PlanetADnD.com

Wallace butted in. "Yeah, we kept her alive long enough to get here to rescue you." He smiles at the knight. "Why did they attack you?"

"Your mother and father are fine, from what I have seen," Simone assures the two siblings.

Satisfied with the search Davne moves to join the other's conversation, "Davne, by the way" she says introducing herself. "Your father is mustering forces back at home, so he should be plenty safe. Should we make camp or move on?"

Wallace wrote:"Why did they attack you?"

"They are darkspawn," Bridget replies. "It is their nature." She looks around. "We have bodies to bury. These men and women died bravely. There are more back at the wagon, where we were first ambushed."

Davne wrote:"Your father is mustering forces back at home, so he should be plenty safe."

"Oh?" Blaker asks. He looks to Alenka. "Then was your journey here safe?" he asks stiltedly.

Alenka looks him right in the eye. "No. We encountered much resistance. It's too dangerous to return. There are darkspawn and blighted creatures everywhere. We only just made it here in one piece."

"I see," Blaker says, stroking his beard. "We lost too many men to continue then. I think," he says, looking to the two youths, "we should return to Denerim, at least until the good arl has things under control. The children will be safer there."

"That might be best," Alenka agrees. "These three can accompany you to keep the children safe. I'll return to inform the arl."

"Will you be safe traveling alone?" Simone asks Alenka.

"Of course, I'll be fine," Alenka assures her.

"Well then, why don't we bury these men like Ser Bridget suggested and then head back to Denerim as soon as its daybreak," Blaker recommends.

"It sounds good to me," Simone says. She looks to the others to see if they agree or not.

Davne was a little hesitant with the idea if Alenka travelling alone, but she had proven herself competent in battle so she agrees with the plan.

With that decided, the party makes camp for the night. The next morning they bury the dead and repair the wagon. Alenka returns to Stenhold, while the party accompanies Blaker, Bridget and the children back to Denerim.

Alenka's scheme works like a charm. She tells the arl that she and Blaker were ambushed by brigands who kidnapped the children. She claims to have instructions on how to pay the brigands' ransom and get the children back. Arl Neruda pays the ransom at his wife's insistence. Thus the party receives 500 sovereigns instead of a mere 50 silvers each.

The children are returned and the party goes their separate ways. But one wonders how long it will be before Arl Neruda figures out he was deceived and tries to retaliate. The party knows, however, that his daughter, Hana, is secretly a mage and could use that information against him if he ever comes for them. For the time being, though, the party has walked away from this whole thing quite wealthy.