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"We can not run away as long as long as these collars are on our necks. And where can we go, anyway? We do not have food or winter clothing. We do not have arms to defend ourselves from wild beasts or wandering orcs. We are doomed anyway. Our deaths will just last longer, that is all", he finishes with a sigh.Solvistania replies with a note of acid in her voice, "You have your freedom, that should suffice." Certainly these people did not wish to be back under the yoke of the Shadow!
She looks over at the bodies of the fallen soldiers, and continues, "We can help you remove the collars, if you travel with us to our destination, and also equip you, enough to survive. As for where you people can settle, let me consult my lore."
She takes out her lorebook, and scans it for a moment, looking for possible places for these former prisoners to relocate to.
Solvistania puts away her lorebook, and turns to the blacksmith leader of the former prisoners. "Your best chance of survival lays with our path for now. We know of a place where you can shelter for the winter in relative safety, until springtime. My advice is for you to seek out one of the dwarf clans when springtime arrives, and travel is easier."
Hearing the voice asking for help, Gilian walks to the edge of the hole and grabbing a rope lying on the ground, throws it down.
"I am Gilian, I used to be a healer in my village. If you can, grab the rope and climb out. Otherwise, we'll send someone down to help you."
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Hearing the voice asking for help, Gilian walks to the edge of the hole and grabbing a rope lying on the ground, throws it down.
"I am Gilian, I used to be a healer in my village. If you can, grab the rope and climb out. Otherwise, we'll send someone down to help you."
"I don't need a rope to climb out of this pit. But the girl needs a woman's hand down here. Can I come out?"
Ilona keeps a steady stride as Chops joins them.
"It's not a spell that ran them off, Chops, they looked death in the face and realized they weren't ready. They won't come back."
She looks at the dworg ffor a moment and he sees the glint of violence in her eyes.
"We aren't like other people, the things they did to break us only made us harder, more deadly. They're going to run for a long time."
As they arrive at the hole Ilona looks at Gillian, the aura of stong compassion that radiated from the woman almost enough to dull the rage.
"She'll need help,"she says replacing Sorrow in the scabbard on her back. "I'll go!"
As she grasps the rope, preparing to descend she looks at Ragnar impressed by his ability to control the ocean of rage that fills him.
" He lives until she comes up here, she will decide his fate."
She glances back at the legate, on his knees, broken and quivering. As Ragnar pulls his hair back roughly, bringing his head up she leans in making eye contact.
"If she dies, we will personally make you beg for death."
She quietly whispers to herself, boosting her own confidence as she prepares to drop down.
Casts inspiration
Climb
"I don't need a rope to climb out of this pit. But the girl needs a woman's hand down here. Can I come out?"Hearing the voice asking for help, Gilian walks to the edge of the hole and grabbing a rope lying on the ground, throws it down.
"I am Gilian, I used to be a healer in my village. If you can, grab the rope and climb out. Otherwise, we'll send someone down to help you."
"Why, yes, you can. Just keep your calm while I'm down here."
Watching Ilona swift descent, Gilian goes on talking to the woman.
"The woman coming down to see to you is Ilona. She'll help you come up here so I can tend to your wounds. Do you have a name that I can use to call you?"
Felina notes the arrival of the cavalry, so to speak, and telepathically speaks to them, Gilian and Ilona in particular, "The two captors do not appear to be enemies, and they refer to themselves as the Beast and the Whore. I believe they would be sacrifices to the Shadow at some point in the future." There is a note of dispassion in Felina's thoughts.
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A person jumps out of the pit. Easily. Even with heavy manacles on arms, legs and neck - all connected - this giant leaped out of the hole like it's inches deep, not at least 30 feet. Obviously a male, the creature in front of you stands at least 7 feet tall, broad in shoulders and deep in chest. His muscles stand out, rolling beneath his purplish-blue skin like coils of huge iron snakes. If not so tall, he would look deformed by the slabs of muscles on his torso, arms and legs. Golden-looking tattoos cover his skin, even his shaved head, and the force of his personality is so strong that you can not help but be in awe in front of him, even if he still wears chains. His cheek bones are high, eyes startling purple and teeth white as snow, with prominent fangs in both jaws. He stands calmly and watches you, waiting for your next move.
Ilona keeps a steady stride as Chops joins them.
"It's not a spell that ran them off, Chops, they looked death in the face and realized they weren't ready. They won't come back."
She looks at the dworg ffor a moment and he sees the glint of violence in her eyes.
"Ragnar's ghosts. I hope to never join them." he speaks to the air as well as Illona.
Then the man jumps out of the pit. Chops is startled and takes a step back. He holds his urutuk at the ready. "I'm guessing you could have gotten out at any time. What gives?"
Ilona keeps a steady stride as Chops joins them.
" He lives until she comes up here, she will decide his fate."
"You sure you ain't a Dorn, lady?" the bird squawks landing on Ragnar's shoulder, "You sure do think like one."
Ragnar nods to Ilona, the air around him still howling. "I will speak to her when you have helped her to the surface."
He turns his gaze to his captive.
"Among my people there are crimes which we name scyld-svíkja. For them, there is no punishment to severe. To keep ourselves from falling into darkness, those who suffer such atrocities are the only ones able to decide the punishment of the guilty. None of the traditional trials are undertaken. There is only punishment, as long and terrible as the stricken deem necessary. The ancestors look the other way, laws are nullified and all judgments are relieved from the victim until they are satisfied with the fate of the svikjan.
He looks back toward Ilona as she lowers herself into the hole and continues to speak to his captive.
"I would tell you to pray to your god that she is a merciful soul, but it will not matter. It will not be Izrador that waits for you in death. It will be my brother. He is not known for his tenderness."
"Basically, your keg of happy just ran dry, fella. Shoulda chosen a different line of work."
The black bird looks up at Ragnar.
"Can I have his eyes when she's done?"
Ragnar looks on, still angry, but his fierce mask of control locked tightly back into place.
"You will have to ask her."
Before running to catch up with the rest of the group by the pit, Duncan takes up the shield of the legat, and with its rim slams the fallen blade with all the might his weakened and hungry body is able to muster, shattering it so that no servant of the Shadow can make use of it again. Having completed that, he picks up the sword he had discarded a while ago, and runs to the pit in time to see the strange creature jump from the pit.
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Ilona slowly and carefully descends into the deep pit, careful not to cut herself on the sharpened stakes around the top of the pit. After several moments, she lets go of the rope and jumps the rest of the way down.
The woman in the hole seems not to notice her. She just lies in fetal position, caked in mud and blood. Ilona gently approaches her. The woman is beautiful. Tall, with long legs and full firm breasts, her long hair is bleached white, but several strands still shine as gold through the stone. Her eyes are open and unblinking and blue as the summer sky.
Not knowing why, Ilona is filled with a sense of kinship with the woman.
"Ilona, ask her if you can carry her up-here, I will not be able to go down and she needs some help."
An eye on the woman and Ilona, Gilian looks up to the newcommer. "Who are you? and as my friend here just said, why did you stay down here ? Is it due to these collars?"
"Ilona, ask her if you can carry her up-here, I will not be able to go down and she needs some help."
"Ragnar nor I should help. If she has been raped, she may be more afraid of us. Do we have a rope?"
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An eye on the woman and Ilona, Gilian looks up to the newcommer. "Who are you? and as my friend here just said, why did you stay down here ? Is it due to these collars?"
"Yes. The collar prevents me to harm my captors or try to run away from them. They seem to be some new deviltry out of Cambrial." He shrugs. "As to who am I... My mother called me Son, and that is the only name I ever had until the Black Guards captured her and my sister, forcing me to give myself to them. Then they called me Beast."
"Hey there hon, I'm here to help you. My names Ilona. We need to get you up out of this hole ok? My friend up there, she's a healer, and she can help a lot. Can I carry you up there? I promise, nobody's going to hhurt you again."
Waves of empathy and calm wash off of Ilona as she tries to set the traumatized woman at ease.
Diplomacy
An eye on the woman and Ilona, Gilian looks up to the newcommer. "Who are you? and as my friend here just said, why did you stay down here ? Is it due to these collars?""Yes. The collar prevents me to harm my captors or try to run away from them. They seem to be some new deviltry out of Cambrial." He shrugs. "As to who am I... My mother called me Son, and that is the only name I ever had until the Black Guards captured her and my sister, forcing me to give myself to them. Then they called me Beast."
"So how do you want me to call you? And do you know the name of the woman you were with in the pit ?"
Studiying his previous words while doing some small talk, Gilian tries to guess the fate of his mother and sister.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked earlier, are they still with the prisonners?"
She will also use her knowledge of bodies to find if his body is natural or has been altered somehow
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"Hey there hon, I'm here to help you. My names Ilona. We need to get you up out of this hole ok? My friend up there, she's a healer, and she can help a lot. Can I carry you up there? I promise, nobody's going to hhurt you again."
Waves of empathy and calm wash off of Ilona as she tries to set the traumatized woman at ease.
Diplomacy1d20+17
Woman whimpers slightly, but lets you take her into your arms.
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An eye on the woman and Ilona, Gilian looks up to the newcommer. "Who are you? and as my friend here just said, why did you stay down here ? Is it due to these collars?""Yes. The collar prevents me to harm my captors or try to run away from them. They seem to be some new deviltry out of Cambrial." He shrugs. "As to who am I... My mother called me Son, and that is the only name I ever had until the Black Guards captured her and my sister, forcing me to give myself to them. Then they called me Beast.""So how do you want me to call you? And do you know the name of the woman you were with in the pit ?"
Studiying his previous words while doing some small talk, Gilian tries to guess the fate of his mother and sister.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked earlier, are they still with the prisonners?"
She will also use her knowledge of bodies to find if his body is natural or has been altered somehow
"I don't want you to call me. I prefer to come unannounced." He is silent for the moment. "She is called Elorien of the House Morvai. At some lost Age she would be princess, I suppose. Now she is whore and chattel. Once, she was a teacher and protector and provider. Now, she is broken." Once again, he falls silent. "No, my mother and sister are not with the prisoners. I gave myself so that they can be free. Shadow is sometimes stupid. Evil degrades even its own intelligence. My mother and sister are much greater prize than me. But I look more... interesting, I suppose. And there is none like me, of course, even if they did not know that. I think that the woman Zafina wanted to use me like the soldiers used Elorien."
"This is good to know. Once we leave here, we will bring all of you to a place where we should be able to remove your collars. Then you'll be free."
While talking, Gilian keeps an eye on Ilona. When she manages to get her in her arms, she takes out one of her blankets and, tying ropes at the four corners, makes a makeshift sling out of it.
Giving one end to Chops and another to the muscled stranger, she sends the sling down.
"Ilona, get on the sling with Elorien, they should be able to drag you up."
Turning to her companions and the freed captives, she adds "Come one every one, give us a hand to get them out. then we will sack this camp, take whatever we need and be on our way."
Duncan crouches by the pit, right next to Chops, ready to reach out with his hand and help Ilona and Elorien.
Solvistania points to the direction of the pit, and says to the blacksmith, "Gather what equipment you need from these bodies, we will not be tarrying here long. I must see as to the other prisoners"
She then turns and heads towards where Felina watches from underneath a tree. She does not immediately announce her presence, preferring to watch the prisoner's interaction with her own eyes.
Ilona gently carries the woman to the lowered blanket, climbing in and cradling her as they are slowly pulled out of the hole.
"Hey, you know what's fun? Adding more things to worry about to this situation."
Muni flaps off Ragnar's shoulder and circles Sorok.
"Gimme an arm for a sec, stumpy."
Sorok gives the bird a long, unamused look and lifts his thick, steel clad forearm.
"Wat d'ye want, bird. Seems like we got things well in hand t' me."
"Except for the epidemic of cannibalism, you mean? Or maybe you missed that part."
The bird lands on the offered arm and cants his beak off in the distance.
"Chops seems to have decided he doesn't like the taste of people as much as he'd first thought, but our new Danisil buddy caught it too and he's still over there."
Casually preening his wing feathers, Muni somehow manages to look nonchalant.
"I don't know if he's still face deep in some guy's ribcage or not, but he was when I flew over. Might want to go check on him. I figure you're probably the best choice 'cause everyone else is busy with the hero stuff, and if he's still hungry you'd probably take the longest to eat."
Sorok rubs his thick fingers against his eyes for a moment, letting out a short rumble of exasperation.
"Right. Show me where ye last saw 'im."
Sorok stomps past the group on his way back the way they came.
"If any o' ye hear wat sounds like a crazy elf chewin' on a' angry dwarf, come take a look."
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Sorok rubs his thick fingers against his eyes for a moment, letting out a short rumble of exasperation.
"Right. Show me where ye last saw 'im."
Sorok stomps past the group on his way back the way they came.
"If any o' ye hear wat sounds like a crazy elf chewin' on a' angry dwarf, come take a look."
Guided by the raven, Sorok quickly finds the elf, struggling with the demon inside him.
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Duncan crouches by the pit, right next to Chops, ready to reach out with his hand and help Ilona and Elorien.
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The Son - or the Beast, however you want to call him - grabs the rope and effortlessly pulls Ilona and Elorien from the pit. Then he steps back and joins the other prisoners. They look at him with fear and loathing in their eyes. "Get this thing away from us! He is not human!"
"Neither am I. What of it?
Solvistania overhears the comments watching from her vantage point, and thinks, These fools were taken prisoner by humans, and rescued by non-humans, and they still fear non-humans? Idiots.
As the dwarf approaches Anang drops even lower to the ground, baring his gore smeared teeth and hissing violently. His hands still clenched tightly around his Sepi twitch forward, ready to hack at anyone or anything in range. His face is devoid of any sign of a personality, the muscles taught in the tense rictus of a predator on verge the of pouncing.
As the dwarf approaches Anang drops even lower to the ground, baring his gore smeared teeth and hissing violently. His hands still clenched tightly around his Sepi twitch forward, ready to hack at anyone or anything in range. His face is devoid of any sign of a personality, the muscles taught in the tense rictus of a predator on verge the of pouncing.
"Dontcha be hissin' at me, elf." Sorok says from about fifteen feet away. "Iff'n ye've gone Fell, you might jus' tell me so ah kin put'cha outta yer misery. Iff'n ye just went crazy, well, then we just have'ta git creative."
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As the dwarf approaches Anang drops even lower to the ground, baring his gore smeared teeth and hissing violently. His hands still clenched tightly around his Sepi twitch forward, ready to hack at anyone or anything in range. His face is devoid of any sign of a personality, the muscles taught in the tense rictus of a predator on verge the of pouncing.
"Dontcha be hissin' at me, elf." Sorok says from about fifteen feet away. "Iff'n ye've gone Fell, you might jus' tell me so ah kin put'cha outta yer misery. Iff'n ye just went crazy, well, then we just have'ta git creative."
"Err... Nothing?"
"That's what I thought. Remember who came out of nowhere to help you out. I bet you weren't expecting this face!" Chops points to himself. "It was humans that held you prisoner. Son, here, does not seem violent. So I think you oh him an apology for one. For two, he may be the only thing that may protect you when we part ways. Cuz where we going, nunya going to want to follow." Chops holds out a hand to shake with Son.
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"Err... Nothing?""That's what I thought. Remember who came out of nowhere to help you out. I bet you weren't expecting this face!" Chops points to himself. "It was humans that held you prisoner. Son, here, does not seem violent. So I think you oh him an apology for one. For two, he may be the only thing that may protect you when we part ways. Cuz where we going, nunya going to want to follow." Chops holds out a hand to shake with Son.
"Why are you extending your arm at me? Is it a custom of some kind?"
The Son - or the Beast, however you want to call him - grabs the rope and effortlessly pulls Ilona and Elorien from the pit. Then he steps back and joins the other prisoners. They look at him with fear and loathing in their eyes. "Get this thing away from us! He is not human!"
"Please everyone except Ilona moves away. You've all got things to do to get us going. Like finding food, weapons and supplies. And breaking down everything we can't carry."
Gilian then kneels by the traumatized woman, and speaks in a low voice to her.
Elorian, I am Gilian , a healer for my people. I cannot know what you've been through. I cannot even imagine it. But Ilona and I will help as much as we can. For now, let me give you a gift from your people.
Gilian lightly rubs the woman hair using her inner strength to cast lesser restoration and clw for .
This will not change anything of what happened, but it will help you. Nothing will change what happened to you. But the people arund you can help you bear your burden and give you the strength to live with it. Lean on them.
"Why are you extending your arm at me? Is it a custom of some kind?""Err... Nothing?""That's what I thought. Remember who came out of nowhere to help you out. I bet you weren't expecting this face!" Chops points to himself. "It was humans that held you prisoner. Son, here, does not seem violent. So I think you oh him an apology for one. For two, he may be the only thing that may protect you when we part ways. Cuz where we going, nunya going to want to follow." Chops holds out a hand to shake with Son.
"Yes. It means Well met and that we can trust each other. At least that is what it is supposed to mean. Solvi is the scholar and might be able to give you a history of it, but for me, it just means that I think your allright."
Solvistania sees Gilian helping the lady Elorian, and nods in satisfaction. She turns her attention to the Son, and says, "Son, we need to leave this area of the forest, as nightfall approaches, and we have a long journey still ahead. Please help us gather what items we can use, and let us depart. Gilian is a fine healer, and your sister will be well taken care of."
In response to Chops, she shakes her head impatiently, and says, We do not have time for this! Yes, Durathoin is correct, can you get ready to depart?"
Seeing that he can be of no help to Gilian or Elorian, Duncan goes back to the battlefield. Beckoning to the strongest looking of the former captives, he says: "We should all get some of these weapons and armor. We might not be able to use it now, but it might save our lives later, when we get these collars off, but until then it, just the sight of a larger group of armed men might serve as a deterrent for potential attackers. And even if it doesn't, it's better to take a blow on the armor."
With that, he starts stripping the armor from the soldier killed by an arrow to his head.