Chapter 4b - North by Northwest

The wagon train rolls on, Joachim and Raz a tight fit in one wagon, with Tamrik, Lorem, and Garak in the other. Saerb melts away behind you, a quick jaunt through sparse woods taking you out of sight of the town.
In time, the northern path begins to darken, the grasses shriveling and giving way to dust and rock. Small crags and spikes soon turn into full-fledged boulders and cliffs, and the road begins to slant upwards.



Up ahead, the path narrows and becomes quite rocky, only big enough for single-file wagon travel. The rockiness of the road limits your speed, and the horses don't seem to particularly like it either, their webbed feet more designed for soft sand than hard rock.
What few trees and sparse vegetation you see is probably the last for a good while, and the temperature is still tolerable...



OOC

Garak is fully content to allow somebody else to drive the wagon in which he is riding. He makes the suggestion that everybody remain in the wagon they have been using so far. He knew for sure that riding with Joachim or Raz would eventually lead him to killing one or both of them.

As the terrain become more rocky and difficult to travel upon, the rogue understand why bandits were using this area for their operations. The speed at which the wagons could move and the inability to turn one around or maneuver at all made the path perfect for ambushes.

"I believe I'm going to get out and scout ahead."

There was something about the area that made Garak a bit nervous about remaining in the wagon. Perhaps it was that he wanted to be on his own feet when the bandits attacked.

speed

Hopping out of the wagon, Garak paces alongside the cart. Though the wagon's speed is diminished by the rocky terrain, it is still slightly faster than a walking pace. In time, Garak has to jog slightly to keep pace, or call to the wagon-driver to slow down.

Aside from the speed, there is also the problem of width, specifically that of the path. Though it is wide enough for a single wagon, at many places it is just barely that. Running alongside would prove difficult for the long-term, though short scouting jaunts seem quite doable.

Garak was hoping he could walk faster than the wagons, as he definitely feels like he's part of the offerings of a buffet while riding within them. The lightly-armored assassin was definitely not one that could take much physical punishment. He occasionally hopped out to scout the area ahead, and also took comfort in knowing he had a few tricks up his sleeve. Much of his time was dedicated to keeping his eyes sharp for any signs of trouble.

"Joachim, Raz, I suppose that as a paladin and since you own horses you should be more experienced than me in handling these fiery beasts." Lorem says, deciding to drop from the wagon as well, his bow securely strapped over his shoulder. "I shall guard the wagon that stays behind. With my bow I can attack people that come to us before they approach and if needed shift my aim to the frount just as easily." Always better to be safe...

Lorem walks to the back of the wagon he's in and climbs on it, before securing himself as to not fall and then picking out his bow and one arrow, putting them on the floor of the wagon. At the first occasion they would be avalaible for a first shot.

Actions: Ride Check

"Looks like it's you and me, JoJo." the priest says as he takes a swig of his holy water and offers some to Joachim. Taking the reigns, he snaps them, causing them the wagon to lurch forward.

"Let's drag! Last one there buys drinks!" he says as they horses break into a dead run.

Ride
Handle Animal

Garak's face twisted into a look of fury as Raz attempted to spur the horses into a dead run. The terrain was rough, which could hurt the horses, and the wagons would easily be destroyed. It was time to kill the priest. He had proven to be nothing but a hindrance in the past, and he had proven it clearly once again. True, Garak cared only about stealing the treasure of the bandits, but even with his purpose being less than noble, it was being ruined by Raz.

The others should be just as furious with Raz's complete lack of thought, plan, and intelligence, and that would make it easy for Garak to convince them that Raz's actions would only lead them to the failure to return the kidnapped women to safety.

The wagon had only started to move when Garak decided to take action. The only problem was figuring out exactly what he could do to stop a wagon.

"Stop that big pile of shit from destroying the cart!

There was anger in his words, but his body language was as cool as ice. His eyes took in every detail of how Raz moved; how his armor covered his body and where it did not provide full coverage. Somewhere on the body of the priest was a soft spot just begging to be pierced by his deadly blades. All the assassin needed now was the opportune moment and time. Only Tamrik would recognize this pause in action as preparation for a flurry of attacks that would soon be unleashed.

Tamrik had by this time found himself in the back of the line, Garak had taken the point, and Tamrik chose to take the rearguard. He knew trouble was brewing when he saw the first wagon lurch, and than heard Garak yell. What's going on!? He yelled as he moved his horse to get closer to the first wagon, and thus closer to Raz and Garak.

Joachims eyes grow wide as he finds his wagon being taken over by Raz. He was clearly running mad. Time was of essence but this would do no good, specially when driving drunk. He sights "who let him drive!" his words are swallowed by the road. He spurs his animal as well, even if he was not going to speed up as much as Raz he sure was not going to let him take of like that and ride into trouble alone "HYHA!!" The paladin hoped Raz would notice him riding slower and slow down a bit, enough to be at a safe speed.

"Tamrik Raz just took of! Keep up!" Joachim shouts back to Tamrik who was caught by surprise by the sudden speeding of Raz. He looks for Lorem hoping he was with Raz to talk some sense into him, although his cart was covered and offered some shelter from the burning sun. He had told them that his cart was the better one... Joachim shrugs and gives his horse the reins.

Dice Roll: 1d20+7
d20 Results: 10 (Total = 17)

Dice Roll: 1d20+7
d20 Results: 1 (Total = 8)

Handle animal followed by ride

"What the hell?!" Lorem was clearly startled when Raz suddenly took off along with him and the cart at high speed. He saw the others becoming more and more distant while he struggled to stay on top of the cart. "RAZ, WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS ARE YOU DOING?!"

Actions: Ride