"Alcohol, food and water, tents, and fruit." The leader of the highwaymen listed off the group's requests. "Ok then. For that, you'll be needing the general merchant, the moonshiner, and the grocer. Head on over to the side of the camp that faces the King's Road. You'll find the vending stalls there. The vendors will join you there shortly."

Once the party reaches the vending stalls, it doesn't take long for the first of the vendors to arrive. "So, the boss tells me you want some drinks for the road?" The moonshiner - a dark skinned male dwarf with short black hair, a short black beard, and an eyepatch - asks. "Well despite our best efforts, we still have plenty to go round! We have all the stuff that you were askin' after. Only question now is if ye want the common stuff at two silvers per pitcher or the fine stuff for ten gold a bottle?"

As everyone chimed in what they were wanting in means of beverages, the cleric started to make a mental list. He listened to the moonshiner as they spouted off what they had.

"Right, need five bottles, three whiskey and I think two of rum. Not sure what the difference of light and dark is, but need one of each. Might as well add a barrel of the beer. Should be plenty that way."

Jørmund turned to the rest of the group. "Just thought about this, we might want to get a pack mule to carry some of the gear we need more readily available. Also is anyone else wanting more booze other than the barrel if beer an' the five bottles?"

Rala wasn't surprised the brewer was a dwarf. The highwaymen were a merry bunch, and the ale and grog she had here was strong and tasted as good as grog and ale can. Only a dwarf could keep the party in good supply. She smiled brightly when her stony friend listed off their alcoholic grocery list and nodded in compliance when he decided that was plenty. Then further wisdom came from the stalward companion when he suggested getting a pack mule.

"If they have them around. I certainly don't want to carry a barrel with me" She replied as she fished through one her coin purses.
"how much do we owe you, sir?" She asked the dwarf.

"Well the five bottles'll be costin' ye fifty gold in total." The moonshiner said. "As for the barrel o' beer. That depends on what kind o' beer you want. A barrel o' common beer costs two gold and a barrel o' fine beer costs a hundred gold."

"Might as well get the fine beer. No sense toating around the common stuff. Make the effort worth the reward." Aura chimmed into the conversation. It's not like they would be hurt for money if they splurged a little. After all they had just been paid. "Ill go see if I can get us a cart and a beast of burden from somewhere, while you all work out the booze prices." She didn't really give anyone much of a chance to respond, simply turned on her heel and headed back to the leader to try ask about the extra supplies they needed. Looking around to see if she could find something herself on the way so she didn't have to bother anyone else.

Cascade could only shrug after Aura made her comments, and she told the party, "I'll help chip in for whatever you decide,"

After that, she seemed to be lost in thought. She does wander a little aways and looks around while staying close to the party. If she finds something that she could use as decoration for her next crafting project, she would most likely buy that.

"If ye be wantin' the fine beer, the total comes up to one hundred fifty gold." The moonshiner said to the remaining party members as Aura and Cascade wandered off. "Or the common beer would bring the total to fifty two gold."

---

Some time after going off in search of the highwaymen's leader, the feeling of being watched formed in the back of Aura's mind as she walked through a quieter area of the campsite. No one nearby seemed to be watching her when she looked around though. Other than that, the search was uneventful and Aura found the leader soon after without any further incident.

---

Cascade wouldn't have to look far to find things she could use to decorate her work. As she moved by the general goods stall, the glint of sunlight reflecting off of something shiny drew Cascade's gaze to a collection of small glass pots. Within each of these pots is a glistening powder that sparkles quite nicely in the sun. "What ho, paladin!" A new voice called out a friendly greeting. "I cannot say it surprises me to see you already eyeing up the powdered silver." The new arrival was a towering giff male, who strode over to the general goods stall and stood behind it. "Lucas Willingdon, general merchant." The giff introduces himself with as charming a smile as a hippo man could manage. "And before you ask, the powdered silver costs twenty five gold pieces per pot."

Jørmund nodded to Aura in acknowledgment to buy the fine beer. He dug out the gold he had earned earlier from helping the camp. "Right make it a barrel of the fine and a barrel of the common stuff. I don't suppose there is a discount for buying so much alcohol is there? I wouldn't think you would often have a group buying two whole casks of beer and fine liquor." The cleric asked while not really expecting to get a discount on the expense. While he didn't have Aura's silver tongue for talking people into better deals it didn't hurt to try.

Like she would anytime she was swimming, she made her way to the stand when something shiny caught her attention. She found that the objects reflecting the sunlight were clear pots full of powdered silver. That would be perfect for the gift she was thinking of making for Aura!

Before she could say anything else, a voice caught her attention and she looked up to see that the merchant is a towering...hippo man! That's amazing! She's never seen anyone like him before.

She greets the merchant in turn cheerfully, "Howzit! It's nice to meet you, Lucas! I'm Cascade,"

She didn't really ask how he knew she was a paladin. She guessed it was the Holy Symbol of Deep Sashelas, along with her armor and trident that gave it away. Plus he probably saw her help fight off the invasion last night.

Upon hearing how much the pots of powdered silver costed, she pulled out 50 gold and placed it on the counter, "I'll take two pots of the powdered silver, please,"

Aura shivered as she looked around and failed to find where the source of the feeling was comming from. Paranoia once again creeped into her mind, any number of people at this point could be watching her. What is the invading forces hadn't all left? What if someone from her home town had spotted her? What if the Hag they dealt with was spying on her somehow? She quickly shook the thoughts from her head as she spoted the Highway Men's leader.

"Excuse me, sorry you bother you again but our group realized we may be in need of a wagon and a beast of burden or two to pull it. Would we perhaps be able to procure one and if so where?" Aura asked as she approached, hoping this would be a quick conversation and she could get out of this camp as soon as possible.

@Lurking Krog @Birdboy @XxFellsingxX
"Hmm..." The moonshiner hummed as he considered the request. "...Well you did lend a helpin' hand with that attack." He said after a moment. "Alright. How does a hundred gold fer yer entire shoppin' list sound?"

---

@Guardian Angel Haruki
"Two pots of the powdered silver." Lucas confirmed as he took the gold and produced the silver. "Thank you for your purchase, madam. Was there anything else you wished to buy?"

---

@LostDestiny
"Of course." The leader of the highwaymen said. "A wagon and two draft horses would cost you a hundred and thirty five gold and let you lug around four thousand eight hundred pounds of people and prizes. That sound agreeable to you?"

---

@Cao the Exiled
Darkness, silence, and cold. That was all that Plasm knew once the blinding light and the searing heat subsided along with the din of battle. Plasm could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing, smell nothing, taste nothing. How long Plasm had been in that nothingness for, there was no way of telling. Moments? Months? A year? A lifetime? It was impossible to tell. But it didn't last forever. A tiny light appeared in the darkness, and with it a mote of warmth. Drawing closer to the source of these new stimuli, Plasm would find a hole in the darkness no larger than an inch in diameter. Through which glimpses of the outside world could be caught. A way out! With but a moment of work, Plasm was free of the darkness and back in the highwayman campsite.

"Sister!" A voice called out in joyous bliss. If Plasm cared to look, the source of the voice would be found to be a disheveled male svirfneblin with a pickaxe in his hands, a crazed look in his eyes, and no clothes on his body. A pair of highwaymen were grappling the deep gnome, pulling him away from Plasm's proximity. "Juiblex sees you! Juiblex knows you!" The gnomish nudist exclaimed. "JuIbLeX lOvEs YoU!" With those final words, the svirfneblin turned into a misty cloud. The pickaxe he held clattered to the ground as the mist rose into the air, climbing higher and higher until it was eventually too far up to be seen.

"By the gods..." One of the highwaymen said as he watched the gaseous form float away.

"Are you ok?" The other highwayman asked Plasm. "When he took that pickaxe to your face, we thought he was trying to kill you." He gestured towards the bedroll Plasm had been lying down on. A heat hardened husk of Plasm's form during the fight lay there still, its face bearing the hole through which Plasm escaped the darkness.

---

Plasm stood silently, so transfixed on the rising mist that floated away that the highwayman's words fell on deaf audible glans. Her mind reeled on what had just transpired here. Who was this svirfneblin and what was his purpose here? What was the name he mentioned? Juiblex? The various patterns in Plasm's currently nude yet featureless body swam around as Plasm dug through her Cerebral Library, searching through any mention of the name Juiblex. Sister? What did the curious creature mean by calling her thus? Plasm was birthed from some cosmic entity, raised by a lonely scholar. Not from a creature of the deep earth. Both the name, and the features and words of the strange creature had been locked away. She does notice now, a strange, curious oddity, a sensation as alien as she. Another note to be pondered about. With a slight twitch, Plasm's head swiveled to look down at the hard husk, curious. From her time in exile, not much is remembered as to what had happened. A fight, heat, imprisonment, a hole was broken in place where the husk's face should have been, had the odd deep creature freed her from her imprisonment. Then, anxiety and fear boiled up in her. Searching through herself, Plasm would search to see if her mother's skull was still in her cranial cavity, and whether is was damaged by the pickax.

With a smile on his face, the cleric counted out the one hundred gold pieces for the total sum of the alcohol. "A hundred gold it is. Thank you and may Tharmekhûl give you good steel." Jørmund said as he set the coin down on the counter and started to collect the recently procured booze. He looked around for Aura hoping she had acquired a cart to carry all this and the group. There was also the matter of grabbing at least one tent for himself. His earlier statement of getting caught sleeping in poor weather was true. Rain was one thing to travel in some, waking up in the pre-dawn hours already soaked from a sudden downpour was another. There were a few times he would have rather it had been snow as he could at least been somewhat sheltered from the wind.

"Well I suppose we wait here for Aura to return so we can get these barrels loaded up on the cart. After that I think we should be good, aside from finding a tent." Jørmund says passively to Rala and Flicker.

Cascade took the powdered silver and carefully stowed them away. After Lucas asked his question, she thought about it, and remembered what the others wanted to buy.

She asked, "Oh! Now that you mention it...do you happen to have any tents in stock we could buy? Everyone was considering getting some tents before we head out. Oh! And do you have any sort of adhesive that could help keep powdered silver onto an object?"

Her tone was both curious and excited, especially when she asked about the adhesive.

Aura nodded. "I think that is enough for the intended purpose. Can we also purchase some feed for the horses. Ya know, beast gotta eat too." Aura dug around in her pouch and pulled out the required gold plus a little extra for the feed just in case. "Do I pay you or?" She wasn't entirly sure seeing as this didn't seem the place to purchase such things, but then again it was likely she was buying directly from the Highway men's supplies. It could go either way really. "I have kegs of booze that need to be picked up so if everything could be ready as soon as possible. I am ready to get the heck out of here. No offence intended of course just don't like staying in one place for too long." She still couldn't shake the uneasiness the feeling of being watched got her.

Rala was shocked by the price of their liquor, but then again they had asked for the good stuff. She felt a tinge of pain at the price. She had just gotten this plentiful coin and she was not eager to part with it. Luckily for her, her cleric seemed to be more than happy to pay. He had suggested the idea, and so despite feeling somewhat wrong for it, she kept quiet as he handed his coin away. The amount of booze that was placed by them was truly extravagant. A tavern might sell this much alcohol in a week. It would...should last them a while, though Rala had other plans.

"Well while we wait, what do you say we test the moonshiner's wares?" Rala suggested as she motioned with her head to the barrels.
"I could use a good drink after the battle we went through"

@Cao the Exiled
Plasm's search of her Cerebral Library only reveals the most commonly known details regarding Juiblex. That being that Juiblex is the Demon Lord of slime and ooze, a noxious creature that cares little for the plots and schemes that the more powerful types of demon are usually so fond of. It exists only to consume, digesting and transforming living matter into more of itself.

As for the skull, Plasm can find no damage when she checks in on it. However, she does notice something off about it... and herself... and everything else that is currently in contact with her body too. It seems that everything Plasm touches takes on a measure of her amorphous nature. Plasm gets the feeling that she will no longer need to be wearing and carrying nothing to make use of her knack for squeezing through small spaces. Though the things Plasm touches gain only a measure of her amorphous nature, not all of it. Plasm feels that she would do well not to spend too much time in tight spaces if she decides to take all her things with her, lest she suffer painful consequences.

Plasm then finds herself pulled from her thoughts by one of the highwaymen waving a hand in front of her eyes. "Hello?" The highwayman in question says. "Anyone in there?"

---

@LostDestiny
"I think that is enough for the intended purpose. Can we also purchase some feed for the horses. Ya know, beast gotta eat too."

"We do have feed for sale, but I'll give you a week's supply for free as a token of appreciation for your party's assistance in fending off the attack." The leader of the highwaymen says to Aura.

"Do I pay you or?"

"Yeah you can give me the coin for the wagon and horses." The simic hybrid answers Aura's question. "I'll get it where it needs to go."

"I have kegs of booze that need to be picked up so if everything could be ready as soon as possible. I am ready to get the heck out of here. No offence intended of course just don't like staying in one place for too long."

"No offense taken." The leader reassures Aura as gold changes hands. "I've dealt with enough adventurers to know that itchy foot of yours isn't meant as an insult... Bull!" At the leader's call, Bull - who was assisting in clean up efforts nearby - perks up and looks towards its source, smiling in recognition as he sees Aura too. "Find a spare wagon and a pair of drafts."

"Right right." Bull confirms before moving off to do that.

"We'll have your ride ready for you as quickly as we can." The leader tells Aura.

---

@Guardian Angel Haruki
"Tents and adhesive." Lucas summarises while tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I should have both of those. Let me see here..." The giff falls quiet for a moment as he begins to rummage around the stall in search of something. "...Ah! There you are." Lucas rises with a bundle of collapsed tents in his arms, more than enough for each party member to have their own tent. "Each tent I have here costs two gold and is big enough for two people." He says to Cascade as he sets the bundle down on the counter. "And as for adhesive..." Lucas vanishes into his stockpile once more. When he emerges, he does so carrying a seven ounce jar. "I have here a jar of something called Princeling Glue." Lucas says as he sets it down next to the bundle of tents. "It is the result of trying to make Sovereign Glue through mundane means. While not as strong as its legendary magical counterpart, it is still fairly formidable. And much more affordable too, one jar only costs five gold."

---

@Lurking Krog @Birdboy @XxFellsingxX
The moonshiner laughs good-naturedly at Rala's comment. "I'll drink to that!" He exclaims. "Or I would if I wasn't currently severely hungover from all the drinkin' I did last night."

It was then that the sound of heavy footfalls and the clunk of heavy armor becomes audible. Those who look to the source of the sound would see the warforged who was leading the defenders last night approaching the stalls. An iron chest inscribed with various arcane markings sits in the construct's arms. The warforged marches over to the grocer's stall, stands behind it, places the chest down on the counter, and waits silently for a customer to approach.

---

It had seemed that, once again, Plasm had internally retreated during a less than desirable moment... like in the middle of conversation. Blasted, she was doing it again. Plasm observes her hands then the highway-men, "I apologize, it seems I was deep in thought. Hm, yes, I think I'm fine, though quite nude to your standards... Might I ask where my gear is, then my companions. I have some things to discuss... " Plasm would look around for her belongings, "A question does accrue to me actually. Who was that strange deep creature? Is he a member of your band of Highway men?"

Jørmund pulled one of the bottles he had purchased for himself from his bag. He pulled the cork out and took a swig of the whiskey before passing it to Rala. It was much better fair than the cleric was accustomed to. "Here, I do agree we might as well pass the time while we wait." He turned to the moonshiner. "Good stuff, almost reminds me of the honey wine from home. Smokey, faint sweet notes from the grain being roasted."

The clanking of armor drew Jørmund's attention. After a moment he recognized the warforged that had led the defense last night. The metal chest they carried was something of interest. "I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to go see what is in that chest..." Jørmund told Rala as he started towards the stall where the warforged was. "Greetings, what wares did you bring? Not often someone brings goods in a runed iron chest."

Cascade grinned and she answered Lucas, "Oh! Those would be perfect! Two gold per tent, right? I'll take three!" She fished out six gold and placed it on the the counter for payment. She figured three tents would be perfect for their traveling group. If anything happened to someone over night, the person who's sharing the tent with them would know and alert the rest of the party. Better safe than sorry!

Then he brought out the Princeling Glue! She grinned and she placed down the five gold, "I'll take the Princeling Glue too! Thank you!" After that, she commented, "I think that's everything! Mahalo Nui Loa, Lucas!"