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I am going to call combat. With one left and superior numbers and skills you will easily overtake him.
Thank you, you saved my family and myself, the gods have granted us with your grace. Truly you are courageous. I am Xien Wun Lao. This is my daughter, her husband and my grandchildren. We were trying to flee the bandits but that is not an option anymore I see. Perhaps you are going to Nesting Swallow. It has been ordained, has it not?
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The only things that are magic are 4 potions of CLW.
Continuing to Nesting Swallow...
From atop one final hill, the object of your quest comes into view. From this height, the village of Nesting Swallow is laid out almost like a map. The small town consists of little more than a few dozen huts encircling an open common area. Rolling hills surround the village to the north and west, while the east is bordered by a light forest. South of the village, the brush has been cleared, and a long string of paddy fields stretches out into the distance, webbed with irrigation ditches branching off from a stream that separates the village from the farmlands.
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Zinkio you are told that the village will explain the situation to you once everyone has gathered. Alie you are simply given the answer in due time.
As you ride back into the town accompanying the Xien family, you are met by curious stares and whispers. YOu reach Xien family hut and invited to relax while Wun Lao arranges a meeting with the council. You are offered food though it is mostly rice and millet.
After a short while you are escorted across the village common into another building. You are told that you are being led to Je Tsun;s home.
This hut differs from every other one in the village only in size, easily twice as large as most of the other dwellings. Otherwise, it is identical, being another slightly elevated circle of bamboo and wicker walls surrounding a packed earthen floor. The interior has some rooms partitioned off the main one, and the collection of furniture and possessions indicates that this is another family home when not in use for official purposes. Against one wall stands a simple shrine with a collection of clay tiles hung from it, each bearing a different name. The lowest hanging tiles look quite new, a few months old, maybe. The highest and oldest tile on the shrine, however, bears the name “Li Yao.” The center of the room is cleared, and an assortment of cushions has been laid out in a semicircle. A dozen or so old men and women sit on the cushions, Xien Wun Lao among them. A woman standing in front of the shrine finishes a prayer and turns to join the seated elders; she is clearly the youngest among them, not even middle-aged, in spite of a face beset by worry and a hard life. Her youth is attested by the fact that she is greatly pregnant; six or more months along. After settling down into an empty place among the council, she motions to several empty seats opposite her.
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The pregnant woman is Je Tsun. Normally one of her age would not be a council member, but some personal misfortunes, including an illness that swept through the village last spring and claimed both her parents, have left her both the effective matriarch of her family and the sole living descendant of Master Li Yao. Since his lineage is held in high regard for both his family’s history in the village and their reputation for wisdom, Je Tsun was accorded a place of honor among the village elders. Once the party has settled in, she speaks for the council, welcoming the PCs to Nesting Swallow. What manner of business brings you to Nesting Swallow. We are far removed from the rest of the Shokuro providence.
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“With that in mind, permit me to introduce myself. I am Je Tsun, and the last of Li Yao’s descendants.” She rubs a hand across her swollen belly as she says this and smiles slightly. “At least for now. So, perhaps you look upon me and see the end of a quest. I look upon you, and I see hope. Hope for my village, my family, and our future. You have become familiar with the troubles facing us?”
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They want the food we have gathered so the village can survive the winter.
“Whether you are here in answer to the prayers of our people or simply here at this time by happenstance is beside the point; you are here. And it is within your power to help us. I tell you now, we have little to offer as incentive. This is a poor village even when not beset by misfortunes, and this year has been less fortunate than most. If you can save us from these tengus, we can offer you food, shelter, and whatever other aid we may give you. But as for a reward, the only thing I can offer is that which you came here for in the first place. Defeat our enemies, and I will bring this relic of my ancestor’s to life for you. I am sorry we do not have more to offer than hospitality, but our need remains: will you help us?”
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" In past seasons, they always arrive soon after a harvest. After all, there is no point in milking a cow before she calves. The barley crop is ripe; we need to bring it in this week or lose it. Soon after, the crows will descend upon us."
you have 50 able bodied villagers to help you with the preparations. You can spend the time:
archery training
combat training
constructing barricades
flooding the fields
posting scouts
so far you have earned 1 defense point. I will explain how to use them later.
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20 men automatically go to harvest the crops, leaving 20 to you. At this rate it would take them 6 days to bring in the harvest. Every 10 additional men you devote to this task would reduce it by 1 day. You may aid/speed it up. each one of you would count as 5 farmers. or making a DC 15 profession (Farmer) or Knowledge Nature would increase this to the work of 10 farmers.
Completing the various tasks would give you more defense points.
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Alie can help with the farming. She can take 10 for a 15 on the Know. nature checks. She can handle that, while Zinkio can school the rest in combat training. After bringing the crops in, Alie can then lead them in flooding the fields. If the others have skills in the other possible defenses, they can take the rest of the men to work on that defense.