"I'm from the southern steppe," Tihana says. "People like me and Vanya over there have been fighting running battles against the Black Wolves for months. Long before you northerners even began dusting your armor and polishing your swords, we were attacking their supply routes and ambushing their scouting parties, all in an effort to keep the Black Wolves from taking the south.
"In the end, it amounted to nothing," she continues. "The Black Wolves dogged our moves, killed us off one by one, and eventually cornered us. They took Callas and me prisoner, and killed the others who were with us. A little while later, Vanya over there joined us. That must have been five days ago."
"Where is Callas now?" you ask.
"Dugu killed him the night before last," she says, gesturing to the bandits' leader, who stands in the middle of the camp, in conversation with his subordinates. "Just because he could, I think. His vileness is only matched by his loyalty to Zhan-Ukhel."