The trip back to Oleg's passes without much event. The trip through the woods goes well, you even catch sight of your fey friends, albeit briefly. Seems they have mischief in other parts of the woods that is pressing.
Passing by Oleg's you continue to the North-west to explore around the outpost, re-assuring yourselves that there is no trouble to be found there, at least for now. It is with a great deal of relief that you make your way back to Oleg's about two days after you recovered the radishes from the kobolds.
As you re-enter the fort, you can see that no time has been wasted in the restoration of the defenses. Svetlana greets you as warmly as ever. Even Norbert gives a smile and a friendly wave, the honest work seems to be doing him a great deal of good.
Surprisingly, you are also greeted by a trader waving from a wagon near the storehouse. He pauses in speaking with a grimy man who looks to have seen more of dirt and less of water over the past months, and both give your party a long look with just the hint of a smile. No doubt the thought of such armed people working to keep them safe is brightening their moods.
Kyrie can't help but feel relieved as the party once again approaches what passes for civilization in these parts. Sure, it's just a small trading post, but it's a roof over her head and an actual bed for this city girl to sleep in again.
They'll be back out on the road - and off it into the wilderness - again soon enough, but for now she looks forward to some warm food, some cold ale, and spending the night in a proper room for a change.
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Gorax is relaxed and relieved to be back with Oleg and Swetlana, he is happy and passes the time easily with the couple. "You know,"he says to Svetlana at a mealtime, "we're gonna make this place as safe as we can for you. I'm sure that Sia has a plan to do that and I'm gonna help", he smiles pleased with himself.
Sia, by contrast to her friend, actually still seems slightly irritated by the early return, although she does her best to keep a smile on her face. "I'm afraid we couldn't get too much." she explains. "It looks like a tribe of kobolds has also moved into the area and claimed it. Hopefully negotiations with them will go well and it won't have to turn to violence like with the bandits."
Svetlana covertly wisks the radishes away but not before giving a grateful smile to everyone and a peck on the cheek to Gorax. "I'm sure that they will be more than enough, thank you so much for your help."
As she makes her way back to the kitchen to hide her prize until the time to make the stew, Oleg approaches along with Kesten. It seems he only caught the end of what Sia had to say but Kesten's interest is still piqued. "Kobolds?" he asks, looking to about for clarification.
Sia shrugs as Oleg approaches. "Yes, some kobolds. They weren't entirely unpleasant to deal with once we all got past the notion that we were automatically going to stick each other. I haven't had too many dealings with them myself, but I've seen them running about the city now and again. And, well, with the quality of man who seems to serve the Stag Lord, I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to attack humans on sight."
While Sia relates her tales to Oleg, Kyrie engages the merchant in conversation, eager for some news from more civilized parts of the world.
Kesten gives Sia a frown. "I'd be careful talking with kobolds. They have their own way of interpreting things that might not be what you think."[b] He shrugs though, [b]"Still, you seem to have come away from the encounter in one piece, and the fewer enemies we have out here at the same time, the better. In fact..." he snaps his fingers as though remembering something. "This came for you while you were gone." He produces a small sack and hands it to Sia. "Compliments of the Swordlords in appreciation for your efforts against the bandits. Seems activity has been on the downturn since your outing against that camp. My thinking is that if you could manage something similar, either by force or words, with the kobolds... Well they might be just as grateful."
The trader and the trapper greet Kyrie with toothy grins and both immediately launch into eager conversation about both things happening back home and news from the wilderness. Things seem to only be getting worse back home. Tensions aren't getting any lower between Issia and Rostland. The trapper has a couple more interesting tidbits. Seems a friend of his, Breeg Orlivanch has gone missing. Salic seems to think he might have given up trapping and joined up with the bandits. Never was a very bright man to begin with. He also tales a tale, with a measure of assumed authority, about how some of the bandits in these parts wear silver amulets. Seems he knows for certain that those so called men belong to a debased cult dedicated to a hideous animal demon.
Kyrie nods sympathetically at the news of increasing tensions and expresses the hope it won't spill over into outright warfare, then asks the trapper about his profession -- how many trappers he estimates there to be active in the Stolen Lands, how many have disappeared in the past, and how likely it is that they decided on a career change instead of running afoul of one of the many nasties in the wilderness -- before probing for details about Breeg, what he looks like, and whereabouts in the wilderness he usually worked as the party might be going out in that direction shortly.
She also listens attentively to Salic's tale about the animal demon cult bandits while carefully not mentioning the amulets the party has already recovered.
Sia takes the money with a rather wide smile. She seems puzzled by the assertions about the kobolds. "I'm sorry, but how is that different from speaking with anybody else? We all have our own points of view, after all. Still, we'll keep the rewards in mind. I'm sure it's something that will need to be dealt with at some point."
"I'm sorry, but how is that different from speaking with anybody else?"
Listening in, Estruven joins in the conversation with Sia and Kesten. "I'm not too sure about those creatures myself. They are somewhat intelligent, but there was something about them I didn't trust. Plus, they looked somewhat reptilian."
"Kobolds 'round here don' tend t' be th' depend'ble sort, fer sure, but iff'n they hold their word I ain't got anythin' against 'em. I guess we'll just see how th' dice land when we run 'cross 'em again, won' we?"
Salic shrugs, "Well there are quite a few of us I suppose, but I would reckon that few enough dislike their lot in life so much as to take up with the bandits. Who knows... Breeg might not have either, just a theory. Either way, he's not shown up for quite a while. Near as I know he trapped in the northern Narlmarches." He goes on to give a brief if not very detailed description of the man, finishing with a gap-toothed grin. "I's a pretty dangerous area though for someone as pretty as you to be wanderin about in."
Kesten nods to Cal. "I'm not saying not to treat with them, just to be careful. We all have our own point of view true enough, but most times that doesn't lead to a knife in the back." He gives a smile and bows his way out of the conversation, leaving a gap that Oleg steps into. Glancing towards the house he lowers his voice a bit. "I'm not meaning to rush you, but... Any sign of the ring?"
Kyrie smiles thinly. "Good thing I'm not going alone, then," she replies.
"I'm afraid we're still working on that." Sia says. "The bandits were robbed by some other creatures in the area, the ring being among what was taken. If we find them, we'll try to get it back or find out what they did with it."
Kyrie just gets another wide gap-toothed grin before a rather awkward silence falls over the conversation. Having a modicum of sense, the merchant clears his throat and gives a nod of his head to Kyrie before extricating himself from the gathering.
Oleg gives Sia an understanding smile. "I appreciate your help. I apologize if I'm pestering you about it, I know you have a lot of other things to worry about out there besides a little ring. Did you get over to Bokken's?"
"Ey there, Gorax. Mind sharin' a word wit' me over a cuppa clean water?" Cal hands the big man a mug filled with clean, clear water. "I havn't said nought 'bout this before to ya, but now with Miss Kyrie taggin' along, it seems we may have a bit of a fight waitin' to happen between you two. I know ye've got a special hatred fer alcohol an' spirits; mind tellin' me why that is? Mebbe if I can unnerstand where you're comin' from, I kin help head off any more problems in th' group."
---
"So, do we have any leads as t' where t' head out next?"
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Gorax, when pressed reluctantly relays to Cal the story of his father, a drunken bully who beat up his mother, his sister and himself. He would return from his work, and take what little money the family had and used it to sate his devil, The devil drink. His father would return after having been to the alehouse and with the smell of alcohol on his breath, staggering though the front door, he would use his fists to damage those he said he loved. Gorax's mother would be left with blood streaming from her wounds, bruises black and blue and occasionally her pain was compounded by a broken bone or two. Not satisfied with that, he would also beat the children, many is the time that his young sister was found crying her eyes out, sporting a black eye or worse. The alcohol brought a living hell to his family, through his father.
When his father left the family never to return, it was the best day of Gorax's life. He has sworn to Iomedae and his mother never to drink and to rid the world of the demon. Though, this has caused a lot of trouble in his life, he tries to stay true to his oath. It is to a sober world that he swears allegiance, to keep the demon at bay and protect those who are victims of its influence.
After dinner, Kyrie pores over the still mostly blank map spread out on the table. "Personally, I'd like to scout down the road here," she suggests, using the tip of her knife to trace the road along the northeastern edge of the map. "If we clear out any unwelcome surprises from the road and the immediate surrounding area, even a light patrol from the soldiers stationed here should be able to keep them clear -- or in the worst case, make sure that word gets back to us if the situation changes. That'll mean a safe route for traders and caravans and better business for Oleg as well as our employers."
She pauses briefly, considering the situation, then continues. "After that, we'll likely have to start going after the Stag Lord in earnest, or the increased business'll draw him like a vulture to carrion."
Sia looks over the map herself. "My hope is that we'll find another major encampment already in place. Another loss like that would probably be enough to convince our quarry to stick to the southern trade route and leave us in peace for the moment. There'll be a reckoning, sooner rather than later probably, but I'd prefer to weaken him by going after his eyes in the north before we start going after the core of his influence."
Kyrie nods. "Either that, or take the loss as a personal insult and do something rash," she points out. "From what you mentioned earlier, I got the notion that the 'Stag Lord' isn't entirely sane..."
She trails off, then tilts her head as a thought occurs to her. "That man you captured from the encampment - Norbert, wasn't it? Has he ever seen the Stag Lord? Anything he could tell us about his usual tactics would be helpful..."
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Gorax, listens to the girls discuss tactics, though unsure himself he can't quite understand the threat the Stag Lord might make, "But is the Stag Lord so powerful, surely if he comes to attack Oleg, we can fight him on our own ground. Shouldn't we try and find that trapper, he might know more about the Stag Lord and his influence. And like you said, we should perhaps explore the northern regions to make sure they are safe before we take the Stag Lord on, particularly on his own turf. But if you say we must, then we must. Perhaps we should see if Oleg has any news of the Stag Lord, has he heard of any threats?"
Oleg shakes his head, "Nothing more than rumours that he's there."
Kesten gives a curt nod to Kyrie and heads off, returning shortly with Norbert in tow, looking a bit timid. "Now's your chance to show just how reformed you might be, Norbert." He indicates the group in general. "They're needing information on this Stag Lord. If I were you I'd give em anything you know. You owe them that much."
Norbert looks around at everyone, licks his lips nervously, and nods. "I'll tell you anything I can, though I admit that I don't know much. I've never seen the Stag Lord, though I have heard plenty of talk about him. They say he wears a stag's head helmet. Never takes it off."
"...okay, chalk up one more for the 'insane' columna" Sia concedes to Kyrie as she listens to Norbert's mention of him. "Specifically, we were wondering about how widespread his influence is. Are there any major encampments along the northern road, as opposed to the main southern river trade route?"
The man considers this for a minute before shaking his head. "Near as I could tell from the talk of the other bandits, he doesn't really have camps. Well except for the one you took out already. He has his own camp, down south, where he stays with some select others. But the Thorn Ford camp was his first attempt to really expand north. Really he just has an understanding with all the bandits operating in the area. They swing by his camp every so often and give him his cut of their takes."
Kyrie nods. "That makes sense," she comments. "Which means that as we continue clearing out the bandits here in the north, eventually he's going to start wondering why he's not getting the cuts anymore -- and probably send out some of his men to find out why."
She takes another sip of her ale, then looks into her mug as if for guidance before looking back at Norbert. "How often is 'every so often', roughly?" she asks. "Once a week, once a month, once every few months? I doubt he's going to get suspicious if 'his' bandits are late by a week or if one or two groups stop checking in altogether, but it'd be nice if we have some idea of when he's likely to start smelling foul play."
She chuckles. "Or in our case, would that be fair play?"
Norbert gives a tenetative smile, still rather nervous around his captors. "Well Really I'm not sure. Like I told you before, I hadn't been with the bandits that long. As far as I know or can tell, it could be weeks or months. I'm not sure he really keeps track. Though I'm sure he probably knows about the Thorn Ford camp by now. Aside from that, I honestly couldn't tell you."
Kyrie nods at Norbert. "Exactly how he'll respond is going to depend on how smart he is and how loyal his thugs are," she says after thinking for a few moments. " If he's smart and they're solid, he'll probably start by sending a couple of scouts to find out exactly who and what happened to the camp, then wait for their report before deciding how to discourage further anti-bandit activity."
Kyrie tilts her head for a moment, inviting discussion or disagreement with her assessment before continuing. "On the other hand, if his thugs' loyalty isn't solid, he can't afford to be seen as sitting idle while waiting for his scouts - he'll have to respond and respond with force, to any challenge to his claim on these lands, or someone might interpret his lack of response as a sign of weakness and try to exploit it to break away or even take over themselves. "
She pauses to take another sip of her ale, then continues. "If that's the case, we might wind up hearing from him fairly soon, but I actually think I'd prefer it," She chuckles. "It may put us on a short schedule, but it also means he won't have the time to marshal his forces or get them prepared, which'll work to our advantage -- And in the long term, it means that if we can cause him a few more setbacks, disloyalty among his lackeys will wind up doing half our job for us...."
She sighs. "Of course, we'd better not count on being that lucky. In the third case, if he's not particularly bright or his insanity keeps him from thinking this through, he could very well take the loss of his camp as a personal insult and march his entire force on Oleg's -- regardless of whether he knows we're operating out of here, he's the most obvious target as well as most likely to be able to tell him who thrashed his camp..."
She trails off, then turns to look at Norbert again. "In the camp you were in, how many of them do you think would have been like you? More or less forcibly recruited, likely to consider other careers if offered an opportunity? Did any of them, the sergeants perhaps, sound particularly loyal to the Stag Lord, or were they mostly serving out of fear for the consequences if they didn't, or would they be likely to follow anyone else who'd offer them plunder and loot?"
Norbert gives a vague shrug. "I really can't be sure. I would say most of them had gotten pretty used to their life there, but a few of them probably would have taken the chance to do something else. Course, I doubt that most of the rank and file are really loyal. Afraid, but probably not that loyal for any other reason. All the stories I heard about this Stag Lord, he didn't sound like someone who took kindly to betrayal. Or failure."
The conversation is interrupted by the shout of a guard. "Halt! State your name and business!" After all... the hour is getting late.
You come up to the fort without being spotted, using the arrival of another man as a distraction. (I'm using some license here for RPs sake) You can attempt to climb over the palisade wall, or you can try to slip in through the gate. Neither will be easy without being seen. Make the proper checks, including a stealth check either way, and I'll let you know how it goes.
Solquethar gives himself a pat on the back - now at the wall, he must quickly determine the best course of action. With no grappling hook, he merely has rope - and a good stock of it with him. Noting the arrival, he believe this to be the easiest way in. With that said, he sets the two sacks carrying his belongings on the ground, slowly and silently, so as to lessen his weight.
However, he does not realize which way the gates open - traditionally, it would seem they'd open inwards, but due to his inexperience, he has no way to confirm. So, he decides to slip past the gates as the guards are pushing them back shut - so they aren't paying attention, and slip off to the right if possible. He can only be quick - and must be unseen.
The man standing before the gate is twirling his moustache with an amused smile as he is hailed by the guard, he then sweeps of his wide had and executes a flawless courtiers bow.
"Why of course my good man, it shall be my absolute pleasure, I have the honour of being one Rowain, Bregor Roawain in fact."
He straightens up once more and replaces the hat on his head before speaking again.
"As for my presence here, I am on a mission of outmost importance, I have been chartered by the Swordlords of Brevoy to travel these fair lands to rid them of all manner of foul banditry."
While everything about the man seem to hint at foppishness softness, for all that, his left hand never one's strays from the hilt of his sword.
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Gorax stands and looks, his jaw drops open and he looks somewhat taken aback and a little gormless as the man makes his entrance. At the back of his mind a thought takes root, "Another of those toff types, wonder what he can do, other than bow and curtsy...." Gorax turns and makes his way to Oleg, to inform him he has an 'important visitor' and he'll probably want the best bed and fluffy blankets and pillows.
Sia looks over the newcomer with a small smile. "Ah. I'm Siarani. It looks as though there's no shortage of people willing to try to fulfil the charter, at any rate. We were just discussing what to do about that."
She looks back to Kyrie. "Honestly, while your logic sounds good, I do have to point out that so far we don't have evidence that the Stag Lord is, really, anything but incompetent. I suspect that, rather than tell him things aren't going well, his men will just make up stories of success as long as we stay under the radar. If we see an increase in activity up north, then we may need to re-evaluate."
Neither Oleg, nor Kesten (the lead guard) are very far away and the guard's confrontation draws both of their attention. Kesten excuses himself from the conversation to walk to the gate, motioning for the guard to open it as he does.
As Bregor is revealed in the portal, Kesten beckons him inside. "No sense in leaving you standing around out there. If you really are chartered, as I'm assuming you are because I can't think of any other reason you'd be here, you'll want to talk to Sia." He points over to one of the tables set up under the stars by a roaring fire. "They're just discussing their next moves.