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After some deliberation, the party decides to travel across the narrow top of the ledge. The party braves the scorching sun, slippery sands and unpredictable winds but is able to get a good view of path below until in verges off and they lose sight of it.
Rhu begins to regret not accepting the protection from Hosser's wand as he realizes that he has underestimated the toll of the scorching sun.
Suddenly the winds pick up without warning, pushing in every direction and at some points blustering hard enough to make the narrow ledge a deadly peril. Luckily the party knew that this was always a danger of traveling the high road and have been taking precautions against falling.
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Rhu is the only one unlucky enough to lose his footing and the wind lifts him off his feet and sends him sailing off the ledge. He rolls down the cliff, landing of a rocky outcropping 30 feet below.
The cliff face is jagged sandstone that crumbles under the fingers, making the climb back up difficult. Luckily there are many pocks in the cliff face for pitons to be driven into for anyone with climbing equipment.
As Rhu brushes himself off and gets his bearings back, the whipping winds die down and quickly coalesce into numerous small gaseous shapes. They appear as birds, flying humanoids, and amorphous clouds, totaling a dozen in all. A larger elemental descends until it almost touches the ground. The creature has a humanlike head and torso, but its lower body forms a bilious cloud from which wispy tendrils emerge in all directions.
The creature addresses the Pathfinders still standing on the ledge, and seems to be pointedly ignoring the struggling tiefling below. “Well, well—land creatures,” it says in a masculine voice. “Foolish or brave—or perhaps knowing we seek you. Yes, yes. You are the prophets, are you not?”
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Rhu goes over the edge, unable to grab hold. An inarticulate howl of rage marks his fall, ending with a wet thud. He catches his breath and starts to shout again, then stops. Looking down, the rest of the party can see him kneeling on the ground, hands cupped in front of him. He breathes in and out slowly, then comes easily back to his feet. In a flat voice, he calls, "Please lower me a rope."
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Apologies for not knowing the tongue of the elementals. My teachings at the abbey were of a more focused nature...healing and religion being the majority of my studies. I am Therin, servant of the Dawnflower. Who might I have the privilege of speaking with? Therin nods his head in acknowledgement of the elemental.
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The air elemental responds, "I am Iyasset, a humble emissary of Aridiea, chieftain of the Ainsi tribe. Are you the ones that the prophecy has foretold coming or not?"
Seeing Rhu struggling up the side of the cliff, the air elemental laughs and comments, "Why is your servant struggling in the dirt when it would be so much easier to just fly up here? Is it shy? Please reassure it that I am not offended."
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Kroone worries more about helping Rhu recompose himself than particularly addressing the elemental. Finally, though, the Paladin steps by the clerics, Hosser and Therin.
I am Kroone, Paladin of Irori, and we all represent the Pathfinder Society. Nice to make your acquaintance, Iyasset. What could you tell us about this prophecy?
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The air elemental smiles coyly before saying "Pleasure to meet you Kroone, Paladin of Irori and representative to the Pathfinder Society. All I can tell you about the prophets who were foretold would be on quest, chasing an enemy." The noble creature pauses dramatically.
“You seek the janni who fled through these dunes,” says the elemental. “Jamila al-Shafah. She passed through not long ago, though only the leader of my tribe knows where she was bound. She rightly fears the power of the prophets, while we respect it. My leader can tell you where this Jamila has gone, provided that you are the ones we seek. Will you prove yourselves to us?”
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Rhu reaches the top of the cliff, frowning but silent, and takes Therin's offered hand. He pauses a moment once he's back on solid ground, breathing quietly, and his face relaxes into a more neutral expression. Apparently unwilling to interrupt the negotiations, he draws a wand from his belt and holds it out to the priest. "Please? I do not have the skill to use this to heal myself."
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Kroone notices that Iyasset has taken a shining to him. The emissary must have been impressed by his etiquette. Therin clearly did not impress the air elemental, but at least it seems like he did not offend the creature.
Iyasset is the most humanoid looking of the air elementals, with handsome humanoid features. The other air elementals surrounding him are a variety of shapes; some are vaguely humanoid but most have the shape of birds or dragons while a few just look like shapeless cloud forms. At this point, he turns towards the group and addresses them in rapid, rhythmic Auran. The elementals began to depart, flying off towards the horizon at incredible speed.
Iyasset turns back to the party and addresses them in his fast-paced staccato. “Sacred ground lies near here, known as the Sandflow Source. Those who pass through must show a mastery of the elements and an appreciation of our people. If you meet the challenges within, you will prove yourselves to all who may not see your true value. Only then may I bring you to our leader.”
Barely pausing he adds, "I'd recommend that travel to the Sandflow Source immediately, unless you have any objections that is."
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"Ah, yes! It must be terrible only being able to see things from ground. The pattern is several circles, the smaller ones inside the large ones," he trails off to think for a minute. "I think some of your kind like to throw knives at pieces of wood with that pattern on it, but I can't remember what you call it. But there are are also four triangles on the outside of the largest circle that all point to the center. At at the center is the Sandflow Source!"
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Iyasset fidgets irritably. "The arrows all point to the center of the circle, which is the Sandflow Source. You won't even be able to see the arrows unless you can fly. They will just look like sand and rocks to you on the ground. We can go there if you insist, but it will take several weeks to visits all four areas."
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Hosser will touch his exhausted "servant", and call upon the healing power of the Lady of Toads. As part of Hosser's restorative touch, the fatigue is lifted.
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Iyasset leads the party through a dizzying maze of trenches, dunes, and escarpments. The air elemental flies through the air at the speed of the wind itself and sometimes forgets that the party following behind him are bound to the ground. He then circles around and waits impatiently as the party catches up with him. Eventually he brings them to the holy site that he calls the Sandflow Source. The area gets its name from the fact that the ground itself flows like a river here, constantly shifting, roiling, and eventually descending into a waterfall-like shower of sand.
The journey takes several hours of walking through the hot sun, following an impetuous elemental who forgets that the people he is leading can't fly and often leads them to climb over obstacles that would have been easier to walk around. Rhu quickly releases that the heat is going to be hard to bear.
[ooc]Rhu, you will need to make another Fortitude save or get someone to cast endure elements on him.
The walls here have a smooth, almost glossy polish and rise 20 to 30 feet high throughout the complex. A thin dusting of windswept sand covers the hard stone floor.
Iyasset pauses at the top of a plateau and gazes meaningfully toward the trench below. A roaring, bubbling noise from below sounds like water rapids, but is in actuality a constantly shifting stream of sand. The river, approximately 15 feet wide, tosses and heaves with waves of fine yellow-brown sand. The rapid flow ends at a ledge, where it crashes downward just like a waterfall.
“From the Sandflow Source many of us came, and to the Source we periodically return,” says the elemental. “If you pass through this holy site, you too will be welcomed into our tribe, and you too shall earn the secrets you seek. To complete the first trial, you must get inside and make your way to solid ground.”
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Hosser looks at his full plate and then down at the flowing river. "I ain't a trained athlete, and this hunk of metal ain't exactly gonna help," Hosser starts taking off his armor and placing it in his bag of holding. "I'll need y'all to help and make sure I don't die if there's something in there down below."