Silence answers Hythlodaeus' query. They can and are, he thinks. They'll do anything to protect their own. They'll take lives and call it righteous. He knows: he's spurred mortals from all walks of life into battle. He has spoken with many more and heard why they fight.

Sitting up, he reaches for his friend's cheek and gently turns their face towards his so he can kiss them.

"If they do decide to go to war," he murmurs back, "promise me you will stay out of it. Once it begins, only victory or defeat will see the bloodshed end. Don't waste your kindness trying to sway them from it."