Auger gathers briefly with the others and says, "The stone turned to dust upon its only use. Perhaps we can leave a message here for him? Or mark our path? I suppose I could leave Py behind to say something to him, but we only have the single map." Auger pauses to think for a moment his eyes flitting between the sands and the tawekki, "I suppose Py could travel forward with you to learn the route and then I could remain and summon Py back when Granophyre arrives. And then Py might have absorbed something of the route for us to catch up. That seems... workable."

Benita says, “If the Azhvuv couldn’t beat whoever—or whatever — is holding their Queen, we’re going to need all of us together. I say we wait for Master Strewn.”

Thirty minutes later, seven bells toll from the caravanserai. Granophyre still has not arrived. If Py was sent to look for him, the Fey alyasub has already returned, having seen no sign of the sage.

Benita seems less convinced now. A few men and women are already out on the sands, and you all hear cheering and boos from the Arena as the eliminations enter their second round.

You all sense it’s time to make a decision.

"Let's head out there. I will leave Py behind to let him know where we are heading." Auger walks forward and takes the reigns of a pair of Tawekkis and then belatedly puts them down as he realizes he has not yet attached himself to the sandboard. While working with the fastenings, Auger sends to Py

Py, if he comes, inform him we have left and... well lets give you time with the map while we get ready, the route appears simple. I will summon you when we get near the place they think the Azhvuv Queen is held.

Auger asks for the map and holds it up for Py to look at and study. "We should have thought to copy it."

Assuming the others agree, after Py believes he has committed the map to memory, Auger tentatively sets out, trying to get used to this strange form of locomotion. To Py he suggests waiting invisibly on a nearby rooftop where he can see anyone arrive.

Varielky looks unsettled. If Granophyre does not appear, what should she do? She vowed to protect him to the best of her ability. That he chose to go alone is unfortunate, but unavoidable. Well, almost unavoidable. If only she was stronger back then. But all that doesn't matter at the moment. Even if she does choose to abandon the Azhvuv queen and search for Granophyre, where should she start looking? Even if she could know he's in Kalahata at the moment, the city is so big there was very little chance she'd ever find him. If she leaves to save the Azhvuv queen, what will happen to Granophyre during that time? "What do you think?" She begins to voice her thoughts. "It seems he is not coming. I'd rather go look for him, but I have no idea where to start. Meanwhile, our already-shortened time is running out. I feel like either choice is a bad choice." She puts her hand over the hilt of the Dreyen sword, but she does not unsheathe it. She's unsure. Where should she go? She looks at the others, but mostly at Ednyss, hoping for some guidance. She hopes the gods will guide her, but perhaps they'd do it through Ednyss, who has a deep connection with the Jenghen version of the same god. For her, it was better than nothing. Or, maybe not. Freedom of choice is important, she knows. But even then, the old Dwarf was much wiser than she. 

Persuasion: 15 (Although Ednyss would agree with Varielky that they can each pay for their own board. He just doesn't want Benita to pay for everyone.)

When Granophyre isn't ready for them at dawn, a seed of worry is born in Ednyss, and the seed quickly grows with each minute that the scholar doesn't arrive. By the time that Varielky asks about his opinion and Auger suggests leaving Py behind, Ednyss might as well try and reach out to the scholar himself. Ednyss had prepared some of these magics during his morning prayers, but he was hesitant to expend a significant portion of his divine energy before they even started on their trek. Regardless, they would be at a severe disadvantage without Granophyre so the war priest tells the others, "I am going to attempt to contact him. If Granophyre is alive, he will receive the message. Even if he is on a different plane of existence."

With that, Ednyss lets his eyes roll back into his head, and his consciousness projects upwards towards Takal Demesh. He opens his mouth and speaks a simple message, "We wait at the docks. Are you okay? Can we provide any assistance? Include the word 'Avarice' if you wish us to proceed without you." He tries to make the message concise enough while still allowing the scholar to convey his situation and still tell the group whether or not to continue in as few words as possible (OOC: Hopefully Granophyre realizes that he can now elaborate on his situation and only has to use one word to convey whether they should wait or move on). As he speaks the words, he feels the God of War draw the words from his lips and propel them across the cosmos in search of the scholar. As his consciousness returns to his body, Ednyss has a sense that if Granophyre were alive, he has received the message.

(OOC: If Granophyre is on another plane of existence, then if this roll is a 1 the message fails to deliver: 20.)

(OOC: As per the Sending Spell, "The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately." So Granophyre can respond to Ednyss immediately.)

Ednyss hears these words from Granophyre in response, a message which seems to drift indefinitely across the cosmos to arrive a full minute later:

“Avarice. Poppy Citadel. Detained. Wards…strong. Save city.  Go!”

Ednyss frowns as he waits for the response. His frown deepens and by the time he receives the message, he is saying a short prayer to Takal Demesh for the scholar's remembrance. The dwarf opens his mouth to announce to the group that Granophyre has passed away somehow when he receives the reply. Nodding as the message plays in his head, Ednyss informs the rest of the group, "Granophyre was detained by the Poppy Citadel and is unable to meet us. He wishes for us to proceed without him." With that, the war priest acts quickly and rushes back to the man from whom they had purchased the boards and says, "I apologize for the inconvenience, but only four boards will be needed today." The dwarf then rushes back to the others where he tosses his hood over his armor and prepares to mount his board.

Hearing Ednyss and then seeing him mount up Auger nods and continues preparing himself to go. Before leaving, the others observe Auger holding Py in his hands as they appear to commune in some fashion for a moment. 

Auger sends to Py, Our direction is to follow and assist Granophyre. He instructs us to go and we uphold his part of the contract with the Azhvuv by proceeding. Nonetheless I will not leave him without learning more. Go, to the Poppy Citadel. Try to find him and observe his situation. Only attempt to communicate with him if absolutely safe. If he has more to tell us of what has transpired we should learn of it. I will summon you to me when we reach the Queen. Do not risk yourself! Be safe. I cannot create a new form for you with great ease and you will be needed to find the Queen.

Then Py rises up, and turns invisible as Auger turns to look at the Poppy Citadel. Auger mounts up and lines up to follow behind the others.

Varielky is put at ease. "Then, it seems going to save the Azhvuv queen we must. Though we have no proof of that, perhaps saving the princess will help us later, if Granophyre isn't released before we return. Let's make haste." Varielky mounts her board and holds the reins. It is a strange vehicle, but it's probably not too different from a carriage once she gets used to it. 

Quote from Zzozz___ >>

Auger sends to Py, ...Go, to the Poppy Citadel. Try to find him and observe his situation. Only attempt to communicate with him if absolutely safe. If he has more to tell us of what has transpired we should learn of it.Do not risk yourself! Be safe....

(OOC: Is Py taking the amulet?) The fey alyasub sends back, 'If I can find a way into the Citadel, should I enter? I have seen Rocs land at the very top.'

(OOC: Py is not holding the amulet. Auger is holding on to it unless someone else has made a claim.)

Yes, enter but only if there is no risk. Stay safe!

Outfitted with metal braces which fit around your necks, to hold the whistles in place under your scarves, which you must wear high over your noses, and scarves over your heads too, leaving only a thin slit to keep sand and dust out of your face, you step onto the boards, which are two meters long, a half-meter wide, with ends curved up, and your boots firmly clamped into braces which cause you to face left or right over your shoulder, moving sideways in a wide stance.

The weather could hardly be better, one would guess, a relatively cool first of Grandeur, with not too much wind. To begin with, you lightly blow your whistles, and like a drill, the forebody of each Tawekka spins quickly, and pulls the creature, and you, forward as it dives just a foot or so under the sand, to reach a speed no faster than an easy walk, and you advance off the docks and into the star-shaped sand harbor. You make a slow circle of the harbor, stopping to adjust straps and rein positions, perhaps falling once or twice into the sand as you get your balance. But within thirty minutes, you feel that you have mastered the basics, and take another turn around the harbor, this time, faster. You see Benita moving at a faster pace, as fast as she might run, and fly a few feet from the crest of a dune back onto the harbor sands. This time, you reach the tall bordering stones which announce the end of the harbor and the beginning of the Blistering Sands, and regroup before heading southeast toward the bright, rising sun. The Tawekki’s tentacles gently reach around, begging for phuphi nuts, which you must carefully ration.

(OOC: a few more words about sandboarding. Your skill will equal animal handling + dex bonus + str bonus. If you have proficiency in animal handling, land vehicles, or water vehicles, you may add +3 to your skill. If you attempt any maneuvers, you must roll using this bonus. If you succeed in such a maneuver, you may gain advantage on your next action or attack. Land vehicle proficiency or animal handling can be used to perform tricks or actions while sandsurfing. As mentioned above, without these proficiencies, one can only stop, start, accelerate, decelerate, go straight, or turn widely — one at a time — and can only perform actions which do not require use of one’s hands.)).

Ednyss takes a few minutes to get the grasp of riding on the board, but eventually, he starts to acclimate to his board. Reminiscing on the wave boards that he used to ride when he went to the coast on the Core of Onyx, Ednyss starts to feel his balance out and starts to sway from side to side as he rides. Finally, Ednyss puts his training on wave boards together with his knowledge of horses and carriages and how to steer a horse in the right direction and grins under his scarf. With a low center of gravity, the dwarf should be able to do some interesting tricks. Riding up on the side of a dune and picking up a little bit of pace, the war priest says a quick prayer to Takal Demesh. With the war god's blessing, Ednyss rides up to the top of the dune and arches his back as he kicks up off of the top of the dune and tries to flip in the air before landing back next to the others. For the others, it is rare to see Ednyss doing something like this for no reason at all, and seeing the dwarf enjoy himself on the board is definitely a different sight than the usual stoic nature of the dwarf. For Ednyss it is a wonderful reminder of his time at the Core, and he relishes the wind in his face as he rides.

Maneuvering Check: 30 (+2 Dexterity, +2 Strength, +5 Animal Handling, +3 Proficiency in Vehicles, +1d4 Guidance)

(OOC: Ednyss should be able to cast spells on the board because he has proficiency in Vehicles (Land) and Vehicles (Water).)

Varielky doesn't try any special manoeuvres. The only thing she does do is practising swinging her sword while navigating the Tawekka. She remembers practising the same, only on a chariot. They tried it a few times, and it wasn't simple. Focus too much on swinging your sword and you lose control of your horses. Focus on the horses too much and you get stabbed. She never mastered it fully, but she was close enough. Well, these Tawekka were slightly different, but also close enough. Harder to stay stable, and there's a danger of flipping over, but you're also much more mobile and evasive. She hopes there will be no delays, but if something jumps at them, she should be ready to face it.

Your journey begins in earnest as you push beyond the reef into the deep desert. You burst over a high dune, blowing your noiseless whistles to cause the Tawekki to leap ahead, and a dozen coveys of desert quail, wandering the near sands for morning meals, are surprised and explode upwards and away from you in a flurry of grey-blue wings and small red crests. You course steadily up and over, up and over dunes in a steady rhythm, until, after an hour, you stop on a shallow shelf to rest your arms and legs — it is difficult to maintain the sand-boarding posture for so long to without practice, and there is a constant need to push the board against the sand with you legs, while the Tawekki gamely spin and pull you behind them, requiring you to hold your arms and wrists at a certain angle, pulling against the tension. You continue onward as the sun ticks upwards another notch in the sky, and the dry heat starts to bear down upon you as a tall rock Mesa on the horizon grows larger in your vision and soon passes on your left, and the rhythm of the dunes continues, your boards swishing beneath you, the Tawekki whirling effortlessly through the fine orange-yellow grains. 

In another hour, you see a mining encampment to your left, and note that you have not brought enough water. Your water skins are already depleted. “They’ve got to have a well,” La Cass suggests.

Ednyss

As he rides through this seemingly endless sea of dunes, this vast expanse of severe natural beauty, Ednyss finds himself reflecting upon the meaning of prayers he has begun to learn at the Temple of Ritha Demsha. One of the friezes there depicts the desert, in concentric circles showing, at first, emptiness, then desert birds, Tawekki, scorpions, and finally, small insects which live in the sands, demonstrating the power of life to exist in any environment, and also, how shifting ones perspective may transform the meaning of what one sees. 

While he stood, taking in the frieze that second day, a priest, a cat with red-brown fur and a wide face, noticed him and stood beside him, also looking at the frieze, his very tall ears reaching as high as Ednyss’ eyes. He, the cat, cleared his throat softly, and in perfect Jenghen, began to speak in a matter of fact tone. 

“In all places, in all times, Ritha Demsha has brought life, and will bring life again, come springtime.” He shifted his weight, looked at Ednyss with a mysterious smile, and continued, “I sense…curiosity…in you, and I believe, yours is a familiar face, for few dwarves find their way to Kalahata, yet the Festival may be a…rebirth…of many things.” Ednyss notes that the priest’s tone is neutral, yet, also seems to ask a question of the dwarf.

With his riding skills being far behind the others, Auger finds himself quite sore after this time being pulled sideways. So when breaks arise Auger finds himself redoing the fastenings in order to try and be more comfortable, to no avail.

On one such break, lying down for a moment to rest his back, he remembers his recent dreams of flying and wishes that was a reality. Or that he could move further when needed.

When the suggestion from Benita to go get more water comes Auger nods and croaks out an agreement.

(On the Sands)

Ednyss nods an agreement when Benita suggests a pause and glances down at his now empty waterskin. That was certainly a difference between sandboarding and wave boarding. Pulling off to the side as they take the break, Ednyss pulls the scarf down to reveal a broad grin. The memories that were brought back from this experience were wonderful and had also given him a little time to dwell on what had happened in Kalahata.

(In the City)

Ednyss listens as the cat seems to draw a conclusion about the frieze and Ritha Demsha in general. Turning back to the cat, the dwarf responds with some of his own thoughts, "Ritha Demsha may give life to all, but something must also give meaning to that life. I am certainly curious about Ritha Demsha and I was hoping to find a connection here. Although whether it would be enough to constitute a rebirth is something else entirely." Ednyss similarly asks a question in the tone of his voice as opposed to the words that he used. The inflection on the word 'rebirth' seems to ask the cat if the rebirth was truly referring to him, or something else entirely. For Ednyss, while Ritha Demsha may give life, it is an honorable death, Takal Demesh, that brings meaning to that life. It gives the living a purpose.

(The present)

Benita leads the four of you toward the mine, where you notice a large circular hole in the ground, perhaps 80’ across, and as you arrive, a camel and rider issue from a corridor leading to that lower level. Benita hands her reins to Varielky and takes everyone’s half/empty water skins to the edge of the circle, calls down back-and-forth with a miner in Shian, raises the water skins, hears an ok, then walks into a tunnel, disappearing from view.

The Tawekka make chirping sounds and laugh as their tentacles land in places they should not and must be slapped away. 

A few minutes later, Benita returns up the corridor, weighed down by the water skins, and you continue on your way. 

Now, carefully rationing your water as the sun rises higher, you head southeast once more, and have traveled almost another hour past the mine when you find that the wind has shifted and instead of crashing over endless waves of sand, you are now moving parallel to the waves. The way is easier, but it is harder to see in all directions. How are you arranging yourselves? You can all traverse the dune peaks, following the ridge lines, or, remain in the shallow troughs between dunes, or easily divide, for the ridges and troughs are visible between each other and no more than 60 feet away. In other words, ridges are, perhaps, at 120’ intervals and you can ride on the ridges or between them, or some combination.

Ednyss (flashback)

(The temple)

Th Cat purrs appreciatively at Ednyss’ response, and replies, “True, true, nothing truer nothing could be more true. Without something to live for, what are we but cogs in a wheel!”

(The Inn)

Ednyss works at the tavern where the usual bartender has family in town for the festival and stays home with them, occasioning the need for the owner to hire part-time work. Ednyss arrives amid a crowd of revelers, reminding him of his first day in Kalahata, and he keeps an eye on his belongings. 

The place seems primarily to serve locals who find the dwarf’s presence entertaining. At one point, there is some talk of the Vale, but nothing definite until an old man stands up and shouts “Liberty for Shians!” Which is taken up by a few older souls, while the rest of the occupants instantly quiet down or cast about to see who is in the room who may have heard this. Apparently, no imperial soldiers, and the evening continues apace. 

(OOC: Can you provide a sense for where we are on the map? Depending on how close we are the strategy for how to expose our numbers may need to change)

Grateful at the fresh water, Auger thanks Benita for her efforts. Auger finds the manner of travel fun, even as he predicts the soreness arising from this manner of travel will settle in and affect his movements for days. When discussion arises about how to proceed Auger merely nods along with the consensus but mostly asserts that whatever makes travel the easiest should be the approach they take.