Story so far...

[agroson1]

This will be the Hall of Records for the Lands of Dune, and it is here that ye shall find your Gospel....

[agroson1]

The story thus far, in the Realms of the Emperor...

An airship lifted off one early morning from the Isles of Caladan bearing one passenger. He is one Sah Shimi, of House Atreides. He is sent forth to represent his Duke on a mission for the Emperor...a mission to decide which of the Great Houses shall represent the Emperors' interests in the land called Dune. This is the first such adventure undertaken by Sah, and his first time away from Caladan. His greatest hope is to honor his regal House.

After one full days journey the airship landed upon the Isle of Suk, where it did take on one more passenger...a Suk Doctor by the name of Valdur. Valdur is a younger doctor among the Suk's, and is thus considered expendable. After all, the great medical practitioners would not willingly choose to send forth one of their best and most experienced on what they consider to be a fools errand.

On the following day, the airship alighted to the Island of Ginaz. Arriving in the late afternoon, the guests and crew of the airship were invited to stay for the next mornings spectacle...the graduation test of a Swordmaster.

Early that next morning, the residents of the island and their guests gathered in witness at the Main Arena. The Headmaster, Jools Noret, spoke briefly and also allowed the pupils' mentor a few words before the test began. Then the student, Tai, was led into the arena to face his challenge...a ferocious, six-legged Salusan Bull.

Tai scored a quick first strike against the mighty beast, and then a second. His skills seemed to severely outmatch the Salusan beast. However, upon a third charge of the raging animal, it did gore Tai with it's great horns. The first strike penetrated Tai's side fiercely, and the second actually punctured him and tossed his body a good length across the arena. The crowd gasped in awe as the Bull charged in for the kill. Gravely wounded, Tai side-stepped the creature and delived a flurry of killing blows. The gathered peoples went wild in their applause for the newly appointed Swordmaster.

(time to eat....to be continued)

[agroson1]

For the remainder of the day, and long into the night, our adventurers joined in celebration with the people of Ginaz. Our good Suk Doctor retired early from the festivities, as over-indulgence is not a trait possessed by the Suk's. Sah of Caladan spent most of the evening socializing and observing, as this was his first time away from Caladan and he was fascinated by the sheer spectacle of it all. And it was Tai, the celebrated new Swordmaster, who imbibed and over-indulged to the point that he did vomit upon waking the next day. A few times.

By mid-morning we found the trio alighting from Ginaz onboard the airship. It was a pleasant and uneventful journey for the next two days to their next destination...the jungles of Rossak.

Arriving on Rossak a full five days before they were due to appear before the Emperor, it was decided to spend the time relaxing and getting to know the people of Rossak. After resting a night, the group decided to stop in at a local tavern for food and beverages. A comely barmaid inquired of the groups places of origin. She was quite impressed to know that one of the men seated at the table was one of the famed Swordmasters of Ginaz.

Unfortunately, a rowdy group of Orcs seated nearby were quite inebriated, despite the early hour, and thought to make sport of the Swordmaster. One by one they challenged him to arm-wrestle for ale...and one by one he bested them. All seemed to be good fun until one of the Orcs quietly stole a kukri from the Swordmaster Tai and infomed him it could only be recovered through yet another bout of arm-wrestling. Tai refused and demanded his property be returned. The Orcs were more of a mind to fight than surrender it.

What happened next seemed simple enough...Tai would face off with the Orcs to reclaim what had been taken from him. Simple it was not. As all three Orcs, and Tai, quickly stood up from their table to fight, the Atreides Druid and Suk Doctor also rose to join the fray. As Tai quickly dispatched the Orc who had stolen his blade, Valdur the Suk summoned a Celestial Badger beneath the Orcs table. And not to be outdone, Sah of Caladan sent his hawk companion to Tai's shoulder and summoned a Wolf directly behind one of the remaining Orcs.

The drunken Orcs fumbled their attacks, yet evaded Tai's next assault. The animals both executed ferocious bites upon the agressive Orcs. Just then, Sah cast a spell to dazzle one of the Orcs. It didn't work...at least not on the intended victim. No, 'twas Tai who found himself dazzled by the Druidic enchantment. Enraged, Valdur sought to aid Tai by means of a hurled cup of Spice-tea...and while the cup did miss it's intended target, it did strike Tai above his left eye. This prompted Sah to wipe the table clear of anything that could be thrown, lighting his own sleeve on fire from the burning candle in the process. Our heroes did manage to recover, however, and with sword and mace brought the injured Orcs to a swift end.

While the patrons of the tavern were cheerful and amused by the display, the owner was not. Once the Orc corpses were relieved of their monies our travellers still had to pony up an additional three pieces of gold to settle their account for food, drink, and damages. This appeased the tavern owner, and a generous tip to the serving maid garnered them an invitation to return.

(next up...feeding a hawk and buying herbs....)

[agroson1]

By early afternoon our adventurers had decided to take a brief respite from the trials faced earlier in the day. Tai wished to spend the remainder of the afternoon in excercise and meditation in his quarters. Sah saw that it was a beautiful afternoon and chose to venture to the outskirts of the city and allow his hawk companion to hunt down a fresh meal. Valdur, as a Doctor of the Suk, felt his time on Rossak would be best served by seeking specialized herbs for his chosen profession.

For Tai, it was a pleasant and peaceful afternoon. The others were not so lucky.

Sah ventured out and found a nice clearing at the edge of the city, and loosed his hawk to take flight in search of a nice meal of rodent. Sah sat upon a rock and peered at the world through the eyes of his winged companion in flight. And a beautiful view of the Rossak jungles it was. Sah was lucky to have still been alert as he viewed the local sights through the eyes of his regal bird, as there happened to be two Kobolds lurking in the nearby brush.

The Kobolds burst forth demanding money from Sah. It was apparent from their far-away look that the two were under the influence of psychotropic drugs derived from Rossak plants. Sah drew his bow and fired just has he was pierced by the arrow from one of the Kobolds' shortbows. He quickly decided that he was outmatched and cast an Obscuring mist about them. The more lucid of the two attackers fled the mist and fired an arrow close to Sah's unprotected head, while shouting to his more inebriated friend to vacate the mists. Sah's hawk, made aware of the confilct through thier shared bond, did enter the fray with a mighty screech and claw attack on the first Kobold...who did down the hawk with a deadly accurate thrown stone. Sah was readied to flee the encounter before his hawk was brought low, but now he knew that he could not leave his winged companion and did stay to confront the would-be bandits.

The Gods must have surely favored Sah, as he was able to stave off both Kobolds and send them to the after-life before his avian friend was lost to their stones and daggers. Once the dust was settled, Sah and his winged ally did make their way back to the main city.

Meanwhile, Valdur found himself happily shopping along a strip of road fabled to host the best pharmacists in the Landsraad. And shop he did. Stocking up on various healing herbs, salves, and healing wraps, he did come upon a curio owner who offered something more. A miracle potion of great strength...and secrecy. At Valdurs' prodding, the owner of the small kiosk did close his doors and beckon him to join him in his own private quarters to demonstrate his 'medical miracle.'

Once upon entering the underground haven of the 'pharmacist,' Valdeur was confronted with a harsh reality...this pharmacist was a drug addict, and sought to make one of Valdur as well. Immediately, as soon as the pharmacist removed his hood, Valdeur could see that the man was a depraved addict that meant to do him harm. Valdur struck the man with his mace as he saw the man lunge with a small snakes' tooth attached to a small skin-bag. The two rallied back and forth, exchanging blows and misses, until the man did finally strike home with his 'tooth-sack.'

This attack provided the good Doctor with a dreaded experience. The tooth was loaded with a highly addictive drug derived from a Rossak plant. The Doctor struggled to hold onto reality as he brought down a crushing blow of his mace upon his adversary. And then all was quiet. Yes, quiet. Soothing quiet. It would have been so easy to relax and enjoy the peaceful quiet of oblivion, but the good Doctor found the strength to climb out of the pharmacists underground lair. He stumbled up the stairs, nearly overcome by fumes, and made his way to the open air.

Gasping for fresh air, and calling for help, Valdur saw a humanoid form approach. Even in his bewildered state, Valdeur could tell he was being robbed by a bandit...and he did strike a crushing blow to the knee of his attacker. Maybe it was skill, or more likely desperation, his blow crushed not only the knee of his would-be assailant, but also a major artery.

His trials seemingly over, Valdeur lied upon the ground wailing for aid. Soon, guardsmen of Rossak arrived to contain the situation. They had long waited to take down this 'pharmacist,' and were grateful to Valdur for his assistance and allowed him to recover whatever he wished from the underground dwelling before sealing off the area.

Tai and Sah, drawn by the gathering crowd, were there awaiting Valdur and took him to his quarters to rest...as did they all.

All was peaceful that night.

[valdur]

And Valdeur took a cold shower that night. A very long cold shower.

[agroson1]

A new chapter in the saga...and new Houses journey towards the fateful meeting with the Emperor....


As our adventurers on Rossak rest and ready themselves to represent their Houses before the Emperor, there are other Houses making their way towards Corrin as well. This is the story of their journey....

It was during the pre-dawn hour that Ghurdit Loins, the Tleilaxu, arose to face the journey ahead. It was by choice of the Bene Tleilax hierarchy, and not his own, that he would leave the perfectly ordered and sanitary environs he was accustomed to and venture forth among the 'unclean' other Houses of the Landsraad. And so, he did find himself on this brisk morning readying to travel, along with an export shipment, to the lands of Geidi Prime...home to House Harkonnen. He would surely miss the ordered sensiblity of Tleilaxu while living among the primitives, but his House needed him, and he would serve them to his best effort.

This same morning arose Orotha of Ix. He was filled with anticipation, mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism, of what would come out of this forthcoming adventure...of what would come for himself, and for the House that he served. He travelled forth by foot, admiring the great works of his people within the main caved city of Ix. As with all Ixians, he felt a great pride in their accomplishments as a people. Due to their dilligence in pursuit of invention, the Ixians prospered under the Great Trade that permeated every facet of the peoples of the Landsraad. Orotha pondered all of this as he strode forth from the great caved city out onto the open surface of Ix, towards the Spacing Guild platform that would take him to Geidi Prime.

Both of these travellers experienced the shimmering effect of literally being transferred from one place to another by means of instantaneous teleportation. Before them, their realities shimmered and changed, and both did arrive in Harkonnen City, capitol of Geidi Prime.

Harkonnen City, at first glance, was unlike anything either had ever seen first hand. Here was a land of thick smoke and smog hanging perpetually in the air. A place of industry occupying every last parcel of land...not a tree or bush in sight. Both knew they had arrived in a truly martial land with no regard to the world around them.

As the Spacing Platform, manufactured on Ix, hummed, Orotha of Ix found himself standing in this obscene city...surrounded by two dozen Harkonnen guards and a Tleilaxu, who was to be his peoples representative on this mission for their Emperor.

The two strode in complete silence as the Barons' guard walked them the half mile to the Baronial Manor. The guardsmen walked the two inside the Great Hall and they were announced by a slave to the immensely huge, empty chamber. Neither man failed to notice that the slave was adorned in a plain, white-sheet toga, that left his left-chest exposed...plainly exposing his implanted heart-plug.

It was obvious to both that this Baron fancied fine things, but had no sense of the aesthetic. His Baronial Manor was decorated with fine and expensive goods that did not match. It all seemed over-done to them both, but for different reasons.

The two representatives, of rival Houses, were ushered into a meeting chamber to meet with Baron Rabban Harkonnen...accompanied by his ever watchful Mentat, Piter DeVries. It was there that they were met by this sheer grotesquery of a man. He greeted them with a double-sized tankard of ale, clad in only a fine silk robe. As he did offer them both a drink, the Tleilaxu refused while the Ixian accepted.

A slave came forth carrying a tray with two tankards of the Barons' finest ale and served Orotha and the Baron. As he turned to leave, the slave neglected to properly receive the Barons' empty tankard, thus allowing it to fall to the ground. The Barons' reaction was quick and fierce. He ordered the slave to approach him...and ripped from his chest the slaves heart-plug. Blood spilled forth in gushing rythm as the slave trembled and fell to the ground, shaking as he bled out.

The Baron shrugged and disrobed on the spot, demanding more slaves to remove the body. As the two saw his naked flesh exposed, they both had time to regard his physique. While definitely a powerful man, this Baron had many visible signs of disease. Pustules and goiters seemed to cover a full two-thirds of his body. It was apparent that this Baron over-indulged in MANY ways.

The Baron cleaned himself in a side room and returned in fresh linen as though nothing had happened. It was a this point that the Baron chose to introduce his nephew, and their travelling companion on this fine mission for the Emperor...Grummush.

(to be continued)

[agroson1]

The appearance of Grummush struck an odd chord with both the Ixian and the Tleilaxu. The Baron, while severly disfigured by his diseases, was still recognizable as being human. However, Grummush was an Orc...and the Baron referred to him as 'nephew.'

Everything in the Baron's mannerisms suggested to the visitors that he had little regard for their Houses...and even less for their representatives. Still, his words were chosen carefully enough to not offend; although they were quite patronizing.

The Baron suggested that his nephew take their guests out and show them the sights of Harkonnen City, the capitol of Geidi Prime. As the three left his chambers they noticed four slaves being led in for the Barons' pleasure...two young females, and two young boys. And so it was that Orotha and Gurdht found themselves being led by Grummush to a tavern near the Spacing Platform that he described as being 'outsider friendly.'

The three entered the downstairs bar through a back entrance that led in through the kitchen. Slaves, with heart-plugs, bustled about preparing various meals for the patrons in the upstairs dining area. One of the slaves, presumably the shift leader, wore a brighly colored sash to fasten his typical slave robe.

Entering the bar they were greeted by a loud shout to Grummush by the man behind the bar, whom Grummush called Lothar. In one corner an attractive, but worn-looking, woman sang a soft melody. Seated across from her were two men that were quite obvioulsy slavers. Also seated, were three kobolds at a small table near the bar.

Grummush blustered a path for them to the bar, jostling roughly one of the seated Kobolds. The Kobold bristled angrily towards Grummush, but quickly decided to hold his own counsel upon seeing the large Orc adorned in the regalia of House Harkonnen.

The three took seats at the bar. Grummush was served his 'usual,' a double-sized tankard of ale. Ghurdit asked what the barman what he would suggest and the man smiled with pride and offered up the house spice-beer...which was merely a strong alcoholic drink laced with cinnamon and not a single trace of true spice. Orotha declined to have anything to eat or drink.



(next up....a very serious bar-room brawl....)

[agroson1]

The three strangers sat quietly at the bar, none of them sure what to say to one another. The uncomfortable silence was broken when a large Ogre came down the stairs. He quickly put Grummush on notice that his presence was not welcome in the tavern. It turned out, that on his last visit Grummush had violated the other woman who once worked as a singer. Her name was Wendy.

As Grummush protested, the large Ogre directed their attention to a large blood stain in the corner behind the two slavers. As Orotha and Ghurdit studied the crimson evidence, the Ogre issued a challenge to Grummush...which he did answer...

The issue seemed to stem from a visit Grummush had made to the tavern a week prior. The girl singing on that night was named Wendy, and she had caught the attentions of Grummush. She had been flattered at first to have attracted a member of the Royal House...that changed once Grummush made clear that she was a mere plaything to him and would not be furthering her station in life through this possible tryst, which had been her hope. She then denied his advances and was brutally raped and killed by the monster Grummush in plain sight of all the patrons present.

The Ogre bouncer had been ordered to not allow Grummush into the bar again, and thus did confront him now. Lothar, the tavern owner, had issued the order, but had rescinded his earlier decision. He knew it was pointless to resist any member of the Royal House...and now he had a situation on his hands.

Grummush and the Ogre both made clumsy attacks on one another. The table of the Kobolds was smashed and their drinks splashed all over them. As Grummush and the Ogre continued their brawl the Kobolds joined in the melee.

Ghurdit, the Tleilaxu, slid in behind Grummush and took advantage of the situation...slashing mercilessly at the Kobolds before causing fear in the Ogre. Said fear gave Grummush the opportunity he was looking for as he struck a mortal blow against the Ogre.

Orotha used this opportunity to take action in his own way. He ordered up a potent ale and moved over to the seat formerly occupied by the Orc.

His peace was short-lived however, as things quickly escalated. The slavers in the corner decided to join in the conflict...on no ones' side in-particular. One of them threw a stool into the ongoing fight and the other punched Tilda, the woman singer, hard in the back of her head. Felling the girl in the process.

This drew the attention of Orotha, the Ixian, and he confronted the two slavers. Both were drunk and couldn't score a hit on the wily Orotha. He struck the one slaver a mighty blow that severed his leg clean from his body. The other made a feeble attack that found him crashing through a table and laying prone at Orotha's feet. Orotha then crushed this one's leg with a blow so severe that it was a mortal one.

With the Ogre fallen, Grummush and Ghurdit found themsleves facing off against the three lowly Kobolds. Two of the vicious buggers took turns plunging daggers into the upper thighs of Grummush, while the third made a few feeble swipes at Ghurdit before being felled by the Tleilaxu.

Grummush retaliated against the two Kobolds attacking him, successfully decapitating one of them...the head rolling into the kitchen where the slaves prepared meals. Shortly it would be discovered that this so startled the slaves that they had fled kitchen...with stoves and ovens still cooking.

As Grummush turned back on the final Kobold, the singer girl drew two daggers and hurled them at Grummush. Both daggers struck home and Grummush turned to her in a rage. She then leapt onto a table, attempting to dive onto the raging Orc...unfortunately the table gave way and she fell back, spilling drinks and splitting her head open as she struck the floor.

Grummush rushed past the final Kobold to kill the injured girl, but rather than strike her with his weapon, he slipped in the spilled ale and fell upon her body...crushing her to death.

From behind the bar, a cry rang out..."TILDY!!," and with that the barkeep attacked the Harkonnen. As the two battled, Ghurdit dispatched the remaining Kobold. The fight continued between Grummush and Lothar the barkeep as Ghurdit and Orotha noticed the smoke and flames bursting forth from the kitchen that was now in flames. Lothar was intent, and succeeding, on killing Grummush...regardless of the fate in store for him if he won.

Both Gurdht and Orotha decided this was a place they no longer wished to be, and thus fled upstairs; Orotha announced "FIRE!!!," and the establishment began to empty.

Meanwhile, Lothar and Grummush battled the length of the bar, up the stairs, and out into the street and into the hands of the approaching Harkonnen royal guards. The guards seperated the two and, noticing Grummush's Harkonnen affiliation, killed the barkeep on sight. The group then watched the tavern/restaurant burn as a team of slaves worked to extinguish the blaze.

Orotha, Ghurdit, and the near dead Grummush were then escorted back to the Baron's keep. The Baron greeted them with a smirk, as he was in a good mood having just slaughtered the four slaves he was 'playing' with.

The three were allowed to rest, have injuries tended to, and prepare for the next day...their meeting with the Emperor...






(NEXT: The Emperor....)

[agroson1]

On the same day that Orotha, Ghurdit, and Grummush were caught up in their 'revelry,' there were three adventurers setting sail on an airship from Rossak. It's destination was Corrin. The passengers were Sah the Atreides, Valdur the Suk Doctor, and Tai the Swordmaster of Ginaz.

Their airship travelled without incident and arrived the following morning at the Imperial City landing strip, near the palace of the Emperor. They were greeted by a full battalion of Sardukaur Troopers and escorted towards the Imperial Palace...

As the airship was preparing to land, there were three men rising to greet the new day on Geidi Prime. Orotha, Ghurdit, and Grummush were ushered out of the Baron's keep early by Piter DeVries. The Baron was still resting from the night before and could not be there to send them off.

The three were escorted by Harkonnen soldiers to the nearby Spacing Portal where they were transported instantaneously to Corrin, where they also were greeted by a full battalion of Sardukaur and escorted towards the Palace...

Both parties met 1/8 of a mile from the Imperial Palace, where the Sardukar joined ranks and followed in silence. There was also silence from the two parties. All of those gathered were not only wary of one another, but also wary of their meeting with the Emperor.

The regal spires of the Imperial palace were visible from both points of arrival, however as they came closer all became aware of the true immensity of the Palace.

Upon ascension to the steps, the Sardukaur broke off and allowed the party to travel alone. Still, there were no words spoken among the nervous House appointees.

And so did enter the House representatives and their appointed caretakers....the Doctor and Swordmaster. To meet the Emperor...a nervous moment indeed.


(in progress....)

[agroson1]

Our adventurers were not met in the Main Receiving Chamber, as most Nobles are met, but rather in an antechamber. There the Emperor did sit adorned in the regalia of his appointed office. And all noticed that he was more adorned than necessary...wearing military medals of battles he had never fought. He had merely given orders.

The greeting chamber was sealed from all prying eyes and was occupied by only two visible occupants...the Emperor and his Benegesserit Soothsayer. The Emperor formally addressed and thanked all the representatives of all the Houses in attendance. He made them all aware of his desire...control of Dune. He had decided that this party would go forth, in His name, in an effort to decide whom would represent the Monarchy in the Land of Dune.

He also introduced, formally, those who would accompany the party. First was a Suk doctor, obtained to maintain the groups health. Second was a Ginaz Swordmaster, also intended to guarantee the groups health.

They were thus sent off to be briefed by the Benegesserit...a meeting to which the Suk and Swordmaster were not priviledged to attend.

Each House member was instructed to place their hand in a box. Only the Atreides resisted, and the witch used her Voice on him. He relented.

All found pain within the box. None could withdraw, until the witch said so. When she did, all found a living wristband attached to them. 'The Bands of Fate' they were named. Insurance for the Emperor that the House members would not assassinate one another. A cruel, but necessary implement.

And thus our adventurers were led back to the Emperor, joined by a Benegesserit , partook in yet another barfight, and were transported to Dune...

[agroson1]

The air and surroundings shimmered and changed...the opulent Imperial City that surrounded them was replaced by the desolation of the outskirts of Arrakeen City. And heat. Heat like they had never encountered except when visiting swordsmiths and their smelting pots.

They were greeted by the Emperors Sardukaur and ushered within the city to a receiving hall. As they awaited their formal greeting from whatever dignitary the Emperor had in place, an alarm sounded outside. Sardukaur poured from the surrounding barracks like water.

Apparently their had been an illegal Spacing nearby, just outside the city gates. The Sardukaur raced about noisily, but merely found two of the local Fremen standing calmly in the open. The Lead Guard asked if they had seen anyone 'appear from nowhere,' and the Fremen said a group had just materialized on the Spacing Platform. The Sardukaur was non-plussed by this and asked the primitives if they had seen any OTHER activity. They assured him they had not and offered up some Spice Beer, which the guards confiscated without a second thought. The guard surmised that these two must be the Fremen guides sent to aid the Emperors' representatives and led them within the city gates to meet the strangers to their land.

(as usual, there is more to follow...)

[agroson1]

The strange group waited silently for a near half-hour before the acting Governor made his way into the chamber. He was an obvious Mentat, due to the lips stained by the juice of Sapphu. He was, admittedly, more of an administrator than anything else...and with the continuous raids on spice shipments a firmer hand was needed in this barbaric land.

The Governor provided desert gear for the group that they might better accomplish their tasks in service of the Emperor. He then gave them a tour of the mills and facilities before an evening banquet. His Governorial Manor was oddly cool inside. The party learned that this man had ice shipped in daily and had slaves to fan the cool air throughout the building. A true example of his inefficiency.

On the following morning our party set out into the harsh environment through the city's East gate. After a few hours of travel they spotted a spice hauler in the distance...and it was under attack. Though they rushed to aid the haulers crew, it was too late. The crew had been killed, nearly all the spice stolen, and the bandits had vanished without a trace...disappearing into the rocky terrain. However, the haulers' camels were unharmed, so our adventurers decided to put them to use.

They journeyed a full two days without further incident, aside from some sun-sickness experienced by a few of the newcomeers to this land. As the party camped on this second night, they were besieged by a pack of hyenas seeking to feast on their camels. The battle was fierce, but our adventurers managed to kill off the dreaded beasts without losing a man nor camel. They wisely chose to bury the remains, lest they attract more scavengers.

And so, they travelled on. Seeing nothing but sand and rocks for nearly two days, the heat never sparing them a moments reprieve. Late on the second afternoon they spotted an abandoned spice silo and barracks and decided to investigate.

Sun sickness had taken more of a toll on them than they were prepared for. Upon entering the abandoned managers building, both Orotha and Tai stumbled and took slight injuries. Outside, Vulf had to grab Ghurdit before he fell into a dry well now occupied by scorpions. The desert was taking it's toll on these newcomers.

After a futile search of the managers building and the barracks the group decided to investigate the long abandoned spice silo. They climbed the winding staircase to the full height of its 5 stories. There was a pervading stench of moldy and rotten spice all throughout. Upon reaching the top level they were greeted by a 'clacking' noise from the bowels of the empty silo.

They had inadverntently disturbed the two residents of the silo. Two very large Ankhegs had taken the silo as a nest and apparently didn't appreciate uninvited guests. The angry clacking filled the chamber as the giant creatures scaled the walls to attack. Twas a mighty battle, but in the end our adventurers triumphed...barely.

How long can they survive this desert mission? Time will tell.

[agroson1]

The party had decided to take refuge for the night in one of the abandoned buildings next to the silo. They had a good nights rest without disturbance before setting out the next day.

Slowly they made their way on their continuing journey East. It was late afternoon when the sands began to stir from the gathering winds. The winds progressed in strength and speed in a very short time, and it was decided that they would tether each other and their camels together, crawl into their sand tubes for the night, and wait out the storm.

There was little rest that night, as the sandstorm became so fierce it shifted the dunes all through the night hours. After morning had come, the storm settled down, allowing the party to dig their way out of the sands, and a long dig it was, as they had been swept along with the moving dunes during the storm.

One by one they made their way to the surface. Vulf, the Fremen, was the first to notice the shredded rope. The scouring sands had apparently severed and split the party, along with their camels, while they had tried to weather its' fury.

They had a head count. It was four, out of an original number of nine...not including their beasts of burden. Vulf, Sah of House Atreides, Grummush of Harkonnen, and Irrin the Benegesserit were the only ones in sight...along with the Atreides' camel. Four and a camel against the desert...poor odds indeed.

(TBC)

[agroson1]

Due to the depth of the shifted sands, it was slow going for this half-party. Their Fremen guide was able to choose a direction through his knowledge of the territory. It was decided they would head towards a familiar location, known to both of the Fremen in the party. Standard practice among the Fremen peoples when seperated in the desert. It was there they would hopefully meet up with the rest of the party. Assuming they had survived the storm.

Slowly, and painfully the group made their way to the abandoned mining camp that would be their meeting place. As they approached, there was a glint of metal sticking out of one of the derelict buildings. It was their only warning that this sight was no longer abandoned. An arrow shot from the shadows within the largest of the structures.

Quickly they gathered themselves for battle, as bow wielding Orcs poured forth from the building. One, then two, then three. Vulf, unslowed by the sands, quickly made his way for cover behind the nearest building and returned their volley with a Magic Missile spell. Irrin the witch was quick to follow. The Atreides halted to prepare a spell, and the Harkonnen charged in without regard to safety.

Battle had begun in earnest. As the Harkonnen charged forth, Vulf sought to catch the enemies by surprise by sneaking behind them. To his surprise, he found three more Orcs rushing to the aid of their comrades. He was noticed by one, and that one quickly charged at him with a drawn sword...however, the Orc was not adept at walking the sands and fell while attempting a strike. Thus, Vulf moved back into the open to aid his fellows in the main combat.

Grummush and Vulf proved more formidable than the attackers could handle, while Sah and Irrin provided back up support and vanquished the fallen Orc...who, as it turned out, was the Orcish leader. Though Grummush was injured, the battle was deemed a victory for the party. They had suffered no casualties and had fought off six Orcs.

As the dust settlled, they were able to take stock of the situation. While none of the party had perished, their lone camel had succumbed to the great sandstorm of the previous night. And there was a survivor among the Orcs.



(TBC...)

[agroson1]

They had decided to leave the lone Orc tied and bound next to the dried up well for later questioning. The Fremen guide had been to this location before and wanted to explore further. They entered the far building, in search of a locked room that was left unexplored previously.

The Atreides had instructed his hawk to remain outside as a lookout. As the group began to explore, the hawk informed his master that the dwellings outside had been set upon by a group of wandering nomads...however, they appeared to be wandering in a near-zombie like confusion and their skin appeared as dry as the desert from which they had come.

As the group raided the locked room, they discovered some records for this former mining camp and the empty scabbard of a Bastard Sword named "Rive." Behind them, they could hear the approach of a pair of the strange nomads and decided to escape to the tunnels below...leaving a small amount of water behind as a decoy. Quickly they made their way into the tunnel below...but not silently enough to avoid their pursuers.