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Ilamin smirked "Aye, call it a little bit of magic, a little bit of using what Svetlana told us about Happ and Kressle, and a lie spiced with just enough true and paranoia to make them believe what they already probably thought." he said with his bow trained.
"I would've taken a bow, but well...hands full."
With three long steps, Max is next to one of the unconscious bandit's side. As he disarms the man, he says, "I'm inclined to simply finish Happs now, given the obvious pain he's caused the folks that live here. And his willingness to simply end their lives." He looks over to where Oleg is running. "Shall we leave that decision to Oleg?"
We shan't. - The Paladin replies with his heavy accent to Maximillian, making clear his objection to simply execute any prisoner.
The Dwarf moves and knees down near to the hurt one, trying to stabilize him if possible.
He isn't too successful, but keeps speaking while trying.
Unless thees' pieces of goat turd decide ta' try anything funny, f'cours. Otha'wise they'll be taken to tha' local authorities ta' take a fair trial. - he coughs, without worrying about covering his mouth at all - And 'aye guarantee ya, such trials might be much more lenient if we argue tha' the prisoner helped us with infa'mation.
Azul emerges from behind the bunkhouse.
"Well, that went much more smoothly than I expected," Azul remarks. He goes over to the wounded and dying man, and leans down, touching the wound. He sprinkles a bit of herbs on the wound, and it begins to close.
Unless thees' pieces of goat turd decide ta' try anything funny, f'cours. Otha'wise they'll be taken to tha' local authorities ta' take a fair trial.
"Do you mean to march them back to Restov? There are no local authorities out here. If anything, our charter makes us the local authorities, though the wording of the charter is open to debate."
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Ilamin nods with Azul "He's right, Oleg or us are the local authorities. And there is a bounty on Bandits, which mean the authorities already want them dead. Your god would see no problem in executing such a man. The others were so quick to turn on their friend and kill him, I'm inclined to give them a swift death as well. But perhaps mercy is in order for them...if Oleg feels he can trust em enough and the extra hands arrive soon enough." he said as he held the bow taunt.
He stared at the two conscious ones "Course, mercy depends on how you behave now. Move and there are about six different weapons that'll go into like a cooked boar at a dwarven feast."
"I have never been to a dwarven feast. Do they really eat with weapons?" Azul asks, puzzled.
"I cannot help to wish that there were some sort of due process here, but even were we to march these men back to Restov I would not have high hopes in that regard. Brevoy doesn't seem to have much in the due process department."
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Ilamin perked up and shook his head. It had taken him a while to realize what spell that the over elf had used. "I hate to say something that might sound uncouth, but if I'm right you used a spell that knocks weaker people unconcious? And that spell only knocks them unconcious for anywhere from a few seconds to a minute at most?" he asked already knowing the answer.
"Apologies, that was rhetorical. I'm almost certain of it, could each of you choose a guy and give em two or three good wacks with the flat of your blades? If we wish to tie them up and for them to not wake up and cause problems..." he said not liking what he was saying and expecting them to wake up while he was speaking.
"I only have the one piece of rope and I'm hesitant to start cutting it apart. I agree with Ilamin, let's just knock them out so we have the time to decide what to do with them," he says as he pulls out his sap and starts hitting each of them upside the head.
Once the bandits have been rendered useless, he joins the discussion. "As Azul and Ilamin pointed out, the 'law' of the Stolen Lands is in the hands of the winner. The powerful rule here, which is currently us, and we also have that writ," he comments, pulling his out for reference. "Depending on how binding you find this piece of paper, we are contractually obligated to put these bandits to the sword if they prove to be unrepentant. I'm hesitant to let more than two of them go regardless, none of which should be Happs. What stops them from rejoining their crew? Oleg could probably use the hands, but too many curs in one place will simply result in his death." I'm all for mercy when we can rely on the law to handle it, but out here it is kill or be killed. I hope we can see the reality of the matter, every foe we set free is another that will try to stab us in the back for one reason or another.
"Furthermore, who is to say Oleg and his wife don't have a say in the matter? They have been chronically forced to give up their livelihood to these scum and have suffered at their hands. Who is to say they would even want one of them to stick around? Would you feel safe sleeping under the safe roof as your assailant, just because they convinced a stranger they were repentant?" I know I wouldn't get the same mercy if the bandits caught me. In this place, an excess of mercy is a liability that we can't afford. Besides, I'd do much worse to someone who threatened my family.
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"How do we know if they are truly repentant? The charter gives us that discretion, but I am not sure how we can verify that. But it would be terrible to kill out of hand those willing to give up that life."
"Oh, ah... don't worry about the rope. If you cut it, I can join the ends back together."
SPOILS OF VICTORY!:
Calculation and Analysis:
Happs- 400XP
Bandits (four)- 540XP
Total XP Value- 940XP
Divided by 6- 156XP
Loot:
Happs: Combat Gear: alchemist’s fire (2); Other Gear: leather armor,
dagger, composite longbow (+2 Str) with 20 arrows, 2 days of
trail rations, silver Stag Lord amulet worth 20 gp, 35 gp
Bandits (each of four):
Gear: leather armor, longbow with 20 arrows, short sword, 2 days
of trail rations, 10 gp
7 light horses.
The two presently most lucid brigands tell what they know respectively -- the injured bandit says he has only been travelling with these highwaymen for a matter of weeks -- he wants his freedom, but says his hide belongs to "The Stag Lord" now. Fleeing a murder of some dandy in a bar brawl in Restov, the wilds of the green belt are the only refuge for him now. Kressle will know soon enough that something is wrong if the bandits aren't back with the take in short order -- and frankly he's more scared of her than he is of the lot of you, what with your talk of a light hand and justice for all. He says those who are agents of the stag lord wear special pendants indicating they may enter the stag lord's hideout unaccompanied... he's never even seen such a place, Merely Kressle's camp which is not far from here to the southwest. Beyond that he's not talking. He says even a just man would simply give him the rope, so if you aren't going to let him go you'd best be quick about it.
Tassle, on the other hand, is far more compliant. He admits he's been skimming off the top of takes in recent weeks -- and had intentions of fleeing the company of the bandits after hearing more about the stag lord -- a hateful brute that supposedly has no face. Now that his shenanigans have come to light, he'd just as soon sell out his travelling companions in return for a head start on a running to who knows where. He's willing to join the party and show the way to Kressle's hideout if he is just allowed to take his belongings after the fight and go his own way. He also says he knows the password for bandits in the forest and in the camp of the stag lord -- since faces change so often and not every bandit knows one another, the answer to "Who goes there?" is "By the bloody bones of St. Phaedra, who wants to know?" -- he also says the real bandits to be afraid of have made their bones in the Stag Lord's company, and have special silver amulets to signify their loyalty and/or cruelty.
Tassle goes on to talk about Kressle's camp -- and says it has guard platforms in the trees on either side of it... and a broken down cart is nearby that they occasionally use for more sophisticated robberies on the road, but it's almost always trapped. The better portion of Kressle's men will be in camp most of the day -- especially once they notice something is wrong... but for the next few hours half a dozen of them will be hunting and gathering firewood. He stresses that anybody with a stag necklace shouln't suffer to live -- but he doesn't have one and should be allowed to flee with his ill-gotten gains if he can help you overcome Kressle's camp, if that's what you want to do. Beyond that he can merely beg for his life...
Talking with Happs and the other bandits in their present state would require a couple of hours for them to come around, time the party may not have depending on what their next plan of action is...
Oleg relates that these men have beaten him and his wife on more than one occasion, and Svetlana spits at the conscious bandits demanding to know where they'd taken her wedding ring. Svetlana eventually breaks down into tears, and Oleg said these men had no mercy for their handyman Vanice when he so much as looked at them the wrong way on their first arrival. Oleg says they all deserve to die for what crimes, known and unknown, they've visited upon the vulnerable on the frontier...
They are however elated at the quick and impressive success of the party, and emboldened that the group can protect them from Kressle and her goons... at least until the official guards from Brevoy Arrive...
Seeing the situation was "calmer", Dommer relaxed and sheathed his weapons. He scratched his beard for a long time in silence, as his companions were speaking, but couldn't avoid but chuckle when the elf pretended to know what Torag would or not approve. He refrained from speaking, though, and patiently analyzed what the bandits said. Finally, when Oleg and Svetlana came, he approached.
Well, 'ya heard the lady, boyos. Where's her lovely band, huh? - he asked the bandits. He had lived decades enough to know that he should try to pay attention to the minimal details when it comes to someone like Svetlana.
Finally, he turned to Oleg himself, trying to make himself heard by his companions as well.
'Aye understand they had no mercy b'fore, and murder's murder. Do 'ya recognize any of 'em here from the past? - The Paladin started, then continuing - ... Plus, maybe 'tis time for us to getta' new law of the land goin'on. Let's not resort to being murder hobos, mah' lads, for repenting's a thing. But sometimes fair's fair and men'll hang, and that's that.
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Ilamin looked at the Dwarf for a minute. He agreed that some crimes were simply to get by. Steal for your daily bread or to help provide for you sick parents. He's seen need and desire out there but he still wasn't sure how he felt about banditry.
He paused and chose his words carefully "I can agree to point, but our kind hosts, do you feel they would lie to us to get revenge? These men haven't done simple thievery but done cruel things in the name of another and have yet to show actual remorse for their actions."
He points to the man who had showed the closest thing of remorse. "This one here openly admitted to fleeing for murder before his crimes amongst the bandits. Even he believes his crimes deserve the noose. Even if we were to pardon him, he should still be held accountable in Restov for his crimes there." he said sighing.
"If this was out of necessity and the bands of bandits weren't known for their cruelty, I'd agree some mercy is in order. But mercy right now, is a swift death while they can't lament what's coming." he said after some time.
"I'm not a philosopher or a diplomat. I live a simple life and trust my gut. I say we let the turncoat live so we can get the jump on their camp, and kill the rest. I don't care what happens to him afterwards. If you want to haul them all the way back to Restov, be my guest, but I'm staying in the Stolen Lands," Ryker adds in. "I say we save our mercy for those who really deserve it, not those who have already proven their cruelty." Nobody has ever called me one, but I've essentially been a bandit for quite some time. Lacking the cruelty of this lot though. I did what I did for my family, but I'm no murderer.
"Let me know if you need me to do the deed and run a funeral service," he concludes as he recovers and resheathes his dagger.
"Oleg, Svetlana, is there any work I could help you with around here? Those longbows are beyond my expertise, but I'd be willing to work in exchange for a shortbow if you have it," he offers.
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Ilamin looks at the gear at hand and picks up the composite Longbow. He gives it a pull and feels the strain in his muscles. This would not suit him, he could get some extra power out of it but he wouldn't be able to get the most out of it.
He looked at his compatriots and sized them up a bit, noting muscle tone and a bit of their walk before tossing that bow between the human and the dwarf's feet. "I've not the strength to get the most out of that bow. If we're to defend this outpost from future attackers, we need whatever advantage we can find ourselves even in the gear of the fallen." he said before picking up the other.
He gave it a pull, quickly realising it was pretty standard in pull. "If neither of you are comfortable wielding it, I can make better use of it than with this one, but I don't know your preference in tactics or weaponry." he said looking at them for a minute. "I'd assume you two prefer the up close and personal, but Longbows are certainly expensive more so than the shortbow so you may have had to deal with what you can afford till you can earn better." he said as he tossed his shortbow back into the pile, clearly intent on taking one of the longbows.
He notched an arrow and aimed for one of the hay bales before firing it after humming a bit.
He chuckled a bit "Ah, yes this is well balanced. Well the both of them are." he said smiling. He looked at the others and at the one who said he could lead them to Kressle "I agree, his information might be worth is pardon. But, I will not show mercy to him a second time. If I hear word of his banditry in the future, I might even take the time to hunt him down myself and make him pay for his crimes." he said, the latter bit quieter and mostly to himself.
Max bends down and picks up the alchemist's fire. He pockets one and offers the other to whoever wants it. "The real prize it sounds like is this," he says picking up the Stag Lord amulet. "Any of you particularly skilled with disguises? We might be able to use this to quite the advantage."
"I'll give this one a new home if you're parting with it," Ryker notes as he collects the shortbow and 20 of the arrows.
"I'm still willing to help out around here when I can, though perhaps for something else?" he offers to their hosts. This may be my family for now, but I still have to be able to provide for my real one.
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Ilamin shrugs at Max's idea. "I'm not the best but to be honest, it's hard to disguise oneself as a bandit. To be fair though I have a ruse thought up but I'm not sure it's gonna work. And to be frank, I don't think I should try my hand at using a spell on another bandit. The golden boy over there might go down and I know a minor bit of healing magic. I'd rather save incase he goes down."
"If we're lying, might as well keep as close to the truth as possible. We simply tell em we killed the bandits, stole their stuff, tortured one of them to tell us where their leader was so we can join the Stag Lord's crew. We heard Kressle was his second in command, so when the name popped up we forced them to tell us." he said crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby strut.
"If she asks, tell her it's obvious her old crew weren't good enough and we're better...cause we were able to get the drop on them and beat them mercilessly. Hopefully that'll get us close enough to drop a guard or two or even her before all hell breaks loose. Course that'd make me look like the leader of our motley crew."
"I'd temper that tale a bit. I've hear Happs and Kressle have been on and off again lovers, talk of torture and killing might not get us through the door. If we decide to lie, what if you tell them Happs recruited us and gave us that medallion? Might get us in to where we can take them by surprise. Depending on the layout, I could even try to sneak in too," Ryker suggests, sharpening his daggers while he waits. A rather elaborate affair, he has spread a black cloth in front of him with his daggers all facing their points towards him and an iron spiral centered at the top. He ceremoniously sharpens each of them with slow, deliberate strokes of his whetstone.
Sincerely, may't, the longbow would be only lika' reserve wep for me. - Dommer says, thoughtful - I'm much more of a smell-ya-sweat kinda lad, ya' know? If someone could put it to good use, I'd be all for it, 'therwise I'll stick to mah back and tw'll save me some of mah darts I can't recover.
He waited for other candidates for the composite longbow, but approached the elves to talk.
'Ya know, despite my clear great smile and goo'looks, I'm not much of a lying or disguising typ'of kimp. Heh! But, still, I like more Max and Ryker's approach to tha' situation. Maybe sir Longnames could'a use tha' amulet and pull ahead with som'of us, and som'others could be sneaky-sneaking 'round tha' bushes.
"Be sure and read the bounty board before heading away from the outpost -- it'll be hard to fulfill any contracts going, not knowing what they are." Oleg smiles for the first time in the short time you've known him.
"I'd be happy to buy whatever surplus goods and animals you'll not be taking for your own, by the way. Luck holding, I can actually expect to build up a stock of goods not just for travellers like you, but others who occasionally visit. Let me know if you would like to convert any wares you acquire in your travels to coin, it would be my pleasure to do business with you folk, after doing us such a great service."
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As an aside, further interrogation of the bandit as to the whereabouts of the wedding ring -- it is most likely in Kressle's possession.
Having once worked for a stint at an elven stable, Max takes a look at the horses to see if any are better than his pony (via breadth of exp).
"Good enough," he says, picking the one in best shape. He checks the saddle on the "new" horse. "Gonna call you Malvolio. So get used to it," he tells the horse, patting his flank.
"Doubt you'll get much more out of the others, Andreas." He throws his leg up mounting the horse, trying to get a good feel for it.
Azul looks the prisoners over.
"What about restitution?" asks Azul.
"Many systems operate under the principle that a crime creates a debt to the victim which must be repaid by the perpetrator. Generally with interest. If they cannot pay then they must labor until the debt is paid. A willingness to do this would show that a criminal is repentant of his crimes."
"By this standard, Tassle should not keep goods that he has stolen. We should also return any belongings to Oleg and Svetlana that were taken from them, or their equivalent."
Tassle turns to Sir Andreas after his thorough interrogation:
{b}"You want information about the camp? I'll tell you everything -- but I want your word at the end of it I walk away with a sack over my shoulder. I'll give you my words, if you give me yours that helping you secures me at least a running start to a new life elsewhere and not supposedly better conditions in some noble's court! With my help I'll tell you what you're facing, the location of the camp, and to the best of my ability a map of it as I remember. First though, swear your word."{/b}
"Didn't we already offer him freedom if he spilled the details of the camp? Unless I am mistaken on that, it seems to be poor form to renege on our proposal. This information would also lead us to clearing out their whole camp, surely we can give him a new start on life in exchange for that. It also seems inconsistent to send him to the gallows for not sharing when we apparently aren't even considering killing the ones that are unconscious who aren't likely to give us novel information with the added bonus that they are willing to leave the Stolen Lands all together," Ryker points out, still deeply focused on his sharpening. Still don't see why we aren't gutting the rest, but I'm not going to go on anymore about that. Even this I'm only going to give my opinion once. We'll find the camp eventually, with or without his aid. Sometimes going solo is better than having a team to work with...
Tassle sighs as if giving up a piece of himself, leasing a soul that is already well-leveraged.
"spare me my life and I will fight beside you against my former associates. I have seen first hand what you can do, and figure if my options are a noose or helping you prevail against the Stag Lord, there's at least hope of my survival in your ranks. I'll make up for the harm I've done, or I'll die in the attempt. My name is Tassle Ewart -- and I am your guide against the bandits if you will have me. Spare me the rope -- give me a chance at what the odd one in your group calls 'restitution.'"
The other conscious bandit spits at him.
"He'll betray you too! the blood on his hands won't wash away so easily! you'll see! You'll live to regret this! Kressle will have your heads, and if somehow not the Stag Lord himself will punish you all grievously for presuming to take what is his! Let me and my comrades go and you won't have to be here when we burn this place to the ground. I'm not afraid of some unproven branch-handlers and their cantrips, nor will you find the rest of us so inclined.
Azul looks curiously at the uncooperative bandit.
"Stag Lord? Who is that?" he asks innocently. "And what makes all of this..." Azul makes a sweeping gesture at the trading post. "...his?"
"Surely you know that this land is quite legally part of the state of Brevoy. Was the Stag Lord granted this land by the Brevic Crown? I am not aware of any such grant."
"You speak boldly, and I respect this. But know that our orders are to execute bandits, and your threats of revenge by another will not sway us. Your failure to cooperate with us simply forces us to do our duty and put you to death."
"I say we let Tassle join us, but keep a close eye on him. His companion has a point: traitors can't be trusted for too long, despite their immediate usefulness. The others should be put to death," Ryker agrees as he stows his daggers all over his body. "I'm not a cleric, but I am familiar with Pharasma's funerary rites and can preside over their burials." Once in the Boneyard, Pharasma will judge them accordingly.
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"I'm open to redemption. But I agree we should keep an eye on him." He shakes his head at the other one. "But I'm afraid he's made his bed and must lie in it."
Dommer grunted, trying to discern the man’s true intentions. Even the Paladin wasn’t much inclined to carry around a potential knife on his neck, but tried to hide his own insatisfaction. Maybe he’d be wrong and at least the man would end up being useful - but for sure the Dwarf would keep a side eye, and his axes would taste blood if any signs of treason surfaced.
"Stag Lord? Who is that?"
The grumbling bandit spat again before speaking his piece
"The stag lord rules these wilds in as much as anybody can be said to, regardless of what a gilded fop in Brevoy has to say about it. Just you wait. You've already run afoul of him and you don't even know it. If you were smart you'd let us go and start running -- because the Stag Lord will have his due, even if he must extract it from your fingernails!"
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Ilamin sighed, he honestly had had enough of this one's insults and spitting. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver as if to knotch it and twirled it slightly in his fingers before jamming it up into his chin and hopefully into his skull.
He knew it wasn't the most efficient way to kill a man, but given his injuries he hoped it was enough.
He pulled his hand free and shook the blood off before turning to the others. "Apologies, at this point his insults and repetition was getting to me. He already asked to be hanged but we don't have the time or the extra rope to waste on him." he said looking up at what he might assume to be shocked faces.
Azul starts with surprise when the bandit gets stabbed by Ilamin.
"I was going to tell him that it's all right... I don't have fingernails."
He looks at the dead bandit for a while. Then he turns to the other captive bandits.
"Anyone else refuse to see the error of their ways?"
Coup de Grace: As a full-round action, you can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace (pronounced "coo day grahs") to a helpless opponent. You can also use a bow or crossbow, provided you are adjacent to the target.
Looks like it is settled then. "We are burning daylight, let's execute the rest and let this fellow lead us on. By the sound of it, we've got quite the day ahead of us," Ryker remarks.
"Oleg, I'm sure there are a couple of shovels around here. If it is all the same to you, I'll begin digging some holes for the bandits out back. Say fifty paces from the walls," he offers, eager to do something besides talk.
Oleg comes out of the house holding a shovel in each hand.
"A couple of shovels indeed, friend. And I'll be helping you to dig those holes. Grim business, but the least I can do considering you folk have taken to the grim business of fighting these lads and... dealing with the preliminaries before they can be buried."
Svetlana, out giving the stable-animals a rubdown, seems lifted in spirits.
"Things will be different when the guard arrives. I can feel it. My husband always feared that outsiders would one day shake up our quiet little backwater, but it seems if changes must come, they are happening at the right time, praise Erastil."
Svetlana comes out later, a dirty brush in each hand --
"If you're riding beyond the walls, I been thinking of a way to thank ye -- Just an hour or two away at the outskirts of the wood is a field with some of the sweetest turnips from here to who knows where -- If you come across their field in your... outing... I'll be making you the finest turnip pies you ever tasted in your long days, I promise!"
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The surveyors, learning that it is likely that the party will be setting off soon, request an escort to help defend them. Dommer happily steps up to be rearguard and help protect the surveyors.
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Ilamin sighs, he had hoped it would take longer into the life deep in the trees before he would've had to have to get his hands dirty.
He grabbed one of the shovels "I'll bury this one, while he may have asked for it repeatedly....it was in fact my hand that chose to move." he said joining Oleg in the building of a series of shallow graves.
He figured since he was already ready, and the animal that he'd ride was already ready, then he'd let the others finish up what they needed while he did something useful.
Tassel Ewart crouches down and digs in the dirt, laying twigs here, rocks there and little bits of plants about until a picture of the bandit encampment begins to take shape. Roughly 2 hours south-west was where the bandit relates the camp is -- straddling a river.
The grey spots on the map were archer platforms, Ewart explained. In the center of the map were a couple of logs the bandits move when they are expecting trouble and use for cover, with the majority of the camp area east of the river. A broken down cart is a device in some of the bandit's deceits, but it is almost always trapped.
Kressle, best he could put it, was a cruel mistress and certifiable badass. When she wasn't throwing knives she had a fondness for carving men up with her hatchets. If the camp was reached quickly, only a handful of bandits would be with her, with half the camp out hunting and gathering firewood. If they tarried, they could expect as many as ten bandits in the camp.
As the party mounted up, it could be seen that Oleg had manacled the remaining bandits and hoisted them halfway up the inside wall. He hung nooses around their necks so that if the ropes were cut or the bandits freed themselves, they would surely hang from the slack about their necks.
"If you're done with them I'd just as well get this ugly business over with, my friends. We can keep them captive like this for a while if you like, but the just and humane thing to do would be to see them hang before they fully regain consciousness."
The party had a map and location of the camp, if they were prepared to go there...
Ewart Saddled up and prepared to ride next to Sir Andreas.
"I can understand your mistrust, but where we go we go into combat. If you expect me to risk my life for you and your friends, I suggest you have a weapon handy to pass to me when the time comes. It's not a demand, but I hope I have demonstrated good faith already. If you want me to do more than hide in the woods pointing, I suggest you give me a sword or a bow to point with."
The fate of the prisoners, and time of departure were still to be made.
The surveyors,
Azul picks up a shovel and helps dig the grave.
"If it is any consolation," Azul says to the prisoners, "Death is not the end. Another universe awaits you after death."