Session 0

P) Platypus Turtle power!

That's not how voting works anymore though.... Fine C, but Lizard must be Chameleon, Lizard is entirely unspecific

No-good, legless, spineless, squishy, adorable, snuggly, cute little lizard.  Well, not really a lizard.  An axolotl.  You can't stay mad at that face.  Besides, it's hard for the little guy to get around on land, even after you made it so he could breathe air.  You scoop him up...  Ah.  Right.  These guys are still attacking.  A half-dozen, coming from a half-circle up ahead.  Plenty of hedges and trees you could weave through to make it to the gate, but it's been so long since you were able to use your magic.  Sure, you could just rely on your partner again.  But she's already done so much.  Plus, they already know you aren't a bard.  Now that your familiar's here, you can have a little witchcraft.  As a treat.

(A) Summon a Euphoric Cloud to make it hard to see and hypnotize anyone that comes in
(B) Use Raven's Flight and poof to the door; your partner's proven to be competent enough, she'll be fine
(C) Conjure a River Whip and beat the tar out of them with water weaponry
(D) Forget the gate, run for the wall and Spider Climb over it
(E) Toss them aside with an Air Geyser!  They'll probably break some bones, but eh.
(F) Produce an Ash Storm to make it hard to see OR walk
(G) Move the plants with Clear Grove, make a hedge maze for them and a clear path for you
(H) Well, your partner's Ice Slick worked really well, might as well do it again
(I) Summon a Swarm of WASPS!
(J) An Earth Tremor will put them on their ass with a bit less permanent damage.  A bit.
(K) With so  many plants here, some Thorny Entanglement should be fun. Maybe you'll even let your partner join in. She's a druid, she'd probably be into it. Well... Maybe later.

Why wouldn't we just use E to yeet us over the gate?

Right...  Best not hurt any of the guards if you don't have to.  It'll make things easier after you clear your name of the whole 'murder' and 'conspiracy' things.

You snuggle your familiar and feel magic flowing back through you.  Much better.  You spin, spin, and release a rainbow-colored cloud that slowly spreads and envelops you, your elf, and the closest of the guards.  You can't really see what happened to them - it's no easier for you to see through the cloud than them - but you hear the others skid to a stop and start yelling.  Seems like it worked.  You start running in the direction of the gate, then realize you don't hear footsteps beside you.  You turn and stumble back until you crash into the elf as she stares blankly into space, observing the cloud closely, ears twitching slightly.  You grab her by the wrist and pull her along behind you.  As you break out of the cloud she snaps out of it.  Soon she's the one pulling you along.

The guards that didn't get confused are surprised as you appear and seem to be trying to decide between chasing you or helping the others.  The first one to try to follow you gets an arrow in the knee for his troubles.  You spot the strix staring at you from a distant building.  As soon as you clear the gate, she flaps her wings and jumps into the air, disappearing behind the rooftop and into the night.

You hesitate once you reach the plaza in front of the lord's manor.  There's a few different routes you could flee in, but you only really know the path back to the guardhouse where you were arrested.  Not your first choice of destination.  And your inn room's a no-go.

The elf doesn't slow down, still pulling at your wrist as she cuts to the left.  She stops and gives you a push as she turns back.  "Th-that way!  Go!"  She turns back to the gate and starts casting some kind of spell.  Well, you don't have any reason not to trust she can take care of yourself!  And there's clearly some kind of plan.  As you run down the wide road you hear the sound of metal slamming behind you - that would be the gate - and a few guards yelling.  You take a glance and see that some were already outside.  The elf is nowhere to be seen, which is probably for the best.  Four guards run after you.  You have a good lead, but still no idea where you're going.

A big, angry-looking, but familiar dog comes running out of an alley and runs alongside you for a moment, barking and snarling at you as you weave between the handful of carriages still moving through in the evening.  As you start to run past another alley, it snaps at you.  In a start you jump back, nearly getting run over by a carriage.  Dodging out of the way from the horses, you run into the alley as the driver yells at you.  You look back and - wait, you know that driver?  It's the last member of your group?  Why is he here?

As he struggles to regain control of his horses, some of the crates tumble out of the back of his wagon.  They crash in front of the alley entrance, making an impromptu wall.  The guards pursuing you stop, and everything becomes a cacophany of them yelling at the merchant, horses yelling, the "merchant" yelling at you, a dog howling.  But they do seem to think this is a weird accident.  Looks like the rank and file guards don't know the faces of your friends, useful!

You pass through the alley as the guards scramble to get past the obstacles, disappearing around a corner, then another.  You round another corner just as the guards get through the alley.  They didn't see you duck into another alley.  You can hear them calling out as they run right past.  You managed to shake them off, but... now what?

You continue down the road a bit, hoping to put a bit more distance between yourself and the manor and any extra patrols.  You make it a few blocks before you feel safe enough to pause to finish getting your gear together, put your potions in your belt, lace your sandals properly, adjust your sash.

As you step out from the shadows, you feel a shudder run through you.  Someone is casting magic, strong magic.  It's probably the others trying to find you or something...

You're suddenly acutely aware of how very, very alone you are.  With no better idea, you decide it would be prudent to head to the river you saw on the way to the manor.  It's easier to hide underwater, and it would be a better escape route.  That's where the others would expect you to go too.  Probably.  You creep through the shadows, darting into the light only to cross roads.  You're sure you've lost the guards by now.

And then there's another change in the air.  A burst of static.  You freeze in the middle of a step.  Suddenly, your breath hangs visibly in the air as a chill washes over the area.  You scan the area, perk your ears up, stretch all your fins, feel for anything in the air.  You cautiously place your foot down as you hear a clinking sound above you.  You react immediately, jumping away from the building before anyone can jump down on you.  You turn and manage to take two steps.

"Be still."

You can feel compulsion magic washing over you.  You try to resist it, but the magic is strong.  It's no use.  You think this is a Command spell, for a moment, but it's wrong.  Very, very wrong.  The magic feels completely foreign to you, but from the feeling of anathema alone you know what it is.  This is an inquisitor.

You hear a soft thud behind you as someone drops from a roof with unusual grace, followed by slow, calm steps approaching.  You test the limits of the spell against you.  You try to run again, but your legs refuse to move.  You try to recall the words for a teleportation spell but they vanish from your mind.  But when you try to turn, you have no trouble facing your attacker.

The first thing you notice is the long red-and-gold hair shining bright in the moonlight.  The clacking comes from a set of chainmail worn under a black cloak.  A long red skirt trails behind her, tools and small weapons hanging from straps wrapped across her waist.  Her leather boots are silent against the cobblestone as she draws closer, pulling a small shield and short sword from her back.  She holds the shield up as she approaches, keeping the sword pointed down and to the side.  Ready to strike, but not overtly threatening.

"You're the little witch that's caused the guards so much trouble, then?  Hm."  She keeps her eyes, burning bright red, locked to yours as she approaches.  Small flames flicker from the edges of her mouth every time she speaks.  You thought she was a human at first, but now you wonder if she may be something worse.  Her tone is calm and steady, but her expression is a small, unflinching frown.  The lines on her face make her appear a bit older than you.  This... this monster is the sister-in-law?  "Were the accommodations not to your liking?  If you had asked, the guards were under orders to keep you comfortable so long as your requests were within reason.  Leaving so suddenly was rather rude.  I apologize for my tardiness, but I quite insist we have a talk."

A rat scurries around the corner, sniffing the ground.  As it spots you, it stops, then dashes to a shadow behind the inquisitor.  It stands on its hind legs and takes in the situation.

"Look at me."  You snap your attention from the rat to the inquisitor.  Her eyes glow brighter, and you can feel your heart skip a beat.  Your breathing becomes unsteady, and you feel a weight spread across your body.  She's using some sort of hypnosis... and you can't look away.

It would be so much easier to just go along with her.  You forcibly shake your head to clear it.  This stupid cold is so... cold.  You just want to lie down and sleep.  But you can't look away.

"You can be stupid and I'll knock you on your ass, drag you back in chains, then go looking for your partners.  People do stupid things for their friends, but I can hardly turn a blind eye to this."  The inquisitor takes another step.  "Since you didn't seriously harm any of my guards, I'll give you one chance to surrender peacefully.  Set your familiar out of reach, put your arms behind your back, and come along quietly.  You're going to have to wear a bit more than a pair of fetters after all this, but I'll still give you a fair chance to plead your innocence.  And I'll be too busy with you to go after your partners for a few hours at least.  Long enough for them to skip town."

Her magical power seems... substantial.  And she seems to be at least knowledgeable about witchcraft.  Inquisitors usually have a few tricks to shake off charms and such, too.  And she seems to know how to use her sword, too.  And this hypnotic gaze is wearing you down.  Also, you still don't seem to be able to run away!

But you don't hear any other guards nearby.  She's alone.  And outnumbered, surrounded, and unaware about your druid.  If you can press her enough, it should break her concentration on whatever spell's holding you in place.

But it's so hard to look away...

(A) Y'know, she seems reasonable enough.  Let's take the deal and go chat.  Maybe she really will believe me?
(B) "We're already talking, we can do it right here!"
(C) Y'know what a sword and chainmail can't protect you from?  A swarm of BEES.
(D) Knock her away with an Air Geyser!
(E) Draw your sword and get ready to fight in melee
(F) I mean... we could try a charm spell?
(G) She's watching you instead of the ground, so maybe an Ice Slick?  Especially if she's gonna get hit in the back, since the elf doesn't seem to care about slippery terrain.

(1) Signal the rat to attack!
(2) Signal the rat to flee
(3) Signal the rat to wait
(4) Signal the rat to come out of hiding peacefully

I like Dan's answer.

B 2