A tall gaunt elf appeared with his crossbow cocked and leveled at everyone in the group at once as he panned the group with the readied weapon. His hand fidgeted on the trigger and a jet black obsidian scimitar was kept close at his side. The stranger had his hair short, and wore a turban-like scarf around the neck. He had loose pantaloons, and a light waistcoat. A leather vest with pieces of kank chitin completed his outfit.

Everyone tensed instinctively and suddenly weapons were drawn The air was thick with anxiety as everyone waited for weapons to be put down. The strange elf looked confused as if expecting to find someone else, he slowly put his crossbow down but did not put it away quite so readily.

Zik whips his large body around quickly toward the elf. Offering two open claws as proof of nonhostility, and slowly reaching with two more for his chatkcha's. "We are not your prey," he says carefully.

Koreth slowly lowers his bastard sword, but does not sheath it. He watches the elf cautiously, keeping his eyes on the elf's expression. "I didn't invite anyone to dinner," Koreth smirks and with a serious tone asks "what's your business here elf?"

'Here to rob us blind no doubt.' Koreth thinks to himself in disgust 'I'll have to watch you carefully. Elves.... Ha! Thieves, all of them!' His eyes take in the elf's weapons and his possessions, judging him.

Aryus tenses up at the arrival of the mysterious elf. He instinctively reaches for his spear and slowly rises up, keeping a firm eye on the elf and his crossbow.

Gaigin nods at the elf from his seat on a cracked boulder, his hands still holding the half-mended water skin and a bit of twine wrapped around a sharp rock-splinter.

Greeting the Intruder in flawless, elven, Gaigin eyes the man up and down, especially wary of the crossbow, before continuing in common.

"Nice crossbow, elf. A'course, if ye actually fired it, one of our many fine bowmen would have two shafts through your heart afore ye could knock a second bolt. That is, of course, if Chit here didn't get to ye first," Gaigin gestures at the 'Kreen, "'Kreens is damned fast, and Chit is fast compared to normal 'Kreens. Unfortunately, I'm a bit busy what with me sewing and all, but if ya give me a minute, I'm sure me pretty cutter and I could accommodate ye nicely with a split skull." The big fighter grins fiercely.

"Of course, if ye had something else in mind, I'd be willing ta here ya out. Keep in mind though that I got buried under a ton o sliding rock earlier today, and that kind of thing can make a man irritable. So pray, do tell why ye have approached our camp under arms, or else we'll continue our discussion on the drawbacks of having 6 skilled, heavily armed targets and only one bolt."

Gaigin grins again, crossing his massive arms across his chest as he waits for an answer.

You can notice a trickle of sweat on the elf's brow. Actually you notice it because the elf wasn't sweating the least before he saw the thri-kreen. Fear is visible on his face, but surprise as well when the thri-kreen
addresses him. Control slightly comes back and you notice that the slight quivering of the crossbow ceases.

The elf has already directed his crossbow toward the thri-kreen. He seems oblivious of the challenge issued by the big human sewing a water skin on a boulder. The initial surprised look has been wiped out by a strange look of mingling panic and hostility when he has realized that a predator is in front of him. He backpedal a few steps... Still wary of the kreen, he relaxes gradually and says something to the big man on the boulder.

The tall elf doesn't look at you when the curt answer comes in elven, "No need to trade threats. If your monster behave, I'll behave. You are not my quarry. Name's Mendi, from Tyr."

You can catch the name 'Tyr', and the tone is as graceful as one can wait from a nearly panicked elf facing a thri-kreen.

The elf appears under control but his eyes do not quit the thri-kreen. As the expected attack doesn't come, his fingers leave the trigger and he carefully uncranks the crossbow. He scans the party, and you can see interest when his eyes falls on the pterran.

"So the stories were true. There are some of your people in the area... I didn't err... but I'm forgetting my manners!" The elf makes a graceful bow, saluting the whole party. "Well met fellow travelers, I am Mendi of Tyr, a caravan guard... whose lack of employer send alone on the roads. I fancy myself a daring explorer, so when I heard those rumors of new villages to the west, I couldn't resist the opportunity! And in whose charming presence am I?"

The warm smile and nice words of the elf help the tension vanish, even if it is evident that he is still wary of the predator. He cast curious glances toward the bloodied child and the pterran, waiting for an answer.
You also notice that he is traveling lightly, bearing only a water skin on the side, a bedroll and a medium bag on his back.

The pterran visibly relaxes and his clawed hand ungrasps his bone dagger. He sheathes his weapon but his slitted eyes never leave the elf. In his usual coarse, rasping voice, he states, "My name is Ptellac Goldeye and I am indeed from the pterran village of Lost Scale across the mountains. Though I admire your courage, you would have never made it to our village without an official escort. Our guards are very good at their job and take things personally." The pterran shifts his weight, "In order to get to the villages, you will have to convince me to take you there. What is your business with us anyway? Are you a trader? Why didn't you show up when the contest was held back in Tyr-village?"

Mendi looks upon a heavily built half-elf. His dark tan cloak stirs slightly in the light breeze. His tunic and breeches are of the same material as the cloak, only a lighter shade of tan. He wears the high boots of a desert nomad. He has shoulder length black hair which is pulled back neatly by a rune carved headband, revealing his upswept ears. His piercing green eyes scan the area as you watch him. You see the hilts of two thin short swords at his waist and a long bow in his hands with an arrow half pulled. Numerous pouches are arrayed around his waist and across his chest. Lowering the bow he smiles "Worry not Mendi, Chit-Zik is a most worthy companion. As you can see we are a motley crew though if indeed you come with no ill intent then you have nothing to fear." Stepping across the distance between himself and Mendi, Elric raises his hand to be shaken in peace.

"Coming from Tyr west through the mountains alone is a mighty dangerous task. I applaud your courage sir elf. No, no stop casting those worried glances at Chit-Zik. He has not eaten any of us yet." In moke seriousness Elric checks his hands then burst out in laughter "See not even a nibble."

After an obvious initial surprise, Mendi takes Elric's offered hand and shakes it gently.

"Well met, Ptellac Goldeye, Elric. I understand your curiosity. I was out of town when the news of the arrival of a pterran envoy was disclosed. I came back to Tyr some days ago with a caravan from a small merchant house from Nibenay. The merchant was not departing for another campaign before some time, so when I heard the announcement I decided to give it a try."

Aryus like the rest of his companions sigh in relief giving gratitude to a slew of holy things; the wind in his case.

After the introduction, Aryus drops his spear and offers a slight bow to Mendi. "My name is Aryus. I'm not from Tyr but I find myself flying the same way as these brave companions of mine. Does your curiosity also lie in the unknowns of vast Athas? Where has the wind blown you recently?"

Mendi grabs his bag and moves toward Ptellac. "I've brought some trinkets and utensils with me, since I'm also a peddler... Well, more of a guide, those last months, which is why I'm used to travelling alone. Once the caravan master assigns you to scouting missions, he doesn't care whether you are happy or not. So I can manage, indeed! And I thought that I'd find a merchant or two interested in a trade route when back in Tyr. That's the advantage of being a well-known caravan guard. I know where to find some merchants interested in my knowledge!" Mendi shows something inside his bag to the Pterran; obviously some cheap baubles and some cooking utensils.

"The pterrans are honorable people and would not kill for a trading route. We are interested in establishing trade with Tyr-village and they have designated the traders for us. We shall trade honorably with House Vordon from Tyr-village only. So if you want to trade with us then you should talk to them about it."

The pterran leans over and looks into the bag at the trinkets. He smiles a toothy grin and adds, "But that is big trade like weapons and foodstuff. If you want to trade personally with pterrans then I am the pterran you should talk to." He brings over his own bag and pours forth a collection of bone and wood sculptures, "I am more of a trader in precious art objects." Everyone looks at the "stuff" from the bag seeing it for the first time and are surprised at these items that look like figurines depicting different animals and pterrans. A couple of figurines of pterrans riding animals capture your attention.

Aryus looks at Ptellac's art objects carefully. He scans them to see if any of the objects resemble his deity in anyway. He does see a couple of figurines of pterrans riding what appears flying lizards that strike his curiosity. He makes a note to himself to ask the pterran trader when the time is right.

"Let's have a look on that", says Mendi as he sits cross-legged. "Well, those works of art are beautiful indeed! And I had not in mind to cross House Vordon, but to see what I could trade on my own! My, my, those figures are a real delight; the elf smiles with genuine rapture, though he still has a very business-like air. I think we will have to discuss about those, I'll be quite interested in developing a trade of art objects... and I've thought of various trinkets and utensils you could find some use in... a peddler is more flexible than a merchant house, I'm sure we'll find a common ground ! Those figures are really beautiful...How about if I take those two beautiful figurines and you take this skinning knife, the blade on it is really iron…"

The pterran swells with pride and states, "Yes, they are. These are made by a close friend of mine and I have brought them along only to show the type of craftsmanship that the pterrans can develop." he looks at the small iron bladed hunting knife and his eyes light up. "Well, perhaps I can persuade you to exchange this knife for a few of these other figurines. They are from the same artist but they are smaller."

Mendi and Ptellac barter in a friendly way for a moment. You can see that some objects are exchanges, Mendi takes a few of the smaller figurines and Ptellac pockets the small skinning knife.

"I did not have any friends in Tyr left, the elf states in a saddened tone, so I did not present myself since the announcement asked for a group. But that does not mean that somebody with an entrepreneurial spirit and some time before him had to give up! And here I am! I hope you'll let me travel with you, since you are interested in trading. The word of a guide and explorer, known to many Tyrian merchants, will help us establish a vivid trading route!" The elf's eyes are brilliant at the prospect of the rivers of ceramic pieces flowing in his hands...

The pterran continues, "I have no problem as far as I am concerned but I am being escorted here. I would rather enjoy your knowledge of Tyr-village trade and perhaps we can talk about establishing a small art trading route parallel to the main one."

"Yes, I see we have a common interest in art works. I know some fair craftsmen whose work you'll probably like. And they would not be ready to trade on the scale that would interest House Vordon! I also thought of some other products, but as I said earlier, we'll discuss later. You'll not be opposed to some trading with your fellow villagers, would you? As you saw, I have some other trinkets to sell, and I need to know what things could interest your people!"

"But what do you mean with your guards? Do they fire on stranger at first sight? No parley, no second thoughts?"

All the while, Mendi still keeps an eye on the thri-kreen, even if he seems more and more relaxed as he speaks with Elric and Ptellac.

The saurian gestures to the rest of the group, "These are not my guards but rather my friends who have proved worthy in battle and already saved my life."

He looks hard at the elf, "I am not to make that decision. The whole group bows to Gaigin who is the oldest and most experienced in these matters. He should make that choice."

Gaigin looks around at his companions and shrugs slightly.

"Well, I don't seen no problem in your coming with us, as long as no one else has a problem with it...providing, of course, you actually have some useful skills. You came all this way through the badlands unscathed, and you say you were a Caravan Guard, so you are a proficient traveler at least. Still, there are many who can travel well enough, and you must have some other useful skills. A warrior, perhaps? We can always use another hand in a fight."

"As you can see, I'm a peddler. But I'm experienced in scouting and foraging, after all those years of travel. Though not a soldier, I'm a decent fighter, since a caravan guard has to fight more often than is healthy. I have other skills, but they are of little use in the present situation."

Mendi is accepted by the group as no one else voices an opinion contrary to Gaigin's and Ptellac's, the conversation dies down as the embers on the pit get colder. Everyone eventually turns to sleep except for the sentry left to keep the fire going and the group safe from predators.

Expedition Day 4 - Year of the Desert's Fury of the 190th King's Age (Free Year 11)

Shallow Cave - Unnamed Canyon near the top the Ringing Mountains

The companions once again break camp after eating the rest of the roast. They were a bit lighter not carrying the food but everyone looked towards the hunters for their next meal. They were doing fine as far as water was concerned as Tak had told them that in his homeland he could find fresh water aplenty. The rocky canyons still sprouted vegetation even at this high altitude as beaches of soil washed down from the mountains, were watered by the frequent flashfloods and served quite well as grazing land for the animals that fed in these peaks. The halfling explained that there were a few mountain goat herds that served to feed the many hunting cats and birds of prey that prowled the mountains.

The mountain starts to shake once again as it did yesterday and everyone looks up towards the peaks and seeks some sort of cover. A bit of rock and debris and lots of sand and dust pour from the peaks around you but not nearly as much as yesterday. The companions resume their trek wanting nothing more than to be out of the mountains as soon as possible while Ptellac murmurs something about the Earth Mother being angry still.

The sky to the west turns black as night as roiling clouds gather among the mountains peaks. Sharp cracks of lighting fill these clouds, and the sound of deafening thunder rumbles from the distance. The group continues on, fearful of being caught in the open should a Tyr storm strike. The twisting path through the canyon opens into a wider depression between the razor-sharp pinnacles around the companions. The path leads on to a high ledge. To continue on this direction, the heroes will have to climb the ledge and the jumble of rocks beyond. This way had clearly ended abruptly and a new must be found. This way would be dangerous for the companions never mind the traders and caravans that had to come through this path.

After the warlock noted the dead end on his map, Ayrus spotted movement on one side at the bottom of the ledge. The companions carefully went closer and saw them. Sitting at the foot of the ledge were two thri-kreens. Apparently, they had also come to this dead end but for some reason had remained here. They had no weapons visibly and did not look much different than what Chit did. Their sandy exoskeleton was unadorned but their abdomen contrasted greatly with Chit's. While Chit's looked strong and, some may even say, swollen, theirs was somewhat deflated with the chitin plates covering it almost touching each other. The large insectmen appeared agitated, shaking and were staring blankly ahead as they huddled upon the ground.

Your actions…

OUT OF CHARACTER

HEALTH STATUS

Remember the scale:

Healthy (H) 100% hitpoints remaining

Slightly Wounded (SiW) 75% to 100% hitpoints remaining

Wounded (W) 50% to 75% hitpoints remaining

Seriously Wounded (SeW) 25% to 50% hitpoints remaining

Mortally Wounded (MW) 0% to 25% hitpoints remaining

Koreth (H)

Elric (SiW)

Ayrus (H)

Chit (W)

Tak (W)

Gaigin (SiW)

Ptellac (SiW)

Mendi (H)

Great roleplaying, all of you. I have told you this already but I may repeat things for Vincent's sake. I will assume anything not specifically stated but will try to do so within character.

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian