Joining in the impromtue "team huddle in the middle of a tiral with all eyes on us" moment, Red agrees and furthers, "Assuming thats what happened, it seems unlikely we'll be able to postpone the trial-those banished are likely stuck so...  I say we recuse ourselves of the trial; or if they require one, we choose Edgar-who has already left regardless.  There is a concern for banished though, past the obvious enviroment issues.  If Ionna is then likely they'll make due with what they can.  Either way, I suggest we hurry along to check for an ambush, and I agree the priestess needs to be guarded regardless of if she wishes to cast such a spell or not. The fact she can and apparnetly sent someone he *gestures at Warduke* was unexpecting; labels her in more danger than previous.  Regardless, we need to talk to her, and she needs to trust us to some extent. If she's willing coming with us may be the best bet for her to find peace-if she'd trust us."  

Ignazio shakes his head in frustration, letting out a long and drawn out sigh, looking over at Mithann and opening his arms and shrugging in a resigned motion. He eventually looks back at you "That won't do, partners." he adjusts his hat, looking at the gathered crowd, "I find it commendable that our dear priestess trusted the judgement of these adventurers, but they're in no position to question the authority of the Warduke without proof. Alas, this trial was set to happen here and now, with no delay. We are approaching Ten-Towns and should be on the move again by now in order to reach the pass by sundown in less than three hours." he shakes his head again, "No, this won't do at all." he stares at your group firmly, bringing a certain authority of his old days as a magistrate out again, "Present either proof of your claim or your judgement upon one traveler in the caravan based on your investigation, or remain silent and let this come to an end." 

"There is no trial here but baseless accusations. Half a day waiting would not delay caravan so much it would matter, so, your refusal to have an actual trial with presenting evidences, letting people speak in their defense and using common court means like Zone of Truth is quite strange. Right now there are no criminals here but the people blamed randomly. If you truly want a fair judgment - you have to wait until morning."

Mihris said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Gerard and Ionna are my friends!" Mia bites her lip, looking down at her toes. "At least Gerard is…Ionna is always cold and not very social, but I have never thought she is a servant of the winter goddess. I need to talk with them! If Ionna is the key person of Emial's plan, maybe I can find something! Me and Miri go to search the couple. Red and Van, you two go to talk with Mithann. Then we all meet at the head of the caravan and depart to investigation. What do you think?"

Ignazio claps his hands in a 'my work here is done' gesture, "You adventurers seem to mistake things for other things often." he steps towards the center of the circle and waves the gathered crowd in a dismissive manner, "The caravan is off! We've wasted enough time out here..." then looks back at Mihris, "You may wait your half a day if you wish, partner. We'll probably be closer to Bryn Shander by then." then sets out with a smirk, waving his guards to spread and herd the dismal-eyed travelers back downhill. A cold wind blows from the north-east as the caravan members start to make their way back down.

Mithann passes by on weak short steps, being helped by a guard, "I'm sorry..." she purses her lips, "I tried to warn you what passes for justice in these circumstances." and also starts to make her way back towards the wagons.

Down by the road, the caravan is organizing to get on the move again, Ignazio's front wagons already slowly taking a distance ahead as the plump caravan master picks up his pace to get up to his seat. The guards spread around the caravan once again, Emial gets up on his tall horse and stares ahead to the end of the road, Mithann is offered a place in the Chultan scholar's wagon to try to get some rest.

At the back end of the caravan, the two wagons of the banished stand a bit apart behind the rest, a pair of guards approach to offer some cloth-wrapped goods and depart without much ceremony. From a distance you can see Edgar and his draft horse, Redd and his husband on their wagon, and Ionna and her boyfriend on theirs. All of them take a distance between themselves and seem to quietly discuss what to do, apart from Edgar who gloomily sits on a rock and shares bits of food with his horse.

As the crow dispurses the group  chitchats on their intention, Red brings upMia's plan, "I've got no better plan.  We can go talk to Mithann, while you lot check the lost, Then we do what we can ahead? I don't know if the priestess will want to talk to us, but fact is  too much is just b  eing hididen and double played. We never had much of an option here."

Unless there are  oppositions or other plans, Red will head off to try and catch Chultan's wagon, and Mithann.

"If we are going to investigate the passage - we better do it fast, they plan to be there in three hours. If something is wrong there, though, and we are around they can blame us for it. Not that they really need our presence for doing it." Mihris has nothing to tell to expelled (if the group is not going to simply stick with them) and would go to Mithann too - not to talk, but to be together if the group continues to the pass.

Vanys follows. He is utterly stunned at the trial as it went nowhere near expected and he is hoping to find some answers from the priestess. Besides that, the party still needs to check out the pass for dangers, and splitting up now would only make that harder. They had already assisted Edgar, and the other two couples at least looked they were working together, and hopefully, they would be able to fend for themselves, but the caravan and the greater good needed to be focused on now.

"Then I'll go to the couple alone! And give others my berries.it wouldn't be long" Mia tries to run to the banished. Then she stops and comes back. "Oh! One advice before I go. Tell Mithann that Emial isn't real Emial. Tell her everything I have learned from the imposter.This might change her heart and come with us!"

The whole caravan is slowly pacing ahead once again as you finish your way back downhill, only the two wagons of the expelled stay behind.

Red as you approach the wagon Mithann was helped to, you see the priestess through the opening on the side of the wagon's cover, laying down still awake among the packages and being offered what seems to be some warm beverage by a commoner of Chultan descent also inside the wagon. The young scholar driving the wagon notices your presence nearby and regards you with a friendly nod, though with a disappointed demeanor "Your group was right not to involve yourselves with that circus show up there... Even if I'd like to see certain individuals being driven away." she looks over to another wagon farther ahead for a moment, "I'm Danai. Don't worry, my helpers will tend to the priestess. Maybe some tej will help her get some sleep." 

Mialee, you see the banished take some distance away from themselves, both the wagons maneuver to one side, while Edgar slowly takes his horse back down the way you came, still looking your way over his shoulder, he waves shyly at you "Good luck on your journey, miss!". Redd and his husband discuss among themselves while hurriedly urging their horses to maneuver the wagon, warily eyeing the wagon of Ionna and her boyfriend, which at a distance also maneuvers to face south-east. Both the wagons seem to aim themselves towards what's left of a narrow trail through the taller hills, barely visible under the snow and rocks.

"Tej, is alcohol?  I should like to talk to her, we didn't have much of a chance to talk thoroughly prior to the farce. We need her opinion prior to our arrival up ahead." Red expresses. While being mildly concerned about her consuming foods from strangers but Red can't say their relationship and the young priestess has been paranoid enough up to now. She likely wouldnt' falter her precautions now.

"I am Mihris and this here are Red and Vanys, pleased to meet you. Do hope you can help Priestess Mithann, she looks exhausted. You seemed to be a learned man - have you try magic to get her some sleep, may be? Can you tell if that insomnia is of a natural cause?" Now, that they were here, not in a harry of the night, Mihris looked herself, trying to understand what is going on. ( Medicine 10 )

When Danai mentions wanting to see certain individuals driven away, Vanys spends a quick moment trying to follow her eyes and read into what she means by 'certain individuals.' While Mihris attempts to investigate the cause of the priestess's lack of sleep, Vanys keeps an eye on Mia as she says good-bye to the banished and waits anxiously for the young elf to rejoin them.

Insight: 18
Perception: 12

>>Gerard

“Wait! Gerard, Ionna! Wait for me!" Mia calls out to the couple as she catches up their wagon."I, I want to talk with you! I want to help you!" 

Danai nods at Red, "Yes, it is, but I had Nkiruka back there line her stomach with some broth first, I'm not insane." she chuckles, "But you're free to talk to her." and continues to drive the wagon, Vanys is able to catch as her eyes drifts ahead, undoubtedly resting at moments at Arsenio's wagon, at which point her brow furrows in what looks like resentment.

Mithann reaches from inside to open the wagon leather flap wider, "Thank you for your concern, I think I'll be safe here... and maybe even able to finally rest." and Mihris is able to get a closer look at her—she seems utterly tired, but there's nothing to indicate that her condition is anything beyond that, severe mundane exhaustion and paranoid insomnia. "I just hope I made the right choice up there..." she leans a bit out of the wagon opening to catch a glimpse of the wagons behind, "What are your plans now?" 

Back at the rear end of the caravan, Vanys is also able to see Mialee at a distance as she approaches the expelled, the three different groups moving different ways. Edgar waves goodbye as he seemingly makes his way back the road, towards the windbreak where you rested for the night. Gerard stands on the driver's seat of his wagon just as you catch a glimpse of the wagon cover flap closing, "Oh... Hey there, Mialee." he tries a smile, but his demeanor shows the opposite, "Don't worry, we'll manage fine!" he waves dismissively, "Ionna knows of a old trail uphill that some miners used to tread." he looks towards a narrow rocky path south-east, "A bit narrow for the wagons and sorta steep, but we may even reach civilization before the caravan... if we make it." he looks back over his shoulder as Redd's wagon seems to maneuver a turn in order to follow them, "It seems our friends back there have a mind to follow us." his smile fades for a moment and his eyes dart towards his own wagon, to Ionna inside, with some concern, then he looks back at you "Don't you mind, we have supplies, we'll make do. Catch some pretty rocks along the way, see ya in Bryn Shander!" 

"…I'm glad to…hear…that! But in case, take them!" Says Mia, panting in place. She hands a couple of berries to Gerard and tells the young man how to use them. " Gerard! I want to help you to clear the charge of Ionna! I can't believe she is the priestess of the owlhead! Can I talk with her now!"

Persuasion:15

Gerard takes the berries from Mialee and nods thankfully while smiling and dismissively answers, "Psh! That's fishermen's tales. People usually freak out once they hear the lies about her from the isl-" and Ionna suddenly sticks her head out of the wagon flap to interrupt him, "Shut up, Gerard!" she eyes him furiously for a moment before sneering at Mialee outside, "What do you want?" 

Mihris hesitated for a moment. Sure, she was always the first one to speak up the truth but Mithann looked so terribly tired - should she worried her even more? On the other hand, to go into the danger blindly could be worse. "We wanted to check the path ahead. There was a reason for us all to doubt Duke's words - we know for a fact he is but imposter, the one who killed the real Warduke. Have no evidence, though, but suspect some foul play in the passage ahead and want to make sure it's safe. But rest, we will be close enough to help if you need our help."

Mithann listens to Mihris' first words and turns over to regard the path ahead, almost beginning to speak pragmatically, but she stares back at you and her mouth is left hanging open as she hears what left you had to say, "I had-... How do you know of this!?" she instinctively turns her attention back into the wagon, checking her leather bag nearby, then cautiously checking the area near the moving wagon before continuing "If that is so... then danger is closer than I had anticipated." she sighs exhaustedly "I thought I would have a safe journey now without that witch around..." she briefly moves a circular shape over her forehead with the tip of her finger in what seems a religious gesture, "The last pass won't be an easy march for you to outrun the caravan. We're some three-and-something hours away from it, we'll probably reach it at sundown." following the gesture she takes a small strip of white cloth with a yellow sewn sun face and waves it over you three, muttering some words in a strange language while a reinvigorating divine energy washes over you, "Go. Amaunator guard us all." 

((Mithann casts Aid over Mihris, Red, and Vanys nearby, increasing their current and maximum hit points by 5 for the next 8 hours.))

"Thank you, Priestess Mithann," wholeheartedly said Mihris, better than others understanding the treasure of the blessing. "Please rest, let your friends watch over you." "You will, will you not?" Asked she Danai.

Everything was said and once others were ready Mihris moved towards the pass.