Hengrast and Annelifk went up towards the Lunar mansion, and after about half an hour they tasted the water and found it was still slightly sour. Hengrast and Laika went to try to fetch the fisherfolk, and found that Ernakt had departed, but they could follow the fisher folk down to the river, where they discussed the naiad, the shrine, and the river. After some talk, Hengrast was unable to persuade anyone to return with him, but Laika took the oldest fisher aside and talked to her, and she sent back a young man, Mistyr, as a guide. However, it was too late to go back overnight, so they stayed in the bothy.
Meanwhile, Rastar was going off to the Lunar Mansion after having failed to find any useful information. He spotted a couple of heavily armed people getting off the road and into the undergrowth, far in front of him, and decided not to go on. He returned to the village, where most people were gathered in the brewer's house, drinking. Jon had been looking for rumours, and found them, including being informed Zelpha the Thrall would know what her brother did, and that up to the North-west there were bandits. Fortunately Rastar came back fine. Annelifk, who had armour and the Dark Walk spell, went scouting, and came across a group of four bandits. He tried and failed to summon an elemental, and left instead, and went back to report. The group decided to send to Chief Ernakt to tell him where the bandits were, and Sian sweet-talked and intrigued the youngest of Hohfng's sons, Silg, into volunteering.
On the way back to New Stead in the morning, Laika and Hengrast (and Mistyr the Fisher) met Silg going the other way, and saw a couple of bandits in the forest, but they did not stop, and nobody attacked them. Back at the water quern, Mastyr was able to tell the group, including Rastar, how to show respect properly. The combination of the gold panners 'helping' to empty the storeroom, and people moving slowly, meant that the samples and records would take until the end of the day to move out.
One of the thralls managed to attract Annelifk's attention, and asked him to bring someone in charge to see Zelpha. This time, Hengrast came, with Annelifk behind him. They did not get on well but Zelpha offered to contact and attempt to appease the spirit of the river if her ransom was paid. After some negotiation, her master Hohfng agreed to take 50% immediately and 50% within a week to hand over ownership of Zelpha, who was freed and performed the ritual. As she walked away to go pack, the Naiad rose up and talked, taking a shine to Jon. She touched him on the cheek leaving a Water Rune there, and later he went along to the river to worship privately.
With the river clearing, it only remained to deal with the bandits. Ernakt arrived that night, and Annelifk went out to act suspiciously as a scout and make sure that the group would be likely ambushed the next day, as Jon had suggested the use of his Pathwatch spell. The battle was not long, although it was dangerous, and the unarmoured Rastar was badly hurt.
They moved on towards the Lunar manor, which was deserted but had evidence the bandits had been living there. Carved into an expensive fresco in an office was a message to Minstar of Greyrock Rise, from his father, the Lunar Commander. Some of the group had rescued him from a troll, so they elected to tell him about the message, taking his aunt Zelpha too. He insisted that his entire Clan were his fathers, he knew them already, and he loved them, and refused to go with his aunt to the Lunar heartlands.
Later there was a moot at which rewards were given. Ernakt bought back the ransom debt from the group, who had had to scrabble together to make it. Laika was gifted a magical pig call, Rastar the sword that Ernakt himself carried, because he had gone bravely into battle despite the lack of armour, and helf off two spearmen alone until wounded. Sian was given various goodies and the right to hand a record of her deeds in Ernakt's hall. The chief fitted Annelifk out with better armour, and gave Hengrast an arm ring with a Water Rune made of aluminium on it. Jon was asked to take extra goods with him on his next travel, as a factor for Ernakt, and to collect and bring back Zelpha's ransom, all at a 10% fee.
