Jale studies the cart, and determines that with a little work it can be salvaged, at least enough to get back to Nesting Swallow. Over Juno's objections, the group travels to the town without requiring payment.
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As the sun is setting, from atop one 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 are met with curious stares and whispers, but the Xien family tells of how you rescued them from the bandits on the road. They take you to their family hut and invite you to relax while the town elders are informed of your presence. You are offered a meager meal of rice and millet.
After a short wait, you are invited to meet the elders. 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.
“Welcome to Nesting Swallow. I am Je Tsun, and these are the elders of the families of the village.”
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”Come on guys! You did not leave any of those bandits for us!“ Sadaf says with a smile and Danduun obviously would have liked a bite too.
***
Sadaf does not even comment on Juno’s objections but just rolls his eyes.
After a while he can’t hold back and whispers to Danduun ”Payment here ... payment there ... kill these guys ... kill those guys ... take there knickers ... take their bras ... “
***
”Ahhh ... Finally we have found you! The descendant of the master of masters’ great sensei! Li Yao! We are truly happy that we were able to help the villagers as we distaste any form of violence without aggression! But if there is aggression there is a need to strike back without constraint! So let’s make a deal because you have to understand that I am a businessman!“ Sadaf says touching his beard.
”Being an empathic but stoic negotiator I have to admit that it is hard for me to use your current situation as leverage but at the same time we are part of the Pathfinder Society and have a mission! Our mission is to convince you, the descendant of Li Yao, to perform some kind of ritual to a awaken the spirit of an item that is blessed by Irori. Do we have a deal? We support this village in return you help us?!“ Sadaf asks expectantly.
At the mention of Li Yao, Je Tsun says, “As it happens, I myself am 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.”
“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. If you can save us from these tengus, we can offer you food, shelter, and whatever other aid we may give you. Once you have defeated our enemies, I will bring this relic of my ancestor’s to life for you.”
With a smile she looks at Sadaf and asks, "Does this suit you, businessman?"
Je Tsun fills you in on key details:
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To prepare the village for the attack, you have a variety of tasks you can perform along with the villagers. Each day, each of you can participate in one of the following tasks, and you can assign the 50 able-bodied villagers to tasks in groups of five. The tasks are described below, and are repeated on the slideshow. I'll have you place your tokens and those of the villagers onto the cards for the tasks, then once you've agreed on a day's arrangement, I'll call from some skill checks and note the results.
You don't know how many days you have, though the Scouting tasks below can help you estimate.
Bring in the harvest Harvesting crops is the top priority for the villagers, even above establishing defenses. Without food stored, they face starvation regardless of whether or not the bandits are fought off. A minimum of 20 villagers (4 tokens) must be assigned every day until it is complete. More can be assigned, and PCs can assist. If you have a relevant skill, you can make a check to increase the harvest speed.
Flooding the fields The crop fields are low-lying and designed to be irrigated by the stream. With work, they can be turned into a virtual moat by adjusting the flow of water, causing them to flood. This limits the routes the bandits can attack from, giving significant tactical advantage to the defenders. This can only be done once the harvest is in.
Melee combat training While unskilled combatants, the villagers can be given basic training, allowing them to maintain the barricades as a unit. Their weapons are limited to adapted farm implements and makeshift bamboo spears, but they are all willing to take up what arms they can and assist in the defense of their home. One PC with a BAB of +1 or better can drill a group of 10 villagers on a given day; any given group can be trained for up to 2 days each. A PC doing training can attempt an Intimidate check to increase their efficiency (no more than once per group). As groups are trained, I will make notes on their tokens.
Crossbow training Ranged weapons more effective than simple slings are a rarity in Nesting Swallow, but a handful of villagers own crossbows for hunting purposes; while they have never had to shoot at a target better armored than an antelope or hare, they can be drilled into effective support archers with effort. One PC with a BAB of +1 or better can drill the hunters for up to 4 days. A PC can also spend a day with the hunters crafting better ammunition with a Craft (bows) check. The hunters are noted with black borders on their tokens.
Barricading the roads Controlling possible attack routes is key to not being overwhelmed. Constructing barricades from wood and bamboo aids in this endeavor. Incorporating the landscape and the existing structures of the village into this barricade allows the defenders to contain attackers to several choke points. Construction was already underway before you arrived in Nesting Swallow; by continuing to assign workers to it or overseeing construction, you can assist in making it sturdier and more effective. Villagers do not require PC supervision, but PCs can assist with appropriate skill checks.
Trapping the barricades Once the barricades are complete, a PC who participated in constructing them can spend an additional day to make a Craft (traps) or Disable Device check to add traps to the barricades for additional defense.
Scouting The villagers are, obviously, already alert for horsemen in the hills, but assigning villagers and PCs to keep a closer eye on the wilderness can help give an estimate of how much longer until the raid comes. Each day the village gets a Perception check to learn about the raider's movements. Assigning villagers provides bonuses; assigning PCs allows you to use the PC's Perception bonus rather than the town's bonus of +4.
For all tasks, if you have appropriate magic or special abilities that you think might help, mention them and I may give bonuses.
It is now Day 1, discuss how you want to assign yourselves and the villagers. I have already placed 4 tokens on the fields; you can add more.
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Horace seems a bit resentful at the notion of bringing in the harvest. If he could speak he would no doubt remind them all that he is a trained warhorse. But he cannot speak and has no choice but to obey orders like a good soldier. Gronkh deputizes him to Sadaf and instructs him: "Harvest those potatoes like they are enemy bandits!"
Sadaf and Danduun join twenty of the villagers to work on the harvest.
Gronkh takes ten of the villagers to drill in melee tactics.
Jale drills the hunters on combat shooting.
Brakkik takes a group to begin creating barricades on the roads.
Juno heads out to see if she can find any sign of the bandit's movements in the outlying area.
Sadaf works in the fields with twenty of the villagers. He estimates that at the current rate, it will take 3-4 more days to complete the harvest.
Gronkh drills some of the villagers on melee. They find his language difficult to understand, but his demonstrations are enough to help.
Jale similarly works with the hunters and manages to improve their aim.
Brakkik brews up a concoction to aid his crafting, and creates a decent start at blocking one of the local roads into town. Another good day of effort will probably suffice to complete the work.
Juno spends her day scouting, and is pretty certain that based on the signs, the bandits can't possibly arrive sooner than 4 days from now, though it could be over a week before you see them.
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Jale looks over at Gronkh's attempt at intimidation and chuckles. I suppose it may be the encouragement that helps these peasants more than the actual skill. The small wayang walks over and taps the half-ork on the back. Timidly, he says, "uh... they need your help at the range. Can you take my spot?" He smiles and waves as Gronkh goes, then turns to the remaining peasants with a death stare. He walks down the line, whispering in a volume just barely loud enough to be heard. "Alright, maggots. You're going to learn to fight. You're going to learn, or you'll die at the hands of a raider. If you're lucky, your soul will be spared an eternity in the void."
Sadaf helps the villagers in the fields, and demonstrates a technique they had not tried before, bringing in slightly more than the usual amount. Even with that, though, he thinks it will still take 2 more days to complete the harvest unless you have more people help tomorrow.
Jale takes the group Gronkh had been drilling, and his odd appearance and strangely fierce mien inspire them to additional work.
Gronkh takes over with the hunters, and their progress continues.
Brakkik works with a group on completing the barricades, and the walls are now as reinforced as they can get.
Juno spends another day out scouting, but does not find any new indications of the bandit's position.
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Jale waves goodbye to the scarred and better trained recruits then stops the villagers on their way back from the barricades. "Tomorrow, report here! We can train those strong arms." One the third day, Jale works with them. Though he tries to warn them of the darkness to come, they just take it as off-color jokes.
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Sadaf goes out into the fields, taking thirty villagers this time. With the extra hands and Safaf's special knowledge of how to handle the crops, the harvest is complete!
Jale begins drilling a second set of the villagers on fighting techniques. They are good students, even if they don't understand much of what he says.
Gronkh works with the huneters, and feels they are progressing very well.
Brakkik tries to set traps on the barricades, but has some trouble with the rather primitive materials he has available.
Juno spends another day scouting but still sees no signs.
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Having spent the evening muttering to himself and drawing countless crude diagrams in the dirt by the fire, Brakkik wakes up early the next day to get to work on the barricades once more. Not content with merely having the broken pieces of barricade stick to the invader's weapons and horses, he rigs up several triplines and bags of adhesives to "shpread rah love," as he says. He grudgingly agreed to not include something to light the adhesives (and barricades) on fire at the request of the village elders, villagers, and Pathfinders, since that would probably also light the village on fire.