Act II: Penumbra

[Charon]

Rashkata takes all this in, clearly trying to betray as little as possible, but cannot conceal a growing fascination tugging at his features.
"Had anyone else told me this, I would find this tale hard to swallow, Gortig, but I sense the ring of truth to your words. No wonder Jelani is consolidating his forces. An enemy that rises again is a worry indeed.
I am familiar with the undead, of course, we've had an uprising or two in my time, though these 'encased' sound different. My advice would be to approach this methodologically.
Capture one. See if thirsts or hungers. See if the glass can be removed. See if a rescue is attempted. The answers to these questions will reveal more about the nature of the foe behind this. Whatever it is, it's strong. Strong enough to defeat the cream of the Geshir raiding forces. Jelani must be careful, commit no large force until you are sure of victory, lest those forces be turned against you."
He pauses for a while and the two of you drink in the peace.
"A small force, for reconnaissance. Jelani may have already arrived at the same conclusion. Yes, capture one of these Encased and probe the extent of its senses. I would love to be of further assistance in this, Gortig, but alas, I have a rather large fish of my own to fry."
He waves his hand, dismissively,
"A grassland idiom. I have a problem of equal or potentially greater threat to contend with. That said, I have it on good authority that Jelani hired a small group of mercenaries to assist him. Having three oases to defend, his forces are spread fairly thin. Wheels are turning, Gortig. I believe the commanding officer of that mercenary group will seek you out as you leave town, under orders of her own to provide assistance. She is extremely capable. My advice to you, and Jelani, would be to include her in any scouting activities you engage in."