With regards to the interrogation:-------------

Edryd is first to speak to the prisoner, who identified himself as 'Sander.':

>"One thing you must quickly understand, Sander. I am your only friend right now. These others would kill you in a moment for what you and your companions have done. Perhaps you care not and consider it a good cause to throw away your life on ones such as us. Did you really train all your life to throw it on the sword of a young Anhurian Knight? On the dagger of a handsome young singer who cannot yet muster a full beard?

>"You have fought in league with foul orcs," Edryd's teeth grind audibly as he spits out the word 'orcs', "And you have committed an unprovoked attack on subjects of Rinder in the Kingdom of Rinder, a crime for which the Knights of Rinder would extract your life from your body. Your actions were unjust, yet the justice of Anhur demands that you be given one opportunity to speak for your actions and one opportunity to make reparations for your wrongs. Be aware that if you do not comply with the demands of justice, then I will no longer be of help to you. I will not be able to keep you alive, and as a charge of the Knights of Rinder and a liege of Anhur have within my rights to adminster the Ritual of Final Discipline should I choose to do so.

>Have I made myself clear?" Edryd waits patiently for an answer...

Sander, who at first was staring directly at Edryd with a sly smile on his face, is beginning to lower his gaze as Edyrd finishes his speech. He is still silent when Crayne has his say:

>Crayne picks up his staff and moves over to the prisoner. As he comes close he points the staff at him with the shooting star that juts out from the end of it facing the prisoner. His hair and robes blow in the wind.

>"Now son! I suggest you listen to what Edyrd has said! He is certainly more forgiving than me! If I was you I would speak up now otherwise I may be forced to take the information from what little brain you have!" Crayne wipes some mud away from his mouth with his sleve and then sits on a boulder nearby resting his staff against another, "Now tell us more about your little group and where we are likely to find

>them!"

>Crayne sits there awaiting for the man to answer staring intently at him. He rubs his ankle too where his wound is bleeding quite badly.

"Okay." The man says, giving in. "I'd been working with them for a month or two, now. We've only worked with the Orcs twice before. And I agree! They are dispicable creatures, but as far as I'm concerned, better they die than me. Our raids usually don't come to this. We didn't expect to run into the likes of you."

Unsatisfied, Crayne shouts to Sander from the boulder, "More!"

Sander clears his throat, raising his mud-caked chin. "I am not disloyal, not to my commander, my guild, or anyone. I will not give away our location. But I'm not stupid, either. So in exchange for good treatment I'll tell you this: Mull over my leader's last words. You won't track him, especially with that mage's spell of invisibility on them. They're long gone. But he likes to play games, and I think this is his way of playing with you. If you can figure out what he's told you, you're likely to figure out where he is at."

With regards to the loot:-------------------------

With this information in hand, the group now turns to the loot collected from the battle. Edryd picks up the long swords, comparing them to his own. He sees that all are of decent make, though his own is the best of the lot, so he plants the others in the mud. He also inspects a suit of brigadine armor. While it is of decent craftsmanship, he can see that it doesn't offer quite the protection that his own chain mail offers, so he returns that, too, to the pile.

Guilliam picks up the leather, asking Edryd about it's quality. Before Edryd can answer, Sander speaks up: "Hey! That one's mine!" But Edryd and Guilliam ignore him. He finds, too, that the leather is good, but not better than his own, so he returns it to the pile.

Guilliam keeps the knife; Storm takes the dagger.

Each person takes 4gp, with the exception of Cy, who insists on 5 as part of the usual post-battle procedure. Edryd graciously parts with one of his gold pieces, saying "I intend to tithe my share as thanks, anyway. One more or less will not make a difference to me."

At Fort Dillend:---------------------------------

On the way to the fort Guilliam has some quiet words with Sander, whom he guards. Sander is not disrespectful, but does not offer any new information, believing that what he has already shared is enough to guarantee his life.

Edryd leads the group into the fort, greeting the Knight, Sir Logan:

> Edryd halts and faces the knight with a grave countenance. "Sir Knight, some of what we say is urgent, going beyond our need for rest. I regret to inform you of Captain Frond's untimely demise in a cowardly act of violence. We look to you for leadership in this matter and for restoration of order and confidence amongst those who dwell at Mitchend." Edryd awaits the captain's response with a bit of trepidation, although confident that the Knight's discipline will override his grief, at least until the crisis is past...

The Knight looks down at the mud, drawing in a deep breath. "He was my friend from so many years ago. I am pained to hear of his departing. I must go with you to see to it he has a proper burial.

"But before we go, I will see you folk into the sanctuary where you can be healed a bit and I will have a meal prepared. We will set out tomorrow morning at dawn for Mitchend, hopefully the weather will be better for traveling."

With that, Sir Logan leads the group into a small wooden building, at the far end of which lies a table with a holy symbol--which Edryd immediately recognizes as that of Anhur, the god of War--on top. "You will be attended to shortly," Logan says as he departs.

A few minutes later, a figure enters the room from the side door. The figure is hooded, so its face cannot be seen. The long brown robes hide its shape. The party sits in silence, watching it go over to the table, rinse its hands in a bowl of (holy?) water, and then turn to face the party.

Two slender hands rise from the sleeves and reach for the hood. Folding it back, a face is revealed: delicate features, dark brown eyes, and long, flowing brown hair cascading back into the hood. Guilliam draws in a breath--this is the first woman the party has seen in a while!

"I understand that you men have come from battle, fighting bravely for the Kingdom of Rinder," she says sweetly. Her voice is smooth, though not weak. "I am prepared to offer you some healing powers on behalf of the great Anhur."

"On behalf of all of us," Edryd begans, "and on behalf of myself, a loyal fighter and servant of Anhur, we thank you." Upon hearing that Edryd is a servant of Anhur, the priestess' eyebrows raise slightly.

In silence she then approaches the party, placing her hands on the shoulders of each person, one at a time. [AS PER THE "SURE SERIOUS WOUNDS" SPELL, YOU EACH MAY ROLL 2d8+1 TO DETERMINE HOW MANY HIT POINTS ARE RESTORED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I MAY UPDATE MY RECORDS!]

When the healing is done, the priestess speaks once again. "You, brave warriors of Rinder, your work is not done. Prepare yourselves for the hard times ahead." She then turns to Edryd, "Will you pray with me this evening, after dinner?"

Edryd nods in silence, staring directly at her eyes.

The party then goes into the officers' barracks where dinner is served. The meal is filling, and the mood is bright as the fire is warm and the ale is rich. Guilliam entertains the officers with a rousing tale of their battle, being sure to embellish at all the right points. Cy and Storm remain relatively quiet. Edryd and Crayne talk with the Knight, asking him about Mazen, the raiders, and what information he might be able to offer regarding their search for Canter.

"Mazen is a tough man," Logan begins, "I have not faced him myself, though I would like to. He has outwitted us on numerous occasions, and his raids are getting more serious each day. Rumors have it that he is planning an invasion of the Kingdom, which is why, I suspect, you have been sent to find him. I wish you the best of luck.

"If he has your comrade, this...Canter...then I would begin looking for him along the river. About two days' travel into Caerloon there is an old abandoned mill accompanied by an elegant stone house that used to be owned by a wealthy man and lady. They died many years back, if I recall, though this is all hear-say. From what you tell me, I would begin there. Some say the mill is haunted, others say that it is magically sealed. Rumors abound. So guard yourselves."

As the meal draws to a close, Edryd rises from the table, thanking the Knight for the hospitality, and returns to the sanctuary. Once inside, he kneels at the altar, closing his eyes in prayer to his god.

The priestess soon joins him, kneeling at his side. They pray together in silence for a while. Then she rises, placing her hands on his head. Edryd doesn't move or open his eyes as she begins to chant some strange words Edryd has heard before, but does not understand. In a few minutes she is finished. Edryd opens his eyes and looks to her questioningly.

"Edryd, you have been a faithful servant, and so I have, on behalf of Anhur, rewarded you and prepared you for the battle ahead. I have, with the permission of my superiors and Anhur, granted you the ability to cast one spell when you need to. That is, you will be able to cure light wounds one time in the future. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see you again. You may leave your tithe on the altar..." as she says this, she raises her hood and withdraws from the room.

At dawn, the party assembles in the fort. Edryd, Storm, Cy, Crayne, and Guilliam are joined by Sir Logan and two other men, one a guard (Brent), and the other a mage (Dire), who will assist in the investigation. After brief introductions, the group moves out. The day is clear and the sky overhead is a crystal blue...

1. Please be sure to roll 2d8+1 to heal your wounds and then tell me how many hp you regain.

2. Resting overnight, each person regained an additional hit point, please update your records.

3. Do you have any further questions of the Knight, Brent, or Dire? The day-long journey would be a perfect time to ask (Anthony, perhaps this would be a good time to ask those societal questions your raised in your mid-game evaluation, just an idea)

The next turn will be your return to Mitchend...