Operation:
Sandstorm! Report—Team Two
By Cairn
When
an earthquake struck out in the desert, it affected many creatures. In the cataclysmic event, many died as the
desert sands churned like a pot put on heavy boil. Thus the online experience known as Operation
Sandstorm started. Two teams of seven creatures
are now stranded in the desert.
The
shifting sands buried many creatures, but some survived. The first to recover was a black female
squirrel named Greypaw. Good fortune
seemed to be her lot at this point as she held on to a backpack filled with
food and water. Her good fortune continued
when the black squirrel rescued the next member of Team Two.
A
young pine marten youth, a lady on the cusp of adulthood, lost all sense of
direction when the quake struck. Though
near the surface, she remained disoriented and could not find her way to safety. Pulled out of the sand, Leifdey became the
second adventurer.
At
the direction of Greypaw, Leifdey played her lute, hoping to attract attention. For a female fox, the sound of music meant
hope. The vixen Ysira, buried up to her
head, continued sinking into the shifting sands. Her cry for help drew the black squirrel and,
after much effort, she was extricated.
Ysira and Greypaw felt exhausted from their labors and rested before they
returned to Leifdey.
Nearby,
a female stoat named Rassin had survived the quake. Like the other survivors, she found herself
listening to the music. However, the
name of an enemy was all she heard. When
Leifdey stumbled across her, the stoat threatened her with dire consequences if
her presence was revealed to anyone else.
An
odd couple indeed, a mouse and badger, had felt the wrath of the quake. Too bad the Fates allowed only one to
live. From the sands, an old female
badger freed herself and found the body of her companion. Once she had buried her companion, the badger
sow, Ultima, made for the distant hills.
Another
fox, a male by the name of Rygaero, came to the desert seeking treasure. In one respect, this is no different than any
of the other beasts out here. Unlike
those other creatures that traveled together, Rygaero sought the treasure for himself. Now that the quake had struck, he wondered if
he will reach his ultimate destination, Loamhedge.
If
there is any creature that shouldn’t have been in a desert environment, it
would have to have been Vaxx. He was a
pure ferret and as an albino, felt both the desert heat and the sun’s intensity
more than anyone else. Wrapped in a dark
colored cloak, he had traveled the desert looking for the lost treasure. Instead, his first discovery after the quake was
the fox Rygaero. Together they traveled
towards the same cliffs as the badger Ultima.
The
team of Rygaero and Vaxx were drawn towards an unusual sight. Just off their intended course, they saw sand
flying into the air and heard the notes of a lute. As they drew closer, they ran into
Ultima.
This
first meeting proved less than cordial.
Both Rygaero and Vaxx challenged the sow badger. Since the fox and ferret were somewhat incompetent,
Ultima easily overpowered them despite her advanced age. That is when these three bickering beasts
spotted Ysira, Leifdey, and Greypaw. Now
the tension rose as all six beasts began squabbling.
Without
any defined leader, the gaggle of creatures seemed doomed to remain at this one
spot. That is when Ultima announced they
will travel north. Though many groused
about the selected direction, nobody challenged the badger’s decision. As they travelled through the desert, the
seventh beast of Team Two, Rassin, followed.
The
mob traveled for a full day. During the
trip, Greypaw learned about Rassin and resolved that she will entice the
stoatess into the group. Rassin did join
the others, but her first impression wasn’t favorable as she tried pulling a
weapon and taking Leifdey hostage. The
stoat was so weak from dehydration that she passed out and the others brought her
into the camp.
That
second night proved to be an eventful one.
While the pine marten youth was held hostage, everyone heard the story
of a villainous squirrel named Greypaw.
Rassin was consumed with her desire for vengeance because of her
slaughtered family. The black squirrel
denied responsibility. Though her story sounded
reasonable, all wonder which one spoke the truth, squirrel or stoat.
While
this is going on, the vixen Ysira has wandered away from the camp. This proves to be her undoing as her path
crossed that of a giant scorpion. Struck
in the forehead by the stinger, Ysira is killed. Satisfied that the intruder was gone, the
scorpion retreated back in its hole.
That
was when Greypaw stumbled by. Fearing
the wrath of the sow badger for not mentioning the stalking stoat, the black
squirrel slipped out of camp. Her
misfortune was awakening the scorpion.
After a titanic battle, Greypaw managed to kill the huge monster and
retrieved the severed stinger as proof of her story. Thanks to the timely intervention of Leifdey,
Greypaw found her way back to the others.
Another
day of travel and there were two items to report. The first was something that brought joy to
everyone. It was the discovery of an oasis,
a huge forest, which meant food and water were nearby. The second item was nothing less than a stick
stirring a beehive. There was another
new member of Team Two.
Rousas,
a male wildcat, stumbled on the travelers as they approached the forest glade. Unlike the others who were whole of body, this
wildcat was missing part of one leg below the knee. The bloody stub had been bandaged and a peg
leg attached. Such was his physical condition
that he passed out before meeting everyone.
With
the help of Ultima and Rygaero, they carried the unconscious wildcat towards the
forest glade spotted by Vaxx. At the
glade, Rousas awoke. It turned out that the
wildcat needed additional medical treatment and Ultima was forced to cauterize
his stump leg. Rousas showed the others
that he is indeed a fierce warrior as he accepted what must be done. In his pain, he let out a single howl and
passed out.
On that
night by the forest glade, somebody committed murder most foul. While the seven adventurers slept, somebody
stabbed Ultima with the stinger weapon Greypaw carried. The black squirrel spotted the killer, but could
not identify the responsible person.
When
she attacked the unknown killer, she awakened the stoat and the pine
marten. In the ensuing confusion, Rassin
charged the black squirrel with the crime.
It seemed reasonable since Greypaw was found by the dead badger, holding
the murder weapon. At the stoat’s
insistence, Leifdey applied a pair of binding cuffs to the protesting squirrel.
Rassin
wanted justice but was denied by the intervention of the pure ferret. Had it not been for Vaxx, Greypaw would have
suffered a most painful and lingering death.
Not that Vaxx offered a better alternative. Now the squirrel faced a trial with Leifdey
and Vaxx acting as both judges, jury and, if necessary, executioners.
Just
as it appeared things would go against Greypaw, the murderer was revealed thanks
to the intervention of Rousas. The
killer was the fox Rygaero. But there was
an unexpected twist to this death. It
seemed Rygaero committed the murder while sleepwalking, his only punishment
being the loss of his thumb.
Before
the group could recover, Rousas revealed the truth about Greypaw. Now Rassin has twice been cheated of her
vengeance. The wildcat shattered the
illusion that the black squirrel was responsible for the murder of the stoat’s
family. He proved to everyone that
Greypaw is a missing slave by showing them a branding iron mark on the
squirrel’s heel.
Now
that the excitement of a murder mystery was solved, everyone fell into a deep
sleep. Come the morning, another mystery
awaited the six adventurers. Sometime
during the night, the body of the dead badger disappeared.
Tensions
were running high, but everyone needed food and water. Moving at a wary pace, the group entered the
forest glade. Each of them was initially
thrilled about traveling through a cool forest instead of the blazing desert. The change of scenery almost lulled everyone into
a stupor that nearly proved fatal.
These
trees were the domain of the Painted Ones, a cannibalistic tribe of tree
rats. A band of these creatures attacked
the group from above and would have been successful if not for the swift
actions of Rousas. The wildcat tried
keeping them together, but in the ensuing confusion, each person fought their
own battle.
Rygaero
punched his way through the tree rats with his metal gauntlets, but was trapped
at the river bank. Before him were five
of the cannibals closing in on the fox. Rygaero,
hoping he could die bravely, prepared for their attack. That was when Rassin made a timely
appearance.
When
the fight began, Rassin had no weapon.
When the stoat punched one of the tree rats, she found her knife. Once she had her knife, she went on a killing
rampage. As the body count increased,
she came across the fox and together, they forced the Painted Ones into the
trees.
Rousas
found such close quarter combat to his liking and dispensed death wherever he went. Despite his best efforts, he saw the others
scattered. Throughout the battle, Rousas
tried keeping an eye on Greypaw, but lost her when she took to the trees. Such was her blood lust that she didn’t make
it to the river.
Vaxx
fashioned a bow from a nearby tree limb just as the attack began. In his effort to avoid close quarters combat,
he raced through the glen towards the river.
With the additional room, the ferret proved his marksmanship.
Leifdey
had no weapons skills and rushed away from the combat. The Painted Ones were close behind her as she
exited the glade and found herself trapped at the river’s edge. As the cannibalistic tree rats closed in,
Leifdey was rescued by Vaxx. After a
short but intense combat, their adversaries retreated.
As
for Greypaw, she found herself first facing an enemy on the ground that chased
her into the trees. Once in the trees,
she continued her fight as she sought some escape. At one point, the black squirrel ended her
treetop rush in the Painted One’s village where she found the butchered body of
the badger Ultima. Seized by a sense of
revulsion, Greypaw set fire to part of the village.
Rassin
gave Rygaero a spear and together the two moved downriver. As they walked along, they kept a wary eye on
the trees in case the tree rats returned.
They noticed some fish in the river and were successful spearing
some. Feeling good about surviving the
battle and finding food, they hastened their pace. Eventually, the five companions came together.
One
question remained: where was the wildcat?
That night, Greypaw went into the forest and managed to find him. Not that it was difficult; all the black
squirrel had to do was follow the dead bodies he left behind. If Greypaw expected thanks from Rousas, she
received the reverse. Using a firm paw,
Rousas established his dominance.
On
the following morning, the six beasts followed the river. In what would be considered a natural wonder,
they saw the river enter a cave where it returned underground. Once they crossed over this cave, the group
searched for a campsite.
Greypaw
announced her intention of raiding the Painted One’s village in the hopes of
acquiring additional equipment. Though
it was a necessary task, not all were happy about her plan. When the squirrel pointed out that she either
faces the cannibals or the desert, Rousas reluctantly granted her his permission.
At
this point, Rygaero decided he would scout ahead for a more defensible
campsite. While following the river, he had
an accident that washed him into the river.
Unable to fight the current, he was swept inside the cave. He learned what lies beyond the waterfall,
but would tell no other, for he died.
So
there you have it. Greypaw is on a quest
for needed supplies and equipment.
Rygaero has been swept away and nobody knows it. Rassin now commands. Rousas continues his search for another beast. Leifdey bounces between the responsibilities
of adulthood and the playfulness of childhood.
Vaxx has the confidence of a skilled warrior now that he has a weapon he
can use.
How
will the upcoming merge with Team One go?
What dangers will they face as they travel to Loamhedge? Which of them will live and which will
die? Read the story and find out.