Speech!: Maximum Spin, Superdorf, Naturegirl1999, VoidSlayer
CHICKEN SMASH!: King Zultan(, Superdorf, Naturegirl1999, VoidSlayer)
Give the highwaymice their money: Naturegirl1999
You walk up to the highwaymice and clear your throat. A good speech will surely show them the error of their ways, and maybe a few will even join the Order.
"O wondrous, esteemed mice whose radiant vestments glimmer like the stars! I greet you today not as a foe but as a friend; not as a thief but as a messenger; not as an enemy but as an ally. We travel today, a company of Holy and Exalted Warriors, pursuant to the will of the gods, who are slow to wrath and quick to embrace, and our very meeting today is a most auspicious sign of their good will. For too long have you labored in strange conditions subject to the whim of the merchants'--
"Get to the point! Your money or your lives?"
"Thegodshaveinvesteduswithanewcovenant: Joinusandprosperinsafety! Turnfromyourcrimes! Andasfortherest,Nevermoreistobedestroyed."
"Yeah, no. You saw our expensive clothing. If we wanted safety, we wouldn't be harassing merchant caravans. Also, we outnumber you. Seize them!"
A fight breaks out, and the footchickens do a good job of repelling the wild slashes of the highwaymice and otherwise keeping them away from your escortees, who scramble under the second of the three carts as Phyllis holds the nurses close under her wing. The footchickens knock out five of the highwaymice (two of which are not in stable condition and will likely die if left untreated) before Doodle-Crow is rendered unconscious by a speeding pebble and the footchicken wall gets broken up by the highwaymice onslaught. The new recruits don't do as well, and Meow-Ma-Mew hides under the third cart before passing out from the blows of the mice. The ex-Greenscarves under Goldteef's guidance manage to knock out three highwaymice with extensive use of flanking before they get bogged down and a Rat Footpad and the Chicken Footpad are knocked out.
At this point, with half the highwaymice down, the Highwaymouse Leader calls for a dash-and-grab. The remaining highwaymice concentrate their efforts on carrying off as much as possible, and you hear a cry from the second cart. A quick head count later, you find that one of the nurses, half a cart's worth of medical supplies, four of the unconscious highwaymice, and the wooden horse helping to pull the first cart have gone missing. Your remaining captives are two highwaymice in critical condition and two unremarkable others. What should you do next?
(A) Halt the trip and chase down the thieving bandits!
(B) Continue the journey; there's no time to lose!
There's also the matter of the four unconscious highwaymice you could easily capture and your unconscious nominal leader and comrades, who will take some time to recover. Dr. Phyllis says your fallen comrades are in pretty good shape, and she can get them back up overnight absent distractions like robberies. She does say she'd prefer not to give advice on the matter of pursuing the highwaymice or continuing and hoping for another nurse to hire. Given that she does seem to care about the nurses, it's hard not to wonder what's going on in Teford that's so urgent it would require three whole and undelayed carts of medical supplies and a physician from all the way in Inksworth (as opposed to, e.g. nearby Shaybury which probably has five specialists to every medicus in Inksworth to boot). Perhaps a tactful request for details from the physician is in order?