Mia's heart was saddened when she saw the old man suffer a horrible death. But she has no time to stick to the emotion. The little druid runs and stands between the frozen heart and the couple. She reluctantly points her scimitar at the man who she once called friend. " Gerard, you are outnumbered. Explain what this thing is. And if there is reason we don't have to fight, you better tell us now "

Mihris missed the moment when Emial was defeated, completely concentrated on Red. But now she looked at the disgusting artifact, that sucked up the life of this man, with disgust. "Curse you, the Frost Maiden's bauble!" The flame of Eldath flew from her fingers as if by itself. Sacred Flame for 1 at the heart (Dex save 13, but I am not sure the heart would try to dodge)

(If you would not allow to use spell on the object, then mace attack: Attack: 22 Damage: 6)

Vanys just snarls down at the dead body of Emial and turns away back towards Mia and Mihris. As they handle the couple and the heart respectively, Vanys steps over to Red and pours a vial of red liquid into his friend's mouth.

Healing Potion: 5

"Better?"

The Eldathyn priestess poses herself over the body of the defeated man and the cursed object lying to the side. Some might say she allowed herself to hate that thing, but in truth Mihris felt disgusted at the focus of a goddess that claimed covering the land in frost meant its preservation, of all things. With one swift motion, the priest conjures the flames of the Quiet One, surging like a cascade of spring waters from under the frozen heart, consuming it and melting it, and returning some semblance of warmth to the chamber in the process. The surroundings and everyone around feel curiously at peace for the moment.

Gerard throws his hands up in startled and embarassed surrender, trying to step in front of Ionna to hide her from view, "Oh! Hey there! Uh, l- listen, little one..." he sighs and shakes his head, letting his shoulders drop in a defeated look, "I'm ready to give up all of this." he looks back at Ionna briefly and purses his lips, "To be honest, I'm not sure how I let myself go this far. I'm certain some of what I did will earn me some time behind bars at the least." to which Gaoch shouts from the other chamber, "And ye're damn right about tha'!" and Mathis approaches to calm down his husband. Gerard continues, crouching down a bit to Mialee's height, "I'm sorry I lied to you. I did all of this out of love, if you can still believe me." Meanwhile, Ionna just stands silently, staring at the side wall, refusing to face either your group or even the carving of the Frostmaiden over the west wall.

Quote from The_Mathemagician >>

Vanys just snarls down at the dead body of Emial and turns away back towards Mia and Mihris. As they handle the couple and the heart respectively, Vanys steps over to Red and pours a vial of red liquid into his friend's mouth.

Healing Potion: 7

"Better?"

 Garggle coughing remniants of the potion Red takes a moment to gauge the utter calmness upon reawakening. "..I'm guessing we all didi not die. So yup. Better....Surprised you had one squirrelled away somewhere."

" Great job, Miri! " When the eldritch object melted, disfigured and disappeared,  Mia felt the great burden on her shoulder lightened. For a brief moment, the moaning of lives who suffer under the pressure of winter calmed. But little elf knows her job isn't done. 

" Your love would have cost thousands of lives, young man. What you have done was far more serious than you thought.  But there is a chance you can redeem your crime… "  Mia lowers her scimitar and turns to her friends. " Everyone, I know you're injured and exhausted. But we still have a caravan to save. Let's move. And Gerard, tell us about your plan and that cursed object. Tell anything that might help us to warn the people of Ten-Towns. Then maybe, maybe they would lessen the punishment for you and Ionna. "

(OOC: Mia gives Help Action , if someone want to make Persuasion, Deception or Intimidation check to the couple)

"Of course I did," Vanys says matter-o-factly. With his friend rescued, the half-elf turns to the couple and approaches them slowly. Vanys gives a low growl after Mia's statement and then says, "The object of your ritual is destroyed, your allies have been killed, and your fate is all but sealed. I strongly urge you to consider Mia's proposal. There is little else you can do."

Persuasion: 15

"Eldath did it, not me," shook Mihris her head, "her light and guidance ended the evil plans Maiden's worshippers had for the people around." The initial shock and righteous anger passed leaving behind the feeling of serving as a vessel of goddess's will - both scary and exciting. She would gladly spend a few hours - or days! - meditating on it, but Mia was right, there was a caravan they had to save. "We should harry, and can talk on the way, unless there is something here we can use for help?"

Gerard's eyes dart between Mialee and Vanys as he tries an embarassed smile, starting a stuttered explanation before sighing and finally explaining, "Listen, this is all over, there are some others in the Towns to the north, I could point fingers. But this cell is done... and I'm done. I really didn't think it would come all the way to this..." he looks back at Ionna with clear sadness, and the girl refuses to look your way or talk "You see... My dear Ionna was born with a gift, embraced by the snow itself. A birth under the stars of Midwinter — she is unable to feel the cold at all. She's ever been searching for the reason why, and to put her gift to use." he looks back at you, "I was always supportive, but her eagerness spiraled down into... this. We sailed from the Moonshaes where she was deemed a witch and hunted for her gift, then sought refuge on the Coast and searched for the origin of her power. Until we eventually met Alfred Emial, he's the one who started the... cult." he pauses for a moment, deep in memory "At first we were just venerating her, sticking to animal sacrifices in her name. But pretty soon all the horrible stuff started, though he would always talk his way into making us believe it was all needed... to appease her ire. Eventually it was too late to jump out. And Ionna believed she, as a bearer of the gift, could lead us in a different direction, for Auril also teaches preservation." he looks at you in a mix of defeat and grief, "I know what I've done might have earned me some time in Revel's End... or worse. But what's done is done, I'll do whatever I can to correct my mistakes." 

Vanys calms down seeing that Gerard is willing to assist them, but the sorcerer is still suspicious of Ionna, so he turns to the girl and asks, "What about you? Do you repent for your actions?"

" I see… "  Mia sighs and sheathes her scimitar. She walks up to Gerard, looking up at the young man. " I have a friend who received the kiss of Auril too. Instead of accepting fate, she decided to fight and found another way. It wasn't easy. But she kept fighting and never gave up. And today … " Mia glances at Mihris. " She won and became a hero. I don't say your Ionna was born to be evil, nor I think you two didn't try hard enough. What I want to say is…Sometimes, life's a ***** and very unfair. But even in the darkest winter night there is always a light that guides us all. " Mia takes a small pebble from her pouch. A perfect round shaped moon stone. One of the most precious stones, she has ever found. The little druid puts the stone into Gerard's hand. " … And we call it hope. "  Mia turns to Ionna and waits her word.

Ionna glances briefly at Vanys, then at Mialee when she mentions "hero", her fists clenched and shaking, you notice tears pooling at the corners of her eyes, her face still pale, but reddening. Gerard tries a smile and nods at Mialee when "hope" is mentioned, but his smile turns upside down again when he notices his beloved so distressed. She eventually starts whimpering and drying her face with the sleeve of her tunic, Gerard rushes over to her and holds her, "Listen, I swear she won't do anything, all right? Let's just..." he sighes, watching his beloved lost in what seems like self doubt, disappointments and desperation, "Let's just put all of this behind us." he steps closer and nods, seemingly to follow you.

Red, still recovering his senses... can't bring enough to care about those two right now.  Seemingly the threats are over. Clamboring up, letting those with some kind of backing-whether religious, or Harper based to deal with anything resembling courts. "So.. Hearts broken.. cult and ritual destroyed... Presumably the caravan will make it?" questioning the open air. Prior to moving forward and trying to see if he can find any letter on the (corpse? did he age out and die? or is there just a unconscious Email on the floor?).  "We should probably find some evidence past the wording."

Mia looks at the couple and exhales a big sigh. " It's mostly okay now, I guess. We defeated the big bad evil guy, and also destroyed the very ominous object. But there is still a whole clan of barbarians left. We must warn the caravan. Gerard, do you have any short cuts here? We are in a real hurry! " The little druid prays to her deity ( and other deities that are looking over the party ) that the horses and the cart are still waiting for them at the entrance. Or Mia and her friends have to go through the snow and storm Again! 

Red completely forgot about any such barbarians. Concussions will do that.  

Vanys nods to Mia, but his eyes remained trained on Ionna. He doesn't yet trust the girl (or Gerard for that matter), but he understands the need for haste. He makes sure to walk behind the two former cultists as they exit the cavern and make their way out into the snow.

(Walking order wise.Unless anyone opposes. Red would suggest he leads, Vayns, Harpers flanking our prisoner-guests, the others can partition up as they feel best uses them. we're very tapped)

Mihris can move at the head of the procession, though she would not be the one searching for the path.

Quote from Zwordsman >>

<...> moving forward and trying to see if he can find any letter on the (corpse? did he age out and die? or is there just a unconscious Email on the floor?).  "We should probably find some evidence past the wording."

 
Both Red and Mathis crouch down and start investigating Emial's corpse. It seems to have not only aged, but withered, shriveling down to almost the bone and a tighly stretched thin and darkened skin over it — the telltale signs of necrotic energies — along with frostbite marks. The alchemist quickly finds a large leather pouch on the back of his waist, and opening it he finds some folded sheets of small parchments inside, bearing written notes and stamped winged snakes. The messages are from someone signing "B.S." and mostly negotiate a brief investigation and point the names of Mathis Tawnash and Redd Gaoch as being Harper agents that Alfred Emial should be wary of in his dealings in the caravan, while also noting that the Cult's coin would always be welcome by the Zhentarim. Peeking over his shoulder, Gaoch spits to the side and exclaims "Ach, blasted Zhents! They had ta' be here." he scratches his chin while trying to remember something, "B.S.!? Hmm, could swear there was a Brita Sanni among the caravan folk." Meanwhile, Mathis takes off Emial's now loose Lord's Alliance ring and checks the inside, reading it out loud "Lord Rottmas Brewbard, 1487 DR." he sighs and shakes his head, "That's the one we found lying face down in a pool of mud back in Luskan... Some of his dried blood is still on the ring, too. Careless, we should've spotted that." 

Gerard lets go of Ionna and starts — with slow moves — to hold his hands up, hoping to show his intentions to everyone, and make his way to the door on the southern wall of this room. After struggling with the ice that formed over it a bit, he is able to force it open with a crack, stumbling into a smaller room where he points to one corner, "I guess we need to take this back." and anyone peeking into the room can see the bundle of materials Mithann so preciously cared for previously. Arrow slits in the stone wall of this room also allow view of the larger cavern chamber with two bridges across the creek and its crevasse, largely devoid of movements and sounds aside from the rushing waters you've been used to by now.

After showing the important materials, Gerard takes his position close to Ionna once again and nods and accompanies you as you move. You make your way back, the whole cavern is even more silent now, and it seems the only barbarian envoys were the tall woman and the goblin and his wolf pet. The wagon and the horse are still there, cold and shivering in the dark of night.

Vanys nods, "If there is still a traitor by the initials, B.S. in the caravan, then we must haste back before something happens to the priestess." With no other dangers in the cavern, and everything of note explored, Vanys is ready to head back to the caravan.