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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 7617444" data-attributes="member: 9255">DARKSUN: THE ELEMENTS OF EVILSEGMENT 017“WHAT HAPPENED IN KET?”05/30/19SEASON: FRIEND’S VENGEANCE  YEAR 24MONTH: THE ELEMENTSDAY: 10KA: 190The group is hanging out at Kes’trel’s Roost.  Koe is having a rare Broy drink as Drak has his “sweet drink” (elven wine).  Olan and Choro are talking about life in general- the weather, certain templars, nobles and people.Yaesha stomps in from outside.  He is clearly upset about something.  He grabs a jug of broy and plops down hard in a chair making it creak loudly.   He takes a deep gulp and slaps down the jug.  Choro considers going over to him to cheer him up but a messenger comes in.  The messenger quietly but with great urgency gives the message to Yaesha.   His face becomes red with anger and shouts at the messenger to leave.   For a few brief and quick moments his mind races through what he has been told.  He turns and stares the group.  “Koe.   If I could have a word with you.”Drak watches as the mul gets up and humbly walks over and sits down next to his caravan leader.  He and the others try to eavesdrop without being obvious.  They have little success.“I have a problem Koe.    I have urgent business that only I can do elsewhere.  Now…. Now I have learned of another urgent bit of business.    One I can not do.  Bartis and the others are away on other jobs near Tyr.  This leaves you.  You and the other three.”  Koe nods showing he understands and to go on.  “For a trade company to get to the size we are, to get to the power and influence we are, we often must deal in….. grey areas.”“Go on.” Koe says.“I am certain you are aware we brought something to Alturak in secret.  Something considered illegal in the larger cities.   While there, a dispute broke out between preservers and defilers.   You defended the caravan’s wagon as asked of you.  I appreciate that.  It has proved to me you can be trusted.  We have lost a small caravan north-east of here.   A small but very profitable delivery.   Have you ever heard of Drajah Weed?”“No.”“In our books it is listed as a spice.   It is really a drug that empowers people with psionic talents.  It makes them stronger for a short time period.  It is considered illegal contraband in the cities.  As such, it is highly sought after and expensive.  We get two crops a year from a little known town called Ket.  The last shipment was due last week.  It never came.   It STILL has not arrived.”Koe awaits and knows what is to come.“I need you Koe, I need you to lead them to Ket.  I need you to find and recover the shipment.   I need to know  what happened to it so that it can not happen again.”Drak crosses his antenna in agitation.  Koe is the leader.“To find Ket, travel the King’s Road NE.   It does exist.   It is merely rarely used beyond Draj.   Most of the places on it are not very understanding of the cities on the Tablelands.   About four days away you will see a standing stone.  It has the mark of Tsalaxa on it.   That is where you now travel towards an inland silt basin with an island made of mud, sand and silt.   A very long wooden bridge connects the island with the mainland.  Find the house agent Massa Hickxen.  She can help you if you need help.”“Race?”“Race… half-elf.”“Very well.  We go.”“Go as soon as possible.”Within the hour, the four of them are exiting the gate and turn NE.  There is only a small footpath that connects small villages to Draj.   Then there is not even that.  Drak uses his tracking skill to find sand and silt covered hardened dirt- the remains of the King’s Road going NE.They packed some food and water.  They didn’t take any animal mounts except for Choro’s Inix.  Koe never asked about the size of the cart.   So he went with the biggest animal they had available for them.MONTH: THE ELEMENTS    DAY: 14“klik…. This is it…?” asks the thri-kreen as he pauses at a pile of cemented stones with a single rune carved on the top stone.“Yes.” States Koe.They turn to go past the standing stone towards a grey mass on the horizon.  A basin of silt.  Shortly they spot a dark line within the greyness.   A bridge!Koe frowns at what he sees.  The bridge is old dry wood tied together with giant-hair rope.  It is between 7 and 10 feet wide.  A small cart would take up the entire space.  The inix will not fit on the bridge.  An inix left alone would soon die in this silt covered area.  A problem.“Inix must stay.  Choro, your power is great but you must stay also.  Guard your mount.”“…… okay.” Answers the half-giant- clearly disappointed.“I will stay with you also.” Offers the tiefling.Koe considers this.  “Fine.  Drak and I will go to Ket.  Get answers.  Return with cargo.   Then inix pull it back to Draj.”The thri-kreen clicks his mandibles twice then starts across the bridge.  The wooden structure stretches from a series of stone piles every 150 to 200 feet.“This bridge…. Klik klik …is long.” “Over a half-mile according to Yaesha.”“Half-way then?”“Possibly.”“Klik…. Hear something.”“Wind… blowing silt.” Begins Koe.  Then he hears it.  A low level buzzing.  The two bridge walkers look out across the silt horizon.   “The sound is coming from the bridge ahead of us.”“No. Klik.  Next to.”  And the thri-kreen prepares for battle.Dots of dark grey appear near the bridge.  Five creatures, about the size of a small dog can be seen flying side to side near the bridge coming at them at a high speed.   Koe readies his sling.  This bridge is a bad place to fight.“Bad… idea to …click.. separate… clik-kik…. Group.”The giant Silt Flies fly directly past them following the bridge’s edge towards land.“Drak…. Do we have a problem?”“Olan…. Do we have a problem?”“Boredom.   We have boredom.”“Then let’s talk.” Offers the half-giant.“About?”A moment or two goes by.   “Silver Springs.” Offers Choro.  “Silver Springs.   You mean the elves- especially Lilapaul.” Olan smirks.Choro sheepishly smiles.  “Yes.  The temptress.”“It is merely a job…. A service she does to earn income for the elves.   There is no shame in that.”“Would you….  You know.   Would you?”“I go to her to learn who I am.  Nothing more.”“You are Olan.”“I know I am Olan- but WHO am I?”“I do not understand.”“As a baby I was found in a dirty alley in Raam by my father.  He managed to bring me to his home- his nest.  Not an easy task.  As a he is a tari- I weighted more than he did even then.”“I thought you were a new race…. Born of the desert.”“No.   I am something else.  According to Lilapaul I am not a new race.  I am a … Tiefling.”“Do all tieflings have red skin, horns and a tail?”“ I don’t know.   But she said I have brothers and sisters.  At least one lives within a city here.  The others on islands in the Sea of Silt.”“Do you believe her?”“I have no reason to disbelieve her.”“She is an elf.”“Racist.”They both laugh softly and without mirth at that.   They watch the silt blow about for a while before Olan speaks up again.“What about you.   You are looking for family also.”“Yes.   My mother, father and Goro- my brother.  I have not seen them in two years.  I miss them.  Miss them greatly.”“Those gloves you have…. You use them to find your family.”“Yes.  They give me answers.  They give psychic impressions to me.”“Psychic impressions?”“May I borrow one of your daggers?”   Olan unsheathes a bone dagger“Hmmmmm…..” Choro works his gloves over the dagger.  “Outsider……a being not of our world.  Male.”“Last I knew.”“Rogue….. ugh!    This is one of the blades you made from a Gith.  It wasn’t dead yet when Drak started to remove the bone.”Olan takes the blade back but staring in disgust and disbelief.   Then he hears something.   Buzzing.“Something is coming.   From the silt.”Choro spots the sound.  Giant insects.  He doesn’t want to be bothered.  He reaches out with his mind and the flies become glazed with ice and heavy.  They fly lower and nearly into the silt.  A second shot kills them as they fall into and sink into the depths of the silt.</blockquote>

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