Marc takes a step after the fleeing archer, then shrugs and waves a hand dismissively.
"Indeed. Allow him to leave. He can spread word of what has occurred here. I daresay that his fearful whisperings will travel farther, and faster, than any crier we could hire to tell the same tale!" The dandy smiles.
"Well fought my friends!" He declares happily.
Picking through the bandits' gear and accumulated loot, the party find coins, jewellery and non-magial items (such as a battered violin) worth 280gp and a healing potion . They also discover a nice-looking longsword and Kressle's armour also appears to be of fine quality, possibly magical (Arcana checks, please).
"Anyone see Miss Svetlana's ring anywhere? It'd be nice to brighten hers and Mister Oleg's day with it."
A search of the bodies and the captives does not reveal the wedding ring.
As the party goes about searching the bodies and the camp, Hasren hums a little ditty that adds to the euphoria of victory & fortifies their resolve
When Svetlana's ring doesn't turn up after the search, Hasren goes over to where the Mud-Man & remaining swordsman are secured and attempts to cajole the answer out of them.
"That charming lady at the trading post you lot have been robbing told us one of you stole her wedding ring. Would one of you like to be cooperative & tell us where we can find it? I think you'll prefer the treatment we give cooperative prisoners over that the uncooperative ones get!"
Marc assists in separating the useless from the not-to-bad, and pays especial attention to the female leader's belongings,...
"That charming lady at the trading post you lot have been robbing told us one of you stole her wedding ring. Would one of you like to be cooperative & tell us where we can find it? I think you'll prefer the treatment we give cooperative prisoners over that the uncooperative ones get!"
"I think Drev won it in a game of dice after we took it. Dunno where he is now - been gone for weeks. Probably dead in the forest somewhere."
"Which direction was Drov headed and what does he look like?"
<shrugs> "Dunno. He's sorta... Funny-looking."
<shrugs> "Dunno. He's sorta... Funny-looking."
"Funny-looking... that's not a helpful description. Try describing him well enough for us to recognize him on sight."
"Why did he go off into the forest by himself?"
Thom draws his blade in one smooth motion which ends a hairs-bredth from the villain's face, the blade still humming, "... this help yer memory?"
The bandit swallows hard and concentrates. "Short, bandy-legs, squint, big red birth-mark on the side of his face, no front teeth, hunchback." He turns to the other captive. "Anything I missed?"
"You got the squint?"
"Yeah."
"And the club foot?"
"Ah yeah, forgot about the foot. Damn, but he was funny-looking. Can you remember where he was going?"
"He managed to piss off Kressle, so he slipped away to the woods a couple of weeks back. No one knows where he was going, he didn't say. Glad to see the back of him, he was such a ugly bugger."
"Yeah, real funny-looking."
"Funny-looking, yeah."
Even Marc looks momentarily taken aback by Thomdril's sudden, and effective, move. He recovers with a grin.
"See gentlemen? See how easy it is when everyone cooperates?" The dandy asks lightly, picking up Kressle's sword.
"Since we're all getting along so famously now, perhaps you could answer the gentleman's other questions? Do you have other camps like this around? If so, where and how many men do they each have? That sort of information will go a long way towards making our time together more pleasant." Marc says with a smile.
Marc feels the energy in the longsword but cant determing the dweomer it carries.
Marc shrugs.
"Ah well, I can tell there's something about this sword. Perhaps when I get more time later I can convince it to reveal it's secrets!" The dandy looks almost pleased to have the challenge.
"So gentlemen. Any other bits of wisdom you wish to share with us, hm?"
"They'll come with us back to the trading post, where they, like the others before them, will stand trial and, if convicted, face punishment."
The heroes tie the bandits' wrists and tether them to their horses' bridles. They then haul them back to the trading post and place them under guard in the barn. The hamlet is ebullient to hear that the problem of the bandits has been seen to once and for all, and there is an impromptu celebration at Oleg's. Oleg even breaks out the keg of Norry's Special he had been keeping.
The next day, four men on horseback arrive. Armed and armoured, they look like mercenaries, although all but their leader look somewhat wet behind the ears. He dismounts and walks slowly over, his eyes dark and his face morose, and with a puckered duelling scar across one cheek.
"Greetings," he says in a surprisingly cultured voice. "I am Kesten Garess and these are my men. I have heard about your expedition and decided that this would be a good place for me to offer my services. I've tired of being a roving mercenary and am looking for a place to settle, and for good men to serve. If it pleases you, we can guard this hamlet while you explore the wilds, so that you need not worry about the place while you are away.
"You are making quite a name for yourselves hereabouts already. I heard back on Fort Serenko how you routed a bunch of bandits. Heard you've got more in the barn. Good work. Bandits - can't stand them." His eyes narrow and he adds in a low voice. "In fact, I hate them."
"I feel bad about the prior lynch mob we had to quell, when we hung those guys anyhow. Ergo, I propose this: let's make this a conclave of democratic decisionmaking. Everybody over the age of adulthood, who wants a vote on things, let them vote on it.
We'll set up a township meeting, people can hem and haw, then vote on these criminals' fates.
Cos us being judge, jury, and executioner all the time is ultimately going to cause problems of one kind or another.
AND, we don't have anything remotely resembling a judiciary system in existence as of yet; I think it's a step above ravening mob justice and/or a brutally instituted Rule-of-US.
Cos one day, we're going to make a bad mistake. And I rue that day."
Sounds good. I'll feel....more justified.
A meeting is called at the trading post and the villagers arive to debate the fate of the two captives. The general mood of the hamlet is unrelenting. The bandits are murderers and parasites and should be put to death, like Hap.
Aleph'll just kick back, and smugly whisper "barbarians" under his breath.....
"I think we....might bring this place from barbarism to debauchery, without civilisation in between...."
to noone in particular.
Heimoth will explain to the bandits that the mood of the locals is quite grim and that they might want to provide us with some valuable info about things like other bandits that haunt the region, local monsters or things like that. If they do that, we will speak favourably about them on the town meeting, but if not...
"I'm gonna trust in you fellas as to what's the best government, but I'm a little wary of the 'let's put everything to a vote' approach... These village-folk look like they'd turn into a bunch of thugs themselves if given the power. I'd suggest we take at least a strong leadership roll here, if nothin' else." he takes a long look at the newcomer mercenaries, "And I reckon were gonna need some help around here as we make our rounds out in the wilds. Simply a question of trust at that point."
"GAress, Garess,..." Marc mutters.
"Ah! Yes of course! From Brevoy! A pleasure Master Garess! I must say, your arrival is indeed perfectly timed." Marc beams. The group notices that while Marc greets the newcomer warmly, compared to his usual enthusiastic approach, he's practically giving the man the cold shoulder.
"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to vote 'NO' to the group-vote thing." Marc says, his grin indicating he is fully aware of his tongue-in-cheek statement.
"It is my experience that while an individual can be, and frequently IS, highly intelligent and capable of great insight and judgment, groups are usually just plain stupid, and only capable of great destruction. Which is why that particularly large gatherings should be relegated to armies for war, and never allowed otherwise!" The dandy states with particular venom.
"Sorry," He adds calmer. " But while I appreciate the stated concern regarding naming ourselves judge, jury and executioner, a concern that I confess I share, by the way, I feel that giving that same power to a group of well-meaning but at best uneducated peasants who have never held responsibility over anything but their own fields to be a dangerous proposition at best."
"We could, and should, set up a means by which the peoples of the area can bring grievances and wrongs to be addressed. Perhaps even allowing them to vote one or two of their own to a position of judgment for minor to middling crimes. But simply handing these or any other men over to group judgment, ... You may as well simply hand them over to that mob we had in the first place and wash your hands of it!"
MArc obviously has feelings on this matter,...
Marc looks over at his companions and frowns briefly. He mouths something that may be an 'I told you so' and stands to get the crowds attention. "Gentlemen, GENTLEMEN! Please! This is an important moment, and should not be tainted by hasty actions or heated words!,..."
Marc extols the crowd to be better than the villains whose fate they discuss, to rise above the wilderness that they struggle to eke out an existence in, and to begin the building of a better civilization right now! His demeanor is nearly perfect. His self-confidence is imposing but not threatening, and his words flow like honey. His crowning moment comes when he mentions that allowing the bandits to live would actually be a worse punishment than death. After all, they were the feared bandits of a vast wilderness who were captured by a relative (if talented) band of newcomers who decided that they were not dangerous enough to dispose of. Who would take them seriously as criminals now? And living survivors make much better witnesses to the fact that law has arrived in the area than a few heads on pikes.
I'll stay out of the mercenary wranglings....their help would be valued though. That's my 2 coppery jills.
"Good day to you Master Garess. You tire of the life of a roving mercenary you say? And hope to settle in here? Tell me about your experiences. What sights have you seen, what battles have you fought? Have you served a contract with anyone we might have heard of? Oh! And what news do you bring from Fort Serenko?"
Hasren will engage Kesten Garess in boisterous conversation, trying to get a sense for the man's personality & behavior.
The bandits grasp the situation, especially as they saw the bloodstained treestump and Happ's unmarked grave on the way in. They provide as much detail as they can. But it isn't much.
Kressle was a bandit to her fingertips, and the child of highwaymen. She worked for the Stag Lord, a bandit chief further to the south. Apparently she gained his trust when, while travelling through the Greenbelt, she was ambushed by a couple of his men. She gave them such a severe beating they fled and she tracked them back to the Stag Lord's lair and presented herself. He was impressed, had her would-be rapists killed, and gave her command of his northern outpost.
Of the Stag Lord, the details are hazy. Only the mud-man has been been to his camp to the south and met him, and discussions with him are made difficult by the fact that he is clearly as mad as a hatter. His conversations are punctuated with references to the "Lady of the Forest" and how the Stag Lord is her emissary. But he doesn't seem capable of articulating what this means, or who the Lady of the Forest might be. He clearly has had some sort of experience which has shattered his mind, possibly the one which gave him his powers. He claims his magical abilities were a gift of the Lady, but again doesn't really seem to be able to explain what this might mean. His mind rambles at best, he can't remember his own name or where he comes from, and he certainly can't describe where the Stag Lord's redoubt is.
The other man, Gordos, is a fairly standard bandit bully now turned to a snivelling wretch by the proximity of his own death. He cooperates as much as he can, but he is pretty low-ranking and clearly knows little. He makes reference to a bridge on the river, which he says is haunted, but is little help with the Stag Lord and completely ignorant of the Lady of the Forest.
Garess seems to be a truthful, if morose, individual. He doesn't want to talk about his past, and Hasren's attempts at "boistrous conversation" go nowhere fast. In fact, he acts like he has the cares of the world on his shoulders and resentful of Brevoy and its nobility in general. However, he seems competent enough, his men seem decent, and he appears to be sincere in his wish to guard the township and assist in the forging of a new kingdom to thesouth.
At the town meeting, Marc manages to dispel the ugly mood of vengeance with his eloquence. However, the question arises: if the men are not to die, what should be their punishment to ensure they never threaten the good folk of Oleg's Tradepost again?
During the group's private discussion, Hasren will ask Marc what he knows about the mercenary Garess. He'll explain that in talking to the man he seems honest & decent enough, and yet Hasren couldn't help but notice the "frosty" reception Marc gave the man. Is there a reason we shouldn't trust him with the safety of this community? If so, we need to know about it. Otherwise, I'd be inclined to take him up on his offer.
"As for our prisoners, I'd rather not make a habit of "beat & release." Especially if we are thinking of sticking around. Sending them off with no means to support themselves seems likely to have them fall back to their old ways. Sure we tell them to leave & never return, but then they become someone else's problem, which I figure may come back to haunt us."
"One thing we could do with prisoners is to find out why they took to banditry & if they are open to changing their ways. If they're open to changing their ways & if we feel they can be trusted to behave themselves, we could put them to work under supervision for a period of time. I'd say a year or two, so that they can build up trust or good faith with the community. Maybe earlier if we can get someone from the community to vouch for them. If our interviews give us the sense they took to banditry willingly & that they either aren't willing to change or are merely trying to avoid punishment, then I think death by sword or hanging is the appropriate punishment. Beating & releasing this type will only cause someone else a problem & we shouldn't do that."
"The only problem with offering a path to redemption is that we'd need someone capable of dealing with the bandit to keep an eye on him. If this Garess fellow can be trusted & is willing, we might be able to make it work. Otherwise, I don't see any other options. Unless someone has a suggestion for an alternative?"
;P
Marc nods solemnly at the crowd in sympathetic understanding.
"Fear not, I can assure you that they SHALL be punished for their crimes. The crown has entrusted us to bring law and order to your settlement. I ask you to trust us in this matter as well. We shall come up with a punishment that is both a deterrent, and a warning to others." Marc tells the crowd.
Marc explains that he has never actually met Garess, he's just heard stories, rumors actually, that incline him to be cautious with the man. In fairness, since all he knows ARE rumors, there's no reason to presume that he is anything other than who he purports to be until proven otherwise. Marc offers to chat with Garess's men and see what they think about him.
"I am afraid that I must concur with you on all points Master Hasren. You seem to have found the core of the problem. Even for those who took up the life of banditry only because they saw no other option, a good beating would certainly cure them of any desire to go back to that life. BUT with no other means to support themselves, they are most likely to simply fall into their old life again, simply farther upstream."
"And while I wish nothing more than to exhibit mercy, I am afraid that being TOO lenient will merely encourage more to try banditry, or worse, crimes. We must make every effort to determine if they are truly repentant. If not, then they get the block or the noose. If they are, then I admire your suggestion of a 'work-off-your-debt' program Hasren. It has merit. We could institute a system of hard labor. Have them work for a year or two to pay back society. We could help build the community AND punish people at the same time. And hopefully having built something with their own hands, they will care about what happens to it. And the punishment time will hopefully give them time to become part of the community, and become productive members once released form their debt."
MArc shakes his head with a rueful grin.
"I See a thousand possible problems with it, but hope must spring eternal What?"
;P
Marc nods solemnly at the crowd in sympathetic understanding.
"Fear not, I can assure you that they SHALL be punished for their crimes. The crown has entrusted us to bring law and order to your settlement. I ask you to trust us in this matter as well. We shall come up with a punishment that is both a deterrent, and a warning to others." Marc tells the crowd.
1d20+9
"Yes, but how?" says an irritated voice at the back.
"You know, the law does state that the penalty for brigands is death. Of course, these are the same laws that decree death for children who steal a loaf of bread, for hungry farmers who poach a deer in the king's forests and for dissidents who speak up against the excesses of nobles. These are unjust laws, and I, for one, have no intention of enforcing them - indeed, I suspect most of us here tonight are here precisely because we wished to escape such rules and make a better living for ourselves in the process. However, I am not advocating lawlessness and anarchy. Clearly, theft and banditry must be punished; having said that, I am frankly uncomfortable with executing someone merely for the act of stealing. Defiant bandits like Happ are unredeemable and should end up on the block. However, brigands that surrender to us will be tried fairly, and if they provide us with valuable information they will just suffer the punishment whipped and exile. I propose that we should post their names and pictures on a board at the northern crossroad; if they ever return, they too will face the headsman's justice."
"I have no trouble with sending the exiles north into Brevoy. Hundreds of thousands of people live there, and an occasional refugee from the borderlands will make no difference whatsoever to the social makeup of that land. Sending them anywhere else will merely put them back on the road to outlawry - what else can a man with no possessions in the middle of the wilderness do? That brings me to my final point - what shall we do with the captured madman? I am uncertain about him; he has useful talents, but is clearly somewhat mad. He seems less malicious than troubled, and I feel he can be redeemed, but that he will need supervision. Is there anyone who could put him to good use while we determine his future?"
Garess offers to send one of his men to Fort Serenko with word of the bandit-slaying. Marc takes a ride with him too, mainly to get a chance to talk to him and size up Garess and his men. The trip is uneventful - they ride there, and the following day they ride back with a pouch containing 100 gold sovereigns.
Here's the map so you can see where you went.
"That brings me to my final point - what shall we do with the captured madman? I am uncertain about him; he has useful talents, but is clearly somewhat mad. He seems less malicious than troubled, and I feel he can be redeemed, but that he will need supervision. Is there anyone who could put him to good use while we determine his future?"
A day or so after the bandits are brought in, an onld man with a grubby beard and a smock that has seen better days shuffles into the trading post. He mumbles something to Oleg who points him in the direction of the bandit-slayers.
"Hear you got me brother with ya," he slurs toothlessly while picking at a scab. "What'ya gonna do with him?"
"Well, he's a little odd now. We were hoping that a return to familiar faces and settings would help him recover. So what we would prefer to do is hand him over to you and have you bring him home. Keep in mind that he was keeping company with bandits - if he recovers his wits, we'd like to talk with him about what and who he saw."
"Thank you Heimoth. Well-stated." Marc answers into the temporary silence that follows Heimoth's declaration.
"We CAN apply the law here and now, and you tell us that would make you happy. But consider this, IF we do, we will then apply the same law, as stated, to you and yours when the time comes. How then will you speak when we are forced to kill you, or your spouse, or your children because of a moment's weakness in hunger causes them to take a loaf of bread?"
The dandy looks across at the gathered people. He speaks with respect, but quiet authority, like an uncle explaining to a teen how the world really works.
"Our decision stands. Those brigands who prove overtly dangerous or obviously unrepentant shall be killed. Swiftly and without torment. Those whose prove repentant shall be beaten and released. I assure you that the beatings shall be enough to make one wish he had never committed the crime of brigandry. IF any do not believe me, they are welcome to volunteer for a beating themselves to verify it's effectiveness."
Marc looks for one solid moment at the most vocal of the proponents for killing.
"After the beating, the criminal shall be released. His debt shall be considered paid. He shall be sent out unarmed and unmolested to leave the area and never return."
Marc looks thoughtful.
"If the criminal has any skills that are useful, and anyone wishes to hire him to work, I will consider requests. Otherwise, our decision has been made. Any who disagree with it are welcome to go out and raid their OWN bandit camp."
"I picked up that Garess is respected by his men, but not especially liked. He is moody and morose, and while they don't know the full story his man is pretty sure that he was a noble of some sort but cast out of his family. They roved about the River Kingdoms for a bit but Garess lacked the moral flexibility that is necessary with the mercenary life. (I consider this a good sign!) With a few like-minded souls he headed back to Brevoy, where they heard about the expeditions into the Stolen Lands. The other two expeditions were better-equipped than this one (the Greenbelt is considered less dangerous than the other areas in the Stolen Lands) so he opted for the one where they could make most difference. His man certainly believes that Garess is on the level."
"I believe that we can trust him and his men to hold the fort, heh, I made a funny, while we explore the surrounding area." Marc concludes.
A day or so after the bandits are brought in, an onld man with a grubby beard and a smock that has seen better days shuffles into the trading post. He mumbles something to Oleg who points him in the direction of the bandit-slayers.
"Hear you got me brother with ya," he slurs toothlessly while picking at a scab. "What'ya gonna do with him?"
"Actually, presuming you mean our wild-eyed caster friend, we have not yet decided my good man. Your brother you say? Perhaps if you can tell us about him? To be honest he seems bound and determined to be most confusing. We have not yet been able to determine if he is dangerous or not without the bandit's influence."
Loot:
Picking through the bandits' gear and accumulated loot, the party find coins, jewellery and non-magial items (such as a battered violin) worth 280gp and a healing potion . They also discover a nice-looking longsword and Kressle's armour also appears to be of fine quality, possibly magical (Arcana checks, please).
and
Garess offers to send one of his men to Fort Serenko with word of the bandit-slaying. Marc takes a ride with him too, mainly to get a chance to talk to him and size up Garess and his men. The trip is uneventful - they ride there, and the following day they ride back with a pouch containing 100 gold sovereigns.
That's 280 + 100 =380/6= 63 gold, 3 silver and 4 copper each. There's also a Potion of healing[i] and a set of [i]Sylvan hide, plus the sword I claimed.
"...I propose that we should post their names and pictures on a board at the northern crossroad; if they ever return, they too will face the headsman's justice."
Once Marc comes back with the reward money, Heimoth suggests that we should accept Garess' offer and appoint him constable and charge him with maintaining order and security while we are out exploring and battling bandits and monsters. We'll explain our mission and our legal and moral philosophy - fair, firm and relatively hands-off - and task him with improving the defensibility of Oleg's compound. Perhaps they can repair a siege engine or two and fix up the walls while we're out and about? They could come in handy later.