Caravan under contract to the House Wavir of Balic
From a distance, the long train of wagons and beasts disappears into the swirl of dust and sand that its slow dependable passage kicks up. As one draws closer, the large beasts of burden and the fat wheeled wagons come into focus. The caravan is a hive of activity: laborers assure that life supporting supplies and trade goods remain well secured; beast riders yell to their charges giving them direction and handling them with gruff respect; warriors and mercenaries ride crodlu on patrol routes close to the caravan seeking hidden threats and further afield seeking to steer the caravan clear of would be raiders and ambushes.
Of this trade concern, several characters stand out:
Ahmed – Fast talking, expensively clothed, spiritual leader of the caravan. This man is the wheeler, the dealer and the heart of the caravan. Clearly, he is not in charge on a daily basis, that would be Albin. It is obvious though that Albin does not have the easy talent with people that Ahmed has and that they work in a peculiar partnership.
Albin – Rugged brute of a man dressed in desert clothing and light carapace piecemeal armor once of a fine quality but now quite weathered from long use. Dirt brown skin, black hair, dark eyes and a water-starved athletic build makes him look like he is a part of the desert. Even after a short time with the caravan, it is clear that the other caravan members respect him and allude to rumors of his more sinister side. Allegedly, he is independently wealthy in many cities and is wanted in at least one, perhaps for a high profile assassination, perhaps.
Herzig and Gomro – The Dwarf Captain and the Half-Giant Lieutenant respectively, lead the small contingent of caravan guards against any and all threats that might rear their often ugly heads in the waste lands. They also guard the trade goods against would-be thieves when the caravan arrives in town. Good friends, their humor and sarcasm is often lost on outsiders. Apparently, Herzig is a consummate warrior, but has a tendency towards disastrous destruction when trying his hand at artistic or engineering endeavours. Gomro is an ex-enforcer and thug from a crime syndicate in Tyr.
Brithis – The Mercenary Mull (Half-Dwarf) is the more experienced of the six mercenaries working for the caravan. She’s butch, she’s a brute, but she is a young woman which means she gets a lot of unwanted attention and a lot of blood ends up on the sand, other peoples’ blood. She has done the Tyr to Balic run a few times and knows the pitfalls.
Giulianna – The slightly crazed prophetess has paid for passage with visions. Apparently, her visions have come true in the past and Ahmed and Albin have taken advantage, making a killing, perhaps literally. She is a withered old lady with barely any flesh on her bones. As to her species, it is difficult to say, probably human.
In a nutshell she thinks:
Cerner will have his army.
Cammior has ties to the enemy he faces and may be able to find allies because of it.
Talon has brethren in the wastes and they need him, perhaps he needs them… look to the moons.
Ale is the last gatekeeper and is being pulled into a terrible destiny
Minron the minotaur, the race that powered the gates and perhaps the one who can stop their use once and for all, and may be, unfortunately, a wasteland messiah
Balfeus is a sorcerer king in Balic and there is a portal there. The sorcerer-kings draw there power from the portals.
Tyr has recently been freed of its sorcerer-king.
Anna – The beautiful human companion of Ahmed. You are not sure what her story is yet. Is she a wife or a slave? You do know she doesn’t wear very much.
Carabba – An elf with unusual and potentially useful talents. Gold hair and darkly tanned skin make him striking but not particularly handsome. His desert clothing, mostly light in color, has seen better days and now is in tatters billowing in the breeze. Can he be trusted, is he an ally, does he hold a grudge? All good questions….
