Raz

Re: Gryphon's comment on their options

As Arimart is handling the conversation with the guards, Raz responds lowly to Gryphon: "I'd rather not rain lightning and arrows on civilians, if possible. But I still appreciate the options you bring to the table."

***

Re: Crowd Computing

Raz nods to Kleris before sliding from horseback. "If only... Give me a moment, I'll see what I can do."

Leaving the others for the moment, he takes a few steps off the busy road that had led them right into the chaos, approaching a fully loaded cart. As it stands, the vehicle would not go anywhere, its axle broken, and its driver being caught up in an argument with someone else. Fortunately, the oxen in front of the cart is fully satisfied with once in a while responding to the goats on the market, but not trying to get away from his position. Without further ado, Raz takes one step, two steps, up the wagon and glances over the crowd from his slightly elevated viewpoint. At first glance, there is nothing but apparent chaos in front of him, like an ant colony, although Raz doubts that the inhabitants here are as coordinated as those in a hive. Trying to focus on single individuals reminds him of a certain kind of children's books he had once heard about from a drinking buddy in Aundair, where one was supposed to find a certain person in a swarm of others. To this day, Raz did never quite understood the concept of kids growing up with books, but he had always blamed it on the high share of arcanists in the population.

Shoving away the thought, he finally finds a person who moves through the chaos less hindered than the others, be it through a native instinct or acquired skill. So, it was possible after all... But this person was afoot and moving through the swarm alone... Noticing the loud voices to his feet fading out -- apparently the situation had been resolved one way or another -- the shifter sighs. He contemplates another option, knowing that it would take its effort, but it was the better option than just standing, watching, and hoping for a golden way to appear out of nowhere. After taking a quick look to find a somewhat quiet and earthbound spot, he jumps down from the cart to reach it.

Once there, Raz goes down on one knee, and puts his left hand on the ground in front of him. While he closes his eyes, making himself vulnerable for a moment, his right hand instinctively connects on the grip of his rapier (you never know, after all). He takes a few deep breathes, until he finds a sixth sense taking the place of his barred vision, a synthesis of the smell of the bodies around them, the hundreds of moving bodies, and the vibrations their feet leave on the ground, all contributing to a blurry, ever-moving painting in the shifter's mind. You need to go deeper... His muscles tense, fur sprouts, bones creak, his head slightly jerks upwards, as his nose falls in further to form a feline snout, and whiskers sprout. Words of the druids flow through his mind, from lectures about his own unique connection to his surroundings, equilibrium, the spirits -- for a moment, time stands still, as he finally feels his mental curtains opening to hopefully reveal a way through the labyrinth.

Spoiler
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Alright, I'll try a survival check. With advantage from shifting and also kind of roleplaying my gloom stalker ability to locate favored enemies near me.
(1d20+6)[8]
(1d20+6)[9]