With the larger males of the group gathering bodies in the fog, with the aid of Iara's Fey Magicks to aid their search, the group quickly amasses a sizable pile of bodies through which to search.

The Monk wore little, as expected, a single ring adorned one of his hands and a worn pair of Leather Bracers which were barely distinguishable from his own scarred skin rested upon his forearms. The Druid though was wearing Leather Armor and carried a finely crafted sickle with an etched wave motif upon the blade and a bright blue leather wrapped handle.

The gear used by the lackies was nothing spectacular, the most noteworthy items including a few potions and magical oils carried by the bandits (one could easily assume they had at one point robbed a traveling Alchemist). Much to Iara's disgust, the two bandits that had brandished sword and shield against them each carried a dagger fashioned of Cold Iron. ((2 total))

Given his expertise in the matter Zick is quickly able to determine what the assorted potions and oils can do, announcing that all said and done the group had a stash consisting of 6 potions of Cure Light Wounds, 2 potions of Bull's Strength, 2 potions of Hide From Animals, 1 potion of Invisibility, 1 potion of Cure Moderate Wounds, 2 oil of Magic Weapon, as well as 2 flasks of Alchemist's Fire, 2 flasks of Holy Water, and 4 flasks that turned out to be ordinary lantern oil.

The other gear gathered and set aside consists mostly of the bandits' weapons and armor, including the following. 3 suits of well crafted, though heavily used, Studded Leather Armor, 1 Hand Crossbow, a Rapier, 2 Breastplates, 2 Heavy Shields fashioned of wood, 2 Heavy Crossbows, 2 Long Swords, 4 well crafted and blood-stained Hand Axes, 2 well crafted Heavy Crossbows, 2 Whetstones, 4 Tindertwigs, 2 Holy Symbols of Pharasma fashioned of wood, and 2 nearly depleted Healer's Kits, combining the two into one kit provides enough supplies for 4 uses. Among the group there were also 98 crossbow bolts, and pouches containing a total of 205 gold coins.

Iara hissed at the sight of the cold iron blades and delivered a swift kick to the fallen bandit that had carried them. There was only one reason to carry weapons forged of cold iron. They were hunting faeries. It ha become personal.

Keeping the full weight of the revelation to herself, Iara set herself to studying the few items that glowed with a magical aura. She found only a few minor enchantments. While few among them would do her any good, her new companions might find a use for them. In an odd moment of forthright honesty, Iara revealed her discoveries to the group detailing the effects of each enchantment she found.

Once the wealth has been dispersed among them, Iara turned her focus to the cabin. What would they find in there?

"Well boys," Iara spoke with a twinkle in her eyes. "There is naught to go but forward. Let us see what else lies hidden here."

((OOC: Magic Items: Ring of Protection +1, Bracers of Armor +1, +1 Leather Armor, and one crossbow bolt with a sleep enchantment))

Savis just bounded forward with a childlike gleefulness that refused to go away. The loot was interesting but nothing really caught his eye. That is until he saw the potions.

His eyes lit up with amazement and interest as he thought about attempting to recreate them, figuring out exactly what was put inside and what they did. Although he didn't outwardly ask for any, not wanting to take anything that his new friends wanted.

Savis said "If you need me to do anything just let me know!". He couldn't fight another grin of his face.

(Post can be modified if Birdman wants to adjust anything discussed without his input in Q&A)

Zick looks at all of the items they acquired from the bandits. He loved potions. But he really loved permanent magic items. Like armor he could wear. He fingered the leather armor that was magical and looked up at the others. "Being magical, this should shrink to fit even my muscular form. A little protection would go a long way." He waited for an assent from the others before stripping the treasured defense from the woman. "Savis, if the others agree, why don't you take the ring of protection? You seem to be the one that is taking the brunt of the fighting and it might help." He looked up at Mattias as he said it and added, "I know this leaves you without one of the better items, but perhaps you could have your pick of the potions? And if there are more bandits, or maybe we go back and deal with that beast that was also mentioned on the board, you can have the choice of the next set of items? But this should not be decided without you."

Waiting for the Birdman to answer Zick added, "Since I'm almost out of bombs at the moment, I'll take the alchemist fires for now, if that is ok. Maybe later it will make sense to switch that if they don't get used. I'll also grab a couple of the lamp oils - they might work well with the fire or my bombs. The potion of invisibility would be my next pick of the actual magic items, but Mattias gets first pick there."

Once the loot was divided he added, "I'll take a few minutes and put on the armor - maybe the fog will have cleared a bit by that time. If not, we can always storm the castle even through a bit of mist. But lets move cautiously and look for traps as we go. There probably won't be one on the entrance - the others came charging out, but once inside, there should be any rush."

Taking time to divvy out the loot and allowing Zick time to chance his armor allows for enough time to pass that the fog cloud has dissipated and the entrance into the cabin is no longer obscured.

Stepping in through the front entrance, now simply an open doorway, the group finds themselves in a room 30 feet by 20 feet. Along the right wall are 4 sets of bunk beds, each set with a small footlocker on the floor at the foot of the bed. In the center of the right wall is a doorway (with no door) leading into the kitchen area you had noticed when peering into the front window. In the corner and scattered along the far wall are the spoils of the bandits' many raids on traveling caravans.

Starting with the foot lockers, you find that each one is divided in half, presumably being the personal shares of the bandits that shared the bunk the foot locker was placed next to. The amassed total of the valuables found hidden away in each chest (along with several sets of extra clothes) comes to 200 silver pieces, 15 gold pieces, and an assortment of precious stones and minerals of varying size, shape and color, the exact values of which you cannot be sure, though there are 24 stones total.

Moving to the stash of goods in the corner you first notice a mannequin set up, wearing an intricately crafted gown of fine bright green silk, silver embroidered patterns, and black accents. You assume the dress was custom ordered, and likely quite expensive. In a nearby crate you find several rolls of assorted cloths, a small box containing a pin cushion full of needles, thimbles, several spools of thread, and a pair of shears. It would appear one of the caravans they hit had a tailor, and a skilled one at that, in their midst. In a small box next to the crate of cloth you also find a polished chalice fashioned from a darkly colored wood and a silver bowl with engravings of lions. Among the spoils there is another small box containing 50 silver pieces, 4 gold pieces, and a potion. A weapon rack holds a finely crafted battleaxe, the edges honed to a fine razor edge and it appears to have never seen combat. The handle has a spiraled design and the grip is of alligator hide. ((Masterwork battleaxe, not magic)). The rest of the crates and barrels seem to contain trade goods, such as sacks of tobacco in one crate, a crate containing bags of flour, a barrel of mead, and a case of wine missing 2 bottles ((so 7 bottles we'll say)). You quickly realize the chances of taking all of this out with you will be pretty slim as you traveled here on foot.

Moving into the kitchen area you find a fairly basic and simple kitchen space, measuring 20 feet by 20 feet. In the bottom left corner of the room is a simple wood burning stove with a pot and a kettle on top. A small island in the center of the kitchen has a cutting board and a kitchen knife laid out, and a rack hanging over the island holds several different sized pots and pans. A cabinet in the upper left corner holds simple clay dishes, plates, classes, bowls, and a tray of cutlery. A pantry next to the front window holds several loaves of bread, a mostly eaten cheese wheel, a small sack of flour, some salted meats, and a small travel keg of ale which is nearly empty. Nothing stands out in this space, however there is a door northern wall which is closed and locked.

Zick quickly dug through his pack and produced the rolled bundle of picks and set to work on the lock, easily unlocking the door pushing it open. With the light coming in from the open backdoor the first thing to draw your eyes is a rack in the center of the room, the ropes used to bind whichever poor soul this was used on stained black with dried blood. An armoire stands against the the left wall in the corner, and the far right wall has a large, yet crude bed. ((think rough, rustic, untreated beam posts at the head/foot of bed)). Perhaps more disturbing than the rack though is the wall mounted display over the bead with various implements of torture, cat-o-nine tails, riding crops, a whip, several metal rods of varied thickness about 2 feet long, and manacles.

The lock on the armoire is no match for Zick's skill and lock picks, and the little alchemist is quickly able to pull the doors open revealing a silver chalice with dragon carvings, and a beautiful gold and silver hand mirror sitting on the bottom of the space. There are a couple changes of clothes also in the drawers, and among those clothes you find another precious stone and a silver mask a noble might wear to a masquerade ball. Iara conducts a much more detailed search of the armoire and finds a hidden release which opens a false bottom, revealing a small locked box.

Zick again proves himself more than adept enough to crack the lock on this chest and inside finds a small sack containing 50 gold pieces, 4 more precious stones, and a black ring with a motif of a cracked skull. Also hidden within the secret compartment is a bundle of letters, however upon examination they appear to be written in a language none of you can read. You do get the sense though that these letters may hold valuable information.

Further efforts do not turn up anything else of value, nor are you able to uncover any other hidden secrets within the cabin. Now you must decide what you will take back to town with you, what to do with the remaining items, and how to divvy up the rest of the loot you have claimed.

((I am already assuming all coin, stones, and the ring are being taken, as well as the letters, potion (which Zick easily determines is another potion of Hide from Animals), chalices, bowl, mirror, and mask, as all of these are easy enough to slip into your packs for the trek back to town.))

Iara crouched down as they sifted through the Crimson Fist holdings. There was little to learn from what they found; a dress, coin and gems, finely crafted weapons, and the everyday stuff of life. It was no surprise that an anarchist band would have a room dedicated to violent interrogation. Their only real discovery had been the letters, which none among them could decipher. Still, the faery held these tight in her hand. If she could not read them herself, she would find magics to do it for her. This had become personal. Two among them had held weapons forged of dreaded iron, and she was determined to uncover all there was to know of the Crimson Fist.

Her dark eyes moved from the illegible letters to take in the skull ring. Necromantic magic radiated from the wretched thing. Iara hated the undead and all who traded in the magics of death, even those magics used to fight such abominations. With a wave of her hand she sent a trickle of fey magic to lift the ring up and spin it as it floated before their eyes.

"This is the only item of magic we've found in their cottage. It will give the one who wears it the power to sunder the undead with a touch. It might prove useful to one of you? Or we might sell it?" Iara let her gaze move over the three men. "We should make our way back to the city. From there we can decide the next course."

Iara let her gaze remain on her three companions, never letting her grasp on the letters loosen.

Savis maintained his energy and enthusiasm, practically bouncing up and down as he saw Zick easily pick every single lock. He was silently amazed as his companions accomplished things he barely understood. When Zick was finished, he would bound up and say with a big grin

"Good job Zick!".

Savis was equally.. no even more entranced by Iara. He subconsciously was keeping track of her as she moved throughout the room, her dark eyes sweeping through everything. The magic that she cast... It was so much more different than the one he was taught. He was also amazed by it, smiling with wonder to himself.

Savis listened to Iara whenever she spoke, his eyes slightly to the left of her face as he felt.. weird.. At the mention of necromancy, he made a face of childish disgust, as if he drank beer for the first time.

He didn't comment on it but if asked whether he wanted it, he would say.

"No thanks. I'm not really into that kind of stuff.".

Savis tried to stay as unobtrusive as possible, just helping out when people asked for his help but he would try not to "step on their toes".

((For the sake of moving forward and getting things moving again, I am going to gloss over a few things, will not provide transcripts of every letter, and will also fast forward through the selling of the loot.))

The group makes the walk back from the clearing in the woods feeling good about how that had gone, even if somewhat over-burdened by the bulk of the items they had "recovered" from the thugs.

Once back in the city it was no trouble finding a merchant willing to pay for the good you are trying to sell, and once all is said and done and payment is split among the 4 of you you each walk away with an additional 939 gp, 2 sp, and 5 cp in your pouch. ((This does not include the ring as I was unclear on if the group intended to sell it or keep it on the off chance it may come in handy. It did include the various "art" items, the chalices, mirror, mask, etc, as those were just loot to be sold, no importance to the plot as you may have thought.))

With the money in hand the group then splits and goes about spending their portion as they see fit with the understanding that they would meet back at the job board in 30 minutes to proceed to the Captain and collect on their bounty. ((I know Nimu was going to get a scroll to translate the letters, so I will handle that, anything else the rest of you want to spend money on during this break in town, let me know.))

Iara's hunt for a scroll of Comprehend Languages is successful and only costs her 25 gp. Finding a nice quiet space she is able to cast the spell and read the letters before it is time to meet back with the group to claim their reward for the bounty. ((PM coming soon, share what you like from there..))

Meeting back at the agreed upon time you all head toward the Office of the Guard Captain, Sigurd Crassus. Presenting to him both the bill posted for the bounty and the crimson bands you recovered he states, "So that is where our bounty posting went off to... for future reference though bounty hunters, official bounties such as this are not removed from the work board as you would for a private posting." He examines the bands, satisfied they are legit, and not a ruse to get free money, he holds up the two larger sashes and smiles wide, "These sashes denote a bandit of higher "rank", likely two important figures within the gang, great job getting these two. I see from the singe marks that they did not go down without a fight." He turns to a locked coffer on a shelf behind him, pulls out several pouches of coins. Pouring one out on the desk in front of him he announces, "For the 5 smaller bands, those belonging to the rank and file thugs, I can pay out 60 gold coins each, split evenly among the four of you that would be 75 gold. For the larger sashes, I will pay you 10 platinum coins each." ((that's 10 plat for each of you, not 10 plat per sash, in case that isn't clear))

Picking up the remaining coins he stuffs them back into their pouch and locks them back into the coffer upon the shelf, "You have done us all a great service, thank you, and please go enjoy the festival with your earnings."

Savis stands with his companions, unsure of what exactly will happen with the guards but always eager to prove himself. He tries his best to find a spell scroll (but fails miserably, he's awful at finding what anything is aside from ingredients)

At the very large payout, his eyes widen and he takes the money rather gratefully. When they all get to an appropriate place to talk, Savis smiles and bounds up and down.

He says eagerly:
"Is there anything else we have to do? We're a team now.. right?"

((Assuming there is going to be an appropriate amount of downtime, Savis will go to the alchemists market and look for healing herbs and what not. If he's going to be at the front line, he figures he'll need a ton of healing potions.))

Zebulonicasarius Zickerthorn smiled as Savis jumped around after getting paid.

"A team? Yeah, sure, I'm up for that. How about you two?" he asked, turning to the Birdman and Angel. They had been an effective team and each seemed to bring something special to the table.

Upon hearing the response of the others to Savis' question, he added another comment of his own. "I need to go back to the Alchemists guildhall. I want to make up a new set of bombs and other concoctions - they seemed to have been pretty helpful. If there is anything alchemical you'd like, let me know and I can see if I can manage it. It will take a bit of time. then, maybe we can see if that monster still needs hunting."

Iara sifted through the letters with a look of disgust painted across her face. Every word darkened her glower. Sensing the danger in her mood, the pernicious fey around were, for a blessed moment, quiet. A respite from their antics would have been welcome, but with the severity of the moment it did little to ease her mind.

Already having read through the pile twice, the faerie turned her dark eyes to pierce the writing for a third reading. At first it had seemed to be little more than banal criminal correspondence. The writer of the letters referred to himself only as "Speaker" and represented the interests of some clandestine organization referred to as the Black Hand. Speaker demanded the delivery of a host of reagents; sulfur, quicksilver, nightshade, darkoil, silverbark sap, the blood of an angel... the list continued on ad infinitum. Following delays in delivery, Speaker began to threaten the Crimson Fist by withdrawing support of their activities and other such similar actions. It was all dreadfully predictable.

"Give me this or I'll kill you. I'm tired of waiting, give it to me now or you will suffer. Oh yes, you will suffer."

It was full of the bravado typical of small minded men, and it was terribly boring. Had it not been for the final letter, Iara would have dismissed it all as inconsequential mortal blather. Holding that wretched page she read the horrid words once again.

Saltuk,

The Masters grow tired of your failures and excuses. You have 48 hours to deliver the materials we need or we will move forward with our plans and you will face the reckoning along with everyone else. The plan moves forward two days after the start of Autumn. Tuldoroc will be the first to fall to our reckoning, and we are not above taking you down with the city.

Do not fail us again,
Speaker

Iara hissed. This was not the discord she was looking for; it rang of sieges, austerity, and war. She had no interest in any of that. Given time she might be able to ferret out the source and stop it, but time was decidedly in short supply. Another curse left her lips as a polished stoneware cup flew across the room.


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With the time to reconvene upon them, Iara walked up to the three men wearing a coy smile. Having delayed her departure a few extra moments, she was the last to arrive and she rather liked the idea of the others waiting on her, even if only for a moment. That levity quickly died and she shot them all a blisteringly serious glare.

"We have a serious problem," Iara snapped producing the roll of letters. "The gauntlet will crash in two days time."

Maintaining the severity of her glare, Iara detailed every bit of what she had learned from the letters adding it a bit of flair here and there just to drive the point home. The flame of truth guided her, making the whole bit one of her better performances. At the very core of it all, Iara truly wanted to stop the fall of Tuldoroc. Her reasons might be self serving, but the ends were the same.

With proper severity set in them all, Iara set her sights on the city guard and stalked off in search of Sigurd Crassus. It must have been quite the sight, four eclectic citizens side by side stomping their way to the office of the captain of the guard. Iara kept silent as Crassus poked through the pile of bands and then counted out their reward.

"You have done us all a great service, thank you, and please go enjoy the festival with your earnings."

"There work here is far from done," Iara spoke with her dark eyes burning, "it is very far from over."

Producing the letters, the faerie lay the final note upon the desk. "We have a serious problem and little time to deal with it."


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Exhaling softly in the quiet after the exchange with Crassus, she regarded the others. Had she found a new, rag tag tribe? Dare she enjoy companionship?

Smiling Iara nodded. "Yes, why not? And we have an urgent choice before us. Thwart an unknown war or go and get gone. Either way, we will need supplies and information."

((OOC: Depending on what is decided, Iara will try and find info in the underworld. Not sure how the rest of the conversation with Crassus went, so that will affect things. Also, Iara is looking for a Wand of Magic Missile and a Scroll of Entangle. I'd like her to replace the current spell in her ring of spell knowledge with Entangle.))

Savis looks enthusiastically at Zick.

"I'll go with you if you don't mind! I'm pretty helpful.. I mean. I can help you carry stuff at least..".

((OOC: in response to Iara))

Savis looked at her, her anger as she talked about this war and the lack of response by the guard. He didn't want to go to war.. not really. Well, he was only 16..

As Iara accepted joining the team, he spoke up.

"I'm not.. I never wanted to get involved with wars. I don't think I can make a difference. But. If you guys want to do that, I'll do my best to help. Cause we're friends. If you want to stop a war, count me in."

Get gone or stop a war? That was how Angel had described the situation and it did seem to pretty well sum things up. They could run for it. And in this case he would even have some friends to run for it with. He looked around at them. It was a good group in an odd sort of way.

But then he looked around him at the rest of the town. It was his home. Of sorts. He knew people here. Good people. Ok, bad people too, but also good people. And, well, people. Just people. Whoever had written those letters didn't seem like they meant well for any of these people. Not even the lion in the pink dress from the day before.

He looked at the others and then back at the Puppy. "Yeah, Savis, I don't know what any of us can do, but we seem to be in a better position than anyone else around us to do something about it. Lets at least see what the guard has to say and what other information we might be able to gather from our various sources and then make a decision. I don't know what I can do, but if there is something, I'd want to do it." He turned towards Lara. "Could you run that list of ingredients by me again? It sounds like some sort of magical or alchemical formula. I'll see if the master alchemist recognizes anything."

After getting the list of ingredients memorized, he ran off through town towards his guildhall. As he ran, he started to wonder about what sorts of things he should be preparing or buying for the next phase of life's little adventure. More bombs, that was for sure. He felt kinda naked without them. What did that say about him?

He grinned as he ran through the crowd. Life was getting interesting.