[We should probably wait for Diogenes before moving too far ahead at this point.]

"Is everybody accounted for?" I ask, holding out my hands for Pepper to remove the manacles. "Is anybody in need of medical assistance?"

While Pepper works to remove the manacles, I whisper to her, "When your superior officer calls for surrender, do it!  You risked too much! Bravery and initiative is commendable, but lone wolf antics could get us all killed!"

[Gah, wrong name!]

"Sir," I acknowledge.

Still fiddling with the lock, "So. Those were our "contacts"?"

"I know not where our contact has gone," I continue to whisper. "Unharmed by these brigands, I hope. Likely they put some distance between themselves and this place when they saw the location was compromised. We may meet them on the trail."

"Hmm."

"Brigands.  These were professionals."

"Zealous professionals."

"I'd really like to catch up and mention our recent meeting but I'm also pretty banged up. I need a sleep or some food, or both, before I fly off the handle."

I look suggestively at Astra and lick my lips.

"Agreed.  We can retire to the barn.  It will provide shelter and privacy."  I glance at the gawking commoners.

"I am fit enough to round up our mounts and supplies ... if they were left for us."

"Great," I say before limping into the cool, dark depths and sinking gratefully onto the hay. I lie back and clasp my hands over my abdomen. And relax.

"'Scuse me," I say loudly, holding up my still-manacled hands and jingling them pointedly.

"Huh.  Very small."

I take Val's manacles in hand.

"There's a trick to these things.  Hold on."

[Thievery 12+8 = 20]

It seems Pepper does not know said trick.  Val remains shackled.

"'Scuse me," I say loudly, holding up my still-manacled hands and jingling them pointedly.

The chattier drover, somewhat reassured by Val's check, elbows her compatriot, who heads off to their hastily abandoned wagon to retrieve tools. 

"If nobody's dying, I have deliveries," the courier says, glancing around, torn between being helpful, professional duties, and not getting caught up in whatever weirdness is happening here.  "Good luck?" he says, the latter two motivations winning.  He swings up onto his horse to leave.

"Great," I say before limping into the cool, dark depths and sinking gratefully onto the hay. I lie back and clasp my hands over my abdomen. And relax.

[Basking in the warmth of the huge fire blazing a few yards away, haha.]

[As long as it is currently dark and not on fire. What time is it?]

It seems Pepper does not know said trick.  Val remains shackled.

[I was about to ask if having the tools now gives me advantage on the roll for thievery, but that's 5e.  Brain, brain, what is brain.  How do the tools figure into freeing Val and Oleg?  +X to strength to break the manacles or +X to Thievery to pick open the manacles?]

[As long as it is currently dark and not on fire. What time is it?]

[We've got to be heading into evening now, don't you guys think?  Should be temporarily safe for Val to travel shortly.]

It seems Pepper does not know said trick.  Val remains shackled.

[I was about to ask if having the tools now gives me advantage on the roll for thievery, but that's 5e.  Brain, brain, what is brain.  How do the tools figure into freeing Val and Oleg?  +X to strength to break the manacles or +X to Thievery to pick open the manacles?]

Thieves' Tools
Category: Gear
Price: 20 gp
Weight: 1 lb
Description: To use the Thievery skill properly, you need the right picks and pries, skeleton keys, clamps, and so on. Thieves' tools grant a +2 bonus to Thievery checks to open a lock or to disable a trap.

[I don't see them in Pepper's inventory, though.

I'm fine with you guys just sweet-talking the drovers into cracking off the manacles, if your characters aren't up to extricating themselves.  The manacles aren't magic or anything and drovers are burly tough people, right?]

"I do hope that I am not interrupting anything," an amused voice breaks in, as another person joins the group gathering outside the burning inn.  A tall human on a horse, with streaks of grey at his temples showing beneath his black helm set with dull green gems, he is dressed in thick, luxurious furs with impeccably shining boots, and bears no obvious weapons.  "I gather that the inn is closed at present?  Courier, you may wait for my leave," he states, holding up a gloved hand to halt the man without looking at him.

Faint, vaguely menacing shadows swirl around the man as he rides up, blurring the edges of his figure and only fading away ten or fifteen seconds after he halts.  Olegov and Mari can feel the sensation of evil gently wafting off him as he draws near.


[Intimidate to get the courier to wait before departing: 10+13+2=25

Also, he's actually, like, moderately evil but "...of low to mid level evil gently wafting..." sounds stupid, so.]

Hells.  Now what.

[Intimidate to get the courier to wait before departing: 10+13+2=25

The courier pauses, obviously not thrilled about it.

Evil, yes. Yes he is. Though not... too evil. I ponder to myself, sizing up the newcomer.

But what are his--economic leanings? Doesn't appear to be a communal sort of person. Or the gifting economy type so that is in his favor. He could be an anti-Dragonmarked distributist, too--may as well be anarchists--bah! Or is he a Dragonmarked centrist? Likely. Yes. I would think so. Still, hard to tell based on dress and demeanor alone.

"Hail, sir. Kol Korran's blessing be upon you," I say, cheerfully.

"May your dealings be ever prosperous, and the paths before you paved in gold," the man replies in perfect Dwarven as he swings down from his horse, tethering it to the fence blocking off access to the lightning rail.  He tucks what you originally took to be a riding crop under his arm as he dismounts, showing it to be a thicker, more sturdy rod of black metal chased with designs in gold and silver.  He then leans against a post and pulls what looks to be a letter and a thin stick of charcoal from a beltpouch, resting the paper against a bracer on his left arm and carefully starting to write near the bottom of the page.

Astra, apparently done waiting, grunts out something that might be a greeting at the man before slowly hobbling her way over to her clawfoot and digging in the saddlebags for a needle to try picking the lock on her manacles  Then again when she fails.  And again.

[Thievery: 11, 11, 3, 12, 11, 5, 7, 13... + 5 = Astra's gonna be at this awhile!]

With a snort, the chatty drover returns with a crowbar and a lever, and tells Astra cheerfully, "Hold out your arms.  I'll try not to crack any bones."

"Thanks," Astra says with a glare at the needle, which she tosses back in her little sewing kit before kneeling down and bracing the manacles on a rock for the drover.

[Give me an endurance check.  You can have a +2 for the rock, lol.]

[Astra Endurance, which I am really gonna miss: 10+10+2=22]

With a resounding metallic crack, the manacles snap loose and Astra is freed unscathed.  The drover goes around offering her assistance to Oleg and Val as well.  [Endurance check as well, if you'd like her help!]

"Finally," Astra grouses, then leads her clawfoot off in the direction of the tiny stable, carefully skirting the burning building.  "Yell for me if the forest catches, yeah?" she calls back over her shoulder.