As the dust settles  over the fight, broken spears and weapons tossed aside scattered about, Athru looks to Tune, the fallen Ul-Mor. Zhirrzh, standing next to the octopi, kneels down to give his last respect. In doing so, he makes sure to cover the bullet wound with a tentacle as cooly as he can. What they don't know won't hurt them, he muses. Besides, the poison is what killed him, not my bullet...
    "The poison of the Quickdeath is very speedily," the Poly-Vox repeats Athru's words in its broken translation. "We do not lose Afilk Kwidge Tune, he joins a different form of the One." The Ul-Mor congratulate you and ask many questions about your weapons, particularly about the fire stick that Brenon yielded. They explain that Tune was named for his love of Kwidges, and per Ul-Mor tradition, he is to be buried at the site of a Kwidge breeding ground, on the other side of the Burning Lands. They are eager to return to their tribe as well.
     Zhirrzh deactivates his camo screen and stares down at the dead creature. "What the hell was that?" he asks quietly. The size and incredible speed the Quickdeath was capable of had nearly stunned Zhirrzh into inaction. He had found it hard to believe how many of his shots had missed the lightning fast creature. The fact that the creature's armor had protected not only against beam, but projectile ammo as well gave Zhirrzh a deep respect for the Quickdeath. A formidable creature, well deserving of its name.
    He glances up as Athru arrives and dismounts. As the Ul-Mor informs them of their new status, the reason for their brush with death surfaces. Zhirrzh pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts before broaching the subject. He offers his thanks for making them One with the Ul-Mor, offers his sympathies for the death of Tune, and then asks the about being taken to the Vrusk.
    When asked about the Vrusk, Athru tells you that it stays in another tribe, which is many days travel south, at the tip of the    Burning Lands. You can either head that direction now, or go back through the caverns to retrieve your vehicle...
    Raleigh looks at the mutilated body of the Quickdeath in awe. How could one living creature take so much
damage and still live! Giving it a kick for good measure, he walked back over and joined the others. He glances to Zhirrzh, "Told you I was getting the short end with this damn needler." ;)
 
    Even before the grand finish of Quick Death, Kahliss finds himself making his way toward the injured party member. Once it is over, he is by his side ... seeing if there is anything he can do. But alas, it is too late.  When the elder steps over and examines, Kahliss is quick to move out of the way.  He too notices the injury, but remains quiet on that fact.  He then gathers his items and walks slowly to the edge, mourning the new loss.  He had really liked the young Octopi ...
    After the short celebration marking the parties introduction into the tribe, Raleigh gathers everyone together. "Ok, gameplan. Lets head back to get the Explorer and then we will set off to find this Vrusk. Zhirrzh, if you could talk to the chief over there
and get some directions, better yet a guide, that would be great."
        Zhirrzh nods to Raleigh and trots back over to the Ul-Mor. Explaining their need, he attempts to convince the Ul-Mor into providing them with a guide to the other camp.
    Telgar gathers his things, catches his breath, and cleans his knife.  There is no need to attract predators to the scent of blood.  After sheathing his knife, he checks his ammo and inspects his weapons, making any repairs or adjustments needed.  Telgar opens his backpack and takes out a Net Tracer.
    "Brenon, keep this with you in case something happens and we get lost down there.  I've got the Net Ears with me so, as long as the caves don't block the signal, we can use you as a beacon.  I doubt we will have to resort to that, but in this land, it seems it pays to be paranoid."

......suddenly the beast was upon him, Brenon fired several bolts into the creature, it seemed unaffected...what happened next was all a blur; the QuickDeath lept at Brenon, Brenon tried to dodge but the QuickDeath so far had lived up to the prefix of it's name; 'Quick'. The next thing Brenon knew...he was in the mouth of this beast being shaken like a Craxis Cocktail. It all happened so fast, yet...so slow. Brenon raised his elbow and landed it squarly into the creatures head, it dizzied the QD for a
split second...long enough for Brenon escape....Brenon could hear gunfire rattling near him....an Ul-Mor lay on the ground and suddenly the QD waivered in it's stance and finally fell to the sand, causing small amounts of sand to fly into the air; Brenon sheilded his eyes.....
    A cheering could be heard from the surrounding Ul-Mor; they began to close quarters. Brenon stared at the QD for a few moments more; admiring and respecting the beast. He then tended to himself, checking for wounds or other injuries. A person tended not to feel the pain when their adrenaline was pumping...and it flowed like blood through Brenon's veins. Brenon was
ok and began thanking God for the invention of the Skein Suit... Many of the Ul-Mor had come down to greet their new brothers. Many were pointing at the groups weapons and talking amongst themselves, a look of fascination and astonishment filled their eyes. Brenon returned that look with one of respect and admiration because he knew that each one of these slimey
bastards had taken a QD down with their primitive weapons. Brenon was both impressed and mystified. It was at this point that Brenon began looking around to make sure all heads were accounted for, he didn't see Kah'liss' head... then he saw him, kneeling beside the fallen Ul-Mor. He made his way quickly to where Kah'liss knelt and noticed that there was nothing to be
done; this Ul-Mor had seen the last of his days and had joined 'Another form of the one'.
     A celebration ensues after everyone overcomes the shock of the battle and tribute is paid to the fallen Ul-Mor. Flasks
of an Ul-Mor concoction, tasting like thick honey blended with salt, is passed around in great abundance. If you can get past the taste of the mead, its effects are what you'd expect of any other alcholic blend.
    The Ul-Mor do share their stories of the Quickdeath over much drink and ferver. All agree that the only way to conquer
it is to grapple it to the ground; tight melee to hopefully avoid the claws and maw of the creature. As they all tell their stories, they proudly show off scars from their own Ritual. You find that the majority of the Ul-Mor have scars of some kind, evidence of the ferocity of the creature. A couple Ul-Mor are even missing a limb, and they recount with excitement how exactly they lost their appendage.
  Hearing the stories, you can easily imagine a band of 7-10 Ul-Mor hanging on tightly to the Quickdeath, tenatacles and
spears flailing about. Perhaps an hour after the Ritual, Athru says it is time to leave the Place of True Warriors. Quickdeath occasionally travel in pairs, and when one can't find the other in its  hunting area, it can come looking. This sparks a few quick
stories of a second Quickdeath. Of course, the entire Ul-Mor party helps battle the second one as those who undertook the
Ritual are usually too spent to battle another beast.  In answer to Zhirrzh's question, the Ul-Mor present you with necklaces made of brightly colored beads. Attached is also an intricately carved medallion of wood about two inches in diameter. "This with these charms you will be known with Ul-Mor," the poly-vox explains as it translates Athru's words. Raleigh chuckled. While truly an amazing piece of work, the Poly-vox wasn't perfect. Seeing some of the Ul-Mor's amused expressions when it translated for them, it was obvious the Poly-vox's words often missed the bullseye on their end.
  Although Athru understands you wanting to leave immediately for the Vrusk, he tells you that the rest of the tribe is
still waiting at the Oasis for them. The 6 days of the Time of Waiting is full of other Ul-Mor festivities, culminating
with the return of the now adult Ul-Mor.
    The camp where the Vrusk stays is at the southern tip of the Burning lands, several days journey from here, but with
your Explorer, he believes you could reach it in one day. They would provide a guide if you wanted it (although this
would slow you down to the slow pace of the Loper - Ul-Mor refuse to travel without them and will not agree to riding in
the Explorer). Or if they prefer, a map would be provided. Although curious about the races of the Frontier, they find
it hard to grasp the idea of civilizations from other worlds and seem to accept the images with quiet acceptance. The
desert is their home, wherever anyone else is from is their own business. Therefore they do not share your urgency in
uncovering the mystery of what's happening on Volturnus. To them it seems to be about some lost creatures who are passing
through their home. They will help while you are here, but are not overly concerned with life outside the desert.

    The Celebration....
    Brenon suggests that they all have a meal with the Ul-Mor; their new desert brothers, before they part ways in search of this Vrusk. Perhaps the Ul-Mor can share their personal tales and experiences with the QD....
    After the Celebration.....
(Brenon is taking everyone's advice, Net Ears, QD Steaks ;), etc....)
Let's pack and move back to the explorer and search for this vrusk.
    Before departing, Brenon will address his group. "Several important things
happened today, not only have we gathered more information on this area and
it's inhabitants, we've gained friends and allies..."
    Brenon turns down Athru's offer for a mounted guide, instead persuing the map idea. "I like the idea of a map, if you could provide us with one, that would be most gracious of you and speed our journey considerably"
Once the group makes it back to the Explorer, we will move swiftly in search of this other  tribe of Ul-Mor so as to find the Vrusk. Brenon will lower his SEU setting to 5. He also makes sure to retrieve his sticky bomb from the field of
battle.
       After he helped create a means of carrying the dead friend back, that he might returned to the place of his final resting, he made a quick examination of the remains of the dead quickdeath, adding the information he gathered to that which was already stored in his datapad.
        Kahliss spent the return trip taking as much as he could with the Ul-mor, now that he could glimpse a clearer view of the society.  He attempted to learn all he could in the short time, including the related desert knowledge the tribe had gathered.  In return, he answered any of their questions.
    Raleigh, seeing the group readying to move out, begins to pack his gear. Once done, he tests his pack for
weight and, deciding he has room, takes some of the packmules...er, Kahliss' gear as well, namely the
extra rifles he was carrying. He also slings the needler in favor of his Assault Rifle and Gyro Jet pistol. Once done, he gives Brennon the thumbs up.   

    The Ul-Mor (with the new Ul-Mor) all leave the Place of True Warriors and prepare for the long, dark journey through the caverns underneath the Burning Lands. Three days later, you arrive back at the Oasis and are greeted by the remainder of the Ul-Mor tribe. The celebration had been underway since your departure and your return sparks the climax of the celebration. As you reach the Oasis, Ul-Mor bands break into song and dance as they welcome the Ul-Mor (led first by Re-Dair the Blue, followed by the team) {{Imagine the oopa doopa dee doop song of the Ewoks}}
    The party raged on into the night. At first, Raleigh had thought it strange to be sharing ale with an octopus. As the night wore on though, he thought less and less of that small fact and actually had a great time.
    Kahliss firmly enjoyed himself during the party at the Oasis, though he refrained from more than a glass of the local intoxicant, needing to remain sharp for those who wouldn't be nearly as 'sensible' tonight and the following morning.  As always, he remained lightly packed and always ready to move on.
    The next morning, Raleigh spent most of his time packing, begging Kahliss for an aspirin, and trying to find the damn loper that had s*@t in his mouth! (That is a reference to the after drinking morning breath by the way so dont any of you blouse wearin poodle walkers get any funny ideas!!!) ;)
    Reaching the Explorer as they had left it was a relief. Climbing behind the wheel, Raleigh took one breath and crossed his fingers. Pressing the ignition switch, the big motor rumbled to life with no problem. With a sigh of relief, he leaned back in the chair and prepared to head out.
    Sometime before their departure, Kahliss finds a free moment to talk to Brenon alone.  "Brenon, I just want you to know that while I was wary of your leadership at first, I would like to say that I was wrong to be so.  You have been a very skilled leader and I want you to know that until our rescue is affected, You can trust me to do anything you ask.  I consider it a privilege to serve under your command."
 
 

Day 21 on Volturnus.

    The day after the celebration, Athru and a small group of other Ul-Mur leaders approach you as you finish packing the Explorer for your departure. They congratulate you again on your passing of the Ritual, and express again their curiosity of your technology. A map is given, and Athru explains that the tribe the Vrusk is in will be moving soon - they may be at the location he shows you on the crude map. If you do not encounter them, the move will have started and you will find them by travelling northeast from the location of the map. He reminds you to show them your necklaces to identify yourselves as Ul-Mor. The tribe is led by Li-ame the Green. Athru tells you he is a strong, if sometimes brash, leader who has the great respect of the tribe.
    With a small fanfare, the Ul-Mor see you off. As the Explorer heads south the Oasis eventually fades from view. You fondly recount your experience with the Ul-Mor and are anxious to see what the second tribe will uncover.
    Five hours later, you pull to the area where the Ul-Mor camp is supposed to be, near another Oasis in the desert. Although the Ul-Mor take care and great pride in not wasting any resource and try to leave things as they found it, there is still signs of a camp that has recently departed. You continue to the northeast as instructed by Athru.
    Twenty kilometers away, you see the first of the Ul-Mor. A rear guard of perhaps 30 Ul-Mor come into view in front of you, their Lopers bounding away and kicking up a fair amount of sand. In a few moments, they notice the Explorer and turn to meet you.
    As the Explorer pulls to a slow halt, the entire party advances forward. 20 meters away, two Ul-Mor step out from the group, their mount's noses raised, trying to sniff out the metal monster before them. Spears low, but always at the ready, you are glad the Poly-vox can handle the Ul-Mor language now. Although not aggressive, they do seem more wary than Athru's party.
    One of the Ul-Mor sees Kah'liss in the Explorer. He turns to the others and begins squeaking to the others about the 'Vrusk' inside. The exchange is fast paced between them and through the desert wind, which is stronger today, you cannot hear everything. You hear a few mentions of the word 'LStyaric', which, Kah'liss mentions, could be a typical Vrusk name.
    Seeing the Vrusk, their demeaner lightens a bit, but they are still cautious and are clearly waiting on you to make the first move. Their blitz of communication ceases and they look at you quietly...
 

Referee's Notes:
Check the map out to see where you are now.
Tell me your immediate actions and your plans after this encounter. Since you are Ul-Mor, they will eventually take you into the tribe, so let me know your intentions once you get there..

Jeff