D1: Ashin's Commission (El Jefe judging)

[El Jefe]

"What have you seen with your own eyes?"

Khulig quieted down, his expression growing more sober. "I don't see 'em coming down from the mountain, and I don't care to." His gaze fixed Michael's. "But we takes the ones we catch, and put 'em in a stockade. Got a couple of chaplains try to do their best to help 'em. Brave #$&%$'s they are, even with their gods on their side. You couldn't pay me to go in there with that plague in there. But I took a peek once." He closed his eyes to shut out the unpleasant memory, without success. "They say when they get too far gone, they forget how to feed themselves, so they just fall on anything that moves and try to stuff it in their mouths. I saw that...I saw one poor blighter who had to be chained 'else he'd grab anyone who passed by and try to bite 'em...and he was chewing on his own hand...had it chewed into a bloody mess."

Khulig fell silent after that. "Whatever you do, stay out of Duvik", was all he said.

OOC: A Sense Motive check seems appropriate here...
Michael's Sense Motive Check (1d20+3=19)

So, is he putting us on?

Michael tried to suss out the man, but found no deception in the man's story.

 

[ajanders]

Michael examines the man carefully for a long while.
"What chaplains are there? Do you know who they follow, or what their holy symbols look like?"

Meanwhile he thinks about what this disease might be. He's pretty sure he hasn't seen or heard of it before because he sleeps peacefully at night.

I may get to have my intestines ripped out by a three-headed demon after all...but let's see.

Michael's heal check (1d20+6=25)

Not dysentery, not diptheria, not whooping cough....

 

[El Jefe]

"What chaplains are there? Do you know who they follow, or what their holy symbols look like?"

"Well, the one follows Azwan, and the other follows Grendath", Khulig replied. Moar shot him a glance that said, "Too much, fool", but Khulig seemed to ignore it.

Meanwhile he thinks about what this disease might be. He's pretty sure he hasn't seen or heard of it before because he sleeps peacefully at night.

Michael had heard of some particularly nasty diseases...mindfire and cackle fever came to mind...but eventually decided that he hadn't heard of this particularly gruesome malady before, whatever it was.

 

[ajanders]

"And what brought you to volunteer to come from Fallon all the way up here, where people spontaneously go insane and start chewing on their fists?"

A muscle twitches under Michael's left eye.
Gaaaah...that's disturbing...

 

[El Jefe]

"And what brought you to volunteer to come from Fallon all the way up here, where people spontaneously go insane and start chewing on their fists?"

Khulig chuckled. "Same reason anyone else enlists...the pay and three meals a day. 'Course, if I'd have known I was going to end up here, I might have had second thoughts."

 

[ajanders]

"I know exactly how you feel." Michael replies sincerely.
"A few times when I was serving I had the same problem. Were you guys on a field exercise when you found this problem, or did you deploy here specially?"

 

[El Jefe]

"Were you guys on a field exercise when you found this problem, or did you deploy here specially?"

A look of contempt fluttered past Khulig's face. Apparently, the man did his best to suppress it. "I think I'll let you figure that one out for yourself", he said, the sarcasm in his tone barely concealed. "Usually when you engage in 'field exercises' on someone else's turf, they call it 'war'."

 

[ajanders]

"Private Khulig, that's what I hoped you'd say."
Michael looks relieved for many reasons.

"But I need to ask the question and get an explicit answer. I know it's insulting, but I'll ask you to make it very clear to me, please. Why is the Fallonese army here?"

Michael asks this question very seriously, with an undertone of "we both know the answer here, but we just need to say it so everybody does, especially the people on the horses".

 

[El Jefe]

"Why is the Fallonese army here?"

Khulig shook his head sadly."No insult at all. I have no idea. Do I look like an officer, or one of the Council? They just said there was trouble down by Kinthriver, and that we were supposed to help them whether they wanted our help or not. And when the Sergeant says, 'March!', well, I march."

 

[ajanders]

Michael nods. "I understand perfectly, believe me. That's how I got here, except I have a goddess instead of a sergeant."
He stretches his arms over his head until his shoulders pop.
"And it makes my duty fairly clear, which eases my mind."
Michael looks at Khulig and Moar seriously.
"I don't have a right to ask this, but it makes my life easier if you don't jump me once you outnumber me."

Michael considers a moment, decides he doesn't really have any allies at this point, and converts his Bless spell to healing, which he channels into Corporal Moar.

Hopefully Sela will approve.

Moar Cure Light Wounds (1d8+3=9)

I do believe she does...

"Corporal Moar, you've heard Private Khulig explain the situation to me. I'm very grateful for his help. Please be assured I have no intentions of attacking a hospice, especially one run by clerics of Azwan and Grendath.
I understand you came up here to establish a quarantine around Duvik to contain an illness that broke out there. I further understand you have been moving all the people you believe to be sick to a stockade, where they are receiving whatever treatment a cleric of Azwan and a cleric of Grendath can provide. Do I understand that correctly, or would you care to add anything to that?"