Society Call of Action! Part 2

The days continue and it's rather pleasant - assuming you don't mind the close quarters and little stops above the waves. Though the fact that you don't is probably more of a positive than a negative. This time of year is often stormy and that means it would be quite rough seas. Instead of that sort of travel you have beautiful music, congnac and whiskey, fresh air, well prepared meals, and conversation with any of those onboard that you wish. Lady Alexandra and Sir Chocolate Chip are often heard arguing with other members of the Gentleman's League about the efforts being given out to the farmers near Alexandria - whether or not there's a crisis at hand.

Eventually it does come to an end though, and in this case that means the vehicle surfaces near the shores of Veyshan and you are all let out at a small port city near the borders of the Nisaan Sandsea. There you'd be able to acquire the transportation you might need for the travels ahead, as the places that were attacked are at least another five days away on camelback and the last two of that will be up into the plateaus.

We pick up next time with the plans and your travel for this investigation and - hopefully - the answers to what all is happening out in Veyshan.

GAME: Charlotte rolls survival: (3)+2: 5

GAME: Mel rolls knowledge/local: (3)+11: 14

GAME: Charlotte rolls knowledge/local: (12)+9: 21

GAME: Silmeria rolls knowledge/nature: (15)+6: 21

Kira doesn't mind the cramped quarters, and remains in high spirits, and tries to keep others' high, on the trip. Still, the fresh air and stretching the legs is very welcome. She takes a deep breath and sighs pleasantly. "I almost forgot how beautiful it was here." Now that that's done, she does get back to business. "I think we still have a long way to go, though, and we'll need supplies." She isn't a pathfinder or explorer or survivalist, but things like food and water are always required things to have, so she'll help see about getting things.

"We're going to need a guide, I think. Mel and I will head out and get some supplies for each of us for ten days, at least. Likely some camels too....just in case."

GAME: Kira rolls diplomacy: (12)+20: 32

Mel nods at the plans, and will help as much as he can. He's no survivalist, that was someone else's problem when he was in the army, but he at least knows how to arrange supplies and that sort of thing. Hiring guides, he'll leave to the experts.

Silmeria is gone for a fair bit, but when she returns it's with a bundle of cloth of various colors, a bag with a distinct herbal scent to it, and a half-eaten falafel in her hand. Apparently she stopped for lunch? "I found clothes for us to wear," she says, smiling as she distributes the voluminous robes. "It's going to be hot, but there's room for air to move, and it'll be a lot hotter with the clothes we have on... Also, rather a lot of aloe paste to help cool down the skin, I wasn't sure how much we'd need."

There's guides... then there's that guy that grew up there and knows all the water stops and switchbacks along the way.

You found the guy who grew up there. A bit of haggling over prices and fees, a little scowling, a bit of yelling, a wave or two and a call about no deal - and then a price is agreed upon and scowls are exchanged before the handshake is made.

Woo! You hired yourself a guide. There also seems to be a camel that's trailing behind Silmeria. Just one. It has a very garish blanket over its back in vibrant yellows and pinks.

Charlotte tilts her head....especially at Silmeria's camel. "Did you....design that yourself, Mourner?" She says with a chuckle.

Mel knows about packing for an expedition, anyhow. The army taught him that. It's just like laying on supplies for a restaurant, except you put it in a camel's pack instead of a store room. "OK, I've got trail rations for ten days. Plus casks of water..."

"Came with lunch," Silmeria says brightly, finishing off her food. "He's probably going to be trouble, but I was hungry and it's money nobody else has to spend, so..." Shrugging, she sweeps on her robe, pulling up her hood and winding cloth around her forehead to keep it from being dislodged.

"Thank you for the clothing. If it protects the people here," Kira surmises the obvious, "it should help us, too." She wraps herself up in the cloth, as best she can figure out. If not, a few extra wraps, tucks, and knots won't hurt anything.

And like that, Silmeria disappears! Okay, not really, more like disappears into the crowds as she resembles the other people here - albeit with a camel in loud colors following her around.

Mel manages to make short work of the supplies and packs them up efficiently. Something which could surely be useful when you're out on the trek. Kira on the other hand looks a bit less like a local and more like a Monk in Desert clothing - extra ties and tucks giving it more flowing look but less clean lines, more haphazard.

Mel looks like the man the tent collapsed on, but manages the desert clothes as best he can.

GAME: Mel rolls diplomacy: (5)+12: 17

GAME: Charlotte rolls knowledge/local: (4)+9: 13

Charlotte talks about with some of the locals again. "all right. what I was able to get was that 'The plateaus are pretty around sunset. The strata of rock have a myriad of colors are such that some people call the area 'painting on the rocks'.

Kira smiles (she's made sure enough of her face is exposed to see and so that can be seen) at Charlotte. "Oh, that sounds lovely. It's good to know, and it sounds like we're travelling a well known path." She imagines this is a good thing. Kira looks around to the others gathering things to ask, "Is everyone ready? Should we continue on?"

Charlotte says, "We should, yeah. It's going to be hot out there too...."

Mel says, "There's smugglers out there, they probably know a lot about any goings on that are recent. I think we should take something to them, so they're favorably inclined to deal with us."

"That's not a bad idea," Silmeria muses. "Certainly it'd be better to resolve maters with them peacefully, rather than the converse. I'm.... not terribly familiar with the best way to go about finding something to trade with smugglers, but I could certainly help with the coin to acquire it."

The guide leading the way made it far more straight forward. Without his help it would've been a difficult trek trying to keep going from water to water. While you have enough to last you, in the desert, you can never have enough.

Silmeria's finds with the clothes keep you almost copletely out of the sun's evil rays. And what parts of you aren't quickly find relief thanks to the aloe she picked up.

The first couple days pass uneventully. The sweep through the fairly barren landscape of flowing dunes like a part of the ocean. The third one comes about and in the distance you see them - the plateaus rising up from the lanscape. Thin wiggles from this distance.

The sun rides high, and then continues down the other side, heat its usual level of near unbearable with the sensation one of being baked in a kiln. Thankfully it's not summer.

Mel wipes sweat from his brow with a cloth. "Man, I'm glad it's not summer," he observes as he looks around. "And how far have we come?"

"Beyond 'rather a ways,' I couldn't really say," Silmeria says. After three days in the heat, she looks understandably wilted and sand-smudged, the aloe-dirt paste staining what can be seen of her cheeks. Pointing with a gloved finger at th horizon, she nods at the thin line of plateaus. "Assuming that's where we want to be and not another heat-illusion, looks like we're a bit over halfway there, though."

Charlotte peeks out from underneath of her 'walking tent'. "I have no idea, but ugh it's nasty out here." She then sighs. "at least we're not sunburned...."

GAME: Silmeria rolls perception: (5)+19: 24

GAME: Silmeria rolls will: (5)+10: 15

At one point, Silmeria pulls up on the reins, slowing her gaudy camel a bit. "What was...?" Without evident thought, she starts to turn to ride toward whatever she heard, but shakes her head sharply, expression going from puzzled to worried. "Be alert, everyone... It looks like the desert has sirens too, we should ride in pairs.

Charlotte tilts her head. "Sirens? That doesn't sound good." She says as she walks over towards Silmeria.....or walks her camel.

Kira blinks and looks toward Silmeria, even if she has to turn her body as much as her neck. "Sirens? Do you know where?" She isn't sure offhand exactly what, either, but where seems the more important question at the moment.

Mel says, "Sirens? Well, that's not good." He nods gravely. "If you hear them again, be sure to totally let us know."

GAME: Mel rolls will: (4)+5: 9

GAME: Charlotte rolls will+4: (11)+4+4: 19

GAME: Kira rolls will: (15)+16: 31