Okidoki. Perception check: 18

Taking a couple steps forward, you peer out over the desert with piercing green eyes. With the gaze of a true desert wanderer, it only takes a moment before you notice a shifting shape underneath the pyramid. It bears magnificent wings, yet it prowls on all fours and is far larger than any other animal you have ever seen. A beam of moonlight falls upon it, illuminating a growling human face. You realise you have found your quarry - a real, live sphinx. 

Rohar will continue to follow the group toward the pyramid until she sees the sphinx. 

Quote from Nontyper >>

Rohar will continue to follow the group toward the pyramid until she sees the sphinx. 

(OOC: Khaddim does the same.)

Once the monk can see the sphinx, he looks at his companions. "There, I see one of the sphinxes. How do we deal with it? Should we approach and try to talk with it first?" Asks with a nervous voice. He knows that sphinx are very sacred and powerful creatures and obviously he hasn't face anything like it before, so he wants to be cautious aobut the encounter.

Being at the back, Yuri couldn't understand what everyone was talking about. She inches closer to where everyone is peering... And noticed a familiar sight. That was one of the sphinxes who nearly attacked her when she was at the pyramid several years back. She honestly doesn't have any words for this. She goes back behind everyone else and literally trembles like a jackhammer as the group closes in on their arrival.

"Don't we just approach it and answer one of it's riddles? Isn't that how they work?"

"Yes, traditionally I believe that's how it goes. If we can settle this amicably with the creature that would be preferred. Not all things that appear to be beasts act like them," Gnash flashes a toothy smile and rests his hand on his axe hilt. "Still, I suppose we should be prepared for anything."

Quote from queen_of_ashes19 >>

Taking a couple steps forward, you peer out over the desert with piercing green eyes. With the gaze of a true desert wanderer, it only takes a moment before you notice a shifting shape underneath the pyramid. It bears magnificent wings, yet it prowls on all fours and is far larger than any other animal you have ever seen. A beam of moonlight falls upon it, illuminating a growling human face. You realise you have found your quarry - a real, live sphinx. 

 Rohar is really not scared, 'I can't remember ever being scared' now that she things about it.

But she is very nervous and excited at the same time, her voice comes out a bit too high pitched for someone so big... almost like a child watching its first play..  "H..have any of you guys ever fought anything like this before?   Seems kind of big."  She thinks to herself 'maybe if I could figure out how to channel that rage I felt earlier in the cantina.  maybe...'

Quote from queen_of_ashes19 >>

 

Some of you may have heard rumours that the Sphinxes have begun to attack the common people, that there are strange noises coming from the pyramids and that the river Okhiti is on the verge of drying up. I regret to inform you that these rumours are true.”  

 Rohar remembers that the queen said that the Sphinxes were said to be attacking common people.  "I don't know how that would explain the Sphinxes attacking people.  I kind of got the feeling from the queen that they weren't acting the way they should.  I definitely think we should be prepared to fight this thing."

"Common people aren't exactly... the smartest. Possibly they got the riddles wrong."

Quote from FrekorSummers >>

(OOC: Khaddim does the same.)

Once the monk can see the sphinx, he looks at his companions. "There, I see one of the sphinxes. How do we deal with it? Should we approach and try to talk with it first?" Asks with a nervous voice. He knows that sphinx are very sacred and powerful creatures and obviously he hasn't face anything like it before, so he wants to be cautious aobut the encounter.

I let my eyes wander over the lands near the lonely pyramid for anything that might be considered unusual. I was about to give the others the all clear when something stirred from the corner of my eye. An errant beam of moonlight swept over it and revealed the majestic outline of that which we came to find: a sphinx, prowling on all fours and fluttering its wings. In any other situation it would be a sight to behold but in our current predicament, caution would have to be our guide.

'Yes.' I replied to Khaddim's question. 'Sphinxes are notoriously clever by half and always grander than the sum of their parts. We must try reason first before any other alternative.'

Quote from Nontyper >>

Quote from queen_of_ashes19 >>

Taking a couple steps forward, you peer out over the desert with piercing green eyes. With the gaze of a true desert wanderer, it only takes a moment before you notice a shifting shape underneath the pyramid. It bears magnificent wings, yet it prowls on all fours and is far larger than any other animal you have ever seen. A beam of moonlight falls upon it, illuminating a growling human face. You realise you have found your quarry - a real, live sphinx. 

 Rohar is really not scared, 'I can't remember ever being scared' now that she things about it.

But she is very nervous and excited at the same time, her voice comes out a bit too high pitched for someone so big... almost like a child watching its first play..  "H..have any of you guys ever fought anything like this before?   Seems kind of big."  She thinks to herself 'maybe if I could figure out how to channel that rage I felt earlier in the cantina.  maybe...'

Quote from queen_of_ashes19 >>

 

Some of you may have heard rumours that the Sphinxes have begun to attack the common people, that there are strange noises coming from the pyramids and that the river Okhiti is on the verge of drying up. I regret to inform you that these rumours are true.”  

 Rohar remembers that the queen said that the Sphinxes were said to be attacking common people.  "I don't know how that would explain the Sphinxes attacking people.  I kind of got the feeling from the queen that they weren't acting the way they should.  I definitely think we should be prepared to fight this thing."

'First time for everything.' I replied. Foreboding as the sphinx was, I noticed to my surprise that my retort beheld a wry wit: one I was not entirely sure why I said so or where I got it from. Nonetheless I did heed Rohar's words and mentally prepared myself for the eventuality of combat.

Is it possible to make out whether the sphinx has a male or female head from this distance?

Quote from Furujiru >>

Is it possible to make out whether the sphinx has a male or female head from this distance?

  I'm afraid you'll need to get a little closer for that. 

Three starts lightly jogging towards the pyramid and the sphinx.

(OOC: looks like almost everyone wants to get closer and try to talk to it.)

Quote from FrekorSummers >>

(OOC: looks like almost everyone wants to get closer and try to talk to it.)

 Pretty much, yeah

You progress further into the desert, your footsteps whisked away by the night breeze barely after you place them. The moon lights your way to the pyramid, until you reach the spot, where if you progress any further, you would be right in the creature's line of sight. On closer inspection, you can see that this is a real, live gynosphinx, flesh and blood unlike the ones that were built by humanoids in a meek and feeble imitation of the actual thing. She paces, restless, and you can see great claw marks on the tomb's doors behind her.  

Oh gosh! Yurime could not comprehend on what she's approaching. "So, uhh, how do we approach that gigantic creature, let alone converse with it if it can speak?" she whispers silently to the group in front of her. "Obviously we're not crazy enough to go attack it and get crushed...? Do we just walk up to it and have it throw a riddle at us or do we carefully present ourselves and show that we mean no harm?"

OOC:  queen_of_ashes19 Uhhh, you posted the same message twice...

OOC: haha yeah sorry, I had a poor internet connection and clicked the 'send message' button one too many times. It should be deleted now. 

Quote from queen_of_ashes19 >>

You progress further into the desert, your footsteps whisked away by the night breeze barely after you place them. The moon lights your way to the pyramid, until you reach the spot, where if you progress any further, you would be right in the creature's line of sight. On closer inspection, you can see that this is a real, live gynosphinx, flesh and blood unlike the ones that were built by humanoids in a meek and feeble imitation of the actual thing. She paces, restless, and you can see great claw marks on the tomb's doors behind her.  

I decided to take the initiative in our dealings with the sphinx in the idle hope I might placate her before anyone did something we would all regret.

'Hail and well met, master sphinx!' I called out to the creature in a loud voice so I could stay a safe distance away from it. 'We lowly travellers humbly ask of you permission to venture forth into yonder pyramid.'

I kept my posture small and my head down, presenting myself in a more servantile manner for sphinxes, if the legends be true, can do far worse than merely shred you to ribbons as thins as the bandages covering my being. I merely hoped the others would follow suit as to not offend.   

The sphinx turns to Rashaken immediately, closing the distance between you with only two strides. Up close she is even more terrifying - her eyes glow red, and her hair is long and dark, framing a face of pure fury.

"How dare you greet me like that," she hisses through sharp, feline teeth. "As if we were friends! You two legged folk are nothing but trouble and I should just kill you on the spot."

She shoots a sharp glance at the group before her, causing her scowl to deepen. "Lowly travellers? Maybe you and those two are," she waves a paw in the direction of Khaddim and Yurime, (who I assume is wearing her inconspicuous coat). "But I also see before me a warrior of El Dsri, a member of the queen's armies, a slave important enough to be freed, and what I assume to be a member of Altharwa nobility, no less! You dare lie to a sphinx? Do you wish to meet Anubis early?" 

"Forgive him for his incompetence." Three kneels in front of the sphinx, gesturing for the others to do the same. "That is how we humans introduce ourselves to people of higher standing than us. Since we are inferior to them, we are nothing but dirt to them. As you are a sphinx, one of the most gracious of beings, he was just introducing himself in the way that he is used to. You would be correct by me being a follower of the queen, but I am a member of her assassins force." He lifts up his arm to show the symbol hidden away. We have been sent here on a mission to restore balance to these lands, and that requires us to enter the pyramid. Forgive me for assuming this, if I am incorrect, but if you have claimed the pyramid as your domain, would you be gracious enough to allow us to do the queen's bidding? As soon as we are done here, I swear on my soul that we will leave without attempting to harm you, although I doubt we would even be able to in our state."