After a month of living together, the renegades hiding in Raam had begun to become comfortable with each other. There was still tension between them, but each of the compatriots knew they were in better straights than they had been in ages. The Veiled Alliance had brought them together, and the relief of knowing each of their allies had the same vision of a renewed Athas allowed them to quietly accept one another.
The mul, who they had been introduced to as Raina, had barely spoken in the weeks since the five of them began living together in a hovel at the edge of town. Still, her scars told another story - a story common among the mul, a story of slavery or gladiator combat or both, a story of violence and beatings at the hands of malicious masters.
On the other hand, the halfling Imir, who was called "Old Sandkicker" by the others in the Veiled Alliance, was more talkative. It didn't seem to the rest that Imir was a social butterfly, but rather that he covered up uncomfortable silences with stories about bar fights, narrow escapes and strange visions in the desert. He was alone among them in that he had faith - the belief that the gods were real, and his goddess Anyanna wished to protect the people of Athas. The others listened out of politeness - or what passes for politeness under the Dark Sun, which is the willingness to be quiet as to not waste breath arguing pointless matters.
Klik, the thri-kreen, also possessed a sort of faith, although his was a faith in himself and the primal spirits of Athas. The shaman seemed to prefer the company of the spiritual centipede that was his constant companion to the company of other humanoids, but he was not rude to his new friends. In fact, given tales of the thri-kreen, the other four had been surprised that he showed such a deep interest and compassion for other races.
Perhaps it was the presence of two preservers that helped glue the party together in those early days. After all, there were few preservers to be found anywhere, and the safety of the human warlock Titus and the dragonborn sorceror Perint was entrusted to the other three. It was both an honor and a great responsibility, although these two young spellcasters had yet to prove their worth to the greater cause.
For her part, Perint was distant and distracted in those first few weeks, staring out the broken window of the hovel. She had not told the others the story of her betrayal and escape, but though she was possessed of great skill at deception, she didn't attempt to hide the outward signs of her trauma. The others knew that she had been a great deal lately, although they didn't know what it was exactly. Perhaps out of kindness or fear, they did not ask.
The warlock Titus was similarly distracted, but was much more vocal about the source of his anxiety. He had told the others as much as he could remember of his capture by strange folk, his escape and his newfound powers. Regardless of his position as a preserver, Titus already had another goal in his heart - a return to Balic, his home, and a hopeful reunion with his noble family, his parents especially. When he will actually be able to pursue this goal is anyone's guess.
Every day, the wizard Alazed came to the hovel to train the party, especially teaching Perint and Titus how to disguise their abilities and to preserve life on Athas. The others watched in awe, seeing before them both the power that had destroyed Athas and the only path that could resurrect it. The party discussed strategies and possible tactics, knowing it would not be very long before they found themselves in life-or-death combat. Athas was not a safe place for anyone.
Occasionally, they would meet other members of the Veiled Alliance in Raam. (cont)
