Orhan 5 Day 9 TE 6065

Imre saves Kyrik. He'll need nine days to recover.

Orhan 5 Day 10 TE 6065

People go shopping on the docks...

Oathar doesn't really find anything helpful, until he comes across... a little miniature walled city. It's a mithril ritual focus, sets up a barrier around a city. For me, just two human souls. They are negotiable currency. Well, if he doesn't have two souls lying around, perhaps 50k gold would do. Oathar does find some powdered demon blood for Imre to use during the Simon-ocalypse.

Imre also finds a laen marble, said to be the perfect souljar focus for casting your enemies' souls into one of the outer planes. It costs 1500 gold, but seems to be worth it.

Kyrik goes boot shopping. But neither he nor Imre can find any boots for them.

Alynna goes shopping for wedding gifts. Picture frames that animate paintings place in them.

Alynna also find a small seedling "known to be from off-planet, a planet called Terra". It will only grow in a cool moist environment. This seller also has a cage with a pot in it. The leaves inside try to attack, lik eevil venus flytraps of doom. Instead, she buys a baby ancient oak. Imre notices a terran seedling that will grow into the tallest living object on the planet. Oh deat.

Mostly dissappointed, except for Imre who got everything he wanted. Funny that, shopping in the evil shop...

We later find out that there's a riding bug race in a few days.

There's a big betting pool getting organized. Abotu 10 people are signed up. Currently, there's mostly sidebetting, but the favorite is this sort of mysterious sand person from the deep dessert. He has a special red riding beetle. He's won this race before. His riding beetle is often called The Red Rascal. He's just known as the man with no name.

There are prizes for first, second, and third place. First prize (A Wish), Second Prize is (15000), Third Prize (5000gp). Imre scans the future and decides that some unsual event will happen at the bug race. Imre can't actually provide details on who will win though, so our betting is somewhat impaired. Entry fee is 1000 gold.

We investigate. There's also a surprise yellow beetle in the mix, ridden by a woman. She's never ridden in the race before. Her yellow beetle is small, but supposedly very fast. She's named her beetle Secretariat.

Oathar checks the rules. The beetles are highly magic resistant, and casting spells on beetls is frowned upon.

As we head to the inn, we notice an old man near the stables who says, "psst". He's noticed us hanging around the races. He's selling a riding beetle with the heart of a champion, and can inspire a nation. A thousand orlini is the price for such a noble beast. Imre demands a test ride. The old guy slaps the beetle and Imre rides off into the sands. Sadly, the riding beetle tries to throw him. He's very fast though. Imre not much of a rider. The old man says his name is Secretariat. Wait! That the other ladies beetle name. The old man indicates that Secretariat and Secretariat are brother and sister. they have a younger sibling names Sea Biscuit.

Alynna investigates what two people working as a team might be able to do better that a solo rider.

By the end of the first day, they are up to 30 entries.

Orhan 5 Day 11 TE 6065

Racing Beetles. Madness!

Secretariat's rider is srrounded by admirers. Oathar flubs his chance to meet her.

Imre studies the man with no name and gets beetle riding. skills. He discoveres that one who is one with the beetle, a true beetle rider, can make his beetle fly.

Imre practices on his beetle with teh man with no names skills. Alynna also rides her beetle around. Betting shifts towards the party.

Oathar get arrested while investigating the possibility of getting an animal bonding spell. they don' tlook kindly upon that sort of thing here in beetle racing land.

Oathar then goes back to the inn to overhear the yellow beetle riders story. She was a lost orphan who grew up scrounging and then lived hand to mouth and then a blade storm and a dust storm and she found herself lost in the storms, and then a beetle appeared out of the darkness and saved her. She became friends with this beetle and they now wander the countryside. Oathar thinks she's making it all up, since she bought her beetle from that other guy yesterday.

Imre disguises himself in desert robes.

Tradewind can't talk to the beetle because it's too smart.

Kyrik casts speech and talks to Sea Biscuit. They only do these things because they are compelled by the crystals. Otherwise, they'd just leave. Beetles can fly, but don't bother most of the time since it's very tiring. The Red Rascal is known to the other beetles. He's a clackity-clak-clak. The other beetles respect his wishes. And red rascal respects his rider.

We negotiate for a bit and then discuss possibilities for evacuating his entire hive to Zor. 6*6*6 members in a hive. Many of which are off being ridden at any particular time. It'll be tricky. Perhaps we can use the wish we win to do it.