David inspected the troops in the dying embers of Shams, Istakhr's sun. He was satisfied with what he saw both by their readiness and by the fact that they seemed confident about what they were about to do. He personally was not looking forward to such a long trip but he would not let his family down by failing. He was glad that it appeared Privates Herodates and Caigan had a chance to glean some information from the local nomadic family who had been guiding the camp along the waterspots. In addition, He had doubts as to how good this knack with animals was that 'Fullman' was suppose to have but once he saw him with one of the camp's gedamals, that doubt vanished into the sands of the desert.

Picking Caigan to take point due to a mental coin toss, he gave the order for the group to move out to the first herd gathering area. He was glad the first herd area was no more than a click away, and luck was on their side since it seemed that the best herd areas took them towards the Gharb Gebel Mountains, then onward to Mostabul.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Fri 13 July 2012.

Sergeant Shikaalgargund, confident that his own men were competent, spent the afternoon prior to setting out talking with the Corporal of the House guards, finding out exactly what training her troopers had been given.  At the end of the conversation and with a sour look on his face, the hulking Vorox suggested mixing teams of the neophytes with his more experienced mercenary troops so they could benefit from closer supervision and have a chance to hone their skills with proper guidance.   The Corporal looked like she had some grave misgivings but capitulated and headed off to make arrangements, looking relieved that she had escaped the conversation with her skin intact.

As the sun sank slowly below the shimmering horizon, Shik sat quietly in a vorox-modified lotus position and stared off across the desert in the direction of travel, quietly praying to the Pancreator that all of the cheedba the Lieutenant was being stuck with would return home from the trip.

David shuffled his pack again to prevent it from digging into his kidneys as they continued to ride towards the third possible herd point they marked on the map. He went back to writing in the his journal about their journey so far.

'At the first Herd gathering point, We arrived at the tail end of an attack by a pair of beautiful gold coated Guernicabeast. While the crossbows were very well crafted and gave us better then even chances. It was the way the recruits attacked from both flank and front and used the added range of the weapon tells me they have spent at least some of their childhoods hunting for food. This is an excellent sign for the future. I decided to take only four of the beasts from the herd there to prevent depleting it. I'm banking on finding a nice large herd somewhere before we make for the city and our contact. Fullman seemed to have an edge to his voice after we put down the wild guernicabeast. I told them not to skin the beasts out of respect but pelts of those creatures can bring in at least 100 firebirds so i did not expect the muster to follow the order too well. I'll collect the pelts before the city as a punishment.'

'The Second herd gathering point was a better then hopeful cache. Eighteen were easily culled from the herd without trouble. An added bonus was that the collection point was also a oasis so we are fully stocked up on supplies again. Unfortunately, the recruits seem to have taken on some bad mannerisms from their experience with muster mercenaries but overall the exchange of knowledge has been more than worth the risk of having to retrain to break down those bad habits. One side note, if Mr. Fullman tells me to loosen up while riding one more time... '

'We appear to be coming up on the third gathering point, Caigan seems excited, well as excited as i have seen him, about this one because the shade of the Mountain in addition to water would attract these creatures.'

David closes his journal and puts it away. He triggers his squawker, "Forward scouts, report."
"Lieutenant, we'll have to be careful in our pickings but we should be able to get nearly the whole unit riding now."
"Sir, located a spring with some fruit trees. We should be able to restock before we head out."
"Acknowledge, Return to the unit."

He sent out two squads worth of soldiers (6 guards, 18 muster mercenaries) to gather up the portion of the herd they were claiming. Standing on the bank of the stream while the animals drank to refill their supplies. He had dispatched three of the troops to gather as much food and water as needed to refill their own supplies. Peacefully he listened to the sounds that seemed to fall from the mountains.
He was glad he requested Shikaalgargund to stay back this time. He walked over to where the Vorox was, "Shikaalgargund, Any problems with either troops you think i should be told?" He paused for an answer before asking, "How about you?" Also pausing he waited before stating, "I am glad you were assigned this mission. It will give the soldiers some experience working along side such a being as yourself." He grinned slightly as he remembered how long it took for the guards not to startle when he spoke to them or got near them.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Thu 19 July 2012.

The Sergeant shrugged affably. "Your cheedba have improved greatly, Sir.  I will gladly call them jalba now, and they are forming up into a proper angerak.  My men have taught them many things.  Your Private Hallodale, though, seems to be a bit of a chidwit.  Did you see how he froze when last Guernicabeast turned to try and attack?"

He shook his head.  "That one will get himself killed, mark my words.

Turning an amused eye to the Lieutenant, Shik made a vorox approximation of a smile; revealing quite the maw of razor-sharp teeth.  "Why, thank you for asking, Sir.  I have been enjoying the cool breeze off the mountains, it is really quite refreshing.  This trip reminds me of one expedition I was on during my training in the Commandos, we had to march from one edge of a desert to the other with only the supplies we could carry on our backs."  He looks around with a cocked eyebrow.  "Compared to that, this desert is really quite the vacation spot."

"I still think a few of the jalba are afraid I am going to eat them, Sir, but they are improving."


ooc:
cheedba - pre-pubescent child
jalba - adolescent
chidwit - the only animal on ungavorox that isn't dangerous. Chidwits are notorious cowards, and survive by running faster and hiding better.

David nodded in the knowledge that Shikaalgargund was correct about Private Hallodale. "Chitwit in melee but he appears to have what it takes to be a excellent sniper. I assigned PFC Nathan to try to cure him of the fear of melee combat. They are currently up..." He stops mid sentence when a blood curdling scream echos down from the last reported position of Hallodale and Nathan.

David hits the squawker, "Hunter 4, report." He listens for only a few seconds to static before giving the order to all in the unit "Form up at Fall back Point A.". When he saw those soldiers within sight range start moving, he was instantly glad he had assigned at least one soldier with a radio per pairing.

He started running towards Point A because it was the best defensive location in the area. He checked his pistol's power pack mid-stride and prepared himself so that he could defend his soldiers and secondly himself from whatever had likely killed the two guardsmen.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:17, Fri 13 July 2012.

"You heard the Lieutenant," Shik roared, his voice carrying to all the troopers without using a squawker.  "Form up on point Alpha, ready weapons for assault!"

As if by magic, his shotgun appeared in his top-hands, and he rumbled forward in a four-legged ground eating pace, straight at the sounds of death...

David would have been startled by Shik's roar if he had not heard it before on the trip to this gathering point. Reaching Point A, he began counting off silently each member as they arrived and smiled internally when they fell into a near perfect defensive formation on arrival.

David was about to change the formation to a recon-in-force when he saw sunlight glint of something approaching fast. It took his eyes a number of seconds before they locked onto the shapes. Then suddenly hear could hear the breathing of his soldiers, the noise of their clothing as they got into position and the smell the sweat stink coming off each of them. He was nearly confused when he also noticed he could hear the panting of the creatures coming towards them, smell the blood dripping from their maws, and see the them in detail even though they were still 300 meters or so out. "Vorox Hounds!" He informed his soldiers while he tried to make sense of the heightened sensitivity he was being forced to endure.

"Wait until you can see them clearly and they are in range before you fire." He spoke in a calm controlled manner like they were on a parade ground instead of about to fend off an attack. He paced the square formation as he realized that there were 40 of these creatures. He was glad in that moment for the guards' patron had made sure that there was a crank mechanism on each of their crossbows because he didn't believe any of them was strong enough to draw back the bow on them (Medium Crossbows).

Each second was like a minute as the hounds churned up the sand as they made their way forward with each loping step. At the last second when David was sure that they had reach the range (they were actually 32 meters out). He cried out, "FIRE!"

Shik's whole body seemed to vibrate as he waited for the Lieutenant to order the soldiers to fire their crossbows.  As soon as he heard the TWANG, he was off again, galloping forward on four legs.  Closing with the hounds at a frightening pace, he started triggering off shots as fast as he could pull the trigger, each one sending the one or two of the beasts tumbling to the ground.  On the seventh shot, his gun clicked dry and he reared up on his hind legs, his low-hands suddenly sprouting wickedly curved steel.

The Sergeant was like a vortex of fur and steel, blocking the snapping teeth of one hour with his shotgun while he gutted two more, roaring loudly with what sounded for all the world like laughter!  He continued, whirling at a frenetic pace until he missed a parry and one of the hounds leaped through his guard and straight at his throat.

David let his inner calm flow over him as the true combat began. The first volley took out only 3 of the creatures. He began to shout orders which echoed over the battlefield as he tried to keep his unit both together and alive. He fired off two round into the head of one Hound whose dying action was to slice the neck of private Stuart (Juandaastas).

He had let Shik's rampage continue on until the vorox was surrounded 10 meters past the defensive line. In slow motion he saw one hound with blood stained teeth slip pass the wall of steel Shik had erected around himself and reach out for the vorox's throat. Lifting his pistol out before him, he fired off a round that passed through the head of the hound and continued into the second hound that was threatening his sergeant.

He shouted at Shik, "Sergeant, Fall Back!" as he began turning so he could fire on the hounds who swarmed over the unit and were moving into flanking position. Private Arturo (Muster) screamed as he lost nearly his whole hand to a swipe of a claw. David knew that each of the screams reaching his ears could only mean one of his soldiers was either wounded or dying. He reached out with his sword and sliced through the sinew of the back leg of a hound who had passed by. He continuing his turn he saw from the corner of his eye, Pfc Julius (Muster) slam side one hound with his shield before delivering a killing thrust to its belly however, he over extended thus opened himself up to the wild slash of another hound across his stomach ripping open an exit for his inners.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Thu 09 Aug 2012.

Sergeant Shikaalgargund snarls a wordless acknowledgement to the Lieutenant's orders and turns his blades into an ever-shifting shield as he retreats carefully.  Showing amazing dexterity and concentration, the vorox starts reloading his shotgun with his top-hands.  During his retreat, several of his parries do so much damage to the attacking beasts that they give up their pursuit, fleeing from the battle to die bleeding in the desert.

Reloaded and back in the vicinity of the troops, the vorox again turns into a hurricane of death, slicing down attacking hounds and peppering them with shot whenever they gather in groups.   The screams of dying soldiers only seem to encourage him to further heights of carnage.  The howls of the vorox hounds turned from hunting bays to frightened yelps as the soldiers rallied around the Sergeant, and the tides of battle turned firmly against them.

David fired off the last round of his pistol killing another hound. He slipped the pistol back into its holster and prepared to defend himself from the remaining Hounds only to find that remaining ones either were limping away, running away or dying after only a few steps as crossbow bolts pierced their skulls. He called out, "Cease Fire and Sound Off." He allowed the adrenaline to drain from his system while he listened to the roll-call coming in.

He sighed as he noticed quite a number of names missing. Three Juandaastas guards and five Muster mercenaries had died here. David told the corporal, "Police the bodies, make sure our mounts are safe, check ammo and finish culling those gerdmals. We'll be back soon. " He turned and pointed out 7 soldiers (2 Guards, 5 Mercenaries) and says, "Come with me, I don't like leaving our soldiers behind." He invite Shik to come along with them if he so desires and sets off towards the last location of Privates Nathan and Hallodale.

They found what remains of Hallodale before Nathan. It appears that Shik was right, the little coward fled. David collected the tag markings and had the two guardsmen collect the gear . "Nothing we can do for these soldiers. I'll make sure their families are notified once we get back." he head back down the hills towards the stream where they were set up.

Things worked out well for the unit, only eight dead but no deaths among the collected gedamals. 28 soldiers left, 2 squads and a 4 man fireteam. He left the reassigning of gear to his corporal.

As dusk approached, He called out to the survivors "Get yourselves ready. We're going to put a little distance between us and this battle field. We don't want to be around when the carrion feeders come around to fight over the dead." At dusk, they moved onward towards the next Herd point. They had only 35 of the gedamals. David hoped they wouldn't run into any more hostiles on this trip.

He found that Private Hallodale was the one who stripped the pelts a few days later.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Thu 09 Aug 2012.

Shik took a moment to gather himself as the remaining hounds fled.  The urge to follow them and keep fighting was strong, unbearably strong.  He looked around, scowling at the number of dead men.  As the lieutenant gathered men to recover the other list soldiers, he followed behind, silently approving of a noble that cares enough to recover the dead.  Placing a large top-hand on the man's shoulder, he stopped him for a moment and looked at him gravely.
"Choktarwal, sir," he said.  "You have my honor.  I saw the shot you took, you saved my life.  I owe you a blood-debt."

This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Sat 14 July 2012.

David looked out over their caravan as they approached the fourth herd location. Seeing that everything was going good turned back to his journal.

'The battle with the Vorox Hounds was not very healthy for the unit, we lost 8 of soldiers both guard and mercenaries.
*he listed each dead's name*
During the battle I killed a hound who might have caused mortal injury to Shikaalgargund. Afterwards, he stated that he owed me a blood-debt. I wonder what it means to have a Vorox Berserker owe a blood-debt. He also said a new word I'll have to look up when i get back to the Samarkand estate. Wonder if Colonel Magnus will allow me access to his private library, I hear he has a great selection of books on the Vorox. I have decided to spilt up the profits from the pelts as a kind of combat bonus with the men even though it might only be 4 or 5 firebirds once we spilt it. '

A week later,

'The Fourth gather point had a good size herd and thus nearly allowed us to reach our goal of 50 of these smelly good natured creatures. Before I could send out the gatherer units, ten of the gedamals spilt off from the main herd and joined our growing herd of their own accord.

The fifth point was another place we ran into a small bit of trouble. A man, who claimed to have been a member of one of the desert clans, had claimed the whole herd that had gathered at the point. I decided to extend my hospitality to him and started to negotiate in good faith. I quickly got the impression that he was far too cultured or knowledgeable about the city while sorely lacking in knowledge of the desert. His greed, it turns out exquisite. I don't think I have ever or will ever met its equal. He actually offered to sell me 5 of the creatures for 250 firebirds each.

His greed started to cause him to act improper towards myself and my retinue when i refused that offer. However, when he drew a knife and attacked me with it thus breaking the honored tradition of hospitality that things came to a head. He and his band of freelancer mercenaries didn't stand a chance, the only ones who survived were the ones who surrendered to my soldiers at the start of the conflict. I ordered that the survivors be released to walk back to Mostabul without stripping them of their gear or water as a desert clan would have done to enemies. I made a point to suggest to them that they should find better patrons. Corporal Winters found a Scraver guild emblem on the body of the greedy man. Wonder if this will ever come back to haunt me.

We culled fifteen gedamals from the fifth gathering point and managed to restock from the small oasis there. I believe we can sell the extras in Mostabul to pay for the supplies I assume we are going to need for the final leg of this journey.'

David looks up from his writing when he heard two Muster mercenaries moving out into the desert away from camp. He said to himself, "They should be resting we have a long march tonight before we hide from the sun. Where could they be going." He puts his journal away and goes to collect them.

When he got near them he called out, "Corporal, Private, what are you two doing out here?" Just when they are turning towards him, he felt the sand begin to vibrate and before they can say anything a Keeber Aa'Rab (Istakhr Scorpion) reared up out of the sands and snaps its pincher claws around the mercenaries, the sound of cracking vertebrate echos across the desert sands to be punctuated by a loud crack as their spines snap like twigs under the pressure.

David shouts out an alarm, "SCORPION!" and begins to pull his pistol when the scorpion lunges forward and spears him right at the neckline of his synthsilk armor. He feels the poison entering his body and it takes only a few moments before the pain flares throughout his body. His finger spasms on the trigger on his pistol as he falls backward. The flashes of light seem to bounce off the carapace of the creature.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:05, Thu 19 July 2012.

Shikaalgargund waved away the soldier that was patrolling the makeshift gedamal pen, indicating he should go back about his patrol.  Sniffing the air, he looked around at the uneasy creatures, unsure what had actually brought him out to inspect the pen.

"Their swaba is disturbed," he thought, and then berated himself for falling back into the old ways yet again.  No matter how much he steeled himself to the human Orthodoxy, badaswaba still lay at his core.

He had never been good with animals, but it would take a blind and doddering old fool to miss the agitation of the herd.  Doddering he might be, but Shik was not blind.

Suddenly, from the camp behind him he heard a warning cry, "SCORPION!"  He turned quickly, reaching for his weapons and coming up empty handed.  He growled at himself, cursing as he remembered leaving his gear on his bedroll, secure in the knowledge that they were safely encamped.

Charging from a standstill to a dead sprint, he headed toward the cry anyway.  Other voices had joined in, screams of pain and fear.  As he rounded the corner, he saw the bodies of the jalba soldiers and his own men scattered around a monsterous scorpion.  His eyes narrowed as he recognized the supine form of the Lieutenant near the scorpion.  The remaining soldiers circled around it, frantically firing and reloading their crossbows to little effect.

Shikaalgargund's vision was covered with a red haze as he saw the object of blood-debt lying, perhaps dead.  His battlecry started out as such a low rumble it couldn't be properly heard by the human soldiers, but it quickly reached such a terrible crescendo that several soldiers staggered back from the scorpion, looking around to see what new horror was attacking them.  The Sergeant crouched down on all six limbs and with fantastic strength leapt through the air across the remaining distance, landing in front of the scorpion and grabbing its claws in his low-hands, pulling them wide.

The scorpion reacted immediately, stabbing at the vorox with its tail and striking home.  Shik took the blow and staggered, dropping to his knees as he felt the poison from the stinger flowing through his body, felt his joints starting to lock up.  He focused inward, refusing to give in to the pain.

Again the scorpion struck, but Shikaalgargund's top-hands were there to meet its flashing tail, catching it fast.  The scorpion started to struggle, even its insect brain able to tell that things were about to go poorly.  With another rumbling roar, the Sergeant surged to his feet, his top-hands snapping the stinger off of the scorpion's tail, sending ichor spraying across his blood-soaked chest.  With another wrench of his low-arms, he tore one of its claws out of its socket.  Still holding the other, he stepped forward and drove his fist into the creature's soft mouth over and over until he finally heard one of the soldier's calling his name.

Dropping the mutilated insect corpse he turned, chest heaving.  One of his remaining mercs was crouched over the Lieutenant, looking him over while the others stared at the Sergeant with awe and fear.

"He lives?"

The merc looked up and nodded.  "The poison has paralyzed him, but he still breathes and I believe it will wear off soon.  You should let me tend your wounds, Sergeant."

Shik shook his head and knelt next to the Knight.  Bending down double so his face loomed near David's head, he said quietly, "Choktarwaan, angruwal.  I have your honor, far-brother.  The blood-debt is balanced."

David's consistence flittered in and out as his body worked to fight off the poison. He wondered for a few seconds which felt like hours if he would be the scorpions next meal then he thought about his men wondering if they actually would be able to deal a mortal blow to the creature before their lives were forfeited.

His eyes opened long enough to see Shikaalgargund massive body riding atop the scorpion. 'How strange. Would be the perfect mount for him though.' He drifted back into his pain soaked mind.

What seemed like just a few moments later, his body no longer felt like it was on fire and his mind came out of hiding long enough to take in the swarming face of one of the Muster privates with Shikaalgargund beating the dead scorpion in the head. He heard something being said by the private but couldn't make it out.

David felt the fire rescinding away from his mind slowly and he heard Shikaalgargund's voice, "Choktarwaan, angruwal.  I have your honor, far-brother.  The blood-debt is balanced." David thought, 'more words to look up when i get back to the compound.' David opened his eyes and looked at Shikaalgargund and said, "Blood-debt balanced." before he passed out again as his body went back to working to repair and recharge itself after the fight against the poison.

David woke up the next day at a new campsite. He groaned as he climbed out of the bedroll he was lying on and went in search of Corporal Winters. He learned from her that they had lost only 4 men to the creature before Shikaalgargund took it out nearly single-handedly. The corporal handed over their tag markings. She mentioned that they buried the bodies in the sand to prevent carrion eaters from getting at them right away. David nodded and let her fill him in on everything else that had happened between the time he went out to now.

David went in search of Shikaalgargund and once he found him told the vorox, "Thank you for saving my life." He paused for just a moment before adding in a slight chuckle, "I would have hated the idea of being eaten slowly by a scorpion or its young."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:22, Wed 18 July 2012.

"I would not have allowed that," Shik responded simply.  "We are agruwal now... Far-brothers.  We Heath hold the other's honor for them."

David stands in silence for a minute while he thinks of other ways SHik might have saved him from being eaten alive. He informs Shikaalgargund, "While as a child I thought the Vorox's language might come in handy. My teachers felt Ur-Obun would be a better language to learn." he pauses to take a breath before declaring in a somber voice, "so I am very much in the dark when you use your native tongue."

"That being said, can you perhaps tell me what agruwal, Choktarwal and Choktarwaan mean?" He asks in earnest.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:15, Wed 18 July 2012.

Shik gets a confused look on his face and asks, "Did you not hear me the first time?  Choktarwal, you have my honor.  Chocktarwaan, I have your honor.  Angarwal, far-brother."

He shakes his head, "There are more layers to it, cultural depth, but that is the direct translation.  What it means in truth is that we hold each others honor in trust.  Were you to die, my honor would be lost.  The far-bond is an extension of pack-brotherhood.  None can replace my brothers completely, but a far-bond can help keep a Vorox... level when abroad."

This message was last edited by the player at 02:00, Wed 18 July 2012.

David made a strong mental note to get access to the library when he gets back to the capital. He grins, "I hope it does not come to that for either of us. I would dislike having to explain how I lost my honor at your death. And, I don't think i like the idea of you having to go back to your homeworld without your honor." He nods/bows his head to Shikaalgargund before he sets off to do a survey of the camp.

David lets the unit rest a little extra time after dusk while he makes sure everyone's adrenaline levels are not still skyrocketed from the battle yesterday before ordering them to set out.

A week and a half later,

David looks out over the desert sands towards the oasis town of Mostabul. He is glad they are actually might get some sleep in a bed or at least off a piece of real estate which might bury you if the wind blows too hard. He turns to Corporal Winters, "Lets keep our weapons holstered or sheathed. Don't want the al-Malik guards of the town to get the wrong idea and think we are bandits." He waits for the warning to move through the unit before he direct them to move the caravan forward.

Once pass the gate guards and their entrance toll, he turns to Corporal Winter and Shik, "Meet up with our contact at that little cantina, 'Radioactive Guernicabeast', while I get everything ready for us to move out again." He sees the raised eyebrow of the Corporal, "I did not pick the meeting place or the name."

He heads off to the bazaar area, where he manages to sell eight of the gedamals to another caravan moving off soon. He moves around the market buying all the supplies they are going to need to get to the nomad clan's location plus paying all the needed taxes plus the other expenses which in the end results in a profit he didn't expect. He finds out a surplus of pelts have been put on market in the town recently so he keeps the unit's pelts and decides to sell them at the Isktahr Market where such a flood supply wont drop the price of pelts by 50% of what he believes are normal market prices.

This message was last edited by the player at 04:35, Wed 18 July 2012.

The cantina cleared out almost immediately after Sergeant Shikaalgargund and Corporal Winter entered.  The Vorox didn't even really notice, but Winter looked vaguely embarrassed.  Only the bartender and a wiry young man with black hair and sun-darkened skin wearing desert robes remained.

Shik dropped down onto four legs, not wanting to scrape the ceiling inside the small facility and ambled over to the young man.  Outwardly, the human projected an air of confidence and disdain, but Shik could see the young man's nostrils flaring and his eyes widening slightly as he tried to control his fear.

"I have been sent by Lieutenant Juandaastas to meet a guide,"  Shik inclined his head slightly, pantomiming a polite bow.  "You look like the man that was described to me."

The young man gulped reflexively before replying.  "Yeh-yes." He paused and coughed to clear his throat.  "Yes, I am Khalid Al-Nasr, your guide to the camp of the tribe of Keb."

Shik bowed his head slightly again. "If it pleases you, Lieutenant Juandaastas would like to leave at dusk.  Please meet our party at the gates."

The young man nodded, and Shik left the cantina with the Corporal in tow, headed back to report to David.

David sizes up our contact/guide, Khalid Al-Nasr, when he arrives at the western gate looking like he took a few extra pints of whatever alcohol they were serving at the cantina to build up his courage. He walked over to the guide and said, "Greetings, I understand you will be guiding us." Khalid nodded slightly but seems to regret it. David was sure they were going to have a great trip of circles until their guide sobered up if he did not die of heat stroke because of the alcohol causing dehydration and preventing his body from regulating his internal temperature. David put such thoughts out of his mind, "Khalid, my employers said you were the right man for the job. So let’s move out."
David adds just to himself and anyone who has good ears, 'because while I would like a bed, the only hostel I could find was worst then sleeping in the desert. At least in the desert, I don't have to worry about the owner and his three daughters trying to arrange a marriage contract." He pictures for a moment  the daughters then says to the guide and the rest of the unit, " Mount up, I want to put a few kilometers between us and this luxury town before sunrise."
David quietly informs Corporal Winters that the guide is drunk and a weather eye should be kept on him to prevent his death.

A few days later,

David walks up toward Shikgargaaglund after we have stopped to rest for the day. He begins to speak then sees Corporal Winters walking up also so he delays for a few seconds before saying "Does it seem to you like we have been going in matched circles as we get closer towards that cyclonic sandstorm on the horizon?" He pauses to allow each side to answer before asking Corporal Winters, "Is our guide still drunk or..."
Corporal Winters replies, "No Sir, we collected his wineskin which was filled with actual wine not long after we started out so he has been having a three day hang-over as his body tries to deal with all the booze in his system. It was enough to put down a Vorox." she adds to Shik, "No offence meant by that."
Before she can resume Khalid walks up and says, "Everything is going well. We should bypass the sandstorm and come up on the tribe in several days."
David accepts the time delay because he has no real choice in the matter. David waits to see if anyone has anything else they wish to say before heading off to survey the camp to check on both the men and the gedamels and settling under a nice bit of cover so he isn't directly exposed to Shams while he gets some rest.

ooc: Corporal Winters has a slight new Zealand accent. Also, Im picturing Khalid has a heavy British accent.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:05, Wed 18 July 2012.

"I suspect our guide simply does not wish to lead us into the path of the sandstorm, Sir," Shik replies quietly.  "They can be quite erratic at times."

He says nothing when the guide confirms his plans.  Shik follows along behind the Lieutenant on his survey.  Shik seems to have taken upon himself the task of guarding the young knight and seldom strays more than 5 meters from him now.

David turns slightly so he isn't speaking over his shoulder to Shik and says in good humor, "If you follow me like this once we get back to the capital. People will think that we are dating."
He finishs up the survey and standing in front of his tent/cover he does a quick glance over the horizon to make sure there were not any approaching people or things. He invites Shik to sit with him. He makes a point of offering the best hospitality he can to the vorox given their limited means (some water and a few pieces of fresh fruit which he purchased in Mostabul and had secured against the sands.). He asks the vorox to try to explain the whole Angarwal thing to him including cultural depths.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Wed 18 July 2012.

"People will more likely think, 'There is a man I do not wish to attempt to harm'," Shik replied with a toothy grin.

Sinking down onto the ground and assuming a vorox-style lotus position, he looks at David gravely.  "To understand angarwal, you must first understand angerak.  When vorox pass from childhood into adolescence, they begin to form bonds with others of their own age that last their entire lives.  These pack-bonds are stronger than those between father and child, or brothers of the same parents.  Vorox depend on their angerak for companionship, for security, and for sanity.  A vorox alone on Ungavorox is soon to be a dead vorox.  Sometimes, an angerak will try to add new members, but the bond between the new and the old is never as strong as the original."

He pauses for a moment, reflecting.  "When a vorox travels abroad, away from his angarak, he is alone.  This is a very trying thing for us.  I have heard of vorox who lost themselves in their loneliness and died.  To prevent this, we seek others that we feel we can trust, and who trust us, to form a bond with.  This bond is called angarwal, the far-bond.  Ideally, a vorox would form angarwal with a smallish group, and this would provide comfort and companionship to ease the loneliness of distance from his angerak."

He finishes with a questioning tilt of his head, "Does this help?"

David nodded his head and replies, "Yes, actually it does."

Several days later,

The guide, Khalid, calls to David and says, “Lieutenant.” After getting David’s attention, he pointed out a small bit of what looked like shrub growth to David's eyes. David is about to ask why the guide was pointing this shrub out when the desert seems to erupts around them. David began  reaching for his pistol as soon as he got the impression it might be an ambush and was just wrapping his hand around the grip when he noticed a Juandaastas sigil on tabards being worn by a few of the desert warriors. David calls out, "Hold."

Khalid, of course, completely disregarding David's order and dismounts then walks over to one of the warrior. After a few moments, confirms David's suspicions that they are friendly by embracing one of them in a brotherly hug. David can only shake his head for a moment before he calls to Khalid, “If these are members of the clan we are suppose to be meeting, please tell them to holster their weapons.” Their leader steps forward and requested the group to dismount which David quickly gives the order to follow the request. Afterwards, the clan warriors put their weapons into a resting but alert posture and formed up in columns to escort the unit who also form up in columns to escort the gedamals.

David, Shikaalgargund, and Corporal Winters were separated from the rest of the unit and escorted into the camp village proper while the rest of the unit and the gedamals were escorted elsewhere. A group of local kids (6-10 year olds) actually gathers to gawk at Shik and actually run in gleeful fright every time they think he is turning his head to look at them. They are escorted right to the clan elder’s tent which while slightly smaller than the al-Malik youth’s tent actually felt larger due to its importance to the village.  The clan warrior leader motioned for them to enter and waits until they have all entered before heading off.

When David entered, he spots the diplomat householder and his bodyguard dressed in Juandaastas livery seated to the left of the clan’s elder. David greets the clan elder respectfully, keeping his etiquette teachings close to the fore of his mind.  After a few pleasant messages between them, The clan elder motions for the group to sit at a table 3 feet away and directly in front of him which gave the unit's commanders a chance to be under constant viewing. After dinner, which includes fare for a Vorox, the Juandaastas diplomat made sure that his dietary requirements weren't neglected. David stood up and said in a tone like he was speaking to his superior in rank and culture, "Sir, in my family it is seen as proper for a guest to present a gift to his host when that host offers such gracious hospitality to his guests." he pauses so his words into the air itself before he continues, "so it is my privilege to present to you personally a pair of gedamels who have taken a leadership role with the others in our caravan. They each lead their respective genders with the wisdom and strength a leader of a clan would need on any world." David sits back down while the diplomatic householder takes over and begins talking about how the new alliance between the noble house and desert clan will work out.
David and the unit stay in the desert village for three more days.

A week after the return to Samarkand,

David walked outside and breathed deeply of the the first bit of fresh air he had after all the debriefings by first his captain then the major then the colonel. He approached the soldiers who also had just been released from their debriefing containment. He was jealous of the Muster Mercenaries who seem to not have anywhere near the length or trouble that the debriefing the guardsmen had. He greeted them pleasantly and informs them, "You seem to have all passed your debriefing portion and can now pick up your pay from the Quartermaster Sergeant." He paused before removing a number of marker chits from his pocket and hands them over to the soldiers which amounts to one months pay worth of firebirds for each of them. When the shock had worn off slightly and Corporal Winters asks, "Why this bonus sir?" He says to Winters, "It is a combat bonus, I felt that you and the rest of the men earned." While the true reason is that he decided to keep those golden pelts instead of selling them. They were to be worked into cloaks imprinted with his bloodline's sigil and a number of other items that would go well with a dress uniform, once they were finished he sent them both back to Rangor.

David later sought out Shik at a later date when they were both off-duty and offered to buy him dinner. During the dinner and the future dinners he invites Shik too, he tries to learn as much about Vorox culture, history, and language as possible.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:57, Thu 09 Aug 2012.