Gregori nods. "Putting paid to those brigands is well and good and a proud calling. You honor your father with this work, as do you all. My story is not unusual for the Stolen Lands. I was checking my traps along the Shrike, when they came upon my cart. Had little load at the time, but they took my mule and a deer carcass and left. I am not ashamed to say I hid from them like a coney hides from a fox, but they were many, and I was but one."
"In any event, I turned from the river then, and took my chances here in the steppes, though the game is less plentiful, and many of my traps did not get checked. Desna smiled on my and I return with a fairly full load, but not beast to pull it."
He looks over his shoulder at the westering sun, and shrugs. "Do you mind sharing a fire, roadwarden? I would not burden you -- I have my own goods, but many hands make a safe camp, do they not? And I have but two."
Graham has been studying the man during the conversation.
Quintessa listens attentively to Gregori’s tale, nodding slightly at his words. When he asks about sharing a fire, she folds her arms and is about to repond, but restrains herself to let Alvis answer, given that he's was asked directly.
"It would be unkind to turn away a fellow traveler on the road, especially one who brings useful knowledge. If no one has any objections, we’ll make camp together."
Alvis feels for the man but must take into account there need for speed, but neither his companions nor their mounts can see well into the approaching night. The decision is not his however and he turns to the noble here to make the call. "Lady Quintessa, nighttime is nigh, shall we break here for the evening and make camp? I'll look about for some water nearby, but if none Abadar will provide."
After Quintessa's statement, Alvis says, "As the lady says, though pressed for time unless any object we camp, and most welcome you are to join us, Goodman Gregori."
If camp is made, Alvis check for water, wood, and any other desirable camp feature. If no clean water or meltable snow is found, then he will Draw Moisture to keep supplies up.
After the camp set up and food is served, perhaps with Gregori's stock, a camp conversation can continue with particular focus on any bandit details he can provide.
Velas nods to Alvis and Quintessa. "I'm not opposed to camping together. Camping alone is certainly dangerous out here, and you have traveled from where we intend to go. Some extra security in exchange for news and maybe some directions. Seems like a fair trade to me."
Velas does his part to setup camp, matching sure to keep Gregori in sight only as a precaution.
Like Velas, Graham keeps one eye on Gregori during the setup. He feels the merchant is trustworthy, but he's been wrong before...and one can never be too careful.
As the now-septet settles in around the fire, Graham asks, You mentioned a chance encounter with brigands, Master Gregori. Where, sir? And can you describe them? Unlikely as it may be, we would seek recompense on your behalf should we find their like.
Faen smiles when her companions welcome the trapper to camp with them. In her travels with her parents, they met all sorts, mostly good people making their trade or journey on the byways of Brevoy. She joins Alvis in his prep of the camp, lending her own expertise on where this and that may be best.
Later at the campfire, she listen's attentively to Gregori's answer to Graham's question.
Gregori is happy to be welcomed at the fire, and provides some corn and potatoes the are good for boiling. There is no fresh water near at hand, as you left the river behind at the fort, so Alvis generates enough for cooking and washing up.
"As I said," Gregori recounts to Graham. "I was checking traps just west of the Crooked Falls when they set upon my beast. From there I fled west and then north, and here you find me on the lonely road back home. There seemed to be 4 of them that I could spy from my hiding spot. One was the leader and they called him Happs or Happy or something similar. The rest looked like brigands -- leathers, bows, knives. Lean and hungry they were. Not ashamed to say I hid. One or maybe two of them, I might've stood up for old Duma the mule, but 1 against 4 is just fool's odds."
The rest of the evening passes without event. The wind comes up in the night, and scuds of cloud cover the moon and stars. Around midnight, a cold rain begins to fall, chilling those trying to sleep and making fire hiss and sputter, and everything basically miseraable.
"Thanks for recounting your tale. That sounds like a scary situation. 4 versus 1 is not a fight I'd take. How far away are we now from that bandit run in?"
As the conversation winds down, Velas suggests keeping the same camp and watch setup as previous, and letting Gregori get a solid night's rest as a favor to him. "The watches worked well last time. Any objections to keeping them? I think Gregori could use a whole night's rest tonight before having to camp on his own again."
During his watch with Alvis, Velas enjoys more quiet conversation. At some point during the night, he uses a lull in the conversation to pull out his notebook and jot down some notes.