Perception: 13

(A "shadow"? Like a literal shadow, or a metaphorical, emotional one?)

OOC: Emotional.

Before the mayor answers your question, SI'Juul notices the assistant standing just behind the door, listening, as the light coming in from the other room is broken into three shafts, leaving two small gaps for the feet of the assistant.

Seeing your gaze, the mayor looks at you and nods slowly, while speaking:

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that, just a slip of my tongue. Sorry to not have been able to help you further." With that, he gets up and ushers you out of the door. By now you all notice the shadows scurrying away. As the door swings open, you see the assistant sitting back at his desk, seemingly never having left it.

All of you notice his ring on the left pinky finger now. A simple copper band, it bears the symbol of the church of Ilmater.

Si'Juul slowly walks behind the man and firmly places his hands on the assistant's shoulders.

"We have ourselves a man who thinks he's a spy when actually...."

Si'Juul bends down a bit to bring his beak closer to his ear.

"...he's as subtle as I am."

The assistant goes pale as a ghost: "Whaddya mean? I don't... I mean, I'm not a spy. For who? Hu? See?, Not a spy. No, I'm innocent. I won't say anything..." The mayor groans: "I had hoped we could handle this more subtly, I guess not." WIth that, he brings out some rope and starts tying up the assistant. 

Looking at all of you in turn, he says: "Not how I would have gone about things, but the direct approach might be the best in this case. I'm glad you helped. The situation here is more dire than you can imagine. The Archbishop has used the money from the donations and all the fines for infringements of the rligious edicts he had proclaimed to slowly buy up most of the properties in the city and so force the population to either support him, or leave. The city of Arkos is a theocracy in all but name, with the Archbishop running things for his own ends. As far as I can tell, these seem mostly to press every bit of gold out of the city for his personal coffers. About a month ago, the first of the mercenaries up from the south appeared, and they have since established themselves in the city, acting as a private military force for the Citadel and their interests. They smash up shops that aren't paying the tithe and are enforcing the numerous edicts of the archbishop. He's let them keep a percentage of every enforced fine, with the result that they are ruthlessly efficient and eager to squeeze the citizens for what they are worth. Come to think of it though, a small group of them have been sent away within the last couple of days, but not Southwards to the conflict, but up north... I suspect whatever they were doing up there, they were sent to take care of a problem of the Archbishop's."

The man before you seems wholly transformed, now that he is able to speak freely. Noticing your gazes towards the prisoner, he looks at you all :"Hmmm, what do you suggest we do with him?" The tone of the question has the informant and acolyte turn a few shades whiter still.

Still looking at the now former assistant but talking to the mayor,   "You can ask any of my friends here, subtlety is not my style, and when you look like I do, you can't be."

Si'Juul let's the bound man see in Si'Juul's eyes just how worse off he would be had they been alone just the two of them. Then turns to the mayor.

"So the Black Brand came from south of here? And that paper we got from those others, who has it? Maybe it's related."

"Poinki had a bad feeling about archbishop," Poinki mutters.  To the mayor, he says, "We hear bad things, demon worshipers infiltrating church of Ilmater. Maybe Archbishop one of them. You...ally? Hold Ilmater in heart, we need all true believers."

He looks at the spying assistant and sighs. "Must disappear this one. Not so easy.  You have secret passage?  Hidden cell? Maybe just floor that can lift and dig hole under..." 

The mayor looks at the halfling with the strange accent: "No, I'm not a believer myself, but that... I never expected it to be that bad, but it's a weird comfort to know that our suffering at the hands of the greedy hypocrite was due to some bigger scheme... As for this one, there's the cell within the gatehouse, by the city watch. We don't have any secret cells, I'm afraid."

"Then I guess we take him there ourselves."

Si'Juul pulls the captive to his feet.

"Oh, do try to run away. I haven't had to chase prey in a while. And you can ask them how much I do not enjoy being spied upon."

Si'Juul looks to the mayor.

"And which direction is the city watch barracks?"

The mayor points to the east, towards the large stone gatehouse with the statue that you crossed getting here. The prisoner meanwhile is reduced to a shaking and sobbing heap, utterly convinced that SI'Juul is going to kill him as soon as you're all out of sight of the mayor.

Si'Juul begins leading the man towards the barracks and sighs after the captive starts sobbing.

"You can stop crying. Behave, and you have nothing to worry about."

Si'Juul motions to Elhanna to take over leading him and begins falling back behind everyone a few feet.

Deception: 3

Si'Juul tries and utterly fails to hide from his friends how much he is berating himself inside.

Elhanna take Si'Juuls place beside the man. "Don't you worry about our feathery friend. He just wants to see an end this religious business of ours. I'm sure you didn't know that the archbishop is serving a demon, right?" (Insight check: 9)

"If you just tell us what he is planing and why he had you spying on the mayor then I will make sure everything works out for you." She smile a friendly smile at him, them cast a worried look back at Si'juul. 

"You help us, we make things right with mayor and peoples. You hero instead of traitor," Poinki promises. (Persuasion 22 )

Si'Juul just keeps back behind the group, listening to everyone but saying nothing.

He looks to the skies as they walk.

The man is suitably scared by all of you, and Elhanna is unfortunately not able to read too much from the man's incredulous face. But the alternation between the menacing aaracokra, the very persuasive halfling, and the concerned cleric has him break soon enough.

"I don't know nothing about any demon business, but the archbishop said we needed to make the town more godly, and to keep an eye on the mayor, make sure he pushed the city in the right direction and all. One of the priests told me to keep an eye out for any he was meeting with, and report back. That's all, I was just trying to make sure you wouldn't corrupt the mayor with your ways and your differing beliefs." His eyes pointedly rested on Si'Juul and Elhanna as he said this.

Then, turning to look at the charming halfling Poinki was representing, he added: "I never meant to betry any people, and I don't think that's what's going on here. At least I hope it isn't. The church and demons? That would be terrible, for all of us..." He went some shades paler, and fell silent at the horror of the thought.

All of you can determine that he is likely not the brightest spark, though one of you may roll for insight if you want to check whether he's truthful about everything he said.

Even Elhanna, though she has already rolled? If that is the case. Insight: 14

if not, then disregard this :)

Insight: 20

"Yeah, I uh.... I'm not religious. I don't worship anyone and I don't stop people from worshipping whoever they want."

Si'Juul is actively avoiding the man's gaze.

Insight: 18

"I do worship someone and I don't begrudge you following orders. However I do have large complaints about why someone would let a church leader rule a city without some sort of check. Church leaders are as corruptible as anyone else, as you're likely about to find out."

You can all tell that the man seems to have thoroughly believed in the holy necessity of his mission, but you also notice that he seemed too eager to point out that reporting to the priest was all he did, and that he had slipped up in that sentence, first referring to the archbishop directly. Likely, because he had a more important role given to him by the archbishop himself.

At Paren's words, the man turns around, slightly more composed than before: "I guess, though if I had my pick, then the priests are the best of the bunch, they know what virtue is and they live accordingly. Not like the corrupt politicians and greedy merchants, whose very existence depends on them making deals that screw over others...Sure, even priests are fallible, but they try their best not to be!" His religious fervour is quite clear to you all, even though the man remains measured in his speech.

Paren pops an eyebrow. "Ah yes, the good and virtuous priests. And I'm sure it wasn't them who taught you to lie, now was it. If you're going to try, don't slip up at least. make it convincing."

 "Many good kind, wise priests serving good, kind, wise gods," says Poinki. "Spread their god's message, help people, inspire good in others. Many other priests act good, wise, kind when people watching. When people not watching, they make crooked deals, get all power they can, send spies like you to sneak on enemies. Say it all for glory of gods, but all is really for glory of priest. Worse than greedy politicians, they twist religion, lie, use people who think they doing good things by helping. 

"You too smart to keep being used. You serve the god, or just priest?  Let Ilmater, or what good god you serve, free you. Tell all about what archbishop want you to do. If it truly for good of city, you convince us, and maybe we even help. If what you do sounds not good, maybe archbishop one of hidden demon worshipers. If you ashamed  to tell all, we must assume it bad, and you helping demons, too."