Damn it, why did he ever stop talking? Everyone else had made their own statements, well-meaning he was quite certain, but half of them had already offered to fix the village's walls even before the guard captain demanded it of them - not to mention the idea that they abandon all of their weapons before they were allowed to enter. Ironically, the Dark Elf's words were his saving grace in that regard, though it seemed his fellow Vrettonian had other ideas about that. Time to vamp, Settionne, time to vamp.

'Sir Nicademus- before aught else, I must say your name rolls off the tongue nicely,' Sett began, voice continuing to play nicely with the words it was generating, a genial smile on his face, and his hands gesticulating appropriately to offer further calming. 'But with that in mind, you are perhaps right to be suspicious of us, as you would any other adventuring group. We are armed! We have a Dark Elf [i]and[/i] a Lizardman with us! Surely not common sights, knowing the general opinion of both, and indeed it would be impolite, perhaps even impertinent, to suggest that we be allowed to roam your village so freely as we have roamed the Southlands thus far, under the circumstances.

'Yet, consider our position - and indeed, it may be I am wrong, so let us consider the facts accordingly. To date, for both your home and our own meager party, it has been our arms that have kept us alive, to the extent that even a priest of the Gods such as I bear equipment to defend from harm when the eventuality arises. Your quarrels have surely been of greater scale, of course, for your town is itself larger than the few who seek your hospitality today, but it is worth noting that not only has a rash of Dark Elven sorcery beset us, but so too have we faced Ogres, and so too were we forced underground and led into conflict with the aforementioned Dark Elves by a small horde of Rogs, brutish and dangerous as such foes are.

'Certainly, it is true that your town has reason, and rightly so, to be suspicious of whomever might show themselves to you, requesting assistance without so much as a how-do-you-do,' he continued, hopefully as smooth as butter. Gods, how he missed that stuff. 'But, one could argue, that suspicion might well be reflected back to you too. We, of course, are few, and you are many; I for one am hardly a skilled warrior, as my fellows can surely attest; it strikes me that with the rigorous and comprehensive training you surely put your men under, it would be no problem for even one such guardsman to strike me down, armed or not, and naturally with numbers on your side, I hardly believe even the most skilful of our number could successfully destroy this village alone.

'Perhaps, then, we might call in allies of our own?' he asked, hypothetically of course. 'To act as demon's advocate, it could be that somebody here has some way of signalling hidden foes to swarm your town, perhaps a roving band of Lizardmen, or a raiding party of Dark Elves, or perhaps even both. Yet, if we had such a great advantage, why not utilise it now? And furthermore, if such is true, why stick so firmly to the notion that this particular Dark Elf, this woman who claims she is nothing, is an exception? To trick you? I say again, you are already suspicious, and you have the advantage of numbers and training over many of us, so what could we do to overwhelm you in such a circumstance, and what do we gain from a lie other than a loss of shelter?'

Sett took a moment to inhale, then exhale. He was on a roll, he felt. Perhaps. Nonetheless, he continued to talk: 'As regards your terms, then, Sir Nicademus, I find that, personally, the only one I object to is the first. It is right and fair that guests assist in housekeeping, and I myself am certainly willing to help with any wallbuilding you require; it is entirely reasonable that you be told what we journey into the Southlands for; and indeed, as has been established, you are entirely correct to be suspicious of those you do not know, especially in vicious lands such as these. But equally, and it is likely a falsehood to even suggest the notion, for which I thank you for your patient consideration in advance, but [i]if[/i] your town happens to make a living out of the misfortune of adventurers trusting you to keep their equipment safe, then we would all be caught off-guard if, and consequently when, the time came, and furthermore we would find ourselves rendered largely incapable of defending ourselves.

'"Surely," you may then ask yourself, "it is only reasonable that these adventurers have the same protections from harm as we seek out of them?" We are ultimately in the same position, that of not trusting our fellow man... [i]yet[/i] - but, if you would be willing to offer the courtesy of not confiscating our equipment, we could then show that we are indeed trustworthy, and thus foster goodwill between our two groups. And would such not be beneficial for all, at the end of the day?' Sett punctuated his logic by simply widening his smile, looking to all the world like the sort of wiseman he was pretending toward. That in mind, he'd unfortunately have to avoid snatching anything from these people, with or without a guard watching his every move. And, worst case scenario, he [i]supposed[/i] he'd be able to manipulate his bag to ensure the stave within remained unseen by the naked eye. That thing was going to be valuable, he just knew it.

[@POOHEAD189][@Gardevoiran][@The Fated Fallen][@Fetzen][@Stormflyx][@Mortarion]