As Jes and Theo walk south along the river, they pass more and more cacti, until they are weaving between them. Compared with the high, dry plateau they have been travelling the last few days, there is an explosion of life here.
Trying to put the unsettling voice behind him, Theo strides along singing a hymn to the colours. Jes eyes him with fond exasperation. But despite herself, it does help. Walking through somewhere new and beautiful… she is a long way from the slums of Zar Naf she grew up in, and she feels a tingle of excitement for whatever situation they are heading into.
Evening stage.
Travel roll: 1d6 encounter = 1.
Desert random encounter: 1d10 = 7, 1d8 Pilgrims = 5.
Activity: 1d12† = 2, Fighting/at war.
So let's roll again on the encounter table: 1d10 = 6, Owlcactus hybrid.
They reach the edge of the lavender grass. It grows densely and 6 feet tall; it sways in the wind, waftling strange spicy scents towards them. Suddenly they hear shouting and cries of pain.
“Some huge man or beast,” calls out Theo, as he sees a green head and shoulders rear above the grass a hundred metres away, roaring to the sky with an eerie cry. “Looks dangerous.”
Jes: “Somebody might need our help – somebody we need for the job. Or this might be nothing to do with us.”
They share a look, and then head into the grass, crouching and moving steathily.
† The Perilous Wilds, page 50