Blockbuster!

 

Which way to go?

 

The Curse of Kane!

 

The Goddess of the Pool

 

Sunk like a Stone Cold Killer

With an eyebrow raised, Rifkin considers Fortu's comments. 

"Morality is subjective I suppose. What's perfectly reasonable to one person can seem monstrous to another. There's one point you've raised that I hadn't considered though... Why should Estrid trust us with her secret?"

As the slender Bard ambles away, Fortu stares past him at the 'goddess' of the pool. Almost as tall as he is, she's screaming down at the four diminutive, web-footed Nixies.

She's shouting in her own weird language but the Nixies are bizarrely responding in an oddly accented 'common'.

"We tried Goddess! We tried! He was just a Human, laden down in clunky metal armour! We pulled him under and pushed him down. We could see him holding his breath but, despite his heavy armour, he was a powerful swimmer. Too powerful! Freakishly powerful!! Rather than struggle against us, he exploited both the weight of his own armour and our efforts to force him further downward to move deeper. By the time we realised what he was attempting to do, where his intentions truly lay, it was too late. Once he'd dragged himself to the lip of the vertical pit, even the four of us weren't strong enough to pull him back up!"

Estrid speaks gibberishly again but in a much calmer tone, reaching down and gently stroking each of their upturned, tear stained faces before being distracted by Rifkin. This time though, Fortu can't comprehend either side of the conversation.

Three truths; mine, yours and the actual.

 Fortu is grateful for Rifkins support and sincerity, the bards calming tones and words help to quieten the warriors rage. Although he is a bit confused by some of the bards words

" 'nascent sentreant', what does that even mean? The twig would have grown to be a monster like the lightening tree, killing wild life and flora on a scale worse than most human settlers. Its life didn't mean little to me its just that I saw a potential for greater harm, would you have been happy with another lightening tree? and Kane was he a good man? Yes he was cursed to wolf form but he chose to chase us with his pack with the specific intent to kill us, he was glorifying in the violence. True we shouldn't of killed him as we did but a think he startled Liga Bur."

Fortu glances over at Estrid and steps closer to Rifkin, there is concern and worry in his grizzled face as he lowers his voice.

"You label Sir Briedefel an outright fiend for killing the helpless Three-quartering yet say Estrid is a 'little' imperious as she slaughtered four helpless humans who had surrendered, surrendered! Rifkin. I don't see how a 'good' person could do such a thing."

"Do you trust her Riffers, do you trust her to not kill us after we have done what she wants because my friend we know the location of the pool, is my human  'pinky-promise' worth more than the guards!? She despises me Riffers, you can see it in her every manner. I stood back to back with Magritte defending the  glade but she will never see me as anything but trash. Hell if what you say is true about human expansion maybe she has a right to feel as she does but I'm not about to let her rights kill my friends or me."

Pulling Rifkin into a back straining hug he lifts his tone "Now it seems that the only safe way out of this glade is to jump into the void, so lets find out more about what we may expect and then leap together into a fine unknown.."

Does Human Life Hold Greater Value than Another?

Sensing his rising ire, the empathic Rifkin places a calming arm around Fortu's shoulder.

"Don't be offended by Estrid's brusque manner. The Fey don't like interlopers at the best of times and they're currently losing acres of land monthly to the expansionist Humans. They're facing a potential war to defend their lands... Their homes!"

Fortu grimaces.

"She said that the only difference between Orcs and Humans was that 'Orcs shit where they eat but Human's shit where everyone else eats'. What does that even mean?"

The mixed-race Bard looks momentarily confused before responding.

"It's just a metaphor. She's saying that Humans bring problems for everybody, not just themselves. You're right though, she's obviously more than a little xenophobic. Even the order in which she addressed us was telling. Elf, Half-elf, Halfling and then finally; Human. In fairness, she's a Queen fighting for her people and Sir Briefadel just brought a Human legion of death to her glade and, aware of it or not, we inadvertently helped him. We're at least partially responsible for all this destruction." 

The armoured Fortu doesn't look convinced, so Rifkin continues.

"Take it from me; the Fey are on the side of 'good', even if they can be a 'little' imperious but Sir Briefadel's an outright fiend who crushed the helpless Three-Quarterling while he was literally a fish out of water! And those Human soldiers weren't any better. Captain Hall was as racist as Estrid. Probably even more so but you've got an opportunity to prove to her wrong. To prove that not all Humans are evil."

Maintaining his position, the Human Fortu presses his point.

"And Sergeant Philco and the others that surrendered... Did they deserve to die?"

The slightly-elf frowns.

"I can't be sure but, before they surrendered, weren't those men actively trying to kill the Fey Dryads and Sprites? Did any of them actually manage it? Could one of them be the one who killed the Dryad guardian? And ultimately what would you have had her do? Just let them go with the knowledge of the secret, magical glade if they 'pinky-promised' not to tell? Cut off their hands and feet or perhaps just burn out their eyes and let them blindly wander to their deaths?"

The Bard pauses for a moment, trying to organise his thoughts.

"I know you've seen a lot of violence and you know me. I'm a lover, not a fighter but the harsh reality we live in doesn't often allow for compassion. When you first met me in the bandit camp, was Arowe a 'demon' for shooting those fleeing men in their backs? Knowing that he was a good man cursed against his will, should we not have slaughtered the captured Kane while he was bound and helpless? I've seen your kindness. Experienced it first hand. It was you who chose to spare the living Lightning tree but it was just yesterday when I saw you throw the stick-finger-wand into the fire after it pricked you with its thorn. I saw it desperately try to wriggle away from the deadly heat. Perhaps only a nascent sentient life but after you saw it struggling to survive, did you really have to kick it back into the flames? Why did its life mean so little to you?"