The Captain's Final Toll

The forest settles into a tense silence as the Bandit Captain collapses into the brush, his followers already defeated. The party discovers that these highwaymen had recently intercepted a local merchant's courier, as evidenced by several high-quality items stashed within the captain's heavy cloak and his underlings' packs. The equipment is blood-stained but clearly of professional make, and a few valuable keepsakes indicate this group had been successful for quite some time before their final stand.