"Can purify food..." Cahel says, standing up and grabbing his spear.
"Can also stab." he adds with a degree of finality, now looming over the comparatively smaller townsfolk.
"Never hit Djal! If you hit at him you have to fight me!"
Grea swings her heel in a low sweep at Danet's head.
"Stay down, and I won't hurt you.!"
... DC 15 fort save or Danet's stunned, if Grea hit. And maybe there a to hit bonus 'cause Djal's tripped him?
Bolstered by the acceptance of one of the apparent leaders in the group, Cahel cautiously continues, his normally bland face becoming menacing.
"Do not lie. Head-taker is liar of flesh. Your hospitality is lie of food. Food is life, your food lie to take life. I will take life if you lie."
Sensing that he is beginning to ramble, Cahel stops speaking and punctuates his thoughts with the pointing of his spear at the townsfolk.
Grea's kick is well aimed but Danet is tougher than he looks, fighting back from the ground.
Now Jaryx finds Grea fighting the spear-man Danet. Why would he attack Grea?
In a low rumble, he says, "Don't fight each other. Fight bandits," as he steps up to the scrum. Leaning down, he holds up one finger to his lips as he looks at Danet. "No fight."
Struggling with Danet, Grea doesn't realize someone's coming until the big half-giant looms over her. Her head snaps around to see Jaryx and she shrinks back.
When the giant speaks she smiles with relief and looks to Djal. "This is good, yes?
Djal dashes into the cave entrance to follow the elders.
"Bandits hold Djal's kin too.
The shaggy half-giant looks at Grea with confusion. "Bandits bad. Hold many friends. Why fight here?"
Her voice drops into a mumble. "I bet he's hot for Hedla. But whatever his reason, he's lucky he didn't hurt Djal or I'd have his guts in my hands. Heh, maybe we could give him to the bandits next time they want meat."
She shakes her head and looks toward the cavern entrance, keeping half an eye on Ganet.
"Not the strongest bargaining position. If Hedla doesn't kill him, the newcomers still might."
"We better go see if everyone is still alive. Bring Danet."
"I sure don't want him at my back with that spear. He's probably worried about Hedla. Heh."
They find Djal on his feet with the dwarf and the other half-giant in some sort of stand-off. Golm and Barit are sitting, looking scared, while Hedla looks furious. They catch the half-elf saying, "What the Grey are you talking about?"
Hedla looks on in disgust as Grea and Jaryx show up.
"Alright, so you want the truth?" snaps Hedla at Arakan. "Everything we told you is true. The bandits take our food, barely giving us enough to survive. And they have taken hostages too. They kill anyone who stands up to them. So we don't stand up to them." She glares at Djal. "We have nothing to stand up to them with. If that makes us slaves, then get used to it - everyone has to bend the knee to someone.
"And now you come here. You want to challenge them - the dwarf was quite eloquent in that. And they will kill you all - maybe not quickly for some of you, but you will not succeed. They are many and you are few. Only fools would even attempt it.
"And once they have killed you, they will kill the hostages, and then they will come here and take retribution. Because they will think we helped you. So instead, we tried to stop you. Not for the good of the bandits. I spit upon them and hope the Dragon takes them. But it hasn't obliged so far, so I have to do the only thing we can do to protect the village and the hostages - stopping you getting to the raiders and leading them back here.
She folds her arms and stares angrily into the dark.
Jaryx looks back and forth between Hedla and the newcomers, "Fight bandits? Hedla smart, she know how to beat bandits, I bet."
Grea glares back at Hedla, mumbling, "Got to convince her. The elders are old and tired, fingers to her thumb."
Morthak lowers his hammer a few inches. "I am a slave to vengeance. The Black Sand Raiders killed my family. If I do not balance the debt of blood owed, I will haunt these wastes as a banshee insread," he says in a grim voice, smiling oddly.
He looks at the young newcomers with an appraising eye. "What if we take some help? Can pretend they're tribute, in an offering to join their ranks. Once inside, we slaughter them. If things go sideways, the village isn't implicated."
After a moment, he adds, Slaughter the raiders, that is...
"You know nothing of these raiders," sneers Hedla. "They are led by a demon who never shows his face. They will cut you to pieces and feed you to the kestrekels. Your vengeance is nothing to them. It will simply be your death. And how will a few of you take on a powerful band many times your number?"
"We have means, woman. We have defeated demons before. Do you think a group such as ours survives this work by chance? We have evaded sky rocks, defeated slavers and subdued terrors below the Earth. Tell us what we need, and we will end your slavery. "
Hoped you wouldn't say that on this device...
Jareen trenchant confidence seems to sway Barit and Golm, the other two elders. "Y-You really think you can do it?" says Barit.
Grea leans forward to whisper over Djal's shoulder. "Now Hedla will speak and her wind will blow them back the other way."
Jareen trenchant confidence seems to sway Barit and Golm, the other two elders. "Y-You really think you can do it?" says Barit.
"Can?" Morthak grunts. "We have already beaten off one of their sorry ambushes. Cowards ran at the first sign of real strength. They may have numbers but are little more than bullies.
Jaryx listens to both sides. At Morthak's remark about the bandits as bullies, he grins and nods vigorously.
"As Morthak says. We have fought them off once. They will be more prepared to meet us next time, but we are also more prepared to meet them. We are here hunting them. We wouldn't do that if we didn't think we can win."
"I would...
"Hedla, this isn't so hard. You give them what they need and let us go. Then we circle through the desert in a big arc, so." Grea swoops her left hand in a big arc that rises from her hip and ends in front of her right shoulder.
"Meanwhile you run to the bandits and warn them that we are coming from this way on foot." Grea swoops her right hand in a smaller arc that rises from her hip and ends in front of her left shoulder. "You tell them that they were six or twelve and too smart for poison and too strong to fight. That they took the stuff from you and that they took hostages." Grea nods.
"So the bandits think you are still their friend. And the people think you have sent us to save their kin."
Arakan just stands with his mouth open, as everyone talks at once. First, the conversation went from negotiating a reward, to attempted poisoning, and now claims of gladly hunting bandits with either assurances of winning or claims of not caring if we even think we could beat them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up everyone! I think some of you have gotten a little out of hand. We're looking for the bandits, yes. We wouldn't mind taking them down a peg, or getting rid of them, or for some of the crazies satisfying some stupid vendetta. All I'm saying is.... what do we get out of this?" He looks around like it should have remained the most important question from the start.
"I mean, you just tried to poison us out of some misguided expectation of punishment, now some of us..the members" he corrects himself quickly "are talking about saving you guys from these bandits and saving prisoners. I just want to know why we should do this, and even more so, trust you not to turn on us again?"
"I will admit, that this lady here," he indicates Grea with the jerk of his thumb, "doesn't have a half bad plan, though it could use some polishing up. Even if we do decide to act on it, or something similar, how do we know it is worth risking our lives?"
Jaryx' brow furrows at Arakan's question. After a moment, he offers, "I will help you," and nods decisively.
That's that.
Arakan rolls his eyes, "Boy, thanks big guy, I guess that solves ALLLL our problems doesn't it?" Sarcasm dripping off his tongue. He stops briefly, and asks, "Wait. What's your general opinion on protecting the other members of your team?"
Arakan rolls his eyes, "Boy, thanks big guy, I guess that solves ALLLL our problems doesn't it?" Sarcasm dripping off his tongue.
The big man grins and nods, the sarcasm obviously wasted on him.
He stops briefly, and asks, "Wait. What's your general opinion on protecting the other members of your team?"
A moment of confusion as he processes the change of subject, then, "The team? Oh! The tribe! Jaryx helps his tribe!" He holds up one meaty digit on his massive hand and points at himself. "Wandered alone for long time. No good. Jaryx will keep his tribe safe. Bandits hurt his tribe. Bandits must go." Tribe good. Bandits bad. 'nuff said.