Miri and Rolen take a closer look at the bodies, with Robert following. Thinking back to what Erevan said about an owlbear, Miri begins to wonder if perhaps it was some sort of animal attack that slew the gnolls and kobolds. Rolen points out that the wounds appear more like weapon injuries - they are fairly clean cuts and don't look like claw or tooth marks. The kobolds display mostly deep gashes and cuts which would match the axes of the gnolls - and likewise, the gnolls appear to have multiple stabbing wounds which likely would have come from the kobold's daggers.
Rolen spots that the kobolds are again all wearing necklaces adorned with claws or fangs carved out of chalk or pale sandstone.
The one body that is neither gnoll or kobold turns out to be a female half-elf, clad in leather armour, and laying face up amongst the dead. She too appears to have succumbed to the axes of the gnolls - a deep and bloody head wound was likely the killer blow. The armour appears unusually styled - it's been adorned with what looks like some sort of scale motif cut directly into the leather, and around the shoulders there are decorative folds of leather that suggest wings of some kind. THe wound to her head has broken what was originally a headband or torc of some kind, a thin metal band with a row of large blue scales at the front.
Rolen
[sblock]You immediately recognise the scales as being that from a blue dragon, an adult judging by their size.[/sblock]
Robert
[sblock]Even with a cursory glance at the half-elf's corpse, you recognise immediately the stylised draconic decorations of the Cult of the Dragon splinter group that drove you out and slew your kin; and you know that the cult has been known to make use of kobolds as slaves or disposable warriors.[/sblock]
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Erevan and Renestrae meanwhile take a look at the surrounding area along with Kerri. It's hard to tell beneath the symbols daubed over the top, but Kerri thinks she recognises some Druidic text carved into the rock where the wellspring is.
Renestrae notices signs of looting - a crude wooden chest, open and upturned behind some barrels. A few coins lie scattered on the ground beneath. However, there are weapons and food supplies still scattered about. Whoever raided the camp was only interested in coin, it seems.
Moving closer to where the cage is suspended, Erevan notices at the bottom of the mound, partially hidden in some dense bush, is the second cage - it must have broken loose and rolled down the slope at some point. It's hard to tell from here, but there is definitely someone within - and they're not moving.
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As you investigate, there's a rustling sound from the nearby trees, and three gnolls stagger out of the woods onto the trail - they look to be badly injured. One limps as he walks, another is wheezing heavily, and the third has one eye swollen shut. They are all bleeding from wounds in various places.
The one-eyed gnoll lets out a loud screeching noise as he spots the state of the camp and the group of adventurers picking through the remains. He speaks in broken common, "You... in night... you kill Hagnark's tribe! Now... Hagnark kill you!"
Roll for initiative everyone!
