The camp spot was perfect, perhaps too much so as the remnants of another camp was found. Tak determined that the travelers had only left within a day or so and were also heading South. It appeared that the camp was not large, maybe 4 to 8 people with a couple of half-giants from the large footprints. Everyone frowned and remembered Rayne’s story about her former party. They were slow in settling themselves down reminding them that most of them were injured and in no condition for another fight but everyone still had a score to settle with House Stel and some more than others…

The day was especially hot and what little wind was present felt like it came from a dragon's breath. Aryus collapsed into the shaded area, his mind and body exhausted. Taking a few gulps of his precious water, the windmage takes some deep breaths to rest himself. Seeing himself as the remaining most wounded member of the party, he directs two healing spells upon himself.

Seeing Elric open the tome he had found at the scrab lair, Aryus felt curious as to the book's contents. He had given his own book to Migdalia to honor Liron's death. Although he misses the lost opportunity for further magical studies, he believes that perhaps it will serve a better purpose with the two elves.

Aryus walks over to where Elric sat, offers a brief warm greeting and points to the tome held in the warrior mage's hands. "Mind if I take a look at that? Perhaps we can share the magical knowledge contained within?"

Elric looks up startled, he had not meant to bring out the ghastly spellbook unsure how the others would react to a tome made from elf flesh. However, the draw to the knowledge inside the spell book was to tempting. Elric’s sudden flush of guilt is covered by the soft shadows under the outcropping.

Aryus takes a seat next to Elric. "We haven't talked much on this trip, perhaps it is because of my own aloof nature. But we both do fight for the same cause, both being mages who wish to see Athas preserved. You enlist a sword to aid this cause, I enlist the winds. We have never shared our magics, perhaps we should to further both our understandings." Aryus withdraws his own spellbook from his pack, something he hasn't looked at for a long time.

Elric calms as he listens to Aryus. <Another mage seeking to learn. He will understand that we must learn what we can where we can> Passing the leather tome to Aryus. "It seems as if this book was made since the migration of the scrab colony. Possibly one of the scrab mages was elevated to a head role and was expanding his power. In any case it seems as if the scrab mages were quickly growing in power since their move into these new lands. It would maintain from having a ready resource of new plant life to defile. However, it seems as if the components used to create this tome could cause ..umm unrest."

Aryus examines the tome as Elric speaks, his eyes going wide as he realizes exactly what components Elric is speaking of. A touch of disgust edges into Elric’s voice "We will have to destroy the tome in the end, but not before we gain the knowledge held within. I don’t mind sharing it the knowledge in the least. What strengthens us strengthens the pack."

A boyish smile creeps onto Koreth's face as he slumps down in the shade. He wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Even in the shade, the air still burned around the pack. The noble warrior pulled out his water skin and squeezed a mouthful of its tepid contents into his parched mouth. He let it linger there, savoring the feel of it in his mouth, its taste on his tongue. The warm liquid slid easily down his dry throat as he finally swallowed. He would look forward to finally visiting the pterran village, to once again fill his skins and wash the dust fully from his throat.

His thirst staved off for the moment, Koreth turned his attention back to the shield he had carried all this way. He thought back to his own lost shield, dusty and abandoned up somewhere in the ringing mountains. <This thing is magical, why sell it?> he thought to himself, troubled.

"I have a request to make," Koreth begins, looking around to see if his companions turn to listen "we have determined that this shield is magical. I say it is a treasure to valuable to simply trade away for a handful of coins. As most of you know, I lost my shield in the passes of the Ringing Mountains some time ago. I will give up my share of the remaining goods if I can posses the shield instead. Do you find this acceptable?" Koreth gazes at his companions, his eyes lingering on Gaigin as he awaits an answer.

Elric looks up from where he and Aryus are flipping through the scrab spellbook. "I think it should be that you keep the shield if you have a need for it. As Aryus and I have this tome and Gaigin his new battle axe and so on down the line. We should only sale that which either can't be used or a bother for us to carry. "

Koreth nods, his gaze once again seeking out Gaigin. The noble warrior carefully concealed his shock at Elric's words. The shield was much more valuable than the other items, and the fool was going to just give it away without a fight. He scanned the ex-guard's face, his eyes seeking out the man's answer before he would give it. From the expression on Koreth's face, it seemed that he already knew the answer

and that asking for it was a mere formality. The noble warrior toyed with the leather wrapping of his broad headed spear as he listened to his companions.

<Father will not be able to banish me from his doorstep if I return with an enchanted shield and a full purse. Foolish old man never gave me a chance, always doting on Galen and never once looking to his youngest son!> troubled thoughts spun around in the noble warrior's mind, even though his expression was one of almost arrogant confidence <I will show that dottering old fool just how much of a man I really am! He won't ruin my life as he has done with Jiri...Jiri, where have you ran to little mouse? I will find you Jiri, and I will keep you safe from father's greed!>

Gaigin sat comfortably before the old fire pit, sharpening his axe and watching the noble warrior finger the shield while trying to stare through Gaigin's skull. With a grin and a shrug Gaigin nodded an affirmative.

"Aye, ye can have it as yer share o' the treasure. I wouldn't use the daft thing anyway. Shields're a waste in a fight where a free hand could mean the difference. We'll split the money up and ye can have the shield as yer share. Keep in mind though that next time we come 'cross something o' that sort, it'll not go to you. We can't be too greedy, even if we were raised to be."

Turning back to his axe, Gaigin left the rest of discussion to others, preferring silence on this issue.

Tak' sits back facing the fire pit. His body ached - but not enough to cause worry <the battles of the past month, and the walking pace would be enough to try the most stoic of my kin> Tak' thought, silently pleased with the contribution he has been able to bring to the pack. Truly, much had been learnt amongst his companions - and the wiry halfling was sure there would be much to come.

As debate over the distribution of the recovered treasures continued, Tak' closed his eyes. He did not care for the material gain they had made. It seemed obvious to him that Koreth should carry the shield, the fruit should be taken to sustain them, and the sparkling gems either left for another traveler or taken as gifts for those left behind. Shrugging his shoulders a bit, Tak' knew he would have trouble convincing his companions of this - and he did not want to cause disharmony where it was not needed.

The thought of her former master so close by disturbs Rayne and consumes her mind as she slides into the shade next to Koreth. Taking out her water skin, the mul tries in vain to quench her thirst with the warm water. <be glad to get to the village and freshen up some>

"It's not like anyone else is gonna use it, seems a shame to sell it since it's magical in some way. I couldn't think of anyone who would put it to better use. My only concern is to make sure that it's a good magic. Tak, can ye see if it's good or bad magic? T'would be a shame if ye had cursed luck after using it. I've heard talk of such evils before. As fer me, I'm happy with what I've got now" she fingers the arm band fitted snugly high on her right arm, and then pats the 'package' of royal chitin beside her. . . . "and my split from whatever our trader friend gets fer the gems and the necklace will be more than I've ever had - I can say that fer certain." The mul gives a laugh and a wink at those who looked a little too serious at her for her comment of her unfortunate past. Flooded again with memories brought back from thinking of "Master" who was not so far away, Rayne falls silent into her thoughts once again.

"Magic is magic," Tak' says, "I cannot tell whether this shield is good or evil, rather can only see the enchantment as a force - a force that could help or harm." Tak', turns to Koreth, adding his own opinion, "but this shield is a functional item, probably beneficial. It would take a very malicious individual to imbue it with magics that would harm. But then again," Tak' reflects, "the most powerful of magicians are often the most malicious and evil beings..."

Koreth nods at the halfling's words, mulling them over in his mind. <Cursed! Surely not even the most malicious defiler would curse a shield...or perhaps not.... Perhaps I should be weary of this shield...magic only gets one into trouble....> The noble warrior looked upon his new shield and could not believe his eyes. The giant red lizard had changed positions, like he moved or something. Before it seemed in mid flight among an olive tinged sky and now it was reared back among a rocky scrab ready to tear someone apart with its great claws. It was as if the lizard had a mind of its own. (DM note: Trevor, as you probably know this is just some useless 'thing' that will help you in no way in game terms but I like the magic items in my world to be unique so let's have fun with this. If you describe something truly great then I may even add some power to the shield, ask John he got something extra for that sword because of something similar.)

Mendi nodded in approbation as Koreth takes the shield, and then puts away the fruits, the gems and the necklace. "Listen, friends. Among us, I am the one who has the second worse score to settle with House Stel after Rayne, who was abused beyond what I can fathom... but we must keep a cold head. We are heavily beaten, and I'm not sure many of us would survive a new fight... I say we recover first, and have them pay collect their debts afterwards."

Tak' nods at Mendi's words, but adds, "we may not be the author of what occurs. We must be vigilant in case fate conspires against us and pits us against Rayne's former keepers."

"What is most troubling is the apparent ease through which our enemies have found their way into our minds," Tak' looks in particular at Mendi - who has to go into no detail to revive ghastly memories of being at the mercy of scrab psionicists. "We have individuals of no mean skill in the Way, yet several times our defenses have been breached. I believe with some discussion now, and a change in tack later, we will be able to turn this apparent weakness into our strength."

"Combat in the Way is similar, yet different to that with sword and shield. Aggression and initiative can both decide the outcome of a battle - and numerical superiority is often crucial." Tak' slaps his fist into his hands, "we must make sure that in future we are in control of who rules in mindscape."

Tak' stands up and paces, thinking through what has - and what might - come to be, "If we face an opponent who is strong in the Way, who wishes to bring the battle to the mindscape, we must make sure that this battle is conducted in our favor - we must seize the initiative and strike first - in numbers and in strength."

"Rayne, Mendi and myself together - or even only two of us - would be more than a match for even Masters of the Way. Even if we cannot overwhelm a strong opponent immediately, they will need to spend time and energy defending themselves - this time and energy will not be spent turning our minds against us."

"Perhaps, if you are willing," Tak' says to Mendi and Rayne, almost as an aside, "we could also use this strength of ours against those who are weak in the Way. Like a steel blade through the canvas of a tent - we could crush physically strong opponents using our minds." Tak' remembers back to the Tareks who terrorized Ptellac's kin - Mendi and himself had opened and immobilized the leaders mind - making him easy prey for the sword of the Pterran.

"Now - to turn this to the immediate future," Tak' says, concluding his thoughts, and turning to Rayne, "who among those who kept you as property are likely to use the Way against us?"

The mul bites back bitter memories but slowly remembers the party that had set out from Tyr. "Weel, o' course me master was there, there was a small girl and three trader-types," Rayne winks at Mendi, "No offense, there. There were also two half-giant bodyguards, a strange fellow who seemed to work magic but was always surrounded by a sort of dread, hard to explain but the man looked dead and there was another one who was skilled in the Way. That is 'bout all I can remember; it seems so long ago, ye know like a lot of things have happened since then."

"Well, whate'er comes our way, let's hope we make Lost Scale without meeting any Sun-damned Urikite slave mongers. I'd kill for a bed and a mug o' nectar 'bout now, and both are waiting for us in Ptellac's village. But, like Tak said, if them Stel bastards force the issue we won't have much choice." Gaigin sat pondering for a moment, then struck on something Tak had discussed earlier. "If we do meet the bastards, I suggest we try to force a ranged engagement. With two spell-flingers, three mindbenders, and several archers on our side, we should have an advantage, a chance to kill some o' the bastards 'fore they can kill
some o' us. And in close combat, them half-giants'll tear us to pieces. I consider meself a decent fighter, all things considered, but I'd rather face a dozen scrabs single handed then try'n take on a couple o' well armed half-giants." Gaigin grinned at Koreth, gesturing at his newly won shield. "And yer damn right about broken bones. Take a solid whack on that shield from a half-giant's club, and the shield may survive, but the arm it's strapped to'll be broken in a dozen places."

"If we do wind up meetin' the bastards, Tak' should pick a likely target, prob'ly them half-giants unless the bastards have their own mindbender, and concentrate on takin' him out. If Tak, Rayne, and Mendi can take down the target fast and hard, we'll be in a far better position. Elric and Aryus can concentrate on any Defilers, and back up the Mindbenders if need be. Meanwhile, Koreth 'n I'll hold back until we see a weakness, then charge in, or if things go badly, we can cover the retreat. If possible, we should avoid any immediate melee action. We ain't up to it in our state, and in the chaos we'll lose any advantage we might be able to hold on to." Gaigin sat back and waited for opinions or arguments.

BEFORE DEPARTING AGAIN

Tak' called over to Elric, "there may be much to face later, another test of body, mind and spirit. It would be best if we would mediate and heal our wounded bodies."

Gesturing for Elric to sit down, Tak' sat across him, breathing easily as tapped his mental reservoir, transporting Elric and himself to the forest clearing of home. While he was capable of healing himself without returning to this forest clearing, more and more he found himself doing so. The simple life of the forest, uncomplicated by money, trade and war was becoming more appealing of late. Tak' longed for a return to his family and friends - most of all he longed to hear word of his brother and sister - who both had left as Tak' did to wander Athas until they felt worthy to return and lead 'Nak.

Tak' opened his eyes, seeing double. In the real world Elric sat motionless across from him. In the mindscape Elric looked about the clearing, his eyes bright with curiosity. Smiling at the half-elf seated across from him, Tak' put his mind to the task at hand.

Whilst Tak' sat in the cool shade of his mind, hearing the constant but reassuring buzz of jungle life, his body started to rejuvenate. Bruised and damaged muscles smoothed out, and fresh, clean skin covered recent wounds. Elric, seated across felt the cool wave of mental energy emanate from the diminutive halfling, healing his body and purging it of ills.

BREAK IS OVER

The group set out again and quickly cleared the rocky barrens. The trek in the scrub plains seemed a bit easier on the feet and on the body. Small animals scampered about and a huge colony of kips greeted the travelers. The furry mammals quickly turned to their lairs as the group approached but more than one male, stood up on the hole and hissed about displaying its poison sacks underneath their small claws. Tak and Rayne chased them away and most of the males quickly retreated inside except one who actually stood its ground. Both warriors smiled and left the creature alone, no need for unnecessary bloodshed, specially since their bellies were full and there was still plenty of scrab meat to go around.

The afternoon passed on without any particular incident and night quickly approached while Mendi scouted out a place to camp. They had settled in a spot where they even found a muddy pond in which to refill their waterskins. The chores had not yet been done when torch lights were seen in the distance.

A slight breeze seemed to have touched the group and what was odd was that it came from the opposite way that the wind was blowing. The day was still warm as night had not yet settled in but this breeze put a little chill and made more than one person look about nervously as if expecting something. Instantly weapons were taken out and the party was ready for the worse.

The group gathered about their own fire and tried to peer into the darkness when two torch lights came their way, one distinctly held higher than the other, while about 4 or 5 more kept their distance. Two men entered their vision circle. It was strong, rugged man with a half giant, both seemed to have seen better days as their looks bespoke of harsh times. The man's clothes once rich and distinctive were held together with crude leather cords in places and were simply torn apart at others. There was still something that was recognized by some right away, a pair of crossed black scimitars on a white field, this patch was embroidered on the man's cloak and it still stood out proud and menacing, The man had no armor to speak of but his side still sported the pummel of a long sword worn with handling.

The halfgiant was a frightening sight at best, the brute was breathing heavily and sweating profusely as if he suffered from some rare decease. A closer look revealed marking on his body both old and new that reminded everyone of when Gaigin had caught the jungle fever. The brute had a thick torso that was once bursting with muscles but now was covered with smelly, pestering wounds that run freely down his body. The guard had a look of someone who did not have his full wits about him and everyone shuddered at the thought of a mad halfgiant fighting amidst them; weapons were instinctively gripped tighter. A huge wooden club almost as large as Koreth was tall with bone spikes was held easily in the halfgiant's grip while his darted about crazily and his face contorted into strange maddened expressions.

The man spoke first, "Greeting and well met fellow traders; I come in peace." His eyes look upon the whole party and not a motion stirred his face, "I won't lie to you nor will I attempt to hide who I work for." He points to his richly embroidered patch and continues, "I work for House Stel and I was heading a trading expedition to the lizard's village but I have decided to turn back. My men have suffered much and have threatened to leave if I did not comply. Some men like Gor have been stricken by a strange decease in the jungle and I have appraised the trade route as being too dangerous to be worthwhile; I don't care about it anymore." The eyes of the trader fall upon the mul and smiles, "There is only one reason that I did not circumvent your party on my way back and that is to reclaim something of my own. The mul girl belongs to me; there is a brand that identifies her as such. She wondered away from camp a few days ago and no doubt was lost." The trader smiles his most toothy grin, "I thank you all for finding her and saving her from the harsh wilderness and I will pay you for her upkeeping for these past few days." The trader turns toward Rayne and states, "Come girl, it was a lucky thing I found you. You can now go back to the comfort and safety that you grew up on. Come girl, gather your stuff and let's get moving; there is lots of work to be done…"

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

Gaigin (W),

Koreth (W),

Ayrus (SiW),

Tak (SiW), (U)

Rayne (SiW), (W)

Mendi (W)

Elric (SiW)

GENERAL

Just play out this situation and I will respond in character around Wednesday or Thursday and then you can play out whatever happens next,

The only way to know about the fruit is to identify them somehow (magical, psionic, etc) or to use them

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian