"A thief?" Anachain asks skeptically, "Are you sure?  He says he just had dog trouble!"

     "Wait....  What holes do you want to put this small fella in???" She is quite flabbergasted by this statement!

     As the crosstalk and conversations get sorted, Anachain declares she has a lead on the bandit who fled.  "He's off thataway!" she says pointing into the woods.  "Or was about five minutes ago.  I for one could use a bit of a rest before we chase him down.  I didn't see any others but you never know..."

     "We should also sort out these two." she suggests.  "Deniz, it sounds like you were sent to find us?  For what purpose?  And Grimrin...  However you came to be here...  We're not employers who will pay you a wage.  But if you came to join our merry little team I can assure you there would be ample opportunity to find ways to make coin."  She in fact had no such confidence but it sounded good and the small halfling may indeed have skills that could be beneficial to their goals.  

Grimrin's large eyes dart back and forth at the deliberations about his identity. Relief enters his features in increments as it seems he is not to be promptly beheaded. "Not a hireling then, but a partner. Deal!" He sticks out his small hand to shake with Anachain. "Not saying I AM a thief, but I'm not saying I'll NOT take something if you decide it needs taking."

Kulloda seems satisfied enough with the newcomers that he heads in the direction that Anachain indicated the last bandit went.

”Can’t let bandits get away and start again. Need all.”

You didn’t have to do much tracking in the gladiator rings but he still takes a stab at finding the trail. The bandit was fleeing for his life so hopefully he wasn’t worrying about covering his tracks too much.

(Survival: 11)

Kulloda heads about 60’ into the forest, confident about the path he’s taking but then stops.

He looks back for the others and shows them at least which way the bandit ran at first.

”When scared maybe run to safe place so say that way,” Kulloda says, pointing in the direction the bandit‘s trail was leading.

Deniz doesn't reply to Kulloda's query about the pearl, but just looks at him with a slight expression of confusion. He then responds to Anachain's question about being sent to find them.

Does it? Perhaps indirectly this is true. I was sent to help the town of Eldershore. There, I was encouraged to seek those who had also pledged their aid. However, I was also told you were travelling with two elves, and were seeking mermaids. Perhaps once again I misunderstood, or was mislead.

While the conversations are proceeding, the elf removes his cloak, withdraws a leather jerkin from his carry bag, and begins to fasten it on before replacing his cloak. I see that my journey has brought me into hostile territory. I shall clothe myself as for the hunt.

Togar nods to everyone, looking at the direction the bandits headed, then takes flight, gaining 20, 30, 40, 50 feet and looking for signs of running, looking to see if he can spot the still fleeing bandit.  

Perception : 16

     "We should rest a spell before continuing the hunt," Anachain calls out to Kulloda and Togar.  "I definitely need the time to recover.  Physically and spiritually...  If nothing else, we need to see to the horses."

     As she actually sets about righting the horses and the cart she further explains that she had a pair of eyes following the bandit who fled.  "I can't promise turn by turn navigation retracing their steps but I think it'll be enough for us to find his resting spot again.  Now relax for a few.  I need to patch up some dagger holes in me before I keel over entirely!"

Deniz watches as Anachain begins to tend to the horses, and approaches from behind to offer help.

Horses find comfort in the herd, and sense each other's emotions, he says. I can aid you.

There is a loud neighing, and Deniz has suddenly been replaced with a large dun stallion. Like before, the transition is fast but not quite instantaneous, so there is a brief moment when Anachain (if she was watching) sees the (perhaps) slightly disturbing sight of the elf's head and limbs elongating, body expanding, and sprouting a tail. The stallion trots over to the other horses, nuzzles them, and begins grooming them with his teeth. 

Kulloda looks intently at Anachain's eyes for a moment after she finishes speaking.

Eventually he grunts and nods. "Magic eyes with legs. Good."

Kulloda frowns when he sees Deniz transform into a horse. "Shapeshifter."

A shapeshifter isn't nearly as entertaining as an elf eaten by a lizard then regurgitated.

But he shakes that off, helps with the horses, and sits down, back against a tree, watching the trail the bandit ran off down.

------------------------

If get a short rest: HD1 - 10; HD2 - 11

Togar lands and says to everyone assembled "I don't see anything, no movement, but he can't have gotten far.  I agree, need a bit of a rest..."  He conjures a stool to sit on, crossing his arms, his eyes start to roll back in his head, and his head turns around and looks behind him for a moment, then swings back around.  He goes into a trance like state.  After resting for a bit, he opens his pack and pulls out a book, beginning to study it.  

Togar uses his arcane restoration to recover a second level spell slot.  He also spends 2 hit die to regain 12 hit points.  

After the hour passes, his eyes open and he focuses on the direction that the bandit fled.

The newly formed group does indeed have an hour of respite to themselves as they right the wagon and settle the horses.  The scent of blood is pungent and the bodies of the fallen bandits around you make the rest a bit unsettling, but nothing disturbs you.  You hear some rustling in the woods a couple of times from the opposite direction you are all at least semi watching, most likely animals drawn to the scent of the battle.

The afternoon draws on as you rest, the bag holding the heads starts turning a dark almost rusty red as the blood soaks through it.

Grimrin sits and watches, wary both of his new travelling companions, and of the sounds of the forest. A couple of times, he takes a walk around the area restlessly, idly inspecting the bodies and the tracks. On his way back from one of these little excursions, he says to Togar, "So, we're out here hunting bandits from what I overheard, right? Using the cart as bait? What else do we know about the group? Is the one that got away likely the last one, or is it suspected that they have a base nearby?"

Once the horses have settled, the stallion shifts back into the shape of the elf, whose long hair is remarkably similar to the stallion's mane. With everyone settling down for a respite, Deniz does the same. Like Togar, the elf takes some time to meditate, his hands brushing the ground lightly as he sits cross-legged, breathing deeply with eyes half-closed. 
(Natural Recovery for two Level 1 spell slots)

As the group take their rest, Deniz makes some inquiries of the party.

How came you to be concerned with Eldershore and their troubles?
How is it that these troubles have brought you hither?
For what purpose do you hunt thieves and murderers?
Why do you preserve the head and leave the body?

Kulloda frowns a little at Deniz as he asks a bunch of questions.

"Hither?" Kulloda says with a grunt, having no idea what Deniz is on about. He gestures at the woods and the road. "Not hither. Forest. Road."

But when he gets to the question about the heads and the bodies, that he understands. "Sack not big enough for bodies. Only fit heads. Show mayor heads. Mayor gives magic."

Kulloda stretches as he stands back up, rolling his shoulders and then scratching his back against the tree while he does. He checks his sword, cleaning it carefully before hoisting his pack on to this pack and heading towards the trail.

He looks over at Anachain and asks "Where walking eyes now?"

     Anachain does a little bit of a double take when Deniz begins to transform but it's not totally new to her - She has seen Myrth do similar transformations into much smaller beasts.  "Now don't get too friendly with the horses," Anachain teases.  "Or let us forget which is which.  Wouldn't be proper to have you hitched to the wagon, now would it?"

     During the resting and questioning time, Anachain explains how things came to be.  "We got tied up in Eldershore's troubles mainly, oddly enough, due to a play...  It was the oddest play I ever did attend but long and short of it we ended up on a hunt for the lost Pearl of Aeloria.  Have you heard of it?  The Pearl, I mean... Or the play, I suppose..."

     Anachain waits a beat to see if Deniz has anything to say in response before continuing. "We were passing through Rivermark on the way elsewhere when we learned of their troubles.  Being the noble sort that we are, and with the promise of reward being forced upon us, we agreed to see if we could help out.  We really cannot be sure of their number but even a large dent into their operations should allow Rivermark's forces to regain control of travel.  I would hope..."

     Anachain also takes time during the rest to communicate with Myrth and learn all he had learned following the runner.  What type of location he fled to, how many others may have been around, etc.  She shares this all with the others so they know what they are getting into.  (I don't have these details yet though...)

     "My magic eye is always around somewhere," she tells Kulloda.  "Unless I send it off elsewhere.  Right now it's a bit off that-a-way waiting for us to get going.  It should be able to help us stay on track...  I hope."

Deniz simply replies "No" to Anachain after the mention of the play and the Pearl, but continues to listen attentively. It is some time after Anachain has finished the tale and changed the subject that Deniz again speaks after having sat quietly in thought.
The Pearl that you seek. It was stolen from the lighthouse at Eldershore. And that is the cause of the imbalance in the climate. Is this correct?

Then if there is any question on how Deniz would know this, he adds:
The gladiator asked me about my pearl, if I had stolen it from a lighthouse. His question confused me, but now I understand the purpose of the inquiry.

It would appear that Deniz takes a while to process and understand what he hears (especially from Kulloda), but given time and context he can usually draw insightful conclusions and inferences. However some things are so far outside his experience that he simply cannot grasp them...
Kulloda, do you mean to say that the mayor requested to see the heads of the vanquished bandits as a prerequisite to providing the promised reward? This is a most curious and savage custom. What is the reason? Can the mayor distinguish between the heads of bandits and the heads of others? Did he specify a required quantity of heads? 

Grimrin's ears perk. "Magic from the mayor, you say? What kind of magic are we talking about here?"

Quote from NotDrizzt >>

Grimrin sits and watches, wary both of his new travelling companions, and of the sounds of the forest. A couple of times, he takes a walk around the area restlessly, idly inspecting the bodies and the tracks. On his way back from one of these little excursions, he says to Togar, "So, we're out here hunting bandits from what I overheard, right? Using the cart as bait? What else do we know about the group? Is the one that got away likely the last one, or is it suspected that they have a base nearby?"

“I suspect they have a base nearby, although it appears that we took out a couple of their captains, I’m sure they are more of them.  The mayor asked us to help.”  He then says to his second question, “I have no idea what kind of magic we are talking about.  She wouldn’t let me have a look!  Risking our lives for some wand of conducting or some such, getting holes in my vest and so forth!  Huh!?!  Absurd.”  

He perks up in the Owlin version of a smile at Deniz’s thoughts and questions.  He looks down and considers, looking at the bag Kulloda is holding.  “Looks like we’re going to need a bigger sack…”

Mother Anachain shares that her walking magic eye has indeed spotted the runaway bandit join a camp in the woods, not too far off.  From what they could tell, there were a few others in the camp, but there was a lot of hushed discussions when the bandit arrived.  Being told to stay where they were, the magic eyes believe they will be able to point Anachain in the right direction to the camp.

The newly formed group, discussing magic items and learning what you can about each other, start heading towards the bandit camp.  When you get to the area Myrth is hanging out, how do you want to proceed?  You aren't close enough yet to see or hear anything, but Anachain knows the direction the camp is in.

Humans hunting humans is still a strange concept to Deniz, but he joins the pursuit of the bandits. He asks several times on the way to the camp whether there are alternatives to killing to solve the problem. Nevertheless, he ensures he has sufficient suitable stones for his sling, and that his protective leather jerkin is securely fastened.

(Deniz is not planning on casting any spells prior, or other similar preparation)