The Wood Elf pulls back on her bow, aiming towards Flaysteir as he sprints up to her position, blades drawn. A call rings out,

"If you drop your weapons and equipment we could let you free. There is no reason in senseless killing!"

     In the midst of the battle the Elf woman contemplates his words as she eases up on her bow and watches him barrel towards her. She looks towards her fallen ally bleeding out in the clearing not too far away with Tadriel standing over him. Just then, a single leaf floats by and catches her attention, bringing notice to the beauty that surrounds her; the sun shining through the canopy above, the gentle breeze sending fallen leaves dancing in the wind. In a brief moment, it feels as though time has slowed to a halt and everything is peaceful once more. The clashing of blades against armor, shouting commands and insults and the smell of fresh blood are gone. Then it all comes rushing back.

"...Never!"

     After a moment of hesitation, she draws her bow once more, pulls back an arrow and takes aim at Flaysteir. It's too late, though. His blades run through her as she falls limp over them.

Darak barrels through the vegetation, his broad form smashing through the undergrowth unlike his more graceful companions - with a warcry on his lips he throws himself into the fray.  Seeing the bugbear standing alone he makes straight for him, warhammer raised in one mailed fist ready for a strike and as he reaches him he jumps a little in the air to give extra force to his blow as it crashes down.

     As the Bugbear towers over Detective Krimple, the sound of heavy footsteps in the distance grows louder and louder. The massive being turns his head just in time to see the face of Darak, who is now flying impossibly through the air with his blessed war-hammer drawn. The expression on the Bugbear shifts from complete rage to one more lethargic. You can almost make out a faint sigh from the Bugbear as Darak comes crashing down on him.

As he bursts from the undergrowth and launches into the air Darak sees the bugbear turn in his direction face stunned by the sudden arrival of another foe, in a vain attempt to defend himself the he raises the haft of his maul in front of him just as the warhammer crashes down, splintering the wood and crushing his chest.  Falling backwards the creature struggles for breath through shattered ribs, his lungs unable to fill, terror fills his heart as he knows he is dying. The last thing he sees is a dwarf look down, touch a medallion at his throat and say "It's over" before smashing the warhammer back down this time caving in the skull of his enemy.

Flaysteir cuts her hand off with one scimitar, while gently piercing through her eye with the other.

" It was your choice. May the ground consume you.", as her body falls down Flaysteir kneels down starting to search through it in search of any interesting things.

While Flaysteir is looking at the ambusher's equipment, Detective Krimple returns to the wagon to tell Leucis the events that happened.

Tadriel surveys the corpses and sweeps the area (up to 100' into the woods, 50' left and right, of where we fought) trying to find any hidden camp. He'll say a prayer for Death on the way out and examine the burning wagon.

(Let me know if any of these need checks)

     With the immediate danger out of the way, adrenaline begins to subside and the group begins to gather themselves. Everyone can take a deep breath and relax now that peace and quiet is once restored to the forest. It does seem a bit darker, though, as the sun begins to shift from a bright yellow to a golden, almost orange hue. Daylight is beginning to fade and the shipment was promised before sunset. Not much time is left, judging by the position of the sun in the sky. You're able to guess about 2 hours until you're late.

     Flaysteir is able to sort through the bodies of the fallen along with Tadriel's assistance as they come up rather short-handed. [Everyone can add 7g to their currency!]

     Tadriel then sweeps the area and finds nothing of significance minus a beat up campsite the bandits must of been using. Their packs near their bedrolls contained common supplies: rations, rope and some miscellaneous ammunition. There is a burnt out campfire with an empty pot containing what appeared to be some sort of stew at one point.

     Leucis greets Krimple with open arms as he approaches, lowering a hand as if prepared to cast some spell at any bandits that may have dispatched the party and come to collect the rest of the loot. He is visibly excited, yet worried at the same time. Lord Edmur is cowering behind the low walls of the wagon.

"I heard quite the ruckus! Is... Is everyone all right?"

Taking the pertinent supplies and anything of resale value, Tadriel returns to the wagon, "Nothing we couldn't handle. Best to get moving quick; we're running out of time."

"The elf is right, if you want to make your deadline we had best be off. Nice little fight though."

Darak jumps up onto the wagon as he speaks. 

"A group of bandits was tricking people who came to check the smoke and lures them into the forest with the reason they have casualties from the accident but we managed to thwart their plans.

Beside Flaysteir cutting her hands for unknown reasons, everything is fine for now."

Detective Krimple reassures his employer's safety.

     Leucis is taken aback for a bit, but looks down at his pocket watch and springs back to attention.

"Oh my! The deadline, yes! We must hurry."

     He chuckles a bit.

"As long as we don't have to fight any more bandits, yes?"

     With that, Leucis gathers everything up and you prepare to journey onward East. The sun hangs in the sky behind you, setting the landscape ahead in an amber glow. Without a minute to spare, your group rides through the grasslands steadily with haste over hills and bridges across streams and fields. Suddenly, the smell of freshly baked bread and cooked food fills the air, civilization lay ahead. Over the horizon you can see the silhouette of a town. Leucis looks down at his pocket watch and breathes a sigh of relief.

"We have made it to Blackmoore, right on time!"

     He parks the wagon outside the gate. The town isn't incredibly large, it's rather simple, actually. The guards don't have gleaming metal armor, but carry spears with padded vests and old iron helmets. The roads aren't paved, but dirt roads and paths guide the way throughout. Clouds of smoke billow from the chimneys of homes inside and townspeople can be seen walking around cheerfully. A man stands by the gate, patiently waiting for Leucis to arrive with the shipment and greets you all as you approach. After a quick discussion, he hands Leucis a pouch of gold and pats Lord Edmur on the back. The man and Edmur then wander off inside the town towards the tavern as Leucis walks back to the wagon to hand out his payment. [Everyone can add 50g to their currency!]

"Good job, everyone! I can't imagine we'd of made it without you. If you're ever interested in doing more work for the Celin Trading Company, come find me or stop by at one of our fine establishments scattered throughout the Guild Districts in the cities of Runewarren. We'd be glad to have you."

     Leucis then bow graciously. He turns back to the wagon and sighs, knowing he's going to have to unload everything now that his contact walked off with Lord Edmur.

Tadriel will excuse himself and make his way to a smithy. The thought of being caught on the road again, possibly outnumbered, was a sobering thought. He would return to his company after checking in with a few establishments on the way to and from the smithy for odd jobs or rumors of trouble in the area.

"It seems you need help Sir Leucis. Since I don't have anything to do for now, how about I help you unload your cargo, in exchange you can tell me more about your company and its services while we pass time."

     With the sounds of chatter from the townspeople, children yelling and playing in the bustling streets, and the clanging of metal from nearby smiths, Tadriel makes his way through Blackmoore. You make sure to stop by a few establishments along the way to the local weapon smith to search for more leads. One in particular does have some interesting knowledge to share. Inside the woodcutter's lumberyard while looking for an odd job, Tadriel spots a couple of Goliath men chopping massive logs of red wood. Out of sheer suspicion, one turns his head and calls out to Tadriel, slightly annoyed.

"Hey! You there! Haven't seen you before. What are you here for?"

     The other turns to his comrade gives him a nudge on the arm to get his attention.

"Maybe he's here for the treasure, like the others. He probably just wants our help."

     The second Goliath turns to Tadriel, he looks a bit more calm and reasonable.

"Sorry, friend. This one is a little wary of newcomers, thinks they have something to do with his brother. Unfortunately, we can't help you. Neither of us know anything about where it is, now move along. We have work to do."

     Leucis smiles at Krimple's proposal, giving a small sigh of relief. He finds a nice Gnome-sized crate and hands it to him.

"We'll set them down behind The Iron Bull, Donovan's tavern. He's a good friend of Lord Edmur's father."

     Leucis picks up a crate and leads the way. As you're working together, he speaks of the different guilds in Runewarren and how his employer, Celin Trading Company, is the largest of the traders. Puffing out his chest in pride a bit, Leucis goes on about how there are guild establishments in some towns and definitely every city. The Celin Trading Company, however, has real estate in every area.

"I've been with Celin for years. Started out as a simple supply gatherer, worked my way up through the ranks doing a lot of what you lot just helped with, escorting shipments, guarding high profile areas from thieves, to now negotiating new trade routes."

     He chuckles a bit, his laugh rattling whatever is inside the crate around as he carries it.

"The perks aren't too bad, either! Discount on goods, cheap travel accommodations, and free passage on any Celin Trading Company trade ship."

     He winks slyly as you continue to unload the wagon.

"I'll walk around the city, see you all later"

Flaysteir walks around the city, sniffing and enjoying the fresh smells of pastries and distant sounds of music from the taverns. He asks around people about the location of magic shop, if there is one , and local temples for his own purposes. He also looks around for any libraries or bookshops. Searching for all of those he also scans the area for anything that may catch his attention, like quest board, or mercenary guild.

Detective Krimple shows his curious look at Leucis.

"Judging from what you say Sir Leucis, your company really knows how to treat their employees. I just don't want to be restrained by one job since I travel at a leisurely pace.

If your company accepts temporary contracts, they'll be the first one I'll go to when I need work from another town or city."

The gnome moves closer to Leucis.

"When you said discount on goods, what kind of goods does your company trade? Money needs to be spent wisely, otherwise it would be useless.

I may not look like it but I love it when I own something not everyone could have."

The gnome raises his eyebrows ever so slightly.

     As Flaysteir walks around the village getting familiar with it's surroundings, he finds through word of mouth that there isn't a magic shop in the village as most rare and magical items in the area tend to find their way to Westgulf Tradepost just to the West. Fortune does smile down upon him, though, as he manages to find a temple nestled up in the elevated wealthier district of Blackmoore. The temple is a large stone building, with massive smooth pillars in the doorway. It contains shrines to nearly all deities in the land inside neat little alcoves carved into the stone, offering the passer-by a chance to pay homage to whomever they wish. Flaysteir is also able to discern where the local bookshop is located quite easily. It is a simple and quiet wooden building located quite close to a schoolyard. It doesn't promise a vast array of knowledge, but there is always a chance an old forgotten tome full of secrets is resting on a shelf inside somewhere.

     Near the outer gate, along the barracks for the guardsmen where he entered the village, Flaysteir can spot an old and worn advertisement for the Whisperrun Protectorate. The parchment is pasted along the cobblestone wall of the gate and features a picture of an elder Human man pointing at the reader with the words: 'We Want You to Join the Protectorate - Fight back against the criminal scum. Apply today.'

     Leucis sets down a crate at the drop off location with Krimple and pats him on the head gently and smiles.

"Oh no, by all means, if you're interested in working with the CTC you can go at your own pace. As you complete jobs, you'll gain renown within our establishment and gain promotions once you surpass certain tiers. Most guilds tend to operate that way, here. The more time you invest with us, the better the perks!"

     He starts walking back to the cart to pick up more of the cargo as Krimple gets in a little bit closer. He eyes him over a tad, and being a little bit vague lets on a bit more information.

"We deal with the shipment of goods from one place to another. The goods in question depend on the client. We try not to... ask a lot of questions."

     His demeanor changes back to that of a more cheerful tone.

"As far as the discount goes, at the second tier you'll receive a certification from the CTC."

     He reaches into his vest pocket and pulls out a small bit of parchment with calligraphic writing and wax CTC emblem stamped over a small written seal. He displays it to Krimple shortly before folding it neatly back into his vest.

"With one of these, you can present it at nearly all shops or stalls and receive a humble ten percent off any purchase of general goods. Some more finer shops that deal with magic may not accept the full ten percent, but you may get a little off the top. You never know."

Tadriel will meet the goliaths evenly, "May Stone and Earth grant you strength and temperance in equal measure, Mountainkin. I came here with a group operating as protection for a supply caravan. If there is aid you need, we could certainly render services to you as well. We are not mercenaries, per se, but we are competent in our abilities."