This continues a long-form campaign, Zen and the Art of Caravan Maintenance.
Emmett & Joshua are seeking ancient truth in the scrolls of the Lime Nomads, in a pink Routemaster autogolem. Joshua wants to cross the Final Barrier and be able to raise the dead. Now they need to find the Pine Clan to talk with their Elder to understand what scrolls they found.
This is a short one, turned out the whole group was tired for this session, and we stopped early.
Story
The Celery Clan are pleased to see Emmett and Joshua, and politely bemused by Spiral. Everyone is welcomed for dinner. The Celery Clan is not quite as numerous or as rich as the Pine Clan, so the encampment is smaller but still well-presented, especially the food.
Although Spiral is a little nonplussed by his food, as a stone-faced server brings out a bowl of soup with an eyeball staring back at him. Hardly a titter is heard from the suddenly-attentive nomads, as Spiral tries to outstare his appetiser. Joshua takes pity and asks if he also can have a bowl, and the nomads realise they’re being a little mean.
👁️
It turns out the Pine Clan recently upped and moved, roaming deeper into the Lime Steppes. The Celery Clan were not going to miss out on the prime grazing lands, and so have moved in. They’ve not paid much attention to the direction of the Pine Clan, but it should be to the North-East.
Joshua asks if the Celery Clan have an Elder he can talk to about the scroll he’s found at the library of the Porcelain Princes. Regrettably though, the answer is “no”. Their Elder recently died before passing on her knowledge, and they currently are waiting to hear from the Council on someone from outClan that can train someone up.
Emmett mentions the tumbleweed that followed the caravan for a while on the way to the Steppes. This is taken surprisingly seriously by the Clan. “Tumbleweedies” means a nest is producing them. Two or three are a nuisance, but the growth of the nest can continue and a swarm of dozens of tumbleweedies can be lethal. The Clan ask many questions about where this happened and where the tumbleweedies appeared to be coming from.
The party stay the night but take their leave in the morning, following the vague directions of the Celery Clan. A few days across the Steppes is pretty, but a small herd of horned horses stampede away from the autogolem. The stallion charges to defend his mates, while Joshua is scouting ahead! Emmett is able to perform some skillful driving to catch up and help him board the autogolem. They retreat from the stallion, and ensure they’ve gone on further before they settle down for the night.
Lessons learned
The problem with running a relaxing no-stress game in a midweek evening is that people then get very sleepy while you’re playing!