Jack pills out the gem from his backpack and hands it to Af. "Ye are a follower of lathander, aren't ye? You deserve this more than I."

(Stealing boots from a dead guy, have you no shame?!?! :P)

Froskan shrugs.  "I sure don't need em," he says (assuming she asks for em after we know what they are)

(Short version: I'll wait until Wed. for the next encounter. You have some time to discuss the swamp fight, do some role-playing, figure out who gets the magic items, and discuss plans for the group's future.

Everyone is 2nd level. Use the fixed HP option (do not roll). Give yourself 300 XP. Give yourself 10 GP, which is your share of the jewelry that was found inside the dire wolf.)

(Long version:) The caravan moves as quickly as possible to get out of the swamp. The troubles are less, but the threat of evil is still out there.

Jupiter has moved to a different wagon group. Besides being a monk, he is a gifted wood-worker. He has a chance to learn from the craftspeople in a different part of the caravan. He was happy to fight with your group, and hopes to see you again in the future.

At the end of the 4th day of travel, the caravan stops at a large village. It will stay there on the 5th day, for wagon repairs and more trading. During that fifth day, the scouts want to repay you for what you did in the swamp. They help you train your skills and learn spells (ie. advance to 2nd level). The scout leader also draws a map in the dirt. (There are better maps than what he drew.)

The caravan assembled near Argali Lake. The "X" is the village you stayed during the 2nd night. The wagons skirted the west edge of Silvanus Swamp. The village you are in right now is "Y". The plan is to head north, winding around to visit small villages, until you reach Primus Road. Then you'll stay on that road (with a few detours for stops at other villages), ending at Nunkreet.

Af Brazenell

"If no one else will have use for it, I will be honored." Af thanks Jack. "I do have Lathander as my beacon. With this gem, he will help guide myself to him and to others as well. Just hold on to it and see what the others say. Great singing by the way. " Af referring to the battle at the swamp. 

(*covers face* but items...;-;)

Reverie leans her back aginst the wagon, closing her eyes for a short rest. Then, she chuckles quietly when Af mentions about  Jack’s performance. “It was indeed a great performance. It was amazing.” At that moment, she opens her eyes to see her allies with a smile. Later on, she starts to wonder about the item she got from a dead body. “Can anyone check with the boots I got?”

"I think I might be able to check them over!" Katrina says, inspecting the boots. She isn't worried about the fact they found said boots on a dead person. "I spent a lot of time reading up on magical items, I should be able to identify at least something about them."

Arcana check - 14

(I’m using the DMG suggestion, that many magic items can be identified by examining it during a short rest. You have a full day. A roll might be needed if you wanted to use it immediately.

In any case, Katrina is certain that the stylish fur boots do not have a deadman’s curse on it, or anything bad like that. Same for the glowing gem. Still will take a lot of washings to get all the mud off the boots.)

"Let me see those for a second," Froskan says, indicating the boots.  He casts Prestidigitation and the mud sloughs off of the boots, leaving them good as new, then hands them back to Reverie.

(Pff, "a lot of washing".  Magic user hasta be good for something!)

Jack walks over to Theren, holding the gem. "Do ye have any uses for this thing? I offered it to Af and he said I should check with everyone else."

"Thank you, Katrina and Froskan." Reverie smiles gently at them and nods once as gratitude. However, she looks down on the boots for a moment in deep thought. "I never thought that we would witness of so many victims at the swamp. Even in the scarecrow..."

"That's the Feywilds for you," Katrina sighed. "My parents never really talked about it, but my grandparents would talk about it all the time. Actually, they used to say that spirits would take me there if I misbehaved. Once when I was a kid, when I lost a lamb in the feilds, Gran grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me off to the forest, saying she was taking me right there as punishment. Grandpa actually smiled and waved as we went. I think Gran might have actually gone through with it if mother hadn't stopped her."
Katrina laughed, as if that was a funny and innocent story.

Theren looks at the gem Jack is holding. "Hmm, it looks very nice. But I don't think it's of any particular use to me. I think if Af wants it, he should have it. Thank you for offering Jack."

”Does that mean those victims can be the misbehaved people? Something who did unlawful in this society?” Reverie asks with an amazement about the story that Katrina was telling to her.

Since Theren didn't want the gem thing, Jack walks over to the others to see if they want it, and hears about the meenlock and Feywilds. "Ha! I doubt that! I've done some 'bad' things in life and didn't die! I have no regrets! And if that thing was a meenlock, which creates fear, why wasn't I scared? Because I wasnt! Now, do any of you want this gem thing?"

Katrina shrugged. "I think they were saying that because they wanted me to behave. I've never heard of bad children being taken to the Feywilds for anyone else," she clarified. When Jack offered the gem, Katrina grimaced a little. "Ah... I don't think so. Call me superstitious, but I think it might be bad luck."

(OOC: I have added the Gem to Af's inventory, and the Boots to Reverie. I'll advance the story a bit now. The next encounter will start later today. You are free to keep the conversations going, as you wish.)

You feel much stronger and skilled after the training with the scouts. You get to relax in this village overnight, and enjoy the view of the full moon. (It is the 16th of Autumn Thirdmoon.)

The next day (6th day of the journey), the wagons meander northeast and northwest, stopping briefly to trade at a number of villages, until you come across the Primus Road. It has been a while since any of you have seen it, and the view is always awe inspiring. It is 40' wide, extending beyond the horizon east to the old cities, and west to Nunkreet. The road is made of seamlessly interconnected slabs of granite, basalt, quartzite, and marble. The surface is smooth enough for the wagons to roll without any bumps, but still course enough to avoid slipping. The road winds around the larger hills, but the precision and straightness of the road's build is beyond the work of human or dwarven masons. There is no wear, despite countless traffic (like the caravan you are in). The road looks like it was built yesterday.

There is the occasional traveler or wagon coming the opposite direction, but the caravan is the only real traffic. (You are in the wilderness with no cities or towns nearby, after all.) That evening, before you start the night guard watch, the leader of the scouts approaches your group again. She is a water genasi called Bommie. "The trip will take 8 days to reach Nunkreet, so we've reminded Merle (the head merchant) that he still needs to pay the guards for the extra unplanned day. And after the trip is over, make sure i can find you. I want to talk a bit at that time, before we go our separate ways.

"Keep vigilant for the next 2 days. Since the Caravan is so widely known, it has been raided by bandits, every time, as we reach the lands east of Nunkreet. Unsuccessfully, mind you, but they keep trying. There are no troubles if you must slay the bandits while defending yourselves, but if you can take a prisoner or two, then we can find their main base and break up the gang." She then leaves you to your night guard duties.

"Bandits? I've got just the spells for that! Faerie fire should alert us of their presence, and sleep should knock multiple bandits out at once!"

Reverie chuckles slightly at Jack. Then, she hums in thought. "Bandits... It seems she wants us to find their main base so there will be no further incidents because of bandits." A pause. "I have Thunderous Smite. I can use them if I need to knock them down."

"I'm pretty sure we can handle some bandits just fine." Froskan adds.  "They're no giant trees after all."

Seventh day of the caravan... The wagons travel quickly on the road, but occasionally there are detours to trade with villages that are near (but not next to) the road.

The second village you stop at, the trading has just begun with the townsfolk, when your group is bombarded by sling shots and crossbow bolts. (4 damage on a hit)

Vs. Af: 6, Vs. Froskan: 8, Vs. Jack: 16, Vs. Katrina: 6, Vs. Reverie: 7, Vs. Theren: 16

From out of hiding, 6 bandits, 2 thugs, and 2 half-ogres run towards your group, yelling in rage. Still behind cover, you can hear a bandit captain yelling at them. "No! Shoot on my signal, when they were in close range, you idiots! And you were supposed to target the magic people. No armor, target them!"

Combat, Round 1 started.

Notes: Map is 10' per square. The crates, wagons, and trees are there, if you want to use them. Grey ground is still normal movement.

Katrina was hit for 4 damage. The other shots missed.

The bandits are in pairs, so on the map there are only 3 symbols: B!, B2, and B3. The Bandit Captain "c" has 3/4-cover right now (+5 to AC). The others are running in the open.

Initiative: Reverie, captain, Jack, Theren, Froskan, half-ogres, thugs, Katrina, Af, bandits

(OOC: Pre-posting your action, when convenient, will help keep the combat moving.)