<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Osirion Map</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i.imgur.com/UqtNirH.jpg)</div></div><br/>Menya picked up Hanifa at Namir's place, and had their choice of gold jewelry to take.  Hanifa opted for a gold wrist bracelet (worth 100 gold pieces) and a pair of golden earrings (worth 50 gp each).  Instead of braving the desert she suggested to take a barge south to Katapesh.  They'd dock at Wati, one of the 3 sister cities at the River Sphinx's fork, and go southeast to the river's end.  Since the river flows north (a rare exception to most others), only barges blessed by priests and priestesses of Wadjet (Knowledge Religion DC 14: ancient Osirionian Deity of good-aligned serpents, rivers, and wisdom) could effectively travel against its current.<br/><br/>The major land thoroughfare from Osirion to Katapesh crosses through the Brazen Frontier.  It's a particularly barren region where the reach of the Pharaoh and southern merchants can be barely felt.  In this harsh region wandering bands of gnolls rule, always on the prowl for basic survival and slaves to sell in the markets of eastern Garund.  Wati was surprisingly desolate, about a quarter of its city abandoned due to an ancient plague by agents of Rovagug.  Once they reached the Brazen Frontier, Hanifa couldn't help but muse at the previous city's loneliness as a precursor of sorts.<br/><br/>It didn't take long for Hanifa to find a reliable passage through the mountain pathway, but that was no guarantee of a safe journey.<br/><br/>"Be on the lookout, Menya," she cautioned.  "Gnolls, cultists of foul gods, and worse lurk in this tortured land."<br/><br/>They made camp on a hill.  Instead of setting up a fire which could be easily seen, Hanifa produced a ceramic cylinder with air holes running on its side.  Filling it with fuel pellets made of dung and burning the contents, it produced warmth without giving off any light.<br/><br/>"Burners such as these are a blessing," Hanifa said.<br/><br/>Between the two of them Hanifa suggested that they take separate watches at night.  "Can you see in the dark?" she asked.  "Us humans may as well be blind."<br/><br/>When it became apparent that Menya's vision was no better than hers, the ranger sighed.  "Alright, at least you have your scent.  Gnolls can be smelled a mile away, not unlike wet dog.  I chalk it up to their sweat gathering in their fur."<br/><br/>But in the dead of night a patrol of night-time raiders were making their way through the mountain passage.<br/><br/>"Smell that?" one of them said.  "Someone's using a burner!"<br/><br/>"Heh, trading the shining light of the campfire for the scent of dung.  Too bad us gnolls can find both easy enough!"<br/><br/>"Maybe we can jump them."<br/><br/>"We'll try that.  But unless they're suicidal they'll be well-armed.  Be on the lookout for any sentries."<br/><br/>Roll a Perception check.  On a 15 or better, Menya hears the gnolls before they get within scent range and wakes up.  On a failure, she is caught by surprise. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=63470)<br/><br/>Hanifa was sound asleep and did not hear anything. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?u=30044)