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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 7789155" data-attributes="member: 9255">DARKSUN: THE ELEMENTS OF EVILSEGMENT 049“BITTER WELL & BEYOND”08/16/19SEASON: FRIEND’S VENGEANCE  YEAR 24MONTH: THE DEADDAY: 03KA: 190 Choro is still sad that he left his book about Kalidnay in a trunk (he thinks…maybe on a desk). Olan is also disappointed.  He was beginning to recognize more words. Seemed there was open appreciation of other planar beings.   They try to save their trail rations.   Orthenta guesses they have 14 days worth of food.  Olan disagrees looking at about 10 days worth.   She suggests she doesn’t need food and very little water which she can provide.  Olan is coming to be more curious about this teenage girl.  She is full of surprises.  She and Drak have an agreement.   She will play her shamishon (unique stringed instrument) only when in villages.   She constantly then asks how much longer until Bitter Well.  Drak never knew how hard it was to be a leader of the Clutch.“Why is it called Bitter Well?” she asks to break up the silence of the long trip.“Don’t know.”“I thought you were our guide.  Shouldn’t you know?” questions Choro.“I lived the life of a gypsy.   I never settled anywhere long enough to learn much.”“Really?” asks Olan now as concerned as Choro to the usefulness of the girl.“Unimportant.  Just know we will resupply …our water… there.” Answers Drak.“From talking to the other travelers, it is a very small dwarven settlement that acts as a trading post and has a Silt Skimmer dock.”“Drak…. Are all thri-kreen like you?”“Why?”“I have never met a thri-kreen before.”“She is our guide….?” Choro whispers to Olan whom rolls his eyes in agreement.“And I’ve never seen a New Race like you before.   Does the weight of those horns hurt your neck?”“ah…. No.”“And I’ve never seen a half-giant up close until I came to your city.  Draj is my first city.  Are all cities like Draj?  Why does the cities of Draj and Raam want to fight?   Do they want to fight with other cities?  How many other cities are there?”The questions continue on endlessly driving the Thri-kreen to scout a bit further ahead than before. Even as Drak spots a Stone marker indicating Bitter Well is to the right Olan spots a square shaped sail within the air-bourn silt.  “Looks like a ship is coming in.” He calls out.   Orthenta places her stringed instrument on her lap and begins to strum the strings with a happy smile on her face.  They are about to enter a village.They climb a small sand and silt dune and spot five shambles of wood buildings surrounding a large cracked stone.  Beyond it are about a dozen dwarves walking to a dock.  A fifty foot long wheeled ship is coming to a stop at the dock.  It is flying a red flag with a white feather and scroll on it.A dwarf comes to greet them.  Or is it to turn them around?“Go.  You should go.” The dwarf mutters while shooing them away with his hands.“We are…. Klik… here for House Tsalaxa.  We would like …kik clik….to resupply our water….”“No more water.  Maybe on another day.  You should be going now.” Continues the nervous dwarf.They look to where the dwarf s looking and see the source of the village’s water.  A slow trickle of water seeps from the crack of the large stone that acts as the center of the village.  There is no water to be had.Olan then looks at the flag again.  “Drak- which house has a red flag?”He turns confused by the question.“M’ke” answers Choro.“M’ke….like M’ke of Raam. The city that is declaring war with our city?”“Sorry to have bothered you sir dwarf.” Responds the tiefling and the four of them and their wagon turn and leave.That night they set up camp on the side of the King’s Road.  Drak gives in to the young girl since she did not get to play at Bitter Well. She sings a pleasant tune about a young hero traveling across the mysterious desert.  Olan picks up it is in part about herself.As they settle in to sleep Drak picks up on movement.  Something is scittering along the disrepaired King’s Road.  Just as they stand up three large centipedes and a dog sized scorpion appears.  They make short work of it…. Especially with Orthenta’s “King”.   Her red eye flashes and a reddish humanoid creature appears and attacks the vermin.  The whole time she complains about the vermin being immune to her.  Choro understands her.  She was trying to use her psionics to mentally manipulate them.  Vermin don’t have enough intelligence to do this with.To Choro’s surprise however, she can heal other people with her psionics (Ardent).  He can only heal himself.Olan mentions how odd it was to have a full frontal assault by these four creatures that would have battled each other before attacking them.   Most of the group understand what this means- they were summoned. They are also close to Ket where the Silt Clerics were.Within twenty minutes- they are indeed attacked by three Silt Clerics.  They blow in as clouds of silt and reform wielding magically enhanced weapons and protection.  They are defeated and searched for clues at what they are doing.  They find non-magical goods except for some fruits to heal with which are collected.Clearly, The Silt Clerics are claiming this area as their own and are up to no good.  For the trade road to remain open to Ket and beyond these clerics will need to be dealt with.Though cautioned by Choro and Olan, Drak leaves the camp that night to hunt.  He finds nothing.  Silt is not a good environment for creatures it appears.THE DEAD DAY 4Now nearing the Tsalaxa trade town of Ket that secretly grows Drajaweed, the group awaken to large lizards warming them selves in the rising sun.  One hisses menacely at them and Drak kills it with one strike from his thri-kreen pullarm.  The other two decide they can find a better meal elsewhere and leave quickly.Drak has breakfast for everyone.</blockquote>

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