rhukaan draal isn't a city so much as a location for traders and the like to pitch a tent and hang an identifying flag and sell stuff
it's warm and busy and colorful and noisy and enthusiastic and alive so it's basically the opposite of karrnath
it's a bit overwhelming sometimes but i'm getting better at focusing through that (not the same as getting used to it!) and it helps to have a quiet room in the hardback that i can retreat to
so i visited the loudest tent first
the "hooves of grumaar" are a few gol fond of loud screamy music (like tôl veksi) and hot tea and conversation and raising pony-sized animals called "alpacas" for their incredibly soft wool
i bought a couple bundles to give to my friend "aydih" once i get back home since they spin and weave yarn as a hobby – i know they'll love the stuff!
it's a little strange buying wool from folks who also sell alpaca meat but i'll leave that part out when i tell aydih about the place
on the topic of meat
i searched for every tent offering food only to find that there are nearly no vegetables to be had here
they have prickly pears and beets but they're only used to make candy and feed for alpacas
so we stopped at the "giant's axe" tavern – named for the giant-sized axe they show out front
while the others talked with the bartender about the bandits i sat and enjoyed ball-shaped snacks called "suur" and a variety of nuts and deceptively strong beer
most folks here don't often see magic or unicorns and it didn't take long for me to realize that they weren't staring at but my legs but my horngrip
then word about the likelihood of an incoming bandit raid began to spread and folks started to get nervous and clear out of the tavern
it turns out that starchy fungus balls and salted nuts aren't enough to soak up beer that strong so spark helped me wobble my way to the hardback
i spent some time "counting medya's feathers"
it only took an hour to sober up so we rejoined the rest of the group just in time to speak with "haruuc shaarat'cor" – the fellow in charge not just of the city but all of darguun!
his official title is the dhakaani word "lhesh" which is usually translated into galifari as "high warlord" ... but that feels like the wrong term for someone who doesn't agitate for battle and works constantly to defend and improve his subjects' lives
maybe he should swap titles with wrugar
he and his military captain "andruu" started planning for how to deal with the incoming force of 3 separate bandit clans working together
the "rhukaan taash" are the official military and their people are skilled and well-trained but their equipment was in terrible shape from defending against bandits and such
there's a ... competing? mercenary force called the "skai taash" who focus on throwing suspicious amounts of money at fancy equipment they hardly know how to use
it seems unlikely that the skai taash will be much help – that sort of rivalry is poor soil for cooperation – so we'll do what we can for the more reliable folks
spark led a salvage team to recover useful scrap from outside the city so bell can make weapons and i can make armor
i know i must work quickly with a mind toward function but ... i'm me
by time the bandits arrive they will face more resistance than they expect from folks wearing surprisingly handsome armor
then there's the "heart of sand" – a collection of gentle folks who converse with the spirits of the desert by singing and dancing and drinking fermented cactus juice that grants them wild visions
how could i not love them?
one of them was going on about needing to make "an oasis to keep us safe from the storm" so we assisted with their working which felt a lot like an old prairie pony "herd spell" – a group collectively asking assistance from the soil (sand!) itself
the "kech volaar" are bards also known as "wordbearers" who follow a very old tradition of travelling throughout the land and bringing news in the form of song
medya is helping them set up a temporary shelter for those who can't fight
relic and spark are helping train folks to fight
zer' is making alchemical bombs and preparing a magic shield for the city
when they arrive those bandits will learn an important lesson taught in their own language