Chlorys finds Camus and Von easily enough, however she is surprised to see another towering behind. "So before we go, I think all need to have a little chat." She motions to her companions. She plans to tell them what she's heard about the place they're to be traveling towards and also just to kind of get the events of the last day into order. 

"Alright, what's on your mind?" Camus asks Chlorys. "Oh, and in case you ladies were wondering, this gentleman is Bard Helmspeak. He and I felt that it would be mutually beneficial if he were to join us for this journey, as the three of us are primarily casters. No offense, Von. I know that you're a strong warrior as well, but I for one don't want to risk our primary healer as the only frontline target in every violent confrontation, even if you are in heavy armor."

“Damn Ca-Shade you know how to pick ‘em! Hey you human pile of muscles, you don’t have to worry about anything! I’ll gladly cast cure wounds on you; I’m an expert in all kinds of spells with touch components. 😘”

Chlorys gives the human man a once over; she had yet to see one that happened to be that tall, however merely gave the expressionless man a curt smile and said "Excuse us for just a moment," she thought of her mother's echoing words in the back of her mind and added "If you could please." Ushering the others away from the human giant, if only momentarily, Chlorys states her thoughts in hushed tones, "I don't think it wise for us to attend this trip, I know it might be almost impossible to get that ring off, but if you can I would. No one else wears a similar contraption, no one speaks  of what we guard, and no one knows that we're supposed to be here except that "Master of Keys" she says with a hint a malice in her voice. "I think he expects us to fail or worse, I also on't think he plans on removing the rings, I'm thankful I didn't have to... and I know he said he'd be paying us, but I refuse to trust him, regardless of his word." Chlorys pauses and takes a deep breath, "If you can, remove the ring, say good bye to our new 'friend' and head in the opposite direction of this caravan, with haste. If we thought Amadeus was bad then, Bruil is worse."

"So... I think you do have some valid points Chlorys... but I have examined Von's ring thoroughly, and it is not going to come off," Camus says in a low voice. "Unless you're suggesting that we cut her finger off... which, to be fair, might be justifiable considering the situation. But I see a few problems with your suggestion, the main one being that if we disappear, this Bruil guy will almost certainly put a bounty on Von's head. Perhaps on yours as well, though as you are nobility I'm not sure he would want to cause a political nightmare by putting a price on your head... still he might try something 'cute' like putting out a picture and detailed description of you without a name so that he could later say that he had no way of knowing that you were a noble when his bounty hunters 'accidentally' end you for 'resisting arrest.'  Even if we do decide to remove Von's finger to get rid of the ring, doing so right now and running off would immediately put a target on our backs. So it seems to me that, at least until we're a good distance from this accursed city, it is probably still in your best interest to play along."

The lich pauses, then adds in an even lower whisper. "Having said that, it might not be a bad idea to find out what's in the cart if we can. It should be easy enough for me to summon a familiar to search the cart without raising suspicion, so long as I can gather the necessary material components to cast the spell."

Bard's eyes slowly pan down to Von. He makes eye contact with her for just a moment, expression still completely unreadable, then his eyes shift right back up. He turns, and walks away, standing out of earshot while everyone else speaks.

I give him a wink and wait for him to depart then turn back to the crew. “No doubt we’re gonna rouse the ire of Buril. I say we do it at a safe distance and possibly after we’ve repurposed whatever’s in that cart. I say we continue this way and see if the next town reveals any better options. Also this is my backup scratching’ finger and I would rather not give it up without a fight.”

"If we can find a metalworker, it may also be possible to have him or her cut the band and simply pry it open," Camus points out, looking at the ring again. "Though I wouldn't put it past the 'Master of Keys' to have either some kind of protective ward or an arcane alarm on this ring that will trigger if the ring is damaged."

As you speak, a few shouts sound out through the place, and you see the other wagons begin to move. As wagon three begins to pass you, the woman driving it gives you all a quizzical look. As wagon four begins to approach, you hear the sound of shoes slapping against the path, and heavy breathing. A young human comes sprinting up to you all, fully vaulting over the fourth cart to land before you, hands on knees, catching their breath. "Shit, sorry, I'm- whoo! I'm- crap, gimme a second." They lean up against the cart for a couple of seconds, and catch enough breath to squeeze out a few more sentences. "Hi, sorry, I'm- um, I'm Drake, I'm uhh, driving cart two, I think? Sorry, I was kind of... delayed. I... oh, man, I hope I'm not late."

They look up, seeing that the cart is in fact no longer cart two, it's something more along the lines of cart five. "Oh, crap! Crap, crap, sorry! Sorry!" After a few more 'craps' and 'sorrys,' they climb up into the wagon, and start the oxen into motion. They motion you all to follow. "I'm so sorry, you wouldn't believe the morning I've had."

"It looks like our course of action is settled, for the moment," Camus whispers to the ladies, then raises his voice for the others to hear. "We've all had days like that... but let's try and get moving before the caravan leaves us behind entirely. Mr. Helmspeak, my companions and I are done with our discussion for the time being."

“Indeed. Double-time march, lest we loose the protection of other human bodies.”

"There's many truths in your words," Chlorys sighs, shaking her head after mulling over what Camus had to say about Bruil. Perhaps she was being too hasty, and now they had the accompaniment of a large human, although Chlorys was unsure whether or not to trust him yet. A sudden cry through the air and the caravan begins its slow surge forward,  oxen braying l, cart wheels squeaking; all at once another, young, though all humans were young in her eyes, nimble human comes vaulting up to them, resting momentarily. Chlorys gives him a thorough look over. He was comparably small compared to the human, Bard, but she suspected Mr. Helmspeak was not entirely so. The man apologized profusely, first climbing into the wrong cart before reaching the one they were supposed to be watching over. He cheerfully introduces himself, breathkess after his short feat, he climbs into the cart and snaps the reins, the cart straining to move, the wheels turning slowly. The caravan had gotten a start without them and were several paces ahead before they all set off. 

(If there is room next to Drake, Chlorys insists on sitting next to him.)

(Will update soon, busy atm, but when I'm back we can get the caravan going!)

(Looking forward to it!)

(So sorry, my business stretched out a lot longer than expected. Still, I'm back, and ready to continue!)

Drake scoots aside, allowing Chlorys to sit next to them. They give her a nervous grin, then focus on getting the cart back to second position. Bard walks beside the caravan, eyes facing forward. Soon, Drake manages to maneuver the cart into its proper space, and leans back to catch their breath a little more. 

The caravan travels peacefully over the course of the morning, and the party gets time to relax. The cart can't fit everyone at once, so most people have to be walking at a given time, but everyone gets some time to rest a bit, which is rather welcome, due to the rather uncomfortable conditions the last day has offered everyone. The sun rises high overhead as the trees and green grass fade away into the greyness of Thar. The great grey moor is dotted with alternating patches of broken, uneven rock, and of grey-brown plant life, struggling to survive in the poor soil. Nothing truly grows in this wasteland, only survives, though Thar is no stranger to deadly beasts caught in an endless cycle of eating each other and getting eaten. Still, the sun begins to dip below the horizon, and the day comes to an end without incident. The caravan slows, and eventually stops. After a long day of walking, everyone is ready to settle down, let the oxen eat, and camp for the night. 

As the day has been going on, what has everyone been doing? What about after camp is set up? What's the watch order?

Camus has mostly been walking, since he doesn't have actual muscles to get achy... but he knows it would look a little bit strange if the 'unfortunate leper' spent the whole time walking while the two able-bodied adventurers take turns riding in the cart. He mostly uses his time contemplating how the party ended up in this situation and how they're going to get back out of it, and doesn't say much to those who aren't already in the know about what he is unless they start the conversation. He will also volunteer to take the first watch since he doesn't need to sleep... so he would be happy to keep watch until he needs to zap the two skeletons in Von's bag with Animate Dead so they don't go berserk the instant that they get turned loose, after which he'll let one of the others take over so he can take a Long Rest and get back his spell slot.

Von’ll take second watch pacing militaristically and firing off a sending to her tribe before awakening Chlorys. 

(DM me the contents of your sending spell. Also, are you letting the others know this, if keeping it quiet?)

As the caravan and the day goes on Chlorys while riding along plays absent-mindedly on her lute, merry songs filled with elvish lyrics sprinkled in. When she has to walk she complains to those who will listen and tries to make the acquaintance of anyone else. She's a social butterfly in a literal and figurative sense, flitting about, talking to one group then the next. Learning all that she can. As the day and colors fade upon reaching the edges of Thar, Chlorys loses some of her bubbliness, instead keeping a solemn watch as they traverse through the wasteland, lest a ferocious beast come upon them. Day fades to night and though Chlorys carries a sleeping pack, she does not need to rest as the humans, or Orc would. "You need sleep,  Von,  I do not. " Chlorys insists on taking second watch.  

“Very well. Use this in case any ne’er-do-wells try and get a jump on you. I’ll sweep of the perimeter.” Von hands Chlorys a javelin and begins a 10min walk down the resting caravan. It’s mainly an excuse to send a message under her breath but she is checking for threats. 

(Investigation 15   Survival 7 ) (og results 11 and 15)