Searching for the Lost Caravan(SciFiSteve!)

[JackieCat]

OOC: This thread is tagged to @SciFiSteve626!


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For miles around, all Faelis Gindien could see was sand, not that he expected any different, he was, after all, in the middle of a desert.  And he wasn't lost, he wasn't miserable, and he wasn't thirsty.  He was on his way to finding himself some money.  Treasure really.  Many people would deem him crazy, going off into the desert, searching for lost treasure, but Faelis knew that there was truth behind the tales.

The Lost Caravan of the Southern Desert, it was called, mostly because it sounded col to the people who made it up.  Years and years ago, a caravan carrying a rich prince and all of his valuable goods had been traveling across the desert.  It had never returned to civilization,  Some people said that bandits got them and killed everyone, taking the money and forcing the prince to be their slave, others said that a giant sand wyrm had destroyed the caravan, and yet others thought it had been a sandstorm sent by the gods of the desert.  Of course, no one really knew, for no one had been there to see it, or anyone who had lived anyway.

The smart bet, Faelis thrown in, was on the thought that the caravan had run out of provisions before they got to civilization, that they hadn't prepared well enough.

But Faelis had, and he knew where the oases were along the way.  He had gotten a map from a good and trusted mapmaker, and the map hadn't led him wrong yet.  The map wasn't to the treasure, Faelis never would have believed it then, nearly no map led straight to a treasure. No, the map was just of the area of the desert that the treasure was in.  It marked the oases and some ruins and the caravan routs.

The Lost Caravan was still very far away from where Faelis was now, but he knew where he was going, and was confident he would find the treasure.  How he knew where it was?  He had researched.  Now, Faelis wasn't much one to research things in books, his way was more ask-around-until-you-find-something research, but for the Lost Caravan, he had needed to do both.  It had taken him four years to get enough information to go on the search.  Of course, the whole four years hadn't been spent looking for the caravan, he did it on and off, between thefts.  For that's what Faelis was, a thief.

He was walking through the sand, making good time, when he saw shadows on the horizon.  He could see them from very far off, as there was very little obstructing his view, only a tall dune here or there, but that also meant that there were only dunes to hide behind, and if these were people of the desert, Faelis knew he hadn't a chance of getting away from them.

So he continued walking.  As the shadows got closer he saw they were people on horses.  The elf knew if they were hostile he wouldn't be able to fight his way out, they were on horses, and there were to many, about ten or eleven.  If he was captured, he'd have to rely on his wit and charm to get him out.

It hadn't failed him yet. 

[SciFiSteve626]

Akyra sighed contemplatively as she surveyed the rolling dunes of the Moraki Desert. Her dark hair was gently brushed side to side from a gentle cooling breeze. In the distance she could see the shadow of a single wanderer, all alone, without a caravan. A quizzical scowl etched itself onto Akyra's copper face. What the hell is this person doing alone in the Moravian Dunes? Akyra wondered. Perhaps they were the survivor of a caravan destroyed by a sandstorm, but there were no developed roads in this section of the Moraki Desert. To compound her confusion, Akyra saw that the mannerisms of the seemingly lost person indicated that they were not in fact lost, but looking for something. Odd.

Glancing at her troops to see similarly puzzled expressions, Akyra motioned her fellow horsemen forward. Akyra was accompanied by 40 Vashan Archers, an elite medium cavalry unit of her tribe the Sand Dragon People. While horse archers were a staple amongst the nomads of the deserts and plains, the excellence with which the Vashan handled their composite bows was the stuff of legends. There was a tale told amongst civilized people that a Vashan Archer could nail an enemy in the head from 100 meters away. Akyra personally knew this to be a reality.

"Surround him." Akyra commanded as she galloped toward the wandering figure, who oddly enough did not seemed fazed by the approach of Akyra and her Vashan Archers. "I'll question him as to why he is traveling in the desert."

As commanded the Vashan Archers formed a perimeter around the lone traveler. Then, in an intended display of dominance, Akyra motioned for her stallion Safan to trot forward from the ranks of the Vashan as they reverently moved aside for their Warlord.

Akyra paused to appraise the traveler. He wore dark leather clothing decorated with feathers and gold. Judging from his belt and weaponry he was a rogue, suited for stealthy combat in the shadows. Practical in a city, nigh useless in the open desert. Laying eyes upon his jewelry laden face, Akyra noticed something peculiar about this traveler, no, this creature. Although human in nature, the traveler had pointed ears, a trait that made him...an elf. She had never seen one before.

Akyra let no trace of astonishment appear on her face. Glaring intimidatingly at the creature she thought to be an elf, she was further stunned to see his cocky demeanor. Most people cowered when confronted with a Sand Dragon Raiding Party.

"Who are you?!" Akyra indignantly asked. 

[JackieCat]

Faelis stood calmly as the riders approached, his hands clasped casually behind his back.  When he was surrounded and the woman, obviously the leader, came forwards and asked him who he was, he briefly nodded his head to her, but his eyes never left her face.  A show of respect, but at the same time laced with sarcasm.

"My dear lady," he said, smiling at her in the same cocky way. "I am Faelis, Faelis Gindien, though I doubt my name will have any meaning to you."

He continued to smile up at her, completely unfazed by her or her people.

[SciFiSteve626]

Irked by his display of insolence, Akyra intensified her glare at the indignant elf.  What a bitchAkyra angrily thought.

"You're right." She fired back, "Your name does not matter to me, and it may soon cease to matter to anyone if you don't cut the attitude." This elf was impressive, rarely had Akyra the Savage ever been irked so much as to put concerted effort into reasserting her dominance. Perhaps this stranger had never heard of her tribe the Sand Dragon People. Usually when dealing with outsiders Akyra's reputation preceded her and she could easily extort cowering people from the civilizations.

"Do you know who I am?" Akyra asked, then motioning to her riders, she continued, "Who we are? We are the Sand Dragon People, and your brazen trespassing of our territory deserves an explanation, or I am afraid things will turn ugly for you really quickly."

[JackieCat]

Faelis looked on as the woman got angrier and threatened him.  It amused the elf, though getting her annoyed may not be the best course of action, seeing as she had a whole group of forty others with her, all well-armed and probably ready to use those weapons at a moment's notice.

"I don't mean any disrespect, ma'am," Faelis said, once again nodding somewhat arrogantly at the woman. "It just comes naturally."

He smiled at her again, and when she asked why he was here, he frowned as if looking at a misbehaving child. "Now, now, you really shouldn't ask suck things!  It's not polite, it isn't!" His grin returned to his face. "No, I don't think I want to tell you."

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at her, smiling smugly.

[SciFiSteve626]

Akyra raised her hand in a calming motion to one of her Vashan Archers who was ready to impae the cocky bastard with an arrow through the skull.

Clearly the ability to irk people was an intrinsic talent that this elf possessed and without a doubt had gleefully practiced over many years. Don't let him cloud your judgement Akyra reassured herself, exhaling slightly to relieve some of her pent-up anger. It was taking Akyra a concerted effort to keep her cool, although she was determined to not let the elf have the satisfaction of seeing her explode.

"I could obviously have you killed right now," Akyra coldly stated, "but maybe torture is the antidote to your gentlemanly mannerism."

"However," Akyra continued, "You appear to be mentally sane enough to not have a death-wish or want to be tortured, so I will give you this one opportunity to answer me with a modicum of respect."

Narrowing her eyes, Akyra paused to let her threat sink in.

"You obviously want something. No one, especially a creature that belongs in the woodlands of the north, travels into the Moraki Desert without a purpose."

Continuing to lecture the elf, Akyra said "Some people use the desert as a means of trade, others to travel. But you, no you my friend are not of the desert. You are looking for something, or someone, in this desert. I may just let you escape this encounter without a scratch if you are willing to share with me what that something or someone is."

[JackieCat]

Faelis continued to smile as she motioned for the archer, who seemed to have been about to kill Faelis, to stand down.  He listened as she made her summary of him, that he was, indeed, looking for something, and not just on a meandering wander through the sands.

When she was finished he nodded. "You are most wise, noble maiden." He smirked, even though the woman was very far from being a maiden. "You have correctly deduced why I am here, but you still do not know exactly what I am looking for."

He looked around at her warriors. "And I still have really no reason to tell you anything.  You threaten me that you will torture me if i do not cooperate, but for all I know, those threats are empty."

Faelis knew very well what he could be getting himself into.  He had a good idea that the threats were real, and he knew that by talking to this woman as he was now, he was actually inviting torture, but the elf enjoyed irking the woman.  He was pretty confident he would get out of this alive, but whether or not he was over-confident was yet to be seen.

[SciFiSteve626]

Holy hell Akyra thought exasperatedly. He really doesn't quit doesn't he? Empty threats huh?

Dismounting from Safan, Akyra strutted up to the elf and socked him in the torso region with a break-neck speed punch. While it was a potentially lethal punch landed anywhere else on the elf's body, Akyra was sure that a blow to the stomach would not permanently injure him. After all, having the wind knocked out of him was something that this cavalier elf certainly deserved.

"What did you say?" Akyra threatened, narrowing her eyes and sizing the elf up, as the surrounding horse archers loaded their bows, "you wanted to meet my tribal Elders? I am sure they would love to practice their information extraction techniques from such a resilient specimen such as you, you would certainly make good practice for those sadistic shamans. They know multiple ways to make people scream in agony, although I try to have them not do that too often, it becomes abrasive to the ears."

"To be perfectly honest however," Akyra continued in a malignant tone, "I would love trying to see you practice your bravado in front of them, they lack a sense of humor, and it would be nice to see you try to make them laugh."

Unsheathing her scimitar, Akyra raised the blade so it was just below the elf's chin, but not cutting him.

"Or, we can settle this in a very reasonable manner, and have you tell me what you are searching for."

Akyra glared intensely at the elf, making sure to make eye contact.

"I won't remain complacent for long."

[JackieCat]

Faelis bounced on the balls of his feet in a show of boredom as the woman dismounted her horse and walked up to him.  His quick elven eyes picked up her stance, her manner, and he knew she meant to punch him, so he steeled himself. 

She was incredibly strong, and he was forced back a few steps, but he had been ready, and he stayed on his feet.  He raised his eyebrows at her as she continued to threaten him.  He believed every word of what she said, and when she spoke about him 'practicing his bravado', in front of the elders, he laughed.

"Oh, I do not mean to make anyone laugh, my dear lady, but these elders sound like very interesting people."  he waited for her to finish before he continued. When she lifted her blade to his chin he looked down at it disdainfully. "

"What a nice little weapon, where did you get it?  Was it a gift from a doting parent?" he knew that he was getting himself deeper and deeper into trouble, and while the woman and her people might hurt him, he did not think they would kill him, after all, they wanted to know what he was looking for, and killing him wouldn't help them any in finding out. "Anyway, if I do tell you what I am looking for, what will you do?  Go looking for it on your own?  Try to steal it from me?  I need a reason to tell you, a good reason, not just threats about torture, or whatever. "

[SciFiSteve626]

Akyra admired the quip about a doting parent, it took some serious balls to stare down the Warlord some referred to as "The Scourge of the Desert", who also happened to be holding a blade to your neck, and continue to spew abrasive remarks like a day job.

"I can assure you I had no doting parents, elf." Akyra smiled slightly, she was going to nostalgically say how she forged them herself in the Underian Caves, but did not want to illicit yet another backhand quip from him. Besides, she liked the new tone that the elf was talking with. While it was not drastically different from the abrasive greeting he had given her earlier, there was a slight change to it that opened him up for actual conversation instead a belligerent exchange of remarks.

"Ah, so now you decide to act reasonable?" Akyra mused. "Very well then, I'll inform you as to why I am interested in what you are searching for."

"There are rumors of buried treasure in these reaches of the Moraki Desert, treasure that admittedly not even wanderers such as myself have been able to find. Not only is there gold beyond measure to be found, there is an deadly scepter that allows its wielder to cast incurable plagues upon ones enemies said to be buried with this treasure. Not only is this rumored weapon of power close to my domain, I have scouts reporting to me of rival tribes, even bands of mercenaries attempting to obtain this scepter and use it to cause chaos. If my rivals were to obtain it, theres no telling how long my people would last, I must find it first."

[JackieCat]

Faelis frowned as she told him of the scepter, but the arrogant look remained on his face.

"Now, you seem like the warrior type," he said, he said when she was finished, bringing his hand up to touch the blade of her scimitar casually. "And you want this magic scepter, and from the sound if it, whoever holds this scepter becomes pretty much all-powerful.  If you get this, you may be able to take over a lot of different places, and I have no desire to help you.  For all I know, you would go on a rampage with the thing, taking over all the other nomad tribes of the desert until you were the queen.  This scepter sounds like it would be better if it was never found.  Now, most of the time a a pretty selfish guy, but, and this is just a thought here, if one person holds all the power, that doesn't sound like a very good balance to me.  And if there's one thing I know, its that a world that is to function, there has to be a balance of power, that no matter how good someone is, power can corrupt their mind. "

Faelis had never heard of a scepter in the Lost Caravan's treasure, and the elf knew basically everything there was to know about the caravan.

[SciFiSteve626]

Akyra continued to glower at the elf, she had expected such an adamant reply.

"I don't expect you to help me obtain a magical tool for the sake of overtaking the other tribes." Akyra bluntly stated, "I am currently accomplishing that without magical augmentation. Besides, the Elders are the only people of my tribe capable of wielding magic, and they are shaman practitioners, they have no experience wielding necromantic magic."

"You are an outsider," Akyra spat, "to those of you who dwell in the northern regions, the desert is probably just a shitload of sand and desolation with the occasional rattlesnake and road. Do you know what exactly what it is you are searching for? I'm sure you have a general idea, but do you actually know, specifically, what you want?"

"You obviously want treasure, seeing how unnecessarily elaborate you are dressed." Akyra with her free hand gestured to all the gold jewelry that adorned the clothing of the elf. "The desert, my friend, is not a place you just walk into wanting treasure, walk out having treasure, and nothing bad happening to you in-between."

"Oh-no," Akyra laughed shaking her head, "The desert gives life to those resilient enough to life, and takes it away from those unfit for survival. Scattered across this desert are numerous ruins. Everything from the buildings of ancient civilizations to the bones of those who have died can be found if one looks in the right places. Seeing as you chose to explore the Moravian Dunes as opposed to say, the Thanite Cliffs, you are probably looking for the fabled lost caravan laden with treasure."

"Sure," Akyra changed her tone to cautionary, "it has gold, plenty of it, at least it may still have gold." Pausing to gather herself, Akyra continued, "It is more than just a fun little pile of gold you can go out there and collect, if that was the case, it would not still be there anymore. Do you think you're the first fool to come wandering through here looking for the 'Lost Caravan'?!" Akyra mockingly spat the name some had given to the particular caravan that she was sure this elf was looking for.

"No my friend, you're not," Akyra said combatively, hoping the elf was intelligent enough to register what she was saying.

"My people don't call it the 'Lost Caravan', we call it the 'Death Caravan'." Akyra put emphasis on the "death" part of that moniker.

"Do you know why?" Akyra demanded, "because it was once a caravan belonging to a powerful mage and his followers fleeing persecution in a kingdom that existed long before the Essyrn. In it are not only unimaginable riches, but also some tomes, and more importantly, his scepter. This mage never made it to whatever city or village he was trying to flee too. Something, probably a creature of the desert resilient to magical attacks destroyed this mages caravan. This scepter originally was meant for healing, but if the legends are right, the caravan was destroyed in a place over the underground Well of Despair. This Well of Despair draws energy from the demonic plane, corrupting the desert around it. Over the ages this Well corrupted this healing staff to a staff of death and necromantic power."

Trying to summarize this lengthy amount of history as much as possible, Akyra was relieved she was done with the exposition and getting to the part that mattered to her and this elf.

"Everyone who has tried to obtain the caravan's treasure has died because of the radiating necromantic power of the scepter. However, one nomadic Warlord to the west, who is capable of necromantic magic, was spotted by my scouts recently obtaining the scepter without any negative effects."

"We call him Durash the corrupt, and not only is he a rival lord, he recently killed off an entire tribe with this scepter recently. I'm not even sure there is any treasure in the caravan, he very well could have collected the gold to recruit the Thanite Mercenaries to the west. If he combines the power of the scepter with the ground might of the Thanites, he could cause havoc across the whole south of the continent!" Akyra had remained calm until ushering the last sentence.

"I don't care about using the scepter, I want to destroy the scepter!" Akyra half-yelled.

Retracting her scimitar, Akyra went on, "Listen, I know you're selfish, after all, I've never seen anyone treasure hunting without companions before. You clearly are a talented rogue, brash, maybe, a pain in the ass, definitely, but talented, I can smell talent from miles away, and right now you reek." Akyra said.

"I have a simple proposal," Akyra said, "assist me in destroying this mad Durash. If the rumors are true, your kind is resilient against magic, and so am I, but my warriors are not. If my Sand Dragon People engage Durash's forces and distract him, you are stealthy enough to slip behind his lines unnoticed and kill him."

"We will help you scavenge the caravan for any treasure that may still be there, and you will help me against Durash. If there is no treasure to be found in the caravan, chances are Durash has it. If we find no treasure, I have a potential gift that someone as vain as you would not be able to refuse." Akyra said with confidence.

Akyra backed away, then said, "So, Faelis Gindein, what say you?"

[JackieCat]

Faelis listened to it all in silence, and when she was done he stood there for a moment, taking it all in and thinking about his reply.

"Well, there is at least one thing I have to say," he said, somewhat dramatically. "You definitely are a good storyteller.  Anyway, I know the risks of a venture like this, and I know about the Caravan, i have been researching it for the past four years about it.  I know the risks, I know the danger, but by now you must know that I pay little mind to danger.  Whether or not that's bravery or stupidity, your call, but you know I can walk right into it.  And I did not expect just to walk in and walk out, on the way out becoming rich, I knew there would be danger, I knew I may die, but that's basically my job.  I'm a rouge, I'm a thief, I take risks.  Every single day, every single hour I have to watch out, or a knife could be drawn across my neck from someone I stole from, or lied to, and most often both."

Faelis smiled and leaned forward. "And do you know what? I love it."

The elf frowned as he considered his next statement. "And how do I know you're not lying to me about this, whats-his-face, Durash, so you can get to the Caravan, get the scepter, and kill everyone?  Sure, I believe you about the curse, or the demonic magic or whatever, in my research about the Caravan I came across a few things related to it.

"But before you tell me why I should believe you, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.  Say there is this Durash, and you do want to destroy the scepter.  How do you propose to get past the demonic magic to get to it, how does this Durash think they can?  And why would I risk my life, go and assassinate Durash, for you?  Are you going to kill me if I don't agree to your terms?"

The elf smiled again, in a smirking way. "And thank you for the compliment, I'm glad I've made myself a pain-in-the-ass, especially a talented pain-in-the-ass.  Being one is basically my goal in life.  And I think I've succeeded, though the death threats from people I've merely said five words to should have been proof."   

[SciFiSteve626]

Akyra leaned her neck to one side, which was a command for her Vashan Archers to form up behind her.

Then she flashed the light blue gem amulet encased in platinum around her neck.

"See this?" Akyra asked, "provides me magical resistance. My warriors are not as fortunate, although my Elders could conduct a ritual giving them temporary necromantic magic resistance."

"West of here is a large canyon with a low-level river running through it. On the far side of the canyon reports have come to me Durash has set his armies encampment up at the base of a plateau, where his personal headquarters are. If we scout out the region together, we may be able to find a rear entrance to the plateau that is ascendible. We would then ascend the plateau to kill Durash while my tribe, under the leadership of my second-in-command Komutan Qurashi, conducts a diversionary battle in the valley below."

"I could go into more detail about how I plan on doing a feigned direct assault meant to draw Durash's main force into an ambush in the canyon for slaughter coinciding with two flank attacks at his base camp, but that is irrelevant as of now."

"My Elders imbue my best warriors with protective magic, we scout out Durash's base, set the plan in motion, kill Durash, destroy the scepter, and give you whatever fucking gold you want to decorate yourself with." Akyra said lightening her tone, "How does that sound?"

[JackieCat]

"Ho are you going to destroy the scepter once you get it?" Faelis asked when she was finished. "And let me get this straight, your warriors attack, I sneak in, kill Durash, get the scepter, and, if we can, destroy it."

Faelis nodded. "Okay, that sound great.  But will you be coming with me, or will I get to kill Durash by myself?  And what if I decide I don't want to help you?  That I don't even want any money anymore, it's too much trouble, what would you do to me then?"