"We have been assaulted by brigands", explains the man. He tells you that they all work for one of the richest merchants in the area, named Simon Goatshearer. He has a huge sheep farm on the road to Loya and makes a decent amount of money selling his wool in all the southern Empire. They were bringing a huge load of wool to the city of Nedo when they have been attacked. "They were organized", interrupts one of the men, "And they had weapons. Real weapons. Not like the poor scum that usually rob the travelers". The first man resumes his story, telling you that during the last months brigands became a common problem along the Southern Road. But usually they came in small bands. The number alone, and a few heavy clubs, has always been enough to keep them away. This time they were armed, organized and ready to kill. They took two karts, with all the goods and the donkeys, and seriously wounded two of the men.
Krusten observes them as they explain their story, "How come they left you alive?".
She then looks around the area for clues about how they came, the number of them and their tactics. "Which way did they go?"
She then asks what they will do now and how she can speak with Simon Goatshearer.
"They were more interested in the goods than in pure bloodshed", answers the man. "We were spared as soon as we dropped our clubs. They did everything very quickly: they took the karts and the beasts and they left to the west". While the man is talking, Krusten examines her surroundings in search of clues. No traces can be seen on the stone-paved road but she thinks that, if the bandits took a secondary path further ahead, she could maybe find some traces. The man is still talking: "The boss lives in a place called Lowmeadow, a day walk from here. But we can't go back before we have fixed the kart. This two lads can't walk and we need a way of transporting them to a doctor". Krusten notices that some of the men started to setup a camp. Is almost dark, and she thinks she should find a solution for spending the night too.
"How many of them did you say attacked you?" Krusten says after letting them know of her intentions to help any way she can.
Krusten thinks about setting up a cold camp, but she think to do inconspicuously from the main camp so she can observe If she can find a sturdy tree from which she can perch even better.
It had been quite a journey from Morgia, but the pain was good, a worthy sacrifice. Spreading the word of Felnuus to the towns and travelers along the way was a good job, and a necessary one. He trudged onward as the sun began to set, and decides to set up his own camp about 100 ft into the forest from the road. Soon Loya would be within reach and Tomas would have to convince Earl Sylas that his god was the true way.
Tomas keeps his armor on and his shield and sword close to him. He buries his meager coins at the foot of his bedroll.
"We saw 5 or 6 men", says the man, "But there were at least other two hiding in the woods, with bows. It was an ambush. Everything happened so suddenly that we didn't have the time to count them, actually. I'm grateful to You, Madam, for wanting to help. But You can't fight them alone and, unless You have some experience as a carpenter or as a healer, there's little You can do for us at the moment". This said, the man turns to his companions and keeps organizing their efforts to put the kart on the road again. From the look of it, you guess that they will keep working overnight. Krusten prepares her camp at a certain distance from the road. Before laying down, she climbs one of the trees to have a look around but she can't see anything of interest. The fire is already lit in the men's camp. At its light, Krusten catches a glitter next to her foot while descending the tree. There's something stuck between the branches.
Tomas is tired from the long journey. His stock of dry rations was not enough to sustain him for the whole trip and he had to stray often from the main path, in search of a small river or a lake. But he feels good. Bringing his message from town to town, he was surprised to see how many people already knew about Felnuus and already followed His path. Wondering again about what could be inside the parchment he got from the temple, he falls asleep. Out of Character: Wellcome, mate.
Krusten inspects the glitter if she can, if not she will temporarily light a torch to see what it might be without taking her attention to what might be around her.