Alwyn looks over at the female wizard. "If you want to live, throw down your wands and surrender. If not, you share Nualia's fate."
Tears run in thick rivers down the dwarf's cheeks, the visions of his most horrific time in life has left him stunned and beaten......for the moment....
The woman hesitates, then drops her wand and slides down the wall, hiding her face in defeat as she huddles dejectedly in the corner.
"You made a wise choice."
Hudak hews at the heinous mutt from a madman's hell.
Vethran switches the wand to his other hand and snaps off a quick Evocation, sending a burst of missiles streaking into the hound.
Davos uses his wand again to heal Dravite.
"This is.....gonna....hurt..."
The hound sinks its fangs into Hudak's leg.
"Youch!!!"
"Damn I hate dog bites!"
Dravite crawls further from the combat, sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling under his breath, despite the healing touches from Davos' wand.
He seems to be muttering "[smaller]Man up, me boyo. Take da pain an' be turnin' it ta anger......*sob*....gotta help me friends......*sob* .......focus de anger to a white hot.....*sob* .....rage...... Me family dinnae deserve that....." if any can hear him over the sound of battle.
r12+7+2=21
damage
r1+4+2=7 h.p.
battleaxe again.
<bounce>
Knowing from experience that her weapons are likely to be ineffectual against the hound, Elisile flies into the room, keeping wide and close to the ceiling to avoid the dog, then alights , the wings disappearing. “You’ll need to put more power into your attack Hudak of the Shoanti,” she says, training her bow at the mage. Then to the woman: “Drop the illusion – can you call off the hound?” (Assuming her mirror image spell is still active).
The woman just shakes her head. "It's Nualia's - or Lamashtu's. I have no control over it." She drops the Mirror Images.
We move to flank if possible, than attack pathetically (total roll 3, for Lo'j and Gurney)
Alwyn's sword crunches down on the head of the beast. It keels over on one side, kicks spasmodically and then expires.
Elisile, glancing back at the combat allows herself a small smile, and nods in Alwyn’s direction. Then she returns her attention to the captive mage.
“Cooperate with us and we shall not harm you,” she says, not unkindly. “What is your name, and why were you working with the claw-armed woman? Who were these others? What was your group’s purpose here? Have you any further allies in this place?” She lowers her bow … slightly.
Dravite finally seems to collect himself and stands, grabbing up his hook and using it to support his weight like a cane. His face is covered in wetness and grief is etched into his features.
"Thanks all fer not lettin' me die. I could be usin' a bit of healin' up...."
"I'm glad you're still alive, dah...even though you look like a tripe sandwich."
sweet!
Thank ye, Alwyn. Sorry aboot fallin.....I......sorry guys....
I dinnae know what were fer comin' o'er me after me near death.....I jus'....Grrrrrr.
Ne'ermind. Sorry an' it will nae be happenin' agin.
"Don't worry about it. Death is generally an unwelcome distraction into most people's lives. Few take a visit from Grandfather Bone with great calm and assurance."
Alwyn straightens up and looks over the carnage, before casting a minor spell. "Allright, all. Strip the thug down and chuck him into one of the cells upstairs. As for you...", he glares at the surrendered mage before turning to Elisile. "Pat her down. Take her weapons, as well as her magical trinkets. Make sure she doesn't have her spellbook. She gets a different cell, at the other end of the cellblock. Do you have a servant spirit, witch?"
Elisile looks somewhat troubled at the suggestion of locking up the prisoners, but does not protest. She quickly and efficiently removes the woman’s possessions, taking the time to whisper in her ear.
As she escorts the woman back up to the cells, she passes Dravite and looks at him gravely. “I am glad you are well, Dravite Schorl. There is no shame in falling to superior numbers, and no shame in giving in to emotion … know that we have your back.”
After the prisoners are locked away, Elisile returns to the chamber where the others are recovering and looting. “I think we must question those two in order to determine if there is any further threat here – and if they will pose further threat to us or to Sandpoint. If not … well, if we were willing to let goblins go free, I see no reason we should not treat these two the same. I suspect that without the support of the claw-handed one they will pose little threat.”
"One way or another, they were both party to the torture and mutilation of the poor woman in the cell upstairs. I'm disinclined to letting any of them go anytime soon. In the very least, they'll be helping us haul our swag back to Sandpoint. There, the magistrate can decide what to do with them."
"We need to set up camp today - one guard at the bridge and one looking after our new friends. Gurney can probably do that last job. Someone needs to go get Crag the mule and, if possible, bring him over the bridge. We need to get rid of the goblin bodies - I'm thinking of tossing them into the howling hole. I'll bury Ripnugget - he might have been a scoundrel, but worthy opponents like him deserve a measure of post-death respect. Tomorrow, I intend to reconsecrate the Lamashtan chapel. For that, I need silver - if anyone has silver coins lying around, I'd be grateful. Finally, should we bring Nualia's body back to Sandpoint for a proper burial? After all, her name is on that tombstone."
"Huh. The Sihedron Rune, hanging around our mad cultist's neck." Alwyn shoots the amulet a dubious look. "Its presence here augurs poorly - remember, it was down in the demon-infested hole as well. We might want to get rid of this thing."
“Have you such faith in the laws of Sandpoint that they will be treated fairly – rather than being lynched by citizens frustrated by their inability to enact revenge on the true masterminds of this plot, or festering in a cell for years as the magistrates try to decide what they should be charged with?” The elf shakes her head, but does not further press the point at this time.
“As for the rune … yes, it is disturbing, but perhaps we should keep it for now – at least until we can determine what it is for – after all, you detected some magical properties from it.”
“Then there is the matter of setting up camp here – let us determine, either by questioning or exploration, that there are no further dangers here first. Remember, the claw-handed one was trying to free some fiend from below…”
"I am confident Sheriff Hemlock will be able to protect his new prisoners and ensure a fair trial. Also", Alwyn mutters, mostly to himself, "it makes perfect sense to let these southerners face southern justice."
"I want nothing to do with the Rune. Keep it if you will. Your point about freeing the bound demon is a valid one, though - we might want to talk to our captives about that."
Looking up from sorting loot, Larken sighs, running his hands through his hair.
"Rules should apply evenly to everyone," he says, "not just when it's convenient to us. We let the goblins go, not because we were certain of their harmlessness, but because it was inconvenient for us to do anything else with them. Besides, we all knew the fate that awaited them if we took them back to Sandpoint, even if some of us didn't really care.
These two are no different, save that it's less inconvenient to sort them out. In fact, we can probably get their parole, and have at least some some idea that they'll be no more threat to Sandpoint."
He pauses, shrugs, and continues, "'We'll use them to help haul our swag.' Are they slaves? Beasts of burden? Nope. They're prisoners, one beaten fairly, and one that surrendered, and I'll not see them ill-treated. You want to take their personal items? Fine, have them. Gods know, I've stolen enough in my life, and no matter how you slice it, stealing is what we're doing."
He shakes his head. "Have we dealt with the threat to Sandpoint? Probably. Let's get back to town so we can go our own ways. I'm tired of arguing about what's right and wrong. I had hoped, once I realized that I wasn't real clear about it, that I'd be able to take my cues off of you lot, but that doesn't seem to be the case, at least, that's what my gut keeps telling me. I need to figure out what I should be doing.
But... we should let these people go, with enough to get them safely back to civilization. They won't get a fair shake in Sandpoint."
He goes back to sorting loot.
"There's three oceans of difference between being a bound to serve the darkness by force and by choice. These two made their choice, and it falls on the courts of man to judge their crimes, just as it falls on the courts of the gods to peer into their souls to see if redemption can be found."
"We nary set the goblins free because they were an inconvenience, for three feet of steal seems close enough at hand," I say finally sheathing my sword, "but for we all truly believed that the women and the children, and lo any survivors hidden hither or yon, of the squat little terrors came to the service of lobst-ella here by the sting of the lash and the threat of death."
"These two though, their taint runs deep, for you don't bring the beaten dog into thy bedchamber to guard your baby through the night, but the most loyal of thy hounds. But true the soul that is pure can harbor a sliver of shadow, so can the night hold a glimmer of light. May be that the magistrate has mercy enough to see these two given chance to repent, or ma be he don't. And more, the friars and fathers may come waddling over the hills to offer them sanctuary, a chance to cleanse their souls, and find the one [i]true[i] path through the tangle of faith."
"So true the rules be applied evenly to all, and these twoo will be taken back. And if their for the gallows, I'll help the hangman knot the nooses myself, but they will be judged."
"In the middle time, let us see they are well secured, and ne're turn less than four eyes upon them at a time, for I don't trust any that would traffic with the likes of that," I say pointing at Nualia, "and but a moments laxity may find they have a few tricks up their sleeves yet."