Dark Sun 3.5 - Trail of the Defiler

[Steve Gorak]

"Yes, let us get out of the desert to safety as quickly as possable," Darkclaw adds.

Hmm, I still would have liked to get some intelligence myself, byt I can't do it alone. Kurvic thinkhs to himself.

"Indeed, it is in the city's interest that these brigants are taken care of. If we must move, let us do so quickly." He then glances at Rudiot.

 

[Lot]

The caravan begins rolling out before the sun comes out. Rudiot rides out on a borrowed crodlu, his hefty girth filling the saddle. The mekillot wagon rolls easily over the cracked earth. The guards move paranoid, waiting for a chatkcha to come sailing out of the inky night and kill them. As the sun hits the horizon, you see the enemy clearly for the first time. At least two dozen human-sized insectoids seem to be moving lazily several hundred yards away. In front of the caravan, a single inix awaits. On top of it, a veiled howdah sits. A dozen thri-kreen stand around it, almost at attention. The surrounding thri-kreen keep moving with the caravan, but the inix and its bodyguard wait patiently.

Rudiot rides over to Erianna and Darkclaw.

"I think...I think they want to talk..."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Well, that's probably the Wizard then. Wizards have spells that are too long-range compared to the path of The Way or I'd suggest we kill him from long distance. As it is, we could probably shoot flaming arrows at the curtains around the howdah and force him to take action--the curtains should prevent him from having line of effect to us for the moment."

 

[Voadam]

"Do you wish me to act as translator? Both Quaketongue and I speak their language."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"You want to parley with them? With a Defiler? After they just killed all those elves?"

 

[Voadam]

"We know almost nothing about their motivations. I'm hoping whatever they have to say will at least inform us more."

 

[Bront]

"If there is a way this can end with no more blood shed, then perhaps that is the best approach," Darkclaw says. "I am not schooled in such things though, but I will lend my self to guard whoever tries."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"This guy is a vile defiler who works for a black thri-kreen who wants to kill everyone around here. Chances are good that doing what he wants us to do is a bad plan. After the slaughter where they kept us alive, it's clear they have some evil scheme that involves us. However, perhaps it is best to get in range to blast him with psionics. Let's bring Ugg to beat at the 'kreen guards too."

 

[Steve Gorak]

"This guy is a vile defiler who works for a black thri-kreen who wants to kill everyone around here. Chances are good that doing what he wants us to do is a bad plan. After the slaughter where they kept us alive, it's clear they have some evil scheme that involves us. However, perhaps it is best to get in range to blast him with psionics. Let's bring Ugg to beat at the 'kreen guards too."

"let us not jump to conclusions, at least not yet" Kurvic says, trying to remain diplomatic. "If hey wanted to slay us, they could have done so yesterday. Lets see what they have to say, and keep the half giant closeby."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"I agree that if they wanted to slay us they would have tried to do so yesterday. Hence why I said that already. But since they did not try to do so, as I said already, the defiler can only have something worse in store. It might be domination with the wizard's foul corrupted form of Telepathy, or worse. It obviously isn't anything good. If we attack from surprise, we have the advantage."