The footprints are way too confused for you to tell anything, other than the obvious fact that there was a fight here.

Quote from LordShadowthorn >>

The footprints are way too confused for you to tell anything, other than the obvious fact that there was a fight here.

(Aww...alright. Disappointed from not being able to get the tracks she was after, Kethra will just join the group and praise the others' successes as I posted above.)

Rubin would look through the pockets and whatnot of the bodies.  He does a haphazard job of it...

investigation: 1

"I wonder if there's in-fighting among these cultist types," Jairus muses.  "These Mirabar connections keep coming up, the book, the coins, the cultists, these bodies.  Anyone know how far that place is from here, exactly?"

Quote from DragonDenn >>

Rubin would look through the pockets and whatnot of the bodies.  He does a haphazard job of it...

 

investigation: 1

 

 "Let me help out there, man," Jairus says, contributing to the effort, with Investigation of 8

"This delegation that passed through or disappeared, could they have been from Mirabar? Could these be some of their members?" Tyde paces around the area, following Kethra and trying to determine what methods she uses to discover information. "What is it? Any tracks or clues that might point in their direction?"

"Sorry for asking so many questions, especially obvious ones aloud but I find it helps me think. Plus you never know who might be sitting on an answer you need and feels it isn't worth mentioning until you ask."

Jairus' eyes widen, "I hadn't thought of that, these could be those delegation folks, right here.  Shoot, how would we know, though?"  He makes a separate check to look for search for any signs of faction identification.  Investigation   20 Perception    16 

(The delegation was known to have been from Mirabar, yes.)

"Well that dwarf there is likely a member of the deligation."  Rubin says, nodding to the dwarf's body.  "With the signs of a battle, I 'd guess this is where the deligation went missing, and those other bodies are part of the group that attacked them."  He looks around.  "Since there are not more bodies, I would hope the other deligation members were taken prisoner instead of being killed outright."

"Well, I guess the mystery of what happened to the delegates is solved, isn't it?" Jairus says.  "They're here in this here shallow grave.  I assume we'd like to get a mite more information on who did 'em in, and whatnot, but, for those of y'all who are parts of them factions wot lost folks, maybe you'll want to give 'em an update that their people have been found?  The Zhents - my faction, yes, and don't get in a tizzy about it - didn't lose any people, as I recall, they just wanted boots on the ground to see what's up, play neighborly with the other factions and all, I'd wager."  

Jairus makes a mental note to update his own faction contact when they return to town to give the Zhentarim an update, but it seems their work in this region is still far from done.

(The delegation was made up of several people.  Not all of them are here.)

Davian has stood back nervously pacing. Death was a natural part of life. The uncovering of these graves, although seemingly necessary, was something he wanted no part in. He stops midstride and addresses the group. "I am not well travelled as you all know, but if there was a conflict here why would the victors take the time to bury these people? That seems odd to me. Perhaps there is more to this than we first thought." He returns to pacing.

"My guess is that some of the delegation survived, they buried their fallen associates and any cultists they killed before moving on. Probably keeping a low profile as to not draw any further unwanted attention."

Tyde pauses to consider other possibilities, "Of course any delegation survivors could of also been taken prisoner and that's why no one has heard anything further of them."

"This is all speculation anyway."

Larmon pokes around further in the grave, and seems to find something (i.e. I forgot to mention it was there).  He holds up an odd looking golden mask, shaped like a gargoyle's head.

"Well that's strange.  I recognize this, some monks wearing these just moved into one of the old keeps."

“The old keeps? Whereabouts are they from here?” Jairus asks. “If there were survivors might be they headed thataway.”

Rubin steps back from the bodies as he glances to the others.  "Anyone have a chance to check for tracks leading away from here?" He asks as he dusts off his hands and clothes.  "Also, anyone want to do any more looking at these bodies or should I start covering them up again?"

"Hurry and cover them up again. We should get moving towards these 'old keeps' there's no telling how far behind we are or if we can even catch up at this point but it's still best to make haste."

Tyde checks his backpack and gear quickly and gets ready for a hike to these 'old keeps.'

"You're welcome to come with us Larmon, unless you'd rather head back now?"

Rubin nods and moves in to start covering the bodies back up again.

Larmon shakes his head.

"Nah, gotta get back to my flock.  Been gone long enough.  I ken give ye directions, though."

He points at the tower mentioned before.

"Feathergale Spire is one of the four.  The other three are around the Sumber Hills in various places, I can mark them on a map for you."

(Nothing stands out about the locations he marked, except for that one of them is near the aforementioned town Womford.)

"Well, that one appears to be closest..."  Rubin says once finished with his burial duty and has a chance to look over the map.  He nods to the spire in the distance.  "Shall we head there first?" He asks the others.