Campaign log: Report to Great Priest Ixanama

[Stomoxys]

While I worked on the bag, I heard Wolfram walking out the back and leaving. Towards, the end, I heard Nuur-Karif and Yana return and talk to Munir, but I was occupied trying to decipher the energies in the bag. It seemed that it normally would not do anything. However, if someone were unconscious with the bag over their head, it would loosen the spirit's attachment to the body. I did not think it would be enough to make a noticeable difference if one were merely sleeping. However, if someone were dying, it might loosen the spirit enough to get in contact with the spirit world. I guess that was the purpose of the strangulation. I also found a kind of signature, telling me that the it was humorously called The Mogg's Hat of Welcome in Arani.

The others had gathered in the other room and Nuur-Karif told me what Munir had told them. The ships that had anchored were Nulius' ships and not ships from the king's fleet. They had not found the stranger, but were quite certain they had come from the ship. In addition to looking for us, they were spreading rumours that they wanted to buy supplies.

With Nuur-Karif there, I could test the bag again and asked them to help me. This time, I instructed them to let up the pressure after I passed out. That way, I could hopefully stay under for longer and maybe remember more. Nuur-Karif asked me to sit down on a mattress so they would know when I passed out and I put the bag over my head again and tightened the strap.

I rapidly passed out and for a brief time, I heard the strange whispers far away. However, I quickly regained consciousness and found myself lying on the mattress with the bag over my head and struggling to breath. Nuur-karif saw that I regained consciousness and asked if they should take off the bag, but I signalled no. I lay on the mattress for about a minute and felt like I was getting strangled. However, I did not loose consciousness, so I did not experience anything special and got the bag off myself.

Nuur-Karif left again to buy materials for a larger medicine kit. They did no longer have room for all their poisons. I asked Wolfram if they wanted me to investigate their shield. They agreed and I took it to the storeroom. Wolfram followed and sat down to whittle on their totem.

The shield would also interact with the wearer's spirit. By concentrating, the shield would accept the spirit, making it expand into the shield. This should make it possible to interact with and defend against other spirits. I tried to test it out, but the shield was too heavy and I was too occupied by trying to hold it up. Wolfram wondered what I was doing and I explained my theory. They easily lifted it and I studied them through the spirit ring and it seemed to shimmer.

Wolfram said that something happened and asked me to strike at the shield. I fetched my staff and gave the shield a good whack. Wolfram said they felt something and told me to strike again, harder. I did and they said they definitely felt it. It made sense and I thought they might get hurt if the shield was hit hard enough. The signature of the item was rather ominous. Translated it was something like The Forsaken Guardian of the Faith or The Doomed Guardian of the Faith.

A shield was not what Wolfram had in mind when they told the mogg their wish and they thought Hylda might have more use for it. Hylda went along with the idea since Grogg said it was fine, but they had no experience and would need to practice. I suggested we could go out in the desert and practice. Wolfram thought that was a good idea, but that Hylda should practice on normal shield skills first. Grogg and I followed them to the bowl. Grogg got their needlework while I meditated on Ajaw.

Wolfram and Hylda practiced for maybe and hour, mostly by Wolfram making unarmed attacks that Hylda attempted to block. I basked in the hot caress of Ajaw, but noticed that they were a bit further south than they used to be at this time. Thinking back, it thought it had been a gradual movement that I had not noticed before.

Wolfram and Hylda took a break and Wolfram thought Hylda would be able to master the shield. They asked if Kra was available, presumable to see if the shield worked against spirit, but was brusquely told that Kra was busy.

I asked if it was normal for Ajaw to move. Wolfram said that it was indeed normal, but were more focused on Amna, whom they claimed became clearer during the cold season. Grogg said that Ajaw was usually much further south at this time of the year where they had grown up. Grogg's place of birth was unknown, but it had been much further north. There, Ajaw was always in the south at this time of year.

I suppose this might explain the seasons the apeoids experience and the cold season they call winter. If Ajaw moves away from the north at regular cycles, it would indeed be cold when they were far away. Perhaps it is the opposite cycle in the south? Since The Homeland is in the middle between south and north, we do not see the same cycles. Wolfram thought that Ajaw might be further south than they usually were. This would make sense if north had come closer. Wolfram thought that was impossible though, but I do not think they understood the concept.

I asked Grogg if they wanted me to find out what the mogg had done with their maul. They said yes and I considered if I should get them to help. Since they are somehow bound to the maul, it might make it easier, but I decided it would take too long.

The pattern of the threads on the maul was the most intricate of the items I had examined so far. It was also too heavy for me to swing myself and it seemed to have gotten even heavier than before. When I gave it an awkward swing, it felt as if the force I used to lift it was absorbed by the maul. Perhaps it was taking the force and gathering it for some kind of attack.

I asked Grogg to try the maul and they slammed it down into the ground with a boom. I asked how they felt, but they only swung the maul a few more times, giving the ground a good beating. After five blows, they took a small break and said they felt unusually tired. However, they soon continued. After some more swings, it became clear that they maul was taken its toll on the troll. They looked increasingly unsteady and I began to wonder if they would remain standing.

Suddenly, Grogg gave out a huge roar and smashed the maul into the ground. Sand and pebbles exploded in all directions and it took several seconds for me to regain my hearing after the boom. There was a small crater in the ground where Grogg had hit. It had partially collapsed in on itself, burying the end of the maul under half a meter of sand. Grogg themselves had fallen over and were lying prone. I had to check, but they were still consciousness.

I looked for traces of energy, but I could not find anything. Except for sticking out of the ground, the maul looked perfectly normal. However, at the last strike, it looked like the maul had moved on its own accord.

Hylda's training were over, but Grogg needed some time to recover. I walked a bit away from the other and enjoyed the emptiness of the desert.

After about half an hour, Grogg were back on the feet and Hylda suggested we go back to the inn to get something to eat. Nuur-Karif and Yana had returned when we got back. They were annoyed that Grogg and Wolfram had not stayed in the room, but were still tight lipped about what they had been up to. They also wondered if the others had clothes for cold weather and suggested that everyone should get warm cloaks.

Keri knocked on the door and said that they had something they wanted me and Wolfram to see. It was a small clay bowl whose inside was shining with mother of pearl. I detected faint traces of energy from it. Keri said that the bowl could help us detect water. However, we would have to wait until nightfall because it needed the light of Amna to work. In the meantime, they could fetch Munir. Munir had travelled in the desert in their youth and would have useful advice for us. I said this would be a good idea, but Nuur-Karif would rather run off again. Ostensibly to the chapel. Keri asked me to watch the bowl while they fetched the innkeeper. However, they returned alone. Munir was busy and would have to come later.

Keri left and Wolfram continued the whittling project while Grogg sewed. I took the opportunity to get some sleep if we were going to stay up all night.

[Stomoxys]

Sometime just after midnight, I heard banging on the door to the other room and Keri and Munir talking. I went to meet them and was just in time to see a pillow come flying out the door and hit Keri in the face. Grogg was not pleased to be woken.

Grogg's temper was calmed with alcohol and Munir wondered why we had asked for them. They were a bit disappointed that we only wanted advice, but said they would tell us what they knew. It seemed Keri had promised them a surprise. Nuur-Karif had also returned from their trip.

Our first question was what time of day one should travel. They said it did not really matter at this time of the year. Since it was winter, the temperatures would be bearable for apeoids, even at noon, while at night, it could get uncomfortably cold. They warned us that sudden changes in temperature could indicate that a sandstorm was approaching. If this happened, we should immediately make camp and shelter in our tent. The storms could arrive very quickly, so they recommended that we practiced setting up the tent beforehand. That way, everyone would know what to do and we would not waste any time or fail to set it up properly. A shoddily erected tent could be taken by the wind.

Normally, there were not much wind in the desert though.It would usually came up The Salt Scar from east to west. In most of the desert, the prevailing direction was then from east to a west-southwest direction. However, further north, west of the southern reaches of the mountains, the wind would turn to a more northerly direction. A slight wind was preferable, as it would both be cooling and indicate a low chance of storms.

If the wind died completely, we should be particularly careful. It could be a sign that a storm was on its way and even worse, it could bring toxic fog from The Salt Scar. When we went to Dulmar, the dwarven city close to The Salt Scar in The Cities of the Prince, the foul air had burned my nostrils and made me want to retch. According to Munir, the fog was bad enough to damage tents and was dangerous even to apeoids. Getting caught in fog from there sounded like a slow and excruciating death. To survive, one would have to shelter in the tent, wrap oneself in wet fabrics, and hope it would be a short spell. Sometimes the fog lasted a few hours, but it could last for a week or even more. Desert travellers usually brought a spare tent in case their main tent was damaged by such a fog. If ours was of high quality, it should survive unless it was a long lasting fog.

Weather was not the only danger in the desert. There were also malevolent powers lurking out in the desert. While one should be on guard at all times, they were particularly dangerous at night or after sandstorms.

There were two powers out there that were particularly dangerous and Munir called them demons, Zuzu, or Rakash in Arani, and Lamashtu. It was unclear if they were demons of the same type as Krull and their companions, or something different.

Lamashtu was depicted as a female apeoid with the head of some kind of predator. It was said to be able to control animals, especially reptiles and serpents found in the desert. According to apeoid myth, it could scent its way to the defenseless, especially those not protected by any god and preferred to eat young apeoids. Much of this sounded rather farfetched, especially the part about a mammal controlling a reptile, but it seemed plausible that there were some kind of source of the myths.

Zuzu was said to be a demon of disease. This power was said to appear as a dark shadow in the shape of an apeoid with large wings. Unfortunate travellers in the desert could attract the attention Zuzu and bring disease with them that would spread in towns and cities they visited. According to Wolfram, there were Tiri cultists who specialised in fighting Zuzu

There were also some general signs to look out for. If there were clouds in front of Amna, it was a bad omen. Another thing to watch out for was vultures. These large scavenger birds would often follow travellers and circle silently above them. If there was an even number of vultures it was a good omen, especially if they followed from the start of the journey. However, an odd number was a bad sign. If they joined or left during the journey, it could also indicate a change in terrain.

A lot of this sounded like apeoid superstition. Judging from the number of fortune tellers in the caravanserai, the apeoids from Annabel seemed particularly prone to such beliefs. However, considering all the odd things I had experiences since leaving The Homeland, I noted it all down.

There were also more prosaic dangers in the desert. The main one was running out of water. Small oases could appear and make the desert flourish. However, they were unpredictable and were prone to disappear. A caravan could stumble on an oasis and fill their water skins on the way from Annabel and find no signs of it on their way back a few weeks later. For this reason, nobody bothered to mark them down on maps and instead relied on digging to find water. Our bowl would be handy to know where to dig.

There were insects in the desert, but they were small and harmless. On the other hand, they were also to small and far between to use as any nutritional supplement. There were some larger animals that could be dangerous, but they would mostly stay away unless provoked.

A relatively common creature was the wandering jaguars. These were small jaguars the size of the apeoid's cats and were considered a good sign as long as one did not provoke them, that would be a bad omen. It was said they always travelled from shelter to shelter. Following them would certainly provoke them though, so it was not recommended to try.

Nuur-Karif perked up a bit when Munir mentioned snakes. They could be dangerous, but were also a sign of a changing terrain. Usually they were burrowing and some of them were poisonous.

A more problematic creature was earth wings. These rodents looked like rats with wings, but were bad flyers. If the wind started blowing, they could glide and appear rapidly. They were a danger for livestock and pack animals because they would cause wounds and drink the blood. In addition, they could spread diseases. Sometimes, they could also come in huge flocks and attack apeoids as well.

Salamanders were small orange or light brown amphibians. If one pestered them, they could bite and release a substance that could etch and burn its way all the way to the bone. The best advice was to watch one's steps and stay away. However, there were supposed to be salamanders that could grow to be several meters long. These could produce large amounts of the acid and spit it long distances. If one of those showed up, one should get away and try to keep something made of metal to protect against the spit. The acid would burn away the metal, but it was better than burning away the flesh.

Finally, Munir said we should pay attention to the nature of the sand. In the central parts, it would be very fine and form large, undulating dunes. Closer to the edges, the sand would be more rough and form crescent shaped dunes with the round edge facing the prevailing winds.

Rumours had it that there were mountains and hidden, fertile valleys out in the desert. These were not marked on any maps and Munir thought this was probably for good reasons. If we saw something like that, they advised us to stay away.

[Stomoxys]

Munir wanted to go to bed and told Keri that they knew enough to demonstrate the water bowl. They agreed to meet us before lunch so we could practice setting up the tent before saying good night.

Keri said they needed clean water for the bowl. We had lots of waterskins, so that was not an issue. Nuur-Karif were uninterested as usual and wanted to borrow a pen and paper before tuning off again with Yana. The rest of us went out in the desert to test the bowl.

When we reached the normal spot, it was so dark I had to cast night vision. Amna was just a thin sliver and to make matters worse, clouds were covering them almost completely. The rest of the sky was mostly clear though, so we had the faint light of the stars. It reminded me of Munir's omens.

Keri thought the water bowl would work despite the clouds. The made a small pile of sand and then placed the bowl on top of it. It glimmered faintly with reflected light from Amna and seemed to attract more of it than the surrounding areas. The bowl had to be filled to the brim to work, but Keri was too drunk, so I had to do it. We then had to wait.

The desert was very quiet, but I noticed faint ripples on the surface of the water. I do not think I would have seen them without my enhanced vision and there did not seem to be any pattern in them. I lit up the bowl with the shimmering coin for the others to see and Keri thought had expected a greater effect. The ripples should be easily visible and point in a clear direction. Perhaps there was not enough of Amna's light.

I suggested that Wolfram should use their stone. It attracted more of Amna's light and might be sufficient to make the bowl work. They were reluctant, but I pointed out that our lives might depend on finding water in the desert and they set off.

When they returned, they placed the stone next to the bowl and the area around it lit up slightly with a weak beam from Amna. We waited in silence and the ripples in the bowl appeared to intensify and seemed to flow more in the direction of the Ar. Keri picked up the stone and held it over the bowl and the ripples appeared to collect the light from the stone. It also intensified the ripples and the direction of the river began to dominate. To make sure it was not just the waterskin it reacted to, I moved it around, but it did not affect the ripples. Perhaps the ripples would only react to large bodies of water.

We packed away the stone and the ripples calmed. After pouring out the water, Keri wondered when we were planning on leaving and I said we should leave the next day. They were not pleased, but agreed that we could leave after lunch.

On the way back, I asked Wolfram more about Zuzu and what the Tiri cultists would do. They did not know much, but there was a specialised group within the order whose main responsibility was investigating plagues and illnesses to determine if powers like Zuzu were involved. Travellers from the wilderness could draw the attention of such powers, but apeoids could also attract them on purpose for their own purposes. If unusual powers were suspected, the Tiri followers would start with prosaic measures like quarantines, while at the same time trying to identify the source. Outbreaks would often peter out on their own if the original source could be identified and purged. Visions of the Zuzu was an important indicator that a plague was not normal.

Keri wanted more liquor and Wolfram wanted to sleep, so they returned to the inn. I wanted to study the stars and Grogg and Hylda agreed to stay. There were scattered clouds in the sky, but they did not affect my sight and the stars appeared normal. The clouds were still blocking out Amna and it looked unnatural. I decided to investigate if there was something going on and looked for answers among the stars.

At the end of my dance, I was staring up towards Amna, but could not see them due to the clouds. Suddenly Toltecatl's voice spoke to me and asked if I saw the clouds. I answered yes and Toltecatl snorted in disgust and said they did not know what it was supposed to mean.

I shuddered and looked around me, but everything appeared to be normal. Could Toltecatl really have spoken to me? If so, the clouds were truly worrying. If not even they knew what the clouds were supposed to mean, it would truly be a bad omen.

After meditating a bit, we returned to the inn and I went to sleep in the storeroom.

[Stomoxys]

Nuur-Karif was gone again in the morning, but returned soon after breakfast. I told the others about the clouds, but none of them had any opinion on what it meant.

Keri had already saddled Magda, but where nowhere to be seen. However, Munir joined us and and we practiced erecting the tent. After a few tries, we got it up in just a few minutes. Afterwards, I asked Munir what they thought about the clouds. They said that it could indeed be a bad sign, but did not know anything specific.

Nuur-Karif said they would go to fetch the harness for the bear. Wolfram had apparently ordered a strap for their shield and wanted to go as well. They had taken the shield to the leather workers, who were from Annabel, despite Munir's warnings about telling anyone about the mogg's wishes.

I put on an image and went to find the soothsayer to ask about the clouds. If they indeed had abilities, they might be able to tell me more about what they meant. However, when I got to the square, it was almost empty and the tent was shut tight. Over in a corner of the square was a small booth with a short queue. An apeoid was sitting behind it with a deck of painted cards that would usually be used for games. Some apeoids claim to be able to get answers from the card, but even most apeoids consider this to be superstition. I decided to get in the queue. If nothing else, it should be entertaining.

When it was my turn, I handed over a silver coin, which appeared to be pretty average payment, and sat down. The apeoid rubbed the coin against the cards, shuffled them, and asked me to draw a card and concentrate on what I wanted to know. I pulled a card from the middle of the deck and pictured the clouds in my mind.

The card depicted a fool or juggler that was leaning back in a chair and emptying a cup. I noticed that the background in the image was full of cups and goblets, some obvious and some hidden in the details. The apeoid called the card The Fool and asked me to count the number of cups. I counted 21 and told them which they said was interesting and set the card aside. They then split the deck and counted to 21 before drawing a new card and asking if this was my fate for the day. I said I was more interested in what would happen at night. This made them split the deck and count to 21 again before asking if it was my fate for the night.

I said yes and they flipped the card. It depicted an apeoid with chains on their hands and a large, black bird on their shoulder. It was unclear if the bird was whispering to the apeoid or pecking them in the ear. The apeoid asked me if I had a name for the card and, if so, I had to say it aloud. The bird of course made me think of Grogg, so I said their name. While not very discreet, I doubted anyone who cared were not aware that we were in town by now.

The apeoid said that this was someone with more wisdom than they knew and would be more difficult to fool than those around them. Grogg is indeed the wisest and least prone to fits of hysteria of my companions, so the card reader had read some truth. However, their terms were so vague that I could always come up with someone to fit the description. I did not detect any intentional deceit from them though and it was a useful reminder.

Before I left, they said they wanted to give me a gift and slipped a small, flat stone into my hand. They said it would protect against bad forces. I had not noticed anyone else receiving gifts. Away from the square, I studied the stone more intently. It was flat and almost round. On one side, someone had painted an eye where the pupil was a spiral.

I returned to the inn and Nuur-Karif, Yana, and Wolfram returned soon after. The leather workers had made the harness as ordered. However, they had recognised Wolfram's shield as a gift from a mogg and had refused to work on it. Wolfram had caused a scene and who knows what would have happened had Nuur-Karif not been there. They had calmed the leatherworkers with a large bribe to keep them silent.

I wondered how they had recognized the shield. Either one of them must have detected the energies or they had recognized the cat paw imprinted on it. Considering that Moggariff had just been there, it seemed plausible that they recognized the symbol.

With the harness, there was no need to stay any longer and we gathered up our things in a pile behind the inn. Wolfram, Nuur-Karif and Yana went out to the bowl to transform and strap on the harness while I remained by the inn to watch our things. Grogg and Hylda began carrying.

While standing there, I noticed that the leatherworkers were breaking camp and appeared to be in a hurry. I asked one of Munir's guards if Munir was nearby and they said they could fetch them. When Munir arrived, I asked if there was any way to determine if something was a gift from a mogg. They thought that someone with training would be able to recognize them easily. For others, it would be more of a challenge, but if they knew about such things, they might be able to tell.

I thanked them and they asked if they should wake Keri. That explained that the dwarf was nowhere to be seen and I said they should. Keri showed up after a few minutes, just in time for Grogg and Hylda to pick up the last of our things.

[Stomoxys]

I was about to follow when an apeoid rounded the corner of the inn and threw a pouch in our direction. They then immediately turned and ran off in the direction of the leatherworker's camp. The leatherworkers themselves had left already, but several of their tents were still standing and the apeoid disappeared among them.

I picked up the pouch which contained about 20 gold coins that appeared newly minted and from the west. However, at the bottom was an old silver coin that caught my eye. It was also from the west, but unlike the others, it looked ancient and there were energy bound to it.

Apeoids usually keep their gold very close and coins with energy are rare, so something strange was going on. I quickly conjured up the image of an apeoid around myself and followed the apeoid. When I reached the tents of the leatherworkers, it became clear how much in a hurry they had been to leave. It looked like half their belongings were left scattered around among their tents.

Suddenly, I heard a whisper behind me, but when I turned, there was nobody there. I continued my search, but soon heard the whisper again. There were nobody around, but I thought I saw a shimmer around the corner of one of the tents. Again, there was nothing there when I looked closer, but the tent flap stirred a bit and I thought I heard a whisper from inside and entered.

In the gloom in the far end of the tent, it looked like something was shimmering like the tracks I could see with the staff. The whispers where also more intense and I thought there must be a spirit there. I had brought my backpack with The Mogg's Hat of Welcome and pulled it out. If there was a spirit here, I might be able to communicate with it if I was careful and avoided passing out.

I placed the hood over my head and carefully tightened the straps. Suddenly, the straps were tightened further and I was unable to loosen them. I grasped after the straps, but the whispers intensified as I slipped out of consciousness.

Sometime later, I woke up lying on the ground outside the tent. Nuur-Karif and Yana were there and Nuur-Karif were in the process of resuscitating me. My image was gone and my backpack was there. However, there were no traces of the hood.

I got up and told Nuur-Karif that the hood was gone and we had to check the tent. Not bothering with the entrance in case someone was waiting inside, they cut open the tent wall with one of their knives and we peered inside. There were nobody there and no sign of the hood. However, from the tracks, I saw that I had come in, been joined by apeoids and then walked out again, possibly supported by the apeoids. Clearly, someone had attacked me while I had the hood on and stolen it.

I knew the energy patterns of the hood very well by know and let my awareness flow along the residual star energy permeating everything. I had never tried this before, but I quickly recognized the twists and knots around the hood. It was somewhere to the south west and moving rapidly south. Taking my bearings, I determined that they must be travelling south on the path along the river.

Yana took my backpack and set off back to the inn to tell them what had happened while Nuur-Karif and I set off at a run towards the river. I could still sense the hood, but it was not getting nearer. Nuur-Karif spotted a horse in a pasture and signalled that they would take it. I would probably only be delayed if I had to deal with one of those foolish creatures, so I continued on foot.

Nuur-Karif caught up with me when I reached the path and I let them pass at full trott. On the path, I saw the fresh tracks of three camels and shouted as much to Nuur-Karif. They acknowledged and continued at full speed.

After about half an hour, the ground began to get soggier as I neared the wetland. Nuur-Karif had disappeared among the trees, but their tracks were getting deeper in the moist ground. However, the tracks suddenly veered off the track and up a slope to the left. Away from the river, the landscape would quickly get drier and eventually turn to the desert. Terrain much more suitable for camels.

I did not trust that the others would see the tracks turning, so I hurriedly made an arrow of rocks pointing to the left on the ground. Even Grogg or Wolfram should be able to see it. I then climbed the slope and followed the tracks south. They were going in the exact direction of where the hood was.

I had followed the tracks alone for about two hours when I spotted Grogg behind me. While I kept a brisk pace, I did not wish to exhaust myself, so Grogg was catching up. I continued to follow the tracks and made sure Grogg would catch up.

Ten minutes later, I spotted something lying on the ground in front of me. When I got closer, I saw that it was a dead apeoid in a pool of blood. From the way their neck were nearly cut off, I deduced that they were Nuur-Karif's work. The tracks continued on, but it looked like one of the camels was now traveling with Nuur-Karif's horse.

I quickly searched their pockets, but found nothing of interest. I placed their arm so it would point in the direction we were going, though. Grogg caught up with me and we continued on. I told them we were hunting two camel riders and Nuur-Karif was somewhere ahead of us. The distance to The Mogg's Hat of Welcome had stopped increasing, so the camels were probably getting tired. Hopefully they would stop before us.

When Ajaw reached the horizon, we saw Nuur-Karif on their horse with a camel in tow up ahead. They were approaching a rock formation, but their horse made a jump and they slid off its back. We sped up and reached the rocks when Ajaw was halfway behind the horizon. Up ahead, I could spot two camels scrambling on, but they appeared exhausted.

Nuur-Karif was sitting in between two rocks and were perfectly fine. The had pretended to fall off the horse so that the camel riders would think they were safe and stop to rest or at least slow down. The camel riders had almost certainly seen Grogg, so I acted like I was horrified by a sight of a dead Nuur-Karif. I think I overdid it and acted a bit too hysterical, but the camels were so far away I was unsure they even heard me.

We rested a few minutes and ate and drank a little. It quickly got dark after Ajaw disappeared, so I gave Grogg and myself night vision. In the southern sky, Kama and Taxini were back and I could tell it was time for a hunt.

Ahead of us, the camel riders had produced a torch and were walking slowly in the dark. We discussed whether we should follow them or attack. Judging from how tired the camels looked, now was the time to strike, so we ran ahead at full speed.

When they heard the thundering of Grogg's feet on the ground, the camel riders tried to increase their speed, but their tired animals refused to move any faster in the dark. They must have realised it was hopeless and at a hundred meters distance, they stopped. One of them turned towards us and ordered us to stop. They shouted that they had a wish from a mogg and would use it to destroy all of us if we came any closer. I made a flanking manoeuvre while Nuur-Karif shouted for the apeoid to put the hood over their head and tighten the straps. Grogg simply thundered on.

To my surprise, the apeoid screamed that they knew how to use the hood and did exactly as Nuur-Karif told them. Their last words were muffled by the hood and after ten seconds, they toppled from their camel and fell to the ground.

In the meantime, the other apeoid tried to get away, but could only get their camel up to a brisk walk. I put an arrow in their back and they toppled from the camel. They got stuck in the stirrups and ended up getting kicked repeatedly by their panicking steed. In the process, the camel fell and I heard a loud snap from its leg. Thankfully, Nuur-Karif was there and quickly put it out of its misery.

In hindsight, it might have been better to capture the apeoid to learn what had really happened. However, with Kama and Taxini dancing in the sky above me on their wild hunt, it felt wrong to not end the hunt with a kill.

Grogg finished the hooded apeoid with brutal efficiency and crushed their chest with one blow. For a moment, I was worried about the hood, but Grogg had been accurate with their maul and left the head intact.

Nuur-Karif worried about the horse for some reason and wondered if they should take it back to the caravanserai. I said they should just release it and it would probably find its own way back, but Nuur-Karif insisted they return it. We would have to go back anyway to meet up with the others, so I said it was fine, but asked them to make sure the mammals had died properly. If there were spirits hunting in the desert, we should not take anything for granted. Nuur-Karif agreed and sat down to pray.

While they prayed, I sat down to meditate on Kama and Taxini. Something told me they had been on a great hunt and I hoped that was the only reason they had been absent for so long.

Nuur-Karif said that the spirits had gone to the underworld as they should and we started to walk back with the two living camels and the horse. After about an hour, we saw lights which turned out to be the giant bear and the rest of our company. Wolfram had brought all of our things on their back and were exhausted, so we decided to set up camp where we were. Nuur-Karif insisted on returning the horse, so they set off into the night with a camel in tow.

I found a small mound near the camp and sat down to meditate on the stars. It was strangely invigorating and except for approaching sleepiness, I felt fresh. The others had gone to bed with nobody standing guard, so I took the first night watch and then woke Grogg. To my relief, there were no clouds in front of the small sliver of Amna that was visible.

[Stomoxys]

Nuur-Karif was back when I woke up, but were very tired. They had ridden all night and handed the horse off to a random apeoid at the caravanserai. They had then returned on the camel. There had been groups of apeoids patrolling the caravanserai, but Nuur-Karif had not found out why. Presumably because Wolfram had run through the area in their bear form.

We were tired from the hunt, so nobody was in any rush to get going, especially Nuur-Karif. We were at the edge of the desert proper, but it was cooler than expected. It was warm enough to go naked though, so I got the cloak off. My skin adapted to the golden brown colour of the sand, but there were still slightly brighter areas flittering about. I did not think it would weaken my camouflage though.

Wolfram wondered what had happened before and I told the others about the apeoid with the pouch. Nuur-karif wanted to see the pouch and clearly recognized it. At first they denied they knew anything about the coins, but with a bit of probing they admitted they had given the coins to the leatherworkers to keep them silent.

Twenty gold pieces was considerably more than they had indicated they had paid earlier, but more important was where they had gotten 20 gold pieces from the west and a silver coin full of energy. I asked them and they said they had gotten them from Ninos. This seemed to be true, but they refused to say when and why. When I pushed them, they claimed they had gotten them in Byblos and became very specific, but it was clear that they were hiding something.

Before I could push more, Wolfram began ranting about taking the hood. I was about to point out how well it went when they were supposed to guard the ruby from Darwan. However, before I could say anything, Nuur-Karif shut down the discussion by pointing out that it was not Wolfram's to take.

I suspect they intervened so that I would let the issue of the pouch be, so I did not bring it up again. Nuur-Karif have often been secretive about their motives, but rarely outright lying. I would have to keep an eye on them in case they started acting strangely again. I do not doubt that they would risk all our lives or even try to kill us themselves if they thought it was for the good of their cult.

Nuur-Karif wanted to take the camels with them to ride on. While we traveled along the lake, there should be enough food for them to feed themselves. After that, they wanted to kill and eat them. It was disgusting, but I agreed as long as I did not have to have anything to do with it.

I wanted to investigate the coin and to my surprise, Nuur-Karif was supportive. They suspected there might be some kind of tracking spell on it, so they clearly did not trust Ninos implicitly. While I studied the coin, Nuur-Karif went back to their tent to sleep.

The threads surrounding the coin were intricate and I got the impression they were as old as the coin itself. It was very difficult to trace, but they reminded me of thread reading. It was rather limited though as it could only answer yes or no and it seemed to prefer cases where there were no way of knowing the answer beforehand.

I decided to test it. The coin had two sides, one with the face of an apeoid, the other with the image of a cup. I found a flat rock with an interesting pattern on one side that I associated with the head. I handed the rock to Grogg and then tossed the the coin up in the air. When I caught it, I made sure that Grogg could not see that it landed with the head up and told Grogg to toss the rock as high as they could. They sent the rock flying, so I had to walk some distance to find it. It had landed with the patterned side down.

This was apparently not how to use the coin. Perhaps it did not work for questions with so clear yes and no answers as the rock tossing, or perhaps it only indicated the most likely and would be more accurate than the expectation value. Testing that would require more rock tosses, but as far as I could tell, the coin only worked once per day. There were also other intricacies in the threads that I had not quite figured out, so I would have to study it further. The cup side reminded me of the fortune tellers card.

Ajaw was nearing the zenith and we should get going. I scanned the sky while we packed up the tent, but I saw no vultures.

While we worked, we discussed which route to take. We could either travel more or less directly south to the lake or take a longer route further west. The direct route would be the fastest, but it would be harder to find water than closer to the river. We had enough water for a few days and in case of disaster, we would not be more than a days walk from the wetlands, so we decided on the direct route. When we set off, Nuur-Karif asked me if I could examine their parasol next time we made camp and I agreed.

The direct route took us back the way we came the night before and after an hour we were back at the corpses. What immediately struck me was how quiet it was. I would have expected vultures and other scavengers to be fighting over the corpses, but the only sign of life was a few buzzing flies and the corpses were soothingly quiet.

Wolfram approached the corpses and began sniffing them. Nuur-Karif said that they could not eat the camel, but the bear ignored them and gave Grogg a push towards the dead beast. I reminded them that Nuur-Karif had used their poisoned knives and Wolfram lost interest and walked away. Grogg did not register that Wolfram's change of heart and startet hacking at the camel's neck. The head came off in a few swings and Grogg presented their grizzly prize to Wolfram. However, the bear just snorted and kept walking. Grogg shrugged and dropped the head on the ground.

I was about to go after the others when I saw the corpse of the apeoid with the hood and decided to taste their blood. It tasted of a desire for power that reminded me a bit of the dead Tivitos we had encountered. Apparently, the apeoid had been delusional to the end.

We kept walking for the rest of the day with short breaks for rest and eating. While it was warmer than in Sam, it was not oppressively hot and the mammals were doing fine.

As Ajaw neared the horizon, it looked like they were going faster than usual. This could just be a trick caused by the open landscape, but I took note of it.

When Ajaw slipped under the horizon, a zephyr blew across the across the landscape bringing respite from the heat. Munir had said that lack of wind could indicate a sandstorm was coming, so it was reassuring to feel the air stir.

After a bit of debate, we decided it was little point to continue in the dark and set up the tents, practising on erecting them in a hurry in the dark.

While we ate, Wolfram said that they might fall asleep for a day or two. Being stuck with a sleeping Wolfram somewhere we could not get more water and possibly be attacked by restless spirits did not sound very attractive. Wolfram thought it might be possible to wake them in case of an emergency, but could not guarantee anything.

I have heard that bears hibernate during the colder season and asked Wolfram if this was related. They said it might, but did not know. They had started feeling like the hibernation was approaching lately, even though it should not have happened before later in the year. It could be related to the cold arriving earlier than usual this year. Nuur-Karif said Wolfram should take the first watch in case it was not possible to wake them.

After we ate, I said I could take a look at the parasol and Nuur-Karif agreed before withdrawing to the tent they shared with Yana. I took their parasol to a mound a hundred meters away from the camp and began dancing. After all the items I had studied lately, the tracking the threads had become more of a routine and I was able to do it faster than before.

The first pattern I found turned out to be some kind of illusion that was possible to activate by focusing and donating energy to the parasol. It would cause the light to twist around the parasol, giving it the illusion of being invisible.

There was another pattern under the first and I continued my tracing. This pattern was similar to the first and would also generate a an illusion of invisibility. This one would affect whoever was in the shadow of the parasol and did not appear to require any donations of energy.

I wanted to test the parasol and returned to the campfire. Holding the parasol up against the campfire, I appeared to disappear. The parasol was still fully visible and looked like it was floating in the air. I concentrated on the parasol and suddenly it was gone. However, when I looked closer, I could still spot its outline and it still cast a faint shadow. Enough of a shadow for me to remain invisible. I would not be able to keep the parasol invisible for more than a couple of minutes, so I let it reappear and packed it up.

Wolfram had set up their totem while I was gone and was now standing guard next to it. Amna was gone and I could tell it put Wolfram on edge. Since I was already awake, I took over the watch. The night was unnaturally quiet, but nothing happened. When my watch was over, I woke Nuur-Karif and explained how the parasol worked. Before going to bed, I meditated on the stars a bit.

[Stomoxys]

The night went by without incident and we woke when Ajaw rose over the horizon and the landscape began to heat up. After a short breakfast, we took down the tents and began walking. Hylda commented that their watch had been eerily quiet. Wolfram thought this was normal, but I pointed out that there should have been insects at least. Nuur-Karif said they had seen a small critter, but it had been far away and they had not gotten a good look. If the spirits were haunting the area, it might cause the absence of life.

I wore the ring as we walked in order to spot any approaching spirits. I spotted a few scattered tracks, so someone had traveled through the area before, but they looked several days or possibly weeks old.

The morning went by quietly and we had a short break in the middle of the day. It was getting warmer, but still not enough to be a major issue. After we started walking again, Nuur-Karif got their parasol and opened it. They disappeared, as expected, but the camel they were riding on was too large.

Yana was staring at the floating parasol with a strange expression on their face and I felt something bordering on horror coming from them. I asked them what they saw, but they just muttered something unintelligible and asked if I could not see it. Nuur-Karif quickly closed their parasol and appeared on top of their camel again. I explained that to me, Nuur-Karif was gone and that the parasol caused an illusion.

It seemed that Yana could see not just mine, but perhaps all illusions. This could be an extremely useful skill, especially if Darwan was waiting at the ruined city. I suggested that they should practice seeing small illusions. That way, they could become used to them and react less hysterically next time we were exposed to illusions. Yana said that I might have a point, but they feared their ability had come from Darwan and would rather suppress it as much as possible. I suppose that they had a point, as apeoids are prone to give in to demonic influences.

The landscape got drier and rocks and boulders gave way to sand dunes as we walked. In some areas, the soft sand made it harder to walk, but not enough to cause any large delays.

As Ajaw was about to disappear, I said we should stop for the night. Wolfram kept walking, but stopped when I pointed out that we would have to walk all night before we reached the lake and would be exhausted by then.

The lightly faded quickly, so we practiced setting up the tent quickly in the dark. By now, we all knew the routine, so we should be able to do it in an emergency.

Amna was back in the sky and stars started to appear. I sat down to observe them and it struck me that it was unusually quiet. It reminded me of other occasions when the stars got very quiet just before major events happened.

Wolfram took the first watch again and I walked away from the camp to dance. Nulius had talked about a dragon in the north and I wanted to know if it existed. Perhaps I could even get a vision of it. As I danced, I was able to gather the threads into what I thought was an image. However, when I was about to tie in the last threads and take in the vision, it faded away into nothing. Confused, I returned to the camp. However, after three steps, I was absolutely certain that there was a dragon in the north.

Back in the camp, I sat down to meditate until it was my turn to take a watch. This made me even more certain that there was a dragon. Perhaps my increased sensitivity had also increased my awareness of the stars and my mind was now able to take in information directly, bypassing my sense of vision. I would have to test this further later.

When it became my turn to keep watch, I gave myself night vision. However, my watch was extremely quiet. The only sounds came from a couple of flies around the camels and Grogg's snoring. When my watch was done, I woke Nuur-Karif and handed them the spirit ring before going to bed.

[Stomoxys]

Hylda had the last watch, but had nothing to report when they handed back the ring. Breakfast went by in silence and we set off. The morning went by without incident and we had a lunch break while Ajaw was at their highest before continuing on.

After about two hours, we spotted some birds far to the south. As we got closer, I could distinguish three large birds circling high above the ground. This was typical behaviour of vultures according to Munir and I used the threads to zoom in on them. It was indeed three large birds of carrion that were silently circling around. The area they were circling appeared to be lower in the terrain, so I could not see what they were circling.

I suggested we approach carefully. If there were dead mammals around, whatever killed them might also be around. Wolfram ignored me and trundled on. If there was something dangerous, it would spot Wolfram long before it spotted me.

After half an hour, the landscape suddenly dropped in steep cliffs down to an enormous lake. Even from our elevated position, we could not see the far side. Had I not known about the lake, I would have assumed it was the ocean.

Below us was a U-shaped bay flanked by steep cliffs. The vultures appeared to be circling bottom of the U, but from our position, we could not see what they were circling.

I suggested that I go down and investigate. Pakk and Gromann should have come by this area and for all we knew, it could be them down there. Keri did not want to provoke the vultures in case they were a bad omen. Wolfram, however, gently shoved me in the direction of the cliffs, which I took for a yes. My lasso rope would be sufficient to get me down in case I found a difficult part, so I fetched it from my backpack and began climbing. After five minutes, I reached a shelf about a quarter of the way down and took a short break.

Looking down, I saw rock pillars and other strange formations were the waves from the lake had battered the cliffs for ages. At the end of the bay there was a small pebble beach. I could not see anything or anyone on it, but the vultures seemed to focus on it.

I continued down and reached another shelf halfway down. At the end of the shelf, a crack in the rock face formed a small cave. I looked in and used my shining rock for light. However, the cave was just a few meters deep and empty. There would not even be space to lie down, but there was a bit of moist sand at the end of the cave. The moisture seemed to seep out from the rocks, like Munir had talked about.

The next part of the climb was a bit easier and I tried to stay hidden. The vultures had probably seen me, but if there was anything or anyone down there, it would be better if I spotted them before they spotted me.

While I climbed, five birds of another species came flying in from the lake. I did not know what species they were, but they reminded me of the ocean birds flocking around the apeoid harbours and they were just as noisy. However, the vultures proved they could be just as loud and chased the newcomers away.

I finally reached the beach at the bottom of the cliff and almost immediately spotted tracks. They turned out to be the tracks of two apeoid and lead towards a crack in the cliff face. It was similar to the one I had seen above, but much larger. There was also another crack off to the side, but the tracks had gone straight to the largest. One of the apeoids appeared to support the other that must have hurt its leg. I estimated that the tracks were two days old.

Peering inside the largest crack, I saw a circular cavern. The rock surface was rounded, as if worn down by water. Water was trickling down the back wall of the cave, but I could not see anyone. However, there was blood on the cavern floor and I bent down to taste it. A wave of nausea and dizziness came over me, but passed almost immediately. The apeoid must have struggled to even stand upright.

I moved further into the cave and my eyes adjusted to the gloom inside. The tracks led up to the back wall with the water and stopped. However, there were dark stains on the wall higher up that looked like blood. Further up, it looked like the wall ended in a plateau. The trickling water made the rocks slippery, but climbing would be straightforward for me. The apeoids must have struggled though. I gave myself night vision and began to climb.

The plateau was a narrow gallery overlooking the cave below, no more than a meter wide. There was another tunnel continuing further into the rock where the water was coming from. I tiptoed in and listened for any signs of life, but the only sound I heard was the sound of running water.

Ten meters in, the tunnel split. To the right, a stream came running down a passage leading up. Some of it trickled out the way I had come, but most of it flowed down a passage to my left. So far in, I struggled to see, even with night vision, but peering into the tunnel to the left, I saw the water disappear down a fissure at the end of the tunnel.

It seemed unlikely that the wounded apeoids would try to climb down the fissure, so I took the passage to the right. It was so dark I had to feel my way, but after a few meters, I found an opening in the wall above me to the right. I pulled myself up and felt dried blood on the floor, indicating that the apeoids had been there.

The side passage continued about ten meters and got increasingly narrow until it widened out again into a chamber about five by three meters. It was empty, but above, a small opening in the rocks let in the light of Ajaw. The apeoids were not there, but I found some fabric that had been used to wrap some food. I also found fibers that looked like they had been ripped apart. The apeoids had been there and eaten and probably treated the injury, but then decided to go deeper.

I crawled back to the tunnel with the stream and continued up. Like the other passage, this one also narrowed the further I went. However, this one did not open up, but ended in a cracked rock face. Cold and clean water flowed out of the cracks and tasted surprisingly clean. If there were fish in the lake, this place could be a self sufficient settlement.

The apeoids must have climbed down the fissure after all, so I returned to it. From above, it looked like a black opening and it was impossible to tell how deep it was. I waited a bit in the dark, but could not hear anything, so I risked using The Shimmer Coin.

In the light of the coin, I could see that the fissure opened up into a larger cavern. The floor was about eight meters below me. That would put it at the level of the lake and I thought I could hear the gurgle of waves below.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of rustling fabric as if something moved in the cave. I opened all my senses and tried to detect whatever it was that was down there. Gradually, I became aware of something alive below me. It was very weak though. Focusing further, I flowed with the threads down into the caves and found something. I was not sure, but it felt like an apeoid. It was much weaker than a healthy apeoid should be though.

[Stomoxys]

In its weakened state, I did not think the apeoid could pose a threat, so I said "hello" into the cave. The faint sounds of movement froze, but I did not get any response. I asked if they needed help, but I still did not get an answer, even when I said I knew they were down there. I did hear some faint movements again. I also sensed the dizziness from the apeoid was starting to affect me.

I attached my rope in crack in the rock wall and climbed down. I found myself in the middle of a chamber about six meters across. The water flowed into a hole in the ground near the wall. This was where the gurgling sounds came from and I suspected it had to be an opening to the lake. There were also more traces of meals and an empty saddlebag lying on the ground.

I was more interested in a small side chamber on the other side of the cavern. I could sense that there was someone hiding behind a wall that partially separated the chambers. This was confirmed when I heard whispering in Arani. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by a sense of desperation and wanted to curl up on the floor, but I gathered myself and said hello in Arani.

The whispering stopped for a few seconds and I slowly approached the side chamber. The whispers were muffled, as if the whisperer spoke into the ground or their clothes, so I could not interpret what they said. I felt fear and sadness though.

I peered around the wall and saw a human dressed as the apeoids from Annabel. They were curled up with their face hidden by their hands. Another human lay in their lap, with their foot in a twisted angle and clearly dead.

Again I asked if they needed help, this time in Arani, and stepped into the chamber. With The Shimmer Coin, they should be able to see me, even with no night vision.

The human jerked and stared terrified in my direction. Their whispers turned into mumbling and something that sounded like something between a prayer and curse. It was rambling and incoherent, but they said something about the invisible coming to get them. They then asked if I had come to take them to the underworld and then pleaded with me to take them before falling into a prayer. It took a moment or two due to the different language, but then I recognised one of Nuur-Karif's many prayers to Ashtar.

I joined in their prayer and tried to use it to sooth them. It worked at least partially and at the end of the prayer, they said their friend was with Ashtar and wondered why they had not been taken too. They did not know what they had done to deserve their faith, but it must have been horrible since Ashtar had "sent the siblings after them".

This was a very strange wording, but I did not think it would be possible to get any lucid answers from them. Instead I said that Ashtar still had use for them and they should come with me. A priest was waiting for them outside.

They seemed to accept what I told them and even reached out their hand when I held out mine to get them up. However, they jerked it away when they touched my skin and collapsed back against the wall. I do not think it was entirely voluntary, but a reflexive motion. Perhaps it had something to do with the siblings they had talked about, or perhaps they were just afraid because they had never seen a Person before.

Either way, they appeared to be too weak to climb out of the cave, so I decided to get the others. If I could find a way to get Grogg in, they would have no problem lifting the apeoid up to the opening above and the apeoid did not appear to be in immediate danger of dying. I gave them some grapes to eat. They said it was a strange last meal and I answered that it was not a last meal.

The opening to the lake looked large enough for Grogg, so I decided to use it to get out. I left my shining rock in the middle of the cave so the apeoid would be able to see.

It was just a few meters to swim through a tunnel before I saw light above me. The water in the lake had a foul taste of salt, but should be drinkable in an emergency. I broke the surface just outside the end of the beach and hurried ashore and back to the cliffs. It might be faster to look for an easier passage back up, but there was no guarantee.

The climb back up went smooth. My companions had set up the tent at the top and Wolfram was dozing next to it in their bear form while the others were inside. I explained to Nuur-Karif that someone of their faith needed their help and they jumped to their feet. I suggested that Nuur-Karif should climb down with me while the others attempted to find an easier route down. Nuur-Karif initially agreed, but changed their mind when they saw how steep it was.

Instead, Nuur-Karif and I would search for a way down on the left side of the bay, while, Grogg, Yana, and Hylda would search in the other direction. If anyone found anything, they would shout for the others. It should carry across to the other side. Keri remained by the tent while Wolfram followed Grogg. I grabbed a couple of extra ropes as it would no doubt come in handy.

A few hundred meters from the camp, a ravine lead down towards the bay. It ended in a steep slope, but it was only five to six meters and looked relatively easy to climb, especially if I put up a rope.

We shouted for the others and could see them turn back towards us. Nuur-Karif and I began our climb down the ravine. At the slope, I attached a rope to a rock outcropping for the others. From the slope, a shelf sloped down towards the water. We had to wade the last bit to the beach, but only about ten meters and it was no more than knee deep.

On the way down, I explained what I had found to Nuur-Karif and asked if they wanted to swim or go through the caves. They thought swimming would be the easiest, especially if I swam first with a rope to guide them. This went well and the cave looked the same as when I left it. However, the apeoid had passed out and were lying unconscious on the spot I left them. Nuur-Karif bent down to talk to them, but barely got any response.

I asked if Nuur-Karif saw any snake bites on the apeoid, but they did not, at least not in their initial examination. There were no other obvious signs of physical trauma either, so Nuur-Karif gave a prayer and we tried to feed the apeoid a bit.

They were very weak and would probably die if we left them. However, dragging them through the underwater cave would probably kill them, so we had to lift them through the cave. If Grogg swam in through the tunnel, they could lift the apeoid up through the opening. Nuur-Karif and I could then carry them back to the wall were we could lower them down. If Grogg swam back out, they could catch the apeoid in the outer cave and make sure they got down safely.

I swam back out and met Grogg, Hylda, and Yana. Wolfram had had the sense to remain in the ravine. The would probably have made it down the slope in one piece, but the luggage would probably not.

Grogg agreed to the plan and grabbed onto the guiding rope with their good hand. I swam in front and they followed me into the cave. With some rope work, I made a harness for the apeoid that supported their weight and should minimize the risk of injury. Nuur-Karif and I climbed up the fissure and the operation went surprisingly smooth. By the time we had reached the wall, Grogg was already waiting below and gently lowered the apeoid to the ground.

I asked Nuur-Karif to make sure the dead apeoid was properly dead, but they had already said their prayers. Nuur-Karif climbed down the wall to take care of the apeoid while I returned to the cavern to fetch the shining rock and rope. Before I left, I searched it thoroughly, but found nothing that could identify any of the apeoids. The only thing they had brought with them was the now empty saddlebag that must have contained a little food and nothing else.

Judging from the tracks, the apeoids had come down the ravine. However, we were several days from any settlements, so they must have been part of a larger group or at least have had more luggage with them. They were also much weaker than they should have. There were lots of water in the cave and they had eaten the day before. Even though apeoids are ravenous creatures, they can last more than a day without eating.

When I returned to the surface, the others were already walking towards the slope, but I easily caught up with them. With the help of Grogg, we were able to pull the apeoid up the slope and carried them back to the tent. I told the others that the apeoid had said something about "the invisible" and Yana thought they had heard the phrase before. They were uncertain, but thought it could mean spirits or wraiths, which sounded very plausible.

[Stomoxys]

It was more windy by the lake, so the tracks were quite weathered. However, I determined that the apeoids had come from the south along the cliff's edge. If one of them had a broken foot, they had not come far and I suggested that I could see if I could find their camp. Nuur-Karif agreed reluctantly, but said I should be back within 30 minutes. I agreed. If there were spirits around, I would not like to be caught alone out in the desert.

I followed the tracks a few kilometers. They had mostly been weathered away, but they continued quite far and I could not see any sign of a camp. However, it was clear that the wounded apeoid had been fine. They must have broken their leg when they descended from the ravine. Perhaps they would still be alive if they had not hurt themselves.

The vultures had shifted the centre of their circles to our camp when I returned. I wondered if I should climb and place the corpse on the beach. Being eaten and give life to the birds would be much more dignified than putrefying away in the bottom of some dark cave. I assumed Nuur-Karif would become hysterical though.

Nuur-Karif had erected their tent next to our large one while I was gone. It had been turned into a field hospital and the apeoid was placed on a mat in the middle.

Wolfram had taken their human form and was working on erecting their totem. I wondered how long they could maintain their ritual that made it possible to see spirits. They said it would last an hour and it would quickly drain them if they were to maintain it. There would not be much pointing in using it unless we suspected spirits were near.

Nuur-Karif announced they intended to guard the apeoid all night. I told them what the apeoid had said about siblings and suggested that I check their aura. If the apeoid had meant snakes, it could indicate they had been attacked by Lamashtu, which might show up in their aura. Nuur-Karif agreed and I took up position in the opening where I could see the sky. Stars were beginning to appear, so I could dance and follow the flow of the threads around the apeoid.

Their aura looked like that of a normal human. However, there was something off about it. I got the impression something had chewed on or drained them, making their aura weaker and appear ragged and faded on the edges. I had never seen anything like it before, but it did not seem to be very recent. Perhaps a few days ago, but no more than a week at most. The jagged edges looked like they had been even sharper, as if they had started to heal. Perhaps it could heal completely, given time.