The Caravan Begins its Journey

Before dawn the next day, Chard kicks the new recruits out of their bedrolls and sets them various unpleasant tasks such as filling in the latrine pits and cleaning up the stable pens where the camels and horses have been bedded for two days. As they work they can se and hear the great beast of the caravan wake up and unlimber itself. Shouts of anger and bursts of laughter drift on the crisp dawn air and there is a sense of excitement as camels are saddled, horses and oxen hitched to wagons, and campsites packed up for the ongoing journey.

By about an hour after sunrise the first wagon, with al Saif riding in white robes on the buckboard, pulls onto the trail, and then one by one the others follow. The caravan is large, almost a mile in length by the time all of the wagons and stragglers are actually moving. The guards are dispatched in small groups to ride ahead of the caravan and alongside it to keep an eye open for danger.

The new recruits are left behind when the final sheep herder and his flock leave the campsite, wondering if they have been forgotten. But Chard approaches them and grins.

"Clean up time!" he declares. "Scout the campsite for things people have forgotten or dropped." He proceeds to demonstrate, running his boot through an abandoned pile of kindling to uncover a pewter drinking horn. He holds it up to show the recruits.

"There will be plenty more like this," he assures them.

OOC: Roll 1d20 plus your Spot Hidden skill vs 15. The number you beat it by is the number of items you find.

Chard nodded in satisfaction at the various small items the guards have found on the abandoned campsite: A silver brooch in the shape of the moon and the evening star, a well-made dagger with an ivory handle, a hair comb of tortoiseshell with long red hair still caught in it.

“Master al Saif likes to return these to the probable owners himself,” he told them as he tucked the items in his saddle bags. “It creates an atmosphere of trust with our passengers."

For each found item, he awards a silver coin, regardless of the object's worth – though putting something you find in your own pocket is grounds for immediate dismissal. The silver coins are placed in a leather purse which he also puts in his saddle bag.

"We collect the coins during the trip and all the guards get a drink when we arrive at the next town – that way there is no tussle over who gets to search where,” he explains.

“Keep together in twos. Never ride away from your companion. Never ride out of sight of the caravan unless Jubal or I tell you to do so. Your job is to ride alongside. Keep your eyes peeled for danger, but mostly keep watch of the wagons and beasts of burden. They are far more likely to cause you grief on this journey than bandits. At least until we get into the mountains.”

He waves everyone forward and you quickly catch up with the slow-moving caravan.

By mid-morning, you have come to realize that this is the most boring job in the world. The only distraction you have is the sore welts in your groin as you bounce up and down on the rough saddles. Every now and then a wagon gets a wheel caught in a rut and then half a dozen guards must climb down to help push it back onto the level part of the track. This close to the city there is no chance of bandits. For the most part, you are moving between cultivated fields with small farmhouses and tiny market villages scattered along the way.

When you do pass through a village or past a farmstead, children throng the trail with canvas buckets to scoop up the dung of the horses and mules. Not so much the camels and oxen. From your own childhoods, you will be aware that horse dung can make a powerful additive to the soil for growing things.

There is a pause at noon when a meal is served and the master stops to speak with every merchant for a few minutes. As he moves from wagon to wagon you spot him returning the items that were left behind. Usually, he gets a hearty handshake or hug for the service.

By mid-afternoon, you have started to move out of the civilized lands. The trail sweeps up and over low hills and the more lush vegetation of the bottom lands near the great river gives way to dry gorse and brush. Spindly oak trees and clusters of scrubby pine dot the landscape and you can see a great plume of dust over the caravan that must be announcing your presence for miles around.

Now you do begin to see lone riders and even the occasional cluster of mounted men watching you pass from a hillside or cliff top. You grip your weapons and your hearts beat faster as you imagine a horde of savages riding down out of a gully to sweep you to your deaths, but Chard just smiles at your white knuckles.

“We have two dozen well-armed warriors in plain sight on fast horses. They're not suicidal. They may try to sneak in at night, but they will not attack us in the open.”

The sun burns in the blue sky above you and the dust rises in choking clouds. The smell of dung and horse sweat fills your nostrils. The day seems endless. But inch by inch the sun is sinking behind you, and your shadows are growing longer. It took an hour or more to get the caravan moving, you calculate, and so it will take time to stop and set up camp before dark. You will probably not have to suffer more than another hour on your saddles.

Just as you are beginning to think you will survive the grueling day, a shout of alarm comes from one of the outriders. Even the seasoned guards ride in pairs, though they explore the land around the caravan more than ride alongside it, and one pair has spotted something off to your left, up a long rock-strewn slope.

“Stay here!” cries Chard as he and Jubal ride to the north to investigate. The four men look at something on the ground and then Jubal dismounts to look at whatever is there more closely. All this while the caravan keeps moving eastward.

Eventually, Jubal rides back to the front and confers with al Saif. Then he waves to Chard who rides back towards you.

“Someone has butchered an Imperial courier,” he tells you as his horse pulls up close. “Our Master wishes to capture the culprits to curry favor with the Governor. But does not want to put his passengers at risk. You are the least useful guards, therefore you will have the task.

"We will not wait for you, but you will not get paid if you do not catch up to us within two days.”

He turns his horse around and then looks at you over his shoulder.

“Why are you sitting there? Go. Find out who did it. Bring them to justice and then bring the evidence to our Master.” He spurs his horse and rides away.