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.
So reads the Charter that each of you were given before setting out from Restov. It has been a long slow trek out from Restov to the Greenbelt, but if your directions are correct you should be arriving at Oleg's Trading Post by this afternoon. Not that there is much to expect from the post, by all accounts it is struggling just to stay open, but it is the last vestige of civilization before the wilds you are tasked to explore.
For what must seem to be the hundredth time, Siarani checks the various pouches of her vest. She tries to keep her eyes watchful, but it's becoming obvious she's losing heart in the task, which is probably a bad sign. While she definitely appears to be a city girl, so far she has shown herself to be remarkably familiar with at least the discomforts of the road, if not in how to survive doing so.
Finally, she sighs and starts speaking a touch nervously. "I do apologize if this is an inconvenience," she says to the members of the group. "I must say I'm getting weary of the traveling life. Although doing it on foot is a change of pace, it's not an entirely welcome one either, but unfortunately I simply couldn't afford another camel at the prices they wished to charge me in Almas, and shipping across the sea would have been even worse. Oh, I managed to barter my way this far on my own, but the horses were never mine. I hope you won't think me terribly rude if we stop for a day or so once we've reached the trading post to rest before we begin. It really has been non-stop."
The bushes part at the side of the trail, and Yossian pushes his way through, brushing catkins off his travelling cloak, before combing one out of the several days' growth of beard on his chin.
"Couldn't find no game. Maybe this path is too well travelled, or something is scaring 'em off."
He catches the end of Siarani's complaint. "Seems to me, Miss, that we is pretty much free to do as we likes. Though horses does seem like a good idea. Only thing is, though, I'm more used to eating 'em than riding 'em. And you needs to know about shoes, and brushes and harnesses and things, which I don't."
Siarani sighs and shakes her head. "Yossian, was it? I apologize, I didn't mean to come out as that sounded. As for horses, I suppose we'll need to make do with what's available, just as soon as we can afford it. I have a small stipend saved up, but it won't even purchase a decent mount, let alone tackle and harness. I do hope the crown won't mind skimming off the bandit's ill-gotten gains, because if they do we will be in a great deal of trouble."
"I think stoppin' f'r a day or two mebbe good once we get t' this Oleg's place, jus' t' gather inf'mation an' plan our explorin'." Cal favors Sia with a friendly smile. "You're goin' t' need t' get used t' travelin', though. We gotta lot'v it up ahead. Gotta tame th' wilds, an' we can't do't from th' safety of Oleg's."
Sia just sighs. "I'm sorry. I just finished my apprenticeship at the Arcanamirium. I've been traveling for a solid two months already, coming back home. And then when my back is turned my horse is hocked for someone's drinking money. I hope he chokes on it." She mutters the last, bit, then coughs. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was quite rude of me. I'll say no more of it."
Yossian grins. "Well Miss, if I've done my reading of the charter right, it makes us the law in the wilds. We have to "strive against banditry, with sword or rope" if I remember. So if we catch 'im what stole your horse, you can choose the tree."
He ducks down a moment, to examine some mark on the trail, before straightening with a shrug. "And I daresay we can keep a fair share of the bandits' ill-gotten loot for our expenses. Buying horses at this trading post seems reasonable enough."
Siarani quickly starts sorting through her spell notes, taken in the messy hand of someone with little arcane training for the most part, and eventually manages to find her copy of the charter. "Hmmm...let's see..."
She spends another few minutes reading it over. "It's written in two parts. The first part gives us right of travel through the region, which essentially means the border patrols won't stop us coming back through here on the way north should we need to return to the city for something this backwoods trading post cannot or will not provide. That's most likely to be relevant only to me, if I need some exotic reagent for a larger spell, until we've fulfilled the terms of the charter.
"The second section appears to, simply, give us the power to bring in lawbreakers under the authority of the Dragonscale Throne. Technically, anything we confiscate in the course of that duty is the property of the crown, and should be turned over to them at earliest convenience. Normally, we would then request supply from...someone, I suppose."
Then, perhaps surprisingly, she smiles slyly. "Of course, this far south, I doubt they would check too closely on whether or not we simply 'requisition' from the confiscated property directly, provided we use it in the course of executing the charter and pulling a decent living wage."
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Gorax, moves uncomfortably in his chain, hoping for the day to end, so that he can spend some moments without the weight on his shoulders. He echos the thoughts of the others "Yeah, it'll be good to get to the outpost, maybe time for a little rest then". He says it to no-one in particular, but takes the time to look at his companions one by one. None is struggling with the travel, so he goes back to looking vacantly at the horizon. He thinks wistfully of the lands round Grayhaven and the family he left behind. Under his breath he mutters, "Mother, I'll return to you soon and no more will we need to rely on the charity of others".
Lost in his thoughts, Gorax mechanically continues on the journey.
Occasionally, he surfaces from his thoughts to look at his companions, lingering on Siarani and Estruven wondering if they might need his help. None is required, so Gorax listens briefly to the conversations before surveying the horizen and returning to his thoughts and the monotony of the travel.
The ranger chuckles as he again stoops to examine the leaves of a bush next to the trail.
"Ye sound like one of them banker-priests of Abadar, Miss, with your talk of 'requisitions' and 'bringing in lawbreakers under authority'. If the Swordlords were that interested in doing things by the book, they'd be sending soldiers and judges and courtiers, instead of us."
He squints as a bird takes flight from a nearby tree.
"No, I'm thinking that they want that bandits dealt with, and they ain't too choosy about how it's done, neither. If ye try dragging a captive back for trial, they'll ask ye on the quiet why ye didn't leave him swinging from a tree where ye found 'im."
Calath nods at Siarani and Yossian's conversation, then interjects, "If'n we're t' reach th' tradin' post t'night, methinks we shoul' have summat t' trade, jus' to wet th' whistle so t' speak. I'll fade on out an' see if'n I can rustle up s'm game or herbs or summat."
So saying, he diverts from the rest of the party's path and heads off into the wilderness off the path, longbow at hand.
"I'm fine with clearing out any bandits we find. The Swordlords have offered us a fine opportunity. And Yossian, I'm quite fond of horses, so you will need to find other animals to eat in my presence."
Sia smiles at that. "Besides, they're really rather expensive and fragile. We really mustn't waste them as food until we're out of options."
Estruven chuckles "I'm not even sure I'd eat one if it came to that. The horses I've known have had better personalities than most folks I come across!"
"Yosian, I can give you some tips on riding if we find some horses to purchase."
Setting out from the group, Calath doesn't take long to catch the trail of a rabbit. Unfortunately the animal seems to delight in leading him on a merry chase without even giving any indication that it sees or smells him. After about an hour of slow approaches and bounding ears, Calath finally finds himself in a position to make that shot. The arrow flies true and the hunt is finally over.
Walking over to claim your prize you glance about, and spot a small wooden fort in a shallow valley below you. This can only be Oleg's Trading post. It isn't much to look at, but the promise of actual beds should be something at least.
Siarani's mouth widens into an almost feral grin. "At last, this errand's begun. We must have crossed the border an hour ago." She looks around. "Very odd, though. It's not too much different here. From the description I was expecting bandits and other troubles to be crawling up from the grass." She considers this slowly, then shrugs. "Perhaps, like sensible people, they're not prowling the roads for a few weeks yet."
She looks to her companions with a bright smile. "Let's hurry. I think an early dinner, followed by a good night's rest and then a good start is just what I need."
Calath quickly skins and field-dresses the rabbit, saying a prayer of thanks and renewal as he works. He carefully wraps the meat and works up a frame to stretch the fur over, then heads off back to the party.
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Some time later, Calath strides out of the underbrush, brushing away at leaves and thorns that have stuck to his armor and clothing. He hefts his spoils and calls out cheerfully to the party, "'E led me on a right merry chase, but I got 'im in the end. Be rabbit stew fer supper tonigh' at Oleg's, I think! Caught a sight o' th' place, too, on th' hunt. It's righ' down th' valley from 'ere. Should make it in good time. Things is lookin' up fer now!"
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The monotony of travel is broken by the return of Calath, Gorax smiles and watches as he rejoins the party. At the sound of "rabbit stew", Gorax's face lightens up and says, "Rabbit stew, that's a little treat, praise be to Iomedae and Erestri". He looks at Calath with admiration, "Nice one Calath and you saw the outpost. How long before you think we will get there, I could do with a rest." Gorax's pace seems to increase very slightly, with more spring in his step. Gorax says "Good news, eh! looking forward to some rest, food and a refreshing mug of water. What about you?"
Calath - You estimate that at their current pace the group should get there about 1400. Time enough for a late lunch or maybe a bath and a rest before dinner.
Yossian smiles to himself as the mood lifts in anticipation of food and rest. He grins up at Estruvan.
"I'll just go scout ahead, make sure the path is clear, and there's nothing wanting to make a meal of yer horse, Miss."
He darts ahead, head low to the path looking for tracks, eyes occasionally darting from side to side at either side of the trail.
"It's jus' a ways down th' path, 'ere. Coupla' hours, mebbe. There's a creek up ahead, we coul' stop there for a bit'v a meal or for th' ladies t' wash off th' trail dust, so we's fed an' presentable."
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Gorax, considered Calath's words, but the thought of getting to somewhere safe to rest was so appealing, that Gorax thought the group should just keep on going. "Calath" said Gorax, "what you say does sound like it would be good, but don't you think we'd do better to eat and rest in the safety of the outpost, rather than in the dangers of the wilds? So why not carry straight on." As if it were decided, Gorax upped his walking pace and looked ahead along the path with dogged determination.
"It's as good one way as th' other t' me, Gorax. I was jus' offerin' up th' option."
Sia shrugs. "In all truth, is 'presentable' going to matter as much as the color of our coin at a place such as this?" She smiles. "As much fun as the thought of a swim is, I think it best to hurry along."
As the consensus seems to be to press forward to get to the fort, the group picks up their pace, tightens their belts, and hurries on. It doesn't take long before they find that Calath was true to his word. About mid afternoon the five travelers come up and over a small hill to find the trading post below them, a bit of white smoke comming from it's chimney.
The post is comprised of a few small buildings surrounded by a wooden pallisade wall with two guard towers to either side of the gate. From this distance it is hard to see anything moving within the confines of the fort, but by all you've heard, there shouldn't be much activity here to observe anyway.
When he reaches the brow of the hill, and it is obvious nothing stands between the group and the trading post, Yossian pauses to allow the group to catch up. He spends the time observing the guard towers and palisade, assessing the alertness of the guards, whether they have noticed him, and the state of the outpost's defenses.
Guards? Who said anything about guards? In the time it takes for the group to catch up, Yossian sees neither hide nor hair of a guard. It definitely seems as though this is more just a mom and pop operation.
When Siarani catches up to the man, presumably along with the rest of the group, she looks like she's been slightly winded by the effort. It must have just been her hurry, because up until now she's hasn't seemed to be too tired by the journey. "Yossian?" she asks after taking a moment. "What is it you're looking at? It all seems quiet."
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Gorax,can't stop the beam of happiness spreading across his face at the sight of the outpost. He clumsily agrees with Siarani, "Yeah, Siarani, you got that right, looks sleepy to me. Let's go make our way down there?".
Gorax looks around and down at the pretty valley before him. the occasional trees and bush showing signs of growth as small buds of green burst from the dark brown and gray branches lifeless branches. The grass under his feet seemingly greener after the harsh realities of winter. Through the grass, small bursts of color just inches tall in blue, purple and red random clumps bring new fresh color to the landscape.
Gorax finds a dry patch of raised grass to sit down and gaze on the scene.
"When you're ready, I'll be only too happy to move on down."
"Aye, it seems very quiet. Not even a lookout on the walls. Either the bandits ain't so much a problem as they think in the north, or they leave this place alone. But then why the tower and palisade?"
He shrugs.
"I guess we can ask over dinner."
He offers Gorax a hand up with a grin. "Come on Pops, I'll buy you yer first mug of water."
Siarani looks ready to charge down the hill, laughing and giggling like a schoolgirl, when Yossian brings her up short. Suddenly her whole manner changes, and she frowns in a slightly serious way. "Or the bandits are inside right now. Did you see any activity at all?"
"Not a soul." Yossian concedes with a shrug. He gestures to the smoking chimney. "But there's a fire in the hearth, so someone's around. Only one way to find out who."
He heads off down the path towards the outpost.
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Gorax accepts Yossain's hand and gets up, giving Yossain a look of annoyance at his comments. Gorax dusts down his clothing and armor to make it more comfortable for the last little effort to go down to the outpost. He looks around and takes a large lungful of air, taking in the scents and sounds of the valley. Hearing Sairani talk of the bandits might be inside right now, makes Gorax take a closer look at the outpost and its surrounding area, looking for something that might be out of place. Making sure that his longsword is easily accessible and ready to be drawn, should something unexpected happen. When all is ready Gorax says "OK then, I'm ready"
Perception
Cal, too, is worried of talk of the bandits already being inside. He nocks an arrow to his bowstring and scans the area repeatedly as he begins to walk down the slope towards the outpost. "Keep yer eyes sharp, but no sense in lingerin' an' not gettin' th' job done if'n there be a job t' do. An' if all be well after all, th' sooner we's there, th' sooner we rest."
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Gorax says, "Those of you with little armor, keep behind, I'll protect you as best I can. If you see anything untoward, just shout.", putting his gauntlets on and practicing a few rights hooks followed by pretend sword sweeps, he limbers up a little. "Then off we go", as Gorax strides down towards the outpost.
Something doesn't seem right to Estruven. I suppose they could only man the guard towers at night, but not with an outpost this deep in the wilderness she thinks to herself.
"Something is strange, I believe. We should treat the approach cautiously like Gorax says. Be on guard, but don't attack unless threatened. Be sure to identify yourself so that there is no confusion."
"Yossian, go ahead of us by about 100 feet and see if you can see or hear anyone inside. Gorax and I will have your back."
Yossian raises a hand in acknowledgement as he proceeds down the hill. He looks for more signs of activity in the outpost, and checks if the gate in the palisade is open or closed.
The approach to the trading post is uneventful, and as it looms larger it becomes obvious that the wall and towers have fallen into some serious disrepair. Recent repair efforts are obvious but the towers at each corner of the fort, while they look stable enough, house catapults that don’t look as though they have seen use for some time. The front gate is open and inviting, but there are few tracks that go in and out. Certainly not the well used and worn path that one would expect of a trading post frequently visited. The sound of hammering is the only one to meet you, and as you come through the gate without incident you quickly make out the source. A middle aged man with close cut brown hair and a well trimmed beard is crouched atop the roof of a long low building to the right, one of four that cluster inside the walls. To your left is what looks to be a stable, while a small storehouse sits directly across the worn central yard from you. Two large wooden tables sit with a fire pit between them to the right, with the largest building beyond them. It is from this building that the smoke wafts up from.
The man who had been repairing the roof pauses in his work as you come through the gate, scowling. But your attention is quickly captured by a woman hurrying out of the largest building, wiping her hands on her apron as she hustles over to greet you. She too looks to be in her middle years, with just a hint of grey showing in the auburn hair that she wears tired back into a bun. She has a pleasant face with bright blue eyes that match her eager smile. “Good afternoon! Good Afternoon! You must be that band of adventurers that we had word of. Welcome to Oleg’s Trading Post.”
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Gorax, looks around the outpost and immediately feels at home. He smiles to the 2 people and lets the others do the talking. After the introductions he starts towards the benches by the fire pit, where he unbuckles his chainmail. He lets out a sigh, "Ohhh, that's so much better to be out of that armor". He listens to any conversations involving the party and will ask for some water to drink.
Yossian smiles at the woman. "Afternoon, Mother. Don't know if we're the ones you heard about, but we're the ones here now. Any chance of some dinner, and maybe a bath? And I think the blonde Miss probably wants some oats or something for her horse."
He gazes around. "Quiet place you've got. From what we hear up north, you should be overrun with bandits!"
Once Sia catches up, any complaints the young woman might have about the accomodations are carefully kept to herself. She smiles and listens carefully to the woman. "I do believe that we are, although it's interesting that word of the charter was sent ahead to this place. I was told we could arrange accommodations here. I believe we'll need something semi-permanent, at least until the summer season for the five of us, plus the animals. We don't intend to spend the full time in the outpost, of course, but the task at hand will take some time, and I'd prefer to know we'll have a bed waiting for us on the occasions we return."
"Oh, yes," she adds, "I fear we will need to arrange to purchase mounts and tack for those of us who don't have any soon, as well, though I don't know if you have any on hand, I'm afraid we'll need a bit more coin first."
Estruven is relieved by the casual work going on inside of Oleg's. Bandits must not be that bad here she thinks to herself.
She approaches the smiling woman "Very glad to meet you my lady, I am Estruven Elluri of Rostland. Yossian is correct, I'd be happy to buy some oats for my horse William, but for now he is fine with the lush grass in the fields."
"We are the group of adventurers chartered by the Swordlords to help tame the land. So word of our pending arrival had already reached you?"
Cal relaxes as the outpost is revealed to be safe and friendly. He sticks the arrow back in his quiver and unstrings his bow, storing the string safely and strapping the bow to his harness. "Aye, 'tis a relief t' see it's no' so bad as they say up north. I caught us a hare on th' trail this mornin'; your cook's welcome to th' meat fer dinner, if y' like. The fur'll need some time an' preparation still, 'fore 'tis fit for tradin'."
The woman smiles at everyone and takes the time to greet each of them with a warm handshake, repeating their name back to them to make sure she has it right. “It truly is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Svetlana, and my husband up on the roof,” she glances in that direction, “Is Oleg. You are more than welcome to use our stables for your horses, and we do have feed for them there as well.”
She hustles about helping everyone set their packs aside and making sure everyone is comfortable at the table as she talks. “I’m afraid that we don’t keep any horses here, aside from our own, but I’m sure that if you have the money we can have some sent down from Restov for you. We get some traders every now and then that come through from there.”
She heads into the main building and comes back out with water for everyone. As she pours it out she looks about at each person carefully. “So they told you about the bandit problems that we’ve been having then?” she asks hopefully. “We’ve sent many messages asking for guards to help us, but they’ve yet to send anyone. We only got word a couple days ago that you were passing through and might be able to help us.”
Sia cocks her head curiously. "Wait, so you are having a problem with the bandits? Oh, I'm Sia by the by. Siarani if you want to be formal."
After a moment's consideration, she shrugs. "Well, we're supposed to be dealing with banditry to the south, but I suppose if they want to meet us halfway it would be...rude...to argue."
"Aye, right rude 'twould be fer us t' argue with 'em for makin' it easy to hunt their sorry hides down!" Calath laughs and grins at Sia, then turns again to Svetlana. "I'm Cal -- Calath Incenial, though tha's a right mouthful t' say in a hurry. We," he gestures at himself and his collected companions, "ha' been sent t' clear out the bandits an' monsters an' other nasty critters from 'round here, an' make th' land fit fer settlin' on. If y' could see fit t' tell us what we're up 'gainst, we'd be right grateful, Ma'am."
“Well it figures they wouldn’t tell you,” Oleg snorts as he climbs down. He shakes his head as he passes by, heading into the main building. “The guest house is good for staying in now,” he declares, whether to Svetlana or his guests is hard to say.
Svetlana looks after him with a bit of worry, then takes a seat with everyone else at the tables. “You’ll have to forgive my husband. Things have not been well for us the past few months.” She takes a deep breath then tries to explain.
“It started about three months ago. They came and demanded that he give them all the furs and trade goods that we had gathered over the past month from the traders and trappers that pass here. They said they would burn the post down and…” she blushes slightly, “…and take me.” She sighs deeply, “I know that it was only my being here that kept Oleg from trying to chase them off. Since then they’ve come back twice, once each month. It was all I could do to get Oleg to at least send for help. He can be very stubborn sometimes. If this keeps up, there is no way that we can keep this business, and it would crush Oleg to have to admit defeat and go back to Restov.”
Sia's eyes widen slightly as the tale continues, before narrowing in disgust. With a sigh, she takes a deep drink of her water to clear her throat. "Ma'am, I assure you there's no way I'll allow that to happen. Can you tell us about what happens, how they approach and so on? Also, when they're next due? I would suggest we not go out hunting until that happens, so that the sudden presence of bandit-hunters in the area doesn't spook them into doing something stupid before we're ready."