[center][color=fff79a]Catarina La'Spada[/color][/center]

When Malkai mentioned potential bandits, Catarina knew their types well. Usually they were just poor folk down on their luck. Aside from a few times were Catarina was the sole protector of a caravan, they usually only attacked lone wanderers or small merchant wagons. However if they were orcs, they would be in for a harder time. Catarina was all too familiar with the orcish tribes in this area, and while some were amicable enough to actually trade with humans, an equal amount were roaming marauders. Usually they just raided villages for supplies, but it isn't unusual for a particularly large horde to attack a caravan too. Without a word Cataraina drew her blade, the sword glowing bright even under direct sunlight.

Catarina spotted them long before the gnolls popped out of the sands. Their tactics weren't anything the merc hasn't seen before. Almost amateurish really. What they said however made Catarina pause. She turned to Vivian, who took off her amulet and revealed that she wasn't a normal elf, but a drow of all things. Cataraina never met a drow before. For some reason the gnolls wanted her, likely due to drow related reasons. But Vivian wasn't going without a fight, and Cataraina wasn't going to betray one of her teammates.

[color=fff79a]"Kiya!"[/color] Catarina dug her boots into the side of her horse to make it charge forward towards the gnoll wielding two longswords. Before they got close enough for either horse or Catarina to be struck, she jumped off with surprising grace for someone wearing such bulky armor. Her roundness in fact helped her to her feet as she rolled over the sands and faced off against the large gnoll, her sword and shield ready to do battle. [color=fff79a]"We will show you no quarter!"[/color] Catarina shouted, and with a thrust aimed the tip of her bastard sword towards the heart of the gnoll.

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[center][color=brown]Parum[/color][/center]

Parum was always ready for trouble. Came with the territory of a rogue after all. Despite her silk robes making the small and lithe halfling look defenseless, she actually had an easy access to a variety of knives and short blades. With Malakai's announcement, the small talk they had was cut short as well and Parum focused her attention on the area around her. Thus, Parum was more then ready for the ambushes when she spotted their crude and rather pathetic camouflage a long distance away. When the gnolls popped out Parum had already taken cover inside the wagon. Sure, it would seem cowardly to hide away, but Parum was under no illusion that she could take as many hits as some of the others. She was a halfling who fought by stabbing people in the back and slitting their throats when they aren't looking. Getting into a straight up brawl was both stupid and suicidal for someone like Parum, so taking cover from their ranged attackers as well as letting the focus of the gnolls go to their bigger, tougher fighters was the best thing to do.

As Parum took her daggers out she overheard what one of the gnolls were saying about Vivian, their elven sorceress. If she was a drow, then this was a very, very good opportunity for Parum. Drow society was cutthroat and vicious for all it's decadence and luxury, but also very wealthy. Parum didn't know who wanted Vivian so badly, possibly a rival drow family or even her own, but Parum made a mental note that she could exploit this later. But for now, they needed to deal with these Gnolls. If they just gave Vivian to them the party would be down a sorcerer and Parum would never see a single copper of Vivian's bounty. No, if anyone is going to turn Vivian in for that money, it'd be Parum.

[color=brown]"Sorry, but no deal! Run back to your caves or else we'll bury you in the sands!"[/color] Parum shouted to the gnolls while hidden inside the wagon. If any of those dog-faced monsters tried to get into or even look inside the wagon, he'd find a dagger hurled right into his eye.