Session Fifteen: Gith Warriors and Elven Thieves

Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.

Vulture in the early dawn.

Vashti and Kalino covered the dead bodies with their tattered canvas blankets. The vultures continued to circle though. An hour later, the vultures began diving toward the dead bodies in the back of the wagon and ripped the covers away. A few of the vultures tried to peck at the heroes, to keep them back, while the others feasted on the mummified bodies.
The group ran over to fight the vultures away from the bodies, but then a group of vultures flew to their unprotected water barrel and began to drink. Part of the group ran back to the water barrel to fight off those vultures. There was never any real threat to the group and they managed to kill three of the vultures and chase away the others.
Vashi and Alaxander re-covered the water barrel and bodies. The group continued down the road to Altaruk. The circling vultures retreated during high sun and the travelers rested in the shade. They ate and drank from their supplies, then continued on as the day began to cool.


While only two hours away from Altaruk, Vashti, Kalino, and Jamil spotted a group of thirteen gith blocking the road. Vashti called out in gith, asking what they wanted. They demanded Julius and claimed that he murdered the lead gith's brother. He said the rest of the group could leave after handing over Julius. Vashti relayed the message to the rest of the group. The group refused the gith's demand and prepared to fight.
The gith charged and leapt at the adventurers who were up front: Jamil, Julius, and Vashti. Vashti was in one of the wagons and managed to cast a spell before the gith could engage her. A hammer made of water appeared above the leader's head. The initial attacks by the gith were not impressive, even though they managed to slice Vashti with their obsidian spears. Shade fired arrows at the leader and Alaxander threw rocks with the way. Julius used his ability with the way to activate an inertial barrier. Jamil attacked one of the gith that was attacking him and Kalino jumped into the wagon to help Vashti. The gith leader attacked Julius with a rock thrown with the way.

Gith.

The gith surrounded Jamil, Vashti, and Julius. Kalino kept fighting the gith on Vashti, but two gith jumped into the wagon to attack him. Two gith moved to attack Shade and a lone gith ran to attack Alaxander. Jamil hacked at the gith attacking him. Julius attacked the gith attacking him, but allowed himself to be struck. Shade continued firing arrows at the gith leader. Alaxander ignored the gith attacking him and continued using the way to attack the lead gith. Vashti used the way to grow a wyvern's tail and used her water hammer to strike at the gith leader. The gith leader used the way to try and take over Shade's body, but failed. The other gith's attacks were not causing a great deal of harm, but it was consistent damage.
Vashti struck out with her tail, but missed, and used her water hammer to strike the leader of the gith. Shade continued firing at the gith leader. Julius attacked the gith near him, while allowing himself to be struck. Jamil killed one of the gith attacking him. Kalino struck at the gith attacking Vashti. Alaxander continued using the way to attack the gith leader. The gith leader noticed Julius being struck, but not bleeding, or even his clothes being damaged. Being a telekinetic himself, he knew what that meant.
The gith leader backed away and shouted for his gith to get away from Julius. A couple of them listened, but one continued to strike Julius, lost in battle. This also earned Shade a bit of a breather, as the gith attacking him were also close to Julius, so one of them backed away. Julius knew the jig was up, so he charged the gith leader and attacked him with his bone longsword. Although reckless, Julius struck the leader in the left shoulder, while releasing his stored energy. The energy slammed into the gith, destroying his upper left arm, a good portion of his chest, and the left side of his face. Julius was hoping that the loss of their leader would discourage the gith attack, but it seemed to anger them, so the attack continued.
Shade dropped his bow and began attacking with his bone club. Alaxander followed suit. Julius attacked the gith nearest him. Vashti struck out with her tail and missed again, but called her water hammer over to attack one of the gith surrounding her. Jamil starting attacking the gith in the wagon near his employer. Kalino managed to finally finish off one of the gith attacking Vashti.
Vashti's water hammer vanished, but she managed to strike one of the gith attacking her, but her wyvern poison seemed to have no effect on the gith. Kalino began attacking another gith that was attacking Vashti and Jamil jumped into the wagon to help. Julius, Alaxander, and Shade continued their attacks on the gith closest to them. The gith's attacks were starting to wear down the group, as Vashti and Jamil were hurting. Kalino was struck in the leg and began bleeding badly.

Medical advice from an Earth Cleric.

Kalino fought on. Julius felled one of his chosen gith victims. Shade killed another. The fight was starting to improve for the group, but then Jamil fell to the gith's spears and Vashti soon afterward. Kalino was badly outnumbered, but kept fighting back the gith with his strength waning. Alaxander continued fighting the gith attacking him.
Shade ran to help Kalino. Julius attacked the gith closest to him, as did Alaxander. Blood was pouring from Kalino's leg, but he refused to lay down and die. He and Shade ganged up on one of the gith. The gith, although badly injured themselves, continued to attack the group.
Shade and Kalino injured a gith so badly that it fled. Alaxander broke the foot of the gith he was fighting. Julius struck the gith fighting him and managed to not get hurt himself. The group seemed to have gotten their second wind.
Julius slew the gith he was fighting. Shade and Kalino managed to hurt another gith badly. Alaxander also wounded the gith he was fighting badly. The gith were sure they could possibly drop Kalino, but the other three were not nearly hurt as bad as the gith. Seeing their inevitable defeat, the gith decided that discretion was the better part of valor and fled into the wilderness.
Shade and Julius gave chase. Kalino began trying to stop the bleeding on his leg and Alaxander tried to patch up Vashti. Both, Kalino and Alaxander, had no training in the healing arts, so they were doing an awful job.
It took Kalino a few minutes to stop his bleeding and he was feeling quite light headed. Alaxander managed to wrap both Vashti's and Jamil's bloody wounds. By the time Shade and Julius had finished chasing off the gith, Alaxander and Kalino were ready to go. Shade took the time to retrieve his arrows and loot the fallen gith.
The rest of the journey to Altaruk was blessedly uneventful. It was dark when they arrived and the gates were closed, but the group felt safer outside of Altaruk's walls than in the canyons of the rocky badlands. Julius and Shade kept watch, which allowed everyone else to sleep soundly.
Julius caught a tall, dark-haired, male elf stealing their erdlu eggs. Luckily, the elf only carried off one before Julius shouted at him and scared him away. He warned Shade of the elf and went to sleep. Shade did not see the elf return and take two more of the eggs.

Day 7, Week 2, Dominary, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun

The trade fortress of Altaruk

The group rested at Altaruk. Shade tried to find a merchant who could fix the leader gith's Inix hide armor, but did not find an armorer in the trade fort. Julius browsed the merchant's stalls and shops, but did not find anything to his liking, or budget. Kalino sent Shade into the fort to find a khopesh. Shade found an obsidian khopesh, which Kalino purchased. Jamil and Vashti were cared for, but did not awaken.
Julius, Shade, and Alaxander kept watch that night. Julius saw the elf approach their wagons and chased him away before anything could be stolen. Shade and Alaxander saw nothing and lost the rest of their erdlu eggs.

Day 8, Week 2, Dominary, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun

Vashti awoke in the morning and preached a sermon.  She healed a  bit of herself, Kalino, Jamil, and Julius. Everyone was happy that they were alive. They purchased enough water to fill their water barrel and some food, to replace the eggs they lost.
That night, everyone took a watch, and the elf was not successful in stealing anything.

Day 9, Week 2, Dominary, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun

They group rose and prepared to leave Altaruk. Vashti healed everyone a bit more and they made sure their water and food supply would get them to Tyr. Everyone had a full waterskin and they had a twelve gallon ceramic barrel full of water. It would not be enough, but they were confident that they could find or trade for some more on the way. They had plenty of food, as long as their friend Jessel, the half-giant, did not return.
Vashti and Alaxander drove their wagons down the Tyr road, hoping that they would not find too much danger.

Join us in two weeks for another exciting session of Adventures Under the Dark Sun.

2nd edition AD&D Dark Sun Cast of Player Characters
Julius: Human male psychokinetic. 22 years old. Played by Dave. Speaks Balican, Tyrian, and Giant.
Alaxander: Human male psychokinetic. 17 years old. Played by Ben. Speaks Balican, Tyrian, and Elf.
Kalino: Human male fighter/preserver. 20 years old. Played by DM. Speaks Rammin, Tyrian, and Balican.
Vashti: Human female clairsentient/water cleric. 20 years old. Played by my wife. Speaks Nibnese, Gith, and Balican.
Shade: Half-Elf male ranger/theif, 18 years old. Played by Chad. Speaks Elf and Tyrian.