Try sneaking into the building where the ape went by finding an other entrance. If there's none, wait to see if the ape comes out and follow him again.
You search around the building, but there don't appear to be any other entrances. As it starts getting dark, the ape continues not to come out. Perhaps this was just a noninteractive cutscene after all. Would you like to continue investigating this issue?
A. The purse itself may be innocuous, but it's important that we know what's on our carts, and a mound of highwaymouse clothing could only come from highwaymice. What if the surviving highwaymice stalked us and are ON THE CART RIGHT NOW, PLANNING TO STEAL OUR NURSES AND STEEDS?
A Those damned highway mice doing things!
A
D
C STOP THE CARTS AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING PIOUS KNIGHTLY SNEAKING. AND IF YOU GET CAUGHT KNIGHTS WILL BE ANGRY SO DON'T GET CAUGHT BUT DON'T EXPLAIN YOURSELF FURTHER.
It matters: +3
It doesn't: +2
Stop the carts: +4
Keep going: +1
You think it matters a bit that a new mound of money turned up, but more importantly, you think it's time to stop the carts! The carts come to a screeching halt, and you begin your inspection of Cart 3 by looking for evidence of recent highwaymouse activity. The pile of highwaymouse clothes is a dead giveaway that highwaymice were recently involved, no? Add to that that four members of the Order are riding highwaymice, and it's a virtual certainty that they were involved in conjuring the unexpected mound of stuff and attempting to steal everyone's steeds. You move some of the clothes around and find more purses and pouches there. It is becoming very clear that the highwaymice were withholding some of their stolen possessions from the righteous reckoning of the Order. As Treasurer, you find the implications of this attempt at tax evasion frightening for the Order's future. You wonder how you'll reprimand them properly...
C STOP THE CARTS AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING PIOUS KNIGHTLY SNEAKING. AND IF YOU GET CAUGHT KNIGHTS WILL BE ANGRY SO DON'T GET CAUGHT BUT DON'T EXPLAIN YOURSELF FURTHER.
Despite getting dirty looks from other travelers and caravans for whom you're blocking the road, you begin delivering a lengthy, indignant lecture on the virtues of pious knightly sneaking. You blast the insufficiently stealthy suspects for getting caught, which makes knights angry, and you demand to see more competence in the future. After seeing the contrite anguish on their faces, you think you've adequately conveyed the idea and give the order to start the carts again.
The road takes you along Ziri's Teeth, a short but obstructive mountain range. Travelers coming from the eastern holdings say that the narrow Arahar pass, a boon to those looking to travel between Heawold and Asheath in a timely manner, is currently blocked by boulders. You are rather relieved you didn't take the Port Baywick job even if you probably would have been able to negotiate an extra fee for the trouble if/when it came up.
At last, after a few more boring days on the road, you see the tall spires of the Shaybury citadel! Built atop a hill in ages past in a city already built on rolling terrain, it towers over the land like a solitary tree in a meadow or a chicken knight in a sea of recruits. After paying for a room at a ratty inn owned by some relative or other of Rat Footpad Horatio, you find yourself with nothing much to do for the rest of the day. It is now early afternoon. What would you like to do first?
(A) Sign up for the autumn tournament at Castle Shaybury (~1wk left)
(B) Look for an affordable cleric to dispel the voices (~3d left)
(C) Look for a Greenscarves lodge
(D) Shop for something despite your somewhat limited money
(E) Gather some more volunteers to recruit despite the Order's limited cash
(F) Sell some items
(G) Ransom some captives
(H) Rest
(I) Something else
You notice a note in your money pouch. It reads "wo-nt hapen agen bos."