Tuar kept his face turned from Lysande as he answered the young human's request.  "I will go."  There may be a deeper meaning below the simple statement, but the half breed said no more.

"No."  Alister humbly.  "My god and my role is best suited for this.  Tyr will be my guide in helping Ha'laam.  Beside killing condemned men should not be done out of vengance or anger."

Completely taken by surprise, Aelynia returns Joseph kiss for a moment before pulling away, her cheeks flushing.  To cover her confusion she rises quickly and moves to check on the camels saying, "Perhaps we should go check on the others?"  Aelynia turns around and looks at Joseph, torn between wanting to talk about the kiss he had given her in clear view of anybody watching and ignoring it altogether.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:36, Wed 20 Dec 2006.

Nodding quietly, Joseph rose to his feet, and walked over to Aelynia until he was standing next to her.  "Yes, let us do that," he whispered, and smiled softly as he walked back into the cavern.  While he was clearly exhausted after having sat out in the sandstorm, and had sand just about everywhere, he still managed to look peaceful and happy as he got back inside.  "Everyone holding up all right in here?" he asked as they entered, and glanced around the cave. . .

Ha'laam nods grimly at Tuar and Alister's offer of help, "You both shall be ze witnesses of Difa Binwabi. They pick the men off up the ground, and lead them out of the cave, past Joseph and Aelynia, and into the darkening desert.  They return within an hour or so.  Ha'laam speaks only to say, "We should leave before ze first light." Then he heads off to prepare the horses and camels for the evening.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:56, Mon 25 Dec 2006.

Lysande didn't show it, but she was glad Alister and the youth were taking it upon them to become judge and executioner for the prisoners. While she had no problems killing whom she considered evil, she would not become the killer of helpless enemies. She nodded respectfully to the group as they returned.

"I agree with Ha'laam, let us all prepare for the night. I will need as much uninterrupted rest as possible. Unless necessity dictates otherwise I will take last watch. I am sure you will be able to find a schedule among yourselves, just remember to have one with good night vision on watch during the night." with that the sun elf turned to prepare her own things for the night.

Tuar returned from the execution with something akin to a smirk on his face as he fingered his blade, wishing that it had been which tasted the blood of the scorpion captors.  As he watched the others prepare for the night, Tuar nodded at Lysande's words as he went out a little farther in the desert, out of sight of the main camp.  If the rest of the group took this as a sign he was taking first watch, he would let them.

"I am. . .  weary, from the storm outside, but if we need it, I will be able to take a watch.  My eyes are. . .  well, human, though if given adequate lighting, they can see far and accurate, and my ears are quite keen, as well.  Perhaps I should take the second to last watch, where I would be able to see best?" Joseph suggested, his voice showing willingness to defer to any objections posed by those more used to this environment than himself.  Which probably meant everyone present, he thought, new to the desert as he was.

The night passes with the quiet that comes after a great storm.  Nothing disturbs your rest. Just as the sky begins to lighten, Ha'laam begins making ready to leave - he always seems to know when to wake for travel.

Strangely, you notice Lanka Vada, the strange desert druid, has dissapeared with the storm.  Perhaps the lure of the power of nature drew he to her doom.


OOC:  Any final preps?  I hope to pick up the pace - sorry for the slow going recently.  I will be NPCing Rend, for now.

Lysande had slept fitfully and roused easily from her reverie. It had been an interesting night, going through the events of the past day and she was confident they would be able to find the raider's hideout soon. Her eyes went over to Tuar and she gave him a warm smile.

Aelynia, alert and praying long before anybody else arose, smiled at Lysande whom she had been praying for after noticing her fitful sleep.  She went to check on the camels again while everyone else had breakfast.

Tuar returned relatively early the night before; he seemed disheartened for some reason.  Turning the amulate - or rock was a mre accurate description - in his hands for a few more hours, he attempted to get some sleep.  He wasn't very successful, and before he knew it, it was already morning and time to leave.  The half-elf sluggishly got ready, packing what little gear he had into his sack, and almost reluctantly putting the chain armor Lysande had given him on.  Whenhe reached his sword, though, a small smile crossed his face as it looked  forward to having a taste of bandit this morning.  He turned his eyes up to see Lysande's smile and, for a few seconds, wasn't quite sure how to respond until he gave an awkward - though warm in its own way - smile in return.

Alister woke-up concerned about the up coming battle, so he prayed to his god looking for answers or ideas that he might provide.

"Lysande.  About the fortress, are we up against more than we could chew... Er, actually it is more about.  Do you have a plan?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Sat 06 Jan 2007.

Lysande smiled back at Aelynia then looked over to Alister "A good question. I have a lose idea of how to tackle the stronghold, but we will need more information to make a detailed plan." she looked at the assembled friends "There are too many individuals to fight, that much is clear, so we must cut off the head of the snake, scorpion in this case. My idea is to scout as much of the stronghold as possible, then attack the leader and the robed figures. It appears the leader is the one to hold the gang together, without him they will dissipate with the four winds." She paused to let it sink in "Of course we could always try and pose as other Black Scorpions, the question is how far it will get us. - I am open to ideas though."

"Pose as other scorpions?  Posing as murdering, slaving, evil bastards isn't exactly what I had in mind."  Tuar frowned at the simple thought of it, but let a smile replace it as he voiced his idea.  "I don't know about anyone else, but I was trained to sneak around where I wasn't wanted.  Getting food and stuff.  Anyway, let me scout out the hole they call a home, and try to find some entrance or another.  If that doesn't work, going through the front door and slaughtering a few guards - _{they deserve no more} - who get in our way to the head is the best way to go through."

After waking up, Joseph found a quiet place for himself, as he sat down in prayers to Mielikki.  It must have been odd to the Forest Queen, receiving a prayer from all the way out in the desert, so far from her domain, Joseph thought as he finally stood up again.  Then, he did a brief practice-routine with his dual-bladed sword, pleased to feel his strength returning to him - though he was still not perfectly healthy, either.  A couple more days, he reasoned, and finally walked over to join the others' discussion, sitting down silently.  He didn't know what to expect when they found these raiders, so he didn't offer any advice at the moment, instead listening to what the others had to say.

"Then we better make the best of our time and look for their base.  I just hope Pepin can pop-in and out of their base."

Ha'laam nods in agreement. <brown>"To scout ze camp is good. But surely, zey will haf watchers along ze road.  And we do not know where."

"Then we go fishing."

"Dress up as someone who is ravaged by the storm, looking for the means to survive.  That might get the watchers attention..."  Its a half baked plan and Alister was hoping for someone to help him patch it up.

"I like your idea Alister. From what I know Tuar, Glim and me are good in sneaking up on people in natural terrain. I do not know about you Joseph. So those unable to hide will pretend to be travellers, while the three of us attack them from the rear. A hammer and anvil tactic if you will.

I remember a rock formation on the way, judging from my experience that will be the place where they hide." She turned her attention to her pack and gently knocked, whispering in elven. Soon the black head of her raven friend appeared and he hopped on her shoulder. There was some more whispering and then Aluvendar started out of the cavern and high into the sky.

"I will be the bait then.  Do you want me to walk armed?  It will be more believable if I carry nothing but a water bag, cloak, clothes and staff.  Everything else will be hoisted away by Pepin."

After checking on the camels in lieu of breakfast, Aelynia rejoined her companions just in time to hear the plan being formulated.  "It is best if I am the bait, wouldn't you think?  I already appear to be a poor, unfornate caught by a storm.  I need no weapons, and I have nothing other than this tiny bit of food and a few herbs in my sack," she interjected, knowing that it was safest for her to go.

"Well the idea is if I get caught and injured, I will have the ability to Heal and Arm myself even in captivity.  Besides your more nimble than me, best suited for saving the bait."

Protesting, Aelynia politely argued, "But what if they hurt you?  It should be me to go.  I do not mind to be hurt, I am blessed by pain and suffering."  It had been several days, not counting staying out in the storm to watch the camels, since Aelynia had properly offered a sacrifice of pain to Ilmater and while she was not of a sect that would purposefully harm themselves she would much rather herself be hurt than any other.  Even if she had not chosen Ilmater, she likely would have been that way anyway, so loving and empathetic she was.  Aelynia's voice, while soft, soothing and serene, was firm and it appeared it would take some arguing or reasoning to get her to change her mind and let Alister go in what she perceived as "her place."

"I have had some training in staying out of sight, but that was in Mielikki's woodlands, far from this place of sand and winds.  Still, I will give it a shot - without my blade and armor ready for battle, I won't be of much use, anyway," Joseph quietly told Lysande, before listening to Aelynia and Alister argue about who would get to be the bait.

"Can you not both do it, then?  That way, you can protect each other, and then we can save the pain and suffering for the Black Scorpions," he suggested, and shrugged.