Episode 19: "Interstitials, Caravansaries and Thesauri"

Quest Information

 * 2-3 Arah-Ululu
 * Kassithe, hex 1204
 * Level 5
 * Location: Badlands

Primary Cast

 * Daric, camel merchant
 * Ket-Ramat, soldier-scout
 * Lugal, Mage of Learning

Secondary Cast

 * Gemekaa's Caravan
 * Gemekaa, bombastic & beautiful merchant & caravan leader, and her employees:
 * Tas-da-Urdu, big & beefy Dark Continent chief of security
 * Tabni, caravan's forward scout
 * Caravan guards
 * Ansunu & Kullaa, Gemekaa's aides
 * Enusat, Kipluu, Sargon & Dimetria, junior merchants
 * Caravan workers
 * Ariishaka, Kinaa and Nutesh: three clerics of Ravnu (god of peace & balance)
 * Ak-Korak, high orc merchant leader and his companions Zartok, Az-Koleth, Fin-Lokar, and Krakoo the accountant
 * Dadanum and Nikanuur: exotic animal merchants
 * Soldiers of the Hurrethe outpost

Summary
The battle drained the management and staff of the caravan, as well as the party. The assemblage arrived at a unanimous decision to press forward towards the next guard outpost. The convoy moved posthaste, exiting the striated mesas comprising the Badlands. Exhausted and relieved, the rolling fleet reached the minor citadel, for a fast night's sleep in relative safety. But there were questions, interrogatories, inquests to be undertaken.

"I can't imagine any one who wants to kill me," Gemekaa offered. "But I can imagine an entire organization. It is not unheard of that rival guilds would try to kill other guild leaders."

"But Gemekaa", uttered Ansunu, "you've always been above the fray of petty guild intrigues."

"'Tis true," replied the gregarious merchant. "Yet, the attempt was made, it cannot be ignored."

"Well, the cretins have escaped," announced Ariishaka, senior prelate of Ravnu. "We saw it with our own eyes, they hastened across the river as soon as the vicious changeling set upon Gemekaa. They will not be trackable now, and we were too focused on providing our ministrations on our fair leader and her boisterous bodyguard to observe their direction once they crossed the river."

"I'm not sure how we will ever track them and capture them, but if we ever apprehend that turncoat guard, I'm going to shove an xvart up her ass, and then shove her up an owlbear's ass, and make a owlturnxvarten." grumbled Tas, in his characteristic baritone.

"Charming", murmured Ansunu. "Regardless of revolting imagery, we need to determine the whereabouts of these nefarious cutthroats."

"Did you not hear my utterance earlier? They are untrackable once they've crossed the tumult!"

"We mustn't surrender so easily to these obstacles. We can begin to spread word of this obscene attack to the rest of the Ahti-Wagrah guild. Surely your allies will initiate the appropriate queries to responsible and loyal informants, informants who will ferret out the unassailable truth allowing us to assuredly unravel all the contrivances necessary to get to the bottom of these dastardly actions by our enemies!"

Ket turns to Lugal, Darric, and the others. "F&ck this. Let's go hunt some gnoll."

To be continued ...

Outcome
The party decides the more important problem is the gnolls having the ''marble mastodon. ''They set out to follow the escaping gnoll attackers.

Rewards
Gemekaa gives Lugal a note, sealed with wax. This note vouches for the party, if they give it to another Ahti-Wagrah senior merchant, that merchant may grant a favor. She also gives him an Ahti-Wagrah signet ring, which grants +1 bonus to any saving throw.

She also gives the party 12 +1 arrows, which the party grants to Daric; 6 level 3 healing poultices & 5 smoke bombs, which are taken by Ket-Ramat. She also hands over a bag with 1000 gp as a further reward for hte whole party.

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