Ambush in the Barracks Hall

The party swept through the barracks and command room after a sharp firefight with five rank-and-file soldat fantassin, their officer, and a battle mage. Bodies clustered near overturned tables, discarded bolt-cases, and the mage's scrawled runes splashed across a ruined lectern. From the soldiers you gather standard-issue weapons, battered armor, and a modest purse of regimental coin. The officer's cloak and signet ring mark where the command stood and hint at a paymaster's presence. The battle mage's station yields reagents, a few preserved spell pages, and a single intact spell scroll of fireball—clearly the munitions used to try to turn the skirmish. Medics' bundles produce one larger healing vial and two standard ones still sealed. Among the spoils are a merchant-grade sapphire and a curious runed shard of battleglass whose faint hum suggests a shard of battlefield arcana. The party can distribute the weapons and armor, sell the gems, and decide whether to research the shard and the mage's notes or hand officer tokens to local authorities to curry favor.