[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
Sabrina's naively blunt optimism seems fully in keeping with this option.
[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
Sharing more of our backstory might be okay if we keep it to family stuff? Talk about our siblings? But it also doesn't really get to the root of the problem.
I am back!
…Boy Virmire says to visit your vassals MUCH more then I remembered.
Aaand Huunh…
That is an annoying tease of an interlude. Enough to know this girl could be trouble but not enough to really have a good plan…
Eh. We'll see if Sabrina's charm offensive works as intended or if we're going to fall into there violence of this continuous cycle of warfare…
[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
Not going to close the vote today, as I wouldn't be able to get to updating today, but so far voting is unanimous so probably yeah Sabrina will be going for blunt optimism tomorrow.
Alright, I should be able to get to updating today, so vote's closed.
Adhoc vote count started by Ghoul King on Jul 30, 2024 at 12:19 PM, finished with 17 posts and 5 votes.
[X]You'll simply ask Ada directly about her own Burner Worm. You'll claim you 'assumed' all Commoners had them if she questions why you know, and then hopefully she'll give you something directly. (You're already steeling yourself to be horrified)
You know what? All this dancing around topics is very tiresome and unproductive; you're just going to be direct.
"So what's it like having a Burner Worm, anyway?" you ask in hopefully the tone of a stranger from a far-off land who has heard of this strange local tradition and is fairly curious about it for curiosity's sake but has no deeper interest in the topic.
Ada's eyes widen and she says, "What?" in the manner of a person who has just been asked something no decent person would ever directly ask. Uh. Oops?
You continue the question cheerfully as if you did not notice Ada's less-than-thrilled response. "You see, I have heard that it is normal in the Common Lands for Burner Worms to be put into their people, and I have always been curious how that works. One would think everyone would burn to death, but clearly it is not so given the Common Lands continue to thrive!" (Of course, you know not all Commoners have a Burner Worm in them; Sir Shellman certainly didn't. But Ada doesn't need to know that)
And as you speak, tension drains from Ada's figure and when you finish speaking she actually smiles (albeit a bit weakly) before saying, "You have misheard, Dame Sabrina. Um, firstly, they are not... 'burner worms'." Ada says the term with an amusingly large amount of distaste. "They are correctly known as Brandstifters. And the gift of Brandstifters-" Eugh. Gift. Ewww. "-is not for all. Though of course all Commoners aspire to be worthy!" Here Ada flaps her hands in a defensive manner, as if expecting you to object for some reason. You're not sure why. "But as yet there are not enough for everybody, and only some are holy enough to accept the gift without first sanctifying themselves." Here Ada looks very sad as she gazes distantly at an imaginary point somewhere above and behind you, while you try not to let on that you kind of want to vomit all over her. "Someday the gift will be free for all, but that day is far off, especially with Teufel's servants fighting to ensure that day never comes."
Uh-oh. Oh boy. You're- yep. You can't.
Ada jerks away in alarm as you abruptly lunge to the door and wrench it open, one hand clasped over your mouth as you run to beyond the ring described by the Boulders and proceed to a random tree and puke... a lot. A lot. It's a weird and scratchy sort of puking, harder on the throat than you've ever experienced before, and when you're done you can see Scuttler carapace bits still in recognizable form; apparently at least part of their carapace doesn't digest so readily.
Okay. Okay, you feel... you know... not good, but like you can maybe listen to some more of Ada's horrifying thoughts without doing something rash.
"You seem unwell to me, Dame Sabrina," Ada says from right behind you with a strange mix of doubt and vindication in her voice, reminding you that she's been interpreting the signs of Integration as illness.
"So it would seem!" you respond as cheerfully as you can, perfectly happy to embrace this excuse to dodge needing to explain why Ada's vision of perfection has caused you to vomit profusely.
"But you said-" Ada says, sounding confused, interrupted by you standing up more properly, whirling around, and putting your arms on her shoulders.
"I was apparently wrong! It happens. Here's hoping that was the last of it." Though standing out here in the clearing isn't helping, admittedly. The light is a bit less bad than earlier, the sun's angle letting the trees block it more thoroughly, but it's still Not Fun.
Through your squint, you're pretty sure Ada looks scared- or is that concern? Both? "Do- do you need to go to a doctor, Dame Sabrina?" Okay, probably concern yes, possibly also some fear if she's worried for you. Which seems strange with how closed-off she's been?
Actually, hold on. "Are you suggesting I go to Neustadt de Glaubens to see a doctor, Ada?" you ask, unsure if that's what she really means.
"Yes!" Ada shouts, startling herself, then clearly restrains herself. "My apologies, Dame Sabrina, but- what I can see worries me." Is it the Scuttler bits? It's probably the Scuttler bits.
But okay there's... maybe an interesting opportunity here? Or maybe this is an incredibly bad idea that will kill you.
Hmmm.
[]"Why yes, Ada, I think I will take you up on your generous offer!" If this gets you past the gates, you can take a look around inside Neustadt before ever beginning the assault.
-[]And you will follow Ada faithfully to the doctor and hope they don't recognize the signs of Integration. You'll see how things go from there.
-[]And you will deliberately 'get lost' in the crowd somewhere (A city this large must have crowds, yes?), and take in the city more at your leisure, then sneak back out after dark. Sorry, Ada!
-[]Write-in. (I feel like there's obvious alternatives to the above two I should be including, but they're not coming to me)
[]"No, no, I'll be fine, and I really mustn't keep people waiting!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[]You'll ask about Ada's hometown, Neustadt de Glaubens. (You don't care if it is her hometown; you'll pretend to assume regardless)
-[]You'll ask about the Commoner... kings? Or whatever? You'll frame it as being about possibly meeting with one after your current errand is finished, but really, you'd just like to know how Commoners decide things. Like. Militarily.
-[]You'll ask about how 'Brandstifters' don't burn everyone to death. Ada didn't actually answer that part of your question. It... surely can't horrify you to hear the answer? Right?
-[]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
-[]Write-in.
[]"You know, I'm not sure I can make it so far? Could you be a dear and run to retrieve the doctor while I convalesce here?" Boom! Ada will be out of your hair, and going by the position of the sun you'll be able to get to the sieging and all before she has a chance to get back with this doctor. Once the sun has set, you'll get your kit on and...
-[]Make ready to do a big proclamation where you lay out all the horrible, horrible things that have been done to dear Caras and the Freelanders under his protection, and how this means you're pretty okay with killing a bunch of them so they stop doing that.
-[]Make ready to do a big proclamation about how you're here to kill all the Bur- the 'Brandstifters', and you're sorry that this is probably going to involve killing everyone with one inside them, but it's not like you've got a cure to this horrifying condition.
-[]Take a look at what you can see of the city's defenses, and try to sneak inside somewhere with your forces to attack from inside the defenses... retreat might be a problem, though.
-[]Identify the main roads and entrances and see if you can blockade them. You'll starve them out if necessary.
-[]Simply charge the nearest entrance; Breeds are better fighters than human soldiers, and you've only got so many hours before the sun will cause problems.
-[]Write-in. (A starting point and outline like the above; there will almost certainly be new vote-points along the way regardless)
Hrrm.
Do Ada's response she said something important-
Only those who were Sanctified should have Burner Worms-Brandstifters.
That strikes me as incredibly important to note!
I have half a suspicion, that if these Commoners knew about Eddstat that would be a morale blow that would echo for some time.
Now, Tefuel lies it might be, but is everyone on the same page? No.
Sooo that can be a part of our opening salvo.
I like the idea of throwing them a choice-ensure the Seige or give us information-What is Sanctification?
But ideas beyond that…Nooot sure…I'd have to double-check our forces but simply ordering an assault strikes me as somewhat less then ideal in terms of outcomes-I suspect that to waste most of our forces uselessly and leave Cara's dissapointed in our performance.
Broadly, I don't want Sabrina going into town unprotected.
Most interesting to me is the favor disconnect between using burner worms as a bioweapon amongst those that don't know how to survive with them and the Common Lands themselves treating them as requiring special favor. While the shellmen could argue that the unsanctified are being cleansed as they die, not giving the worms to their own people suggests that materialism is winning out over purifying their own people.
[x]"No, no, I'll be fine, and I really mustn't keep people waiting!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about Ada's hometown, Neustadt de Glaubens. (You don't care if it is her hometown; you'll pretend to assume regardless)
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
I'd like to suggest a write-in, as I don't necessarily want Ada thinking about the kind of friends we have waiting.
[x]"This came on suddenly, and I'm hoping it'll pass just as quickly!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about Ada's hometown, Neustadt de Glaubens. (You don't care if it is her hometown; you'll pretend to assume regardless)
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
Still, four years ago for the questers, Ada sent Teo away. In rereading recent chapters, I wonder if she's already recognized that Sabrina might be 'infected'. I expect if so, that Ada thinks Sabrina is insane (which isn't necessarily entirely inaccurate, but for reasons unrelated to Caras and co) rather than a willing co-conspirator. All that said, I expect Teo will be running to the local authorities, who will recognize the significance of Sabrina's glowing eyes and respond with violence. As such, I think we should be careful in planning for how to extract from the situation. I also expect that Ada is primarily trying to stall us until more knowledgeable or capable people show up, who will almost certainly treat Sabrina with violence and against her wishes.
[X]"No, no, I'll be fine, and I really mustn't keep people waiting!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
Alright, not 100% sure I'll get the update up tonight, but the vote's unanimous again and I'm still trying to make sense of the current vote/tally/etc stuff, so I'm doing the post now to see what happens!
In any event, Sabrina is blowing off the idea she needs medical help, and asking about Neustadt de Glaubens plus 'holiness' in regards to people.
Update incoming, please stand by.
Scheduled vote count started by Ghoul King on Jul 30, 2024 at 1:53 PM, finished with 6 posts and 5 votes.
[x]"No, no, I'll be fine, and I really mustn't keep people waiting!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about Ada's hometown, Neustadt de Glaubens. (You don't care if it is her hometown; you'll pretend to assume regardless)
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
[x]"This came on suddenly, and I'm hoping it'll pass just as quickly!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about Ada's hometown, Neustadt de Glaubens. (You don't care if it is her hometown; you'll pretend to assume regardless)
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
[x]"No, no, I'll be fine, and I really mustn't keep people waiting!" On balance, you think trying to infiltrate an enemy city with no armor on hand, no weapon beyond your knife, entirely by yourself, when Ada's response suggests other Commoners will be disturbed by your eyes and voice... is a really bad plan that will get you killed and make Caras sad. You'll just engage Ada in more conversation while you wait for the sun to go down.
-[x]You'll ask about this 'holiness' thing. You've heard of sacred ground, but sacred people?
Have finished my reread! Looking at this bit, I wonder if the 'doubt and vindication' is along the lines of "this strange foreigner has been repeatedly claiming she's fine and her eyes and voice are normal but she just puked! She's obviously sick! Are those bugs she's eaten?!"
Teo hissed at her that they should turn about and let the holy soldiers know. This was not something peasants should be dealing with, he said, and Ada agreed someone else ought to be handling this, but she wasn't sure the carriage would still be here by the time the holy soldiers and priests had shown.
Extra proof that Teo has most likely gone to fetch the holy soldiers. The holy soldiers are definitely gonna question why we're here, and maybe insist on bringing us into the city for further questioning. If the soldiers don't show up next update, we should probably send Ada on her way, then quick time it to where the majority of our forces are.
As a reminder, this is our current ability to defend ourselves.
You couldn't call out the Suncrawlers and Rollers with this intense of sunlight blocking the connection, and everything else would burn in this light, so for the moment it was you, two teens, and admittedly the Hauler. Maybe it could get out of its harness on its own?...
OR
... make a run for the cavern where the Suncrawlers and Rollers are waiting. The worst they can do is get the Workers, Gatekeeper, and Runners killed, you're pretty sure, and if they don't specifically set the carriage alight they'll probably get taken down in the process
In other words, incredibly poor even against two teens, downright abysmal against trained soldiers. We really need to get into the bear cave with the rest of our forces ASAP, or start brainstorming good lies we can tell soldiers. Also, since they're called holy soldiers, they're probably infected, and capable of exploding. So even taking them into the caverns might be a tough fight.
EDIT: Actually, I've changed my mind. If soldiers come, and we're not here, they'll search for us, and maybe find our creatures in the cavern. I don't know that we'd be able to kill all the soldiers, especially if all they'd need to escape is for one to get back into the sunlight. If soldiers come, I'd rather we peacefully go with them into the city if they insist, so they don't look around and find our forces lurking. Maybe we can claim to be a foreign diplomat of some sort. Then we try to stall until night, before mentally commanding our forces to attack and break us out.
Yeah, thinking on it, sneaking into Neustadt de Glaubens is... probably just a way to die. No thanks. You'd rather ask questions of the possibly-nice young lady in regards to the city!
So you shake your head in the negative. "I'll be fine, I think. It came so suddenly, it will likely pass just as quickly, yes?" Ada's expression makes it clear she thinks that's absolutely not how illness works, but you get the sense she's not sure how to go about openly disagreeing with you. Is this really because she thinks you a noble? And anyway she's wrong in this case, because you're- well. Probably not going to be revolted by the answers to the questions you currently have in mind. Hopefully. "So!" Ada startles, shoulders jerking in your grip. "What's your hometown like, anyway? I am keenly interested in Neustadt de Glaubens', uh, cultural... importance?" You sort of assumed it was an important location with all the merchant said about the priests and whatnot, but it occurs to you that you don't really know how seriously the Commoners take religion. Or how they fit Burner Worms into the Great Plan as anything other than a menace to be stamped out posthaste.
Ada sits there blinking repeatedly for several seconds, seemingly unsure how to take this sudden topic swerve. Her jaw works for several seconds, and finally she says, "It is not actually my place of birth, Dame Sabrina-" You're not actually surprised to hear this, but don't much care. "-but the city is... wonderful," she sighs out, eyes going dreamy and uh-oh.
What ensues is probably twenty minutes of Ada regaling you with the tale of how her actual hometown is a tiny miserable place you won't find on any maps, she nearly died of some illness in childhood, and she got her 'Brandstifter' early as a special favor due to her family's piousness and her great need, and her family was so grateful they picked up stakes, packed all their meager belongings, and took the great risk of establishing a business in Neustadt so Ada's Brandstifter could be properly cared for and Ada herself groomed for priesthood since she 'so obviously' was 'particularly blessed' as evidenced by how she thrived after her Brandstifter was given to her. There's offhand references to meeting Teo here, praising the city for being such a bustling metropolis visited by people from far and wide (You're not sure what a 'Himmelian' is, but she speaks as if they are from the southern continent?), perpetual praise for her parents, abstract respect for the priesthood, and probably a dozen other bits of vague interest you'd sort of like to pick out...
... but nothing terribly helpful for your rather martial intentions. She doesn't even indirectly allude to a wall or lack thereof!
Though at least you were able to keep the queasiness under control when she made reference to the 'generosity' of the priests.
That said, you're now really curious about this thing about sacredness in people. It's an unfamiliar concept to you; graveyards are sacred and not to be disturbed thoughtlessly, and the Great Plan is of course sacred and not to be knowingly defied (Because you cannot possibly know better than it), and some travelers have attempted to say certain objects are holy, but... people? That sounds- well. Kind of blasphemous to even suggest? You're pretty sure Father Pierre would have frowned very hard at you if you had ever suggested he was more holy than any other. (He once said something about how 'the greatest blessing is to be unknowingly enacting the Great Plan's will'; being a priest is heavily about being better than average at reading the signs, and so a bit at odds with that scenario, if you followed his thoughts right)
So when the stars fade a bit from Ada's eyes, the sun at last beginning to touch the horizon somewhere behind you, you continue as you have and simply ask: "I don't understand how 'holiness' can apply to a person. It seems a bit presumptuous to me? Could you explain that more clearly, Ada dear?"
Ada's mouth opens as if she has a ready answer-
-and then she frowns, brows kitting together with increasing intensity.
"It's- it's- you know," she fumbles out, looking troubled.
"I don't. Why would I ask if I did know?" you quite reasonably point out.
"It's- more? Better- no. No, that's not right..." Ada trails off, expression growing more clouded.
Hmm. You're not sure what's going on here. You don't get this concept, but you figured Ada would have, at the least, been told something by these priests she's so fond of to say to you? Not even necessarily something she truly understood, but at least to the level of a child who repeats a sentence drilled into them.
You feel like this might be important? Somehow?
But then, as Ada mutters to herself, lost to the world as she tries to find words for how to explain this 'sacred people' concept to you, two things happen close together;
Firstly, the sun vanishes far enough over the horizon you can once again freely sense and order about all the Breeds in the area, which is good because-
Secondly, you hear tromping and the voices of adult men plus the higher voice of what you assume is Teo leading the half-dozen or so pairs of mailed boots heading your way.
Well then.
Showtime.
[]You shall begin as you mean to go on: by ordering the dozen Boulders to deal with everyone before beginning the assault on the city in open manner, calling all your forces together as quickly as possible to apply maximum force at maximum speed.
[]You'll retreat to the cave, ordering the Boulders to not reveal themselves until you're ready to try pincering these soldiers between your forces.
-[]Ada and Teo die too.
-[]Ada and Teo don't die if you can help it.
[]You'll stall while you wait for your cave forces to arrive. Maybe the soldiers won't attack on sight? If they try to attack before your force arrive...
-[]You'll run to meet your troops.
-[]You'll simply order the Boulders to attack.
-[]You'll scream and cry and generally act helpless and scared, hopefully leaving them confused and guilty-feeling.
[]You'll try talking to these people. It's worked so far! Sort of! If only at leaving you frustrated by Commoners!
-[]Write-in. (I'm not coming up with topics for you guys here. You can submit up to three topics as sub-votes)
[]You'll perform a fighting retreat. Who knows what Teo has said to the authorities, or what they might have mobilized? You might have to give up on this assault for now, come back another day. (Even if the thought of disappointing Caras stings)
[]Write-in.
Yeah, didn't manage to update yesterday, but to my surprise I have the opportunity and creativity to do so today.
And we're FINALLY to the whole 'waging war' portion of this trip to wage war! Whoo!
How hard do you guys think it would be to get the knights to escort us to Neustadt de Glaubens? It would not be chivalrous of them to leave an innocent lady by herself at night in the wilderness (and a royal prisoner can be valuable.) That would give enough time to get the other forces out of the cave and catch up for a surprise attack.
We might even be able to get some information out of them with our excellent diplomatic skills!
[X]You'll stall while you wait for your cave forces to arrive. Maybe the soldiers won't attack on sight? If they try to attack before your force arrive...
-[X]You'll simply order the Boulders to attack.
-[X] Do not let any of them escape
Topic 1
-[X]Pretend obliviousness to their threat, cheerfully call out to them and ask if they can explain what is a 'holy person' as you've been having a delightful chat with your good friend Ada here, but she's struggling to explain this incredibly interesting idea from commoner culture.
Topic 2
-[X] Political organization: to whom do they answer? By what authority do they act? You need to know who you'll be meeting, after all.
More or less the 'Commoner...kings?' question from last time. Sabrina will eventually need to know more about who she is fighting or killing than 'the guys across the border with the worms'. We got absolutely bunk nothing on the town itself from Ada, and maybe this will give us an idea of how outnumbered Sabrina's little strike force is
I'm a little leery of the whole trip, but the single advantage Sabrina holds is surprise, which means these soldiers or gendarmerie or whatever they are cannot leave the clearing.
The most expedient method of stalling would be by continuing the charade of a strange noblewoman, but the vote doesn't indicate a need for topics like the 'talking' option. Should they be included anyway for that purpose?
They've brought guards and this group is culturally fanatical about their religion. Seems very likely to me that they believe the way to save somebody infested by monsters is burning them.
Staying for them is way too dangerous.
[X]You'll retreat to the cave, ordering the Boulders to not reveal themselves until you're ready to try pincering these soldiers between your forces.
-[x]Ada and Teo don't die if you can help it.
-[x] defend ourselves and forces first, but if there are any other survivors, capture them too
-[x] Do not let any of them escape
Our current greatest asset is Sabrina's humanity. Keeping that as much of a secret for as long as feasible seems wise.
Right now, all they know is that an infested human is nearby. They don't know that Sabrina is in possession of her full (or at least original) mental abilities and leading this force. Based on their past experience, I expect they're going to be looking for (dear) Caras, humans seriously messed up by joining, human mercenaries, or some combination of this ideas.
I don't believe the soldiers will go straight to attacking us. I don't think they've ever seen an integrated human before, given how surprised most people are to meet us, including the vassals of other shadow-insect-lords.
We also can't let any of these soldiers get away. It'll be easier to dispatch them here, rather than if they manage to take cover behind the wall of a town. So we need to ambush them, either in the cave, or in this clearing. If we go to the cave, I'm pretty sure they'll kill the Hauler, and maybe set fire to the carriage. But if we stall them here, try to make like we're a foreign diplomat or something, scream and cry or just ask them questions about who they report to and if they're really willing to start problems with a foreign dignitary, then our cave forces can ambush them from behind, and we can have our other forces just erupt from the luggage compartment in our carriage to take them down.
On the other hand, I'll admit Tascion's point that we are probably personally safer if we go to the cave. I just doubt we'll be able to wipe out as many soldiers that way, (I don't think they'll *all* go into the cave after us) or preserve as much of our current forces (they'll probably kill our hauler and might set fire to our carriage). But I'm largely okay if either choice wins.
EDIT: Actually, just got an idea of how to stall the soldiers. Ada had trouble explaining holiness. I wonder if the soldiers will also stall out or struggle to answer the question.
[x]You'll stall while you wait for your cave forces to arrive. Maybe the soldiers won't attack on sight? If they try to attack before your force arrive...
-[x]Pretend obliviousness to their threat, cheerfully call out to them and ask if they can explain what is a 'holy person' as you've been having a delightful chat with your good friend Ada here, but she's struggling to explain this incredibly interesting idea from commoner culture.
-[x]Pretend to be foreign diplomat if cheerful obliviousness does not work
-[x]Ada and Teo don't die if you can help it.
-[x] defend ourselves and forces first, but if there are any other survivors, capture them too
-[x] Do not let any of them escape
Also, here is what we currently have to work with.
a Hauler .... a dozen Boulders, all the Suncrawlers and Rollers made available to you (A dozen Rollers, a half dozen Suncrawlers), and a dozen Workers packed into the carriage's luggage as well as one Gatekeeper and a pair of Runners
....
The Suncrawlers and Rollers were lurking in a nearby cavern -it had been a bear's lair, but the bear had taken one look at your Boulders and scurried elsewhere- soaking in the cave's dampness to get back fluids lost to the sunlight, the Boulders were curled up around the carriage in this nice little clearing, and-
So the Gatekeeper, Workers, and Runners should still be in our carriage. And we have Boulders pretending to be stones all around the clearing of course. Teo and Ada thought they were stones at least, no idea if the holy soldiers will be similarly fooled.
They're definitely aware that they might be attacked by human mercenaries in the pay of Caras and his ilk.
While Sabrina and other civilians have been insulated in their land, there's a state of active war between these two countries. In this war, the burners intentionally spread burner worms eggs. They may believe their acts spread salvation, but until this disconnect in belief and communication is bridged, these two people are at war.
Straight to attacking is one of multiple choices I consider fully appropriate. Not in that list is letting Sabrina go, if she ends up in their control, or letting any bugs live.
If they are good, they still spread burner worms in intentional secrecy and without the knowledge to successfully build a civilization with them as part of it. Perhaps they can negotiated with, but not while having brought an army in subterfuge for an attack that they will surely discover in the next few minutes.
If they are evil, their actions will include ensuring that Sabrina does not create better or more effective collaborations between her people and their rulers. Killing her is only the simplest of those options.
Separately, @Ghoul King, how many of our friends can fit in the cave? Can the carriage likely outrun the soldiers?
