Caitir frowns, looking a little irritated. "A dozen men though on the hand side of the coin is even more difficult. We could wait until they attack us again, but equally they might not. They could stay where they are and just cause hindrance after hindrance. I reluctantly agree with Mirana though, my preference would be striking fast and hard while they have less men, but half a dozen with the addition of Kressle is beyond our capabilities at present. I'd like to root them out today but I cannot think of a strategy that would let us win."
'See if he earned that sword? Does it count if his father gave it to him.' Iradyiel thinks about commenting, but he just smiles and nods, "I'm sure he will appreciate the opportunity." He gestures towards the table, "I better get going."
On his way to the table he smiles seeing the beginning of Svetlana's chicken coop. Noticing Harris and Marcus on the wall, he nods his approval, 'We don't have to worry about Oleg and Svetlana, that's for sure.'
Realizing he's fidgeting with his bow, Iradyiel puts it in the scabbard under the quiver, Listening while Mirana speaks. 'Six beyond our capabilities...maybe, it could get ugly fast. Struggled, yeah, I guess it doesn’t seem as bad when your not the wounded one. Between hers and Kunala's magic I would think we could come up with something.' When she mentions the guards, he looks back that way, 'I wonder if Kesten would send one of them... hmmm, I doubt it, but we could ask.'
Seeing Caitirs frown, 'Shes right we could wait, but it could be a problem later. .. striking fast would make sense, so how to root them out?' Scratching his head for a moment, he shrugs, "There is too much we don't know. could we sneak in and take a look. Once we know what and where, we may have a better idea of what to do."
Sitting at the table, Kunala listens carefully, watching to try and understand not just the words but also the motivations. Giving each person: Mirana, Caitir and Iradyiel his undivided attention. When they finish, he pauses for a moment, then looks from Mirana to Caitir, "Your right the numbers don't work." he breaths a heavy sigh, "It would be nice to surprise them or set a trap like we did here, but I don't think we have enough information. But after tomorrow they're going to be on edge, whatever that means."
He looks to Iradyiel, "I think if were going to scout it out we need to do it soon, before they realized these other five aren't coming back. Then make a decision."
Turning toward Mirana, he gestures Keston's direction. "It would be nice to have Keston or Gael or even the scout Harris along. Would you like to ask Keston, or do you want me to?"
Looking up at Iradyiel he asks, "Hey Rad, you ask Sanok if all the bandits are human, would you? We need to know if there going to have an advantage in the dark."
We get a lot of drifters here...sneaking in and take a look... Caitir suddenly sits upright from her slouched position. "Oh, oh I'm such a moron. Guys, we can just walk right into the middle of the camp, just the four of us. We can pretend to be bandits in the area, drifters, like Sanok said. We can stroll right in, maybe under a cloud of initial suspicion but we probably don't get shot. We can walk in, assassinate Kressle, and maybe that is enough for the rest of them to flee."
Caitir stands up from the table and paces for a moment, running through the situation in her mind. "We could even ask Gael and Kesten to launch an attack from the outside on Day 3 while we are pretending to be bandits if we haven't succeeded by then. That could could cause a further opportunity, or create chaos or uncertainty for us to strike"
Mirana nods at Kunala's request "Sure, I can do that, although maybe Caitir could ask Gael. She might have built up some goodwill" she teases lightly.
At Caitir's plan the druid folds her arms and puts on a skeptical, but thoughtful expression. "I mean, the idea is clever, we do have that silver Stag Lord jewelry which we could probably use to bluff our way through. We could speak to Sanok to see if the idea could work, and learn some of their names to better pass scrutiny. Its still a pretty big risk that we don't get shot on sight though with a bunch of arrows. Its...probably the only way of infiltrating the camp though, once they have a dozen guys all holed up together there isn't going to be much change of infiltration."
"What do you guys think?"
'Such a moron?' As Caitir sits up, Kunala notes her excitement, 'Stroll right in... assassinate Kressle...the other flee. Raising an eyebrow as she begins to pace, 'Launch an attack on day three, Tomorrow?'
Seeing Mirana fold her arms he turns that way, 'Clever idea.. stag lords jewelry...get Sanok's opinion?'
Looking from Mirana back to Caitir, Kunala rests his hand on his chin, thinking for a second. "Might work, we would need to walk in, if they recognize the horses we'd be dead. And Sanok recognized Happs bow, so we would need to leave it as well. We may have the same issue with them recognizing the 'silver stag' emblem." Rubbing his chin he continues, "We would need to ride to get there quickly, but if we're asking someone to go with us, we could leave the horses with them." He shrugs, "It could work."
'Hmmm, pretend were bandits as well, Kunala is better at that sort of thing than I am, he's a natural at talking people into what they want to hear, as long as he doesn't say too much.' Watching Caitir pace, he smiles. 'At least we've got Caitir worked up.'
Nodding as Mirana and Kunala share their opinion, Iradiel frowns a little when Kunala talks about leaving the fine new war bow behind. Eventually he adds, "The plan might work, as long as Kunala can resist the urge to whip out the charter and show it to every person he meets." Winking at his brother he adds. "We won't know until we see the layout, a lot will depend on when we get there and if the camp is on edge waiting for these five."
He gestures towards Sanok, "I'll go ask Sanok about names and races of the bandits."
Seeing Sanok eating some of Svetlana's cooking, he smiles, "Good food right? You will end up working hard, but you know you won't go hungry." Sitting down near the prisoner he asks, "We were talking about the camp, is there anyone there not human? and what are some of the names of the other bandits?"
Mirana follows Iradyiel to meet with Sanok once again. She sees the boy relatively calmer, and smiles, believing that the boy is adjusting well to his new circumstances.
"Sanok, I also had a question. How did you end up joining the bandit tribe? Do they welcome other bandits who arrive to meet / join them? My friends and I were thinking of infiltrating them but we wanted to speak to you first about whether that would be possible. What do you think?" she asks thoughtfully.
As Iradyiel approaches, Sanok finishes with what is in his mouth and sets his plate besides him on the crate. With a smile and a nod; “This is good. We never went hungry out there, but we never knew what or next meal would be or where it came from.” with a nervous laugh; “Some joked around saying it came from the bandits that were taken south…” he rubs his wrist where the manacles were. “Thanks again for taking those off of me.”
When asked about the make-up of the bandits at the camp, Sanok gives a shrug; “People came and went. The ones I was closest to are the ones who came with me here. I assume you have them around here somewhere. Like I said before, they were always coming and going. Sent somewhere for a specific task, kind of like us coming here to collect the tax. Mostly human, but I have seen a few half-orc and half-elf before, don’t know who they are.”
When Mirana asks about joining the bandits, Sanok shakes his head; “Unless you have an in through someone they would rather put you down and not take the risk. When I was out on my own, I made some friends, we kept an eye out for each other. One of them was connected to Kressel and brought us down and we joined. If you want to join, you’ll need a way in.”
Smiling as Sanok talked, 'We know what it's like to not always know where the next meal is comming from.' When Sanok thanked him for taking he chains off, Iradiel paused for a moment, he thought about his answer, then answered in a more serious tone than he normally reaches, "Make sure you earn it, these people are trusting you to be different. So earn their trust, every day, earn it."
Stepping back as Mirana started talking, Iradiel listened along, Waiting for Sanok to share his opinion,
As they move away from Sanok, Iradyiel shakes his head, "In introduction would be difficult, only Sanok could do that, I don't know if I trust him that much." Looking back over his shoulder, "And there would be a lot of explaining to do about the rest of his crew. Especially when he realizes we killed them."
Gesturing toward the captain, "I'll go help get things loaded for the road, while you speak to Kesten." He raises an eyebrow, "Unless you were serious about Caitir speaking with him."
Mirana considers Sanok's point. "What about the silver Stag Lord amulet? Does everyone have one of those? Would it be enough to get entry?"
"I wanted Caitir to speak to Gael. Its probably better if I handle Kesten for now. Not that Caitir probably couldn't smooth talk Kesten if she wanted to, but I'd still prefer keeping the ex criminal and the guard captain separate from each other for at least the time being."
Giving Mirana a sideways look; "The Stag Lord amulet? Like the one Happs has on him?" pausing for a moment looking at Mirana, to the bow that Iradyiel is carrying back to Mirana; "Woah, wait. What did you guys do with my friends? You keep coming to me asking me stuff and I don't see you going anywhere else..." looking around the camp from where he is seated. He stands up as if he just connected all the puzzle pieces. "Caitir ran one of them through with her sword... did you kill them all? Am I the only one left?" he stands up and keeps looking around and runs his hand through his hair before sitting back down on the crate. "They are dead aren't they..."
Unless told otherwise he sits there processing all of this. Looking through you both as he continues looking around; "The only two who had the amulet is Happs and Kressle, only those who ranked high in the 'Stag Lord's army' wore those. But all I've ever seen wear them is those two."
EDIT
Hanging around Iradyiel Watches as Mirana and Sanok discuss the stag lord amulet. as Sanok pauses, looking at the bow and changes the topic. 'Ah now comes the truth of it.' Iradiel lifts the bow letting Sanok get a good look at it, and begins to ask about his friends pacing around.
Leaning on the bow, Iradyiel waits as Sanok sorts it out, sits back down, and answers about the amulet. 'Just the two, I wonder if he'll be honest, now that he's figured out what happened to his 'friends' Nodding to Sanok, waiting till Mirana is done with the questions.
Iradyiel speaks softly "Your right, your associates are dead. We were sent to protect the innocent people here from bandits, that's what we did. That is why we're asking you these questions, there are more bandits out there hurting people and we're going to stop them." He pauses for a moment looking around at the courtyard where the fight happened, then continues. "Once the fight was over Kunala used what little magic he had to heal Mirana, I used first aid to take care of you and Mirana's remaining wounds. Your friends paid the price for the decisions they made, you were fortunate to have this second chance, I hope you focus on that." He nods to Sanok and then to the guard and leaves
.
Catching up to Mirana he asks, "What do you think? Do we have enough of a plan to at least scout out the camp?"
Sanok sits there with a loss of words after what he was afraid is confirmed, his friends are dead. But so is Happs.
Sanok sits quietly in his own thoughts as Iradyiel and Mirana leave.
You get the sense that Sanok believes what he is telling you is the truth.
Mirana shrugs slightly at Iradyiel's remark. "I don't really have a plan to scout the camp. I'm not particularly stealthy so I cannot join you. If they didn't have darkvision, I'd suggest waiting until nightfall, watch them light the towers and perhaps use that to see and avoid them, but that doesn't seem to be much of an option, and I don't see how we can get close enough to the camp without any watchers spotting us from such an elevated position."
Mirana thinks for a moment before offering a wan smile. "Thats not to say that we cannot go, just that I don't really have a plan that works. It seems to be either an all out attack or get lucky with an infiltration and both options seem like a coinflip at best."
Walking with Mirana Iradyiel nods his head, "I understand, the camp is a prickly problem. My thought is that it will be easier to scout out and possibly attack before they realize this group is missing, instead of after. But 'coinflip' may be appropriate."
Holding the long bow out, "If the other bandits have short bows like Sanok, then this war bow will even the odds with anyone shooting from the tower. If they see us and sound an alarm we retreat, possibly setting an ambush for whoever follows."
He shrugs, "Let's see if Caitir has any luck inviting Kesten or Gael to go with us. Who knows, it might be best just to stay here and wait for an attack." He frowns a little, "If were going to do that I don't think we should wander too far from the trading post until after they attack. I don't want to leave these four fighting a dozen bandits. But who knows how long we would wait."
Mirana listens to Iradyiel's strategy for a moment before shaking her head slightly "You are absolutely right that you would hold a range advantage, but the bandits don't need to chase after us and therefore we would struggle to ambush them, we don't have leverage. If they see us, they can huddle up and wait for the other six guys to return or alternatively wait until dark and attack then with a darkvision advantage."
Mirana hesitates for a moment before offering a regretful shrug "I'm sorry, that was extremely rude of me - didn't mean to sound that critical. I just think that they have the numbers, with six + Kressle. I'll admit though, I'll feel better about attacking if we had Kesten or Gael on our side, it might help us even up the odds"
Mirana reflects for a moment more before nodding "I'll speak to Kesten, and I'll have Caitir go after Gael. If they are able to join us, I'd feel better about attacking the camp. Without them though, I don't see a fight as winnable."
'Struggle to ambush... no leverage...huddle up...rude? the odds...Well Kesten and Gael would certainly even any odds.' Almost chuckling to himself when Mirana calls herself 'Extremely rude' Iradiel waits until she finishes. "No apologies are needed, and as for rude, I've lived with Kunala all his life trust me, that wasn't rude."
He shrugs, "Your right ambushing them in their camp would be silly, but if we could get some of them on the trail returning to the camp I would do that. And I'm praying that they don't have any dwarves or orcs or anything with better night vision than mine. That would be a deal breaker."
Smiling slightly, "I think the real issue is that neither of us like to stay still for too long." He gestures towards the barn where Kunala is probably with the horses. "And my brother tends to evaluate things then make a plan,"
Stopping, "Inviting Kesten and Gael, is a good idea." He then shrugs, "If they don't go we should still scout out the camp. I don't know if a straight up fight is winnable or not, depends on who and what's there. If nothing else we know where their at and maybe get lucky and waylay a couple of them."
Gesturing toward the barn. "I'll head to the barn, let us know what you find out. Maybe would could just scout it out on our way to get the fangberries, that way we know where to find them." Once they are done talking Iradyiel nods to Mirana and heads to the barn to find Kunala.
Mirana nods in agreement with Iradyiel and leaves to track down Kesten. She rakes her brain with everything she knows about the man, and what might appeal to him. On balance, she still thinks that the conversation could go either way, but she decides to try her best to convince him.
"Kesten, as you are now aware, there lies a bandit camp a small distance from here. Provisional estimates indicate that it has anywhere between seven and thirteen bandits, including the leader of that camp. My friends and I were wondering if you would be willing to spare yourself, or some of your men, to launch a strike on the camp and root out the bandits."
Mirana watches the mans reaction closely for a moment before continuing. "I know that your brief was to protect this settlement, but by eliminating the threat of bandits in the area, you would be achieving this aim. In addition, rooting them out quickly prevents them from building a larger force and attacking this settlement later, potentially causing loss of life. Lastly, there would be no small amount of favor, goodwill and honor in crushing the bandit resistance in the area. It would be no small achievement to add to a legacy" she adds finally, remembering the mans past history, and wondering if he was motivated to impress or bring honor back to his name"
Mirana nods in agreement with Iradyiel and leaves to track down Kesten. She rakes her brain with everything she knows about the man, and what might appeal to him. On balance, she still thinks that the conversation could go either way, but she decides to try her best to convince him.
"Kesten, as you are now aware, there lies a bandit camp a small distance from here. Provisional estimates indicate that it has anywhere between seven and thirteen bandits, including the leader of that camp. My friends and I were wondering if you would be willing to spare yourself, or some of your men, to launch a strike on the camp and root out the bandits."
Mirana watches the mans reaction closely for a moment before continuing. "I know that your brief was to protect this settlement, but by eliminating the threat of bandits in the area, you would be achieving this aim. In addition, rooting them out quickly prevents them from building a larger force and attacking this settlement later, potentially causing loss of life. Lastly, there would be no small amount of favor, goodwill and honor in crushing the bandit resistance in the area. It would be no small achievement to add to a legacy" she adds finally, remembering the mans past history, and wondering if he was motivated to impress or bring honor back to his name
Kesten watches Mirana approach then listens emotionless. Once Mirana finishes, Kesten nods. “There is someone I am looking for,” Kesten goes on almost ignoring Mirana’s request; “a Varisian man. He is a mercenary that I worked with months ago, Falgrim Sneeg. I am here to protect this trading post, but I volunteered because I have information that Sneeg fled into the Greenbelt. I want to capture him alive and return him to Restov.”
Looking Mirana over; “If you keep an eye out for him while you explore I will allow either Gael or Dhavik to go with you to this bandit camp. Bring back Sneeg and I will put in a request of four weapons from a Master blacksmith I know back in Restov. If he is dead I will only request two weapons.”
Holding out a hand; “Do we have a deal?”
Watching as Iradyeil and Mirana walk towards the prisoner, Kunala smiles at Caitir, shrugging his shoulders, "We'll see what they find out." He looks around, wanting to stay busy but not interfere with what others are doing. Finally he tells Caitir, "I'll be in the barn if anyone needs me." Walking towards the barn, he rolls his shoulders, trying to not stress out. 'I can't force people to do what I think is best, each needs to make up their own mind and then we need to come to an agreement.'
Entering the barn, he starts with the sorrel mare he named Desna, then slowly works his way through all seven horses. Taking them separately out of the stall: currying them, combing out mane and tail eventually cleaning their feet. Talking to each as he does so. Using the familiar activity to calm himself. While he is cleaning Clap Traps feet, Iradyiel comes in, sitting down on a haybale, he watches for a moment, not wanting to interrupt Kunala's meditation.
Once Kunala puts the work horse back in the stall. Iradyiel tells him what he learned. "Sanok doesn't know anything else." The bowman shrugs "He did figure out that he was the only survivor, seemed melancholy but not angry." Standing from the hay bale, "Mirana aggreed that maybe we should at least investigate the camp, especially if Kesten or Gael go with us." Moving near the door, he turns and looks at Kunala, "If either go, I'll see if they want to use my hunting bow, I didn't notice if either had one, can't hurt to ask them."
Patting the work horse as he released him into the stall, Kunala listened. 'So back out, this time to find the camp.' Looking toward his brother, 'May end up in a fight. Kesten or Gael would be a big help.' Nodding in agreement, "Well, your hunting bow would be a lot better than our short bows, I wonder if I should have spent more time practicing with the bow instead of the sword." eh gestures towards the horses, "Let's make sure who's going before we start getting ready to leave?"
Walking out of the barn, with Iradyiel in tow, he begins moving toward Mirana.
Mirana considers the offer for a moment, weighing it up. In truth, the offer was extremely good, she and her friends would get an ally in a potential conflict, and all they had to do was keep an eye out for a rogue mercenary. If they found him and brought him back, they potentially would receive good quality weapons. There wasn't really much of a downside.
Mirana reaches out and gently takes Kesten's hand, before giving it a firm shake. "I'll accept your terms, that sounds more than fair. I would hope though, that you would be willing to share why you care so much about bringing Falgrim Sneeg to justice. It doesn't have to be now, perhaps when you feel comfortable" she smiles, before stepping back and heading towards Kunala and Iradyiel.
"Kesten agreed to letting us take Gael or Dhavik with us on our quest. If we run into a chap by the name of Falgrim Sneeg, we are to keep him alive if possible and bring him back to Kesten who wants to pass him back to Restov for justice. There's high quality weapons in for us if we do."
Mirana reflects for a moment before shooting the brothers a questioning look "Do either of you have a preference between Gael or Dhavik?"
'Ah, there's Mirana now. Noting Mirana and Kesten shaking hands, I wonder what that's about,. Pointing to the pair, Kunala leans over to Iradyiel, "What do you think Rad? Are they wagering how many chickens you'll eat the first meal we get back?" Wiggling his eyebrows at his brother, he turns to their approaching friend.
'Good we can take Dhavik or Gael, and if we find this Sneeg, we bring him to Kesten.' Nodding, "I can live with that, good job Mirana." He looks at Iradyiel "Any opinion on who to take?" He looks back at Kesten, "We've seen Kesten with a sword, I wonder how he'd do with that hunting bow of yours."
Walking with Kunala, Iradyiel raises an eyebrow at Kunala's attempt at humor, "Chicken, that's the best joke you could think of, chicken?" shaking his head, "You talk too much."
Turning his attention to Mirana, he nods in understanding, then to Kunala shrugging, "I don't know which one is the better fighter, but Dhavik should be able to see even better than me at night," He pauses for a moment, turning to Mirana. "And Kesten said he can be really intimidating. Maybe we can get him to scare Kunala into not talking so much." Winking, "At least convince him to stop trying to make jokes. It's not his forte."
”Either way, I’ll go get the hunting bow, and extra arrows. We may need them.” He then nods to Mirana, and pushes Kunala’s shoulder, ”Chicken my eye.” and heads to the bunk house to fetch the extra gear.
Any opinion on who to take?" He looks back at Kesten, "We've seen Kesten with a sword, I wonder how he'd do with that hunting bow of yours."
Any opinion on who to take?" He looks back at Kesten, "We've seen Kesten with a sword, I wonder how he'd do with that hunting bow of yours."
While Iradyiel goes to get his bow, Kunala asks Mirana, "Do you think we should as Caitir if she things Gael or Dhavik would be better?"
Mirana frowns as she considers Iradyiel's point. "Caitir has secrets that even I don't know much about, but I still know her pretty well and on this sort of thing, I don't believe she cares too much either way. If the choices were identical, I'm sure she would vote for Gael purely for her amusement, but Dhavik brings darkvision to the table which is a strategic advantage we should be exploiting. So despite her personal preferences, I'm confident that we see things the same way on this particular topic - Dhavik makes the most sense with his vision advantage."
'Vote for Gael for her amusement, sounds like Caitir.' Nodding in aggreement with Mirana, "Both seem to be good men, you let Kesten know which we decided. I'll go talk to Oleg. Then we'll get what gear we'll need and go."
Moving outside of the fort, Kunala finds Oleg, getting the timber for the hitching post. He approaches, calling out. "Oleg." Handing the man the water he had near, Kunala tells him about he situation. "The Prisoner is a kid named Sanok, Seenmed real sorry." Kunala shrugs slightly, "Who wouldn't be when the option is hanging. He gave us more information about the bandits, were going to find the camp and hopefully finish this." He gestures back to the fort. [b]"One of Kesten's men are going with us, can we borrow one of the blacks?"[//b]
Kunala finds Oleg finishing his work with two trees. Covered in sweat, he gladly accepts the waterskin from Kunala. “Thanks!” taking a few pulls off of the water skin before wetting a towel and wiping off his face. “Sanok?” Oleg thinks over the name for a second; “I think anyone facing what your charter lays out would be more than willing to be helpful. But, if he gave you trustworthy information then it sounds like a win.”
Taking another drink from the waterskin, this time smaller’ “I hope he has a strong back. This timber isn’t going to measure and cut itself. I would like to have extra hitching post on the exterior of the trading post. Seems like everyone who came brought their own horse. I am not sure if they will need them, but they are welcome to use one or both of the blacks.”
Oleg looks at the work to be done; “Give me a hand finishing typing these logs down and we can get back and have you off while it is still considered morning.” Not waiting for an answer, Oleg moves to finishing up the work he has before him with getting the logs back to the trading post.
It doesn’t take long to finish tying down the logs to the cart before the two head off and get back to Olegs. Once outside, Oleg stops the cart; “Go ahead and sent out Sanok to help.” Oleg doesn’t bother working on the logs until help arrives.
'He's right, the options weren't very good.' Smiling as Oleg points out the truth about the charter, Kunala shrugs, "Hopefully the information is accurate, he seemed very willing to cooperate, as you say, the Charter would encourage anyone to be helpful.'
Looking at the work Oleg had accomplished already, "The boy seems strong enough, he may still have to heal a little before he's at one hundred percent." Going to the other end of the log, he helps Oleg finish loading and tying down the logs. "I'll send out Sanok, and someone
to watch him, just in case. We'll let you know when were leaving."
Moving back into the trading post, Kunala approaches Kesten. pointing to Sanok, "Oleg requested we send Sanok out to help him a little. Let him get some work in today." Looking toward Mirana, he continues, "Mirana told us you wanted this fellow Sneeg found, were happy to help with that. Thanks for the use of Dhavik. We appreciate the help." Nodding to Kesten he heads to the bunkhouse looking for Iradyiel.
Finding his brother checking the fletching of the bandits arrows, Kunala asks him. "It looks like Dhavik is going with us, you ready?"
Giving a nod Iradyiel gathers up the extra quiver of arrows and the two brothers head to the barn to saddle the horses, preparing to ride out.
Mirana heads back to Kesten, reflecting how easy it would have been to accidentally undermine the mans authority. It was all about optics she decided. While she could have gone to Dhavik direct, technically she shouldn't really be giving the man orders or instructions - that would be Kesten's job.
"Hello again Kesten", the druid remarks with a smile on her face, after chatting with the man so soon. "Kunala and I have discussed it, and we would like Dhavik to come along with us. We think his excellent vision in the dark might prove useful. I thought I'd meet with you direct and tell you of your choice in case you wanted to be the one to give him the order or instruction. You are his captain after all and I don't want any confusion."
As Kunala and Mirana inform Kesten of their decision he nods; “I will let Dhavik know his orders and he will meet you outside mounted and ready.” When Kunala brings up Sneeg; “Sneeg is a tricky man and one that will take an opportunity when it serves him best. From what Sanok said about the camp, and what I know about Sneeg, he might be one of the men that drift in and out of the camp. Either way I want him back dead or alive, preferably alive.”
Unless Kunala or Mirana respond or ask anything of Kesten, he heads off taking Sanok with him. “Time to work off you debt boy. If you get any ideas of running for it I have to crack shots on those walls ready to loosen a bolt with your name on it.” Kesten’s voice trails off even more as they move out the gates.
Once the four of you are gathered outside the gates you see Oleg and Sanok hard at work. They are using a two-man saw to cut the hitching post to length, followed by ripping the timber into the proper diameter. Oleg gives you all a thankful smile and nod, Sanok keeps his head down and continues his work.
Riding out from the gates is Dhavik on a black and brown horse that could be mistaken as one of yours if it was not for the missing white mark on the face. Dhavik himself appears to be ready for what is to come. You notice a hint of what appears to be scale mail under his cloak. While one hand holds the reigns of the horse, the other holds a light crossbow that rest on his lap. You also notice a rather large blade in a scabbard on his horse’s saddle. Kunala, because of his experience with blades, knows this is a falchion. A blade that is meant for killing.
Dhavik’s deep voice seems like it booms when he talks; “We should hit the ridgeline just after the sun peaks. Harris said there are tracks but who knows how fast we can go once we are in the trees. I am ready to go when you are.”
'Sneeg, a tricky man, might be one of these men... might be hard to take him alive.' nodding Kunala answers, "We will do what we can." Smiling as Kesten takes Sanok to Oleg, He tells Mirana, "I'm going to fetch Iradyiel from the bunkhouse and then head to the barn to saddle up the horses."
'Good armed and ready to go.' Stopping near Dhavik at the gate, Kunala nods, "Good to have you with us Dhavik." Nodding in agreement, looking toward Iradyiel then Mirana, "Yes we hope to find the tracks he told us about." gesturing toward Kesten, he asks, ”The captain has set us on the trail of a Varisian named Falgrim Sneeg do you know him?” As they ride out, he waves goodby towards Oleg, turning the sorrel mare toward the ridgeline and falls in behind Iradyiel and Mirana, beside Caitir.
Smiling at her, "I saw you and Gael from the battlements, but you'll have to show me anything you learned."
'Good, Dhavik is with us, hopefully that will be enough.' Hefting the extra quivers in one hand and his regular gear in the other, Iradyiel follows Kunala to the barn and helps saddle the four horses, making sure the extra quivers were tied to the saddles. Leading the horses out of the barn, he mounts on the white-stared mare, named after Desna, and turns to the gate.
Nodding to Dhavik, Iradyiel moves beside, Mirana, smiling, "Good job getting a little extra help." Realizing Oleg was working with Sanok, he stands in the saddle and waives, softy speaking to himself as much as to the others. "I hope that works out."
Waiting until Kunala is done speaking, he waits another moment, raising an eyebrow, as if to ask if he was really done. When Kunala frowns, he turns the mare towards the ridgeline, grunting, "May as well get this done." Then rides out beside Mirana, keeping a keen eye out.
To find tracks or to follow them for 1 mile requires a successful Survival check. You must make another Survival check every time the tracks become difficult to follow. If you are not trained in this skill, you can make untrained checks to find tracks, but you can follow them only if the DC for the task is 10 or lower. Alternatively, you can use the Perceptionskill to find a footprint or similar sign of a creature’s passage using the same DCs, but you can’t use Perception to follow tracks, even if someone else has already found them.
You move at half your normal speed while following tracks (or at your normal speed with a –5 penalty on the check, or at up to twice your normal speed with a –20 penalty on the check). The DC depends on the surface and the prevailing conditions, as given on table.
"Sneeg?" Dhavik says with a head shake; "All I know is he was one of Kesten's men and he made off with anything that was worth the coin to sell. Ducked out in the night on them." Dhavik nudges his his horse onward as if he is finished with this conversation.
Your journey across these plains is an uneventful one. Iradyiel following the horse tracks of the bandits that attacked the Trading Post. Seems like so long ago, yet it was only yesterday morning.
On this mostly flatland ride you mind might begin to wonder about how you truly ended up here. Not by the charter but by the actions you have taken up to this exact moment in your life. You think about those you have met; Oleg an Svetlana Leveton, their decision to leave the community of a city behind to offer goods to those who travel the South Rostland Road and even the wildlands to the south. Bokken the eccentric potion maker who decided to become a hermit years after his parents passed. Kesten Garess the member of a Brevoy noble house, in name only, who had an affair and fled to be a mercenary. Kesten’s guard, including this silent half-orc who has not spoken a word since the group set out.
You might think how one minor decision in your past could have set you on a radically different path than the one you are on now. Setting out across untamed lands, mapping it out, and hunting bandits. Life truly is an adventure.
As the plains roll into the tree line before you, Iradyiel and Mirana both know they will need to dismount and continue by foot to track the bandits without the chance of missing anything.
Caitir smiles at Kunala's comment as they ride, following the tracks toward the likely location of the bandit stronghold. "I don't think I learnt much to be honest from him, nor did he learn much from me I think. Thats the trouble with sparring I think, it doesn't prepare you well enough for real combat and its a pointless for someone like me who doesn't strive to fight toe to toe, face to face. You I think, would get more out of challenging him than I would"
As they approach the bandit camp Caitir pulls tightly on her mount, bringing it to a slower pace. "We should go a little slower here and quieter. The bandit scouts are no doubt fairly close."
Mirana keeps a close enough on the tracks, following close behind Iradyiel. She wasn't quite as skilled as him in following tracks in the wilderness, but then again, it hadn't really been much of a skill she had been practiced in, so perhaps it was understandable.
As the tracks become easier to follow, and the path becomes clearer to see, she settles down on her horse, trying to relax during the ride as she runs through various scenarios or situations that might await them up ahead. She decides to best to be prepared as best as they could for all eventualities.
'One of Kesten's men, must of been before Dhavik joined.' Nodding to the half-orc, "Thank you Dhavik."
'true, a street fight or a battle is not the same as a duel.' Nodding in agreement with Caitir, Kunala raises an eyebrow when she recommend he duel with Gael. "Mayhaps, I enjoy the sport of dueling, it keeps the mind and eye sharp. But I'm not comfortable with the idea of calling people out to defend some small point of honor." Shrugging, "I guess I don't want people to think that's why I do it. Some small minded strutting rooster trying to prove something." He smiles, "As for real combat, don't you think it's as much the willingness and the will to do something as much as it is the skill?"
Looking back over his shoulder realizing Dhavik had been listening he asks the half-orc, "What do you think, Dhavik?"
As the group settles into the comfortable quite of the road, Kunala thinks about the limited time he spent with his father, wanting to please him, wanting to become a great swordsman like him, wanting to be the best duelist at the school. But then contrasting those ideals with the ideals of his dad, Onnello, the man his mother had married. Where home and family and a caring community were of the highest value. He thought about wanting to finish at the dueling school, no longer wanting to be a great duelist for duelist sake, but wanting to be a man that both of his fathers could be proud of.
Realizing that the tree line had neared as he was dreaming about home, Kunala, nods when Caitir says they should slow down, just as Iradyiel turns and tells everyone to dismount. Stopping the sorrel mare, he pats her on the neck as he dismounts. Moving close he scratches between her ears, telling her "Now we have to be quite, I know it used to be your home, but there not going to want to see us." Taking his bow out of its case and stringing it, he leads the mare following begin Mirana.
Staying focused on the trail and the things that Harris had pointed out, Iradyiel felt like they would make good time across the open grassland toward the tree line. Watching the trail, the birds flying overhead, the rabbits and badgers moving, the occasional field mouse, he tries to occupy his mind with the things at hand and not the potential problems waiting in the forest.
As the grass lands almost instantly morphs into the rocky, foggy moss covered forest floor, Iradyiel dismounts, telling the others, "I think we'll need to go on foot from here." Checking the string on his bow, he looks to Mirana, sounding a little less confident than usual. [b]"We were lucky following the clean prints from the fort to here. But this will be a different matter. Please feel free to point anything out."{/b] He then leads the mare named Desna into the wood.
When asked about his thoughts on dueling Dhavik shrugs with a grunt; “Gael is an interesting one. Wakes up early every day to do that stuff, fighting what isn’t there. That works for him,” patting his falchion; “and this works for me.” He goes silent again unless spoken to. Dhavik is not rude, but more to the point and no need for wasting breath on extra words.
As you make your way into the forest, Mirana is able to see and point out the tracks. Unfortunately, after an hour of walking you seem to lose the tracks. They have just vanished.
As you look around trying to find your bearings, you begin to notice markings on several of the trees around you. You would know that these are claw markings of a bear, but this is significantly larger than any bear you may have come across before. The claw marks look less of a bear climbing and more of a bear using the trees to push off of as it was making its way through the forest.
Dhavik unsheathes his blade; “Looks like we are stumbled into its hunting ground or it lives nearby.”
'Blast, we've lost the tracks.' Upon seeing the bear markings, Iradyiel nods in aggreement with Dhavik, "Yes, it looks like a large bear, but I'm just as concerned that the tracks we were following just seemed to vanish."
Mirana traces the claw markings on a nearby tree. "A very large bear I would think. I wouldn't have had expected that this place would support a bear enough for is to grow to such a large size. This forest must hold many secrets" she reflects idly before nodding at Dhavik. "With any luck, perhaps it will leave us alone or we can intimidate it into staying away. It would be a shame to murder it for the sake of it."
You continue your search of the trail but stumble across a small clearing grove. Looks to be an area where hunters, travelers, bandits, or even in this case Kobolds have made camp. You notice four kobolds lying on their backs in the center of the patch, their bellies look to be full. Around them are three overfilled baskets of something that you cannot make out.
'A large bear indeed.' nodding in aggreement with Mirana, Iradyiel runs his hands over the large scratches, shaking his head. "I've no idea if it's a large black bear or a brown bear, Either way, your right, I'd rather live and let live."
Gesturing towards the south-sothwest, "If we continue this direction, we should hit the river." As he leads the sorrel mare towards the river, Iradyiel enters the small clearing. Giving the 'all stop' signal by quickly lifting his hand in a fist, he points, and whispers, "Four Kobolds. Do we talk to them?" Frowning, "Can anyone talk to them?"