Dreams Into Journey

"Well, there are a few questions this one survivor might be able to respond, but honestly, after what happened two days ago, I don't think I'm ready to begin interrogating someone else again," Valentia says as she looks at the group pushing the thief away to tie him up to the wagon.

Gark retrieves the pup from the woods and praises him for hiding well. He gives the pup a treat and puts the pup in his pack with his head sticking out to start heading back into town

"Let's get moving." Lia suggests.  "We can sort all of this out once back in town, where the caravan will at least be where it is suppose to be." 

Andivus will take time to look over the bodies for anything usable or an information of who they are or if there are more of their group out there.

investigation: 11

(@Ismenow Yes, Oswin and Andivus were there as the last carriage was being loaded with cargo. It is mostly food, coal, firewood, and other supplies that doesn't come out of a mine. The carriages are carrying enough to support Kohmstead for one month)

The lead guard says, "We're all fine! Good grab there! We've been having trouble with these slippery bastards. Maybe we finally get an idea where they're hiding out! Let's get these trees out of the way and keep going."

Andivus looks over the bodies and sees crude tattoos of a jackal head in profile on each of them, but nothing that indicates that there are any more in the immediate area.

Anything else before continuing on?

Lia is ready to continue to town.

On the way out, Gark cuts off a piece of orc meat for the pup to start getting him a taste for orc.

Valentia says nothing else, as she follows the group on the way back to town.

Oswin would help clear the trees blocking the road then help get the wagons moving talking with Gark, "Just basic supplies as far as I know. But I suppose in these quantities they'd be worth something, and probably even more to ransom back to the town."

"Well, if there isn't anything else, let's get going." The guard says. "But first, let's move these trees..."

After the trees are cleared from the road, the caravan is able to continue on its way.

Finally, as the sun starts getting low in the sky, the treeline breaks revealing the limits of Kohmstead. Eventually, they caravan makes it to the guardhouse, with a couple of guards outside giving the caravan annoyed, but relieved look.

Shortly after, a woman comes outside. She's not dressed in guard uniform, but rather in dressier clothes from the usual fashion of town.

"Care to tell me what took so long?" She asks in an accusatory tone.

"You won't believe me even if I told you, Caena..." The guard responds. "Long story short, we got lost in an extended stretch of forest due to some strange magic."

"Got lost... On the only road in that forest?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "And who the hell would use magic just to inconvenience a mining town...?"

"Whatever... Let me just give the cargo a once-over, then we'll talk payment."

"Yeah... that old song and dance, go on ahead."

A few moments pass as she looks in the carts, inspecting the various sacks, crates, kegs, barrels and jars.

"Everything seems to be in order."

"Here's the escort registry..."

Caena looks it over, "Any reason these last three names are newer?"

Lia steps forward.

"We were hired on to find out why the caravan was running late, and to escort them back to town once we found them."  She informs the woman.  "In short we are the reason they finally made it to town."

Valentia chimes in to add. "If you need any sort of confirmation we weren't doing anything suspicious out there, you can talk with Sargeant Forscal, he was the one who put us into this job, just after we helped with some of the problems in the mines as well."

“We got a parchment. Who has that?” Gark reminds everyone from the side

"Ah, I do recall Forscal telling me about some late entries." Caena says in a tone of recognition. "No need to find his indecipherable scrawlings. This manifest is proof enough."

"Although I do see one more person that who is not on the list." She motions to the bandit tied to one of the wagons.

"Some Alpha Jackals gave us problems. Most of them went down, but this one tried to run. They key word is 'tried.' This lot was able to nab him." The guard explains and motions to the party.

"You don't say..." She says, intrigued, "Maybe some will actually be done about those miscreants."

"Perhaps further reward is in order for this one's capture. Considering how notoriously hard they are to catch, does 5 gold extra sound fair?"

"Seems fair to me."  Lia says again, glancing to the others. She pushes some of her white hair behind an ear as she does so.  "Would you be having anything else you need doing around here?" She asks the woman then.  "I, for one, am always looking for a means to make a few extra coins..."

“Ok. Where do we go to get paid?” replies Gark

”I’ll run the prisoner to Forscal so he doesn’t get away.”

Oswin will nod along as Lia talks, "I wouldn't say no to a few extra coins, and we seemed to work well enough together, maybe the group of us can take a decent job. Sounds like you need something done about these bandits, think we'd be enough for something like that?"

(I'm assuming the extra 5 gold is total rather than each, but I also don't know how much Oswin was being paid for this?)

Valentia, too, shares her opinion. "That does sound reasonable, yes, but, what about the group of 8 we dismantled? This one was the one remaining after the dust settled." She says, possibly not sure how the money was being shared.

Andivus says his part, “Yes, this place isn’t bad to stay a while.  One wouldn’t mind working a bit to see the land.  Count me in for whatever comes.”

"There were eight of them...?" Caena asks, concerned.

"Aye, they even had a couple of orcs with them." The lead guard replied.

"They're working fast...!" She then changes subjects. "One thing at a time."

"Regarding your pay, the base pay is 15 gold each, plus the prisoner adds 1 gold each... And this new revelation of greater risk does justify more compensation. I'd say 4 gold each." She calculates out loud. "That comes to 20 gold per person. That's the best I can do without overdrawing on the budget."

She then turns to Gark after he suggests he brings the bandit to Forscal, "Good idea. Let's get you your pay, then Forscal will need to have a good long talk with him. Make sure you inform him about this escalation."

She disappears inside for a moment and comes out with numerous small sacks and distributes everyone present, including the guards who were with the party, but minus the bandit.

"I was going to ask if it was too much of an imposition for you to stay for a while longer. But it seems you already show interest in helping more." Caena says as she shrugs.

"After our business is done today, I'd like to ask you to come to the mayor's residence in two days' time. It's a bit too late in the day to get into his schedule for tomorrow."