ooc: guess Amandil will be the good cop here. Persuasion to try to get him to tell us what we want to know: 13

Amandil recalled a saying he had heard about a drop of honey and it gave him an idea. "Hey, guys, ease up on him why don't you."  He turned to the captive and tried to pitch his voice sympathetically. "This is no good at all. I don't approve of this, but they're in charge... I'm Amandil by the way - what was your name?" After getting his answer he continued. "Doesn't it seem odd to you that Hammurabi's vizier would go through all this trouble - just for some trinkets? Aren't there trinkets where you're from?"

With gritted teeth, he draws a breath. "Evormius. Yes- yet these houses hold far more precious metals and gems than my land. The Hammurabi would tax our find heavily, to make himself richer- still, this would be worthwhile. The Vizier is a cunning man. He must have known the portal to open- they say he acted the moment it did. Surely, there is something he wants here. I am no clever man, it is beyond my knowing. The look in his eyes, though, I could see. It was greed beyond comprehension."

      Anahn realizes Amandil’s intentions as the bard approaches their prisoner with honeyed words, and will seek to serve as the stick to his carrot. He stays silent seeing that Amandil has it mostly covered, but will glare a hole into the soldiers head, slowly unfurling Living Link and dragging it on the floor near the prisoner’s skull. Simply seeking to show the soldier that he is still very much surrounded by threats,

  Intimidation: 21

"Hm. Sounds like the reason there's no gold to be had is because... well... that vizier's got it. And Hamurabi of course. You know?" Another idea came to him. "Why put up with all that? Where we're from, if we get some treasure in a legit way, there's no vizier to tax it away. I get that you wouldn't want to stay here but why not come with us? If you help us out, I'm sure we could bring you back with us." Please let me be right...

"No taxes...?"

Another Persuasion check. Beef it if you can.

Amandil decided against lying. Lies needed to be maintained, and it really wasn't necessary here. With perfect candor he replied "Mmm, some taxes, yes. But just once and it isn't much so we get to keep most of it. It's worth taking a risk for - most of the payoff stays with you. If you're lucky or skilled, you can do quite well for yourself, and many do. Really, it makes no sense to take away most of a man's earnings - why should he work hard then? It's about incentive."

"How could I refuse? What can Evormius do for you?" He sounds hopeful, though a hint of malice for his treatment remains.

That was almost too easy... Not normally especially good at reading people's motivations, Amandil nonetheless got the feeling that Evormius was genuinely willing to cooperate. For now. Now comes the hard part. How to make this sound reasonable? "Good! I knew you'd see reason. Now, about this incursion your people are making. It's not doing anyone any good, not us nor the people living here nor your people. It's a lose-lose-lose situation. You come, kill some civilians and take their trinkets. That's a loss for them, obviously. Then you go back with the trinkets, just for them to be confiscated by the vizier. That's a loss for you. We have to protect those civilians which means deadly danger for no good reason. That's a loss for us." He shook his head demonstrably. "There's only one solution. We need to have your people go back to your own world, and close the portal. But we don't know where that is." 

He sits upright. "Do not worry, Amandil. You've already convinced me. The others, no. I could not ask them to. Not against the Vizier. I can show you to the portal."

Eleana, having turned her attention back once Amandil took over, speaks up. "Were you afraid of him?"

He guffaws. "Afraid? No, terrified! He swore that any who fled before he allowed it would find their homes gone. We were chosen - as expendable allies." He spits. "Gishtuk always is good to his promise- like the promise of wealth to be found here."

Eleana tilts her head slightly, with a sly smirk. "So, if we could prove that they couldn't go home anymore, what then? Could you convince them to leave?"

Looking the the hazy sky in thought, he rubs the blackened mark at his abdomen where Ron hit him, groaning a little. "I could convince them to forget about their homes and gold to think of finding a better way to die. That is why I accepted your offer. Lillaeas told a gruesome story of how that would be if we did not return home. As long as Gishtuk is not there, I can do that."

Eleana smiles at Anahn. "What do you think?"

Van interjects. "The Vizier is surely a dangerous man where you come from, but can he fight?"

The man nods. "They say he can behead two men in combat with a single swing of his blade."

Danniell and Hallamir don't like the sound of that.

   Anahn looks to Eleana and takes a deep breathe, running his hands through his hair after sheathing the Living Link with a pure nervous energy. He looks to the sky a bit, covering his face, and gives a slight groan of frustration before once again meeting the faces of all of his party members. His scan of everybody ends on Evormius, still giving the man a look of disgust and disapproval before once again looking the rest of his party,

   “What exactly are we planning to do once finding this portal? Do we know enough to try and close it? And the warriors left behind like Evormius, are we trying to guide them towards a different purpose other than following the orders of this vizier? Forgive me for being confused, I just want to make sure of our mission.” 

Van nods once, looking beyond the others. He nods again. "I can use the resonator given to us to close it."

"Good, great!" What's the catch here? If they closed the portal all of Evormius' comrades would be stuck on a dying world, doomed. Amandil expected an argument. Does he have no bond with them at all, no loyalty? That could be, especially if they were recruited (more likely, rounded up) from different places. Still he felt somehow... deflated. Perhaps disappointed. Perhaps I should not have made him this offer. He made a note to watch Evormius for any signs of treachery.

"Then if we're all ready, what say we head out?"

Evormius pushes to his feet, then gestures in a small arc to the south-south-west. "The portal is that way. Ah, just behind one of these buildings." He reaches to take his polearm, but Hallamir steps on it and shakes his head slowly. Evormius puts his hands up with a wince, and leaves it. He then leads the way at a slow pace, heading back to the dirt street. Van follows, keeping about 15 feet behind.

Ron shrugs as he starts to follow. "These low-lifes are pushovers, by the relative silence, there can't be that many of them. Razgerah's men and the militia should be able to handle whatever we don't take care of."

Eleana walks alongside Anahn. "I hope the others will be as willing as Evormius, once they're cornered without their portal."

Danniell huffs. "I hope we don't run into this Gishtuk guy. If we do, how about we run and let the militia handle him? Say, what's he look like?"

Evormius stops, looking around another pile of left behind goods on the road and appraises his direction again before continuing south. "He wears a vest of golden links, and keeps a falchion of glinting metal. He is not as short as they say, but he is short for a great man."

You may encounter more of them before reaching the portal. It is up to you how to arrange the party, or come up with a plan before that happens.

   Anahn will look to his band of adventurers filled with his fellow town friends and Eleana, his most valued companion. After a stressed breath he says with a hopeful lilt to his voice, 

   “Perhaps Hallamir and I shall take the head of our little troop, and have Eleana ensure our friend Evormius here remains safe in the center. Behind them Ron here would be there, with our trustworthy spellcasters coming up the rear ready to provide support. I suggest we try our best to avoid conflict before we approach the portal. But if we feel our cover is gonna be blown or we feel ourselves nearing our destination we should make use of our magical Dust of Disappearance. It may even be able to grant us a window of opportunity to get close enough to close the portal. Hopefully after that we will be close enough for Evormius to convince the other soldiers I guess? Or perhaps it just ends up giving us a chance at a surprise attack. I’m open for any other suggestions however...” 

   Looking to the party Anahn runs his thin fingers through his ebony black locks, his hands shaking slightly in his nervousness at the unknowns of the mission ahead. 

All agree on Anahn's suggestion. Following the street, you hear the sound of distant shouting now and again, and Evormius gestures where you should go as he keeps looking around nervously. Ron seems at ease, looking about as though on a stroll in the park. He sighs at one point, speaking in a normal tone as you pass another corpse in the street.

"I had hoped to avoid such grisly sights. This won't make a fond final memory of my world's civilization. I see another group of pillagers, but they're quite preoccupied and unaware of us."

Van hushes him, whom shrugs in response and nods. Eleana seems sure of herself- not in confidence of everyone's abilities, but in the morality of your actions, giving Anahn a reassuring smile and speaking quietly to him. "If we can make this work, we'll be heroes." After passing 16 homes to turn east at a T in the road and another 6 buildings to the east, Evormius stops and points to the north-east side of a warehouse. "It is back there," he says in a raised hush. "We should have bumped into someone. Is this luck?"

The warehouse is longer than your vision, but a short sneak around the side, and you can see a bone warrior pacing about at the back corner. Van taps Anahn at his side and whispers. "They won't see this coming. Allow me to take care of the portal." He backs to the front side of the warehouse, then casts Extended Invisibility. The man continues to meander, sometimes looking your direction, but unable to see you. While waiting, you hear a few more shouts in the distance to the south and to the east.

((Van passes a few checks to close the portal))

Then, six minutes later, you hear him again in a hush. "The portal's closed now, and they didn't even notice. Now Evormius. I'll keep an eye on you."

This time in a whisper, Ron speaks. "We've provided a significant advantage to the town's forces. Reopening the portal won't be so easy. I suggest letting the constables and militia handle the rest."

"Should we go with Evormius? He said he would have a problem if he encounters the vizier..."

Evormius is about to head to the place where the portal was. "The woman is right. I may not be able to come back here soon if you do not come with me. Where should I go to find you later, if I must? I will wait for you if need be."

Amandil was torn for a second between encouraging him to go alone, and then losing him, but a promise was a promise. "You know your people best Evormius. What would be better, us all going together and possibly making them hostile, or you going alone?"

"They will be afraid to do anything against the Vizier if they are in his reach. If you were there, you could remove him. Out of his reach, it will be best without you, as you say. They won't attack me. I will avoid him as best I can."

He seems to have a plan either way, eager to take the role of a doomsayer.

     Anahn crosses his arms and looks to his party,

  “I do not have a preference regarding who should go with Evormius, but if the group chooses to go and support him...then I of course am willing to join as well. And it seems to me that this vizier is a man that shouldn’t be in charge, if we wanted to I’m sure we could change that.” 

    He then just gives a patient look in the party’s direction as he brings up his points of conversation. Throughout the talk being had Anahn simply stands near Eleana and is unconsciously leaning near her, his stressed mind state causing him to seek some comfort. 

He really didn't want to fight this vizier but it looked like they would have to. If they sent Evormius alone, he might succeed, but where and how would he rejoin them? If he went about alone, he would be taken as one of the invaders by the locals. Worse, he might decide to slit some throats and grab some loot. "Alright, then I think we should all go, if everyone's good with that." Also, if they beat the vizier and neutralized the other warriors, they'd be doing Ron's people a favor. Since so many of them were incapacitated, removing a threat was literally saving their lives.