Johund finds his footing in the dense turf of the pasture, bursting up onto the road just behind Eluvias. The boom of the arcane detonation mingles with the smells of ozone and burnt flesh, and Johund can feel the electricity cause the hairs on his arms to raise.
But he's focused on the bandit before him, plunging his dagger into the man's chest with a savage overhand chop.
Barek casts Gravity bow and moves forward 30 feet on the first round. Whistling for Mong to stay put. "Lets see how many of yer Bully boys want to pay blood for their 'Taxes'?" Since the new guy seemed to be busy with the boss Barek shoots at one of the bandits hitting the man in the eye.
Jorin runs forward to get into optimal range and slings a chakram at a bandit. Watching the newcomer charge into the group Jorin can't help but feel worried that he has gone beyond immediate help. 'I'll have to move in closer, too used to fighting at short ranges from those dungeons we went through.'
Amadeen sees the bandits and hears their leaders' speech.
She begins to chuckle, and shake her head as she starts walking forward, keeping a similar pace to Jorin. "Oh, you poor, poor fools. You really don't understand what is about to happen, do you? Otherwise, you would have started running already." And with that, she stops chuckling and glares at the nearest bandit in dead silence.
And you, Eluvias? Breaking into a headlong Charge, Eluvias had his blade in his hand. The black scimitar was covered in dancing electricity. He saw the bandit Leader. His chain armor, his sandy blonde hair. He wondered idly who the man was, what were his hopes and dreams...? And why he didn’t feel anything. He brought his blade down on the man, striking without mercy. He doubted that the man could survive with a blade across his throat.
Granted...he now faced four armed men with bows, all of them at point blank range...
Johund finds his footing in the dense turf of the pasture, bursting up onto the road just behind Eluvias. The boom of the arcane detonation mingles with the smells of ozone and burnt flesh, and Johund can feel the electricity cause the hairs on his arms to raise.
But he's focused on the bandit before him, plunging his dagger into the man's chest with a savage overhand chop.
The three remaining bandits decide they near to put down the lightly armoured Eluvias if they are to have a chance of getting away. Swift as he is one arrow pierces into his flesh.
Barek
Jorin
Amadeen
Eluvias
Johund
Bandits Grey Evil Eye -2 Attack 1/4
Amadeen keeps walking forward in complete silence, turning her head to glare at one of the bandits.
Eluvias looked down in surprise at the arrow sticking out of him. They had shot him. He knew that he should feel angry. But it was so hard to feel anything. Emotions felt like echos, or memories of what once was. His blade crackled with energy once more, as he moved towards the marksman who landed the blow. The man had every right to shoot him, but...it was bad precedent to let it go unpunished.
Wrenching his blade free from the man's chest as he falls unconscious to the ground, Johund leaves him to his fate. He looks beyond him to the archer nearer Amadeen, leaping across the road to offer him a similar gift.
Barek moves closer, feeling very surprised at how well things are going. "Better not tempt fate and say that though!" He thinks dryly.
Jorin moves again, trying to keep an even space between the two frontliners. Seeing the newcomer get hurt he pulls loose a lasso and casts it towards one of his attackers.
Targeting
Letting out a satisfied grunt as the loop covers the bandit, Jorin snaps the lasso closed leaving the outlaw struggling to move.
Barek moves closer, feeling very surprised at how well things are going. "Better not tempt fate and say that though!" He thinks dryly.
Jorin moves again, trying to keep an even space between the two frontliners. Seeing the newcomer get hurt he pulls loose a lasso and casts it towards one of his attackers. Letting out a satisfied grunt as the loop covers the bandit, Jorin snaps the lasso closed leaving the outlaw struggling to move.
Amadeen keeps walking forward in complete silence, turning her head to glare at one of the bandits.
Eluvias looked down in surprise at the arrow sticking out of him. They had shot him. He knew that he should feel angry. But it was so hard to feel anything. Emotions felt like echos, or memories of what once was. His blade crackled with energy once more, as he moved towards the marksman who landed the blow. The man had every right to shoot him, but...it was bad precedent to let it go unpunished.
Wrenching his blade free from the man's chest as he falls unconscious to the ground, Johund leaves him to his fate. He looks beyond him to the archer nearer Amadeen, leaping across the road to offer him a similar gift.
The remains bandit alone and lasso'd drops his weapon and holds up his open palms to surrender.
Alchemist's Fire x10
Potion of cure light wounds x2
Masterwork chainmail
Heavy steel shield
+1 longsword
Composite longbow (+2 Str) x6
+1 magical beast bane arrows x3
Silver holy symbol of Erastil 25gp
Silver Stag Lord amulet worth 20 gp x6
80 gp
Leather armor x5 5gp to sell each
Shortsword x5 7gp 5sp to sell each
Amadeen walks up to the walk and with a slender finger pokes him in the chest. She looks straight into his eyes and breaks her silence.
"Your name. Your base. Your numbers. Now."
Eluvias looked at the arrow in him. ”That’s not good. Still, it’s not life threatening. Hurts.” He thought to himself as he bandaged himself up.
After making sure that none of the fallen were playing fox Barek left the prisoner to Amadeens mercies. Noting the newcomer was wounded he strolled over. "Here you go."
Johund twirls an amulet around a dagger. Ain't like ter stag god to take up banditry. Yer sure this be yer callin?
After making sure that none of the fallen were playing fox Barek left the prisoner to Amadeens mercies. Noting the newcomer was wounded he strolled over. "Here you go."
The elf looked down at his wound, now healed. Then at Barek. ”Thank you.” He stated. ”That was most uncomfortable.”
"Better than getting chopped up into cutlets like you did the head ponce." Barek laughs, slapping Eluvias on the back.
Barek slapped the elf on the back, who swayed slightly from the impact. He looked the at the Hunter for a on uncomfortable moment, his face like stone, before he said ”Yes, it was better.”
Seeing that the prisoner was being interrogated, he cast prestidigitation on his blade to clean it before sheathing it.
"I'm not saying anything unless you promise to let me go."
Johund flips his long hunting knife in the air before kneeling and placing the tip of its blade on the man's cheek. He presses just hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. "I promise t'give ya a pretty new smile unless ya do."
Amadeen's face breaks into a smile. The smile is not reaching her eyes. There are a few quiet words and gestures while Johund speaks.
And then she resumes speaking, in a tone underlined with ice.
"Again, you show that you do not understand your situation. *If* you give us good reason, then we'll consider letting you go. As it stands, you're as much use to us as you would be as a corpse. Less even, since we have to watch you. So, *talk*."
The man clearly regards Johund's talk as bluster but something about the way Amadeen makes her threat has him take the smaller elven woman more seriously.
He says that his name is Oliver and that he works for Kressle, one of the 'Stag Lord's' Lieutenants. They have a camp to the South which he gives you directions towards near the Thorn river. The Stag Lord has been bringing the area under his influence. The numbers at the camp vary between a half dozen and a full dozen. He knows that somewhere else in the Greenbelt the Stag Lord has a proper base somewhere but hasn't been with them long enough to have gone there. One of their number had definitely been there. Akiros but he is quite dead since the opening moments of the fight.
Amadeen's smile becomes more genuine as the bandit starts to tell her what she wants to know.
"Now Oliver, that wasn't so hard. You have been helpful and I'm interested in giving you a chance. Where are you from, and what will you do if we let you go?"
She keenly awaits his reply.
"I'm from Rostland in Brevoy and if you let me go I'm headed west and then into the River Kingdoms. I can't go back to the camp if that's what you're thinking. I reckon I wouldn't be welcomed not after talking. So just let me go and you'll never see me again."
Amadeen mulls this over for a moment and then turns her head to the others, then back to facing Oliver.
"I think that's fair. Anyone object?"
Barek shrugs."He knows what's waiting for him if he comes back." He has no objections to letting the man run.
Eluvias shrugged. ”This is your show. If you don’t want to kill him that is your call.”
Barek tells Mong to give the man a good sniff. "He'll know if you come back." He gives the man a grin.
Oleg and Svetlana are delighted that you have dealt with the latest group of bandits and offer free meals and a room to use.
"Oh, it was a pleasure.", Amadeen beams.
To the party:
"Let's take a little time on the way to the camp. Make sure that we have the route mapped and sorted. Because if things go wrong, we do *not* want to stumbling into some lair because we were too lazy to check it out first."
Johund frowns, clearly disappointed to let Oliver go. "A hungry dog returns for scraps," he offers simply, in a "just wait 'til something bad happens and I'll remind you I said it" kind of tone. "Stag Lord? Some holy man 'o Erastil stirrin' trouble?"
Back at the inn, Johund digs into a bowl of stew. This adventuring thing isn't so bad. "Aye," Johund agrees with Amadeen. "Then, any such hidey holes's ours to hide in, 'n case things get rough."
"And if the dog does, we'll kick him.", Amadeen replies breezily.
"I do wonder what the story was with that Erastil follower. Perhaps the camp will hold answers."
"Exactly! Let's get ready to leave tomorrow."
7th of Desnus
The first two days exploring and mapping around Olegs go relatively quickly as it's mainly just plains. The terrain in the following days becomes more heavily wooded your progress slows.
Towards the end of exploring this second area, which take four days, you find a large patch of delicious moon radishes grows in an arrowhead-shaped clearing here. Four kobolds with over filled bellies beside bursting baskets of radishes get to their feet as they hear you advancing and shout out in draconic.
"Can't believe she's payin' that much gold for a bloody radish--" Johund cuts off when he sees the kobolds.
"Er, any idear what they said?" he whispers.
”I do not know. Though I have to say that I do not relish the idea of fighting them. Kobolds are notorious for their traps.”
"They're claiming that this is their radish patch. The cheek."
Was their radish patch." Barek grumbles, readying his bow and sending Mong out wider to sniff out anymore trouble.
Amadeen has had few experiences with kobolds, and none positive.
She quietly says:
"Don't let any escape. And try to snatch one alive for questions. If not possible, then no big problem."
Barek has met Kobolds before, he knows it will be a fight.
With Amadeen and Barek speaking openly the kobolds change their stance ready to defend their claim!
Eluvias
Kobolds
Barek
Jorin
Amadeen
Johund
”Why are we killing these creatures? Not that I mind but it seems pointless.” Eluvias walked forward and lazily swiped his blade at the kobolds.
”Why are we killing these creatures? Not that I mind but it seems pointless.” Eluvias walked forward and lazily swiped his blade at the kobolds but fails to hit it.
The kobold steps back loads it's crossbow and fires at Eluvias but he dodges out of the way
The three other kobolds
Barek
Jorin
Amadeen
Johund
Eluvias
Kobolds
”Oh boy, here I go, killing again.”
Eluvias stepped forward and swung at the Kobold which shot him.
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Amadeen seems honestly surprised by Eluvias' question, but it does not stop her levelling her crossbow at the nearest living kobold.
"Because they are tricky little nuisances who would happily kill us later. We don't want any problems on our way back, remember?"
And with that, her first bolt launches. And she is hit herself.
"ARGH! YOU LITTLE *%@*!"
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”Oh boy, here I go, killing again.”
Jorin makes a flicking motion and inserts two of the chakrams he has looped onto his arms down into his hands. Taking stock of the situation he selects and targets two separate unengaged (if possible) kobolds.
Flurry, Deadly Aim
"Blasted!--" Johund follows Amadeen's example in spewing a litany of foul curses, within which must be embedded some jewel favored by Hanspur, for Johund's wounds magically heal. Then he leaps at the nearest kobold, trying to pin it down with the tip of his knife.
Picking one of the Kobolds with Crossbows Barek tries to remove him from existence. "Cause if we don't they will the moment they get a chance?" He remarks casually.
Picking one of the Kobolds with Crossbows Barek tries to remove him from existence. "Cause if we don't they will the moment they get a chance?" He remarks casually.
Jorin makes a flicking motion and inserts two of the chakrams he has looped onto his arms down into his hands. Taking stock of the situation he selects and targets two separate unengaged kobolds but misses both.
Amadeen seems honestly surprised by Eluvias' question, but it does not stop her levelling her crossbow at the nearest living kobold. "Because they are tricky little nuisances who would happily kill us later. We don't want any problems on our way back, remember?" And with that, her first bolt launches. And she is hit herself. "ARGH! YOU LITTLE *%@*!"
"Blasted!--" Johund follows Amadeen's example in spewing a litany of foul curses, within which must be embedded some jewel favored by Hanspur, for Johund's wounds magically heal. Then he leaps at the nearest kobold, trying to pin it down with the tip of his knife but finds his foe far too nimble.
”Oh boy, here I go, killing again.” Eluvias stepped forward and swung at the Kobold which shot him killing him with the second strike.
The three remaining kobolds all step back and combine fire on Eluvias but find their target fiendishly evasive. One shouts out in common "Yeah, we're tricksy says the group of bandits trying to kill us, steal our radishes and capture one of us for torture. Tartuk's right, we should just exterminate you and your stupid Stag Lord."
Barek
Jorin
Amadeen
Johund
Eluvias
Kobolds
Having run into kobolds as threats and nuisances before, Amadeen finds the notion of them "owning" anything significant quite laughable.
"Cute! And cheers for the name!", Amadeen replies in common in a dismissive tone, while targeting that kobold for a crossbow bolt.
Barek not speaking Draconic doesn't understand a word they say, but they are fighting so he tries again.
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One shouts out in common "Yeah, we're tricksy says the group of bandits trying to kill us, steal our radishes and capture one of us for torture. Tartuk's right, we should just exterminate you and your stupid Stag Lord."
In Common. "You started the fighting talk lizard lips!"