Ambush at Hollow Mire Road

The party surprised a bandit warband that had been preying on travelers along the damp Hollow Mire Road. The bandits had set up a crude camp in a collapsed guardhouse; scouts and thugs rushed to intercept while a single veteran tried to rally them. After the skirmish the party searched bodies, overturned crates, and rifled knocked-over backpacks. You find a mix of practical gear the gang favored for quick raids: cheap weapons and a crossbow, a couple of usable pieces of armor, tools taken from unlucky merchants, and a small nest egg of coin. One of the bandits had a common healing potion likely saved for their leader. Among the spoils are two tradeable gemstones and a medallion bearing the gang's crude mark that could fetch sympathy, proof, or a reward from local authorities. The haul is modest but will outfit a level 1 party with needed supplies and a bit of cash to repair gear or bribe a ferryman.