As the Party rides along the next day, they are amazed by 4 large bird shadows that pass over them. Clearly those raptor-like shapes are two to three times the size of a normal eagle.
Farther along the road, the Party discovers a body. There is a knife in his back, although there is too little blood pooled for the injury to have happened where he was found. On him is another of the small red ribbons, although he does appear to have been robbed. Further examination shows that the dead man has a shoulder tattoo in the design of a large winged lizard.
Eventually the Party reaches another town. In the teahouse, Fiamma chats with the tavern keep and learns that a messenger came through for the soldiers. His message was about bandits. He then went further south. Fiamma feels confident that it was "her" messenger. The tavern keep seems about to say more, but there are 6 soldiers present. He clams up. The device the soldiers wear is: gules a bend argent.
Outside, Shadya talks shop with more of the red-garbed soldiers. Fiamma sings and Shadya passes herself and Orlando off as bodyguards for the eccentric bard. The Party notes that all the soldiers are shorter and paler than the locals; definitely imports, one would think. The soldiers tell Shadya that her route should take her to the caravan city of Aramakan, in the mountains, and that there are no bandits south of that. As the Party leaves, she wishes the soldiers in Ashar's care and hears the new-to-her response, "May Arash cover your footsteps."
Just outside of town they meet a troop of 10 of the "snake" soldiers apparently licking their wounds from a recent battle with bandits. The Party learns that they are in the employ of Lord Rothford. He and this land are under the jurisdiction of the Emperor of Tandruf. It is clear that the soldiers discount the possibility of the locals being guerrilla bandits because "they are obviously not soldiers." The bandits are obviously good enough soldiers to route a troop of professionals.
[I have a notation about Anlan, a peninsula with a possibly Pictish population; no context however.]
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