Roxana shakes her head looking at Anita and unable to contain her thoughts any longer. "Do you mean Anita you are not sure of how babies even come about? Or did you... you know... do the necessary actions?" She feels a bit silly making such circuitous descriptions.

"And when?"she blurts out, then shakes her head again. "Nope, none of my business. No..." She can't help but mumble under her breath though. "Except it was either here with ALL of us or while we were waiting for them, WASTING our time.  And the poor girl needed a friend and mentor, not this.  Dear Chauntea, please preserve this poor girl."

 "Well, Then you are most than welcome to come with me Balfby as long as you want Just remember that you are free now." Aidwyn says smiling to the she-wolf. When the predator tells her to hunt Obadiah the young warrior entertains the idea of giving the white-haired warrior a lesson... not even hurt him but have the werewolf jump on him and throw him to the ground... but she discard that as fast as the idea came up, it couldn't end well... she doubts that Balby would understand the concept of a joke... 

When Solitude approaches her little by little she is already with her eyes almost closed and her lips half open. She holds the tiefling and corresponds her in their first real kiss. 

As soon as the little celestial elephant heals Solitude's leg Aidwyn kneels in front of her. "Oh thank you thank you! I could hugh you!" she declares but don't do it not wanting to be intrusive or even hurt the little creature. 

"You feeling better? then... come come " she says taking Solitude's hands "Try to put your weight on it.. slowly now... how do you feel?"

"Like you just said, none of your business," Rash says quickly in response to Roxanna. "Let's just get out of here before we all turn into Obadiah and go berserk on each other. Aidwyn, I agree on what we need to do with other creatures we find down here, but we should discuss it when emotions aren't running so high... otherwise we'll almost certainly have a repeat of the situation that just played out."

Damn it, Anita, did we really have to just put that out there? he thinks to himself. Maybe we can say Mhurren is... was... the biological father and I'm just going to be on the birth certificate for the sake of convenience...?

Rash's quick response didn't seem to sit well with Roxana, but she takes a deep breath and just nods. "Fine, not my business. Sounds like we're ready to go."

She makes sure all her belongings are gathered up, and heads for the doors where they entered.  She does glance around, making sure there are no more captives here - in this room at least.  (Perveption: 25) Making sure she has one of each flag, she says, "We all going? We'll need to gather up the prisoners from above."

"As long as Zentromya can bring Dobbian back, we've gotten ... who, it turns out ... we came for.  Doesn't look like anything else is here but ruin and decay anyway.," Spira says as she turns towards the doors.  Her mind seems to be thinking along the same lines as Roxana's, though, as she stops to ask the little celestial, "Zentromya, do you know if there are any more captives here who should be freed?"  She looks around one more time, peering towards the other alcoves and the closed doors.

================

Perception 22

Solitude, encouraged by Aidwyn, actually tries to put her weight on the leg 'treated' by the winged miniature she-elephant and actually states: "Yes! It's... like new! It's healed!"

Her golden scleraless eyes focus on the warrior girl with a sweetness unknown to the abused ex-prisoner who had just emerged from the clutches of the Zhentarim "Thank you Aidwyn -because it's obvious this was an idea of yours!" she places a hand on her heart "How can such a big heart fit in your chest?"

"And of course thanks to you too, Zentromya!" she then turns to the little celestial creature "This power of Elysium is... really great" and smiles. Again. Yes, the power of Elysium must be really great.

Meanwhile, Anita responds to the girl from Longsaddle calmly: "Roxana, after Rash, you are one of the people who treated me best, from the beginning... so I certainly don't want to argue with you. But that still doesn't make you entitled to know all my 'actions' - nor to pretend to know better than me 'what I need'. When you all fought me, you judged me old enough to be attacked with weapons (even if Rash decided to take me alive). When I was a prisoner, someone judged me grown up enough to be hanged (although Rash decided to give me a different chance). Well, you know what? If I'm grown enough to be sliced or hung, then I'm also grown up enough to make my own decisions. Trust me..." she smiles, returning to Rash's side "I'm in good hands".

Spira then brings to Zentromya's attention the possibility that there are other prisoners and the messenger from Elysium replies: "I don't think so... The cells were just these, the alcoves of the big room... If there's no one left in those, we're all here".

Looking at the two cells to the east, the ones you left out at the beginning, you see them empty... Roxana, with great spirit of observation, notices that of the two, the one to the south no longer has the mechanism composed of support, saucer and bead. Small fragments of glass and molten metal identified nearby among the various rubble suggest that the mechanism was destroyed by some violent effect.

“It was the cell of the prisoner who escaped” explains Zentromya. "No idea how he managed to do it - but he was powerful, very powerful. He killed everybody an devastated everything".

The northernmost cell has the mechanism still intact, but the bead is placed on the floor, not on the saucer as it was in the cells that contained a prisoner.

"This room was unoccupied, when the prisoner escaped" the little celestial creature tells you.

As for the straight east alcove, the one with the 10' diameter circle inscribed with sigils and the shimmering portal, Zentromya confesses: "I don't know what that is... but it wasn't a cell".

It is clear to you that in none of these alcoves are there prisoners; do you still wish to enter one (or more) of these alcoves to inspect them better in search of... clues? Treasures? Trouble?

Or do just you stay out of them?

Rash... in spite of natural wizardly curiosity... just wants to leave at this point, especially now that he's been assured that there are no more prisoners trapped in any of the other rooms. Treasure might be nice, but at this point he expects that every coin will be a separate mimic.

He sighs... yes, they do still need to deal with the prisoners upstairs.

"If... if it's possible, I would like to offer them a chance to save their lives as well... now that we're done here they won't be able to return to the Zhentarim quickly enough to stop our mission... I'm personally in favor of leaving the prison door open and leaving them wriggle free and hopefully rethink their life choices. Maybe having a chat with a literal Celestial will give them a bit of perspective and convince them to change their ways. But I will leave that up to the rest of you."

Roxana takes in a deep breath as Anita replies to her. "Yes, I do not need to know, want to know, or anything! And you do have every right to make your own choices. I truly wish you the best, I hope you know that. If you want no advice, I'll be quiet."  

She then turns to Rash, "I agree with you on the other prisoners. I realize there's a good chance they'll just go back to the life they knew, I'm willing to give them a chance to just go.  If we're all in agreement."  She glances back to Anita, "What do you think of the plan? You know these two a bit more than we do. Anything you can think of that makes this a bad idea?" 

Aidwyn just smiles back to Solitude happy for her to be healed and without pain. She holds on her hand as they walk back to the others. 

"Well... the diviner talked about a bead... didn't him? And it seems that those cristal beads were somehow the key to the cells, so I agree that it seems that our search is finished. I am more than happy to leave this place for good, but I would close and if possible bar the secret door leading here, so no one can enter this part of the ruins. Imagine a child exploring facing that flaming spheres? " she shivers. 

"You can perch on my shoulder if you want Zentromya" she offers telepathically to the miniature elphant. 

Her demeneaor turns a little bit somber when they talk about the other prisioner. 

"Rash... you are a kind sould, no doubt of that. And I am happy for you two... I really am. But what had happened to Anita... is extraordinary. For the last time we spoke to them they are not like you " she says looking at the ex-zentharim " joininig the Zhents just out of any opportunity, even if that was on the first place, they had put their hearts into that cruel organization. They do not seek redepmtion, they were abusive, threatening to us and will look for revenge at the slighthes possibility. I am afraid but I would send them to the authorities and they should pay for their crimes instead of freeing two enemies. But I am not sure if Longsdale has a sheriff or a brig or even a judge to deal with this kind of things?" she asks to Roxana. 

For Roxana, sheriff/judge information:

Anita replies: "It's difficult for me to talk about the two prisoners... Because since I had a second chance, I feel uncomfortable denying it to them... But I have to admit that Kenzo is - and has always been - a bastard without scruples. I don't think he would change his life. Maybe he would change companions... Maybe he would change victims... But I don't think he would change his life. Kunnari... who knows? When I decided to... change, he didn't seem to me tempted to do the same... He seemed more inclined to support Kenzo against me. But he could also just be under the thumb of Kenzo, who is more experienced and mature, although still a bastard. I really don't know what to do... I wouldn't like to deny him his chance. But I also wouldn't want the first thing he would think of when he was freed was teaming up with other Zhentarim to make Rash and me pay!"

Balbfy has her own idea to resolve the issue (and she mentally lays it out to Aidwyn)

Zentromya, however, in the meantime, has another one, which she explains to everyone: "If the Longsaddle authorities agreed, we could have the two prisoners incarcerated and leave them to reflect on their sins for let's say a decade... after the decade, if someone showed signs of repentance, I would have a way of noticing whether they were pretending or not... I could understand whether they decided to turn to good with a sincere heart or not. And therefore we could ask the authorities to pardon only those who are truly repentant".

Aidwyn seems doubtful while Zentromya talks. 

"I am not sure if Longsdale can afford to impron them for such a long time Zentromya... and I am sure that once they had been judge and pay for their crimes they could have a second chance... I... maybe had another option... If the authorities agree and after passing judgment and only if they are condeemd to death, we can offer the a second chance, they could be tested, some kind of a fight test like the Honor Fights between knights... They would have a night to escape. They would have some time to get some advantage. Then Balbfy will act as the measure. If they pass the night and escape her, they are free to go. If don't... I judgmnet will be carried on..." 

Zentromya shudders for a moment at the suggestion: "To me, personally, it would seem like a horrible way to die... hunted down - and probably torn apart - like wild game... I think the gods gave us feelings and discernment to make our own choices... and take us the responsibility for our own judgments. And that certain practices to relieve us of this responsibility involve blind fate - if not cruelty - rather than the will of the gods. But, as I have already told you, I am really still very little expert in this dimension... I certainly do not pretend to replace the established order! A just and merciful order, if rigorously respected, is the cornerstone on which to found a future of joy, peace and prosperity for all. If the authorities  of Longsaddle approve your proposal, warrior girl, I will not be the one to oppose or interfere".

For Aidwyn

 "It's worth remembering, Zentromya," Solitude points out "that the people we're talking about have probably hunted down - and perhaps even torn apart - like wild game other innocent people... If they were to incur such retaliation, I wouldn't melt in tears over their corpses".

"So we want to test their will to live?" Rash says (insert Saw theme). "I... am not sure that will solve the problem if our concern is that they may return to the Zhentarim or attempt to take revenge... I have another possible solution, but... I don't like it a whole lot more than handing them over to be executed..."

He pauses, taking a deep breathe.

"We could do to them what they had planned for Solitude, Gaer, and Milo... we could have them sent into slavery. As a warrior of the Bloodskull tribe I could hand them over to my clansmen to pay their debt to society that way... the young man I think would eventually earn his freedom and perhaps be granted membership into the tribe, though I suspect that the older one would be less lucky unless one of the orcish ladies decides to take him as her husband... which could well happen. Just ask my parents about that... anyway, perhaps we could offer them a choice between risking a death sentence by standing trial in Longsaddle and being handed over as slaves to my clan. The latter option may not be especially nice, but at least they would live and have a chance to redeem themselves."

Zentromya's look betrays the fact that the celestial little creature does not appreciate the idea of slavery much much much more than that of manhunting... But this time she remains silent.

Solitude on the other hand sneers: "I also like this solution, Rash! Making them suffer what they intended others to suffer could be... educational. Especially if, for good measure, you could recommend the members of your tribe to be very strict with education... You know, a good education is the basis of a healthy development of every good person".

Spira sighs.  "This is not a bad dimension, Zentromya, just a weak and imperfect one.  And here, even those who sincerely believe they are in the right sometimes err.  Or pretend to be are holier than they are, like some I knew in Berdusk before I joined Angharradh's priesthood.  I know these things like Trials by Combat and indentured servitude to pay for the evil a criminal has done are approved by the law, but they trouble me.

But it would trouble me far more to release criminals so hardened and unlikely to repent as Anita says Kunzo and Kunnari are.  I'd feel responsible for every victim they claim from then on.  And remember that the Zhentarim are not outlawed in the Realms; nor, alas, is the slaving they do.  Not everywhere.  These two might get away with no more than a slap on the wrist if we turn them over to the human authorities.  If you say your people would be firmer about exacting the demands of justice and fairer about giving them a chance to prove repentance that's neither too lenient nor too harsh, Rash, I'll take your word for it."  She turns again to Zentromya.  "I'm a little worried about this prisoner you say escaped, though.  Did you see where it went after it left this room?  I hope it's not still lurking around somewhere ... "

Roxana tries to relay what she knows of Longsaddle.  "There is a town council, but with little crime they aren't usually much involved.  It's typically the Sharnshield family maintains a security force and sees to justice for criminals. In serious cases they might call on the Harpells - though they are more prone to mete out summary justice without being overly concerned with fairness."

"So we could turn them over to the Sharnshields. As long as the Harpswell aren't involved they should handle it fairly." She glances early at Aidwyn. "I certainly won't stand for this barbaric hunt. Nor slavery," she adds with a glance towards Rash.

She sighs, "We don't seem to be moving towards consensus."

"Well, the Sharnshield's interests are certainly already concerned also, considering one of them is our employer.  I might not be able to be a tie-breaker here; I must admit you both make good points."

Rash sighs... what a mess... but his main goal right  now is to give the men a chance to save themselves.

"I don't much like slavery either, even for the likes of them... but they may prefer it to a near-guaranteed death sentence. I think... we should talk to them and give them the opportunity to choose between these two fates. Either way they will face justice for their crimes and they will no longer be our problem once they are handed over to one authority or another."

Roxana looks skeptically at Rash. "Which two options? Hunted down by... whatever 'Balbfy' is or be sent into slavery? I don't agree with either option."  She considers a moment. "Would you allow a third option of turning themselves over to the authorities in Longsaddle? Then I would reluctantly agree." 

"You presumably know more about Longsaddle law than I do... but will it matter whether we turn them in or they hand themselves over? The reality is that from where I'm standing, it looks like if they are given into the hands of the law they will most likely die for their crimes. I suppose we could ask Lady Martha to offer them some clemmency, but as Spira just pointed out if they are pardoned on our request and then commit other crimes we are indirectly to blame."