The rider follows the conversation with his eyes. When talk comes up of taking him into the tomb with you, he shakes his head vigorously. A croak comes out of his mouth, but his lips form the words, Not the tomb. Kill me first!
"Our friend appears to be a little more willing to talk...as best he can," Liet notes, "Perhaps you'd like to conduct your interrogation now instead?"
"...while we have the threat of the tomb to use as leverage," he adds with a whisper, while turning his back to the captive.
The rider follows the conversation with his eyes. When talk comes up of taking him into the tomb with you, he shakes his head vigorously. A croak comes out of his mouth, but his lips form the words, Not the tomb. Kill me first!
"Well, that's certainly interesting," Skittle says as he drops from his perch. Then, turning to Bedu, he adds, "Barber, you healed him, it's your decision." Turning to Liet, he continues, "I have some tricks that my father taught me that may come in handy. I can make noises and lights and such, if that's what you have in mind. Of course, we can if we string his entrails through the trees it might be more convincing . . . "
My friends, I cannot force you into an action. My people prize free will too much for that. However, I cannot allow us to kill him. It is a tradition among my people that if someone chooses to be a danger to the tribes, he must be exiled to the jungle to make his own way.
The big man pours water over his hair and wrings out his top knot. If he is not willing to go to the tomb, we can exact a promise from him. We will leave him in the jungle,to head towards whatever town he wishes. Here, the jungle wizard turns and speaks directly to his captive.
He will likely be presumed dead once the forces of the rani discover we have beaten them to their quarry. He will not be pursued. He can amke a new life in any city,should he survive the jungle. In exchange, he tels us al that he knows of the tomb, what is being sought, what they have encountered, and more. If he keeps his word, I am satisfied by Bedu's third option.
He turns his soaked head back to his companions. Who among us is capable of divining whether he will keep his word?
Later, planning the eerie caper that should leave us alone with the tomb, Indo suggests a few courses of action:
I have some chalk we can powder, and some ash from their campfire will help as well. I propose we offer them visions and sounds of tribal ghosts. When one of them ends up dead, and their number seem to diminish, they should scatter easily enough.
I want to be clear, my friends. These are simply slave workers. They are under duress as are we all. I would not kill them if we can avoid it.
Rob:
If Bedu and I are going to be a minority in sparing the lives of combatants, maybe a form of this belief will ease Indo's conscience.
Steve:
"We have Skittle leaving his vote to me, Liet and Lotus wanting to take him into the tomb and Indo wanting to set him free. No one wants him dead at the moment."
Bedu grins wolfishly at the pleading man. "I think you will be more cooperative at the tomb. Don't you? Let's see how helpful you can be. Let us stay here and see about the ghosts and the smoke genies we can use to scare the slave overseers. I think that will be fun. Then we can try to enter the tomb after. With you."
Points at the rider.
"Speak up, I can not hear you. Oh and you don't get a vote, because we do not trust you."
The rider shakes his head vigorously again at going into the tomb. NO! Banish me instead! Kill me! he mouths, along with more that's not clear without a lip reader.
"Is this man a mute?" Liet asks. He leans in closer, grabbing the man's jaw to examine his mouth and determine if someone has cut out his tongue.
Once he's ascertained the rider's ability to speak, the priest sits back and considers their options.
"We don't kill him...even if he asks us, too," he muses aloud, "But he can communicate, regardless. So he should either tell us now what he knows of this tomb and those who tasked him with violating it, before we go inside. Or, we take him with us and he can face his fears of it directly."
"What would be your preference?" he asks the prisoner, "If you cannot...or won't...speak aloud of it, then perhaps you can write or draw pictures?"
"So, what's it going to be?" Skittle asks. "I didn't see any signs of a camp when I took my peek before, and if they're all as scared as this one, they may be staying some distance away. If we go now, we may be able to just walk in under cover of darkness. Since I can see at night better than most of you, and I can make it through the jungle without sound like some great beast, I can lead the way. Or would you rather all sleep the night, and then, when everyone is up & about, try and scare them away? Either is fine with me," the gnome finishes, climbing back into the tree, "so let's just flip a copper and be done with it."
Disinterested in whether they go into the tomb now or in the morning, Lotus keeps out of the conversation and waits for the others to make up their minds.
"I'd like to rest first. I am happy to take the middle watch, since my eyes are able in darkness. Wake me whoever is one the watch before."
The dwarf leaves the campfire a little and quickly falls asleep.
"I'll take the early watch," Liet suggests, "I don't expect the other camp will prove very active until the morning anyway. And it would be better to have our sharp-eyed gnomish friend watching out for them then."
The rest of the night passes uneventfully. The tribesmen keep a large fire going all night to ward away the darkness (or worse). As morning breaks, there is movement in the camp, but never in the direction of the tomb.
One of the last to awaken, Liet looks around with interest at the others.
"Well, we seem to have made it through the night okay," he remarks, "Let's see what the day has in store for us."
The priest goes to relieve himself behind one of the jungle trees and then returns to speak with Bedu over a bit of breakfast.
"What do you have planned for talking with our captive guest over there?" he asks, "Their purpose in opening the tomb? To whom and where he intended to ride? The names and resources of those directing the slaves? Or, perhaps more information about the strange spontaneous burnings of our fellow-citizens back in town?"
"We shouldn't tarry too long questioning him," Liet finally advises, "We still have to find our own way into the tomb without attracting attention to ourselves. The longer we wait, the more active the other camp will become. And someone might spot us."
Lotus excuses herself to a nearby stream to clean herself with some water. Once back she sits down for one of Bedu's famous breakfasts. Chewing down on whatever is placed in front of her, she remarks on her impatience to head to the tomb and do some exploring .
"That is the last of the sweet fruit. I doubt the eggs will give us another omelette like that again," Bedu mourns.
He listens to everyone and looks again at the rider.
"Are you willing to talk? Just nod or shake your head, do not worry about trying to speak. I cannot lip read."
Bedu counts off his fingers as he talks, "Oh and please be so good as to help the others in the same way, if they have questions. Remmeber we have little patience and Lotus is not the only one here to enter the tomb. Answer well and you may go free...answer poorly and you will be coming too!"
"So were you sent by the Burning Queen or another follower of Lamashtu?"
"Were you sent by the Cerulean Sisterhood?"
"Were you sent by Tanish?"
"Were you going to a servant of the Rani?"
"Were you going to a servant of Lamashtu?"
"Were you telling them that the tomb is open?"
"Were you going to tell them more than that?"
"Were you going a matter of a few hours ride away with your message?"
"Were you going further than a day's ride?"
"Less?"
"Did you intend for someone to come else to come and enter the tomb?"
"Do you like my omelette?"
"Are there more than four guards on the slave camp? five? six? seven? etc"
"Are you the leader of this encampment?"
Skittle is up before dawn, having taken the last shift. As he goes up cleaning up the camp and eating, he pushes everyone to get moving. "We should enter the tomb before our friends return, or we may have to wait for them to leave again with nightfall."
Indo muses as the camp brekas in the morning. If we are going to try to scare away the workers, we must do it at night, or in the early morning mist, when superstitions run high and acumen is low. If we are simply going into the tomb, we should go now. Anything we elect to leave behind might be distracted by them if they come back to work.
He looks at the rider with sympathy. You must answer us. If you respond slowly, we might be able to understand you, though you have no voice. If you speak aloud, do it softly.
Hearing Bedu's littany of questions, Indo adds, If we take you into the tomb, will you attempt to journey into the next life, rather than brave its dangers?
as if awakening from a dream and shaking off the fog of inaction Hammurabi smells the eggs, "Bedu, I think this is your masterpiece, a truely fine work"
"Yes Hammarubi. I believe the secret is to always taste your own food....many times."
With the tribesman still not answering, Lotus pulls out a dagger and approaches him in frustration. Time to start answering little man, or I take you into the tombs of the God-Kings...