Frenzied Ball

A clamor begins to rise from across the way.

The pounding of drums, lively pipes, and murmurs in an unknown tongue mingle together and draw steadily closer. Soon, luminous humanoid figures-bright as flame-dance into view.

"We will become ?!@%@$%!(indecipherable)! Just as foretold, the price of ?!@%@$%!(indecipherable) flowers will soar beyond imagination!"

They chatter in a fever of excitement, but you can understand almost none of what they say.

"At last, we will attain eternal life! We can solve everything, if only we can understand our own minds!"

The otherworldly spectacle-the strange scent, off-beat drums, and wild dancing-leaves your thoughts increasingly hazy.

You stamp one foot, and the expedition members begin to catch the rhythm one by one.

Before long, the uncanny drums and pipes seep deep into your minds, intoxicating everyone. For a time, the expedition laughs and revels in an ecstasy none of you can explain.

When you come to your senses, the beings have already vanished. Yet the lingering thrill of that frenzy is slow to fade.

Strange smiles spread across their faces.

"Very well. Then we shall make you &%$&."

In an instant, countless voices, images, and fragments of unknown knowledge flood into the minds of you and the expedition members.

Everything comes into sharper focus than before-but with that clarity, you also grasp truths you would rather never have known.

When you come to your senses, the beings have already vanished. You perceive the world more clearly than ever, yet at the same time feel an anguish you cannot explain.