May 26th 1066.
"You are from Glaz'rada? What happened to you?" Hunnicot asks the bugbear who rasps in broken common.
a reminder of previous mentions of the lepers.
There is a little discussion as you make comfortable a small ledge to sleep on. A leper comes to tend your wounds, cleansing it with water and taking the bloody garb aside to be laundered. Another leper brings bracken and ferns to cover as a mattress. You can be a little dubious of the lepers, not just from the disease they carry but none make any violence towards either of you.
Meanwhile Clive leaves the cave with a plan in mind. Risky but it may succeed. He hopes to mark your trail further downstream so the chasing Bugbears follow then use his class 'pass without trace' to double back. Hopefully the distraction works and leads Katka and the Red Fang warriors away.
cue random roll ...
A couple hours later, Clive, stumbles into the cave convinced the Bugbears are not following. Finally the trio sleep. Trying to keep one on guard or one eye open does not work. You all sleep well into the afternoon and awake covered in blankets that the lepers unknowingly covered you with.
While Clive takes time to meditate, you can engage the lepers and find that the cave houses more than two dozen lepers, mostly adults. They subsist on scavenging from the forest and nearby streams.
talk with the lepers, ask any questions, share any experiences, suggest any solutions to their problems.