A summary of what happened during the game sessions:

February 15, 2002 - Session 25

Jack had waited about an hour or two, when finally Jon made it through the gate. He had a crossbow bolt through his shoulder, but decided not to remove it or talk about who had attacked him until they were all together. So Jack led him to the others at the oasis.

Sana and Tallis had gone off and had a private conversation, and by the looks of things, he wasn't too pleased by what was said, and stalked off. While he was on the other side of the oasis, Sana told Margaret, Ezhno, and Rylan that they should keep an eye on Tallis. While he wasn't evil, there was something of the Dark about him, and they should watch him and themselves. Margaret offered to cast some detection spells, but Sana said it wasn't necessary.

Not long after, Jack and Jon appeared. Sana removed the bolt using her magic, while Margaret healed his wound. Then Jon broke the bad news -- Nise, the sorceress/priestess, had been the one who shot the bolt at him. She had vanished after firing it, though Jon tried to get in a good hit on her, she was gone. Since it did not appear that she came through the gate, she must have had some other way out. Jon fought his way to a tree, held onto it for a time until things had settled down, and then made it to the gate and through.

Tallis had told them that they were fortunate that they had a centaur with them, because there were centaurs in the desert, and they did not like outsiders. He had managed to work his way through the desert, and he had earned some amount of respect from them.

Later, when Tallis was not around, Sana told Jon and Jack of her suspicions. Jon had noticed that Tallis stayed away from Sana, moving away from the group after a minute if she came up to where he was. Sana also mentioned that he had had some trouble with a Celestial in the past, something he had revealed to her in the earlier heated discussion. Jon made a note to keep an eye on him.

The group rested, and Rylan cast his spells. They had made quite a haul, with the armor and the weapons they had found. Much of it was doled out to the group where it would be put to the best use, and those items no one wanted were stored for later trading or future use.

Tallis offered to be their guide, and they showed him the compass. He didn't pry into their quest, but said he could lead them. The group accepted, and made ready to leave as the sun was setting, to travel at the cooler night time.

Before they could set off, some figures approached the oasis. First, it appeared as though they were far away, being small on the horizon. Only as they got closer did the group realize that they were giants, perhaps 10 to 12 feet tall. Desert giants, Tallis called them, indicating that most desert giants were neutral, but there were always exceptions. But he told them that all the desert people respected the peace of water, of oases, and only few were willing to break that peace. If it was discovered someone had killed unprovoked at an oasis, no one would offer food, shelter, or water to them again. So Tallis gave the ritual greeting, to which the giants responded in kind, and they all sat down to talk and learn more about one another.

They spoke some about the desert, warning against getting involved with the centaurs, but telling them they were fortunate to have one along, it might help things. Only one of them spoke Common, but Tallis spoke their language, so was able to translate. There was one word he did not translate - vadranaq - it appeared to be the giants' name for Tallis himself.

As the giants were settling in for the evening, the group made their farewells and began their journey across the desert. Tallis informed them of the other denizens of the desert - there were bandits here, just like everywhere, but one could be careful and not encounter them.

A few hours later, they came upon a strange scene. Four humans were attacking one lone giant, appearing to taunt it as they stabbed at it with their knives and swords. Having just met some friendly giants, the group decided to side against the bandits and began to attack. All too soon, however, the bandits turned on them and it was quickly revealed that none of them were actually bandits, nor where they humans. And the giant wasn't a giant! They were creatures of the desert called lamias, as Ezhno recalled from his past on the plains, and they could charm people and cause their foes to become feebleminded, and more susceptible to their wily ways. Unfortunately for the lamias, their illusions and charms were no match for the group, and they were dealt with swiftly and decisively.

No quote of the evening was recorded.