"Ho companions, the day is ours!
Laughing, Gizsmith walks to join the group by the buildings, clapping people on the back as he arrives.
"Rufus, it seems you need to practice your ducking.
Kari's eyebrow rises as Svetlana leads her husband from the scene, and smirks at Rufus. "My lord, yet another of your suggestions that seems ill timed," she nearly purrs. "The frequency of these occurrences seems to be increasing by the day," she teases and giggles.
Kari strides to the conscious bandit, Reijin and strides around him to make certain he is fully conscious of her body. "I understand you, or one, or perhaps all of your men have a lack of control around women. Do, be a dear and prove yourselves, hmm?" she attempts to insinuate with
Another bandit scowls, "Har, the pup don' know what goods a woman has. Ye be robbing the wrong cradle. Ye maybe cow the yung 'un, but not me. Ye ain' my type!" He up and hocks a luggy, spitting it at Kari's feet and staring defiantly at her.
With the bandit's attention focused on Kari, Rufus steps softly up behind him, grasping him in a rough embrace from behind. "Is that so? Perhaps you would prefer more soldierly companionship? You might have a care, we like it rough & I assure you, won't be taking the man's part."
Forcefully shoving the bandit down into the mud Rufus bellows to the other bandits. "Well, one had no interest in saving his hide, which one of you sorry lot "
Aedon watches the situation unfold, noting idly that Kari was likely far too much woman for poor young Rejin. As the bandits began yelling, Aedon was surprised to see Rufus grab one of their foes, and even moreso to hear his words.
"Right, well, that was an exciting visual... Rejin, come over here, I need some more help."
Aedon leads the young man into the barracks.
"Your type?" Kari muses, and feels quite put off when Rufus wrestles the idiot down to the floor. Surely he could not have been insinuating that she was anything less than the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld.
Sparing a sly smile for Rufus, Kari crouches in front of the bandit, her legs spread on either side of his face so that if the rain allowed he could smell the scent coming from her as she leaned forward and pressed the point of her sickle to the side of his neck. She delighted in watching his pulse jump against the crude tool, and even licked the rain from her lips.
"Come now, lover, struggle for me," she says, her tone low and seductive. "Show yourself for the coward you are and sing high and clear about your betters in hopes of pleasing me further," she purrs, "and perhaps I will end you quickly. Else you might find yourself at my... tender mercies," she warns with
One of the unconscious bandits starts to stir (the one from under the barracks), he attempts to stretch out before he feels the pull of the bindings. He pauses for a moment before suddenly struggling and squirming about on the ground. His entire body starts shaking and jerking about. The crack of a bone breaking reverberates in the crisp air of the outpost. His struggles finally flip him onto his back where his eyes are seen to stare vacantly into the sky before rolling up. pink froth foams from his mouth as his head bounces against the ground repeatedly. His jerking legs continue to pull the bindings wrapped around his wrists and neck tighter.
As the bandit's thrashing begins throttling him, Rufus immediately draws his dagger while rushing to the bandit's side.
The sharp crack of breaking bones pulls Aedon's attention away from the cowering form of Rejin. "Wait here!" he says to the boy before taking a long look at him:
Whirling about, Rufus glares at the other bandits until his gaze lights on Gizsmith. " You, Gnome! Do what you can for him!" Wheeling back to the bandit currently semi-straddled by Kari, Rufus bodily hauls him back by one boot & yanks him upright by the collar, only just preventing his dagger from exsanguinating the poor sod in the process. "You & I are going to have a talk, " With that, Rufus pulls him along to the far side of the barracks from the other bandits, pointing his dagger at Lyster & wagging it as if indicating he should follow.
"Yes, loud human!!"
Gizsmith goes over to check the flopping bandit,
and has no idea what is happening.
"Ahh looks like his glang banger is discombobulated. Not much I can do for a discombobulation, didn't think to pick up a flange spanner before we set out. I think he might be in the hands of the gods now."
Suddenly deprived of her plaything by Rufus, Kari eyes the pathetic creature mewling on the ground. She glances up at Gizsmith's posturing, knowing that no priest alive would spend arcane magics to turn their beard blue or their pony lemon yellow.
"My friend, while you make a passable magician, you are a piss poor field medic. The man has broken a rib and it has punctured his lung, hence the blood in his foam there," she says and frowns. "I am uncertain what is to be done with him," she whispers and leans down and wipes the blood from his mouth. "We've no healing magics."
Aedon exits the barracks to see Rufus dragging the bandit around the side of the building. He then sees Gizsmith and Kari leaning over the bandit thrashing around on the ground. Hurrying over, Aedon hears Kari's diagnosis as he kneels down:
"Kari's right about his lung, but he's also got the shakes. Keep away from his limbs, and let's make sure he doesn't injure his head." Aedon pulls his cloak off and loosely places it under and around the man's head.
"He needs healing magic or he's going to die - can either of you do anything?"
Lyster grimaces at the sight and will also attempt to provide the required care.
"Hang in there cur, your life ain't over by a long shot. I still got lots of things to ask you."
Gizsmith looks at Lyster with disproval.
"To heal a man, only to hang him later, is a cruel thing to do.
Aedon looks from Lyster to Gizsmith,"నేను అంగీకరిస్తున్నాను, కానీ ఎంపిక ఇవ్వబడింది, మేము అతను ఉరి అర్హురాలని ఉంటే చూడండి అతన్ని సేవ్ చేయాలి? నేను కాకుండా ఒక అమాయక ఒక మరణిస్తారు వీలు కంటే ఒక నిందితుని మనిషి జీవితంలో సేవ్ ఇష్టం."
Kari rises and stands beside Lyster, offering a faint smile. When Aedon begins speaking in another language, her eyes flutter with annoyance, but she discerns that speaking freely among them that the folk in Restov would see dispatched with prejudice is unlikely to gain them any favor.
"Our writ explicitly states we are to execute unrepentant banditry. Witness this poor bastard. If friend Aedon is correct, who would employ an uneducated man more like to break his own neck 'fore he could lift any weight?"
"None," Kari says in the trading tongue, and shakes her head.
"Might one of you fine lads attend our Lord Fitzroi?" she inquires, peering after the bright headed youth's exit. "I 'ave the sneakin' suspicion that I an' mah gash ain't welcome near his current partner."
Aedon glances up from his position cradling the man's head. "Why? He obviously wants to handle things himself. Let him."
He pauses for a moment, then continues, "Jeg er enig med jeres følelser, Kåre, og det er væsentligt, hvad jeg siger bare. Jeg gætter du ikke forstår mig. Mine undskyldninger, det var ikke min hensigt at tale et sprog, du ikke forstår."
Kari giggles. "'Tis mah short stature," she explains and taps the side of her nose. "More amusin' ta pretend ta be tall, nae?"
Kari frowns in the direction Rufus exited. "May like we shoul' agree 'pon a tongue ta use when we nae wan' be overheard, and educate us all in it."
"As for the loudmouth longshanks, I might be inclined to aid him, if he asked, nicely. Very nicely."
Looking at Lyster, Aedon softly says, "I'll fill you in once we're around friendly ears."
If Lyster agrees, Aedon recommends moving the bandit they're caring for into one of the beds in the barracks. After that, he recommends moving the others into the storage room (if possible, tying them to something - a post, logs in the ceiling - to keep them confined).
Having dragged the bandit behind the barracks, Rufus shoves him against the wall, sheathing his dagger as he does so. Since the others voices were not hushed he heard much of what was said, particularly when Kari mentioned his name in the prisoner's hearing.
Have any of them ever interrogated a prisoner before? Apparently not.
"Your name, your companion's names, who lead this little travesty, where your camp is, who is leader , how many of you there are in total, where is the 'Stag Lord' and finally, what are his plans. Answer my questions truthfully and your odds of surviving 'til nightfall are significantly improved. with me and I'll kill you here, go find another and see if has better sense."
Lyster will join Aedon with moving the bandit, being as careful as he can to not harm his future detainee.
Salvator more or less twiddled his thumbs, looking confused as he tried to catch the back and forth banter in Giant.
Aedon fills Salvator in about all the non-Common speak after the bandits are moved into the barracks or the storage shed.
Aedon also gives Rejin a quick smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Kari, having watched Salvator climb out from beneath the barracks shrugs at the exchange between Gizsmith and Aedon, then smirks and moves toward the barracks. She climbs onto her belly in the mud and the muck and pulls herself under it carefully, and she hopes, quietly.
She casts and points at the bandit's legs, musing that if Rufus cannot make the man cooperate, she might lend her special brand of enthusiasm to the interrogation. Of the languages she might employ, Sylvan would likely be the most menacing. Diverting as it is to pretend that she is tall she has not the lung capacity to emulate a giant or the lack of brains to impersonate a troll.
Sighing as much in self-recrimination as in aggravation, Rufus drops the prisoner to the ground, Then tips him on his side.
Drawing his dagger as he squats down beside the prisoner, "We seem to have something of a misunderstanding. will be considered 'playing with' if you try it again. To give you another opportunity to better you chances I'll give you another question you can answer. Where is Celeste, the girl you lot took from here before?"
Aedon watches in confusion as Kari climbs under the barracks. He turns to Salvator, then looks back toward the barracks. Throwing his hands up, he begins muttering under his breath.
He looks at the others and says, "I'm going to talk to Rejin, hopefully he can provide some details we can use when we question the rest of them. I'll also watch the man we brought in to make sure he doesn't have another bought of the shakes. Any who wants to can join us."
Aedon enters the barracks and closes the door. Sitting across from Rejin, Aedon pulls out his waterskin and offers it to the bandit.
- How old are you?
- How did you end up joining these bandits?
- What are the other bandit's names that were with your group?
- What other locations were you visiting with this group?
- What is the name of the female bandit?
- What happened to the girl, Celeste, that was taken from this post?
- Where is your camp located?
- How many bandits are there?
- Describe the camp.
- What do you know about the bandit called the Stag Lord?
At the prisoner's reticence Rufus sighs once again, sheaths his dagger, picks the prisoner up and leans him against the wall.
Then Rufus proceeds to slam his fist into the bandits face repeatedly until he is unconscious, sling him up over his shoulder in such a way as to not choke him in his bindings, carry him into the stables & hang him upside down from the rafters, checking to make certain he can still breathe before he walks back outside.
Looking at the other prisoners "He decided to be reasonable. Which one of you lot wants be reasonable?"
Well, that answers that question.
Rufus maneuvers the collapsed bandit onto his side, listening to hear if the mumblings might hold the answers to any of his questions.
Kari witnesses Rufus's savage beating of a helpless man with no small amount of trepidation.
Observe and report.
'Well sir, it seems as though the golden youth is completely off his nut. If'n a whore don't sort that situation out...' Kari shakes her head and as Rufus leaves with the bandit draped over his shoulder, turns her body so she is lying underneath the barracks on her back.
"Jus' as well ya dinnae tell tha lad whatcha knew, eh?" Kari drawls. "Cruel bastard such as ye, I dinnae havta think twice 'fore I open yer throat with mah blade. 'Less I ain't yer type fer that, neither."
Kari pauses and sighs almost passionately, knowing that the bandit can hear her tone. She spends the remainder of the time left on her spell singing to the man, a lewd row she learned at the campfire which is a less than cleverly veiled metaphor for having ones way with women for an untrained sing
Aedon tells Rejin to continue waiting in the barracks, and to open the door and call for him if the injured bandit wakes up. He then exits the barracks to see Rufus leaning over the collapsed bandit.
Standing beside Rufus, Aedon looks down at the man lying on the ground,"He's not looking so good, are you getting anywhere with him?"
Aedon nudges the bandit, "Come on friend, just tell him what he wants to know. Help us out, and you might live through this."
Looking around, Aedon asks, "Where is the one you took behind the barracks?"
"He decided playing the rough was more to his liking than answering my questions. It would seem my talents lie more in the infliction of suffering than encouraging peace. He's unconscious in the stables. Ask the others if one of them wants to try, otherwise just tell me when to execute them."
With that, Rufus stomps off to collect Boon & Twinkle, lead the two of them out to the outer gates and slips open the gates just enough to allow the three to go outside.
Assuming no one stops him he leads Twinkle out to the farthest grazing area & lets the horse graze while he sulks & dry-heaves in private.
Aedon watches Rufus walk toward the stables, then looks back down at the bandit lying on the ground. He kneels down, "Well, it's just us now. I'll make this easy for you, only a couple of questions. Where is the kidnapped girl Celeste, and where is your camp? The sooner you answer, the sooner I get my friend to take care of you."
"That wasn't so hard, was it? We'll do you quick, even though it's better than you deserve."
Aedon moves away from the bandit and gathers the rest of the party, even heading to the walls and signalling Rufus to return. He then leans down by the barracks, "Kari, whenever you're finished under there, could you join us?"
He also knocks on Oleg and Svetlana's door and asks them to be present since many of the bandits' crimes were against them and their property.
After everyone has gathered together around the tables outside the barracks, Aedon relates everything he knows (as posted by the DM), as well as the information that he just learned about the bandit camp. "So as far as what we're going to do with them, this is just my opinion, but we need to make some decisions... I think Rejin is too stupid to understand what's been happening - he's been a slave in their camp for eight years, so I'm not in favor of his death. And I'm not sure about the injured one we saved. But the other three? They made their decision long ago, and it's time for them to pay for their crimes."
"Oleg, if we spare Rejin, do you have any idea what could be done with him?"
Svetlana slides her arm through Oleg's, and gives him a slight tug so she can whisper into his ear.
Oleg leans down to listen to his wife before straightening up. He runs his other hand through the bristle on his cheek before shrugging and nodding to Svetlana. "Oi, we kin take 'im in."
Turning to Aedon, "leave 'im 'ere. We have work to keep him outta trouble. The other's they no use, looks to me."
Oleg looks over to Rejin, "you willing to stay here? You work hard, and we'll feed you well. You can sleep in the barracks."
Kari giggles when Aedon calls down to her.
"There once were a girl named Kari. Here in the dank and mud, she has become something different - A MOUSE!" she jests.
Silent as a barn mouse, Kari crawls out from under the barracks head first, grinning happily at Aedon as she pulls herself out from under the building with her arms. She is covered in mud, and no small amount of spiderwebs, and likely spiders, but she does not appear to mind. She looks at the assembly and sees that there is one of their number missing.
"And where is our golden idol?" she inquires. "Has his savagery barred him from the discussion?" Kari's expression is momentarily pained. "Some band we are to exclude one," she growls and moves toward the open gate.
"Er? What? Who?" Salvator looks around confused, trying to count everyone to see who is missing.