Jarlaxle's opponent is badly hurt, and drops his weapon to surrender.
Waiting for actions from Meran, Roran, and Emilia. I'll wait until after the others post before botting Emilia, based on post last night.
Roran's opponent drops his weapon, also. The two in the house also open the doors and lift their hands in surrender.
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"Now" says Khellek, covering the men with his crossbow, and obviously of the opinion that his attempt to reason with them had proved successful.
"Perhaps you can tell us why you are keeping a lady captive in this burned out ruin?"
He gives the men a hard look.
"And don't try to lie to me now."
Looking at their various weapons he suggests.
"Maybe if we toss their weapons into that sink hole, it will take them some time to get them back."
"Please, we don't know anything. Our leader is still inside, and it is he who collected instructions from our employer. We are here serving the revolution in Galt, our home. Please let us go back there, and we will never return here."
"As we said, we don't know. Enderios was the only one to talk to our employer. When he recruited us, he said we were helping the revolution."
Enderios is known all over Galt as a bounty hunter for those who ran away from the revolution, so when he recruited us, we believed that was what we were doing. He approached us in taverns. Please, just let us go home."
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Jarlaxle raises an eyebrow.
"Well, the person you took is a spoiled brat from Andoran, so I think someone has been lying to you..."
He then smiles pleasantly.
"Drop your weapons and equipment, and you can go."
Jarlaxle then turns to the others.
"Unless any of you have any objection to letting them leave with their lives...?"
The Galtans turn and run.
This charred husk of a structure was probably once beautiful.
Stone bas-reliefs depicting Aroden and Chelish military
victories line the high reaches of the walls, though what little
remains of a second floor is now sealed off by the collapsed
roof. Despite the rest of the house’s decrepit state, the floor
is swept clean yet water-stained, and a stack of bedrolls and
knapsacks are piled just beside the stairs.
The burnt husk of the house has settled such that all of
the damaged walls have already collapsed, but the stone
walls of the main hall remain sturdy.
There is a charred oak door under the stairs, obscured by ash, dust, and lichen.
Thalia, a fair-featured human
woman in her thirties with curly black
hair and a fashionable sky-blue Andoren
dress, sits on the lowest stairs with
her hands tied before her and her
captor Almant Enderios holding
the other end of the 30-foot-long
rope.
Despite having been kept prisoner for a number of days in
less-than-comfortable conditions, Thalia is in good spirits and is
still healthy; even at a distance. It is clear that Thalia has not
been mistreated.
When you arrive, she is reading through the essays of Alysande Benedict and Jarl Dubannich.
Enderios stands guard with his sword drawn but lowered. He is an olive-skinned young man in a long red woolen coat. When you enter, Enderios demands in a thick Galtan accent "Why are you attacking? I am detaining an escaped fugitive from the Red Revolution at the request of my employer, who has insisted on remaining un-involved for security reasons."
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"Excuse us.." explains Khellek as he assesses the situation.
"We were not attacking, but rather defending our selves. Your people attacked us."
"I think you may have mistaken your captive for someone else. She is not from Galt, but the daughter of the locally elected mayor."
He pauses.
"Perhaps you might explain, why, if you are detaining her, you have kept her here rather than taking her to Galt?"
Enderios shakes his head. He doesn't understand how the mistake could have happened, but clearly he has the wrong woman. "Something very wrong has happened here. If you will let me return home, I will tell you what I know. Perhaps my employer should explain to you what happened."
Thalia looks up to watch events closely. "Thank you for coming here. I tried to explain to my captors what happened, but they thought I was just making things up to get away. This man treated me well, even brought me the reading material I requested. Please do not harm him."
Emilia, both Thalia and Enderios appear to be telling you only things they believe to be true.
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"I cannot help but also wonder. It may be that your, ahh, employer, has used you badly to further their own aims. Were they from Galt? What more can you tell us of them?"
The elderly scholar sighs. "Unfortunately history is rife with the good intentions of one man being cruelly manipulated to poor ends by another." he adds shaking his head sadly.
"Your friends outside have a few bruises. It would seem Emilia is unharmed so there is no lasting harm done. But to keep it that way, we should seek out your employer."
"Not until you promise to let me go. Then I will tell you all I can."
Enderios unties Thalia and speaks a few words of apology to her. He tells you that his employer was a Taldan man with brown hair. He hands you the letters that his employer gave him. They describe how to slip into the Andares house, where to hide with Thalia, and warn that she will claim to be the mayor's daughter. He then leaves as quickly as he can.
Also, the first perception check above is still useful, for those who did not try it or succeeded.
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Whilst giving the others space to conduct their interrogation, Jarlaxle finds a partially-buried door under the stairs, which he carefully attempts to tease open, to see what lies beyond.
Once his attention is drawn to the note, he muses thoughtfully...
"Those stains are from alchemical reagents; are their any local alchemists...?"
Jarlaxle opens the door to find a cellar. In the cellar are several forgotten cases of wine and a small iron box, which is locked.
Thalia hears your comments about alchemical reagents and comes over to see the letter. "That looks like the handwriting of Koriana, the town alchemist," she informs you. "I would like to follow you, so that I can find out who did this to me."
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Meran stands next to Thalia, and says to Khellek, "She's a brave young woman. I believe she has a right to see this through if she wishes." She raises her eyebrow trying to remind Khellek that her father had no interest in finding her. "Remember what we were told. It may be safer for her to be with us until this is finished than for her to go home."
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Khellek gives up rather easily with a sigh.
"Headstrong young ladies will do as they please. I'd just prefer not to be responsible for them." he sighs.
"Still, while we talk, maybe you could fill me in on a little bit of your family history. I understand your family has been in the wine trade since before the revolution..."
Thalia tells Khellek the tale of her family's choice to renounce their nobility and stay in Andoran, unlike most of the other families. Khellek hears something a little odd in Thalia's tone of voice, but he's not sure what it is.
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Emilia considers trying her acidic powers upon the lock, but then realizes the acid likely is not strong enough to melt away the iron. With an unsatisfied frown she follows the others. Initially she is quiet, but after a few moments of silence she suddenly speaks up. "Khellek, while I can appreciate your chivalrous concerns, not all young women are damsels in need of protection. Perhaps Lady Thalia is made of sterner body and mind than what we know. I agree that she deserves the right to this through to the end."