Voran nods and quickly turns to his companions. "I propose we seek passage. The worst he can say is no."

Elboc agrees, and strikes a goat or two to get them moving in the direction of the boat.

Cajoling the goats to travel toward the boat proves to be more difficult than originally anticipated.  They want to stop and eat some of everything, and it is only with the assistance of the locals that the party makes their appointment with the captain before he shoves off.

Passage upriver is shortly obtained, at the exorbitant sum of three pieces of gold for the group and their livestock, and they are crowded into the boat, along with a large amount of local vegetables and a couple of other passengers.

The boat might be called a barge only in euphemism.  It measures a mere fifteen feet from side to side at its widest point, and perhaps fifty feet from curving stern to curving prow.  With the exception of an exceedingly small cabin in the prow, the whole of the inside is open, and all parts of the vessel show signs of long use, but good repair.

Elboc will check how low the boat lies in the water. It presumably wasn't designed to carry as much gold as it currently is.

Roak, meanwhile, organizes the party into a perimeter around the goats, keeping them toward the center of the barge.

Elboc checks how the boat sits in the water, and while he finds that it seems quite heavily laden, it's at no risk of capsizing, short of a sudden and violent storm.  He scans the sky and finds no indication of such a storm.

The sky is an unrelieved blue above, but the heat here on the river is noticeably less than the punishing heat of the desert.  Palm trees grow on the banks of the waterway, shading both the water and lower-growing plants.  A light breeze moves along and carries the worst of the heat away with it, while adding a faint mist that refreshes more than soaks.

Two hours later Xeriops comes into view.  The land around here gives a brief glimpse before a low hill obscures it again.  When rounding the hill the much larger settlement opens out before our heroes.  Xeriops is no metropolis, but looks to house several thousand souls, and has a low wall encircling what most be the oldest part of the small city.  Flat-roofed, clay brick structures squat in haphazard rows, often one atop another, in a city bustling, but obviously winding down.  The sun is starting to set, and temperatures are dropping fairly swiftly.

In the distance, to the north, are purple gray smudges that the captain tells you are part of a mountain range.  More desert can be seen to the south, west, and east (from whence you all came).

As the boat slides up to the docks, you estimate that you have about an hour until dark.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:01, Wed 28 July 2021.

Roak works with the others to herd the goats off the boat and waits for someone to tell him where to go with them.

During the journey, Voran asks the crew of the boat discreetly for a good place to water and watch their little flock of goats for the night. He spends some silver on them (from his coin purse, never ever opening the sacks and chests on the goats) if it loosens their tongues.

Once they reach the city, Elboc will try to find a wizard who could make or locate a bag of holding. That has to be easier than using goat to transport their riches.

Elder Voran gets directions to a local stable that regularly houses livestock from up and down the river.  The captain himself delivers this information, obviously well pleased with the money he already received from the party.

Once the goats and their packs are settled, nearby lodgings are fairly easily found, and the sun has completely set by the time the party is ready to rest from the day's journey.

Elboc will need to take some time to see if there is a wizard of any sort here, likely starting in the morning.

"Are we leaving the bags with the goats?" asks Elboc. "If so, we should set up a guard here. I can take first watch."

Roak nods. "Yeah, we totally are, and we should watch in pairs. Voran, why don't you watch with Elboc; Vsaati and me can take second watch and then Hamburg and Lanliss can take the third watch."

OOC:
I think you guys have forgotten about Sherborne.

OOC: Well to be honest I haven't actually been very active so I'm not offended by that or anything.  I am finding that this medium lately doesn't really work for me so I was considering having Sherborne perhaps just stay at the next town and maybe do what cleric's do while everyone moves on.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:51, Tue 03 Aug 2021.

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.