Heart of the Desert (IH) [IC]

[Raelifin]

[ic Faridoon]Faridoon lets his mule stand as he approaches to stand near the guide.[/ic]
[ooc]Whoops. Too slow. I'll wait with my question.[/ooc]

[snakefing]

[ic=Behrem](Aside to Faridoon, gesturing to the monk)"I have seen men of his kind before, on the trade routes and caravans. But not so outlandishly dressed. Even for an Easterner, he talks strangely.

They have strange prayers and practices, but they do not walk the path of darkness, so I've heard."[/ic]

[limetom]

[ic=The Monk]"You mistake me, friend," the monk says with a laugh, "I am from the place you call Tibet.  We speak Tibetan.  And to answer your question, I am a simple traveler.  I go here and there, hoping to eventually seek 'dzogchen', or as you might have heard it put, 'enlightenment'."  

The monk takes another bite of his meager meal.[/ic]

[Raelifin]

[ic Faridoon]Faridoon looks to Behrem and says "He does not have the look of an evil man. See if he knows anything of our quarry."[/ic]

[limetom]

[ooc]A note to everybody, please indicate on your character sheet what languages you speak.  As you can see, this is the real world.  It's important now.[/ooc]

[snakefing]

[ic=Behrem]Still slightly paranoid (or perhaps it's just the drugs), Behrem peers closely at the monk, trying to divine his intentions.

(Back in Farsi again) "We came here for some evil men who foul our lands. Have you seen such brigands?"[/ic]

[ooc]
Knowledge (geography) check: (Has he heard of Tibet?) [dice]1d20+5[/dice]

Sense Motive check: [dice]1d20+6[/dice]
[/ooc]

[limetom]

[ic]"I haven't seen any "brigands", just a small group of travelers on the far side of this complex.  It is about a day's walk.  However, I doubt they are "brigands", they shared food with me and we talked all night.  The girl with them was quite nice," smiling, he points to a recently sewn area on his robe, "She even fixed my robe."

The monk digs around in his bag again, "If you don't want a momo," he says as he pulls out a small bag, "I have some rice."[/ic]

[ooc]Behrem has heard of Tibet, he knows that it is far to the East, past Persia and even India, located at the foot of a great mountain range.

He senses nothing wrong about the monk, aside from the fact that his rhetoric is a little odd, possibly because he is putting it into Farsi from his native tongue.[/ooc]

[snakefing]

[ic=Behrem]"Well, man, I might share some food with you."

*rummages for some trail rations he might trade for a bite of rice*[/ic]

[beejazz]

[ooc] I'll check my int mod shortly and figure out what I know. Probably just some Farsi, Sanskrit, and Greek...[/ooc]
[ic=Rashine] Hmm... I am a tad hungry. But we do have things to do. You're sure then, that these are not the brigands? What then was their business here? Or yours for that matter?[/ic]

[limetom]

[ic=The Monk]The monk hands a bowlful of rice to Behrem.  It is uncooked.  Obviously, the monk has no means to cook it at present.

"I'm not sure, they could be brigands to someone, perhaps.  I just saw no reason to label them as such. " The monk looks up an scratches under his chin, "Then again, I never label anyone as such."

"As to their buisiness, they said something about people around here have something against their beliefs or some such.  I wasn't exactly sure what they were talking about, but they were friendly, so I didn't take much notice of such things."

"And my business?  I think I already said it, but I am just a traveller.  I stopped here to stay the night."

The monk laughs, "So many questions... you sound like the initiates at a monastary."[/ic]

[beejazz]

[ic=Rashine]"We got a couple like that here, but not so much yours truly."Turns to the others. "We going?"[/ic]

[Raelifin]

[ooc]What information was provided by our employer?[/ooc][ic Faridoon]"Going? This man has spent time with those who we would find enemies. It would be wise to know all we can about our prey. How many they number and how many are women, for instance."[/ic]

[limetom]

[ooc]You are tasked with clearing out a group of bandits from temple ruins located as indicated on the map provided to you.  The governor didn't know the specifics of the crime, or the criminals for that matter, just that they are quite dangerous and now fell under his jurisdiction.  He said that you were free to kill them, but he would need proof in order for you to receive payment.[/ooc]

[ic=The Monk]The monk spoke up, "There were no women, just one girl, almost to the age of an adult.  They numbered at least twice as many of all of us gathered here."

"I was considering showing you were they were," says the monk, "But since you have some obvious hostile intent towards them, I am obliged to withhold that information."

He picks up another one of his dumplings, or momo as he called them, and takes a bite.[/ic]

[Wensleydale]

[ic=Hyaled]The priest looks suspiciously at the monk. He mutters something in greek, and then returns to Farsi.

"I have heard of his people, and they do not walk the path of darkness. But I doubt this one is as normal as he seems..."[/ic]

[Raelifin]

[ic=Faridoon]"Listen, monk, I have seen nothing to make me consider you evil. But you must understand that we seek criminals. You have admitted that you know of their location and I ask you now, will you help us bring them to justice?"[/ic]