Guys, I would be remiss not to present the possibility (especially after I think they used the trick in either three or two to beat us) that Murska is possibly just a remnant, and they purposefully put him forth on an encounter he could defeat to gain the item.

There's so many layers that the remnants can be using here against us, and Murska is a master, both at this particular game in general. This isn't a condemnation or an exoneration, just noting that he's been in as many of these as I have, has been in practice more recently, and can manipulate a paranoid crowd easily.