Under A Darksun Part II New Allies
megamania
Hero
LOOKING TO RETURN TO DARKSUN. I HAVE BEEN CONCENTRATING ON RUNNING GAMES OF EBERRON FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS BUT IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE. SO- HERE I AM ONCE MORE…. UNDER A DARKSUN.
MY STYLE HAS CHANGED OR AT LEAST BECOME MORE REFINED (I THINK AND HOPE)
THE GAME RULES HAVE CHANGED SOME ALSO. I WILL BE USING A MIX OF DARKSUN 3.5 RESOURCES AND MY OWN WITH NOW A BIT OF PATHFINDER TO RUN THE GAME. THE CHARACTERS HAD TO BE REDONE FROM SCRATCH DUE TO THIS AND WELL…. THE COMPUTER THEY WERE ON HAS JOINED THE CLOUD ABOVE BUT UNRETRIEVABLE.
SO HERE WE GO (AGAIN) TRYING TO PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF SO LONG AGO.
MANIA 9 RACE 1 / PSY WAR 4 / RANGER 4
COSA 9 RACE 1 / MAGE 8
BELINDA 9 RACE 1 / BAR 6 / WATER CLERIC 2
BASIK 9 RACE 1/ FIGHTER 8
JAVIDIUS 13 RACE 1 / PSION 12 (NOMAD)
MY STYLE HAS CHANGED OR AT LEAST BECOME MORE REFINED (I THINK AND HOPE)
THE GAME RULES HAVE CHANGED SOME ALSO. I WILL BE USING A MIX OF DARKSUN 3.5 RESOURCES AND MY OWN WITH NOW A BIT OF PATHFINDER TO RUN THE GAME. THE CHARACTERS HAD TO BE REDONE FROM SCRATCH DUE TO THIS AND WELL…. THE COMPUTER THEY WERE ON HAS JOINED THE CLOUD ABOVE BUT UNRETRIEVABLE.
SO HERE WE GO (AGAIN) TRYING TO PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF SO LONG AGO.
MANIA 9 RACE 1 / PSY WAR 4 / RANGER 4
COSA 9 RACE 1 / MAGE 8
BELINDA 9 RACE 1 / BAR 6 / WATER CLERIC 2
BASIK 9 RACE 1/ FIGHTER 8
JAVIDIUS 13 RACE 1 / PSION 12 (NOMAD)
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“REFOCUS“
SEGMENT 159
WINDS DAY 22
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
CRESCENT FOREST- JUST NORTH OF GULG
Cosa awakens and groggy. She is uncertain where anyone is and knows only there are hairy creatures within these woods, hungry cannibals and three men whom she distrusts. They seem to be looking for her. She hopes they are not slavers or worse- agents of Gulg looking to capture her for a reward.
One of the men is standing by the cave entrance. He seems slightly nervous to be there. The others are gone. Deciding this is the best time to possibly escape she carefully places her fingers on the ground. Being within the forest makes it easy to draw energy for a spell. Too easy. She cuts off the flow of energy quickly as she witnesses a few roots dry and crack above her.
She creeps forward until she is within range of the man. Though a possible slaver or agent of Gulg, he has not harmed her so she wishes to not kill him. She whispers the words while waving a hand with her fingers wavering a dead beetle husk falls from her palm.
It begins as the guard swats at a bug. Then another. Suddenly gnats swarm around his head and upper body. They are attracted to his sweat and subtle suggestion to swarm there. The man runs off trying to escape the swarm.
Cosa peers out and sees nothing so she leaves…. “Where are you Mania?”
The “young” man known to her as Mania is not far away but lost. Tracking in a forest with dry grass on the ground and trees surrounding him is very different from tracking in the open desert. His mentor, Dutch, a top caravan leader for House Blewes, mentioned how to track in these lands. It is not as much as the ground but also watching for damaged twigs, strands of fabric in the brush and even how the animals act. In the desert, one can hear sand blowing over rocks and see the wind patterns easily. Here, there are distractions of the wind in the trees and birds. So. Many. Damned. Birds.
He finds a trail. It has the small footprints of the halflings which strikes him as odd. They should be smarter than this. Then hesitating, he thinks it through. He has heard of Tembos doing this. One creature will purposely leave a track to distract followers as the others in a pack flank it. Looking about carefully he sees nothing but low brush and stunted trees. Then he looks higher. Ah- there we go.
A halfling is in the trees searching for him. He gets lower to the ground behind the brush and waits. A few minutes go by then he peeks up after hearing some strange bird calls. The halfling has moved on but recently.
Two women. He has lost two women…. No three women actually. Glaze disappeared many days ago. Belinda was taken by a Psion they now hunt. They being himself and Cosa. 112 was with them but has fallen once in this strange world called a forest. From what Dutch has told him, the forests beyond the Ringing Mountains are even thicker and more dangerous. Some day. For now he will find Cosa and Belinda first.
Walking near but not on a dry stream bed, he spots his quarry- “Cosa!”
“REFOCUS“
SEGMENT 159
WINDS DAY 22
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
CRESCENT FOREST- JUST NORTH OF GULG
Cosa awakens and groggy. She is uncertain where anyone is and knows only there are hairy creatures within these woods, hungry cannibals and three men whom she distrusts. They seem to be looking for her. She hopes they are not slavers or worse- agents of Gulg looking to capture her for a reward.
One of the men is standing by the cave entrance. He seems slightly nervous to be there. The others are gone. Deciding this is the best time to possibly escape she carefully places her fingers on the ground. Being within the forest makes it easy to draw energy for a spell. Too easy. She cuts off the flow of energy quickly as she witnesses a few roots dry and crack above her.
She creeps forward until she is within range of the man. Though a possible slaver or agent of Gulg, he has not harmed her so she wishes to not kill him. She whispers the words while waving a hand with her fingers wavering a dead beetle husk falls from her palm.
It begins as the guard swats at a bug. Then another. Suddenly gnats swarm around his head and upper body. They are attracted to his sweat and subtle suggestion to swarm there. The man runs off trying to escape the swarm.
Cosa peers out and sees nothing so she leaves…. “Where are you Mania?”
The “young” man known to her as Mania is not far away but lost. Tracking in a forest with dry grass on the ground and trees surrounding him is very different from tracking in the open desert. His mentor, Dutch, a top caravan leader for House Blewes, mentioned how to track in these lands. It is not as much as the ground but also watching for damaged twigs, strands of fabric in the brush and even how the animals act. In the desert, one can hear sand blowing over rocks and see the wind patterns easily. Here, there are distractions of the wind in the trees and birds. So. Many. Damned. Birds.
He finds a trail. It has the small footprints of the halflings which strikes him as odd. They should be smarter than this. Then hesitating, he thinks it through. He has heard of Tembos doing this. One creature will purposely leave a track to distract followers as the others in a pack flank it. Looking about carefully he sees nothing but low brush and stunted trees. Then he looks higher. Ah- there we go.
A halfling is in the trees searching for him. He gets lower to the ground behind the brush and waits. A few minutes go by then he peeks up after hearing some strange bird calls. The halfling has moved on but recently.
Two women. He has lost two women…. No three women actually. Glaze disappeared many days ago. Belinda was taken by a Psion they now hunt. They being himself and Cosa. 112 was with them but has fallen once in this strange world called a forest. From what Dutch has told him, the forests beyond the Ringing Mountains are even thicker and more dangerous. Some day. For now he will find Cosa and Belinda first.
Walking near but not on a dry stream bed, he spots his quarry- “Cosa!”
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“LOST & MISERABLE“
SEGMENT 160
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
CRESCENT FOREST- BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Breakfast is ready.” Cosa announces.
The erdlu eggs were a welcome find. Escaping with them from an angry mother- not so welcome.
They discover a small trickling bit of water coming out of a crack in the rocks. They wash and later frolic in the water as young lovers will. Refreshed, they head out from the nice little grove. The whole time they were being watched an elven druid. She says and does nothing as the two have done nothing to harm her grove. That said, using birds and little creatures resembling rats with furry tails, the druid follows their progress to the NE.
“I hope she is okay.”
“I am sure Belinda is fine. From what we found out in North Ledo, it is someone whom knows her that has taken her. He is returning her to their home- in The Black Spine Mountains. We’ll see to it she is fine and if not, get her out of there.” Adds Mania watching a strange insect with large and colorful fluttering wings. “HEY! I know what that is! It was in one of your books…. A fire…. No…a fairfly…, a Fairy!”
“No silly boy. That is not a fairy. Those have been dead for several centuries. It’s a butterfly.” Giggling, she hurries after him and the butterfly. They give chase for several hundred feet until they find themselves exposed in a field of dry tall grass and brush. “What is that?”
Cosa motions to the forest’s edge once more. They can see remains of a stone structure largely surrounded by shade trees. Going there Mania slows down and places his hands on his weapons- two Singing Sticks. “I think we are not alone.” He nods to a spot near the structure. In the deep shadows, standing in thick green grass stands a dark slender figure.
“Maybe we should just go. I’m sure how close we are to the territories of Gulg or Nibenay but we don’t want to alert the Templars of either to know we are here.” Cosa adds placing a hand on his.
Watching the figure, they witness the figure drop to the knees as if injured. Both can’t help it but move forward towards the shadowed figure. As they get closer, they see a nude dark skinned female with elven traits but short- very short for an elf. Perhaps a child except for she has a grown woman’s figure. She has dropped to her knees next to a shallow pool of water that lies under the shadows of the trees here.
“Hello? Hello- What is wrong? Can we help?” Mania calls out.
A burst of small animals scurry away into the woods and birds fly away. Ripples within the water suggest animals moving away here also.
“We mean no harm.” Calls Cosa.
[DM NOTES nat 20 and 19 on saves- nice]
The young woman is crying and sobbing. Both the warrior and mage can feel her pain and sorrow. She is incredibly beautiful and seems like a perfect fit for this area.
She looks up , tears are streaming down her cheeks. “The land…..it is sick…. I weep for it.”
Looking warily to each other the two stop about 30ft from her. She is unlike anything they have seen. Mania looks her over carefully from foot to head and back. Trembling more than he realizes, he speaks softly to her. “Are you…. A Fey?” Cosa crushes his hand for suggesting such a thing.
The sobbing woman stops and sniffles a bit. She slowly gets up and turns around to face the darker areas of the forest. She looks over her shoulder in a tempting way and begins to walk away.
“No! please- wait. I want to talk to you. He would have chased after her if Cosa was not holding his wrist. The woman looks back once more then her dark skin begins to blend into the dark shadows and she disappears.
Together, Cosa and Mania cautiously walks to the pond and looks to where she disappeared. A small cave, maybe four foot high and wide can be seen. The woman’s home they guess. Before Mania can suggest they investigate something disturbs more birds from the ruins.
“LOST & MISERABLE“
SEGMENT 160
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
CRESCENT FOREST- BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Breakfast is ready.” Cosa announces.
The erdlu eggs were a welcome find. Escaping with them from an angry mother- not so welcome.
They discover a small trickling bit of water coming out of a crack in the rocks. They wash and later frolic in the water as young lovers will. Refreshed, they head out from the nice little grove. The whole time they were being watched an elven druid. She says and does nothing as the two have done nothing to harm her grove. That said, using birds and little creatures resembling rats with furry tails, the druid follows their progress to the NE.
“I hope she is okay.”
“I am sure Belinda is fine. From what we found out in North Ledo, it is someone whom knows her that has taken her. He is returning her to their home- in The Black Spine Mountains. We’ll see to it she is fine and if not, get her out of there.” Adds Mania watching a strange insect with large and colorful fluttering wings. “HEY! I know what that is! It was in one of your books…. A fire…. No…a fairfly…, a Fairy!”
“No silly boy. That is not a fairy. Those have been dead for several centuries. It’s a butterfly.” Giggling, she hurries after him and the butterfly. They give chase for several hundred feet until they find themselves exposed in a field of dry tall grass and brush. “What is that?”
Cosa motions to the forest’s edge once more. They can see remains of a stone structure largely surrounded by shade trees. Going there Mania slows down and places his hands on his weapons- two Singing Sticks. “I think we are not alone.” He nods to a spot near the structure. In the deep shadows, standing in thick green grass stands a dark slender figure.
“Maybe we should just go. I’m sure how close we are to the territories of Gulg or Nibenay but we don’t want to alert the Templars of either to know we are here.” Cosa adds placing a hand on his.
Watching the figure, they witness the figure drop to the knees as if injured. Both can’t help it but move forward towards the shadowed figure. As they get closer, they see a nude dark skinned female with elven traits but short- very short for an elf. Perhaps a child except for she has a grown woman’s figure. She has dropped to her knees next to a shallow pool of water that lies under the shadows of the trees here.
“Hello? Hello- What is wrong? Can we help?” Mania calls out.
A burst of small animals scurry away into the woods and birds fly away. Ripples within the water suggest animals moving away here also.
“We mean no harm.” Calls Cosa.
[DM NOTES nat 20 and 19 on saves- nice]
The young woman is crying and sobbing. Both the warrior and mage can feel her pain and sorrow. She is incredibly beautiful and seems like a perfect fit for this area.
She looks up , tears are streaming down her cheeks. “The land…..it is sick…. I weep for it.”
Looking warily to each other the two stop about 30ft from her. She is unlike anything they have seen. Mania looks her over carefully from foot to head and back. Trembling more than he realizes, he speaks softly to her. “Are you…. A Fey?” Cosa crushes his hand for suggesting such a thing.
The sobbing woman stops and sniffles a bit. She slowly gets up and turns around to face the darker areas of the forest. She looks over her shoulder in a tempting way and begins to walk away.
“No! please- wait. I want to talk to you. He would have chased after her if Cosa was not holding his wrist. The woman looks back once more then her dark skin begins to blend into the dark shadows and she disappears.
Together, Cosa and Mania cautiously walks to the pond and looks to where she disappeared. A small cave, maybe four foot high and wide can be seen. The woman’s home they guess. Before Mania can suggest they investigate something disturbs more birds from the ruins.
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“POISONED“
SEGMENT 161
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
RUINS ON THE EDGE OF THE CRESCENT FOREST- BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Sounds big.”
“Maybe we should just avoid it- leave.” Suggests Cosa.
They circle around the ruins. The stone building may have once been two stories tall but now only walls 4-8 feet tall remain. Lose stone liters the field and remains in piles near the main building.
“May be a threat to the woman. I want to check it out.”
Cosa hates the determination for Mania to defend “another” woman. Especially when Belinda is still missing and days away.
A shadow is moving and shifting in the remains of a doorway ahead of them. Besides “big” Mania can not identify it without peering into the ruins. As Mania leans against the wall and prepares to step into the doorway, Cosa steps on rocks on the ground that grind loudly against each other. Whatever is inside has heard her. The shadow grows and exits the doorway. Whatever is inside is at the exit now.
Mania gives her a dirty look then slowly peers in and sees a large Barbed Scorpion!
Mania reaches into his mind and envisions a shield to appear between the scorpion and himself. Cosa once more calls on energy from the surrounding forest. She releases it as a ray of concentrated heat like a mirror and the dark sun above. The air shimmers as the concentrated heat beam strikes the shell of the scorpion which blackens and cracks. The pain must be intense as the scorpion’s scream is intolerable. It charges ahead. Mania easily keeps his psionic defenses up as the claws pounce into it as it reaches for him. The stinger however goes over the shield and tags him on the back. Luckily for him, it is the armored barbs that strike- not the poisonous stinger.
Mania pushes forward and strikes the region of the scorpions head. Cosa begins to draw energy and can not cut off the flow. “NO!” she calls out and the spell is lost as the grass under her feet and the moss on the rocks shrivel and blacken. [nat 1 to draw power- ouch]. Distracted by her calling out, the stinger strikes Mania [confirmed crit] [sigh nat 1 Fort check also].
Mania’s swings are wild as he feels the poison within his body already [-7 CON total] and suddenly he feels that even if that woman was a Fey- she is on her own. Uneasy with the results of casting her scorching ray, Cosa calls on the forest’s power. She places her hand along the larger stone piece that acts as a door jam and shapes it. The large scorpion finds itself pinned as the rock pushes out and just pushes it into the other stones.
“Lets go. I’m not sure how long that will hold it.”
And thus they flee and Cosa has once more accidently defiled.
“POISONED“
SEGMENT 161
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
RUINS ON THE EDGE OF THE CRESCENT FOREST- BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Sounds big.”
“Maybe we should just avoid it- leave.” Suggests Cosa.
They circle around the ruins. The stone building may have once been two stories tall but now only walls 4-8 feet tall remain. Lose stone liters the field and remains in piles near the main building.
“May be a threat to the woman. I want to check it out.”
Cosa hates the determination for Mania to defend “another” woman. Especially when Belinda is still missing and days away.
A shadow is moving and shifting in the remains of a doorway ahead of them. Besides “big” Mania can not identify it without peering into the ruins. As Mania leans against the wall and prepares to step into the doorway, Cosa steps on rocks on the ground that grind loudly against each other. Whatever is inside has heard her. The shadow grows and exits the doorway. Whatever is inside is at the exit now.
Mania gives her a dirty look then slowly peers in and sees a large Barbed Scorpion!
Mania reaches into his mind and envisions a shield to appear between the scorpion and himself. Cosa once more calls on energy from the surrounding forest. She releases it as a ray of concentrated heat like a mirror and the dark sun above. The air shimmers as the concentrated heat beam strikes the shell of the scorpion which blackens and cracks. The pain must be intense as the scorpion’s scream is intolerable. It charges ahead. Mania easily keeps his psionic defenses up as the claws pounce into it as it reaches for him. The stinger however goes over the shield and tags him on the back. Luckily for him, it is the armored barbs that strike- not the poisonous stinger.
Mania pushes forward and strikes the region of the scorpions head. Cosa begins to draw energy and can not cut off the flow. “NO!” she calls out and the spell is lost as the grass under her feet and the moss on the rocks shrivel and blacken. [nat 1 to draw power- ouch]. Distracted by her calling out, the stinger strikes Mania [confirmed crit] [sigh nat 1 Fort check also].
Mania’s swings are wild as he feels the poison within his body already [-7 CON total] and suddenly he feels that even if that woman was a Fey- she is on her own. Uneasy with the results of casting her scorching ray, Cosa calls on the forest’s power. She places her hand along the larger stone piece that acts as a door jam and shapes it. The large scorpion finds itself pinned as the rock pushes out and just pushes it into the other stones.
“Lets go. I’m not sure how long that will hold it.”
And thus they flee and Cosa has once more accidently defiled.
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“AND IN NIBENAY“
SEGMENT 163
WINDS DAY 24
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
NIBENAY- TEMPLAR’S QUARTERS
“It” moved.
Yes “it”.
Keela is now beginning to show. She is pregnant with the King’s child. The other templars feel it is a good sign to conceive on the first try. Keela secretly wonders if they were ever raped by a eight foot tall gaunt reptilian creature. She hopes so. Oh how she hates them.
Her position within the templarate has increased with her pregnancy. She is pampered with scented bathes and silken clothes. She gets the best foods and even at times the first choice of goods “found” within the city. Not all of them had traces of blood on them. Stolen perhaps.
Sadly, to go with this, she is checked on by Nibenay, or at least his contacts, regularly. The creature Dhojakt, Nibenay’s son, checks the most often. It is a deed of pain and anguish no doubt. It reminds her that the “it” within her once looked like him and may be him. She can only hope not. The creature says he looks forward to having a new sibling. Most likely he has eaten the others. He even asked if I had names picked for “it”. The bastard.
At five months, she is roughly half way through it. She tries not to think about surviving the birthing. Birth is difficult on the mother normally. But as a creation of a Sorcerer-King it may be worse. For a brief moment she thinks about “him”. The malicious and seductive young man that fled the city with the bitch Cosa.
By the elements- so many need to pay for the suffering she has endured already. Next week her parents will pay. In a fit, she declared them traitors and had them imprisoned. They will be in the gladiatorial arena then. Perhaps they will rethink and regret forcing her into the marriage with Nibenay. Even if not, they will die pleading for their lives. She has arranged the gladiator known as Zukkuas to fight them. He is known for drawing out the match using barbed whips and armored gauntlets to beat his foes first.
Della enters the room quietly. The 10 year old girl has just recently arrived. She is much like herself. Her parents are merchants that sell the local nuts and spices to the locals and to House Shom to be traded to other cities. The girl was offered as a gift to the King to garner special rites to the forests where the nuts grow that they sell. The King took the gift and her younger sister- Lizza. Both will eventually become his wives.
“Would you like me to draw a bath for you today?” She asks with her eyes always to the ground. She never uses the word ‘Queen’. Being a wife to the King doesn’t give you that much rank here. There are after all over a hundred wives at any given week.
“No. I had one last night.” Keela walks to her mirror and sits down. On cue, the young girl hurries up to her.
“Brush your hair this morning?”
“Yes. You may brush my hair.”
The young girl begins to brush her hair. The brush is incredible to look at. It is made of the dark red Afgari wood with gems embedded on the back. Silver engravings of the faces of ages past rulers are depicted. It has a magical touch of purifying hair making it glisten and look golden. The young girl looks forward to when SHE will have her hair brushed with it.
Today, Keela must oversee a new project being begun in a section of city abandoned for the past three decades. Nibenay wishes for a new temple to be made for his personal use. She hopes it will be his tomb and if so, will hurry to get it constructed.
“AND IN NIBENAY“
SEGMENT 163
WINDS DAY 24
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
NIBENAY- TEMPLAR’S QUARTERS
“It” moved.
Yes “it”.
Keela is now beginning to show. She is pregnant with the King’s child. The other templars feel it is a good sign to conceive on the first try. Keela secretly wonders if they were ever raped by a eight foot tall gaunt reptilian creature. She hopes so. Oh how she hates them.
Her position within the templarate has increased with her pregnancy. She is pampered with scented bathes and silken clothes. She gets the best foods and even at times the first choice of goods “found” within the city. Not all of them had traces of blood on them. Stolen perhaps.
Sadly, to go with this, she is checked on by Nibenay, or at least his contacts, regularly. The creature Dhojakt, Nibenay’s son, checks the most often. It is a deed of pain and anguish no doubt. It reminds her that the “it” within her once looked like him and may be him. She can only hope not. The creature says he looks forward to having a new sibling. Most likely he has eaten the others. He even asked if I had names picked for “it”. The bastard.
At five months, she is roughly half way through it. She tries not to think about surviving the birthing. Birth is difficult on the mother normally. But as a creation of a Sorcerer-King it may be worse. For a brief moment she thinks about “him”. The malicious and seductive young man that fled the city with the bitch Cosa.
By the elements- so many need to pay for the suffering she has endured already. Next week her parents will pay. In a fit, she declared them traitors and had them imprisoned. They will be in the gladiatorial arena then. Perhaps they will rethink and regret forcing her into the marriage with Nibenay. Even if not, they will die pleading for their lives. She has arranged the gladiator known as Zukkuas to fight them. He is known for drawing out the match using barbed whips and armored gauntlets to beat his foes first.
Della enters the room quietly. The 10 year old girl has just recently arrived. She is much like herself. Her parents are merchants that sell the local nuts and spices to the locals and to House Shom to be traded to other cities. The girl was offered as a gift to the King to garner special rites to the forests where the nuts grow that they sell. The King took the gift and her younger sister- Lizza. Both will eventually become his wives.
“Would you like me to draw a bath for you today?” She asks with her eyes always to the ground. She never uses the word ‘Queen’. Being a wife to the King doesn’t give you that much rank here. There are after all over a hundred wives at any given week.
“No. I had one last night.” Keela walks to her mirror and sits down. On cue, the young girl hurries up to her.
“Brush your hair this morning?”
“Yes. You may brush my hair.”
The young girl begins to brush her hair. The brush is incredible to look at. It is made of the dark red Afgari wood with gems embedded on the back. Silver engravings of the faces of ages past rulers are depicted. It has a magical touch of purifying hair making it glisten and look golden. The young girl looks forward to when SHE will have her hair brushed with it.
Today, Keela must oversee a new project being begun in a section of city abandoned for the past three decades. Nibenay wishes for a new temple to be made for his personal use. She hopes it will be his tomb and if so, will hurry to get it constructed.
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“HELPING HAND“
SEGMENT 164
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
THE FOREST EDGE BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Comon Mania- just a little further to go.”
“Do ….do I get to throw up then?”
“Just another twenty steps and the brush will create a hiding space for us.”
“Oh. Bleeeeeeaaach.”
Sighs. “Better?”
“Yeah. Uhhhn….bleeeeeeearchkkkk.”
“You are leaving a trail. Stop it. I told you NOT to enter the ruins. If you die on me I’m going to kill you.”
“you too.” The very sick young man tries to stumble to the cover Cosa is directing him to. The poison is strong. He is sweating a thick oily sweat and pale. She knows he will not die. It is not his fate to do so. At least not from a scorpion, even if it was big enough for a half-giant to ride. As he falls onto the soft moss she notes the tears and puncture marks on the leather he is wearing. She’ll have to try to mend that but for now…. It is all about him.
It is not long before he is asleep. There is little she can do for him. Since he is lying on his side, she decides to mend his clothes first. Being careful to pull only a small bit of energy from the trees around them, she begins to mend the tears and holes. She wishes Belinda was here, Her powers over healing would make his recovery quicker.
Two hours go by and she decides to look into her notes. When in the Veiled Alliance of Nibenay, she had come across a journal with encoded writing and strange drawings on them. The Journal of Veena. Veena was believed to be a Veiled Alliance member of the past. She could see the future and wrote of it and did drawings within the book. Cosa has several pages of this journal. She wants to find more and was beginning to when life happened. She met Mania and everything changed.
Now, less than a year later, she has fled the relative safety of her underground home in Nibenay. She discovered Veena had ties to a team of repels known both as the Sentinels of Bodach and as the Preserver Knights. Though given little direction by them on where the missing pages are, they were seeking them. Then, as before, life happened. Now they seek to find their kidnapped fiend Belinda.
Looking at the one page, she sees what she believes is Mania. He stands as a leader on a battlefield. Fires with ruined cities and a somewhat reptilian creature is shown on one side and fleeing (or attacking) ordinary people with mountains and forests are on the other. Something in the sky resembled a humanoid moth or butterfly. The Pyreen they spoke to, Sar-Savos seemed both fearful and hopeful of seeing the image. His take on the image was Mania was the deciding factor in the battle for freedom or slavery, good vs evil. He didn’t know which Mania was.
Another page she had found was even harder to decipher. It has large stone heads carved and in different states of decay and wear within a thick forest. The words she could understand were “Valley of Wisdom”.
She spends three hours going over the two pages. Looking for anything she may have missed or misread and finds nothing new. Deciding it was time for a break, she carefully places the two pages away in a secure spot within her bag that has a hidden pouch normally reserved for her spell book. She checks on him one last time then takes their water skins and heads back to the ruins where the scorpion was. And a shallow pool.
The scorpion has left. She doesn’t see it anywhere so she continues across the grass to the shaded pool. She fills them both and gets a drink for herself. She tries not to but looks into the deep shadows where the woman was. Could Mania be correct? Could she have been a fey? She has seen stranger.
Capping the water skins, she returns to Mania. He is still burning up from the poison. She has arcane magic- not elemental magic. She can’t help him.
THE NEXT DAY
She is not sure if these are safe but she has found some berries to eat and returns to Mania with them and fresh water.
His fever sweats have stopped, That is a good sign. Many of his deep cuts and puncture marks are looking closed up also. He has a very good recovery rate for a non-Mul but this surprises her. But it is a good sign.
Later that day, she returns from a short walk when she notes there are berries in the bowl she did not pick. These berries look pristine and perfect also. Curious. Oh. And her bag has been touched. She always knots the strings left to right. The knot is right to left. Someone has been here.
Mania is healthy enough now to take food. She gives him some of the fresher looking berries. He eats them slowly with some juice dripping off his chin but he is getting better. She leaves to refill the water skins once more but this time hurries about it. When she returns, she finds her suspicions are true.
“Hello. How are we today?”
Startled, the Lampad rolls away from the bag and papers and into the deeper shadows of the trees.
“I can still see you. I mean you no harm. Have you been helping him? He is very sick.” Cosa asks giving a pause between each question or comment.
The naked short dark skinned woman stares are her from the safety of the dark shadows. Cosa sits down ten feet away. She crosses her legs and places her hand to the side and flat to the ground. And waits.
The woman tilts her head and watches back. It is clear she is curious. She chirps a few syllables and gives an strange animal like look. Cosa looks back and smiles. A slight hint of warmth and comforting smells can be detected in the air. Cosa reaches out with her inborn psionic power to detect certain dangers.
Having detected no harmful intentions from the creature before her she then reaches out while smiling warmly. She tries to charm the skittish woman. The woman smiles back and looks to Mania and motions to and fro between them.
“Are we a couple? Is that what you are wondering? Yes. Yes we are.” Cosa is beginning to think this is a young woman- maybe an early teenager.
“I am Cosa. And this is Mania.”
“Kozzah and Mana” the woman repeats.
“Co-Sah and Man-ia” she gently corrects. Pointing to her…. “And your name?”
The woman smiles sheepishly and skitters into the brush. She stops and looks at Cosa with a smile. “Lampad” and hurries off disappearing without a sound.
Concerned about her notes and spell book, Cosa checks on them and her bag in general. They are fine. Mania look even better and even groans and semi-awakens as he rolls over. “sup?” then closes his eyes with a goofy smile. He is snoring within a few minutes.
The fruit is clearly from their new friend and either very good for him or magically enhanced. He is awake but still tired that night. Cosa and he lay there in the dark whispering about their new friend and whatever comes to their minds. They hope to leave the next day or the day after.
TWO DAYS AFTER
Though not fully recovered still, Mania is up walking once more. They stop by the pool and refill their skins. There, sitting on a plucked lilly pad are fruits and nuts. Gifts from the fey guardian. Each thank the darkness nearby where they believe the woman lives before leaving.
“HELPING HAND“
SEGMENT 164
WINDS DAY 23
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
THE FOREST EDGE BETWEEN GULG AND NIBENAY
“Comon Mania- just a little further to go.”
“Do ….do I get to throw up then?”
“Just another twenty steps and the brush will create a hiding space for us.”
“Oh. Bleeeeeeaaach.”
Sighs. “Better?”
“Yeah. Uhhhn….bleeeeeeearchkkkk.”
“You are leaving a trail. Stop it. I told you NOT to enter the ruins. If you die on me I’m going to kill you.”
“you too.” The very sick young man tries to stumble to the cover Cosa is directing him to. The poison is strong. He is sweating a thick oily sweat and pale. She knows he will not die. It is not his fate to do so. At least not from a scorpion, even if it was big enough for a half-giant to ride. As he falls onto the soft moss she notes the tears and puncture marks on the leather he is wearing. She’ll have to try to mend that but for now…. It is all about him.
It is not long before he is asleep. There is little she can do for him. Since he is lying on his side, she decides to mend his clothes first. Being careful to pull only a small bit of energy from the trees around them, she begins to mend the tears and holes. She wishes Belinda was here, Her powers over healing would make his recovery quicker.
Two hours go by and she decides to look into her notes. When in the Veiled Alliance of Nibenay, she had come across a journal with encoded writing and strange drawings on them. The Journal of Veena. Veena was believed to be a Veiled Alliance member of the past. She could see the future and wrote of it and did drawings within the book. Cosa has several pages of this journal. She wants to find more and was beginning to when life happened. She met Mania and everything changed.
Now, less than a year later, she has fled the relative safety of her underground home in Nibenay. She discovered Veena had ties to a team of repels known both as the Sentinels of Bodach and as the Preserver Knights. Though given little direction by them on where the missing pages are, they were seeking them. Then, as before, life happened. Now they seek to find their kidnapped fiend Belinda.
Looking at the one page, she sees what she believes is Mania. He stands as a leader on a battlefield. Fires with ruined cities and a somewhat reptilian creature is shown on one side and fleeing (or attacking) ordinary people with mountains and forests are on the other. Something in the sky resembled a humanoid moth or butterfly. The Pyreen they spoke to, Sar-Savos seemed both fearful and hopeful of seeing the image. His take on the image was Mania was the deciding factor in the battle for freedom or slavery, good vs evil. He didn’t know which Mania was.
Another page she had found was even harder to decipher. It has large stone heads carved and in different states of decay and wear within a thick forest. The words she could understand were “Valley of Wisdom”.
She spends three hours going over the two pages. Looking for anything she may have missed or misread and finds nothing new. Deciding it was time for a break, she carefully places the two pages away in a secure spot within her bag that has a hidden pouch normally reserved for her spell book. She checks on him one last time then takes their water skins and heads back to the ruins where the scorpion was. And a shallow pool.
The scorpion has left. She doesn’t see it anywhere so she continues across the grass to the shaded pool. She fills them both and gets a drink for herself. She tries not to but looks into the deep shadows where the woman was. Could Mania be correct? Could she have been a fey? She has seen stranger.
Capping the water skins, she returns to Mania. He is still burning up from the poison. She has arcane magic- not elemental magic. She can’t help him.
THE NEXT DAY
She is not sure if these are safe but she has found some berries to eat and returns to Mania with them and fresh water.
His fever sweats have stopped, That is a good sign. Many of his deep cuts and puncture marks are looking closed up also. He has a very good recovery rate for a non-Mul but this surprises her. But it is a good sign.
Later that day, she returns from a short walk when she notes there are berries in the bowl she did not pick. These berries look pristine and perfect also. Curious. Oh. And her bag has been touched. She always knots the strings left to right. The knot is right to left. Someone has been here.
Mania is healthy enough now to take food. She gives him some of the fresher looking berries. He eats them slowly with some juice dripping off his chin but he is getting better. She leaves to refill the water skins once more but this time hurries about it. When she returns, she finds her suspicions are true.
“Hello. How are we today?”
Startled, the Lampad rolls away from the bag and papers and into the deeper shadows of the trees.
“I can still see you. I mean you no harm. Have you been helping him? He is very sick.” Cosa asks giving a pause between each question or comment.
The naked short dark skinned woman stares are her from the safety of the dark shadows. Cosa sits down ten feet away. She crosses her legs and places her hand to the side and flat to the ground. And waits.
The woman tilts her head and watches back. It is clear she is curious. She chirps a few syllables and gives an strange animal like look. Cosa looks back and smiles. A slight hint of warmth and comforting smells can be detected in the air. Cosa reaches out with her inborn psionic power to detect certain dangers.
Having detected no harmful intentions from the creature before her she then reaches out while smiling warmly. She tries to charm the skittish woman. The woman smiles back and looks to Mania and motions to and fro between them.
“Are we a couple? Is that what you are wondering? Yes. Yes we are.” Cosa is beginning to think this is a young woman- maybe an early teenager.
“I am Cosa. And this is Mania.”
“Kozzah and Mana” the woman repeats.
“Co-Sah and Man-ia” she gently corrects. Pointing to her…. “And your name?”
The woman smiles sheepishly and skitters into the brush. She stops and looks at Cosa with a smile. “Lampad” and hurries off disappearing without a sound.
Concerned about her notes and spell book, Cosa checks on them and her bag in general. They are fine. Mania look even better and even groans and semi-awakens as he rolls over. “sup?” then closes his eyes with a goofy smile. He is snoring within a few minutes.
The fruit is clearly from their new friend and either very good for him or magically enhanced. He is awake but still tired that night. Cosa and he lay there in the dark whispering about their new friend and whatever comes to their minds. They hope to leave the next day or the day after.
TWO DAYS AFTER
Though not fully recovered still, Mania is up walking once more. They stop by the pool and refill their skins. There, sitting on a plucked lilly pad are fruits and nuts. Gifts from the fey guardian. Each thank the darkness nearby where they believe the woman lives before leaving.
megamania
Hero
UNDER A DARKSUN
“THE STRANGE TALE OF BASIK“
SEGMENT 165
NOMAD DAY 8
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
IN THE BADLANDS OF THE BLACK SPINE MOUNTAINS
“Hold the chisel this way. Hold the chisel that way. Don’t you understand how to use a chisel?” Grumbles the man as he walks through the rocky natural maze-like area known as a Bad land. “No! No I don’t! I know how to stick the pointy end of my trident into a Gith. I know how to feint to the left and strike with the weapon on the right!” The man growls in utter frustration…. And loneliness.
The normally happy-go-lucky fighter is not having a good day. But his story wouldn’t be complete if we don’t go back a month or so in Nibenay. It started with a simple gathering of childhood friends in the private home of Temmnya Shom of House Shom.
“Oh I remember how he danced for you! He was a hopping and jumping about as you tossed those blades at his feet!” Hahahahahah Laughs a woman dressed in silks, pearls and gold. She has had at least one too many wines already…. And the night is young. Her name is Temmnya Shom.
Laughing with her is a woman dressed in fine clothes and a headpiece depicting a cobra with feathers. A gift from a now-dead suitor from Draj. She is spilling her own wine and has not noticed how drunken she has become. Her name is Veslah. She is a Templar-wife of Nibenay.
“Now I would use my magics to make him dance!” She laughs as she stabs at the air with her fingers splayed wide.
The servants are not impressed. “Accidents” often occurred when these two childhood friends got together. Many accidents that led to the death (s) of servants.
“Did you know his brother later came to me? He was on his knees pleading.” She sets down her drink and gets off the large pillows to kneel on the floor before the Templar. “Don’t hold my brother’s actions against us! Please! I’ll do anything! Anything!” a new burst of laughter escapes from both of them.
“Hahahah! I like it when you kneel before me! You are very good!” calls out the drunken templar.
“hahaha….. excuse me?”
Uh-oh. The servants, even the bards in the background, suddenly remember something urgent to do.
“I am your best childhood friend BUT…. But I am also your Templar.” Still smiling Veslah takes another sip. “Now, unless you have something in mind to do while there…. You may get up.”
“What?” Temmnya stumbles and over balances twice as she stands up right. “Do you insult me Veslah? Do you make me out to be a normal rabble person before you?!? I am…. Shom! Dropping to a knee she frowns at her spilt wine. The frown gets deeper as she notes she must pour herself more wine as all of the slaves have left the room.
“What do you suggest?” the templar snarls with increasing menace.
Both stare at each other.
“A contest!” Declares Veslah.
“A contest then!” clumsily Temmnya reseats herself. “A contest of…. “
“Champions!” and they laugh again. The braver slaves begin to return warily.
Two hours pass as the two drunken women hammer out the details (with no logic what-so-ever to it).
“The rules arsh simple then. You, Temmnya Shom, high ranshking member of the awesomely great house Shom will present a champion. I, The prettiest and most awesome of the king’s templars, will also presence a champion.”
“So on. It sounds greats sus far. “
Like two very bad actors the merchant and templar begin their contest of respect.
“I, Temmnya Shom, prrsence to you my champpeen- Seus. A Mul steps foreward. He twists his neck making a cracking sound. He thumps his spear twice on the ground then steps back.
“I thoughts is name was Zeus?”
“It is. Is Seus.”
“Okay then. It will be Zeus vs my champion- I give you……” she sweeps her arm to the side to point at where her champion would be. In doing so, the slave needs to dunk under her or be slapped. Perhaps being slapped would have been better. Veslah blinks trying to determine the truth at hand. “Where is my champion?”
Five minutes ago-
“Hurry Basik. The master is drunken and in a foul mood. She is drinking at House Shom again.” Stutters the slave in grave concern for his well being. “WE must be quick. Tonight we will go through her courtyard- not the rear entrance. Hurry.”
The human fighter rolls his eyes. He picks up his armor and follows. Whenever the two childhood friends get together someone dies or requires healing. He is slow to follow. He has never been allowed in the house. He is curious and looks around as they move. The servant is a room ahead of him now.
Something catches his eye in the dim light in a corner. If he must die tonight, he will enjoy whatever he can the positive minded fighter thinks. It is a dagger under glass. Curious. Trophy? The slave calls for him from two rooms away. “Hurry or we will both be killed!”
They move outside of the city walls where a guard motions for them to go. Basik sees his master and another woman leaning against each other. A muscular mul surrounded by guards stands behind them.
“Bashik….I should have you ‘ipped for making me and Tem wait.”
Basik is given a trident and a bone dagger. The mul has a stone spear and a stone dagger. “Thas rules are simple. We count to three and youse runs into the desert. You are to hunt and kills a gith. The first back with a head wins. Understoood?”
The mul and Basik look at their weapons, to each other, to their drunken masters then back to the city gates. They look to each other again and smile.
In a strangled sing-song, the two drunken women begin. “Ones….. a Twos…… THREE!”
The two warriors sprint away into the desert…. Into the dark.
Ten minutes later-
“Well?” asks Basik.
“The moons smile on us both. We are not being followed.” The two warriors do a fist bump and a farewell and flee.
THE NEXT MORNING
The two women awaken in pain. Veslah curses to herself. Her hangover is so severe she can not recall the proper words to use to remove the toxins from her body magically. Temmnya doesn’t have templar magic to help her, but she does have grapes infused with the same spell that she eats one by one with most of the juices leaking out of her mouth. Neither clearly remembers why they have dirt and sand in their shoes. A naked slave is on the floor between them. His feet have been destroyed by magic and stabbing marks. Neither knows if he is alive or care either way.
Veslah mumbles something along the lines of “great time. Do it again soon.” And leaves. The fresh air and time it takes to do her “walk of shame” brings some memories back. She remembers the disappointment of possibly losing their contest. She will be sure to lash him when she feels better- this afternoon or tomorrow.
She reaches her home and stumbles to the room where she keeps her paintings and sculptures. She begins to remember now. Basik….. Basik the bastard- never returned. Zeus killed him. That is cheating. Shom will need to make amends for that. Oh. Zeus didn’t…… errrrrr……
Drunken they let the slaves have freedom to gain honor. For this they fled. Traitors! Then she stops all thinking and sneers in anger and further frustration. In the corner, where she kept her most favored possession, a dagger that Nibenay himself gave her, sits an empty case. She has been robbed.
NOMAD DAY 11
Hot. So hot. Basik has escaped Nibenay just to die of thirst in the silt.
He has walked for days. He found water here and there but with no water skin he was at the mercy of cactus and salty & gritty water in shallow oasis that often where watched over by slave tribes or worse elves.
Believing he is about to die….. he rules over (when did he fall down?) and blows silt from his mouth. He traveled what he thought was north. That would have lead him to the Black Spine Mountains where he hoped to find shelter. Instead he found…..silt. He went in the wrong direction or doesn’t understand the layout here. The blowing silt makes it hard to see anything- even mountains in the distance. He closes his eyes to die.
He awakens with a dry throat but a sense of moisture on him. And blessed shade. Or is it darkness.
He hears someone move away in a hurry. He sits upright in the nest of torn cloth and ….drapes? Someone is coming back towards him. He can not see well enough to find a weapon…. Where is his trophy? “Hello?”
“Hello and well met. I am Ten Pug. Who are you?”
Basik has found a slave tribe run by a handicapped mul named Ten-Pug. They have a shelter near the Silt way that was once a temple or something of incredible size. To belong and remain here Basik had to shown some skills with sculpture.
He has none.
Having many guards and military types already for protection, Basik was given some supplies and was asked to leave the clan. He was given directs to locate the Black Spine Mountains and warned of the gith that live there and sent on his way.
WINDS DAY 23
Basik finds there are too many Gith here. Whomever told him one could escape to here and be safe was incredibly insane.
“THE STRANGE TALE OF BASIK“
SEGMENT 165
NOMAD DAY 8
YEAR 23
RAL CONTEMPLATION KING’S AGE 190
IN THE BADLANDS OF THE BLACK SPINE MOUNTAINS
“Hold the chisel this way. Hold the chisel that way. Don’t you understand how to use a chisel?” Grumbles the man as he walks through the rocky natural maze-like area known as a Bad land. “No! No I don’t! I know how to stick the pointy end of my trident into a Gith. I know how to feint to the left and strike with the weapon on the right!” The man growls in utter frustration…. And loneliness.
The normally happy-go-lucky fighter is not having a good day. But his story wouldn’t be complete if we don’t go back a month or so in Nibenay. It started with a simple gathering of childhood friends in the private home of Temmnya Shom of House Shom.
“Oh I remember how he danced for you! He was a hopping and jumping about as you tossed those blades at his feet!” Hahahahahah Laughs a woman dressed in silks, pearls and gold. She has had at least one too many wines already…. And the night is young. Her name is Temmnya Shom.
Laughing with her is a woman dressed in fine clothes and a headpiece depicting a cobra with feathers. A gift from a now-dead suitor from Draj. She is spilling her own wine and has not noticed how drunken she has become. Her name is Veslah. She is a Templar-wife of Nibenay.
“Now I would use my magics to make him dance!” She laughs as she stabs at the air with her fingers splayed wide.
The servants are not impressed. “Accidents” often occurred when these two childhood friends got together. Many accidents that led to the death (s) of servants.
“Did you know his brother later came to me? He was on his knees pleading.” She sets down her drink and gets off the large pillows to kneel on the floor before the Templar. “Don’t hold my brother’s actions against us! Please! I’ll do anything! Anything!” a new burst of laughter escapes from both of them.
“Hahahah! I like it when you kneel before me! You are very good!” calls out the drunken templar.
“hahaha….. excuse me?”
Uh-oh. The servants, even the bards in the background, suddenly remember something urgent to do.
“I am your best childhood friend BUT…. But I am also your Templar.” Still smiling Veslah takes another sip. “Now, unless you have something in mind to do while there…. You may get up.”
“What?” Temmnya stumbles and over balances twice as she stands up right. “Do you insult me Veslah? Do you make me out to be a normal rabble person before you?!? I am…. Shom! Dropping to a knee she frowns at her spilt wine. The frown gets deeper as she notes she must pour herself more wine as all of the slaves have left the room.
“What do you suggest?” the templar snarls with increasing menace.
Both stare at each other.
“A contest!” Declares Veslah.
“A contest then!” clumsily Temmnya reseats herself. “A contest of…. “
“Champions!” and they laugh again. The braver slaves begin to return warily.
Two hours pass as the two drunken women hammer out the details (with no logic what-so-ever to it).
“The rules arsh simple then. You, Temmnya Shom, high ranshking member of the awesomely great house Shom will present a champion. I, The prettiest and most awesome of the king’s templars, will also presence a champion.”
“So on. It sounds greats sus far. “
Like two very bad actors the merchant and templar begin their contest of respect.
“I, Temmnya Shom, prrsence to you my champpeen- Seus. A Mul steps foreward. He twists his neck making a cracking sound. He thumps his spear twice on the ground then steps back.
“I thoughts is name was Zeus?”
“It is. Is Seus.”
“Okay then. It will be Zeus vs my champion- I give you……” she sweeps her arm to the side to point at where her champion would be. In doing so, the slave needs to dunk under her or be slapped. Perhaps being slapped would have been better. Veslah blinks trying to determine the truth at hand. “Where is my champion?”
Five minutes ago-
“Hurry Basik. The master is drunken and in a foul mood. She is drinking at House Shom again.” Stutters the slave in grave concern for his well being. “WE must be quick. Tonight we will go through her courtyard- not the rear entrance. Hurry.”
The human fighter rolls his eyes. He picks up his armor and follows. Whenever the two childhood friends get together someone dies or requires healing. He is slow to follow. He has never been allowed in the house. He is curious and looks around as they move. The servant is a room ahead of him now.
Something catches his eye in the dim light in a corner. If he must die tonight, he will enjoy whatever he can the positive minded fighter thinks. It is a dagger under glass. Curious. Trophy? The slave calls for him from two rooms away. “Hurry or we will both be killed!”
They move outside of the city walls where a guard motions for them to go. Basik sees his master and another woman leaning against each other. A muscular mul surrounded by guards stands behind them.
“Bashik….I should have you ‘ipped for making me and Tem wait.”
Basik is given a trident and a bone dagger. The mul has a stone spear and a stone dagger. “Thas rules are simple. We count to three and youse runs into the desert. You are to hunt and kills a gith. The first back with a head wins. Understoood?”
The mul and Basik look at their weapons, to each other, to their drunken masters then back to the city gates. They look to each other again and smile.
In a strangled sing-song, the two drunken women begin. “Ones….. a Twos…… THREE!”
The two warriors sprint away into the desert…. Into the dark.
Ten minutes later-
“Well?” asks Basik.
“The moons smile on us both. We are not being followed.” The two warriors do a fist bump and a farewell and flee.
THE NEXT MORNING
The two women awaken in pain. Veslah curses to herself. Her hangover is so severe she can not recall the proper words to use to remove the toxins from her body magically. Temmnya doesn’t have templar magic to help her, but she does have grapes infused with the same spell that she eats one by one with most of the juices leaking out of her mouth. Neither clearly remembers why they have dirt and sand in their shoes. A naked slave is on the floor between them. His feet have been destroyed by magic and stabbing marks. Neither knows if he is alive or care either way.
Veslah mumbles something along the lines of “great time. Do it again soon.” And leaves. The fresh air and time it takes to do her “walk of shame” brings some memories back. She remembers the disappointment of possibly losing their contest. She will be sure to lash him when she feels better- this afternoon or tomorrow.
She reaches her home and stumbles to the room where she keeps her paintings and sculptures. She begins to remember now. Basik….. Basik the bastard- never returned. Zeus killed him. That is cheating. Shom will need to make amends for that. Oh. Zeus didn’t…… errrrrr……
Drunken they let the slaves have freedom to gain honor. For this they fled. Traitors! Then she stops all thinking and sneers in anger and further frustration. In the corner, where she kept her most favored possession, a dagger that Nibenay himself gave her, sits an empty case. She has been robbed.
NOMAD DAY 11
Hot. So hot. Basik has escaped Nibenay just to die of thirst in the silt.
He has walked for days. He found water here and there but with no water skin he was at the mercy of cactus and salty & gritty water in shallow oasis that often where watched over by slave tribes or worse elves.
Believing he is about to die….. he rules over (when did he fall down?) and blows silt from his mouth. He traveled what he thought was north. That would have lead him to the Black Spine Mountains where he hoped to find shelter. Instead he found…..silt. He went in the wrong direction or doesn’t understand the layout here. The blowing silt makes it hard to see anything- even mountains in the distance. He closes his eyes to die.
He awakens with a dry throat but a sense of moisture on him. And blessed shade. Or is it darkness.
He hears someone move away in a hurry. He sits upright in the nest of torn cloth and ….drapes? Someone is coming back towards him. He can not see well enough to find a weapon…. Where is his trophy? “Hello?”
“Hello and well met. I am Ten Pug. Who are you?”
Basik has found a slave tribe run by a handicapped mul named Ten-Pug. They have a shelter near the Silt way that was once a temple or something of incredible size. To belong and remain here Basik had to shown some skills with sculpture.
He has none.
Having many guards and military types already for protection, Basik was given some supplies and was asked to leave the clan. He was given directs to locate the Black Spine Mountains and warned of the gith that live there and sent on his way.
WINDS DAY 23
Basik finds there are too many Gith here. Whomever told him one could escape to here and be safe was incredibly insane.
