-----Sol comes over and both men apply their strength to the door. The wood seems especially firm but as Raven leans in, the door finally gives way.
-----Within the barn it seems dark with the absence of windows, so Sol and Raven unbolt the double doors and throw them open wide. In the overcast gray light of the day, they can see the interior of the barn has horse stalls along the south wall although there is nothing living here now.
-----In the middle of the barn, four wagons are lined up in two rows of two. The wagons are open and are large enough to be pulled by two horses. The beds of the four wagons are filled with large sacks. About a score of more sacks are lined up along the north wall.
-----At the opposite end of the barn is an opening that seems to permit access to the other building.
-----Sol begins to walk once around the room, checking for anything not immediately apparent, before heading over to the opening to the adjacent building.
-----Raven follows suit and searches the area. Raven also checks for tracks to see which areas of the barn shows more traffic.
-----As the two heroes continues to search, they see that there is a rigging overhead probably used to lift heavy loads into the wagons. Even though the horse stalls are vacant, the dried manure within looks to be about a month old at least.
-----As they approach the opening at the back on their left, they see that it is a corridor about ten feet wide that provides access between the barn and the low longhouse. To one side of the corridor is a large two wheeled cart that could be pulled by a single humanoid. At the opposite end of the corridor, which is only about twenty feet long, a large opening allows entrance into the second structure.
-----Raven and Sol carefully enter the longhouse and, detecting nothing menacing move about, open some of the shuttered windows. There at one end of the building, they see a wooden device about the size of a large round table which would appear to be a large sifting mechanism. A few buckets and pails are seen close to it on the floor. The rest of this place features tables; some which are cleared and some feature instruments such as balance scales. A few empty sacks are seen on the floor.
-----Only a mite disappointed at the lack of activity, Sol wanders back to the sacks in the first building and looks in a few random ones.
-----Raven looks around at the floor of the barn and grunts, "Nothing here but a mess of orc tracks." Raven then continues to look around the place for hidden trap doors in the floor.
-----Sol checks a few of the sacks standing along one of the walls of the barn. The first one he checks opens easily as he untied the rope on top. Within, the grayish light from the outside sparkles on golden nuggets of various sizes; some as large as a man’s palm and some so small as to be dust. Each sack seems to be heavy in weight as it is filled with the gold. Each sack that Sol checks within the wagons is also filled with golden nuggets.
-----After checking the area Raven says, "Nothing here." Raven walks to where Sol is and says, "Find anything?"
-----"Gold. More gold than ye and I are likely t'ever see again." Sol stands from his inspection of the sacks and puffs out a breath, obviously uncomfortable in the heat. Jerking a thumb in the direction of town, he concludes, "We should get a group from Ku, an' a couple o' horses t'claim this properly fer all o' them. Take it back an' put it under guard. Ye want t'stay here an' mind th' store, keeping any prying eyes away, or come with?"
-----Raven decides to stay and watch after the gold. Together he and Sol shut the doors on the barn and then the hunter sinks down to find a good vantage point to keep watch on the place and the countryside. He waves as Sol rides off toward the village.
-----As Sol rides toward the village proper, he reasons that he will pass Strolum’s watch on this side of the settlement. Two other places where he might find those who could help claim and protect the gold would be in the Inn or some of the people in the square where the assembled people are being questioned.
-----Not wanting to draw men away from the more important task of keeping watch for Kulendra, Sol heads into the village proper, hoping to see some of the faces he'd spent the night on watch with, or maybe some that he might recognize from the night of the emancipation.
-----As Sol enters the village close to the square, he hears many friendly calls and cheers. There are, indeed, some liberated warriors milling about or carrying out various errands and tasks. Many of them look at the Gorian, pausing to wave and greet him.
-----“How goes the watch?” one young stout man asks who Sol recognizes as one was who among the watch at the southern bridge. At least ten other warrior wearing different degrees of armaments gather toward Thunder.
-----Sol raises his hand in greeting to the stout fellow, before answering the question to all of those who gathered around him, "Well enough fer now. It seems quiet enough... However, I need a group o' ye t'come wi' me. It's an easy job we've got, but it needs t'be done. I'll tell ye more about it once we're on our way."