Stay in touch, Drovya whispers to Kanthuun and Hanethes. Don't take any unnecessary risks. If you run into trouble, head upwards, we'll come to you from the top.
The half elf looks torn by indecision, worry and the feeling of urgency. I almost think we should all go in together, but we're outclassed in terms of sheer power. There's no way we can take on a whole settlement. Sneak in, and then escape. It's the best we can do. And if you can't get it now, at least get the layout, and hopefully we can plan a way through this mess.
"That's better than any plan I had."
Drovya cracks open his spell book and reads through the incantation several times before preparing to cast it.
Kanthya, we'll only have about eight minutes of communication with this spell, so be quick. Perhaps we can use it in conjunction with your message spell. That lasts longer, doesn't it?
Shake me if there's trouble, Drovya asks Talon. I'll be blind and deaf while my sight and hearing are with Han.
"That would be different how? I'm kidding. I got your back, Drovya."
The difference is that, in this instance, I'm willing to admit it.
"Ha! Good one." Talon nods.
Rohini has no objections to the plan, and keeps a watchful eye over the crowd while pretending to tend to the Yamah. "Be careful ," she whispers.
Kanthuun shakes his head at the suggestion of Message. "You could message us, but we cannot reply, as we will be voiceless. Do we not have rings for communication?"
If you have no voices, you won't be able to speak the command word for the rings. I'll use my spell, it seems simpler. Now be off with you.
Haka says "Before you go in, I can offer you a little boost to help keep you safe. Or at least safer. Since I imagine my musical accompaniment would not be very useful as you try to sneak in."
Outside a freaky glowing structure
The party prepared their away team with as much care as could be allowed under the current circumstances, and jokes were exchanged to keep spirits up as the two chosen ascended oh-so-quietly to the opening at the top of said pyramid.
From the peak of the structure, the crowd assembled on the other side could be seen quite clearly... as well as the enormous form of the leonine creature one could assume to be an obcisidaemon. Said crowd roared as it held an (assumed) prior corpse in each of its jagged, leonine hands. However, said vision confirmed something optimistic for the two scouts.
It hadn't noticed them.
The pillar of light, up close, was almost blinding. It obscured the view into the opening itself and hid any safe means of conveyance therein.
If it was a drop, there was little way of knowing... something about the pillar screamed 'overwhelming aura', especially to Kanthuun and Drovya the Watcher, so perhaps a bit of ingenuity or impulsivity was required to fully enter into the building. Thankfully, the current roster contained both.
Going into the light required a leap of faith, or a swoop, in this case. The two headed down the opening post-haste, and couldn't help but liken the shifting ambiance to the sensation they'd experienced on seperate occasions of sleeping in the site of a massacre, recent or not. This disturbance compounded with the normal edgedness of Abaddon's air.
After fifteen feet came the sounds. The same language Kathuun had heard uttered by the urdhefan holding the rogue hostage began to blare in a cacophony, though gentler, more human sounds permeated the mix in distant echoes. Still, there was little more to see than incredible radiance. Visual sensory organs watered.
It began to dim after what seemed like an eternity, and feet alighted on hardened clay stone, surprisingly warm to the touch. Opening their eyes, they saw a chamber veiled with veins of pulsing light and flashing images appearing on the walls in glorious two-dimensional form.
The images were of the horrid wet jungle above, of what the village perhaps had been before repurposing. Shadows danced below dim canopies, and urdhefan hunters brought decidedly fell creatures past pointed palisades.
In one vision no audience could forget, a hideous female urdhefan nursed her young whilst a cocodaemon zipped right past.
Ritualistic sacrifices took place on the altars viewed outside.
The images would go on, but the mission was imperative.
The tunnel ahead turned into a veritable labyrinth with shifting, living walls of images that did little to orient anyone present.
Drovya relates what he sees through Kanthuun's eyes to those outside in a low whisper.
Meanwhile, the world outside did not sit still.
"Pin-jox-huath. Soon we shall wipe clean the scions of Castrovel upon the waking shift." The voice continued,blasting into the brains of everyone present (sans Hanethes, Drovya, and Kanthuun).
Castrovel is a planet in Golarion's solar system.
Another large cheer erupted, as well as some enthusiastic swearing in undercommon from a few unseen larynxes.
"Now back to your posts, damned brethren. You know what will happen if I repeat myself again, fwah-peri-fin!" There was something cold and final about the last portion, but a newborn child would recognize the lingering threat given the species of its perpetrator and the current environment.
Footsteps could be heard in every direction. It could be assumed that some of the gathering would come back around soon...
"We should move somewhere safe, relatively."
Kanthuun ends Gaseous Form on himself, then Hanethes. "It appears safe in here, and we can fly out whilst corporeal...which will be faster." The sorcerer casts Mage Armor and Detect Magic and, of course, pulls out the wayfinder, curiosity and excitement momentarily overwhelming his fear of...everything around them.
"...Han...can you ask Drovya what all that shouting is outside? Clearly the daemon is continuing his speech. Let's make sure it isn't...using this thing as a cannon, or something..."
Rohini looks around, to see if their location seems likely to become compromised by creatures returning to their posts, and if there is another location that seems better.
There is not much by way of cover where you are. There are a few standing repurposed shacks near the wall, and, assuming you're very lucky, you could sandwich into the space between them and the wall, remaining unnoticed. After all, cacodaemon sentries aren't really known for their wits.
Rohini gestures to a few standing repurposed shacks near the wall and speaks quietly: "We're pretty exposed here. If we're lucky, maybe we can squeeze into the space between those shacks and get some cover there. In any event, I think we should have a good explanation for what we're doing if we're approached."
"Intimate. Let's go." Talon makes his way towards to the shacks.
Drovya hopes that someone drags him along with the rest of the group.
Haka takes Drovya by the hand and follows Talon and Rohini, muttering "No telling what Talon will try to get up to behind the shed with our cleric..."
"You sir wound me with your words." Talon says as he feigns being offended.
Haka laughs at Talon's feigned offense, then pauses as he realizes their companions inside the pyramid don't know what's happening outside. "Drovya, can you communicate with Han and let them know we're moving away from the pyramid, to find some cover, but are still close by? And I don't know whether it's better to suggest they stay put or get out fast before that cat-thing returns. What do you all think?"
Drovya brings his senses back to his body in time to hear Haka's suggestion, then speaks into the ring, letting Hanethes know that most of the daemonic throng outside is returning to their posts and that the group is moving away. We're seeking cover as well between some nearby shacks. Either move quickly, or find a place to hide. The Obscisidaemon is still outside, but I'm not sure how much longer that will be the case.
Once firmly ensconced between the shacks, Drovya returns his senses to ride along with Kanthuun.
Kanthuun gulps at the message. "Hide? ...We're in a pyramid...looking for the...object...Han! Let us move!"
With Hanethes taking the lead, realizing the only way to find a place to hide would be to either go back the way they came (hardly an option), or delve further into what turned out to be something of a labyrinth that constantly bombarded the walkers' senses with moving images along the walls that disoriented and disturbed.
A strange giant was gutted, and buildings made from sickly timbers and said flesh.
Voices in the strange language the adventurers had encountered (sans Hanethes) began to whisper something desperately, their voices becoming more and more urgent.
The voices became intelligible, begging, pleading, and hissing. Screams and howls ensued in a tone that could only be designated as homicidal.
[ooc]I need stealth checks.
A man carrying a rhoka much like Drovya's own was chasing him down with a group of enthusiastic mercenaries and other urdhefan.
Then, he would be right back in Hanethes' head. A seperate flash would put him into the skin of the flayed giant. Another would have him laying upon the altars outside and gutted. The flashes in and out of reality got very unstable very, very fast.
Then, of course, there was the screaming that took the place of the whispers. It started as a cacophony but transformed into the howling of a single man.
[/dice]
Meanwhile, for everybody else:
The move to hide between the huts seemed a good idea. Especially so when Haka and the yamah hid themselves with such grace. It wasn't to say the others were conspicuous, persay, but the groups now dispersing throughout the camp were an obvious point of stress.
It seemed that everything was going fine as a group of male drow with a ridiculous amount of body piercings situated themselves back into the huts themselves, pulling out pieces of armaments left inside, presumably, to work on. However, two such men remained outside next to a pile of swords and proceeded to pull out whetstones to sharpen them.
Then, of course, came the spasming on Drovya's part, and the slight brushing of the rotten timbers on Talon's.
It was the former that was more worrisome, to be sure, and not only for reasons pertaining to perception, but, nonetheless...
two pairs of eyes fell on the party, somehow managing to miss the halfling, of course, but the rest of them were plain to see to the two figures.
[spoiler=Undercommon]
"Wot tha bloody 'ell is al' dis, then?"
"You should not be back there. Get out."
"You got a sick one, ey? You know wot we do wif 'em that are too weak ta' stan' on their own 'in 'ere..."
Assuming it sounds like the group outside is being addressed, Rohini (who understands abyssal but not undercommon) will look out to see who is addressing the group and respond in abyssal: "Apologies. One of our group is feeling unwell and so we sought a brief respite here. But we will move."
:
Haka steps out of the shadows and says in Abyssal to Rohini, "I told you someone would want him if he looked sick. Let's move on like the fella says, while that drink wears off him."
As his friends try to get Drovya moving in the right direction, Haka adds,
He'd then demand with all his authority to see the captive Bahjat.
Once his authority is recognized, he might also try to capture any of the other pcs who try to stop him.
However, his speech patterns should differ from Drovya's. I don't care how (that's your creation). It should be obvious to the others that this is not your character.
Knocking him out or putting him to sleep will allow Drovya to come back in and roll percentiles.
Kanthuun shudders at the sounds, skin rippling with alarm, but remains relatively combat-ready. "Here, Han, I've been carrying these forever."
He hands Hanethes a pair of earplugs and stuffs them in his ears as well. If the voices are mental, he will rip them back out and put them away, grumbling.
Unhand me, wretch! Drovya's eyes snap open and spittle sprays from his lips as he shouts in a loud, deep, and slightly slurred voice while knocking Haka's hand away from his own. I will not be pawed at!
Drovya sneers and grimaces at the drow and calls back in Abyssal.
His hand is on his blade, and his feet shift into a ready stance. He cocks his head and grins a wholly nasty grin.
Though recoiling, the drow who spoke in undercommon gave a masked smile to the halfling and murmured something for his ears, specifically.
"O-ey, you weren't kidding. I'll 'ave some o' wot 'e's havin'.
The other drow, however, recognizes an authorative tone when he hears it and takes a few steps back. His eyes widen at the sword.
"I've seen one of those before. How did...-,"
The drow looks ready to retreat, and the group has definitely gartered more attention. Another set of pointy ears emerges from a hut.
Talon's eyes widen as Drovya makes his threats. "And as you can see, our friend is not himself. We're leaving." Talon grabs the crazed magus by the arm and attempts to find somewhere else to be.