You load up the wagons with defeated slavers (they all seem to be sporting the same tattoo) and loot and tie the horses to the wagons.
The journey back is uneventful and as you approach Byrny, you are met by a small contingent of the city guard.
Perception 14 or Knowledge (local) 12:
"Hi, there!" greets Zababa. "We've got some slavers to turn over to you fellows. Where's the gaol in Byrny we should take them to?"
TOrric watches with some caution as the small group of the city guard approaches. Why are they meeting us out here? Could they be in league with the slavers? He keeps one hand on the hilt of his weapon in a casual, non-threatening manner.
Tyros smiles upon spotting the city guards, and waits to hear their response to Zababa's question.
The guard captain answers: "Actually, we can take it from here. Well done, guys. Have you been able to rescue any of their victims?"
"But, we're going into town anyways and they're all chained up to the wagon we are taking into town, and you must have something you were doing out here besides waiting for us..." wondered Zababa.
"But, if you insist, we'll let your ride with us back to the sheriff!" he says, happy to help the town guard.
OK, time to roll for initiative as the guard captain starts to cast a spell.
Torric is on foot.
Zababa is riding in the wagon.
Tyros is walking.
Melima is walking with Hector.
All of you except Melima beat their initiative, so go get them.
Torric throws a handaxe at the closest guard.
Round One:
Tyros steps forward and quickly casts a spell, causing a cone of searing flame to shoot forth from his fingertips and wash over the spell-casting guard captain and the two guardsmen behind him. The half-elf sorcerer then draws his fauchard as the flames die away.
Round 1
"What's going on here? You're not really in the town guard, are you?" Zababa exclaims in an accusative tone. Standing up, the otherwise genial Halfling draws his sling to pelt the Guard Captain with a bullet.
Zababa and Torric hit their targets and then Tyros scorches them. One of the guards flees. The guard captain hit Tyros and Torric with a barrage of shimmering colors (Will 15 or be knocked out. Another of the goons hits Zababa for 7 points of damage, while another tries to engage Melima, but misses.
You are up. Map updated.
Torric will attack the Guard in front of him, drawing his scimitar, and raging.
\
Tyros takes a nap.
Round 2
Zababa brings out another bullet, and winds up on the Guard Captain again - unfortunately without the advantage of surprise.
Tam whistles as he strolls up the road from town. His day has been pleasant enough so far but that appears to be taking a turn for the worse. Up ahead he sees a group of guardsmen who appear to be attacking a group of people leading a wagon of people in chains. He's surprised when it erupts into sudden violence and one of those guarding the wagon exclaims that the group are not from the town guard.
Tam scrutinises their uniforms and realises that they appear to be rather shabby forgeries. With growing concern, he casts shield of faith upon himself and draws his scimitar and shield.
Melima puts a crossbow bolt in the ruffian that is charging her and Hector and he thinks better of the whole thing and runs off. The guard captain curses and casts another spell, knocking Melima out with another blast of color. Hector disappears in a wink.
One of the other guards charges Tam but the latter has no trouble fending off his clumsy blow. The last guard takes a half-hearted swing at Zababa but misses.
Tam and Zababa to go.
Round 3
Zababa drops his sling, draws his dagger, and tries to stab at the last guard to get him to back away.
"Bad town guard, bad!"
Tam parries the clumsy blow of the so-called guard and attempts to ring the man's bell with a blow of his own.
"Have that, you blaggard!" Tom cries as he draws blood.
Cursing, the guard captain backs off, takes out a scroll and reads it and promptly disappears from view. As their illusionist master is out of the action, and they still face two powerful adversaries, the cleric and rogue, the morale of the ruffians break and they run away.
Tam and Zababa to go.
Zababa, seeing the guard-impersonators turn tail and run, picks up his dropped sling and takes one last shot at the nearest of them.
"Take that, you big bullies!"
The ruffians run, hurting as much from Zababa's sharp remarks as the sling bullets, and Tyros and Torric come to their senses. Finally you are able to bring the slavers to justice, sell off your loot and get a bath and a good night's sleep at the Slumbering Drake.
"Well, someone care to tell me what that was all about then?" Tam asks as he goes to rouse those who were hit by the "guard captain's" spell. "Name's Tam Farrow but most folks call me Tam o' the Dale."
Tam will inspect the group and heal any injuries with his channel energy.
Torric gets up off the ground where the color spray left him sprawled and helpless. He recovers his scimitar and peers around for signs of the end of the fight.
"What happened? I assume we won... where are the rest of the dead?"
"Hi, Tam! Thanks for the help, we were really in a pickle there. Mmm, pickles. Do you like pickles, to?" thanked, and ever more completely digressed, Zababa.
Tyros recovers his senses and picks up his fallen fauchard. "My thanks, and well met, Master Tam!" Tyros thanks the priest. "It appears we owe our continued well-being to both you and Master Zababa. Your timing was most fortuitous!"
"As to what happened, I can only assume that those false guards were in league with these slavers that we captured in the ruins of Castle Whiterock," the half-elf answers Tam's question, motioning toward the captive slavers in the caged wagon. "We plan to return to explore Castle Whiterock once we turn these miscreants over to the proper authorities in Byrny and re-provision. Your skills would be most welcome in our endeavor. Would you care to accompany us?"
"As it happens, I am partial to a pickle or two," Tam replies, flashing Zababa a grin. He listens intently to Tyros.
"Castle Whiterock, eh? It sounds as though you boys could do with he help so I'll accompany you. It wouldn't do for you to run afoul of something there," Tam replies with a jovial grin.
"Thanks for the healing and for joining us, Tam."
"Not a problem, lad," Tam replies with a grin.
"Well, now. Let's get these slavers to the authorities and then return to the Inn of the Slumbering Drake to recuperate and plan our next foray into the ruins of Castle Whiterock," Tyros suggests.
"Yes, let's, Tyros! I've got to update my journal, after all!"
The authorities are happy to be able to lay their hands on the infamous slaver gang. There is plenty of evidence to incriminate them and you are heartily congratulated.
Rumor travels fast, so the same goes for the Slumbering Drake, where you are hailed as heroes. You get a 25% discount on anything you'd like to order this night.
Torric orders a room at the Slumbering Drake, a hot meal, a hot bath and a pretty woman - in that order. Sometime during the night, he might get a little rest as well.
Tam smiles as his new colleagues get a moment to bask in their glory. He politely refuses the discount, stating that he has done nothing to warrant such a thing. He will, however, book a room and meal for the night.
There is no reward for the slaver gang, mainly because nobody knew that they were there, but you do get to keep their loot. There are some anxious questions about where the people captured by them may be, so you might do well to go back to find them, as well as do a proper search of the area.
Here is the loot list:
Mundane: six chain shirts, two sets of studded leather armor, two shortbows with arrows, two light crossbows with bolts.
Masterwork: one chain shirt, two shortswords and one quarterstaff.
Magical: One longsword +1, three potions (Enlarge Person, CLW (caster level 3) and Barkskin) and one dose of Oil of Magic Weapon.
There is also 67 gp, 9 pp, 14 light horses and a key.
Lady Chauntessa can easily identify the items for you, so don't worry about that.
Reclining in an over-stuffed easy chair near the fireplace with pipe and ale at the hand, Zababa pens the first entry into his Exploration Journal of Castle Whiterock
I had come to Byrny hoping to learn more of Castle Whiterock, but my first visit there offered no opportunity to learn about the Castle itself. We arrived near the Castle in a loaned coach, only to discover the grounds had been taken over by slavers! My companions fought bravely to subdue them, not one of them going without taking a wound as they pressed forward to overcome ambush after ambush before at last storming their redoubt to take the day.
The grounds secured at last, our wounds necessitated a temporary withdrawal to Byrny, and not least to dispose of those slavers that had been captured instead of killed in the fighting. We were able to secure the slavers' wagon, and with great irony placed our prisoners in the very manacles they'd used on so many others. In returning to Byrny, however, we were set upon by the slavers' compatriots in the disguise of the town guard! These, to, were driven off before returning to the Slumbering Drake to a hero's reward."
If you are done shopping and enjoying yourselves, are you going back to look for survivors? Now that you have horses and all.
Torric will take one of the chain shirts (the normal ones, leaving the MW for Tyros), leaving the rest to be sold for split.
"The fate of the longsword is up to the rest of you. I don't mind selling it for a wand of cure light wounds, and that seems a good use for it, but I can see it well-used by Tyros or myself as well. Therefore I will leave the decision to the group as a whole.
Tam looks the longsword over, although he has no real measure of what makes a good sword.
"It would seem a shame to sell a weapon such as this," Tam says, "It can be of as much use to us as a wand. And remember, we can purchase a wand of cure light wounds that does not carry a full stock of charges for less. Keep the sword and we can investigate what kind of wand we can purchase with the left over coin."