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It was still about three weeks to the council of the lords.
Alayn summoned Radagast and Gaius Julius to a meeting with him. He made it clear that he suspected Radagast was behind the disappearing items from Eomric's tower. Although Gaius let slip something about returning them to their rightful owner. Nevertheless, Alayn offered a mission to another city as a way to leave the city behind and get away from Wolfrig's watchful eye. Alayn said he'd assigned the guards who knew about Radagast's presence by the tower to remote patrolling duty, but that Wolfrig had probably heard anyway. Radagast and Gaius accepted the mission, which was to deliver a scrollcase to the city of Hightower.
They set good pace with their horses, expecting some 4-5 days of travel. On their last evening, as they were still some hours away from Hightower, they were ambushed by four orcs. The orcs were dangeorous opponents, but the friends defeated them eventually. Gaius' bow had been nearly sundered, and they were both badly beaten, but they collected the javelins, morning stars, shields, teeth and few piecs of gold and silver.
The companions rode into the city and went directly to the temple to get healed. Radagast donated the gold and silver they had looted from the orcs. They got directions to an inn called the Blind Owlbear.
As they rode towards the inn, they noticed there was a fight going on behind a window. Suddenly one of the men fell through the second story window and laid motionless on the ground. The other man almost climbed out of the window, but noticing Radagast and Gaius decided to flee instead. Radagast wounded him with an arrow, and went in pursuit. The man proved to be too fast, however, jumping from roof to roof as Radagast tried to climb a drain pipe in futile.
Once he got back, he noticed that Gaius had stabilized the man on the street. Soon the town guard came and took over the situation. They did not Radagast's and Gaius' word, but the captain of the guard poured a healing potion down the unconscious man's throat. The man who introduced himself as Kjadbrek confirmed Radagast's story, and said his attacked was Girland who he had hired to do a mission for him. Apparently the mission had gone bad, and Girland's friends were dead. That had ticked Girland off to seek justice by getting rough with Kjadbrek.
Kjadbrek had extra rooms for the companions so they decided to stay there for the night. They learned that Kjadbrek was the city's treasurer, and that he had hired Girland to shadow a Capernium man named Quintus Tantenius who claimed to be a merchant interested in buying a talisman that was kept safe in the city treasury. The object was a brass disc with the image of a six armed demon engraved on it. It had been pried from the hands of a dead wizard who had had a demon companion looking like the picture. The wizrds name was Yrsiltrald, and he had been dead for some 200 years. The disc was obviously magical, and probably evil. Kjadbrek also showed a letter that was written by the man who killed the wizard and banished the demon. Kjadberk also told of the icident with Quintus. Quintus seemed to be a wizard himself, but had still failed to get the disc. Girland was hired to track him down, but he and his friends had disappeared in Tarwood, though which Radagast and Gaius had ridden earlier and been ambushed by the orcs.
Radagast mentioned about their message to the ruler of Hightower, and Kajdbrek was able to get them through the formalities quickly. They receiced 10 gold each for their services. Freed from their obligations, they decided they'd investigate Tarwood. Before that they tried to locate Girland, to no avail. They did learn that Girland had mentioned something about a girl kidnapped by a wizard in the Tarwood. There was a 50 gold reward for capture of Girland, dead or alive.
They also sold the orc gear, and even managed to sell one drake teeth. They learned Wolfrig was in need of that for some special arrow. Radagast nor Gaius couldn't figure out what kind of magical arrow would need a drake tooth tip. They weapon shop held some magical items: a sword, a dagger and a shield. They were the first magical items on sale Radagast had ever seen, but well beyond his purchase power. Before leaving Radagast managed to buy two healing potions from the temple.
While on their way to the small village called Shopik on the edge of Tarwood Radagast was thinking about the sorcerer Kjadbrek said had lived earlier in Hightower. His name was Fjeodoric, and he had been raised by the church as he was an orphan. Last he heard Fjeodoric was seen with orcs, south west of Cador. It could have been the wizard traveling with an orc companion Radagast had heard earlier.
As they neared Shopik, Gaius spotted a trap on the road. Although Gaius wanted to spring the trap and ride along, Radagast wanted to investigate. He reasoned someone was watching the trap and would come to investigate if it set off. If they did not set it off then innocent people might get hurt. Radagast cast some protective spells on himself as he and Gaius entered the forest on the right side of the road, leaving the horses behind. Gaius sent his familiar owl ahead to scout. It was soon hit by arrows, and Gaius had to call it back.
Radagast and Gaius closed in on the lone orc sniper. He was shooting from a platform in a tree, and he blew a message horn before Radagast was able to climb there and kill him. Radagast got a usable longbow from the orc, and six poisoned arrows. They did not seem to be too deadly, since the owl had taken two hits and both Radagast and Gaius one hit. But he decided to deal them back to the other orcs anyway, pointed end first.