Summary justice is no justice .
If we kill him now , we'll only apply the law of the strongest which is no law .
We are too far from town to waste time bringing him back .
I propose this : given what he just said , this Dagon know how to contact the bandits and I think he knows too
If he brings us there , we'll let him go free with a dagger. Else we'll break his arm as punishment and to avoid having him back against us .
"Law of the strongest is as good a law as any and exactly what they were bringin' to us!" Thrakhir says angrily. "Give 'em his dagger and let me finish what I started. Bandits won't be hard to find. Just a walk through the forest and I'll be guaranteein' they'll find us."
Away from the captive: "If you want him dead, hand him his sword and let him defend himself. Otherwise, I say we set him free.
I agree with Juliare: Summary justice is no justice.
Fighting him? That would not be a fair fight. We are all healed more or less and he is almost dead. Let's not pretent to give him a chanse. He has none.I still say, leave him to the authorities and let's do some research while we're in town. If we can't go back to town now we sap him unconscious and carry him until we can or tie him up and let him walk. A Hafling on a string. He can be useful still.
Set him free? No way. I don't want to wake up with a mad hafling grining at me just before he slits my throat.
Brock listens while all speak there peace and once very one has talked not listening to the others and talking in circles back to the same place again. Brock finally speaks
"Enough... We cant fight him while he is all beat. It an't fair if that's what you need to sleep Clark. We cant go back to town. Its a waste of time and were not supposed to be there Petra. We will not outright kill the poor bastard because two in are group aint havin it (He looks to the Bald man and the Dwarf). I will not give him a weapon not even a pin prick dagger Juliare this would not be wise if me thinks and he lost it in battle so he aint right to have it. So this is what I say is Fair for all and best for all. We strip him, and break his arm then if he live's however that maybe he has every right to come after us and I aint scared if he do. He cant hurt the one of us I thinks. This is what we shall do?"
Brock waits and takes a breath this really strained him. He almost wished Quick was here she'd know what to say and do so that everyone would be on the same page and stop this needless circle talk. Then almost as quickly as his breath is in and out he speaks again.
"What say ya, I think it be fair! And fair to us all here! The days wastin and if we keep talking about this I will kill the damn thing me self, just to speed up the time and save me ears this time wastin"
there is no need to think Brock is lying he's not. This talk of what to do with the halfling has really hurt his head and made him speak more so then he has in weeks and if its not settled with in the next few seconds he will do it.
"Right. Let's do it." Kirwen will help Brock strip the halfling - and when I say strip, I mean strip. If Brock goes to break his arm, though, Kirwen shakes his head. "No need for that. With no armor, no weapons, and no clothes... well, I think he's going to have enough trouble as it is."
Once it's done, Kirwen looks down at the man and says, "You're fond of making threats in other people's names, and giggling over the fate you think we're gonna face someday. Well, let me make a threat of my own, in my own name: if I see you again, I will kill you. I won't need anyone else to do it for me. Now get out."
Shivering with cold, the naked halfling trots off in the direction of Warwik without even looking back. The snide parting shot that you're all expecting doesn't seem to be forthcoming and eventually he disappears behind a bend in the road.
Where do you want to go now?
' He is only one hour and a half from town on a well travelled road you know ... '
After saying this , Juliare will take a look at the tracks left by the fleeing ones
"It will shame him more then anything Juliare, and I think mercy is not such a bad thing. We used it as a tool. when he gets to town and talks about what happen to himself, if he does, He wont have not to say other then that we wouldn't kill him harmless and that instead we gave him a chance, that with us saving the people in the temple makes it clear what we are about. I think there will be alot of people even those that might be are enemies who can even agree that what we did was right... although I wish we would have broke his arm... "
"It will shame him more then anything Juliare, and I think mercy is not such a bad thing. We used it as a tool. when he gets to town and talks about what happen to himself, if he does, He wont have not to say other then that we wouldn't kill him harmless and that instead we gave him a chance, that with us saving the people in the temple makes it clear what we are about. I think there will be alot of people even those that might be are enemies who can even agree that what we did was right... "
well spoken.
So what do we do now? Obviosly I will follow you but the undead and the others or the bandits? I don't have that much healing left. Does any of you have any healing potions?
When the others opt to send the bandit on his way stark naked, relief is evident on Clark's face. Taking a deep breath, he thinks about Petra's question. "It would seem that the bandits are more to blame for the attack than the mindless dead. His controlling cleric is dead," pointing at the now-headless corpse, "so I think perhaps we should pursue the other foes. The living ones."
He shrugs, "But I will defer to the more experienced among us."
I'll ask you nicely just one more time: where do you want to go?
No, it wasn't enough. The two villains disappeared into the woods somewhere, while the zombie was trudging along the road the last you saw it. So basically you could try exploring the forest and hope to pick up some tracks, either of the bad guys or the bandits, follow the road and hope to overtake the zombie (and probably spending the night at the Roadside Inn) or return to Warwik.
"I say we still shot for the bandits, looking for the others does us no good really, and besides they have a job to do and we aren't dead yet so they got to come back another time so they can finish us... only next time will be ready, lets move on and hope to find the bandits"
"Sounds like a plan, axeman. Let's do it."
"Agreed."
You chechked for the zombie and the others (Dagon Ziss and Da-Leek Ahats Du) so let's look for the bandits instead. I agreee with Brock - lets move on and hope to find the bandits ...out in the woods.
Juliare can you check for tracks? We can try to help you as well.
Thrakhir, you rogues are usually got at fining stuff. Can you find tracks?
Hey, what are we waiting for? Let's find some bullies, sorry I meant let's find some Bandits.
Clark will start scanning the ground to assist the others in their search.
Marching toward the forest you do indeed pick up some tracks. Following them you spot in the distance a small collections of tents around a low ramshackle wooden building. You hear the sound of axes.
"Well... That was fast..."
Brock is a little shocked at the day, he had two things that the group had followed and his "Lets go find the bandits" Idea looked like it might have turned out...
Axes ? Hum , there is something wrong there . Stay there , I'll go see
Juliare tries to sneak up to the place to have a better view
The encampment shows sign of recent use, but there doesn't seem to be anyone there at the moment. The sound of axes is coming from a bit further on. Sneaking ahead Juliare is able to make out two men working on felling a tree.
Only two or are there others nearby ?
Also in what Hex would we be ?
These are the only ones in sight. You are in hex 0607, at the edge of the forest.
Juliare will then show himself to the two men just checking for their reactions
As they notice Juliare, the men put down their axes and salute him. "Hello mate. What brings you to these parts?" one of them says, wiping his brow. His companion sits down and takes a swig from a flask he's carrying. They seem happy to have an occasion for a break.
Hello , I'm exploring the forest actually . And you , what are you doing in here ?
The men laugh. "What does it look like? We're loggers."
Oh , good , do you know what lies further on in the forest ?
Oh , good , do you know what lies further on in the forest ?
"Not really. There is this crazy girl living in the woods somewhere who comes here once in a while and gives us grief for cutting down the trees." He spits on the ground as his partner chuckles. "As if there wasn't a whole forest full of'em. Apart from that I don't think there is anything much of interest around here. The occasional gribbon or goblin, but we usually manage to scare those off. If there was anything worse than that hereabouts we sure wouldn't be here logging. I've heard some rumors about things lurking in these woods, bandits and stuff, but they must be camping somewhere in the far end of the forest, toward the Duskmoon hills or so. On the other hand, bandits don't really care for logs, do they?" His partner chuckles again.
Juliare smiles at the comments of the loggers .
'Thanks for the help ! Wait a moment , I'm here with friends . I think they'll like to meet you !'
He then raises his voice ' Guys , come in , that's all right , they are loggers from the city ! ' He then turns back woth a deprecating smile toward the woodcutters ' Sorry but at first they sent me to scout , we had been told the forest was dangerous but I guess the ones telling us so meant the part near the hills as you said .'
Clark walks into view of the two loggers, smiles, and raises a hand in greeting, but he doesn't move any closer.
Kirwen accompanies Clark into the clearing, and grunts something he clearly means to be taken for a greeting.
Petra follows Clark. She smiles, waves at the the men and says:
- hello.
Thrakhir follows the rest, not saying anything as he moves within sight of the loggers.
Brock also Shambles forward with nothing but a blank face, alert for the slightest bit of danger
"Look there, you brought quite the crowd. Hello there, folks. But if you're going monster-hunting, you're barking up the wrong tree." The loggers look at one another and both guffaw.
'That's all right ! 'Juliare retorts ' Brock has an axe to use against evil trees '
"You fellas got a camp somewhere around here?" Kirwen asks.
Clark shifts back a bit, letting his companions step forward, as he studies first one logger and then the other, trying to get a feel for the darkness in their hearts, if darkness there is.
At his companions mention of Brock's axe he pats its grip with loving affection.
"If you need me for evil tree fightin, its what I do best" He says with a smile playing on his buddies joke enjoying that the Half-elf is calming down a bit.
Clark shifts back a bit, letting his companions step forward, as he studies first one logger and then the other, trying to get a feel for the darkness in their hearts, if darkness there is.
The loggers start to look a little nervous. "Well, thank you for your offer", they say a little nervously, but we'll have to wait for the lads to get back with the wagon anyway, so we'll fight the rest of the evil trees another day. Our camp? You're coming from that direction, so you should have just passed it."
Clark
Clark's scan of the loggers reveals nothing.
Don't worry , he is quite tamed . Well , it was great meeting you . I guess we'd better take advantage of the rest of the day to continue our search . Which direction would you say this young womand was coming from usually . If she knows the forest, it could help us ?
Clark shifts back a bit, letting his companions step forward, as he studies first one logger and then the other, trying to get a feel for the darkness in their hearts, if darkness there is.
"Well, the lass had an uncanny tendency to appear behind your back, preferably when you were holding an axe. But she usually left in that direction." He indicates a direction into the woods, slightly southwards.
We'll go this way then .
'Guys , here is what's new ' ' I think it would be a good thing to find this girl first . The bandits must be further in the forest and she might have an idea where '
If there are no contradiction and depending on how dense the forest is, Juliare will be a round away from the others ahead scouting . We'll explore hex 506 first
"Okay Juliare lets do it! Or... huh... you do your thing!"