"I'll also have a look..
Liam also wants to begin moving close enough to sneak around.
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
K:
Not one of the bandits notices Liam wandering the perimeter of their camp. "Where is Happs? Shouldn't he be back now?" One of the bandits asks Kressel, who answers with "Eh, probably just enjoying tormenting that idiot. He'd better not have touched the wife though." "Jealous Kressel?" Comes one bandits sly response. "That prick is mine, I decide where it goes. If it goes in that prissy girl then fine but only if I decide it." Obviously the bandits are not the most cultured lot.
Bydar realizes he isn't the best at skulk work, and waits for a cue from the others on when to move and where.
Thinking for a moment, Kastus makes his way toward the outer watch tower through the forested area, gathering any deadwood he can find. Once he's within 30 feet of the tower, he begins attempts to light a fire next to a tree.
Liam remains hidden, waiting for the bandits to be completely distracted before striking.
"What was that?" Kressel asks, looking toward Kastus. She makes a hard hand gesture toward the forest. "Go check it out." One of the bandits gets up to check it out and the rest tense, readying for battle.
Since the distraction seems to have worked to lure one out, and he doesn't want the tree to start a forest fire, Bydar mutters a quick prayer to his goddess, "Shelyn, preserve I pray"
and water begins to rain down on the burning tree.
Seeing the bandits begin to run, Liam prepares an arrow and fires it at one of the bandits from the cover of a bush.
Liam's arrow is silent and sure, though the bandits cry of pain is awfully obvious. "Intruders!"
Bydar mutters, "Well, this should be an interesting encounter."
He fires a crossbow at the nearest bandit using a tree as cover.
Kastus is momentarily bewildered as rain comes down on his barely lit fire. "Oh well," he says under his breath. Abandoning his plan of fire, he makes his way to the guard tower, and without hesitating starts climbing his way up.
You feel a bit dizzy and woozy, then reality reasserts itself, with Kressel rousing the two bandits near her as the lookouts begin to draw bows.
Kressel:
Bydar:
Liam:
Kastus:
Moving Kressel to last for convenience.
"Get them!" Kressel yells in fury as she gathers her axes. The men near her draw their short swords and rush toward our three heroes. The two lookouts draw their bows, with one firing at Liam in his bush and the other attacking Kastus as he climbs toward him.
When he can, Bydar will fire at one of the bowmen. He remains behind the cover of a tree as he fires
Swinging himself to the side, Kastus attempts to dodge the arrow but fails by a slim margin. It grazes his cheek where his head had just been.
Kastus hisses under his breath as the arrow nicks his cheek, but keeps climbing nonetheless. "Don't worry, you'll get yours in a moment." As he hears the call to arms, he spurs himself onward.
Now without horses, the heroes move forward, stopping at the edge of sight from the camp. The watchtowers are where Devlin stated they were, with 7 other bandits scattered around the fire, including one woman holding an axe, who is presumably Kressel.
There are also three men tied firmly to a nearby tree, hands bound securely and almost hanging by their wrists. Near them two dogs strain at leashes lashed to a stake, firmly far enough from camp to keep them from reaching any bandit.
Seeing the 3 bound men, once an observer can draw their eyes from the sheer size of the immense, muscular one,one would notice that it is the smallest of the 3 whom is given the widest birth by the guards. Set apart from the other two, the small man is stripped to the waist, with not merely his wrists tied, like the other two, but with hessian bags covering his fingers and a gag in his mouth. His torso sports bold black tattoos and it is hard to tell but perhaps there is one along his jawline running down his neck. The most prominent though is the stylized crow or raven tattoo across his chest. He is very lean, one can pick out the individual striations in his muscles but of a slight build, this one doesn't have the look of a warrior. There is however and intensity in those too green eyes that appears to unsettle his would be captors.
Kressel seems to be the only one unaffected. I bet you wish you accepted my invitation now wizard. Pity, we could have used a Mage with a handsome face. But maybe I'll have some fun with you yet...
Only a perceptive onlooker might realize that the dirty bundle of clothes to the side of the camp is actually a skinny young man. Wearing only some torn pants and a ragged oversized shirt, he lies slumped on his side, his hands bound up behind his back, apparently forgotten as he's not likely to represent any danger.
The young man wakes slowly, his head a mess from the knockout blow he suffered. Tasting dirt and blood, he tries opening his eyes. Only darkness and faint shapes greet him, so he closes them and focuses on the sounds.
Ancestors, hear my prayer. Although the wolves circle me, I'm not a sheep to fall prey to their fangs. Help me fight tooth for tooth, give me your advice.
They are many, but they are unprepared. I will honor your patronage, spirits, and will die fighting if need be. Help me give these bandits the fight of their life.
He murmurs, moving his hands in simple prayer. For most, it looks like he's slowly coming to himself, murmuring nonsense while he wakes up.
The third man was enormous. Stripped to the waist and bound with enough rope to hold five normal men, it was clear that he was something not quite human. His skin was the color of well-tanned leather and he seemed to be completely hairless.
The massive man's face was calm and bored. Whatever mistake he'd made to end up in his predicament, it certainly didn't seem to be anything that he was stewing on. He simply watched the battle unfold. His powerfully corded muscles bulged and rippled as he strained against his bonds.
Spotting the three bound men, Bydar calls out to his companions, "I think we have allies in the making." Given how poor my aim is doing, I might as well focus on freeing those poor souls.
Continuing his climb, Kastus tries to pull himself up into the guard tower.
The tattooed man looks up at his captors, unable to speak or move, but the aggression on his face is plain to see. Overhead a raven soars high above, cawing and complaining to the winds.
The ragged man opens his icy-blue eyes, trying to get a picture of the people around him. He focus on the two prisoners, wondering why they bothered to gag specifically him. The boy whispers, hoping the bandits won't be able to hear.
"He-hello?", his voice quivering, he looks very much the part of a frightened young man. "Can you hear me?"
The gagged man with the tatoos looks over to the ragged man, locking eyes with him.
Unable to speak though, his look is one of frustration. The oracle does know at least, yes, he is listening.
"They... Are going to kill us, right?"
The young man sniffs, caked blood and dirt on his face.
"That... leaves us no choice. Can you... fight?"
As Raxus strains at his bonds Kressel notices, stepping closer with a lazy grin. "Really now big boy? Thinking you can break your ropes and go tromping away?" Her short brown hair falls forward as she leans in uncomfortably close. "I could have use for a big boy if you didn't fight so hard."
Thanks to the distraction and noise of the bandits jeering the prisoners, Kastus is able to get to the base of the Western Watchtower without being seen and manages to begin a small fire before moving a bit away.
"They... Are going to kill us, right?"
The young man sniffs, caked blood and dirt on his face.
"That... leaves us no choice. Can you... fight?"
Deacon, can hardly believe the question. He makes an obvious gestire of striaing against hos ropes and looking at his hands above him.
The fire begins to spread to the point of being visible. The guard on the watchtower yells and Kressel turns. "Damnit, was he smoking his damn pipe up there again? James," She says, pointing to one of the bandits, "Watch the prisoners. The rest of you come help me put it out before Tellan dies." Her and the remaining bandits rush toward the fire except one of them.
Well, I have no idea if Kastus is still where the fire is and getting ready for a whole lot of threats heading towards him, or heading back this way, but chances are the odds will not get better for freeing those prisoners than they are now. Shelyn, I know war is not your way, but shield me if I am still worth shielding. Bydar takes a deep breath and makes sure the others have gained some distance so he won't be seen as he moves, and then, glaive in hand, charges the lone bandit guarding the tree hoping to surprise him.
Looking at his fellow prisoner, Alexei whispers:
"Ready yourself, sir. The time for battle is here."
Then, he closes his eyes and starts praying.
"The fires of war have been lit. I thank you for your sign, ancestors, and I will honor your patronage. All I ask is that you give me the means to escape these bonds and fight in your name."
The young man opens his eyes and they seem to have their own pale light. A ghostly mist swirls around his torso, solidifying into a breastplate of ancient design and the devices of long-dead swordmen. Around his closed fist the mist coalesces, taking the shape of a long narrow blade, its intrincaly decorations all formed from half-forgotten dreams.
The blade easily cuts into the bonds, and with a quick twist, it cuts open the other prisoners.
Turning to the prisoners, the boy speaks, his voice sounding as if been accompanied by many others:
"The time of battle has come. It is now you decide whether to fight and die honorably or live in chains forevermore."
Having been well and truly gagged and with his fingers tied within hessian bags, the wizard has to spend the whole round tearing at his hands and gag to free them for spellcasting. As soon as the gag is off he utters to his rescuers, Thankyou
Moving as swiftly as he can while maintaining some degree of stealth, Kastus makes his way back to the encampment. Let's hope they don't find me. Don't really want to end up bandit food.
Shrugging out of his ropes and standing to his full massive height, Raxus glowered at his captors. "It's about time."
Reaching down and yanking a thick branch down from the tree with a crack, he shouldered his new weapon and glared across the battlefield.
Bydar:8
Kastus:
Raxus:
Alexei:
Bandits:
Kressle:
Moving Kressle to 14 Initiative for convenience: Deacon and Kastus are up, then bandits, then everyone.
The bandits turn back at the sounds of battle and escape. "Damnit! You three, stay here and deal with whoever started the fire. Everyone else, let's go help James." Kressle orders.
Seeing the group make a mad dash back to the prisoners, Deacon begins to cast, completing the spell, but holding the final releasing word. He let's the group close to 50ft, then releases a sleep spell at the middle back of the pack hoping to catch as many of the stragglers as possible. Leaving the faster bandits to continue thier run without as many numbers as they thought.
"Hopefully this giant, the lad and I can handle the forerunners, then end the sleepers...
The spell cast, he looks around for any weapons and either moves to the weapon he sees or just behind the tree.
"Fight well, Large One, my magic will aid us"
"Someone mind freeing my dogs?" Raxus rumbles. "I'd do it myself, but I have a powerful need to hit someone right now."
'Absolutely' Deacon Casts his spell and moves to The giants dogs, hoping to not get bit.
"Ancestors, bless this weapon and let its steel strike true against my enemies."
Kastus rushes the group of bandits still near the fire with his blade out.
Kastus manages to cut the bandit near in two, making the other two look frightened as hell as they draw their short swords.
Kastus easily parries and blocks both the strikes with contemptuous ease.
One of the bandit watchtowers draws his bow and attempts to strike out against the fleeing prisoners, the other seems far too busy with the fire creeping it's way up his tree.
The arrow sails near Alexei, damn near catching in his hair.
As one of the bandits drops from the back, sleeping midstride, one of the bandits circles around Raxus, slashing at the giant. One moves toward Alexei, undaunted by his spiritual accouterments, and their lady leader moves in toward Bydar, stopping just far enough away to avoid being struck by his reaching weapon. . Finally, James stepped in closer to Bydar and attempted to attack him.
Seeing only 1 bandit fall, Deacon can't help but feel cheated, "I suppose father would be laughing at that. That's what I get for wanting to pick up a sword."
Sorry, but I thought I better be sure before I posted
Leaning back away from his fumbling assailant, Raxus swings his massive tree branch.
Coming free of their binds the pair of mastiffs move to flank their master,
The dark one attacks from the right-