Bran leads Blaidd and Llewyan back to the ambush site as well. Once there, he searches for the trail from yesterday and tries to follow it back to the bandit's camp.
Raedwald keeps quiet, letting the Bran and Sion do what they do best.
After several minutes, you find their trail and start moving.
After an hour of walking, you smell campfire smoke. You move slowly forward and observe the bandit camp from about 200-ft away. It's a relatively large semi-permanent settlement with a half-dozen stick "buildings" that could shelter over two dozen. There is a chicken coop, pig sty, and makeshift granary.
Watching for several minutes, you identify the three escaped bandits. Besides them, you see at least a half dozen women and another half-dozen children. All appear to be going about chores.
You identify one of the shelters as the most probable location of the prisoners. They have no horses. While the settlement has eliminated most of the undergrowth, running and charging are impossible due to the many trees.
"Three bandits, a dozen civilians that have the potential to be dangerous. If they weren't there I would just charge in..."
Let's circle around and see if we can get to Sir Jaradan and the others with out alerting them yet. Sion says and moves back further into the trees. He begins working his way towards a point where the build the prisoners are in will hide him from the view of the people in the camp.
Bran nods and follows Sion as quietly as he can.
Raedwald hangs back, letting them take the lead. He was not good at sneaking.
Once behind the prisoner shed Sion tries to sneak up to the back wall of the building, hoping the entire time that none of the children running loose in the camp will come running around the back of the shed.
Once at the back of the shed Sion tries to find a way to cut through the back wall or if unable to do that find a gap to look through and possibly speak with Sir Jaradan through.
Raedwald shakes a bit as he waits, concerned at the possibility of being ambushed.
Edward, keeping his armor on, tries to find a good observation point and watches the going on of the area.
You move the horses and non-scouts back a quarter mile away from the bandits camp. The scouts observe an almost normal settlement if they weren't bandits. The children are random and the only threat to your discovery. The prisoners' shack get meal visits. You have your own rations for lunch. Dusk begins to arrive. You have a couple hours before it becomes pitch black.
Sion takes off his chainmail to sneak into the camp with Edward when the time comes.
At dusk Sion and Edward sneak through the camp to the shack where they believe Sir Jaradan is. Bran and Raedwald watch from their position in the undergrowth. There were a few close calls as the camp readies to sleep in the darkness. Light is precious, and these people are poor.
Edward whispers, "Sir Jaradan? Are you there? It's me, Edward. Sir Edward. His questions are met with groaning, whispers, and a bit of rustling.
After a few seconds, you recognize Sir Jaradan's whisper an inch from you on the other side of the wooden stick wall, "Sir Edward? How is it possible? There are four of us in here. Two are fevered and unconscious.
Edward mutters a silent curse. "Do you think you could carry them? Would you need a distraction to get out?"
Jaradan replies, "We are tied up, hands and feet. The door is barred from the outside. After that, yes we could carry the other two but not fast."
Edward gives a nod to himself. "Stay safe. Pretend like nothing is out of the ordinary, but be prepared." Edward symbols to Sion, then they move back to the party where Edward explains what the current situation is.
"I think we should create a distraction, drawing them away from Sir Jaradan and the others so they don't get caught in the fighting."
"A distraction? Now THAT'S something I can do. I can raise such a clamor they won't be able to resist, and Gullfaxi can run like the wind. What would you have me do, Edward?"
Edward grins. "That's the spirit. So here's the general idea..." Edward picks up a stick, drawing a map of the general area.
Sion sticks close to Edward as they sneak up to the prisoners hut. While Edward speaks with Sir Jaradan Sion examines the wall of the hut to see if they will be able to cut through it to get to Sir Jaradan and the others.
Sir Jaradan he says softly before they head back to the others. we are going to get you out of here. Can you tell us anything of your captors? How many are there? How are they armed?
Sir Jaradan whispers a reply to Sion, "There are three men and several women who used bows to ambush us. The men are armed like the bandits you faced. They won't surrender, because they know what they've done faces the death penalty. They are keeping us alive, because two of the women thinks we can be ransomed."
When they get back the others Sion puts his armor back on. If there are only the three bandits we should have no trouble dealing with them. It does sound like the women will fight too though, but they may surrender if they feel it will protect their children. What are your thoughts? he says to the others.
Edward starts putting his armor on as well. "I don't want to kill women if I can avoid it."
"Neither do I, but then they've made their choice. The King's law doesn't discriminate. And though the King may be gone, that doesn't mean the law is. It's time to remind them of that."
With the plan agreed and an hour left of dusk light, Sion and Edward without their armor again sneak through the camp to the shack where Sir Jaradan is. Bran and Raedwald watch from their position in the undergrowth. There are a few close calls as the camp readies to sleep in the darkness. Light is precious, and these people are poor.
Raedwald looks at Bran and tries his best not to make a sound.
Sion creaps around the building to the door to the shed keeping low and to the shadows.
Both knights now in armor sneak to the front of the shack. They are in line of sight to four doorless shacks and the fire where a couple sits. One of the couple swivels their head to directly face Edward.
The door of Sir Jaradan's shack is barred with a stick the diameter of your wrist.
Sion freezes in place hoping that the couple hasn't actually seen them.
Make new Stealth checks with your actions. Sorry, I forgot to mention in the previous post.
cheers
Sion tries to remain motionless when the face turned toward Edward but fails. He knocks over some noise producing sticks causing a scream from the couple. The couple sit by a fire 20 feet from Edward and Sion.
Raedwald looks at Bran as they both hear the scream, waiting for the okay to raise a clamor and ride forth. He hopes if they can scare the bandits, maybe they won't have as hard a fight on their hands.
Bran kicks Llewyan into motion whistling for Bran when he hears the scream.
Devil take it! Sion curse. He draws his dagger and throws it at the male member of the couple.
(bonus is +3-2 for double range)
Raedwald kicks Gulfaxi into a canter as well, couching his lance.
Oh bother. "Sion, make sure the prisoners get out." He moves forward, cutting at the male member.
Raedwald looks at Bran as they both hear the scream, waiting for the okay to raise a clamor and ride forth. He hopes if they can scare the bandits, maybe they won't have as hard a fight on their hands.
Bran kicks Llewyan into motion whistling for Bran when he hears the scream.
"Devil take it!" Sion curse. He draws his dagger and throws it at the male member of the couple and misses the prone bandit.
Raedwald kicks Gulfaxi into a canter as well, couching his lance.
Oh bother. "Sion, make sure the prisoners get out." Edward moves forward, cutting at the male member.
The male member stands erect while his woman continues to scream. In vengeance, Edward slices through the bandit's leg spraying warm blood.
The bandit pulls the screaming woman who struggles to her feet behind him and readies to attack Edward with his club if he is attacked again.
Edward and Sion can hear screaming and children's crying over the fighting and approaching horses, but no other bandits exit their huts.
Sir Jaradan! Wake up! Sion calls as he lifts the bar and shoves open the door to the hut where the prisoners lie bound. It is time to get you and your men out of here.