Chapter Eight: Broker

We've been asking for work from the bartender, Rivlin, for 3 days. He tells us that someone staying at the inn is looking for the Heroes of Kled. Vex offers to give Rivlin a finder's fee for any contracts he finds us that we accept. Kriv is off doing something else. We join the hooded figure at a table. It is Ramas, the person who tried to buy Xa'oc sword.

Ramas says he's not here for the sword, but he acts as a go-between for jobs. A group of people formerly from Tyr are living in the mountains and people are going missing from their camp. There used to be about 20 of them, but now it's about 16, and they've found remains. Ramas wasn't clear on whether the group themselves is paying us. One of them (Hasani) used to be a templar of Tyr and has since lost his powers, prefers to avoid the turmoil of the city. Ramas will give us supplies, and a map (50 miles / 3 days). Could be wild animals, Ramas doesn't have any other theories from his contact. The murders started about a month ago, but it's been accelerating since. We are being paid 1 silver up front, and 1 silver per day of work (including travel there and back).

Aruna is worried this is an elaborate trap to get Xa'oc's sword. We are being hired to solve the problem. Ramas will be in contact with the people in the camp to make sure we're not wasting time, no deadline. Ramas says they are people from different parts of Athas, misfits who don't belong anywhere else.

We'll let Rivlin know when we're done.

Ramas asks Xa'oc's price for the Mist Song (+1 because it's steel, advantage on attacks, grants proficiency)

Xa'oc says "never" and walks away. Xa'oc learns a memory: an image of Ramas in a big room with a bunch of dray around him (it is extremely unusual to see so many in the same place).

Vex has questions:  the templar who left the city, gang of misfits in the mountains, reputation of Ramas.

Aruna and Tenneth have questions:  hazards and fauna of our route. Tenneth learns (with Aruna's help) that the Ringing Mountains are a barrier separating civilization from the hinterlands. Walking through the mountains is more tiring than walking through the desert because it's hot AND rocky. In the foothills, it is easiest to travel when it's dry. We should stay on top of ridges, watch out for falling and flying creatures. In the canyons, we need to watch for sand avalanches, and there is rainfall that can come out of nowhere and wash us away. There are always grazing animals, which implies that predators are nearby.

Vex learns some things:

Hasani: he was a templar, he didn't have much of a reputation either way (but was probably on the mean side). When Callac died he was about to become a dragon and was draining life out of everyone at the ziggurat, and during that ritual Hasani's family was killed. It is likely that Hasani had to leave the city out of grief.

Ramas: he hasn't been in Tyr for long, he doesn't have much of a reputation, he's either unknown or people will say he's from the silt sea. No one knows of any particular treachery. He connects people with jobs. He has a lot of money. He arrived in Tyr about two months ago. People have survived jobs with him.

We take a long rest. We get supplies from Ramas. We get a reasonable amount of food and water for the trip. We get 1 Dark Sun silver each up front. We buy climber's kits at 25 Dark Sun copper each.

Tenneth leads us through the foothills instead of the canyons to start, so we travel on the top of the ridges. Tenneth and Aruna have trouble climbing, but we all make it up. We hear an unpleasant cry in the distance, and it's a wyvern. There's nowhere to hide, so we would have to descend again, and Kriv can't make us a berm out of solid rock. We fight the wyvern and kill it. We salvage as much of the wyvern's corpse as possible. Xa'oc harvests the poison.

Kriv harvests the hide and as much bone as possible (which he uses for his sword). We continue to walk along the top of the ridge. Again, Tenneth and Aruna have trouble climbing. The ridge meets a canyon into which we need to descend. Vex and Xa'oc have trouble climbing. We all see (except for Tenneth) an enormous spider web and a nearby hiding spider. We attack the spider. Xa'oc named the sword Mist Song. And thus, concludes are our first day of travel.