Rana pinches the bridge of her nose. "If he'd wanted to rape me he could have just cast Charm Person on me while I was asleep. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this. Even though I think it was deeply stupid of him."

Layla's brows draw together. "You're sure you have a handle on this? I don't want you to end up - seduced by him by inches -"

"I expected something like this eventually. It's a pattern with him. If he can justify to himself that he's doing the right thing by a sexual advance..."

She touches her thumbnail to her lips. "He knows he screwed up. That will buy us some days before he expects me to come back to his arms. It also provides us with a good reason to ask him why he's Evil. I think we should take the opportunity."

"Alright. You do know him better than me. I just - I don't want you to fall for this man when we both know he won't treat you well."

"A little late for that, don't you think? We're already exes. We tried. We failed. This is admittedly a second shot at things, but he hasn't changed. I cared about him once, but he keeps doing things like this and it's not easy to keep caring when he's so lousy at it himself. Trust me. I know his tricks. I'll be fine."

She smiles wryly. "I don't think even he's stupid enough to rape me in the middle of a camp of twenty-something people in the middle of the desert. We'd just slit his throat and leave his body on the sand. Gnolls got him. Even if he fireballed the whole caravan and lived, he'd then have to make the trek back to civilization with no guide and no support, and explain why only he survived to the authorities. I don't think he's that dumb."

"That's deeply brutal math you've worked out there. Let's very much hope it never comes to that."

"Indeed." 

Rana stretches. "So, shall we invite him back to our tent to explain himself? With Naila present?"

"I think that would be a smart move."

A few minutes later, the bruised Baqir is summoned into the caravan leaders' tent. 

He seems tired and sullen. He barely nods to Layla.

"So, Baqir. I'm sure you know why we've called you here."

She sighs. "It's not the kind of mistake a shemtej would make, or someone who genuinely cared about his partner. Nonetheless, I recognize that you were likely trying to... give Rana a present, of a kind. And intent does matter a little. So. I am probably going to give you another chance. But I want answers, first."

She crosses her arms and stares him down. "Why do you detect as Evil? I had a cleric I trust sweep you before you came to the caravan. I want an answer in your own words."

"I..." Baqir sighs. "Before I got my curse done, one of the women I had sex with died in childbirth."

"You never shared this with me." Rana frowns. "It does explain why you might have gone to such lengths, though."

"It's not something I'm proud of."

Baqir sighs again. "I've been defending caravans for years since then. Hasn't worked it off yet. I know I'm damned. Might as well have some fun in the meantime."

"You could have gotten an Atonement." Layla looks at Baqir thoughtfully. "If it means so much to you."

Baqir snorts. "What, from a priest of Abadar? They would have seen me enslaved for adultery. That's not justice, you know that."

"You could have gone to a temple of Sarenrae..."

"I don't want to talk about it." 

Layla sighs. 

Baqir at least seems to be telling the truth. She could prepare Touch of Truthtelling for the morning, but that would require telling Baqir that she's a cleric. And that doesn't seem likely to end well. 

She'll discuss it with Rana, but for now, she thinks she believes Baqir's story. The way it weighs on him... has the feeling of truth.

"Alright. Go get some breakfast. This had better not happen again."

"As you say." 

Baqir lets himself out of the tent.

And the caravan wends their way along. 

Baqir keeps more to himself over the next few days. He's sullen and quiet, still nursing the bruise on his shoulder.

And eventually...

A gnollish force intercepts them in the middle of the day. It's twice their size - a good forty or so gnolls with a half-dozen hyenas, moving in loose formation. The gnolls bear spears. Some of them have bows, too. They're making no disguise of their movements. They're lead by another heavily-armored, black-furred gnoll with a proper sword and shield.

Finally, a little stress relief.

They're bunched and moving in formation, and clearly intend to intercept the caravan. He doesn't need an order for this: It's a perfect opportunity. 

Fireball.

6d6 = 22 fire damage.

Reflex DC 10 (base) + 3 (Spell circle) + 3 (Charisma) + 2 (Greater Spell Focus: Evocation) = DC 18

Three of the roughly 20 first-level gnolls caught in the blast survive, badly burnt. The rest die instantly, along with one of the hyenas that was caught in the blast. (The second one lives.) The third-level sergeants live, as does the sixth-level leader; but the bulk of the gnoll fighting force is instantly wiped out. There's not even a crater in the sand; fireballs exert almost no pressure.

What a joke.

Baqir applauds the gnolls as the fire dissipates, leaving burning wreckage in its wake.

"Well done," he calls. "Very clever."

Fuck this, nobody told us they had someone who could cast Fireball.

The gnolls scatter to the four winds. It's every gnoll for himself.