27: Hello, Blazing Sands

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## Summary

### Shadow of the Empire

The party takes a breather and lets their lizard steeds rest in the shade of a giant relic from a bygone age, the crest of the Empire. Damhir tells them it was once suspended in the air by Ark magic, both a monument to their god and a waypoint for travelers from the west. Before long, the group sets out again into the vast, empty sands, barren as far as the eye can see.

They don’t get far before more trouble rears its ugly head, though; Damhir senses some kind of disturbance in the dunes, but the party doesn’t notice his signal in time, and Tira, Pim, and their lizard Noodle are nearly thrown into the air as a bulette unburrows from the sand. Tira manages to keep Noodle under control, but Pim is knocked off and left prone in the sand as the party regroups and prepares for battle. The giant creature leaps into the air and crashes down onto Tira and Noodle, nearly killing the lizard. Clever magic from Cat and brute strength from Bran help bring the beast down, and after Mujie patches the party up with a healing spell, they collect themselves to press on. But tensions run a little high—Cat, ever suspicious, blames Damhir for not warning them sooner, and Damhir reminds him he’s a soldier, not a babysitter.

After a few more uneventful hours of travel over the sands, the party stops to let their lizards rest in the shade of a giant dune. There, they find a canvas tent half-buried in the sand, and after Tira and Luca investigate, they discover some interesting objects. Namely, two square gold coins, one side bearing the Meranhi crest and the other a scorpion emblem, called taau. And second, a brittle, dried-out hide breastplate that Damhir says resembles the armor worn by roving warriors on a great caravan that was active during the previous emperor’s rule.

### Eavesdropping at Camp

The party sets off yet again for the east. After a full day’s travel and two encounters in the blistering heat of the desert, the group is feeling the fatigue, sore from riding and lingering injuries picked up across several battles. But finally, as the sun begins to dip behind the now-distant Kkora mountain range, the party makes camp. As the gang sets up tents and bedrolls and a campfire for the night, the temperature drops rapidly for their first evening in an unforgiving desert climate, though a crystal-clear sky full of stars makes up for it.

While the group makes camp, Cat notices that Ginger and Damhir appear to be talking about something. Mujie, attracted to drama like white on rice, joins his feline friend to attempt to eavesdrop. They attempt to lip-read, but the pair are disappointed to learn their guides are speaking Meranhi. Still, Cat gives it the old college try, and his knowledge of Sylvan maybe gleans him about 10% of their conversation. On the other hand, maybe the total lack of context makes things more suspicious.

Before he can consider any reasonable conclusions, the group confronts their new companions, and Damhir reluctantly explains that he’s having some regrets about taking such a large group to the Empire’s capital. While he and Ginger are old hat at crossing the desert, the wild lizards they’ve found aren’t particularly fast, and combined with the group’s inexperience, things are progressing slower than he’d anticipated. Damhir doesn’t say much, but he clumsily indicates he’s feeling the pressure of playing tour guide, since lingering in the desert can be a death sentence. Nevertheless, he and Ginger are committed to their word. Besides, it’s too late to turn back now.

### The Gauntlet Continues

After a night’s rest, and with some of the exhaustion of the day prior shaken off, the party heads out anew, pressing on to the south east. But after a morning of travel, they’re ambushed during their first break by giant scorpions hidden in a dune. The party makes easy work of them and even takes some legs for the road for the promise of a gourmet meal when they next make camp.

## Quotes

### *RUINS, RUINS, AND MORE RUINS:*

> “It’s a monument to our god, or at least it was. The Meranhi crest was suspended in the air by Ark magic hundreds of years ago. It was a waypoint for travelers, too, but it fell some time into the drought.”
>
>

*—Damhir, on the Imperial Crest*

### *THANKS FOR THE WARNING:*

> “Earlier this year, a bulette attacked Pikko Town. You saw some of the damage. Didn’t think we’d see another so close.”
>
>

> “A mating pair, maybe. Which means there are more somewhere… Let’s keep moving."
>
>

*—Damhir*