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It makes no sense that they would walk toward seemingly nothing. There must be something off in the distance that they know of but cannot, yet, be seen.
"Surely they're going to another gate-way that will take them back to the area we came from. Let them lead us there and then kill them all before they reach it and use it. I don't think they'll tell us anything useful about the kids. The Waitress mentioned that the Yenisha handle the trading of people, so these rascals must sold the little ones to them."
Plumeir nods at the comment from Astarte. "I completely agree. Someone had to originally show them these travel ways and how to use them. I think it is whoever is buying these children. When we are ready, I can cause the air around them all to become caustic so that it burns their lungs to breathe. I can do this from a good 50 strides away."
Taylar nods in agreement. "Yes, let us wait and see where they are going." He intends to manipulate waylines for camouflage and prepares his attire for the desert environment. He intends to not be seen by the Evipaun.
Astarte will use camo as well. Right after Plumeir causes the air around the bad guys to become caustic and while they're still in shock, she'll attemp to burn their distance weapons, if they carry any. If not, she'll simply shoot to kill the strongest of them, adjusting the quality of arrow to the quality of his/her armor.
Preliminary assault intentions are not employed in this post because the characters can readily change their minds after following for so much longer time.
Each person obscures his presence in his own way, Plumeir being the only one to actually employ a camouflage technique. Taylar and Astarte also realize that they can calm an area of air around them as they walk so as to prevent dust from being unsettled. Plumeir walks at a distance a little off to the party’s left, because he cannot bend mechanical waylines in such a manner.
The Evipaun ahead in the distance show amazing skill at walking a straight line. This is extremely difficult for most people to do with nothing to aid in bearings. The kidnappers walk for an entire day. The haze and dust become an impediment and the Investigators are forced to follow more closely. The enemy never looks back and the party, as yet, suspects that its presence is unknown. By the end of that first day, the sand becomes a more reddish color and the substrate firmer. More rocks are seen jutting from the sand and taller outcroppings are seen in the distance. Everyone is entering the region of the Ka’ard taerm called the Bakka taerm or badlands. Rumors exist as far away as Boga City of its dangerousness.
Camping without light or heat is no difficulty for the Investigators. The Evipaun, however, light a fire which makes their location easily watched. They rise early and orient themselves just as the great burning ball of Daylight peaks the eastern horizon. By midmorning, no one and nothing else has been seen or heard, the kidnappers appear to be walking directly toward a particular spire, jutting from the sand. There are numerous other outcroppings at this point, but that one is larger and taller.
Taylar: full wellness
tunic: 60 - 3 - 3 = 54 Astarte: full wellness
vest: 29 Plumeir: full wellness
tunic: 48
Ferguine, Mining Commissioner
4 missing children from Mining
3 missing from Vineyard
Francis, Priest of Dawn at Vineyard (Centrin)
cherry orchard, 1 day north of Vineyard
Rheini village: Grandfather of Maka: Pardal
Kol and party: Maldrog Explorers
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Seeing the supposed destination of the kidnappers, Plumeir begins moving closer to his friends in order to communicate with them by hand gesture. He taps his chest and points his hands violently toward the Evipaun, asking if he should go ahead and attack.
"Plumeir, if you're sure that this spire is the portal, let us all start a surprise attack against these doleful thugs."
If Taylar agrees as well, she'll wait untill the Markidian causes the air around the bandits to become caustic, then will go with her plan from the post#194.
Walking through the dusty landscape, using the motion of air to aid their stealth movements gives Taylar an idea. He discusses with his companions at night. "We know from the group that we fought before we traveled through the portal that the Evipaun bows are to be feared. Since we are able to calm the air around us, perhaps we can stir the wind around them. If we cause a small sandstorm around the Evipaun right before we attack, it can obscure their vision and keep them from firing at us. We should be able to close with melee combat and keep the advantage in our favor." He will practice and experiment to see how much sand and dust he can stir up with a small vortex, or with a large gust of wind if that works better.
Since Taylar is experienced with ambushes on both sides of conflict, he will look to see the best spot to attack the Evipaun. After attempting to obscure their vision with sand and dust, he intends to charge in with melee attacks.
Both Taylar and Astarte can generate a pulse of air that could throw an adult several strides, but this great amount of force is instantaneous. It is a simple and instinctive matter to cause the air to move with less force over a greater amount of time, and Taylar finds that he is able to produce quite a dust cloud that lasts for several minutes, even with his lesser skill in Bending. His range, however, is not so great, but it is determined to be worth the risk of having to get closer.
Though all party members are aware of the others’ intentions, there is nothing to be seen from what Plumeir and Astarte do. Each person simply counts out a few seconds before causing his own manipulation. Plumeir can act from the farthest away and continues his approach toward the enemy from the party’s left. Taylar moves straight up behind them, while Astarte takes the right flank.
Whether this particularly large, natural spire contains a gateway similar to the one previously discovered is not yet known, but it is a certainty that the Evipaun are moving directly toward the outcropping. These six kidnappers are dressed in simple clothing and very little of it, although the leather material of the mantle and bracers may be of a better quality. It is not yet possible to tell. Each man is equipped with a pair of tomahawks, and many people refer to these people by the name of that weapon. All of the men are heavily muscled, similar to Taylar, but not quite as large. The rising dust cloud then obscures all view of them.
Unlike when Taylar tested making the cloud, this one seems to be dissipating much more quickly, as in seconds instead of minutes, as if the air is less willing to be disturbed, but it is not. The difference must have something to do with the kidnappers, even though they are not Benders. There seems to be a bubble around each Evipau, as the dust immediately settles when it gets close to one. It cannot be known if any of the enemy is currently hurt, but their shadowy figures can be seen moving away from the center of the dust cloud. Those images continually become clearer to see. Whether by luck or planned strategy, a pair of Evipaun is moving toward each of the Investigators.
Taylar: full wellness
tunic: 60 - 3 - 3 = 54 Astarte: full wellness
vest: 29 Plumeir: full wellness
tunic: 48
Ferguine, Mining Commissioner
4 missing children from Mining
3 missing from Vineyard
Francis, Priest of Dawn at Vineyard (Centrin)
cherry orchard, 1 day north of Vineyard
Rheini village: Grandfather of Maka: Pardal
Kol and party: Maldrog Explorers
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
