Zelera considered the entire situation and looked to Colwyn, "Do we even have a way to hold him safely? If there isn't then it might be best to put him down as quickly and painlessly as we can like you would to a sick animal so he can cease suffering." She looked towards the unconscious cat, "I also worry that leaving the cat alone might not prevent him from following us anyway to free it's pet human. I know there are those who are very close to their animal friend and this man seems like he is one of them."
"We could lock him up in the watchtower. That's the best I can think of," Colwyn replies. He strokes his chin, and his face twists as he mulls the matter.
"To lay my heart bare, I would put the man to the sword," he breathes the words as though they were a painful exhalation. "Back in the bad old days, me and the boys dreaded the headsman's block, sure enough. But none of us were ever as bad as this madman, so I won't feel much guilt sentencing him to the same fate I tried so hard to escape myself.
"Besides, say we do find some magic to fix his head. If a decent man is buried within that skull, could he live knowing what he'd done?"
Reknar looks around at the debate, then pipes in again - "I've said my piece - a sick man requires treating and not a summary execution. If he cannot be treated and is a menace to others, then yeah put him to the blade, or keep him imprisoned" - the half-orc adds - "Otherwise it feels like we are looking only for what is simple, and not for what is right" - he shrugs.
"As for the cat, why not taking it bound with us, and reunite it with its 'friend' - if that is the case - if his maladies are treatable? Otherwise we set him free in the wild"
"He's cunning enough, I suggest head home some we can be on hand to help contain him. We should be finishing some of our current building projects soon, in all seriousness if we build the jail we can keep others safe from him without having to make a permanent decision... at least immediately." Richard sighs "He does resemble the brother Bokken described. I think we should start moving past the stage where trials are done in the field. When possible we can leave it to a legal system, let the people see justice done with more transparency."
"I agree. Let's tek him beck."
"Well, I won't start second guessing my brain trust now," Colwyn sighs. "Make sure he's bound good and tight - same for the cat if you're keen on keeping both beasts together. Hells, one can be the first resident of our jail, and the other can be the first resident of a menagerie.
"As baron, though, I'm declaring them your responsibility," Colwyn insists, aiming a finger at Reknar and Zelera. "If they eat me in my sleep, I'm going to haunt the both of you right fierce."
Colwyn dusts himself off, more to vent frustration than actually clean his doublet. He scans the nearby treeline.
"While you bind the two of them, I'm going to have a look around. Beasts keep lairs, after all. Mayhaps this madman stowed the possessions of his other victims nearby?
"And no, I'm not just looking for gold! Wipe those expressions from your faces. If there's mementos, we might manage to bring some closure to mourning families."
"Boot there meght oolso be goold."
There are no signs that the madman kept any loot or belongings of any of his victims.
Colwyn keeps his sword drawn during the long march back to town. His eyes, like the blade, remain trained upon their bound, beastly captives.
"For the sake of a decent night's rest, I'd relish having the first foundation stones of a jail laid down by sunrise," the baron muses warily. "Our accounts are good for such an endeavor, Niadroub?"
Niadroub Kliip thinks about his recent conversation with Oleg Leveton, the "nation's" treasurer. After running some numbers in his head and evaluating what would go into a serviceable jail he nods at Colwyn. He then tries to mount his horse, but the damn beast keeps taking a step to the side every time the arcanist tries to step into the stirrup.
"Niadroub... you know you could sell it and buy a new horse that loathes you at least a little less?"
Seeing that Niadroup was having problems with his horse Zelera walked over and held out an apple she'd grabbed from her pack for it to eat as a distraction. "Oh I don't know, I think the horse is just being ornery."
Nodding his thanks to Zelera after mounting up, Niadroub Kliip looks over at Richard.
"Eend let the mengy beast ween? Eh doon't theenk so."
You make it back to your thriving town without further incidents.
What are you doing now?
Colwyn shakes his head in mild frustration when Kesten takes custody of he madman.
"I would've made a similar decision. This man is a cut apart from an ordinary bandit or sneakthief. Nevertheless, our council believes it's worthwhile to try and 'cure' him."
He looks towards the watchtower, guarding the northeast corner of town.
"We'll start laying down stones for a jail in the lee of the tower. Not only do I want this man under lock and key, but under observation, too."
Kesten shrugs, he can't see that point in keeping criminals alive, but you're his leader so he obeys.
"There is more than one reason which can lead a man to becoming a criminal" - Reknar nods at Kesten and Colwyn - "Stealing or killing because you are hungry, evil, in a rage or a madman are all different things" - he adds, his hands toying with the miniature dragon image hanging from his neck - "It does not make them any less dangerous though. Make sure they are locked tight"
"Not every time does a crime warrant the sentence of death even if guilty. There's always mitigating factors." He looks around at the others.
"But that's not the only thing I'd advocate more of, there's plenty of good land that could be turned towards farms and homes for people, more than we'd currently need but at the rate we are attracting people it would be prudent. With that in mind building a granary for when times are lean would be prudent... not as exciting as some of the other possibilities but the use and benefit is clear to all. Orchards, grains, vineyards could all be of benefit to our brewery."
"Well, I know that back in the day, I'd have rather been inside a granary than a gaol. Hells, I'd rather be in a granary even today," Colwyn adds with a wry smile that fades when no one else finds the jest as funny as he does.
"I reckon that most of our citizens would rather see a granary in their midst than a prison. Unfortunately, that wouldn't hold our new, dangerous acquaintance for very long. We'll dedicate this month to a gaol, and make up for it with a granary next month."
Colwyn trundles into the Stag and Toad and plops himself down by the fire, having crossed the square from his daily visit to the shrine.
"A fair warning: once I begin to wake and find frost upon the grass, my mood will sour," he grumbles to anyone nearby. "That wildman and his cat should thank us. We've built a roof and walls to protect them from the cold just in time for winter's creeping approach."
Even though the autumn air might only be called "brisk," that does nothing to allay the baron's thoughts. He loathes the cold, with even its promise biting at his bones.
Colwyn doesn't need to wait for the weather to lower his mood. Even as he is being handed his first mug Kesten hurries in to report an attack on a merchant caravan.
In Hex30, close to the river crossing, by a pair of large Wyverns.
"It's still miles away, if we can do it without much delay we should acquire some tanglefoot bags. Better that than rushing in without any preparation. With a bit of luck they'll bring one of them down to our level!"
Niadroub Kliip smugly pulls out the tanglefoot bag that he already owns.
"Eh kin alsoo kest fly on you, Reeknoor, and Eezek."
Colwyn slaps his thick palm down upon the table in frustration.
"These are certainly bold beasts to strike so close to town," he grimaces. "How strange it feels to have grown into a position where I must take pity upon a gaggle of merchants."
Even though he only just sat down, Colwyn pushes himself up and retrieves his cloak from the rack beside the door.
"We'd best ride off and deal with this. Such winged, scaly brutes likely don't possess very discriminating palates. Today they're attacking merchants, tomorrow they're attacking decent folks."
Questioning the shaken merchants give you the information the the pair of Wyverns came from the east of the trail, and from a distance at that.
.
A survival roll is required to get you heading the right direction. DC20.
"Lets not be too kind about this they did attack merchants. If we can catch them unawares while they are in their lair I wouldn't object."
Niadroub Kliip smugly pulls out the tanglefoot bag that he already owns.
"Eh kin alsoo kest fly on you, Reeknoor, and Eezek."
"For real Niadroub?" - Reknar's eyes open wide - "Aw man, I want to try that for sure!" - he claps the Arcanist on his shoulder.
Zelera found herself oddly pleased to be back at the town, it was...comforting though not as good as being back in her real home with her family. She found herself looking forward to the winter weather, she'd always enjoyed the snow, the memories of the snowball fights with her twelve siblings were one of her favorites, especially since they didn't come around that often in the forest. She was looking forward to trying to further the tradition this winter with the children in town. Of course there was also the opportunity for pranks as well. A carefully packed eve with the right setup would drop the load of snow right on top of the unfortunate sucker who opened the door beneath. Given how grumpy Colwyn was she thought he might be a choice target for such a joke.
The only downside is none of Zelera's siblings would be around to enjoy it all with causing her melancholy mood to return. It was around then when Colwyn entered the tavern after his daily prayers at the local shrine that things began to get more interesting. While he started off grumbling about the coming cold a messenger came in about an attack by wyverns! "Well," Zelera said, "this should be interesting." She turned her gaze to Niadroub and asked, "What do you know about wyverns? What should we be prepared for."
"Not a whole lot, talking to the merchants clarified a few things for me."
Colwyn shuffles out of the inn's privy, still fastening the silver belt buckle to heroically hold up his trousers. The baron insisted on taking care of business before taking to the trail, giving his adventurous councilors time to question the escaped merchants.
"How exactly does one track a flying beast? Does its shadow leave prints?" he jests.
"For real Niadroub?" - Reknar's eyes open wide - "Aw man, I want to try that for sure!" - he claps the Arcanist on his shoulder.
Niadroub Kliip reaches up and tries to clap Reknar on his shoulder in return, but he can't quite reach. He settles on patting his bicep instead. He smiles magnanimously at the taller man.
"How exactly does one track a flying beast? Does its shadow leave prints?" he jests.
"We use beit." Niadroub Kliip's eyes meet Colwyn's before they dart to look at Reknar for a split second before meeting Colwyn's eyes once more.
He gently pats the half-orc's bicep again.
"Flying beit" - Reknar chuckles.
It is fairly obvious where you will need to search for the winged beasts. Wyverns being clumsy fliers prefer high perchs and lairs.
From the road through Hex30 you can easily look east and pick out the higher hills that would serve as a lair.
What now?
Colwyn steps off the road where the caravan was attacked. He examines clods of earth upturned by the wyverns' claws, then he looks for bits of offal dropped by the beasts. He uses these clues to trace the winged beasts towards the higher hills.
"Keep alert," the baron cautions, unslinging his bow. "I don't want us to be the next sots set upon by these damned scavengers."
"Lets find somewhere hard to see from above to tie up our horses and approach quietly." Richard thinks for a few moments.
"Colwyn and myself up front. Reknar and Isaac behind and then Zelera and Niadroub in the back. Whatever you can do to hamper them. I'll flank opposite you Colwyn to give you those openings you excel at. Isaac is quick on his feet and Reknar's polearm gives him good reach but he'll also have the space to use his magic if needed. Zelera and Niadroub both excel with a bit of space but if they get in trouble Reknar and Isaac should hopefully be able to reposition quickly. Does that sound reasonable as a loose battle plan? Everyone knows their own abilities best."
"Any magical enchancement once we draw closer would be appreciated."
As soon as the wyverns are spotted, Niadroub Kliip starts casting fly on Reknar, Richard, and then Isaac.
Zelera noted in her mind that Niadroub ignored her question about the wyverns and decided she'd have to do something about that...later. For now it was far more important to be prepared to deal with the flying threat and so she chose her prayers accordingly. Unfortunately without more information about the wyverns it was hard to guess what would be needed. She went with a fairly standard array of prayers and hoped it would suffice.
When they got close to the area where the wyverns had been spotted Zelera drew her dagger and made sure her holy symbol was easy to get to as she watched the skies cautiously. She didn't want to be caught off guard and was prepared to cast a quick prayer as soon as they spotted their foes.
You are getting nearer, you will need another survival check though.
DC20 and you can aid another.
Everybody please give me a perception check as well. :)
As they neared where they were expecting to find the wyverns Zelera kept an even sharper eye out in the sky hoping not to be attacked unexpectedly from above.
The party falls beneath the shadow of the rough hills. Colwyn dismounts from Sandy and seeks out a copse of trees or rocky overhang beneath which to tether his horse, protecting her from swooping predators. He squints up at the stretch of hills that may harbor the wyverns, breathing through an open-lipped sneer.
"I wonder what sorts of other nasties lair in this rough bit of land," he bitterly muses while working to pick up the trail.
"I think my platoon fought off one or two of those nasties once" - Reknar comments to Zelera as they go - "Nasty, nasty business trying to fight off flyers without magic..."
"I'd rather find out another day, wyverns would be enough for today."
Traversing a steep trail that you believe will lead you to the lair you turn a bend and are greeted by a Wyvern perched on the rock wll, it is screeching loudly at you.
But not loud enough to hide the other Wyvern that is swooping towards the back of the party.
Everyone made the perception check and so are not surprised. You get an action on the two wyverns and then we go to init.
Niadroub Kliip slaps his hand on Reknar's shoulder, mutters something more incomprehensible than usual, and then barks "Get!" at Reknar.
Zelera, not sure what she could do that would be effective, quickly cast a blessing on her companions before they could get too far away.