Tarandil looks at the bandit engaged with Rrath and begins to insult him on his parentage, hygiene, and intellect.
Rrath slides 10 feet to his right and swings at Brown as he moves away from the fire.
The bandit grabs his head as Tarandil's insults effect something deep in his brain. Rrath takes advantage and cuts everything above the man's shoulders from the rest of him. Hands and a head flop to the ground and the party is left with only sleeping bandits to face.
Seeing the last of the bandits fall, Dasim secures the two sleepers before they have a chance to wake up and cause further trouble.
Wincing from the wound in his side he kneels down next to one of the prisoners and shakes the man awake.
"Rise and shine you." He says. "Your fellows have gone to the gods and you've only a few seconds to tell me if you've any other friends in the cave or around here? Otherwise I'll let that really angry looking bear over there dispense nature's judgement and justice on your sorry self."
The bear jumps out of the cage and looks around before grabbing one of the bodies of the dead bandits and begins to eat.
The man wakes up slowly with some prompting from Dasim. He begins to answer, fear obvious in his eyes. "Wha? Huh? No! It's just us! We kept the nicer things we looted in the cave.
"You're all alone? We've heard reports bandits have been hitting all over. The local constabulary wants you rounded up and executed for banditry, but perhaps we might be able to persuade them to spare your lives if you tell us everything," Tarandil says.
He seems to be telling the truth.
"We heard about the banditry so we thought we would get in on it too. That's all I know! Mercy, please!
Tarandil frowns. "What about this cave you mentioned? Clearly you haven't told us everything if you've left out the details on it. I'd like to help you but I can't if you're not being completely forthcoming."
Magmoria approaches the bear and lets it know she is grateful for his help and wishes it well back in the wild. She will shoo it off back into the forest before anyone angers the beast. At this point, Magmoria will come out in her true form.
Well, shouldn't we head inside?
The bandit hurriedly answers Tarandil's question. "The cave is barely a hole in the ground. We're just stored our loot there. That's why we're have the tents. Please let me go, you'll never see me again, I swear!"
Ziyad, the dead bandits had a scimitar, light crossbow, and leather armor. The one that was doing all the talking also had a small pouch of coins. Your crab can confirm what the prisoner said about the cave. It goes barely 30 ft back but strewn around are barrels and sacks with a few weapons scattered here and there.
Magmoira, the bear does what you can imagine is a nod of thanks before trudging back into the forest.
Searching the cave you find all the food, wine, weapons, and coins the bandits managed to steal while they were active.
With a simple shake of the head, Dasim denies the bandit's request for freedom. "You forgot the first law of banditry friend...don't get bloody caught." Dasim says lifting the bound man to his feet. "Save your plea for mercy for the sheriff. It's him who'll decide whether your neck gets stretched or if you walk free."
Once the cave is searched and loot packed up, he gives the man a light push in the back. "Let's get moving. It's a long walk back to town."
"That sounds reasonable. I think they're sincere about not being part of a larger band, though how they had that bear makes me wonder. But taking them back to town to face justice is probably wiser than turning them loose or executing them ourselves."
Rrath pokes his head in with Ziyad.
Ziyad, you give the cave a thorough searching but it seems these bandits weren't clever enough to hide anything.
You can bury the dead easily enough. There's even some tools in the miscellaneous items the bandits had looted. As you make your way back to the road a few of you spot specks in the air that don't look like birds further to the southeast.
Tarandil tries to make out what they are.
Squinting into the sun, Dasim tries to make out more about the specks, but shakes his head after a few seconds staring into the bright sky. "I can't make out a thing." He says with a shrug.
Mags also tries to discern what the specks might be.
Perception:
The specks are definitely much to big to be birds. Most of you can see a glint of metal as they wheel about in the afternoon sun. Ziyad works out that the metal must be a rider on each of the creatures.
"Hmph. Some kind of flying warrior types eh?" Dasim says with a shrug. "None of our concern I suppose." He pauses for a second and then turns to the prisoners. "Then again...what do you lot know of flying riders? Are they working with you...or perhaps hunting you? I wouldn't want them swooping down on us thinking we're in league with you."
Ziyad, seeing the riders sparks a memory you heard in passing about a club for the elites of Waterdeep calling themselves the Feathergale Society.
The ex-bandits shake their heads vigorously, "We saw them a few times but didn't want to tangle with anything like that."
It's late afternoon but the time you make it back into town. The bandits seem morose but resigned to their fate. Some of the townsfolk stare at the adventures traveling with prisoners and a strange creature most, if not all, had not seen before. You get back to the butcher shop and Harburk takes responsibility of the prisoners. "Don't you all worry about these two. We'll straighten them out. I didn't think you guys were going to be able to do anything for us much less this fast! You know, there's a few other people in town you may be able to help out too if you're looking."
To Dasim "...they are of the Feathergale Society. I would be lucky to have one friend of 1/100th their wealth, or a quarter as entwined in the courts of Waterdeep. Bored sportsmen is how I'd place them."
"So. Bored, rich, hunters. Certainly someone to either steer clear of...or figure out a way to steal blind." He says with a laugh, followed by a thoughtful pause as his eyes follow the distant circling knights.
Nodding back to Harburk, Dasim strokes his chin thoughtfully at the mention of others in need. "Well, I'd be willing to help out a bit. Who're these other folk who might be needing a hand taking care of some trouble?"
"I don't have that kind of coin laying around but I think I know a fella. Follow me.
Harburk calls for one of the other deputies to keep track of your former prisoners. He takes you basically across the street to a shop with placard denoting as Ironhead Arms . Inside is a half-orc standing behind a counter with an array of weapons on stands around the room.
"What have you brought me today Hauberk? A warrior and his hangers-on by the looks of them. The name's Feng." He turns to Rrath as the obvious leader of the group. "What can I do for you?
Names, Rrath. I am looking for an armor upgrade, from none to somethin' sturdy. We also are willin' to help out in any way we can with any issues ya may be havin' in town. We just rooted out the bandits and are ready for more action.
"I think I can help with the armor. And as thanks for helping out the good sheriff here I'll even give you a discount!"
He lays out a few sets of armor for you to look at. He also is willing to buy any weapons you don't want to keep.
"Now as for helping people in town, afew nights ago in the tavern I heard Minny Mhandyver talking about her granddaughter's story about running into a ghost at some tomb. I think Mangobarl Lorren went to check it out but I don't know what ever came of it."
I would like that scale mail, but I am a little short on gold...about 3 gold short.
Tarandil hands Rrath 3 gold coins. "That should cover it, I believe."
Tarandil nods towards the shopkeeper. "The fellow did at least return safely? Or have they been missing since going off to investigate?"
Looking at the money she had been given for her part in freeing the bear and defeating the bandits, Magmoria is unsure what to do with it. When Rrath says he needs some more money to purchase his armour, Mags walks over and dumps almost all her money into his hands.
"Is that enough?"
Not needing anything from the merchant, Dasim simply leans back andd waits to hear more about this haunted tomb.
Thank you Mags, but Tarandil covered it. And, of course, thanks, Tarandil.
Rrath grabs the Scale Mail and dons it.
"Thank you for your business. If you have any more hardware to sell you come see me. As for Mangobarl, I saw him down at the bar the other day so I assume he was alright after his trip. You'll have to ask him what he saw though."
"Ah, well glad to hear he returned and didn't end up the thrall of some necromantic fiend or eaten by a giant cave worm." Dasim says. "Thank you for your time and wares, I'm sure we will be back to complete more trades soon."
"Shall we return to the bar and see if this Mangobarl has a tale to tell? I for one, could use a meal and some ale to help fuel the healing of that bolt wound."
"Well, we were offered steaks as part of our favors, so I think it wouldn't be bad to collect on that. We'd kill two birds with one stone after all."
The sheriff heads back to the butcher's shop while you all go to the tavern. The barkeep points to a man sitting at a table with a few others. "He's been telling that damned tomb story to whoever will listen lately. Looks like he's winding up to tell another couple miners."
"So the I was, checking out that poor girls story about a haunted tomb, for the good of the town of course, when suddenly I was set upon by goblins! There had to be at least a dozen of them! I brained one before barely getting away with my life."