"Definately a threat to the local townsfolk and potentially the region. They were using the moathouse as a rally point for some mischief. We just haven't penetrated far enough to find their paperwork."
"We have however dispatched several of their key folk. A priest whom worked with gnolls and bugbears."
"One warrior of skill managed to get away. He might be an important one to capture and bring back for questioning. His knowledge might just break this moathouse problem wide open, so we can see where it fits into the scheme of things in this region." Ronalt replied to Iviana

Areks nose wrinkled in disgust as the disheveled man came into sight. Sure he'd been locked up for a few days, but could he have at least thrown a bucker of water over himself first?
"You. Boy. Come 'ere." Areks tone showed clearly he was less than impressed.
"Wha's yer story an' why'd we wanna take ya sorry arse wi' us?"

Gwythe steps closer to the dwarf. "Yer mighty short to go calling others 'boy' dwarf. My name is Gwythe. You are the one they call Arek?"

Gwythe folds his arms defensively in front of him. "I have been out there and know what will be faced. I can fight, and I don't take a back step to nobody."

"O' course I am, boy! Know any ot'er grey 'air'd Dwarven priests of Clangeddin 'round 'ere?"
He was tempted, so very tempted, to box the lad around his ears, but no, Jaroo hadn't said the lads punishment was supposed to include the odd beating.
At least not from him....
"What da ya need? Sword, knife, club? Wha' 'bout armour?"

Gwythe shrugs at the dwarf and holds his arms out at his sides. "I have weapons. Or I did, afore they were taken from me. All I need is for them to be returned and I'll be ready for service."

He looks around the room as if expecting to see his weapons stacked somewhere.

Iviana nods thoughtfully.  "Reasonable.  Yes, I'd be glad to pitch in, and yes, I think I can be helpful."  She looks poised for a moment, as though considering asking something else, but then lets it go.

She glances, instead, over towards the other conversation in the room.

"You, lad." Arek bellowed out the door at a nearby guardsman.
"Fetch this 'ere lads stuff will ya?"
The words sounded like a question but carried the tone of authority few dared resist.
"So wha' kin ya do lad?" he asked Gwythe once the guardsman had scurried off on his errand.
"Ya jus' a sword swinger or ya got some "other" skills? Speak up lad!"

"I have a sword, but it was only given to me recently. But I can fight if I need to." He folds his arms defensively and tosses his hair with a movement. "I have skills. I can be useful." he mutters.

"What's the plan? Are we just going to charge up to the door of this moathouse?" He continues after a second.

Ronalt suggested with his eyes following Iviana's interest, "I would like to enter the same way as last time. The passages are familiar to us and we managed to get in deeper than when we enter via the front door."
"Even though they have repelled an attack and know we know of the second entrance. the troops we removed should make it a slightly easier assault."
"Unless folk know a different route which we haven't yet explored which will give a easy entrance?"

After about ten minutes, the guards returned carrying Gwythes remaining kit very carefully and muttering something about fleas. He laid it on the floor in front of the ex-prisoner and left. Everyone could see that his sword was old and had seen considerable service.

Gwythe kneels down beside his collection of items, looping the sword over a shoulder like it's a backpack more than a sword, and slipping three throwing knives into sheathes sewn into the jerkin. Lastly he hefts a lump of wood, about three feet long and thicker at the far end where it probably originally formed roots. "Aye. I'm ready."

"Not yet lad!" Arek wrinkled his nose.
"Bath time fer ya first!"

Gwythe looks at the dwarf like he's mad, glancing around the room looking for the stream. "Eh?" He looks at the others. "I'll jump in the first stream we come across."

Some of the flunkies brought in a  table and set out some food for lunch.  The growling stomachs and hunger showed some time had past since breakfast. Indeed it was early after noon and the day was passing fast.  If the group wanted to reach the moathouse before it was too late in the day, they would need to start moving soon.  Baths or not.....

Kalador rubbed his belly and said,"Ah some food at last." He will then fill up a plate of food and sit down to eat.

Iviana does show at least some experience, in that she eats carefully, avoiding foods likely to make her lethargic and not taking enough to give her troubles just before strenuous activity.

"For those of us new in town...could you describe this second entrance a little, so that we've some ideas where to look as we go in?" she asks, hopefully.

OOC: [If somebody just wants to say, `I quickly fill Iviana in on events so far', that would be fine...I don't need anybody to retype everything, since I have skimmed through some of the past threads...grin]

Gwythe shows no hesitation about eating, tearing into the food with a vengeance. Once his stomach is full he will gather any remaining food and bundle it together in cloth and tuck it into his jerkin

He will carefully listen to the conversation but not say anything beyond a grunt accompanied by a nod if included.

"Tis just a ruin mainly," Arek almost dismissed the moathouse out of hand.
"Tha back doors 'idden a few 'undred yards away from th' moat'ouse." Arek continued on until he'd detailed most of the features of the place.

"So, no' much of it left from i's glory days. Shouldn't b' much o' th' defenders either."
He'd heard that the "decoy" party of which Elmo, Kalador and Rolf had formed the bulk, had seen men and humaniods fleeing for their lives. Chances were they'd taken the bulk of the easily transportable valuables with them.

Markus having been quiet through out looks up from the table and says, "I'm not sure I agree with the plan. I would like to trail the fighter we fought.  Perhaps, Elmo and I could do this while you clean up the moathouse once and for all? If so we will leave now."

Rolf takes some dry bread and sniffs it, figuring it would be hardest to poison. He then bites a chunk of it and comments with crumbs falling from his mouth.

"So what are we waiting for?"

Ronalt eats and drinks a little. Filling his belly so he has enough only.
"if we can determine the moathouse is truly empty, then we can think about chasing down the other brigands whom have fled."

Kalador took a big bite of chicken. He said,"Well when will we check out the moathouse, after lunch?"

Ronalt replied keen to be doing his bit to stem evil and chaos, "As soon as we are fed we can pack up and move out."

Iviana swallows her last bite, and steps back from the table to be clear she's done.  Looking around at some of the other's full cheeks and bellies (and, in Gwythe's case, pockets), she says, "About time, then?  What about this warrior who escaped - is he important enough to send a pair after?" she asks, with a glance towards the rather large gentleman who had asked to do so.  "Not," she notes, looking at him, "That I think I'd mind at all having you along with us, instead."

Finally they were ready and without further delay moved out, pausing only to collect Tindo before leaving the village.