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Rolan moves forward and fires at the tengu in blue, but his arrow goes wide.
Bernie lumbers forward and bites at the yellow tengu, but can't hit his target either. Meanwhile Belinda runs forward on unusually quick little halfling feet.
Theron moves closer and takes another shot, but he also misses. He motions for his roc to head toward the red tengu.
Negi has Jon drop back and stabs at the yellow tengu, who he hits.
The blue tengu doesn't look like he's doing very well.
Round 2:
Rolan
Theron
Negi
Tengu yellow -4HP
Mia 11/25HP
Tengu green
Tengu blue -10HP (Disabled)
Belinda
Mia, looking up at the creature she had already struck once decides to strike him again and aim for the other creature with a spinning flurry of fists.
Mia hits the wounded tengu hard and it drops from its saddle. She misses the other tengu.
Seeing two of their allies have fallen, the remaining bandits withdraw from the scene. "Gawk! Have it your way! We'll leave you be!"
Because only one of the fleeing tengu left on horseback, you now have three combat trained light horses, each with a riding saddle.
One of the farmers, an old man, steps forward. "Thank you for rescuing us, kind strangers! My name's Xien Wun Lao. My family and I were fleeing from the village of Nesting Swallow, but I now see that flight is not an option. Even if our mule were not dead, there have to be more bandits ahead of us..."
"We're unharmed, thank you so much for that!" Xien Wun Lao replies to Mia. "These here are my daughter and her children. We fled from Nesting Swallow, but we should return there. Like I said, our mule's dead and there are probably more bandits out there. We can't expect travelers such as yourselves to save us every time."
"Where are you headed, if I may ask?"
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"We too are heading for Nesting Swallow" says Belinda.
She looks at the cut on Mia's arm. "That looks nasty. But I have just the salve for it!"
She takes out a small bottle of disgusting smelling liquid.
"Drink!"
As Mia drinks the foul substance, she feels a little better.
"How far away is Nesting Swallow? I can do a little more healing when we get there if you like."
She turns her attention to the farmers and their children, doing what she can to reassure them and dress their wounds.
"We'll keep you safe if you want to head back to the village, though to be honest we've not seen any other bandits on the road."
Wun Lao points in the general direction of the village. "Nesting Swallow's ten miles down the road."
"It's the Thundering Eclipse... They're a group of tengu bandits who raid villages. It's almost time for harvest, which will be when they attack Nesting Swallow..."
Wun Lao looks at Belinda with a hopeful look in his eyes. "You said you'll keep us safe on our way back?"
You head toward the village of Nesting Swallow, togetehr with Wun Lao and his family. After some time on the road, you can detect the scent of cooking fires in the distance. A little bit before sunset you mount the final hill on your journey to the village.
From atop the final hill, the object of your quest comes into view. From this height, the village of Nesting Swallow is laid out almost like a map. The small town consists of little more than a few dozen huts encircling an open common area. Rolling hills surround the village to the north and west, while the east is bordered by a light forest. South of the village, the brush has been cleared, and a long string of paddy fields stretches out into the distance, webbed with irrigation ditches branching off from a stream that separates the village from the farmlands.
You're met by curious stares and whispers from the townsfolk, and are escorted back to the Xien family hut .
"May I ask you what brings you to Nesting Swallow?" Wun Lao's daughter asks while she offers you what food the family has, mostly rice and millet.
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Belinda steps forward to greet Wun Lao's daughter.
"Good day to you. While we come to Nesting Swallow with a purpose, first we have a family here that needs some help and comfort. They were set upon on the road out of here by a group of bandits."
Belinda reaches out to shake hands, somewhat forgetting that her hand was covered in horse Sh1t after having been helping the mule with a digestive problem earlier in the day.
Wun Lao's daughter blinks and stares at Belinda's sh!t covered hand. "I know, I was one of those people."
"Hmm, I see," Wun Lao replies when you make mention of Li Yao. "Give me a moment, I'll talk to the council for you. It's the least I can do after you rescued us."
After a short while Wun Lao returns, and you're escorted to another building .
This hut differs from every other one in the village only in size, easily twice as large as most of the other dwellings. Otherwise, it is identical, being another slightly elevated circle of bamboo and wicker walls surrounding a packed earthen floor. The interior has some rooms partitioned off the main one, and the collection of furniture and possessions indicates that this is another family home when not in use for official purposes. Against one wall stands a simple shrine with a collection of clay tiles hung from it, each bearing a different name. The lowest hanging tiles look quite new, a few months old, maybe. The highest and oldest tile on the shrine, however, bears the name "Li Yao."
The center of the room is cleared, and an assortment of cushions has been laid out in a semicircle. A dozen or so old men and women sit on the cushions, Xien Wun Lao among them. A woman standing in front of the shrine finishes a prayer and turns to join the seated elders; she is clearly the youngest among them, not even middle-aged, in spite of a face beset by worry and a hard life. Her youth is attested by the fact that she is greatly pregnant; six or more months along. After settling down into an empty place among the council, she motions to several empty seats opposite her. "Please sit down, travelers. I heard you are here in search of a descendant of Li Yao?"
"That'd be a she," Je Tsun replies to Mia, smiling politely.
"Nice to meet you, Pathfinders. Permit me to introduce myself. I am Je Tsun, and the last of Li Yao's descendants." She rubs a hand across her swollen belly as she says this and smiles slightly. "At least for now. So, perhaps you look upon me and see the end of a quest. I look upon you, and I see hope. Hope for my village, my family, and our future. You have become familiar with the troubles facing us?"
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"That'd be a she," Je Tsun replies to Mia, smiling politely.
"Nice to meet you, Pathfinders. Permit me to introduce myself. I am Je Tsun, and the last of Li Yao's descendants." She rubs a hand across her swollen belly as she says this and smiles slightly. "At least for now. So, perhaps you look upon me and see the end of a quest. I look upon you, and I see hope. Hope for my village, my family, and our future. You have become familiar with the troubles facing us?"
Mia bows deeply
"Dreadfully sorry, miss. I did not know who you were." she keeps a low bow until told otherwise. "If the bandits were like the ones we just turned back, I am certain would could assist you. Maybe even teach your people how to fight back."
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"Unfortunately yes. These lands seem afflicted by bandits. "She casts her mind back to the lands she has passed through.
"But the crops are looking well. Mostly though bandits I thought bothered people with coin - and I don't know many farm villages with lots of coin to spare."
Rolan nods, "I was surprised by that as well, that they would attempt to rob us when it seems that in this area most people do not carry their wealth with them when they travel.
"Well, you can use coin to buy your food, or just take it directly and sell the rest." Negi said. "And since you just robbed the competition blind, you can sell it pretty damn high."
"But I'm with the others. It seems helping take care of these brigands would be a fair trade."
"You may look up," Je Tsun tells Mia. "Your mistake wasn't grave. It could've happened to anyone."
Je Tsun smiles when you offer your help with the bandits. "Whether you are here in answer to the prayers of our people or simply here at this time by happenstance is beside the point; you are here. And it is within your power to help us. I was about to ask you to do so, but I'm glad to see you're willing to help even without being asked to. I tell you now, we have little to offer as incentive. This is a poor village even when not beset by misfortunes, and this year has been less fortunate than most. If you can save us from these tengus, we can offer you food, shelter, and whatever other aid we may give you. But as for a reward, the only thing I can offer is that which you came here for in the first place. Defeat our enemies, and I will bring this relic of my ancestor’s to life for you. I am sorry we do not have more to offer than hospitality."
"In case you wonder when to expect the tengus, in past seasons they always arrived soon after a harvest. After all, there is no point in milking a cow before she calves. The barley crop is ripe; we need to bring it in this week or lose it. Soon after, the crows will descend upon us. This means we still have some time to prepare, and we've already started some of these preparations. Do you want me to tell about them, or do you wish to know something else first?"
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Belinda looks around.
"The more we know about them the better." she says and advances to give Je Tsun a gentle hug.
"Were you not able to help us, still would we want to help you out. In the meantime I know a bit about farming, although probably not as much as the others here, and am happy to help out with collecting in the barley. My friends may be able to help with training."
"We can indeed use some help with bringing in the harvest," Je Tsun tells Belinda. "That'd be greatly appreciated."
"We've planned archery training, combat training and barricade constructions. Once the harvest is in we plan to flood the fields, which limits the routes the bandits can attack from. And last, but not least, we have to post scouts."
"We have about fifty able-bodied men and women that can help with these tasks, not counting you. Maybe you can train these people, or help them with their tasks? If you wish, I'll also leave the way they're organized to you."
Each number below is tied to a location on the map.
1. Village Common: This open area is mostly packed dirt and scrub grass. It serves as a gathering area for the villagers. In the center is a 20-foot-deep well that provides fresher water than the nearby creek.
2. Villager Homes: These simple bamboo huts are the dwellings of the majority of the village, each being the home of between four to eight villagers. They are slightly more crowded than normal at this time; a number of people live outside the village proper, and many have recently relocated here for the duration of the bandit crisis.
3. The Xien Home: This is the first house you set foot in; it’s a simple, one-room affair, with several partitioned-off sleeping areas as well as a loft the children sleep in. This is also your home while you stay in Nesting Swallow. The Xien family has relocated to stay with neighbors while you help the village.
4. Je Tsun’s Home: This is the largest and oldest dwelling in the village; once the home of Master Li Yao, it has passed down through his family. Je Tsun lives here now with her late husband’s kin. Council meetings are usually held here, either inside or on the front porch.
5. Smithy: The village blacksmith works and dwells here with his family. Not a skilled weaponsmith, he mostly repairs farm tools and shoes horses.
6. Barricades: The entire town is encircled by a simple bamboo wall about 6 feet high. The three locations marked with letters stand across the roads leading out of town, and play a crucial part in the village’s defense.
7. Swallow’s Creek: South of the town are acres of fields where most of the village labors daily. The creek is used for crop irrigation. It also provides a natural barrier, which can be exploited.
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Theron's interest had been sparked.
"Training mungos? That should be fun."
He thinks for a moment, holding his chin between one hand's thumb and index finger, other hand in his side.
"I propose half of the ladies join the archery and half in making barricades.
The men could take care of the rest, yes?"
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If we had everyone, I think we would get it done in one day from further up
@Belinda: 6 days if just 20 people are assigned. You figure 10 more villagers are needed to speed the process up 1 day, and you estimate any of you is able to do as much as 5 villagers
By my calculations if the whole village and all the pathfinders together went it would be 6-3 (30 extra villagers) -2.5 (five pathfinders) =1/2 day?
Which is why I think we should all do the farming on the first day, and then that frees up all the villagers for training thereafter.
Hmm, the maths is a bit odd actually, but pathfinder physics can be.
Another way to work it would be
120 person days (20x6)
So everyone working together on the first day would be 75 person days (day one) and then day two we free up twenty folk and two pathfinder for archery, would still give us 45 person days work for a total of 120 person days.
Or 40 peasants and four pathfinders on day one (60 person days) and the last pathfinder starts archery training with ten villagers. Repeat for day two, and then we can branch out to other things. Actually that might be the best way forward.
"What if Rolan takes the ten villagers who look to be able to learn archery and teaches them, while the rest of the village and our team gets in the crops. That should only take a couple of days and then we'll be able to concentrate on working the defenses and training the villagers?" suggests Belinda