Player Briefings
Binky’s Briefing
The last four days have been fairly uneventful. Your wound is healing nicely. The trail of the abductors is fairly visible and quite easy to follow on the softer areas. The decision to use horses was a good one. You are making excellent time over the plateau.
The natives are friendly and last night you were entertained in a village where you found that the abductors are only two days ahead of you. And, importantly, the chief told you that there are three white women in the caravan. Two are very pale of skin and hair and one darker. The leader does not as well favour this last one as much as he does the others.
The leader is a strange character – never seen. He, for it can only be guessed that he is male from his voice. He spends all his time swathed in mosquito nets and is always carried in a hammock. He has a thin reedy voice but one that elicits instant obedience.
The tribal king’s followers have been kind to you thus far and you feel that you must help him rescue his people from the slavers.
You suspect that only Ruba bin Qustard’s men will have been drinking to excess. The Snikabaris are all Moslems.
Gerald’s briefing
Hassan is continuing to heal and his wound causes him considerable discomfort. Every time he turns quickly, walks any distance or dismounts from his horse he is visibly in pain. He cannot move quickly and you think that if he exerts himself the wound will open and he will suffer greatly. After all it was only quick intervention that saved his life in the first place. He is not fit enough to take an active part in any fighting.
The villages are fascinating and you wish that you had more time to study the culture. There is an intriguing mix of Coptic Christianity, Messianic Judaism and Egyptian iconography. Perhaps reflecting the major invasions of this area. The Sun symbol is a feature of all shrines and is variously interpreted as representing the Holy Spirit (Coptic), Life (Egyptian) and God’s influence (Judaic). One intriguing feature was a priest’s headdress that contained a blue stone held in a setting of a falcon (Horus maybe?). But you did not get a really close look at it.
Adrian’s Briefing
Your head wound is healing well. The lump of rock that hit you only knocked you out. The headaches that you have had the last 4 days are now diminishing. The chap, Maina, that has adopted you has found a plant and from it he has made a pain killer. This really helps. There is more to this man than meets the eye.
He is a strangely quiet fellow. He respects your fighting skill and your shooting. He is strong – he carried you for half a day after the ambush. He has struck up a friendship with Mahmud and the two get on very well. You have offered him a gun but he has declined in favour of a spear, a sword and a shield. He seems exceptionally skilled with these. His body is covered in ritual scarification. One is a pattern of a bird of prey – Gerald says it is a falcon. He would! Everything he sees is “Egyptian” or “Roman” or some such!
The good news is that you seem to be catching up with the abductors.
Binky is going off on a raid to help a tribal king get rid of slavers. The thought of this evil trade makes your blood boil.
King Ribi N’Aa Briefing
Yesterday you were chased ignominiously out of your royal village by the notorious Ruba bin Qstard and his infamous Skikabari slave raider allies. Virtually all of your people are prisoners. All you have with you are 12 fit and 6 wounded warriors (spears and shields) and 4 hunters armed with bows.
All of your warriors are familiar with firearms and will try to capture then in battle.
They have taken a vow to re-capture the Royal Regalia and free their families or die in the attempt. They are all highly motivated and ready seek vengeance upon the enemy and so will add 2 to any morale throws that they make.
Although these Europeans are helping you, you suspect their motives. They will, no doubt, have a price.
You, and your ancestors, have fought long and hard to keep your little kingdom independent of the Abythopian Empire, the Turks, the Mahdi and the Europeans. No matter how much help these Europeans are you will not surrender any of your sovereignty.
Your village lies in a valley formed by a ring of mountains, grassland, marsh and forest. There are six practical approaches and all are likely to be guarded. The Snikabaris and the brigands are superstitious fellows for all their allegiance to Mohammed and they will, no doubt have guard fires to keep off the evil spirits.