To the Rescue

The Sardai knew of only one radium mine in the region.  It was run by a Baltan, Lord Arkon. The mine was located within the Ashghar mountain range. From there current position, it was only a three-day journey.  The Sardai were more than willing to come with them to mind their camp while the heroes rescued their tribesmen.  The heroes agreed to go to the mine.

They returned to the second Sardai camp, where they packed the surviving tents and supplies.  They redistributed the loads across the seven pack gashants. This allowed for six people to ride as three of the pack gashants were overloaded with supplies and the two war gashants could only carry one passenger.  The two younger nomads volunteered to walk so that the old ones could ride. The old man hypothesized that moving at the walking pace would add another day to their journey.

On the Way to the Mountains

They set out in the morning at the suggestion of the old man, following the Sardai prayers to the setting moon.   A hour of so out of camp, Craven heard the familiar sound of Cazarns.  When one appeared from a nearby mound, he fired his radium rifle, but missed.  Ruhkgar taunted the insect, and it attacked him, but failed to hit him.  Niven rode up, dismounted, and hit his sword.

Two more of the giant wasps emerged from the mound and attacked Craven at the rear of the column.  He was stung, but not poisoned.  Kallor shot at the ones on Craven, but missed.  The one attacking Ruhkgar recovered.  Craven recovered and activated his Deflection device.  Ruhkgar spurred his war gashant to attacked and killed it.  He and Niven advanced to  Craven’s aid.  Niven attacked with his sword and sliced one in half.  Niven stabbed the other one and knocked it to the ground.  Then Ruhkgar finished it off.

The Unarmed Greens

They continued on.  Passing another rise, a group of green men appeared.  As soon as they saw the heroes, they reversed themselves and hid behind the hill.  Ruhkgar noticed that they did not resemble the greens they had previously encountered.  Niven and Ruhkgar approached, dismounting a safe distance away.  Niven noticed that the green men did not appear to have any weapons or supplies.

Two male greens met them in the open.  The heroes noticed that they were bruised and wounded.  Niven asked what had happened to them.  The green spokesman replied that they had escaped from a radium mine.  They barely defeated their pursuers at the cost of all their supplies and weapons.  Ruhkgar offered to provide medical assistance if the greens would join them.

The green men appreciated their assistance, but we’re not willing to return.  They provided information about the mine:

  • It was run by red Martians, but their leader was a mythical Orovar, a white Martian.
  • The Orovar wore a crystal in one eye and had a scar across his bald face,  Craven and Niven immediately recognized him as von Klugge.
  • They told the heroes of their escape route through an abandoned mineshaft.  They buried the entrance, but told them how to identify it.

Ruhkgar rummaged through the collected supplies and assembled a care package for the green men to take with them.  Kallor was not pleased with the hospitality offered tho the greens, but he did not protest.  the greens said that tales would be told of his honor and generousity.  Kallor advised Ruhkgar that being a subject of tales would also make him a challenge to be met and overcome.

As their parlance had consumed the rest of the day, the heroes made camp in a large crater.  The greens moved on.  Kallor took the first watch to ensure that the greens did not double back.   While watching from the top of a mound, he was attacked by a Chorak.  He timed its dive perfectly and jumped off the mound in time to shoot it point blank with his radium rifle.  All that was left was a cloud of feathers.

The Spirit Hound

A few hours later, while Kallor was still on watch, a shadow emerged next to him from a crevice in the mound. The beast bit him and he was stunned.  The beast phased in and out of reality, making it difficult to hit.  It struck back but missed.  Niven was awakened by the commotion.  He shot the thing with his radium rifle.  Ruhkgar was awakened by the shot and charged to join the fight while drawing his blades.  Kallor shot point blank, but failed to hit it.  Craven shot at it as well to no apparent effect.

Craven shot it with radium rifle.  He hit it dead center, but the wounds partially closed almost immediately.  Niven shot but failed to injure it.  The beast recovered and attacked Kallor, but he evaded.  Ruhkgar attacked the hound, but his blades glanced off its hide.  Kallor shot it and it froze momentarily.  Kallor fired again but did not additional damage.  Craven shot it dead center again and it died, in spite of its regeneration.  The thing evaporated, but they searched the area just in case it had teleported elsewhere.  They did not find anything.  Kallor was feeling the sedative effect of the beast’s saliva.  Ruhkgar relived him on watch.

The Green Raiders

Ruhkgar heard the sound of something crawling in the distance.  He raised the alarm, and the sounds moved away.  The commotion had awakened Craven.  He joined Ruhkgar at the lip of the crater and saw a green man sneaking toward them.  He shot it.  Niven was awakened and shot it as well.  Ruhkgar noticed another sneaking toward them and charged it.  Another charged him.  Ruhkgar intercepted it and killed it.  Another appeared on a hill and fired a radium rifle at him.

Craven emerged from the crater, saw the shooter, and shot and killed him him.  Ruhkgar rose and attacked the remaining green man, who had fled to another crater.  He slew him.  They collected the radium rifle and spare battery.  Then they threw the dead greens into the crater with the last one to die.

The Team

  • Sir Lyton Niven, Gentleman Thief and Spy
  • Capt. Philip Harrison Craven, WWI Flying Ace
  • Kallor Muldane – Red Man Explorer
  • Ruhkgar – Red Man Swordsmen