Claire stands by her previous opinion - "Frog march them back to Hillsend, and then straight to the Baron with them.  Also, Fallon will serve as a good example to discourage any other wavering townsperson from lining their pockets with your community's misfortune when we pass through the town."

Aaron looks a bit confused.  "It'll take us a couple of hours to row back up to Hillsend.  Who or what is there that you need?  The baron is downriver in Grunal - where I need to take this barge."

OOC: In case you're a little confused as to current location, the map here shows Hillsend as the small hamlet (looks like a yellow tent) in the mountains and Grunal downriver towards the sea.  You are roughly half-way between the two on the edge of the farmland.

“Let’s ask Fallon. And these thugs. One is awake at least.”

The bandit leader has just come around.  He is conscious but groggy.

"Oh, I must have been hit on the head quite a bit... yes, I want to take these two to Grunal," Claire clarifies.  She squats down by the leader of the thugs and looks him in the eye.  "You must have a name.  Care to share it with us, and explain what all this was about?"

The bandit leader squints up at the form of Claire looking down at him.  He moans groggily and wipes blood from one eye.  "The name's Lucius," the man tells you.  "What happened to my men?" he tries to look around him, seeking the state of the others.

Captain Aaron and Jack go back to the boat and prepare it to continue its journey.  Fallon is still tied up in the barge, out of your sight.  Overhead the few clouds in the sky move lazily towards the mountains and here in the shelter of the nearby trees, it's warm and pleasant, other than the slightly metallic smell of blood and wood smoke which pervades the air.

Can we get all these jerks on the boat? Maybe separated a bit to avoid funny business 

"Most of them fell in battle," Claire tells Lucius.  "Do you wish to give them a proper burial?"

She figures it would be a good idea to do this regardless of what Lucius thinks, but giving the man the opportunity to answer could be a measure of his true character, independent of the politics of their current situation. 

"They are warriors.  They deserve no less," answers the man, trying to push himself to his feet.  To Louis, his actions do not look like those of someone about to fight or run, but rather of a proud man seeking to regain some standing.

Vaclav sits on a nearby bag of coal. "I'm not sure I would call them warriors. Bandits maybe, but not warriors. I mean, half of them where killed by a bird." He points to Chernobog, circling above their hands. "Plus, if they were warriors they would have to be sent out by someone to do a job. So, mister warrior, who sent you?" 

Lucius seems annoyed by Vaclav's belittling but is pragmatic enough to realize he's not in a position to argue the point.  He looks around the group of you.  "You don't look like regular enforcers," he comments, eyeing your equipment and having experienced first hand your battle prowess.  Somehow the idea that his team has been bested by a group of special forces seems to appease his sense of pride and he nods as if deciding something.

"We work for Overseer Titus," he tells you.  "We're enforcers and were told to steal the coal by him.  The alderman of the mining village tells us when the skiffs will be sailing.  We don't harm the miners," he tells you adamantly.  "Never them.  Up until today, no one has ever been harmed."

"Physically harmed, no," Claire says.  "But don't you think it's the miners who suffer first, when they don't manage to turn in their proper reports and profits to their superiors?  There are other ways to hurt people than with a blade.  These struggles for power always create victims, even if not on the battlefield."

She stands up.  "I do think we should take the time to bury or burn the bodies, before we set off again," she tells the others.  "Since Lucius here feels strongly about it, he should help.  And take tokens of the fallen, so that their next of kin can be informed of their deaths.  He would know best what personal items would identify these men to their friends and family, would he not?  Of course, any non-personal items, such as stray coin, would best be served being split among this group, including our two companions who risked their own safety to assist us," she says, nodding at Aaron and Jack.

(Would Overseer Titus mean anything to any of us? Is that a normal sort of title or does it indicate a region etc?)

OOC: You recall that Varnell was called Overseer Varnell, officially.  He was the leader of Baron Gilbert's enforcers.

"I will help burn the bodies," Lucius tells you.  "Don't want them being eaten by the strange creatures you get out in the wilds," he shudders.  "The tree we pulled down should work as a start."  He looks ready and willing to do some manual work, even though he is covered with blood and only just able to stand unaided.

“Who does this Overseer Titus work for? I’m fairly sure he ain’t freelancing.” Nos Heliwr gives a faint sneer, “Bodies be just so much meat rotting, might as well do at least one last decent thing and feed the wolves,” he laughs with real pleasure. “And who knows, I might be lunch one day, even monsters gotta eat. Heh, heh, heh!”

Lucius looks up at the sneering Nos Heliwr.  "You're not from around here, are you?" he queries.  "Titus works for Baron Arbek up in Paradin.  We all do.  Or did," he corrects himself looking at the dead bodies around him.

Vaclav is mentally nudged by Chernobog and, slipping into the owl's senses, spots something a short distance off he had been unaware of during the battle.  Parked under a tree to the east is a covered wagon, hitched to a pair of draft horses.  There does not appear to be anyone attending it.

"I'll be borrowing him.  I believe the wolves are well-fed enough without encouraging them to develop the taste for human flesh, particularly along a trade route," Claire says sharply to Nos, dragging Lucian to his feet.  Unless anyone prevents her from doing so, she will press both Lucian and Fallon into service gathering the bodies of the men that were killed to burn in a pyre, first stripping them of their weapons and valuables, as well as whatever identifying memento Lucian might pull from the corpses.

Vaclav helps light the pyre when it's ready. "I agree with the idea that the wolves can find their own food. Also, I believe our feathered friend has found our man's horses and cart. Unless you want to feed those to the wolves I think we should send some of us to take those back to town as well."

An hour later the pyre is burning well and your grisly task is done.  Fallon looks utterly miserable and sooty, having mumbled under his breath the entire time.  Lucius, though struggling even to stand at times, remained stoic through the whole ordeal.  He looks up at you, his face covered with soot and blood, and asks, "What next?"

Lucius looks at Vaclav at the mention of the horse and cart.  "Those are property of Baron Arbek," he tells you.  He seems inclined to leave you to decide the significance of that statement.