Legacy of Fire

[Grimtina]

You have been traveling together for more than a week on a dreary camel caravan from the town of Solku to an unknown location in the northern scrublands of Katapesh. The man who hired you is called Garavel, a no-nonsense major-domo of a merchant princess awaiting you at your destination. In the distant haze to the west, you can just make out the immense outline of Pale Mountain looming over the mid-evening horizon like a tombstone. The journey has been tiring, with a sandstorm right at the start, and the ever present heat seemed to have been especially worse after. Now you are nearing your target location, where you are supposed to look for the "Sultan's Claw." You were told it would be impossible to miss.

[Yanisa]

Tired from the journey, Ink left out a silent sigh and took a small moment to catch her breath. Using the window of time to look around, both checking around how the other people around her, and looking for the landmark, the Sultan's Claw. Then she stared nervously at the mule, which wasn't really hers, but everyone seemed to think so. So she ended up the sole caretaker of the beast and she had no clue whether she was doing well or not, it has been a while since they traveled and he seemed more restless. She pulled the reins tighter and the mule loudly brayed in protest. Ink whimpered in response and pulled the collar of her robes, trying to hide the tattoo of a stylized scorpion tail in her neck.

[jamieth]

Khima, by contrast, was confident and relaxed - or at least appeared so. She looked rather similar to the Kele****e caravaneers - except for her clothes, long, flowing grassy green dress cut just enough to not hinder movement, and her hair, reaching beyond the waist and almost unnaturally white. Absent-mindedly stroking the tabby cat sitting on her shoulder, she reached into the bag fixed on the side of the camel and took out a small flask. Opening the flask, she tilted it towards her mouth, then shook it,listening, and absent mindedly stuffed the empty flask back.

[Vhaidara]

Arzak keeps his eye open for the Claw. The venture had bee long, but his revenge was closing in. He put a hand on his father's scimitar, clutching the pommel.

[Benson]

The stunning statuesque blue haired paladin known as Hajrai dabbed her forehead with her sleeve, her bangs matting with sweat and sticking against her face. "Oh boy ain't this gross hahah..." She declared with a weary smile. She brought her water skin and took a hearty sip and let out a satisfied sigh. "That felt good oh yea." She smiled at the quiet others and nodded her head.

"I'm bored, who wants to hear a joke?" She questioned her comrades as the camel caravan continued.

[jamieth]

"Sure, why not?" Knime replied in a remarkably disinterested voice, "Anything to pass the time. Really, I just can't believe it... we've already passed well over a hundred miles of nothing."

[Benson]

"Alright, ahem. What did the traveler do when when he came upon a fork on the road?" She asked grinning widely as she eyed each of her fellow companions.

"He picked it up!" She then laughed heartily thinking it was quite the clever punchline. "I'm here all day."

[Yanisa]

Ink responded with laughter, not that she found the joke especially that funny, but rather she was trained to laugh when someone told a joke. She was curious to the person who told the joke and walked towards them, dragging the mule on a short leash behind her, although he didn't really want to walk.

[Vhaidara]

Arzak scowls as the joke is told.
Was that supposed to be funny?

[Benson]

"Tck, well a certain someone sure is grumpy," Hajrai replied jovially, her spirits not dampened by Arzak's reaction to her joke. She then leaned in towards Ink as the girl approached her and whispered loudly in a conspiring manner. "It must be the heat getting to him because that joke was pure platinum."

[Vhaidara]

He looks at her, his face deadpan.
It didn't have enough dead gnolls.

[jamieth]

Khima chuckled - not at the joke itself, honestly speaking she was more or less agreeing with Arzak, but, funny or not, it succeded in liveninig up the atmosphere - so it probably wasn't entirely without merit. "Dead gnolls?" she asked, with the obviously fake interest, "Not sure I heard that one."

[Vhaidara]

And his gaze turns to Khima.
Everything is better with dead gnolls. Including jokes and tracts of barren wasteland.

[Benson]

"Hehe, fair enough, ahem," She then tapped her chin and had an aha! moment. "What do you call one thousand gnoll corpses in a desert? .....A landfill." She sniggered.

[Vhaidara]

He chuckles.
Not bad. What do you call a thousand dead gnolls anywhere?

[Benson]

"Litter? A waste of space? A most likely and possibly blunt answer?" She grinned as she again wiped her brow of the sweat. It was such a long trip, her legs did hurt from all the walking and she was pretty sure she was chaffing somewhere she did not want to talk about, but she felt the need to maintain that she was fine, keep up morale and stuff, whatever. Another sip of her waterskin show that it was close to empty. "Oh boy..."

[Vhaidara]

A good start.

[Yanisa]

Ink nodded and smiled at the various gnoll killing jokes, but deep inside worried a bit. Where they really expecting to fight a thousand gnolls. She looked at the the mule and wondered if it could kill gnolls, but then realized it was a stupid thought and frowned at her own thinking.

[Benson]

Hajrai laughed loudly, still grinning. "Good one, good one." She nodded as she then pardoned herself for a moment and quickened her pace to reach Garavel.

"Ahem, sir, how much further do we have? I reckon we must be close considering how much traveled so far," She asked with a chuckle.

[Grimtina]

Garavel points ahead. "Just over this ridge, then it's a journey done for a while." He, too is tired and weary.

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim patiently listened to the others, a small bemused smile on his lips the whole time. It was an interesting group, the friendly woman who did not take herself seriously, with the man who seemed too intent on the task made quite the pair. Perhaps they would balance each other?

"Is a journey defined by a man's feet or by his heart?" To him, the journey was always ongoing whether he was standing still, or running through the busy market streets.

[jamieth]

"I personally believe the journey to be defined by the experience one gets from it", Khima replied, "and, honestly speaking, I think I've experienced way too much sand already. A change - any change - would be welcome. Possibly including dead gnoll. Actually, I almost start to believe I wouldn't mind a live gnoll."

[Vhaidara]

Live gnolls aren't so bad. They're pretty good at becoming dead gnolls.

[Benson]

Hajrai let release a fist pump as she softly uttered a 'yes'. "Sweet, ahem I mean, good good." She gave him a weary smile before her attention fell to the others.


"Oooh, I like that, experiences, it sounds so deep, so thought provoking," She replied sincerely with no trace of sarcasm in her words.

[Grimtina]

As the you top the last rise, a caravan of a half-dozen wagons and a large tent clustered around a distinctive tree comes into view. As soon as the craggy tree appearsl, it becomes obvious why it is called the Sultan’s Claw. With five immense, mostly leafless branches, the growth looks more like a giant skeletal talon than a thing of living wood.

Camels in a nearby pen prance in agitation, and a clutch of confused goats and livestock wander the grounds around the wagons. Perhaps a dozen men and women rush around the campsite, chasing down an animal or hastening toward the center of the cluster, near the Sultan’s Claw, with pails of water in their hands. One of the wagons is on fire!

Lush orange and red flames engulf an elaborate wooden wagon emblazoned with painted moons and stars. A gout of smoke pours from an open door, and as you approach an ill wind blows a number of colorful fortune-telling Harrow cards from inside the wagon. One of those cards, the Cyclone, lands smack in Ink's face, it's smoldering edges illumnation the face strangely for a moment before going out. It catches everyone's attention for a moment, then your eyes shift their focus from the Cyclone back to the wagon, just when the whole of the Sultan’s Claw erupts into brilliant flame.

The central flap of an elaborate tent flies open and a regal woman who can only be Almah steps out into the firelit night. “Douse that flame!” she shouts to the men surrounding the wagon before turning in your direction. “Ah, Garavel!” she says. “And just a moment later than the nick of time, as usual.”

Looking specifically past her major domo and directly at you, Almah barks out a simple order before running off toward the fire: “Find some way to help!”

[Yanisa]

"Stupid Card" Ink grumbled as she wiped the ash off her face. Then she heard the order and quickly looked around, a plan forming in her head. The water alone didn't seem efficient enough, so she looked around for a large cloth (or failing then, she would use s piece of your tent). Following that she looked for an unattended filled water bucket and grabbed it, throwing the water over the cloth, soaking it. The last step was using her Mage Hand to levitate the cloth and slowing placing it above the burning wagon, then dropping it. Hopefully smothering the flames with the drenched cloth.

[Benson]

Hajrai didnt even hesitate, she was already running towards the flames before Almah ordered for them to help. She began to assist them in putting out the fire though she did not feel the pail by pail method too efficient. "Ack....there has got ta be a quicker way..." She wiped her brow of sweat building as she helped.

[daelrog]

I'll go ahead and post what spells Al'Khadim has prepared for the day
Level 0
-Acid Splash
-Dancing Lights
-Ray of Frost

Level 1
-Chill Touch
-Shocking Grasp

Al'Khadim leaped to action with the others. He had his own blanket in hand, trying to snuff out the fire by denying it air to breathe, unconcerned at the moment that he needed it to sleep.

[jamieth]

"Is there anyone inside?" Khima asked, approaching the burning wagon and touching a passing caravaneer, offering him a quick blessing.
For now, casting as many Guidances on the workers as she has time to.

Spells:

Cantrips:
Daze - at will
Dancing lights - at will
Guidance - at will

1st:
Sleep - 1
Cure Light Wounds - 1

[Grimtina]

Almah, Garavel, and four soldiers dressed in the distinctive red chitin-plate armor of the Pactmaster Guard run back and forth between the burning fortune teller’s wagon and an uncovered wagon about 20 feet away. "None inside that I know of," one of the soldiers shouts.

Four burly mercenaries struggle with an enclosed wooden wagon within feet of the burning wagon, hoping to move it to safety before an errant spark causes it too to burst into flame. A red-headed halfling kneels next to two severely burned mercenaries who tried to enter the burning wagon. He is tending to a badly wounded mercenary but he is unable to focus on his second patient, a female sworder named who lies near death from terrible burns and smoke inhalation.

A modest collection of pigs, goats, and sheep accompanies Almah’s party on the journey to Kelmarane. The flaming wagon has unsettled these creatures, which somehow escaped from their pen in the confusion surrounding the fire’s outbreak. The middle-aged human camel driver and what seems to be his wife from the curses of "slow-brained husband" she directs at him, do their best to wrangle the panicking animals, but their efforts are quickly being overrun by the chaos of the situation.

The watersoaked cloth helps to quench the flames for the top half of the waggon, but it dosn#t quite manage to take out all of the flames.

[Benson]

Upon catching sight of the wounded and dying merc and learning of that no one was inside the burning caravan she made a quick change of actions.

"My apologies!" She said to the Pactmaster Guards. Alas, a wagon could be replaced, but a life could not, twas her thinking at the moment. Handing off the pail to another she ran over to the red haired halfing and his two patients.

Without a word she began to examine the female merc, loosened some of her armor/clothing and began to provide medical aid in an attempt to stabilize her.

Actions

Heal Check: [roll0]

Following that should not work (or work), she will follow up with a cure light wounds potions on the merc.

Cure Light Wound Pot: [roll1]

[Grimtina]

Hajrai's efforts succeed, the labored breathing of the woman becomes more stable, and upon the magical healing the burns recede far enough to see flesh again and not charred meat. The halfling, who has stabilized his own victom, sends over a grateful smile.

[jamieth]

"Save the drink for -" Khima's advice comes too late as Hajrai forced the potion down a victim's throat. Sighing, Khima looked around, "Anyone else hurt?" she asked, approaching the man a halfling just saved. "Why waste fifty crowns when a night's sleep would work just as well?" she asked Hajrai with a shrug, "though I won't deny it was a noble sacrifice."
Unless there is someone in worse condition in sight, Cure Light Wounds on the merc.

[Benson]

Hajrai stared at Khima as if though she just said something daft. "I doubt a good night's rest would have made those painful flesh consuming burns go away." Her expression then softened into her usual relaxed face as she made a tsking noise.

"That was not waste of my resources, nor was it a sacrifice of any kind," She warmly smiled at Khima and nodded her head quite assured in her words. She turned her focus to the halfling afterwards.

"Considering the young miss here seems to want to take over in the healing department, I shall bid a temporary adieu for now." She stood up, briefly bowed and made to return to helping put out the fire.

[Grimtina]

The halfling nods again. "Thank you so much. I had used most of my spells today already, and I am all out of potions."

[Yanisa]

Staring for a moment at the wagon and feeling proud for doing something useful, suddenly it hit her that people still needed help all around her. Other people were handling the fire, so she figured more wet blankets wouldn't do a lot. Ink looked around to see if anyone else needed help, but most of it seemed out of her league. Helping push carts around? Not with her scrawny build. Helping the wounded? She would already get nauseated by the idea of blood. She sighed, it was really hard to prove yourself if no one around needed your talents. If someone needed a letter written or a book translated she could do that. Pondering in thought for a moment, staring at the mule beside her, she realized the animal was oddly calm despite all the panic around it. Maybe that was something she could do, keeping the rampaging animals calms. Dedicated she stepped towards the first other animal, a goat, clearly not in a happy state. "So... ermmm... Mister goat? Could you please calm down?" She asked with her friendliest smile and softest gestures.

Ink is rolling an untrained handle animal to calm the goat
[roll0]

[Grimtina]

"Mister goat" stops in her tracks, looking surprised. Someone with a calm voice? "Meeheheheee..." she comments, and then proceeds to check Ink's pockets for food.

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim threw his blanket over his shoulder as he moved to the wagon to help the other mercenaries with getting the cart to safety.

"Push!" His heels dug into the ground beneath him, and his jaw clenched, less concerned about looking heroic, and much more about not letting the fire spread any further.

[Grimtina]

With the extra help, the wagon slowly moves away from the fire hazard, just in time, too, as more burned pieces drift along the hot wind.

[Yanisa]

"Hoho, there isn't a lot in my pockets except crossbow bolts." From the stories she heard, goats might as well eat crossbow bolts. Instead she reached in the saddle back on the mule and grabbed a stale piece of bread. "Sorry, best I can offer." She offered a small piece to the goat, and then dangled the rest outside his reach. Slowly luring her towards the pen. Once arrived she tossed the rest of the bread inside the pen and closed the pen behind the goat. "Well, that's one."

After that success, Ink is going to try the same trick again, but with a larger group.
Another untrained handle animal:
[roll0]

[Grimtina]

Quicker than expected, the goats are all too happy to follow someone who seems to know what they are doing. Even two pigs one of the camels come along. The cameldriver and his wife have managed to catch 3 other camels and a pig by now. They are sweating and huffing, and clearly still frightened.

[Benson]

Hajrai would just continue with helping put out the fire doing as what the Pactmaster guards were doing.

[Grimtina]

It takes a while longer, but eventually, the fire is out, and no more panicked animals are running about.

The really bad news is that, after the remains of the wagon are searched, a body is found inside after all. It is that of the wagon owner who must have died quickly as he was right at the center of the fire. The astrologer Eloais was known to use candles and incense, but he was also known to be very careful. Something, so the rest of the caravan starts to mutter, doesn't add up.

Almah shows remarkably little concern over the fate of her astrologer, indeed, the way she is surveying the scene, it seems she is treating it more as a loss of resources than a personal tragedy. She asks Garavel in an icy voice to lead an investigation into whether or not the fire might have been set by someone in her camp. Then she turns to you. "As none of you were here when this happened, you can't be arsonists, so I want you to aid Garavel in this. He might need it. Help him determine if there is a mystery afoot, and if so, to solve it. " From her voice, it rather sounds like she doesn't think all that much of her major domo.

[Benson]

Hajrai wiped her brow again, ash and sweat leaving a grimy feeling on her face. Nonetheless, she was glad the fire was put out and things a little calmed. She frowned a little at how Almah seemed to be quite callous about whoever the poor soul was that was dead. She then decided to properly present herself, keeping her thoughts to herself about how she saw Almah's attitude.

She quickly bowed on one knee before Almah. "My name is Hajrai and shall do my best in the solving of this mystery." She turned her head and glanced at Garavel. "I think the first course of action should be examining the burnt wagon and the body."

She looked at the others awaiting their own response to this whole scenario and Almah's demand.

[Yanisa]

Used to leaders not caring about their underlings, Ink didn't blink a eye at the treatment of Garavel. She did however wonder why she was standing here, she didn't do any heroics or life saving and surely no one would trust a slave over a majordomo. But object she did not, never question the masters, just follow command. She also didn't introduce herself, because that was not her place. She did bow, as deep as a human could and only stood up a minute after she was sure Almah was done speaking.

When Hajrai spoke, Ink also stayed quiet, agreeing with her in a silent nod, not wanting to speak out of terms and unsure what rank she was. In any case checking out the scene of the crime seemed to be the logical first step, and maybe it was just an clumsy accident. Although if this was a mystery, she hoped the astrologer left clues behind in cryptic writing, that was something she can deal with and prove that she is more then just a slave.

[jamieth]

"And. I. Specifically. Asked. If. There. Was. Anyone. Inside!" Khima declares to no one in particular, stressing every word, "Maybe there was still time to save him! But no, everyone was too busy gathering the trinkets!"
That said, she had little idea as to how to tackle the investigation - or, rather, she had some, but they would require some preparation...

[Grimtina]

Garavel mumbles something to the effect that he's do his best and waits for his boss to be gone. Then he nods. "Starting with the wagon makes sense, of course, although I doubt we'll find much - at least I am not good at finding hints, I'm an organizer, not a detective." He begins walking to the burned out wagon. "The astrologer Eloais was a riddle to me, anyway. Always so mysterious and talking of omens. Well, I suppose that's part of their line of work, but I prefer what I can see. The Lady Roveshki brought him along mostly because she wwanted another Varsian around, I think.

As for the others, we have quite a mix of people - an expert on gnolls named Dashki, a cleric of Nethys named Zastoran, four soldiers, six mercenaries and a pair of camel drivers. And Almah Roveshki, of course, all set to rescue the village of Kelmarane. It's why we are here, but, of course, if we can't even clear up this mess..."

Arriving at the wagon, you find it's nothing more than a charred ruin, except for ine of the small sides which is only half burned but empty.

[daelrog]

"There's always signs, no matter how small. The question is finding it." Al'Khadim walked over to the burnt out wreckage, and began looking for signs, began trying to sense if anything magical were involved.

Rolling spellcraft to see if he finds the fire was magical in nature at all.

[roll0]

[Benson]

Hajrai hesitated a moment as Khima declared her opinion. The girl was right, so a knot began to form inside of Hajrai as she found herself feeling guilty. She took a deep breath as she walked over to the charred wagon and the body of Eloais and knelt down before the body. She then began to examine it.

Actions
Heal Check for a general examination of the body. [roll0]
Perception Check of the general area for any clues on how the fire could have happened [roll1]

[Yanisa]

Ink, not having any experience, just takes a peak at the more intact side. Because it was half burned she might be able to find something salvageable or something that is easy to fix with a light touch of her innate powers. Although she mostly keeps an eye out for parchment or books.

An untrained an unmodified perception to search.
[roll0]

[Vhaidara]

Arzak had done what he could to help with the fire, and looks around at the others as they are charged with investigating the cause.
Well, anyone have any bright idea for this?

[Grimtina]

The victim seems to have been dead before the fire took him, probably of smoke inhalation. There is really nothing left in the wagon, but looking from the way it burned, starting from a corner outside, someone had indeed set fire to it.

[Benson]

"Well...he didn't die from the flames...most likely from in-taking too much smoke..poor soul," Hajrai frowned. She would afterword start carrying the body out of the wagon.

[Yanisa]

"Pardon me for speaking." Ink started carefully. "If I am allowed to state a suggestion." She actually paused a full moment before continuing. "It seems the fire started at the outside, so wouldn't the poor soul notice heat and fire first, before any smoke happened inside?" Another pause, although this time Ink was putting sorting out her thoughts. "I mean, I am no expert on fire, but it seems off. Would he be so busy with his own work that he didn't noticed fire? Or did something prevent escape?" After that light accusation Ink fell silent again, in her mind assassinations where the stuff of nobles. She wondered if the astrologer had any ties and tried to think back of the many rumored she heard from her earlier masters.

A Knowledge Nobility to see if Eloais has any known ties or conflicts with any noble or high member of society.
[roll0]

[Grimtina]

Nothing known

"Ah, well, he was a diviner, and you know how they get when they read the cards. From the way they were floating around, it was likely he was meditating over them again." Garavel shakes his head. 2I fail to see what vague ideas from random cards could get us, but the Lady was immersed in it, too." He then points around the camp. "Maybe best to ask everyone about the incident; I just fear they will not want to talk to me."

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim was little happy about the discovery. He preferred to trust the man standing to his left, the woman on his right. There was no mistake that it was no accident, nor were there any gnolls about them. Not unless the hyena men had suddenly learned enough arcane magic to be invisible.

"I'll speak the the Cleric then. I do well with men of faith." He offered a coy smile before taking his leave to find Zastoran.

Al'Khadim gave him a friendly nod. "I hear you're our man of Nethys. I admit I pray more offer to Sarenrae, but as a man with a few arcane talents, I can appreciate the All-Seeing Eye. A terrible way to meet though, amidst a tragedy." He hoped to make the Cleric more comfortable.

Al'Khadim is trying to make friends. He's not assuming Zastoran is guilty, so he's not really bluffing, so I think Diplomacy is the best skill to use. [roll0]

[Benson]

Hajrai

"You don't suspect foul play do you?" Hajrai asked aloud to no one in particular. When Garavel suggested speaking to others she nodded her head dutifully. She then walked over to Ink and lowered her head in whisper.

"Perhaps you ought to speak to the camel drivers, you did help them wrangle up the critters, perhaps they would be open to speaking to you?" She smiled at the girl and assuredly nodded her head as she pivoted on her heel before Ink could answer and headed to speak with the caravan guards.

"Ahem, excuse me gentlemen and ladies, but, what can you tell me about Eloais? Was he the sort to create enemies?"

[jamieth]

“I’m afraid pretty much everyone had the chance to start a fire”, Khima declares, deep in thought, “so the correct question would be… who had the reason to. I can see two options here… either someone specifically targeted master Eloais… or someone attempted to stop – or at least delay – this expedition as a whole. In the former case… from what I heard, astrologer was a secretive man, meaning his enemies aren’t likely to be widely known. In the latter… No, in fact, there can be a third option. Maybe the target wasn’t the man himself, but rather some of his possessions. Cards, you say… Surely they were destroyed in a fire? I’m in no way an expert, but I know a thing or two about Harrow…”

[Grimtina]

Father Zastoran is an aging, stocky man with a large nose, long length white beard and hair and a friendly smile. "All gods not right out advertising evil are fine with me," he assures. "Arcane talents, hmm? Maybe we can talk about that later. I used to be a well known alchemist in Katapesh in my younger years. Oh, I miss the comforts of my home city! But if Almah needs me, I'm glad to follow her and help her." Then his face darkens. "Bad circumstances, indeed. Pity, too, the astrolger was quite a nice chap for his kind and you could have lengthy, good conversations with him."


"Enemies?" one of the personal guards, them standing clearly apart and away from the mercenaries, wonders. "We had little interest in the man, were just making sure he was not a threat to our Lady, which he wasn't. But he didn't seem to interacr much with anyone, save the cleric."

All of the guards seem to look at Hajrai as if he very well might be a threat to the Lady as well.

"If you are charged with investigating," another of them says, " We were all standing guard at her tent when the fire started. We already discussed it, and none of us saw anything suspicious at the astrologer’s wagon. Just Fixx here," he points to the smallest of them, "did catch a glimpse of Dashki trying to hide behind a tree nearby."

Fixx nods. “It was clear that he was trying to get a look into Almah’s tent. That boy is obsessed with her.”

"We didn't have to do anything to scare him away, though, he saw us and left."


Around the wagon, there are still a few singed or partially burned harrow cards, but most of them are gone. The only one intact is the one which had struck Ink's face earlier.

[Yanisa]

"Card? I was hit by a intact card, there might be more." Ink sounded a little bit more annoyed then she intended. "Something with wind... a whirlwind?" She peered over the ground and then found the card again, picking it up. She stared for it at a moment with a frown and then hands it over to Khima. "I don't get Harrow cards, perhaps you have use of it?" Although a part of her wanted to keep the card, she still thought the thing was useless.

After getting instructions, she nods at Hajrai. "Yes Milady, I get right on it."

Arriving at the Camel Drivers, Ink decided to start with some small talk, these where nice folk after-all. "Everything alright with the animals? I didn't even know I was good with animals until this fellow accepted me." She points to the mule, which she still has been dragging all over the place. "Awful thing that fire, and now there are even rumors someone was out to either end the poor Astrologer or even stop this whole expedition." She added a bit of extra worry, hopefully they won't realize she is investigating this whole ordeal.

Ink is hiding the fact she is investigating, so here is a bluff check just in case.
[roll0]

[Benson]

Hajrai

Hajrai blinked at the guards, catching their wary stares, and then found herself chuckling. "Aaww, don't worry 'bout me, I'm a good guy hahah. I think later on, we just may need ourselves a drink." She grinned and winked.

"Anyways, obsessed? Like in love? Heh, cute." She then leaned in and loudly whispered. "Who's Dashki again? Which one is he?"

[daelrog]

"An even greater pity then." If a Cleric of Nethys used a mundane fire to kill a man, he deserved to get away with it. "I don't suppose you saw anyone around there before the fire started? It looks like it was started from the outside." He mentioned the corner.

[Grimtina]

The camel drivers invite Ink to sit down in the shade of their wagon. They appear friendly, but also ditraught. "We are Hadrod and Hadrah," the man introduces them. "We not only care for the animals but also do the cooking and such around here. The fire was so terrible, and our favorite goat, Rombard, has gone missing in the chaos. Maybe you can help find him later? Where are you from, to not know you were good with animals? Nice mule you have there."

As he goes over to pat it, his wife smiles a warm welcome. "We must learn all about oyu, we get so little news from the cities and towns these days, the Lady mostly keeping us to ourselves. She can be strange, but you will learn to like her. There's a priest in oyur party, I saw, he healed those poor burned fighters. A blessing to have another cleric, really, ours is mostly into alchemy and making potions and such, not that that is bad, you see, because healing potions work as well, but he is soooo bad about selling any of his things. It's like he collects thm but what good are they if no one gets to use them? They don't get better from sitting around now, do they, not like good wine? Tea, dear?"


"Dashki," the guard says with a face clearly displaying disgust, "is the gnoll expert. Easy to find, just follow the stink." He vaguely points to the edge of the camp. "That one must have a curse making water not touch him or something. Smells worse than a gnoll in my book. Has the manners to go along with it, too. So, nothing fitting for any lady."



"No, sorry," the cleric hakes his head. "I didn't pay all that much attention. I was reading a book by the fire-pit, but the mercenaries were being too loud for me and I’d just stood up to return to my wagon when the fire started. Thus, I know all six of the mercenaries were at the fire-pit and nowhere near the astrologer’s wagon when the fire broke out. I hope Eloias has peace now. I don't think much of the harrowing stuff, and he probably was a fake like many of them. Almah is better off now without his attention, but she did seem quite fond of him. Not a one of these others here can discuss the poetry of Bellianais or the music of far-off Absalom though. Eloais was well traveled and intelligent. I will miss him.”

[jamieth]

"Well then, let's go and take a look at that gnoll expert", Kmima decides, absent-mindedly hiding the card Ink gave her inside her bag for future examination, "I highly doubt it would be worse, smell-wise, then some characters I used to know in the past..."

[Grimtina]

Dashki is indeed easy to find, he is sitting under the partly charred tree giving the place its name. With a strange expression on his face, he is twirling a knife between his fingers, watching you approach.

[Vhaidara]

Arzak follows Khima to find his "gnoll expert". Sounded like a reasonable man.

[Benson]

"Heyo, Dashki is it?" Hajrai said a she approached him. She caught a whiff of his smell as her face scrunched a little. "Wooweee...I'm flash backing to the time I got so drunk I.." She stopped in mid-sentence and sheepishly grinned. "No one needs to hear that, ahem!"

"Got some questions, just investigatory work, but ah, where were you when the fire broke out?"

[Grimtina]

"Ah, yes," he sneers. "Of course, suspect the guy who isn#t too social with everyone else, is that it? Well, if you'd have had your whole family killed by gnolls as a small child you would probably have reasons to avoid the company of others, too." He sounds very cynical. "If I was to set fite to anything, there would be a lot more than just a blazing wagon. I was finishing up dinner by the campfire when the wagon went up."

[Yanisa]

"Yes, please." She says to the offer of tea. "They call me Ink, and I am indeed from the city. I am... was... a slave, mostly trained in making documents. Never even went in to the stables, I was too expensive for that. But I can't tell much about the city, I am not really up with the news."" She smiled a bit awkward, it was weird to talk about herself. "Well, it's a long story, but I am now sold to the government and they shoved me here. saying if I prove my worth here, I will finally be free. Although ever since I got here no one treated me like a slave, it's almost weird not having orders. And I am discovering all new talents." She nods to the mule. "And maybe I can find lost animals too. I will give it my best try." Suddenly she realized she was here with a sort of mission too, but these Camel Driver's clearly not start the fire and seemed to busy with their animals to have noticed something. Still she wanted to know more, also for personal reasons. "If I may ask a more intrusive question. Maybe you can tell me something about the other people around here. I am not really used to talking people unless they talk to me." Although these nice people made her loose lipped. "But I am still curious who the people around me are."

[Benson]

"Ah, yes," he sneers. "Of course, suspect the guy who isn#t too social with everyone else, is that it? Well, if you'd have had your whole family killed by gnolls as a small child you would probably have reasons to avoid the company of others, too." He sounds very cynical. "If I was to set fire to anything, there would be a lot more than just a blazing wagon. I was finishing up dinner by the campfire when the wagon went up."

Hajrai

"Heeeey...someone is awfully testy....no one was accusing anyone....except you..accusing me of allegedly accusing you, yea," She shook her head in amusement and sighed and he gave her a snippet of his life story.

"Whaaaaat?....That is so sad," She said getting misty eyed and sniffled. "Gnolls suck, hard and simple. If you need a consoling hug, I am here, and I will even disregard your odor."

"Hauh...that so?" She said returning to normal. "I heard differently from the guards, that you were trying to sneak peeks of Miss Almah in her tent, tryin ta catch her changing clothes hauh?" She waggled her brows and ribbed him with her elbow whilst grinning.

[daelrog]

The Suli looked about. The paladin was talking to the cards and then the gnoll expert. Ink was checking out the caravan guards. The cleric had just confirmed the mercenaries were far away. Assuming the cleric had been honest with him, the only one left to talk to was Almah herself. "Thank you, friend. I'll habe to let Almah know not to worry about you or the mercenaries. I'm sure we will talk later."

With that, he left, approaching the guards. "Does the leader of our party have a minute to spare?" He said it loud enough that anyone inside the tent would hear, not just the guards.

[Grimtina]

"A slave?" Hadrah nods. "So was I, as a child. I was bought to be my husband's wife after we happened to fall in love while I was fetching water for the stables back then. It wasn't the worst life though, I had a nice mistress. Ah, long time back."

"Can we tell you about the others? Sure," Hadrah smiles. "We have observed the others long enough. The weirdest is this so-called gnoll experst, Dashki. Smells worse than a gnoll in heat, but I admit he knows his way around in the desert. Maybe you have to smell like that not to be noted by the gnolls he says he hunts, yes?" She winks. "He is very much obsessed with the Lady, though, and that is not healthy for either of them." She shakes her head in sorrow. "and the Lady doesn't even seem to notice it!"

"The guards," her husband says, "are really polite and well trained, and they would do anything for the Lady Almah. The mercenaries - well, they are only slightly less clean than Dashki, but they mind their own business and do what they are paid for, although they are arrogant and not very polite at all. They didn't like Eloias much, called him a weakling. You know, those warrior types."

"Zastoran is nice, though," Hadrah continues. "Bit too busy and selective with his alchemy, but always polite and well spoken - more so than we are - and he treats us with respect. Eloias was hired together with us in Solku and there are rumors he and the Lady were a couple, but we are sure that's wrong. Eloias was too much occupied with his cards and stars."

"Garavel, you need to watch out for though," Hadrod adds. "Something is off with him. First, he plays the part of an accountant and major domo here, but he is a good swordsman, I saw him train one night when he thought he was all alone in the camp. And he wears his keffiyeh at all times, even at night. Who does that? So we had a closer look and found something strange. He has a metal bolt in the left side of his head!"

"And he shares quarters with Lady Almah! But they aren't a couple either. Maybe he is moe interested in men?"



Dashki snorts. "If you heard that from the mercenaries, they don't quite like me, even if they are more like me than anyone else here." He seems to get more and more nervous.

[Grimtina]

"Come in," Almah replies in a neutral voice.

The guard shrug and nod, being used to not making the decisions.

[daelrog]

"Thank you." Al'Khadim walked in, taking a seat, cross-legged. "We've been talking to the different people amongst the caravan, yet I noticed none of our party were coming to you. I thought it would be good to know if you saw anything, or know of any in the caravan who were nowhere near the fire when it began." His eyes took on a more serious tone. "It does not look like the fire was an accident."

[Benson]

Dashki snorts. "If you heard that from the mercenaries, they don't quite like me, even if they are more like me than anyone else here." He seems to get more and more nervous.


Hajrai blinked and then furrowed her brows. "Why are you looking so nervous? I'm not actually accusing you....everyone is innocent until proven guilty or something..yea...I got it right. Ahem, anyways yea."

[Grimtina]

"I had been busy writing up plans for our further travels," Almah says. "I didn't pay attention to anything at all until the shouting started. Not an accident, you say?" She frowns. "I am not convinced it was arson, but if it was, it would seriously hamper the trust in our group. I hope you find who did it quickly."

Absentminded, she puts a hand on her journal. "I haven't even had a chance to tell you all what you are hired for, and knowing Garavel, he has said nothing and left the details to me. We can talk about that tonight, though."


"And you aren't nervous?" Dashki asks, seemingly amused.

[jamieth]

"If my parents were killed by gnolls", Khima inserts a line, "Sure, I suppose I would hate gnolls. It would be wierd if you didn't. I don't see the reason to avoid humans, though. But then again, what do I know. I mean, my mother wasn't killed by a gnoll when I was a kid - not sure about my father, though - I was too small to remember at the time. And if I want a chance to know for sure, I need this caravan to move. So, think again. Have you seen anyone nearby the astrologer's tent?"

[Grimtina]

"Asides from the guards?" Dashki shakes his head. "I wasn#t paying any attention." He shifts around nervously, staring at the ground.

[Benson]

Hajrai

"Askin me why I ain't nervous doesn't answer why yer so nervous," Hajrai said with a curious look. She puffed her cheeks in thought and then shrugged. "Anyways I ain't nervous 'cuz I'm a hero." She winked, gave a thumbs up, and clicked her tongue.

...

"So why are you? Hmmm? Hmmmm?"

[Grimtina]

"Look, you pestering me makes me nervous, I don't particularly enjoy being interrogated," he growls. "I was nowhere near that astrologer's wagon. I had nothing to do with the fire! How do we even know the fire was set? That idiot burned a hundred candles in his wagon. Perhaps he just got unlucky. We’re in gnoll country. It was probably pugwampis.”

[Benson]

Hajrai

"Pugwampis?" Hajrai questioned with a confused look on her face. "Do you know what pugwampis are?" She leaned over and loudly whispered towards Khima.

[Yanisa]

Listening to the nice couple and drinking the last of her tea, Ink suddenly realized she was sitting here for quite some time. "Well I think they expect me back at the camp soon. I was send to to see if anybody noticed something odd about the fire. And information gathering shouldn't take that long and you already told me so much. Although having a moment to relax after the fire is nice. Thanks for the tea, and everything. I will keep an eye out for the goat, Rombard was it?" She waved a left and then went back to the center of the camp, but she took a small detour to see if she spotted any goat.

Looking for a Goat.
Roll is in OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18051177&postcount=22)

[jamieth]

Hajrai

"Pugwampis?" Hajrai questioned with a confused look on her face. "Do you know what pugwampis are?" She leaned over and loudly whispered towards Khima.

"Some kind of nasty creatures, I believe", Khima replies with some more confidence than she was feeling, "except..." straightening up, she continues aloud, "pugwampi or not, I kinda doubt anyone could be unlucki enough to set a fire on theit tent from outside... while being inside."

[Grimtina]

There are indeed tracks of what could be a goat leading out of the camp



Again the gnoll expert snorts. “Terrible critters what crawled up from the Darklands below the earth is what they are. ‘Jackal rats,’ some folks call ’em, on account of their pointed little heads. They worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow. The gnolls hate pugwampis because of it, and try to kill them all the time. But they always come back. Perhaps their bad luck caused the fortune-man’s candles to start a fire? Yes, pugwampis. I am certain it was pugwampis.”

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim smiled. She didn't like to repeat herself apparently, and preferred to have all of them together. He figured they were there to slay a few gnolls and scare the others away, perhaps she wanted to talk about strategy?

"Until tonight then." He appreciated Kele****e women, most of them were strong and hot-blooded. He knew little of his own people, he did not even know where in the Mwangi Expanse his line came from since he was orphaned, but a few well travelled visitors said he had the look of a Zenj about him.

He left the tent to see where the others were, hoping they were finished and could put their heads together.

[jamieth]

Yes, pugwampis. I am certain it was pugwampis.”

"OK, before that, I suspected you were hiding something..." Khima says, apparently deep in thought, "now, though... Now, I know you're hiding somthing. Because, you see, I specifically mentioned the tend was set on fire from the outside, and you chose not to hear me. So?"

[Benson]

"Maybe pugwampis are just too on his mind?" Hajrai shrugged her shoulders. While she wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery, she didn't want to start pointing fingers right away. "Though yea...it is weird....lighting a fire from outside when one is inside...it doesn't make much sense, hmm." She tapped her chin.

[Yanisa]

Ink hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and decided to follow the tracks, a couple more minutes later wouldn't matter that much. Besides if she waited the goat could be miles ahead.

A survival check to follow tracks: [roll0]
A perception check to spot goats: [roll1]

[Grimtina]

Unfortunately, Ink loses the train rather quickly.

The gnoll expert looks ready to jump at someone's throat. "You think pugwampis would go inside to make fire? What rock did you crawl out under from?"

[Benson]

"Sir, I'mma have ta ask ya to calm down," Hajrai said sporting a stern expression. "So are you tryin ta tell us now that it weren't these pugwampis after suggesting it was? I feel like I am getting some mixed messages here." She really was confused.

Sense Motive [roll0]

"Plus the rock I crawled out from was a rather nice one."

[Grimtina]

The man now chuckles, sounding almost like a gnoll himself. "Pugwampis make fire from the outside, they wouldn't dare go anywhere where they can be cut off, especailyl not small spaces. I'm sure there will be plenty of tracks of them around here. Come to think of it, I'll better look for some." With that, he spits and makes his way to the edge of the camp, pretending you aren't there with him anymore.

[jamieth]

"Well-well... just making sure any tracks you find were there before you found them..." young witch, remembering her childhood, follows the gnoll expert, sliding from cover to cover.
Stealth: [roll0]

[Yanisa]

Ink sighs and gives up, she clearly was no goat tracker. Maybe the critter would return home after he got hungry, or someone else from the camp could track. She walks back towards the camp, towards the burned burned wagon. Excepting the others to be there.

[Grimtina]

It is getting dark by now, but the gnoll expert seems to have eyes used to the dark, because he soon chuckles and follows a train going north. Anyone following him can now clearly see something has been passing - there is disturbed grass if you look closely, and at one point an almost completely burned harrow card.

[Benson]

"Are you just gonna walk off into the dark?" Hajrai question, her expression perplexed. "We should probably let Miss Almah or Garavel know that this is happening..."

[jamieth]

"No time for that", Khima declares, "I need to see where's he going..." she stops to pick up a card, "though I'll be grateful if you'll fetch a crossbow from my bag. Just in case."

[Grimtina]

Garavel has noticed the gnoll expert leaving. "Is he just moping, or onto something?" he wants to know. "If he is up to something, you better had him followed."

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim walked over just in time to hear Garavel's order. "Well, he isn't one I've cleared of suspicion. May as well." He started to follow the gnoll expert.

[Benson]

"Well I guess that is that, let us go, tallyho and them beans!" Hajrai proudly declared as she strutted after the gang.

[Grimtina]

The hunt soon leads into the rugged hills, and it is now almost completely dark, save for a few stars twinkling. You will need a light source unless you have darkvision/low light vision, and I'll need perception checks in any case

Dashki, who has now noticing he is being followed, waits up ahead. He doesn't seem to need a light source.

[jamieth]

"Hm, no way I'll find anything i this darkness..." Khima complains quietly, before muttering several cryptic words. Four bright silvery dots come alight in the air in front of her and dash forward, keeping about 50 feet ahead. "Much better."
Dancing lights, recasting every minute as needed (I love PF cantrips :-)

[Yanisa]

She was glad she found the others, but not so glad to stalking about in the darkness. When Khima made light Ink frowned for a moment, wondering if the light wasn't too obvious. Still she kept quiet and followed the group, being the last person in line, partly due the fact she still drags around the poor mule, who at this point wasn't really up for anymore walking. Still he allowed Ink to drag him around.

Ink's uneasiness translated back to Sting, who decided to shift out tattoo form and takes a look out for anything behind them. He does try to hide under the clothes.

Ink's Perception: [roll0]
Sting's Perception: [roll1]; Dark vision
Sting's Stealth: [roll2]
Mule's Perception: [roll3]; Low-light Vision and Scent (+8 perception within scent range).

[Benson]

Hajrai

"Oooh...that is a cool spell heheh," Hajrai said to Khima with a grin and gave her a thumbs up. She then squinted around trying to be as observant as she could, surely nothing would get past her.


Perception 1d20-1
Omgosh...ugh...fudged up my roll like a dork...gonna roll it in the OOC

EDIT: A whopping 5. She must be distracted by those Dancing Lights or something

[jamieth]

"Smokey here's pretty resouceful like that", Khima replied, stroking a cat who surfaced from the folds of her dress upon hearing his name.
Since I forgot the Perception, here it is: [roll0]
And Smokey's perception: [roll1] with low-light vision

[daelrog]

[roll0]

Al'Khadim silently admired the dancing lights. He tried to keep his eyes looking about, but was focused not only on the lights, but the gnoll expert.

[Grimtina]

You don't see anything suspicious; still there is an uneasiness settling over you, much as if there is an attack imminent. Dashki seems to feel nothing, instead points to trails of small hoofs that look like there has been a bit of a struggle. "I think that's the midding goat the camel drivers whine on about, didn't go willingly." Just as he points his out, you hear a faint and fearful cry from further inside the bushland, and you keep following Dashki, it is soon clear it is a goat crying out in pain.

[Yanisa]

Instant guilt flushes over Ink, hoping the goat wasn't hurt because she neglected to find it. She forgets her place and steps forwards, towards the sound of the goat.

[Benson]

"Oh no, a poor defenseless animal!" Captain Obvious cried out as she quickened her pace as well in the direction of the goat crying.

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim pulled his scimitar free. "Maybe some goat would pick up the caravan's morale after this day. If the animal can't travel." There was no cruelty in his words, he was expecting to find the goat unable to carry on, in which case its best use to them would be as food.

[jamieth]

"Not necessarily. From the look of it, the people aren't exactly starving here, and I don't think some meat would do better to lift the morale than the demonstration that we care about our own here." Khima steps forward, directing the ghostly lights towards the animal.

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim offered a light chuckle. "Perhaps that is so."

[Grimtina]

The goat's cries come from within a forest of cacti of different sizes - most are at least halfling height, many reach above the size of an elf. There are ways through it, but it is clear you have to move carefully. Dashki moves in ahead, but is soon lost to view - if accidentally or if he doesn't want to be seen isn't clear.

[Benson]

Hajrai was the opposite of nimble and graceful, she knew she was not going to be able to move between the cacti forest with ease. She drew out her scimitar and began slicing a path!

[jamieth]

Khima was almost ready to take a risk - she had to navigate worse back home - but if one of her companions was willing to clear a safe path... she surely wasn't going to say no.

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim likewise followed Hajrai's lead. He called out to the gnoll expert. "Is everything all right?"

[Grimtina]

The cactus forest, though very wide, is not so terribly deep. It still takes a bit to get through. There is no reply from Dashki.

(dex checks)

[Yanisa]

Ink looks suspiciously at the cacti, not trusting them to stand still. She would hate to run in one face first.

[roll0]

[jamieth]

Khyma followed the trail with remarkable confidence; during her days on the streets - and rooftops - of Korvosa, she had to navigate much worse... except it was quite some time ago, and it appeared the woman was decidedly out of shape...
Dex check: [roll0]

[Benson]

Hajrai continued to hack and slash but still tried to be careful as not to bump into cacti on her side.

dex check [roll0]


sweet, natural 20

[daelrog]

Al'Khadim followed behind as well, trying to be careful of his movements.

[roll0]

[Grimtina]

Al'Khadim and Haj'rai have no problem avoiding the many cactii, but the others manage to get their cloths torn and suffer several scratches. The goat calls out again, more desperate now.

Everyone under 18, roll another dex check please, and sorry for the delay