"Ok, sounds like they come with us. I can carry one," Sistri offers. She again checks the ropes holding the woman, making sure the ankles are tightly bound. She hopes they might stay in place should she change into a jackal. "Do you think you can find us a hiding spot? Preferably somewhere we might even be able to observe what the others doing. Though we'll have to take care not to be seen."

She's ready to carry the woman once the group moves. 

The group ties up their two prisoners. Knowing the woman could transform, Sistri pays special attention to how she ties her up. The jackals legs are sufficiently skinny that they may be able to get free regardless, and...who knows if trying to break bonds by transforming into a larger form would hurt it or not, but...the group does the best job they can.  Then they slink back through the underground ruins.  Sistri carries the woman over one shoulder while Stallock carries the animal.  

When they get closer to the dig site, they find another partially caved in basement to hide in.  Then Stallock heads off to try and find a good spot to spy from. 

21 5

He comes back a few minutes later, "I found a good spot to watch from, I'll keep watch and we'll see what we see..."

The time ticks by incredibly slowly. With no light, your sense of time is warped and it's difficult to know how long has passed. That said, Stallock seems to check in regularly.  "They come and go, sometimes others arrive, they've done a full change shift at least once. The woman and the shadovar left a couple minutes ago, so I slipped back here to let you know.  Looks like they're going to have different crews digging throughout the day.  We still want to keep watching?"

"I can try to send Osrik again and you can take the break." The little owl's main task was to find the woman and the shadovar. To learn where "the others arrive" could prove helpful as well - looked like they were dealing with a bigger group than initially thought. "Meanwhile we can try to learn something more from our sleepy-head." The woman seemed to be happy to take the long nap and Irmiel contemplated waking her up.

He was about to offer carrying the jackal when Stallock took hold of the beast and somewhat in his mind Llwyd could not help but find it funny that even tied and asleep Dolf managed to elude him. That seemed like a joke to tell drunk. Alert and silent he followed the others and was surprised by the guide’s words.

“Do we know where those crews are coming from?” This way they could have an idea of the other side numbers. “And how did the Shadovar and the woman leave? Some kind of portal or they just moved in a specific direction?”

Could their leave be actually a trap? At that point, the satyr imagined, there was no way they wouldn’t have noticed the absence of two of their subordinates. They were pursued by enemies before, the bodies by their entrance showed as much. They could very well consider they were about to be attacked, hided to observe or even to strike unseen. The idea brought forth memories of Suzail. A sudden Netherese offensive could be deadly. Maybe we should find them and attack if they are undefended, the druid considered. But those two shouldn’t be the kind of opponent to be defeated easily. Battle against them was likely to take time, make noise. Charlie’s Company was likely to be surrounded by the excavators before having any real chance of victory.

Stallock shrugs, "Sure, I could use some rest. Or we could question these ones. There does seem to be some concern about the missing folks. The woman seems to have left specifically because of that. To 'find out whats going on'. "

Is Irmiel sending her owl in search of the woman and Shadovar?  Do you guys wake and question the woman? 

(Irmiel definitely sends owl to search for the woman and shadovar!)

Ouch! Is the group about to face the "Queen of the beasts" herself now? "You sure it's safe here? Or should we get deeper somewhere? If it's safe, I say we wake up the woman and ask her a few things. Like, who are they? Those people?"

"I think we're alright here. As much as anywhere. Let's try talking to the woman.  See if she says anything different than the other," Sistri suggests.  "If one of you wants to wake her, I will keep a close eye on her in case she tries something."  She would draw her sword, standing just behind the woman, ready to act should she do anything. 

"Ok, here it goes then." Once the owl was sent to search for the woman and the shadovar, Irmiel squatted near the (potentially) jackal-girl and slightly shook her waking her up. "Once the eyes of the woman opened up and regained consciousness, she began. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" She began slow and simple.

Irmiel sends her owl off to try and track down the woman and the Shadovar.  (Irmiel, can you please roll 3 rolls for your animal?  1) Survival.  2) Perception.  3) Stealth ) 

The woman's eyes crack open and look with alarm at the group. Her eyes dance from person to person, her puzzlement only seeming to grow with each face.  Looking thoroughly confused, and honestly a bit vacant, Irmiel opens the questioning.  

The woman looks at Irmiel with a frown, "I'm Mugta. I am being a prisoner here."  

Stallock steps forward and bonks her on the top of the head with the flat of his blade, "Don't be obtuse. What are you doing in these tunnels, in this place?" 

The woman winces from the blow and looks back at Stallock with daggers in her eyes, "Mugta no know obtuse. Mugta live here. Mugta serve Queen here. Mugta do what Queen desire here. Mugta getting Borth to look for more Shadovar and Dolf."  She glances over at the jackal tied up nearby. "Oh...Dolf."  She glances up with a smile, "Mugta find Dolf."

(Since owl has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or sight, I'll add the second roll in brackets. 1) Survival: 12,  2) Perception: 20  ( 18 ),  3) Stealth:  22.  ) 

"The only thing missing here is the wagging tail." Irmiel stood up, then leaned toward the prisoner's face and asked almost accusatory: "Is Mugta a jackal?"Let her answer, staring and frowning, and then added: "Who is Borth?"

Sistri keeps her sword at the ready, watching this Mugta closely.  She almost jumps in to answer Irmiel's question about Mugta being a jackal, but thinks better of it. Irmiel is doing just fine asking the questions. 

Mugta glances at Irmiel, then at Dolf, then back at Irmiel.  Then she answers the question, "No. Mugta is a girl. Mugta was born to mom in desert and grow up knowing way of the sands.  But...Mugta get bited by Queen's folk and becomes one of them. Mugta live with them ever since."  She pauses for the next question, "Borth is good warrior. He in charge of warrior caste." 

"So, the Queen and her folk somehow change the creatures they bite," Sistri says to the other party members. "We'll need to watch out for that."  She then turns back to Mugta, this time asking her question. "Where is Borth? Or where were you going to look for him at?"  She had other questions running through her head, but she didn't want to confuse her.

"Borth?"  She points down the hallway, "He in village, up above."

"Up above? In the desert?" Sistri asks as a follow-up.

So... not exactly jackals but werejackals. Irmiel pondered for a second if it makes any difference. Aside from staying away from these things, it did not seem to matter. "So, that poetic  "enthralled their own packs" meant lycanthropy... I wonder what other beasts escaped to make their packs in our world." It was unlikely, though, that either prisoner could answer such a question. If the answer to Sistri's question was positive, the group was facing an untold number of (formal) locals. "How many of you - the Queen folk - are here? And in the village?"

Mugta looks to Sistri first, "No. Up, but still down. Desert up and up. Just up is Borth and village."  Then she glances at Irmiel, "Um....more than 5. Many more than 5." 

"Sounds like we don't want to go up there," Sistri says. "But we may want to take care as it sounds like they have a lot of potential reinforcements." She then directs another question to Mugta. "Do you know what the group is looking for here? Or have you found anything already?"

Mugta shrugs, "Bones of old world we are in. Well picked over the bones are, long before we here. But...people showed up at the glowing door. They said there was something here, something the Queen wanted. Don't remember what, but Queen enthrall newcomers and now they serve her...they tell her where to find thing they want. We dig for her."