I am here to find that future, wherever it may be."
   
   "Though if the half-elf never shows, my future will be that of an old man stuck in a backwater town!"

10. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #90

    "Surely the elven sense of time is not so distorted as to make us wait forever. His human nature will pull through and he shall come. I wonder why the merchant desires such a large armament of guards? We also do not know if others are coming, we are just the ones he chose to speak to last night. If there are more of us, what could a wealthy merchant fear so much that he hires us on and forgoes some of his own profit."

11. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #91

    "I wonder if each hand hired will receive one percent, or he will split one percent amongst us. I would think the former, lest he risk his guards turning on him once we reach our destination." Rhen took a seat on the wagon, and folded his legs beneath him. This was his favored resting position; it allowed him to relax while sitting, but have his feet under him to propel himself forward in a moment's notice.
    
    "Not that I care. The journey across the desert is enough reward for me. Just don't mention that to the merchant!" Rhen settled in to wait.

12. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #92

    As the ranger took his seat, there was a sudden flurry of activity coming into the area of the caravan. A highly ornate traveling wagon, of the kind that is built with walls and a roof and pulled by a pair of oxen nearly twice the size of any others in the caravan, came to a stop in the center of everything.
    Amn-Alrhed sighed heavily and threw his hands up before opening the door to the wagon and smiling sickly-sweet at the interior.
    "Ah, you have arrived! I hope you were not delayed?" The answer is not audible, as the fat merchant enters and closes the door behind him.
    
    The strange wagon's entourage begins to unload goods from a series of pack animals and reload them onto Amn-Alrhed's carts and wagons.
    Rhen and Xanathur, watching the work idly, noticed one especially large bundle of goods being carried by a figure no bigger than a child. As they watched, the figure dropped the bundle into a wagon and revealed himself to be a member of the halfling race, clothed in ox-hide and with a large axe strapped across his back.

13. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #93

    Rhen took a moment to survey the arriving group. He tried to gauge how many of them were warriors, and how many were porters. He hopped off his perch and approached the enclosed wagon.
    "Amn-Alrhed must not be in a hurry." He turned to the halfling while continuing his meandering toward the coach.
    "Will you be joining the merchant across the desert? We could use the help, seeing as the other half of our group didn't think to show up!"
    
    The ranger moved to the huge oxen haressed to the wagon, admiring the sheer strength of the beasts of burden. Such animals were rare in the desert, because their large mass demanded huge amounts of water, and from the ranger had seen, these creatures weren't the most efficient at conserving energy.
    Stepping closer to the wagon, Rhen kept his eyes on one beast, stroking it's broad back, but also straining to hear any sounds from the coach. The scout was more than a little curious as to why their departure was delayed.

14. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #94

    "Indeed I am, good sir.  And you?" The halfling asked questioningly.

15. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #95

    "If I may interupt? I am Xanathur of the wastes. Pleased to make your acquantaince small one, you carry quite a burden for your size. I certainly will be glad to have such a mighty fellow by my side in the desert. Tis a pity that this wasteland cannot be defeated by strength alone. I don't remember seeing many small folk like you around, you must be new. Now, what might your name be if I may be so bold as to inquire."

16. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #96

    Ss'kerswihpp awoke from a light nap, just in time to see Xanathur and Rhen pestering a halfling. He groggily stood up from his resting place on the ground and made his way over to them.
    
    "Halfling friend, do not let these big folk bother you, no, no. It is good to see you, nice and small, it is an advantage out here to be small. Require less water and less shade. Now, what is your name? I am Ss'kerswihpp, yes, yes?"

17. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #97

    Rhen strained his ears pushing aside the sounds of work around him, and pieced out bits of conversation from the other side of the wagon's wall.
    He hear Amn-Alrhed's voice first, "You do not know what that would mean! We would be taken weeks out of our way, and we do not have enough water!"
    Then came another, lighter voice. A woman's voice, as far as Rhen could tell.
    "I do not care what you do or do not have. We will be going to the Oasis, and you will be escorting us there. If you need additional time to gather supplies for yourself, we will wait. For a little while, at any rate. Now leave us."
    
    Rhen busied himself with the oxen as the fat merchant exited the wagon and looked around nervously, wiping his sweating face.
    
    The newly arrived group, almost all outfitted in hot metal gear and carrying weapons of various types, rode away from the caravan. They seemed in a hurry to get away.

18. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #98

    "Greetings to you as well. I am Lem, at your service. I thank you for your warm welcome and wish I could match it with one of my own but lack the knowledge of how to do so."

19. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #99

    "Well small one, that is greeting enough for me. To know the name of a man you fight beside is vital knowledge. Now where has that merchant gone off to? We really must be getting along before the suns rise high in the sky, lest we wish to burn."

20. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #100

    "Aye, we should"

21. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #101

    "Amn-Alrhed! You look well this morning." Rhen moved to within an arm's reach of the merchant.
    
    "It seems we're still waiting on the half-elf to arrive. Do you wish to wait for him? You said yesterday you've made this journey many times, so you know the dangers of the trek. While an additional pair of hands may come in handy, it means another mouth to feed in a desert of scarce resources. But I know you'll make the right decision, sir."

22. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #102

    "I have a feeling that our friend may have met some misfortune. If not, I'm sure he'll be able to catch up to us. We should be leaving in just a moment. So, if you'll finish any business that you have, we'll get on our way."

23. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #103

    Xanathur quickly slung his newly strung bow over his shoulder. He gathered up the rest of his equipment and stowed it as well. "Let us be off then before the suns reach their peak. Now the open wastes await promising danger and adventure just the way I love it."

24. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #104

    Rhen returned to his perch on the merchant's wagon, facing rearward. After checking and cleaning his swords, the ranger strung his longbow and laid it upon his lap. Shifting his hood to shelter his face from the suns, Rhen prepared for the journey ahead.

25. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #105

    The caravan trundled out towards Herolty's main gate. The wagons and pack animals fell into practiced step as they made their slow way out. If the whole journey was made at this pace, it would be a long, slow trip.
    The streets were bustling with activity before the suns rose too high, but the caravan made very little impact on the crowds. Apparently the sight was not a new one to the people.
    
    Hours of travel later, under the seven scorching suns, the caravan was still rambling its way out into the desert. The hard packed streets had given way to shifting sands. Every few hours, they would stop and Amn-Alrhed's steward would take measurements from the suns and then adjust their course suitably.
    Finally, as the suns began to set into the sandy horizon, the caravan pulled to one last stop and people began to scurry around to prepare for the night.
    
    Amn-Alrhed approached the hired guards. Pointing to a high dune off to one side, he said, "You can begin to earn your pay. I don't like the idea that I can't see what might be on the other side. Go and see for me."

26. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #106

    "As you say, sir. Come along fellows."Xanathur pulled out his longbow and adjusted his quiver. Each of his arrows would have to be in their place if they met trouble. He took off at a quickening pace towards the dune. Striding at first but as he neared it he began to sprint. He was eager as the merchant to know that they were not followed or about to be ambushed by something unfriendly.

27. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #107

    "Fool..." Rhen wanted to take time to survey the surrounding terrain, to search for cover, should, in the off chance, anything was following the caravan this close to the town. The ranger doubted any threats lay on the other side of the hill; raiders would wait for the suns and weariness to drain the fight out of the guards. But creatures of the desert were always a problem, so securing the hill, and the all-around view it provided, seemed prudent.
    
    Rhen glanced to either side of the dune, searching for rocks or crevices to provide cover. He would head toward whichever side of the dune would conceal him the most.
    
    "Let's make sure he doesn't kill himself. I suggest letting him draw the attention of anything that awaits on the other side." He started off, readying his bow, and staying a healthy distance to the side of the bumbling fighter.
    
    Skill Check: Hide Rolled 1d20+6 : 9 + 6, total 15
    Skill Check: Spot Rolled 1d20+6 : 18 + 6, total 24
    
    

28. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #108

    Axe in hand, Lem kept pace with Xanathur despite his small size. Hopefully there was something there, it had been weeks since he was able to fight.

29. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #109

    Ss'kerswihpp moved steadily, despite the loose sand, thanks to his naturally wide feet. He moved up the left side of the dune, bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. His eyes were on constant lookout, and he was instinctively ready to hide as soon as a threat was apparent.

30. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #110

    Rhen was the first to see it. Squatted on its haunches on the other side of the dune was a hulking canine beast, as large as a pony. It was covered in shaggy tan fur, a perfect camouflage against the sand, and sported large, sharp teeth. It's ears were upright and its body completely still, listening to the sounds of horses and camels on the other side of the dune.
    Rhen easily recognized it as one of the jackals, scavengers of the waste, but this one was bigger than any he had seen before.
    Despite his attempts to stay hidden, the great beast saw Rhen and turned towards him, drawing its lips back in a snarl.
    
    Lem rounded the dune close on Xanathur's heels. They both spotted the jackal as it turned towards Rhen where he stood opposite them.
    
    Ss'kerswihpp crested the dune at almost the same moment. The jackal was surrounded, but either did not notice, or did not care.
    
    The initiative order is:
    Rhen
    The Jackal
    Ss'kerswihpp
    Xanathur
    Lem

31. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #111

    Staring into the eyes of the jackal, Rhen knew he was spotted. At first, the ranger wasn't worried upon recognizing the beast. As scavengers, jackals usually hunted in packs, attacking prey smaller than themselves or feeding on the carcesses of other kills. They scared easy when confronted with force or numbers, but Rhen's fears grew when the creature growled, unafraid. For what would a creature of this size fear? And jackals rarely hunted alone, so this beast would have no problem cowling several others into it's pack.
    
    Rhen quickly glanced around, searching for other jackals that may be hidden in the sand. But even if he found any, this monster had to be the first to go down. Any other smaller animals would flee if their alpha was killed, or at least that's what Rhen hoped.
    
    Nocking and drawing his bow, the ranger stood in place, and loosed the shaft, aiming for the creature's lower neck. He then crouched, his hand diving into the quiver to draw another arrow. His eyes darted around, his legs coiled and ready to spring to avert danger.
    
    Ranged attack: Longbow Rolled 1d20+3 : 9 + 3, total 12
    Skill Check: Spot Rolled 1d20+6 : 19 + 6, total 25

32. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #112

    Rhen's quick glance did not reveal any more lurking canines. His arrow fared similarly, for, despite its bulk, the jackal dodged nimbly out of the path or the projectile.
    Moving swiftly, the great jackal ran towards Rhen, teeth snapping at the ranger's throat.
    Thankfully, none of the teeth found their marks, but the jackal tensed to spring again.

33. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #113

    Ss'kerswihpp was stunned by the size of the jackal for a spit second, then he was firing an arrow at it. He dropped to one knee, drew an arrow, and aimed for the beast's chest.
    
    ((OOC: It's easier and more fun for me if you can make my rolls, Drackler. If you need my sheet again, let me know. ))
    
    Shortbow = +4 To hit (+5 if within 30ft) for 1d6+0 Damage))

34. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #114

    The jackal was completely blind-sided by Ss'kerswihpp's arrow. The arrow hit the canine in the side and jut out from the wound at an odd angle. The beast let out a yelp of pain.
    
    ((OOC: I'll go ahead and make everyone's rolls for them, if that's alright. I have all your character sheets. Also, the dune is about twenty feet high, so your bonus does apply.))

35. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #115

    Xanathur swiftly notched an arrow. He drew the string back to his cheek and took aim at the beast. A shot straight to the base of its neck from behind should do some damage. He breathed in and released the arrow, knowing that it would fly true.

36. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #116

    Lem did not have have a bow, which was just as well because he would prefer to hit things with it than use it effectively. Shifting the weight of his mighty axe Lem charged directly at it, hacking with all his force once it was in range.

37. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #117

    Xanathur's arrow flew through the air and lodged itself in the jackal's shoulder. But the wound was not deep and the beast seemed more angry than hurt.
    Lem's charge was less effective. His swing missed by a good foot and the jackal turned towards him, lips pulled into a snarl.
    
    New round, same order as before. Lem is standing just in front of the jackal, Xanathur and Rhen are opposite each other with the jackal in between, and Ss'ker is on top of the dune.

38. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #118

    With the beast distracted, Rhen shouldered his bow and drew his short swords. The ranger's blades flashed across his body, aimed for the jackal's midsection.

39. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #119

    Rhen's first blow struck home, but his second went far to the side.  The blade left a long crimson streak on the jackal's side, and blood trickled out to splash on the sand.
    Th jackal snarled at Rhen and lunged for his throat. Despite the ranger's efforts, the beast found its mark, teeth sinking into the ranger's throat like daggers.
    Rhen managed to push the jackal off, but blood stained its teeth and pain seared through his neck.
    
    
    Nasty bite, you're down to only a single hit point, Rhen.

40. Re: [Tarlith]-Seven Suns

    #120

    Ss'kerswihpp saw Rhen nearly get his throat torn out and was suddenly very glad to not be on the receiving end on of the jackal's attacks. He drew another arrow and aimed for the jackal's body. Letting the arrow fly, he assured himself he would not be this beast's meal, even if his companions were.

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