Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

Appet stands, worried but clearly relieved not to be immediately set upon fire or otherwise killed right away.  He hesitantly leads the way back towards the town, if Dekhan allows.

Quote from Tobbence >>

I realize I'm rather small compared to you Miss Horsey Lady, but I have been talking. We are taking him with us. He is going to be our Canary in the Mine. This is not a negotiation. The wine is good. He feels emboldened. We are not murderers. We may be many other things but we are not that. Let's go.

Varinth will arrange Apples bonds so that his legs are free, his hands are tied behind his back and his gag is sturdy but not uncomfortable. He will attach a sturdy rope around his waist entwined with the other bindings. He will then hand the rope to Dekhan. He's a little too large for me to handle on my own. I trust I can leave him in your capable hands?

Varinth will then fetch his wineskin from the ground and his Staff from Soodi.

Lead the way Apple.

Zoria giggles, then smiles. "The name is Zoria."

Lead the way, Appet, this is your chance to begin the road to redemption. Do not squander it, you will not receive another. This I swear by the light without and within.

Scupper whispers to the team:

"These fellas first thought was to kill us. He openly endorses slavery. Let go, he'd almost certainly try to warn. If not, he'd definitely find himself a new gang of thugs and continue his ways. Put him on a leash in front and he's libel to set off alarms and traps as much as point em out. I don't see redemption or guilt...jest fear.

Based on all that, you leave him with me for 60 seconds and he won't be a problem and my conscience will be clean. You want to put a thief and a thug in a priestess's house and hope for the best, I'll begrudgingly abide."

Dekhan lowers his eyes in consideration, he struggles internally for a moment. Thank you, Scupper, but if that’s the path we take I would not pass the responsibility. I will not simply wash my hands and turn my back while you carry out the sentence. If I’m to allow it then I will take his life myself, to give the full weight to the extinguishing of a light.

Friends you already know my thoughts; release is not an option and I’ll not endanger any of the townsfolk with holding this thug. In my opinion this canary has done enough singing for one lifetime, do we have any guarantees he won’t sing for aid against us? Scupper you’ve convinced me he should die, although if we leash this puppy I can do my best to keep him silent...

Ah I can’t keep quiet, fellows it galls me to think what this same redbrand would do with any of us captured and singing, and why we’re so insistent on showing mercy to someone who just attacked us unprovoked, outnumbered, in full daylight in the middle of the town square? Dispense what justice you must Dekhan, or tie him tight Vaz, but remember who we’re dealing with.

Duly noted. Varinth says back. Dario would you mind scouting ahead in case the smoke attracted some more scarlet clad Toffy Wozzers?

And should the town have a sturdy jail cell we could put him there if that would make you more comfortable.

And apologies Miss Zoria, I missed your name on the first go around.

Varinth will keep near the back of the group and keep pace next to Soodi

Capital punishment strikes me as just in many cultures. There's no need for a trial as we're all witnesses. Dekhan, if you feel the need to be executioner, know that you are following the will of a jury whose majority says he dies for his crimes. Justice be served. Vaz...I understand you're belief here but surely you know his fate in any civilized town would be the same. Death would be the sentence. As a pirate who often faced such possibility, he knew what he was getting into.

Varinths side is hurting so he decides to ride on Soodi instead.

We'll take him into town. He'sh been the bane of the town for longer than he has been to ush. If the townsfolk decide to draw and quarter him then fine. But I'll not be party to killin' the defenshless. I did that yeshterday. I don't want to make a habit of it.

He smiles at Mr Scupper the smile of a person that is too tired, or perhaps to drunk, to care much anymore.

Dekhan is wrestling with the grim consequences of what comes next. If we bring him to town and release him to the people, we transfer the responsibility and possibility of retribution to them. I don’t want to put the innocent at risk, they’ve suffered enough at the hands of this one and his fellows. I’ve been swayed. Perhaps in the next life he can seek redemption, in this one he has earned his fate.

Varinth feels the mood swaying. He downs another wine and lies back in his saddle.

Feck it. Tell me when we're at the *hic* dungeon.

He flips Soodis saddle blanket over his eyes. Like many times over the past year, he will let Soodi make the decisions for now.

Dario nods at Vaz's suggestions to scout ahead around the camp and the burning pyre of dead humans to make sure no one took notice of the billowing smoke that also carried the smell and taste of burning corpses. As he scouts Dario thinks the whole problem would have been solved if we did it the way we did it in my unit. Let the bastard wander around blind and without a tongue and see how far he gets... but in those times I had an oath to uphold. Now I'm just a hired hand and I need a new code to follow. Am I a mercenary or do I stand for something more?...

Scouting: 22

Dario returns from scouting and notices that the party is still deciding on what to do with their hostage. After reporting what he was able to scout Dario puts in his two coppers "I mentioned an earlier compromise of relieving our prisoner of any means of telling anyone who we are or what we plan on doing. But now that we are deciding if he breathes or not, I, unfortunately, have to side with cutting his breath short. He is an enemy to the townsfolk and if he were in our position he would have cut our breath short before we even decide to debate his fate." Dario then takes out his dagger. "If no one wants to, I will do it."

I will do it. I’ll offer what I can to him and send him to the next life. If everyone is in agreeance, Dekhan will take the man aside, ask him to kneel, if he complies Dekhan will end his life as quickly and painlessly as he can by beheading. If he struggles Dekhan will slit his throat. I’ll roll whatever needs to be rolled either way.

As Dekhan takes the prisoner away, Scupper tries to explain...

"Dekhan has it in his head to be the hand o light in all this, Dario. No shortage of folks willing to cut a brigands throat, but he feels the need to offer some solace as the blade, and bear whatever guilty conscience needs carryin'. Let him shoulder the weight if that's his choice. Heavy is the head and all that eh? I'll not lose any sleep over a Redbrand's death tonight."

"I'll tell ya what I don't like... wandering into a dungeon full o more Redbrands and monsters, not to mention a wizard without at least reducing those numbers a bit more. Maybe we can stake out their tavern and waylay a few more o these gobshites a'fore they get too wise."

From the back of Soodi you hear Varinth shout;

TAVERN!

Dario looks down at Scupper and holsters his dagger. "For someone who likes to run his mouth Scupper, you sometimes fit something wise in there. Dekhan might be the new moral center of this group after today." He slaps the halfling on the shoulder. "And I agree with you, the future looks a little more bleak after Abbet gave us what we hope is the full story. And I think our friend Vaz would agree," Dario says as he juts his head in Vaz's direction, "a drink right now is needed."

Dekhan, as you take Appet to the far side of the camp, he understands what is planned for him and begins to thrash about, trying to get free, trying to run away.  However, he is held too tightly by the ropes and chains, and has no chance of success.  Straining against the gag, he makes distressed gurgling and choking noises, but nothing that is likely to carry very far.  With your dagger, you slit his throat and continue to hold him;  his struggles continue for what seems a long time but eventually he weakens and drops to the floor, the blood soaking into the dirt of the hillside.  You clean your dagger, and rejoin the others.  When you glance back, you see that the Redbrand's head has fallen facing the party, his eyes wide open and staring at you, now seemingly lifeless.

You head back to town.

We keep ears? Or not do neemore?

Strix tries to find his feet in the ever shifting sands of the group's morality. 

As a group, you take about an hour to make the return trip to town.  During that time, there is no indication of any threat, or any response from the Redbrands to your actions.  As you enter the town, it seems quiet, and there doesn't appear to be anyone about.  Passing through the area where the battle with the Redbrands took place, it seems that someone with a bit more skill than you, or at least a bit more time to spend, has done a rather better job of hiding the combat, and the casual observer would probably not notice anything had happened.  It is now four hours after the battle, in the early part of the afternoon.

Heading north through town, you still don't see anyone in the streets or on the town green.  As you near the inn, however, you notice Sister Garaele in her shrine, standing near the entrance way, watching you.  She doesn't call out or make any attempt to signal you, she just stands and watches.  You reach the Stonehill Inn; there is no noise coming from inside.  The town is now beginning to seem eerily quiet.