“I... still can’t make sense of it all... but there’s a sorcerer?” Fae would massage her temple. “They’re after ‘the dwarf’... and the Spider is involved... “ She’d speak the key words she heard through Arvel’s thoughts. “They’re looking for the mine... That’s their focus.” The wizard would look to Tarja. “I think Reidoth is the next target.”

Her eyes would then look to Zeke, unsure of what to suggest with the Arvel before them. Do they lock him away? Keep him chained with them? Any thought pained her as it accompanied restraining someone who resembled their friend. Do they just let him go and keep an eye out?

Zeke tightens his grip on the magical restraints, equally unsure of what to do with their friend who appears bent on a murder spree.

'We should ask if the town has somewhere they can securely hold him until we figure out how to restore our comrade.  Master Ethan, mayhaps you could ask and help them suitably secure such a location against Arvel's considerable powers?'

Quinn watches everything from Ethan's shoulder, looking back and forth between Arvel, Fae, Tarja and Zeke.

"Χα! Δες τον αφέντη, ήξερα ότι αυτό θα μας προδώσει. Πρέπει να τα αφήσουμε όλα, να κάνουμε περιπέτειες μόνες μας."

Ethan seems to ignore Quinn's gibbering, giving Arvel a concerned look, before shaking his head.

"Right, ah, restraints. Um, ok, well Arvel is a spell caster, so we will need ridged hand restraints that will stop him from casting spells that way."

"We are also going to need a gag to stop him from speaking as well."

"If this is Arvel, and if Krikkit is still his companion and might possibly come to try and rescue him, we should probably make sure each of these restraints cant easily be cut away, so probably metal..."

Ethan has a sick look on his face at the idea of restraining his friend in this manner.

"Um, is it really Arvel...?"

The party recalls that there are a few jail cells available in the basement of the townmaster's hall.

They also know that removing any and all spellcasting foci and other components from a spell caster is wise.

“His staff(focus), his tome and any components should be confiscated too.” Fae would add softly to Ethan’s list. Did he have any of those items on him? Her eyes would fall over the ‘Arvel’ before her. “I believe those items should remain in our possession and not locked or stashed away anywhere.” She’d think out loud, eyes glancing to check on how Elra was doing. Fae would trust any of his belongings to be cared for with her.

Fae would turn her head to look to Ethan, but her eyes would immediately bounce around unsuredly between him and Quinn. Eventually she’d have to give up and stare down and away in order to try to address Ethan’s question. “Where I’d expect to find an intellectual thought, a sarcastic quip, or an eloquent plot, I simply found focused hate on us and the desire to kill... The presence of the mind, I don’t feel that I know. It doesn’t feel like Arvel...” Those words are hard to admit out loud. As a scholar, she bases everything in logic and fact. She had no concrete fact... simply a feeling. A wave of self-disappointment would cross her face. “When I asked ‘who are you’, I got ‘sorcerer’ and ‘Arvel’.” Her brows would furrow. “Would his ‘lady’ be involved?” Fae would let the thought surface out loud. “Is Arvel himself being controlled or manipulated? Is it a doppelgänger copy running amok while he’s imprisoned?” She’d blurt some other thoughts of her own out loud before her eyes would glance up to each of the others around her. The truth was, she wasn’t sure but hoped she was getting closer to figuring out.

Elra seems focused on making sure Gundren and Sister Garaele are alright, finally healing the Garaele to bring her back to consciousness and doing the same to Gundren if he's also badly hurt. Anyone who looks to closely can see that she has silent tears trailing down her face.

"Oh right, yeah, we definitely don't want him using any equipment."

Ethan steps forward to check Arvel over, looking for his possessions, while Zeke keeps him restrained.

'The jail cells make sense, I can hold him with Tarja's help until you can get something set up.  We can figure out what's going on with him once we're sure he's safe, and we're all safe from him.  Elra, do you have the capability of putting him to sleep until we can get him into the cell?'

"I don't think so," Elra says, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes once she's sure Gundren and the Sister were alright. "If he's a half-elf... then I don't think magic will work to put him to sleep."

Fae's facial expression would soften as she observed Elra care for Garaele and Gundren. She'd have to take a breath, correcting her posture to hold herself tall, fighting back some emotions of her own as she watched. Though, she could only imagine a fraction of what Elra could be feeling at this time. Fae felt herself take tentative steps towards the cleric. She felt the desire to offer a hug of support, but unsure if Elra would welcome one from her. "Would it still be worth a shot... in case it's not?" It was definitely a long shot when the person in front of them clearly looked like Arvel, a half-elf...

Ethan, busy with his activity, doesn't look up in time to see Elra wipe away her tears.

"Yeah, that could be a way to test if it's really Arvel, right? Oh, unless doppelganger are also immune to being put to sleep, or maybe if it isn't Arvel, but whatever it is, is also immune..."

Ethan goes back to his search with Quinn perched on his shoulder

Quinn watches everything that is going on and continues to give everyone else looks of suspicion.

We can keep him in the jail, but need to find Krikket... otherwise he'll get him out! And he could be invisible. We'll have to keep watch on Arvel - or whoever this is - until we find him or make sure he's not around...

As Sister Garaele wakes she mutters "he...he was going to kill Mr. Rockseeker."  As she gathers herself a bit more and sits up on her own she says "he was on me so quickly... slammed me into the wall...HARD."

As the room fell silent, it was as if time stood still for that moment in time. Fae rubbed her temple as if massaging her mind and thoughts. Then, snippets of Arvel’s words would begin to surface within her mind. Her eyes would shift as she’d sift through the memories. A clue? A hint? Hope? Or was it just denial?

A soft, barely audible gasp would leave Fae’s lips as she’d remember a very brief conversation. Her eyes would glance up to fall over Zeke with Arvel. Violet eyes glaze over and turn to inky black darkness.

Fae held on to this memory not in suspicion of Arvel, but because Zeke did not flinch at what could be a difficult task... She had her own fears for the path ahead of her, that her reaction to that interaction was one of utmost respect. The surprise was simply the ease in which Zeke accepted the responsibility and did not hesitate at the ‘ask’. Fae had wanted to find a way to ask if Zeke would do the same for her... Never did she expect that they’d be approaching a crossroads where Zeke exercising his passing promise to Arvel, may have to come to fruition. 

Fae’s eyes would soften once again in understanding as the black in her eyes would fade. Though, her features would also harden with determination to confirm the truth. It was not something to take lightly and she wasn’t going to let Zeke bear the weight of it on his shoulders alone.

Fae and the others see that Arvel does indeed have all of his usual items on him, including his relatively new rod.

"Don't worry Sister Garaele," Elra says gently, "I promise you he's not going to hurt anyone else." She turns back to Arvel and the others. "I can't... well. Putting other's to sleep isn't something Ogma speaks of. I could suggest it to him... but it wouldn't work instantly."

Ethan looks up sadly at Arvel, as he draws out the rod that he gave him the day before.

"It looks like it is the real Arvel...why Arvel, why...?"

Ethan continues and collects any of Arvel's equipment that he thinks might be used to escape or attack, bundling everything up and depositing it into his gauntlet.

Ethan looks at the others,

"Do you want me to start on the special restraints now?"

Yes, sounds like we need them... just be sure not to touch that rod that Fae mentioned. It might have turned him evil somehow.

I'll have to ask Reidoth about this when we find him. Maybe he's heard of something like this.

Arvel doesn't struggle as the party removes all of his gear, he only glares at all of you with obvious malice on his face.