Kingmaker: The Winds of Change (Inactive)

Game Master Odentin

"That is hardly sufficient, young man. What river is that? How far is this river? And when you reach it, do you go upstream or down? How long does this journey take?"

"The one you reach when you go southwest, short stack! Upriver."

He doesn't give Numalar any more information or directions. Remember that Numalar didn't actually do the intimidating, he aided.

"Now, what will this 'Kressle' do when you do not return? Will she order your compatriots to attack this post? And how soon?"

"She'll come looking, probably burn this place to the ground. And sooner than you think. Heheheh."

"She'll come looking, probably burn this place to the ground. And sooner than you think. Heheheh."

Repentant, yeah. :D There's your repentance. :D

Remember that Numalar didn't actually do the intimidating, he aided.

Do you really want me to forward all my questions through Linora? In the PbP format that seems like it would drag things out.

The Smiling DM wrote:

"She'll come looking, probably burn this place to the ground. And sooner than you think. Heheheh."

Repentant, yeah. :D There's your repentance. :D

Indeed... I'd reply but I feel I've been posting a little too much so I'm waiting to hear from some of the others.

Agreed, I've said my peace for the moment. Cal I believe has elected to more or less abstain, and Ansha is still chatting with Happs. So Karsh, your thoughts? And we could also use the answer to Linora's open question to the Levetons. What do they think? Perhaps more importantly, what have these bandits actually done to the Levetons in the past, and can they tell us how much the bandits have engaged in banditry in the vicinity otherwise?

People don't seem to be piping up here so I'm going to go ahead.

Warning: LONG POST AHEAD! Some of these issues I had intended to raise later but it seemed like they all fit together.

"The one you reach when you go southwest, short stack! Upriver."

Numalar frowns, and gives the bandit a stern eye. "Short stack, is it? Keep that up, boy; I'm the one saying you should keep your head."

Numalar turns to the others.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! We were chartered to be the law in these lands."

"Ah," Numalar responds, touching his fingers to his chin. "Strictly speaking, Lady Starr, we were not."

Numalar pulls his charter from his pocket and unfolds it. He pulls a monocle out of his pocket, breathes on it and wipes it on his jacket before putting it over his eye, after which he eyes the charter.
Totally just realized that Numalar is the type that should have a monocle. :)

"If your charter is the same as mine, and I expect it is, then you, like me, have been chartered to explore these lands. The issue of striving against lawlessness is an addendum to that, but this charter does not suggest that we should be seeking out wrongdoers; rather it says that we should merely strive against what lawlessness we encounter, while carrying out the task of exploring and charting these desolate wastes. This is no more than would be expected of any citizen of a civilized society, and reminds us not to exploit the lawless nature of these lands to our own gain."

Numalar folds up the charter again, and puts the monocle in his pocket. "At no point in the text of our charter does it say that we are responsible for the state of affairs here in the Greenbelt or that the peace and order or the Stolen Lands rests on our shoulders. Clearly the Lords of Restov merely wish to know what is going on down here."

"Restov clearly does have some designs on this land; otherwise they would not have sent anyone. Why trouble themselves? Perhaps Restov did not send its own troops simply because the Swordlords did not want other houses to be aware of its interest here. The politics of Brevoy are treacherous and there is a delicate balance of power."

"As far as passing responsibility onto others, it is certainly feasible for us to send these miscreants back to Restov for trial." (as SDM confirmed in an earlier post) "That may not turn out to be mercy though it does grant these men a few more days to contemplate the errors of their miserable lives. But it does give us one particular advantage. It shows the Swordlords that we are indeed carrying out the commission they gave us."

Numalar smiles wryly. "Perhaps you have noticed, as I have, that this charter makes no mention of any reward we might receive for carrying it out. Are we mercenaries? Hardly that, since mercenaries get paid for their service, and we are basically working for free. Sending these men to Restov will remind them that we are working in their interest, and they may be inclined to reward us, e'en though they have no obligation to do so."

"In fact," Numlalar holds the charter up to the sun, and continues: "Out here in the Stolen Lands, this charter is essentially worthless. What, you say? I can tell by your eyes you are surprised to hear me say this. What about all these fine words and noble phrases? It e'en mentions the Dragonscale Throne! But it is true. Consider this: The charter grants us the right to travel and explore these lands. Frankly, these are rights that anyone setting foot here already has; they merely do so at their own risk. The writ of Restov means nothing in particular here, and nobody who would bar our travel would be dissuaded by this piece of paper. As to the notion that we should strive against banditry, well anyone with conscience and ability would know what they should do."

"Why should I keep this charter then?" Numalar looks again at the charter, then puts it carefully away in his jacket, patting his pocket. "I'll tell you why. I'll tell you what this charter is good for. When we return to Restov, and the people there ask us to account for our actions here, we may produce this charter and say: 'I acted in accordance to the will of the Lords of Restov.' As long as we have done so no man there can speak against us on it, since the signature on this document that is meaningless out here does carry great weight back in Restov. This charter guarantees us our right to return there. If you have no desire to ever return to Restov then you could tear it up, or throw it away; it does not matter in the slightest. But while you may prefer camping out in the wild, I for one like to sleep in a bed once in a while. So I will keep it handy for when I return."

"You wish to appoint yourself the law of this land? Go ahead! Know that your authority does not derive from any piece of paper; rather it pours from the edge of your blade, and anyone else with a blade has as much a right as you to contest it. Force is the only true law here. And while I will not shy away from the face of danger, or the needs of people such as Oleg and Svetlana here, I am in no hurry to force every inhabitant of the Stolen Lands to submit to my will. What power I may gain here I intend to earn."

"As to the fate of these men, well, we have yet to hear from Oleg and Svetlana on the matter. But having thought it over, it seems best to me that we find a way to send these men to face a trial before a judge in the courts of Restov. This not only satisfies the demands of justice but also reminds the Swordlords that we are working in their name, in case they might be disposed to reward us."

"...We are those local lords."

I really think you are getting ahead of yourself here. This doesn't happen until the second module. You and I both know that the Adventure Path eventually leads to the party becoming rulers of a kingdom, but our characters don't know that. Not yet.

I meant it in the sense that we are responsible if we let the bandits go and they kill more. That we shoulder the same sort of burden as local lords who would be responsible for their lands. Not that we actually have any literal or official standing. Sorry for the confusion. :)

Taking a look over at the Numalar with the bandits, Cal smiles and shakes his head bemusedly. That gnome sure does loves to talk.

Cal certainly seems to be right! But what do you expect from a character with Perform (oratory)? :)

I meant it in the sense that we are responsible if we let the bandits go and they kill more. That we shoulder the same sort of burden as local lords who would be responsible for their lands. Not that we actually have any literal or official standing. Sorry for the confusion. :)

Ah, I see. Yeah, it seemed a little strange. And I certainly do understand your concern about letting people go free only to have them return to their crimes. Numalar has basically talked himself into wanting to ship them back to Restov, because he has realized it might earn him some gold to do so. The trick is to figure out how to do that safely.

When asked, Oleg spits on the ground and emits a sound very near to a growl, "Yer showin' those bastards a lot more mercy than they deserve. Just give 'em all the rope. It's what they deserve."

Lets keep the posts with no in-character content out of the gameplay thread, please. That's what the discussion thread is for. Unless I'm mistaken, there hasn't been anything else that needs a reply. If I missed something, please let me know.

"Well then, I believe we can come to the agreement that these men must be brought to justice. As these men are not our responsibility and Master Oleg would have nothing to do with them, I feel as though the best option would be to send them to Restov where they would be handled by someone who has actual authority."

She eyes the miscreants for a moment.

"While I would love to have these men meet the blade, we have no true power here and it would be best to not go mad with power we were never given. In other words, these men our Restov's problem, not mine." Linora begins to make her way inside. "As that is the case, Oleg may I purchase some ale. It's thirsty work to debate the morality and nuance of the law," she says with a smirk.

Ansha stands and moves to rejoin the others, motioning once again for Happs to follow her. "We did say that if they surrendered, we'd spare their lives. If we ship them to Restov, that's as good as executing them here--at least for the ones too stupid to repent of their banditry. And just who is planning on traveling back to Restov with them? We've got a region to explore and map, and I doubt Oleg or Svetlana are up for transporting prisoners."

She studies one of the bandits, then continues, "I think there are more creative uses for these men than all that. Sticking them to work repairing the fort seems like a good place to start. Or perhaps Happs would like to help us by showing us how to get to their camp? He's quite apologetic for the trouble he's caused Oleg--" she fixes the bandit leader with a pointed look, "Isn't he?"

"I agree with the elf-witch on this much --" The appellation given Ansha is said in a matter-of-fact tone rather than an insulting one, though that doesn't necessarily mean it can't be construed in an insulting manner, depending on what sort of words one is used to. "-- sending them to Restov is as good as an execution. They won't feel bound by any of our promises, and will be as unlikely as me to believe any apologies. Of course, if one were so inclined, we could say that *we* kept our word as *we* spared their lives, and it will be others doing the executing, though I don't expect that line of reasoning to fly with any of you."

Avery moves over to Oleg, and lays a hand onto the man's shoulder if he allows it, though she will withdraw it if he seems uncomfortable. "I know that these things are difficult to speak of, but it would help us if you could go into any amount of detail regarding these bandits, what they have done on their previous visits, and possibly what you may have heard of their activities elsewhere, if anything."

"Or perhaps Happs would like to help us by showing us how to get to their camp?"

Numalar sidles over and mutters in a low voice:

"tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'? Draconic for "Do you speak Draconic?"

We didn't establish this in character but Numalar intends to go through languages until he hits on one that both he an Ansha speak. Turns out there are several we have in common but Draconic is one he would have tried first.

When he gets an affirmative response, he continues:

"rep, lugh neH taHqu' wejpuH DaSov'a'? qang lam vegh HIvje' Hoch jatlh maH. mev 'ej ghaH wejpuH tlhoj, nuq qaS? ghaH ghaH QeH chay' tojpu' ghaH leghDI' ghaH."

"I think there are more creative uses for these men than all that. Sticking them to work repairing the fort seems like a good place to start."

"I agree that finding some practical use for these men would be ideal, but who will mind them? We cannot fulfil our charter to explore this territory and keep these men in line at the same time. They would have to be watched vigilantly."

Ansha nods at Numalar.

"Sivut noxalum tobat. Sami refat--qvardum donum antilo. Enosheth fiardu haqlo anjul. Traqum tofet--margrav nom qlesh."

The enchantress chews on her lower lip for a moment, pondering. "We run into the same problem if we send them back to Restov," she says. "But perhaps we can convert something into a jail--the storage pen or the guesthouse, for example. We could leave them there unless we are present to supervise."

"You do realize that if reinforcements arrive, and we've kept these guys alive, then we'll be a few quick slashes of rope from having to fight *two* groups at once?" Avery raises her hands defensively. "I know, I know. I'm resigned to the fact that you want to let them live. I'm just saying."

"Don't forget that we're expecting a contingent of guards to show up from Restov any day now, anyway. But even disregarding that, I imagine that a dagger would work on their throats then just as well as a rope would now."

The elf glances at Happs. "How far away is your camp from here, anyway?"

"Sivut noxalum tobat. Sami refat--qvardum donum antilo. Enosheth fiardu haqlo anjul. Traqum tofet--margrav nom qlesh."

What language did you use for this? It looks like Latin but only about half the words translate and they don't seem to resemble anything you said.

Numalar shrugs. "ghot puS qabuQ HeghDI' chu'ta' yab chaH ghoj. 'oH mej Sovbe'bogh rur SoH, 'ach pol Karsh Linora pagh SoQ ta' vaj ghaH Suq nIv. taj reH ghaH vIHarpu'."

"But perhaps we can convert something into a jail..."

"It's not the kindest thing but..." Numalar looks towards the rear of the compound. "I had noticed that the midden pits have... bars... over them." Numalar smiles wryly.

"The bars would need to be weighted down with something, and would need to be watched until they could be made more secure. We would likely still need to have them tied up while in there. But it is one solution. Distasteful as it might be." Numalar winces but smiles.

"Don't forget that we're expecting a contingent of guards to show up from Restov any day now, anyway."

"Can we be sure they are coming? Perhaps we are the people that were sent in response to Oleg's call for help? We have no evidence that anyone else is on their way."

"Karsh? Cal? What do you gentlemen think?"

"Faas ni geinmaar," the elf replies. "Votinvaak vostin-aar. Nust hon unslaad. Ahrk Svetlana los-tinvaak vahlokke meyz naan Sul."

"In a perfect world, the guards will show up later this afternoon and we can be off not too much longer after. However, we do not live in such a world. I believe we could keep them in the pits, however, we would need more than just one person to stand guard. Oleg does not seem like much of a fighter. Someone, maybe more than one person, would need to stay behind to act as actual guards until the reinforcements from Restov arrive." Karsh says. "Of course, maiming them would probably help in keeping them...less than capable of breaking out.At the end of the day, we promised to keep them alive. My god would not be pleased to find anyone breaking such a thing, even to men like these."

"Remember this problem the next time you consider making promises", Avery mutters. "Before we know it, we'll have to feed fifty prisoners and we'll have a full-time job as jailors instead of explorers."

Oleg wanders into his house while the party talks, returning with a small sack. Hearing the talk of keeping the bandits at the outpost, he narrows his eyes and growls, "Were any of you planning on asking ME if you could start tearing up MY HOME to build a prison? Or if you could leave that band of murderers here? I won't have it!"

Happs shrugs, "About a day's ride. Probably make it before nightfall, if you leave soon."

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Your point is well taken, Master Leveton, and I offer our deepest apologies", Avery bows to the man. "You are absolutely right, of course. This is your home and whom you have here is completely within your power to choose."

Ansha raises an eyebrow at Oleg's outburst. "I suppose we could take them with us, march into their camp and deal with the rest of them, and then set these lot free to fend for themselves. I doubt they'd have the lack of sense to come back when we're still in the area."

She pauses, then adds, for the bandits' benefit, "Not to mention the aforementioned guards that are coming any day now."

"And how long has it been 'any day now' that the guards are due?" Numalar smiles wryly. "I for one have no confidence that anyone else is coming, despite whatever promises have been made to Oleg and Svetlana here. The government bureaucracy of Restov is not known for efficiency or generosity. We should not make plans that simply assume that guards are on their way. Whatever needs to be done, we must be prepared to do it without help."

Numalar looks over at Karsh. "I agree with Karsh, that our part of the bargain should not be lightly cast aside. I did not come here with the intent of casting aside my honor so quickly."

Numalar shakes his head. "But I do not agree that sending these men to Restov for trial is the same as taking a sword and shortening them by a head here and now. Though an execution is likely in such a case, they are guaranteed a trial and a chance to plead their case before a jury. Death, though likely, is by no means certain, and even if it occurs it will be carried out with due process of law and the public will see that justice has been done. Out here..." Numalar looks around. "Out here we would be killing these men out of expediency and prudence. They would be buried in an unmarked grave and the fact that we have cause does not change the fact that our sense of justice is colored by our own self-interest. The oversight of the public is necessary for anything to be called 'justice.'"

"This would satisfy my honor in the matter. After all, Lady Avery did explain to these men before they lay down their arms that they were under arrest. These men had to know what that means. Though in future," Numalar looks around coldly, "I would prefer we not offer our enemies anything we do not intend to give. Explaining what would happen if they don't surrender should usually be sufficient."

Ansha pinches the bridge of her nose between two fingers and just sighs at the gnome in exasperation. "Hin lost loan fah mindok rul vo-tinvaak."

"So I assume that you're planning on escorting these men to Restov yourself, then? Because our charter is to chart the land, not escort prisoners to trial."

"I for one have no intention of traveling all the way back to Restov. My job is here, and I intend to do it. If you bar me from doing it to these bandits, then I will accept that and simply find more. But if someone really wants to take them to Restov then let them do so. I will have no part of it."

"nuq De' vaj 'uch jIH wItI'nISmo'? be 'e' paw 'avwI'? nab naDev waw' chenmoH latlhpu'."

"We would indeed need to bring these men back to Restov ourselves. But we would be travelling by road, on horseback; t'would only take a few extra days. Two days there and then on the way back we would not need to return all the way here to begin exploring. Our charter has no time limit."

"Common sense dictates that one man cannot take these captives to Restov alone. Everyone has to sleep, and such a man might wake up with an extra mouth where his neck was. Precautions can be taken but no doubt these men will try to escape if the opportunity presents itself. At least two of us would be required; three would be better."

"But the fact is, Oleg won't permit us to keep them here, and we seem to be resolved not to kill them. Yet we cannot simply release them. What other solution is there?"

FYI I (as a player) personally would be happy to have these guys dead but I feel that we've been put into a situation where Numalar would not accept it. I'm just trying to find a way out here.

"Compromising one of the ones you mentioned", Avery simply says. "Kill them, release them, or take them to Restov. Unless anyone has other proposals, I suggest we take a vote between those three choices to end this deadlock."

"A vote would be sensible. But we do not necessarily need to do that right away."

"Truly, the most important matter before us is the rest of the bandits. We do not know their minds but when these do not return they will know something is wrong. They could attack this outpost as soon as two days hence. We cannot be on the road to Restov when that happens; as long as this is a possibility we cannot leave."

"Lady Ansha has suggested that we take these men with us for now. That may be the simplest thing to do. We take the field against those men and when they are dealt with, then we resolve what to do with our prisoners. We may even have more at that point."

"Tol nir sahsun vo-vahlok."

Ansha nods. "I suggest that we set out tomorrow morning for their camp--lah feim. In the meantime," Ansha says, walking over to Oleg. "Forgive us for presuming upon your hospitality, but they are no longer a threat, and they'll be out of your hair on the morrow. Indeed, we intend to end the threat their camp poses to you as well. Is it acceptable to house them here for the night?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

He nods at Ansha. "Yes, that seems to be the best plan. Though we could also leave now and camp a few miles from theirs. If we can attack their camp at dawn, that would be ideal."

"wej vIghaj. 'ach nuqneH SabHa' SoH, vaj tIHIv maH vaj."

Numalar looks over at Oleg.

"I know you are uncomfortable with them around, but I assure you we will watch them vigilantly. We dealt with them easily enough the first time. I assure you, you and Svetlana will be in no danger."

Aid Another - Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

[ooc]Sorry for the delay; it's Canadian Thanksgiving, so been busy the last few days with family stuff (and the next few days as well).[ooc]

Eating an apple quietly while sitting on the cart, Cal listens passively to the conversation. While he didn't care for executions, the young bard couldn't shake the feeling that the alternatives were too risky.

Glancing over at Ansha with a somewhat concerned look, Cal adds "Sooo, we're taking them with us? That sounds like trouble Ansha." Throwing the apple core away, Cal hops of the cart and heads towards the others "Numalar, we need to be honest here; our self interest extends beyond simple expediency to that of survival. Remember that out here, honor or no, these men would happily slit our throats and flee given the opportunity."

With a shrug, Cal adds "Listen, I'm not a fan of execution... but let's be perfectly fair to ourselves here; taking them with us is both a burden and potentially life threatening to us. If the majority is in favor of dragging them with us, then fine, but I for one hate to say it, but out here, the sword is about the only justice we can afford."

"I think there was talk of taking a vote. So let's vote--take them with us and decide later, hang them now, or ship them off to Restov," Ansha says. "I'm in favor of taking them for now. Who else is?"

Oleg grunts, "So long as you got somebody keeping watch on them, that's fine. But yer not leavin' 'em here unattended, and yer not tearin' up one of my buildings to build a prison. Those men deserve the rope, plain and simple." He sighs, "First time they came here, they said they were gonna take Lana back to their camp and...
You don't just change yer tone just cuz you got beat. They're still the same rapists and murderers who showed up three months ago. There's nothin' good left to 'em. Just tie a rope to their necks and shove 'em all off the wall. I'll leave 'em there as a warning. Cuz if you let 'em all go free, they'll just go and pull this same sh¡t on someone else, somewhere else. Ain't nothin' changin'."

When he has finished his rant, he extends his hand, holding out the sack he has been carrying, "Here. Yer payment fer helpin' us." Inside the sack are 75gp and four potions. Two of them are potions of Cure Light Wounds, one Shield of Faith +2, and one Bless.

"Be at ease, Master Leveton. My first priority is the security of the innocent, and I pledge to you that I will not allow these monsters to harm you or yours while I draw breath."

Ansha rolls her eyes behind Avery's back, contenting herself to studying the bound bandits while others chime in with their votes.

"Shipping them off to Restov would take too long and letting them go isn't really an option as I see it. I don't agree with hanging them either, not after the promises we made. What about taking only one or two of them with us? Leave someone behind to look after the others...Considering Olaf's views though, I wouldn't have a problem with taking em all, though it does have some...risks..." Karsh says.

Diplomacy (improve attitude): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

While the others debate, Ansha strikes up a conversation with Happs. "So, what's your favorite kind?...Oh? Yeah, I like blondes too. Of course, that might be because I am one....Really? Me too!"

Listening to Oleg closely, Cal nods repeatedly and finally shrugs "Well I'm sold; honestly, our gracious host has the right of it," pausing to look over at the men, Cal glares with disgust "hang them, it's just punishment for such heinous crimes."

Walking over towards the men, Cal adds "We can't bring them along with us, it's not practical; given the opportunity, reprobates such as this will gladly knife us in the back."

Does anyone have some form of alignment detection? If they're evil, I say we just finish them and get a move on.

Walking over towards the men, Cal adds "We can't bring them along with us, it's not practical; given the opportunity, reprobates such as this will gladly knife us in the back."

"It's certainly inconvenient. They would have to be bound securely at all times and watched vigilantly; it would be better if we had manacles and chains. But I don't see impracticality as sufficient reason for taking a man's head."

Numalar looks over at Karsh. "If master Leveton will not stand for all of them staying here, I doubt he would stand for only some of them staying here. But master Shieldborn, you said you don't agree with hanging them or taking them to Restov. Do you believe we should release them? Or are you as yet undecided?"

"Hmmm... master Shieldborn. Is that right? Is there some other title you would prefer to be addressed by? Brother? Father? I'm afraid I am not familiar with the details of your church's structure. You also, Lady Starr; Uskyeria is unknown to me, I'm afraid. Though I have yet to encounter a Lady who did not like being addressed as 'Lady'."

Numalar looks around, at Happs and the other bandits.

"Friends, perhaps we can step aside for a moment, out of earshot of these men. No offense to you, Mr. Bydon."

After the group has put some distance between them and the criminals, Numalar speaks quietly, while keeping an eye on the bandits out of the corner of his eye. He strokes his moustache while speaking; conveniently this also conceals the movements of his mouth if anyone could happen to read lips.

"For the record, if we plan to take them with us this is what I suggest. If Ansha can control Happs (and it looks like she probably can) then we can try having her win over the other bandits too. She could tell them that it is necessary for our protection that they remain bound but if they are on their best behaviour and make no trouble then they will have the chance to save their lives."

"I will join in by saying that there is no personal animosity between myself and them and if they behave I will make sure that they will be treated fairly. Perhaps Ansha can even get Happs to advise them not to make trouble."

"Please note the phrases 'have the chance to save their lives' and 'will be treated fairly.' These words are true even if we take them to Restov for trial. I keep my word; I will not lie and promise them unconditional freedom, or that they will live the length of their natural lives, just that they have the chance to live and their fate will be fair."

"For the record," Numalar whispers, "in my mind whatever fate befalls these men should befall their leader too; if they are murderers then so is he. I have no problem with keeping Happs around while he remains useful and under control. After the rest of the bandits are dealt with though... then we shall see."

"By the way, in future it might be good for us to use an obscure language that those we are like to encounter would not understand. I speak Draconic and Undercommon, and also Gnome and Sylvan, and would be happy to teach any of those if anyone cares to learn."

By this I mean that we should have a battle language. When skill ranks are next acquired a point in linguistics allows you to learn a new language and this would justify you learning any of these. Undercommon is probably the rarest, though we could pick another one I don't know as well. Like Mwangi, for example.

Linora steps out with a half empty tankard in hand.

"So, we're keeping our word then? We'll keep them alive until we can securely ship them to Restov, even if it means dragging them along with us." She takes a swig. "This will give us a chance to keep an eye on them. If we notice any further attempts at banditry or no goodery, we have all the proof we need to place these men on the chopping block. Master Oleg, you have my word that these ruffians will not step out of line in any way while we keep them here."

Ansha excuses herself from the conversation with Happs to join the rest of the party.

"We have until tomorrow before we head out for the bandit camp. May I suggest someone bind Happs as well, as a precaution? We have the remainder of the day, so perhaps we should leave a few people behind to watch the bandits and send the rest to chart a nearby area. No sense just sitting here all day," she suggests quietly.

Ah - the format for speaking quietly is to make the text smaller? Good to know.

"Since Happs seems to be under your thumb at this point," Numalar grins wickedly, "perhaps you can get him to volunteer for this treatment on the grounds that he is being considerate to the rest of us and putting us at ease?"

"When it comes time for us to attack the bandit camp, maybe you can use your charm person on him again, to either aid us in the attack or perhaps to watch the prisoners for us. Just as a guarantee. And if you are able to do so today, perhaps you can scribe a scroll of mage armor for yourself so you will have more space for charms and that beautiful colorful display you showed us earlier."

"Lady Avedra, there is yet a consensus as to whether we take them to Restov (though I am in favor of that). But for now we can take the miscreants with us and decide their fate after the rest of the bandits are no longer a threat."

Ansha glances at Oleg. "I'd need the scrolls and ink before I could do anything like that, but it's worth looking into."

"Here. Yer payment fer helpin' us." Inside the sack are 75gp and four potions. Two of them are potions of Cure Light Wounds, one Shield of Faith +2, and one Bless.

Turning from the group, Numalar addresses Oleg. "Master Leveton, though I do not speak for everyone here, I for one had no intention of asking for a reward from you. You have suffered enough at the hands of these criminals, and to deprive you of further wealth seems shameful to me."

"However," Numalar continues, looking a little embarassed, "Since we ride out on the morrow against the remaining bandits, these potions might mean the difference between our defeat and our victory. Therefore I will thank you for them and swear to you that they will be put to good use. Likewise, as for the gold, I would say that if you had equipment that would be useful to us on our foray then we would happily use this gold to purchase it."

"The only thing I had planned to ask of you was that you give us a fair price for the goods of these miscreants. Since we are unpaid in the execution of our charter, I deem it fair that we lay claim to the chattel of the men we defeated in battle. To the victor go the spoils, as they say. I knew a man named Victor; the funny thing though was he never seemed to win at anything. I even tried to let him win at draughts, he seemed so sad. But where was I?"

"Ah yes, equipment. I assume you have some gear available for trade?" Numalar looks around at the group. "I am not sure of the minds of my friends, but at the very least I think that the Lady Avery needs a sling and some sling bullets. If you have a longspear sized for a person of my stature I shall be happy to purchase it. And perhaps Lady Avery and Master Aldimay could use a chain shirt if you have any? Or perhaps some studded leather armor? And finally, do you have any of the sort of inks and fine parchment that magicians use to make scrolls? If so Lady Avery would find that useful. Perhaps we can look over your stock?"

Cal and Linora, I am presuming here but perhaps you guys would want to trade up to better armor?

BTW, yes I do plan on stripping the leather armor off of these bandits, if someone will help. Gold is gold. I assume they have ordinary clothing as well? (which I will not deprive them of - just I don't want to take off the leather just yet if they would be naked underneath)

SDM - for the record when I say a "fair price" to Oleg I am assuming this would be the normal half-value you get for selling stuff. I want Oleg to show a profit from dealing with us and am not trying to get more stuff out of him than he is willing to give or that PF characters normally get. Just making sure our title to the bandit's gear is clear.

"Of course I will. I'm no crook. And yeah, I've got some stock you can look through. Nothin' fer a fella yer size, though. I'll be glad to bring it all out once he..." Oleg points fiercely at Happs, "...is bound or hanging from the walls by his neck."

Happs rolls his eyes, "You got a fμcking problem, old man? Come and get a piece!"

"Happs!" Ansha chides. "Sit down with your friends, please. And don't resist while one of my friends binds you--it's for your own good."

Opposed Charisma check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Yeah, he's not going to hit that...

Happs snaps his jaw shut, glaring at Ansha for a long moment before walking over to where his mean are bound and dropping himself onto the ground next to them.

Glaring with quiet fury at Happs as he berates Oleg, Cal shakes his head and mutters to Ansha

Clearly still not availed of the idea of taking the captives with them, Cal heads over to where Numalar is inspecting the gear while muttering "I can't believe we're dragging these miscreants with us." Picking up the chain shirt, Cal nods his head and suddenly appears in a somewhat improved mood "Not bad actually... you any preference Linora? I think I could make use of the shirt."

Yeah, an armor upgrade would be great; starting funds was my big limitation when it came to this stuff.