...Blai was really hoping Thall would run away before this happened because he's not sure there's any way he can reasonably interfere with Hulrun doing this stupid thing. If you wait for everybody to agree that a thing is not stupid before you do it then no things are ever accomplished and arguably the Desnans were also in their own way followers of this philosophy and he does not have the specific authority to tell specifically Hulrun that he's doing a stupid thing.

"When you have a moment," he tells the Prelate, "a word."

"Seize him," he says to his inquisitors, gesturing at Thall; two of them grab his arms. He turns to Blai. "How urgent is this?"

"Not very, I wasn't sure I'd run into you at all."

"Understood." He turns back to Thall. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

"Fuck you. If you had just listened to us to begin with none of this would have happened."

"Very well. In that case, I hereby sentence you to death. You may have a minute to repent of your sins before I carry out the sentence."

"Prelate, I know he broke the law, but you can't just kill him in the streets!"

"I am the prelate of this city, Ser Seelah. I have the right to conduct trials wherever I please." 

"That's one thing as far as Law goes but if there are two ways to Fall and if you do the city will be out one of its most powerful partisans."

"The Inheritor does not forbid us from conducting executions for serious crimes."

"Of course not. But the summary trial's uncalled for - there may be a Truthtelling to spare, conditions under which he could work off the injury to the city's order - does the Mendevian code prescribe summary trials of civilians for any of these charges, it's not as though you're accusing him of being a zombie -"

"A Truthtelling would make no difference; it's not as if he denies the charges against him. If we try to hold him until the city is safe, his confederates will simply break him out again."

"Truly, today we give thanks to the Inheritor for blessing us with such a dedicated servant," says the Count sarcastically. "What would the city do without him?"

It may be that they're about to find out. Blai's running out of ideas. "I'd be willing to have him as one of my party and keep an eye on him until things calm down enough to afford more time," he offers.

"And why should I trust that you will not simply permit him to abscond in a fit of mercy?"

Well Woljif is still around Woljif was plausibly not facing execution. "Is there an oath on the matter you'd care to hear first?"

He pauses to think for a few moments.

"Your oath that you will not aid him in escaping his Lawfully-prescribed punishment, nor permit him to escape without actively aiding him, nor provide information to him, his confederates, or anyone you suspect of being his confederates that would enable them to help him escape, nor allow him to conduct rituals on the Wardstone or perform other magic that might interfere with its functioning. And furthermore, that you will attempt to prevent him from escaping if he attempts to, and likewise attempt to prevent his confederates from enabling to escape, and that you expect you will be able to successfully prevent such an escape, and that you will return him to custody as soon as is practical once the present crisis has been resolved. ...And your demonstration that you can still wield the Heavenly sword you previously demonstrated to me."

(The Goddess would renounce him if he swore an oath intending to betray it, if he is who he represents himself as being, but he could, for example, be a demon under a magical disguise sufficiently comprehensive to include the alignment aura.)

Blai pulls out the sword first of all to have a moment to think. He should probably be less conservative with it; it probably has a limit but it seems to be on the order of per-day and if he doesn't even know what that limit might be he is likely underusing it.

He wants really a lot of definitions defined here. Define "escape". If Thall signs on with Crusader's Fort and becomes subject to non-Hulrun discipline is that "escape". Define "Lawfully-prescribed punishment"; does that mean Hulrun's specifically or is Irabeth authorized to come up with something? Custody, specifically Hulrun's? Does it count as successful prevention if Thall agrees to the arrangement, hoping that in the next few days the metaphorical horse will sing, and can Blai possibly extract that information via meaningful look, from a Chaotic man in fear for his life (albeit not very, since he did just kind of swear at Hulrun)?

Really the winning move here is to have this conversation not in the middle of the street, with help.

"Under some interpretations this would be agreeable to me, but I can only readily swear it with would-be arbitration on hand to confirm such interpretation. Might we all progress to the Defender's Heart and speak with Fiducia Rathimus as a representative example of the applicable arbitrators?"