Tracks In The Desert

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Lower Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

With the lower doors eventually secured, the men ascend the tight steps back up into the horrifying canabal kitchen, the atrocious stench in that room worsening by the hour.

Retreating towards their room, voices are heard out in the open courtyard. Several more of the renegade slave caste they slaughtered earlier appear to be going through the grisly remains of their dissected and bloating brothers.

Amid the shrieking and crying of the women and young, one slave looks up the hallway and spots your group, yelling loudly to the others, still unaware of your involvement.

Actions?

(you can’t see all of them/they can’t see all of you situation here)

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch

Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3

[Rex]

Drest

Just loud enough for the party to hear, "Quick, defensive positions behind something so they can't use missile weapons and hope they don't attack."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus raises his shield and gets ready.

[shaidar]

Xenos looks for some cover and gets a javelin ready.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril moves to put the stronger party members between him and the slave. He then says, "Ho there! We are not here to spill your blood but clearly have no issues doing so. Answer a few questions for us and you will be allowed to leave this cursed place."

Not sure if it will matter but I'm probably not posting again until Monday. I think talking this out with them and finding out who may be left below is key. Feel free to interrogate them without me.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Lower Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

The slaves also assume defensive positions, getting no closer to the group since witnessing the macabre destruction left behind in the courtyard. Only a few of them are actually armed, and it looks like those who aren’t are slowly slipping back towards the way they came in.

One armed slave grunts loudly at you, allowing any Ixian speakers a hint of communication. “Invaders! Killers! Why You Do This?”

Actions?

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3

[Rex]

Drest

Drest waits, "What are they saying?"

Doesn't speak Ixian.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril

"Ah, I thought I had his attention but the language barrier is too high for me as well. I'd prefer not to fight these fine folk. Likely they are just the marginalized poor at the outskirts of society being taken advantage of by a murderous cult."

[Rex]

Drest

"Not sure I would ever call cannibals fine folk, but I would rather not fight them if possible too."

[shaidar]

Xenos

"They are asking why we killed them. I will tell them the truth, that they gave us no choice but to defend ourselves."

He replies in Ixian

"They attacked us. They would not stop. We defended ourselves. We don't want to fight you, but will if you make us. We are not your enemy. "

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril
"They are probably cannibals. However they may just be slaves to those snake men who are the real evil here. I don't think we know this."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus assumes a defensive position, but doesn't act aggresively, standing his ground.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Ground Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

The square headed, pointy toothed slave grunts back at Xenos.

“No fight! Where priests that provide?”

The main mass of this group continues to back away, up and out of the ruined wall.

Actions?

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3

[shaidar]

Xenos

To the others: "They don't want to fight, but are asking about the priests. If they are going to leave then maybe we can get them to take those downstairs with them."

[Rex]

Drest

Once is a favorable position he will stop and hold his ground.

"Good idea Xenos, it will at least let us know for sure if they are more slaves downstairs. It seems to confirm they are cannibals at least."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"Don't mention yet that we're willing to do that. If they learn that we've killed their priests, they'll have more reason to want to kill us, if eating us wasn't reason enough.

We can still use the slaves down here as leverage, since we have to answer their question anyway.

I wonder how they'll react once they learn their providers were not humans at all."

[shaidar]

Xenos

"I'll won't mention the others until we see the reaction to the priests."

He replies to the slave

"Your priests are gone."

[Rex]

Drest

Drest watches carefully and tries to keep an eye on the groups back as well so they don't get attacked from behind as they are distracted.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril

"It would also be handy to know how many priests were here...we saw two but knowing if there were more or maybe even a high priest of sorts would be useful."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Ground Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

The square headed, pointy toothed slave continues to grunt back at Xenos.

“YOU kill priests?”

Actions?

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3