Milo mutters under his breath (loud enough for any party members adjacent to hear, but not for the captain), "Sounds like Prana is warning us that we will almost certainly encounter stragglers and get attacked. So lets be on our guard"

Myrla nods at Milo's warning, her eyes scanning the terrain ahead. "Agreed," she whispers back. "Stay alert, everyone. We need to move carefully and be ready for anything." She tightens her grip on her longbow and keeps her senses sharp, ready for any sign of danger.

The captain calls for a complete stop about halfway between the edge of the bleached ground and the encampment. He raises his hand and makes a hand gesture before a person from the encampment very slowly makes their way toward the group. It takes quite a while before the person gets to the group. They wear a dusty white cloak covering their body and parts of their face. Despite their large girth and body size,  every step they take is silent as if they know where to step and when to step.

"You bring more than expected," the person says in a whisper. Slowly, the person uncovers their head wrapping to reveal a reptilian face. A large shell appears to stick out from their back. 

"Order from the general," the captain replies, also in a whisper. "These five are going to scout and possibly recover Kashran from the enemy. We are to hold the position until provisions are out or they return with or without Kashran."

"The usual three-tier setup?" The turtle-like person asks. The captain nods and the turtle-like person waves his hand in the air before returning the nod. 

The captain turns toward Myrla, Inge, Milo, Brix, and Wadi. He looks at each of their faces intently, committing them to his memory. "He will lead you to the encampment and then you are on your own from there. Good luck."

The turtle-like person leads the group toward the encampment and then closer to the edge of the Field of Angels. Looking back, the captain and the contingent coming with the group can be seen setting up camp in the place they stopped and then another camp at the very edge of the bleached ground. 

The first sight of the Field of Angels is not pretty. It looks as if thousands of people had been covered by molten lava and left to dry. Some features of the people are still visible: hands reaching out, faces screaming out in agony, legs trying to run, wings broken or flared attempting to fly out. It is a gruesome sight. Once in a while, in between one eye blink and the next, there is a tiny, minuscule movement. A drop of sweat falls to the ground from someone and the Field of Angels seems to shudder for barely a moment. There is a moment when the thought of circling the Field of Angels sounds better than going through it but, as the group casts a wide gaze over the area, there appears to be no end to it. It seems to span quite a long way. 

"Good luck, soldiers," the turtle-like person mouths. They follow with a hand gesture that probably means the same thing. 

{{I need everyone to roll a perception and a stealth. After that, I need you guys to decide on the marching order.}}

Stealth 17 and Perception 8

Milo will volunteer to be either 2nd or 3rd. Close enough that he can be in melee if a fight breaks out, but not the front as he prefers to dart in and out of combat not be always in melee 

Perception 23, Stealth 13.

Myrla is flexible about her position, she can be at either end or somewhere in the middle, depending on the preference of the others.

Wadi will take position at the front moving as stealthily as he can. 

Perception 14

Stealth 24 (NAT 20)

Perception:18

Stealth:13

Brix will take 3rd in line.

Wadi

Milo

Brix

Myrla

Inge?

Inge would initially volunteer for the front, but if her buddy Nature Walker says he's got it covered, she is good being rear guard.

This entire situation throws her off her game and creeps her out.  She wants to hit something.  And rescue this Kashran guy.  Not stand motionless and sneak around, scared.  She also does not want do admit she is having trouble remembering everything the captain said...

Still, she does her part making as little noise as possible and keeping an eye out:
Inge's Stealth:  20 (dirty)
Inge's Perception:  19

As the group finally moves into the Field of Angels, there is a sense of dread and anticipation falling over them. With Wadi's guidance, they barely make any sound as they move between the petrified form of melted humanoids. Once in a while, there is a skittering at the edge of their eyes, but it disappears as soon as they blink.

The group travels slowly, carefully avoiding touching the figures around them. Unfortunately, the warning that the captain gave them comes true. At one point, something grabs Milo's leg tightly. Looking down, there appears to be a headless torso that they didn't see before clutching Milo's calf. Veins of gold start to emanate from the hands clutching the leg, as if absorbing something, but stop immediately when the group keeps an eye on it.  

{{Milo, make a con save.}}

Myrla freezes, her heart pounding as she sees the golden veins spreading from the headless torso clutching Milo's leg. She quickly shifts her gaze to the torso, making sure not to blink. "Stay calm, Milo," she whispers urgently. "Everyone, keep your eyes on it. We need to get it off without breaking our focus." Her voice is steady, but there's an edge of tension as she grips her weapon, ready to help if needed. She remembers Brix's suggestion to keep turns on stalling the figure by unblinkingly observing them, "Brix, it's time to test your idea, I'll say 'Change' when I have to blink, right? Only someone also should be on the lookout for movements around us." 

Inge knows she will find it too difficult to stare at the strange grabby thing on the ground for too long without itching to cleave it with her glaive.

"I'll keep a lookout all around," she whispers in response to Myrla.

"Correct, I'll go next. I'll say "Open" when I take over. agrees Brix as Milo tries to free himself. Brix rests his eyes in preparation for his turn.

Con save 13 

There is a sting in the area where the hand is grasping Milo. There is a sharp feeling of lethargy and drowsiness for a brief moment. As the vein recedes, the pain disappears. Unfortunately, it is gripping Milo's feet like a vice. It will require a considerable effort to get out. 

{{Milo, that's a success, so take 2 necrotic damage, halved from 4. There are two ways to get out. One is to pry it open and another is to attack it. Prying it open requires Athletics/Strength check. You can make this with an advantage. If you attack, you roll as normal without an advantage. However, attacking it will increase the alert level of the Field of Angels. At the moment, you are at alert level 0 because of your good stealth average. An increase in alert level will make you encounter more complications along the way, the DC for checks will increase, and the "passive perception" of the Field of Angels will also "increase".}}

Athletics: 15 (glad for advantage as was a 5 without it) "These things really sap at your energy. We need to be careful. It made me very tired to the point I was wanting to close my eyes. Seeing as looking at them is how to counter them, that is not a good thing."

 As Milo struggles free, Brix speaks with out opening his eyes,

"I have an elixer that could keep one of us safe from being held but it will take time to apply. Who should be the one? I must warn you, there could be some side effects. "

Myrla's eyes sting as the dry desert air causes them to water, making it harder to maintain her focus on the creature gripping Milo. She forces herself to keep staring for a moment longer, then whispers, "Brix, I'm going to need to blink soon. Be ready." Her voice is calm but urgent, knowing that even a brief lapse in their vigilance could be dangerous. "As for the elixir, let’s save it for when things get worse. We need to conserve our resources until we know more about what we're up against." She visually relaxes when she finally closes her eyes after Brix declared that he took responsibility of the strenuous duty.

"Open" says Brix in response to Myrlas prompt. Watching Milo's foot wrench its way free, he adds, "The oil lasts for 8 hours but will take about 10 mins to apply. If it's the side effects you fear I will spare you and take it upon myself. But we should decide soon so it's available if needed."

With a little help from the others, Milo manages to untangle himself from the tight grip of the petrified hand. It takes a bit of an effort as it is gripping quite tightly. When the hand releases, the part of the skin and the clothing where the hand previously gripped appear a little faded in colour. 

After a little bit of a breather, the group continues their way deeper into the Field of Angels. The journey is slowed down a little bit as the petrified figures appear to be clustering together very, very slowly. Wadi takes the group to quite a little bit of a detour when a petrified figure that the group previously didn't see suddenly appears blocking the path forward completely. 

As the group tries to leave slowly, a pair of hands reach out from the ground and hold Brix and Myrla's boots in place. 

{{Brix and Myrla, make a Con save. Same as before, Athletics/Strength check to get out. Can do it with advantage because I assume the others will be helping. Or, attacking it. This time, you are getting closed in by figures you previously didn't see, so it will be a Survival check from Wadi unless someone has other ideas.}}

{{Just as a note, I'm using your stealth and perception roll paired with your marching order so you don't have to roll them repeatedly every time there is a complication. So, the first complication came about from Wadi's 14 Perception and 24 Stealth. This one is Milo's 7 Perception. The next one is good, though. Somewhat.}}

Myrla feels the cold, vice-like grip of the petrified hand clutching her boot, and a sharp wave of exhaustion hits her. She struggles to break free, but the grip is too strong. Panic flickers in her eyes as she realizes she’s not going to be able to free herself on her own.

“I can’t get loose!” she says, her voice strained as she fights against the creeping lethargy that threatens to overtake her. “It’s draining me… I need help!” Despite her fear, she keeps her gaze locked on the hand, trying to resist the overwhelming urge to close her eyes.

[Con save: 10; Athletics: 9, assuming advantage]