Lail shakes your shoulder.

Some time later, you wake up to a hand on your shoulder shaking you gently. "Alright, human. Best wake up, get to your feet. I hear a group coming." You groan lightly in protest, still tired but at least no longer completely exhausted, and struggle to your feet. It's not easy with your hands bound together and your arms tied tightly to your sides, but after a minute and a discreet helping hand from Lail, you manage to get your feet under you again.

The sky has lightened considerably and the mists have thinned and receded somewhat, so you see the group of centaurs -- herd? -- before you hear their hoofbeats on the soft earth. There look to be about a half dozen of them. Steffan, still in his armor and gripping his spear, is a few steps ahead of the rest, and you examine each of them as they emerge from the mists.

In the center of the formation is the biggest of them by far, a large male, easily three and a half meters tall. He isn't wearing any armor, or any clothes for that matter, but there is an axe belted to his hip and his bare torso and the flanks of his lower body are criss-crossed with dozens of scars. His skin is deeply tanned and he has black hair, much like Steffan but with a sprinkle of gray. The fur of his lower body is a medium bluish-gray -- blue roan, you think it's called?

To his left is quite possibly his polar opposite. She isn't the shortest of the group, being maybe two and a half meters tall, but where the big guy looks like an incredibly experienced warrior, she looks like nothing so much as the sweet neighborhood grandma who always gave out homemade cookies and brownies for Halloween. Her hair is white and tied up in a bun, her skin is wrinkled and spotted with age. Her lower body has fur of a rich brown color.

To the warrior's other side is a another woman, about the same size as the grandmotherly centaur but much younger. She has gray hair, but it doesn't appear to be grayed by age but rather is a natural blue-gray much like the warrior's fur. Her skin is tanned and weathered, clearly she spends a lot of time outdoors. You can't help but notice that her leather tunic does little to hide a pair of sizeable breasts. Her fur is a rich black.

Next to her is the shortest of the group, another male. You'd think he is a child except that he has a long, thick, braided beard. He's about as much shorter than the woman with the large breasts than she is to the huge warrior, maybe a meter and a half tall or a bit taller. He's actually a little shorter than you are, although he's broad of shoulder and barrel-chested. His color is a light brown like milk chocolate, and his hair too is black, while his fur is a rusty chestnut color.

Finally, on the other side of the grandmotherly centaur is another woman, slightly shorter than the other two but taller than the short male. At first you think her hair is white, but after a moment you realize that it's actually silver. She also has ears which look different from the other five; rather than being humanlike, she has pointed ears which protrude several inches from the side of her head. Unlike the others, her skin is fair, and her fur is a light creamy buckskin.

By the time you finish examining the sextet, they are all standing before you and giving you equally frank stares. Steffan speaks and says, "We found him out on Little Roundtop, laying on the very top of the hill with no fire. Aside from a spear, he had nothing with him that you do not see. He claimed to have been **** by magic and brought here against his will, and it didn't make sense for a lone human to wander into the Highlands as ill-prepared as he seemed to be. I decided that while he is a tresspasser, there was a chance he spoke the truth and it would be unjust to kill him out of hand, so we brought him here to face the Council's judgement."

"Yes, you said as much already, Steffan. Thank you, you are dismissed. You too, Lail." The huge warrior speaks with a deep basso rumble you can practically feel in your bones. The two patrol guards bow deeply and leave you with the Council. "Whether you know it or not, Hellspawn, you have wandered into the lands of the Starchaser tribe, and the sentence for trespassing is ****. However, if what you told Steffan is true, then you may not deserve ****. Our laws and traditions are strict, but like any good weapon they can bend when needed. Tell me, what is your name?"

You bow as best you can with the rope wrapped around you and reply, "Honored Councillor, my name is Aidan."

The warrior inclines his head very, very slightly to you in response to your bow. "My name is Fionn Ironhide. To my left are Eilwen Brighthearth" -- the grandmother -- "and Ailis Silverhair" -- the silver-haired woman -- "and to my right are Anwn Wolfsister" -- the black-haired woman -- "and Gerwyn Wanderhoof." -- the short one. "We five are the Starchaser Council, and we will decide your fate. Ailis will cast a spell on you and then you will tell us your story from start to end. After, we will decide what to do with you. Lady Councillor?" He looks at Ailis, and she nods and begins to speak words which you cannot understand. Her hands glow a radiant gold, and then the glow flows out from her and settles on you.

She nods and says, "The spell is active. Aidan, for the next ten minutes, if you tell a lie the spell will turn the aura around you black and all will know you have tried to deceive us. At that point, I imagine Fionn will just chop your head off and we'll be done with this. It is in your best interest to tell us the truth, even if you feel it might not be favorable to you."

The five of them look at you expectantly.