Taisper, satisfied for the moment that the laundry is properly simmering now that it has soap in the mix, steps around the corner to peer wide-eyed at Zander. "...t-tipped off? But...but why? Who? I mean, do you really think that, Zander?"
Jemini nods in agreement. "Zander is right of course. One of the first cornerstones of ruling, is information. If the Stag Lord is as prominent as rumor promises, he or she will likely make use of a network of spies or informants.
Zander's gaze hardens. He saw these men and women fight beside him, some of them taking serious wounds at the hands of the bandits. 'It doesn't make sense... and to be honest, if doubt were to begin being cast he I would likely be the first suspected...' Shaking his head, he says aloud, "I don't believe there is a spy among us, but did any of you mention to anyone else that you were coming here?"
Taisper, fiddling with his key, speaks softly so only Zander and Jemini can hear. "Well, would Oleg or Svetlana maybe have thought they had something to gain by tipping the bandits off to our arrival? Trade safety for knowledge of richer targets?" He says this with a shrug. "I can see them thinking that but then getting double-crossed by the stinkballs that showed up."
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"Zander they were calling for volunteers on street corners, I told everyone I knew." Verik says gently as he approaches.
"That people were coming was the worst kept secret since fire. And Oleg and Svetlana did not even know we were coming. So if our little paddle through paranoia is finished let's discuss what we are to do now. I still say we go now, we can at least try to get a general idea where the bandits are coming from. I don't propose we storm the place, but we can at least try to get a lie of the land."
Zander nods, listening to Taisper's words. "It is possible, but it doesn't seem to fit."
After Verik speaks, he agrees, "If they were a dozen to begin with, they are now half that strength and this time we would have the element of surprise. Without this threat dealt with we won't be able to leave the trading post to explore without risking it being attacked again."
Svetlana, having wandered off to what remains of the kitchen, comes out with a large pot of freshly-made soup and several loafs of fresh bread. She smiles broadly as she lays them out on the remaining table in the courtyard. "A feast fit for my heroes!" She retrieves half a dozen bowls and spoons for everyone, to eat like civilized folk.
Jemini grabs a bowl of soup and a chunk of bread. Food hadn't really been on her mind - but suddenly she realized just how much the last 24 hours have taken out of her.
"Oh hey, Svetlana! You're a dream!" Taisper also dives in to the food. "Verik's got a great point, as always, but still; what would they hope to gain by attacking this place with more people in it, and armed ones at that? If they knew volunteers were comin', they must have known the volunteers would have, you know, swords and things. These guys didn't strike me as especially brave so I wonder what they thought they were getting."
"Zander, you mentioned tracking before. Given the nature of the assault in the morning, the bandits must have been well prepared - they certainly did not seem to have marched all night to reach us. I wager they have a small camp nearby; maybe a mile or two out. I think we should start by finding this camp. If we're lucky they left the place unguarded and have a few horses waiting for us."
"I know I would love to track them down and destroy them." Taisper says offhandedly.
Svetlana's face darkens with an uncharacteristic scowl. "I was on the fence before, but after what they did to Oleg and the trading post, I want you to hunt them down and stop them from coming back."
Sitting down at the bench, Zander continues, "Perhaps they heard word that we were coming and thought to strike before we arrived? Truly, had they attacked the morning prior we would have found nothing but ashes on our arrival yesterday afternoon..."
Looking down at the food and feeling a rumble in his stomach, Zander looks about at his companions, happily eating the meal and making smalltalk with Svetlana. 'Well, they haven't abandoned me yet...' he thinks to himself. Cautiously bringing a hand to his face to shield himself, Zander lifts his mask up above his lips and begins to eat, keeping an eye out for signs of horror or nausea in the faces of his fellows. When Jemini speaks to him, he replies, keeping his head low and still keeping his left hand above his lips obscuring his skin from view, "Yes, I agree. I believe I could track them if we set out soon."
"It just so happens you're in luck - I am keen on setting out soon too. Though there is quite a lot that still needs doing here. Should we consider a small party to go out and look for a nearby camp. Two or three at most - the rest will be busy restoring this place to its former glory."
"I don't think it's wise to split up. We should stick together and strike fast, while they're not expecting us. If we wait too long to come back in force, they may become aware of our intentions," rebuts Zander as he takes another bite of the soft bread.
"We're not leaving this place unprotected until Oleg has recovered! If you feel it is urgent - I can stay here as a sole guardian while the rest ride out. Svetlana will appreciate the company of another woman for a bit as well."
"How many did you say they were during their first visit Svetlana? A dozen? Six months ago? Thers no telling how many they are now." Berrin says, hardly looking up from his stew. Turning back to it he mutters; "Five less now anyway"
Waving his spoon at Jemini he swallows a bite and says, "Your right on both accoouts, of course, we should find the camp and we can't leave them unprotected. But spliting up in these lands is a sure way of getting killed. The camp can't be far off, we should be there and back again by nightfall."
"In a manner of speaking we are splitting up if we leave Svetlana and Oleg here by themselves. I will not have it." Jemini looks up towards Svetlana, "You said a women was leading them? Was she the Stag Lord? Or just a lieutenant? Their forces may be considerably larger than we imagine. He (or she) is the self-styled ruler of the Greenbelt - such a person would have more than a handful of men and women to their name."
Squinting his eyes as he regards Jemini for a moment. "Your pretty stubborn aren't you?" he asks in a ponderous tone. "Alright. Fine. I'll go. But if I don't get back alive I'm gona haunt you and tell you I told you so! for eternity." he states in a matter of fact way. Getting up he goes to retrieve his weapons and armor, leaving his pack. Getting back he looks questioningly at the group, "So who's goin with?"
Standing up next to Berrin when he returns, Zander states, "I'll be coming obviously. If you truly want to keep Oleg and Svetlana safe, the way is to come with us and finish off these bandits. The Levetons are in no more danger now than they were before we arrived - if anything less, due to the men we killed. The more bandits we're able to rid this land of, the safer they'll be."
"Hang on." Having second thoughts he goes back and retrieves his pack. Slinging it on his back he feels it's weight on his shoulders. "You never know when you'll need somthing, better safe than sorry eh?"
"I understand; but in this I'm not willing to budge. Stratagems dictate that the bandits would not have sent such a small task force if they had more resources nearby. As such I suspect that there will be little to no immediate bandit resistance - even so I cannot risk Svetlana and Oleg here by themselves," Jemini smiles, winking, "- and with you two big boys on the job there's hardly anything to worry about. Though, if you will, take along our Abadarian pair. That will also secure me a hot bath away from the prying eyes of the clergy."
Taisper has been sitting, chewing a giant mouthful of bread, watching this conversation bounce back and forth. Finally finished, he swallows and clears his throat.
"'Was gonna say, I'll go; standing and defending isn't really in my job description. I'm more a hunt-'em-down type, really. Lemme get my armor on. I mean, as relaxing as it was fighting in pajamas, the church gave me that chainmail for a reason." He grins and walks across the courtyard to the guest house.
Glancing towards the stables where he last spotted the elven witch, Zander turns to the party and says, "We should bring Tandlara too. Her magic will no doubt prove useful if we encounter trouble."
"Yes, I imagine she'll also would like a little bit of a change of scenery. She's been working truly hard setting right what her magic can fix."
Oleg emerges from the guest house, coughing but on his own two feet. Svetlana rushes to his side, protesting that he is isn't resting. Oleg addresses the group in a hoarse voice. "You lot saved my wife and my trading post. I owe you my life. Don't worry about us." He begins coughing heavily again, his face ashen. Svetlana pulls his arm over her, quietly whispering to him.
Cocking his head, Zander listens to the air before exclaiming, "Everyone, get to the walls. There are horses coming." Heading to the eastern wall, he motions for everyone to follow.
As Zander rushes to the wall and looks over, he spots four men on horseback. They appear relaxed, talking to each other comfortably as they ride. One of them has a crest on his tabard, visible from the walls, of a gray mountain peak against a dark blue field.
The others, except Oleg and Svetlana, rush to join him.
Jemini recognizes the crest. "They are from House Garess. I guess if some underhanded plot was at work, we might be able to pick up if they expected this place to have been destroyed." She squints, "At this distance..."
The man at the head of the four riders is Kesten Garess, a minor noble from one of the smaller families in House Garess. He and his followers wave when they see the figures popping their heads above the walls. He spurs his horse to a faster trot, heading towards the gate.
As he enters the main gate, he hails them. "What happened here?" He looks around fairly bewildered at the burned areas, clearly trying to take stock of the situation.
She works furiously all morning, climbing around the Levetons house and roof, repairing smoke and burn damage, the wood slowly knitting itself back toghether at her chanted words, the rat, Riddleskin, scurries around trying to find damage for his mistress to repair.
Tandlara finally raises her head from her work at the sound of hooves. With a small crease in her forehead she joins the others in watching the men on horses approach.
'At least their not bandits,' she says before amending the statement with 'in the traditional manner anyway. Any man with a sword could be the sort to take things by force.'
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"We were attacked by bandits, they tried to burn the place down as you can no doubt see. But instead they met their rightful fates and have been sent to the gods for judgment." Verik says. "It is fortunate we arrived when we did to take up our charters." He pauses a thought striking him.
"I don't suppose you were sent by Restov in response to Oleg and Svetlana's request for aide with the bandits? There was some confusion when we first arrived as they had been expecting a force from Restov... And forgive me, I have not introduced myself I am Verik Jarrow, Cleric of Abadar, may I ask to whom I am speaking?"
Jemini's face lights up a bit, "Ah! Lord Kesten! We haven't seen each other since the winter ball, a few years ago. It is good to see that you are doing well once again."
"As Verik described - Oleg's Trading Post was ambushed last morning. We've managed to meet out justice, but the place has suffered in spite of Tandlara's best efforts to mend what will mend. You don't, perchance, aim to stay a while. We were hoping to track down the bandits but do not want to leave this fort undefended."
Berrin unslings his pack when the call comes to man the palisades, buckling on his shield as he goes. Reconizing the crest Berrin glances at Jemini, smelling potential disaster brewing.
Climbing down when they enter the trading post Berrin takes up a respectfull distance by Jemini's shoulder. 'Great. Politics.' he thinks as he keeps his mouth carefully shut.
Taisper comes out of the guest house, fully armed and armored. His chaimail is burnished a faint golden hue, an affectation of the Alkenstar branch of the Church of Abadar that he thinks looks neat, but which could certainly be considered..."over the top" by more tasteful folk. His shield is on his back, over his backpack, and his morningstar is latched on his belt in its erstwhile sheath. There are crossbow bolts strapped to the side of each leg for quick acces and his crossbow itself is slung over his shoulder, at least for the moment. The only clue to Taisper's function in his church is the very subtle, charcoal-grey skull motif in the spade-shaped handle of the key painted on the chest of his armor. Most don't notice it. Those that do don't ask about it.
Seeing the strangers at the gate, and seeing Jemini speaking in a friendly way with them, Taisper smiles. "Oh, hey, friends! Excellent! Better make a good impression." Taisper grasps his key, now back in its customary spot tied around his waist with gilt cord, and focuses his energy on the majesty and precision of the Keeper.
"Xelelqeln
Woitel sz yucwoel
Yray uon vussociyz saz wnuf
Ic lynelcwyr
Act cospelnl"
Taisper jogs up to the group. "Hey! Hi there guys-on-horses! I'm Taisper, I see you've met our captain, are you here to help? It's really nice to meet you mister...?" Taisper busies himself walking around to each horseman, and shaking his hand.
Guide my tongue
That our community may grow
In strength
And numbers
As the riders approach, Zander keeps to the back of the party, eying the Garess man uneasily.
'I don't like having more of these nobles around, but if it will get us moving after these bandits, I'll welcome this aristocrat turned guard dog.'
Kesten's face falls when he talks to Jemini, obviously ashamed of having to deal with another noble. He begins shaking everyone's hands in turn, introducing himself as simply "Kesten." He pulls out a charter from inside his tunic. "We were sent by the Lord Mayor to provide security, as per the owners' request. It's too bad that we weren't here yesterday. It would have been nice to give those bandits a little something as well. Unfortunately, while the protection charter was signed almost two months ago, the assignment didn't start until today. The Lord Mayor was very specific about that, something about funding and bureaucracy."
He motions to his men, who dismount and begin unloading their packs. "We're here now, though, to take up arms in protection of this trading post."
Jemini nudges Zander: "It looks like my bath will have to wait. How soon can we be ready to go out?"
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"Excellent, a pleasure Kesten, well that is a weight off my mind. As for leaving, well I would suggest there is no time like the present - I don't imagine their tracks will be getting any clearer, not that I know anything beyond the rudimentary about tracking. I am ready to go, I have my holy symbol, and my arms, that and stout companions are all I need." Verik says looking out to the wilderness beyond with a purposeful expression.
"Oh, hey, my laundry." Taisper jogs across the courtyard and pulls the (hopefully) now-clean suits of leather armor out from the wash barrel. After pouring a good rinse on each he sets them out to dry, then rejoins the group. "Okay. NOW I'm ready."
When Berrins turn comes for hand shaking he stares Kesten in the eye and gives a good squeese, seeing if he can make him flinch. "Berrin." he indtroduces himself curtly, forgoing any titles earned or percieved. "Meet the Levetons. Oleg's the owner." he says simply, gesturing to the husband and wife as he reads the charter.
"Welcome to the party, and timely arival. We were just heading out." he says handing the charter back.
Slinging his pack back on he steps to the gate. "I spent some time in the woods around New Stetven a while back, I'll see if I can find some tracks." Going out by the log he scans the ground, seeing if he can make any sence of the tracks there.
Taisper comes back, slightly redolent of soap, in time to walk out the gate with Berrin and help pick up the bandits' trail.
"Ah! Thanks. They went that-a-way" says Berrin pointing in the direction the tracks lead.
Jemini nods, "Ready to head out then; let's go!" As the others turn and exit the gate, she catches a private moment with Kesten: "It is good to know there are steadfast allies waiting for us back here. A friendly face makes a large difference."
"The captain's right. So glad you guys are here, Kesten!"
Zander shakes the mens' hands when they are offered, but makes no attempt at conversation. When Berrin goes out to check on the tracks, he follows and joins in the tracking.