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"I think we can manage that." Sariana says once Svetlana has explained the problem. "Let's keep it simple. They come into the compound, Amiri and I will hide by the gates to shut them and prevent anyone escaping. Girls," Her gesture encompassed Linzi, Tandri and Floare, "Take cover and attack from afar. Valerie, do you mind being the bait? I'll trust the rest of you to hide yourselves sensibly."
Tandri looks around contemplating positioning, distances, and wondering if the meaty barbarian lady is any good at hiding. Not that she should be pointing fingers at the stealth department. So she keeps her thoughts to herself and finds a place well back from the opening.
"A solid plan. We don't want any bandits escaping to warn their leader. I'll join the battle once we've trapped them."
"Deregar... um, my healing magic has a limited range, so I'll take cover near you... if that is okay... with you?" logically it makes sense since he and his dragon will be joining the fray, and staying behind them gives her a measure of cover without being too far back to help if anyone needs it. But it sounds... oddly companionlike. Which makes her uncomfortable. As always.
"Yes, of course," Deregar answers. "Tyr will mix it up with people if needed, and I'll guard your back."
"And I will watch yours?" Tandri's friendly banter has a lot to be desired. But behind a dragon is still the best place to be in a battle, she thinks, so she smiles at its master.
"I believe that we're 'fine', as you say," she says with a simple nod.
~~~~~
Floare nods in response to Sariana's plans. Having never been in a planned battle before, she's quite happy to let someone more knowledgeable on the subject take charge.
"Now remember, Dante," she instructs her enthusiastic familiar, "Once the battle begins, you need to stay by my side."
But, Mom, my teeth are sharp and strong. No rabbit can stand against me. Like Lady Sariana, I'm a predator.
"That is very true my brave boy, but I'd prefer if you'd stay near me and protect me with those strong teeth."
I won't let anything happen to you. A growl of demonstration follows.
Floare smiles and runs her fingers through the pup's soft fur. "Thank you."
***
"Valerie, do you mind being the bait?"
Valerie squares her shoulders. "If you have to call it that, then no, I do not mind. I will lure them close so that you can close in behind them."
***
The next morning, a group of four bandits arrive as expected. About an hour after sunrise, the four brigands approach from the south on horseback. The leader is the hooded man Svetlana mentioned before, riding in the rear with his bow across his lap while the other three bandits have daggers drawn.
The bandits ride through the open gates of the trading post and into the central courtyard, where Valerie stands with sword and shield in hand. The lead bandit gives her a scowl. "And just who the hell are you supposed to be? Where are Oleg and Svetlana?" he demands.
Valerie meets his challenge with a steely-eyed gaze. "Repent, bandits, or you will face justice," she declares.
The bandits chuckle. "Yeah? And who's gonna deal out this justice?" the leader asks.
That's your cue!
Unfortunately, Deregar and Floare are bit slow to take advantage of that cue...
Barrels have been her companions for the last hour, as she waited. Deregar as well, but the attempts at small talk had dried up a while ago. Her tail aches from sitting on it too much
Now finally something is happening.
But Horses... that adds a wrinkle. Tandri is no tactician, but even she knows they just lost the ability to catch them if they make a break for it.
So she waits. Sari had made a plan to close the gates and trapping them, so she waits. With eagerly anxious wagging.
When the gate shuts, Tandri prays over Deregar's spear "Stick them hard, Stick them deep." she urges him on, including a bit of extra umpfh.
Amiri helps Sariana close the gates, then hefts her sword and growls at the bandits!
The hooded man laughs. ”Is that supposed to scare us? You’re gonna regret crossing us, wenches!” He raises his bow and fires on Sariana, but misses twice.
The other bandits dismount from their horses and move up to attack Valerie, slashing with their daggers. She dodges two of their strikes and blocks the third with her shield,
Deregar roars a challenge, hoping to take some of the heat off Valerie. His skin seems to kindle into flame as glowing tattoos climb his arms and Tyr appears to chomp one of the bandits attacking the lady knight.
for
Floare raises her crossbow and then looses a bolt directed towards the bow-wielding leader.
She follows it up by extending her hands to the sky and calling upon the forces of nature. Her call is answered by the screech of a hunting bird - an eagle - as it descends from the sky.
Dragons, wolf pups, and now eagles. Tandri feels like she is letting the group down in the conjuration arena, but all she has is damage, crossbows, and healing. Two of which she sends at the leader. Two bolts fly toward him. A spikey one, like Floare's, combined with a mental one to stab his mind.
Serves him right for the wenches comment.
Tyr appears flanking one of the bandits attacking Valerie. The dragon's jaws chomp down on the man, bearing him to the ground as blood flies!
Floare shoots the bow-wielding bandit leader, then Tandri shoots him as well and blasts his mind! The man groans, staggers, and falls off his horse, thudding to the ground.
Sariana is on the other bandits with a flash, taking one down with a flurry of blows! Amiri and Valerie take out a third man, leaving only one bandit still standing! With nowhere to flee, the last bandit wisely throws down his weapons and surrenders!
Between the four of them, the bandits have 24 sp. Each one also wears a silver amulet worth 3 gp. The amulets depict an open-faced helmet made from the skull of a fanged predator, with antlers extending from the top of the helmet down either side.
Society - Success! Tandri recognizes the sigil as that of a new bandit leader calling himself the "Stag Lord." Rumors say that he is rising in prominence in the Stolen Lands.
The bandit quickly talks. He tells you that their camp is at the Thorn River, about a full day's ride to the south. Their leader is a woman named Kressle, and they in turn are part of a larger group of bandits that serve the Stag Lord. They're here to steal as much valuables from travelers in the area as they can! He says that Kressle will come for Oleg and Svetlana sooner rather than later once it's clear that this group has been defeated.
"You really should have kept one of the others alive." Tandri says next to Sari. "Not that the world is worse off, but now instead of separating and comparing stories, we'll have to torture this one Over and Over until we are sure he's telling us the truth." her amber eyes look at the bandit "Unless he can convince us of that at the start? Tell us everything about the stag lord."
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"I'm not worried about corroboration." Sariana replies, "This gives him a nice clear example of the consequences of lying. Apply fear fast enough and he won't think to lie. Then when he does think about it he'll remember the dead faces of his companions. Then he'll think about how much more slowly I could twist his neck before it finally snaps. I trust that he'll see the wisdom in co-operating."
She joins Tandri in glaring at the man.
"You heard her, keep talking."
"Shouldn't we try to send him to Restov? Or give him a trial?" Deregar is a little taken aback by the bloodthirst of his companions.
Tyr has no such compunctions: "Banditry is a destabilizing force in the realm. Death is an appropraite punishment, unless the fellow makes himself useful."
"You will recall what was written our charter," Valerie says. "'The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope.' Should he repent his villainous ways, he may be shown leniency."
The bandit swallows nervously as he continues to talk. "Our boss is a monster of a man. Calls himself the Stag Lord. He’s a deadeye with the bow, and I saw him crush a prisoner’s hand to mush in one fist. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him without his creepy stag helmet on—some say he ain’t got no face under it, but not me—I think that creepy helm is his face!
"Anyway, he's got a fort on the northeast shore of the Tuskwater. And he's a bloody drunk. He’s half of what he used to be, and he ain’t never been right in the head. I hear he punched a horse for spittin’ in the yard a few weeks ago. Personally, I wouldn’t care if he dropped dead tomorrow, but even drunk out of his mind, he’s still got a fair amount of fight to him."
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"Shouldn't we try to send him to Restov? Or give him a trial?" Deregar is a little taken aback by the bloodthirst of his companions.
Tyr has no such compunctions: "Banditry is a destabilizing force in the realm. Death is an appropraite punishment, unless the fellow makes himself useful."
"The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope." Sariana quotes from their charter, just after Valerie. "Attacking us was unrepentant. This one surrendered, so he gets a chance. Simple." She inclines her head to the dragon in thanks for his support.
When the bandit spills his guts she nods firmly. "A good start. Now then, we'll have to divide our forces. If this group is expected back late today we should set out now and attack their camp at night. It'll be a long day, but worth it to catch them by surprise. We only have four horses though..." She pauses, clearly weighing up who should go where.
"I will lead the raiding party." She decides. "We'll need a healer, and someone experienced in the woods. Tandri, Floare, are you willing? I'd like you to come as well Deregar. You and Tyr are a force to be reckoned with and an extra body will be useful."
She turns to Valerie. "That leaves you in charge here. Let's give this one a chance to make himself useful and earn a reprieve from his rightly deserved hanging. If he tries to run, or isn't worth the effort, you can deal with him as you please. Any objections?"
She glances around the group but clearly isn't expecting any issues to be raised. "With Zon Kuthon's blessing we'll be back tomorrow and there will be no more bandit threat to this outpost."
"Thanks for your help," Oleg says, emerging from hiding once it's clear the threat has been neutralized. "Restov has promised us aid to bolster the trading post's defenses. Hopefully that will get here soon, before the bandits gather the courage to try something against us."
As a reward, Oleg offers you 12 gp and several alchemical items: two minor healing potions, one lesser antidote, and one lesser antiplague. Svetlana tells you that you are welcome to stay in the guest house free of charge as long as you want, with meals provided for free.
Valerie nods to Sariana. "We will keep things secure here until you return. Be safe out there."
Floare's lips tighten at Sariana's brutal, but efficient execution of most of the bandits. Rationally she understood that it would be their place to mete out the appropriate punishment for crimes committed, but she had hoped to escape the casual dispensation of death.
She listens quietly at the interrogation and only raises an eyebrow in surprise at Tandri's casual suggestion of torture. She's about to object when Sari argues against it and only then does she realize that it was a ruse.
At least she hopes it was a ruse.
After the 'stayers' and 'goers' are sorted, she approaches Sariana.
"Just so you're aware, I can't see in the dark," Floare offers quietly. "I know you're wanting to attack their camp tonight so I wanted to make sure you weren't assuming anything."
It seems as if there's something else the girl wants to talk about, but she seems hesitant. After glancing around nervously, she finally leans a little closer. "Are you actually a follower of Zon Kuthon?" she asks in almost a whisper. "Being a ... what you are, I would have thought that, like Jaethal, you'd worship Urgathoa." There's an involuntary shudder at the mention of the Pallid Princess' name.
Deregar pockets a healing potion and looks over the horses to find one that's most appropriate for him. Tyr keeps his distance, hoping not to spook the beast.
"How many men does Kressle command?"
The bandit tells you that Kressle has six other bandits under her command at the Thorn River camp, but some are usually out hunting, gathering firewood, or patrolling at any given time.
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"Zon Kuthon made me who I am." Sariana replies. "So yes, I worship him. You're right, vampires are seen as creatures of Urgathoa, but not all of us are. We aren't all gluttonous maniacs you know. Unless we haven't been fed for a long time."
Vague memories flash through her mind, a spectacular rampage, overwhelming hunger and a little girl sleeping soundly in bed.
She's so distracted that she doesn't hear Floare's next question.
"Sounds like we could handle them, especially if we can sneak up on any that are out patrolling. Is everyone ready?" Deregar has a secure sense of accomplishment after dealing with this motley crew.
Her only personal experience with a follower of Zon Kuthon being a man in an inn who was covered in copper rings piercing every part of his visible skin, Floare frowns slightly in confusion.
"Forgive my ignorance, but aren't followers of Zon Kuthon normally more ... obvious?" she asks, with a pointed look up and down the smaller woman's visibly unblemished skin.
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"What?" Sariana asks and Floare has to repeat the question before the vampire actually registers it. Given the number of people around she shakes her head and doesn't answer the question until the five of them are riding away from the outpost.
Sariana is not, it turns out, a good rider. Her posture is excellent but there is clearly no connection between her and the horse, the two merely co-existing in uneasy truce.
"Oh, you mean the tattoos and scars and so forth?" She clarifies. "That's for the lesser worshippers Sweet One. Zon Kuthon is a god of pain, yes, but you don't have to just receive it." She tries to tamp down her enthusiasm a little, just in case Floare becomes completely traumatised, but its hard.
"I was an artist, Sweet One. I could create things that Shelynites could only dream of. The clothes I could make... I know exactly how the body works, and that means I can flatter it in any number of ways. Ahh, the Symphony of Screaming Souls. That was my finest hour I think."
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Floare tries to hide her confusion as Sariana goes on about clothes. What they have to do with pain is unclear to her, but she listens attentively. "This is the first dress that I've purchased for myself," she says finally in an attempt to continue the conversation thread. "It didn't fit quite right initially. But I've altered it myself to be more comfortable." She grins. "I made Dante a little bow once, but he was less than enthusiastic about it."
Dante looks up from where he sits in front of Floare on the saddle, his tongue hanging to the side.
It itched and tickled my ears.
"But you looked adorable, my beautiful little boy," Floare responds with a chuckle.
I think I look quite handsome without any silly bow.
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"Perhaps one day I'll make you something." Sariana says, "You could grace the ballroom of any court. Those cheekbones..." Her gloved hand trails across Floare's cheek before her sleeve falls, exposing a thin strip of skin to the afternoon sun. There's a slight hissing sound and a distinct smell of burning as Sariana lets out a muffled curse before her arm shoots back to her side, away from the cruel rays of the sun.
Tandri nods quickly to the offer of being on the away team. Much better than being forced into close quarters with a group of people with very little to do. She'd be forced to try and talk, and that would end badly. Even with Lindzi, Tandri has stumbled around with anything other than the topic of her book. It shouldn't be this hard, she thinks, even though she knows it is.
Her own worries make her miss the other questions and whispered conversations.
Instead she sees to her horse, the remaining one, a gray-speckled mare. At first, Tandri seems awkward around her horse, avoiding being near the reach of the horse's mouth. Experience has taught her that Smell usually is associated with food to most creatures. While it is doubtful the horse would try and bite a chunk out of her arm, her hair is another matter.
Once on the horse, it is obvious the pink dwarf has ridden quite often. Posting with practiced ease. With a wave goodbye to no one in particular, she is ready to go.
Riding in the back is her normal, as it is harder to talk to someone in the back of the line from horseback. So again, she misses conversations about pain and dresses and all sorts.
But eventually, Tandri accepts that being sociable means a better chance of not dying. With a squeezing of her knees and a soft cluck, she moves her speckled horse up beside Deregar "How did you become friends with Tyr?" she asked with an abruptness.
Deregar smiles at Tyr, who is currently terrorizing some sort of small animal a ways off the horsetrail.
"Tyrkaxian is...an old friend of the family. He took care of me after my aunt died. Just showed up in the middle of the night and started talking to me." Deregar's face might cloud slightly, but he continues without a break.
"He mostly protected me and made sure I had food in my mouth. He's been teaching me some arcane tricks too, though he says I don't do magic like 'a proper dragon.' " The youung man makes a growing imitation of Tyr's typical gruff tone.
"Where did you call home, Tandri? Are you used to these wild fields, or where you a city dweller?"
Tandri is smiling at the playful dragon. He isn't covered in fur but it is delightful how... catlike... the dragon seems to be. The word Home startles her. Her mouth opens to shoo away, to deflect, but then she admits "Both, in truth. Dwarven ethics doesn't accept one with my taint much, but happily, my parents were surface dwellers so I could wander away from disapproval. Forests are lovely for solace. I think." she smiles, looking away, almost embarrassed "In a large enough city though, there is so much to see, to taste. I went to temple there, experiencing all I was willing to, at least." she pauses, eyes widening and her laugh bright when Tyr catches his prey "I'd like to call a city home someday... if I could. What about you?" conversation is a give and take, her teachers taught, though their lessons were on a different sort of give and take, it still applied.
"I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Well...that's not exactly true; I think Oleg's holds that distinction. Still, it was a little town out in the hinterlands, so I've spent my share of time in the outdoors."
Deregar casts a glance over his right shoulder, gazing off to the north. "I'll end up settling down in the city, though. Maybe in a big house in New Stetven."
Tandri brightens a bit more at the mention of New Stetven, a memory erupting in her mind. "If you do... there is a coffee shop, the Morning Warmth, which is deeply pretentious, but oh so cozy, and it has a roll, stuffed with butter, pecans, and just a little chocolate, dusted with cinnamon..." Tandri loses herself in the past for a minute at least, then colors brightly "You should try it, I mean to say."
You follow the bandit's directions west into the woods of the Greenbelt, then south to Thorn River. You skirt the northern bank, and as the sun begins to set, you arrive at the creekside campsite.
The Thorn River bandit camp is relatively large. The encampment itself is about 60 feet from the Thorn’s north bank—a path winds alongside a shallow creek that leads directly up to the campsite. This path continues for another 200 feet north of the camp before turning into a standard game trail.
A small clearing has been cut in the woods. Tree trunks and logs serve as
chairs, all centered around a stone-lined campfire. A heap of kindling and smaller sticks lies nearby.
A wooden platform 20 feet off the ground gives a great view of the campsite and the trail. A rope ladder allows access. You spot a bandit keeping watch from this platform. A similar platform is on the opposite side of the camp, to the west, also occupied by a bandit. Three more bandits sit around the campfire, including a stern-looking woman with a pair of hatchets at her belt.
The bandits haven't noticed you yet...
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Sariana examines the camp as closely as she can and then signals for the group to retreat. Once they are a safe distance away she gathers everyone together to speak.
"The sentries on the towers are the biggest problem, I think we want to get as close to one tower as we can under cover and then go straight past it into the camp. Hopefully that way we can kill off the sleeping ones before the guards in the tower realise what's going on. When they do they'll be stuck and have to climb down if they want to help their friends. Either we all go, which gives us a numbers advantage but risks the stealth or I go in alone, which would be quieter and then you all rush in if they manage to raise the alarm."
She pauses. "Anything to add?"
Tandri shakes her head. Tactics (and stealth) are not her strong points.
"Tyr can likely get up a tower pretty easily, but if he deals with a guard it's going to be a noisy process. You're right, Sari, it's better to catch them by surprise. So, we wait until some of them are asleep?"
Deregar thinks about other possible surprises. "We could try to lure some of them away from camp. Anyone good at imitating a wounded deer?"
He smiles at the half-formed plan.
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"Luring them is risky..." Sari points out, raising one thin eyebrow at Deregar's pet name for her. "If one goes to the midden, then that might be an opportunity, but better to wait until they're asleep. Tandri and I at least have better night vision than they do, we should use that. Let's get closer again so we can see what's going on. We move after they've gone to sleep, unless one leaves and we can take them out silently."
Her gloved hand trails across Floare's cheek before her sleeve falls, exposing a thin strip of skin to the afternoon sun. There's a slight hissing sound and a distinct smell of burning as Sariana lets out a muffled curse before her arm shoots back to her side, away from the cruel rays of the sun.
Floare freezes as Sariana reaches for her, flinching back only when the sun starts roasting the woman's flesh. Without a thought, she reaches into her stored magic, seeking out her healing spell, but stops herself with a shake of her head. She would do more harm than good and that wasn't her intention.
"You should be more careful," she finally says in a reserved tone.
~~~~~
Floare nods along with Tandri, her tactical abilities at about the same level.
You watch from a distance as the bandits go about their evening routine. Once night has fallen, the guards in the watchtowers swap out, and the bulk of the bandits unroll bedrolls by the fire. The weather is pleasant, so they go to sleep under the stars.
Once you are sure only the sentries remain awake, you begin to sneak into the camp...
With a nod, Deregar sends Tyr in to attack one of the sleeping bandits. The dim light is no barrier for the dragon's keen senses.
for
for
Tandri moves up with the others, then fires with spell and bolt into a sleeping form.
Floare kneels on the ground and draws a quick circle in the dirt before drawing a rune in the center of it. Muttered magical words follow and soon a serpentine shape slithers out of the grass towards her.
"Now aren't you a pretty thing," she coos to the emerald-patterned snake.