Jalt coughs again.. -vail. He just closes his eyes and lays there. Thinking to himself as he lays there, a bloodied, dying mess. Great Bahamut, you have spared my life once again. I will search all the lands to slay Cyanwrath. If it be my last action in this world.

The second Jalt falls Breena sprints down from the wall to the gate, ignoring any who try to stop her (if she can.) The plan to fire upon Cyanwrath is completely forgotten and likely wouldn't have helped anyway. In this moment it doesn't matter that she has no healing ability, no potions, no plan, she just needs to be where Jalt is and offer him what little she can. 

Soar, you find that the children and other hostages are okay, and as you begin to untie them, you hear footsteps as guards from the keep come up and assist.  The guard who spoke before grabs a young gnome woman, presumably his wife, and weeps openly as he frees her, while she sobs in relief on his shoulder.  After a moment, as you are struggling with the bonds of a halfling girl, you feel a hand on your shoulder; it's Castellan Escobert the Red, his face kind but stern:  Enough.  You've done enough.  Stop.  Leave her to us.  Come back into the keep.  Come, please my lady.

Jalt, you see above you the sky is brightening, but the stars are still visible.  If Bahamut is listening, he makes no response to you, not in this moment.  There are footsteps around you; a group gathers, and hands reach out to life you up; you sense that Breena is one of those with you.  It hurts, and you almost faint from the pain and loss of blood, but you are carried into the keep by a group of Greenest's guards.  You hear orders being shouted out, people running out into the town, arguments about how safe it is, and then you lose consciousness once more. 

Breena, you and the guards bring Jalt to the keep, to the place where you first met Lasani; she stands there waiting, and immediately sends people scurrying in all directions, fetching herbs and other items as she takes control of the unconscious dragonborn's care.  You may stay with him, but do not interfere she warns firmly.  I can save him, do not fear.

Elspeth, you watch all this from the walls of the keep; you see Soar bring Jalt back to consciousness, before the dragonborn is carried, desperately close to death still, into the keep below.  You can see that the attackers are moving out of the town, headed east, and that the people of the keep are leaving, running into the town, searching buildings for survivors, calling to family, while the guards keep up as best they can and try to protect them from any remaining dangers.  The sky is brightening, and dawn is moments away.

Jalt is unconscious, but everyone else is free to act.  What would you like to do?

Breena nods to Lasani, sitting beside Jalt and holding his hand in both of hers. "That was really stupid, you know," she says to him, even though she knows he can't hear her. Tears trickle unchecked down her cheeks from a combination of fear and relief and exhaustion. "I mean, noble and brave and I'm proud of you but also don't ever do that again. Next time we do what I say and we just go find a nice tavern, okay? I wonder if there are any left here, I could use a drink. Or six. It's been a really long day, Jalt. Tomorrow you have to promise you're not going to be stupid again, okay? That's my job, I'm much better at it than you are..." And she just continues rambling at him while Lasani works.

Soar will, as is her custom at this point, try to seek out Jasa's family. (After briefly seeking out Elspeth and Breena and making sure they are okay.) If Jasa's family aren't among the hostages, she will go out, almost dead on her feet, and try to join the groups looking in houses near where people direct her after continued queries about the family of Jasa the merchant.

She is also trying to gather her thoughts about what she wants to say to Jalt.

As Jalt lays there, he dreams of when he was but a young lad. Sitting on his father's knee, eyes filled with joy and wonder. He can't be more than a year old. And his father looks at him with such love and adoration. 

My son. You are destined for greatness. Firstborn of Eshuna. Blessed by the grace of Bahamut. You will be a beacon of hope, of truth... of power.. .

The dream fades into a different memory now. Jalt is now what appears to be 8 or 9. He's outside of the Temple of Bahamut in Ruinspoke. In his hands a prayer book, his father by his side.

Here is where we come to worship and praise the glory of Bahamut, who breathed life into us. Who created our people, the one true god above all others..

And the memory fades again... this time, to the moment... before he made his way down to fight and Breena's face "If you die, Jalt, I'm gonna be really mad. So...don't. Okay? Cause you're my best friend and I love you." 

Elspeth watches the half-dragon and his lackeys leave for a moment more, then dashes down the stairs into the courtyard of the castle. She stops at Jalt's side, anxiously, waiting for some sort of reaction from the dragonborn. If Lasani doesn't look like she wants help, then Elspeth moves along to the infirmatry,  hoping she'd be able to help comfort and take care of the wounded somehow. If necessary, she'll go out of the keep to help the kee[p guards bring in the injured to the infirmatry.  Every time she passes where Jalt is, she hovers for a moments, hoping to see Jalt wake up.

Soar, you notice one of the halfling girls looking at you.  When you mention Jasa's name, she perks up.  You know auntie Jasa?  Is she here too?  You talk to her, and learn that her name is Yosa.  Jasa's family is mostly still hiding in their home and was fine the last she knew, but Yosa sneaked out of the house to look for her pet wolf, and got captured by kobolds.  She says she managed to punch two of the kobolds before they could get her, and she holds up her fist in triumphant proof.  She leads you through the town and after some time you are able to meet with Jasa's sister Sumya, and other brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, along with many other families in the little halfling district on the far side of town, and you reunite them with Yosa.  The guards accompanying you confirm that the attackers have all left town, and you turn to the keep.

Elspeth, you join the guards as they find terrified survivors hiding in this building and that, some also grieving for loved ones they have seen cut down, others desperate to reach the keep where they believe their families might be.  The guards with you are also able to confirm quickly that the attackers have been surprisingly disciplined and have all left the town in one group.  There is much work to be done, and there are many grieving souls, but also moments of joyful reunification.  As the sun is beginning to rise in the sky, you return to the keep, the job done for the moment.

You both join Breena as she keeps watch over the slumbering Jalt.  Lasani frowns, and orders you away to rest.  I have many wounded, and more coming in all the time. If you wish to take turns watching over your friend, you can do so, but one at a time.  Go.  Rest.  There's a small room just up those stairs with some bunks that the guards use; go and get some sleep.

Breena is staying with Jalt, but she'll curl up beside him and sleep if Lasani forces the issue. If there's no room for her beside him, she'll just stay sitting and lay her head down on the side of the bed and sleep very awkwardly at an angle. 

Soar does the playful "I'm afraid, don't hurt me" blocking with her forearms thing when Yosa shows her the fist she used to punch the kobold. She offers to carry her to their houses, but of course the girl is strong enough to walk on her own. Soar is immensely relieved to find out Jasa's family (OOC: Jasa was a halfling, right?) is safe, and then she offers to walk them back to the keep if they want. She tells them where Jasa stowed her wagons, and offers to take them there either right away or the next day.

She sleepily returns to the keep with the guards, and if the governor has any other business, she will drowsily listen, and maybe work up the clearmindedness to ask how many people are missing, and if he had learned anything more. But she's fried, and though she's trying, she's fading. She stops by Jalt's bedside, patting his leg and trying to give him some of Kelemvor's blessing. She assuredly sees Breena there, and Soar finds her idea to go to a place that is serving drinks extremely reasonable. She will join her for a pint if that's an option, grabbing Elspeth if she can find her. Soar will take one loooong sip and then fall asleep at the table, snoring contentedly. If there's no place to get a pint, she'll go up to the place with the bunks and collapse into sleep. 

(Jasa and her family are indeed halfings - apologies for the error, which I have corrected now I think.)

Soar, Jasa's family are happy to hear that she is nearby but too exhausted to do anything tonight.  The governor is also unavailable, and you eventually make your way to Jalt's bedside.  Breena is there, lightly dozing, but she awakes when you near.  Between you Elspeth, Soar and Breena manage to keep a vigil over the injured Jalt throughout the night as his wounds heal magically.  Around you, the keep is busy, but then quietens, as exhausted townsfolk take a moment to rest, and many folk return to their homes.  The infirmary is quiet, people popping in for visits, but Lasani and her helpers are stern and keep the visitors, and the noise, under control.

In the late afternoon, you all awake, having managed somehow to find enough time for a proper rest.  Elspeth is at Jalt's bedside, and sees him come groggily to consciousness.  Breena and Soar come down from their resting place moments later.  The room is peaceful, with a few staff and visitors moving around, but most patients still asleep; Lasani herself is now dozing in a chair, and her assistant gives you a warning look to keep your voices quiet and not disturb anyone.  

It is a new day in Greenest.  You have all completed a long rest and reached level two, so please update your character sheets.

What would you like to do first?

Jalt's eyes open slowly and they look around without him moving his head in any direction. Surveying the scene and realizing that he is in what appears to be a makeshift infirmary he sighs Death will have to wait I suppose. He starts to sit up, anticipating his body to not reciprocate what he wants to do but he finds that he is able to do so with little struggle. Looking around the room and seeing the others, he lets out a sheepish smile. I hope I didn't scare anyone. Jalt notices Lasani sleeping and does his best to keep his voice down. Were the hostages freed?

Soar wakes up, says a little prayer to Kelemvor (and for the record, Soar's prayers to Kelemvor are just like if you were to call a very taciturn old friend on a rotary phone, kick your feet up on a desk, and start talking about how your day went in an extremely relaxed fashion), and looks over to Breena. "How are you doing, Badger? That was a hell of a night? I'm very impressed with how you handled yourself. I felt so much safer with you at my side. Has Jalt always been like this? You've known him longer than I have..."

After they come downstairs and Jalt awakens, she hears his first sentence and says, "you sound disappointed death has to wait, Jalt, was that your hope?" She sits down at the foot of the bed. "Yes, we freed the hostages soon after you dropped. Your sacrifice won their lives, so I thank you for that. I think you're extremely brave and devoted. But I'm still miffed at you; we almost lost you for good, and would have, if someone who cares about you hadn't come out there carrying some berries and forcefed you amid some... wailing grief. I think that big blue guy really thinks he killed you, which might be handy later on."

She looks over at Elspeth and playfully pokes her knee with her toe, grinning. "You okay? Proud 'a you. Wanna go see if they serve breakfast here at, what is it, around 3 o'clock? And find out what the heck is going on?"

Soar will spend some time with her friends, and then go seek out Jasa to see if she can touch base with her (were we supposed to get paid for this caravan guard job?), and then if she sees the castellan or the governor, she'll try to find out the status of things, if help is on the way, where the cultists went, what they wanted. She will hunt around for the javelins she threw at the dragon, and even head out to the places where they skirmished with thugs and cultists in town to see if her javelins are still laying there, and if they bodies have anything valuable in their pockets.

If she is allowed, she will also stop by wherever they are gathering the remains of the dead and help whoever is burdened with that on prayers, rites, funereal duties, assuming they are okay with a death knight doing so.

Breena wakes somewhat confused, she'd fallen asleep next to Jalt and would have stayed there if given the choice. She assumes someone moved her while she was sleeping. Not a difficult thing to do as she tends to be a sound sleeper, especially after such a full day. "Oh, I'm alright, I mean...yeah, that was a lot. I'll feel better once I see Jalt. We haven't had a situation like this before since we met, but I wasn't exactly surprised by his decision. Not thrilled, but not surprised." 

She continues back to the infirmary, smiling when she sees Jalt looking refreshed and healed. "You certainly did scare us. So. You know. Don't do that again. Are you okay? How do you feel?" 

I feel blessed. Jalt replies. Bahamut has graced me with more time. And I'm going to need it, because I will walk the ends of this world to find that heathen. Jalt finally stands up, bracing himself with the bedpost as he does so. Now if you all don't mind, I must perform my daily prayers. He looks to Breena and smiles. Have you found a place to have a drink? Its been a rough past few days. I'm sure you wouldn't mind one.

As he starts walking to find a place to pray, he grabs Soar by the arm and gives her a gentle squeeze, leaning in... he whispers in draconic. If I would have seen you or the others fall to Cyanwrath, my rage would have taken over and I would have jeopardized the safety of everyone.

Elspeth had almost dozed off a few times, each time jerking awake just before she fell asleep. She winced as she rubbed at the crick in her neck that had developed from staying too long in an awkward position. It takes her a moment to realise that Jalt was awake, upon which her grimace transformed into a wide smile.

"The raiders left right after, the hostages are fine, thanks to you. We're doing our best to clean up the town." She jabs the dragonborn's shoulder playfully. "You could have been more careful."

She looks up at her friends, slowly rising to a standing position. She would offer to help around the keep if there's anything that needs doing - making the infirmatry rounds, burying the bodies, but otherwise she would prefer to stay with her friends.

After talking with the newly-recovered Jalt, you gather up and make your way out of the infirmary and into the ward of the keep, the large open area protected by its walls.  There are far fewer people now than the night before; most have returned to their homes, it seems.  But you do spot some familiar caravans, and a halfling woman surrounded by other halflings, including a young girl who is loudly telling the story of Jalt's fight with Cyanwrath.  As you approach, the woman stands up, runs to you all and hugs each one in turn.  Jasa, who is usually all business, is weeping openly and thanking you for saving her family.  The halflings cluster around you; Jasa's family also want to thank you. 

As they are speaking, you notice a noise, and look around as you see that the guards, the people who work in the keep and those few who remain sheltering there from the night before have all gathered and are cheering you.  It's hesitant at first, but grows in strength and confidence as people also begin to clap their hands and cry out all your names.  More and more people come, down from the walls or from the interior of the keep, making a large crowd around you.  The noise becomes deafening; people are roaring their appreciation, you suspect as much to drive away the memories of the horrific night as anything else, but their feelings towards you are clear.  Someone starts shouting 'The Heroes of Greenest', and many take up the chant; others point to Jalt, 'The Champion.  The Champion of Greenest, the Champion of Bahamut'.  More and more people come, cheering and chanting, until the sound is deafening.

Soar can't refuse a good cheer, so she joins in the chant for the champion, cheering Jalt on and clapping her hands with a big smile.

She reaches over and tries to subtly (sleight of hand: 20) wipe away a dried bit of goodberry on his chin she hadn't spotted before now, and then goes back to clapping.

Jalt is taken aback from all the cheering and clapping. Almost as if to not come across rude, he starts to smile uncomfortably and wave back to everyone. Through clenched teeth and forced smile, he says to the group This is more painful than fighting Cyanwrath.

After a while, Governor Nighthill appears, and waves the crowd to silence.  My friends, there will be time to honour our heroes soon.  For now, let them be about their business, as we must all be about ours.  His tone is warm and caring, and the people nod without offence and return to their tasks, still smiling and nodding at you all when they have the chance.

I have no words; none would be enough for what you have done.  Please, you are my honoured guests.  Take your time and see and speak to whomever you wish.  If you have time later, I will back at the keep around sundown and would very much like to speak to you.  Until then, I must get back to town; there is so much to be done.  Though he looks tired, he no longer looks exhausted, and he has clearly allowed his wounds to be treated properly and then rested.  He seems strong and determined as he strides out of the keep, a small group of guards at his side.

Jasa has returned to her family and is continuing to speak to them, but she also looks over to you to indicate that she would like to talk, when you have time.