There was great feasting that night with roast boar and an assortment of liquor which the ex-bandits produced out of hiding spots, now that they were no longer under threat of having their booze commandeered for the Stag Lord's personal use. Meat was eaten, drinks were drunk, oaths were sworn, and good times were had by all.<br/><br/>It turned out that the ex-bandits were forced into lawlessness by misfortune or miscarriage of justice, not from ill intent on their own parts. They were glad to have a chance to redeem themselves and return to the right side of the law. Kressle's story, on the other hand, was shrouded in more mystery and came out in bits and pieces from her men. From what could be gathered, she came out of the deep jungle one day, for what reason no one had ever managed to coax from her, and beat up an unfortunate bandit band that tried to prey on her so hard that the Stag Lord took her on as one of his lieutenants on the spot.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">4th Pharast</span><br/><br/>The next morning, before they parted ways and Kressle lead her men east to retrieve the mites' stolen treasure, she shared what she knew about the lay of the land. Kressle's band had operated mostly along the Thorn River, which ran from northwest to southeast until it joined the Shrike River. To the south of that junction that river widened into a lake, where the Stag Lord resided in a formerly abandoned fort by the shore. The Stag Lord kept only a handful of trusted men close at hand at any one time, no more than ten including his three most trusted lieutenants, and demanded the rest to be out foraging or pillaging in the Greenbelt. Despite the small numbers in the Stag Lord's immediate presence, he surely had more men hidden about the hills and jungles nearby that he could summon within a day, and Kressle suggested against provoking him directly until they were ready to face him down decisively.<br/><br/>Besides the ford near the camp, there were only two other crossings of the Thorn River barring circling far to the northwest and going around its source. Both crossings were downstream to the southeast. The first was an old bridge in poor condition which the bandits usually avoided for fear of the old structure collapsing while they were halfway across. The second was a natural ford where the Thorn River joined the Shrike River.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Updated map</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i.imgur.com/AymXNLS.png)<br/></div></div><br/><hr/><br/>While Kressle took her band east on the trail of the mites, the party returned to Oleg's trading post to consolidate and resupply. Backtracking through previously explored terrain, they made good time and left the oppressive heat of the jungle by mid-afternoon. The early spring air struck them chillingly cold compared to the heat and humidity earlier, and their horses' hooves crunched against the thin layer of frost on the ground.<br/><br/>Around sundown they finally reached Oleg's. The gate was open and faint smoke was rising from within the compound - then the wind blew their way, and they caught a mouth-watering waft of the aroma of Horo Oleg's famous stew carried along in the smoke. Four riders sallied forth from the gateway and rode hard towards the party, steel flashing in the light of the setting sun. When they got closer, enough to get a better look though, they visibly relaxed and lowered their weapons. Their leader rode up to speak to the group.<br/><br/>Somewhat ambiguously androgynous with a youthful pretty face, hair dyed blue, form-fitting white armour and a red cape, one could be forgiven for bringing Eleanor to mind. "Well met. I am Kesten Garess, dispatched here by the Swordlords of Restov to defend this trading post from banditry, robbery and thievery with my men." The voice gave him away as a feminine-looking boy and a lack of vulgar accent suggested a privileged upbringing, as he gestured to the other three soldiers behind him, who looked slightly older and rougher around the edges. "You must be the four friends that Lawrence wouldn't stop talking about. Allow me to escort you back to the outpost." He gave a little bow in the direction of the ladies and for Silas, a nod.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Kesten Garess</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i.imgur.com/Nuwf3Td.png)<br/></div></div><br/>Back inside the trading post, it was a much livelier place than when they left. All the beds in the guest house had been claimed and there were tents set up outside to accommodate the rest. "Why, hello, hello!" A high-pitched voice came from waist height as they dismounted. It belonged to an old gnome whose eyes still twinkled with life in defiance of the thinning white hair on his wrinkled head. "Mayor Bingley, at your service!" He gave them a spry curtsy and spun his walking stick around before leaning on it once more. "My job here is to get this place up and running properly so we are ready to receive the new arrivals who will be arriving very soon! And unless I'm mistaken, you must be lord Silas and ladies Orianna, Adelise and Lydia. My pleasure to meet you all!" He gave them another sweeping bow. "Now let me introduce you to the others here. You've already met Kesten, I see!"<br/><br/>Mayor Bingley brought them over to the (rather crowded with so many horses now) stables, where a man was rubbing down the horses. He straightened up to meet them, hands clapsed together religiously for a moment. He looked about the same age as Lawrence, with sharply defined features, a bushy mustache, and piercing eyes. "Praise be to Erastil! My name is Jhod Kavken, humble priest of Erastil. Old Deadeye has granted unto me a vision of his temple and-" He was interrupted by a cough from Bingley. "My apologies. I shall not keep you - we will have time to discuss matters further during the evening meal."<br/><br/>The old gnome brought them to the cooking fires next, where Horo was busy attending to a bubbling cauldron, hares roasting on spits, and bread toasting on grills at the same time while fending off the "help" of a diminutive redhead half-elf wearing a black witch's hat over her long single braid. The "assistant" was trying to put in some suspicious mushrooms into the pot only to be foiled at the last moment by the harried kitsune each time. "You already know Horo, and this is Marisa," Bingley chuckled. "Last name... hmm, I don't believe I caught it."<br/><br/>Marisa looked at the newcomers, down at the mushrooms in her hand, and back up at them. "Mushroom," she said flatly, and shrugged, finally giving up trying to contaminate the pot with her mystery ingredient.<br/><br/>"Oh dear," Horo sighed with relief. "I wish I hadn't mentioned that the stew was lacking something I can't quite put my finger on to perfect the taste. Then she wouldn't have tried to put I-don't-know-what into it! It's too much to hope that you found some wild herbs while you were out, is it?"<br/><br/>Mayor Bingley's stomach grumbled.<br/><br/>"Sorry! Where are my manners!" Horo bustled about. "The stew needs a little more time but the bread and roasts are ready. Lawrence where are you?"<br/><br/>Right on cue Lawrence came out of the storage shed, rolling out the large round table and setting it up. "Welcome back," he grunted. "Too many people here now, I miss my peace and quiet," he grumbled, but looked secretly pleased to have company. "Perfect timing, just in time for dinner." He headed back to the shed to start bringing out stools as well.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Marisa Mushroom</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i.imgur.com/pgOVZ7n.jpg)<br/></div></div><br/><hr/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC Summary</div><div class="spoiler_body">List of NPCs at Oleg's trading post:<br/>-Lawrence Oleg<br/>-Horo Oleg<br/>-Kesten Garess (and 3 soldiers)<br/>-Jhod Kavken<br/>-Mayor Bingley<br/>-Marisa Mushroom<br/><br/>Feel free to interact with NPCs and start dinner!<br/></div></div>