Turn 83 – Mindscape over the Hinterlands
Gaigin cursed his bad luck fearing the worst for Ptellac and Chit. Mendi was trying to think of how to convince these pterrans that they came from Tyr and were sent by Ptellac if the pterran was…As bad omens ran rampart across everyone's faces, the pterran leader continued, "We, ptop worm patrol come from West, we patrol for over a week ago, we protect village from …foreigners." The saurian squinted his eyes which had turned into two vertical slits under the high sun and stated, "We take leader and one more to village but no weapons. Rest must camp here and wait…"
"Just bloody great. By Kalak's foul stench, this is just damned wonderful." Gaigin muttered, mind immediately filtering through countless possibilities. Could the pair have fallen prey to scrabs, or some other denizen of this strange place. Ptellac at least should've known what to avoid, and Chit' was nothing if not an ultimate survivor. The Urikites were more likely, Gaigin knew he should've checked the bastards more thuroughly that night. The elves? Another possibility, with the animosity they held towards thri'kreens. They hadn't seemed overly fond of pterrans either, for that matter. Shaking his head at the possibilities, Gaigin shrugged and cast his spear point down into the rocky ground. His axe and club joined the spear as Gaigin turned to the pterran leader, Talbot.
"Ptellac should've been here several days 'afore us, he was travellin' with one o' our number, a Thri-Kreen named Chit'. We seperated a fair bit ago, him to return to Lost Scale while we took care of a scrab problem out in the barrens. If he's bloody missin', something's seriously wrong. I lead our pack, I'll be goin' with ye." Gaigin turned back to the pack, scratching his head in agitation.
"Bloody kank-offal! Looks like we don't got much choice now. Koreth, yer in charge. Set up camp and wait for word from Lost Scale, from us or a messenger." without a pause for breath, Gaigin switched to the dwarven tongue, spoken just loud enough for Koreth to here. "Keep yer guard up, and be ready to move. If something goes wrong, we may be runnin' fer our lives." Gaigin switched immediately back to a clear, loud common. "Mendi, yer with me. Yer mental powers could help us communicate more clearly, and yer other powers've gotten us out of tight spots before." Gaigin hoped the wily elf caught the reference to his ability to create those strange portals. If they were deemed liers, that might be their only chance to escape.
Mendi nodded in acknowledgment of his leader's request. The tall elf sent an unreadable glance at Gaigin, who couldn't exactly fathom its sense, but had the feeling that the elf had caught the allusion.
Koreth nodded at Gaigin's instructions, a slight smile coming to his lips. He could once again prove himself as a leader in the pack, if only for a short time. "I will keep things under control while you are gone," the noble warrior answers in accented dwarven "have no worries about that."
Rayne approaches Mendi and Gaigin slowly so as not to alarm anyone, and gives them a warrior's hand shake and her usual smirk as she nods her farewells. Trying to refrain from getting lost in her awe of these magnificent creatures and their riders before her, Rayne tries to stay focused and ready for any surprises. Understanding Gaigin's dwarven command to Koreth, the mul adds to the conversation speaking quiet and quick in a tongue so native to her "Where do we wait fer ye, how long so we wait and what do we do if ye don't return?" The mul pauses at the Pac's leader to give him a chance to respond.
Gaigin shrugged slightly, and replied firmly in dwarven, making the words sound like some foreign farewell speech. "Camp near here, somewhere easily defended. Don't ye worry about whether we'll find yer camp. Wait here fer four days, or until ye get a message from Mendi. After four days, if ye have not heard from us, it be Koreth's decision to stay or go."
The mul remains quiet and watches the events unfold before her. A sadness falls quickly over her as she fears for her lost companions! <what could have happened to Ptellac and Chit? I should've gone with them fer protection . . .> Nodding her acceptance of his orders, Rayne returns to Koreth's side, a worried and sad look weighing heavily in her eyes.
The peddlar looked at Koreth and Rayne, and asked: "Both of you have seen me in the Mindscape before. I'll try to contact Rayne, then you, Koreth. You know that I need your help to create the link, so stand ready."
Turning back to Talbot, Gaigin nodded, eyeing those massive worms warily. "Errr...Are we supposed to ride them things, or are we walkin' to Lost Scale?"
Before Talbot has a chance to answer, Elric steps forward, Whisper still in his arms "Gaigin if you think it would be beneficial I could use my art to show these snake riders Ptellac's image as it was when he was with us." The ex-caravan leader nods his acceptance, "It can't hurt matter so go 'head an' try."
Elric sits Whisper on the ground and steps forward. Throwing back his cloak the young warlock bows to Talbot and his fellow pterrans. Whisper pads softly to stand behind Elric almost unseen. Reaching into his many pouches Elric produces a soft powder of crushed bone as he looks to Talbot "I will show you a vision of Ptellac so that you may see we speak truthfully"
Bowing his head Elric reaches out to the energy surrounding the area and slowly draws it into himself. As Elric's head rises, his right arm moves in a slow arc before him spreading the soft powder into the air. A soft haze of powdered bone shimmer in air before Elric. Weaving transparent strands of power Elric binds the soft bone into his spell, giving his thoughts a medium in the physical world.
The scene unfolds before those gathered it is a campsite with a low fire burning. The view point shows from behind a worn tome, as if you have just looked up from long hours of study. Across the camp you can see a pterran sitting in front of Gaigin and Mendi. Those in the party recognize the pterran as Ptellac giving one of his many language lessons. Talbot turns his head slightly as soft voices drift through the air. The voice speaks in perfect pterranian. Elric continues the scene, matching it as best he can to his memory of an evening spent on the trail. The pterranian words have no meaning to the half-elf, luckily he needs only to reproduce not understand.
The pterrans don't know quite what to make of this and they look at it with keen eyes even foreshadowing their already almost pupil-less eyes. They recognize the words and Talbot even smiles to himself. Perhaps the scene reminded him of other times when the pterran trader sat around another campfire and taught a few hard-headed patrol leaders the command of the common tongue. The two patrolmen confer with each other but it is the leader that addresses the group again, "Ptellac look happy with you and you," the throaty words are accompanied by a sharply pointed finger that reminded everyone that although their weapons were some distance away, these saurians were never truly unarmed.
The leader is interrupted by the young pterran who quickly asks him what sounds to be a couple of questions. "Riloi right. Where Ptellac now? Perhaps you trick him and kill him…no? You say he go alone…why?" The leader points towards Elric this time and state, "He tell me you met Ptellac but no say where Ptellac." The pterrans points to his two companions with the four white snakes and to Riloi, we is Talbot's patrol, we careful with strangers, you is strangers. Me old pterran, no trust you. We no see Ptellac for one moon ago longer, we no see him again now."
Mendi gasped when he fathomed the Pterran explain that Ptellac hadn't made the trip yet. He liked the Pterran, and he cared for him. He even felt a little unquiet about the Thri Kreen's fate: though he didn't exactly trust him, he had been a worthy companion. Mendi listened to the patrol leader, the brow creased with worries.
Mendi turned towards the patrol leader: "I'll tRRy to contact our mutual FFRRRiend..."
The elf walked some feet away from the Pterrans and their snakes, and then closed his eyes. In the mindscape, he sent thought tendrils outwards, looking for a sign of their merchant friend, hoping to find something and then go up the thread...
Gaigin nodded as Mendi sought to contact the Pterran, thankful for the elf's quick thinking. While Mendi sought Ptellac out with the Way, Gaigin once more addressed Talbot in common.
"We'll be with ye soon. Ptellac was only two days 'afront o our party, and ye may have simply missed him. If not, we'll follow as ye require."
Koreth began to survey the surrounding landscape for a suitable place to camp, his eyes scanning the horizon around him. He almost didn't hear it when contacting Ptellac was mentioned. His smile, once a somewhat boyish grin changed into a strange half-smile. He would be glad to know how the Pterran fared, but there was still the pang of loss over his temporary leadership. The noble warrior took a small swallow from a skin as he waited, his head swirling with wonder over what the Pterran village would be like.
MINDSCAPE
The elf almost materialized in the mindscape, his form taking on a distinct green glow as the gemstone pulsed with a light of its own. The elf was still not quite sure what to make out of this new vigor he felt and it seemed that everything he conjured up was tainted by the jewel. His form somehow diluted and reformed itself into a great pterrax that he had seen only days ago. The creature flapped its leathery wings and took flight, the ground soon receded and Mendi was eating up the surface at great speeds. The pterrax was using his ability to search not only for life but also for a very particular form of life.
A few more wingbeats and it found it along with a few other lifeforms as well. It was Ptellac along with about a dozen or so more pterrans with him. The elf landed softly and reformed itself into his normal form recognizable to the saurian trader. Conversation soon issued forth and the situation was conveyed to Ptellac who frowned but told Mendi, "We are on our way over to you with warriors and healers, unfortunately Talbot is an old lizard whose skull is harder than his grip and I have no mindbenders with me to 'talk' to him. Go along with his demands but ask him to let you all head down South. We shall meet you sometime tomorrow and all will be well. Talbot commands one of the best worm patrol so have no fear, you are in good hands."
Back in the real world, Mendi explains what has transpired and asks the patrol leader for a boom. "Ptellac is coming up to meet us; this will happen sometime tomorrow. We don't want to waste time; we need to travel down South towards your village, Lost Scale."
Talbot's eyes narrow down even more if that were possible and his forehead wrinkles in thought, "Never! Never stranger go Lost Scale with weapons while I alive. You give weapons, all and we travel with you. If no, you go no more!" The saurian seems adamant and the two riders with the four worms approach the party as they see their leader agitated and hear him raising his voice…
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 (H)
Koreth (H)
Ayrus (H)
Tak (H)
Rayne (H)
Mendi (H)
Elric (H)
Whisper (H)
GENERAL
If you agree to Talbot's terms then play out the following:
Next turn will have you meet up with Ptellac.
You are free to go another way as well as usual.
Questions, comments, and suggestions please.
L8r,
Fabian