"Let us put it to you simply." lia calls out. "Drop your weapons, walk out with hands over your heads, and you might get out of this alive. Do anything else and we'll cut you down."

intimidation: 15 If advantage due to the dead thunderboar ... 10

Rhok tries to listen if he hears the Orcs trying to move around, possibly trying to get to advantageous spots while the little Orc stalls

He whispers to Falcon "Is it possible for them to get behind us, or to exit the keep from the manor?"

Perception check:  10 

"Only if they break a wall or window to get out." Falcon answers Rhok's question in a whisper.

The orc that opened the door drops the axe in his hands and calls his companions in his own tongue. Soon, other orcs start coming out of the house. They throw their weapons into the ground when they see the dead thunder boar. One seems defiant and keeps looking at you in the eyes, the rest show a mixture of fear and resignation as they come out.

The tallest of the group steps forward and speaks in a low, growling voice "Iuk vadokan Gorthok, kulknej cannoav korn avhiuk fighav.  Kulknej ukurrendas kulknej wanav avo ekrom." Noticing that you don't reply in orc, he repeats slowly in common, pausing before each word "Gorthok is dead, we cannot win this fight. We surrender because we want to live."

The other orcs stand silent as he speaks. As soon as he finishes speaking common, the orc that kept looking at you screams in rage and runs forward taking a knife out of his belt. The leader notices and stops him with a fist to the face, leaving the aggressive one unconscious in the ground. "Jiak ukaid no ma gijak!" he shouts at the others, clearly making a point that he means his words.

"Well, it did work" Lothlién mumbles to his friends, his voice showing a bit of surprise and relief. "Now... do we have enough rope to tie them all down? We should keep them here at least to interrogate"

Lia shrugs. "Whatever you think best." She says out loud. "I would rather make friends here, and set them free, but I will do whatever the group thinks best."

Xarroth growls, his eyes lingering on the one that held on to their anger, "Wisdom has graced them; that we cannot ignore. Redemption is a once-offered gift to Bahamut, it would be good to ensure that is understood."

"Tie them down?" Falcon asks "the stables are on fire! Let them prove that they want to live by grabbing buckets and putting the flames out!" He points to a few buckets next to the haystack and to a well inside the walls.

"Seems valid." Lia says, glancing to the orcs. "If you want freedom and your lives, pick up buckets and put out the fire." She moves to aid in the work herself.

Lothlién tries to cover that he's a bit ashamed for not thinking about such an clever solution, and also goes to help. He'll use his Frostbite if that's more efficient then using water buckets - and he'll keep an eye at the Orcs to be sure no one will do anything funny

Rhok will also move to first help restrain the Orcs and then get to dousing the flames

"Just tie the unconscious one, they rest of them better help put this out." Falcon shouts at Rhok as he grabs a bucket too. The orcs get the idea and get in line to pass buckets after a few shouts from their leader.

Lothlién freezes the haystack, preventing the fire from spreading. Half an hour later, the fire in the stables is out. "The guesthouse is a pile of rubble" laments Falcon pointing at the thunder boar corpse "and the stables are not going to be of any use for a while, but at least the main building is still standing. Now, what should we do about you?" he says at the orcs. They stand quietly, trying not to provoke any of you.

Xarroth keep his eyes on the orcs, "My mind remains unmoved; give them a knife for hunting in the morning, taking rounds to keep watch during the night. With the equipment to fend for themselves, without leaving ourselves susceptible to some ploy. Unlikely as it is... "

"I agree with Xarroth." Lothlién  states. "But I have some questions first." He turns to the orcs: "Who were those half-orcs leading you? And what motivated this attack?"

Lia has little interest in them, or any questions asked of them. She would let them go if asked.

Interrogating the orcs take some time, the language barrier is not easy to pass, but you manage to extract some information out of them.

These orcs used to live in a fortress up the Sword Mountains, until a dragon claimed it, killing most of their clan. They fled to the woods, searching for a new place to live, where they met the half orcs. With magic and promises of loot, they took control of the clan. The half-orcs summoned Gorthok, the Thunder Boar, they planned to take over the hunting lodge and turn it into a fortress "they told us only old people here, not great warriors. The shamans betrayed us." The leader finishes.

Falcon is still angry at them "I still don't want them as neighbors. Had they refused to put out the fire I would have executed them all, but now I don't know wha to do with them." He turns to you, asking for your opinion.

"I couldn't agree more, Falcon" Lothlién says. "But I guess we have a common enemy." He  turns back to the Orcs: "We heard about that dragon, and we intendto fight it. I propose an alliance: fight the dragons with us, and you'll have your home back. What do you say?"

Lia hears the orc's story and does become interested in them after all. "Can you draw me a map of this place the dragon drove you out of, and how to get there?" She asks the orcs. "Maybe we can drive the dragon out of it, and you can move back there, instead of down here where there are brave warriors in pretty much every hut and hovel, not to mention the towns."

The orcs look at you and then at each other. They clearly were not expecting this much compassion out of you. The leader speaks "no map, but can show the way. The dragon is too strong for us." He starts describing the route, based on finding the highest mountain first, then go two mountains east and follow a trail that goes along an ancient rock arch. Another orc interrupts and talks to him fast on his own language, he nods and translates "there is other place for us, the Circle of Thunder, shamans live there, deep in the forest. We help clean that one, then live there out of the way. Too few of us to be trouble."

Lia commits the description of how to get to this place in her memory. She then glances to Falcon. "Is this circle of thunder place far enough removed you would be ok with the Orcs going there?"

Lothlién mumbles in Elvish: "Isn't that the place we went and killed those Blights.. and orcs, and half-orc a half-orc shaman?"