Closed.

She did not make two steps toward the caravan when an arrow flew through the air, embedding itself into the ground in front of Dhea's feet. Another arrow landed to her right.

- Hold up your hands.
- Call out.
- Avoid the camp.
 
“I’m just a traveller!”
Dhea held up her hands, body taut and her face turning away slightly. She did not want to be shot at right now.
...or at all, really.
 
There was no response to her words. But, at least, no arrows were fired at her again.

As she approached she could see the bowmen, shafts at the ready, covering her approach.

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It was an Elven caravan. Presumably they were traders of some kind, as they were far away from their home, here in the wastes. They eyed her suspiciously as she strode in their midst. One of them, better dressed and without weapons, stepped toward her.

"If you seek shelter or food, then you waste your time." He said, wearing a unfriendly expression.

- Ask to trade.
- Ask for help.
 
“I’m simply going to ask for trade.”
Dhea kept her hands from her weapons, her eyes flitting from the archers to the elf in front of her.
“Nothing more.”
She was going to be cautious, because she didn’t know how these elves would react to anything.
 
The Elf raised an eyebrow. He watched her for a moment that stretched for far too long. Then finally, he nodded. With his gesture, the guards lowered their bows.

"Go to Eilah. He will trade with you." He said, pointing to one of the wagons. "You have the freedom of the camp. "

The Elves slowly returned to their carts and wagons. A few made their way to the firepit in the center, where something was being prepared in a large pot. They watched Dhea for a brief moment, but soon they are again enveloped in their own duties.

- Go to the merchant's tent.
- Go to the firepit.
 
Dhea didn’t wish to cause any further issues with the elves. Not that it had been her intention anyway.
She went to the merchant’s tent without any hesitation. She would trade and get out.

She understood the elves hostility. They were in a dangerous place, where anything could kill them. They were simply being cautious.
 
The tent turned out to be a huge canvas draped over a whole caravan wagon. Two armed Elves stood in front of the entrance. When Dhea approached, one of them slipped underneath the tarp and came back a moment later, another Elf behind him. His hair was light and short and clothes fine tailored, although dusty from the road. He also was the only person in the camp to actually smile at Aquila.

"Greetings. And what sort of bargain hunter might we have happened across here in the middle of Baddu-Bak?" He asked, smile spreading.

- Say you are a traveller.
- Say you are a sorcerer.
- Say you need help.
 
Dhea smiled at the man, inclining her head slightly as she did so. Her demeanour was polite, open.
“I’m a traveller...”
Her smile turned a little mischievous.
“And a bit of a sorcerer.”
Dhea was being rather charming, which was not entirely out of character for her.
 
"Excellent." The merchant replied, though there was slight alarm in his eyes. "I have plenty of magical items for sale and no one else around here wants them. Come in and let's see if we can't bargain a little."

Through the flap behind the Elf, Dhea could make out shelves and on them - the flash and gleam of glass, crystals, weapons and gold. It looked most intriguing.

The Elf walked in and she followed. She was soon faced with a real treasure trove. The wagon was filled with all kinds of items - weapons, magical trinkets, armour, even herbs and fruit. The merchant was obviously well stocked, though how far what's left of her gold would go, that remained to be seen.

"What is your taste, stranger?" The merchant said, stepping next to Dhea and following her gaze. "Weaponry? Sorcery? Or perhaps some treasures to give to a special someone at the end of your journey? I have it all."

- Magical items.
- Weapons and armour.
- Supplies and food.
- Books and scrolls.
- Leave.
 
Dhea scratched the back of her neck as she looked the things over. Supplies had been what she’d first intended to get, but the plethora of items in front of her were rather distracting. With a soft, conflicted noise, she turned to the merchant.
“Food and supplies would be best, if you can spare them.”
 
"In a moment!" The Elf said urgently, disappearing behind the shelves and reappearing in a flash. He held a bag of dry Vittles in one hand and a Bomba fruit in the other. Vittles were small pastry balls filled with tough dried meat that lasted for a long time. There was enough inside for three meals. "Five gold pieces for the Vittles and three for the Bomba." The merchant said.

Besides the food offered, the merchant had a rope hanging off a shelf in a corner, that caught Dhea's interest. It could prove useful. Noticing her look the Elf added.

"Seven gold for the rope."

- Buy the Vittles.
- Buy the Bomba.
- Buy the rope.
 
“....I’ll take the Vittles and the rope. Please.”
Dhea didn’t need the magical baubles in the tent, not in the way she needed the rope and food. As handy as they would be, the supplies were much more important.
 
"Excellent choice." The merchant nodded then handed the bag of rations and the rope over to Dhea. "Can I interest you in anything else?"

- Browse other items.
- Go to the firepit.
- Leave the camp.
 
Dhea nibbled on her bottom lip, before looking over the items. She could find something more...hopefully. She didn’t want to spend too much of her gold.
Her gaze was drawn to the magical items. Not that it was a massive surprise.
 
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Two of the items caught Dhea's interest as she recognised them as something that would be useful for casting new spells. One was a Pearl Ring, a magical item that would render the caster of the spell invisible for a certain amount of time. The other was the Orb of Crystal, used for divination, enabling the caster to see a glimpse of the future.

"Genuine sea crystal." The Elf said, gesturing at the Orb. "Ten gold for it." Then he pointed at the ring. A pearl from a Giant Oyster in Daddu-Yadu. Yours for six pieces."

- Buy the Orb.
- Buy the Ring.
- Browse for something else.
 
.....damn!
Dhea looked over the two objects, conflicted. She didn’t have enough gold on her for both and she was trying to figure out which would help her out more. Then she counted how much gold she needed, before sighing. She didn’t have enough for the Orb.
She could take a look at those after she browsed his other wares. Her eyes wandered over to the weapons and armour.
 
"Alright." The merchant nodded, guiding her to a different shelf. There were couple of items there, but the ones that drew her attention were a long sword, a woodsman's axe and a boiled leather armour that looked similar to her own. "Please ignore these." The Elf said, tugging down the price tag in front of an item. "These prices are for Xamen. They are different this deep in the Baklands." If that meant higher or lower, he did not say.

- Examine the sword.
- Examine the axe.
- Examine the armour.
 
Dhea eyed the merchant, before turning to look at the armour. She did not know if her own armour was getting to the point of needing to be replaced. She pointed to the set, before turning to the merchant.
“How much?”
 
"Oh, that." The Elf said, taking the armour and offering it to Dhea to examine. "Not much, eight pieces." He explained. "An Analander gave it to me in exchange for food. Poor soul, she had been starving, lost in the wasteland for so long."

On closer inspection, the armour looked eerily familiar to the one Dhea was wearing. Not only familiar. It looked the same, even had the same creases and cuts, the same fades in colour in the same spots that the one Dhea wore had.

- Buy the armour.
- Browse something else.
- Leave.
 
Dhea’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth and closed it.
“....how did she look?”
She handed him the armour, her fingers pressing into her arms as she wrapped them around herself. It couldn’t be her.
....she hoped it hadn’t been her.
 
"Vague." The Elf said. "Very gaunt and weak. She was covered in burns, I couldn't take a good look at her." He shrugged. "Anything else you want to buy, stranger, or are we concluding our business?"

- Buy something else.
- Browse something else.
- Leave.
 
“....I think I’ll take that ring.”
Dhea could feel the hair on the back of neck standing on end. Something told her it was just a coincidence. It had to be. But she couldn’t remember any other Analanders being outside her homeland.
...she prayed that it was just a coincidence.
 
"Excellent choice." The Elf nodded, hurrying to pack the ring up for her. "Thank you for your custom." He said with a satisfied smile. Dhea still had time to explore the Elven camp if she wished.

- Go to the firepit.
- Leave the camp.
 
Dhea was curious about who was at the firepit, so she swiftly made her way over to it. It was a casual swiftness, though. She didn’t want the guards to be any more suspicious of her than they already were.
 
A few Elves were sitting around the firepit, throwing dice and drinking. As soon as Dhea approached, they peered at her, nudging at each other and whispering, until finally one Elven woman got up and approached her. A couple of paces away from her she halted, probably judging that to be a safe distance.

"They say you are walking through the wastes." The woman spoke. "Are you exiled? A criminal? Or are you insane?"

- Say you are the worst criminal there is.
- Say you are quite deranged.
- Say you are on a quest.
- Say it's a secret.
 
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