Secrets revealed...

The children of the small village next to the muddy water hole that they called an oasis rushed around to finish their chores. Some swept out the mud brick huts, others collected dead branches and dried kank dung for use on the fire, and the lucky few helped the older herders gather the kank nectar from the herd. Each and every one of them wanted to get the jobs done before the old ashik started to spin his tale again, they all wanted to know what happened next.

Still coming to terms with the fact that the diminutive feral halfling had casually said that he could hook him up with a crooked Templar to regrow his missing leg, Kank dumbly accepted the false paperwork to get them out of the city from Fleck. He sat down on one of the beds and was surprised when Fleck jumped up and sat next to him and started to explain that the papers contained information on enemy numbers and disposition but he also said that if the Templars managed to obtain the artefact then they would be too powerful to challenge.

Clearly waiting for the others, Fleck struck up a conversation asking what Kank had been up to and how he had lost his leg, and the pair chatted like old friends for a short while. Their talk was interrupted when the rest of the group arrived back from Valan’s. Kank introduced the halfling to everyone, Balboa made sure that Scar was between him and the fearsome hat maker. Fleck made sure that Balboa had passed on the information and the request to help find the artefact before the Templars managed to secure it. He went on to clarify that The Face in the Stone was the name of the temple that the artefact was said to be hidden in. The artefact itself was a fragment of a crown, the crown was a powerful item that had been broken up to prevent it from being used for great malice.

Fleck continued;

The caravan that has gone missing was from the Merchant House Shrom, it was probably raided out in the wastes, and it will be from those raiders that the rumours are spreading back into the city. As well as the team that the Templars are putting together, both House Shrom and the raiders are looking for the Face in the Stone.

Scar, ever the woman of action, just said;

Then we better get going!

Fleck smiled and pointed at Kank’s missing leg;

Do you want to get that fixed? Or else you will be as slow as a dwarf!

He cast a quick glance at Arthur;

No offence! I’m shorter than you but move a lot faster!

Scar chuckled;

Dwarves are closer to the earth, and you are closer to the air. That is probably why you move quicker.

Fleck’s eyes narrowed slightly;

Is that so?

Scar’s smile broadened;

No! I’m just making it up!

Fleck persisted;

Are you a preserver? Did you know that there is a secret alliance of preservers operating across the world, including within Tyr. It is known as the Veiled Alliance!

Within a heartbeat Scar responded;

Can you hook me up with them?

Fleck said that he could, but it would take time and he would not be able to do it before the group left. Scar said that she could wait but that Kank could not, when she looked at Arthur he nodded his head in agreement and Fleck quickly slipped away to make the arrangements while the group packed up and got ready to move.

Fifteen minutes later Fleck reappears and says that he has found his contact and tells Kank to follow him. They head out into the busy streets of Tyr and Kank struggles to follow the diminutive halfling as he flits in and out of the crowd, fortunately Fleck stops every now and then allowing the limping Mul to catch up. Fleck leads Kank into the edge of The Warrens and to a very seedy looking bar, there is no sign hanging outside and Kank has to step over an unconscious body slumped in the doorway stinking of cheap alcohol. Fleck leads Kank to a booth at the back of the bar, and sitting in the booth is a very dishevelled looking Templar. Kank eyes him suspiciously as he takes a seat opposite, the Templar’s clothes are tattered and stained, the man himself looked unkempt and his eyes were badly bloodshot. As Kank and Fleck sat down he slowly looked up at them;

I am Spirus. What is it that you want?

Kank almost gagged from the stench of Spirus’ breath, it stank of poorly fermented alcohol. Kank gathered himself and was just about to respond when he felt a sharp elbow in his ribs and Fleck said;

This is the guy that I was telling you about Spirus, the one with the leg problem. You know? The one with the money!

A spark of clarity entered Spirus’ eyes and he asked if Kank had the money. Kank nodded that he did and Spirus got up, stumbling as he did, and shambled off to the bar. A few seconds later he returned and told Kank to follow him. Kank made sure that his dagger was to hand and followed the drunk Templar to a small, filthy room. Spirus told Kank to get on the bed and lay down, Kank warily did as he was told and watched as Spirus called upon the power of Kalak. Kank then felt a familiar feeling as his leg painfully began to regrow.

After twenty minutes Kank’s leg was fully healed and he counted out fifty silver pieces for Spirus. As soon as he was paid, Spirus headed straight to the bar. Kank headed back to the Golden Inix wearing only one boot as he had left his other in the room, much to the amusement of Fleck. When he arrives back Arthur hands him the Earth Ring, Kank refuses it but Arthur insists and so Kank slides it on and reattunes to its power. Fleck asks them if they have enough water, and they tell him that they have a stash hidden outside of the city that they will collect before heading into the mountains. Fleck wishes them well and leaves.

The Group say farewell to Mira and Jarix of the Golden Inix and head for the Caravan Gate. As they get closer they can see a long queue of wagons outside of the city trying to gain entry, it is clear that there are several Templars working the queue and fleecing the merchants for money. The Templars are so focused on those trying to get into the city that no one pays any attention to the group as they leave.

They follow the caravan way to the northeast for half a day to reach their hidden stash of food and water. They settle down and wait out the heat of the day and once the sun is setting and the twin moons are rising into the sky they double back on themselves and follow the caravan way back past Tyr and towards the mine. They pass the mine turning and continue onwards towards their target, they make it ten miles beyond Tyr before fatigue sets in and they are forced to rest up. The hot daylight hours pass quietly and by early evening the group are moving once more.

After several hours Kank becomes aware of a dark shadow moving across the night sky, it looks like a large bird circling on the hunt. After a short while it plunges out of the night sky towards the ground, fortunately not towards the group of friends. Ten minutes later they see it rising into the air with something large in its talons. Now that they have a better sense of perspective they realise that the bird is massive, possibly large enough to make off with a kank. The rest of the night passes uneventfully and as dawn breaks they make camp, according to Balboa they are only ten miles from their destination.

Once again the group prepare to move in the early evening, as they are just setting off Scar spots some miles behind them another group of travellers. She warns everyone and they stay hidden and watch, they can tell that some of the travellers are mounted on kank and that two of them are much bigger than the others, probably half giants. Scar believes that they are approximately six miles behind, but fortunately they seem to be making camp. The group wait for half dark and move on quickly. Balboa setting the course and navigating the friends through a crooked pass to the mouth of a wide valley, some six miles across and twenty five miles in length. Somewhere in that valley is The Face in the Stone.

As the sun is rising, and knowing that they have a second group that they believe might be the Templars travelling behind them, the friends decide to head into the valley and start searching for the temple. As tired as they are, they spend the day searching the many narrow canyons and fissures running off from the valley walls, but they find nothing. The day is brought to an end when Balboa, who was scrambling up the side of a canyon wall to get a better view, falls and injures himself. The group call it a night and make camp in the first spot that they find. It is a restless night as their camp is not very comfortable, and it gets worse when during his watch Miloch spots what he thinks is a moving rock.

Miloch nudges Scar awake and she can see something large moving around in the dark, she quickly wakes the others and then they all hear Miloch moan;

I feel drained and weak!

The friends remember these tactics, from their first encounter after just escaping from the slave wagon. Tembo! They all prepare their weapons just as four of the creatures rush them, and Scar groans as her strength is sapped. The creatures crash into the defensive line that the friends have formed, Scar stabs down with the Sword of Kemalok right through one of the tembo’s abdomen. The beast spasms in its death throes and Scar finds that her sword is stuck fast.

Arthur slams his iron maul into one of the tembo and there is the cracking sound of one of the creatures rear legs breaking. Kank swings Bone Crusher in an underhand arc and catches it in the hind quarters, with the added strength from the Earth Ring the tembo flies backwards through the air and lands in an unmoving heap. One of the tembo claws Arthur’s leg but the other one attacking Arthur clearly doesn’t want to loose it’s meal and so it bites its pack mate. Arthur overhead swings with his iron maul and kills the injured tembo attacking him, Kank then steps in and dispatches the final beast with an unstoppable smack of Bone Crusher. The night goes quiet.

Knowing that the dead bodies of the tembo will attract more predators the group break camp and look for a new place to settle. During their search they spot the wan light from a hidden campfire tucked into one of the hidden canyons. They approach it quietly and can see from the light of the fire several people sat around. There is an older human male, a well muscled male mul, an extremely muscled human female, a small female halfling, and as the fire sparks they catch sight of an extremely beautiful female half-elf. As they are watching the mul gets up and walks in their direction, it appears that he is going into the dark to relieve himself. He gets to fifty feet away from the friends hiding in the dark and starts his business. Midway through he looks straight at the friends and says;

Are you going to stay there all night? You might as well join us, we have plenty of food and water.

Slowly, every one of the group climb to their feet and step out of their hiding places. They follow the big mul back into his camp. The mul and his friends share their provisions and then the mul asks;

Who are you?

Scar is the first to speak;

I am Scar White of the wastes! And these are my companions Arthur, Balboa, Kank and Miloch.

The mul nods a greeting to each in turn and then indicates each of his companions. The heavily muscled human woman is called Neeva, the human male is known as Agis, the halfling is called Amnesia, the half-elf is Sadira. The mul then looks at Scar and says;

And I am Rikus!

Rikus goes on to say that he and his companions are travelling west, and he asks what the friends are doing. They tell Rikus that they are searching for something, Rikus smiles and says;

So you are looking for the tomb?

Scar nods and asks if they know anything about it, but Rikus says that all they know is that lots of people have searched but none have found it. Everyone settles down and in the morning Rikus and his group wish the friends good hunting and head west. The group search for the day, but again find nothing. However, they do spot the Templar group on the opposite side of the valley searching. Fortunately, the distance between them means that they are not spotted. That night a fierce sand storm blows through the valley, the friends eschew a watch in favour of staying sheltered under their tarpaulin.

It is late morning before the storm dies away and the group emerge from beneath their sand covered shelter. The rest of the day is spent searching, but still they do not find the temple. The following morning they start searching once again, and once again Balboa falls as he is trying to gain some height to get a better view. As Scar is administering first aid to the injured Balboa she spots four cyclops moving down out of the hills towards them, she shouts a warning and draws the Sword of Kemalok.

As the cyclops charge in Miloch draws his bow and lets loose several arrows, two of which strike the large cyclops female, but she keeps coming. The cyclops crash into the group of ex-slaves, Scar stabs out at the injured female and misses, but Arthur smashes his iron maul into the chest of one of the males. The blow is accompanied by the sound of cracking ribs and the creature drops at Arthurs feet. The injured female yells in rage and smashes Arthur in the arm with her club and Arthur is forced to drop his maul. The other two cyclops both attack Kank, and both miss, Kank retaliates with an overhead swing of Bone Crusher and stoves in one of the cyclops’ heads. The skirmish rages on.