The second bandit drops, the nonlethal strike landing across his ears and knocking him out cold. The third sprints into the wilderness, not looking back to the fate of his companions.
Tawny bravely thrusts his sword at the beetle
for
"Shoo!! Go away!! Or next time I WILL hit you! No more warning shots for me!!"
Angry beyond measures, Kizzirark attacks the beetle with all his might, then drinks again from his flask.
Tawny's blade strike fares worse than his arrow, deflecting harmlessly off the beetle's hard carapace.
Kizzirark, on the other hand, takes advantage of the bard's arrival with a truly crushing blow, one that knocks the beetle askew slightly as his blade cleaves into the creature's hide underneath its armor. It's not down, but it is gravely wounded. Unfortunately it doesn't look interested in retreating either, now fully in an enraged frenzy.
Bertie sees the dim form of the last archer vanish from sight at a run. The large bug and several bodies stand in the way of him getting remotely close enough to ensorcel the rat. There was nothing he could do there... and the coppery smell of Kizz’s blood draws his attention. He intones, ”Amina, spirit of flesh untainted, I ask that you salve the wounds of this drunken and wretched badger.”
HP: 7 / 7 | AC:14 / T:12 / FF:12 | CMD:12/10
1st Spells (4): xx
Channel (6): x
Bullets (20):
Healer Kit (10):
Flare (1):
Guidance (1):
Spark (1):
Tears to Wine (1):
Effects:
Bless – 3 of 10 rnds
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Comes running out to the battle, sword drawn, huffing and puffing.
Healing magic once more flows over Kizzirark's wounds, stemming the worst of the bloodflow.
Dahlia and Tawny's strikes don't manage to pierce the beetle's thick shell, unfortunately, though Kizzirark's attack makes up for it. Rowan moves into position to join the fray.
Though its movements have slowed some due to its grievous wound, the beetle is still more than capable of giving back its own, and its retaliatory strike barely manages to successfully strike the badger. The horn gores deep, driving well into Kizzirark's lower torso.
The unconscious bandit and the leader Happs remain lying where they are, unmoving.
Roused from his distraction, Squakowk joins the battle!
Unseen, the final bandit continues his flight into the wilderness.
An ordinary animal would have fallen already, but Kizzirark is far from ordinary. Almost dead, he lifts his blade with both hands and brings it down on the beetle one last time!
He coughs some blood, eyes unfocused with anger. Kizzirark drops his sword and collapses.
Magic was more flexible than channeling and Bertie had less of it. The day was young and who could say what he’d be called upon to do later? He feels the heavy thud as the grievously wounded badger hits the ground sending up a spray of dust. Bertram has to do something, but what?
He calls upon the ancestors and floods the area with healing light, leaving their enemies in shadow. The blind oracle feels a bit torn about that but Mosley was whispering the rats should be left to die. Sometimes Mosley was right.
HP: 7 / 7 | AC:14 / T:12 / FF:12 | CMD:12/10
1st Spells (4): xx
Channel (6): xx
Bullets (20):
Healer Kit (10):
Flare (1):
Guidance (1):
Spark (1):
Tears to Wine (1):
Effects:
Bless – 4 of 10 rnds
"Come on big guy, lets get you back up"
Tawny takes a step back from the conflict and then casts a cure light wound spell into Kizzark
He then growls "menacingly" at the beetle
On the one hand, Rowan is concerned that Kizzark has fallen, because if his next blow hits, it might draw the beetle onto him. On the other hand, the oracle's healing energy makes him feel a lot better.
And it's not like he was going to not attack the rampaging beast in front of them. He twirls his staff above his head to get some momentum, one end flaring with arcane energy as he does so, and brings the staff down onto the beetle.
As the group hurries to tend to Kizzirark's wounds as he succumbs to his rage, his final blow slams down on the beetle's head, crushing it beneath the weight of the badger's falling form. Both he and the giant insect fall, but while the bleeding badger continues with labored breath as Bertram and Tawny shove healing magic his way, the beetle gives a single twitch of its wings and one leg then Rowan slams his staff into its gut, piercing through a weakpoint in its carapace, and it falls still.
With its fall, all finally goes quiet in the tradepost at last. The two remaining unconscious bandits and the third dead at Dahlia's blade remain where they lay, amidst the wreckage of the overturned wagon.
Rowan yanks his staff out of the beetle's guts, swinging one end away from the others to flick off the gore.
"Two of them are getting away. Should we try and pursue? One of us would probably need to be versed in woodcraft if so."
Dahlia catches her breath before checking that the two remaining rats are also still breathing. ”While it is easier to slay those who oppose us,” she murmurs, "it is better to offer them the chance at redemption, while justice is served upon them by the authorities. I suppose that is Oleg, here.”
“I’ll pursue the blighters, I must make amends for my earlier disgrace!”
Squakowk does not allow himself to recover his breath as he relentlessly chases after the two fleeing bandits.
"Oh! Um, is anyone going to go with him?"
Dahlia catches her breath before checking that the two remaining rats are also still breathing. ”While it is easier to slay those who oppose us,” she murmurs, "it is better to offer them the chance at redemption, while justice is served upon them by the authorities. I suppose that is Oleg, here.”
"Well, let's disarm them and take their packs before they wake up, at least. I'll go ask Oleg or Svetlana for some rope to tie them up."
Rowan goes to find either of their hosts to let them know that the fight is over and to ask for some rope. He keeps mum about letting them know that they will have to decide if the two prisoners live or die.
"I'm not going to let Squakowk face them by himself" he says as he chases off after Squakowk who is chasing off after the 2 bandits
The two bolt out into the wilderness, where the treeline is distant enough that they can still see the escaping rat where he is now a few hundred feet away. He's bent over with paws on knees to catch his breath, but the approach of the two departing from within the outpost quickly catches his attention. At that point he gives a sharp squeak and resumes his retreat.
Oleg and Svetlana remain inside their hut until retrieved, with Oleg quietly asking, "Did'ja git 'em?" when Rowan comes to get them. The two follow the hedgehog back out into the courtyard and momentarily gawk at the aftermath of the battle - particularly the heavily-wounded Kizzirark and the dead beetle - before their gazes settle on the bandit leader.
"Happs," Oleg spits as he stalks over toward the wounded rat, Svetlana a few steps behind as she follows her husband more warily. "Still breathin', I see. These fine folks didn't have th' courtesy t' send you straight t' Hellgates where y' belong."
"These fine folks didn't have th' courtesy t' send you straight t' Hellgates where y' belong."
Rowan pointedly looks at Dahlia.
"Pant pant Stop running and surrender. We're not going to kill you if you Pant Pant Surrender. But if you run I'll have no choice Pant Pant bug to shoot you down like a rat"
Bertram keeps tending to the Kizzirark, trying to get the badger back on his paws.
EFFECT: or Harm
HP: 7 / 7 | AC:14 / T:12 / FF:12 | CMD:12/10
1st Spells (4): xxx
Channel (6): xxx
Bullets (20):
Healer Kit (10):
Flare (1):
Guidance (1):
Spark (1):
Tears to Wine (1):
Effects:
Bless – 6 of 10 rnds
Dahlia stays on guard against the remaining rats, after seeing that they are tied up. She shrugs when Oleg says they should be killed. "It is possible that they have information that you might value, such as where they take the treasures they have stolen from you, and to whom they deliver it. As this is your keep, the right to mete out justice is yours, of course." She turns to Happs. "If I were you, I would start talking. That may be your only chance to redeem yourself."
Kizzirark awakes, eyes still blind with rage, but as he tries to get up he feels the pain again. "Wra... still alive." He spits some blood over the rats as Bertram keeps healing him.
He eyes Oleg and then Haps and his rats, still enraged. Kizz shoulders the beetle so one of his horns are pointing up, then, in a single move, grabs Haps and shoves him through the bettle's horn, impaling the bandit leader so that the point of the horn exits through his mouth.
His eyes, now less hazy, look at the surviving bandits. "I recon we need not many versions of the same story."
Happs's eyes opened for but a moment as the water-rat regained consciousness and the worst of his wounds ebbed away, only for his life to be swiftly and suddenly brought to a decisive end. The horn pierces straight through the rat's limp body, leaving him hanging off the side of the beetle's unmoving carcass.
Svetlana gasps slightly at the sudden show of violence, and Oleg's eyes bulge slightly at the swift and unexpected movement, but neither looks away as the brigand is summarily executed.
In addition to the meaty crunch of the body being impaled, there's a soft SNAP of something being broken, followed by a metallic clink. Rowan, already working to gather the possessions of the other captive bandit, quickly finds the source - a small pendant with a broken tether, snapped by the beetle's horn as it was driven through Happs's body. Hanging off its end is a silver talisman of a beetle, with six legs curled close and a long horn jutting from the downward-pointing end. It's remarkably detailed, and far finer than one would expect from the belongings of a river rat.
---
The escaping bandit does not seem to be particularly swayed by Squakowk and Tawny's promise of safe surrender, and continues to flee. He does, however, draw his bow as he does so, and keeps glancing over his shoulder to see if he's still being chased as he does it. Seems it's only a matter of time before he starts shooting first.
If I can get within range (25 ft) I'll try and daze the bandit
Will save DC 14
If I cannot get within range I'll fire at him
for
The arrow strikes home, lodging in the rat's shoulder. He gives a pained yelp and fires back in return.
Unfortunately for him, the arrow falls short, and stopping to shoot has slowed his escape retreat some. He's still got a solid lead on you though, but it's one you might be able to close.
Standing up from where he was securing the second bandit, Rowan's face goes stone still as he watches Kizzirark kill the bandit captain. He stands slowly, not disguising his cautious gaze at the badger before it turns to to the dangling amulet. He pulls the amulet free, and holds it up so everyone can see.
"Anybody know what this is?"
Dahlia considers. "Perhaps the beetle was taught to recognize the wearer as its master? Sometimes beasts of burden learn to respect tokens, or so I have read."
"Anybody know what this is?"
[dice=Knowledge (local)]1d20+8
Rowan studies the talisman for a short time before a bit of trivia picked up from some of the travelers passing through Redwall clicks in his memory: mentions of being harassed by bandits much like the ones here who marked themselves with badges or pendants depicting a stag beetle. These reports were sent on by couriers to the Long Patrol, who saw the problem dealt with... at least, for the time, it seems. It looks as if at least some got away, and hid from Hare justice by traveling deeper into the Deep Green, away from the safety of Mossflower.
---
Oleg nods again satisfactorily to Kizzirark, then ducks into the nearby shed before emerging with a pair of shovels, one of which he holds out to anyone willing to take it. "C'mon. We'll question the other'n when he comes 'round, but let's put these two bleeders in the earth a'fore they make even more'va mess, or worse attract more bugs or an owl. We'll harvest th' meat an' armor off the biggun before we bury it too."
As if on cue, Svetlana approaches the beetle's carcass and has already begun taking measurements, pulling a small cleaver out from somewhere within the folds of her apron. Waste not, want not, it seems.
"T'will be a pain in the tail to drag this beetle all around the outpost, so let's push it on the cart, uhn?" Kizzirark suggests, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He grabs his sword from the ground and sheathes it.
"A fine idea." Svetlana happily accepts his aid, and they work to haul the wagon back upright and lug the beetle's remains into it. She leads the way over to a back building used as a slaughterhouse, where she gets to work on the process of dismantling the insect for meat and parts.
Oleg is quiet through the process of burying Happs and the other bandit, not really seeming in the mood for engaging in conversation with anyone who helps him with the burial process; if no one volunteers, he gets both corpses buried himself but it takes much longer for the old mouse to get the job done alone.
By the time both of these are done, the surviving bandit has started to rouse, though he's hardly fully cogent.
Oleg nods again satisfactorily to Kizzirark, then ducks into the nearby shed before emerging with a pair of shovels, one of which he holds out to anyone willing to take it.
Rowan takes one of the shovels and helps Oleg bury the corpses. He picks up on the other man's need for silence, being familiar with the need himself.
Dahlia stands vigil over the captured bandit while the others help in their own ways in the aftermath. She frets a bit that she will be seen to be slothful by remaining on guard instead of digging or provisioning, so she makes a point of holding her drawn blade in a ready position, ensuring it is the first thing the rat sees when he comes to.
The last bandit stirs and starts to rouse, blinking away the fuzz of unconsciousness and starting to fumble his way back upright, only to find himself on the sharp end of Dahlia's blade once again. He squints one eye at the mousemaid, but is smart enough to keep his hands where she can see them and not make any sudden moves. "Err, I s'render," he slurs, clearly not in any position to do anything else, especially with his gear removed.
Rowan comes over and drops the shovel covered in grave dirt close enough that the surrendered bandit can see it, but not so close that he can scramble to pick it up and use it as a makeshift weapon.
He pulls out the Silver Beetle Amulet.
"Where'd you get this?"
if Sqawk is giving up then Tawny isn't going to pursue on his own.
He'll take one last shot and then call it a day.
for
Tawny's arrow clips the fleeing bandit a second time, and he stumbles momentarily before turning to fire back. This time he sees Squakowk running straight at him full-bore, and tries to take a shot at the charging bird instead.
---
"T-that's Happs'," the captive bandit replies, eyeing the talisman. "He gots it from Kressle, I thinks. All the big-shots gots 'em. Means the Boss puts 'em in charge."
"T-that's Happs'," the captive bandit replies, eyeing the talisman. "He gots it from Kressle, I thinks. All the big-shots gots 'em. Means the Boss puts 'em in charge."
"And where are Kressle and the Boss?"
"Kressle's back at th' camp, waitin' for us ta gets back." He pauses a bit, swallowing audibly, before continuing. "... I dunno where th' Boss is. I ain't never seen 'im. Kressle jus' gets orders an' takes his cuts t' him when it's time."
Seeing squak in melee with the remaining bandit, Tawny will drop his bow, run up and draw his rapier. If the geography allows he'll try and flank the bandit.
"Would you please just surrender? We're way too far to do anything with your unconscious body! Just surrender darn it!"
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The arrow whiffs past the charging dodo, and the bandit having to pause his flight to take the shot gives Squakowk enough time to close the gap. The bird slams into the rat with the full bulk of his body, casting the rodent to the ground and causing him to lose his grip on his bow in the process.
Before he can grab it and get back to his feet to take another shot or continue his escape, Tawny is standing over him, the cat's paws between the brigand and his weapon, rapier drawn and pointed.
"Hwaaaugh...," he says as he finally slumps, apparently giving up, and raises his leathery paws in surrender.
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Dahlia looks at the others, particularly Oleg, and raises her eyebrows as if to say “Is that enough for us not to kill him?" She keeps her sword at his neck to make it clear that the rat is hopelessly captured.