Unlike the encounter with the wererats, Nigel has no plan to deal with theses new comers so he opts to remain out of sight.

Darien relaxes slightly, but makes no move to greet the elven woman or introduce any of the party. “I see. When we encountered the wererats in the mine, they mentioned being driven from their den in Conyberry. We’re on our way to investigate an orc attack at Butterskull Ranch, and now plan to investigate Conyberry as we pass through. What is your purpose out here in the wilderness?”

“The wererat’s den was south of Conyberry, but they said they got pushed out by some Orcs,” Pinja added, eyeing the elf cautiously. “You wouldn’t happen to know what happened to this cart we came across, or its original owners? There’s a trail of blood leading in the direction that you came from. Perhaps you’ve seen something?” Pinja takes a deep breath in through her nose, trying to caught any insights from their scent. Specifically if they smell at all like the blood that was around the cart.

[perception smell - 11]

Farah's gaze shifts to Darien, recognizing the elven heritage they share. She nods slightly in acknowledgment before responding to his question. "We were investigating reports of a dragon sighted nearby," she explains, her voice steady.

She glances around the group, her expression serious. "While traveling through the woods, we stumbled upon a set of tracks surrounded by a small pool of blood. The tree branches around the area had been torn apart, as if something large had broken through them with ease."

Farah pauses, her eyes narrowing as she recalls the details. "We followed those tracks back to this cart. Given the state of things, we were on high alert, ready for anything. Your companion's appearance caught us off guard, and we assumed the worst."

As Darien and Pinja mention orc raiders, Farah's expression hardens, her disdain evident. "Orc raiders are a scourge," she says sharply, her voice laced with contempt. "They bring nothing but destruction wherever they go."

When the conversation shifts to Butterskull Ranch, Farah shakes her head. "I hadn't heard about any attacks on Butterskull Ranch," she admits. "But given the recent chaos, it's not surprising. News travels slowly out here."

At the mention of wererats having a lair near Conyberry, Farah's eyes narrow thoughtfully. "I didn't know about wererats in the area either," she says, her voice thoughtful but tinged with a hint of bitterness. "But it doesn't surprise me that they would choose a place in ruins to hide away. Conyberry's desolation makes it an ideal spot for such creatures to fester."

Being on the back side of the wagon  (opposite of the elves) can she see tracks or hints of signs something went that way? 

Roll: 5 +2 for perception,  +0 survival or nature. 

(She was going to mock there tracking skills saying they tracked the wrong direction so she is trying to tell if they misinterpreted the tracks first)

[[ Trying to remember if the Orcs from the Dwarven Mining Expedition (first quest of the campaign prior to Pinja / Grikilitha / Darien ) mentioned where their initial home was. I remember it having to do with the dragons that they were roaming, but don't remember otherwise. And didn't see it when reviewing. ]]

“Ah, the dragon. We’ve heard reports as well out of Phandalin, and I had even heard mention before that. We came across a few frozen orcs maybe halfway between here and the town, though there was no sign of the beast by the time we arrived.” Darien looks at Drako and Pinja standing beside him, wondering how much he should say or offer to these strangers. They seemed well intentioned, but had also nearly turned the tiefling into a pincushion a few moments earlier. “I don’t speak for all of us, but I do think the wererats present a formidable threat. If you and your companions wished to make camp with us and help investigate Conyberry after sunup, it may result in the elimination of a substantial danger to this area.” He turns to his companions. “What do you guys think?”

Nigel calls out from the bunker,

"Safety in numbers I always say!"

“Yes, as long as you don’t forget we’re fighting on the same side,” Pinja says, narrowing her eyes at the elf. “Though, I do feel a bit guilty if we don’t make some effort to find the wounded owners of this wagon. I did consume quite a bit of their fruit….” She gives Drako and Darien a bashful look.

Farah listens carefully as Darien suggests teaming up to hunt down the wererats. Her expression becomes pensive, weighing the benefits of having more allies against the potential threat posed by Pinja.

"Logically, it makes sense to have more allies against the wererats," she acknowledges, glancing at her hidden companions. "However," her eyes shift to Pinja, narrowing slightly, "I cannot ignore the risk your companion represents. There's no guarantee she won't turn feral and aid the other vermin."

With a sigh, Farah shakes her head. "I must decline. My squad and I will investigate Conyberry on our own. It's safer this way for all of us." She pauses, her gaze shifting back to Darien. "How many of them did you let escape?" she asks, her tone indicating a mix of curiosity and concern, preparing for the task ahead.

From behind the wagon Grikiltha shouts, "Best way to keep an eye on her is to stay with her. Plus if she does manage to keep to herself, she's already infected and good to run interference for the rest of us, you know,  to be less likely bitten and infected ourselves."

“Gee, thanks Grik.” Pinja rolls her eyes at the orc. Then she gives a side look to the elf. “But, she’s not wrong. Just look at how I drew all of your attacks. You were so distracted by me that you didn’t even realize there are four others here. If we were hostile, you all would have been at a big disadvantage. And then I brushed off all your arrows.”

[persuasion =9]

Nigels voice seeps up from below the cart, 

"With all do respect, accept or decline is of no matter. We will be going.  So the true question is not "Are we together", but "Are you against us?"

“I don’t think there’s any reason to assume implicit hostility, Nigel. They haven’t really seen us in battle and even Grikiltha is still wary of Pinja’s unfortunate state.” Darien turns back to the elf, desperate to keep the peace and get back to bed. “Nigel is correct though, we are already going to pass through Conyberry on our way to the ranch. I also can’t make any promises on how many wererats escaped, as I’m sure they didn’t bring their entire company out to meet us. I would hate to send you into that situation at an automatic disadvantage.” He looks to the human and the half-orc, silently begging them to hold their tongues. “How about this? We will investigate Conyberry. The wererats were our problem to begin with, and we have to head that way anyway. Instead of your group doing the same, what if you follow the tracks from this cart in the opposite direction? Someone could still be in danger, and it could be related to the dragon reports seeing as there aren’t any tracks of someone in pursuit.”

[[ Persuasion 18 ]]

[[ Sorry for delay. Between the 4th and other things, got a bit off this ]]

Drako largely agrees with what the party's said/done. He does add on to what Darien said about the number of wererats that escaped, "At least two. One of them their leader."

Farah's gaze shifts to Grikiltha, her expression hardening as she notes the orc heritage. Her tone turns cold. "It's not my squad's responsibility to look after the newly turned wererat," she says, gesturing dismissively towards Pinja. "I'm sure you're all capable of keeping her in check."

When Pinja mentions the resilience of her wererat form against regular attacks, Farah's brow furrows in annoyance. At the mention of how they didn't notice the party members hiding underground beneath the cart, Farah's expression shifts to one of grudging acknowledgment. "We were not expecting it," she admits, her tone begrudging. "Although, the makeshift dirt barricade should have been an indicator."

Farah straightens, a hint of confidence in her posture. "However, should your party have been aggressive towards us, we would have no problem simply retreating. We're trained for such scenarios."

Farah's expression remains serious as she continues, "Our group specializes in tracking and gathering information. Battling an experienced group of adventurers would be a fool's errand for us. But taking out a monster or two from the shadows is something we are very capable of doing. This time, we simply didn't have all the information."

Raising an eyebrow, Farah glances towards the bottom of the cart, where Nigel is still hidden underground. "There's no reason for my squad to be against your party of adventurers," she states dismissively in Nigel's direction.

When Darien asks Farah to track the owner of the cart, she shakes her head. "The owner is long gone. I doubt anyone would survive long after being taken by the dragon. And I can't ignore the threat that the wererats represent should they start to fester and add to their ranks. So, like I said, we will be going to investigate Conyberry ahead of you."

As Drako mentions that there are at least two wererats, she nods appreciatively, also taking into account that Darien said there could be more. "Thank you for the information."

Farah doesn't wait any longer. She turns to her hidden companions and orders, "Follow me." Without hesitation, the two elven archers emerge from their concealed positions, their forms slipping silently out of the shadows.

With one final glance at the adventurers, Farah and her squad move swiftly and silently into the night. Their figures fade into the darkness, heading towards the ruins of Conyberry, intent on their mission.

Nigel shakes off the connection to Archimedes and emerges from the bunker. Joining the rest he looks to Drako, "Well do we move on now or finish our night."

“I must admit I’m curious to see what Conyberry looks like, but if the elves go a head and clear the way, all the better for our mission to butterskull?” Pinja says, looking around at her companions. Then she looks at the apples in the cart thoughtfully. She shrugs and packs ten in her pack before consuming another ridiculous amount of them. “Would be a shame to let these go to waste. Well, I’d say my watch is up. I’m going to get some shut eye.”

“They certainly seemed to prefer to travel alone. Not too uncommon for elven rangers in my experience,” Darien says, his mind slightly adrift. “And Pinja is right, we can pass through there in the daylight after the elves have a chance to scope things out. Perhaps we’ll even encounter them again if they decide they’re too outnumbered to take on the wererats alone.” With that, he makes his way back to the wagon to sleep off the last couple hours of darkness. 

Drako says a quick prayer for the owner of the cart. Responding to Nigel he says, "No good being weak if we're seeking out the wererats. Makes sense to finish our rest."