Beneath his seat, Agatho discovers a squarish basket, tightly woven, with the lid tied on with a piece of string.  When he moves the basket, which seems rather heavy for its size, the whining intensifies a bit and a mild scratching sound can be heard.  A note is tied with the binding.

So that none of you must take the first risk at the Veil.  Good luck.   ~Gavia

“It’s a canarium!”, offered Artor, peering over their shoulders, “They used to send them with children ... minors ... into peril!”

Derrick raised an eye brow at Artor, "Why would they send children into peril? Regardless, that will be useful to have." The big man looks relieved by the appearance of the object. He taps on the transparent shell to get Radwa's attention and then motions for them to return.

"I wonder where they even had such a thing?" Hoa Sen asks. "It is, at the very least, a token of Gavia's empathy and listening skills. I suspect it may be rather more. Do you think it's safe to open the box?"

Radwa returns to the drivers' side of the cart in time to see the canarium pulled out from under the seat.

"Aww, that's considerate! Maybe it'd be best to open it when we get to the Veil, in case it flies off in the wrong direction," they suggest before starting the cart up again.

The older man regards the basket thoughtfully, stretching his empathic senses toward the basket, and looking to see if it is possible to touch the creature through the tight weave of the basket.

If so, then he does so, seeking a Mental Link with the creature...

There is no way to make physical contact through the basket.  The weave is too tight.  It sounds as though the creature wants to get out, although does not seem to be in pain or afraid.

Unsuccessful at his attempts to touch the creature, the older man sighs, and continues to cradle the basket as he takes his seat once again.

As they set off, he sings softly to the creature to soothe it as best as he is able.  Derrick recognizes the song from when they were approaching the town, now sung again as they depart it...

Derrick hums along as they continue towards the Veil.

Settling into the rumble of their conveyance, Artor resumed his watch. Over one shoulder, a whorl of fabric and brackish green-light drifted

The remainder of the drive is largely monotonous.  The "canarium" quiets down and has potentially gone to sleep.  Scrub in various familiar shapes spreads out beyond you.  Some larger moving shapes can be seen to the south, but they're impossible to discern from this distance.  Perhaps it's only rocky outcrops shimmering in the heat.

The land makes its wavy, uneven way down to a wide valley between the Black Riage and the rise to Canthus.  You've slowly made your way closer the Veil and it now looms above you like a threatening wave, held back from crashing.  It is only two miles or so to the north, a span striated with dunes of blue or green sand crawling over terra cotta hardpan.  Soon the sun's light will be obscured through whatever filter the Veil creates.

Hoa Sen remains perched lightly in her seat. "It is quite impressive, isn't it. A frighteningly large thing on which to hang one's hopes. We let the canarium lead the way...and follow it in here? Are there concerns about our conveyance that you would not have were we on foot, Master Radwa?"

Radwa thinks for a moment, looking up towards the entrance of the Veil. They shake their head. "Besides perhaps physically fitting the cart through any opening it might have, none. It's certainly gotten us there faster than if we had on foot, and I'm sure we can work out resources on the other side - there's always something."

They only just manage to stifle a massive yawn. "We should rest - it's been a long drive."

Once they appeared agreed to stop and rest, Derrick clambers out of the cart and does a quick circuit to check the intended camp area. "I agree. We can attempt to pass through tomorrow morning. It would be best to rest now." He begins to set up camp.

The area is largely open, hardpan with occasional scrub.  The tarps, poles, and lines are simple enough to set up and there is at least a "roof" over your head for sleeping.

As the sun falls below the top of the veil, it becomes diffused and dimmed, but not obscured.  You are still able to track its position in the sky.  The moon is already rising in the east, a smaller slice of white in a darkening sky.

With their tent set up, Artor returns the to top of the conveyance: in the dimming light, a half-smile rises as the moon does and he seems ... content. Lazy swirls of black-light ruffle the edges of his silhouette, but otherwise he appears as perhaps he once was, a man in a cloak

Once the camp is set up, Derrick also relaxes. "We should keep watch for trouble.My preference is to wake early and watch the sun rise."

The clear, pin-pricked darkness of a desert night continues to grow as the shadow of the Veil grows to encompass all the desert you can see.  Cold seeps in as the heat seems to evaporate with the light.

Artor nodded to Derrick's request, "Night is my friend; I will sit whatever watches are needful, but I can wake you afore dawn"

As the gloom deepens and the last remnants of direct sunlight dissolve from the Veil, you are all able to notice that there is light within the towering wall of ... fog(?) before you.  Thousands upon thousands of tiny flashes in every color imaginable are spread throughout it, creating a scintillating backdrop.  Slow waves move along the surface, pushing the Veil toward you and then away again, gently and with no particular rhythm.

"I will take the first watch..."

He watches the scintillating Veil as night falls, and observes the ebb and flow to get a feel for how quickly it can change and how much ground is covered.

Then he moves within Scanning range to examine it more closely, ready to retreat with haste if needed...

The waves of the Veil seem to be restricted to within a range of about 50 yards.  You can see fairly clearly on the ground where the strange stones start to appear, their density in the soil increasing as the open ground is closer to the line where there is always Veil.

Agatho stands close to the outer edges of the outermost waves, a distance he adjudges as safe.  As the next slow wave approaches, his senses extend with the Scan.  The massive wave moves slowly and there is plenty of time to glean what information he can.

Before turning over and committing to trying to get as much sleep as possible before his watch, Derrick eyes Agatho with some concern. Ultimately, he decides not to say anything and goes to sleep in anticipation of an early morning awakening.

Radwa doesn't say much - they're surprised at how tired they feel from driving the transport cart so far. At least the Veil was right there, and tomorrow should prove interesting to see.

They curl up quietly, safe and secure in the knowledge that the others are keeping watch, and let themselves drift off to sleep.

The chill night passes quietly.  The Shimmering Veil produces no sounds, but continues to blink, akin to a distant field of fireflies in a vast spectrum of colors.

The desert night carries little activity in this area, a few small creatures and insects slither or buzz by, but nothing that couldn't fit in the "canarium" basket.

If the growing light of morning doesn't wake you, the whining and clawing of the creature in the basket certainly would.

OOC: feel free to describe any additional minor nighttime activity with your morning post.