Hemlock leads Muro the halfling and the unnamed lizardfolk through the corridors after Lam, heading to the yard. He listens as Saffi enquires as to why they were locked up at the back as they walk. It hadn't occurred to him to delve further into their histories, but he finds he is interested.

When they eventually catch up to the others, he looks over the group, some of which are pretty beaten up. His hand moves to his own injury, where the dart had punctured his shoulder.

“Meithrin a gwella”, he says in druidic as he channels the magic of nature through the sprig of mistletoe he carries into his closed fist. As he opens his hand, he gently cradles 10 berries. 

He moves to Tesfaye and offers him two, "Eat these now, they will help"

He then offers one each to Sha-gravis, Saffi, Saoirse, Lam, Muro and lizardfolk.

"These will provide nourishment and vitality, eat now or save for later", he says to them all.

He keeps the last two berries in case someone needs one urgently later.

It is late spring, and late afternoon. Outside the hole in the wall is a 5 foot shear drop to uneven terrain - a steep slope leading another 20 feet down to the forest floor. There is a sturdy hemlock branch that reaches close to the hole - a mere 3 foor jump for someone confident in their ability to grab a tree branch and climb down while carrying all their gear...

Coldwater Keep is built into a column of granite rising from the forest floor (google pictures of Black Hills National Forest) . The forest is dominated by decidious Skyoak trees - giant relatives of oak that grow to heights of two or three hundred feet, whose trunks can reach 20 feet in diameter at the base (imagine a cross between sequoias and live oaks). The few adults of these trees must tower over the mix of hemlock, beech, birch, and pine (or fanatasy variations of these real trees, if you prefer); although Sha can not see one of these giants from here, because a lower canopy is only another 20 feet up, and is fully leafed out. Sha can tell, however, that some of these old growth trees do remain in this forest. There is a scent on the wind, and a spacing to the other trees, that subtly implies their presence. True sunset is probably an hour or two away, although the high mountains surrounding the Valley of the Silver Stream have already cast their shadows across the valley. Birds anounce the dusk's arrival as well, with hermit thrush song in the distance, overlapping with the earliest whippoorwills of the night. Woodcock calls to the northwest indicate a wet area - probably bordering the stream, somewhere around 2 or three miles away.

Sticking his head out of the hole and looking left, Sha can make out that there is an opening in the forest - either a meadow or a clearcut area - only 30 feet in that direction. His acute sense of smell tells him that blood was recently spilled there - both humanoid, fey, and beast - but there is no scent of death yet, nor are there carrion birds circling above. The confrontation there must have been a nonlethal one, though serious. He can also feel a slight breeze ruffle his fur, and the air is crisp and cool. Somewhere around 50 degrees if you like farenheight, or around 10 if you prefer a more logical temperature scale. It does not smell like oncoming rain, though there are clouds in the sky.

Billy looks at Saoirse sadly. "This is all I know. Aerar and Grommit will have written what their wishes are for possible funerals - they were here long enough. I will tend to them as well, and then... I will decide whether to stay. This concussed guest is also two weak to travel - so I will nurse her back to health. You all, go. You do not belong here - and perhaps the HMC doesn't either."

"They said they would cure me, but I don't want to be cured, and I don't think I can be. I was told there's salvation in this valley that doesn't require me to change who I am, and I mean to find it." Muro answers this with a faithful hope in his voice, although Saffron has already been distracted by seeing Billy's funeral arrangements, and doesn't really pay attention to the answer. The lizardfolk does not bother answering - he's already told his story once today, and that should be sufficient. The lizardfolk stares at the hole in the wall as soon as it becomes visible, but remains beside Hemlock and Lam, unwaivering in his vow. Billy frowns at the two freed prisoners. "They were violent resistors - be careful."

Tesfaye eats both goodberries immediately, and their innate magic has an immedeate positive effect. The cracked plate of their shell returns to its normal shape, and Tesfaye sighs as though they hadn't been able to take a full, deep breath in several minutes. They thank Hemlock profusely.

Muro eats the goodberry happily, but the lizardfolk only hands it back to Hemlock. "No. You need. Eat."

After Muro tells his tale, and with Billy's comment, Hemlock looks at Muro more intrigued than ever.

He looks a little uncomfortable as Tesfaye thanks him so profusely, but does manage to smile at the Tortle. When the lizardfolk refuses the goodberry, he simply nods and offers it to Billy, pointing at the other guest.

"Muro, this thing that they said is wrong with you, does it change you? From what I have seen, you do not appear the violent sort", he says slowly looking down at the halfling as he walks over to Sha-gravis to see what comes next for the companions.

Muro leans in close to Hemlock, and whispers so that only he (or a dc19 perception) can hear.

he (Hemlock) walks over to Sha-gravis to see what comes next for the companions

Sha is willing to tie off a rope up here climb down and hold the rope (help) with climb checks for the party to descend.  “It would be a shame to pay so high a price and not accept our freedom, we must go and find the elven village tree, I believe Saoirse has the map.  Does anyone have a rope?  Maybe if anyone is afraid of climbing down they could tie off Lam could, easily I’m sure, lower them down first.  After that I’ll anchor the rope for the rest to climb.  It is beautiful beyond these walls.  Oh a berry, thank you my friend.”  Sha’s not sure but decides to store the goodberry the danger is not past just yet.

Hemlock holds out the rope he took from the armoury to hand to Sha-gravis, a disconcerted look on his face at what Muro had said.

Once Sha has the rope, he leans down and whispers, "My people tell stories of folk who transform at night and prey on the innocent, I always thought they were but tales".

As Lam stares out of the hole in the wall, a spark lights in him that he didn’t realize had been out. He has missed the outdoors! When he is able to pry his eyes away from the hole and take in what Billy has done, he walks over to the dwarf and listens to his words before saying, “Thank you. You are a good man.”

He accepts the berry from Hemlock gratefully and, though his stomach rumbles, he puts it away for later. He listens to Muro’s tale with his head tilted in curiosity- he almost asks Muro what he would need to be cured from, but thinks better of it and doesn’t speak to the Halfling.

He walks over to Sha and the hole in the wall. The Tabaxi’s plan seems sound. He agrees: “Yes. I will help.”

“Tesfaye can you climb this rope 25-30’ down or would you like Lam and I to guide and lower you down?”  Sha just can’t imagine Tesfaye as a rock climber.

”Brother Billy Beerbelly it was my honor to meet you.  I believe even at your lowest you had a good heart.”

Sha-gravis climbs out the hole and waits to help whoever follows.

Saoirse nods towards Billy and, though she hesitates for a while, she ends up resting a hand on the dwarf's shoulder:

- I'm sorry for my harsh behaviour when we first met. As Lam has said, you are a good man. I hope our paths cross again, under better circumstances. Do take care, Billy Beerbelly.

Before walking away, she rests her eyes on the bodies lying next to Billy and mutters in Primordial: "Suaimhneas síoraí do d’anam".

With a heavy sigh, she then walks towards the hole, thanking Hemlock when he offers her a berry:

- Oh. A goodberry? Thank you, Hemlock. I'm completely healed, thanks to Tesfaye, but I'll be sure to keep it for later - she then looks at the Tortle and says-  I'm glad to see you in better shape, by the way. 

She doesn't talk much to the one called Muro or the lizardfolk, as she begins to feel the urge to leave the prison for good. There will surely be plenty of time to do so when they reach a safer spot for resting. But she does catch Muro's whisper and instantly understands what he means. Lycanthropy. And the HMC was trying to ... cure him? Saoirse dreads to think what kind of "cures" the halfling may have been submitted to. With so many companions in her order having learned to commune with their werewolf nature, it's a shame that the HMC got to him first. Perhaps she could have a talk with him after they have escaped...

Thinking of her order, she again wonders  what she's going to do after she reaches the forest. Will she continue to Village Tree? She's not in a rush to go back to the chloister... is she? With this in mind, she approaches Sha and says:

- I do have the map, yes. And ... yeah ... let's find that Village Tree and pay Cylence a visit. He invited us after all, right?

She then climbs down the rope after Lam and whoever needs to be tied up. As she does this, she feels the air in her ashen skin and smiles. Ah, the sweet taste of freedom...

Tesfaye climbs down the rope with suprising nimbleness, although they land a little awkwardly, and thank both Sha and Lam for the help. Saoirse slides gracefully down the rope herself, and is followed shortly by Muro. The lizardfolk skips the rope, however, instead leaping from the hole in the wall straight into the outstretched tree branch. He turns back to look at Hemlock, says "I am in your debt," and then runs along a tree branch in the opposite direction, heading Northeast with all the grace of an arboreal animal. You soon lose track of him through the trees.

Muro turns to Saoirse, "Did I hear you mention a Village Tree? That's where I'm going! I'm supposed to seek out a person named Rhys there." He leans back to Hemlock, 

Billy watches each of you leave with a mix of emotions on his face. He is in grief. His world and beliefs have been rocked to the core. He respects your style and your comportment towards him. He hates you for killing his friends. He wishes he had the bravery to leave himself.

You are all outside of Coldwater Prison! Hooray!

No rest for the wicked, however, you're still right up against the walls and you don't know what's out there.

"Thanks," Saffron says, flashing a brief smile at Hemlock for the goodberry.

Saffi glances at Billy, sharing the feeling of mixed emotions. Her initial disgust at the dwarf's fervent dedication to the HMC has been swapped out for pity. That being said, she has no regrets for her or the party's actions. As the changeling exits the prison, she takes one last sweeping look over the yard and walls. For the tiniest space of a moment, a life of indentured servitude flashes before her eyes. Days filled with breaking rocks, eating subpar stew, and listening to the daily HMC propaganda machine. She imagines being stuck with these people that she doesn't know, toiling day-in and day-out for no real benefit. 

"Ne todæg," she whispers to herself, in one of the few moments of her life that she's genuinely grateful about an unexpected turn of events. As she stands against the prison wall, she looks to her new companions. She thinks that it wouldn't be so bad to stick with this lot. They're dead useful, and she's got no desire to return to the city or to city-life. At least not to her life.

 "Well, my little friend, how about an escort?" Saffi nods to Muro and winks at Saoirse. "I'm in no hurry to get anywhere in particular, and, seeing as I was invited to this Village Tree, I think I'm game for a bit of an adventure."

Lam looks around at the group- all of them outside the prison and in one piece. Feeling the breeze on his fur and listening to his friends plan to go to the village tree, his chest seems to rise slightly as his breath becomes more relaxed with each person who agrees to go to the Village Tree (save for Muro, who Lam continues to do his best to act like he doesn’t see). His excitement about having a place to go, others to go with, and a chance to get to know this curious group better (probably the best possible outcome, given everything else today) manifests in a slightly louder than normal voice as he says: “Yes. Village Tree. I will go with.”

Looking around at his friends, though, Lam is not sure they are in peak condition for traveling. He looks in the direction of the setting sun for a moment and then starts to speak slowly out loud. “But… we should rest. Soon.” Even with the delicious looking berries Hemlock had provided them, Lam is pretty sure Sha and Tesfaye need to sleep before they can fully recover. He’s lived outside before and survived ok, so he does the first thing that comes to mind and looks around to see if anything in their immediate environment would point to a safe place.

“We have about 2 hours of daylight maybe a little more before sunset I strongly suggest we make some distance before resting.  Does the map give us a general direction to travel?  Rivers fields landmarks? I’m not in the best shape to lead the way, maybe Saoirse can?”  Sha will give guidance 3 to Saoirse or whomever volunteers.

(Hooraaay!)

Saoirse's mood shifts the moment she steps on the forest soil. It's not that she's going to forget easily everything that transpired, but being outside Coldwater has surely lifted her spirits up. She inhales deeply several times and welcomes the air into her lungs with a smile in her face.

When Muro addresses her she responds:

- Oh, Rhys? We heard about him but didn't get to meet him since he was fighting outside. So how did you meet him? As far as I know he was never inside the prison. Did you know him from before? How long where you imprisoned by the way? 

The fire genasi responds with a smile to Saffi's wink, and is glad to hear that Lam will be also sticking along.

- Yes, we all need to rest, but I have to say I agree with Sha on getting away from this place before doing it. Let's use this couple of hours before sunset to make sure no one from Coldwater comes after us, as he suggests.

She then takes the map out and shows it to the group, pointing to a place in the west that knows to be Village Tree.

- Shall we, then? But let's be careful. Though I don't remember all the tokens that were placed on the map before I dropped them, I do recall there were a couple of spots with HMC pressence close by...

Saffron's agile descent makes it clear that the rope was completely unnecessary for her. At her offer of an escort, Muro nods gratefully, although he looks to Hemlock for confirmation.

The Village tree is to the West, almost certainly where the bright red-orange marker had been on the map before. Lam and Saoirse can both make out a change in the forest only a hundred feet away - a gap in the underbrush that indicates a trail or a road. Saoirse recognizes that this road would lead where they need to go. This forest is old, with a healthy canopy, so it is not thick with underbrush or saplings except for places where an old tree fell within the last couple decades. Traveling through the forest without walking the path is therefor also possible, though slower. Saoirse Is able to conclude all of this, between the map and her observations of her surroundings. Its only about 5 miles to the village tree - unless they are delayed, they would be able to reach it before sunset if they marched at a quick pace. Looking around though... Tesfaye, Hemlock, and Sha still look injured. Between them, a slower pace might be wise. And if her suspicions about Muro are correct, then the setting sun should be taken as a serious threat. Full moon was yesterday, but Lycanthropes tend to change on the nights before and after as well.

Everyone can pick up a little bit on a feeling of being watched. It is subtle, and shifting, but it is clear there is plenty of life here other than you. Birds sing their evening songs. Squirrels scurry by, you even notice some glide overhead between the tree trunks.

Lam breathes in the air, and the scent tells him much of the life in this forest. It is clear that there are both Bear and Wolves in the forest, as well as Elk, deer, and all.maner of critters. One scent may be a faint whiff of Owlbear, but its very faint and probably nothing to worry about. None of these large mammals seem to be right nearby. Fey, on the other hand... perhaps it's just Cylence's rescuers, but there have been elves, fairies, and perhaps even dryads nearby quite recently. A rest would certainly let this large group of companions be found by some of these locals.

Muro looks at Lam appreciatively - the bugbear is not much like the monster in his bedtime stories. Still, he does try to keep Hemlock between him and Lam. Tesfaye, on the other hand, reaches up to place a hand on Lam's shoulder, a gesture of silent support, as they have noticed him avoiding the halfling's eyes.

Hemlock waves to the lizardfolk and then gladly excepts whatever help he is offered for his descent.

As Muro whispers more regarding his affliction, a frown crosses the big Firbolg's face. He whispers back, 

 "I would be glad for a walk through the forest to the Village Tree, shall we move. Billy spoke of a Captain Jonah who would be returning, I expect they will not be too happy that we are no longer his guests. We should be far away when that happens. Then we can rest", he says happily despite the warning, looking around at the lush forest.

With that he starts to walk.

- I agree, Hemlock, it is better to avoid the road and go though the forest. But ...- she stops for a few seconds, thinking how to say what she's about to say carefully - ... this will slow us. We may not reach Village Tree before sunset. And this will happen in the best case scenario, where we don't encounter wild animals and such and need to fight. We have to face the possibility that we do not reach a safe spot before sunset. Which leads me to...

And she turns to Muro.

- ... I'm sorry, Muro, but I overheard you and I happen to know about your nature. You are no different from some of the members of the order I belong to. Which means that I don't see you as the HMC did, but also that I know a few things about it: there is a possibility that you turn tonight, am I right? So, if this happens before we reach Village Tree, we'll have to do something about it. And the party needs to be warned.

She pauses and then adds:

- I apologize for telling this in front of everybody without respecting your privacy, Muro. But I believe the safety of the group as a whole comes first. We need to be informed about what may happen to know how to act in case it's needed.

Saoirse doesn't add more for the moment and waits for the questions that will surely come from the rest of the group.

Lam glances at Tesfaye appreciatively as he feels the touch on his shoulder. He listens to the conversation, feeling more confused and unqualified to make a decision than anything else. He frowns at Saoirse when she talks about Muro’s nature, having still not put together exactly what that nature is- though his wheels are clearly turning. Rather than ask about it, he opts to offer the information he knows instead.

”There are animals in the forest,” he says slowly, “Bears and wolves and… more. But not near.” He takes a while to express this idea, seemingly not used to talking so much. “Others were here… recently. Maybe just Elves we met. But maybe more.”

He turns to Hemlock and continues, “I like forest. Animals maybe nicer than people. But not always.” He looks to Sha, Hemlock and Tesfaye to see what they might prefer. As Lam himself is not hurt, he feels better going along with what his injured friends want to do- and willing to fight to protect them, if they do not reach a safe place before sundown.

"Animal's motivations are simpler", Hemlock replies to Lam after listening to both the bugbear and Saoirse.

Turning to Saoirse, he says, "Muro is willing to take measures to keep everyone safe. The forest will provide safe passage to those who respect it, and it will be good to sleep under the canopy once more".

He seems quite adamant they should take the forest route.

“When we do break for the night, do we have any gear such as tents bedrolls and such?  There are enough of us to keep a watch too I’d like to volunteer for last watch as predawn is a special time for me.  What are we proposing to do about Muro’s nature?”

Sha struggles with the unfamiliar concept, it sounds horrible whatever it is.  He looks at Muro wondering how he could be so dangerous.