A few minutes ago, Grea would have scoffed at the weak-willed who imagined injuries upon themselves, but being drawn and quartered in another time and threatened by phantom swords has altered her perspective. She nods recognition that the others' experience has been different from hers.
"The swordsmen were phantoms, Jaryx."
She moves to Danet and pulls him to his feet.
"The hate left here bites at us. Let's try another tower."
Looking around cautiously, Jaryx offers, "Bad dreams. Tower has bad dreams." He points to the next door. To Grea, he says, "Maybe Jaryx go see what next bad dream is and tell you, you don't have to have bad dream, too."
Grea smiles and offers soothingly, "Shu, Jaryx. If Arakan wants to climb higher let him find the dreams."
"If we don't find a vantage soon, this place won't be worth the trouble," Morthak grumbles.
Arakan shakes his head, "No. There's no answers here. At least toward saving your tribesmen and removing the raiders." He looks at Jareen at this last, knowing the old man thinks otherwise about the value of the haunting visions.
"We go north, look for an opening, overlook, balcony, or anything that grants us a kes'trekel's view of the encampment, then we are out."
"Agreed."
The group move on gingerly, expecting another supernatural assault. They enter the next room. It appears to be in the corner of the building, with windows high up in the walls to the east and north.
Jaryx looks up at the window. "Jaryx would lift Grea to look through hole maybe."
Jareen looks around the room for something one of the younger ones can climb up to get a view.
"I will look. Jaryx, lift me up." Grea slides out of her pack and moves under a window where she waits for her friend.
After the half-giant elevates her she tries to scramble up until she can just chin herself on the window's sill. She peers out over the edge.
Once the woman's weight has left his hands, the big fellow shifts to a position to catch her should the crumbly wall give way.
Grea climbs nimbly up the ancient wall, fingertips finding the grip she needs to reach the window. After the oppression of the last few hours, it is nice to feel the wind and see the sky, even if the window itself is barely a foot square. But she can also see beyond the city walls, and the bandit camp just to the north.
Grea can see the bandit camp. It seems to lie just north of the city gate on that side of the city, perhaps a quarter of a mile away. It looks like they have occupied an old caravanserai, with walls made of the same dark stone as the city. At one end there seems to be a tower a few storeys high, but other than that it looks much like a typical nomad camp, with the open area in the middle of the caravanserai occupied with tents. A corral by the single entrance contains animals - mostly riding beasts including a single mekillot. A few bandits can be seen wandering about but she can't make out any guards on the walls or tower. She also can't see where the slaves might be kept.
Grea relays the details of her view. She ends with, "The guards are probably inside the tower, out of the sun. Anything else?"
She waits to see if there are specific questions before returning to the floor.
"Is there anything more we can get from here or should we think about attacking that camp."
"Any further delay and distraction is a risk. We will have plenty of time to explore after the raiders are destroyed."
Jaryx waits for Grea, ready to catch her if she slips.
Grea climbs carefully down the wall, before kicking away to drop the last 10 feet.
She rolls on touchdown and reaches for Jaryx' hand to rise smoothly.
Jaryx nods and grins, as if he was never really concerned.
He looks around the smart people discussing back and forth, "Up more now?"
The saurian druid follows, silently if it weren't for the light clicking of razor-sharp talons on the floor.
Arakan takes a deep breath, before letting out a long sigh, "No, no more up. We get out of this place, and get closer to the camp. We have to plan along the way. This is the second one that has gotten us no closer to getting rid of the raiders." He scowls, grits his teeth and begins to storm out of the tower.
"Agreed. Let's move."
Morthak grunts and nods.
The group troop back out again, trying to be sure they travel the same way they went in to avoid triggering any more of the building's bad memories.
They stagger back out into the light of the square, leaving the tower to its fitful slumber. The scorching heat of the sun pounds down on them as it climbs towards noon.
"Close some distance towards the camp, and then wait for darkness? Probably wise if we avoid line of sight from that tower, in case they have lookouts up there."
"They not come to empty buildings, right?" He frowns, "But maybe something else does." He starts watching their surroundings warily.
"We can't be in here when it's dark," says Danet. "No one who comes in here when it's dark is ever seen again."
"You said no one who comes in here ever is ever seen again. We are doing ok. Make up your mind. I agree with Morthak."
"After dark, I said," snaps Danet. "What, you think what we just went through in there is normal? And that was in daylight. What do you think it will get like when the sun goes down?"
"After dark, I said," snaps Danet. "What, you think what we just went through in there is normal? And that was in daylight. What do you think it will get like when the sun goes down?"
"No, what we went through in there is not normal, it's extraordinary. Welcome to our lives. You have consistently failed to see that issues you fear, we deal with frequently. We have handled what would kill most, either directly, or by keeping them entranced until they starved. We will deal with whatever comes at night. The alternative is giving ourselves away to those who will surely kill us, which would be stupid."
Jareen is getting quite annoyed with Danet's underestimations and pessimism. That's supposed to be Jareen and Arakan's job.