"Thieves?" Jess, the serving girl asks. "What do you need a thief for? I'm no thief, but I have been known to pick a lock or a pocket, every now and then." Then she leans over and adds with a wink, "But don't tell Wilf, the barkeep, or I might get into trouble."
Gervase smiles at Jess. "We're not looking for criminals, but someone skilled at opening a locked door or checking for a tripwire, dart-trap or pit, and breaking the traps mechanism. We are investigating the Caves of Chaos close to the Keep and would offer a full cut in the profits to anyone who could offer these skills. Would you be interested? Its more dangerous but also profitable than waiting tables..."
"Sounds exciting!", she exclaims with a big smile. "It's been ages since I've even been outside of the keep. I'll let Wilf know that I'm taking some time off, get my things, and meet you at the gatehouse. That is, if you'll have me."
"Great!" Gervase beams at Jess. "Make your preparations and meet us at the gatehouse as soon as possible. A friend is waiting for us."
With Oberon's agreement, we'll pay up, gather our things and go to the gatehouse to wait. Gervase proposes we wait an hour maximum, then set off to where we left Rathal.
"I hope he's Ok. He seemed a skilled woodsman, but there's always the possibility of bad luck. We cannot leave him alone too long!"
Edited: Adelardus on 2nd Aug, 2015 - 12:13pm
Jess meets you a short time later at the gatehouse. She's dressed in leather armor and is carrying a short sword and short bow.
Once again, your journey is rather uneventful and you get back to the tree that you left Rethal in. You find him there, a little more camouflaged than when you left, but still in tact.
Rethal reports that in the three hours that he was there, not only did he see the troll get water at the stream, but kobolds came out of the cave that you first investigated, and it appears that goblins live in the cave on the south side of the ravine, closest to you.
"You remember Jess from the One-Eyed Cat," Inkfinger says quietly to the ranger. "Oberon bought the equipment we agreed. Now what? You've been watching the caves, Rethal - you choose which one we should enter and how. My only request is that we don't try to tackle the troll!"
Gervase tries to make a light joke of this, but you can see that he honestly scared.
"We don't know what relationship these creatures have but until proven otherwise we should assume they have at least learned to tolerate one an other. However we plan our approach we need to make sure the first cave we enter is not in direct line of sight of the others we have seen active. They may have agreements to warn each other."