>>5282478The advice you were given was genuine. Ascending the steep hills leading to the ruin is more a chore than taking the overgrown path, but you are not harassed by anyone during your hike. Indeed, circling around the dilapidated remnants of what must have once been an outpost the size of a small home, you spy an aperture in the collapsing wall just large enough to serve as an entry point into the structure.
Taking care to advance without making a sound, you discreetly look into the gap to gauge the opposition. The interior is cleanly, surprisingly so, with five makeshift straw beds laid out in the corner and light furnishings. There is a woman in a fine lavender dress with a shaven head and dusky skin seated on her knees, writing in a thick leather bound tome. This must be the mage, as everything about her screams 'is not a bandit.'
Scanning the rest of the area, you spot the second individual of note. An albino human equipped with battered half plate, his nappy hair overgrown and wild. Attached to his hip is a longsword that emits a menacing aura that is doubtless some degree of supernatural, though any magic properties it may possess are impossible to ascertain while it remains in its sheath. On his chest is the symbol of his god, proudly on display.
He looks over the rest - four men in chain with an array of salvaged armaments gathered around a small chest, currently counting up what you suspect must be ill-gotten gains from their latest escapades. You can spot the slight resemblance between these men and the watchmen of Everlund, though the former are visibly quite disheveled.
The time to decide how you want to initiate this has arrived.
>I have the element of surprise right now. I can slip through the gap and attack that priest without warning.>[Will] I will make an audacious entrance and frighten my enemies half to death with a menacing demonstration of my swordwork.>Here's an idea. I can attract their attention by making a noise, then I will cleave whoever steps out to investigate in twain.>[Strength] You know what? I'm just going to bring this wall down on their heads. 