[dice=Sense Motive Elvara]1d20
[dice=Sense Motive Smelaxa]1d20+4
[dice=Knowledge Nobility]1d20+4Bastards eh? I guess we aren't viewed in a positive light by most. Still, it's hurtful to hear such thoughts even if there isn't much that can be done about it.
"I know how it is to be coerced into actions you don't want, to constantly live under duress. I don't wish that on anyone and I hope we are able to help with that Oleg and Svetlana." She says in a tender voice while looking to their hosts with a gentle look.
Elvara is silent for a bit as she listen to their plans. "I do not know each of your capabilities either, however I've been able to gleam some from your plans. Thank you for that. Myself, I got a few spells. One that should work exactly like your describe of your potion. I was planning to use it on Smelaxa, to bring her back to her true size, but I can use it on you as well, so as to save your potion for when I'm too spent for the day to use magic. If we remain within the fort I could do this before the bandits enter, though it'll only last for a minute, so the timing has to be impeccable. I got another spell that draws forth the grease and slime of Smelaxa's natural habitat. Hopefully that'll be able to surprise the bandits and make them slip. I'll try to avoid it coming in contact with any of you, but do be careful so you don't fall as well. I'll use my spells to bolster you and Smelaxa as well as looking out for opportunities to trip up the bandits. After that... It might be better to send the bandits flashes of Smelaxa's hypnotic gaze to daze them rather than using my crossbow. That's also something I can do with my magic."
Suddenly Smelaxa speaks up for herself from her position over in the corner, lifting her head to study the group. "I do not want to sstay in the ssshadowss instead of fighting. Protection of thisss abode will be more effective if I participate from the ssstart."
When she speaks up on the next subject Elvara's face...
Raven nods along at Elvara's recommendations, thoughtful. "From my experience, that particular spell takes a while to cast. I suggest you start it as soon as the bandits enter the fort, so it activates just as I'm closing the door. From there, I can take a moment to focus on one of the bandits before I join the fight."
To her credit, Raven seems only a little bit taken aback at Smelaxa's speech, before she nods. "Very well, Smelaxa. If that is what you wish. Remember, we need to at least take one of them alive so we can know where the rest of them are stationed."
At Elvara's objections to piking, Raven shrugs and answers, "I find it distasteful as well. But the fear is strikes into the bandits will be advantageous in the long run. If it's possible, I would suggest taking the headless corpses with us and finding a way to throw them into their camp before fighting them, in order to spook them. But if the rest of the party goes against me, then I will concede." Turning to Elvara, she says harshly, "If the people who were 'pressured' into joining, as you say, didn't leave as soon as they started extorting and murdering, then they don't mind the work. Maybe they even enjoy it. Then they deserve to die."
She then claps her hands and briskly says, "Alright, is everybody clear on the plan? We let Oleg greet them and draw them into the fort. Once they're all in, I close the gates behind them while Elvara uses that enlargening spell on me. The rest of the party will get out of their ambush positions and keep the bandits from piling on Oleg and Svetlana as they get to safety, and Vasilyan and Elvara will take potshots at the bandits from the walls. We take one alive." Raven looks around the table expectantly.
The next morning comes quickly, and the party readies themselves for their encounter with the bandits. Svetlana stays inside the main Trading Post building, while Oleg stations himself near the wagon, crossbow hidden in the seat, to help lure the brigands in. The party splits up to their various posts.
You only have a couple hours to wait, before the telltale sound of a half dozen horses fills the air, riding heavily towards the Trading Post and giving ample time to mount up or hide as necessary. From your hiding spots, you hear the sounds of "Whoah, whoah" and several men dismounting, walking into the Outer Walls. One man shouts out in a particular crude voice, "Ah, old man. Do you have your taxes for the Stag Lord, or do we take that pretty little wife of yours instead? Maybe we can show her what a man of the forest can do with his wood!" he jeers. He pulls up short once inside though, head orienting towards the party. "What's this?!?"
As the realization that he was lured into an ambush dawns on the leader, Raven, with a mighty heave closes the gates and bars them shut, before drawing her sword and facing the bandit leader with a feral grin as she drinks in his every detail, his stance, his weapons, even his language and attitude, as she prepares to charge.
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From his place hiding behind the building, Vorsirion draws his elven curve blade. "Frostmarrow" was the blade's name, and the semi-transparent blade flickered with psychic power. The elf focused on it, drawing the cold from its core.
Then, rushing around the corner, he lets his blade fall on the flat-footed leader.
"I advise you to keep your pants on for this part," Vorsirion taunts the bandit. "It is best to die with them on."
Elvara holds her tongue, but thinks her own opinion of Raven's words. The world is not always black and white as you seem to think dear Raven. It's not easy to break away from known conditions into the unknown, even if those conditions are awful. People fear the unknown more than they fear slight or even sometimes great discomfort.
Elvara notices that they have been spotted and her hand quickly goes to her pouch at her side as she starts chanting. The words comming out of her mouth are a musical hissing sound, a mix between a flute and the sound a snake would make.
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t͎͉̤̖̘̦́͋́ȍ̸̹͇̝͂̀̔̂͟͞o̴̧͍̳ͦͧ̚͞t̵̢̰̣͕̠͇̘̬̽̈̒ͨ͂̊̚͟ͅl̷̢̤̞̤̘͑̾ͪ͑̈́̔e̙̯͊͋̂͐ͫ̂ͧ̔ ͈̰͉͇̯̞̯̣̍ͦ͞ͅs̗̭̺̥͔͚̟͉ͨ́̈̎͘ͅh̰̟̠̲͇̼ͪ̃h̖̠̘͒̋ͦ̾͐ͫ̅̕ş̭͕̟̇͛͠s̵̞̪͍̪̺̺̪̤̆̓́̀z͛̍̍̇ ̒͏̙̻͇̳͙̩͇ͅz̢̛͎͍͚͇̦͍̘͌̽̍ͧ-̧̧͇͍̦̠̙̣͓͛ͬ͐ͩ́̀̕ ̶̖̝̯͇͇͚ͦͥͮ̿ͭṱ̸̝̜͉̍̀̓̎͑̂͑̏ͭ͠ȍ͈̻̬̹̝͍̙̓̌o̶̯̩̰̤̭̦͇̒ͥͬ̊̚ ̺̲̜̒̀̀̏̏ͣ͟s̭ͭͦhͧ̂̇̄ͩ̚̚͘҉̝͚̖̪͎͍͔z͈̻͉͙̈́̂z̧̘͕͓̲̝̗̟̍ͭ̐̊̆u̵̬͔̱̤̯̜͆͑ͯ̀̎͢š̛̛ͩ͆ͫ̂͝ ̟̤̱̯͔s̹̝̩̬͖̅ͩ̿̅ͣ̕̕͠ŝ̸̠̺̤̹̯̼ͤ͗͋͜ ̤͙̙̖̬̬ͨ̏̍̍ͩ̉̒ţ͍̩͖͇̀́̒̍̈́ͯͦͨ͞ṳ̫͓̠̂ͥu̱̲̤͓̩̯̎͌͘ų̶͈̠͈͇͇͐ͅ ̘̠̝̺̯̯͎ͭͬ͡s͎̥̦̋̿̓ͫ̾ͬ͗͘͝͡h̶̥̿ͮ͌̔s̺̳͔͕͐ͪͬ̀͞s͖̰̪̳͖̻̭ͦͣ̃͂ ̃͂҉̸̰́t͓̠̘͍̳̫ͮ͆͒̉ͧ͠o͈̙͇͙̖̩͍̩̓́ ̤͇͙͈̤́ͧͮ̍͟t̴̵̜̰̘̟͈͔ͬͯ̉͂̽̚͞ē̸̉̀̓ͦ҉̙͍ë̃͗̑͏̨̗̞͔
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Her hand meanwhile is busy throwing some black powder from her pouch into the air in front of her. The powder hangs in the air momentarily in a roughly humanoid shape, before it rapidly starts increasing in girth and height, almost as a human growing. Suddenly the powder starts moving rapidly towards Raven, losing all shape and seemingly dissolving as it travels. The powder is all but gone by the time it hits the woman, but the effect is unmistakable. Raven and all her gear increases to the size of a giant, towering above all the bandits.
Without looking what the others are doing Elvara starts casting again, this time aiming to increase her eidolon similarly.
So this is the right time...
Vasilyan uses the time the group gained through the surprise positioning to get in a better place from which to fire arrows on his enemies. A few seconds after, he nocks two arrows in quick succession and fires them at the man who appears to be the bandits' leader. Old Deadeye, guide my weapons, for these lands deserve justice!
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The Occultist's blade swings wide of the bandit, who sneers with an incredibly punchable face at the elf. Arrows, however, seem to be incredibly effective, as Vasilyn's attack from the ramparts cause the man to fall unconcious, smote by the weight of Erastil's judgement.
Vasilyan grins in satisfaction as he sees the bandits' leader going down. It could have been me...I hope he's not dead. But I needed to stop him. Old Deadye, you really saved my life. Only now I realize how sad and empty is life as a bandit.
Focusing on the current situation and not allowing his thoughs to drift his attention away, Vasilyan nocks another arrow, drawing one more arrow to fire it in quick successione after the first one. They're both blunt arrows. They're bandits, not irredeemable evil monster. Besides, we could benefit from questioning one of them.
Once he's ready, Vasilyan fires both of his blunt arrow at the nearest bandit, stepping forward if he needs to in order to come closer to his target.
_____________________________
Surprise Round: Smexala
Smexala charges out of her hiding place along the wall and tries to bite a chunk out of one of the bandits. "Foolissssh bandits." She hisses before being to occupied to speak anymore.
Round 1: Elvara
Seeing that two bandits outside are still mounted and might ride away, yet are clumped together Elvara moves forwards as she chants. She grabs a small clump of something from her pouch, holding it on the flat of her hand, facing skywards.
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"
H̟̿͌̑̈̕r̮͖͋̔́ȩ̜̟̿́ ̸̛͓͈͊ͣ͒i̷̡̋͆͋҉̠̺͔͖̻͙̮o̧̜̯̯͈̰̙̭͍ͫ͗̈̊ͭ̓͢͠ͅg̪̟͙̼̝̯ͭ̋̃ͅę̸͙̤̖̻͂͒ẁͩ̀̇͗̅ͪ́͏̡̗̟j̇ ̺̺̬̱̦̙͓͍̇̀̔̋̿́̚̚i͚͎͙̘͍̯͇̤̬̇̇ͯ́̆̐ͤo̥̭̳̙͛͒͋̅ͤ͡ ̤͍̮͇̤͉̑̌ͩ͢h̨͔̯̭̜͓̭̿ͧ͌ͬ̐̐́j̧̜͎̯̩̲͚͎̉ͬ̎ͪ̌́ö́̀͋͒̕͏̲̕ģ͇͇̰̑̓̐̌ͨͨ͛ͤr̸̜̳̼̪̻̰̉ͤ͘ȟ ̴̘͈̻̱̂e̦̬ͥ͛̄̊͑̑̓i̗̩̥̬̪̝̯̋̎̆͆̆̓͒ͯ͗ ̩͎͈̤̗͗́ͩ͐ͬ́o̻̳ͧͪ̓͒ȋ̴̷̱̹͖̘͆̚ ̢̯̱̼͍̺̔̆͒g̜̜̼̫̲ͫ̾ͧ͠j̧͈̖͎͉̭ͦͫͯ̅̓͌ͧ͞ͅr̶͉̯̤̙̖̮͇̦̫ͩͬͣ̋̏̃ê̪̽í͕̠̇̽̍̈́̾̔o̧̼̮̳̲ͣ̀ͅ ̤̙ ̛̖͔̙͖ͤ͑ͧ̚"
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The clump expands and turns liquid, starting to pour down of her hand, before vanishing completely, appearing again underneath the feet of the horses outside.
Smexlana's bite misses the bandit it attempted to strike, though the man doesn't seem happy with the otherworldly interloper.
Elvara's spells go off, Raven is Enlarged and two of the horses buckle under the Grease
The Easternmost manages to keep its feet, though the other mount and rider take a spill to the ground!
Green, still mounted, urges his Mount up and out of the Grease. He manages to get the panicking horse off the ground, but the horse can't get traction to move from the grease pit.
The remaining bandits draw their swords attack their nearest foes:
Round 1 Smexala
Smexala hisses out in anger as the blade sinks in between her hard scales. She slithers around the man who hit her and poise to strike him at the same time as Vorsirion. "Letsss sstrike together elf, hiss."
Round 2 Elvara
With a mask of professional stoicism, Raven smoothly sidesteps a bandit's arrow before flipping her blade to block the clumsy thrust of the bandit attacking her with his sword, despite her increased size. The mercenary then aligns her focus on her nearest foe. Time seems to slow down as she scans his entire body. The miniscule weaknesses in his stance. The odd grip of his sword. The scar of an old wound. Taking a deep breath, Raven lashes out with her massive blade, precisely balanced to Raven's fluid, but oddly brutal style.
After her blow lands and summarily obliterates her target, Raven yells over the din of battle, [bigger]"Vasilyan! Plug the ones that didn't come in before they try to escape!"
I can't let them go away! thinks Vasilyan to himself as he draws two more arrows. Normal ones this time. Can't allow them to withdraw.
_________________________________________
"We can't let them get away." Elvara shouts as she storms forward. As she does she picks up a tiny fluffy ball of wool from one of her pouches and throws it into the air where it disappears with a loud pop. She continues her chanting, mesmerizing tones coming out of her mouth. If one were to study her face, it's possible to see her pupils rotating a full circle before once again regaining their normal position.
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"İ͕͈̜̼̓̊̈̇͘m͉͔̮̞̫̔ͨͩ̑̿̊͋͜ḁ̢̫̙̽ͮ̄́ͪ͐̌̓ͧ͞͡g̴̢̮͚̪͙̥͐̂̆ͧ̇ͭį̲̥̰ͨ̒̍̅ͭ͠n̡̧̟ͭͤͣ̾͒e̵ ̷͈̠̟̯̳̼̥̪̔ͮ̈́̃ͅ ̶̈ͩͭ̒͌̾̇ͯͅy̘̖̟̤̬̰̰͂̅̏̐̑̍ͯ͜͞ǒ͐̅͒͛̉͐͗̀̚͏̥́ͅu͈̼̳̺̟ͪͫͫr͛̒̂̚҉͏͎ ̘̪̟͙̺̳ͦ͊m̷̸͍̣͈ͯͨ͛ͪͫͦͦ͢ï̶̭̦̅ņ̯̬̙̮͑͘͟d̷̷̞̖̻̜͇̠̙̮͛ͤ̚͢ ̵̏͑͌̐̒̓̓҉̻͔̖͖͟f̝̙̥͈̘̻̝ͫ̅̉́ͦ͘i͗͛ͬ҉̣͉͇̦̰̭̩ͅl̟͈͖̥̻̼̊́͐ͥͅͅl̶̛̮̦͓̙ͪ̆e̫͕͔͂̽̇ͧ̈́̇ͤ ́d̷̛̫͙̐̒̀͡ ̻̞͚ͨͫͧ͒̒̄͡w̴̶͎̹̦̤ͣi͋ͩ̋̾͛ͥ̉͏͉͎̰̳͕͇̱͈t̸̫̮̗͉̮͕̂̄͌͗ͯ͊̉ͮ͠h̺̹͗͌̊̆ͮ̅̚ ̞͚͇̱̝̻͉̬͌͗ͯn̲͓̬͉͈̽͂͢o̶̮̬̦̹̟͎͓̘̒̾̾ͧͮ͌̈́̀t̮̖̙̝̼̘̗͉̾͆̉̉͞h̢̛̙̭̳͍͎ͭͤ̅̎̈́͢ị̓͑n̷̷̦ ̫̺͇̳̤̂̓̚͝ġ̡̼̺̿͑̊͐̀͟,ͯͨͨͥͯ͟͏̷̭̺͖͔͙͚̤ ̔͌ͯͧ̐ͯ̽͗̇҉̲͕̟̘̬ņ̢͈̻̙̤̞̬̻ͯ͑͒͛ͤ̄̇̚o̺̙͈̓͐̂̓́͝ ̣͇̰͓̰̜͔͋͗ͨ̓̎̄̕͞t̖̫̩ͨ̂͋ͭ͂̇̽͒͝h̢̝̟̹͔̬̣͌͐̿ͧ͒ͩ͗͢ǫ̢̛̭̖̠̪̝̗̪̥̌͆ͤͭͭ̂̆u̱̠̗͕̹͍̽̂ͅg̞̤ ͖̱͆̓͡h͗͗̂̅ͪ̈́͒͒̊͏̡҉̩̫͎t̷̞͖̗͖̑͊ͨ̆̽ ̴͖̟̥̦͕̩̦ͥ͌͊̔͊̇͆̿͜o̺̾̑ͤ̔̎̅f̜͍̖̳͎̝̤̈́ͣ̈́̒̊͊ͪ͑̕ͅ ͇̥̦͇͊ͯ̿̃ͮ̄͢e͍͉̗͚̣͍̪͋̏ͬ͠s̢̱̞̅̔̈́͋͊̊̒̑̔c̶̙̹̩͕̯͊̈à̧̙̈͞͝p͍̣̙̣̮̻̅̒̍ͫ͒ė̶̸̙̫̗͍̫͌̂̓ ,̷̯͉ͮ̾̒ͫ͝ ̢̣̲͍͎͍͇̹ͬ͑ͨ͌ͤ̕͘ń̛̥̲̤͔͖̞̭̔ͩ̎ō̰͒r̛̥̳̫̦ͦ͌̂̋̕͠ ̶̣̗͍̜̖̝ͬͦ̾̕͞ȧ̫̺̗͖̯͂ͅt̵̘̳̻̞͇̼͍̋t̽̋̄̇͌̊́ͤ̀͏̘̖͕̣̥̪̱̱a̡̙̯̅́͘c͖̪̝̦ͧ͑̂͑ͅͅk̅̍͒̈́҉̩ ͎̦̘̙̯͈̕"
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The towering Raven swings her massive blade down towards one of the bandits with incredible force, resulting in a gruesome spectable as the the man is buried under a wall of sharp steel. Much less messy but equally effective, the bandit that Vosirion faces is gracefully sliced by Vorsirion's curveblade. Vasilyn wings one of the fleeing bandits with his arrow.
One of the bandit shrugs Elvara's mental command, while the other remains mired on his mount in the grease. He dismounts and attempts to run away on foot. The other bandit attempts to flee as well!
Oleg misses with a pair of shots at the fleeing bandit as well.
Alexai casts Bless on the party
Elvara continues forward and shouts out. "Stop running or you'll die with an arrow in your back." Before she repeats her routine with the ball of wool and spinning eyes. There is a slight shimmer in the air around the head of the closer bandit. She doesn't trust him enough not to be-spell him, but if the spell doesn't work she's hoping he'll stop regardless.
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"İ͕͈̜̼̓̊̈̇͘m͉͔̮̞̫̔ͨͩ̑̿̊͋͜ḁ̢̫̙̽ͮ̄́ͪ͐̌̓ͧ͞͡g̴̢̮͚̪͙̥͐̂̆ͧ̇ͭį̲̥̰ͨ̒̍̅ͭ͠n̡̧̟ͭͤͣ̾͒e̵ ̷͈̠̟̯̳̼̥̪̔ͮ̈́̃ͅ ̶̈ͩͭ̒͌̾̇ͯͅy̘̖̟̤̬̰̰͂̅̏̐̑̍ͯ͜͞ǒ͐̅͒͛̉͐͗̀̚͏̥́ͅu͈̼̳̺̟ͪͫͫr͛̒̂̚҉͏͎ ̘̪̟͙̺̳ͦ͊m̷̸͍̣͈ͯͨ͛ͪͫͦͦ͢ï̶̭̦̅ņ̯̬̙̮͑͘͟d̷̷̞̖̻̜͇̠̙̮͛ͤ̚͢ ̵̏͑͌̐̒̓̓҉̻͔̖͖͟f̝̙̥͈̘̻̝ͫ̅̉́ͦ͘i͗͛ͬ҉̣͉͇̦̰̭̩ͅl̟͈͖̥̻̼̊́͐ͥͅͅl̶̛̮̦͓̙ͪ̆e̫͕͔͂̽̇ͧ̈́̇ͤ ́d̷̛̫͙̐̒̀͡ ̻̞͚ͨͫͧ͒̒̄͡w̴̶͎̹̦̤ͣi͋ͩ̋̾͛ͥ̉͏͉͎̰̳͕͇̱͈t̸̫̮̗͉̮͕̂̄͌͗ͯ͊̉ͮ͠h̺̹͗͌̊̆ͮ̅̚ ̞͚͇̱̝̻͉̬͌͗ͯn̲͓̬͉͈̽͂͢o̶̮̬̦̹̟͎͓̘̒̾̾ͧͮ͌̈́̀t̮̖̙̝̼̘̗͉̾͆̉̉͞h̢̛̙̭̳͍͎ͭͤ̅̎̈́͢ị̓͑n̷̷̦ ̫̺͇̳̤̂̓̚͝ġ̡̼̺̿͑̊͐̀͟,ͯͨͨͥͯ͟͏̷̭̺͖͔͙͚̤ ̔͌ͯͧ̐ͯ̽͗̇҉̲͕̟̘̬ņ̢͈̻̙̤̞̬̻ͯ͑͒͛ͤ̄̇̚o̺̙͈̓͐̂̓́͝ ̣͇̰͓̰̜͔͋͗ͨ̓̎̄̕͞t̖̫̩ͨ̂͋ͭ͂̇̽͒͝h̢̝̟̹͔̬̣͌͐̿ͧ͒ͩ͗͢ǫ̢̛̭̖̠̪̝̗̪̥̌͆ͤͭͭ̂̆u̱̠̗͕̹͍̽̂ͅg̞̤ ͖̱͆̓͡h͗͗̂̅ͪ̈́͒͒̊͏̡҉̩̫͎t̷̞͖̗͖̑͊ͨ̆̽ ̴͖̟̥̦͕̩̦ͥ͌͊̔͊̇͆̿͜o̺̾̑ͤ̔̎̅f̜͍̖̳͎̝̤̈́ͣ̈́̒̊͊ͪ͑̕ͅ ͇̥̦͇͊ͯ̿̃ͮ̄͢e͍͉̗͚̣͍̪͋̏ͬ͠s̢̱̞̅̔̈́͋͊̊̒̑̔c̶̙̹̩͕̯͊̈à̧̙̈͞͝p͍̣̙̣̮̻̅̒̍ͫ͒ė̶̸̙̫̗͍̫͌̂̓ ,̷̯͉ͮ̾̒ͫ͝ ̢̣̲͍͎͍͇̹ͬ͑ͨ͌ͤ̕͘ń̛̥̲̤͔͖̞̭̔ͩ̎ō̰͒r̛̥̳̫̦ͦ͌̂̋̕͠ ̶̣̗͍̜̖̝ͬͦ̾̕͞ȧ̫̺̗͖̯͂ͅt̵̘̳̻̞͇̼͍̋t̽̋̄̇͌̊́ͤ̀͏̘̖͕̣̥̪̱̱a̡̙̯̅́͘c͖̪̝̦ͧ͑̂͑ͅͅk̅̍͒̈́҉̩ ͎̦̘̙̯͈̕"
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Smexy meanwhile rushes out of the gate, running at full speed after the man on horseback, hoping to catch him before he can get too far away.
Raven lumbers out the gates of the trading post before drawing a javelin and flinging it at the nearest bandit.
Vasilyan fires two more arrows at the fleeing bandit.
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The combined arrow shots by the Paladin manages to knock the fleeing bandit off his horse! The remaining bandit takes a few steps further, notices that he's the only one running, and slows to turn around, dropping his weapon. "Don't shoot! I surrender!"
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Mercy! Have mercy! still rings through Vorsirion's head, along with a hollow laughter.
The elf surveys the carnage, and notes with satisfaction the efficiency of his companions.
At least this fool mission has a chance...
He stalks toward the surrendering bandit and holds his blade to the man's chest.
"I am not sure we are taking prisoners, vermin!" he states, but turns to his companions for guidance.
Raven stalks towards the lone remaining bandit, her face oddly serene. She says simply, "I was planning on taking one prisoner. We have already fulfilled that requirement. I don't see a reason why you have to die if your surrender is unconditional, of course."
The bandit drops his sword and holds up his hand to the giant Slayer. "If you promise to let me live, I'll do whatever you ask of me... Happs and the b&%!$ Kressle aren't paying me enough for this. I didn't even want to rough up Oleg or his wife, but once I got this far in, I couldn't just up and leave, you know?" He looks to the group hopefully.
Raven nods then turns towards the rest of the group, before saying to the bandit, "It says that only unrepentant bandits are to be executed. If the rest of my group agrees, you should only get off with a light sentence-perhaps guarding the trading post and giving us information on the bandit activities in the Stolen Lands." Raven's eyes go flinty. "Of course, if you betray us in any way, I will hunt you down and kill you."
Elvara stays in the background as her more warlike companions disarm the bandit. Though she can't stay still for long. "There is no need to kill anyone needlessly Raven. As you yourself say, only unrepentant should be exceuted. That goes for this man, as well as for any of the others who are still alive. Who are you man? How did you end up in this lawless company? What can you tell us of the others here?"
After letting the man speak, she says to her companions. "We can check his story up against any of the others who are still alive. If something doesn't mesh, he might not be so repentant after all." She gets a sad look in her eyes, "Then we might have to do what you planned all along."
The bandit that surrendered shrugs. "Names Aldrick, and not much of a story, really. Owed some people money, needed to pay them back, one step ahead of the local guards... I lived off the land out here taking down a few deer and the like. There's a camp where me and a few other hunters operated out of, probably some Dust Lord's old ford.
Anyway, one day, a posse of men comes up to the camp- Kessle the b!~@+, Auchs the bull, Dovan the weasel-face, several others. Made us an offer: join the Stag Lord, some up-and-coming leader round these parts... or have our necks shortened. Not much of an option, really.
Kessle stayed behind to manage the camp, and Happs, one of the men that's bleeding out in your yard, was her second."
He thinks a moment, then shrugs. "Guess she's going to be needing another second, now."
Raven nods, satisfied with his story. As the man speaks, her posture relaxes a little bit as she shrinks down to normal size. She seems a bit warmer, less distant. "Alright, then. Let's see if your friends haven't lost all their blood yet. Sounds like you lot got dealt a bad hand." Rolling her shoulders, Raven walks back into the trading post and checks the various bandits for signs of life. If theya re alive, she patches them up with bandages and a liberal application of alchohol.
Elvara is both glad and sad at the same time to hear the bandit's story. It shows that she was right earlier that some of them might have been pressed into things "Alexei, can you help out keeping these men alive? If they are all like Aldrick here, then I don't think they deserve to die. Though we should probably remove their weapons before actually healing them. Smexy is also wounded, some healing for her would be nice at some point."
While they tend to the wounded she continues. "Of course, they still need to make up for their crimes by doing good. They didn't try to run away at any point either" I did run away, though it's not like I was forced to do crime, but was raped instead.
Vasilyan came just in time to listen to the bandit's story. He crouches near to him and listens carefully. When he's done speaking, Vasilyan looks at him with a stern expression on his bearded face. "Remember, Aldrick, there's always an option. Do not justify your choice to yourself by telling you that you didn't really had an option. You know that it's not true."
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Raven replies to Vorsirion, saying, "You have a point. But if we get to camp fast enough, they'll have no reason to think anything is wrong. Unless they have teleporters, they can't return to their camp immediately."
"So we are going to their camp then?" Elvara looks a bit unsure. "I guess if we want to keep Oleg safe we have to deal with the problem at it's root." She turns to their captive. "Aldrick, when would you be expected back and how far away is it?"
The bandit shrugs when asked about when he would be expected. "It's roughly a two day travel on horseback to the Thorn River Camp, though that's a rough ride. We generally make a stop on the river, and finish up on the third day. Four days out, and they might be suspicious."
The bandit doesn't meet Vasilyn's judging gaze. "You can say I've got a choice, but they haven't been jumping up to say hello in the past. Still, you have my word that I'm going to be getting out of here for good. I hear Mivon is nice this time of year..."
"How many should we expect to find at this camp?" Vorsirion asks as he cleans his blade of blood.
He thinks for a momment. "Usually half a dozen around. About a dozen of us operate in and around, but we're never all around at the same time."
He adds. "Mind you, this is just for the Camp. No idea how many others might be around that have allegiance to the Stag Lord, wherever he's based out of."
Elvara is eager to find out more. Some of her reservedness dissipates with a clear goal in front of her. Her voice is still smooth as honey, giving the man time to handle her questions before going to the next one. "Would you come with us to show us the way? You said you are getting out of here, but you should make up for your crimes. Are there any hidden paths we can use to sneak into the camp, or maybe some password we can use to appear as you? Or are you such a tightly knit group that deception like that wouldn't work? We could use every advantage we can find. Some more information on the people of the camp would also be helpful. What weapons do they use? How do they fight, is this Kessie more dangerous than the others for example? Do they have any magic or other tricks?"
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Vorsirion thinks about their options for a while as Elvara discusses things with the bandit.
As the man seems to have been cooperative, and also conscripted against his will, the elf says quietly "Are there wounded here who are more closely-aligned with this Stag Lord? Perhaps your leader here? I am wondering if any are 'true believers.' These, we may not want to let go free."
He adds to his companions "We should likely finish off this band of bandits while we can. We will need a place to acquire supplies. One that is safe. I considered whether this falls outside our mandate of building up a settlement here, but concluded that this is precisely the kind of thing we will need to do to establish allies and obtain what we need. Oleg may prove to be our quartermaster, if you will."
Raven raises an eyebrow at Elvara's tactical questions. I should keep an eye on her. She's smarter than she looks. Turning to Vorsirion, Raven nods at his statement, then says, "Indeed. Once we drive out the bandits, Oleg's will prove quite a defensible position-especially if we get those ballistae operating again..."
The bandit blanches. "No way I'm gonna go back to the camp. You're on your own there. Not hard to find, though, just follow the river downstream. There's two old watch towers to look out for, and Kressle's axes. Nothing much other than that. As for 'true believers'; none among us. Happs is a bootlicker, though he's more interested in his own neck than anything."
He thinks a moment. "Look, I'll answer questions, but not sure how much more use I'll be fore you"
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You should show no mercy to these prisoners, elf.
Vorsirion watches the bandits warily, unsure if letting them go is a good idea. His hand wanders to the hilt of his blade.
He closes his eyes for a moment, and then says "It appears we will investigate this camp ourselves, then," he says. "What are we to do with all of you? How are we to know you will keep your word?" he asks. "You recognize that if we encounter you again, we will not show restraint?"
Oleg comes down from the ramparts of the keep, a rare smile cracking his face. "I've been waiting months for this... that'll show those brutes to threaten me and mine." He adds somberly. "I cannot ever repay you for what you've done here. I make no pretense that it'd likely be me lying face down bleeding if you all hadn't intervened, and I refuse to think about what they might have done to Svetlana. You all have the use of the Trading Post whenever you need, including free meals."
Although the bandits lead by this "Stag Lord" are perhaps the largest threat currently facing Oleg's Trading Post and the Greenbelt, there are other concerns as well that Oleg and Svetlana explain to the group.
Moonradishes are rumored to possess aphrodisiac properties and aid in fertility.
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Vorsirion listens as Oleg describes the threats facing not only the trading post, but the Greenbelt. He looks at the skull at his waist, lost in thought for a moment.
"I prefer to finish what I start," the elf says. "We should finish off or disperse this league of bandits. Especially since they will likely be off guard if we face them now. Further, these other leads do not sound as urgent. Perhaps we can deal with them later."