With the information at hand, Kilur outlined the next move: Brytter, the Colonel, Thomas and Jess will ahead and look for the prison.
He, Mardrey, and Mumbles will hide the bodies and wolf corpses in the snow and all traces that a battle took place. Then, they'll load the prisoner back onto the wagon and head back to Brookhaven.
The scout team
---------------
Brytter, the Colonel, Thomas, and Jess headed deeper into the mountains. It still late,
by their estimate, and the sky became a darker shade of blue. The group trudged through the snow, packed together against the cold wind.
"Wait," the Colonel hissed. "Tracks."
He pointed to the snow. The group huddled and saw footprints snaking through the forest. A potential path.
The Colonel took point, following the tracks through the twisting maze of snow and trees. Jess felt they must not be far from her usual path up the mountain to the prison, using the mountain range in the horizon as a reference.
DM: We all know now the "monastery" is actually a former prison, and I'll refer to it as such from now on.
After about an hour, they approached a wall of thick bushes. Jess crouched and used a knife to cut through the foliage.
"Oh, boy," she whispered. "Get down and stay quiet."
The others complied, each making small peepholes through the brush.
About 100 feet beyond them was a large rock wall, towering hundreds of feet into the sky, likely the part of the larger mountain. Thick, snow-colored foliage covered the rocky base.
From the Colonel's and Jess' perspectives, they can tell the bushes weren't natural. Listening closely, through the wind, the two heard voices, metal clanging, and boots crushing snow. They could also make out an opening into the rock.
"Lookouts," Jess said. "I've never seen other people up here."
Brytter eyed her suspiciously.
"I swear," she said. "When I brought up those monks, we usually go our separate ways further down the road." She pointed to what looked like a walking path away from the entrance. "I've never seen the entrance. This has to be a 10, maybe 15-minute ride from where I usually leave them. They always gave me the same excuse, something about 'sacredness,' and no one else can follow them. This is after they paid me, and I never questioned it."
Thomas felt tense. He didn't sense any magic around the entrance but could feel
something strong below them, through the snow, dirt and rock.
"Okay, we know where this is," Jess said. "Let's head back to town."
The party agreed and disappeared into the woods, toward Brookhaven.
The cover team
---------------
As the scout team went into the brush, Mumbles, Kilur, and Mardrey got to work.
Mumbles hog tied the prisoner with thick rope, gagging the man's mouth with a dirty rag so he doesn't shout on the trip down. The half-orc lifted the man and dumped him onto the back of cart, stuffing him between supplies so he didn't move.
Kilur and Mardrey fanned out around the battlefield, burying the corpses and bodies deep under the snow. Mardrey sensed that, on this godforsaken mountain, the snow does not stop falling, so the bodies will remain under a white blanket.
Mumbles grabbed the scout team's horses and tied them securely near a tree. "For when they get back," he said.
Mardrey and Kilur mounted their horses. Mumbles got on the one with the cart. The three headed back to Brookhaven.
***
The cover team got to town first. It was just after 7 a.m.
"Three approaching," shouted a guard from the town wall.
The three moved through the open gate. A guard with a thick beard approached them, blocking their path with a raised hand.
"Woah, now," the guard said, in a thick voice. "What do we have here?" He walked around the cart, brushed snow off the prisoner and ripped the gag from the man's mouth.
"Piss off, ya cunt!" the man said.
A few more armed guards suddenly surrounded the cart, spears drawn and pointed at the prisoner. He went quiet.
"I know who you are," the guard said. "It's been a while, Logath. Someone will be happy to see you. Get him to the barracks."
The guards pulled the prisoner took away.
"Four more approaching," a lookout shouted.
Within a few minutes, the scout team arrived, with Jess in the front.
"Ah, Jess," the bearded guard said. "Looks like your friends did good up there."
"We need to talk to the quartermaster," she said. "The prison's been occupied."
The guard nodded. "Right this way," he said.
The party followed the guard through a maze of guards, weapons, horses and tents, all situated near the gate.
The guard approached a large, purple tent. Two guards stood outside.
"They're here to see Commander," the guard said.
"Yes, yes, let them in," a voice said from within.
The two guards shared and glanced and stepped aside.
The tent was much larger inside than it looked outside. Elegant rugs cover the floor. Bookcases lined the walls around a singular desk set in the middle of the tent. A bulky man say hunched over the desk.
"Sir," the guard said. "Jess and her companions are here, returned from an expedition up the mountain."
The commander looked up and stared at Jess. "Ah, so you didn't lose a group this time," he said.
Jess' face burned red. "I did not
lose anyone," she said through gritted teeth.
"Right, well, I'm glad you all made it back in one piece then," the commander snarled. "Don't want any more disappearances up there, not that you know they're been on the rise for a while."
"Sir," the guard interrupted. "Jess, here, says the..." he bent down to whisper, "...prison is active."
"What!" the commander bellowed. "What do you mean 'active.' That cavernous shit hole these cult nut jobs think is so sacred has been empty for years."
"Not so," Jess said.
"Bah!" the commander said, looking past Jess to the party. "You lot. What do you have to say about this?"
)
