The Shaman
First Post
Capitaine Martini holds up a hand at Pyotr’s question. “César, contact Lt. Degasser and tell him we’ve reached our objective,” the captain directs his radioman. César Asturas looks up at the cliffs on either side of the gorge. “Oui, mon capitaine,” the slender Spaniard replies, “if I can get out from this hole.” He reaches for the handset dangling from his shoulder.
The captain turns to Pyotr, sweeping back the hood of his djellba as he does so – the native garment, his olive skin and dark hair, and the five-day growth of beard on his face give Capt. Martini the look of an Arab himself. “Abd-el-Hamou was a marabout, a Muslim holy man, and a leader of an insurgency against the French in the 1870s and ‘80s. The Army tried for seven years to capture him before they managed to lure him into an ambush in 1883 or 1884.” He looks up at the crenelated roof of the tomb. “The colonel of zouaves who finally ran Hamou to ground by bribing one of hi followers announced he was going to put Hamou’s body on display in Algiers, but the Arabs stole it away in the night, right out of the encampment, and several years later this appeared. No one knows for sure if Hamou is here or not, but tradition holds that this is his burial site. The tomb is a shrine to the faithful, for those seeking baraka – good fortune.”
Burhan Pamuk looks over at the jackals following Marcel’s question, then picks up a rock from the ground and offers it to the medic. “They’re jackals, not lions,” the Turk opines. David Nedjar chuckles, and adds with a smile “I think that donkey may be too far gone even for you, doc.”
“Hold on, Fortier,” Sgt. Katsourianis breaks in. “Your orders, mon capitaine?” the section leader asks Capt. Martini.
The captain looks around the gorge for a moment. “If Lt. Ferrand’s intelligence is correct, there is a supply cache around here somewhere, buried perhaps. Gaspard, can you look for tracks here?”
Vidal glances down at the sandy floor of the gorge. “Oui, mon capitaine, should be easy with this soft ground, as long as no one tramples the sign, sir.”
“Get started, and we’ll hold position until you say otherwise,” Martini replies – Vidal turns his attention to the dry soil, walking gingerly in a wide circle around the tomb and the ruins. “Sergent, after we get the go-ahead from your man, post lookouts and scout the approaches” the captain resumes to Kat. “We have the trail we followed in, up or down the gorge – what about that far wall?”
“Oui, mon capitaine,” Kat answers, quickly issuing his orders: Manolo Sánchez and Jens Asmussen as lookouts, Silvio Ortu and Karel Syrovy to select a covering position, Pyotr and Nedjar to scout the approaches, Marcel and Normand to check on the dead donkey, Raffaele and Pamuk to search the tomb and the cemetery –
“Be careful,” Capt. Martini interjects as Kat hands out the last assignment, “all of you. Beware of booby traps, and stay alert. Remember we may want to place an ambush here, so avoid making too much of a disturbance and watch your trash – leave as few traces of our presence as possible.”
Vidal walks wider and wider circles around the tomb as the legionnaires look up at the stone walls of the gorge, or study the chipped and fading paint on the walls of the tomb, or check gear that’s been checked and rechecked throughout the day. The tracker stops and starts several times before finally returning. “Sir, there are hoof prints and footprints around the area, but they don’t seem to lead anywhere. They may have covered their tracks, sir.”
The captain nods and looks at Sgt. Katsourianis. “All right, get to work,” the section leader orders.
Remember, it’s a Spot check to look around an area, a Search check to examine a specific feature up close. I will give circumstance bonuses or drop DCs if you give specifics about where your characters are looking or what they are looking for – this has the effect of making the things they aren’t looking for a bit harder to find, however.
The attached photo gives an idea of the layout of the tomb and the ruins and cemetery, but it sould not be taken as an actual depiction of the area – the first photo is an exact depiction of the terrain and features.
The captain turns to Pyotr, sweeping back the hood of his djellba as he does so – the native garment, his olive skin and dark hair, and the five-day growth of beard on his face give Capt. Martini the look of an Arab himself. “Abd-el-Hamou was a marabout, a Muslim holy man, and a leader of an insurgency against the French in the 1870s and ‘80s. The Army tried for seven years to capture him before they managed to lure him into an ambush in 1883 or 1884.” He looks up at the crenelated roof of the tomb. “The colonel of zouaves who finally ran Hamou to ground by bribing one of hi followers announced he was going to put Hamou’s body on display in Algiers, but the Arabs stole it away in the night, right out of the encampment, and several years later this appeared. No one knows for sure if Hamou is here or not, but tradition holds that this is his burial site. The tomb is a shrine to the faithful, for those seeking baraka – good fortune.”
Burhan Pamuk looks over at the jackals following Marcel’s question, then picks up a rock from the ground and offers it to the medic. “They’re jackals, not lions,” the Turk opines. David Nedjar chuckles, and adds with a smile “I think that donkey may be too far gone even for you, doc.”
“Hold on, Fortier,” Sgt. Katsourianis breaks in. “Your orders, mon capitaine?” the section leader asks Capt. Martini.
The captain looks around the gorge for a moment. “If Lt. Ferrand’s intelligence is correct, there is a supply cache around here somewhere, buried perhaps. Gaspard, can you look for tracks here?”
Vidal glances down at the sandy floor of the gorge. “Oui, mon capitaine, should be easy with this soft ground, as long as no one tramples the sign, sir.”
“Get started, and we’ll hold position until you say otherwise,” Martini replies – Vidal turns his attention to the dry soil, walking gingerly in a wide circle around the tomb and the ruins. “Sergent, after we get the go-ahead from your man, post lookouts and scout the approaches” the captain resumes to Kat. “We have the trail we followed in, up or down the gorge – what about that far wall?”
“Oui, mon capitaine,” Kat answers, quickly issuing his orders: Manolo Sánchez and Jens Asmussen as lookouts, Silvio Ortu and Karel Syrovy to select a covering position, Pyotr and Nedjar to scout the approaches, Marcel and Normand to check on the dead donkey, Raffaele and Pamuk to search the tomb and the cemetery –
“Be careful,” Capt. Martini interjects as Kat hands out the last assignment, “all of you. Beware of booby traps, and stay alert. Remember we may want to place an ambush here, so avoid making too much of a disturbance and watch your trash – leave as few traces of our presence as possible.”
Vidal walks wider and wider circles around the tomb as the legionnaires look up at the stone walls of the gorge, or study the chipped and fading paint on the walls of the tomb, or check gear that’s been checked and rechecked throughout the day. The tracker stops and starts several times before finally returning. “Sir, there are hoof prints and footprints around the area, but they don’t seem to lead anywhere. They may have covered their tracks, sir.”
The captain nods and looks at Sgt. Katsourianis. “All right, get to work,” the section leader orders.
Remember, it’s a Spot check to look around an area, a Search check to examine a specific feature up close. I will give circumstance bonuses or drop DCs if you give specifics about where your characters are looking or what they are looking for – this has the effect of making the things they aren’t looking for a bit harder to find, however.
The attached photo gives an idea of the layout of the tomb and the ruins and cemetery, but it sould not be taken as an actual depiction of the area – the first photo is an exact depiction of the terrain and features.
