"He does raise a good point." Farra chimes in from behind, "we were hired as guards, not executioners. The wagon is safe, we have him under control." And it was impossible to get information out of corpse, things like "do you have any allies and where are they?" Though the language barrier made it difficult, Xarian and Hadrian seemed to be trying their best.

As they continue down the road she whispers a quick prayer of guidance to the spirits of the land, wondering what the weather may be for the next day.

Pim looks between Kellan and Farra with a furrowed brow. He seems convinced that you know what you're doing, but he still clearly has reservations. "So long as you can keep him under control then." The wagonmaster gives the goblin a once over before returning back to the front of the wagon to check on the horses.

Xarian: Your background isn't in fashion, but even you can recognize that this goblin is better dressed and equipped than is typical. The ones you encountered wore little more than rags, or patches of mismatched armor stolen or robbed from other creatures. But underneath the leather armor Rox wears you can see decently made linen clothing, basic travelers clothes. Though they're somewhat dirtied now. That might not be exceptional on its own, were it not for the fact that it seemed to be sized to the goblin, like it was made specifically for him. You don't see any outward marks or symbols that might indicate his tribe, but you do see a leather cord around his neck, disappearing below the neckline of his armor so you can't quite see the amulet attached to it.

Farra: A small golden orb winks into existence as your spell is cast - as it darkens, a rolling cloud of fog crosses over it. 

Xari stares at the goblin perhaps a little longer than would be polite, if he weren't a captive, at least.  His puzzled gaze is almost childlike.

"Th-the goblin.  Ah... Rox.  It's not just that he doesn't speak Common.  He's not... he's not... I don't know... dressed like the goblins I've run into a few times during our sorties into the hills around Amphail.  Leather armor might not be that unusual, but the small-sized human-like linen travelers' clothing below it?  I c-can't remember as I've ever seen anything but rags on these little guys before.  And he's got... ah, something hanging from his neck."

Gesturing at his simple weathered Amphail town guard brooch once more, Xari then points at the spot where an amulet might be hanging from the cord and raises one eyebrow in a questioning gesture at the small humanoid, asking to see it.  Easily distractable, the big man's mind wanders.

Maybe it's some other creature that got turned into a goblin!  The spell isn't in my book, but I've heard some mages can change the way they look... but then why wouldn't he have cast his magic at us instead of waving his scimitar around?  Or maybe he's not the mage, but one turned him into a goblin...

Kellan listens to Xarian’s observation in silence, his hazel eyes narrowing slightly as he studies Rox more closely. Now that it’s pointed out, the goblin is better outfitted than the usual raiders they’ve encountered—his armor, his clothing, even the way he carries himself. Not a mindless brute, not a starving scavenger. Something else.

He exhales, adjusting his grip on his shield before finally speaking, his voice quiet. “Then he’s not just another scout...Some kind of goblin adventurer? But then why doesn't he speak Common?"

After Xari's revelation, Hadrian takes a moment to appraise the goblin's appearance with a raised brow. "Huh." It seemed obvious now that it was pointed out to him...Though in his mind it just made the reason behind the little guy hiding out in the bushes even more of a mystery. "A goblin adventurer, from a secretive tribe of more civilized goblins that doesn't teach Common?" He puts out, building on the paladin's idea. "It's not the craziest explanation I suppose," he says with a chuckle.

He waits to see if Rox will show what the pendant around his neck is. If not, he'll try to persuade the goblin.

Farra wrinkles her brow at the result of the spell, annoyed at the prospect of a low visibility night. "Fog tonight it seems, wonderful time for whoever's on watch."  On the subject of the strange goblin's origins, she can offer little more than a shrug. "This one is odd, I'm not sure if that warrants a secret goblin society though."

Rox stares at the big man for a moment -- understanding what he wants, but clearly reluctant for some reason. Finally, the goblin seems to come to a decision, gently lifting the leather cord up. The pendant is a sharp angular symbol, its core made out of some pale yellow stone. Its shape is reminiscent of a spearhead or arrowhead, and the stone itself is bound in curling arcs of silver. It's certainly no crude goblin totem. Like his clothes, it's well made, though it seems worn from age. After showing it off for a couple seconds, the goblin stashes it back underneath his armor.

Xarian (previous History check): The emblem is a curious thing. You vaguely recall seeing it before in some tome of Orlan's describing mage organizations in Faerûn. The Arcane Brotherhood? You remember the section having only sparse details. You know they operate out of Luskan, and that the book hinted they could be dangerous, but that's about it. It's a strange thing for a goblin to have, that's for sure.

Xari blinks, then remains gazing at the goblin for a long moment, eyes focused on the middle distance, even after the small humanoid has put away his pendant.  His lips move distractedly as he mumbles to himself.  As if trying to remember something obscure.

Orlan would always chide me for never paying sufficient attention to crucial details...

"The Arcane Brotherhood," the big man suddenly announces out of the blue.  "Th-that's where I've seen that insignia before.  Not some goblin tribe that he's a scout for.  The Arcane Brotherhood... group of spellcasters, based in the north.  North of Amphail or Neverwinter even.  Luskan.  Little-known, and could be up to no good, can't remember.  And it looks like the pendant is old.  Weathered.  So the little guy might have had it for a long time."

"N-not sure if he works for them or... or he stole it off a corpse, though why would he be reluctant to show it?  Or..."  Xari looks a little embarrassed and speaks quickly.  "Or maybe he's a mage in disguise.  Anyway, not a b-bandit scout.  I'm starting to think it wasn't even us he was watching for."

Kellan's brow furrows at Xarian’s revelation. The Arcane Brotherhood? Luskan? That was far from here. What would a goblin be doing with something tied to a northern cabal of mages?

"Perhaps he once served a mage—willingly or otherwise."

None of this sat right with him, but their priority was still the caravan. They didn’t have time to solve every mystery that stumbled into their path.

“We can deal with fog. More frequent patrols, dimmer light sources.” He shifts his gaze back to Rox. “As for him…I don’t know what his story is, but Xari’s right—he’s not just some bandit scout.” His expression hardens slightly. “Doesn’t mean we trust him. He could be working for something worse for all we know."

As your light investigation into the goblin's origins conclude for now, so does most of the caravan's interest in brief excitement. Andy still steals glances at Rox from time to time, but his mother has a tight grip on his shoulder as they walk. The next few hours are uneventful -- and as Farra predicted, a fog begins to roll in from the south after the sun goes down. The area is now lightly obscured.

A loud whistle sounds from the front wagon, signalling the rest to stop. "Line the wagons up! We're stopping here for the night!" You hear a voice call out. Pim pulls the cargo wagon to the side of the road, putting up brake blocks on the wheels and once more tending to the horses. As everyone begins to setup camp for the night, what would you like to do?

OoC: One point of order would be to setup watches for the night. There will be other guards from other wagons on watch with you throughout the night, but they'll be focused on keeping an eye on their own wagons.

Kellan silently helps set up camp, securing the wagon’s perimeter while keeping watch on the travelers, aware that the thickening fog brings greater risk. Once finished, he approaches Pim, his voice low but firm. “We’ll need torches or lanterns, but dim—too much light will just make it harder to see in this fog.” His fingers brush over the wheat stalk amulet at his chest as he turns to the others. “We should walk the perimeter before full dark sets in. Get a sense of what’s around us before we’re completely blind.” His tone is steady, practical—he has no patience for surprises, especially not in conditions like this.

After doing his part to secure the wagons and camp, Xari looks ready to settle back with his nose buried in his tattered book, but at Kellan's suggestion, he startles and stands up sheepishly, as if subconsciously accustomed to obeying orders.

Looking around, he observes to Farra:  "Y-you were right about the fog!  That one's not in my book.  Of spells, I mean.  Or is the weather something that you just know without magic?  That's pretty useful.  You'll have to tell me how you learned that one.  Ah... o-only if you don't mind, I m-mean..."

The big man trails off spluttering, but then finds his equilibrium and glances at Kellan.

"I'll walk the perimeter with you."  Xari pulls a torch from his pack and lights it at a slow burn, to limit its glow within the mists.  "I can take first watch too."

He looks to Ash, the owl, perched on the corner of a wagon, as if asking for aerial help while scouting.  The bird gazes back impassively as if Xari is daft.

Kellan nods in acknowledgment, watching as Xarian lights the torch. “I appreciate it,” he says quietly. “I’ll take second watch.” His gaze flicks toward the owl perched on the wagon, noting Xari’s unspoken request and the bird’s unimpressed stare. A faint smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, but he says nothing of it. Instead, he adjusts his shield and gestures toward the perimeter. “Let’s make the round while we still have some light.” With that, he steps forward into the mist, moving with steady purpose, his eyes scanning the darkness beyond.

Survival(?) to get a good idea of the layout of the land around the caravan: nat 20 + 2

While those two begin a slow walk of the perimeter, Hadrian slings his pack onto the back of the wagon and begins to rifle through it for food. Not for himself, but for their new prisoner friend, Rox. He splits one of the ration packs in half, then approaches the goblin with it. "Hungry?" 

If the goblin doesn't want the food, he repacks separately anyway, figuring he would need to eat something at some point. After that he retrieves a pair of torches, ready to light when it was his turn to take a watch (presuming third watch?).

Farra laughs, surprised that someone would be so impressed with such a simple spell. "It's just something I've known how to do...I'm honestly not sure how I would even go about explaining it to you." On the discussion of watches, she takes the last two as she typically does.

Pim finishes up his task as Kellan approaches, regarding the paladin with a raised eyebrow. He listens to the young man's advice, and nods his head in agreement. "You read my mind lad. Don't like this fog. Can't recall ever seeing it on this trail to be honest, feels all wrong." He mutters.

"I've got plenty of spare torches in the wagon. We can light a few of them around the wagon to give us some extra light."

Kellan: There's very little in the way "layout" in these woods. The road is wide here, about 20 feet across. The caravan's wagons have pulled off onto the north side of the road. On either side, the rough dirt trail gradually gives way to grass, trees, and woodland brush. 50 feet off the road on either side, the trees grow quite dense (difficult terrain).

You don't need to ask the goblin twice, as Rox quickly snatches the food from your hand and begins to chow down. They were very hungry as it turned out.

Kellan returns from the perimeter sweep and reports his findings to the others. “The road’s clear, and the tree line is about fifty feet out on either side—dense enough that anything moving through will have a hard time staying quiet.” He nods at Pim’s suggestion about the torches. “A few low-burning lights should help without giving away too much.” With that, he sets about preparing his bedroll near the wagon, adjusting his gear within reach before settling in. His gaze drifts to Rox gobbling down the food Hadrian offered briefly. He exhales, forcing himself to forget his curiosity and suspicion for now and relax as much as possible, knowing that sleep—however brief—will be essential before his shift on watch.

Xarian settles in for first watch, choosing to stay on his feet, walking softly around the camp in irregular patterns, eyes peering into the fog in different directions.  Having been reasonably impressed with how easily Kellan, Hadrian and Farra handled the goblin, he does not wish to let them down.

His fingers itch for his tattered book but he manages to refrain from reading while on duty.  This time.

"If you keep watch instead, I can read," he ventures in a whisper, glancing at Ash as she preens herself.

Can you?  The owl's disdainful return glance seems to reply...

"Guess you were hungry." Hadrian mumbles, eyebrows raising slightly as he watches the goblin scarf down the food. As Rox finishes up the split ration, the young nobleman unfurls his bedroll and lays it out next to Kellan's. When he has a moment to get the goblin's attention, he points towards the bedroll. "Sleep. And don't try to sneak away, one of us will notice and wake up." For himself, he drops his pack on the opposite side of the bedroll to use as a pillow, such that Rox would be laying down between himself and the paladin.

Xarian's d4:  2
Xarian's Perception at disadvantage due to the fog:  11