This is a new thread for the Reanimated Gestalt Kingmaker game.
Be it known to those who receive this letter, that the Throne of Brevoy requires the assistance of your House. You will provide one or more persons of unusual skill and potency. These individuals will be dispatched with all haste to The Stolen Lands, to reclaim and re-open these lands for habitation and civilization.So witnessed on this 24th day of Calistril, under watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.
Your respective houses have chosen you to be their representatives. You have been instructed to proceed to the estate of Oliver Ebonlocke, Swordlord and Magistrate.
Showing up, you present your letter to the guards at the estate gate, and are then allowed in, and shown to the main house. It is an older house, having been owned by several generations of Ebonlocke.
Upon entry, you are led by the household servants, men and women in fine uniforms of black and gold, to a central dining room. Two tables extend the length of the room, each with two dozen chairs on each side. A smaller table extends on the north side of the room, at a right angle to the two parallel tables. At that table sits Oliver Ebonlocke, nursing a goblet of red wine so dark it might almost be black.
"Greetings, I fully expect the room to fill up over the next hour. Have a seat. I am Lord Oliver Ebonlocke, welcome to my home. Food will be served in one hour. You may request wine, ale, water, tea or milk from the staff."
Alluria walks in wearing her finest traveling outfit in the colors of the forest with a dark green shirt, brown pants and black knee high boots. She bows to the swordlord and presents herself to him.
"Swordlord Ebonlocke, my name is Alluria Shadowtouched. I have been hired by the Lebeda house as a guide for this expedition, I have spend most of my life guiding travelers on the Rostland Plains, first with my parents and since then taken over most of the business as they gotten older and slower.
In addition to being an excellent guide I am also known to be able to slip around most bandits, barbarians, and strange wildlife one could expect to meet around the border into the Stolen Lands." She finishes her introduction with another bow and takes the seat Ebonlocke directs her too.
Khal arrives in plain robes, their only decoration the mixture of black fabric and white. Around his neck is a small mask on a chain, the symbol of Nethys. His other gear is stowed inside his backpack which he carefully hands to a servant before entering the dining room.
"Khal Ridder, of House Medvyed. I study the tides of magic and all the wonder they bring; both the Arcane and the Divine." he announces and bows stiffly. It felt odd to be inside such a place once more, especially one that wasn't the hall of Stoneclimb keep.
With the introduction taken care of Khal requests some wine - it would be a shame to waste the opportunity - and sits down to enjoy the calm for a little while.
Corwin enters the central dining room attired in a traveler's outfit dyed in the colors of House Lebeda. Corwin cuts a very handsome figure despite the meager travelling clothes, his golden hair almost making a halo when it catches the light. At the staff's direction Corwin faces Oliver Ebonlocke, bows, and introduces himself in Common.
"My lord, I am Corwin Morningsword of House Lebeda. I am a Paladin of Abadar in good standing, and a healer. I'm practiced in diplomacy and other conversational skills. Furthermore I'm something of a budding linguist, proficient in Celestial, Draconic, Elven, and Sylvan. I fully intend to continue learning new languages."
Corwin nods a hello to Alluria and then turns to the staff and says, "Water, please."
Riku enters. She looks around. Fancy place. Very fancy. Not something she was use to. She had her best on. Not that it was much. She at least tried. When she enters and sees the.... the... noble? She was hesitant. How do you approach a human noble. No idea how their customs are. Uhm. Bow. Yes. She has seen people do that.
Her silvery feathered chest, and tips of her winged arms was boldened out from her otherwise black feathered body. Her sharp beak and small eyes in contrast too. Basic adventuring outfit. Best she could afford. Not to mention the fact that anything else would be just an inconvenience
She gives him a bow
"Riku Silverwing. At your service. Pioneer. Explorer. Archer. Uhm... i think i did that correctly..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Alluria eyes the others as the announces themselves judging thier worth, she pays special interrest in Corwin as he is whom she is hired to work with through this ordeal. "So this is Corwin, he is not what I expected, but then again I was just told to lead him through the borderlands. They could have shared he was a paladin of Abadar, I'll have to make some changes and act a little different around him."
"Oh right something to drink, I'd like a sweet white wine if you would be so kind."
During the hour, a large number of people arrive, of note are...
A dozen men and women of various races in well maintained, but servicable, armor. The leader is announced as Emilia Montinegro, Leader of the Iron Wraiths. Her second in command is introduced as Alexi Montinegro.
Another is a human male, introduced as Maeger Varn. When he's directed to a seat, he looks at Alluria and Riku, who are near where he was directed, and shakes his head, commenting that he will not break bread with a 'damn drow and a fracking bird'. Ebonlocke takes it in stride, and seats him at the other table instead.
The last dozen who come in also come in as a group, led by Colonel Grey Surtova. His second in command is Lady Milissina Morningdawn.
Once everyone is seated, the servants begin bringing out food, roasted fowl, grilled fish, roasted beef sides, ribs, corn, bread, peas, beans, pasta, and various other dishes. Cheese and fruit is also provided, for those who don't eat meat (this appears to include Lady Morningdawn).
The vast majority of the people present are human (about 75%).
When the meal is complete, Ebonlocke stands up. "If you are here, you have been selected to begin an initiative into the Stolen Lands. Captain Montinegro, you and your brother's company have been selected to represent our interests in the Glenebon Uplands. You will deal with the Tiger Lord Barbarians, and establish diplomatic contact with Pitax for us. We will attach a diplomatic team to your group. You are in charge in the field, and they will be in charge during diplomatic negotiations."
The woman stands and nods, taking a scroll from a servant who gives it to her, a charter no doubt. She speaks loudly enough to be heard by all, her voice is deep and steady. "Of course, My Lord. The Iron Wraiths are honored to be chosen for this. We will clear the Uplands of the Barbarian bandits."
Turning to the second table, Oliver addresses the man who refused to sit near non-humans. "Maeger Varn, you have been selected to lead a group of hired mercenaries to the Nomen Heights. Deal with the centaurs that live there, and open the area for peaceful trade."
The man stands up, and grins. "Yes, My Lord. I swear, it will be peaceful as the grave when I'm done with it."
"Colonel Grey, you are tasked with securing the Sellen River and the Hooktongue Slough. In addition to your immediate revenue, you will have an additional 100 troops and two dozen diplomats at your disposal." Again a charter is handed out to the Colonel.
The man stands and bows stiffly. "My honor is my duty."
Finally, Ebonlocke looks to the small group of four at the end of the first table. "Ridder, Morningsword, you are to take the hirelings seated with you, and explore the Greenbelt. We have some trade already, and you will start by basing yourselves out of Oleg's Tradepost. If possible, you will scout out likely places for a new city and colony. Additional resources will be supplied based on your progress. You are to recruit additional forces as needed to bring the Greenbelt under sway. Because the Greenbelt is the more peaceful of the four areas, we have elected to send a small group to build up our presence from the inside, rather than foment more hostility by sending in what might appear to be an invasion force. Be warned, there are several bandit groups that operate in the Greenbelt." A servant leaves a charter sitting between Ridder and Morningsword.
Riku either does not understand his sentiment or does not care. She happily enjoys the food. Meat. Grain based. All good to her. She's been traveling so long. Living of rations, this was a welcome feast.
She looks up, a bit startled when they were adressed, lost in thought. She nods, and gives their benefactor a smile. Well. As much as her race could manage a smile. Yes. Bandits were a problem in that area. But she tended to avoid them when she could.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Sir Morningsword, I would like to have a look at the charter, so I can plan our best rute around most of the bandit camps in the area. I think it best we get to the outpost quick so they real exploration can begin."
One can learn as much from your enemies as your friends, perhaps even more. Khal echoes his mentors words to himself as Varn rejected his table company. But he doesn't really sound like someone interested in learning.
So this Maeger Varn to the east, Grey as well as the Iron Wraiths to our west. Hmm; our flanks should be heavily guarded then - or they'll serve to funnel all undesirables to us. We shall see. Speculating about their future as the charters were handed out Khal barely noticed his own group until talk of routes and such surfaced. With a blink he slipped back to the world of the waking and looked down and around.
"Yes, I suppose the guide should plot our path..."
"Thank you, Alluria. Your skill and guidance in traversing the Greenbelt is much appreciated." With Khal Ridder's agreement, Corwin passes any available maps over to Alluria.
Meanwhile Corwin reviews all texts provided in the charter, looking for any conditions, rights, and privileges outlined within.
Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vested within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, has granted the right of exploration and travel within the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles east and west and sixty miles south of Oleg’s Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behavior to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on this 24th day of Calistril, under watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.
Corwin shares the text of the charter with the other members of his group.
Corwin then stands, faces Oliver Ebonlocke and says, "Success through Grace, my lord. We will endeavor to show the Swordlords of Restov the rightness in charging us with this task."
With the introduction and ceremonies completed Khal sighs in delight. He wasn't much for parties in general, especially not when he itched to get moving. But the actual moving would probably have to wait; they had *some* planning to do after all!
"May I suggest we retire somewhere a bit more quiet? It would be good to know ones companions a bit better - and perhaps discuss our approach to this wonderful expedition of ours." he suggests.
"I agree. 5min of planning saves 30min of work" she nods and tries to show a friendly face
-Posted with Wayfinder
The after dinner talk devolves into planning sessions, and each group is given a room with a large map of the Stolen Lands, a sand table, and a few books on the area for research. Each group is also informed there is a barracks set aside for them on the estate. They are welcome to stay as long as they need to to plan.
The Greenbelt Expedition is given the following :
4 Draft Horses (for drawing the wagon)
4 Mules (Fully equipped with pack saddles)
1 Heavy Wagon
200 standard arrows
2 large tents
200 ration bars (meaning 200 MRE packets)
2 barrels of fresh water (50 gallons each)
10 coils of hemp rope (50ft each)
2 10x10ft tarps
3 compasses
1 Camp Table
1 Camp Stove
1 Camp Kit
500 gold pieces (for hirelings, etc)
"I think the route to Oleg's we take, with all the stuff we have taken into account should avoid traveling along the rivers as bandits often prey on those sailing them. I'd say we should take the open plains making camps on hilltops so the guards can have a better view of the surroundings. The Forests can be hard to travel through with a large wagon, but we can be forced to travers them when we get to areas, which are praygrounds for mounted barbarians." She says drawing her finger across the map to indicate the route she wants to take to get to the outpost.
"Once we are there we can probably get a fresher map from Oleg and start plotting our intial exploration, and possible sites to make a new settlement or colony." Alluria finishes and looking towards each of the others, inviting them to make suggestions or raise questions.
"Hmmm. Never thought about it that way. Im usually alone. So i take this route" she points out a completely different path
"But that is no use to a large group. Not to mention a wagon with a load. It will never make it" she chuckles a bit
"Good thing they hired you to help out..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Alluria studies the route Riku points out and responds "That route can be a decent one, I've used it myself to guide minor parties into cities around the River Kingdoms. But as you say yourself it would only be beneficial for a small group of around ten people without a wagon with them."
She looks to the others and add "Morningsword, Ridder, what kind of hirelings do you have in mind to get for the intial travel? I suggest a dozen guards and two drivers for the wagon, some to deal with setting up camp and packing it together again. A cook can be a decent choice, depending on the size of the party. But I can also handle the cooking to some degree, though I mostly perfer to bake bread and stuff or scavenge edibles."
Khal follows the path traced on the map, nodding as their guide explains the choices. "This seems reasonable." he concludes. "Should be see to it to recruit extra hands in the morning? More eyes watching improves our chances to make the trip safely. But finding people willing to move down there might take some time; the untamed frontier is not for everyone."
Corwin shrugs, "We definitely won't catch any fish if we don't even cast a net. I say give me a day, maybe two, to make announcements in a nearby town square as well as in some pubs and inns. If we acquire our guards and laborers before setting out then all the better."
"Ok I'll leave the hiring to you. And while you look around I'll look through the equipment provided and make a list of everything we have and what could be useful to bring from the city for the trip.
"I will accompany you on this task" she chimes in
-Posted with Wayfinder
"The city Restov is but an hour away. You can shop there, Alluria, and I can attempt to hire guards, laborers, and drivers. Once you're comfortable with our current equipment, say the word and we'll head to Restov."
Corwin spends a couple of days recruiting in Restov, and manages to hire the following :
Guards :
Dace: Male Elf Cavalier, N. Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 15. Dace has an angular face, with messy red hair and blue eyes. He wears splint mail and wields a heavy pick. Dace avoids eye contact.
Ridrga Geiridotr: Female Dwarf Fighter, N. Str 15, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 11. Ridrga has uneven blonde hair and bright green eyes. She wears splint mail and wields a heavy pick and longbow.
Udbjorgg: Female Dwarf Cavalier, CE. Str 12, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 6, Cha 10. Udbjorgg has a square face, with matted copper hair and hazel eyes. She wears banded mail and wields a rapier and heavy wooden shield. Udbjorgg blames trolls for every misfortune.
Ellyn Foxe: Female Halfling Cavalier, LN. Str 16, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14. Ellyn is short and willowy, with gray hair and sharp gray eyes. She wears full plate armor and wields a battleaxe and handaxe. Ellyn avoids eye contact.
Boutib: Male Gnome Cavalier, NE. Str 14, Dex 8, Con 9, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10. Boutib is tall, with matted golden hair and narrow blue eyes. He wears banded mail and wields a warhammer and heavy wooden shield. Boutib speaks with a shrill voice.
Laborers
Guilador: Male Elf Adept (hedge wizard), N. Str 12, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 11. Guilador has a long face, with messy white hair and large gray eyes. He wears modest garments and numerous rings. Guilador is haunted by the memories of a past life.
Dica: Female Elf Aristocrat, LE. Str 12, Dex 11, Con 8, Int 11, Wis 7, Cha 11. Dica has messy white hair and dark blue eyes. She wears fine raiment and a dragonscale cloak. Dica has an animal companion, a white rabbit named Trota.
Terey Eddyns: Male Human Aristocrat, CN. Str 6, Dex 7, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 12. Terey is fair in appearance, with tangled gray hair and gray eyes. He wears fine raiment and a dragonscale cloak. Terey seeks revenge against the sister who betrayed him.
Epoch: Female Elf Commoner (peasant), N. Str 12, Dex 8, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 12. Epoch has a square face, with straight silver hair and soft brown eyes. She wears modest garments and riding boots. Epoch is impartial and lively.
Dicco: Male Elf Expert (master craftsman), LN. Str 11, Dex 9, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 5. Dicco is tall, with cropped black hair and light green eyes. He wears expensive clothing and carries a fine stiletto. Dicco avoids eye contact.
Drivers
Prosta: Female Half-orc Commoner (merchant), CN. Str 14, Dex 5, Con 5, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 8. Prosta has silver hair and gray eyes, and small ears. She wears plain clothing and several pouches hang from her belt. Prosta speaks with a stutter.
Theodo: Male Half-orc Commoner (peasant), N. Str 7, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 6. Theodo is rough in appearance, with brown hair and amber eyes. He wears simple clothing and an iron amulet. Theodo is a pack-rat, and carries a satchel of random junk.
The day after, before they head to Restov Alluria has spend some of the early hours going through the equipment. "Corwin, I like to add a few additions to our current gear. We have tents for about eight people of human size to sleep in at a time, I think we need one or two more to accomodate a party of decent size and to have a backup tent in case of very bad weather.
Also having a small supply of bedrolls, blankets, and waterskins would be recommended, as those items often gets ruined easily and we may have to send people to a river or stream to gather water if we start to run low. Besides these minor things, I'm pleased with what they have supplied us." She waits for a reply, this is her recommendations but he is the noble so he has to say she can go and accuire it.
Corwin nods. "Proceed, Alluria. Your assessment is sound. Let me know if you encounter any issues acquiring the equipment."
Khal takes the opportunity in Restov to top off his scribing supplies, just in case they need something written later. And it was comforting to spend one last day in civilization proper before heading out in the rough. [i]But all gems start out as uncut rocks.[/ooc] he reminded himself. It was a thought he had to repeat once he met the hirelings acquired. Most of them even seemed to avoid eye contact! On the very least, the guards seemed properly armed and armoured. That was good. He paced back and forth a few times to inspect them a bit more, but realized that it was hard to gauge anything when he barely had an idea what he was looking for. Eventually he gave up and introduced himself instead.
"I am Khal Ridder, disciple of Nethys. I will be the arcanist on this expidition; if you have any concerns regarding the works of magic you are more then welcome to seek me out." He stopped to see if they had any questions then continued on to see if he could get the others thoughts on the hirelings.
Dace: The elf gives a gruff nod, and not much else other than a quiet "Dace." muttered just above a whisper.
Ridrga Geiridotr: "Figure we'll do good on right, Guv'ner. I'm Ridgrga, Ridrga Geiridotr."
Udbjorgg: "Magic attracts Trolls! You should avoid using it, Trolls are nasty brutes, and they like to eat the likes of us." She pauses. "Oh, I'm Udbjorgg..."
Ellyn Foxe: Ellyn looks at her horse, then at Khal's feet. "Foxe."
Boutib: "I'm Boutib, Sir Ridder! Nice to meet you!" The gnome says in a voice that would peel paint off a stone.
Guilador: "Guilador, Sir."
Dica: "I am Dica, formerly of the House Surtova. This is Trota, my companion." She pulls a small white bunny out of her cleavage, no bigger than a large man's fist. The red eyes stare at Khal and the nose moves. Then the bunny vanishes again, back into her cleavage. "I expect you to understand you're paying for my skills, not my body."
Terey Eddyns: "Terey Eddyns, House Lebeda, Sir. Thank you for the opportunity to travel to the greenbelt. I have... business... with someone there." He has a grim visage.
Epoch: "Oh, Hi hon. Glad to be part of the expedition, should be fun. I'm Epoch, I hope we'll have an epic time!" She laughs at her own joke.
Dicco: "Yeah, whatever... Dicco."
Drivers
Prosta: "Tha.. Tha.. Thank Y.. Y.. You S.. Sir for the j..j..j..position. I..I..I'm P..Prr..Prosta."
Theodo: "Theodo! Can't wait to see what treasures I find!" He pats the three sacks hanging off his frame, they make odd noises.
Alluria returns with one of the pack mule they got loaded a little bit more then it should, but it was just a short track from the store to the location where the expedition was getting ready. "Khal, I think I got all that we lacked so we are ready once Morningsword is."
She has brought two large tents. Bedrolls, blankets, and waterskins fifteen of each.
"I'm ready if there is no more equipment needed." Corwin speaks to the drivers to ensure that they're familiar and comfortable with the heavy wagon and draft horses.
"I have all the equipment i need. The extra covers anything i missed" she speaks up as she double checks all her belongings
-Posted with Wayfinder
The cavaliers do indeed have their own horses, or pony in the Dwarf and Halfling's case. The rest do not, and they take turns riding on the wagon with the drivers as the group heads south from Restov.
Five days later, the group arrives at the Trading Post their map pointed to. The trip was unenventful, mostly just rolling through grassland along an old track that's barely maintained enough to know it's there.
When they arrive at the trading post, they find an old fort that has been repaired and rebuilt and repurposed.
Inside the trading post, the group is greeted by a hearty looking blonde woman in her early to mid 30's. "Oh! Welcome to Oleg's Trading Post. I'm Svetlana, Svetlana Leveton, but you can call me Lana. That's my husband, Oleg." She points to a nearby roof on a small building that's entirely within the stockade.
On the roof is an older man, who looks in his early 50's. "Bah, I'm working now woman. I'll be down later." He calls back, sounding annoyed.
The woman smiles. "Don't mind him! He's just grouchy due to the bandits. Thank heavens you're finally here! We were afraid you wouldn't arrive in time to deal with them!"
Alluria looks to Corwin as the enter the trading post. "Here you go Corwin, safe and sound to the trading post, now the real work can begin."
Alluria greets the woman "Hi Svetlana I'm Alluria the guide of this little party, have the bandits been a nuisance often here? We should be able to deal with a group of bandits quickly." she says looking to the others.
"Oh yes, as a group, much simpler, than a lone traveller" she caws
"Hopefully we have time to rest? Long trip, much slower than i am use to"
Corwin nods. "Indeed. We will gladly strive against banditry and other unlawful behavior encountered. Do you know where the bandits are holed up? Or is there a direction from which they consistently strike? Furthermore, have you been able to count their numbers?"
There's some annoyed muttering from the roof, but nothing clearly spoken aloud.
The woman nods. "Oh yes, they show up on the first of every month and take everything we have traded for over the last month. If the swordlords weren't backing us, we'd be starving to death now. As it is, we haven't been able to really get the trade post going since they started coming by 3 months ago." She looks thoughtful for a moment, and then begins to count off on her fingers. "Well, the first time they came by, 3 months ago, there were a dozen of them. Most of them were unremarkable, shaggy bearded men, unkempt women, dirty, needing better clothes. The leader was a cloaked man armed with a bow and better clothes than the rest, and a woman in in red leather armor who carried two hatchets. The woman was in charge that trip, and she was quite... pointed.. about what they'd do to me back at their camp if Dear Oleg didn't stop resisting and give them what they want." She glances up at the man, a look of pain and sorrow on her face.
"She made her point by attacking poor Oleg with one of her hatchets without warning, she nearly severed his leg! If I hadn't had a couple of potions squirreled away, he'd have died! And she did it to make a point, after we'd given them what they wanted." She then looks crestfallen. "She took my wedding ring, siad it was punishment for not keeping a firmer leash on poor Oleg."
She shakes herself. "The second time they came, it was just the hooded man and six of his followers. He's not nearly as smart or observant as the woman with the hatchets. He's very crude though." Her face darkens at the memory. "Last month it was him again, this time with four of his cronies." She looks at the sun as it's setting. "They usually come one hour after sunrise on the first of the month. That would be tomorrow morning..."
"Then we best... greet them properly" she sneered. Brigands. Villians. Bandits. No respect for law or order. Just take what they want because they have the numbers. Hah. This time they will have the upperhand.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Corwin gives the woman a bright smile, and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Svetlana Leveton, you and your husband Oleg can rest assured that these bandits will be dealt with. It sounds like tomorrow's battle may involve a fraction of their force, and the rest will have to be hunted down to ensure that none remain to harass you. However many there are, you have my word that we will take action against them."
During the trip towards the trading post Ridder did his best to get to know his companions - the wagon could hardly fit them all and reading a good book while walking was dreadfully inefficient. Luckily one could learn a bit or two from ones fellow man, even if some seemed a bit simple.
Among the guards that typically meant Ridrga as the horses otherwise made the endeavour somewhat annoying. The dwarf struck him as competent but ultimately not really sharing many of the same interests as him. But if he had to pick between disinterest and an almost dangerous ignorance of the basic metaphysics of magic (and trolls. He was fairly sure they were *not* running Brevoy from the shadows. Nor "taking honest dwarves jobs"...) he knew his choice. Ridrga was firmly on the top of his likeable dwarf list.
The labourers did seem to have some more interesting conversations in them. While not really appreciative of the deeper philosophical questions of magic either Epoch did have the redeeming feature of humour. Among those gathered, that seemed dreadfully rare! The most interesting of the bunch was of course Guilador - the fellow practiser of magic. Now, his technique seemed a bit unpolished, but there were still things that could be learned. Initially he dismissed both the drivers as somewhat dimwitted, but his perception of Prosta changed once she was given a chance to speak her mind without interruption. Towards the end of the short journey, he found himself conversing more and more with her and even trying to include her in the discussions with Guilador.
As the other members of the party were either riding or frequently scouting ahead he didn't spend as much time as he liked getting to know them. A shame, seeing as they all seemed a bit more interesting then the rest. Ah well, there will be plenty of opportunity for that.
Occasionally he also conjured (and as a practitioner of the one true Art, he did not need to stuff or retrieve it from his cleavage!) a black and white eagle to scout the intermediate surroundings from the air and report back, mostly to make *some* use of his talents.
Khal jumped down from the cart and looked around at the barely complete keep/trading post. Home! And it seemed as if they had arrived just in time; with the regularly scheduled bandit attack occurring tomorrow.
"Make sure to put the cart and such out of sight, we do not want any bandits to suspect the situation has changed." Khal ordered the grunts then joined the conversation he had simply been eavesdropping. With a nod of greeting first to the woman then the man on the roof he introduced himself. Once the pleasantries was quickly concluded he looked around and started to plan for the morning to come. "It would be a shame if any of them were to slip from our grasp tomorrow. Do you know which route they take? We might want to hide our riders somewhere to cut off their escape."
Guilador is completely uninterested in talking. Instead, he just nods or shakes his head to questions, and generally gives inarticulate grunts.
He does tend to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, although the cries are often cut off mid cry. Ridrga just shakes her head and waves people off if they try to ask him about it.
Epoch will talk to anyone, and everyone, whether they want to talk or not. She also does some juggling and other entertaining at night, or even on the wagon, when she's bored. She's bored quite often it seems. Indeed, several of the hirelings take to yelling at her to shut up on a semi-regular basis. She takes it all in stride however, and it appears it may be the beginnings of an in joke amongst the group.
"Oh yes, they always exit the Greenbelt from the forest over there." She points south. "Different location each time, but they always exit from the tree line and ride up to the trading post."
Corwin looks pensive. "I think we should wait for them to enter the Trading Post and then reveal ourselves for combat; guards included. Khal can then enact his idea to have the riders prevent runners from escaping and warning their peers. Thoughts, Khal, Alluria, Riku?"
"I will take up a position up top. Will double as a lookout point and a great snipers nest" she nods and pats her bow
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Hmm I have some caltrops and a tripwire we can place somewhere around the entrance to or around the trading post, to annoy them. I would perfectly perfer to set them inside the forest, it wouldn't alert them to newcomers, but might annoy them enough to make mistakes in thier fighting. They can also be placed inside the post but will be harder to conceal, unless we want them to move around and into an ambush with them?" Alluria responds to Corwin, already in the process of finding it from her back to make sure she remembered to pack it. "I can set them up at first light, as to avoid others falling for the traps."