Dark Sun 3.5 - Trail of the Defiler

[Lot]

As the guards hear Heartseer, they turn startled. As pterran speaks, they look at each other with worried expressions. The dwarf speaks first.

"What's out there? Can you be sure...it's dangerous. C'mon, let's go find Rudiot"

He starts moving off and the man with the sword moves to follow. The one with the broken jaw lingers, eyeing his weapon, then the half-giant.

Just then, Curvic starts speaking. The warmth of his polished voice seems to grab ahold of the guard and he listens intently. When Curvic finishes, the man has a pained look, like he wants to hear more. He nods.

"Ffine. I haff no probrem wiff the haff-giant anywhey. Yoo tell that terrin, that Darkcwaw, to wotch out, though."

He follows his companions off towards the campfires, looking for orders about the dangers in the dark.

 

[Voadam]

"No, you need to accompany me and we need to go investigate it now. This way!" Heartseer will try to lead the guards off a distance outside of the campgrounds avoiding the elves until he comes to a dune hill providing a view of the campground or one of the guards. Ordering the three guards to stay wary he will then bend down and place a claw upon the ground as if focusing the Way. He will then say that whatever it was had been here observing the camp but is gone now. Returning to camp he will say that the lack of physical tracks was disturbing and that he will need to report to the caravan master straight away. Heartseer will then thank and dismiss the guards letting them know he will commend their work to the caravan master then the pterran will head straight to his sleeping area and knock to discuss the matter with the caravan master.

 

[Bront]

Darkclaw arives by Ugg, to find only Curvic and Ugg. "Is something wrong? I thought I saw some comotion coming from this way."

 

[Bloodweaver1]

As the night continues, most of the other merchants and some of the elves retire for sleep. Both the caravan and the elves keep their guards at the ready in case of any trouble.

Ugg has been kept outside but given a blanket and bedroll. He remains tied to the back of the wagon by multiple coils of giant-hair rope tied around wrists behind his back, making sleep slightly uncomfortable if he so chose it. As he and Curvic are speaking, three individuals approach.

The two of the three men are human, while the other is a dwarf. They all appear to be guards and they all have weapons drawn. The dwarf has a bone battle axe, one human has a spear with an obsidian head, and the other has an obsidian sword. They are wearing light leather armor, leather caps, and sneering expressions.

The dwarf, a particularly stocky individual with powerful shoulders and a cruel face starts speaking.

"You think you could kill Nork like that and get away with it. When heard you were getting sold to the pits instead of killed outright, I thought that was bad enough. But now they're letting you walk around amongst us. And there's talk of pardoning you if you help us out. That don't work for me. I'm focused on keeping my companions safe and getting to Tyr alive. Having you around messes with that focus."

The man with the spear has a bandage wrapped around his head holding his jaw in place. He speaks with difficulty.

"Frrrst yoo. En we take care of the izard-aced fwreak who beroke my jhaw."

The third guard with the sword speaks.

"Get lost, elf. This aint about you but it will be if you step in."

The three men approach Ugg

At the sight of the dwarf, Ugg's usual bright dimwitted face quickly shifts to a look that is often the last thing creatures see before they are crushed by the half-giants strength. "CHEATER!! YOU AND UGLY GAURD ARE CHEATERS!! LIERS!!" Disbite his large size Ugg is suddenly on his feet facing the armed guards. "Ugg catch you cheating and now Ugg is trouble!! You lie and cheat Ugg and other small friends!!" Says Ugg as his boulder sized arms flex with every word. The giant hair restrains begin to moan as their limits start to get tested. "You bad person... Ugg'a don't like you!" He says in deep and low growl.

 

[Lot]

"No, you need to accompany me and we need to go investigate it now. This wayHeartseer will then thank and dismiss the guards letting them know he will commend their work to the caravan master then the pterran will head straight to his sleeping area and knock to discuss the matter with the caravan master.

As Heartseer dismisses the guards, confused, angry and afraid, he heads back toward the caravan. The guards walk back toward their encampment and are still in sight when, suddenly, chaos erupts. As if materializing out of the darkness, two forms rise up between you and the guards. Heartseer feels something fly by his head, missing it by inches. He turns to see a third figure, whom has just thrown a weapon at him. The figures are thri-kreen.

Out of the corner of his eye, Heartseer sees that one of the thri-kreen has hurled a crystalline chatkcha at the guard with the sword. The guard received the weapon in his throat and has dropped instantly. The other guard has been impaled on the end of the other kreen's gythka. The dwarven guard has taken off running and screaming.

The thri-kreen attacking Heartseer is running quickly toward him, using its powerful legs to propel it forward. It appears to have no weapons but its claws at this point. Before Heartseer can react, the thri-kreen is on him. The momentum of the attack has made the thri-kreen off-balance, however, and the sharp claws hit nothing but air as the mantis warrior brushes past you.

The rest of you are alerted to trouble by the screaming in the dark to the west of camp. You do not yet know the nature of the danger.

[sblock=OOC]Heartseer was taken by surprise but the thri-kreen missed with its chatkcha attack. The thri-kreen (init: 12) attacked in the next round and missed. Now it is Heartseer's (init: 11) turn. The rest of you can describe how the scream affects you and what you will be doing.[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Erianna probably can't hear this at that distance while asleep. If she manages to hear the scream, though, she yawns and stretches as she prepares her mind, mentally focusing before she sets up a quick Inertial Armour and then heads out)

 

[Steve Gorak]

"Hmm, screams in the desert, never a good sign" mumbles Kurvik. He readies his longbow and an arrow, scouting the horizon to get a better idea of the danger that lies ahead.

 

[Bront]

Darkclaw nods to Kurvik, and moves to cut Ugg loose. "Ugg, you going to behave? Here's your change to redeam yourself."

 

[Voadam]

Heartseer breaks into a run towards the caravan hoping his luck will hold against the creature's claws and focuses his mind onto the astral plane drawing forth ectoplasmic essence, channeling it into the waking world. With a gesture the telepath hurls the silvery binding essence onto the large insectoid warrior. With a cry he yells out in Common "Guards! Guards! Thri-Keen raiders!"

ooc movement provoking AoO then entangling ectoplasm to hopefully slow the thrikeen.

 

[jkason]

Quaketonge Ristu, human druid

(OOC: If Quaketongue can't hear the cry, ignore the following, of course, otherwise...)

Quaketongue wakes with a start. He looks to his armor, but the call of immediate attack forces him to disregard it. Instead, he calls forth the natural pattern for toughening his skin. With a series of clicks and whistles, he reaches into his spell pouch for his symbol of the Earth Mother, touching it to his chest even as he reaches down and touches Dawnsprint's neck, a charge flowing through the both of them.

"Heel," he tells the Erdlu, then he and his animal companion move in unison toward the sound even as the pterran draws his sling from his belt.

[sblock=OOC]Since he can't sleep in armor, and donning it fast takes 5 rounds, no armor for Quaketongue. He's casting Barkskin, though, and sharing the spell with his animal companion.

Quaketongue's current AC w/ Barkskin (without armor): 13
Dawnsprint's AC w/ Barkskin (using Heel trick to stay within 5'): 17
Spell lasts half an hour.

Gear on Quaketongue: Everything in the Carried/Worn section of his sheet, minus armor, backpack, and shortspear.

This also might be important: Quaketongue speaks Thri-Kreen in case they're saying anything when he gets close enough.[/sblock]