Leosin and the rest of the weary prisoners assist as well as they can, helping to shelter as deep within the boulders as possible while obscuring them from clear view. For the moment, it appears that you have out-distanced your pursuit, but a thick, uneasy tension still hangs in the moonlit air amid the chirping insects.

OOC: This has been your first chance to find rest in quite some time. There may be some conversation to be had here, but within the next round of posts let me know what this attempt at rest looks like - whether there is a fire being lit, watches being set, etc., as well as what each of your characters are doing.

Yevele argues against lighting a fire, noting that it might attract their pursuers to this location. She will pull her rations out and distribute them among the villagers so that everyone can have some food to eat. The monk will volunteer to take the second watch, and will spend the first hour in meditation before laying down to get some sleep.

Rogram approaches Dorgol. "I want to go back for Pa. The perfect time is now, with a lot of the army leaving the camp to try to find us. Will you return with me?"

Thia agrees with the idea of no fire.  She will happily take 1st watch.

Smoke will help cover their tracks near the place they are spending the night and gather branches to build a makeshift shelter to hide behind. 

Lending his bedroll for those needing to nap or get warm. I agree we shouldnt make a fire, that will draw them to us. 

He nods as he sits down to rest a bit. Looking at the group In fact it reminds me of a story of a famous Halfling. They called him Halfpint. 

Smoke grins. He was part of a bounty hunting group. Being the only halfling in the group it was difficult for him to prove himself to all the tall humans. Smoke tries to see if he can spot recognition in the eyes of some dwarven prisoners. 

Often the group would be hired for smaller jobs but now they were tasked with getting rid of an adult dragon. No easy task. They carefully moved through the woods that had been near deserted of animals. 

He looks around into the darkness. 

They caught the dragon offguard and managed to wound it. The dragon flew away for safety and the group rejoiced. On their way back through the woods they setup camp and had drinks near their fire. Already counting the gold they would get in their minds. 

The halflings small blatter caused him to need to pee in the woods. Smoke narrows his eyes And it was his blatter that saved him. The dragon had not flown away but instead tracked them down the mountain. With great fury the dragon soared to the camping fire breathing fire onto it to set all aflame near it. Decimating the party. 

He had to stay hidden just to survive. Being the sole survivor he finally reached the nearest town and explained what happened. It was their that he was named Halfpint, not for his height but his blatter! 

Smoke smiles But even in great defeat the halfling did not give up. He knew he could not fight the dragon. But he snuck up the mountain and found out the dragon had an egg in its lair. Halfpint managed to break the egg and get out with his life before the dragon returned. 
But he knew the dragon would get his scent and want revenge on him. But the halfling was small and good at hiding, he left a scent trail away from the town and remains hidden still. Rumor had it the town sent him his reward money for getting rid of their dragon, and he uses it now to stay on the road. Always one step ahead. 

He pauses a moment before continueing It does not matter what odds we face. We must keep hope and rely on our strenghts. Now get some rest, we have another long walk ahead of us. 

With that he finishes his story hoping to have taking their minds of the troubles a bit and giving them hope to keep their morale up. 

Smoke will take 3rd watch. 

Thia shakes her head and smiles at the irrepressible tabaxi.  Always with the positive anecdote.  Just as well he is here.  It would be a grim situation otherwise.  She then moves to a position where she can see as much of the surrounding landscape as possible, whilst hunkering down out of sight.   She pulls out a red apple from her pouch and slowly polishes it on her trouser leg, watching for any movement.   

Her mind wanders to her friend Talis.   I wonder what happened to her.  No sight of her in the camp; not that I really had a chance to look around.  I suppose I will probably never see her again...

Smoke's story has a clear calming effect on the prisoners, who for the first time are able to focus on something other than watching nervously behind their backs. Off to the side, Dorgol grumbles angrily at Rogram.

"Ye'd better be givin' a bad example of a joke, ye dolt! Go back for yer Pa, now? After ye've gotten yer auntie and me outta there and on our way to safety, ye wanna go ruin it and run right back in? Yer da'd slap ye upside the head if he heard ye and ye know it! Ye don't even know where 'e is, ye lump," he says, shaking his fist. After a moment, he calms somewhat and lets out a sigh. "They wanted yer da' for somethin', Rog. There's a reason they brung 'im away from us and kept the rest of us workin'. No, I ain't for goin' back with ye; sure, the lot of 'em were givin' chase, but ye really think the best time for a rescue is when the entire place knows somethin's afoot?"

When Smoke wraps up his tale, Leosin shuffles between Thia and Yevele. "I appreciate that you were able to get me out of there safely. I was angry at the time, because there was more for me to learn...but I am grateful, nonetheless. I am happy that you answered my call, Yevele; but who are the rest of you, and why have you come here? Why risk yourselves for me and these others?" he asks.

Rogram furrows his brow, but then looks surprised and finally downtrodden as his uncle squashes his plan and tries to talk some sense into him. "I thought ... well, I thought if the army was leaving camp to find us, that it would be the best time to sneak back in and look for ... " He pauses and swallows. "I thought that's what he'd want me to do," he says, disappointed.

First his mother. Now his father. Dorgol was like a second father to him, and Rogram didn't want to do something that would disappoint him. But there was a chance. Maybe Daniel would think differently. He looks toward his aunt, hope in his eyes and tone of voice. "What do you say?"

At Leosin's comment, Yevele will quietly say "You would have done the same for me."

If she overhears the conversation between Rogram and his uncle, Yevele will go over to the dwarves and tell Rogram "We still have to find Thea and Smoke's friends. We will go back to get them and your dad, but, first, we need to get everyone back to Greenest. Maybe with the location of the camp known, the Governor will be able to get troops from Baldur's Gate to help free everyone."

Thia will look at Leosin as he asks about her motivation.  Good question.  How the heck did I get here?  I'm a scholar and a sage, not an adventurer.  Still, Talis is out there and my instinct tells me she is wrapped up in this mess somewhere.  I've got to keep looking.   She looks at the monk, shrugs and smiles, not really having anything to say.

Smoke holds up a finger to correct Yevele, Not my friends! Im looking for clues about who killed someone. And why. 

He looks down a moment in silence.

And i will. Just.. perhaps.. not that soon. 

Lets focus on what we do have now. We are not in the clear yet. 

Daniel places an understanding hand on Rogram's shoulder and shakes her head. "We're all exhausted, boy. Yerself too. Ye ain't for findin' him tonight, and ye don't have any inkling where they taked him. We hain't seen 'im since they took 'im, so he's either gone from 'ere, or he's in that big cave they're keen on guardin'. Either way ye ain't seein' 'im without dyin'," she says. She gives a grateful nod to Yevele when she reassures them.

Leosin waits for the replies and for everyone to gather within listening distance, then explains, "What you have stumbled upon is a camp of the Cult of the Dragon. The half-black dragon Rezmir came to this area a few months ago, setting up this camp with her followers and those kobolds. They have been ranging far and wide on small raids, with their priority seeming to be collecting treasure. I was waiting for Yevele and some others to answer the call to meet me in Greenest before making any more moves. I was not expecting them to attack so soon; Greenest is the closest target to the camp, obviously, but the biggest by far. They took us all by surprise."

"Were you able to learn anything more than this?" Leosin asks the party. "I gleaned quite a bit from my imprisonment, but unfortunately you pulled me out before I could discern the crucial information I was hoping to find."

Thats not good, no good. 

Smoke moves frantically. The treasure must not be for Lennithon, the blue dragon, but they mentioned the dragon queen. They are preparing to please Tiamat herself. 

He looks to Leosin again Cyanwrath, Langdedrosa Cyanwrath is one of the halfdragon champions that was attacking greenest. Thats all we know... right ? he looks around to the others if he missed anything

Rogram half hears what Leosin and the others are saying, but his mind is swimming with guilt, regret and frustration. He can understand what his aunt and uncle are saying. He knows he needs to heed their advice. He marches over to sit near the entrance to their little hidey hole ostensibly to keep watch, but he's mostly pouting.

Yevele nods at Smoke mentioning the blue half-dragon, before adding "A kobold that we captured said that Cyanwrath was in charge. From a human raider, were learned that they were looting on behalf of the dragon queen. Oh, and there was a woman wearing a purple gown that we saw during the siege. We were standing on top of the keep, so I couldn't get any more details on her than that. But, I think that is about everything we've learned so far that you don't already know."

Thia ponders what she's hearing.   "They are collecting treasure for the Dragon Queen?  But she's dead, right?  Or imprisoned in some distant plane of existence?  I never was fully up to speed on my dragon lore.   What are they doing with the treasure they are collecting?   If they have collected that much, where are they storing it?"

"The woman in purple would have likely been Mondath. She handles everyday operations in the camp, and the half-blue dragon Cyanwrath is her right hand. He is seldom far from her side, and is known for his rigid sense of honor. He is not one to take lightly, however. He is quick to anger," Leosin explains as he absentmindedly scratches lines in the dirt.

At the mention of the dragon queen, the monk nods grimly. "The mother of dragons, they call her. The cultists seem to believe she is returning, and they are quite dedicated to the idea. Not all within the camp belong directly to the cult, however. Many are new initiates that have not been fully accepted. Others seem to be simple mercenaries, and there are hunters who bring in antelope and other large game from the grasslands. The kobolds are here seemingly because of their fanaticism toward dragons. They are controlled well, but are not well liked or regarded by the others. Rezmir leads them all from her tent in the center. She, along with Mondath and Cyanwrath, control the cave at the back of the camp, where I believe all of the plunder from nearby settlements is stored. It's known around camp as "the nursery", and I was able to glean that Rezmir plans to hatch a clutch of dragon eggs within."

He looks up and pauses to allow the information to sink in. "Rezmir took special interest in me for some reason. Her interrogations were brutal, but she was adamant that I not be allowed to die. I feel I could have learned more, but as I mentioned, I am grateful for your assistance," he says.

"What sort of questions was Rezmir asking you? That might give us some idea of what their larger goals are." Yevele asks Leosin. "I think the governor of Greenest will be very interested in this information. Perhaps he can get help from Baldur's Gate to deal with this cult."

Leosin closes his eyes, silent for a moment. A grim look passes his face before he answers, "Personal questions; who I am, where I came from, what I was doing in her camp. My answer that I was simply a traveling monk that stumbled upon her little hollow certainly did not appease her." He absently runs a hand across the bruises on his face, then asks, "Do you have need of me for anything? I would try to get some rest if not."

"I think we all could use some rest. We'll get back safely to Greenest tomorrow." Yevele said before leaving Leosin alone and getting some rest herself.