09 - An uphill battle
General Summary
The adventurers investigate the robbed cart and the bodies, and follow a trail leading away.
After the fight with the wolves the party approaches the cart. Pilar was quite hurt, so they takes some time to bind their wounds. The rest of the adventurers investigate the big cart.
They find two (probable) robbers dead nearby, and seven travelers. All the travellers are killed by gunshot wounds, the robbers by arrows and stab wounds. The ox was shot (probably by mistake) before it became the meal for the wolves.
The party concludes the robbers were with at least seven or eight in total, and someone who was travelling with the cart has been dragged away. Also, the box intended for the Ironpact Syndicate is missing. Leaving bodies behind of your fellows, but taking a traveller seems odd, apparently this was important, and are the bonds between the robbers not very strong.
The cart contains trade goods, bulk, and not very valuable, and all seems to be there. The cart is very heavy, and needs to be pulled by two oxen or four (unencumbered) horses (or a mix of both). Julius hesitates to follow the tracks leading away from the ambush, but John manages to convince the party to check it out.
A small amount of money was recovered from the bodies, alongside three pistols, a broken musket, a hand crossbow, rapier, and a few shortswords. On the body of one of the raiders they find a crude map with the date and place where this transport should be intercepted and attacked. This seems to be planned, not random highway robbery.
Godfrith offers to stay with the cart and Julius' wagon, while the rest of the party follows the trail on horseback into the wilds, moving southward into low hills bordering "The Plains of Misery".
When they approach a ravine that ends in a dead end, they see some sort of guardtower in ruins on a small hill. Not really succeeding in silently approaching this stronghold, the party is attacked by the robbers who had been carefully standing guard. In the fight a lot of gunfire is exchanged, spells are cast, and John tosses some homemade explosives with great effect. By some miracle only Bolt falls in this fight (but he can be repaired), besides most of the robbers. Their leader and one of the others surrender and toss down their weapons. What will the party find here? What was the package? Who was taken from the cart by these robbers?
Report Date
01 Jul 2024
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