Can we get a post of what Lord Morgan's deputy has to say? We can't really come up with a plan without knowing what he wants us to do.
Your former compatriot, Ironhand Goodwin, meets you outside of the Bear Skull Inn. Since he has adventured with you before, he is not amazed at the fact that you have captured your foes. He is amazed that you have brought them for justice and that there are so many of them. You relate your exploits to Ironhand, informing him of the location of the moored hobgoblin boats. Several fishermen are dispatched to obtain the boats.
Ironhand had brought with him several men-at-arms from Lord Morgan's manor in Grange, but not enough to handle such an entourage. Since the Company is honor-bound to return the injured and weakened Jordan to his home of Seaton, the Company volunteers to travel with Ironhand's band and escort the hobgoblins to Grange.
Addy and Jordan are loaded into the cart while the hobgoblins are made to walk. After Ironhand takes care of the tab at the Bear Skull Inn, the entourage heads south. Nightly archery practice by Alouicious, Otto, and Raven is more than enough to quiet the hobgoblins and make them rue the day they took up raiding civilized lands.
After several days of travel southwards, the entourage arrives at Lord Morgan's manor. Lord Morgan takes control of the prisoners, though Dell puts in a good word for his compatriot Addy. The Company provides the documents that they acquired from Tenma's room, as well as the information that Addy told to them. They also identify the hobgoblin leader for Lord Morgan.
Begging Lord Morgan's pardon, the Company takes their leave of him and head to Seaton, where Jordan is returned to his temple. In response to Raven's question, Death of Ross Day is Growfest 4, in the middle of the Spring Festival, two months hence.
Returning to Lord Morgan's manor the following day, the Company is paid by his steward, Anson, 1,000 GP for the freeing of the elven children and the destruction of the slavery ring. Anson mentions that Lord Morgan had so very hoped that his sister would be freed by the Company, but that Lord Morgan was pleased by the Company's efforts nonetheless. Anson then pays a bounty of 500 GP for the prisoners who were provided to Lord Morgan. He recommends that the Company stay for another day, as the hobgoblins have yielded much information in exchange for their lives, and that Lord Morgan may speak with them tomorrow.
Indeed, Lord Morgan meets with the Company again on the following day. He informs the Company that much quality information was obtained from the hobgoblins, information that keeps his hopes alive for his sister's survival.
He has confirmed that the slavemaster Tenma received captives from Morganville twice, both times brought to him by gnolls. The second batch of captives, who were sent out by barge at the same time that Tenma received his letters, likely held his sister Melba. The young girl described in the letter as having been assaulted and killed by "Executioner" is likely to have been Elohwin's assistant at his duties as farrier.
The confluence of the hidden sea cave, the sea-worthy barge, and the prevalence of Pomarj bargeld lead Lord Morgan to suspect that the captives were shipped to the Pomarj and that payment came from there. Whether this was their final destination is unknown. Lord Morgan will request assistance from the Mayor of Seaton and the Lord Governor of Gradsul to determine what ships might have been in the area on the days marked in the ledger book as shipments from the tower.
The Pomarj is a wild and rough land, and Lord Morgan has no ready assets to investigate the possible destinations of the captives. Anson suggests that the Company of the Blue Sun could be such assets.
Lord Morgan puts forth a proposition to the Company. Lord Morgan will outfit a small group of his men and send them by boat to the city of Blue, which still nominally maintains the rule of law. This group, led by Ironhand Goodwin, will establish a secure base of operation in Blue and, using the insider knowledge that Addy is willing to provide, attempt to discern either the location of the captives or where they were sent to. The Company would arrive after a short delay, since the Company is likely to gather greater notice than some non-descript guardsmen, and attempt to free or follow the captives.
Lord Morgan stresses that the release of Melba from captivity is a key goal, and that the rewards for doing so would be greater than the rewards for failing. When gently prodded about exactly how large the reward would be, Lord Morgan vaguely mentions that it would be in the thousands of gold eagles. After a brief discussion between Lord Morgan and Anson, an upfront offer of 500 GP for outfitting costs is also offered. Of course, any items recovered would become the property of those who found them.
The Company takes their leave of Lord Morgan to consider. A quick perusal of maps on hand show that either a land or a sea route could be taken to the Pomarj. The lack of a time requirement might allow Winthrop to train, but funds are currently tight. Alouicious points out that the Pomarj is mainly lawless and so essential provisions, like binding treatments, should be purchased ahead of time.
