"I think it was Lillie that scared him.. " he shrugs
"I'm not that scary, am I? "
Lillie let's her eyes sweep over the surrounding forest.
"but animals and especially fey never liked my kind. I just hope he's not a agenda send by the hobs"
Turing towards Avarice "learning sign language sounds really useful, but don't the drow version required very dexterous fingers?"
"For detailed conversations, yes. However, it is not necessary for conveying basic messages and tactical orders. Indeed, during battle there is hardly time to have that sort of conversation, as everyone is too busy in combat. As to you being scary..." Arcavic looks at Lillie, an almost apologetic look in his eye, "fear is one of the reasons your kind was created. Used properly, fear can be as deadly any other weapon in Drow society, and driders are one of the best at doing so - especially the threat of turning another Drow into one."
"Socio-political commentary aside, what's our boy hiding?" Ira says, glad the little one was being minded elsewhere for this exchange. "Might not be a hoity-toity drow, but I know a thing or two about putting a righteous fear into people." He looked down at Arcavic and gave his best smile, the one that showed off all the teeth he used for the ripping and tearing of flesh.
Cnut does his best to club the man down without killing him
Cnut's first strike knocks the man down (a little lethal damage, since his NL surpassed total HP)
Cnut brings the unconscious man back to the group.
Arcavic takes the backpack from the man's back to study the magical aura closer.
The aura is coming from somewhere inside the backpack.
Arcavic opens the backpack and looks inside, finding a potion of cure light wounds. Sighing, he puts the potion back into the backpack. He isn't a thief, after all.
Setting the backpack down, on the ground he waits for the man to wake up, then leans over and says, "Terribly sorry about that, we did not intend to scare you. Sometimes it just happens. Now, why don't you take a deep breath? Tell me, do you worship any deity in particular?"
Korvak shrugs "I make them unconscious not wake up, something for me to learn."
"Oh by the-" Ira catches himself on the vile and blasphemous expletives he was about to unleash and grimaces, "For goodness' sake. Let's bundle him up and take him to one of the clerics. We'll be waiting around all day for him to wake otherwise."
Cnut, having since returned to human form, shrugs and slings the unconscious man over his shoulder before heading for the aforementioned clerics.
"I'll take care of it. Gather any that are wounded the magic expends the same if I use it on one or all withing a radius of me.
"Apologies for the reaction of my comrades sir, they sensed you were hiding something and thought you might be a danger to these other folk we've saved along the way.
I healed you. If you know anything that might be important about those nasty Iron Legions please let us know we're rather concerned for everyone's safety.
He wakes up, and looks at you sullenly, not answering. You get the impression from how his eyes dart around that he's looking for a chance to run away again.
Lillie looks at the man, looks around and sighs.
" I will fetch Aubrey, maybe talking with another human will calm him down"
Turning towards the man "I will go and bring a priest of Cayden Cailean and you stay put, running around the forest till you die of hunger or wild animals or something will help no one, not us, not your fairy friend and least of all you
"Will you tell me what made you run? You had sat down and were speaking to us, then took off like a bolt. Was it something we did or said?"
Arcavic tries to keep the man calm and get him to open up again.
He shrugs, too exhausted to fight any more. "OK. I'm not from Taldor, I'm from Molthune. I was in Phaendar to spy out the town's weaknesses. I ran when the hobgoblins came."
Aubrin, who had just been fetched, and the rest of your followers are incensed. You can tell that if you don't do anything, the spy is not going to live.
"And did you have anything to do with bringing the hobgoblins here?" Arcavic asks, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. He would do nothing to intercede if this man was even partially responsible for the attack on his adopted home.
Cnut crosses his arms and gives the man a skeptical look. "The Ironfangs are one of Molthune's Monster Regiments. Why would a Molthuni spy flee a unit of the Molthuni army?"
Korvak is ready to jump in and save the man if necessary
"The Ironfangs disappeared as far as Molthune is concerned years ago. I had no warning they were coming, or I would not have been near town. I do not know where they are now or what they are planning, I just got out of town as quick as I could, and after stumbling around for a while, I ran into you."
Arcavic examines the man, attempting to discern the truth of his story.
"We need to know you understand there's a common enemy now and that you're not going to take any actions that would bring these fine folks to harm. I believe myself a good judge of character sir convince me."
"He's self serving but my take is he is being honest."
We a serious and kinda resolved stance Korvak explains.
"If we let him go he will take the information back to Molthune who may decide to attack due to the weakened state of Nirmathas with an enemy within."
Cnut shrugs slightly, not yet sure he trusts the man. "Maybe. But if the Ironfangs have truly gone rogue, the Molthuni might not want to risk the chaos of a three-way conflict between themselves, Nirmathas, and the Hobgoblins. Nirmathas might even have an edge in such a conflict, able to use the chaos to strike at both sides and pit them against one another."
Your followers continue to look like a lynch mob forming.
Korvak says
"Rather than just lynching him, lets talk, what should be done with him please?"
"Everywhere I've gone outside my village in the woods I've been accused of being a monster because the form in which the gods gave me. I have claws, scales, and I bite but I also heal people and feel love. Do this and you do so over my corpse. I didn't help rescue you to see you turn into a blood thirsty mob. This man has done wrong but he is also powerless before you, be better than him and show him mercy or murder me beside him as I will not kill you but I will resist you doing this."
Aubrin appears to be the leader of the 'mob' and a bit more levelheaded than the rest. "What would you suggest we do with him, then? We can't have him run off to the hobgoblins with news of our location. Give us an alternative, and he can live. We will, however, hold you responsible for his future actions."
Arcavic steps forward. "He is not responsible for the Ironfang attacking Phaendar, but he is a Molthuni spy. We cannot have him tell the Ironfang where we are, therefore I propose we keep him here, under supervision. It is that, or we put a bag over his head and bind his hands, then take him to a random place in the forest with his backpack and set him loose, so that he cannot say for certain where we are."
Standing beside Valasca to give eminence to her declaration
"Unfortunately we may have to make a hard choice, but we should do it correctly, not just kill him out of hand. We must weigh the consequences of releasing him and holding him."
Korvak sits and thinks for a few moments
"My vote is that we cannot release him as he will take word to Molthune or the Ironfangs and put us all at risk. He is a spy and that means he is not without resources, so holding him may not be a wise idea, my vote is to, unfortunately, condemn him."
He looks terrified at Arcavic's suggestion. "No, please, if you're going to kill me, just make in with a clean sword thrust. Don't leave me to die in the wilderness or be tortured to death by the hobgoblins!"
"Well I would have been amenable to releasing him off a ways in the woods after disorienting his ability to track his way back. However, it seems he prefers a swift death(shrug), even my mercy has limits. We are not in a position to hold prisoners and he has stated his preference. will not stand for the torture of a lynching pick a leader among you to execute properly or I will hold YOU accountable."
Cnut looks resigned. "It's imprisonment or death, then. Surely the former would be a better option, as it allows a chance he might learn to reform his ways, but if he chooses the latter, let us make it as swift and painless as possible."
"I too would have preferred to spare his live, but we lack the means to safely imprison him and he lacks the ability to survive in the wild, so a swift death, I guess. What does the local law say about cases like this?"
Hearing the number of voices which are in favor of a quick, clean execution, Aubrin steps forward. "You have admitted to being a spy in our nation, acting for a nation which we are at war with. By the usual laws of war, your life is forfeit."
She then pulls out her dagger, walks forward, and swiftly cuts his throat.
Then she pulls out a flask she always carries and dribbles a little bit of beer out on the ground next to him as she whispers a prayer to Cayden Cailean and all the good gods for the man she has just executed.
As she walks away, you can hear her mutter something to herself about a waste of good beer.
Later that day, a young man who is one of the refugees comes to you. "My sister is suddenly quite ill, as are some others. Please come help her!"
Arcavic does nothing to intervene - in fact, he'd planned on doing something similar himself, although he was going to ram his short sword through the man's chest. Still, done was done. He looks at the others and says, "Help me get rid of the body outside the camp. We don't want him rotting here and spreading disease."
Later in the day, when the young man comes to them, Arcavic stands and sighs. "I am not particularly skilled in healing, but perhaps I can look her over. Valasca, this is mostly your expertise, I believe."
Lillie turns towards the almost lynch mob "someone dig a grave, he'll attract animals otherwise and I don't want him to rise as some kind of undead either.
Towards the young man " lead the way. What are the symptoms? Did she do or eat anything unusual? "