The Ends do Not Justify the Means

The negotiations were cut short by the wanton interference of Ohm and Nakor, but ultimately, the blue dragon was struck dead in its own lair alongside its known immediate family and one servant. The seven aspiring adventurers that Aledein and Nakor conned into joining this death march did indeed suffer that fate, and the others, save for Aledein, sustained significant injuries. Indeed, it is unlikely that they would have survived without the intervention of whatever morally indefensible magic Aledein brought with him; likewise, I would not have rated my own chances of survival favourably in such an event. Even if I managed to exfiltrate from the tower safely, the open desert would be difficult to traverse safely with dragons on the prowl. I digress. We fought a dragon and we lived! Now, it is only in good order to evaluate the situation and summarise new inferences.
 
(1) After convening the survivors and ensuring that the injured were in a stable condition, EVERYONE WHO COULD split up and began rifling through the hoard and made claims to whatever they could find. It reminds me of those stories they tell about les Continentaux in Ponvarus, that the only two constants that motivate these transients are death and plunder. Personal health be damned! They remain stories, but these people are no exception to its underlying assumptions. The massive hoard was not going anywhere, but why regroup and take action that would benefit all when you can break cohesion and loot instead? Of course, I counted the dead and sent word to the emir. If not me, then who? The flame in the dark and all that.
 
(2) The issue of the magic that Aledein used. It ended the battle. However, it evidently used the power of ensnared souls to generate some form of beam of pure death. I am concerned that no-one in the group has any real qualms about this. Conn even defended it from an essentialist view: that going out fighting a dragon is "what any orc would want." A fundamentally disgusting line of argumentation. Nakor made the point that there are few rules in war, and whilst accurate, the peace that follows must deal with the evil that was committed before it. Besides, this was not a war. For someone who is so zealous in his opposition to evil in all forms, he seems dreadfully accepting of it when it benefits the side he stands on. Furthermore, Aledein's evasive answers regarding the nature of the magic he used leads me to believe that it was not created with the consent of the orcs, and his dodgy behaviour in general makes me uneasy. He clearly had an ulterior motive in mind, as he has now ascended to become one of the emir's advisors, a ceremony which was conducted on-site; clearly expecting the outcome, as he immediately, without hesitation, offered the emir his mentor's ring (which supposedly held a deep sentimental value). I do not want any involvement in this. Aledein is familiar with unknown magic and recognises himself as a "strange man," and I am not trained nor motivated enough to deal with this. All I will do is send an update to Joruba.
 
There are a few remaining observations. Ohm is seemingly cursed with accelerated aging, as he has gone from a man in his prime to a pensioner in the week since he linked up with the entourage in Harasan. He has also asked to join us, for reasons unbeknownst to me. If his predicament is cause for sympathy or further concern remains unknown. Since he can fight, the captain will take him in, no questions asked. Nakor has surprised me by proposing to do something beneficial with his gold for once: by establishing an orphanage. How he intends to throw the gold in order to solve problem comes next. Perhaps he will seek counsel from those who have experience? I doubt he was raised in one, or had even been inside one, prior to Ponvarus.