-
NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
- Thread starter spyscribe
- Start date
spyscribe
First Post
Part the One-Hudred Forty-Sixth
In which: at last, the party’s desert odyssey begins!
The party reports to Djamel that they would like to employ him as their guide, and the next few days are spent procuring camels and other necessary supplies.
Djamel is very skeptical about Thatch’s plan to ride Bob into the desert. Instead, he offers to find someone who will buy him from the young fighter.
“I can’t do that,” Thatch argues. “It’s Bob.”
“You are condemning him to death in the desert,” Djamel insists. “At least this way, you will have a few gold in your pocket, and his death will be quick and painless.”
“What?!?!” Thatch practically screeches. “What kind of person do you want me to sell him to?”
Djamel is unruffled by Thatch’s confusion. “He is a fine horse,” he assures the young fighter. “He would feed many.”
After that, Thatch makes sure never to leave Djamel and Bob within ten feet of each other unattended.
Djamel informs the party that they will not be able to obtain travel permits to Pesshetaup itself. “Simply put, according to the military, you have no business being there.”
“Does this bother you?” Eva asks.
Djamel shrugs. “What I suggest is that you obtain passports for the town of En Tyai. It is not far from Pesshetaup, and going there will not arouse suspicion.”
“Can you get these passports for us?” Lira asks.
Djamel shakes his head adamantly. “No, you must go in person. The issuing officer will use truth magic to ensure that you are not traveling under false identities.”
Lira sighs. “Off to the passport office then.”
Their route to the passport office, housed inside the city’s walls, takes the party through the main market once again. While Eva keeps a sharp eye out towards avoiding Baasim, Lira is intrigued by something else entirely.
“Ooo!” She suddenly exclaims. “Candies!”
Kiara is on it like a shot. “Where?”
Lira points, then grabs Kiara’s hand. “Let’s buy some.” She turns back to the others. “We’ll catch up with you in two minutes.” And they’re off.
The group elects to wait for their return.
“Thee,” Lira replies around a mouthful of sticky candy when they return a few minutes later. “I lold thoo.”
Anvil and Reyu exchange weary glances, and sigh.
###
There is a short wait before it is their turn to speak with the customs official, but finally they reach the front of the line. The official is not a tall man, although he seems to be attempting to compensate for something given the size of the false beard strapped to his chin.
He delivers his introduction by rote. “I will now cast a spell to determine if you are truthful in your answers to my questions. Do not attempt to resist. If you lie, I will know.”
He waves his arms, intones a brief chant and begins to ask his questions. Lira is overcome with a sudden coughing fit.
“Are you alright?” Anvil asks.
“Yes,” she replies once she gets her breath back. “Tried to swallow too much toffee at once there.”
“It wasn’t the spell, was it?” Eva asks, concerned.
Lira shakes her head. “No, just got a little down the wrong pipe.” It would have been hard to be the spell, Lira adds silently, since he didn’t actually cast anything.
That excitement over with, the party quickly gives their names, occupations, and destination of travel, and for a fee of 5 gold are issued official passports authorizing travel within the Empire of Ebis from Siunethrit to En Tyai.
“Wow” Thatch remarks one the party is safely away from the passport office and out of earshot of any of the city guards. “Really is cheaper to get the legal ones, huh?”
###
If there is one thing to be said for Djamel as a guide, it is that he is keenly aware of the dangers of the desert.
Reyu rides beside him at the front of their caravan and listens as he points out a patch of sand in front of them.
“Do you see that sand?”
Reyu nods.
“That sand. Perfectly safe. That is why we are walking on it.” He turns a few degrees to the right and points to another patch of sand. “Now, that sand. Tread on it and it will kill you in an instant.” He snaps his fingers by way of illustration.
Reyu blinks and examines the area more closely.
“Now,” he asks her, “can you tell the difference? Of course not, they are virtually identical…”
“Maybe because they are identical,” Lira mutters under her breath to Eva, who hides a smile.
Reyu squints. Actually, she thinks she actually can see a difference.
A few miles farther on, she spots a patch and points it out to Djamel. “Sand like… that, would kill you in an instant?”
Djamel nods, impressed. “Very good. Later, I will teach you all how to drink your own urine.”
###
Several days travel into the desert, the party has made camp for the night. So far, digressions about urine consumption and deadly sand aside—it has been a quiet crossing.
Anvil and Kiara are on second watch, just before midnight, when the quiet of the night is shattered by a voice outside of the camp saying, “Wha—who are yo--?”
The question is followed by a sharp scream.
The scream wakes the rest of the camp with a start.
Lira sits up in her bedroll. She can see several figures running out of the darkness towards the camp. It’s hard to tell in the, but they seem to be carrying poles of some kind. She scrambles from her bedding and takes cover on the other side of the lean-to. Were those javelins? she wonders.
Kiara has no time to spend wondering. A set of bolas come whizzing out of the dark straight for her, and only her natural grace allows her to leap out of the way.
His night vision dampened by the firelight, Anvil can’t see who their attackers are yet, but at least he knows where his allies are. He immediately casts bless on the party and Djamel.
Which is when Baasim comes striding out from behind where the camels have been tethered for the night. He carries a large whip which he cracks menacingly over his head. He look straight at Anvil as he bellows, “You should have taken me up on my offer, my friend!”
In which: at last, the party’s desert odyssey begins!
The party reports to Djamel that they would like to employ him as their guide, and the next few days are spent procuring camels and other necessary supplies.
Djamel is very skeptical about Thatch’s plan to ride Bob into the desert. Instead, he offers to find someone who will buy him from the young fighter.
“I can’t do that,” Thatch argues. “It’s Bob.”
“You are condemning him to death in the desert,” Djamel insists. “At least this way, you will have a few gold in your pocket, and his death will be quick and painless.”
“What?!?!” Thatch practically screeches. “What kind of person do you want me to sell him to?”
Djamel is unruffled by Thatch’s confusion. “He is a fine horse,” he assures the young fighter. “He would feed many.”
After that, Thatch makes sure never to leave Djamel and Bob within ten feet of each other unattended.
Djamel informs the party that they will not be able to obtain travel permits to Pesshetaup itself. “Simply put, according to the military, you have no business being there.”
“Does this bother you?” Eva asks.
Djamel shrugs. “What I suggest is that you obtain passports for the town of En Tyai. It is not far from Pesshetaup, and going there will not arouse suspicion.”
“Can you get these passports for us?” Lira asks.
Djamel shakes his head adamantly. “No, you must go in person. The issuing officer will use truth magic to ensure that you are not traveling under false identities.”
Lira sighs. “Off to the passport office then.”
Their route to the passport office, housed inside the city’s walls, takes the party through the main market once again. While Eva keeps a sharp eye out towards avoiding Baasim, Lira is intrigued by something else entirely.
“Ooo!” She suddenly exclaims. “Candies!”
Kiara is on it like a shot. “Where?”
Lira points, then grabs Kiara’s hand. “Let’s buy some.” She turns back to the others. “We’ll catch up with you in two minutes.” And they’re off.
The group elects to wait for their return.
“Thee,” Lira replies around a mouthful of sticky candy when they return a few minutes later. “I lold thoo.”
Anvil and Reyu exchange weary glances, and sigh.
###
There is a short wait before it is their turn to speak with the customs official, but finally they reach the front of the line. The official is not a tall man, although he seems to be attempting to compensate for something given the size of the false beard strapped to his chin.
He delivers his introduction by rote. “I will now cast a spell to determine if you are truthful in your answers to my questions. Do not attempt to resist. If you lie, I will know.”
He waves his arms, intones a brief chant and begins to ask his questions. Lira is overcome with a sudden coughing fit.
“Are you alright?” Anvil asks.
“Yes,” she replies once she gets her breath back. “Tried to swallow too much toffee at once there.”
“It wasn’t the spell, was it?” Eva asks, concerned.
Lira shakes her head. “No, just got a little down the wrong pipe.” It would have been hard to be the spell, Lira adds silently, since he didn’t actually cast anything.
That excitement over with, the party quickly gives their names, occupations, and destination of travel, and for a fee of 5 gold are issued official passports authorizing travel within the Empire of Ebis from Siunethrit to En Tyai.
“Wow” Thatch remarks one the party is safely away from the passport office and out of earshot of any of the city guards. “Really is cheaper to get the legal ones, huh?”
###
If there is one thing to be said for Djamel as a guide, it is that he is keenly aware of the dangers of the desert.
Reyu rides beside him at the front of their caravan and listens as he points out a patch of sand in front of them.
“Do you see that sand?”
Reyu nods.
“That sand. Perfectly safe. That is why we are walking on it.” He turns a few degrees to the right and points to another patch of sand. “Now, that sand. Tread on it and it will kill you in an instant.” He snaps his fingers by way of illustration.
Reyu blinks and examines the area more closely.
“Now,” he asks her, “can you tell the difference? Of course not, they are virtually identical…”
“Maybe because they are identical,” Lira mutters under her breath to Eva, who hides a smile.
Reyu squints. Actually, she thinks she actually can see a difference.
A few miles farther on, she spots a patch and points it out to Djamel. “Sand like… that, would kill you in an instant?”
Djamel nods, impressed. “Very good. Later, I will teach you all how to drink your own urine.”
###
Several days travel into the desert, the party has made camp for the night. So far, digressions about urine consumption and deadly sand aside—it has been a quiet crossing.
Anvil and Kiara are on second watch, just before midnight, when the quiet of the night is shattered by a voice outside of the camp saying, “Wha—who are yo--?”
The question is followed by a sharp scream.
The scream wakes the rest of the camp with a start.
Lira sits up in her bedroll. She can see several figures running out of the darkness towards the camp. It’s hard to tell in the, but they seem to be carrying poles of some kind. She scrambles from her bedding and takes cover on the other side of the lean-to. Were those javelins? she wonders.
Kiara has no time to spend wondering. A set of bolas come whizzing out of the dark straight for her, and only her natural grace allows her to leap out of the way.
His night vision dampened by the firelight, Anvil can’t see who their attackers are yet, but at least he knows where his allies are. He immediately casts bless on the party and Djamel.
Which is when Baasim comes striding out from behind where the camels have been tethered for the night. He carries a large whip which he cracks menacingly over his head. He look straight at Anvil as he bellows, “You should have taken me up on my offer, my friend!”
Last edited:
Orichalcum
First Post
spyscribe said:
Must have been a yummy session. Did WisdomlikeSilence make her cookies?
Now all my players are going to complain, Fajitas. You're a cream puff GM, that's what you are.
WisdomLikeSilence
Community Supporter
Orichalcum said:Must have been a yummy session. Did WisdomlikeSilence make her cookies?
Now all my players are going to complain, Fajitas. You're a cream puff GM, that's what you are.
In fact, I don't think I made any particular desserts that session (although we have had some pretty yummy evenings). But there may have been some other reasons for mentioning the candy in game...
-WLS
Orichalcum
First Post
Gaming or non-gaming aperitif odyssey, ooc? In general I subscribe to Piratecat's Theory of Alcohol and Gaming (which is that they don't mix very well, most of the time) so if you've found a way that works, let me know.
Similar Threads
