Chapter Twenty-Six: Altaruk

Aruna punches her opponent a lot.  Vex slashes her foe with a whip made of shadows.  Kriv shoots the opponent fighting Vex (dealing 26 damage with a single arrow).  Our mul "friend" also tries to attack the opponent fighting Vex but misses horribly.

                 The stone guy punches Aruna right in her friggin face, but she barely manages to remain standing.  The sand guy conjures a sandstorm that blasts Vex and our mul "friend" barely manages to remain conscious while being knocked over.

                 Xa'oc's weapon forms into Mistsong, he attacks the stone guy and then bites him.  Aruna steps into the shadows to get enough space to drink a healing potion.  Vex slashes her foe with a whip made of shadows, but he dodges.  Kriv rushes towards along the wall towards the sand guy and shoots at him again, missing.

                 [Richard]: "If Xa'oc could make a Wisdom save, he wouldn't have a sword that eats people's souls"

                 [GM]: "He reaches out and grabs... your... does Xa'oc have a wrist?"

                 Xa'oc is magically slowed down by the stone guy.  The stone guy hops on top of one of the charmed mounts and starts to flee.  The sand guy knocks out Vex and then teleports onto another mount and starts to flee.

                 Xa'oc forms Mist Song into a bow and takes a very slow shot at the retreating stone guy, missing.  Aruna shoots at the stone guy with her bow, hitting him once.  Kriv instructs Selkin to feed a healing potion to Vex so that he can keep shooting at the sand guy.  Vex shudders awake.  Xa'oc shoot the stone guy again, but doesn't take him out.  Aruna shoots and misses.  Vex starts blasting.  Kriv finally takes him out with a final arrow, then jumps onto a nearby lizard.

                 Selkin starts heading out to retrieve one of the lizards.  Xa'oc leaps over some of the difficult terrain in pursuit of the stone guy and shoots him again.  Aruna also pursues on feet and shoots him again, hitting him again.  Vex blasts the stone guy, taking him out.  Vex beckons the two charmed lizards back to the fort.  Kriv effortlessly tracks down the fourth lizard, and Kriv now controls all four of them. They are called “arynx.”

We scavenge 500 Dark Sun silver each from them. The stone guy's mask, covered in blood, is definitely magical, which Vex identifies.

Vex gives the stone guy's mask to Aruna: requires attunement, will have more restrictions, damage immunities (non-magical + psychic), immune to charm exhaust frightened paralyze petrified poisoned, and can slow people within 10' DC 17 Wisdom.  Aruna attunes to the mask.

                 Vex asks Faena what she's going to do now, and she's going to go to Kledd.

                 Our plan:

                 Faena, Selkin is going to lead the prisoners to Kledd.

                 Give the coffee to the escaped prisoners so that they can trade it with the people of Kledd when they arrive.

                 Nirin is going to come with us and keep translating the book.

                 We plan to continue southwest to the next Orb of Kalid-Ma in the Lost Oasis. Bypass Fort Amber.  Go shopping in Altaruk.  Then take the road to Fort Adros.  Travel through the wilderness to the Lost Oasis.

                 Kriv fixes Aruna's quarterstaff.  We rest.  Kriv equips the arynxes with tacks for their journey.  We venture forth using TRAVEL RULES.

                 The trip to Altaruk (no short/long rests)

                                   Guide: Kriv

                                   Scout: Vex

                                   Hunter: Aruna

                                   Lookout: Xa'oc

                 Peril rating of the journey: 1

                 Kriv's Survival result: 12

                 The journey will take: 3 days

                 The first couple of nights are uneventful, and we pass a few other travelers without incident (due to our lizards).

                 Add 2 to journey events, other rolls get advantage

                 Vex's Investigation result: 0

                 Vex determines that some nearby ruins would make for a great shelter for the night.  Kriv creates a long defensive berm around the entrance.  Kriv brings the lizards into the shelter to rest with us.  Xa'oc keeps watch and keeps refusing to yield control of his body to the souls in the sword

                 Turns out the ruins are haunted, as several chunks of salt form together into a vaguely humanoid form.

                 Xa'oc alerts Kriv, who wakes the rest of us.  Vex starts blasting it.  Xa'oc shoots it with his tattoo bow.

                 The creature lumbers over and smashes Xa'oc and starts draining the moisture out of him.  Aruna runs up and punches it.  Kriv blasts it with lightning.  Vex blasts it more.  Xa'oc forms his bow into Mist Song and destroys it, but it leaves a salty miasma in the air.

                 Vex determines there was nothing to learn from this situation.

                 We have an uncertain arrival: it is poorly timed, but we aren't exhausted. We arrive late at night and the guards are suspicious of us.  We pay a 2 Dark Sun copper fee each to enter.  The city is surrounded by a 20' wall of granite and metal.

                 Kriv visits the metalsmith.  They have simple weapons but no armour, and it's very expensive.  They have a glove with three claws, an alhulak.  Kriv buys 20 steel-tipped arrows.  Kriv buys an unshod spear haft and forges Ramas's sword blade into a glaive.

                 Xa'oc visits the herbalist (herbalism kit: 10 Dark Sun sp, poisoner's kit: 60 Dark Sun sp).  When Xa'oc asks Kriv for money, Kriv asks Vex to haggle on Xa'oc's behalf.  The grumpy herbalist dwarf tells us if we don't like the prices we can go elsewhere.

                 Aruna watches people get inked at the tattoo studio.  They use plants to poison the skin instead of using needles.

                 There are no psions here, not even wild talents, only a preserver named Aris. She manages trade between the merchant houses (Wavir, Rees, and Tomblador) and certain city states (Balic and Tyr) and keeps transactions peaceful.  Vex talks to Aris at the trading office.

                 Vex: “No one here has any Will, why?”

                 Aris: “It's easier to facilitate deals without any tricks.”

                 Vex: “How do you know?”

                 Aris: “I've built trust with them, and it would be unfortunate if they were cut off from this trading post, so they don't send anyone and are punished if they do. Many people think it’s strange we don't have more security, but we've found it’s the most useful way to do business.”