As the party sets out on the road, Brental shows a certain weariness, whether from the preparation for their encounter with the bandits the night before, discomfort from Wisp's sudden departure, or something else. Though it's not too difficult to follow along the river, he seems to keep second-guessing himself along the way. He descends into quiet for much of the trip, his brow furrowed.
Meneas scans the area as they travel, keeping note of interesting landmarks for future exploration when something strikes him. "Huh. Didn't someone mention moonlight radishes at Oleg's?" He indicates the area around them. "This is pretty ideal, as locations go, for growing 'em."
Signy doesn't have much to say about the particulars of moving out into the wilds to explore. In fact, she seems bored and a little distracted by other things during the whole affair.
She does have something to say to Oleg and Lana though, after the planning session is over and she can talk to them on her own.
"First of all, I'd like to ask you to hear me out before you say anything about what I'm going to ask. It'll probably sound weird, but I think it'll make sense if you consider all the angles."
"Would you be willing to keep Vlad on here for a couple of months or so, as a sort of punishment, if he has to help you out with things that have to be done around here? He's not really a bad sort. More than anything he needs a little guidance, which he's not had before."
"He's had a little education and I think he could do just fine if he had a few more skills. If you could teach him how to track inventory and keep records, he might be able to get a decent job. He wants to go to Pitax you see. He could also help with repairs and building and so forth. If you could do this, you wouldn't have to pay him anything aside from meals and somewhere to sleep. You could even keep him locked up at night and when you can't keep an eye on him. At the end I'll give him a little money to help him get where he's going myself."
"I know it's not a no risk thing to do. But all by himself Vlad isn't going to be coming up with any clever escape plans or trying anything violent. He's just not that crazy. That'll be especially true after the warning I give him if you agree. He'll know without a doubt we'd hunt him down and kill him. Maybe consider it overnight? I think you'd find him agreeable to directions, and grateful for some kindness."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Signy agrees readily to Svetlana's request. "I've never seen any moonlight radishes before, but I can ask Brental and Meneas to keep an eye out, and I'll bring them back if we find any."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As the group moves, Lorna tries to speak his way through the locals they cross by, but the spiritualist isn't able to gather any useful piece of information as they move in a hurry.
"Moonlight radishes, mmm? Well, we can look for some on our way back: really make an effort of it."
Vodnykel trots alongside the rest of the party, naturally a little slower than the horses but generally able to keep up. He seems unperturbed at least, and Brental periodically engages in light, seemingly one-sided conversation with the mastodon. Or at least, the Aasimar speaks and the mastodon responds with a mixture of ear flaps, chirps, muted trumpets, and snorts. Whether they're actually communicating back and forth or not is anyone else's guess.
As they travel along, Brental works his initial quietude out of his system and starts pointing out some of the features that Wisp had taken to sharing in the days before. He addresses many of these mentions to Signy, who had seemed so interested earlier, but frequently checks with Lorna and Meneas about whether they are familiar with a particular bird or tree along the river so that they can chime in as well, or fill in details that he leaves out.
"That one there is a scarlet tanager: very popular in certain regions of Taldor, I hear. Some Count north of Oppara has an annual jubilee named after them for some reason. One of my friends in the Wildwood Lodge managed to get an invitation one year. Lots of jousting and dancing. But anyway, you can tell that one is a male because of his bright red plumage. The females are actually yellow, and so are they males outside mating season. Oh, and there he goes singing! Looking for a mate, I warrant. I'll point one out if I see one--ah, there she is! Lucky fellow, if she responds."
The party edges forth through the forest, deeper and deeper until they can eventually hear the rushing on the river before them and from the sounds off cheering and the breaking of glass they can tell that the bandit camp must not be far off now. However, night has descended and the party is fairly tired at this point the time comes to make a decision, should they spy on the camp? Launch a surprise assault now? Or wait for the morning when they have all had time to recuperate?
Meneas lifts his hand to indicate they ought to stop. "I suggest we wait. We rushed here somewhat, and I do not want to risk fighting whilst we're tired from our long ride. Attacking at dusk might be wise, or later." His hooded gaze turns to each of the party members in turn.
"Do you have any thoughts?"
Brental makes sure to signal to his animal companion to be especially quiet, and whispers in return.
"Waiting and resting seems wise. If any of you feel comfortable with gathering information, it may be helpful to know their numbers. But otherwise I will start setting up our camp for the evening."
Oleg and Svetlana look at one another uncomfortably at the mention of having Vlad possibly stay and work with them and from the outset it is apparent that Oleg is not comfortable with the idea. "This is one of the men who threatened my wife and home, I'll be honest with you I was more or less excited by the prospect of seeing him hang."
Svetlana places a gentle hand on Oleg's bulging bicep and looks up at her husband pleadingly. "Listen Oleg my love. I understand you're protective of me. And you have every right to be given the circumstances. But if Signy thinks this would be for the best... if she vouches for him after all she's done for us. I say we give him a second chance what do you say hun?"
Oleg grumbles uncomfortably but his hard expression melts in the face of his wife's pleading eyes and eventually he relents. "Alright, alright. We can put him to work fixing things up around here, maybe I'll teach him inventory if he can prove himself. Until then he's staying in the stables where Claptrap can keep an eye on him. And one wrong sign from him and he'll be joining his buddies on the wall." The man huffs.
"Oh Oleg ya big lug!" Svetlana wraps her arms around the man and pulls him into a tight hug.
Yes, definitely, my friends. - whispers Lorna - Let's pull out to some cave nearby or something of the sorts to rest.
She breathes deeply as she thinks and looks around.
I like the idea of someone sneaking to gather information, but I also think we should all be well rested and it concerns me if such person would still be tired come the first rays. - still whispering, she briefly pauses - Now, as for plans... I have some ideas, obviously depending on how defended this place is. I would love to keep the Stag Lord's stash untouched for him to find, but maybe spike his alcohol. I mean, spike it for eternal slumber. A swift or untimely early death of a man could mean saving countless lives later on, maybe even throw the group in disarray as they seek a replacement...
She's tired, but her mind goes around on strategies that would minimize deaths - particularly on her side, but the other side as well if possible.
Signy hugs the both of them.
"I really think you're doing a great thing. I'll have another talk with Vlad before we leave and lay out the terms. I'll also make sure he wouldn't dare cross y'all, a little carrot and a lot of stick."
Signy takes Vlad his dinner on the evening before she leaves. She hands him the plate of food and summons up a tankard of ale for him, then sits down on the floor across from him.
"I have some good news for you. Oleg and Svetlana have agreed to let you stay here for a little while. Consider it both a period where you can make up for what you've done in the past, and where you can learn some things that'll help you find work when you get to Pitax."
"You'll be helping Oleg during the day with whatever he needs done. He's also agreed to teach you some about keeping track of inventories and record keeping if you want. At night you'll be confined. You are at their command during this time. You do what Oleg and Svetlana tell you to do. Period."
"They will provide you with a place to sleep and food. That's the way things will work for two months. After that, you're free to go on your way. I'll also give you fifty silver coins so you don't starve while you're traveling or before you find work in the city. You will be clearing out. Once you're free to leave, you'll no longer be welcome in the Stolen Lands."
"This isn't optional. You will be doing this, and you better do it well. There’s something you need to understand very clearly. If you ever disappoint us, you better believe we’ll be coming for your hide. You also better believe we’ll get it. No matter how clever you get, it won’t be enough to stop us from finding you. Meneas and Brental, those two can track a mouse fart all the way across a forest in a hard rain. Their pets alone would trample you into goo. You’ll likely remember me as the one who offed your boss Happs before he could even get started in the fight he decided to start. If I have you in my line of sight, I can kill you. I can see in the dark you know. I don’t mean starry night dark either. I mean so pitch-black you can’t see your finger touching your nose. I can see that finger, which means I can shoot you down. And then there’s Lorna. You better hope the other three of us get to you first because if it’s her that does, she’d just rip you in half longways and eat your soul.”
”That’s the kind of insurance Oleg and Svetlana have, leaving aside Oleg’s ability to wring your neck like a coney, and Svetlana’s using a frying pan to see you never eat solid food again. Now I’m not telling you this to make you piss yourself. If you’re square with us, you’re safe as can be. We’ll be square with you. I’m telling you so you know clearly as can be; you are watched, and you are completely overmatched.”
Signy smiles at Vlad. "So, are we clear or do you have any questions."
Signy is still interested in the things she's seeing on the journey, but her enthusiasm has been tempered a little by experience at this point. Still she's happy to banter with Brental when he brings things to her attention, or initiates conversation. She never gets tired of talking.
"I'm for finding a place to camp next, before anything else. Maybe we back off a ways so we don't have to worry about a fire being seen or smoke smelled?"
"Poison...well, I can see what I can find around here, but I would like to get some rest first and try in the morning. I did not bring anything to spike a drink with, and I think Daggermark is clear over 1000 kilometers away."
Brental agrees with Signy and Lorna's recommendations: a cave seems reasonable for maintaining protection without giving away their position.
Vlad looks happy to see Signy at first but his expression darkens after she begins going over her plans of various kinds of harm befalling him, it goes especially dark after Signy mentions what fate would befall him if Lorna was the one who caught him after committing a transgression against the party. "Y-yes ma'am um..." he locks the dryness from his lips as he perspires agressively. "I-I wouldn't dream of wasting this second chance. And after that, the further I get from you- I mean here, the better."
______________
Brental does, in fact know exactly what kind of poison he can find around here. A particularaly deadly kind of mushroom just known as a sugarsweet deathcap known for its sweet taste and deadly aftertaste. He's heard that boggards enjoy the taste when stewed down as the poison can be reduced out of the dish though a mild hallucinogenic effect still persists.
Finding the mushrooms actually leads Beental to the perfect little cave to se up for the night. There is a slightly copious amount of guano carpeting the floor of the cave but it is far enough away and deep enough in the cliffside that you feel secure setting up here for the night.
"Poison, hm? Bold. I like the idea... but is anyone here especially sneaky?" The knight-errant looks from one face to the next.
Meneas stands watch as dusk settles in, keeping a gloved hand on Veil's shoulder as he waits, alert to any possible intruders.
Brental is excited at finding the mushrooms, but implores his fellow travelers to not eat them, despite what Boggards might enjoy.
"These might be what we're looking for. I'm not much prone to stealth, but I can prepare these in such a way that we can use them to potentially deadly effect. Nature is full of wonders."
As Meneas takes first watch, Brental removes the barding and saddle bags from both Vodnykel and his horse, rubbing their muscles and feeding them some scrounged vegetation.
"Wake me in a couple hours, Meneas. I'll take second watch."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it Vlad. I'm sorry if this all sounded harsh. But this is the best deal I could get for you considering there are quite a few people who'd rather simply see you hang. Trust in you is extremely thin, so the guarantees against bad behavior on your part have to be very stiff. Anyway, like I said, all you have to do is be good to Oleg and Svatlana, and they will be good to you in return. We can all be friends, but it will take some time and effort to get there."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Signy doesn't worry about it too much, but she's having a hard time understanding how poison is going to help.
"So this would have to be eaten? It seems like it would take knowing an awful lot about the routine in the bandit camp to make that work. How do we get it to anyone for them to eat? What if they don't like mushrooms?"
Signy can take some time after it's completely dark to go survey the camp. But if she does, she wants last watch.
The camp before Signy is relatively large and well defended as she can make out at least two platforms being manned by two rough-looking men in leather armor each armed with a bow. In the camp below, which is bifurcated by the Thorn River itself she can spot two additional bandits laying about at rest and a third more slender figure Signy works out must be the infamous Kressle mentioned previously by Vlad. It would appear the bandits created this semi-permanent campsite by cutting themselves a small clearing. Tree trunks and logs serve as chairs, all centered about a stone-lined campfire. A heap of kindling and smaller sticks lies nearby.
There are two large piles of logs just before the entrance to the camp along with what would appear to be a broken down cart with no supplies in it a little further down. Even the city-bound Signy is able to easily spot this as having likely been an ambush site the bandits would us to waylay travelers whilst pretending to be unfortunate travelers in need of aid with their broken cart.
Signy surveys the surrounding area more carefully nothing that there is both an eastern and a western platform baring bandits, each with a rope descending to the ground below though the eastern watchtower also has a large tarp directly below it covering various goods from the looks of it.
The intrepid explorer is about to back away and return to her companions when a piercing whistle rings through the camp and all the bandits including Kressle spring to their feet and make ready their weapons.
"Alright hands up pretty miss wouldn't want me to get nervous and have anything unfortunate happen to that pretty little head of yours!" The gruff man in the eastern lookout platform smirks as he has drawn back an arrow and aimed squarely at the woman's head.
After a brief reprieve, Brental thinks better and ensures that his and Vod's armor remain on while Signy is away trying to gather information about the bandits. He has taken care, here in the cave, to ensure that their fire will not draw much attention. He is not overly concerned: though she may be young and more city-prone than the rest of them, she seems to know how to handle herself just fine. He occasionally looks at the mouth of the cave, but more out of anticipation rather than anxiety.
As Meneas and Lorna settle in for their respective first shift activities, Brental yawns and meditates a bit, taking in the sounds and smells of the cave. After a few minutes, he speaks just a bit over a whisper.
"Do you think Vlad is behaving? I was surprised at Signy's request."
"I have no real measure of the man... other than the fact he used to be a bandit, and old habits are hard to break." Meneas says, folding his arms over his chest. "But he's only one man, and I don't think he'll be armed, so Oleg should be able to handle him if he causes trouble."
"You're right, on both counts."
Brental examines the sugarsweet deathcap mushrooms as he awaits Signy's return.
Signy stops short and looks in the direction of the voice. She calls back to the sentry very loudly.
"You called me 'pretty' twice in one sentence! That's really sweet, but I took a wrong turn..."
And with that she ducks low and dodges back toward denser cover among the trees.
"I gots a pretty limited vocabulary!" the bandit explains as he looses an arrow from his longbow in Signy's direction.
The arrow pierces a tree very near to where Signy has retreated to, it is more than apparent that had she not been so careful in her actions it surely would have found it's mark. Fortunately Signy seems to have quite the natural talent for adventure and mischief and is more than capable of making the correct decision even in the heat of the moment.
The rest of the bandits gather up and make to follow Signy out into the forest when she hears a feminine voice call out. "Hold yourselves you worthless idiots! Go chasing off into the woods alone at this hour and your liable to get loat and never come back. And as much as I would love for it to be the last time I saw any of your ugly mugs holding in number is the best choice here. We have no idea how many are out there... Teeth Breaker, when the sun rises go gather the others we're gonna want to be on high alert now." The woman Signy has identified as Kressle smirks. "Of course if we see the bimbo again I say we fill her with arrows."
Signy slips away and hotfoots it back to the cave. She arrives in a state of excited amusement.
"I got a look at the camp, but they saw me too. Looks like there's four of them right now including Kressle. They're alert now, and calling in some others of their gang who weren't there. Doesn't seem like they're planning on moving or anything like that though."
"We'll have to wait a while until they're tired of waiting on us and come back. Maybe we should go check out something like the mites first."
Brental's eyes widen as Signy arrives and explains what happened. He looks her over for a moment before relaxing back. She did not appear to be injured, at least.
"Vlad's information was good, then. This trip may have been worth it for that at least."
He stretches, his fatigue apparent. "We'll need to be vigilant tonight. I do typically need to meditate in the mornings in order to prepare my magicks, but we can leave as soon as we wake to put some distance between us and Kressle."
Brental begins taking his and Vod's armor off, rubbing his sore muscles as he prepared for rest. The mushrooms could wait, although...
"I have an idea. If we take a little longer in the morning and are sloppy about leaving tracks, I may be able to prepare these mushrooms in a way that could be interesting to them if they find a bottle. No guarantees, but it's possible."
The night passes slowly, everyone is on guard listening for any little noise that could translate to the approach of Kressle's crew or some other problematic entity after Signy's close encounter with the band.
Slowly, the night does pass into dawn and everyone is feeling better with their fatigue in check. It is very early now and the sun is just begining to rise leaving the sky in the strange yet beautiful half night half day stage.
Now the party must decide what to do as one would imagine that now that the sun is rising, Kressle and the others are likely to be moving as well.
Meneas sighs at Signy's return, but inclines his head at her words. "Well, at least you got away safely. Let's prepare for our rest, and keep a careful eye out for our newfound foes."
"I suggest we try to handle Kressle - while the Stag Lord might be content to let Oleg and Svetlana escape retribution and 'taxes' for a time, I don't think Kressle will be so willing - plus, she's much closer to the Trading Post."
Meneas begins arming and armoring both himself and Veil as he speaks.
Brental wakes feeling refreshed but on edge. "Unfortunately she will be expecting us now. We have not the element of surprise. She has no reason to suspect Oleg and Svetlana, and it sounds like her fellows might have been the sort to not arrive back promptly. We could try to strike hard now, but we should be prepared to make a hasty retreat if we find ourselves outmatched. I would urge caution."
After a moment, he adds a flurry of questions, "If we are preparing for battle: what did you learn last night, Signy? Was their campsite grassy? Is there vegetation that I could turn on them? Were there ample hiding spots? What were their arms like?"
This was the opposite of their previous day's preparations, and Brental did not like it. Before, they were luring in a dangerous predator. Now they were preparing to walk knowingly into another predator's den. Sometimes it had to be done, but the risk of casualties was always higher in such a hunt.
"If we want to draw them to us, we will need some kind of diversion that could fool then. I can hide our tracks as we leave, but I do not know that I can create false tracks. If you all could help, you are welcome to the supplies I brought with me."
At some point after their planning, Brental excuses himself to commune with nature. During this, he will work with some of the mushrooms to make a tea.
"There isn't a fort so much as a permanent camp with a watchtower. Plenty of plants about. The three men had bows. I didn't see Kressle with one. She's fairly clever, wouldn't let anyone chase after me in the dark thinking I might be ambush bait, which would have been a good idea. I wish I'd thought of that, even if it wouldn't have worked because she did too."
"The wild card is the question of whether there are any more of them close enough to up their numbers by the morning. We no longer have surprise in our side, and we can't be sure what the terms of a fight would be. Maybe four, maybe more of them. Our defensive position sucks too. Only thing is we're more mobile than they are. We could leave out from here and circle around to approach the camp from a new direction. But really I don't think it would help much."
"If we're going to leave I don't think they would press us to hard chasing us down. Their numbers aren't overwhelming, probably. There's not much for them to gain either if we're clearing out. She would probably guess we're a harder target than they prefer. I think lighting out for a less crowded part of the forest is the sounder idea myself. They'll get lax again in a few days or a week's time."
"Either way we should be up before light, and moving on what we're going to do by the time y'all can see well enough to do it. They will very probably come looking this far, we're practically on top of them."
We don't need to do the... Wine treatment... Before fighting them. I suspect, however, that we might not be enough to deal with them, so we have fewer options.
The noblewoman scratches her neck swiftly with the nails, careful not to hurt herself.
If we deal with their leader, they might put weapons down. We can also try the stealth approach or some divide and conquer, but I suspect that now that we lost the element of surprise... This wouldn't work. Maybe we could try to cull their rangers from afar, somehow?
"Mm. I'm not great with a bow or my javelins, but I can try to ride around and pick them off..." Meneas says to Lorna, before looking at Brental. "While I don't object to the idea of poisoning them, the more complex the plan the more places it can go wrong. Especially now that they're either settling in or hunting us."
He begins pacing around their campsite. "While I am loathe to leave these people behind us to continue their brutality, Signy may be correct. The major issue I foresee is perhaps them moving around after we leave them... and possibly informing the Stag Lord that there are enemies here. Of course, they only saw Signy, so they don't know how strong the forces are..." He sighs, before shrugging. [b]"I would prefer to fight, but I don't think it's necessarily the wisest move.
"Discretion is the better part of valor," Brental nods. "We will end their campaign of brutality, but perhaps not today."
Brental holds the bottle of mushroom tea in his hands. "No subterfuge today, either, I suppose. This may still become useful later. I hear Boggards like the stuff, and I can probably remove the poison with a bit more work."
The Aasimar looks at his companions. "Perhaps we can search for the mites, as Signy recommended." He pulls out a cold iron dagger to show the group. "Hopefully they can be reasoned with without resorting to violence, but it is good to be prepared."
The poison idea was never targeted at Kressle and her men, but rather at the owner of the bottles... The Stag Lord. It's more of a long shot than something immediate. - she ponders - And it hurts me that we lost the element of surprise. Dealing with this small garrison was a way to give Oleg some peace, as they're way too close for comfort.
A brief pause as she looks around.
If we can identify the road, we can assume they will send more people to the outpost, and likely try to ambush some of them on their path. I'm just concerned that if we turn our backs to this group now and decide to focus on the critters or other similar threats, we will basically be exposing the outpost and ourselves by consequence.
Signy shrugs at the debate over what to do.
"I'm not saying we can't handle them. I think we can. But I don't think it'll go so easy as Oleg's. I'm on board with either if most of you favor one way or another."
Brental looks at his companions. "If we are conflicted, and worried about what more harm these bandits will do if we permit them to continue, then let us strike now. They may be more prepared, but it's possible that they will still be preparing. Just paranoid and defensible, but not ready for an assault."
Brental asks Signy to draw a crude map of the camp from her description, and places a wooden club and a simple sling with some stones on the ground. "From our vantage point, once we get close enough, I can hinder their movement with the natural vegetation. It would prevent us from charging in to meet them head on, but we could either split them up this way, drawing them out to meet us, or begin engaging them from range. Meneas, like you I am more effective up close, but I can do enough from further away. I think Signy is our most effective ranger with her deadly bow. If we would prefer to charge straight in, then I will ensure that I can maintain pace with all of you instead of lagging like yesterday."
As soon as the group clarifies their battle plan, Brental excuses himself to meditate and prepare his spells.
"I think you know of my opinion on letting these people go free." Meneas says, his arms folded. "But I do think that charging in may be a tad reckless, at least without any other plans. In either case, I will do as you all think we should. Four or five men plus Kressle without the element of surprise will be a difficult battle, but we do have our furred companions, as well as the magical abilities of Lady Medvyed and Brental."
The group gathers their things and make themselves ready for battle. They know they will be facing tough opposition now that the bandits know they are coming but in the end they decide that the threat of them taking revenge on Oleg's Trading Post is too real for them to readonably ignore.
It is a short trek to the bandit encampment, in that time the group plan their strategy accordingly and steel their nerves for the killing to come.
As they circle around the bandit camp, while they are still far enough away to not be heard, Brental reaches down and grabs two handfuls of dirt. He takes a sharp breath and begins to murmur some words that sound utterly unfamiliar to his companions. As he speaks, thin roots emerge from the ground and wrap in supportive patterns around the druid's legs, glowing a light blue for a moment before melding into his skin. Brental stretches and nods to his companions, ready to continue moving.
The party approach the area of the bandit encampment when Signy raises her hand and signals the others that they are close. Each member of the party then splits off to their own designated areas as Lorna prepares her ingeniius distraction.
Lorna focus, once coordinated with her companions, and gets ready. When people go to their positions she blinks, deeply, and feels the pain through her body - intense, burning, until finally the phantasmagoric version of her leaves her as if a soul being freed.
The creature immediately moves to the view of the enemies from the small hold. It passes through trees and bushes, in a sinister, macabre circular dance, making sure to stay within the range of the etheric tether of the spiritualist.
I already claimed souls from your pool... And I will get back for more! - the exemplar laughs loudly, its incorporeal limbs moving through the air as if pure smoke, haunting yet very much discernible - Tonight I'll come to crush your necks, unless my hunger is satiated with the head of your leader! Bring me her head now and I'll shall spare you... Let Kressle live another night, and I'll murder you all the same way I claimed Happs and his men!