((Fianna wasn't interrogating him, per se... More just was being a wise-acre right off the top to throw him off guard.  She is happy to allow Jahren do the actual questioning...  And she will drop the Seeming once anyone indicates that she should.  Which isn't the wisest as it's possible that Toc or Jezun are counting on it... But in the heat of events around he she likely forgot them.))

     Fianna stands back and allows the bard to exercise that silver tongue of his.  She stays in Ezhia's line of sight, though, at all times and practices her glower technique.  She also stands ready to use Hold Monster at a moment's notice if she gets the vibe that their captive is suddenly getting hostile...

Ezhia blinks at Fianna verbally accosts him with sarcasm....followed by Mirica. Jahren shrugs off the illusion, stars still slowly moving around his head. As he begins speaking, Ezhia narrows his slit like eyes, watching with suspicion. When he finishes his opening salvo, Ezhia glances around at the group, then a small sliver of a smirk grows on his face. "I remember you two. We met in the forest a ways back. You purchased some elves from me. Always nice to see fella slavers around."  He glances around, hoping his barb finds a target, then meets Jahren's eyes. Jahren sees....a lesser being there in those eyes. He sees a creature consumed with fear and spite and self preservation. Slippery perhaps....sneaky...but someone whom should be easily manipulated...with the correct formula.  Ezhia opens his mouth, "I'm not an idiot you know. Verdant cloud may have sent me on this mission, but I have no illusions....she was half hoping I would be captured I bet. As long as in my dying words I pointed you to the correct path. The path to her. What do I get out of it? Until now...a fair stick for my troubles...money, magic....but...all for not without my health, am I right?"  He hisses under his breath, "I don't care nothin for these humans...and those names, Fazrian and Larloch, never heard of 'em....though that Aldlas fella was often sendin missive to and from Verdant Cloud using demons....nasty nasty demons...but I ain't know nothin from him. I 'spect the only thing I know you care about is how to find the great green mistress. Well, you promise me my skin gets out of here alive, and sure...I'll do my part. I wuz to get you all to follow me to 'er anyway. This is just more direct...which suits me fine."

     Fianna allows a faint smile to touch her lips upon hearing the "fellow slaver" remark.  She is unbothered but finds it telling this creature is so devoid of humanity as to see no difference between selling people for a profit, and surrendering coin for their freedom.  Fianna else wise stands stoically watching the proceeding, attempting to help Jahren by being a (hopefully) intimidating presence behind him.  The theoretical bad cop to the good cop role he has adopted.

"How nice for you that you might cooperate with us and still not betray Verdant Cloud, if finding her is the best thing you can offer."  On the last point, he tries to sound less than impressed that her location is the best Ezhia can do for them.

Jahren leans back a little and glances around the other confidently.  "Well, what do you all think?  Can we find a solution where our friend here doesn't come back and make us regret being merciful?"  The bard is happy to accept actual creative suggestions or simple No's from the group, just as Fianna is thinking regarding good cop / bad cop.

"I was distracted... focused on finding Lacy. My form was a bit off and I let some things through. Clumsy. My master would be mortified." Jezun breathes in deeply and proceeds.

"But thank you. I'm happy to be here. Even if I'm joining in with a group that's found itself between an angry dragon family and a very complicated-sounding city. Like I said. They could use help. You, my friend, have already led several interesting human lives. And I hope that you know your work, your dedication, your expertise, are essential, even if they do not get spotlighted very often. Let's see what the others have wrought."

He says nothing more until they arrive back at the warehouse.

The door to the warehouse creaks loudly as Toc and <average citizen> walk in. Lacy is wrapped in a jacket and looks a little worse for wear, but otherwise alive and safe as she walks in between them.  Toc looks about, noting Ezhia, his eyes glimmering every so briefly as the looks around. Without much emotion on his face he guides Lacy to a chair to one side, and then goes and takes a seat on a crate of goods nearby, without saying a word. Though, now that you're getting to know him, you each see a glint of murder in his eyes, the same careless glint that was there before he disintegrated the goblin mage Gorig by the dragon cave.

He surreptitiously casts a message spell at Jahren, "We can kill him and I can capture his soul so that we may pull answers from him without trouble. I provide an option, not a recommendation." 

Jezun looks around room....the place is deserted since he left...with no sign of significant bloodshed or battle. Their foe is simply restrained and sitting on a chair with Chen, Fianna, and Mirica standing around looking rather casual, and Jahren seated on a chair opposite the half-snake man. 

Mirica glanced at Toc, then back at Ezhia and in casual tone mentioned: "If I were you, I would tell everything I know and then some." There was enough intimidating and appearing-to-be-friendly bodies around, so the priest returned to her direct duties -- checking up on Lacy. Some mending could fix the clothes, a little healing -- the body, and a light distracting talk -- the mind. She was doing just that.

((Seeming is dropped...))

     "Whether he lives or dies is irrelevant.  If tonight has proved anything it is how insignificant a threat he is.  Give him a minute to prove himself useful to us, and to save his life.  If the minute passes..."  Fianna pauses for a moment to give both the lion and the boar a pet.  "Well, they're hungry..."

     Fianna then uses Prestidigitation to make the image of sand timer, with the sand quickly draining... Then waves her hand to make is disappear.  "Time is flowing..."

Jahren grins at Fianna's response, sits back and folds his arms.  He looks at Ezhia and nods in Fianna's direction to show that he does indeed have just one minute.

Ezhia’s eyes dart from Toc, to Jezun, then Lacy, Fianna....the lion...a timer, Jahren...back to Fianna.....well, they’re pretty much spasmic in his eye sockets as he begins to sweat and glance around , “Ya ya, I said I’d  guide you myself directly to the old wyrm....right to her damned lair....and if you should want..I can take you to the place where I meet the local who speaks for the trade guild...they gave all this their stamp and helped me recruit the meat heads....can give you a right straight intro if ya want....they...THEY was the ones who made a back room deal with the wyrm on all this!!”

     Fianna steps up and bends down to talk into the ear of the sitting Jahren.  She tries to play it off as a whisper but definitely wants Ezhia to overhear... "Velvet Dream isn't that hard to find, just most don't want to do it.  We know the trade guild wants to feed us to her.  What we don't have is evidence to give to the more reasonable sort... And pet food there doesn't seem to have it for us."

     Fianna pulls up an illusion of an almost expired timer, shrugs, then steps back to her previous position.

"I don't got any evidence....I don't got none, it's all been verbal contract. But...I can help you get some. I'll work with you...you can get all the evidence you want!'

"Hmmm, you're starting to sound mildly useful after all..."

"Jezun, break his legs if he ever tries to run from us, will you?  That is if Fianna and her pets don't do worse first.  I'm just the information guy."  Jahren shrugs and stands.

Knowing that Ezhia is secure and his magical items and components are tucked away deep in a bag of holding, Jahren helps him stand.  "Where to, everyone?  More trouble could be on its way back here right now."  Jahren looks to Toc as he asks, knowing between his magical mansion and knowledge of the city, he might have an idea of where best to hide close by.

Whenever they aren't in any danger and don't need to be quiet, Jahren continues to prod Ezhia for information.  This includes the location of Verdant Cloud's lair, the other dragon lairs, how to approach Verdant Cloud without being seen, what Ezhia would do if/when they let him free and whether or not Jahren believes him, what his price would be to truly work for them without being forced to, where Ezhia came from and his backstory, etc.

     Before the troop heads anywhere else, though Fianna agrees it is probably wise, she points out that we need to do something with the Displacer Beasts.  "I've no desire to kill them as they've not done me any harm in either of my encounters with them.  But we cannot just leave them here in an office, nor do I like the idea of them returning to Ezhia... Anyone have any ideas?"

     Though not the preference, Fianna would settle for as merciful a killing of the beasts as possible rather than letting them roam free or Ezhia gain control of them.

"They are as evil as pure evil goes..." thoughtfully echoed Mirica Fianna's concerns. "But killing them does not feel right, I agree. Or simply releasing, though have to confess, the idea to release them in the middle of that trading guild, preferably near those who made the deal, is very, very tempting. Tomorrow I would be able to send them to another plane, may be return to Feywild. But not now." She looked at the giant cats -- even though maliciousness practically radiated from them, cats are cats, you can not help it but to admire the deadly grace and perfection of the forms. "I wonder... they are smart, understand languages (or so I heard) may be a promise of returning them home would make them help us for a while?"

Mirica turned her eyes to Ezhia: "Where did you get them and who trained them?"

Jezun gives an odd smile when asked to break Ezhia's legs if he runs. "This is the one responsible for taking Lacy, so I was already planning to do that. I'll hold off for now." He turns to Ezhia. "Did you know I just learned three new ways a leg can break?"

Chen is mostly interested in locating the dragon, but is unwilling to trust Ezhia's verbal information if offered. The idea of attempting to attack the dragon in her lair also has some problems. It may be more advantageous for us to face Verdant Cloud on more favorable territory, he suggests to the others. Perhaps this one could be instrumental in arranging such a meeting.

Ezhia shrugs, "Got them when they were cubs, and trained them myself. They are smart, cunning, and very loyal creatures...."

"Thought so," nodded Mirica. "The beasts are not familiar with the concept of "loyalty" but would recognize and prefer that man as a source of anything useful to them. Still, may be try to talk to them, Fianna? If they understand that their mealticket is about to perish, they might choose another one."

     “I’ve not much experience training beasts so evil and willful, though it could be worth a try.  For now they’re likely best left locked away out of sight of this one,” Fianna says, indicating Ezhia.

     “If Toc has a safe location to stash him, then get on doing that.  I’ll stay here and ensure the beasts don’t escape and follow...  if there is no safe place to drag out the torture, let’s just feed him to my own beasts and be done with it.”

((Doesn’t seem well get anything solid from Ezhia except led to the dragon’s lair where it’s only all the more deadly.  With no signed documents or such, any names he gives we could find out in other ways.  If someone really thinks he is useful, so be it...  seems to Fi and me he’s just a loose end ready to be cut off.))