"No no, that's lie. I was not coming back here to tell them. I was going back the way we came, to go home. This place sucks!" She pauses. "Oh come on, all I wanted to do is play. Hey hey, did you ever think that maybe I was lied to? Yeah... I didn't know what was going on. They said we were gonna play." She rattles the cage, "This isn't play!"
If anyone inspects the room, you will find a box with Esmera Luce's equipment.
Also in these boxes you find three parchment paper with writing on it, 2 bottles of a dark green liquid, a small lockbox. In a different box you find three bottles of a dark liquid and 10 flasks of alchemist’s fire.
Spellcraft
Andrei Kovacs
Creed Baguette
The box is locked, but you have Rohkar's keys and you open it up to find 25 pp, 150 gp, 180 sp and a blue quarts diamond.
Appraise
Andrei Kovacs
Ragnar Lothveld
Creed Baguette
Esmera Luce
None of you are sure the full value of this diamond but Esmera has a feeling that it has a decent price to it and worth keeping to sell.
The two dark green liquids do not detect as magical and are not labeled.
"Oils of magic weapon," Andrei said, holding them up, if any of the more weapon reliant folks wanted any of them.
He turned back to the fey, "You still haven't elaborated on these witches," he said.
Ragnar picks up the non magical liquids, looks at them for a moment and shrugs.
Upon the mentioning of the winter witches, Ragnar's demeanor turns a bit more severe.
"I'm an Ulfen and you answer to the witches of Irrisen. You'd better start talking. My patience is waning. I've heard roasted sprite wings are a delicacy in some realms."
"What do you want me to tell you, I already told you all I know. LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT!" She appears to be getting increasingly frustrated.
Ragnar you're not sure what these are but you can tell it's an oil of some sort.
Esmera is changing to her equipment while the conversation is ongoing. When she's finished, she turns back to the party and the fey. Her countenance in full armor and with a shield emblazoned with a scarlet rose crest is now much more formidable than it was when she was wearing bandit rags.
"The games are over, creature of the frost. Neither you nor your mistresses are welcome here. Tell us how you got here and what was your purpose in working with these bandits. Did they know you were sent by the witches? We saw a mention of a portal on a map in another room - you better hope it allows you back where you came from or we'll be tasting those roasted wings tonight."
"Ugh, who's this girl. I already told you guys. I was told we were gonna go play and so I went with my friends. But these guys ruined our fun. I don't know anything about what the witches want. No one cares! Yes yes we went through a portal, I was hoping to go back through and go home. I swear I don't know anything! Tell them, tell them what I told you earlier the other day!!!"
"How far away is this portal? How many 'friends' did you come with?"
Vyr is unsure the value of this diamond.
She sits down in the cage and starts pouting. She does not answer your question.
Ragnar grabs a blanket and nonchalantly speaks at they fey, "Well, if you're not going to talk, there's no sense in looking at you either. I guess we'll just have to cut your wings off before we leave and let you walk back to the portal." With that he throws the blanket over the cage like you would when putting a pet bird to sleep for the night.
You hear small weeping sounds under the blanket.
To the group: "You made mention of a map you had found? Does it suggest the location of this portal?"
This room looks like a planning/meeting room. The Sentinels planned their patrols in this room, marking the best routes on the map of the High Ridge hanging on the southwest wall. However, it appears that new plans have been added to this map as well as a marked location called, portal.
Vyr walks over to the map, and based on distances already traveled and other landmarks on map, tries to discern how far the portal is from the lodge.
Vyr believes it's only a few miles or less from the lodge. It appears to be directly in the center of the border wood.
"We should perhaps rest here, and then go to that portal and throw that creature back where it came from. It will spread the message that Taldor is not to be messed with."
Creed walks over to the cage and says quietly "Remember me, I almost killed you with your back turned. That should be enough to tell you that I am a woman without honor, and I don't think my friends would mind if I wrapped you in this blanket and tossed you in the fire. And if they did what would it do, I am a woman without honor and would undoubtably figure something out. Now the question is do you want to die in a fire, or live."
"They are stupid questions. You already know I don't know. I came here to play I don't' know how many, I don't know why, I don't know where anyone is, I don't know who this guy is other than he's a total jerk. I don't know I don't know....." She continues to cry.
"We should perhaps rest here, and then go to that portal and throw that creature back where it came from. It will spread the message that Taldor is not to be messed with."
"Agreed, we are unlikely to get far in our current condition," Andrei said, "Let's rest, then tomorrow take whatever we need from here and move on. Either way, I don't think we're going to get much more out of that fey, which begs the question of what to do with it..."
She lifts the blanket and looks at her, making sure she's telling the truth
Creed can believe what she wants with that sense motive as you are unsure.
Andrei said, "Let's rest, then tomorrow take whatever we need from here and move on. Either way, I don't think we're going to get much more out of that fey, which begs the question of what to do with it..."
Turning attention back to the group and away from the map, Vyr opines: "Indeed, this fey represents quite an ethical conundrum. If killed on the field of battle, I doubt any of us would shed a tear, but helpless in a cage as it is, killing it would be murder. Context is everything in these moral matters. I frankly do not see a good way forward. Letting it go so it can wreak more havoc or warn others of our intent to approach the portal would be foolish. Leaving it here is likely the same as killing it, but in a slower more painful way. Perhaps bringing it with us is the only option."
"Watching it, feeding it, making sure it doesn't escape and kill us all... sounds like an unnecessary risk. I'd vote we just kill it. Certainly, the folks you arrived with suggested that we do as much. It has likely done far worse in its time here, and would likely do so again if given the chance," Andrei stated.
"Did it attack you or did you witness it attack any innocents? I don't hold any warm feelings against it but murdering it just because it may do something bad feels wrong. It is not unlike what Grey Maidens have been doing under the former Queen, and I don't want to be a part of this anymore."
"She and her two compatriots quite happily tried to murder us in the snow," Andrei affirmed, "Considering their nature, I would be rather surprised if they have not done the same to others as well."
We know those same type of fey hit the Lady's caravan along with the bandits as well. That being said, I'm still not sure killing it is the right thing. Who knows, if we let her go, show her more compassion than the winter witches, she may help us in the future, or think twice before 'playing' with others' lives. But, you all hollered at me for letting her go the first time. I leave the choice up to everyone this time."
"One option would be to send it back with the Lady and her solidiers to face Taldan justice. As I have no history with the creature, I'll leave it to you who have faced her before to make the decision. While you decide, I think I'll have a look around." Vyr will explore the lodge, taking 20 in each room to search.
Vyr does not find anything the party has not already found.
"Giving her to the Taldans seems like the best option," Andrei agreed.
"Agreed, let the law of the land decide its fate."
"NO! wait, I could be your friend! Don't you want friends?" you hear her say under the blanket.
"I love having friends. Just, not you," Andrei said pleasantly. With three of them onboard, he takes the cage to the Taldan commander(assuming it is small enough to pick up?).
Andrei heads over to the Taldan commander, "Right, we've gotten all we can from her. If you are heading back to town, would you be so kind as to take the fey with you? Perhaps you and your men can get something further out of her, else, I expect she can face whatever justice is available for her part in this invasion," he said, offering the man the cage, "Either way, we plan to rest here awhile, before proceeding to investigate this portal she apparently arrived through."
Once the fey was handed over to the Taldans, Andrei returned to the others, "Well, that's that. Shall we rest up, and then proceed tomorrow?"
As Marcus prepares to turn the Fey over creed grimaces and says "Wait, she could be a useful tool for us, and if not we could just use her as leverage, I'll take responsibility for her if we'll spare her."
Ragnar acknowledges Creed, "She's actually done us no more harm since we let her go the first time. If we show mercy maybe she can be of use. Maybe scout they portal for us. Also we haven't asked the one who has been harmed by these creatures to begin with. What is your opinion, Lady Argentea?"
Vyr searches for the most comfortable bed or cot available, and beds down for the night, after seeing the Lady off safely with the soldiers.
As it is still early in the day the soldiers plan to head out soon.
The lady responds to Ragnar, "I am sure you know best, I must admit and I'm a little embarrased but with all the stress and tension building up, I fainted when we got attacked and our door opened and I saw a strange small blue creature. Much larger than that pixie you're showing me, but it wasn't as large as us. I don't recall anything more until I woke up next to Esmera. She took care of me but I just couldn't stay awake long enough to be of any help. I'm so sorry."
"A larger blue fey?" Ragnar pulls the blanket off the pixie's cage, "Do you know of this creature she speaks of?"
"She's wrong, not a fey. Definitely not a fey. Way way too serious. I actually don't know what she is but she was certainly calling out orders." She stands back up looking hopeful.
Creed lifts the cage up "Sit down, even if we do pay you're not getting out any time soon, you're not exactly to the point where we trust you enough not to run away."
What would be your next actions?