"Good. Should we leave tomorrow at dawn?" Quyst asks, looking around

"Oi be roightly tired," Tafod exclaims. "Say Dar, why d' ye thin' the bustards took Onneth?  He's being nae bu' an innkeep, aye?"

Dar sighs. "Onneth could never keep his mouth shut. Not his fault, just the way he is. He must have said the wrong thing to the wrong person. I don't like saying this, but it could have something to do with the bastards you slaughtered in his inn. Not saying it's your fault, you did the right thing, but the Iron Circle doesn't like being made a fool. If they found out about it, they might have taken Onneth as retaliation."

"Huh.  Well, I'm going to stop by the White River Mercantile before I get some shut-eye," Bram tells the others.  To Renewal, he answers:  "Well, we didn't plan on fighting the Iron Bandits when we stumbled across them.  They just kind of insert themselves into good folks' business and make themselves our problem, if you get my drift.  We were just traveling down the road together and stopped an innocent farm from being heckled by bandits.  Then we helped end a bullywug threat that was trying to kidnap and kill a halfling child.  And now we've joined forces with the rebels here to make a larger strike against the bandits as a group, muster up support for said rebellion, and free Baron Stockmer from his own castle, where he's being held hostage by those Iron Circle bandits."

(Depending on how much it costs, Bram will try to buy Thieves' Tools from the White River Mercantile.)

"Oi bes goin' wit' ye Bram.  Oi'd loike a few more javl'ns, try t' 'it those scum a fer piece away." Tafod stands up to go with Bram to the mercantile, "Oi culd use some stout thongs as well."

Before Bram and Tafod go to White River Mercantile, Dar gives Bram a pouch. "There's twenty gold coins. Use it on whatever you need."
White River Mercantile is a trading post run by a brisk, robust, officious halfling who introduces herself as Roma Featherton. Bram finds the tools he needs, although Roma looks at him somewhat suspiciously.
She will sell a set of thieves' tools for 25 gold. Tafod can buy javelins for 5 silver each.

"Sorry," Bram says, flushing deeply as he takes the tools from Roma.  "I was training to be a locksmith before I became an adventurer… it's kind of the tools of the trade."  He sighs and gives up as her mistrustful stare only deepens.  "It's for a good cause.  I won't cause mischief, I swear!"  To try and prove that he's a hardworking craftsman, he also picks up an additional set of Woodcarver's Tools while he's there.  (it's 1 GP in the PHB, let me know if it costs more)

"Tafod, my friend!  I'd feel terrible spending all of Dar's money just on myself.  How many javelins are you looking to purchase?  I'll spot you some coin if you need it."

Roma grumbles a little, but doesn't complain about the money you're giving her. The woodcarver's tools cost 1 gold.

When Tafod and Bram return to Dar's place, they find Quyst, Renewal and Tanisar eating a hearty meal. Dar is still in the cellar talking to Davner and Ursula. They still haven't emerged when the rest of the group go to sleep. 

In the morning, the fog has lifted and the sun is once again shining brightly. Birds are chirping and the sky is blue.
The group begins their journey early in the morning, walking along the road through fields and over hills. Davner and Ursula leave at the same time as you, but take the road to Harken Town instead.
After a few hours, they reach the village of Marl. There, a horrific sight awaits them. A large circle of ash, which must have been deliberately placed, surrounds the settlement. The buildings have been reduced to burnt husks, a couple of which still emit black smoke. In the centre of town is a large mound, obscured by the smoke. As you approach, you discover that it is a pile of bodies. Some of them have been burnt while others have been cut to pieces. Four large rats are gnawing at the corpses, while many smaller ones scurry around them. Some of the rats look up at you, but they soon continue their grisly feast.
More sinister shapes move around the remains of the rubble, shadows dashing between cover.

 Strolling through the woods, it was easy to forget about the tales of the dastardly deeds done in this area. But, seeing the pile of bodies is something that will never be gone from Tanisar's memory. First, fighting the unsettling feeling in his stomach, he manages not to lose his breakfast. A good thing, as he wouldn't want to set the wrong impression for his new companions. The revulsion turns to anger at the careless, heartless act on display.

The rats are detestable, and these people deserve a better end then this, but more pressing are the shadows that lurk between the burnt-out buildings. He turns his attention there.

Perception (I'm guessing) 21

After a few seconds speechless, Quyst tries to talk "Holy... damn... do you guys think that is some kind of retaliation?"

"If this is retaliation for something you lot did," Renewal says, "then I can think of no better proof of our enemy's depravity. To burn innocents for the crimes of others is an atrocity, and a blasphemous mis-use of fire. I vow that those responsible shall learn fire's true power and purpose."

"I don't know if it's really retaliation, when this is really just what the Iron Circle's been doing all along… but on a bigger scale than individual farmhouses," Bram says woodenly.  He loads his crossbow, and then, despite his heavy armor, attempts to move a bit more stealthily towards the smoking ruins.  As he does so, he checks the ground for tracks, trusting Tafod to keep an eye on the figures themselves.  Eyes on the ground, Bram is looking to see if he can tell how many and what sorts of figures might be waiting for them in the ruined village.  He also keeps his crossbow in a loose hold, just in case something attempts to attack him while he does so -- even if the figures aren't lying in ambush for them -- not likely, in Bram's personal opinion -- he has no faith that the giant rats won't decide that they want a sampling of living flesh after having feasted on the dead.

Stealth: 9
Tracking (Survival): 11
Ready Action: Fire at any assailant that tries to jump him

Tafod will unlimber his great axe in anticipation of doing battle with whatever is slinking around in the shadows.

"Aye, 'tis dastardly dees what were doon 'ere, nae doobt aboot it. Certain sure it bes th' Iron Circle bastards th' doon this."

Tanisar stares into the shadows. He sees a group of hunched-over hairy humanoids, maybe six in total, searching through the rubble. They wear scraps of armour and all carry weapons, but they don't seem particularly interested in you.

There is a jumble of tracks along the road, and Bram is unable to pick out any one trail.

Frustrated, Bram shrugs and looks back at the others, shrugging helplessly to show his lack of ability to determine anything from the tracks.  He then circles around the giant rats feasting on the corpses and makes a motion to Quyst, as if asking if they should try to shoot up the beasts from a distance.

"We should leave them alone," Renewal says. "Unless they accost us. They clearly are not the ones responsible for this carnage, and they, too, need to survive."

"Agreed" Quyst says in a low voice. "Just don't let your guard down".

She notices Tanisar looking around "Tanisar, do you see anything we should care about?"

Bram sighs disconsolately and lowers his crossbow, settling for glaring daggers at the gigantic rats.

"As Renewal says, that group over there, they're looking for supplies. Doubt they caused this much trouble. We can try to ask if they saw anything if you want? If we had the time, we could give the bodies more honor in their funeral rights, but...we just can't."

((Tanisar is assuming that Renewal was speaking of the hidden group...assuming the group clarifies, he then explains what is seen above.))