Whispering again, "They appear to be attending to her rather than holding her. Facing her, so they aren't really in a guard position, either. Should I knock and see what happens?"
"Anyone know how to talk to a rock genie?"
Prickles squeaks a response in the negative.
"Maybe she's got them in thrall or something?" wonders Fíriel across the link.
When the question of anyone speaking is asked. Jametor glances at Xiddik and says. "I know quite a few languages, perhaps enough to communicate"
Xiddik tries to share what she's heard about the creatures.
Putting their heads together Jametor and Xiddik recall what they know (or believe they know) about shaitans. Shaitans are boastful and proud genies from the Plane of Earth with flesh of metal, gems, or stone. In addition to being strong and durable shatain are known to be capable of shaping metal at-will and have the ability to trap victims in rock tombs. Like most geniekind they can also travel the planes easily and change their shape at-will.
Xiddik grimaces. "Don't know anything riverlent," she says reluctantly. "No idea what it's doing with drow, whether it's like to get along with or fight them. Jametor, you have any idea?"
Jametor shakes his head then realizes that doesn't carry through the whisper. "No, no idea, either they control the genie or..the genie controls them?"
"Well, suppose we best attack the drow and find out. Unless Firiel has some way to see through the needlemonster's eyes and scan for magical effects."
"Do you remember what language the genie might speak? Might help if we announce we come in peace to the genie. The drow can die in a ball of fire." Jametor says.
Prickles, despite his encyclopedic knowledge of fruits, nuts, and tasty bugs, isn't able to make much of the magic auras within the chamber.
Fíriel shakes her head, letting the group know the results of Prickles' excursion.
"The genie knows the tongues of elementals, as well as your Taldane. Also has, er, mind-speech. Empathy?"
"Close enough. Perhaps." he pauses while he thinks. "No, Swiftwing can only speak Common and Halfling, unless she's been holding out on me. It seems we'll need to go to the mountain house thing." He looks at the others.
Getting the 'okay' from his friends, Njord leans into the enormous doors.
The giant stone door groan as they grind against their hinges under Njord's strength. Soon the room's interior is revealed much as Randall described it.
This wide, oblong room is constructed of the same pale stone as the rest of the shrine. Clear crystals and pale gems create and reflect light around the high-ceilinged chamber, standing from the stone of the walls like ageless sconces. Staircases on either side of the room lead up to an altar platform on the far side.
A single beautiful scimitar-wielding giant of a woman seemingly made of dark and polished stone stands at the center of the chamber. Six drow soldiers stand at attention in a ring around her. Seeing the party the drow immediately turn their blades on shaitan.
"Put down your weapons we've come to speak to the Shaitan." Jametor says in Undercommon.
Puzzled by the drow turning their blades on the large, stone woman, Asht'el raises his hands in a peaceful gesture and says in Common, "Wait, we wish only to speak." Directing his gaze at the shaitan, he says, "Do they hold you prisoner or serve you?"
Xiddik rolls her eyes. "You surfacers are slow sometimes. Maybe you're like lizards and we need to get you under a heatlamp." Her hands twist and writhe, working a spell even as she starts to sing a song in the Common tongue about the power and majesty of lahars and earthquakes. An aura of optimism settles on the party.
The drow don't seem inclined to parley but Jametor and Asht'el do succeed in getting their attention.
“Uplanders! Defend me from these elven demons and you shall be justly rewarded!” the giant woman begs.
Asht'el spins his hands rapidly around each other, then flicks his fingers toward his companions, granting them astonishing magical speed! He then slips a hand into his backpack and draws out a slender magical rod.
"That's Terran, I don't know it, but yeah, anyone understand it?" Jametor says.
Asht detects no signs of falsehood from the shaitan or the drow.
Randall rolls into the room, avoiding the blades of the nearby drow as he draws his tiny new dagger and goes to work on the drow.
and
and
Randall skillfully tumbles into the room and buries his dagger deep in the thigh of one of the drow warriors. The dark elf screams in pain and crumbles to the ground.
The shaitan works a spell to protect herself even though the drow seem more interested in coming after the party. Three crowd around Randall while two others squeeze closer to swing at Njord.
Asht'el steps to where he can see into the room, then rubs his hands together vigorously before clapping once. A fat, white spark arcs from his hand and hits the nearest drow, turning into a bouncing bolt of lightning that arcs from one drow to the next!
Xiddik begins to strike a more aggressive tone on her ocarina, targeting the drows' innate magic resistance. She plays harsher and harsher, targeting one of the drow in particular. To that target, her music starts to sound unbearably screechy, like a misplayed violin.
To anyone watching, it is plain that a lot of emotion is going into this song. They've heard the same tune before played as a jig, but now it is a frantic, almost cutting melody. Xiddik's eyes are screwed tightly shut as if she's in pain.
Jametor pulls a rod from his haversack and launches a bead of fire toward the enemies. The bead explodes right behind the genie.
Randall ducks and weaves and avoids blades, almost causing the drow to strike each other by mistake.
"Haha! Have at thee! And thee! No, Jon, no!"
Xiddik breaks off the performance for a moment. "Quit taunting and just do something!"
Randall chuckles and keeps dancing, "Oh, I did I did. And then there were five!"
"Randall!" Xiddik shouts. "You going to do a victory dance for the whole round rest of the fight, or—?"
As the magic starts to waver, she quickly returns to the ocarina.