Christaph comes over wanting to take a closer look at the purple slug thing and see what he can learn about it.
Aidan tries to wake the duergar up. He slaps him a couple of times. If that doesn't help, he'll ask Kazushi to heal him a bit.
"Here, try splashing some water on his face." As he hands Aidan his waterskin.
Kazushi uses the wand of infernal healing on the unconscious Duergar.
Waking the Duergar , the caravan guards see him sit up, shake his head, and look at them without recognition. "Who in the nine hells are you? Where are Filgum and Fat-Hiruk?"
The Duergar reaches for his fallen battle axe.
"We are the travelers that pulled this from your neck. I do not know where your fat or full friends are. I am Squirm. What do you remember? Please do not make this nasty, we are trying to help."
Kazushi points at the puppeteer Squirm is holding and says:-
"I strongly suspect that vile little creature was controlling you. That is why you have a gap in your memory. We just set you free, which means you should thank us, not hit us with an axe."
"We are heroes, after all” adds Neils.
"Not to mention that we highly outnumber you and it would be tactically unwise of you to attack us."
Looking around him in bewilderment, the Duergar looks at the guards addressing him, then at the puppeteer. He rises to his feet holding his axe haft in his hand, but with the blade swinging low in a casual manner. "Name's Bender. Been guarding a caravan headed through the Hirauu Forest to Arbil. Filgum was my companion, and Fat-Hiruk was the caravan master.
"You say you pulled that off my neck? Best drop it before you lose a hand dromite!" the Duergar spits as he raises up his axe and moves toward the puppeteer.
"Put is down and let him kill it Squirm. It will save us doing it." Kazushi suggests, delaying her action.
Squirm channels his dread powers into the creature
before dropping it at the duergar's feet.
"Do you remember anything? What route did you take?"
Aidan keeps an eye on the strange thing as it plops on the ground.
Holding up his hands in a stopping motion, "Pardon me, but I would like a chance to study this creature before we kill it! After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle won, right?"
'WACK' The ax slices the puppeteer in half coming within a hair's breath of Squirm's hand. His ax head by his side, blood dripping from it, he turns to the caravan guards.
"You can study it dead. Now who are you, why are you here, and what day is it?
"Overseer Mosephi from Arbil asked us to check on kobolds in Vensnak. Ore shipments are late," answers Aidan.
"You are most ungracious for one who has just had a life sentence lifted. We have saved you from the most intimate of enslavements and you answer with suspicion?"
"Well, I'd be suspicious too. Don't judge him too hard."