The recruit, a young man of not even 20 years,opens his eyes only seconds after you finish your prayer. Looking right into your eyes in a daze, he seems a bit confused about what happened, but healthy. looking up, you see Ugrash nodding in approval.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Ugrash</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Well... done. Healing good. Welcome... to party. Yes, go buy stuff together. Faster, safer maybe.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>With that little test out of the way, the tree of you go to the south gate again - the biggest bazaar for corn,meat, and fruits lies there. Its a short, but enjoyable visit, as you can watch Timerian and Ugrash haggle with the merchants, and quickly notice none of them having even passable bargaining skills. In the end they pay almost double the amount of their good's worth, but both refuse your help, so there is nothing you can do about it. As for yourself, you quickly spot a decent but not overpriced Trader of dried food, nuts and berries, the perfect rations for a long journey. Water is not a concern here in Sothis, the citiy could only grow this big for its location near the River Sphinx. As for the mule... those are quite hard to get, but you could always go for a camel, but the price tag of 160 gold pieces means its not a small investment right now.having paid more than they should, Timerian and Ugrash are no help in getting the needed coin either, at most they could offer 35 goldpieces each.<br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">decide for yourself if you want elven trail rations (2gp/day) normal trail rations (5 sp/day) or wandermeals (1cp/day) all have their normal effects(if any)<br/>just put the math in a spoiler, if you bother to do it at all^^ </div></div><br/>It turns out Timerian and Ugrash already found a cheap tavern, and considering this will be the last night to sleep in a real bad, you are quite willing you accompany them. The evening goes by in a blur, as you eat, drink and just enjoy the city with the other two. In the morning of the next day you get ready to leave the city, exiting through the eastern gate you've visited yesterday and crossing the river by means of a small, smelly fishing boat with an old, equally smelly oarsman getting you across. Once you've reached the other side and prepare to get going you hear nozomoto's voice once again<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Nozomoto</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Entering desert wastes near Tumen. switching to fast forward mode.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>All you can remember later will be a sense of intense heat and exhaustion, the taste of sand in your mouth, and the vague feeling of a long, long journey already done, accompanied by a few equally vague scenes your memory shows you: Ugrash freezing in the night despite sitting dangerously close to a small fire( he did not take any warm clothing with him, claiming the desert would be way too warm anyway) yourself, being sandwiched between Ugrash and Timerian, all of you hidden beneath a vast sheet of linen, half buried by Sand, a sandstorm raging above your heads, and finally the three of you standing close together, watching in awe the sprawling city lying in the distance, seeing the bleached sandstone being basked in blood red by a dying Sun. From afar Tumen looks much like Sothis, the color, the architecture, the colossal size, the whole city protected by mighty walls... but with one decisive difference. While Sothis was teeming with life, Tumen is as silent as a grave. Your sharp, lovely, green eyes can't detect even the slightest motion within the city proper nor any lake, park, or anything green or blue at all. All you can see is a dead shell of a city which must have been as magnificent, if not even more so than Sothis.<br/><br/>Unbidden, perhaps even unwanted Nozomotos voice breaks the silence.<br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: nozomoto</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Arrived at: Tumen, the dead City. A Knowledge: History check would reveal more Intel, but "The Prowling Lions" posses no one with such a skill. One Member may substitute an intelligence check, but the lintel gained will be vastly diminished on a successful check, and misleading by a failed check. Retries are NOT allowed. Only 01 check for the whole Party. Please vote on the player who should make the roll. </blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>