Amara beamed as Emesh Ga spoke "Welcome Lord Emesh Ga. I hope your time with me will be pleasant. We have much to talk about and a long way to go to restore the garden and the reunite the clans, yet with every day we come closer to our goal."<Green> Amara nodded a tacit acknowledgement that things hadn't gone their way. <green>"The problems are of a nature we find difficult to cope with. Ghosts and zombie Uz. Spiritually, we're no match for such a large number of ghosts. Grandmother Thorntrees bark might be good to keep them at bay, but these ghosts have been there for a long time and are powerful."

"Hmmm I do not think they are able to pass, or at least have no reason too. Daylight is on my side, that and my magic."

The wizard seems distracted, searching through several of his chests, picking up strange objects and then putting them back.

"Though I fear if you do remain you may be in some danger."

As he speaks he seems to be watching Amara surreptitiously.

Grim Wire stands next to the bent over Wizard,  every now and again holding his hand to take something proffered by his master. The few Storm Bulls who are in the room watch suspiciously, for the moment letting this odd pair alone.

"Aye I sensed them, but they were weak and bound to the area they had died in. But you were wise to run, it was not the place to stand whilst many of you were near exhausted spiritually."

"Tell me what are the Wandering Rangers' plans for the call of my home is getting stronger and you are bound by geas to rerun and assist the Earth Witch."

Melock and Taya start to feel the cold so far below ground, despite their affinity with Darkness. It's lonely and kinda spooky.

From behind the illusionary wall comes a barely heard *Thump*

"We are heading to the giants finger holes. We need to stop off for a short time prior to our return to gain the assistance of a spirit that will help the giants finger holes. The Earth witch is strong and so are her defences, but the temple can be defeated if enough resources are put into it. With Kinopes assistance we hope to have a powerful spirit watch over the temple. We spread the word wherever we go in the hopes that pilgrims choosing to visit would also assist in its defence should there be any problems, but the safer we can make it, the stronger it will be. It will make it safer for you, your wife, the Earth Witch and all who choose to visit it." Amara looked back towards the building "There will come a time when we return here, and when we do, we will return far more powerful than we are at the moment. I almost feel sorry for those who do not yet rest, but when the time comes we shall put their bodies to sleep beside their spirits. Do you have counsel for us or did you merely wish to know what the immediate future has in store for us?"

Listening to what Indigo Hue has to say and then to Amara "Ohanzee suggests "Well if remaining here is dangerous to us then I see no point in staying longer than needs be. If our being present is likely to draw out the dead then the sooner we leave the less draw there is."

"After all it's better to keep them penned up so we don't have to go chasing them all about the land when we return."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:19, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

"Absolutely.For one, my magic is at it's weakest in that area too. Tight corridors, no light, dark, I'm almost useless there. But if we returned in force, things would be much different." Tarnessh agreed.

Once he's clean himself, taking jibes about manly smells in surprisingly good part - perhaps thanks to tiredness - and gotten into something fresh, Hoskar finds himself too busy for wine: there's a surprisingly persistent stain to beat out of battle-worn garb before he can think straight, then armour to see cleansed. My thanks, Tarnessh - I owe you for that. Let's hope next time there's a big fight I'll be standing there solid like an ingot healing folks up.

Finally, with a sigh, he's through busyness and his cat will again come within pole's length of him without narrowing her eyes in disgust at his aroma. Kumiss time. Yet as he swigs and feels his eyes droop, he recalls comrades on guard duty I'd not want to be down there alone, Taya with me or not and potters warily down the stairs with the kumiss skin.

You okay down here, Melock? Little drink perhaps?

As he feels the cold creep in to him, he gets up and starts walking up and down a few stairs, which not only keeps the cold from chilling his bones too much, but also helps keep him awake. Taya just to be contrary is going up when Melock is walking down, but when the thump is heard, both of them move so they can see the blank wall, where the door is hidden.
"Maybe time to get the others" Taya whispers.
"If it gets louder and sounds like they are about to break through, then we will, but they are tired and need their rest" Melock replies, in a hushed tone.



He looks round as he hears Hoskar approach, "I better not" He shakes his head, "I don't know why I'm whispering. Its not as if they don't know we are here." He looks wistfully at the skin of kumiss, "If I drink any more, I'll fall asleep. We just heard a thump against the door, but I don't think they can get through that way. Which means it cant be opened from the other side next to the door. Maybe there's a switch in the room where we found the pig riders stuff."

Taya, with out looking round, "I smell you've cleaned up as well Hoskar." she laughs, "did you bring any food. All he brought down was dried fish"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:26, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

Salen breaks out his pipe, some Tobakeh and some of the other stuff. After a prayer to the spirit of the weed the room is soon filled with it's fragrant smell, aiding both relaxation and communication...


The noise from behind the illusionary wall has stopped for the moment.

In reply to Melock (msg # 199):

You're right. Kumiss probably isn't the best idea. Needed it just to get myself down here to check on things, though he observed taking another sparing mouthful. I suppose you Ravens like it dark, but it's not my thing.

He looks askance at the hungry Rubble Runner Dead right. You think I'm proud of that? You're not making yourself popular here he mutters sourly, but can't keep up any emotion for long and finishes with a yawn. I can prop myself up here awhile or go find something to feed her on if you're alright. Any preferences?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

In reply to Hoskar Feather (msg # 201):


"Up until now I've never been scared of the dark, but that thing.. that's was enough to make me understand why most people are" He looks in Taya's direction then turns back to Hoskar, "She's always hungry. I wouldn't worry about her. Have you got any tea on you, a hot drink would be welcome and now is a good a time as any to try it." he pats his canteen, "I can sort out the hot water and your company is always welcome."

"I wouldn't feel too bad, you weren't the only one," She points her tail at Melock, her eyes never leaving the hidden door. "At least you've done a better job than him of getting rid of the smell. Its getting hard to tell him apart from those chaos killers, smell wise."

He fumbles in a pouch. Pinch of char? You're in luck. Snaffled a bit from Salen's brew-up above. Is that the magic heating canteen, then?

He grins at Melock's familiar I've had chance to wash - he's been looking out for nasties. Thinking of which, no way am I scrubbing your togs but I bunged them in a bucket - fear's such a persistent stain, and I imagine we could both do without the...well...piss I suppose...being taken any further. he manages a tired grin. Not sure I'll be great company, but I'll try to stay awake.

Hey, cat - chance for earning some friend points down here. Hungry's hungry.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:02, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

Upstairs in the main room

Agreed, if the undead are being drawn out by us being here then lets just rest enough to be ready to travel then go. Henal responds then after taking a swig of kumiss he moves towards another room. Wake me when  it's my turn to stand watch.

In reply to Hoskar Feather (msg # 201):

Tarnessh had made the ritual seem very easy, he had simply placed the armour on a pile of tinder and then willed the fire into existence, but inside it was an act of extreme concentration. The memory of the wildfire he had caused was fresh in his mind, and he knew that to slip up just a bit could cause the deaths of all of them, so he could not allow his mind to waver from what shape the flames would take. He knew that shamans like Smokey Jojo could practically make fire do practically whatever they wanted with barely any effort (or so it was said), but Tarnessh wasn't there yet. That was why when the ritual was finished, which mostly consisted of what looked like staring intensely at a fire with his palms outstretched, he gladly accepted some kumiss and began drinking with the others.

"I'll sure be glad to leave this place behind. Can you imagine staying here for a long time? It would be worse then Corflu! Can any of you understand it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:01, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

"That'll help keep the chill away," He gets the canteen out, and gets it heating the water. He passes it to Hoskar, "Yes it is, I still don't know how it works, but it does." When Hosker mentions putting Melocks trousers in to soak, he raises an eyebrow, "Cheers, that was brave of you" he laughs, "Well, staying awake should be easy as we don't have to stay quiet"

Upstairs in the main room

Free of the weight of his armour Ohanzee slumps more than sits leaning against the outer wall of the tower below a window so that the sounds and smells from outside can flow over him as much as those inside the room.

He is silent for a while, taking his turn on the pipe when it comes around and adding a little of his own supply when it grows low. After a while and a drink or two he starts singing, the familiar song to honour the fallen and remember their names, to which Big Bertha and The Noddler’s names have been added.

The song over he retrieves the amber and hair fetish that he claimed from Yado’s gear what seems like seasons ago now. Turning the thing around in his hands he watches the flames of the fire through it and feels the coarse whiskery hairs trying to get a feel for its functionality.

As he does so he speaks again ”I say we leave after breakfast tomorrow then. But before that time I’ve a mind to plant some of the Tamarisk seed about the tower. The land has been cleansed by the fire and those plants and animals that could not escape it now add to the richness of the land so it is a good time and place to continue the re-greening.”

Not that brave, mate Hoskar grins. Not my best day for being brave. Truth is, I snagged 'em on a stick to move 'em then legged it when they hit the bucket.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:47, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

Upstairs in the main room

One Punch Gari sits down next to Ohanzee

"Bamled told me that Yado died, I see you have his old fetish...He swore it helped against disease. Never saw him get sick so must have worked."

Ohanzee nods ”Yes, he fell victim to other undead, Basmoli creatures when they were alive I think. I only go by what Amara and Whispers spoke of, but there were two and I was attacked by one of them, a beautiful cat eyed woman who turned into a swarm of bats when attacked.”

He holds up the fetish again, the firelight playing patterns of light that dance on the wall behind him as a result of his tremor. He snorts and then ”I tried to attune it before but failed. Maybe I’d not have these shakes if I’d managed. Still, I’ve gained some experience since then, maybe I’ll have better luck this time.”

He then realises that these Black Shield Storm Bulls might not have been told all so just to check he speaks ”Did Bambled tell you where to find the cave? We spoke of it to the High Tree Storm Bull followers and they were going to investigate it because they said it had the marks of Chaos about it. I think that you may be back to our tribes before us so ask that you pass on the details to them also. We will of course do so once we arrive, but safer to have more than one messenger anyway.”

He's alive then. Good. Form is fitting: fear to lose it. Pad out again, fur flattened. Food for Hungry, Hoskar says.

Smell for something. Upstairs here. What is that coil of textured air there? Nothing known: it's smoke from somewhere. Other Condor. Sucking something. See his spirit. That's not normal: head she has, above the feathers. Beauty of a dream perhaps.

Walls moving here, that pipe weaving colours and bright dreams from the night. Enchanted. Hello lambent beams of floor. How curious my pads are: each hair a mystery untouched.

Sorry, Hungry. Movement's gone. To dreams, mayhap.

Purrrrrr

He chuckles, "You didn't run away, so don't be so hard on yourself. You should have seen how fast Ohanzee ran when Gadesha found us. I was going to try and talk our way out of it, next thing I hear is him running away as fast as he could. I also doubt it was just us two who had such a reaction."

"While we are sitting here, I'll tell you how I found that canteen" He gets himself comfortable.

"Bright treasure was close to entering the gates of dusk when we found the campsite we were looking for. It was within a jumble of rocks surrounded by cactuses of different sizes. The knot map we were following said it was a haven, surrounded by cactus. We followed the trail to its center and found a sand covered clearing, littered with old camp fires and on one side a massive slab of rock jutting up from the ground with enough space underneath to shelter us if a storm hit. In the middle of the clearing stood a cactus, 2 lances high and covered in spines, looking like the granddaddy of the smaller ones.

As we entered the campsite, Kaonu jumped off Yellow Wing and grabbed some prickly pears from the nearby cactuses, Kobal followed him, but is after something else that ran off. As I entered the clearing and looked at one of the old fires, I saw a strange red blob, so I dismounted and investigated, while Amara kept look out, when I got closer, I found it to be a part of a hyena, possibly killed by the pack lizards we encountered the night before. As the party separated, Greeshar clutches his head and bellows a warning, "Chaos!" As he nudged Stoneskin forward, he got his lance ready so he can charge whatever the foul chaos turned out to be. We all looked up and checked our weapons, and waited for Greeshar to tell us where to go.

After scanning the area, Greeshar called the all clear. While Greeshar was looking for Chaos and Kaonu was picking prickly pears, they had both seen signs of Grandfather Jerboa, so they both head in to the cactuses looking for him. Amara and Fireborn decided to check that none of the pack lizards where still around, while the rest of us, apart from Whispers from the Sky and Long Grass's fetch, hunted for anything to eat.

The clouds gathered and the smell of rain was in the air as we settle down to eat under the overhang. We found signs of other travellers in the form of broken equipment and hundreds of prickly pear spines. Once we had eaten, Kaonu and I headed out in to the darkness to set snares, just as the rain starts, hoping to catch some jerboa for breakfast.

When we got back from setting the snares, it became apparent that we had missed Amara and Whispers disagreeing over something, as Whispers stalked passed us saying she is taking first watch. As I look around at the others, trying to figure out what was said, Fireborn held up a very flat jerboa which looked like a rhino had trodden on it, which he fed to Sun Chaser.

As I was about to ask what had been said, an unearthly scream pierced the dark, followed by a sickening squelch of something hard hitting soft flesh. The bison and rhino started bucking and stamping and going wild. We all grabbed our weapons and ran out in to the wet darkness, Kaonu and Long Grass did their best to calm the mounts, while the rest of us ducked and dived our way through the mass of angry beasts.

Amara is the first of us to make it passed the mounts and she saw Whispers unconscious but no sign of her attacker, when the rest of us got there, Amara turned and growled at us her face so full of rage that Stoneskin, with Greeshar on his back, bellows his anger. As she growled at us, we all felt a sense of doom and anger try to worm its way in to our minds.

Kobal gave voice to what we are all thinking, "Beware, foul magic!"

Amara drew her sword and charged toward Salen, with his death in her eyes, Salen barely managed to avoid Amara severing his head, she tried again growling all the time. While Amara and Salen were fighting, I started to look round, hoping to find what attack Whispers and was controlling Amara. Greeshar, seeing an opportunity, jumped from the back of Stoneskin and landed on Amara, who suddenly found she couldn't move as fast as normal, thanks to a charm cast by Kobal, who stepped in and knocked her out.

 I found some strange tracks in the ground, big round ones, about the size and shape of my old shield, suddenly it clicks, its the giant cactus. So I made it look like I'm following some tracks that go past it, then, when I got near it, I stab it. As I pulled my sword out, a vile green liquid sprayed over me and the giant cactus started to move. Even though I was expecting it to move, it still shocks me which is why it managed to hit me and Fireborn, who was fairly close by, sending us both flying. My left arm and Fireborn's right arm were both crushed to a bloody pulp.

 Luckily for me Long Grass come running to my aid, while Kaonu chucked his javelin, Salen attacked it with a flaming torch and Greeshar, jumping back upon the mighty Stoneskin, the only mount who hadn't ran away, charged the monster. Kaonu's javelin barely scratched it, Salens torch got ripped out of his hand by a massive arm as it narrowly missed his head. Stoneskin zigs when he should of zagged and ended up missing, which caused Greeshar's lance to dig in to the ground. Just as it is looking like we are about to be flattened like that jerboa, a javelin burst out of the monsters chest, killing it instantly.

 As it falls it revealed a very smug looking Kaonu, which he had every right to be, as he had just killed a giant walking cactus with one shot. Once Long Grass has help Fireborn, he rushes over and helps heal Whispers, though its a close thing as she had lost a lot of blood. Then the cactus melted in to this foul smelling liquid and gas, which made most of us throw up.

We headed back to the overhang to get out of the rain and away from the smell. Later while I was on watch and walking around, I saw something sticking out of the ground, the sand having been washed off of it by the rain, it was the canteen, still held by its owners skeletal hand."
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:03, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

In reply to Melock (msg # 213):


As Melock's tale progressed, Hoskar's eyes had been getting wider; not in disbelief but in amazement at how narrow an escape the braves had had even while he was doing nothing more heroic than washing pots for that horse's catamite Krakka; not that he'd known how falsely they'd be played back then. His wandering mind fliches where Kaonu kills the foul thing of chaos and that's the man the swine I trusted sold to the Morocanth. We still owe you for that, Rumble; but one day we'll meet again.

In the end, he smiles. Now that's impressive, not least you working it out. So like the sky watcher relatives too. I miss Greeshar, you know, with him not being here. Hope his fever passed. Unpredictable, bloodthirsty sometimes, but he can tell chaos a league off and flinches at nothing. And Amara possessed or such again like that green time at the Finger Holes. She must be getting really sick of that - being out of control of herself.

He takes a reflective swallow at the diminishing kumiss skin. Sure you won't have a bit? Story telling's thirsty work. Tired and the worse for wear, he can't resist an idea and giggles to himself. Or how about you down there? It's basically milk, you know. Whether it's the kumiss or relief at the passing of tension he's not sure, but he shakes with uncontrollable laughter and the effort of suppressing the sound of his mirth, having to lie back on the steps to do so.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Tue 10 Feb 2015.

In reply to Hoskar Feather (msg # 214):


"It was the tracks that gave it away, I was trying to think what could leave something that big and round, when I happened to glance at the giant cactus and suddenly thought, its got to be that." He takes the offered skin, "Your right it is thirsty work." He takes a big swig, "Greeshar's strong, he'll be fine. No doubt waiting for us when we get back, though he'll be mad that he missed killing some chaos. Some times I think Amara gets possessed every couple of days, what with her mood swings" He too laughs, "That feels good, gets rid of all that nasty tension from today."

Taya briefly looks back over her shoulder at Hoskar, "I'll pass thanks, I've seen what it does to you lot."