Part of the way through their watch, Roak and Vsaati both notice a pair of human-seeming eyes looking in on them, then scrambling away before they can be followed.  No other disturbances mark the evening, and the next day dawns, cold and bright.

The day will surely be heating up, here in the desert.

Roak pulls everyone together. "I say we still keep watch over the goats while some of us go find somewhere we can buy something else to carry our stuff besides goats. Who wants to go mule- or camel-shopping?"

Elboc volunteers to keep an eye on the goats. He doesn't want to leave the treasure if he can help it.

Sherborne decides to stay with the goats as well while others find transportation.

Roak and those going with him soon find local sellers of riding horses, camels, and mules.  No draft horses are available here, and not many riding horses.  None of them look up to the task of carrying heavy burdens over long distances.

After some haggling and implied insults to heritage and ancestry, prices are arrived at.

OOC:
Camels:  100gp each
Mules:    30gp each

Riding saddles and tack:  25gp each
Saddlebags:                5gp each  (50# capacity each)
Pack saddles and tack:    15gp each  (300# capacity each)

Hamburg had become very ill. The effects of the hallucinogenic mushrooms he'd grown up eating had finally ended entirely. The heat had caused him to sweat considerably and his dark robes and leather mask were soaked. He drank constantly from whatever waterskin he could find and at one point members of the party found him licking the insides of pouches and pockets which had once held dried bits of subterranean fungi.

His mind, so accustomed to being in a perpetual state of cloudiness, was now clear and sharp for the first time in his life. Thoughts surged at the speed of light and the clarity of unobstructed contemplation was terrifying. He slipped in and out of residual hallucinations as his brain began the painful and chaotic process of rebuilding pathways even as his body dealt with the physical effects of withdrawal.

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua." he muttered, meaninglessly.

The stimulus of the new world in which he found himself would have been nearly overwhelming without the chemical suffering... it was a testimony to his fortitude that he could even walk!

Despite there being thousands of humans in this town, Elboc finds that he is unable to locate a dealer in magical devices, aside from the run-of-the-mill charms and talismans used to ensure that evil does not enter a home, or that prevent goat milk from souring.

The locals tell our heroes of richer settlements to the north, beyond the purple mountains which can been seen in the distance.  The route is well-traveled, and should only take two to three weeks.  Perhaps some of what Elboc seeks can be found there, and perhaps the party will be able to find some use for their excess coin in the same location.

Voran, very eager to move on with things, goes out and hires:

5 camels for the party plus saddles and tack
6 guards
4 drovers
6 horses and tack for guards
4 horses and tack for drovers

Meanwhile, Elboc will set about buying enough food and water for the journey.

It takes the bulk of the day to assemble purchases and get the men hired.  One of the drovers also works as a guide, a he relates that travel in the evening and morning are the best times to do so, due to the extreme heat of the day.

Wit that in mind, he suggests that the party either leave immediately, or arise and get moving about an hour before sunrise.

Elboc will suggest starting now, unless one of the others disagrees.

Voran agrees!

Roak, looking every part the caravan-master that he now is, gets this party underway!

The heat is much easier to bear, especially with advice from the locals regarding how to dress, and travel only in the mornings and evenings.  Days are punishingly hot, but are spent under cover.  Nights are cruelly cold, but are spent wrapped in blankets and backed up against the warmth of the camels and horses.

Midway through the third day, sign of other travelers is seen, but instead of them being on what passes, more or less, for a road, they are coming toward the party at right angles.

"This is not good," the guide/drover announces to the party.  "There are no settlements in that direction, and whoever they are, there are a lot of them.  See how much dust they are kicking up?"

Voran will try to use his keen Elvish vision to see what he can of the newcomers.

Elboc squints into the distance, eventually able to make out humanoid forms with strange, overly-large heads and hunched shoulders.  They appear to be dressed in some sort of mottled yellow-and-brown hides, and they have similarly-colored quadrupeds with them.

As they come closer is become clear that they are not dressed in the skins, but that they are their hides.  A band of six gnolls and five hyenas is approaching at a jog.

OOC:
I assume that you meant that Elboc looks, and not Voran.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:58, Fri 03 Sept 2021.

Roak stops everyone and turns to Elboc. "Well, what do you see?" he says impatiently.

OOC: Yes, I did mean Elboc. No idea why I wrote Voran

"A group of gnolls," says Elboc as he readies his bow. "We should prepare for combat."

Voran looks alarmed. "Oh, dear. Well, since we have a bit of time, I propose the guards stay with our treasures and we head out as a group to intercept the gnolls. I can offer a blessing for us before they reach us."

The gnolls and their hyenas advance, but there's plenty of distance and our heroes are able to act first.

OOC:
07:27, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Monsters' Initiative.
07:27, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 5 using 1d6.  Players' Initiative.

Lanliss readies his Wand of Paralyzation for when they get in range.

Elboc will cast sleep at them.

Elboc casts his spell at its extreme range, and all five hyenas drop, deeply asleep.  Their gnoll companions are too busy rushing forward to realize that this has happened until they are too far past where the sleeping animals are to do anything about this.

Lanliss points his wand and one of the six remaining gnolls falls, frozen in place.

OOC:
Hamburg, Roak, and Elder Voran, we'll go on to the enemy's actions when you've posted.

Elder Voran utters a prayer and the party is empowered!

Cast Bless--all members of the party have +1 to hit and +1 to damage for 6 turns!

Roak prepares his bow and fires at one of the still-moving gnolls!

Hit easily (AC -2) for 4 hp on one non-sleeping, non-paralyzed gnoll.

13:17, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 4 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 3.  Damage.
13:17, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 19 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 17.  Shortbow on non-paralyzed, non-sleeping gnoll.