Episode 17: "Foreboding"

Quest Information

 * 2 Arah-Ululu
 * Kassithe, hexes 1104-1204
 * Title: The Eastward Road
 * Level: 4
 * Location: Badlands

Primary Cast

 * Daric, camel merchant
 * Ket-Ramat, soldier-scout, former member of the Ag-Rakade militia
 * Lugal, Mage of Learning

Secondary Cast

 * Gemekaa's Caravan
 * Gemekaa, bombastic & beautiful merchant & caravan leader, and her employees:
 * Ansunu & Kullaa, Gemekaa's aides
 * Enusat, Kiipluu, Sargon, & Dimetria, junior merchants
 * Tas-da-Urdu, big & beefy Dark Continent chief of security
 * Tabni, caravan's forward scout
 * Ten caravan guards, one of whom is currently held captive for attacking Gemekaa
 * Twenty workers (wagon drivers, teamsters, and a cook)
 * Vannari, elf hitchhiker hanger-on scholar
 * 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, Nikanuur, and Enhuay: exotic animal merchants
 * Three captured xvarts

Summary
"Why did you attack me? Who sent you? What is going on?" Exasperated, Gemekaa gives up. The captive guard, Kerlina, wasn't cooperating at all. The most they could get from her was "we were hired". Seems there's a conspiracy afoot to kill Gemekaa, but who else is involved? And who is behind it all? Kerlina was hired in Nahji-rifa, but so were other guards and plenty of workers. None of them seem to be antagonistic, but then again, neither did Kerlina. The Ahti-Warga guild often hires sellswords from Nahji-rifa, and only rarely has any problems. "Gemekaa is an excellent judge of character", says her aid, Ansunu. "Fooling her is no easy feat, that's for sure."

Interrogating xvarts is no easier. Xvarts aren't too bright, these three are no exception. "We served the Leader", they repeat, "until you killed him!" As to where they found the amazing marble mastodon (a rare magic item that transforms into a giant war mastodon upon the utterance of a command word), the xvarts only answer "Leader found it! It made us strong!" Amongst their babbling, it appears they were using the mastodon to attack caravans coming from Hurrethe, supposedly for their own survival. "We tired of following gnolls. Gnolls treat us bad. With beast, we can protect us and get gold from wagons!" When asked about the people in those caravans, the xvarts say "We don't care. Gnolls take them. Gnolls keep slaves, we were slaves, but now we are free thanks to Leader! You killed leader, now we be slaves again!" Pathetic and pitiable, Tabni (the caravan's ranger) cuts them loose to find their own way home.

After the attack by the mastodon-mounted xvarts, Gemekaa insists the caravan rest. Several guards were injured and Lugal needs time to regain his spells. So the whole caravan heads down the trail a couple more miles (to get away from the scene of the last attack), and camps for the night. The workers are none too pleased about this. "We never spend more than two nights in the Badlands! This does not bode well!" Their pleas go unacknowledged by Gemekaa, but Ket and Daric decide to set up watch on the ridgeline. Taking Lugal and Tabni, they camp and watch the northern pass under a clear, starry sky.

The night, thankfully, passes uneventfully. However, in the morning, off in the distance, Ket spots movement in the distance. It is obvious: a large band of gnolls, hyenas and xvarts approach the from the north. It looks like Gemekaa's caravan is in big, big trouble -- and, seemingly, in more ways than one.

Outcome
To be determined in the next episode ...

Rewards
Daric, Ket, and Lugal each receive 1,000 xp.

Return to Episode Guide