The party was hired to assist the guards in rooting out corruption within the guards. There was a group of bandits that was successfully evading the guards, which lead them to believe that they are receiving information from someone within the guards.
The party is approached by Sophia Cross, Webber Cross's mother. She explains to them that there is a group of bandits that is better equipped and better organized than the regular types of bandits that are encountered along the golden road. They have avoided all attempts to stop them, including changing the times of patrols and sting operations. The party was hired to investigate, which they did. They created a small caravan and used themselves as bait. When the party was attacked they were able to kill or subdue the bandits, bringing some of them back for questioning from the guards. They also found 5 out of a set of 6 Stones of Communication. They then used those to track down the final member of the gang. They party then found the last Stone of Communication.