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Hello Everyone,
How do the bandits of the Greenbelt make a living? Where do they go to perform their banditry (aside from poor Oleg's)? I understand they venture North into Rostland but that's a fair way away. Is there anywhere else south or west that is an easy enough target? Surely lone bandits would suffer a terrible fate in the greenbelt dying in the jaws of some worg or somesuch. So do they perform expeditions grouping together in significant multiples? Where to though and perhaps they have boltholes or safecamps within the boundaries of Rostland?
I suppose I'm trying to get a solid idea of how the bandits work as I'm looking at starting my Kingmaker campaign slightly differently to how it is written. I'm thinking of starting the campaign from an earlier point on the timeline:
- Having the PCs assist Oleg in establishing the outpost (Oleg already deals with many of the hunters and trappers and even bandits).
- The PCs are tasked by someone who has recently purchased the charter for the Greenbelt lands.
- The Stag Lord arrives at his fort as Oleg arrives at the outpost.
- There are several bandit groups that already exist in the Greenbelt. Some will cave in to the Stag Lord while others will attempt resistance.
- The Greenbelt is more dangerous than presented in Stolen Land. Everyone locks up at dusk as the dangerous denizens of the night and dark roam the plains and hills of the open Greenbelt.
- The forest areas are continually highly dangerous (although the forest area north and east of the Thorn River) are slightly less so. The Hunters and Trappers that venture here have had an effect although most regard these lone men as crazy or strange thrill-seekers.
- Only the most capable venture alone while any banditry is definitely done in larger groups.
- Numerous ruins dot the landscape, some providing safety while others the mere illusion of it.
- As well as the Thorn River Camp, I was thinking of introducing a more neutrally based bandit town further East in one of the old forts.
And thus the question becomes, what do the bandits have to rob aside from poor Oleg's and each other?
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
Creative Director
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The bandits in the Stolen Lands either head north into Rostland of southern Brevoy, or they head south into Mivon or Pitax. The Stolen Lands themselves aren't where they do their banditry as much as they are where they hide out and live... although if a bandit group stumbles upon a trapper or explorer or adventuring party, he won't hesitate to hit them.
Before the boggards to the west got all uppity, I suspect that the bandits also frequently hit river trade along the East Sellen River.
Given the extremely limited population presented I would suspect that the bandits themselves are few in number because no one with an alternative comes here.
Only if your sole chance of survival depends on near total isolation, to the point of any vengeful types or bounty hunters requiring a week or two travelling just to start the search, would you want to join the gang. As a result most of the bandits are extremely individualistic, which could also explain their poor response time/organization to the arrival of a genuine danger.
By forming a strong(relatively speaking) base and a vague control over other scattered bands the top villain in the first book has changed the situation dramatically.
Previously the few bandits were individuals or tiny groups who spent most of their time hunting, gathering, etc. to remain alive. They'ld certainly rob anyone they thought they could but this was not their primary source of survival. The distance and effort involved in raiding the civilized lands made more than one or two raids per year practically impossible and given the limit of what the raiders could even carry away they eventually found trading pelts or other goods for what they couldn't produce themselves to be the preferred approach. Likely some of the older trappers used to be bandits.
The ones that couldn't adapt became casualties.
Now there have been changes...
Tiny as it is Oleg's post and the trade it sparked among the natives has given the bandits a new and nearby source of unprecedented wealth, by their standards, one they can plunder repeatedly.
At the same time a new leader has rallied the local bandits, less than 50 strong at most, to build a fortification of sorts, develop greater resources and extort from all the locals which can be found. This in turn means the bandits can expect a certain amount of basic foodstuffs and other resources simply by showing up on a regular schedule to extort the locals, freeing up time to plan for bigger things, such as raiding settled areas further away.
Not only would an increase in the number of raids begin, say, three per year instead of two, given a round trip of a month or more each time, but, far more noticeable, the scale and organization of the raids would change dramatically.
A bandit or three take what they can get, preferably without violence, but more than a dozen can take the time to properly plunder an entire thorp or hamlet, taking everything they can carry and even seizing any carts or wagons and draught animals for maximum benefit.
These successes in turn further enhance the influence that the bandit leader has over his crew.
If/when the players arrive by all means have pieces of several wagons and carts strewn around, plus make it clear that ox and horse have been prominent parts of the bandit diet. Also that most of the (stolen) goods are not valuable so much as simply useful.
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Fantastic stuff James and Gibberer!
I purchased the River Kingdoms supplement (and how good is that!) and have found further information.
- To the south in Mivon there are Elves bordering the Stolen Lands (the bandits might over-extend into attacking small Elvish groups for special goods). This could cause some interesting tension as the PCs carve out the Greenbelt.
- As well there is a fair amount of river traffic heading out of Mivon which while guarded well by the League of Merchants, is a juicy enough target for a concerted raid.
- To the west (and south) is premium wine country which would seem to be a staple for the stag lord - even though such high profile targets would be difficult and well protected.
- To the north, Oleg's is actually pretty close to being directly in between New Stetven and Restov. Even though it is frontier, it would seem that most of Rostland would be a pretty easy target for bandits.
Hmmm... looking at changing even more things around to spice up the 1st module...
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise