"I think you're conflating two sets of enemies, Love. The dark stalkers aren't, as far as I know, lycanthropes like the wererat we met in the mine."
Khepri thinks for a moment, "I am shielded by Saranrae from getting infected, but I do have some skill to help others overcome the disease if someone else does get infected. And maybe there are healer kits and wolfsbane in the caravan supplies."
We won't bring the gnoll into the camp, or let it see anyone other than the five party members who fought it. When it wakes up, Cynara will start by seeing if it understands Common or Undercommon.
The gnoll is bound and brought to, and you find it has a halting understanding of common.
To the gnoll: "Talk good, we happy, you live. Talk bad, we not happy, you die. Now. Talk about the mine. Talk good."
"Bethik not know of mine.. Bethik from Burnt Arm" gesturing East with his chin.
"Why you here, then?"
"Mine gnoll give rocks for Burnt Arm... we come get"
"What you know about those rocks?"
The gnoll's brow furrows "Rocks is rocks"
"How far is Burnt Arm? Why you come all this way for rocks?"
"Pretty thing ask many questions... Bethik not sure Burnt Arm like that..."
Cynara looks from side to side, at the trio of dwarves and the human around her, then back at the captive. "You not talking good now."
"For sure you not talk good! What kind of rocks do you come all this way for and what do you give them?"
Bethik shrugs "Ask Frekra" pointing at one of his dead kin, before looking up at you smugly.
"Not a bad idea Bethik. I think I will. And if Frekra doesn't know what we want to know, you'll be talking to someone less friendly than me."
Feigr walks over to the corpses and sees about finding a female gnoll corpse (hoping there is only one). He kneels over it and calls to the spirits to bring back the gnoll's soul, beginning with the same question about the type of rocks the gnolls come to get from the mine.
"You're going to regret that Bethik. My friend Feigr can make Freka very unhappy."
Feigr finds that the spirit of the gnoll is harder to draw out and it takes a pure force of will to bind it to service, making the Magrim-ite sweat with tension. Frekra speak with the same stilted understanding of common and replies "Black rocks from ground, we give life in trade... Burnt Arm not kill them while rocks come."
Cynara waits to see what Bethik does or says.
Bethik reacted with surprise and a healthy dose of fear at the spirit calling, but has not yet said anything.
Dolgrym says nothing and watches the scene play out. He had become intrigued with Feigr's ability to communicate with things that had passed on. He quietly sat and watched the oracle work.
Love maintains his look out from the tower.
"How many gnolls and others fight for Burnt Arm?"
The ghostly spirit grins evilly as Feigr asks "Many many spears dwarf-thing. The tide of Lamashtu will swallow your number without thought."
Khepri often skipped religion class to focus on more martial training so he must have missed that lesson.
Knowledge Religion
Dolgrym jumps in, hearing something he definitely did not like. "The Tide of Lamashtu...I'd bet good gold that means that likely some of the gnolls are "either more or less" than gnolls - gnolls altered through some unholy bastardry or natural creatures warped into monstrous form. If we have to fight them, it'll be much tougher than the regular gnolls we have routed so far," he whispers to the others.
"A warning well worth the knowing, but is it an immediate threat? Eventually these Burning Arm will come for us, but by then I hope we are in the mine. At this point we are between two foes, we need to find the most defensible place and then begin our campaign to conquer the mine. Once we've done that we can work on these Burning Arm. Unless you feel we need to take them on first in order to make the route safe for the caravan?"
Padrym is clearly uneasy at this idea, preferring to go into the mines as soon as possible. You notice him stroking the handle of his axe as he says these things.
Cynara nods in agreement at Dolgrym's explanation. "I've heard the same thing.
"How long does it take for gnolls to come to the mine from Burnt Arm?"
Padrym nods.
"A fine question Cynara, one I should have thought of myself."
"Two days on foot." the spirit answers plainly before it slowly fades from view, leaving Feigr shaking in it's wake.
Bethik eyes you warily from where he cowers... wondering what his fate is to be.
Cynara switches to Dwarven from Common, and does not look at Bethik as she speaks. (Apart from speaking the language with a Katapeshi accent and far too little accent on the gutturals, she seems to have picked up the basics pretty well.) "At first I was thinking to send the captive back with an ultimatum, but what the spirit told us changed my mind. We need as much time as we can get before their spears are at us, and as much doubt in their minds about the forces arrayed against them as possible. Though if we send him back, he'll take two days to get to Burnt Arm; let's say they immediately send forces that are twice as fast as a gnoll, or things that can fly. He's seen five of us. Padrym, you're the military dwarf--if one of your scouts came back with a report like that, how much of your forces would you commit in an attack? And how much fortification can we finish in two days?"
"Standard doctrine is to assault with three times your foes numbers, unless you're dealing with dwarves. Then it's best to send your entire army. They'll know how many it took to kill the camp here, they won't send back less than everything they have if they've any brains in their furry backsides."
Padrym spits to the side before eyeing the captive grimly.
"We're best to kill this one now before it escapes and warns the others. No sense taking chances."
"Remember what you all told me about how the mine gnolls looked and acted? Not very professional, mostly not well-organized. I don't think the eastern gnolls are going to be surprised that a small band was able to put paid to them. Let's see."
She switches back to Common and turns her attention back to the captive. "Bethik! What were mine gnolls like?"
Feigr shudders from the more difficult task of questioning the unfriendly gnoll spirit and has a drink while waiting for Bethik to answer Cynara. Black rocks that they're willing to give lives in trade for? What does that mean? What could these be?
Bethik's eyes narrow as you talk in Dwarven...
Sense Motive:
...getting concerned at the nuances in your expressions "Why me tell... what you do to Bethik after talk?"
Feigr doesn't know of the black rocks specifically, but is aware of some minerals that can have a tangible effect on what they are near or worked into.
Know. History
"Standard doctrine is to assault with three times your foes numbers, unless you're dealing with dwarves. Then it's best to send your entire army. They'll know how many it took to kill the camp here, they won't send back less than everything they have if they've any brains in their furry backsides."
"Padrym is right. Gnolls will always want the odds in their favor. I would expect they would only attack if they thought they had superior numbers and were assured, in their minds at least, of victory."
"One mine gnoll still alive. Answer good, you can go be with him."
Bethik is indignant now replying "Me think you lie elfling, show me live one or no talk"
At the gnoll's reply, the elf looks resignedly to her fellow non-dwarf, then to the magus. "I'm sorry, Khepri. Padrym, make it quick."
Unless he is stopped Padrym nods grimly to Cynara and beheads Bethik as efficiently as possible.
Bethik's life is ended with a perfunctory swipe of an axe, and the group makes their way back to the ruined fort that lies at the mouth of the mine. Gaelthrin and Stonebrow meet you on arrival and nod a grim satisfaction that the gnolls have been ended.
At the words of the party, Stonebrow's facade in particular hardens and returns to a sense of stoic grimness. He nods sagely at your words and offers "We need to focus on building up the fort, for assault from either within or without... but that is what dwarves are made for. We will make this fort a bastion which the gnolls will break upon like water on rock." pausing a few moments to consider before continuing "But it is now ever key that we get more understanding of what politics and powers are at play within the mines. I would ask you to be our eyes and ears in that regard... would you accept that honor?... and that burden?"