"Perhaps we should avoid The Cross. There could be scouts posted up there."
"Yes, let's not give ourselves away," Aureus notes.
"Better to be stealthy."
TaranTheWanderer said:
Whispering, Phar responds,
"Our apologies, friend. Perhaps you can point us to the quickest way out?"
In the silence of the gulch, you wait for a reply from the shadowy side of the oasis. There is a loud yawning sound what sounds like the padding of multiple feet. Before the voice replies, however...
Clann-geh-dinnn! The sound of quickly raising plate armor and the shield snapping into position breaks this new silence before settling to quiet again. Much more carefully, Maur gets his hammer at the ready, waiting.
The noise startles the last of the animals and birds near the oasis. Several mudbog fish splash on the surface and then disappear underwater.
"Really?" Qi says with a sigh.
The loud yawn turns into a low growl but there isn't any real menace to it. Then, the gulch is filled with the sound of hearty laughter, which last almost a minute. Then, the voice speaks again.
"I guess I am not getting any more sleep this afternoon." The voice is robust and regal.
"Dwarven diplomacy...heh." Just beyond the oasis, a large creature with the body of a lion, raptor-like wing, and the bearded face of a humanoid steps from the shadows of a hidden cave and casually moves towards the other side of the oasis.
It smiles at Phar and nods his head to the paragon elf.
"I am glad to meet you, keivon." The creature lies down at the edge of the oasis and drinks several gulps of the replenished oasis while keeping one eye on Maur. Once it has finished, it yawns once again and crosses it paws in front of it.
It waits for you all to relax once you realize it has no intention of attacking.
"I would ask you why you have come into these lands, but you all talk so loudly, it was easy to overhear everything you've said." The creature still seems a bit... uncertain, nervous.
"I sense... no, I know there are more of you, and I would appreciate it if they came into the light. Where is the other female with the haunting voice?"
The creature then looks at Litrix.
"Unless that is you, draushum mior."
Cruel Justice remains silent.
Qi does not, however.
"I am here." Aureus holds up the adamantine rod for the creature to see.
"You may call me Qi. My mate is the scimitar on the human knight's hip. we are not hiding, well, I'm not. My husband can be a bit brash."
The creature looks first at Aureus before realizing it is the item in her hand speaking.
"Hmm, it seems you are all more powerful than I first thought. I hadn't though you'd have artifacts among your ranks."
"Oh, you flatter me," Qi replies, a bit flustered.
Quinn sense CJ is fuming silently. He gets a feeling of jealousy from the intelligent scimitar.
The creature looks at each of you more closely.
"Yes, yes, definitely heroes not to be underestimated. I apologize for my rashness. It's just, I consider this oasis my... home. Hmm, is that the right human word. Perhaps.... bisai."
"Your name?" Aureus asks before Qi asks.
"I am Aureus Canis. A hutaakan."
"I do have a name in one of the old human tongues, but I don't just give that out to humanoids I've just met. But, you may call me Bastiaan. I am known by that name to those I like, at least."
"Caerth Heart-of-Oak," the half-orc druid moves carefully towards the oasis and sits down just far enough away to be safe.
The creatures bows its head to the druid.
"I thank you for the water. Drought is quite the problem in these lands. After your conjuring, I was content to let you all use my bisai to rest. It's just..." The creature looks skyward and shakes his head.
"No, it does not matter now."
Aureus moves to sit next to Caerth. She sits a bit closer. Maybe a bit too close. She holds Qi on her lap and smiles at the creature. Its face is quite handsome and rugged. It's beard and mane are well groomed and its eyes sparkle with intelligence.
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OOC:
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Keivon is a draconic word for "elf." It is a neutral greeting. It is not meant to be neither honourific nor degrading.
Draushum Mior: dragon blood.
Bisai: duty, fealty.
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Introduction for
@Aust Thale's new PC...
Back at the Ruined Temple:
It took some time for him to track his missing horse. He'd left it to water at a oasis to the north, but the animal didn't stay there. At first, Locke had thought his horse had run off to join some wild herd of horses. When he returned to the oasis from the cave he was exploring, he found that there were many hoofprints scattered around the oasis. But the horses' hooves were shod and there were humanoid footprints as well. They weren't hard to follow, even through the desert. Whoever it was wasn't concerned about being tracked.
As he followed the tracks, Locke gained a
feeling, a sixth sense, that he was meant to find these prints. They led him straight to the place he'd seen in his dream. It hadn't been clear, but he was sure that this was the place. Whoever had led the horses here weren't here any more, but he, again, feels that they might be back, or could be seeking their own truths.
Locke found his horse grazing on a low hill south of the ruins. The strangers had not taken his horse. It had followed their horses. Did they know?
Locke lingers at the ruined temple. There was a fight here. The walls of the ruined temple are covered with monstrous spider webs, although much of it has been burned away or cut down. He finds an open courtyard. There are signs of encampment. Whoever these people were, they cleaned up after themselves. He finds the ornate doors to what looks like a more secure building.
The doors from his dream. Locke reaches out and touches the stylized boot on the door. The hair on his arms tingles.
He finds the three graves on the north side of the building. There is another shallow grave that seems to have been freshly dug. But, it stands empty. It is almost as if the person who dug it changed their mind. Could someone have died in the fight?
He looks at the names on the headstones. He can read them...
Avital, The Lady of Light....
Beornheard the Bold... and
Jorziza. The graves are undisturbed, although Locke can tell that someone has tended to them recently with fresh flowers placed in front of the headstones.
Reverence. That is good.
Locke cannot help but fall to his knees and say a prayer to Cynra. He's found his dream. But, now, what is he supposed to do next?
