Chapter 2: Dunestriders

Already used to speak with the dead, Akh wasn't disturbed at first, but another voice started creeping in, less than a whisper at first. Slowly he started to focus on it, intrigued. When it spoke there was a cracking sound, like the sound of a camp fire. The voice slowly overshadowed all the others, and it wasn't just a voice anymore, there was a presence. Nothing physical, but inside of him. It was that presence that protected him, whispering in a long forgotten language. The more he heard it, the more he felt like the surrounding temperature was rapidely rising. Trying to call out to his friends, Akh realized he coudn't move anymore, he could barely breathe anymore. Power... That voice!! He had heard it before !! But where ?... You asked me for Power and I gave you some of it... His skin had started blistering, his clothes and blindfold burned away, his drying eyes could not believe it, he was floating in emptiness... No not emptiness, there was something in front of him, a flame, hot, getting hotter, nearer... Now how about I make you taste it some more.... Something in the flame, eyes maybe, no but something was "looking" at him... ...Feel my power coursing in your veins !!!...
And then his blood started boiling, and he remembered... Amenemhet!! The God-Pharaoh !! Master of magic and fire !! His body burst into flames !! He felt power replace his blood even as his skin was melting. It was terrifying, his body could not endure it, his flesh was melting, his muscle dried up, his bones cracked under the heat. It was almost as if is entire being was about to burst !! He could feel himself yelling in pain with lungs that were not functional anymore... and then... darkness... No pain, no heat. Nothing... a whisper, ...grow strong, learn and you'll live...
Then Akh collapsed on the ground...

The sun is rising and we are close to my home now. There will be further tests, but if you stay strong, safety will be yours.

Jana thinks back to her first time she met Soro...
The druids of her oasis and the water seekers of his village have been at peace for generations. Part of this peace entailed a young druid and a young water seeker would go on a quest together. She was paired with Soro. During their quest they stumbled into a nest of vipers. They managed to get away, but both sustained bites. The only way to survive was to suck the poison out. It kept them alive long enough to finish the quest and make it back to his village.
I know he is strong enough to get through this test and see my village for the first time.

The party is lead along through a narrow defile between two towering sandstone cliffs by Jana. The path begins a steep incline until it reaches a wide gorge. The chasm is spanned by a network of rope bridges, made from cords woven from the fibers of tough desert plants.

The first span crosses from the edge of a thousand foot precipice across the void about three hundred feet to the top of a spire reaching up from the canyon floor.

Jana takes the party one at a time to cross the bridge, its wooden slats are spaced wide for a halfling, but are easy for the tall human to reach. As Jana clutches the Swordsman's hand, every few steps he whispers, "skip the next step... extra wide now"

The swordsman's blindfold allows the warrior to peek out only straight down at his feet. The heat of the day, and fatigue from the all night march catches up with the Man With No Name and makes him momentarily careless.

About midway across the span, he steps well short of skipping the next step as instructed and his foot lands on a board, which simply disappears! He falls into space letting go of Jana and reaching out to grasp the next board with one hand, his other hand flailing in the air.

After several heart beats he manages to swing his left arm up and grasp the board as his body twists in the wind. A second later his hand slips and he spins around. Pain shoots through his shoulder and his fingers begin to lose their strength ... he is about to fall when he emits a grunt and his left hand finds purchase on the rope frame.

Pulling with both arms, the Swordsman heaves himself up through sheer strength of will and a survivor's instinct to keep going.
His awkward clambering is made all the more difficult by the bouncing and swaying of the rope bridge and again the he nearly loses purchase, but is helped back onto the safety of the bridge with little Jana's help.

The terror receding as he stands up gripping both sides of the rope bridges spans with a white knuckled death grip he grunts his thanks and indicates with his chin he's ready to move on.

They make it across the span to a small wooden platform built out of the side of the spire.

wait here instructs Jana, to which the Swordsman replies It's not like I have someplace special to go.

After the bridge crossing Jana leads the group through the wide mouth of a sandstone cave that opens quickly into a large spherical cavern. The walls and ceiling of the cavern are poked with tunnels leading off in every direction. The sound of scuttling can be hear coming from every direction. If the wrong path is taken an intruder will quickly find themselves in either a viper pit or a sand scorpion's nest. I will lead and each of you hold on to the persons foot in front of you. Jana explains to the others. You must crawl through, since you are larger, keep as close to the center as you can.

With instructions done Jana picks a nondescript tunnel that seems to lead back the way they had come but turns sharply as soon as the tunnel is out of sight of the main chamber. The tunnel is hot and dust from so much shuffling but the party trudges through and finally make their way our of an opening through the top of the tunnel that is hidden inside a ring of thornberry bushes.

Once everybody is out of the tunnel, Jana asks that everyone waits for a few minutes. She goes a few paces away to take a few leaves of a rare plant growing here. Once back with the group she take a mortar and pestle hidden near the mouth of the tunnel and makes a paste with it, adding just enough water to it. After that she asks everybody to put some underneath their feets. When the group is done she makes them walk slowly, as if they where walking on brittle eggs. What the party does know is that the paste acts as a reppelant for the dangerous sand cactus. The Sand cacti are a form of plant that feeds on the life-blood of those that dwell near it. Sand cacti are well protected, for everything about the plant, except the needles, is hidden below the sand. The body can be from 5-8 feet across, 4 feet thick, and weigh up to 600 pounds. It has many barbed needles with long, thin strands connecting them to its bulbous body. The body and strands are a sickly white, while the needles are a sandy color, helping it stay camouflaged. And the paste Jana made them put under their feet somehow makes the needles shrink away from it....

Jana is proud of her team for making it through the challenges. She is also hesitant. Strangers are not brought to the oasis often, it is a breach of the trust given to those who leave the oasis.

Wait here for a minute, I have to go and speak to the guards.

Jana walks to the small crack in the Cliff where, just out of sight, the halfling guards are stationed.

I have three Outsiders with me. They have come through all the trials while blindfolded. I ask for permission to pass with them. The need is great.

The main guard replies...Welcome home Jana. The need always seems great when you bring home strays.

This is the second time in all the years that I have been in this situation, but to them it may as well be 100.

One of them is a blood brother, the rest have risked their lives beside me. They would die if I had not brought them. I do not do this lightly, but I invoke Water Rights my companions.

At this the guards look surprised, but all arguments stop.

Bring your friends, I will advise the elders.

Jana goes back to her blindfolded charges and leads them to the break in the rocks. Once inside, she advises them to remove the blindfolds.

After about 100 feet through the path that winds between cliffs hundreds of feet high, you exit back into the sunlight. The sight takes your breath away.

There is a path leading about 500 feet down that ends at the side of the oasis proper. There are tents around the outside, you guess that there maybe 100 halflings living there.
But what really takes your breath away is the green. You expected palm trees and some water. You did not expect that they had used irrigation to grow fields of food and what looks like tobacco. All along the cliff are archers. If anyone ever found their way in to this haven, it would be near impossible to take.
Above all, there is a feeling of peace.
A party of halflings, led by what appears to be a group of elders approaches. The peace may be shortlived.

Thank you Grandmother. a term of respect, not of actual blood relation. These are not normal strays. I believe they have a fate ahead of them. One that may have an effect on all the desert.

Jana gives an account of everything that happened in their travels so far.

I felt it was imperative to get to the bottom of this.

Jana sighs and looks down.

But, as you know, I would not leave them to die in the sand whether or not I felt they were important.

After the matriarch left, Jana feels a pull towards the clifftop around the oasis. This was always a favourite spot for Jana. From up here she can see the whole oasis laid out before her. It always drove home the beauty and importance of her home.
This time it is a different feeling, it is more like a voice calling her. When she finally reaches the top, the voice she is hearing goes from internal to external. It is the screech of a hawk.
What is your name, and why are you calling me?

The hawk replied that her name is Khamseen and that the Lord of the Clouds told her that Jana would need her help.

Thank you, little sister, I am honoured by your help.

Jana and her new friend come back to the oasis, where Jana replaces her vial of oasis water.

The Swordsman enjoys the respite from the harsh desert, but he is not at peace. The calm of the oasis plays at the warrior and he busies himself away from the halflings training with his his ancient blade. He seems to prefer the company of the weapon to that of honest folk. Single mindedly he practices drills with the Sword of Vengeance, honing his merciless strikes to near perfection.

With the calmness surrounding them, while studying his spellbook, Akh manages to decipher yet another spell written in it. With this he will be able to create a telepathic bond with another, allowing them to communicate silently...

During their stay Soro takes the time each day to talk with as many of the residents of the Oasis as possible to strengthen the bond of friendship between his clan and the dunestriders. One of the ways he's able to do this is under the pretense of archery practice. During one of these practices a venerable defender shows Soro an incredible use of loosing multiple arrows at the same time to hit different targets.

If they are there for more than a night, Akh will ask the swordsman if he can take the time to study his sword and scabbard. Maybe there is an inscription or some runes that would hint at its potential or give more info on where it's from...

The Swordsman eyes Akh's request with a little side-eyed glance. It is clear he does not wish to be separated from the sword or its scabbard for any length of time. How long? he asks.

Not that long. You can stay with me, I only want to see if I can decipher some of the inscriptions on it...

Begrudgingly, the Swordsman grunts his assent and hands over the Sword of Vengeance and the Scabbard of the Forgotten to Akh.