Lotus looks on plaintively as Siraaj hauls Dashki back toward the monestary. She falls in step behind the men, "I'm sure this is just a mistake. We'll get it all situationed once Almah hears the full story."
Narg maintains his crouched and subservient position. His body is twisted slightly from watching the hapless, formerly fleeing gnoll. He offers a snarl and a spat Runt! at the dying beast, then turns in the direction the arrows have been coming from.
The vermin of Kelmarane are not fit to be called gnolls! They let themselves be ruled by one who is not a gnoll. Together we will slaughter them, bathe in their blood and feast on their young!
The gnolls behind him howl in unison at his pronouncement, then continue staring uneasily into the darkness around them. The raspy gasps for breath from the deserting gnoll continue, growing ever farther apart.
Ruled by one who is not a gnoll?
Pfah. Riddles.
Ahnekhet glowers at Trevvis then directs him back to the monestary and Almah with a jerk of his head. He then approaches the gnolls, his bow drawn but not taught.
Quit your barking, Sandscourge. We have decided to hear your words. Approach the monestary slowly and tell me, what has become of Thakkur and Hakkur? Them I know, you I do not.
Apart from his first sentence, Ahnekhet's words lack any perceptible venom and are quite diplomatic. His eyebrows arch in confusion after he hears himself speak, as diplomacy was not his intention.
Trevvis holds his position for a moment as he watches Ahnekhet approach the gnolls and begin to talk to them. He keeps an arrow drawn and trained in that direction as he slowly begins to back toward the monastery, uncertain of how acute the monsters' vision is in the dark.
Ahnekhet will move the addtional 10 feet, stowing his bow and drawing Tempest as he approaches the gnolls.
Siraaj turns to Lotus after she speaks Misunderstanding or not, Dashki is a fool. Even if his intentions were good, he is still siding with mongrels who could turn on us at any moment. They are not to be trusted.
Siraaj continues to escort Dashki to the monastery entrance, staying prepared to forcefully grapple him should he make an attempt to flee.
Nadia follows close behind her brother along with Lotus remaining silent.
As soon as Dashki feels the grip of the larger man relax a barely perceptible grin flits across his dry lips. In a tone ripe with venom he spits, Fool, eh? Takes one to know one, Camel-sack. Turning with the speed and agility of a desert hare, he attempts a tumbling leap to the side, away from his captors.
Siraaj growls in anger at Dashki's words and immediately tightens his grip on the man, swinging his other arm over to grasp at Dashki's arms.
Dashki takes off into the gloom of night, heading northeast into the desert.
Lotus looks sad and confused as Dashki and Siraaj exchange words and cruel names. As Dashki bolts into the gloom of night, her head turns to follow Dashki then snaps back to Siraaj, back to Dashki, then back to Siraaj.
A single tear trailing down her cheek, Lotus intones a brief prayer to Irori and as she finishes the holy symbol hanging from her neck gently blossoms with light. She then darts into the encroaching night herself, her feet moving swiftly over the night-cooled ground.
"Dashki! Dashki! Wait! We can help!"
Narg looks surprised at Ahnekhet's words. His beady, jaundiced eyes leap to the deadly serious figure approaching him and take in his set jaw, tense forearmed, and - most visibly - the mold tattoo that weaves up the arm wielding Tempest. For a moment, the Flind's bravado fades and his wounds seem more prominent. The change is temporary and brief.
The bones of Thakkur bleach in the sun with the bones of his father. The monster rises to his feet, keeping his hands on his head. Even at this distance, it's clear he stands a head taller than the elf. He straddles the bar he had previously cast to the ground. His guts lie in the guts of Hakkur and his strength is in the arms of Hakkur. Hakkur sets his eyes on the end of the Kuldis tribe and the Userper, so he sends the Sandscourge to see that his will is done.
Narg looks from Ahnekhet to his weapon and back again. He clearly does not want to leave it behind. Behind him, the gnolls rise to their feet in similar fashion, ready to follow their leader.
Exasperated, Siraaj begins to give chase after Dashki.
Nadia pulls out a small pouch and begins to cast a spell, motioning her right hand in the air drawing an invisible arcane symbol while simultaneously speaking a few strange words.
Dashki glares over his shoulder at Lotus as she gives chase and lights up the area with her divine magics. His glare quickly turns to panic as Siraaj quickly takes up the chase, his quarry now clearly visible. His long strides quickly overtake the smaller man, but his clumsy attempt to grab Dashki leaves only empty desert air in his embrace.
As Siraaj recovers from his failed attempt he finds that Dashki has come to a dead stop and is looking at him with a queer grin that is slowly growing wider. A sudden giggle tears from the dark man's throat like a hiccup and before Siraaj can react Dashki doubles over, gales of manic laughter shattering the silence of the desert night. Dashki, despite the gleeful sounds he is making, has a look of sheer panic in his eyes - as though he has completely lost control of his body. With an ecstatic hoot he drops onto his back in the dry soil.
Lotus will hurry over to Dashki (move to AY53), her forehead knitted in worry and confusion.
"Dashki? Dashki?!" her voice grows more plaintive as she calls his name a second time. Her wide eyes look up and meet Siraaj's, "What's happened Siraaj? Is he- does he- will he get better?"
A flash of realization will come to her then, and she gasps as she quickly begins rooting through her pack. A few moments later, she pulls out a coil of rope. "He's a danger to us and to himself. We should tie him up?" Her last sentence is asked as a question, her soft eyes still filled with worry.
Dashki's bout of laughter suddenly ceases mid-guffaw as Siraaj begins to drag him through the dust and gravel back to the monastery. Flopped ingloriously on his face, he spits venomous curses at his captors, most of which are unintelligible through the mouthfuls of dirt he is forced to take in when he opens his lips to speak. His voice becomes increasingly shrill the closer you get to the monastery, and as you round the southwestern corner he manages to turn his head to one side and scream with primal rage, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!
Siraaj drags Dashki to the entrance of the monastery and as he yells in his ear, the barbarian becomes visibly angry and slams Dashki up against the wall.
ENOUGH, DASHKI! You have proven you are a traitor with these words! Keep your mouth SHUT, for I will not listen to your insane ramblings any longer. Consider that your only warning!
Siraaj then pulls Dashki off the wall and hauls him indoors.
Ahnekhet follows the gnolls to the monestary, hoping Trevvis has gone ahead and advised the guards to hold their fire. He arches one eyebrow inquisitively as he hears Siraaj's threatening shout from a short distance away.
Pfah. Dashki. I knew it. I hope Siraaj broke that wretch's every bone.
I have spared those beasts long enough to grant them an audience with Almah. As such, my patience with you has reached it's limit.
That means shut up, spirit.
Shut. Up.
Good. Just like that.
Dashki grimaces as his head ricochets off of the worked stone with a subdued thud. A look of genuine shock and, for a brief moment, fear, replace the smoldering anger, and his protestations choke off in his suddenly dry throat.
He whimpers slightly as Siraaj hauls him off of the wall and hangs limply over his shoulder as the large man roughly hauls him inside.
As Ahnekhet and the gnolls arrive, shortly after the trio has entered the monastery with their bound captive, Dashki casts a plaintive look at the Flind, whose arms remain raised. Narg, seeing Dashki trussed up and slung ingloriously over Siraaj's shoulder, cannot resist a howl of glee at the man's plight.
His laugh is cut short as he remembers his place and situation, but he grins wickedly at Dashki's dagger-like glare.
Suddenly, as the party finishes trickling into the monastery, the unmistakable voice of Almah cuts as hot as the mid-day desert wind through the cool night air: What in the cursed bowels of every bloody hell is this?!
Looking up, the party sees Almah - Garavel and Trevvis a step or two behind - double-timing up the hallway, her scimitar drawn and angled dangerously at her side.
"Weigh your words carefully, Sandscourge. The wrong ones will be your last."
While Ahnekhet's words are directed at Narg, his eyes never leave Dashki's.
Almah marches to within ten feet of your group, still holding her scimitar and visibly seething. Her eyes glitter dangerously and it is obvious by her grip on the scimitar and the position in which she holds it that she has used her blade before. Garavel steps up beside her and Trevvis stands a step behind her, just to her left, with his bow still drawn and an arrow loosely nocked. From the southern hallway, two pactmaster guards enter the promenade, weapons drawn and ready. two more emerge from the sanctuary in similar fashion.
Almah's gaze passes over the mangy gnolls and lingers on the impressive and repulsive figure of Narg. In the better light of the monastery's interior, the Flind's various scars and piercings come into jarring focus. Three humanoid jawbones, in various stages of decay, pierce through both his thick hide and muscle in his right shoulder. What appear to be the claws and teeth of a dire leopard trace his pectorals, with the massive canines thrust gaudily through the meat at the center of his chest, parallel to his sternum. Most of the flesh of his ears is missing, the holes filled with rings of semi-precious metal and the bones of other victims.
In the light, however, it is not the flind's fleshly accessories that jar those who look upon him as much as his eyes. Rather than having dark pupils, like those of his kin, his eyes are a milky blue color with the edges of his pupils nearly indistinct from the rest of his eye.
Sandscourge remains where he stands, leaving his hands raised. He holds the woman's gaze and speaks. I am Narg, the Sandscourge, servant of the Three Jaws. We come at the will of Hakkur, our chieftain, in answer to our brother Dashki's request. Together we will pour and drink the blood of the Kuldis gnolls!
Some of the fire goes out of Almah's eyes, replaced by surprise and confusion. Her gaze shifts to the bound Dashki, who hangs limply and breathing heavily in the grasp of Siraaj. ...Brother, Dashki? Seeing the woman's gaze upon him, Dashki squirms weakly.
Almah... he gasps, They... I brought you aid... and this... and they... this monster, he weakly attempts to flail one leg at Siraaj, missing him, ... he... he tried to kill me, Almah. With a weak cough he spits blood from his torn lips into a foamy puddle on the worked stone floor.
Almah shakes her head in bewilderment, sweeping her gaze back over the gnolls, their leader, and her bound and bedraggled scout. What the... Will someone please tell me what is going on here? Her scimitar point drops to the floor.
Ahnekhet barks a sudden, loud involuntary laugh at Dashki's words, "HA! Tried to kill you? Dashki, you are bound and tressed like a goat. If Siraaj had wanted to kill you, or even tried to, you'd already be dead."
The elf pauses a moment, the angry fire in his eyes receding noticeably.
"Almah, this... Narg and his kin were the figures approaching by torchlight. They claim to come from the Three Jaws tribe and wish to see the gnolls inhabiting Kelmarane slaughtered. As I understand it, those gnolls, the Kuldis, are viewed like heretics. These Three Jaws claim to have come to offer aid. I did not think such a decision was mine to make. Hence, they stand before you now for your judgment.
As for Dashki, I know not how he came to be in his present condition, I will leave that to Siraaj or Nadia to relate."
Lotus begins to relate what happened with Dashki, but then she catches Almah's gaze. Her confidence instantly evaporates and her words devolve into mostly unintelligible stammering. She sighs in frustration then looks at Dashki, her brow creased with concern.
"A-a-at least set him do-down, Siraaj. He's no-not running now." Her voice is low and full of sadness.
If only he'd let us help him! Oh, Dashki, I'm afraid for you. Irori help us all.
Almah looks expectantly at Siraaj for an explanation, but finds none forthcoming. With a shake of her head, as if to clear her thoughts, she glances around the promenade one more time. Her eyes briefly scan the gnolls and Narg for weapons, but she sees none. Trevvis, search them for weapons and remove any they have on them. Her tone is one of finality, and Trevvis does not argue.
A quick search and pat-down, which the gnolls grudgingly endure, reveals only slings and a handful of bullets on three of the gnolls. The rest of their weaponry has apparently been left out in the sands.
As Trevvis finishes his task, Almah gestures to her guards and the mercenaries. Watch them. If they so much as growl, castrate them and then kill them.
She turns to the four of you and Dashki. Come, we must discuss this, and she and Garavel lead the way back to the sanctuary.
When you are within the confines of the sanctuary, far enough away from the guards and mercenaries to be heard, Almah whirls around with ferocity evident in her large eyes.
What in the name of the gods were you thinking bringing them here?!
Ahnekhet's eyes widen in anger as Almah wheels around on the group. He doesn't back down from Almah's anger, the veins in his neck bulging as yells right back at her, "How... how you! You have lead us around blindly by the nose, stumbling in the dark knowing all the while what lies in wait for us in Kelmarane. For what? For family. legacy. You've made it clear we're not making the decisions, Almah. If you don't want to make this one, just say so - but save your petulance and your anger for Dashki, not us!
Lotus lays a calming hand on Ahnekhet's forearm, glancing up at him. "What I believe Ahnekhet is saying, my lady, is that what if these gnolls are telling the truth? What if they will help us liberate Kelmarane? Even if it's not likely, we still have to consider it, don't we?
As for Dashki, I don't know. I still honestly think he means well, in his own horribly misguided way. But like Ahnekhet said, and just as with the gnolls, this is your endeavor, my lady. As such, what to do with them is your decision as well. I... I am sorry if we upset you."