Zartan will also move next to Baldar and say "We have been sent from the Radiant Citadel to help! " 

Action he will also move over to the injured/dead person and attempt to save them from dying. 

Persuasion: 18

Medicine: 13

 Bendrak releases his grip as his foe is tied up.

"And does this criminal make a habit of attacking travelers? I should like to meet them, the official committee seems less than welcoming!"

Lucky sniffs the dead bowman. He smells of alcohol, body odor, and horse. He clutches a crumpled poster in his hand.

Walt ties up the sleeping bowman securely. This ambusher is now Restrained as well as deep in slumberland.

While there are a handful of villagers peering from their homes, Baldar's speech from the wall doesn't seem to have any immediate effect. But then the remaining conscious goon – Bendrak's prisoner – nervously responds, "A deal! We'll split the bounty?" 

Zartan looks at the bowman laying on the ground with Tuuli's bolt embedded deeply between his staring eyes. He's quite dead.

Combat is over for the moment, at least until the prisoner tries to break free or unless someone wants to chase the mounted attackers. The sleep spell will wear off soon, though, and at least two are unsecured. (How much rope do you have?)

Zartan ties up the other sleeping bad guys

Tuuli goes to stand by the bowman she killed. Lucky looks up at her and mewls. She just stares at the dead guy, standing quietly next to Zartan until the harengon goes to tie up other people. “Hey, here,” she says, handing the wizard her 50’ of rope.

When the tied up guy tries to offer a deal, she turns and marches over to him, angry. “Why did you shoot at us?! What did that get any of you except dead?” She gestures in the direction of the dead guy. “What kind of idiot shoots first?”

Walt secures whats left of his rope to the side of his pack and walks over to Tuuli and the dead bowman. As Tuuli walks away Walt thinks to himself "My, what a great shot!" He looks down at the dead archer and spots the crumpled poster in their hands. Walt kneels down to inspect the body for a bit before plucking the poster from their grasps. He will also pick up the bowman's longbow, quiver (if they have one) and arrows.

Investigation check 7 focusing in on the condition of armor, clothing, weapons etc. Can Walt glean any info from this check? (doubtful)

Perception check 12 to spot anything hidden on the body. 

(OOC: How many arrows does Walt collect?)

"500 gold!" says your prisoner, hopefully. "You ain't th' first competitors we met. But we can split it!"

The four prisoners securely tied, Walt collects 50 arrows. The ambushers all wear nasty-looking leather armor, and each carries a banged-up shortsword and longbow. The dead man has a poster crumpled in his hand. (It's a wanted poster depicting a stern old woman with the name “Paloma” below the portrait and offering a 500 gp reward for her capture.)

In the distance, a slender figure tends to the wounded villagers, who respond with heartfelt gratitude. It goes to tend to the battered old man, and then unties a haughty-looking moon elf with pale, blue-tinged skin and long, silver hair wearing chain mail who looks very upset and embarrassed. As the slender individual now approaches the party, you realize this figure is more than simply thin—it's a skeleton clothed in a yellow-and-magenta dress, with many colorful bead necklaces hanging from the exposed vertebrae of their neck.

“You must be parched after that fight,” it says. “How about some drinks, friends? On the house!”

“That would be great.” Zartan looking up to see who’s talking. Briefly startled by a skeleton talking to him, but rolling with it, he continues. “Thank you. Where can we put these prisoners so they won’t cause anymore trouble to the towns folk?”

Bendrak pauses a moment, craning his neck trying to discern any mechanisms manipulating the animated skeleton. But remembering the disembodied hands, he  shrugs, nods, and follows along.

Tuuli, who lives in the Radiant Citadel, and comes from far flung places, takes in the newcomer with equanimity. “Are you Paloma, or do you know her?” She shakes her head. “We’re here about a woman, Xóchitl? Her son asked us to see that she was okay.”

Walt is sure he’s showing early signs of heat exhaustion and he figures his mind is just playing tricks on him. But he can sure use a drink, a snack and some shade so he’s willing to go along for the ride.  Walt pulls his hood up covering his nose and mouth as remembers Fortino talking of plague in town killing people. He will be on the lookout for anyone that appears to be sick.

Perception check 16 to spot any signs of illness amongst the locals. 

The pale moon elf, now free, follows the skeleton woman toward the party. He stops a short distance away, peering at them curiously while working some of the feeling back into his wrists and hands.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate the welcoming committee," he says finally, assessing these newcomers. "My name is Aranor by the way."

To the skeleton woman, he bows his head. "Thank you for your assistance. I'd be glad for a drink...and to get out of this godsforsaken sun." Even as he says this, he wipes sweat from his brow. His dusky, blue-tinged skin is beginning to look a bit darker than what is usual, as if beginning to burn.

Baldar hops off the wall, hanging back a bit. Death must come easy out here in these lands, if these villagers were so ready to attack srangers and be so callous about the death of one of their own, all for just 500 gold. 

"Lotta people looking for Paloma," says the kindly skeleton. "But Xóchitl? Maybe you should come in for a drink. Pedro will drag these bandits to the gaol." It gestures to a burly man watching from a doorway. "My name is Rufina. I have a pulquería here in town. Come inside and we'll have a drink and talk."

As you start to follow the skeleton named Rufina through the village, Walt notices many locals huddled in corners, bundled in blanket-like sarapes and trembling with cold despite it being a warm but cloudy day. They don't look well.

You arrive at Rufina' pulquería less than a block away. It's a tavern; its walls are painted with murals that depict a series of armed conflicts, with locals celebrating victory at the end. A candlelit altar behind the bar includes a painted portrait of an elderly woman, which is surrounded by yellow marigolds and offerings of drinks and cactus fruits. Two dwarves seated at one of the three tables in the pulquería glance at you curiously.

"Sit," says Rufina. "I'll get some drinks."

Tuuli swings her pack off and lays it by the wall, along with her crossbow and quiver. She moves to one of the empty tables and sits, just watching. She smiles at the dwarves and gives a little wave. “Nice day.”

Walt sits at the table with Tuuli and sits there quietly giving himself a chance to cool down. He reaches into has possibles pouch, pulls out a small stone trinket with fine etchings on it and whispers the ritual for detect poison and disease.

After 10 minutes Walt will look throughout the room to see if anyone within 30ft of him shows signs of poison or disease and he will identify poison/disease. 

Rufina returns with glasses of pulque, which Tuuli recognizes as an alcoholic beverage made from fermented agave sap, together with a tray of cactus, beans, and tortillas.

"Do you need a room for the night?" asks Rufina. The dwarves seem to watch everyone carefully as they sip their pulque. One gives the tiniest of sober nods to Tuuli. Another customer has their back turned.

Walt sees no poison or disease here.

Rufina sits down at your table. "Why are you here?"

Baldar does not follow the group to the pulquería. She doesn't feel ready to dive headlong into another precarious situation, and with quiet farewells, she lifts her hammer and shield and turns back towards San Citlán.

====================

In the pulquería, seated with their back turned, sits a very large, very odd creature seemingly made of stone and wood and metal. The head, small in proportion to the rest of the body, contains two glowing blue orbs where it's eyes would be, and a hinged jaw tilts upwards in the semblance of a perpetual smile. The overall effect is that of a gentle giant. Indeed, perched on one enormous shoulder is a bird's nest, although there doesn't currently appear to be any birds in residence.
When the creature turns at the group of people arriving and sees Lucky, he leans out one hand towards the cat and says in a deep, rumbling, somewhat mechanical voice. "Hello, kitty cat. Excuse me, may I please pet your cat?" he asks to the group at large, not sure of the cat's owner.

Tuuli smiles at the large creature, then looks down at the cat. “Well, Lucky, the person asked you a question.” Lucky immediately moves to rub against the new person, always willing to be scritched.

”This is Lucky,” Tuuli says, depositing her bag against the wall. “I’m Tuuli, and these are my friends.” She pauses long enough for introductions before moving to the empty table and sitting. She includes all the newcomers, the harengon and the new elf, in her sweeping declaration of friendship.

Zartan comes in with the group and looks about noticing the stares. He plunks himself down with the group and and tries a sip of the pulque. "You know, this stuff is pretty good." turning to Rufina "Thank you for your hospitality. What can you tell us about this whole 'Paloma' thing that nearly got us killed by those thugs. We're here to help Xóchitl. Her son is very woried about her and we volunteered to help out."