Vasily pulls an arrow from his quiver and takes careful aim. "Get it, girl!" Strelka launches herself at the ghostly creature like a furry missile, fangs at the ready.
Bea tries to hide her surprise as she steels her resolve against the apparition. Calling upon her inner strength, she swings at the foe.
Chaos erupts in the village. The lizardfolk who escorted you shouts in Draconic as the others begin to draw weapons and close with you.
Neither Vasily's arrow, Strelka's fangs, nor Bea's sword leave any impact on the wisp, which easily evades the multiple attacks.
Round 2 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Will-o'-Wisp-acted
The Fitcher
Katya
Vasily & Strelka
Bea
The creature again attempts to shock Bea. The arc easily hits the paladin, but Katya's spell protects her from any damage.
Breathing deeply, Beatrix closes her eyes and speaks in a low voice, "Noldur, Bringer of Redemption, Blade of Erastil." Immediately, her sword flashes brilliantly as a flameless torch. Opening her eyes, she swings once again at the foe, keeping it at bay.
Katya brings up her staff in a high arc, circling around her as she shouts, "Hefoc wer suaco!" and a brief flash of a clock hangs in the air.
Vasily edges away from the unnatural creature, looking to put his back against something solid so the lizardfolk can't swarm him, hand blurring as he fills the air with arrow after arrow. "I don't want to fight this whole village. Anyone see a way out?"
Strelka tries again to bite into the insubstantial wisp.
So far, your escort seems to be carrying the day in the debate. The other lizardfolk--at least the ones you've seen so far--are lowering their weapons and nodding along.
Strelka again misses the elusive aberration, but with Katya's spell bolstering his accuracy Vasily hits with one arrow. As it moves to avoid the next one, Bea feints once and follows up with a devastating blow. It emits a high-pitched keening sound, then crackles angrily.
The Fitcher casts a spell then takes a 5' step toward the fight.
The Fitcher casts his spell and moves up.
Round 3 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Will-o'-Wisp-acted
The Fitcher
Katya
Vasily & Strelka
Bea
The wisp attempts to shock Bea again, but again fails to penetrate the spell. From further in the village, you all hear a bellow in Draconic.
Bolstered by the spell and success, Beatrix swings again, striking true on one of her swift strikes.
The hasted Fitcher begins to hack wildly at the Will-o'-Wisp, fortified by magical speed and accuracy.
Round 3 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Will-o'-Wisp-acted
The Fitcher-acted
Katya
???-
Vasily & Strelka
Bea-acted
???-
The Fitcher's blade strikes home, inflicting a single shallow slash on the wisp. Then Bea chops at it, cleaving it in two. It falls, broken, to the ground. There is a collective gasp, followed by another shout.
Katya turns to the loud shouting voice, her own answering, "Dout geou o'wisp lowda udoka. Yth geou qe claxir wer munthrek vrak! Dout xiekivi jalla qe ibleua."
Vasily takes another arrow out of his quiver and puts it to the string, watching the lizardfolk warily but not aiming at any one just yet. "We don't want to fight this entire village," he says again. "I hope you can talk us out of this."
Beatrix looks around warily. "Katya, what's going on? I don't know if you're even talking to them or casting more spells."
Katya turns to Bea saying in the harsh Draconic tongue, "Si mi ukrisir..." before changing back to Common, "I mean, I'm shouting at the tribe in general, but specifically the loud voice from a moment ago. I don't know what they are thinking, but their actions so far have been deplorable. Typical of monstrous races."
The Fitcher has calmed down considerably since the defeat of the will-o'-wisp. He figures that if they were going to attack, they would have done so by now. He looks over to the kid to see if he's all right.
At the end of the round, unless you do anything in the intervening few seconds, a larger and more impressive lizardfolk emerges from the central hut, accompanied by a quartet of brightly painted lizardfolk and a pair of black-scaled crocodiles with red heads. The other lizardfolk retreat from your area.
Round 4:
Initiative order
The Fitcher-
Katya
Lizard King & Harem-
Vasily & Strelka
Bea-acted
Blood caimans-
The Fitcher calls out, We have destroyed the evil spirit here! We have come in peace, to trade only. Do we have peace?
Bea nods. "We didn't wish a fight, but will defend ourselves. That fiend was evil and attacked without warning or reason. Please don't do the same."
Katya translates what Bea says as she is not sure the larger Lizard King can understand common, "Yth tira ti huven vi slathalin, shar geou eligne hesina. Batobot kavar jahus malsvir vur lowda ios cotuir usv dril. Petranas tir ti tir wer diieson."?
Her staff held at the ready as she hopes the Lizard isn't in a bloodthirsty mood.
Vasily held his bow ready but unraised. He muttered quietly to the others "If it comes to it, taking out the chief first might keep everyone else from piling on."
The lizardfolk king lowers his trident just a little and glares at you suspiciously. "You killed great Stisshak! Why should you leave here alive?"
Katya scowls for a moment before responding, glaring down the Chieftan, "We came to your tribe in good faith for trade. We are attacked by your Stisshak without provocation and learn you are torturing human children here? We will be leaving here alive with the child because if you try to stop us, we'll be forced to respond the same way we responded to Stisshak attacking us."
Bea shrugs. "She's right. We just wanted to trade. No clue why your great stick tried to kill us, but we weren't just gonna lay down and let it."
The Fitcher, a bemused expression on his face, looks slowly around the encampment as the others talk, observing how the lizardfolk are reacting.
Vasily looks around for a clear line of retreat or, barring that, a direction that holds the fewest armed warriors.
The king snarls, then retreats to his hut along with his retinue. Fitcher, you're reasonably sure that there's going to be some sort of shakeup here, though it may take some time. For now, though, you can take the child and go.
Vasily looks in the direction of the gate. "We should go before they change their minds. We should warn our people to avoid this area, as well, to give the lizardfolk their space."
The lizardfolk who first spoke with you sees you to the gate, muttering to you as he does so. "No trading for a few weeks. Let things settle."
It's a crowded boat ride back from the island. The boy introduces himself as Tig Tannersen. He's been held captive for several days; knowing what you do now about will-o'-wisps, you figure that it was making the lizardfolk do things to scare him and feeding on his terror.
The Fitcher shrugs. I didn't really want to trade anyway. When we return, we can bring tools and other goods, maybe.
Katya tends to the young boy after digging him out of the mud trap, one of the few times she's never grumbled about getting her robes dirty or caked in mud. She asks him if he's from this area and if he knows where his parents are. Fully intent on taking care of the boy, she thoroughly uses prestidigitation on the boys clothes and her own. "We'll find your parents, or a new home for you Tig Tannersen, I promise you."
"Oh, Ma and Pa are like as not fine, just worried sick 'bout me. The lizards grabbed me while I was out, ah, playing." He gives Katya and Bea a guilty look.
Vasily nods at the boy. "I know your Pa, Tig. We'll get you home safe."
Vasily, you do indeed know the boy's parents.
Tannersen's parents are overjoyed to have him back safely, and somewhat embarrassed that it was high officers of state who did it. However, despite their embarrassment they spread the story far and wide.