Mayon studies the man for another long moment, then simply shrugs as the faint presence fades just as quickly. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. From what little I know of him, you'd be in pieces if you did know much." Then again, those other names would be useful.

14:02, Today: Mayon Graycross rolled 10 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 8.  Insight bandit.
Checking to see if he's holding anything back, or if he honestly doesn't know more.
Good lord, that's like the 4th natural 8 in two days. Apparently I have a lucky number and it isn't as high as I'd like.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Sat 10 Dec 2016.

"Well, damn," Asano blows a breath between his lips. "Unfortunately, I believe you, and a deal's a deal." He reaches into the wagon and fishes an emptier sack, dumping what little equipment may be in the save to the bed of the wagon. He leaves a day's rations and two gold pieces inside it, then drops the sack just inside the cave entrance with one of his own daggers.
"That should be enough to get you out of this area," he growls, crouching in front of the bandit again. "I highly suggest you heed my advice. If we cross paths again, and you are still plying this unwholesome trade, I will end you." He lloks around the party, and asks, "Can someone detach him from the wagon? We have a criminal to turn in to the law. Leave himbound, though. By the time he gets to that knife we should be well away."


OOC:
Sorry if I'm taking some liberties here. I figured the bandits at least had some kind of container for their ill gotten goods.

The bandit raises his eyebrows at Asano's words, but says nothing.

---

What's next? I think I saw Bram mentioned going to the tomb next - if so, do you want to stop in town to dump cart/remaining unconscious bandit first, or go straight to the tomb?


This message was last edited by the GM at 17:03, Sun 11 Dec 2016.

Mayon also glances at Asano, then shrugs. "I don't feel we'll be getting anymore from them, so if you think its the best choice then I won't argue."

Gonna throw my vote out for Tomb now.
EDIT: 12:44, Today: Mayon Graycross rolled 4 using 1d8 with rolls of 4.  Expend 1HD
Sweet, exactly what I needed! Back to 9/9 HP

This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Sun 11 Dec 2016.

"Wait, you're giving a weapon and money to a bandit, and letting him go?" Morg says, scratching his beard.

"I'm not cutting my rope in half to leave him here tied up, so if this is happening, someone else needs to tie him up with some other rope."

---

I'd prefer town before tomb, so the currently unconscious bandit doesn't make a ruckus or escape while at the tomb.

Asano pulls the short length of silk rope from the wagon, and looks at the conscious bandit. "Don't make this harder than it has to be," he asks, looping the rope around the bandit's wrists and loosing Morg's rope.

OOC:
Provided he doesn't fight back, Asano ties him up. Hopefully with some help.

The bandit grumbles but doesn't resist being tied up.

Jak had stayed back and let the others do the 'talking' with the bandit. It smacked far too close to home with how things were done back at the orphanage for him. He grit his teeth and looked off in to the distance with his back to the group while threats of bodily harm were mentioned. After they finished he relaxed a bit. At least they hadn't started to actually torture the man. He still wasn't sure about some of the new people in the group and their 'methods'.

He sat and waited for them to finish up with the bandit. "So, town or tomb?" His voice was flat.

Bram listened intently to the captured scoundrel's report about this bandit captain turned cultist, and to the information revealed by his comrades.  A deep scowl knotted his brow when Asano offered to release the prisoner.  He commented, "This sits ill with me, but I'll not countermand an agreement."  To the prisoner he said simply, "Life rarely affords a man a second chance.  You'd be wise to make something better of yourself."  He then walked away from the prisoner and rejoined the group preparing to depart.

In answer to Jak's question he said, "We must pass through Red Larch on our way to the tomb, so we'd best report to the Constable first whatever the case."

Hauling a cart full of goods and one unconscious bandit, the party rejoins the Cairn Road and heads back to Red Larch. A cool breeze wafts through the leafless autumn trees. There are few other travelers about, and the wind feels pleasant after the heat of yesterday. While the wagon isn't particularly heavy it's not well-suited to travel without mounts, and it takes the better part of the morning and some of the afternoon to arrive back at Red Larch.

Back at town, the group realizes they don't quite know where to find the constable. A quick word with a passing local, however, indicates that Harburk can usually be found at the butcher shop, and the directions there are short and straightforward.

The group makes their way up the main road of town and finds a row of single-story stone buildings. The front building bears a painted sign of a ham being carved by a cleaver, accompanied by no words.

Upon entering, a sturdy woman with large biceps greets the group. "Hello strangers," she says amiably, setting her cleaver on the counter. "I'm Jalessa Ornra, proprietor. What can I do you for?"

Behind her, constable Harburk and another butcher are garbed in blood-splattered white aprons identical to Jalessa's. They look up from their large slabs of meat and both nod in greeting. "Might be they're here to discuss matters with me, Jalessa," Harburk grunts, burying his own cleaver in a thick part of his meat slab. "Didja find some bandits?"

---

Red Larch locations updated.

By the time Red Larch showed in the distance Bram was relieved to see it.  He'd spent a good part of the journey doing mule's work towing the unwieldy cart, and his aching shoulders would be glad to be done with it.  The tall half-elf set down the cart heavily, and armed the sweat from his brow before stepping into the butcher's.  He looked to Harburk with some curiosity before greeting him.  "Good afternoon to you, Constable.  I'd expected to meet you here as a customer rather than as a butcher.  You are indeed a man of the people."  Bramwell gestured toward the door and reported, "We've resolved the bandit problem on the Cairn road and have recovered their ill-gotten gains.  They had a caged black bear, which we drove off into the woods."

Asano is mostly happy to allow Bramwell to interact with the constable, and begins looking around the butcher shop. He finds some fine cured sausages, and appears to be be contemplating their purchase.

A slow smile creeps across Harburk's face, mixed with a slight expression of surprise. "I didn't expect you to work so quickly," he murmured. "I suppose I owe you an update of my own."

"My trusties reported no additional activity at the quarry last night," he said, glancing at his fellow butcher. "But I was able to at least negotiate with Albaeri to keep an eye on the place for the next few nights. Since you've proven so helpful I might manage to sneak you in for some late-night duty. Perhaps in a few days though, when Mellikho isn't being quite so watchful." He winked.

"If you've collected some of the bandits' spoils you're welcome to them. I doubt anyone will be in Red Larch looking for stolen goods, and we've got little chance of returning them to their rightful owners. Think of it as a well-deserved reward."

He mentions Bethendur's Storage as an option for long-term storage of larger items, or Vallivoe's Sundries as a shop that might take some unwanted items off their hands. Harburk himself is more than happy to take the unconscious bandit for further questioning.

---

Red Larch locations updated.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:54, Wed 14 Dec 2016.

"That's good to hear, sir. Thank you." Mayon says with a smile. A few days, they could wait that long at least. It would give them time to explore that tomb, perhaps even make the trek to Lance Rock if they had the time.

Morg helps Harburk untie and lift the unconscious bandit off the wagon. "Constable, in addition to the bear, we also let one of the bandits go."

Harburk accompanies Morg outside to offload the bandit, who finally shows signs of waking.

At Morg's admission the constable looks confused. "Why would you do a thing like that for?"

Jak still wasn't sure about the constable, but it seemed like he might be okay - he'd reserve further judgment until later on and for now act neutrally towards him rather than coldly. Hearing about the steps taken with the quarry made his eyebrows go up a bit. He wasn't sure it would accomplish anything but at least they were being taken seriously maybe. That was good.

"Time an' bandits wait for no man."

The fact that they get to keep the 'spoils' perked up Jak a bit but then he immediately frowned as Morg spoke up about the bandit.

Mayon is a bit startled by Morg revealing the fact, but the constable's reaction doesn't seem too aggressive. He offers his own thoughts.

"We had a few questions for him, and he provided answers as best as he was able. In exchange, we offered him a chance to choose a less unsavory path. I don't believe that he'll be able to cause much trouble on his own, and he would be more than foolish to try. Particularly around here."

Harburk grins mirthlessly. "I guess that's what I get for deputizing adventurers. It wasn't what I would have done, but I understand why you did it. What kind of information did you find out?"

Asano continues browsing the shop's preserved meats, keeping an ear on the conversation to provide additional information, if needed.

Bram smiled and shook his head at Morg's inopportune admission.  The dwarf was honest to a fault, but he supposed it was better that the Constable know all that had happened.  He opted not to discuss the release of the bandit further and instead answered Tuthmarillar's question, "He told us that a bandit captain named Bastian Thermander has joined up with a 'Cult of the Eternal Flame,' which are experimenting with fell magics in the Sumber Hills.  The cult is apparently being led by a genasi, and has many more followers aside from the bandits."

As he finished the half-elf peered out the window of the butcher's shop at the lowering sun.  Turning back he said, "I believe we've other business to attend to before the day is out, so unless you have anything else for us I believe we'll bid you a good afternoon for now, Constable."

Harburk asks the other butcher to haul the half conscious bandit to one of the outbuildings. He raises an eyebrow at Bram's news. "I've heard the name Thermander before, but not in connection with a cult, much less one with a name," he says thoughtfully. "Interesting. It could even be true. I've heard tell of plenty of evil and secretive groups in the Sumber Hills."

At that moment Jalessa calls the constable back inside to his cleaver, and he bids the group farewell.

---

There's just the matter of where to put the wagon - sell the stuff now? Store it at Bethendur's (#20)?

Prices at Bethendur's for storage space:
- 1 gp/10 days
- 2 gp/30 days (month)
- 20 gp/year



This message was last edited by the player at 21:19, Wed 14 Dec 2016.

The group drops off their wagon of recovered goods at Bethendur's storage area, where a non-descript man takes 2 gold from Asano and leads the wagon away to an empty shed.

It's a short distance from town to the tomb according to the poultry woman's directions, and the group makes their way to the edge of the Sumber Hills in a little over an hour. Lit by the mid-afternoon sun, the terrain turns from grassy farmland near Red Larch to rocky hills and outcrops. Boulder jumbles pierce the earth in numerous places all around.

Climbing over another rise, a dark, rectangular hole comes into view amid the grass and vines of a nearby hillside. From this distance a stone door is just visible inside the gaping tunnel opening, though it's difficult to see through the scrub brush and scraggly trees clustered nearby. The door seems to be ajar.

---

Maps thread updated - Haunted Tomb link now available.

Asano looks around the are, trying spot any ambush areas before the group walks into them. Hopefully this engagement would run a little easier than the last one. "Then again," he mutters under his breath, "Any one you walk away from."

OOC:
Perception- 11
Just waiting for the meat shi....tanks, I totally meant tanks, to get up front and through the door. Asano will follow along behind them.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:51, Thu 15 Dec 2016.

Mayon stays where he is, peering up towards the doorway warily. He certainly hopes they aren't walking into some ambush set for unwary travelers.

07:31, Today: Secret Roll: Mayon Graycross rolled 14 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 10.  Perception.
Mayon's also gonna stay back a bit until our armored fellows can step forward :P