Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
TBA

Participating Members:

Begin!

The world is an active place! Life goes on despite rumors in the mountain areas about a dragon or something. In order to promote cooperation between desert villages, two of the main cities sponsored a merchant cart race. Merchants and their carts are called from far and wide to participate in this. The word is spread around thru the different merchant guilds and travelers by word of mouth. The date is given w/the fact that there were large and…

“I hear extravagant prizes are in store for whoever is able to win the contest.”

“I think it’s a race from one city to another…”

“Some merchants are going in teams to help them win.”

“I hear famous figures from the merchant guild are coming too! I wonder what type of carts will be there!”

“People are already heading to Melrah where the race will start…”

-
It is the morning of the great race! Melrah is buzzing with people. For visitors who don’t know, Melrah is a bandit’s den that consists of small desert huts and tents. The bandits known as the Shoran’Ryu have stopped robbing people to host this event (but the Inn prices are still like robbery). Personal tents double the normal size of the village. Merchants from all over, merchant carts, temporary shops and animals are everywhere. It’s like an expo or a SellCon. Carts range from being made out of metal to being made out of wood. There are all types from one wheel to 8 wheeled carts. There’s a good variety of just about everything. You can pretty much tell where someone’s from by their clothing. If they’re dressed Arabian, they’re probably from the desert. If they’re more modern or European, then their probably from Mare Maris, etc.

You enter into this atmosphere. A large tent is set up on the east side of the village where they say the race is going to start. Right now they finish up registrations. If you’re racing, then you either already registered or are doing so now. Event staff (bandits) will let you know that the race will be starting in about an hour if you ask around. Oh yeah… and there’s a good chance you might get pick pocketed just by standing around. If you got questions bout the race, just ask around. NPCs are everywhere.

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

It was great to have a home base to return to, but since my main objective in life wasn’t fulfilled yet, I couldn’t tarry in one place for too long. If that were the case, then I would have settled in Mare Maris long ago and fulfilled my promises there. Up to this point, I was still encased in the simple life on the main outlook of character progression with my attention focused on a single purpose in a shonen type manner.

Traveling south from our current base in Mare Maris is what brought me into a village where I heard two very interesting rumors. One was of a dragon that was attacking settlements in the mountainous regions and the other was of a large gathering of merchants who were having some type of contest. Rashn’s words resounded well within me that merchants were among the best networks of information, thus I felt that if I needed to find information on a person, a place with a dense population of networked individuals would be better than an area filled with people running to their deaths.

As such, when the day came for the grand race, I would be in attendance having entered into the city from the north and taking in all of the wondrous sights that came with this new experience. Though I had not seen him since leaving Rajeh, I was certain for something like this, Rashn must be in attendance; as for traveling partners, I would have probably had Eri with me, since we seemed to travel well together. Little Hunter seemed interested in the dragon rumor, so it was at this time that we parted ways again, but with a base to return to, I was certain that I would be seeing more of him in the future.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 328 / 2651

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:19 am

Taran slipped through the crowds, unnoticed and unremarkable. He...had a lot on his mind. Did I really mess up that bad? Did I really put an entire village in danger because of my past? Goddammit Taran... He was here searching for further information on the drug cartel he had unintentionally run across, figuring such a large gathering of merchants would find someone with a loose tongue. In the Village of the Sun, he had met a family whose children were suffering greatly from some unknown ailment. Concerned by the parents' description of the symptoms, he had offered his services, having a working knowledge of certain poisons and drugs.

Investigating, he recognized the "sickness"...withdrawal. Some cursory investigation led to some scattered reports of children exhibiting the same symptoms, both those who had died from their dependance and those who had survived. All had been visited by a certain merchant who had sold them "special candy" or, worse, had marketed his opiate as a vaccine to concerned parents. Cheating and thievery, preying on the parental instinct. Again, the Son of Rhys offered his services. He would track this merchant down, discover if he had a counter-agent and acquire it if he did.

Having done so, Taran had killed the man, incensed by his blatant disregard for others, specifically children. Upon further reflection and aided by a subconscious projection in the form of his father, he had realized that he had entered into a dangerous game, and possibly placed more lives at risk. Nearby his kill spot, there was a once-powerful tribe who could be blamed for the death of the distributor. This tribe, he had learned, had been decimated by a powerful demon, and their militia was now a mere skeleton force, unlikely to be able to repel a retribution-fueled strike from a cartel able to fund the kind of distribution he was seeing.

This drug was everywhere, hiding under the skin of society like a cancer. There weren't a huge number of addicts in any given area, but the net was wide. Taran estimated that at least a fifth of the world's population had been touched by this drug, whether directly through usage, or indirectly through acquaintances who used. It was a dangerous opiate, capable of addicting on the first hit and toxic to the circulatory system with extended use. The cartel was clever, distributing through a decentralized command system, and whoever was in charge was dangerously intelligent. That intelligence coupled with his economic clout made him a frightening man, a force to be reckoned with in the world.

Taran was immensely pleased to have found such an opponent so soon after venturing out on his own. If there was anything Goron had ever complimented him on, it was his ability to gather information and know his target inside and out. That, as well as his extremely low profile, was what made him such a dangerous opponent. He had come to this merchant gathering to tap an old contact, one who hadn't been too attached to Goron's apron-strings, even when they were still taut.

Ducking into a tent, Taran smirked at the trader's look of shock. "Peace be with you, Hamzah. I heard you were desirous of protection in this race and came to offer my aid."

Blinking, the huge merchant suddenly smiled and stood, engulfing the Son of Rhys in a massive brotherly hug before holding the short man out at arms' length. "Taran! I wondered if you had been the one to end that dastard's life! You never were well-pleased with him, and with good reason I understand. I would greatly enjoy your company on this track, or even just your company, we have not spoken in some time. How does this day find you, my brother?"

Taran returned the hug, though his arms barely reached around the merchant's sculpted torso. They sat, Hamzah signaling to his second wife to prepare tea. "I am well, my brother. You seem to have done well for yourself since last I saw you. Two wives now? I recall you complaining mightily at the problems of attending to but a single woman's fractious moods and whims!"

The merchant laughed mightily. "Yes, yes, I remember well that conversation. What can I say? A'dab is a fine woman and does me great pride. Sadly, however, she is incapable of carrying my children, and so she urged me to find a second wife, one to further my bloodline. She even urged me to divorce her, can you believe that? I refused, of course, her love and her common sense are far too valuable commodities for a skinflint like myself to simply throw away. But I did take a second wife. Aminah, leave off the tea for a moment, come meet Taran. Taran, this is my second wife, Aminah. Aminah, I would like you to meet Taran, Son of Rhys Taradell. He is an old friend and a dear one."

"A pleasure to meet you, dear lady. May you walk ever in peace." Taran stood and bowed to the petite woman, heavy with child already. "I pray your birth goes swiftly and with as little pain as possible."

"The pleasure is mine, Son of Rhys. Hamzah speaks often of you, and in surprisingly kind terms. Our house is yours. I must go see to the tea, however. Peace be with you, Ser Taran."

"A pleasant woman, to be sure," Taran said as he sat again. "She does you great honor. I am glad to hear that you have sought to carry your line forward, the world will only benefit from your offspring." Taran sighed and his brow furrowed, his calm countenance disturbed by the distasteful business he pursued. "Regrettably, this is not simply a social visit. I hunt again, brother, and my prey is swift, strong and capable. I was wondering, have you heard much about a new opiate on the market?"

Hamzah was serious suddenly. "Yes, my friend, I have, and a nasty chemical it is. Here and now, however, is neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. We should wait until we are out on the road, far from prying eyes and ears. If that is who you hunt, you are correct, your prey is swift, strong and capable, not to mention ruthless and uncaring."

Taran nodded. "A fine idea, friend. It is far too pleasant here to dirty the air with such talk. So tell me, how is it you and Aminah met?"

Sipping the tea the pregnant woman placed in front of him, Taran listened to his old friend regale him with lascivious tales and mentally prepared himself for the information dump he knew he would receive once they got on the road. The Lion was one of the best informants in the desert, with a web of contacts that varied from courtesans to disillusioned warriors to known double agents. If there was something to know about what went on in the desert, Hamzah al-Rashid ibn Izz al Din knew it, and if he didn't, he could find out...usually. The Lion had only failed Taran once, and through no fault of his own. Taran had missed that mark, only making the kill by accident and good fortune.

Taran had been beaten savagely for that. Goron did not tolerate failure, even when it was countered by luck.
------------------
EXP:
This Post: 1392 +1TEXP (250+EXP Post)
Thread Total: 1392 +1TEXP

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

The sun, Rashn thought, was a beautiful thing on this day. Rising proudly through the sky, marking the day with such pleasant weather. Large and loving, it spread its warmth throughout the entire region filled with sand, scraps of the previous world, stone buildings, sand, scattered civilizations marked with tents and, of course, not to be forgotten, sand. Yeah, sand was everywhere. It dug into one’s feet like bladed glass, and invaded one’s clothes as if ignoring the very idea that was gravity. Somehow it managed to climb from the ground into near everyone’s shirt. By the end of the day, it could add two to three pounds of weight by its lonesome. Perhaps the desert was ruled by some malevolent god who hated humans? Who knows. Whether or not it was true did not matter: all that Rashn had to worry about, at the moment, was the camel’s. His two trusty ‘steeds’, as they were, seemed to be in fine condition. As per normal plans, they had not been fed within the past half day, though when they did eat they ate well, and no water was given to them for some time as well. Such sensitive animals, they were. Something as silly as eating or drinking, even if paced a near half-day between a race, could ruin their entire chances of winning.

With sweat pouring down his face before the event even got off to its start, Rashn would gently pat his hand down their necks, inspecting to make sure there was no weariness or fatigue shown in them. They seemed to have been in good spirits, and their health seemed absolutely perfect. Good. While he wasn’t aiming to win, it was still in his nature to try and do decent at least. His reputation as a merchant, for whatever reason, would be affected heavily by the outcome here. Even if it had nothing to do with his actual ability to barter. People were weird.

Satisfied with the status of his animal companions, he would slowly move to the main seat of his empty carriage. Casting a gaze back, he indulged in the sheer prettiness that was his ride. Being the selected one from his ‘guild’ to participate, they had gone to the troubles of seeing to it that the normally shaky, creaky and worn-down carriage was polished to perfection. Reinforced with steel bearings, with actual metal coverings for his wheels and some fine sort of material had been used for the wheels themselves. So good were they, in fact, that Rashn had no idea what they were actually made from. He had been told, but it was a foreign name he had never heard before in his life. Despite not knowing what they were called at the current moment, that did not stop him from enjoying his ‘pimped-out ride’. So far, even were he to come in last, this improvement alone made participation worth it.

And so it would be, that Rashn would sit and wait. With the reins resting in his lap, and his merchant goods in storage back at the house his ‘team’ had rented so he could run with as empty a carriage as possible, he would raise the sign at his side. It rested calmly in the seat, with the bottom bit that was obstructed by the cart left bare, the top of it alone would leave a message: ‘Accepting Passengers’. It was written in whatever god forsaken language the world went by after The Dawn, whatever name it had. I think it was Shinglish? Sounds retarded but okay. Whatever it was called, the sign promoted his ‘need’ for comrades. So long as it was not the vile demon Iskra, he would likely take anyone. It was part of the agreement in participating that he needed to take someone with him, despite that going against his normal plans. In fact, he would’ve much rather been out and about. The deals one could get in such a large gathering of trade-worthy merchants was mouth watering. But, he needed to do this. Doing well would lead to a good reputation, and a good reputation meant two things: better respect which brought good deals and weight to throw around when bartering, and being risen to the higher ‘echelons’ of merchant society, which would lead him to the answers he sought. Since his new friend Jyn wanted to know something about some man with some weird pattern on his hand, it was up to Rashn to do his best to assist, and doing good here meant that would not be such a pipe dream anymore.

That was all. Resting his legs for a moment, Rashn would wait for possible passengers to arrive and for the race to start. There was not much to do since he was registered now and at the ‘starting line’, so to speak. All that was left was to wait.

EXP: 924

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
TBA

Participating Members:

Begin!

“Registration is almost over!”

The merchants that are already registered start to line up at the starting line. It looked like there was gonna be about 25 merchants in all in the race w/most in teams of 3. There are animal drawn carts, people drawn carts, etc.

A celebrity arrives! A well known merchant from the guild shows up.

“It’s the Merchant of Fortune: Shlomi!”

“They say he’s sure to win.”

“So he did come… all is lost!”

The Quentin Tarantino slow motion starts. The Kill Bill music queues. Shlomi rolls in all killer-like with his two rogue body guards with him. One was a swordman with impressive armor and the other was an archer in light armor. The cart looked something like a wooden train with light metal siding. It’s pulled by four large demon half oni horses with dual horns, smoky breath and flames for manes!

“D-d-duallycorn horses! How will we be able to keep up!”

Shlomi basks in the envy of others. He smirks.

“This will be a piece of cake.”

3 Members of the EDC (Exalted Desert Clan) w/carts pulled by desert tigers eye him from afar. They don’t seem worried. Shlomi looks over to them and they make eye contact. He narrows his eyes.

“Bring it…”

“Oh, it’s already been broughted…”

Staff member walks up and goes over last minute rules.

“Okay, ya bastards! Listen up! In case you haven’t already heard I’ll go over the rules. Rule one: you carry a load from one village to the other. The load is packaged in bags and boxes. Nothing too heavy… just bout 1200 lbs each load.”

(avg camel can carry 500 to 1000 lbs on their backs)

“Rule 2: if you don’t get everything to the finish line at Labrum, then you’re DQ’d… Three: if you open the load, you’re DQ’d. Five: if you’re unable to continue, you’re DQ’d. B’sides that, aint no more rules, ya bastards. Get from one place to the other as quick as possible. First one wins… ya bastards… okay, ya bastards… all merchants line up if you’re not already!”

Shlomi:

Veteran Rep! : 14

The Merchant Run

Traveling south, back to my home land think the goddess. Although it wasn't a bad place to be staying, staying in one place was starting to get to me. So we heard some interesting rumors about a dragon attacking some villages in the mountainous with I thought it would be fun to look into till I heard about the massive merchant gathering for some race and why risk your life fighting something that can eat you when you can just steal all day and all night from merchants. I think I'll take the merchants, and Jyn didn't seem to be to interested in the dragon. Hunting a dragon doesn't seem like it would help with his quest in finding this person that he is looking for and I did tell him I would help him find this man after I found my brother.

Following Jyn through the tent city, I grin forms under the long black scarf warp around the lower haft of my face and neck. The gloved hand comes up to adjust the old pair of sunglasses that shield my eyes. This place looks like thief heaven with all the merchants buzzing around and temporary shops and carts everywhere. Seeing the little girl with silver hair bush up against Jyn as she walks by. I wasn't sure if he was aware that he had just had the honor of being picketed by a cute little girl.

Grabbing the girl by the hand that holds the item in question. My golden eyes look down at her dark skin and silver hair.

"Ruf syho Al'Bhed yna rana?"

Her eyes blink as she looks up at me before answering, "Zicd juu... Oui yna Val'Cie Eri?"

"Un."

I look up from the girl for a moment to look around at the people that are around till I see a tall woman with the same hair and skin color watching us. I give a nod before looking back at the little girl, and patting her on her head.

"Oui'na hud pyt vun y ouihk uha. Ouin sudran cruimt pa bnuit uv oui pid dryd tuach'd ryja yho jymia du oui cu ruf ypuid oui dnayt sa dryd vun drec."

I pull a shinny chain from my pouch as offer to the girl that looks at it and then looks at the thing she took from Jyn for a moment before nodding and trading me items. She give me a big grin before taking off.

If Jyn looks back to question what was going on, I'll just give him the you dropped this look.

xp: 430

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

Having missed the entire ordeal entirely I would turn after everything was over with. One would think that being with a pickpocket as a traveling partner, I would be more aware of such things, but as it would turn out, the small girl must have been skilled to get the drop on me. I would see the look given to me by Eri and then look at her hand. I would twist my lips at her in a teasing manner and say, “aren’t there enough people around her that you don’t have to pick my pockets?” I would reach out to see if I could have my spork back; it came in handy while eating stews and other things that were liquids mixed with solids. The visage would shift into a grin before hearing whatever retort may come as I scanned the area for something interesting. I did notice various areas of interest. There seemed to be a main tent where people were registering as well as the starting lines where merchants were drawing their carts. Registering wasn’t really anything of interest to me since I wasn’t a merchant and I wasn’t here to run; more over, I was looking for people who looked suspiciously dark. It would be a jackpot if I could just happen to walk into the Dark Mage from my Past. In my glancing around, I see something that looked like a familiar cart in the distance with a sign on it. ‘Rashn…’ I would think internally wondering if I had happened to happen into the merchant from Rajeh yet again in this lifetime. Eri should be able to recognize him as well, but he looked pretty bored over there by himself. The other merchants seemed to have a team, but much like the lone tree in the meadow he was, he kind of stuck out.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 329 / 2980

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

With the sudden outburst among the race crowd, Rashn would naturally be drawn in to inspect exactly what was going on. While he was not so interested as to actually move to get a closer look, it wasn’t really necessary to begin with. The aura of fire emitting from the demon horses’ man was clearly visible from his position. An uneasy grin made its way across his face as he realized the competition he was going to be facing. So it was serious… he had heard the name Shlomi before, but he had never seen him or met him in his whole life. “So, that’s him? Well, good thing I wasn’t expecting to win in the first place.” With that development so sudden, Rashn decided he would just focus on placing. In fact, if everyone else tried to kill each other or some shit like that, they’d likely all be DQ’d due to one of the many rules that were put in place and Rashn could take home an easy victory. Yet, that was rather unlikely to happen, but it was still, technically, possible.

Perhaps even more unsettling than the arrival of the demon steeds, was the appearance of the Exalted Desert Forces on the scene. Didn’t both the Satsujin Batsu and the Shoran’Ryu hate them? It was understandable they would accept merchants who lived there to participate since it would increase revenue for the race, but the members riding on that carriage were clearly here on official EDF business. One could see this based purely on their expressions: it was like they didn’t even care about anyone else there. That was the face of someone who had a job to do… that wasn’t good. Rashn considered for a moment pulling out of the race right then and there and avoiding the trouble, but his team arrived at the scene just then to begin loading the precious cargo into the back of his carriage. With it loaded on, and with their hopeful faces cheering for him, there really wasn’t much he could do to tell them he was leaving. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But the one good thing so far, was that no random adventurers had arrived and began bothering him for a ride. He wouldn’t mind taking someone he knew with him, but even then he was kind of a loner. Going by himself was perfectly fine and meant he would’ve had even less people to worry about. Focusing on his safety and the safety of his two camels was enough with the sudden developments. Any more would put additional stress on him, but, then again, most adventurers who’ve lived this long have at least enough power to fare for themselves, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? Just as long as he didn’t get blamed for their demise if they got overzealous and didn’t listen to him.

Immune to the blatant hostility boiling up in the eyes of both the EDF and Shlomi’s group, as well as in the random other merchants who were participating, and unaware of the nearby presence of both Jyn and Eri, Rashn’s tired arms would continue to hold up the sign for his acceptance of passengers. This would continue until the race countdown actually began.

EXP 625

Veteran Rep! : 14

The Merchant Run

I give Jyn an unseen grin as he tease me about taking his stuff. "I just wanted to see if I could get away with it." I hand the spork back to him. I personal have a rule not to steal from friends or colleagues unless it is for their personal benefit. It just isn't good for the partnership if the other person doesn't trust you. My eyes look around at the sea of tents when well I see our merchant friend Rashn is his cart holding up at sign that says he is accepting passengers but it looks like he is over there where big race is going to start at. I wonder if the accepting passengers sign is his way for says now hiring, payment is a ride to where ever I drop you off at. Which doesn't really sound like a bad deal, unless he drops you off in a fire pit or somewhere very unpleasant. I glance over at Jyn to see if me notices Rashn over there looking rather bored on his cart. I was sure he would at less want to go talk to Rashn for a little while and see if he has seen anything new before he left but seeing that we had just gotten hear I wasn't sure if Jyn would be to interested in taking Rashn's offer for a ride. It would be a good way to watch the race though. Be like having box seat tickets where you are right there in the game.

xp: 255 / 685

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

“Heh…” I would murmur lightly at her retort. I guess I should probably use her to figure out how to not be pick pocketed, but at her level of skill, that might take a long time. From her glance, I could tell that she saw Rashn as well, so I would make the comment with a social smile, “let’s go say hi to my friend!” With that, I would proceed through the crowd gathered in the area to head in the direction of the starting line where it seemed there was quite the assortment of carts and animals. In our approach to him, I noticed the flashy figure with the fiery horses at his disposal who seemed to be making eyes at another desert based group with feline mounts. Looking between then and then to Rashn’s camels, it was kind of a stark contrast of resources. I wondered if he could even be competitive against such things. I knew that his cart had broken down previously due to a bandit’s attack, but in a bandits den, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe the race would go on fairly.

Approaching the male who had the sign about accepting passengers, I would lift a hand and give a welcoming, “oy!” Coming to stop beside the cart, I would make the comment, “long time no see. Somehow something told me you would be here.” I was certain he would recognize Eri; I would pause here to either give him a moment to reply or for Eri to greet him as well.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 272 / 929

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:13 am

"It sounds, my brother, as though it is time for us to venture forth." Taran set his tea down and stood, as did Hamzah.

"Yes, Taran, it seems we have wasted nigh an hour on idle chatter! What fortune I am allowed to keep servants and have them tend to the cart and animals, else we would be out of luck! Shall we?"

As they stepped out of the tent, a slight man ran up, stripped to the waist and breathing hard. Gulping air, he slid to a halt in front of Hamzah. Taran's command of the desert language was far from perfect and the man's refusal to slow down and catch his breath did not help, but Taran caught a few words. "Ankle," "broken" and apologies galore were the most prominent. Turning to Hamzah, Taran broke into a wry grin. "So am I to understand that we will not be winning this race?"

Hamzah guffawed mightily. "Hardly, my friend! This man is simply appraising me of the status of one of the tertiary horses. We will simply be making the run with five beasts rather than six.

"I misdoubt we were going to win in any case. Shlomi himself is racing, and there is no mortal beast alive that can match the speed and endurance of his pair of oni-stallions. However, we are very close in the running book, I am told. Perhaps third, or even second!" Hamzah chuckled again as the mismatched pair wove through the crowds towards the Lion's cart, attended by 3 servants. "No, no, we shall make the best showing we can, no matter what obstacles, eh my brother?"

"Indeed. And I shall attempt to keep you alive for the duration. If all the rumors I have been hearing are true, that shall be no mean feat. The Exalted Desert Tribe? Shlomi, the Merchant of Fortune? A great deal of ruthless and opportunistic individuals for such a small area, and I'm sure a few of them are after your head." Taran's preternatural calm seemed out of place in the sea of people. "Are there any particular threats I should know of?"

"No, no, my brother. I have been most cautious since Goron left us. He was a powerful man, and his name carried a lot of protection value with it. I will not say you were wrong for killing him, but you certainly made my life a bit more complicated. I had nearly forgotten how difficult it was to avoid death as an informer! It has become a full time job! A'dab has been tending the merchant side of things since you rid us of that pox-ridden sadist. It will be good to get back in the driver's seat, play at being a merchant of goods rather than information again. To directly answer your question, no, there are no direct threats to my life extant that I am aware of." The men laughed as they got on the cart and readied for the race, Taran and Hazmah racing to see who could load a larger portion of the burden onto the merchant's banded cart.
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EXP:
This Post: 553 +1TEXP (250+EXP Post)
Thread Total: 1945 +2TEXP

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Just as the race seemed to be preparing to start, Rashn’s attention was drawn elsewhere. Likely the passengers he was advertising so patiently for. Or, that was what he expected at least. He was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find that it was his only two ‘friends’ in the desert, whom he had not expected to see so far away from Rajeh. Well, it made sense, since Jyn was looking for someone, and Eri was… wait, what was her profession again? Likely something honorable and befitting the strong type of woman Jyn made her out to be, like a hunter or the like. If that was the case, then she likely came to sell her goods, or maybe just to help Jyn search for his missing person. Either way, it was nice to see some friendly faces after the arrival of two large forces of trouble. “Oh, you’re here? I didn’t expect to see you guys all the way out here. Nice to see you again, Jyn. And you too, Eri.” He would lightly bend his upper body in a bowing gesture as he said each of their names. Not particularly easy to do while holding up such a large sign. Formalities were one of his stronger points as a merchant, but his body was too achy to actually put much effort into it if it wasn’t going to net a profit.

It dawned on him at that point that there was not much time left until the race started, so their pleasantries would have to end soon and the reunion would be shortlived. Well, that was a downer. Still, it had it’s good points: the sooner the race started, the sooner he could throw away the damn sign that was putting his arm to sleep. Wait, the sign… Ah! Perhaps it wasn’t destined to all end so soon. “Say,” he began, the gears in his mind twisting slowly. “you’re not looking for a ride in the race, are you? This thing’s all fixed up, so it won’t bother your ass so much this time, Jyn.”

EXP 390

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

A social smile would greet the friendly merchant on his recognition of us. With a nod towards him I would reach up with my right hand and scratch the back of my neck as I look towards the camels that I had previously become so intimately acquainted with. Being behind them wasn’t among the most fun things that I could think about. My attention shifts back to Rashn after he tosses back the sign and speaks. “Eh?” my eye brows rise a bit at the suggestion. A smile spreads across my lips and I chuckle lightly at the fact that he caught the ‘pain in the ass’ from early. I hadn’t come here with the intentions of joining the race or anything, but from the looks of things, Rashn didn’t seem as if he had a team to help him out with the race. The other merchants seemed to have various other types assisting the main merchant, but Rashn seemed to stand out in a solo manner. I couldn’t in good conscious allow him to go on this race by himself, but… “do you really think you can compete?” I thumb to some of the other carts that were in attendance. Ignoring my own question I nod my head, “but you should know without asking you. If you want to join in this race, then I’m up for helping you in any way I can!”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 244 / 1173

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
TBA

Participating Members:

Begin!
Registration ends. The registration booth closes up. If ppl didn’t make it in time, they were SOL. All the merchants are or are getting lined up. They make final preparations to head out and all that good stuff. The event staff walks up to the front to start the “ready set go.”

While he’s getting that ready the other staff members take out the stuff to start loading the carts. All the boxes of “the stuff” comes from three main huts that were heavily guarded. The bandits drag “the stuff” from the huts and piles them up. The boxes and bags are all sealed and locked closed with special bandit knots. The contents are lumpy. The bandits stand behind the boxes and wait for the main guy to speak.

“Okay, good! Ya bastards! We’re not loading this shit for you! Um… It’s is part of the race!”

He points to the piles. The bags and boxes have pirate symbols on them and says “the pirate bay.”

“The big bags are 200 lbs, the small ones are 100 lbs. You need to have 1200 lbs in your load. I don’t care how you get it, just get the right number. If you can’t do basic math, go home, ya bastards. If you have too much, there’s no extra reward. If you don’t have enough, you can’t win unless you come back and get enough. But coming back would be dumb as shit to do b/c you’d have to go the course twice! When I say go, get your load in your cart and haul ass that way! Now everyone get ready. If you’re not ready it’s your own fault!”

The merchant groups look @ the piles of wares and get ready. The merchants and their assistances get off the carts and get ready to run. It gets all tense and quiet. The main director speaks.

“Okay ya bastards! Ready… set… go!”

The ground rumbles with men and women running at the pile. They grab boxes indeterminately, but they are heavy! The bigger guys have an easier time getting boxes back to the cart. Right now they go back and forth filling their load.

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Veteran Rep! : 14

The Merchant Run

Jyn see Rashn and we move we approach him on his cart that is drawn by two camels. With one hand behind my back, with an item I just swiped from some poor passer bier that was to paying too much attention to my chest, I give Rashn a light wave when Jyn calls out to him and giving him a smile at the greeting. Him and Jyn talk about joining in on the race and only half paying attention I give a slight nod. "Sure why not. Sounds like fun." I wonder what the rules and stuff where and where was this race seeing that we really didn't check that out when we got here. I blink for a moment as I see some bandit looking guys start yelling about them not loading stuff... I wonder what type of stuff is this stuff that they are not loading. The golden eye watch as the horde of men and women rush to load the pirate bay bags and boxes up onto their carts. I give a shrug and walk over, kicking some small male out of my way that was trying to pick on one of the box's. If you can't take it then go home. Picking the box up and hulling back to Rushn's cart to slide it into through the back. "So do we get to keep this stuff? Wonder what is inside." I look up at Rushn for a moment when I ask the question before looking over at the box to see if I could open it without anyone knowing that I had opened it. "Bandit knots. Oh this is going to be easy!" Happy walking back to the stack of boxes and bags to get another box, my long hair swings back and forth as I hum to myself.

xp: 304 / 989
ooc: 400 lbs in Rushn's cart

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

With the official announcement of the race’s start, outright mayhem breaks loose. Rashn was mentally prepared for this, and his team was in position, as mentioned, to deal with it. The men and women immediately began to work in teams at picking the necessary amount and pulling down the newly added ‘loading-dock’ on the back of the carriage. Even that addition was like a grand improvement in terms of technology to Rashn, who would turn to Jyn after his questioning answer and give him a thumbs up and a small smile. “No way. There’s no hope of winning, and I’m too far out of my league to compete.” The answer and his facial expression seemed to be at odds with one another, but there was some congruent confidence in both that meshed them together. Even before he could answer though, Jyn had responded and in a favorable way. Great! He assumed that meant Eri would be going as well? The way she said that it sounded like ‘fun’ was an enigma to the merchant, as this event was, to him guaranteed to be anything but. There was no way this event was going to go off without a hitch, and death was a probability out here, but if she found fun in that, well, that was just her personality, he supposed. Whatever floats her boat.

As his team began to lift the first bit of their load into the cart, Rashn felt the need to help. He didn’t want to exhaust himself before his portion of the race began, and this was essentially the entire purpose of his ‘pit crew’ being here on this day, the guilt was welling up inside of him. Even Eri was contributing, and she had only just joined the official team. He couldn’t be done up like that. With that in mind, he would swing his leg over the side and begin to run to the pile, having to dodge the larger and bulkier merchant members, as they certainly weren’t going to stop for him. Being the type of person not too physically adept, he opted for one of the smaller boxes. Even that was enough to strain him in his movements, but at least he was able to move it without any assistance. He hated needing someone else’s help.

The comment about opening the bags and boxes by Eri rung in his ears, and he remember the DQ rules almost immediately. He knew telling someone to ‘not look’ or ‘not touch’ was basically giving them the right to do so, but telling her to go ahead was obviously just as bad. Not wanting to lose outright already, he opted for a “Yeah, sure! You can look at it once the race is over, so just wait until then!” His pace was quick and his breath was short, with all the physical exertion of carrying the bags by himself. With the number of people in his team, plus himself and both Eri as well as Jyn if he opted to help, it wouldn’t take them more than two trips to fully load the carriage at most. Great, that’d mean they might get out of the gate first, and when competing against the people they were, any little boost would help. Even if they were destined to end up in the middle of the pack by race’s end, every extra position earned was worth just a little more.

ooc: 800lbs in Cart

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
Bottom Spoiler

Participating Members:

Continue!
(Sry, I left out details and goofed on this quest. I corrected that camels can carry 500 to 1000 lbs each instead of 100 lbs. That was a typo. Two camels shouldn’t have a prob pulling the load). The pile of boxes and bags are about 20 ft from the starting line where the carts are (left that out too). The merchants and assists look like they’re trying to waste no time getting filled their cart filled loaded.

The small man that is kicked by Eri squeaks and falls down. His larger partner sees what happens. He doesn’t say anything but doesn’t let it go. He picks up a 100 lbs bag and slings it over his shoulder. He waits until Eri picks up her box to move through the other merchants running back and forth, catch up with her, and kick her in the middle of her back with a big boot (Boot Kick, Stg 1 DMG + Strong STR) while she is carrying her load and talking to Rashn. This could interrupts her first and second load.

“Bitch! Watch who you're messing with.”

Shlomi’s crew and the EDC are first to get their carts loaded. The demon horses whinny and the desert tigers rawrl. They make it off the starting line first. Five more are quick to follow. The rest are finishing loading with about 5 groups fighting each other over the loads. The longer it takes, the more hectic the fighting gets in front of the loading area!

MAP INFO:
Dark = rocks/elevated areas
Medium = heavy sands/slow down areas
Light = normal ground/fastest terrain
Starting Gate – A/16
Leader Position(s) – C/13, C/21

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:08 pm

Taran ducked a thrown elbow as he approached the 200 pound bag he had his eye on. Hamzah didn't bother avoiding it, letting the idiot bump his funnybone on the Lion's sculpted chest. As the man hopped and cursed, Taran picked up the 200 pound bag and tossed it to Hamzah before spinning and grabbing a pair of hundred-pounders himself. He was grinning through his sweat and screaming muscles. Ages it's been since I had to work this hard.

Hamzah cleared a path through the crowd merely by dint of his size, Taran's small frame allowing him to slip along in his wake. Hamzah tossed the bag into the deep recesses of his banded cart before turning around and doing the same with Taran's load. "Are you alright my friend? You do not need to help me load, I have servants for this purpose."

"No, no, brother. I am well. It has simply been some time since I had to exert myself fully. Remember that I scramble over buildings for a living, if I couldn't deadlift my own weight, I would be dead several times over!" Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, Taran grinned widely. "Besides you old bear, I'm young and strong. You should sit down and rest, old man."

Hamzah grinned back. "Hah! Which one of us is sweating again? This 'old man' can still lift you over his head with one arm! Come! Let us finish this loading process and get out on the road." The servants came back with a two-hundred pound bag and loaded it just as Hamzah said this and the four strode back to the pile of bags.

Hamzah again took the lead and cleared a path by being big, while his servants walked behind him in a flanking position, helping cut a wedge through the crowd. Taran followed close behind, ensuring that anyone who drew a weapon would face his blade first. Reaching the pile, Hamzah picked up a pair of one-hundred pound bags. "One-hundreds only, boys! Weight distribution will be easier!" Nodding, the servants each picked up a one-hundred pound bag and handed them to Taran before picking up one each for themselves. Bearing up with his legs, Taran tossed the pair of bags over his shoulders before again following the giant of a merchant and his servants.

They reached the cart without incident, fortunately, and Taran hopped in it to help balance the load. Wedging the two 200 pound bags into the forward corners, he arrayed the 8 100 pound bags between them in rows of four and strapped them down with some netting that Hamzah tossed back to him. Sure that the bags wouldn't be going anywhere unless something catastrophic happened, Taran banged on the roof of the cart to tell Hamzah that they were ready. Walking to the back, he hopped up and pulled himself onto the roof of the cart as Hamzah snapped the reins. Stepping carefully, Taran dropped down into the seat next to the Lion and loosened his jacket to allow some airflow. "That is more work than I anticipated, my friend."

Hamzah laughed lightly. "Am I still old, then?"

"Hardly, my brother. Let's get this underway, shall we?"
------------------
EXP:
This Post: 598 +1TEXP (250+EXP Post)
Thread Total: 2543 +3TEXP
OOC: 2x200+8x100=1200lbs in Hamzah's cart, drawn by five horses, each capable of carrying 250lbs without strain.

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

It seemed that we were all on one accord about the race. After listening to the instructions about the race, I was ready to do my best; if Rashn stated that he wanted to try his best for the sake of competition, then that would be enough for me. The ready set go would grab my attention, and much like the others who moved hastily, I would be opposite of Eri in my haste to reach the pile at a full run instead of a walk; I would show Rashn my burning vigor of youth while enjoying a small boost in my powered mode. Knowing something about handling and getting off loads, I would have drug a 200 lbs bag to the cart by the time Eri would be on her way back with her first. I would have noticed that she assaulted someone in getting a bag; something I knew wouldn’t go well in a team competition. On my way back, passing her, I notice the male who would be offering revenge for his teammate, and as the foot comes up to her back, I would catch it and counter his words, “oy, there’s too much chaos going on now to get side tracked. Look, others are already finished filling their carts.” I’d hold onto his extended foot since my strength seemed to rival his and he was in an awkward position. Hopefully he could just let this go, though I was weary to look through the crowds to see if someone who looked like his cohorts would be around. Internally Battousai stated that it would be faster to just knock him out, but since time was of the essence, I wanted to get away from escalating anything at the moment.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 304 / 1477

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

With the entirety of the events going on, it was a little much to think that Rashn would be able to keep up with every little thing that was going on. He hadn’t noticed the attack made upon Eri’s person until he turned around, and noticed the counter by Jyn. A confused look would quickly lock onto his face, yet would not last for long before being washed away. It didn’t take a genius to understand they had gotten into a spat of some sort, to which the merchant would curse their luck under muffled breath. He had been hoping they would, at the very least, get off to a fresh start on the race without actually having to fight anybody. However, it seemed as if Jyn had the situation under control, so Rashn would just essentially ‘ignore’ it all and go back to the pile. His team would look at him with raised eyebrows and begin to ask what he was doing, but he would hold his finger to his lips in a silencing fashion, and they would instantly become tightlipped. Their questioning looks were warranted, as the cart was filled with the prerequisite amount of bulk, yet Rashn seemed to be getting more?

Gripping two of the smaller bags, he would begin to ‘carry’ them back to the carriage, barely able to get them off the ground at the same time. His team would notice his problems and would rush to his aide in loading the final two bags. One of the younger members would lean in and ask what the extra bags were for, noting they would only weigh the carriage down. With a whisper, Rashn would answer, “winning doesn’t mean anything if we lose a bag or two and don’t qualify to finish. With this, at least, we have some leeway, and we’ve taken someone else’s stuff right from their very noses. You could say one team’s already lost.” It was an underhanded technique, and one that Rashn did not like very much, but he thought of it as an insurance policy. This way, even if something bad happened, they could still get away with losing a little bit and remain qualified to finish.

Hopping into the front of the carriage, Rashn would make a final once-over check of everything, as his team moved into the back of the cart and tied all the bags together. Weight distribution was more for the quick, and he himself was looking just to finish. It was highly unlikely someone was going to be able to take all 1400 pounds at the same time, so by having them tied up together it would only hinder them. At the very least, it would cause the would-be robbers to be slowed down by having to cut the rope that bind it all together. With Rashn finished checking and ready to disembark, the team would give the thumbs up and quickly remove themselves from the bed of the carriage. This would allow the man to turn to his comrades and see if their spat had been resolved yet. “Oi, come on! We’ve gotta’ get going!”

Load: 1400lbs

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

Unsure of the man’s actions I would attempt to defend for Eri and myself until I heard the word from Rashn that he was ready to go. Seeing as I didn’t actually want or need to wait on the male’s response, I do what would make sense in that situation. I would call to Eri and Rashn, “get going and I’ll catch up.” After all, they didn’t need me to start off, and I was pretty sure that I could catch up with the two camels. As for the men with me, winning -was- more important in this scenario than actually brawling like the other men had already done. Hoping that Rashn would get a move on it, I would stand defensively and channel my inner ki. With it harnessed, I would press out with enough force to push the big guy back as well as kick up enough sand in the dusty area to hinder his vision and those around us for a little bit. After performing my exert, I would turn around and high tail it to the cart, hoping on at the rear if it were already pulling away. As it would seem, we had some catching up to do even this early in the race.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 210 / 1687

Veteran Rep! : 14

The Merchant Run

The attack from the large man goes unnoticed by me as I carry the second load to the cart and push it in through the back. Claiming into the back of the cart and sitting on one of the carts. I was about to start to play with the knot that held it shut when Rashn tells me to wait till after the races was over to look inside of as he helps his team load up a few bags. I wasn't too keen on waiting but it did look like the other merchants where starting to take off. Namely the guy with the flame horses and the other guys with the tigers pulling their cart.

My bronze legs cross each other as I sit on the crate behind Rashn, looking back at Jyn as we seem to be leaving. He seems to have gotten himself into some trouble. It is just like a man to be fighting at a time like this. Looking back forward the sunglasses come down over my golden eyes and my arms become cross under my breast. So we are a cart being pulled by two camels racing some crazy guys with tigers and flaming horses. Maybe the tigers will think the horses are lunch and try to eat them. This thought reminds me of a story my mother ones told me. "You know this reminds me of that story about the fox and the snail. Those guys are the fox rushing off to win while we are the snail taking it nice and easy. So Rashn, this race ends at Labrum right? We just have to get there too finish."

xp: 276 / 1265

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

With an obviously displeased look on his face, Rashn would groan and mumble some derogatory words beneath his breath. The two were friends, of course, but he was still an easily annoyed and impatient man. Leaving his friend behind was something that he couldn’t really do, but he also didn’t have much of a choice in this situation. They hadn’t gotten the quick start he wanted, though they were still ahead of the majority of the faceless -mook-like no-name merchants. Every little bit of slowdown however was just time wasted: something he was not particularly interested in the continuation of. Biting back his tongue to avoid calling out angrily, the man would lightly whip the reins of the camels, causing them to begin the race officially. It was only light, so they would not be moving at much for speeds. Jyn would have no problem catching up, as he seemed to move quickly enough.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he would mutter, still somewhat peeved but wanting to answer Eri’s question all the same. “We get to Labrum with enough of the stuff in tow and we finish. First one to get there with everything wins. And even if we don’t win, so long as we place we’ll get a nice little reward.” Though placing was not really an option with all the distractions going around. This was part of why he wanted to travel alone. There was no way this would happen had he been by his lonesome out here, but it would also be more dangerous… ahh, whatever. Going with friends would make this more enjoyable and it wasn’t like this was the difference between winning and ‘just finishing’ anyway. There was no way he could actually win.

It, of course, would not take long before Jyn had caught up to the cart, much to Rashn’s enjoyment. He would have little time to rest, because as soon as he had himself firmly planted in the cart, the male leading the carriage would raise his hands and crack the reins like a whip into the back of the camels. Only a little of it was out of vehemence. It wasn’t something they were unaccustomed to, though they would still cry out in pain just a little. More surprise on their part than anything though. Their speeds would quickly pick up, and the burst would likely shake his fellow riders. His hand reached to the map, and nearly ripped off the string binding it to its rolled position. Time to get serious.

Load: 1400lbs

OOC: I'm assuming the town-like area at XYZ-18 is the destination? Any significance in the light stars on the map?

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
Bottom Spoiler

Participating Members:

Continue!
The big merchant aint happy with getting his foot caught. He yanks his foot free from Jyn. He thinks that fighting w/Jyn could get complicated. Just when he’s about to say that everything is cool and walk away Jyn goes and exerts everyone then runs away. The sand stings and ticks him off. The man wipes sand and dirt out of his face.

“My eyes, my eyes!”

The little guy comes up and helps him out. Their head guy calls out.

“Two more bags let’s go! We’ll catch up with those bastards and take them out during the race!”

The big guy and the little guy (now to be known as BG and LG) bring their bags to the cart.

“Yah Mule!”

They take off after Rashn and Co. w/their triple donkey setup. W/them the second major wave of ppl head off the lines. The people fighting in the loading area get their acts together and fill their carts. They leave off the lines in the third wave of people.

Early on in the race there’s nothing major happening cept for merchants racing for the finish. A couple unprepared merchants find out their carts aren’t as strong as they thought they were. When one group tried to go, their animals pulled so hard, that it broke the link between the heavy cart and their harness. The animals went running on w/the merchant and the cart just sitting there. Another cart had the wheel crumple under the weight. Poor merchants w/only one animal are stuck in the sand straining their poor animals. A couple ppl have to get out and push.

There’s a good amt of security for the goods. Bandits on horse back follow the race. They’re only keeping an eye on the merchandise. They don’t actually care about the well being of the ppl racing.

The EDT and Shlomi pull away from the group. Taran and Co. have a good position in the race. Ppl behind them are eyeing them evilly for the come up, tho nothing happens atm. Everything is cool coming into the first set of narrow straits.

Leader Pos – F13 / F21
40% taking north path, 30% taking southern path, 20% approaching path split, 10% SOL @ gate.

Ooc Q/A: no significance in the small stars for this quest. Yes, the town like area @ XYZ18 is the destination. Thx for pointing that out.
MAP INFO:
Dark = rocks/elevated areas
Medium = heavy sands/slow down areas
Light = normal ground/fastest terrain
Starting Gate – A/16

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

As things would turn out, I would be able to make it to the cart safely and latch onto it as it is in the process of pulling off. I pull myself onto the side portion of the cart, simply holding onto it and looking towards my two cohorts. From the looks of her, Eri didn’t even know that I saved her from harm back there. Raising an eyebrow to her, I make the comment, “you must not have heard that guy call you a bitch back there.” I smirk it off knowing that if she had, she probably would have attacked him and on top of that there was about a fifteen percent chance that she might be inclined to do so now, so for that reason I wouldn’t point out just what male yelled the derogatory term at her. The burst in speed, almost sends me from the cart, so after it I’m sure to solidify my hold onto the cart, pulling myself up and secure myself between crates and the front so that I would be between Eri and Rashn. Seeing him pull out a map, I call out, “hey, want me to be navigator? I direct and you drive?” I figured it would be the best way to be useful at the time being, aside from being extra weight on the camels.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 226 / 1912

Admin Rep! : 24

quest failure imminent

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:45 pm

Taran busted open the map Hamzah handed him and scanned it quickly. "We will not be able to simply go in a straight line, friend. There are rocks in our way, and heavy sands according to this map. Cutting around South seems to be the shorter path, but there is only a small passage through the rocks and it is swathed in heavy, slowing sands. The Northern path is longer, but there's a lot of packed down sands. I think...this...describes our best path. We will avoid the worst of the cloying sands and will have plenty of space for the horses to make up time on the last stretch." Taran traced his finger along a Northerly route and Hamzah altered his course to follow it.

"Brother, are you certain this is the best path? Many of the other merchants seem to be taking a similar route, and I would hate for us to be slowed by foolish competitors."

"Yes, my friend. We have your strong horses to make up for any lost time and ground on the homestretch. We may not win, but we can certainly give our opponents something to think about!" Taran shut the map with a snap and clambered up on top of the cart's roof. "I will keep lookout, Hamzah. If I see any trouble, I'll holler. Don't worry about trying to keep me on top, just go as fast as you think we can. Remember to save some of the horsepower for the long homestretch!"

"Be careful, my friend! Some of those other merchants may have hired archers or other such bothersome creatures." Hamzah flicked the reins and gave the horses a little more lead, leading along at a very brisk canter, but not allowing them to break into a full gallop yet.

Alright, as long as we stay on course, we should be fine. I'll repel any boarders and endeavor to not get shot...or allow the horses to get shot. Let's do this. Taran grinned as he surveyed the peloton of merchants arrayed behind them. It was, he reflected, a nice change of pace. Wind in my hair, sand in my teeth, speed under my feet...I can understand the draw of the bandit's life.
------------------
EXP:
This Post: 400 +1TEXP (250+EXP in a day)
Thread Total: 2943 +4TEXP
OOC: C'mon guys, get it together! Been suffering from writer's block something fierce, finally broke today. The red line is the route Taran described, approximately. Hamzah's cart is at about E/13, from my understanding. Happy racing, ladies and gents!

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
Bottom Spoiler

Participating Members:

Continue!
The racers get near the middle of the course. The ppl in front pass by thru the H vertical. The carts @ H20 get ambushed by a massive sand worm. When the sand worm breaks thru the sand it takes out a cart all killer like in slow motion w/the CGI. Wood and debris rain down while several other carts run around it @ high speeds. They're able to keep going but the sand worm cuts off the ones behind them that aint that lucky. It sways back and forth and destroys five more carts in a rampage then runs down merchants to do bad things to them. The merchants and teams have to fight for dear life and traffic slows down @ the south route.

There's danger @ the north route too. A sink hole appears @ H13! A 50 foot radius of sand gets continually sucked into the center. B/c they're in front, the the EDC get caught in it. They're slowed down and pulled into the center but fight against it. The driver snaps the reigns of their desert animals.

"Ho! Ya ya! Let's go!"

The two warriors hold onto the sides and make sure the goods are all good. They slowly pull away from the center. Shlomi gets caught at the border edges but pull out it it a lot easier b/c of the warning. Five other carts that try to get around it get sucked into the middle and crash together. The men in the carts jump out and try to swim out of the worm hole.

"Help us! Someone stop! Throw a rope!"

No one stops to help them. A passing merchant taunts them.

"Pray to your god! There is no help for you!"

--

A cart drives about 50 ft behind Taran and Co. The driver tries to catch up with them being pulled by 3 massive beasts. A man stands up on the cart. A swordman crouches beside the archer. The archer takes out a bow and arrow and lights a flame arrow. He takes aim at Taran and shoots the arrow aiming at the cargo in the back of the cart.

MAP INFO:
Dark = rocks/elevated areas
Medium = heavy sands/slow down areas
Light = normal ground/fastest terrain
Starting Gate – A/16
Destination – XYZ18

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Fri Jul 15, 2011 4:06 pm

Taran's eyes narrowed when he saw the archer. I can catch arrows, I've done that before. They then widened when he saw the flame ignite. "Now that I can't catch. Hard a-port, Hamzah!" Taran hopped as the arrow was released and allowed the roof of the cart to pass underneath him, grabbing the right edge and swinging all of his weight down to keep the wheels on the ground as Hamzah made a sharp left to avoid the flaming projectile. Taran, now hanging on the side of the cart, felt the heat from the arrow as it sped past his back and buried itself in a sand dune. Clambering back up on top, he surveyed the situation again. Fortunately, it seemed that the archer had been thrown violently from the roof when the driver swerved to follow the Lion's cart, so there would be no more arrows. Unfortunately, the cart was close enough that he could see the steam rising from the three beasts in front of it. Taran tapped Hamzah on the shoulder. "Slow up a little. I've got an idea."

Hamzah complied, even as he said "Nothing too drastic, brother, I'd like to see my wives again!" Taran nodded and grinned before taking a running leap off the back of the cart, landing astride the lead beast from the other cart. The driver, who had been joined in his seat by the swordsman, seemed extremely surprised at this counter-aggressive behavior. He gesticulated wildly with his free hand, urging the swordsman forward. "Oi, get 'im orf afore 'e 'urts Gilliam!"

Taran just grinned and waved before laying down in the beast's back. Reaching down, he began to loosen the wooden pin that held the lead to the rest of the drawing mechanism. Shortly, he wiggled it free and sat up to see the looks of abject terror on the faces of both driver and swordsman. Holding up the pin for them both to see, he smiled again. "Oh, sorry, was this important? It'd be a terrible shame if I dropped it...oops! Clumsy old me. Used to call me butterfingers in school, actually. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I've got a race to win!" Unsheathing his tanto, he cut the reins and halter of the lead beast before pricking its behind, causing it to run even faster. He waved to the now receding cart and turned around to catch up with Hamzah. There was an almighty crash as the now-dangling shafts of the troika caught on a rock and catapulted driver, lackey, beasts, carriage and contents straight upward. Taran winced a bit. Hope they're alright.

Urging his ride forward, Taran caught up with the Lion's cart and rode up alongside the box. Catching Hamzah's eye, he hollered to the merchant. "Mind if I come aboard, old friend?"

"Not at all, brother." Hamzah slid over to let Taran get a purchase and ensured that the assassin was completely aboard before speeding up, leaving the single beast behind. "Exciting, no?"

"Aye, that it is, friend. Though I personally could do with a little less excitement." Taking a deep breath, Taran leaned his head back for a moment before clambering back up onto the roof of the cart to, again, keep lookout.
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EXP:
This Post: 608 EXP +1TEXP (250+EXP in a day)
Thread Total: 3551 +5TEXP
OOC: Suppose I oughta approximate a position for myself....and bugger, I forgot to deal with the sinkhole. Let's go with halfway between G/13 and H/13, rapidly approaching the sinkhole. Next post, can Taran and Hamzah navigate the dangers of a relatively easy to see sinkhole with wreckage in the middle? ...yeah, probably. :/

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Minor calculations ran through Rashn’s head as he thought about how best to do in the race. After dealing with money and currency for so long, mathematics were something he was accustomed to, though by no means a master. He knew the distance between the two cities, and he had travelled between the two many times before. The paths taken, though, were mostly easy ones that sought to go around the tough terrain instead of through it. Speed was important to him, but safety more-so. This was, essentially, and entirely different route than he had been used to taking, and the map did not truly help with this at all. Many people seemed to be going north, but he himself had already determined that the southern path would suit them best. At this point, it was all about determining when the final burst of speed would be best used. He knew what his camels were capable of, and the speeds they could reach on their own when needed. With two to carry the cart, the weight would only have minimal effects on their speed, so any encumbrance was much less than normal, thankfully. Honestly speaking, having two camels was about the only good luck Rashn had ever really encountered in his life as a merchant.

“Camels can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour for burst speeds, and can go at half of those speeds for some time without getting tired. But the question is, when do we use those speeds?” This was said mostly to himself as Jyn offered to take the map from him. No, no, bad idea. Jyn needed to be on watch for any dangers along with Eri. With the three of them, they’d be able to cover pretty much every possible angle of attack save from below and directly above. Though, really, what would attack from either of those positions? “No problem. I think I’ve got it.” The calculations in his mind, though not perfect, decided to go for the burst speeds now, to minimize to effects of the slowing terrains, then take a rest through the smoother sands and be in position to once again get another burst of full speed going. According to the map, they were approaching the thicker sands which would soon lead into a very small pass through the rocky terrain. That was where the race would, largely, be decided.

As if on cue, as soon as they would all reach the thickening sands, the ground began to rumble. An ill omen if there ever was one. Shortly after, a large, phallic object comes from the ground. For once there is no look of dire surprise on Rashn’s face, but instead one of flat disbelief. It was as if there was a strict lack of emotion in his visage as he inspected what turned out to be some sandworm-like monster. He had dealt with sandworms before, but they were only ever the size of his carriage at best. The size of a knife compared to a merchant cart sized beast was much larger than when compared to a mountain sized beast, the likes of which they were facing. Internally, Rashn thanked the people who slowed them down at the gates for making them not be the leaders of the southern pass. Taking up the rear end of it, he was able to see the beast from a good distance away, and immediately began to veer to the side to avoid it. The sands began to get heavier and more dangerous to traverse, so luckily now was as good a time as any to get the hell out of there and begin the burst of speed he had planned. Thrusting the reins heavily into the backs of the camels, the fierce whipping would give them the encouragement to not stop and pee their nonexistent pants at the sight of the monster. They would make their way to the side, going around in the right most direction towards the mountains before trying to circle back once again and get back into position. The monster had its hands full, so hopefully they would be alright? Though when there was one, there was usually more, and there weren’t so many people in front of them this time to take the first warning attack for them. “Everybody alright?”

1400lbs in cart
Position: I-21

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

Jyn’s head nods with an affirmation to accept the driver’s decree that he had things under control with the navigation as far as that went. “Right,” he would remark before shifting back and pressing his back against the wall of the cart shifting his gaze to Eri for a moment and issuing a small grin as his body swayed in the rocking of the moving cart. A hand lifts to brush the hair flickering in his face that was carried by the wind in their passing through the arid terrain. Moving his eyes towards the back of the cart, his gaze shifts out and towards the third wave of riders who had left the starting lines behind them; according to their current position, they didn’t seem to be doing that bad in the race. From the looks of things, he could easily see that they had done better than a good portion of merchants who were probably at the same class bracket of Rashn; he could praise his friend for at least having a reliable cart and healthy animals to pull it.

Attention is gathered to the front as the ground begins to shake and a sand worm breaks forth from the ground. Eyes widening, Jyn questions, “no way? Those things are way too common out here…” It hadn’t been too long ago that he and Eri had dispatched of one of those creatures with the help of a small desert tribe of questionable origin. Jyn would watch in their approach as the sandworm would claim its first victims; luckily it seemed that Rashn had enough of a warning to bypass the thing. Still, Jyn would shift and turn slightly while staying in a crouched position with one hand on the side of the cart and the other holding the adjacent side ready in case he needed to perform some type of offense. When the hail comes back from Rashn, Jyn answers, “I’m fine. We shouldn’t draw it’s attention this way…”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 359 / 2271

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
Bottom Spoiler

Participating Members:

Continue!
Taran and his crew successfully ward off the enemy cart. Rashn and co successfully by pass the sand worm. It doesn't follow them, jump @ them or anything like that. Overall, 10 out of the original 25 carts are still in the race. Over half were knocked out b/c of accidents and mishaps. The bandit staff member have to deal w/making sure the cargo is safe and saving it first. After that they help out the merchants in the race b/c they still gotta get the stuff over to the destination eventually. One crew tries to run off with the cargo and are chased down and attacked. It dun turn out pretty for them.

Shlomi is in front w/the EDC crew behind him. There are 3 carts in front of Taran and Rashn with 3 carts still in the race behind them. The leaders get up to the M vertical. There's a large stone blockage at L18. A sandstorm is building up at the O vertical. It's easily visible to the racers.

MAP INFO:
Dark = rocks/elevated areas
Medium = heavy sands/slow down areas
Light = normal ground/fastest terrain
Starting Gate – A/16
Destination – XYZ18

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

As things would turn out, Jyn’s prediction about them being able to bypass the sand worm seemed to be true. Though it roared and made up a monstrous site, the sand work did not seem to pay them any mind. As things would turn out, it looked like it had a lot on its dinner plate already. One thing the traveler did think of, however, was the fact that where there was a large sand worm like that, there may be smaller ones around. He hoped that such a thing wouldn’t manifest itself in this race. Still, in their passing, a grin is on his face as they’re able to skate on through and continue on their route, though he did feel at least a bit bad for those who were caught by the sand worm. He assumed if the people had any merit in and of themselves, then they should be able to take out at least one sandworm by themselves, even if it were a large monster. Aside from that, it looked, to him, as if some of the bandits from the village who worked as staff were getting involved in helping the people, or their cargo… same same. Returning his gaze to more important and future matters, Jyn would adjust his squatting position in the cart and speak in a jovial manner to their driver, “well that was close. How are we looking, boss?”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 249 / 2520

Admin Rep! : 24

quest failure imminent

Subject: Re: Shinteractive Quest: The Merchant Run Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:50 pm

Taran's golden-brown eyes watered a little as he rode on top of the cart. Alright, sand is sandy. Duly noted. "Hamzah, old friend, do you have a turban of some description I can use? The sand's getting to me."

The Lion reached down behind him in the box and tossed a little package up to the Son of Rhys. "I figured you might need some protection. I had the servants dig this out of storage. You left it with me the last time you were out." Taran's face expressed puzzlement as he unwrapped the long strip of cloth. In the center was his oni mask.

"I wondered where this had gotten to!" Taran tapped it excitedly, checking the glass in the eye slits for cracks and the wood for damage. "You even re-laminated if for me! Old friend, you are too kind. I haven't been able to think straight on a job since I lost this. My sincerest thanks." Taran put it on and began wrapping the turban quickly and expertly, ensuring that only the last five loops fell around his shoulders. Tightening these around the nose and mouth slits on the wooden mask, Taran sealed out the desert and continued his lookout.

"You wished to know about the drug cartel, correct?" Hamzah navigated the sinkhole with ease, having noted the giant hole in the ground fairly quickly. "I wish I could help you more, but all I have are hints and half-truths. I know that the command structure is all but completely decentralized. There are three lieutenants, each with a piece of information that, when combined with the other two, reveal a riddle that may or may not lead to the location of the money. Short of cutting off the money, there is no way to stop the distribution. There are too many distributors and too many addicts. I know the location of one of these lieutenants, and I'm more than willing to give it to you, but I'll need to hear a plan first. There's too much money involved in this for me to risk my family without some idea what you plan to do."

Taran smiled behind his mask. The Lion was famous (or infamous) for his caution and discretion. It was what had kept him alive thus far. He was too valuable to too many people for anyone intelligent to risk killing him and, as far as Taran knew, only he himself had ever met the man on anything other than a business footing, where Hamzah took great pains to conceal his true identity. "My plan, thus far, consists of killing as many people as I have to to stop this drug from continuing to be distributed. If I find any manufacturing facilities, I'll burn them to the ground. If I find any distributors, I will kill them and take the dilution they use to wean people off of addiction for myself, save them for any other addicts I run across. That's the extent of my plan thus far, mostly because that's all the information I've been able to find thus far. I don't even know what the manufacturing process is yet." Taran's frustration was clear in his voice.

"Very well, my friend. I will supply you with what information I have. I know you will not betray my confidence." Hamzah nodded. "Incidentally, what does that look like to you?"

Taran gazed forward. "That would be a sandstorm. A pretty severe one, too. Do you think we'll be able to get through it before visibility hits zero or should we bunker down?"

"Let's push forward. The horses have got some extra steam, I've been keeping them from over-working themselves. Let's see if we can get through it before it's fully brewed. Take the reins, I must wind my turban." Taran shifted down and took the reins while Hamzah wound his headgear, careful to put several layers of cloth between his breathing apparati and the swirling sands. Rummaging in the box again, he came up with a pair of amber-tinted goggles. "Knew I'd packed these. May I? Thank you for driving, but now we need speed. Hi-yah!" Hamzah snapped the reins and the team of horses began to pick up speed. Taran clambered back up on top of the cart, carrying a cloth that Hamzah handed him. Finding hooks on the roof, he looped it into them, allowing it to hang down over the opening of the cart, preventing sand from getting in and possibly damaging the goods. Taran tightened up his clothes and climbed back down into the box, ready to plow through the brewing sandstorm.
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EXP:
This Post: 847 +1TEXP (250+EXP in one day)
Thread Total: 4398 +6TEXP
OOC: Approximate posisition is halfway between L/11 and M/11.

Intern Rep! : 10 Location : GARhalla

Success is had in outmaneuvering the sandworm, though its lack of any care towards the group makes it hard to say they really did anything more than get lucky in that they were ignored. Still, they were alive and that was all Rashn cared about. If that meant NOT taking on some giant monster worm, then, well, he’d have to live with it. He was impressed with how quickly his ‘defense force’ got into position to be ready to attack, though he wondered what they’d be able to do against a monster like that. Maybe it would’ve been best to not attack it even if they did become targets? Or perhaps he was underestimating his friends. Though, even if that was true, he’d be fine with that if it meant he didn’t have to see any of them get hurt, which was, seemingly a wasted thought anyway as nature seemed to be ready to make them hurt in a way they could do nothing about.

Groaning to himself lightly, Rashn would feel the winds pick up slightly. Breathing became slightly harder, and his chest a bit heavier. It was a common warning to him. Though it was not particularly close and thus not an immediate threat, there seemed to be signs of a sandstorm picking up in the future. The worst part was that for whatever reason, fate deemed the sandstorm fit to ‘spawn’ right in the path of the merchant race. Oh well, the groups would just have to deal with it. If you were worth your salt as a merchant, you’d be able to survive a medium-sized sandstorm such as the one forming and be able to live to talk about it. Or, more importantly, live to talk about how you kept your passengers and goods safe the entire time.

But, that was not the immediate concern. The thicker sands began pulling at the feet of his camels, but these were not particularly uncommon sands for them. They had learnt many years ago to deal with it, so its effect was minimal. While they were still slowed, it was not by too much, though every bit of slowing was detrimental to their success. At this point though, just placing seemed like it was the right goal to have at the onset. The carriage would turn once again, beginning its curve around the large, mountain-like object which blocked their direct path out of the desert valley. That would slow them down some, but not by too much. The question comes from Jyn, and Rashn wonders for a moment how to reply. “Well, it seems we’re middle of the pack. We’re doing well down here, but I don’t know how the northern group is doing. We could either be ahead of the pack, or all the way at the back.” Hell, they could’ve finished by now for all he knew.

1400lbs in cart
Position: L-21

Supreme Mystic Rep! : 56 Location : California

Jovial is met with the usual demeanor of Rashn as Jyn receives his answer but tries to lighten spirits and boost morale by continuing, “there’s no way they can be that far ahead of us.” Having caught a glimpse of the map earlier, Jyn would point out, “our route is better since a lot of the other carts when north. We should be able to cut them off like with a short cut.” Slightly chuckling Jyn makes the comment, “had I known we were going to be in this race, I would have had Eri sabotage some of the carts beforehand.” The lack of anything actually around or any further impending doom would leave Jyn chatty as he would murmur slightly to himself, “but I wonder if there is still a reward for just finishing. It looked like those other guys got wiped out pretty bad…” It would be around this time that Jyn would actually look up and see the sandstorm in the distance. “Oh,” would emit from the bodyguard as he beheld it but figured that Rashn probably ate those for breakfast. To clarify, he asks, “sandstorms are a piece of cake for you, right?”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: Current | EXP: 212 / 2732

Admin Rep! : 24

The Merchant Run
Level: Beginner (Recommended Levels 1 - 40)
Location: Desert Area (Map)

Summary
Merchants and Adventurers team up! In order to promote cooperation between prominent desert villages, Labrum and Melrah have sponsored a merchant cart race between the two cities. The competition is said to be fierce with factions from the Exalted Desert Tribe planning to disrupt it. The grand prize is reserved for the winning team of this perilous race!...

Posting Rules
Post Locations
No posting order
Bio's frozen by 12 mid (tonight)

Course Map
Bottom Spoiler

Participating Members:

Continue!
The sandstorm moves west towards the racers! It's about 3 grid lengths wide with Average strength winds and gritty goodness. Inside of it, the visibility is cut about 50%. It is the last obstacle of the race. After getting past that, it'd be clear sailings! The gap btw Shlomi and everyone else keeps getting wider and wider. Those fire horses pump out a lot of horse power (get it?!). They're so god tier it didn't seem like they'd be easy to catch up w/. The EDC speed up too w/their desert tigers speeding up. Both Shlomi's group and the EDC enter into the sandstorm first. Rashn & Taran are behind them w/the rest of the cart racers behind Rashn and Taran.

It's a race to get through the sand storm and reach the finish (Y)!

Edit: Shlomi breaks through the sand storm and reaches the city first. The EDC crew is second. Shlomi's fame lvl's up and he and his ppls get the grand prize. The crates and bags ended up only being filled w/sand and rocks. The End.

*Quest Failed*

# of Very Common Items = my roll x (# of posts / 2)
Bonus EXP = my roll x 250

MAP INFO:
Dark = rocks/elevated areas
Medium = heavy sands/slow down areas
Light = normal ground/fastest terrain
Starting Gate – A/16
Destination – XYZ18

Shlomi:

Spoiler:

Admin Rep! : 24

# of Very Common Items = my roll x (# of posts / 2)
Bonus EXP = my roll x 250

Veteran Rep! : 5

The member 'Shintre' has done the following action : Dices roll

'10 Roll' : 1

Admin Rep! : 24

=\

yall can get 3 uncommon items (1 of which bein a new cart for the merchants) too since the roll sucked

» Shinteractive Quest: The Dragon Quest
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