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With Naram no longer a threat, he is also in no state to lead his caravan, but that didn't mean his followers remained a threat.
They're leaderless for now, but if you allow them to fester, or worse, were you to allow them to regroup and organise under a new leader, they could become an even greater danger. It would not do; no, it was time for action.
Your loyal instrument, Nafiri, would aid you in this cause; she had covertly converted a good chunk of the porters and guards to your side, and with most of Naram's armed guards turned into lunch for the bats, you were poised to strike.
<span class="mu-i"> <span class="mu-r"> ''Nafiri, thou hast served me most faithfully; for now it shall be time to purge this caravan of the unbelievers. I shall leave the minute details to you, for I have faith in thy skill. Leave the other brother alone in this endeavour; they might be of use to me yet.'' </span> </span> You telepathically communicated your orders to Nafiri, who simply bowed her head in obedience.
<span class="mu-i"> ''Your will be done, great lord; I shall call hither the true believers, who shall smite your enemies in your name.'' </span> She messaged the thought back to you. And you also informed Samarda about the plan and ordered her to stay close.
It began slowly, Nafiri calling together her band of followers one by one over the course of the day; you had Samarda giving specific orders that none were to disturb her poor brothers. She, being one of the foremost experts on herbalism (a side effect of learning about those poisons), made most trust this decision.
Nafiri had begun to gather the sections of the caravan she considered to be reliable; most of the remaining caravanners were too busy tending to their own tasks and responsibilities to notice the subtle preparations taking place.
As the sun beat down upon them, Nafiri looked down upon them from a ridge in the desert, where she had lit a brazier for extra effect.
<span class="mu-i"> ''My brothers in faith, it is once more that I gather you here together on a most urgent occasion. Our beloved leader, the caravan master Naram, has been driven mad by the machinations of those who would do him harm; they have locked him up in his tent and are making themselves master of his fortunes.'' </span> There were some who murmured, but they were drowned out by an increasing fervour that swept through the ranks.
<span class="mu-i"> ''We have been cruelly deceived and are about to be betrayed, but it must not be so! We shall extract our revenge! We shall rise up against these traitors and free our leader from their clutches. Tonight, we shall stain the sands with the blood of the traitors!'' </span> As she reached her crescendo, the crowd roared with bloodlust, their eyes glinting with a fierce determination to take action.
While the men back in the camp proper might have heard the exact words, the screams and roars were impossible to ignore, but most dismissed it; Nafiri had been doing this type of thing before, but now it would lead to something.
