Katherine smiles at Allysen, reassuring her that the ha-folk agrees with her idea of having something nice made.
"My friends, you have arrived at the Sea itself, and that," Wolfram points to the small boat, "is a dinghy. There is a proper ship nearby. I promise you that. If we return to Saltmarsh now, we'll never know the end of this mystery. But if we get into that boat..."
"We have NO idea what's on that ship. There could be 20 seasoned pirates, all armed with swords. I vote no. Let's take our prisoners and the goods back to town."
Anyone looking at Grace when Isagoras runs the wizard thru would clearly see a look of disdain on her face.
"Alright, I see your point. But what is the harm in waiting here? We have the advantage of knowing what happened to their little scavenging party, and they'll come looking. We can prepare an ambush and get to the bottom of this."
"Because we could always ask them. maybe let Isagoras do it. He... he might know of ways to get them to talk."
"Some group of adventurers," Wolfram mutters.
Belros gives Isagoras a questioning look at his "matter-of-fact" statement.
"You *had* to kill him? That seems harsh."
Belros turns to the smugglers.
"Who or what is on board that ship?"
The smugglers look around confused. Finally one of them speaks up. "What ship?" says a rather rotund man with a funny red cap and large mutton chops.
"Now is not the time for games. You can't expect us to believe that the six of you and the mage we just murdered along with half a dozen gnolls all packed in to this tiny little boat with a thousand pounds of silk and cheap spirits for a voyage across that angry sea. Unless you want this interrogation turn into an execution, start talking, and don't make us ask again."
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"Yes. I had to take action so he did not escape. Whilst I'm certain that you would have made him into a Chosen One of Propoket with but a kind word and a raunchy ballad, or put him into a compliant stupor with but a thought and one arm, I have not such power at my command. I attempted to get him to heel and he zigged when I thought he would zag and damage was done.
That he chose the way of non-cooperation rather than something more compliant is only proof that he would have only sought a way to kill us all at first opportune.
But I did manage to get the location of his home base, and he said it was in a cave where 'the sun meets the sky'. I presume that is to the East.
Now, what have you accomplished in my absence? Have we distributed the loot we have liberated? Where is my portion?"
"I see. These smugglers were about to tell us the truth about that ship out there."
The smugglers seem confused at your questions. The one with the red hat stammers a bit, clearly intimidated by Father Argyle.
"There's no ship, at least no more. It took off once it dropped off the goods."
"How do you signal them when you are ready to receive goods?" Katherine demands, trying desperately to be fierce and intimidating. It is a hopeless effort. The ha'folk tries to make a fierce face, but only succeeds in drooling down her chin. She shamefacedly wipes the spittle away with her sleeve and settles for giving the smugglers a cross look.
"I think they just come when they come. The bigger question is where were they taking the goods," Allysen says.
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"So there's no ship, but there was a ship. I don't think you're taking this situation seriously."
Wolfram glances about, quickly determining the high tide watermark. He grabs the bonds of the guy with the mutton chops and drags him to the edge of the cave and then lies the man down and stands over him.
"You're familiar with the Trial of Procan, I presume. That is, unless you are not truly men of the sea, or are from lands distant beyond familiarity with the deities of this realm. See that line? That line is a clock, and in about six hours, the sea will sweep into this cave up to the level of that line, and when that happens, you will know terror with each wave, until you can spit the brine out no more and it fills your lungs.
"The Trial has only one test, and we say, 'No man of the sea dies that has truly lived, but every man who turns his back on the sea will die by it.' Now is not the time for half-truths. Do not turn your back on the sea, for I will not hesitate to let you drown in Procan's judgment.
"Last chance. Hold nothing back. Tell us what you're doing here. Tell us who you're working for. Tell us about the ship that brought you here and how you will be getting back to it. Tell us where you came from and where you're going next."
= 11
Seeing Wolfram threatening to drown a man makes Allysen's blood run cold. She shivers and takes a step back, then another, before turning and leaving the chamber, moving past the corpse of the wizard Isagoras had killed and past where she could hear anything from the hidden anchorage. She sits down, shaking violently. She'd known that her companions have a dim view of thieves and other criminals, but this was getting to be too much for her.
"I should've left," she mutters as she shivers from the chill she feels. She isn't at all sure she could go back in there, not with knowing how the smugglers they had captured were being treated.
Belros tries to work out if Wolfram is going to make good on his threat.
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Grace sees Allysen leave the chamber, and follows her. Finding her sitting up against the wall of the corridor, she sits down beside her.
"I do not necessarily agree with our comrades' methods, but everyone has a different code of ethics, and we must make allowances for others' ethics if we are to work together. While I have seen my share of violence, I would not kill a captive in cold blood like Isagoras. But that was his choice, and I can either accept it or reject it. If I reject it strongly enough, I would leave the group. And if you object strongly to what the others are doing, try speaking your mind to convince them otherwise!"
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Belros tries to work out if Wolfram is going to make good on his threat.
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Belros tries to work out if Wolfram is going to make good on his threat.
The smugglers seem to believe that Father Argyle is serious about drowning them in this cave.
The one you've been talking to begins to blubber and plead for his life. "We threw down our arms! WE SURRENDERED! We just bring in the goods and sell them to the local merchants in the nearby towns and wait for the boat to come pick us up again! That's it! We swear! Don't kill us!"
You notice that the man has wet himself in fear.
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Katherine sees Allysen leave and follows the young woman out. She takes a seat next to the half-elf and offers a comforting hug.
Belros focuses on the men's reaction. He then turns to the others still in the room.
"I believe that they are being honest in this. We should bring them back to Saltmarsh, and with no ship predictably coming, we have little reason to wait here with them."
Wolfram ignores his companions, and secretly hopes none of them are ever asked to investigate any serious threat on behalf of Saltmarsh.
"Who do you work for? Who captains that boat? Give me a NAME!"
The men shake their head at Argyle's request.
"They'd kill us," the one in the red cap mutters.
Lord Belros simply glares at the men silently.
The Reverend, realizing that his colleagues have openly undermined his leverage in this interrogation, concedes.
He steps away from the captives, or waits until he is out of earshot, preferably.
"I realised my error in interrupting too late, Wolfram. For what it is worth, I apologise."
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"I would not kill a captive in cold blood like Isagoras."
Isagoras stares daggers at the one in the red cap. "And what do you presume a rising tide will do to you now? Is it a gentle bath? Or are you part merman that you can breath underwater?
You are wagering the unknown future against the very -known- present. I would advise you are more wise to worry about us, and our penchant to...do what is necessary."
There's something about how he pronounces the last phrase that turns the blood cold.
= 9
= 13
"And as to your surrender?"
Isagoras, enraged, tosses his blade to the ground.
Grace sees Allysen leave the chamber, and follows her. Finding her sitting up against the wall of the corridor, she sits down beside her.
"I do not necessarily agree with our comrades' methods, but everyone has a different code of ethics, and we must make allowances for others' ethics if we are to work together. While I have seen my share of violence, I would not kill a captive in cold blood like Isagoras. But that was his choice, and I can either accept it or reject it. If I reject it strongly enough, I would leave the group. And if you object strongly to what the others are doing, try speaking your mind to convince them otherwise!"
Allysen returns Katherine's hug, holding the ha'folk woman tightly as she tried to sort through her complicated thoughts and emotions.
"It's... It's not that," she whimpers, "I-it just reminds me of her."
She shudders as she squeezes her eyes shut, trying to shut out the memories.
"Sh-she would toy with me. And... Grace, have you ever drowned?"
Does Isagoras have fireball?
Moves With Grace wrote:
"I would not kill a captive in cold blood like Isagoras."Why are you conjecturing on something you didn't see? Or are you trying to goad me into something?
Katherine holds the half-elven woman tightly, gripping her hand in her own small one.
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said things...
Allysen holds onto Katherine as she continues, her voice shaking from the effort it takes to keep it from turning into a scream.
"It's... horrible. You can't breath. You can't cough. You just fight to get any relief as your body shakes and moves like a puppet shaken by its strings. You know you're dying, but you can't so anything about, and Ma Belladonna would always laugh as I writhed on the ground, drowning on land when she was really mad at me, or just in a foul mood," she explains before burying her face in Katherine's tiny shoulder.
"Shhh. It's okay. She can't hurt you now." Katherine holds the woman tightly, rocking her to help comfort her.
Grace has no idea what to say to Allysen's statements, so she awkwardly pats her on the shoulder.
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The smugglers seem terrified being left alone with the clearly homicidal wizard.
"The ship will be returning in a week! We signal it with a lantern from the top of the cliffs outside the mansion to let them know whether it's safe to approach! The captain of the Sea Ghost is Sigurd Snake Eyes. We swear that's all we know!"
Ok, good. We should probably clear out the rest of the gnolls on our way out.
"That we should."
Allysen calms after a few minutes, exhausted by the emotional breakdown. She looks up with red, tear-rimmed eyes and leans against the wall.
"Grace, d-do you think you could tell K-katherine about, her? I don't know if I could do it."
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Isagoras' mood brightens considerably. "Ah. Now was that so hard? And look how un-killed you all are. Congratulations."
He debated in his head greatly as to kill the lot. Would the world not be better off with another nest of rats scurrying about? Or would these men prove dangerous in the future?
In the end he decided against it. They were not thralls of The Despoiler and there was not time enough to kill every man that orbited Lord Borak's web tangentially.
He goes and finds the good father telling him that they are done here.
"Grace, d-do you think you could tell K-katherine about, her? I don't know if I could do it."
Grace looks over at Katherine, and says quietly "Allysen was taken in as a child by an evil woman, the 'Ma Belladona' she mentioned, who ran a gang of thieves, and was horribly abused by her mentally and physically for many years before she escaped. She still fears that the gang is on the look-out for her."
"Very good, Isagoras. Let's get these men up and out of here and proceed back to town unimpeded and without further delay."
"Aye, no more delay on this."