"It hasn't slipped my mind. I only ask that it be a last resort. I'll carry her, if tha croaker refuses ta carry me, I'll do what must be done."

(@Backstabitha hasn't been on the site for over two weeks now :( I hope they'll return, but in the meantime, we'll consider Elbert missing in action during the combat with the bandits)

Carina is exasperated.  She is clearly restraining herself from killing Hulil.  Her irises remain black and the tendril remains connected to the bandit leader.

"I notice you had no problem killing her elven acolyte, Ragnus, attacking lethally.  And it was Hulil who willfully spread the disease, not the acolyte.  So.  We take great risks to spare Hulil's life, hoping her pet frog will have no problem as we carry her bloody body out.  But the elf, we just kill.  I hope that if I ever commit a crime and attack like these two did, that you consider me a dwarf like my father and not an elf like my mother."

She shakes her head.  "NO ONE had to die here.  I had Hulil convinced to let us walk out without violence to track down the other vial.  But under no circumstances were they going to allow you to apprehend Hulil without a fight.  That was obvious.  So it turns out, you ARE an executioner, Ragnus, by your own standards.  At least if you had attacked the elf non-lethally and tried to take both back to face justice, your position would make sense."

"At this point, I favor finishing the execution that YOU started, Ragnus, and not allowing your inconsistent sense of virtue to endanger us further.  But I suppose amoral dwarven bandit leaders' lives must be spared for due process of law while we kill elves without thought.  If anyone wants to disarm the disease-trap on the chest or convince the giant croaker to carry us back, be my guest.  I have symbols of an evil draconic goddess to destroy."

With that, Carina searches the elf's body, then lifts his dragon tattoo-ridden form and throws it into the fire to burn.  She then walks to the painting of Tiamat on the cavern wall and methodically smashes out each of the five heads with her dark warhammer.  Staying well away from the chest.

Taiga is caught between the arguments here, it was her suggestion to keep Hulil alive but in the heat of battle it occurred to her only after the elf was slain. She feels sorry that the henchman, or consort, or whatever his role was, had to die, she didn’t want anyone to die. Hell, not even really the bats, albeit she must admit that was her suggestion, too. Could it be that she is hypocritical? But then, the bats actually attacked them and not the other way around. She didn’t expect that her visit to her friend’s funeral service would bring her these kind of moral dilemma. “I’m sorry about the elf,” she says to Rel. “Maybe we should have made it clear from the beginning that we are trying to not kill anyone. But I never thought that it would come to this, actually.” 
“What should we do? Is there any other way out of this cave. Some way where we don’t have to confront this frog? If not, perhaps we should at least lure it out of the water to have a fighting chance. I still have a hunting trap that we can make use of. I don’t see that it will let us pass peacefully, not to mention that it would help us.”

(OOC the Elf dropped like a sack of potatoes with one hit, wasn't expecting that, but should had said non-lethal. Honestly, figured the Elf would be the tougher foe. Guess dragon tattoos don't make someone tougher.)

Ragnus bows his head and takes a knee. "Carina, ya speak true, I am responsible for tha Elf's death and I'll need ta atone for it. He wasn't meant ta die, Tyr will require penance. Taiga it was not your fault, woulda ya look around for another way out?"

Standing up he moves towards the chest. "Brix, do you have anything for this?"

Taiga follows Ragnus suggestion and inspects the cavern and its natural exits, if possible with Carina’s guidance. Is there an alternative way out? (Investigation: 13+4, Perception: 7+1, Nature: 12+3)

(OOC:  Carina has no access to the Guidance cantrip.  You're thinking of another character in another campaign we share, @cyreon, who has the Guidance cantrip due to her levels in Divine Soul Sorcerer, a subclass with access to Cleric spells and cantrips.  Carina will never be divinely guided.)

Carina finishes methodically demolishing the wall picture of Tiamat, the five-headed chromatic dragon goddess.

"I remind you.  Our goal is to stop the spread of the disease.  Not to bring some misguided sense of justice."

She turns first to Taiga.  "At least you are consistent.  You never want to kill anyone, more or less.  A strange stance for a warrior in this unforgiving land, yet I understand it.  Let me be clear about my stance.  The elf's life was not precious to me.  ALL of my attacks were lethal.  What I find incomprehensible is endangering the party, and indeed any who the blue vial may be infecting as we speak, due to some false sense of morality.  Our primary goal is to halt the spread of the disease.  We must find this human merchant, Irven Liel without delay before he and others are infected.  Carrying Hulil back to face 'justice' endangers us and slows us down.  She may even wake and slay us with her spells during the journey.  Leaving the disease to spread."

She turns back to Ragnus.  "Be sure to also include in your atonements any who the disease further infects due to the delay you are causing in our return to seek out Irven Liel.  You are also killing them, sure as you killed the elf.  I had us set up to return with the greatest haste possible.  Hulil was going to let us go and her giant frog was going to ferry us back because despite her anger, she thought us her only hope.  So she also would have no reason to send her bandits after us.  And in the end, she would have had her justice since the disease would almost certainly kill her as it is killing her sister Tulgi before we can find an antidote.  But Ragnus, you chose to put Hulil in a position where she felt she had no choice but to fight."

"As soon as you did that, Ragnus, our choices changed.  We may have died thanks to you.  Thankfully, that did not happen.  So our choices are:"

"A.  Kill everyone, Hulil and likely the giant frog included.  My fey magic grants me limited teleportation (Misty Step) once a day.  I can jump and just make it across the 35' icy pool and you can throw me a rope to tie off so you can pull yourselves over the pool WITHOUT the burden of Hulil's unconscious body and return to Palebank Village as quickly as possible to report back seek out Irven Liel.  This is what I advocate."

"B.  Leave Hulil unconscious here and return with haste in the same way.  This plan has the downside that an enraged Hulil will almost certainly seek revenge on us in whatever way she can once she wakes.  Perhaps sending other bandits after us as they return.  Risking our goal."

"C.  But no.  We are choosing to try to keep Hulil alive AND take her with us.  Endangering ourselves and putting our goal at obvious risk.  We must find a way to get her across the pool while bearing Hulil's body, convincing the croaker or otherwise.  We must defend ourselves from her spells if she wakes.  We must carry her body laboriously over the snow back to Palebank Village, likely with no sled to help us.  All delaying us while the disease may continue to spread to innocent, unsuspecting victims, and all for some false, inconsistent sense of justice for this murderous, amoral dwarf (Hulil)."

Carina shakes her head in disgust.  "Again, I set it up so no one would die, other than Hulil eventually to the disease.  She was going to allow us to make haste back to Palebank Village to seek Irven Liel.  But we chose against that.  So here we are.  Go - find another way out of this cavern.  I certainly see none.  Or find a way to convince the frog to bear us across the pool.  I have no skill with beasts.  You are choosing this problem so you find a solution."

(OOC: "(OOC:  Carina has no access to the Guidance cantrip.  You're thinking of another character in another campaign we share, @cyreon, who has the Guidance cantrip due to her levels in Divine Soul Sorcerer, a subclass with access to Cleric spells and cantrips.  Carina will never be divinely guided.)" I think it was a replacement of the word Help, not the actual guidance spell. Also, I think I'm done. You're being very hostile for no reason and reading paragraphs of it is tiring, RP or not.)

(OOC: Tybard is right, I confused their character. Sorry about that. Reliq05, I hope you will reconsider. I’m sure Tybard’s post is really only Carina’s viewpoint and not directed at you. Any of us could have killed the elf and Taiga is with you in not killing any more persons if it can be helped. She would even rather risk to keep Hulil here, well restrained for glassblades to pick her up, if it cannot be helped to bring her along. Carina is well versed and can easily outtalk any of us, so I think it is fine that she gets a spotlight with her opinion.)

”I’m not a fighter,” Taiga clarifies Carina’s statement about her. “I’m a calligrapher. True, I’ve been trained by dwarfs and elves, and perhaps more than others, but I’m not a fighter. Or haven’t been until now. I know no alternative way out of this cavern and perhaps it is true that we shouldn’t bring Hulil with us but I will not be responsible for killing her, even if it may or may not endanger other lives in the future, we have to decide in the present and I will not stand to kill someone defenseless. We could leave her here, bound and packed for the glassblades to bring her to justice. We really must keep our heads level and concentrate on the disease.”

(OOC:  I just saw this and also hope you reconsider @Reliq05, though it is your choice of course if you are not having fun.  I have no hostility towards you, player-to-player.  Carina is reacting strongly as I think she would, laying out her logic and implied results relative to the goal of stopping the disease.  Carina also has other, ulterior motives which you may have noticed in her inner monologue, but those aren't relevant to this decision here.

She is not physically attacking, stealing from nor sabotaging Ragnus or Taiga.  She is refusing to support choices which she completely disagrees with and explaining why in detail, including moral implications.  Ragnus is free to disagree.

Once again, it is not my intention to make the game not fun for anyone.  Since it sounds like I did, my apologies, though I'm not sure what to change.  I'm open to specific ideas if you'd like to say "don't do this any more."

Edited to add:  I just re-read Carina's post and I want to make clear that "murderous, amoral dwarf" was referring to Hulil, not Ragnus.  Just edited it.)

(OOC: sorry draining week capped by an abysmal day. I should have just taken a breather and waited to respond. Sorry for the drama. I'm going to sleep to collect my thoughts and respond as Ragnus would over the weekend.)

(that's alright, @Reliq05, take all the time you need! I hope your days get better <3 let's all remember that our characters and ourselves are separate, and while disagreements and even conflicts between characters are alright, we need to make sure that nobody is hurt through the way that we play. it's meant to be fun, after all, and I don't want anybody's experience to be hampered in the process)

(when I roleplay and my character is treating another's negatively, I like to include an OOC note at the end saying something like, "all in-character thoughts, by the way" to avoid confusion, so that might be something you can try when Carina's angry and lashing out, @Tybard. even in-character, I'm feeling the hostility from Carina very strongly. it's understandable for her to be frustrated that her preferred plan for the quest isn't working out, but it's going rather far for her to accuse Ragnus of racism in killing the Elf. it's alright if you feel that choice makes sense for your character, but again, it needs to be made clear if your character might be being hurtful that you're expressing the thoughts and decisions of them and not your own)

(I think we should take a break for a bit, and I'll continue the adventure again when we're ready. let's keep being polite to each other while we communicate, and if anybody would like to reach out to me personally to discuss anything, please gimme a message!)

(OOC:  Hope better days are ahead, @Reliq05.  Once again, I apologize for ruining people's fun.

@OkinDragonborn - I take your point and will consider making OOC notes as appropriate.  There is at least one thing you said I don't entirely agree with, but will drop it for now.  I'll PM you some other day if I feel up to it.  Or not.  Either way, it's your game, so a break it is.)

(Occ: sorry for the slight absence. Checked the thread but didn't have time to post, then forgot to come back.)

So intense was Brix' examination of the box that he hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation going on around him. When he does finally look up he sees his three companions seemingly squared off in some type of argument. Bits and pieces of the overheard but previously disregarded  conversation bubble up from his subconscious but not enough to fully grasp what is going on. In an attempt to break the tension he changes the topic "Sorry friends I don't think I can remove the trap. I mean I could possibly pick the lock but not with the trap in place. We should wrap it up with out touching it and take it with us." He starts searching around the bandit lair for anything that will provide a cover for the dangerous cargo. Oblivious to the nature of the disagreement he adds,  "Good thing we kept Hulil alive. She should be able to open the box. We should get them both to a secure place while we go find, what's his name." He waits for the others to reply.

(OOC: No need for apologies Tybard, no fun ruined, just got overloaded. Again apologies for the drama.)

After asking Taiga and Brix to look around for an exit and disarm the chest, respectively, Ragnus sits down, closes his eyes, and touches his symbol of Tyr, a set of scales resting on a warhammer. Several minutes pass as Ragnus remains motionless, the conversation of the others barely scraping his consciousness. Finally, after what feels like days but really only several minutes, Ragnus's eyes open. They glow a brilliant golden, that slowly fades back to their normal color.

He stands up and looks to the others, "I cannae change tha past, I deeply regret takin' tha life of Raegrin, his soul will weigh on me until tha end of my days, Tyr has told me what my new path must be."

"Carina, I know ya had a right good plan ta get us out alive, you've every reason ta be cross with me for bollocks-ing it up. I have taken a life today, while putting all of yours and potentially others lives at risk as well. I simply wish not ta take another, if ya feel ya must, so be it, you'll get no fight from me." As he says this last part his head bows in sadness.

"Taiga, any success with a way out or do we at least have more bats ta feed tha croaker?"

"Brix, thank ya for tryin' with tha chest." 

Ragnus moves over to the chest and inspects it. (15 Investigation)

By the time Ragnus speaks to her again, Carina's simmering rage has cooled and the darkness in her eyes from Hexblade's Curse has faded.  The painting of Tiamat, the five-headed draconic goddess on the cave wall lies in ruins, smashed to shards by her dark warhammer.

She looks at the dwarven paladin for a time with her pale green eyes, then murmurs softly, seeming to mostly admonish herself, as if remembering something she has been taught.  "Consequences.  We must always manage the consequences, no matter what we do or what we wish to happen."

She turns to Brix incredulously.  "Kept Hulil alive to open the box?  I have news for you, friend gnome.  I do not know if you noticed, but Hulil was burning with hatred for us and just tried to murder us.  We have slain her elven acolyte, enraging her further.  Unless one of us charms her, or her draconic goddess commands her to do it, she is not going to help us.  Even threatening her won't work since she knows she will likely die soon anyway."

Addressing everyone:  "But more importantly, there is NO WAY we should wait for her to regain consciousness.  We cannot wait at all!  We MUST LEAVE WITH HASTE AND RETURN TO PALEBANK VILLAGE.  The disease may be spreading as we speak, thanks to Hulil's passing the contaminated vial to an unsuspecting human merchant, Irven Liel at the Jolly Dwarf back in Palebank Village as she admitted before the fight."

(OOC:  see post 284)

"All of you wish to spare her life now?  Fine.  But we must leave Hulil behind.  Even if one of you can find an alternate exit or convince the giant croaker to ferry us across with Hulil's bloody body, carrying her over the snow and ice back to Palebank Village without a sled slows us, and she may wake and cast spells at us - delays and risks we cannot afford.  So we should leave her."

"If one of you can disarm the disease trap, or convince the giant croaker to carry just us, do so now.  Otherwise, I can try to lure the giant croaker out with an illusion so we can kill it.  I can then Misty Step across the icy pool and you can throw me a rope for all of you to pull yourselves across."

Like the burning blaze in the center of the cavern, an argument between the adventurers — with Hulil's life as the precipice — begins to spark. After unleashing her fury upon the Paladin, Carina Ravenscale moves to search Raegrin's body and destroy the painting of the evil dragon goddess, Tiamat, that looms upon the cave wall. She finds nothing of value among the Elven man's possessions aside from his scimitar, before she tosses his dragon-inked corpse into the crackling fire.

Meanwhile, Taiga searches the cavern for another means of exit besides the dark pool of water that stands in their way. Unfortunately, the only other passage she can find is the natural chimney in the cave's ceiling, through which the smoke from the campfire billows out into the open air. The cleft in the stone above appears too narrow for even the smallest among them, the Artificer, to squeeze through.

As he listens to the conflict that escalates around him, the question of whether killing Hulil might be the smartest decision, or the right decision — Brix Philbin examines the stone chest that belonged to the Dwarven priestess. Although the Artificer's unable to figure out how to untrap the chest, Ragnus studies it next — after his prayer to his god and expressing his regret for killing Raegrin in the heat of the battle. The Paladin examines the chest, its lid carved with the face of a dragon. As Ragnus looks closely within the dragon's mouth, he finds pin-sized openings containing a blue powder. It looks as though the powder might be able to be removed with thieves' tools and a careful hand, but it will be risky.

"It looks like the only exit is through the pool of water. I can set up a hunting trap for the croaker. With any luck, we can dispose of it from afar." Unless someone suggests a better place, Taiga moves towards 15 feet away from the pool and begins to pound a spike into the frozen ground to fix the hunting trap in place. 

After examining the chest, Ragnus will lift it up and move it away from the others. Before anyone can protest, he will grab the lid, ripping it off (24 Athletics or 22 Strength). Seeing the powder upon earlier examination, he will do his best to hold his breath until the powder has settled.

Taiga’s eyes grow wide as she turns and sees how Ragnus forces the cursed chest.