Mola, if he can still speak at the end of his turn, watches the roper fall. He glances back at Naraga and says “Now that your dangerous pest has been removed, we seek no quarrel with you, and act only in self-defense. May we talk?”

"If you want your ransom for these men, we are ready to deal," Rixton says.

He readies an unarmed attack against orc 1 if he should attack anyone.

Gwin puts a hand up to orcs 1 and 2. *Halt! We did not come here to fight you. And speaking over the heads of Naraga's underlings, Gwin addresses her directly, Surely you can see we are more than capable of defending ourselves and do not wish to spill any more blood today. Let us instead parley and discuss ransom for these prisoners. What do you value? What do you desire? Is it not clear that we have the skills, the ability, and the bravery to seek out whatever you require in exchange for these lives?

*Command

Oooooh!

(Jheric goes *bleh*: 14 death save)

(Isn’t Jheric okay?)

(Oh that's right, the Sanctuary kept him from becoming a snack)

Jheric shakes himself out of the roper tendrils and comes face-to-face with an orc guard. Meeting the brute's glare, he presses his hands together in front of his chest and the air seems to shimmer momentarily around him. "Do you always feed new prisoners to monsters?"

WIS saves: Orc 1 4 | Orc 210

Naraga studies Mola's countenance for a moment as if she's trying to read any deception in his face. She then barks something in Orc, calling out to the two male guards that stand before Rixton, Jheric, and Gwin. Both guards lower their javelins and take a few steps backward. 

Naraga then speaks to the group. "All of us shall live today. So be it. What will you give?"

Pausing for a moment as she steps into the room and stands next to the dead roper. "Your cloaks? I believe there is more to them than meets my eye. One cloak for each prisoner."

One of the male orcs growls something unintelligible at Naraga. She turns to him and, in Common, says, "Hold your tongue, Chovu!"

1

Mola, in a very careful dance, maneuvers the flaming sphere, causing the two orc guards to back out of the room and into the passageway near Naraga.

"That’s an interesting offer. How about we all leave and no one burns up?" suggests Mola. "Or we might be convinced it’s a good idea to give you a cloak, if as we’re leaving you tell us honestly what’s really going on. I understand they ambushed you with the Uthgardts. We think they might have been possessed. We just want to know what happened and why, and try to get these chuckleheads back to explain themselves to the authorities.”

Naraga's annoyance at the current situation is evident on her face. "So be it. The humans and the elf attacked the Hand and did so with the Tree Ghosts, as you say. That one..."--she points at Ferrian--"...babbled about his innocence all hours of the day."

"I am innocent!" shouts Ferrian from the back of the cave, where he still sits. 

"His mind is weak, but he speaks the truth about the one with hooves," continues Naraga, shaking her head. "One of our tribe watched as the creature..."--she switches from Common to Orc--"..the crignashka..."--she switches back to Common--"...walked out of this room. It is as the stupid human says. The crignashka was seen not long after the elf was brought here. How it was not destroyed by the roper I do not know. Why it was here I do not know. Where it went I do not know."

She pauses, mumbles something in Orc to herself, and concludes, "That is all. That is truth."

"One more question, if you please: Do you know what this crignashka is? I've heard of things from other worlds - fey and fiends - that sounds similar." Despite the tenuous truce and acceptance to leave, Jheric is not one to abandon his protection or the fiery barrier.

"Crignashka...I do not know such a word in the common tongue," Naraga replies. "Horned monster with hooves as the stupid human says. A thing only in orc stories until it came here. Follows the god who is forgotten, the god who has no face." 

Religion: Gwin 18 | Jheric 20 | Mola 14 | Rixton 6

Gwin: 

Gwin has been listening intently to the exchange between Mola, Jheric, and Naraga. Upon hearing the word "Crignashka" her eyes widen. Crignashka you say??? I've heard this word before, many years ago at a temple where I was fulfilling my final duties as a novice. There was a series of attacks throughout the area with orphans and the wounded being brought to us for care and healing. From the stories of the survivors, including an orc so dazed from his wounds he wandered into the temple, we were able to surmise these were attacks in the name of the Forgotten God, sometimes known as the Faceless God, (nodding in the direction of Naraga) or as the orcs call him, Crignashka. The legends say he is a hybrid of yak and man, but faceless, wearing flowing robes. In my travels I've encountered a few yak-men from Faerun. It's rumored they're his offspring. All I know is wherever he's worshiped, bloodshed follows due to the violent sacrifices of his zealots. I can scarcely imagine what heinous deeds have been committed in his name. As far as I know, there's only one spell that's truly effective at restraining him and anyone under his power. It's called "Yakkity Yak, Don't Immolate That."

It took Mola a little while to catch up to events, but as he did, his mouth gaped a little as Gwin explained things about religion and yak men.

Muttering to himself, ending with what sounded like him repeating “Don’t immolate that?”, Mola spoke up. “So back up a second. They ambushed you out in the wood, seeming possessed. And then you understandably brought the survivors back here. Then AFTER that, one of you saw the yak-man inside here? And you seemingly have no defense against it. They seem bad. For you, especially! Here’s a thought. We take these prisoners away from here, since they just seem to attract creepy dangerous yak-men. We use the cloaks to go find, sneak up on, and eliminate the threat. No more Crignashka. You can go about your lives. When the threat’s gone, we can deliver the cloak back here. I haven’t conferred with my compatriots here but I like to think out loud.”

Mola’s slowly walking out with the sphere still gently leading the way, hoping to use the time of the spell to get the group of Harpers and prisoners closer to the outside.

"I don't think tracking and killing a divine harbinger is as easy as 'find it and take care of it'. I could be wrong, but if it can just walk in unseen, then walk out in full view of everyone without opposition, it may be out of our league."

“You underestimate yourself. And I feel it’s important to get to the bottom of mysteries. Like what Uncle always says. Do well by your neighbors. Finish your work.” He throws in uncle as an old codephrase of the Harpers, trying to communicate that their mission was to retrieve these two but also to find out what happened — evil yak-men aren’t really something Harpers like to leave around unattended.

Naraga looks at Mola and says, "No, do not return here. Cloak or no cloak. Mizg'rak will kill any of you, all of you, if you do. He will see the roper is slain and understand why the prisoners are gone and I did not stop you. Go now before he returns and the Hand returns with him. Go! Find and kill yak-men if that is what you wish."

"Yikaria," utters Aralea, who has approached the group. "They call themselves yikaria. The Lucky Chosen Ones."

"Of course she knows who they are!" yells Ferrian. "SHE brought it here!"

"Stupid human," comments Naraga. "Him I will not miss. Please go now."

As you have been talking, you have retraced your steps and now stand at the cave entrance. Dusk is fast approaching. 

Rixton was uncharacteristically silent for the entire journey out of the hideout. At the entrance, he removes his cloak and places it gently on the ground, looking meaningfully at Naraga. "Use it wisely," he says. Then, as an afterthought, he reaches for a clumsy translation of goblin origin. "Be fierce, free, and friends."

-------------------------

As the party distances themselves from the Hand, Rixton follows up on his translation. "The saying is really more like, 'be wily, uncaught, and...simpering-when-cornered' but I prefer my version. Maybe because of the alliteration."

As they work out who rides and who walks, Rixton mulls over possible plans aloud. "We need to get the Pikes to Olostin's Hold or possibly all the way to Calling Horns if Renna is our only Harper option nearby. And then we need to investigate this...hoofed creature. Aralea...you might be of remarkable use to our investigation here. Can we persuade you to join us?"

"Yes," remarks Finnegas, "if my brother and I were to reach the Hold we could then return to Yartar."

Finnegas also takes a moment to explain that the words Rixton scrawled in the dirt--HM GRANDFATHER TREE EVIL FP--meant nothing to him. Neither he nor Ferrian have any recollection of creating the message. 

"For now I am willing to be of use," Aralea replies. "For reasons greater than my own curiosity, I too must understand what has taken place. My last clear memory is being attacked by Tree Ghosts near Jalanthar. How I became a captive of the Hand is unknown to me. When presented with a riddle, I've little choice but to solve it."

After a brief pause, she adds, "I might be more useful with a bow in hand and more than these rags to wear."

Once the party is out of sight of the Hand's cave, Gwin pulls her companions (Mola, Jheric, Rixton) to the side. I'll be the first to admit that I can be a little too trusting, but I think in this instance some caution would be prudent. We still know so little about what happened to those three, and given their lack of memory regarding their actions I propose we have the four of us remain on horseback while we lead the Pikes and Aralea on foot with their hands bound. I'm more than happy to give my bearskin to the elf, but I'm not ready to hand her a weapon. What say you, friends?