"I believe the Sharnshields would likely take care of judging these two." Roxana says. "I can't guarantee it though. I'd be surprised if they were executed though, unless turned over to the Harpells." 

As the debate over the fate of the prisoners continues, Zentomya answers Spira's question about the escaped prisoner: "I don't know what happened to that prisoner... but I doubt he stayed here. I didn't get to know much about Ekandre (this was his name). He was a sort of man with the head of a jackal... and, as his escape clearly demonstrated, endowed with incredible magical powers. Much greater even than mine, although perhaps of a different orientation and nature. I I'm quite good at healing and defending. He was better..." she gestures to the omnipresent chaos with a wide movement of her trunk "...at destroying and killing. He escaped within a few days of his capture. I don't know how he managed to escape - my spells were not able to overcome the cell wards... Nor I know why the guardian did not show up, at that time - but it would have not made any difference, believe me. I didn't see much, since my cell was quite far from his. But I had the impression that such a powerful creature, once free, he could have left immediately if he wanted, but Ekandre remained and killed and destroyed everything meticulously. I saw Kylth trying to tackle him. I had the impression that Ekandre was toying with him. He left him for last, to be killed, on purpose, I think, so that he could first witness the destruction of the lab he had so laboriously built. When Kylth realized he had no hope, he tried to retreat... at which point he was out of my sight and I never saw him or Ekandre again in all this time. I think Ekandre finished him...then he left. What was he supposed to stay here to do?"

"I don't like the idea of slavery... " Aidwyn says " And I only offer the race for their freedom as an alternative to execution, not as first option. That way they have a chance... sort of" she adds looking at the she-wolf at her side. "But at least they would have hope of surviving instead of a certain death under the executioner axe and perhaps that would teach them a hard lesson and change their way. But first things first, let's seal this dungeons, grab them and hand them over the Sharnshields and go to see Lady Martha. I wouldn't ask for mercy to her to this people. Let the justice run its way and I'll offer the race option if they condeem them to die." 

Realizing that the fey hound were only communicating with her, Aidwyn makes the proper introduction. 

"Everyone this is Balbfy. She is going to stay for a while." 

Rash sighs.

"If the problem with letting them go is that they'll become a problem in the future, letting them try to save themselves by escaping from a giant wolf won't alleviate that issue in the event that they actually survive... let's just get this place sealed up and decide what to do with those guys when we've had some time to wind down from our little adventure."

Rash takes Anita's hand. He is ready to get back to the surface and never look back at this pit.

Balfby seems to look at Rash with an air of sincere pity, when he formulates the hypothesis that the fugitives could survive her hunt.

For Aidwyn:

Meanwhile, Anita smiles reassured when he feels her hand being taken, shakes it too and sighs: "We did it. We really did it. Bringing back to life a person who died unjustly... Your fame will spread, Rash!"

When you are ready to go back, you share the flags with each other again, holding hands as you walk your way towards the surface.

Even Zentromya, who immediately, upon leaving the hall, was caught off guard by the sudden thick fog, adapts to what you do and places her trunk in the hand of one of you to share the effect of the flag.

The stairs of the third level are filled by giant cobwebs again, but the webs burn as easily as the first time and you are free to continue.

Once you arrive in Elky's room (who promptly appears, surprising Zentromya), Gaer suggests to you all: "Since you would like to avoid other people coming snooping around in here... can you wait for me a moment? We've already taken all the Purple Flags... And we discovered that the guardian of this level keeps to give Yellow Flags, as long as you know the password... I want to try to get one Yellow Flag after another, until the guardian runs out of them! So, if there are no Flags at all, no one else will be able to explore easily in here... what do you think?"

Rash smiles at Anita's optimism.

"Let's be careful about premature celebration... the man isn't breathing yet."

He pauses a moment, considering something.

"Perhaps we should ask our employer about your situation... she may be able to arrange for you to get a pardon so that we won't have to worry about any legal troubles down the line."

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

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."

 "A fair chance.  And that way they'd  have some say over their fate but not enough to avoid it altogether.," Spira agrees.  "But I think that either way we can't trust them to just turn themselves in.  I fear we'll have to take them with us until we can turn them over to someone.  And our duty to Lady Martha is calling us back to Longsaddle pretty urgently first even if we don't end up leaving them there  ... she was rather far along in her pregnancy when we parted, if you recall, and this is one of those cases where the father's presence at the time of the birth is considered peculiarly necessary -- "  She chuckles again ... she seems to be developing a habit of doing that lately.    I remember that phrase from a romance of al'Qadim I used to love to read long ago.  I used to be a terribly starry-eyed little romatic dreamer when I was a little girl."  She chuckles again.  "Don tell anybody 'coz its a HUGE secret, but I really haven't changed all that much.  Reality never offered me anything half as nice as the happily-ever-afters, so I've never seen all that much reason to change."

Roxana gives Gaer a smile as the group heads out. "I like your idea. I can help you with getting the flags." She walks over close to him. "May not be foolproof, but it should slow down anyone coming here. We should keep track of the flags though."

To Balbfy:

"Also breaking the mechanism that opens the secret door that guides to the magical dungeon will prevent anyone to enter it. Even if that goblins decided to reclain their... pretty lair he called it? " says Aidwyn to Gaer's idea on taking the yellow flags. 

"We take the flags, break and seal the secret door, take our prisioners..." she hesitates "... I would say that we offer them the chance to either try to escape or be handed to the authorities, knowign that for their crimes the punishment is death " she hesitates again "The punishment for slavery is dead isn't it?" she asks to the rest "Whatever, it sounds better to me to have a chance to survive and fight and chose the way you go down that dying on your knees at the executioner's axe or hanging from a tree.. " she shivers "I would take the hunt and give a fight... anyway. We take them down to the jail or let the Gods decide their fate and we hurry to Lady Martha and see if all of this has a happy ending.. " 

Anita smiles at Rash, coming closer and resting her head against his broad chest for a moment: "Thanks Rash! That's a great idea! It's wonderful, how you always think of us!"

"You will see!" Zentromya's optimistic and telepathic voice resonates, in response to Spira "This time reality will offer you the happily-ever-afters! The beauty of dreams... is also helping to make them come true, every now and then! Just like you did coming here".

Roxana and Gaer, meanwhile, experiment with the Yellow Flag Guardian. The first time, Gaer has his own Yellow Flag in his hand and the Guardian refuses to give him any more; then he passes it to Roxana with a knowing smile, asking her to keep it hidden, tries again and manages to get another one. Trying again, however, the Guardian announces that the Yellow Flags are over. In total, you now have 4 Purple Flags and 4 Yellow Flags in the party.

Then you go up the stairs, reach the secret passage... After entering the throne room and closing it, Aidwyn tries to bend the candelabra in some way that makes it impossible to use it easily, then you reach the prisoners... whose hostile glances change into expressions of wonder (when seeing Zentromya) or terror (when seeing Balfby - who, pleased with the effect she has on them, emits a few menacing growls).

(OOC: So, now, do you intend to simply exit the dungeon and retrace your path? And head to the Sharnshield Mansion, both to announce the success and to hand over the prisoners? What other things do you want to do while you're here? Or things you want to do differently along the trip?)

As she makes her final remarks about still being a romantic young girl at heart, Spira can’t help giving a shy glance out of the corner of her eyes at …

Obadiah?!?!?!?!

She keeps her face still on the outside as the sudden shock of realization hits … she thinks … but her mind reels as it suddenly dawns on her that there was more to her wanting to protect the white-haired warrior from any more of the group’s rebukes than she had allowed herself to know. She thinks she may be the one person present … with the possible exception of her brother and Solitude, who were both far too wrapped up in the singing of their own hearts to be expected to notice … who has the best chance of even dimly understanding the darkness Obadiah fights against every day. And yet he had not given in, he was only mortal like … well, almost everyone present, she amended her thought wryly, looking at Zentromya and Balfby … and had been tried too sorely for too long while the group seemed to be unable to come up with any way of dealing with the devil that would actually work. But at heart he was still a good and honorable man who had simply been through far more than his fair share of hell already; and she suddenly realizes how deep and complicated her appreciation for him truly is. So different from her, too, and she knows suddenly that the reason that old line about opposites attracting was a cliché was that (like most clichés) it has more than a smidgen of truth to it at its heart.

She senses though, too, as she watches the changes in his face as all the talk of motherhood and love flies around, that this subject is not an easy one for him and may have something to do with the shadows that haunt his eyes.

“Alright, Sergeant Quspira Inirali.”, she says to herself. “And pay heed to thy goddess’ call, Spira of the Second Branch of Angharradh’s priestesshood. You certainly have had to discipline your heart enough times before this; and your goddess rules both love and death. And you’ve already healed his body once; but for his heart you can only light a candle and leave the door conspicuously open so he might … might feel safe enough to come in from whatever darkness has blasted it before me.” She says nothing at all with her lips, but she hopes that candle is in her eyes as she gazes upon him in a way she prays is soothing and unalarming enough to avoid driving him further into his darkness.  And she continues to be as careful as the motley band of heroes wraps things up.  Other than her new concern with the woodsman, her main focus is to make sure the powers of this place are either contained or brought to the Harpells, and she welcomes Aidwyn and Gaer's plan towards this end.

Before exiting the dungeon, Balfby stops, almost at the doorway

For Aidwyn:

Kunnari, the younger of the two prisoners, stammers: "T-that merciless beast l-looks at us as... as if she w-were already tasting our flesh..."

Kenzo, the mustache man, immediately scolds him: "Keep some dignity, dammit! That mangy beast isn't much different from the captured wolf we used to beat up regularly! It's just bigger, so it's harder to miss!" but the trembling voice and the sweat beading on his forehead betray the fact that he is quite scared too...

Anita, as she passes by him, wrinkles her nose noticeably and comments: "Kenzo... you probably need to change your underwear, so you can save yourself from playing the tough man".

Rash can't help but chuckle at the prisoners' reactions to seeing the she-wolf.

"Well gentlemen... it looks like we're coming to the end of the line. Dignity is all well and good, but I think that remorse will help you a lot more in both our eyes and those of the court... I don't much want to see you hang, even if you may deserve it, but there's only so much I can do if you show yourselves to be remorseless criminals."

He glances meaningfully at Kunnari. He sincerely hopes the young man at least will heed his warning.

To Balbfy

As the group prepares to return to Longsaddle, Spira also takes the time to draw her brother aside a moment.  "Be gentle with him when we get back, Gaer dear.  I know you loved that mirror, but you must admit he did use it well.  And I'd say he's paid a bit since then."

Kunnari and Kenzo look at Rash in disbelief... They don't seem to believe that he could want to help them...

"He's being serious!" sighs Anita "The great wizard 'Sweetheart' Rash will probably actually try to intercede for you - don't ask me why. So if you will deign to help him help you..."

The two try to assume a contrite air, some with more, some with less success.

Balfby to Aidwyn:

Gaer sighs, looking his sister in the eyes: "Quspira Inirali, do you think that after all the trouble we went through to bring him back from the world of the dead... I mean to send him back myself!? Yes, I cared about that mirror... but If it helps to make Dobbian settle down with Martha, I will gladly accept to lose it... to lose him too!"

To Balbfy:

 To the zentharim.

"Well, if his plea of mercy isn't heard, and you are meant to walk towards a short drop and a sudden stop... I could try to open an alternative, one that gives you a small, slim, tinniest chances of all... During the night, you will run against my new friend. If you manage to escape. You'll be free. If she catches up with you... well in this scenario you would be death anyway. " seeing the younger getting pale she adds "Understand me I do not wish to torture you, even if I am refraining to break your legs right now... I am just offering an exit if things go that way... at least a dignified way to go. Just think about it while we walk to the city... " she starts to walk away then she stops and turns  " And no need to thank us for not letting you to the care of the former owners of this place... the goblins... I am sure that they are nearby watching. Just in case you think on escaping... if not the goblins, Balbfy will hunt you down... So behave." 

Rash sighs.

"If that's the case we could also ask the court to hand them over to my tribe in lieu of execution to pay their debt. I think that the younger man would likely earn his freedom in a few years' time. Not sure about Kenzo, though. In any case, I hope we can get them a better deal than death, unwilling competition in blood sports, or slavery. Granted... slavery to the Bloodskull tribe probably isn't too much worse than working for Mhurren, from what Anita has told us about the man."

Perhaps due to the threat of the goblins, or perhaps due to that of Balfby, but the pair of unfortunate prisoners shiver and begin to follow you without making a fuss.

A strong, cold wind blows over the open prairies north of Longsaddle, a wind that whistles in your ears as if to ask you to acknowledge your unwelcome presence. Gloomy clouds seem to look down on you with disapproval.

Perhaps also for this reason, unlike Rash and Anita, you are not lucky enough to meet Rukuz the Merciless... and you reach Longsaddle, tired from having traveled in such adverse climatic conditions, but determined to bring the good news (and the prisoners) to your client.

You insist on taking one step after another, in the direction of the large ranch which, as you recognize from the sign already known to you (two crossed swords with a horizontal bar below), is the Sharnshield Mansion, the place where Martha is waiting anxiously.

Martha ... and not just her, apparently! The little half-elf girl with her blond hair gathered in two braids on either side of her head who runs over you, coming out from who knows where and embracing you one after the other, is Thia, Martha's trusted servant.

"You did it, didn't you?!" the half-elf girl looks at you with hopeful eyes "I knew Lady Goldheart would guide your steps... You succeeded, didn't you?! And..." she opens her mouth in delighted wonder at seeing the miniature gold furred elephant who, intrepid, challenges the wind with you pushed by his rapidly fluttering wings "what's that? How cute... Is it... with you?"