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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 7614123" data-attributes="member: 9255">DARKSUN: THE ELEMENTS OF EVILSEGMENT 013“ALTURAK”05/23/19SEASON: FRIEND’S VENGEANCE  YEAR 24MONTH: THE ELEMENTSDAY: 01KA: 190While riding to Alturak, Yaesha asks what they know about the trade village.   Drak has been here once.    He remembers it is a village built into steep cliffs of a split in the mountains.  Yaesha agrees and hopes the kreen remembers more.   “Bright colored flags…clic…. ribbons and banners.   Distracting.  Klik…. Barely wide enough for the  klik…..bigger caravans.  Some homes are klik….tents made on …clack….ledges.  Most are short caves ….built or carved into the …..klick…..walls.”“Anything else?”  encourages the caravan leader.“Distrustful.”  The kreen says with his antennae crossed showing his dislike of the memory.“As a thri-kreen- yes.    On the outside of the village the villagers raise herd animals.  The thri-kreen often…. Feed on the herd.”“Alturak is also known for being open to the use of magic.”Koe grimaces hearing this. “But that destroys life.” Adds the rogue.“Does it?” questions Yaesha.Choros doesn’t add anything to the conversation.   He is in deep thought he may not even be aware of the conversation his caravan is having.  He absently pats the shoulders of his huge inix traveling lizard and looks just ahead of the animal as it follows the cart driven by Yaesha.  No one asks the half-giant what or whom he is thinking about. Ahead of them are tall wooden gates.   There are three doors in the vine and flower covered wall.  A massive gate for the main caravan road, a huge gate for animals like theirs and a man sized one that workers come in and out of.Yaesha talks to the guard.  Olan, the tiefling rogue tries to listen in.  As does Drak.   They catch a bit about not having been here in a long time and that he is here to see Master Winsor.  He shows the guard something pinned to the inside of his traveling vest.  The guard nods and motions for the middle sized gate to open.   They enter a large courtyard with many tents and a few doors or curtains on the ledge work.  What Drak failed to mention was the village has several ledge levels.  Caravans travel through the village on the lowest level.  Ladders, ramps and stairs lead about twenty feet up to the next level that overlooks the caravan passageway.    Many tents and entrances into the walls of this “crack” in the mountain are here.  Colorful banners, flags and streamers hang and move in the breeze which is booth distracting and sometimes offers cover.  There are signs of another ledge higher up with their own stairs and walkways.  Some of these are guarded.“I want you to watch over the cart as I deliver the silk to the client.   Theft is rare here but one can never be too careful.”  He pulls turns down a narrower crack from the main caravan passage.  This one would never fit a mekillot but can their crodlu and Inix.  He dismounts as does Olan.  Drak and Koe walk so they just secure crodlu to the cart.  Choro sits on top of his inix and looks around as if he just reliezed they are within the village.Yaesha gives a knowing and almost mirthful smile as he uncovers the crate that holds the silk.  Olan eyes it.  That is the silk he slept on when attacked by the Shadows in Raam.  The same silk that hid something within.  Every time he got close to inspecting it, Yaesha would appear.  The next action surprises everyone-  Yaesha pulls out a wand with an open-hand on it.   “Turn-Draxa-Up”   Nothing happens except the hand seemed to glow briefly.  “Turn-Draxa-Up!” he repeats and a glowing disk appears beside him.   “Helpful even if frowned on.” The caravan leader offers.   “Koe?”   Koe helps him lift the crate of silk and place it on the disk.  The disk supports the wait easily.“I should be back shortly- an hour at most.   Just keep an eye on the cart and the remaining goods.” And with that he turns and the disk with the crate follows him.“Huh.” Grunts the mul monk.  “I didn’t expect that of the comrade.”“Klick….magic…. he destroy…. Plants?” questions the thri-kreen scouting barbarian.“Not that I saw.   Maybe when the magic was placed into that odd wand.” Offers Olan with a humorous shrug and smirk.Choro remains quiet.Yaesha walk to a set of carved stairs and goes up.  The disk requires specific concentration to climb the stairs with him.   A man and a young girl (daughter?) excuse themselves as they go down the stairs after him.  They seem to have seen nothing and do not react to the magic in plain sight.These kind of reactions both please and cause alarm with Yaesha.   Magic should be feared.  It is dangerous in the wrong hands.   But, it does make certain jobs easier like carrying this crate of 20 pounds of silk and stuff.  Yada, the matron of the house, speaks of Alturak often.  Now he feels he is beginning to understand why.He pauses and looks behind him.  He had expected Olan to be following him.  The tiefling has been curious about the contents of the cart since leaving Draj.  There were signs of the fabric being touched in Raam.  The Shadow Elves didn’t live long enough to tell him what they saw hidden in the silk.   His temper will be his downfall someday.  He comes to a large tent and steps in holding the flap for the floating disk.  He briefly wonders if the mage Tenser worked for a caravan all those hundreds or more years ago when he created this spell effect.He walks to the back of the tent.  A man is poking and prodding fabrics and silks and nods to him.  He looks harmless but the tradesman knows this sentry is a powerful mage or psion.  No need to provoke him with idle chitter-chatter.  He pulls aside a large 10X6 foot carpet set up on the wall revealing a hidden area and he and the silk with its secret contents disappear.“Why do you resent families?” asks Olan of Koe.Sigh….. “They disappoint.”“Really?  Isn’t that kinda a dark and negative way of looking at them?”“Ask Giant.”“Why?”“Momma beat him.”“So…. You mother beat you growing up?  Not all families are like that.”“No.”Silence.    “No what?”“What of YOUR family?   Rats brought you up.  Very strange.”“Can’t deny that.   But they did look after me when others didn’t.”“Others like true parents?” Challenges the uncomfortable mul.  “Your parents left you to die in Raam’s sewers.”“It’s like that at all.” Defends the tiefling.“Until the witch in Silver Springs told you otherwise- you thought you were human or a race that was altered in the desert.   A new-race.  Now you have parents.  Parents that are gone and left you.”Olan pauses to think that over.  “I am sure they had their reasons.  I will met them… and my siblings.”“Bah.  Families.”“Good family.   Good…. Clik…. Clutch.” Interjects the thri-kreen.   “Kaesha good…. Clutch leader.”“YAEsha.    With a ‘Y’. corrects the defensive mul.“He is kreen.  Some sounds are harder for him to say than others.   You should be more open to family.   Someday, Balor, my father, and my mother and siblings will get together.”“Have a party.” Koe says simmering as he begins to look around.  He spots a man in a black cloak hurrying on the ledge.  He is looking over his shoulder behind him.“You need to look beyond your past.  See the future.  Make the future what you want.”  Offers Olan as he pulls out a knife and begins to clean his dark nails.“Whatever.”Though Choro doesn’t add anything, he thinks about the word ‘family’.   Where is his mother and father?  Where is brother?   Could they be in Alturak and he doesn’t know it?   Could they be behind one of these doors or up high on a ledge looking down at him…..not knowing who he is?“You should stay away from the Witch.” States the mul.   “She is controlling you.”“Really?  How is that?”“Magic.”“Klik…. Pheromones.” Adds the kreen with his sensitive sense of smell.“She is not controlling me.” Says Olan more to convince himself than the mul.“She put a spell…. A charm on you.” Continues the mul as he continues to watch the robed man whom  is running their way but on one level higher than themselves. “Lilapaul has many talents…. I am certain”, begins Olan, “Some better than others…..are you going to look at me or-“ then he sees the activity.  The robed man is struck by two swerving beams of energy.   He staggers and turns to face his attacker….. A woman is bright blue robes wielding a staff.   Beside her is an older man also holding a staff.  He reaches out and a sphere of fire pops into view near the first  fleeing man.  The sphere rolls at the fleeing man and just grazes him.“Now what do you think about that?” Asks Olan.“We are to watch cart.  We watch cart.” States the mul.“Klik…. Security?” Questions the kreen as he adjusts his grip on his Gythka.“No templars anywhere.    If fact, I have not seen many people.”Three beams of energy strike the woman and she drops and nearly falls off a bridge crossing over the caravan path.   The flaming sphere strikes the robed man who calls out.    The Tsalaxa caravan members merely watch as the battle comes closer to them.“Remember…. The cart.” Koe says.“Yeah yeah the cart.” Mutters Olan.A beam of light shots out from the flames.  The older man is struck and stumbles before falling to all fours.   Furiously patting out flames, the original mage hurries closer to the area the Caravan is.  He looks back as if he expecting more attackers to arrive.   He looks at the caravan but charges on.“I don’t think he intends to stop.” Says Olan as he adjusts his knife belt for better availability. “Protect….klick….”“…The cart.” Finishes the mul.The black robed man staggers to a stop above them.  He speaks a few arcane words and his hand glows green.  He touches his own chest then leaps over the edge,  As he falls tentacles grow out of his sides and his lower jaw opens up- sideways.  Koe tilts his head to one side making sure he is seeing what he is seeing.   The mage doesn’t even touch the ground before the monk kicks him and sends him slamming into the wall.  The tentacles slither back to his body and his lower jaw draws back together then emits blood.“Impressive.” States Olan as he walks over to the now dead body and checks it out.  He spots a ring made of a light wood with feathers inscribed on it.   Looks good and takes it.  Drak finds a small pouch with many odd items within it.  Mouse skulls, silt, dust, twigs…. Scales?Koe looks away from them and searches for the downed woman.  She and the other man can not be seen.  Gone.Yaesha arrives about twenty minutes later.  He looks at them then to the body near the wall and back to tell.  “Any troubles?”As Yaesha climbs back onto his crodlu Koe steps up to him.  “Yes Koe?”“I would like to visit a shop.  Buy materials for Olan.  Drak also want to shop.”“What are you looking to find?  We are here to sell…. Not buy. And for Tsalaxa.”“I hope Olan can make me a weapon.  I need materials for it.”“Why not just buy the weapon?”“Unique weapon.   One of my training and teaching.  Can help Olan also.”Yaesha weighs out the possibilities but agrees.   “I have one more stop.  Choro can go with me.   I can show you where the best place to buy materials for weapons can be found.   Tell the owner I sent you.  He will help you.”“Thankyou….comrade.”Koe and Olan find and visit Rill’s Arms.  It takes several moments to discuss and describe the weapon and materials required.  After inspection by both Olan and Koe, several bones and wooden handles are selected and bought.  Nearby, Drak is selling the armor and what items they have found.  The money is split up, putting a percentage aside for the House and Choro.  He tries to sell weapons he has made but so close to lands with thri-kreen there is no need for the weapons.The pouch of misc goods Drak learns are often used for magic.  He asks several stores about where to sell these and finds one.  The shop owner is not overly impressed.  “Necromancy”.   The goods are bought for a very little by the shop keeper.Choro and Yaesha are alone delivering the last of the goods.  Breaking his silence Choro speaks up.  “You have traveled most of Athas working for the house….” He begins.“Yes Choro…..”“I am seeking my family.  I was wondering if you have seen any other half-giants that look like me.”“Like you…. No.”“My brother…. He is me but where I have a strong mind he has a strong arm.”They continue to talk until they reach the meeting place for the others.  The five of them leave together.  Koe notes they are being watched as they leave by possible residents.</blockquote>

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