The leader looks over to Cal with a smile. "Can you repeat the question? I'm afraid my mind was rather... Preoccupied."
"Ugh..." Sia blanches a bit at the reminder of her recent deception efforts. She starts to stalk away. "Oleg, do you have a bathtub we can set up somewhere private? I feel like I need to wash off for a week and he didn't even touch me."
As she passes by Calath, she whispers something softly in his ear.
Estruven smiles at the leader. "Excellent! I'm so glad we can come to an understanding. Now, tell us what sort of dangers we may encounter on the trail to your base. Are there any traps?"
Cal nods to Sia in acknowledgment as she passes by, then turns his attention back to the bandit leader.
"Aye, th' traps on th' trail. Also, does yer group have jus' th' one camp? Do y' have sentries or patrols set up?"
Oleg gives Sia a sympathetic smile and helps her into the main house. Both to get out of sight of the bandits and to clean up. Once she's inside, Svetlana takes good care of her, seeing to it that she gets everything that she needs.
Meanwhile...
The bandit leader looks back to Estruven, deciding that he'd rather answer her. "Aye, there be traps. And there be patrols. And the Stag Lord be having more than one camp in his lands as well." He pauses and smiles widely. "In fact. It'd probably be best if I showed you the way. Much easier than trying to describe it. And I wouldn't want a misunderstanding of my words to make a lair of me. I'm sure whatever I put on a paper could be overturned just as fast should you decide to be less... Generous."
"Oh, aye, an' so y' kin shout th' alarm or give th' wrong password when we get t' yer camp. Yer not in a position t' be bargainin', here. Personally, I'd rather no' hafta kill ya, but iffn y' don' start bein' a little more helpful, I don't see that I'm gonna have any choice but t' give ya t' Gorax an' Yossian over there." Cal glares sternly at the bandit leader, reaching out and jerking him by the chin so that he has no choice but to look at him. "I tell y' now, ye'll be better off repentin' yer banditry an' helpin' us whole-hearted. I ain't one t' hold grudges; if ye're honest an' open with us, I'll keep y' from th' gallows. If y' keep holdin' things back an' lyin', well, we can't afford t' have enemies at our backs."
"Arigh', then, tell us abou' this Stag Lord fellow. I take it he's yer boss-man? How many camps and how many men's he got? How tight's his fist on th' camps?"
The bandit leader laughs a bit, a corse grating sound. "Yer stupider than I thought if you think the Stag Lord would trust me with that kind of information. I tell ya true I have no idea what other camps he might have out and about or how many men he has. I'd hazard there's a couple hundred bandits sworn to 'im, but he doesn't keep 'em all at hand. Wouldn't get much bandetry done that way..."
He coughs a bit then Gives a shrug. "As for what you do with me, I figure you can either hang me, after which I'm no more use to you... Or you can ship me to Restov... But I doubt you got the time or the manpower to spare to take me. Or you can take me with you and trust that I guide you true." He shrugs again, "Do what you want. At this point I'm just tired of waiting for you to decide."
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Gorax pulls the man slightly away from his compatriots, without keeping his eyes from the 3 men sitting down. He says quietly[/b]"Now listen, I know life is unfair to people like us, but if you can take us to the camp and fight with us against those who have led you to this position, perhaps I can persuade the others to let you live? What d'yer say?"[/b]
Gorax throws back his head and shouts up to Yossain, "You got that one swinging yet? Come on get on with it, these guys haven't got all day."
Yossian wonders over to Estruven and speaks in a low voice.
"Miss, yer making promises yer purse can't cover. You drag these men back north, and they'll just hang 'em there, and tell ye not ter waste their time again. They gave us these charters 'cos they wanted the bandit problem dealt with, and they didn't want ter be bothered with it themselves."
He pauses
"Now maybe'n we can let the odd one go, an' tell him to get his hide ter where we never sees it again. But takin' the others north isn't on. Best ter do it here, quick, than give em hope and draggin' them all the way ter Rostov, where yer has ter bribe the hangman ter give yer the long drop, so as ter save yer the last dance."
He gestures to the prisoners.
"Just ter remind yer, these aren't soldiers captured in battle. These is vermin that half an hour ago was threatenin' ter slit Oleg's throat an' rape his wife. And didn't think twice when they thought they had a chance of doin' the same ter Sia. Think careful like afore ye goes wastin' yer time."
Estruven walks closer to the leader and smiles at him. Then, without a word, she kicks the crate out from under his feet. "You're right, we don't have the manpower to take you back up north. Besides, you didn't sound very repentant."
She turns to the other prisoners and walks away from the hanging man. "I suppose we have about all of the information we can get from these criminals. And we have an obligation that to the Swordlords to take care of ya'll in the manner outlined in the charter. I guess we best get to it."
Yossian smiles grimly to himself and goes to get the two other bandits who are still bound and sitting.
Hearing the hanging, and seeing the grim walk of Yossian coming to get more of them, the three remaining bandits begins to practically trip over themselves in an effort to be the most helpful. The chorus of "help" is so loud, in fact, that it is impossible to tell what any of them are saying. All that can be made out for certain involves begging for mercy and assuring that they will never even think about robbing anyone else ever again. There are also a few mentions of the Stag Lord, in a tone that leaves little doubt that they fear him just as much as hanging, and Kressle who they fear almost as much.
Estruven eyes her companions and Oleg to see if she can sense their approval for the way she is dealing with the bandits.
Sense Motive:
Oleg is most obviously quite happy to see the man hang. As reflected by the smile on his face. He'd likely be just as happy to see them all hang. Leaving aside the fact that they never actually did anything but threaten and steal from him (hardly hanging offenses) they've almost destroyed a life dream and he has no real mercy in his heart for them.
Yossian drags the two seated bandits to their feet, and yells at them to shut up. He turns them so that they can see the still-jerking body of their leader hanging from the noose.
"Yer'll all get the chance to spill yer guts. One at a time. If yers co-operates, tells us the truth and shows some respect, then we might, just might, give yer a day and a night ter hightail it out of this land afore we starts ter hunt yer like the vermin ye are."
"If we catches any one of yet lying ter us, or holdin' back information, or yer stories don't add up, then yer all swing. Understand?"
Without waiting for their response, he turns to Gorax. "Pops, I'm going ter shut these two in the midden pit, with the rest of the shit. Why don't you take that one inside the guest house and see how co-operative he wants ter be?"
With that he drags the two bandits to the midden pits, unpegs the grille over the top, and throws the two, none too gently, into the refuse. Then he carefully replaces the grille, making sure that it is firmly staked down.
Gorax lets a little smile creep across his face as he looks up to see the punishment, the swinging rope and body. He straightens himself, rising to his full height, a glint in his eye as he says to the captive, "Glad you want to be so cooperative, lets sit down at those tables and have a little chat. Now before I loosen your bindings, I just want to check you have nothing hidden. Before I start the search, do you want to tell me if you have anything hidden about your person like weapons or valuables or anything I should know about?" Gorax looks into the brown eyes of his captive, eyes that show the man as a feckless waster pleading for his life. He sees small beads of sweat starting to form across his forehead, this man is both frightened and hopeful at the same moment.
Gorax, waits for his captives reply for a moment, before proceeding to search the bound man, using his large hands to frisk vigorously and with power to find anything on the bandit.
Perception includes +4 for frisking 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
None of the bandits has anything hidden that hasn't already been discovered, and each of them says so as his turn comes. They also each sing like the proverbial canary and miraculously their stories even jive with each other. This is the sum total of what you learn.
Their camp is relatively large, and well defended by numerous hidden platforms placed in the trees. The camp itself is in the Narlmarches, about 60 feet from the Thorn River's north bank—a path winds alongside a shallow creek that leads directly up to the campsite. This path continues for another 200 feet north of the camp before turning into a standard game trail. All of them are willing to lead you to the path but none of them want to go any further and beg to be allowed their chance to run from that point. The camp itself is about 30 miles away.
Two thick logs lie positioned alongside the forest trail. The bandits sometimes use the logs as cover or roll them across the trail to create obstructions. Each of them can draw a rough picture of the camp. All three pictures are roughly the same, accounting for talent and memory.
There have been about twelve of them at this camp, not counting Kressle. However you've just taken out four and if the camp isn't on alert others will be out and about doing their bandit thing. The bandits will know something is up if Happs (the hanging man) and them don't make it back in three days time.
There are no special passwords or specific traps laid out, there hasn't been any reason to really do so, however there are natural dangerous in the wilds for sure. From wolves to owlbears and worse.
They all speak fearfully of the Stag Lord. Some kind of Bandit King. He apparently has a camp much further to the south. These are the kinds of things you get about him, but none of them seem to have much information about him or the defenses of his fort.
“Our boss is a monster of a man. Calls himself the Stag Lord. He’s a deadeye with the bow, and I saw him crush a prisoner’s hand to mush in one fist. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him without his creepy stag helmet on— some of my friends think he ain’t got no face under it, but not me—I think that creepy helm is his face!”
“It’s hard keeping track of who’s working for the boss, so we use a master phrase as a sort of password to get in to the fort on the northeast shore of the Tuskwater. Unless it’s been changed recently, the current phrase is, ‘By the Bloody Bones of St. Gilmorg, who wants to know?’ And no, I have no idea who ‘St. Gilmorg’ is.”
Looking at the dangling man, Yossian might notice a glint of silver. Taking a closer look reveals a silver stag's head amulet around his neck.
Yossian hurries to find Sia, pushing her out of the door half-dressed if necessary.
"See that, around his neck, Miss? A stag head. An' the other men speak of a 'Stag Lord' with mystic powers. I've heard the stories - wizards bein' attuned to an amulet, bein' able ter know where it was, and who held it, and even see through its eyes. Can yer be seein' if it is magic, Miss? And what'n you thinks we should do with it? I don't wants to touch it without yer sayso."
While Yossian and Sia are investigating the amulet, Estruven pulls Oleg and Gorax aside, away from earshot of any of the prisoners.
"It seems as though these bandits have told us the truth. I hate going back on my word and I really don't want to kill the rest of these men. They do seem fairly repentant to me. But then, we can't let them go, at least not right away."
"So here is my plan. We need to try to find that camp as soon as possible so that they aren't suspicious when we arrive. If we leave first thing in the morning we should be OK. We'll let the prisoners go, but without any weapons or horses." she says, looking at Oleg. "They won't be able to catch us, so it won't do them any good to try and beat us to the camp to warn the other bandits. They won't last long out here in the wild, so the only smart thing for them to do is to head north to civilization."
"How does that sound to you?"
Sia makes a yelp of dismay as she's pulled away from her bath. Thankfully, she was stepping out of it and had at least gotten her long shirt back on, because otherwise this would be awkward. She manages to get her feet for a moment and slaps him. "Excuse me! Wait for a lady to finish dressing first!" With that, she sniffs and turns about, going back into the house. "I'll be two minutes, don't touch anything."
It's not quite two minutes, but she comes back out with her own amulet back in place. "Now...let me see..."
Calath looks grim and resigned, but not disapproving, upon the hanging form of the bandit.
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"There weren't no need t' fetch Sia outta her bath. She ain't th' only one 'round here wit' magic." Cal closes his eyes and says a quick prayer to Erastil, and when his eyes open, they glow a very faint blue. He then gazes intently at the hanging bandit.
After his scan for magic, Cal turns to Estruven. "Aye, tha' sounds like th' best option t' me. These is nothin' but chum t' bloody th' waters. They ain't gonna mean anythin' one way or th' other even if they do run back t' onna their camps."
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Gorax watches the others as they discuss and study the amulet, his face confused and quizzical. Unsure of the thing he says, "If its worth some money let Oleg have it for his troubles, or just destroy it if yer think it dangerous. Lets be making these 'gentlemen' comfortable, perhaps we can take one with us and let the other 2 help Oleg here back at the store, if he wants some able hands to do some repairs. 'Corse they would have to behave, or we'd be making sure their necks hang if anything bad happened to Oleg or Swetlana. I think Estruven has the idea, we get ready to move in the morning after a full belly of Swetlana's breakfast."
For all the fuss, it is perhaps disappointing to find that the amulet is in fact mundane. Still, it could be worth a little something. The fact that it is a stag's head, and the mention of a Stag Lord, is a might coincidence, though.
If consulted, Oleg doesn't really want the bandits left here. He's still pretty bitter and he makes it clear they aren't welcome here... ever. However, he is fine with letting them go into the wilds weapon and horseless.
Oleg also allows you all first claim to the confiscated gear, including the horses. He is perfectly willing to purchase any of the items from you, however. It should be noted, though, that he does not have enough cash on hand to do so. But anything you "sell" can be counted into your store credit with him.
"Ahem," Sia coughs slightly. "This amulet isn't magical, although I could probably enchant it like mine is to give me a small boost. However...I suspect having a few of these on hand might come in handy later. Does anyone have any objections to keeping this one for now?"
"Yes, Sia, that is a good idea. We may need that in case we want to infiltrate one of their camps, although that sounds like a desperate move right now. Hopefully we won't have to resort to such tactics."
The rest of the day is absorbed with the interrogation of prisoners and the organization of their belongings and the deciding of just what to do with both their information and them. Svetlana spends most of it tending to her house but Oleg seems to walk past the interrogation area a bit more often than he probably needs to, a wide smile on his face. It's quite obvious that he's in better spirits and he takes some time in the afternoon to move the dead bandit's body to the outside of the wall, next to the gate, as a warning to anyone else who might try to trouble him.
As evening is falling, and Svetlana is setting out supper for her guests, Oleg saunters up with a small box, which he sets on the table, presenting to Sia.
"I know I was none too polite to all of you when you came in, but you did right by me and my wife none-the-less. I got all of you to thank for bein' free of that bunch and I hear that you plan to do in their friends as well. I gotta say I like that idea." He gives a wide grin and pushes the box forward a bit. "We don't have a lot, but I can't let what you done go without a reward. Take this. And know that you are all welcome to stay here at the post free of charge for room or meal. You'll always be welcome at Oleg's."
Sia smiles politely at Oleg. "Thank you. I wish I could refuse politely, but I fear that with the task ahead of us, that's simply an offer that's too good to pass up." She opens the box with a moment's hesitation afterwards, and smiles. "Yes, these will be most helpful, and the offer of a place to stay as well."
She quietly brushes her hair back, now tied back in its' ponytail again. "Now, we need to decide on a plan. While I agree that our first priority needs to be the bandit camp, I'm going to advise against going directly for this 'Stag Lord.' We have no real guarantees beyond the boasts of a man too eager to die that he's anything important, or that he even exists. We need more information."
"There's also the matter of our charter." Sia continues. "We have been contracted to not just end the bandit threat, but to thoroughly explore this land. So," here she finally takes a breath. "At daybreak, we ride for the bandit's camp with the instructions given to us, and bring them down. Then, we'll return here with the spoils.
"Oleg, would you be so kind as to set us up an accounting ledger? We'll give you our spoils to sell, and you can add half the profits to a small credit account for us. That way, we aren't stuck with piles of perfectly good weapons and equipment that could be lining your pockets, simply because you don't have the coin for us before you've sold it. Once the terms of the charter are fulfilled, I'm sure we can afford to rest for a week or two if you need to sell some more before we can settle accounts." Sia smiles. "And yes, we promise to always keep a positive balance with you, so there's no need to worry about us running off."
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A large grubby hand moved across Gorax's lips, mopping up the last of Svetlana's wholesome stew from around his mouth. With a heart felt "Hmmm, once more your food leaves me full and satisfied, I shall sleep well tonight. You'll not be seeing the last of me, if you're offering more of this wonderful food.". Speaking directly to Svelana he coninues, "I'm sure if my mother was here, you would both get on very well and could take it in turns to feed me this lovely food.". His eyes become a bit bleary as he thinks of his mother and family, a tear gather in the corner of one eye, before that large hand again wiped across his face removing any trace of vulnerable emotion. He looks up to the heavens, watching the stars gradually take their places as the night sky blackens.
"You know, if we are successful in bringing the rule of the land to this lawless outback, I think my mother and my brothers and sisters would make a good home in this land." Continuing to Oleg he says, "I am sure we will become good friends as our adventure continues and maybe my family shall come to know your friendship too. Let us hope our forthcoming actions will be the first step to peace and law. The first step to bring security to you and Swetlana, so you can rest easy at night and know your belongings will still be yours the next day and not stolen from you." Raising his mug of water to Oleg he raises a toast to our hosts "To security and peace, to Oleg and Swetlana."
Estruven raises her glass and smiles at Svetlana. For all of Oleg's gruffness, he made a nice little speech that made her remember her father. A small tear forms in the corner of her eye as she thinks of how proud he would be of her for doing this work.
Cal raises his mug and cheers to Gorax's toast.
Sia raises her mug to the toast as well, drinking it back and sighing. "Still, it's looking to be a hard road ahead. Even after clearing the bandits out, there will be a lot of work to do." She takes another drink. "Some day I'll be sure to come back to see it."
Oleg gives a deep laugh as he stands up, giving Gorax a firm smack on the shoulder. "Well if they're anything like you and your friends, I'm sure we'll get along just fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a bit a chores to do before I hit the sack. I'll be sure you're up plenty early tomorrow to get a good start on trackin' down that bandit camp." With that he heads off, whistling to himself.
Svetlana stays behind for a while, small-talking with everyone, but especially Sia and Estruven. When Oleg is good and away she leans in and speaks a bit softer. "Can I ask another favor of you? Nothing as grand as rescuing us from bandits, but important at least to me..."
"If it be within' me power, I'll do m' best, ma'am. What is this favor, an' why don't y'want yer husband t' hear?"
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Gorax watches Oleg go, then leans back and does a bit of star gazing. "A good day's work" he thinks to himself and looses himself in the greatness of the universe. Under his breath he mutters a prayer to Iomedae and lets what warmth there is in the spring night waft over him. Lost in his thoughts, he pays little or no attention to Svetlana.
"Can I ask another favor of you? Nothing as grand as rescuing us from bandits, but important at least to me..."
"Sure Svetlana, what do you need?"
Yossian isn't there to hear the conversation, having taken a jug of water and some scraps of food out to the prisoners in the midden.
"Well, it seems the god's smilin' on yer, little that yer deserves it. I was all for hangin' yer, but because yer co-operated, the others have decided ter be merciful."
He passes the food and water down carefully through the grille.
"Ye'll be released at dawn. I advise yer to head north, and I advise yer to do it quickly. Firstly, because it's dangerous country but mostly because ye'll only have two hour afore I'll be coming after yer, with me bow and me blade. And if I catches yer, then I promise yer won't die quick. So in the mornin', yer runs. Yer runs straight and yer runs fast, and yer never shows yer face in this land again, or ye'll regret it ter yer last breath. Am I clear?"
Regardless of their response, he checks the pegs securing the grille carefully, to ensure that there is no chance of the prisoners escaping, before going to make sure that the horses are fed and watered.
Svetlana smiles sweetly to Calath. "Because I want it to be a surprise." She clears her throat a bit. "All of this has been really stressful on my husband and I would really like to do something for him. I was thinking I'd cook his favorite meal, but for that I need some moon radishes. I've heard one of the trappers that come through here talk about a patch of them that grows not far to the south of here. If you could bring me back a basket of them, I'm sure I could make it worthwhile for you."
All of the bandits nod vigorously at Yossian's suggestion and none of them look as though they have any intention of practicing their craft in these parts again. At least not until they get word that these adventurers have been taken care of by someone with more skill and courage than they have.
Sia listens to Svetlana's request, then says back with a rather pleasant smile "I'm sure if we run across some we can bring them back for you. It hardly seems to be any trouble."
It hardly seems to be any trouble.
Calath smiles at Svetlana. "Moon radishes, is it? An' here I was all afraid y' were gonna send us on some deathly dangerous quest 'gainst dragons an' demons!" He winks at her to show her that he's joking.
Cal does indeed know what one is and looks like. He also knows that they prefer shady ground so they're probably in a forest. Fortuitous since the bandits all said that the camp was in the forest to the south.
Svetlana gives a wide smile and nods. "I appreciate it, and I'm sure Oleg will too once he tastes it. And if you bring back enough, I'm sure there would be leftovers for you," she offers to the party as a whole but while looking at Gorax.
"I should head in to bed. I'll be sure to have breakfast ready nice and early for you."
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After another good nights sleep, Gorax begins his early morning routine again, as if in autopilot. Get up get, check his armor and weapons are where he left them, a short prayer to Iomedae for protection and guidance in the day ahead, get dressed and then out to a hearty breakfast. He greets Svetlana through bleary eyes, but nostrils full of the smells of breakfast, "Morning Swetlana and once more you do us proud with your wonderous food, this bacon smells lovely." Gorax sits down, with a mug in hand takes a deep draught of water, before tucking into breakfast. He greets Oleg and his fellow party members as they rise for breakfast or meets during his morning routine. After breakfast he feeds and rubs down the horse he has been assigned and prepares it for the day ahead. Then he fills his own waterskins and prepares his own equipment and back pack. He does not wear his Armour until it is time to leave.
Estruven greets everyone when approaching the breakfast table. Sitting quietly eating her meal, the others can tell her mind is hard at work.
"I suppose the earlier we leave the less likely anyone at their camp will get suspicious."
"Does anyone have a plan for approaching the bandit camp?"
Sia makes a 'hmm' sound as she looks things over. "While deception served us well this time, I don't think that it will suffice again. We know where we're going, so I'm going to suggest another time-honored tactic. Surprise."
She smiles. "The bandits will likely be worried, but not overly so. These lands have threats other than them, after all, and it's not unlikely for the group doing the shakedowns to have fallen afoul of them - whether it be savages, monsters, or even bandits loyal to another master we haven't yet heard of. Since the camp will still require that the daily tasks be done, it's quite probable that, at this point, they'll be occupied with those. They also likely keep watches, probably only a single man during the day, and I would guess they change the guard shortly before or after lunch. The wood should mask our approach, but just in case we can scout to ensure that we know when they'll be at meal."
"When they are, we'll all ride in. Gorex, you and Estruven first, I'll stay in the middle to see if there are any I can bespell, and we'll have Calath and Yossian bring up the rear with their bows."
"Sound good?"