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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tellerian Hawke" data-source="post: 8053063" data-attributes="member: 6790669">[spoiler="Quixt's Eyes Only"][gm]Sense Motive: Hunch DC 20, Sense Enchantment DC 25.Quixt: (19) +7 = 26 Success.[/gm]Quixt, after talking at length with the Orc, you get the feeling that something is awry. He says that his tribe, The Skullbreakers, has a rivalry with these Hobgoblins, who also take the name Skullbreakers, hence the source of the rivalry. That's the only thing he says that sounds plausible.Next, he says that his clan chief suspected that the Hobgoblins were holding too much wealth, and not giving enough tribute to the Wendol Queen Mother. He says that he was sent to spy on the Hobgoblins, to ascertain whether or not this was true; the hope was that the suspicion was true, and that the revelation of it by the Orc Chieftain would curry favor for his tribe with the Queen Mother. This sounds a little thin to you, Quixt.Thirdly, he claims that he was beaten and treated badly by the Hobgoblins, but from his excellent-looking health and lack of bruises or scars, Quixt can tell that this is patently a lie.The last thing that Quixt notices is that the Orc speaks of details with perfect clarity, giving his speech a very rehearsed air. Quixt has seen this before; the Orc is under the effects of a Geas spell, which means that the caster was likely the Queen Mother herself, and that the Orc is probably the Queen's spy, rather than his Chieftain's. If this is the case, then the matter probably concerns something more serious than a simple tribute skim.The Orc offers to help the party fight through the rest of the lair, if they grant him his freedom. He says that once they are free of the lair, he will return to his tribe, and say nothing of the party, since he owes them a life debt. However, Quixt's hunch is, that this is an outright lie, and that the Orc will betray them at the first opportunity.[/spoiler]All of the human prisoners (The merchant, his wife, their two guards) say that they are residents of The Keep. They travel here via caravan; it takes them a month to get here, and they usually stay for 4 months to trade, before returning home. They make this trip once a year. Thus, they spend each year divided equally, between living at their home, and living in The Keep. Their quarters in the keep are actually theirs; they do not rent, they actually own their apartment.They say that their caravan was attacked about three weeks ago. The merchant says that some of the animals were killed by stray arrow fire during the raid, and likely eaten. But he also says that several of the Wendol led the remaining pack animals away, in a separate direction from where the prisoners were taken. He says that the attack was a concerted effort, but after the battle, the Wendol got first pick of slaves and animals, while the humanoid allies were left to divide the leftovers amongst themselves, as well as to clean up the evidence of the attack. He says that it is clearly the Wendol who are in charge here.The guards mention that they feel fine; they say that they were actually treated well, and well-fed, because the Hobgoblins were fattening them up for a special feast. They suspect that the party arrived just in time, because the way the Hobgoblins were talking, the feast was to be soon, perhaps even as soon as tonight or tomorrow. They say that their gear is likely among the spoils that the party has recovered, and if they are given armor and weaponry, they will gladly help fight to get clear of the caves.The merchant and his wife (who introduce themselves as Hallwynn and Edith) tell Quixt that these two guards, whom are identified as John and Kelvin, are their close confidants and bodyguards, but that upon return to the keep, they will offer to "loan" them to the party, on the condition that the party sees to their continued employment and upkeep. (i.e., the party will have to pay them a wage, and keep them clothed and fed, and keep their gear and weapons in good repair.) The guards agree, saying that they'd enjoy helping the party put an end to the evil that has claimed these caves.Lastly, Hallwynn promises to reward the party handsomely once they are back inside the walls of The Keep.Hawke says, "In our earlier explorations, we saw a corral just a bit northeast of the caves, about a 10-minute walk or so. All of the animals are kept there. There were a lot of them, mostly horses, but also goats, pigs, and sheep."EVERYONE: What do you do?</blockquote>

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