"Just not having to fight them simultaneously. The door has to open when the gong rings whether we're convincing or not, we could rush it, it's not far. But we can go with that if you guys want."

"Hmmm... I think my worry is that he'll get some kind of feedback if they're destroyed, and then have time to prepare for us before he comes out. Which would be bad."

"Legit, I don't know a ton about necromancy so maybe that's likely."

"If I were a necromancer, even if I didn't have some kind of ongoing connection with my minions I'd probably cast Status on my guards so I knew in advance if someone was coming for my head. It just seems like an obvious safeguard."

"Status doesn't work on undead," Enserric points out.

"If I were a necromancer I would develop a version of Status that works on undead," Jojo corrects himself, "and then cast it on my guards."

"Well, do we suppose these are the spell developing type? I don't know how common that is on this planet, it's pretty far out on Golarion."

"My mentor developed a few spells," Enserric reminisces. "Whenever he had nothing else to do with his spell slots for that day he'd tinker with something; his favorite was an upgraded Prestidigitation with better area of effect but requiring a first-level slot. The whole process was expensive and tedious, but not particularly dangerous, as far as I could tell - if I had the kind of free time vampires have, I'd probably have gotten into it myself."

"Okay. We want to gamble on how timely they are about their sacrifice collection?"

"I doubt this Sodalis would worry about delaying the ceremony long enough to enhance his defenses if he knew his temple was under attack," Jojo says. "Will we be pretending to be sacrifices, or merely ringing the gong to draw out the High Priest?"

"We're not an especially plausible bunch of sacrifices even if we buy rags from the rag merchant."

"Deekin could make it work," Deekin says confidently. "If that be main concern of Belmarniss."

"I have entire wagonloads of concerns. That's one of them."

"I worry that if we engage the high priest out here, there might be collateral damage to the villagers," Jojo says. "If he were to channel negative energy, for instance, and he had any significant level of skill, it could be instantly lethal to any civilians gathered in a thirty-foot radius - a thirty-foot radius like the paved area around this gong."

"That's a good point. Okay. Merch some rags, let Deekin sell it, attack inside?"

"I'll miss my armor for the fight, but it's better than potentially getting these people killed," Garrus admits reluctantly.

The rag merchant, a duergar, sizes them up as they approach. "Bric-a-brac!" she barks. "Things we scrounged, things we stole, things we cobbled together from the first two. What can I do for you fine folks?"

"We'd like to be very wrapped up so no one can tell how much swag we have."

"Excellent choice, excellent choice. I've got rags, rags, and more rags. What can you offer me in exchange?"

"Two gold pieces," Garrus says.

"Don't be an asshole," the duergar says immediately. "This cloth may not be pretty, but you need it and I'm the only one who'll sell it to you within ten miles. I want ten."

"You're insane. Five?"

She worries at her lower lip. "Six. And a bowl of gruel from that Sustaining Spoon you've got hanging from your belt."

"How'd you know it was a Sustaining Spoon?" Garrus asks, taking out his coinpurse.

"You have a spoon on your belt," she says. "If it wasn't a Sustaining Spoon I was going to have to re-evaluate how crazy you are."

"I have a little fudge left. I was saving it for a special occasion."

"Never had fudge, and I'd love to try it, but the gruel staves off mushroom rickets for another day. Maybe you've got Prestidigitation and you can make the gruel taste like fudge? I'd knock off a gold piece."

"Can do. Prestidigitation."

The merchant eats her gruel ravenously, then returns Garrus's spoon and starts sorting through rags. "Saving up for one of those, you know - when I've got enough cash from all this ragpicking I'm headed to Menzo to see if I can get one enchanted for me. Fudge flavor's good, maybe my next goal'll be to get a little bauble of Prestidigitation."

With Deekin's guidance, she provides Belmarniss with a rough spidersilk dress that has seen substantially better days; Deekin with a refitted burlap sack that covers his Celestial Chainmail; Jojo with a dingy hempen robe to wear over his nice white linen robe; and Garrus, the most obtrusively armored member of the party, with a sort of burqa.

Deekin nods decisively and gathers the party back at the gong. "Story is, we be escaped illithid slaves with problems. Belmarniss be drow named Sabliss. Trained to be house slave but illithid messed up and made her not able to talk anymore. Jojo be Markius, trained for fighting pits but illithid made him want to die, not fun to watch in fighting pits. Garrus be Valssk, trained as bodyguard but like blood too much and kill uncontrollably when in fights. Deekin be Urko, trained for entertainment but scheduled for execution because illithid caught Urko telling story of great Vix'thra and Drearing's Deep. All four in cell to be executed, but Urko organize escape and bring party to Drearing's Deep, so all can be sacrificed and live on in Vix'thra's name. Thoughts?"

"Sign language or no sign language, for the inability to talk?"

"Mm... yes sign language, Deekin can Comprehend Languages and gives us good way to communicate."