Session 1: Make contact with Bhjurba's Den

At exactly 0400, Tsira meets the party by the main gate of the keep.

"Good to see you all ready to go, I've got a few items for you before you leave."

Kalimonsore is given a sealed envelope containing the contract that Tsira created. The seal is in red wax and bears the signet of the Omon clan.

Yrsa is given a piece of rune parchment. If the command phrase 'Fly back to the horde' is spoken, the paper will fold into an animal that the user envisions and transport itself to Tsira

Magnus is given a case of exquisite Genera tobacco, said to cause pleasing hallucinations when smoked or ingested. It's a gift for the masters in Bhjurba, but they probably wouldn't notice if you tried some.

Leilara is given a small map of the scouted area around the keep. It contains handwritten notes from Tsira, and should aid anyone making their way around the Kamatayan.

"...Right, so that's everything. The mission is in your hands now, whatever happens is up to you. I've said farewell too many times in my life, so I will instead leave you with the motto from my old unit in Ranger Corps. Do good, fight better, be the best looking!... the lot of us were a bunch of narcissists back then."

With that, the party exits and the gate closes. The morning air is still cool, so there's time to discuss what your game plan will be.

Leilara concentrates on the map, studying Tsira's scrawled notes.

Kalimonsore dressed in black commoner clothes, the hood up and his white snout coming from it, his body temperature was colder and more suited to the desert, the envelope he was given into a satchel which laid across his chest by his side before looking at the group that had been choosen for this crucial task, a halfling, a human and of course the female pirate he met last night, he adjusted his clothes before speaking up after a small cough.

"My name is Kalimonsore, I wish to introduce myself to the group that I will be travelling with on this crucial and dangerous task that Madame Tsira has granted us, I understand that some people do not like being told or requested to do something but I wish to lead this expedition to make contact and secure a deal with these slavers with you're help of course, I only ask to be the mouthpiece as I have experience with dealing with these...people, if anyone...."

He focuses from the group and looks at the pirate and tilts his head slightly

"Has an issue or can do a better job than I feel like I can then please speak up and I will gladly move aside for them, we are a group and we have to work together even if we don't like each other or not"

He was talking to the group but looking towards the pirate the whole time, he didn't like her snarky attitude last night about him speaking to much, he was somewhat snarky himself lowering the standards of himself, he didn't dislike this female pirate, he barely knew her

At hearing one of the party speak, Leilara looks up from the map. She's wearing simple, worn traveling clothes, and her hair is currently a lilac purple.

"Oh, of course! It's nice to meet you! I'm Leilara Thistlefeather!" She thrusts an exuberant palm at the Dragonborn. "As far as the talking part goes, you're more than welcome to take care of that. I'm not much for these formal exchanges." She leans back on her heels, then rolls back to her toes. "If anything, I'd rather talk to the... well, slaves... but who knows if I'll get a chance at that..." She stares back at the map, a semi-confused expression on her face. Then, as an afterthought, she waves at the other two. "Oh, and it's nice to meet you too!"

Magnus listens politely to Kalimonsore and nods at the end before speaking, "That's alright with me. I'll defer to your greater experience in dealing with the slavers," he then sticks out his hand for the rest of the party to shake, "I'm Sergeant Magnus Del'thor, here by request of Tarhun to assist Tsira with her tasks here."

"I like how you say these people," Yrsa quips to Kalimonsore. She tussles her dreadlocks as she scratches the scalp under her bandanna, beads lightly clacking with the rough movement. She extends her hand and warrior-clasps Magnus upon his forearm. With a nod and a wave to Leilara, Yrsa returns her attention to the group.

"I am Yrsa," she says by introduction. "You all have likely seen me around the keep for the past several weeks, and I apologize if we have not been formally introduced." The dusky-skinned self-proclaimed pirate is dressed in a leather vest, revealing a many-tentacled beast wrapped around her shoulders and arms. A pair of cut-off trousers end at footwraps slipped into light closed boots for sand travel, and a yellow sash matching the color of her bandanna lies loose on her hips. Her good right eye is a deep amethyst color, paired with a black eyepatch covering her left.

Yrsa has a scimitar on one side of her waist, paired on the other side with a coiled whip of leather. One handaxe is tucked into the small of her back while another is strapped to her bag. A quiver of arrows and a longbow complement her armaments.

"Since we're going to be buddy-buddies in the desert, I figure it's as good a time as any to mention that I do have a few arcane tricks up my sleeves"

Yrsa seems to look at each person with her eyepatch, and each individual can feel her words within the mind: Survival in the desert requires all of us to be on the same page, very much like the crew of a ship. We work together, trust each other, or die; no room for individual delusions of grandeur.

As she finishes her "talk," Yrsa pulls out a loose, billowy robe and throws it upon herself. Something to protect her from the desert sun. "As for the topic of negotiating with the camp leaders, go ahead and utilize your skills," she says aloud to Kalimonsore. "You have my utmost confidence."

Perhaps it was the shimmering heat, but the tentacles on Yrsa's arms seem to writhe, just ever so slightly.

"Nice to meet you both then! And... yeah, I guess I'll be performing the magic tricks too. Just so you know." She shrugs, drawing a dagger. "I'm not really great with this so... yeah. Magic." She gulps the last word, shivering a bit and sheathing the dagger. If Leilara realized that the speech Yrsa just made was only in her head, she seems unconcerned. That being said, she probably just didn't notice.

"Now... where are we going...?" she wonders as she looks back at the map.

Kalimonsore nodded to the group as they approved his plan on him being the voice of the group, there was something about being an important part of the group instead of just a grunt or an expendable asset, he heard that the halfling and pirate had abilities and spoke up

"I guess that makes three of us, I have abilities, I can shift into animals, whatever animal you can think off I can shift into, stuff like birds and fish I haven't mastered but stuff likes bears and wolves and pets are easy"

Kalimonsore walked to the halfling and looked at the map over her before prodding at it

"We need to follow the ocean out, Madame Tsira had a map in her office, she marked where bhjurbas den was, it's south east from are's"

"Does anyone have anything else that they need before we leave? No chance after this to turn back."

Not being able to see the map, Yrsa asks, "Are the marked camp locations and shortcuts along the coast, or through the desert?"

Leilara moves toward Yrsa, getting close enough to show her the map. "Looks like we have plenty of options, especially if we're being careful, but it looks like the shortest path is mostly desert."

"I suggest we use this map and plot as direct a course as we can," says Yrsa, stooping down over Leilara's shoulder. "Take the shortcuts, avoid the hazards, and find camp as indicated. It's just two days' worth of travel across the desert."

"Sounds good to me!" Leilara traces the path that looks best to her with her finger, taking care to repeat under her breath any notes written by Tsira about upcoming landmarks.

He had expected to be leading this group but Kalimonsore was clearly mistaken, the halfling was given the map for a reason, he hid a smile, he had always been a lone wolf in his tasks, he didn't have anyone to have his back but now we does, he wasn't a world class fighter but the two humans had that aura that they could handle themselves, he couldn't read the halfling but Madame Tsira clearly had her reasons for sending the four of them

"I guess we are all in agreement with the route we will be taking then."

He nods to the group before placing his hand out

"After you."

The two day journey across the harsh desert is no easy feat, luckily the group was sent just before sunrise but come a few hours the sun will be beaming down on them, Kalimonsore was covered in black clothing, every inch but his snout was covered, his white skin easily burnt by the blistering heat that the desert gives, his veins run cold with ice but this wasn't a beach, this was the unforgiving desert sun

Yrsa considers something as she wraps a loose shawl around her head. "I just realized that you have a contract, Kalimonsore," she says, gesturing in the direction of the sealed envelope on the dragonborn's person. "Presumably the terms are written within, and we would only be obligated in delivering the envelope."

As an afterthought, "Of course, if the Bhjurba masters seek to alter the terms, no doubt that you are prepared to negotiate, yes?" Yrsa smiles sweetly, her amethyst eye intense as she covers her mouth and nose with her shawl.

Kalimonsore shakes his head at her

"I'm sorry if you think we are simple couriers but we are not, Madame Tsira wouldn't have sent us if this was the case, deals alter, issues arise, this is not a simple give the items and then leave, these people are slavers, first and foremost, they may be simple folk or they may be bastards, sending us.."

He waves his arms around in a circle to signal the whole group

"We have are own qualities and skills, I would be more than happy for this deal to go well, we hand over the envelope and the contents of what Magnus has and we leave the way we came, Madame Tsira would give them a deal that is fair and just but these people are takers, we are suitably capable to handle this situation whatever may or may not happen, I just have one question to everyone....Are you ready to kneel before these slavers for the good of are camp?"

It was a simple question but a question that some may not be comfortable with, the slavers may wish for the group to take a knee before them, it was a test to see how this group would put there own personal pride aside for the better of the camp