Kingmaker

Game Master Jovich

The bandit, though still in his submissive position looks up at Andreas with an indignant look, as if to say, Why should I tell you?

Andreas, his face a mask of understanding, looks down at the last bandit.
I understand, you wish to be difficult to the end. You have few options at this moment and this options are dwindling by the minute. Option A is you can help us and help yourselves to live a better life. This option just might keep you from hanging. Option B we take you to Restov and turn you over to their authority and.. well you will hang. Now me I am willing to listen to what you have to say...and depending on what you say...I be leave in second chances. Oh and if you are thinking the four bandits that went to Oleg's will be able to help you...I would rethink that. So do you think you are capale of redeeming yourself.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
he will give the type of speaches to all the bandits

botting Derra
Derra will speak in agreememt as she moves around the camp disarming the bandits.
it is your choice, we will not force you into anything.
aid other
diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

There's only one conscious bandit at the moment.

He rolls his eyes and says, "There are four others, not including Happs' group, which I assume you beat as easy as us. They'll be back in a couple days at the latest," he grins, "but then it could be any minute now."

Annurian calms himself, becoming visibly tired immediately. The skinwalker moves around, breathing heavily, and during quite a while the voices and conversations around him sound simply like distant noises. Finally he feels he's back to the ground, and moves around to help stabilize the hurt, tie people up and collect equipment.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 EDIT: Forgot to roll.

Gird is listening in on the bandits words and he analyses what the man is saying

Sense Motive bandit: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Gird figures the bandit is telling the truth, but thinks this one may be a well of knowledge, based on his calm attitude.

Putting his weapon away, Andreas reaches his hand down to the last bandit after he has been disarmed.
Come on get up, there is no need to be in the dirt anymore. You took the first steps to a better life. Those are the hardest ones to take. I thank you for that, please walk with me.

Andreas will walk among the wounded bandits.
We are tending to the wounded for a reason. If there is a chance that you will redeem yourself for a better life, then we will give you that chance. Andreas stops and turns to look the bandit in the eyes.

Your friends will be coming back soon and their lives will be in your hands. The more information we have on them, the less likely someone will die. We have the advantage of numbers and surprise. If we have to fight we will. I would rather avoid conflict and give them a chance at a better life. Now if you agree to help me...I will ask you lots of questions that I expect to be answered honestly. What do you say?

The bandit, taken aback at the grace of the man who's just helped dispatch his compatriots agrees to answer his questions, but only just. He has no desire to turn on those he at one time considered friends, or at the very least trusted as associates.

I do appreciate your help and I am sorry for putting you in such a position. It is plainly written on your face the internal conflict you are fighting over betrayal and protecting your friends.

I need to know if the number count you gave me is accurate. What races are we up against, I was expecting another dwarf. When will they return and from which direction will they enter this camp. Lastly I would very much like to know your name.

if the bandits are not due back for several hours
He will ask the group to come together and explain what information he has.
Derra, after you get some healing, wold you be able to retrieve the horses please. Gird, are you able to heal her before she heads out? Could you heal Fenn as well? What is the condition of our prisoners?Annurian are you able to track by scent around the camp to confirm the comings and goings of the bandits? Fenn I would like you to help him with tracking.

Ugh, I wrote this out in story form and lost it, but basically: there are three other men and another dwarf woman, this one's sister (Felta); they're going to come from the same direction as you, because the forest upriver is too dangerous; and the man's name is Herodion, but people call him Rod.

I hate when i do that..preview instead of submit. What about the time, when are the other bandits due back.

Gird will take up position in one of the towers and replenish his arrow supply up to 20 again.

Same as the other group, they left the day before, and groups rarely stay gone longer than three days.

Andreas looks Herodion with a look of respect and extends his hand to him.
We will do everything we can to end this peacefully. Please understand that we will defend ourselves if this turns bad, even then we will do what we can to end it without any deaths. Our job is to bring civil order to the greenbelt not to beat it into submission.

He gestures to the others
How do you feel we should proceed?
looking around the camp
We have surprise on our side and numbers. I think we can end this quickly and peacefully. Take the high ground with Fenn and Gird. We then draw them into the center of camp where Derra, Annurian and I wait. We play new bandit recruits with cloaks pulled up and sit by the fire pit. I think if we play it right we can push their morale a little lower and get them to come quietly. He eyes the two hand axes that belong to Kressle.

Gird will get down and comb through the loot, making a pile of stuff they now have available

Herodion continues to be surprised more and more by every word Andreas speaks, in the end he takes the knight's hand and stands, saying, "If you need any help with the ruse, I'm happy to do anything that keeps harm from my colleagues. Mind you, if a fight breaks out, I won't raise a hand against them."

Andreas looks at Herodion for a long time as if he is judging his words.
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
He then nods his head
I will not ask that of you nor would I do such an act....BUT...I will require that you are restrained during the encounter...for your own protection and ours. I am sorry but I do not see any way around that. If all goes well I will be looking to you for help in the future
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Herodion is sincere in his words and nods in agreement with and approval of Andreas' latter statement.

Now we just need a plan to move forward

"So do we wait for the bad guys to appear or do we aggressively seek them out? asks Gird

We can probably scout the surroundings to have an idea of when they're coming back, as if keeping watches, and on the meanwhile work on settlement tasks. - said Annurian, keeping his usual "curious" eyes towards Herodion.

If we can figure out which way they come and go then we can be prepared for them here. We can not go after them and leave the rest here alone. he points to the bound prisoners Maybe Fenn and Annurian could scout the surrounding area to see and smell where they went...we might get lucky and have just a common path that the bandits use to come and go from the camp. I feel we should set an ambush here for them, give them a chance to surrender peacefully and if not then we will have to do things the hard way. I think we can get them to surrender though.
Andreas looks around the camp again
plus we have a few tactical advantages here with the current landscape. We are expecting them to come back here...they do not expect us. We hold the high ground with the two archer nest and they most likely will be walking down the middle of a path. We also have the numbers on our side. I say we stay here.
He looks at the others waiting for input and ideas as to which way we should go.

If you're staying/want to figure out which way the other four went without asking Herodion, feel free to take 20. If you want to explore this hex, that takes more time than taking 20, so I'll give you that information.

I'd like to explore this hex - potentially find the direction they went etc.

If we want two archers in the nest, then we can't have Fenn scouting unless you want to take the risk? If we are taking the prisoners word on the returning group, we should ask him more like where they'll be coming from

Contributes Gird while just playing with kindling

Addressing Gird
Those are valid questions. Since it is still morning I was not expecting them back so soon as they just left yesterday. That could changed.

Andreas looks over at the cooperative Herodion.
He brings up some good points. So do you know from which direction the other group will return and what is your best guess as to when they would return. Andreas smiles and holds up a hand as if to forestall the next words.
I know, I know it is hard to judge that but would you please just humor me...

Herodion points south down the path you all came in on, "That's the way they left. I doubt they'd come back from the north, but it's not unheard of."

and a time that they may come back...?? lol

Botting Fenn
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Fenn takes his time to find the tracks of the bandits that just left a day ago. He looks around to see what paths the bandits do take when the leave the camp.
He is pointing out the paths that they do take so that if they do come from a different direction we will know where to look for them. He is looking for numbers as well as if they went on horses.

I already said he doesn't know exactly when they'll be back. And Fenn knows they left the way you all came in.

Sorry, I was hoping to get an educated guess from him.

Andreas decided to wait here in camp while Fenn and Annurain explore the area. He will ask Gird if he would be willing to keep and eye out from the Archer post that is closest. He then turns to Derra and asks her if she would be willing to help keep an eye on the prisoners as they recover from their battle wounds.

"Aye.. i'll sit up here and be target practice.. ."

Gird will gather a few branches and place them in the archers nest to make it harder to make out his features

Branches: 1d20 ⇒ 17
Closest skill is Survival with +7 or if it's disguise that'll prolly be Int at +1

"And don't come back, you filthy ne'er-do-wells!" You hear a manly, half-jovial voice coming from the east.
"Gage!" a feminine but otherwise unfamiliar voice answers the first, "Keep your voice down, there might be more of them about!"

From the eastern treeline, in the dim early sunrise, you make out a man in fine clothes and jewelry wielding what you assume is a whip, climbing his way uneasily through the brush. Considerably more nimble leaps the owner of the second voice: a female kitsune hands out and glowing a faint pale color.

I'm not sure, but I think you'd all recognize each other from the recruitment RP, yes? If so, you know this is Gage and Mamise. As far as the story is concerned the guards sent word to the Lord Mayor that you might could do with reinforcements, so he chartered another group, but Gage and Mamise are the only two who stuck with the task. They've just fought off a few other bandits. Herodion's information is all still valid, there are still four other bandits that will be back sometime in the next two days, and he has no idea when.

And Gird, Hiding (even with the use of branches) uses the stealth skill. Regardless, it's still a +7 for a total of 24

I shoot him from my place of stealthynessness then.. ;o).. yes Gage that is..

Seeing the two approaching Gird recognises them and speaks from his lofty loft after stepping out of coverings

"Gage and Mamise.. wow! Quick join us and get into cover or something as we are expecting a group of bandits to return."

Annurian makes a point to go greet the two newcomers, even if he's absurdly socially awkward himself. Using his human appearance, he approaches them and tries to bring them in, looking around concerned about the return of the other bandits.

Welcome! I'm glad we're receiving reinforcements. - he says - Please, come in.

Annurian didn't follow the same "path" as the others - he met the others later, on the road, so he never saw Gage and Mamise before. nevertheless, he will introduce himself, show his "real face" and get things going. I don't want to waste much time from everybody on it, unless you guys feel this RP part is important :) From the player side, though, my sincere welcome, guys! Have fun.

greetings! I think a quick hello and hunkering down is in order, we can RP a bit more on the way back from the bandit camp xD
Gage jumps a little at Gird's welcome
"Ah?"
That voice sounds familiar somehow. Maybe these are the guys we were supposed to find?
Gage tries to remember who's voice it was as he watches Annurian walk out
"Oh, hello.
A surprise party for the bandits, I take it? Hopefully I won't drop my whip this time."
Gage clears his throat as he moves towards some bushes.
"It'll be more than a minute or two before they come back, right?"
Gage then attempts to hide nearby the place he saw Annurian come out of.
take 20(+6) on stealth (2 minutes), unless someone tells him to hurry up (in which case he'd use 1d20+6)

Botting Fenn for now. At least until we are finished with this scene. Botting Derra as well
A cloaked figure kneels by a fire pit with several prisoners bound by a fallen tree. Further back from those prisoners are several horses. Another cloaked figure steps out from behind a large tree, her feline features plain to see. As the group steps forward you can make out a figure up in the trees to your left as you come into camp. As you look that way you notice another figure across the stream up in the trees as well.

Gage...and...Mamise? What the hell arrre you doing herrre? You are lucky we did not kill you two as you apprrroached. says a feline voice. The figure you remember from back in Restov. Derra was her name.

Behind her, the kneeling figure stands up and turns towards you. The man stands a head taller than Gage, over six and a half feet in height. The man looks over at the two people that just camp into the camp. Lord Gage, Lady Mamise...please come in and prepare. Gird is correct in that we are waiting for the return of some bandits. Four in numbers with one of them a dwarf. We wish to take them alive and I hope with out violence. If they do not want to surrender....then we take them down. Do not attack unless it is necessary. We are not sure exactly when they will return. The man's voice is calm and respectful. Sir Andreas der Eisfalke motions for you to come closer. He directs Derra back to her position and he kneels down by the fire pit. Two Hand axes lie on the ground by his feet.

Annurian walks slowly. As he does so, his physical features change back to those of the wereboar-like figure the others were already used to. The immense shapechanger stopped behind Andreas and crossed his arms, with attention, clearly shaking his head in agreement with the cavalier.

As the party waits, morning turns into afternoon, and afternoon into evening at which point it becomes clear that no one--travelling by daylight at any rate--will be arriving today.

You don't have to wait as long as I said there, but I just wanted to let you know that they aren't showing up this day.

As the day progresses and turns into night. Andreas feels it is time to find out more from their new friends. As they sit by the fire he gets up and takes his time looking in on the wounded and those that are still unconscious. He offers food and drink and unbinds them so that they may stretch themselves. He sees to it that they are rebound and treated properly. As he finishes up he turns to Gage and Mamise.
Lord Gage and Lady Mamise, if you would please tell us what brings you out her into the Green Belt with so few numbers. Do not get me wrong as I have no doubts about your ability to handle yourselves but still it is not a wise decision.

Gage looks from the crackling fire to Andreas.
"I thank you for your kind words, Sir Andreas, but I must profess that even I can't handle me. As for what brings us here:
'twas our feet."
Gage flashes his biggest, dumbest grin before continuing.

"As for why we came," Gage gestures towards Mamise, his grin not yet faded "I would like to say it was all the wisdom of my oracular friend over there, and that it had nothing to do with a message the Lord Mayor received shortly after you all left."

- As we all meet -
"Ah! I remember you from the inn! You were one of those I was shamelessly sucking up to, Medyved, right? Just those we were looking for!"
With a deep curtsy, the foxfolk puts out a knife she had in her hand. "My name is indeed Mamise, I am glad that you remember. I'll gladly help you with the bandits, that's just what I came here for!"

- At the camp -
Mamise smirks back at Gage.
"And you would say it without a problem, although you know it wouldn't be true. The Lord Mayor just happened to receive a messenger saying that-" her appearance shifts to an unassuming man in the livery of a Brevoy courier, and her voice changes accordingly "Oh, me Lord, the men at the Outpost are asking for reinforcements, they've had losses-" and again she looks like a foxfolk "just when we were nearby, speak of a coincidence." She chuckles between herself before continuing.
"Oleg and Svetlana told us where you were headed, and we hurried to you, thinking that you may actually need some assistance. Then someone lost his whip and everything became a bit more comical."

Gage sighs and adds "Drop one whip and you never live it down."

Gage clears his throat before addressing the others
"Of course, we left out a few heroic details, but we wouldn't want to steal the spotlight for too long; how have you all fared in this overly green belt of land?"

Andreas watches Gage as the bard response to his question. His emotions are neutral and he then turns his attention to Mamise as she speaks. When the two finish their stories he stands to grab more fire wood.
As he tosses the wood on the fire
Lady Mamise, we do appreciate any assistance the two of you can provide.
He returns to his seat and continues on. It is hard to tell if Andreas let Gage's attempt of a joke slide, it just went right over his head or he felt such words warranted no reaction at all and moved on. He simple nods at Gage
How have we fared?..We were able to secure Oleg's Outpost from the bandits and their extortions. Removed the threat of future bandit attacks from this group and now we are waiting on the last of them to arrive so that we can secure this location. Took some wounds but all in all everyone worked well together.

Come morning we will set ourselves up for an ambush on the returning bandits. We should keep archers up in the platforms. He looks at Gird and Fenn,I think we should keep our more ferocious and stealthy people off to the sides ready to cut off any retreat. He motions to Annurian and Mamise. The rest of us will stay here around the fire pit with the bandits cloaks on. My hope is to draw them in, thinking we are part of their group. When the moment is correct we reveal ourselves and if all goes well they will surrender without a fight. We do not want a fight.
He looks around at everyone
The idea is to defuse the situation not inflame it with our words and actions. So please mind what you say. I think we should keep double watches tonight as the bandits do have a Dwarf with them. So I would like to keep everyone safe over the night. I will take the middle watch.

He looks at both Gage and Mamise
There are plenty of bows around here. I recommend one for at least a shot before closing into melee. At the very least it is a very good deterrent.

He looks Gage and Mamise for a bit more and then
We have several strong swordsmen and other melee talents here along with excellent archery. We even have some healing thanks to Gird. What we are lacking is Arcane Magic. If I may ask, What can you bring to the group. Where is your expertise in?
Through out all his words, Andreas' voice is neutral toned and respectful. He stance is not threatening at all nor is demeanor.

Sorry, Gird, I misspelled your name unintentionally

"Oh, I'm not a lady, Sir Andreas. I wield spirit magic, and I'm especially good at deception, tricks, lies, bluffs, and all of that, especially disguises, if somewhat lackluster in a fight. For example," With another of those shifts kitsunes are famous for, Mamise's face melts into the cruel lineaments of Kressle. "This might help making them thing we truly are the bandits. Has worked before."

Turning again to her usual appearance, she warms her paws to the fire. "Have you scavenged the place already? Any good findings?"

Gage quickly interrupts before anyone can answer Mamise.
"Arcane magic you say? I happen to be a magician! of sorts"
Gage clears his throat before casting a spell. Prestidigitation
As he continues with a slightly furrowed brow, the mud and grass stains on his outfit begin to disappear.
"Also, I second Mamise's question. You mentioned bows I think? Are any of them of the short variety?"

I can lend you my shortbow, my friend. - says Annurian - Since it seems we have a composite longbow that might be of better use for me.

The skinwalker spoke with heavy accent through his tusks, and it was hard to be comfortable around such strong, animalistic figure. As time passed, however, his other companions seemed to grow more confident and relaxed around him.

Andreas nods at Annurian's offer. He has comes to trust his new companions in such a short span of time. He wonders if that level of trust will continue with the two new additions.
Thank you Annurian, a good idea.

Andreas stands up and walks over to a tree and starts to move a few branches from the ground. Under this pile of branches lies a bundle of supplies.
There are several Longbows and short swords...plenty of arrows too. There are other items there as well but nothing of use in tomorrows ambush. He leans down and picks up a small bag and returns to the fire pit to sit down again.

The reason I am looking for someone that is knowledgeable of the Arcane Arts is that we have come across several items that we are unable to figure out what they are. We are in need of information on these items?
He pulls out a red potion, from Kressle white oil, violet-red potion, brown potion, ivory potion, 3 arcane scrolls: 'red' rune, 'white' rune, 'red-orange' rune on them. All from the troll I think
What can you tell me about these items.

He looks over at Mamise
Not a lady, very well...Mistress Mamise it is then.
He pauses for a few seconds as he looks at her.
That talent can come in handy...shape shifting and all. I think we could put it to good use in the future but tomorrow I want to affect their moral and force them to surrender peacefully. I am worried that if we play the fake Kressle card, that it might create panic and people could get hurt. It is a good idea though.

Loving the RP! Lemme know when you take watch for the night. It's about 8 pm now.