Idonia responds to Wulfhart: "The wizards Razmus and Luna Cee were behind it. They organized the attack. They have a vendetta against you for some reason. I don't know why. I was hired because Luna Cee was... a best friend I suppose, though I don't feel that way now oddly. I met him just a week or two ago. I don't deserve to die. And my brothers would go crazy."
sighs and stretches and smiles at everyone. thank you Fingal that was kind of you. Stands up and pays respect to the fallen fellow travelers. adjusts her armor and twin war-hammers and wonders what to do next.
Ok, sounds like she may have been charmed? Good thing Fingal can only hit once in every ten tries then I guess? She may be ok but what about the others?
"Gus, Clement, Florence? What do you have to say for yourselves?"Wulfhart looks over at Razmus. "Your actions speak for themselves, treacherous rat. I do not need to hear you speak."
Finally, Wulfhart tries to draw the party together so he can speak to them without the prisoners hearing. He focuses his attention on Bayard and Boddin. "I may be willing to spare the life of the others if they make a convincing argument and the party wills it, but my vote is to put Razmus to the sword here and now. He does seem to have a vendetta against us, and we can't be sure the Keep will deal with him properly. We must deliver our own justice to him, as he deserves. I am willing to carry out this gruesome task."
I agree!!! Razmut must Die! He winks at Groyn for the use of the great name.
The others may state their case but we can't let that rat come back n bite us again. This is rough country out here and sometimes ya jus gotta do what ya gotta do. He gives Wulfhart a respectful stare for his offer and nods his head.
Boddin sighs. "Even I can tell you're lying, you miscreants! Fess up, and maybe, if you have useful information, I can convince my bloodthirsty companions here not to murder you in cold blood. Then we can get you to a magistrate in the keep who may show lenience if appropriate. Lying, however, will get you nowhere. I do fear that frontier justice at the hands of these large angry men will not be to your liking at all. It certainly isn't to mine."
Wulfhart does the arithmetic in his head, and realizes the votes are for ending Razmus. "Such filthy language, scoundrel! You were the ringleader who led the ambush, leading to the death of our friends." he says as he strides over to him, removes the dagger from his belt and slits his throat.
He looks to the other prisoners, realizing he can play bad shire-reeve to Boddin's good shire-reeve. "You should listen to the wise hobbit. His compassion has spared your lives for now, but you must give something in return if no more blood is to be spilled today."
Boddin shudders when Razmus's throat is slit. Partly because Boddin is a gentle and law-abiding hobbit who views the killing of an unarmed and bound man as murder, but also because he suspected that the best way to get useful information was through the four ne'er-do-wells arguing with each other—especially Razmus with the other three.
Daaaaaaaaaammmm!!! I dint think you'd actually do it!!!
Fingal looks on at the carnage unfolding before him and then glares at the prisoners with a steely look.
You chumps better spit out your whole story from the beginning Right Now!!! It don't look like ol' Wulfie gives two craps wether'n y'all lives er Not!
If I was you I'd get to talkin. I don't think little Boddin and the priest is gonna be able to stop him if he don't like what he hears coming outa yer mouths!
"We were just along for the ride," says Clement the cleric. He makes a holy symbol gesture. "Please spare our lives. We did not know what to believe. We were told you were bandits conspiring with the evil humanoids in the Caves of Chaos! You brought a doppleganger into the Keep to kill Castellan! That you tipped off goblins about trade caravans! You kidnapped a Princess! We thought we were ridding the Borderlands of evil!"
He requests the others in his party to huddle and discuss next moves out of earshot of the prisoners. "We trusted Razmus once; perhaps they made the same mistake. They seem to know about the doppelgänger. Maybe their witness is a way to raise alarm to the Castellan. I'm fine with taking the rest of them to the Keep for interrogation, as long as we go to the Castellan directly. That's my vote."
Do we not have magical means to find out if they tell the truth? Or at least to find out if they are evil? He looks around to the spell casters in the party.
I suppose it's possible that they were all duped, but if'n we knew any of em are actually evil, it'd be easier to know who we might be able to trust, right?
"May I offer a suggestion, good sirs and lady?" asks Boddin. He gestures toward the carnage of the battle scene. "Perhaps we should bury the dead, gather our belongings—and those we would claim from our defeated foes—and move on from this place? Those who seek vengeance can, if they truly need it, do so any time before we reach the keep. The battle raised quite a ruckus, I do suspect. Who knows what might wander by out of curiosity?"
looks over to Brother Bayard, unfortunately i do not have such a spell to let us know of goodness or evilness. The only thing i can do is to pray to my high being for clarity but you may be better in this matter to discover the answer to your question.
