Akiros Ismort, the Fallen's page

"Careful now, it won't run away. Here, let me show you our maps." And as a precaution, Illthir will also show the rest of the council members at the outpost....

Akiros shrugs, indifferent to the idea.

At the outpost

Fergus just nods silently.

We'll keep an eye out for them but, consider that, if a new one was simply constructed, what need one would have of ruins. Consider our offer further, it will be some time I believe before everything is in order and an official answer would be needed. After that, he gives a parting nod before returning to his room to take account of all the expenses and requirements needed. Taking a small detour to pester Akiros with the final question of what supplies, both in equipment and food, he would need for his men.

Akiros points toward the collection of wains and workmen gathered around the outpost. "All that and some food."

At the outpost.

"He was cleaning the bunk house last I saw." says the big man now seeing to his horse now that the two clowns have left to fetch the hay.

If Fergus goes to find the Shepherd, he's indeed cleaning the second-story of the bunkhouse--one long room accessed by an outside stair, filled with bunk beds and footlockers. He's murmuring a little tune as he sweeps the floor with a broom.

At the outpost.

Fergus Grunts.

Well. If you have any ideas, or concerns, let me know. I just want to make sure things get done. It'll be good to see how you get those men into shape.

"Well then, the sooner I can get back to them, the better."

is he trying to brush it off.

The result isn't enough to get a hunch as to his motives just now.

Not even ideas on how to carry it out? Hmm.

"No."

He turns and watches the two go.

And have you spoken to your men about it yet?

"Not until I get back to the fort."

It's plain that he doesn't consider Chick and Wilbur "his". Technically, they were the Stag Lord's men, while Akiros was the Stag Lord's lieutenant. He may not have had any direct contact with them. He has had direct authority over the men at Stag Lord's Fort though for a few months now. He did bring one of them with him up here to the outpost but that guy's not present just now.

At the outpost.

Fergus raises an eyebrow at the two's antics before turning back to AKiros and giving a nod. I remember seeing that as a kid. Hilarious.

Good. I'll make this blunt and quick then. For my benefit as much as yours. He pauses a moment before continuing.

Its largely about your council position. I understand that it likely seems sudden, so I wanted to see if you had any... concerns, thoughts or reservations about it.

"Nope." Akiros says laconically finally meeting Fergus's eyes.

The other two men head out to collect the twenty-eight bails of hay.

At the outpost.

apologies, but I think this may be good, Fergus is practical, but outside of pointing out logical pros of cooperation, would likely not have the werewithal to deal with "because stubborn" people/arguments. Instead, I plan to have him do some research aligned with his next couple level ups, maybe make a couple scrolls or if time permits a couple magical items, and speak with some of the more hesitant new councilmen. How long did we plan to "stay" at the outpost? And were there any requests? Fergus can craft Wondrous items only atm though.

After spending his time in the morning enjoying the sunrise with a hot drink and a book on magical familiars, Fergus would go about finding Akiros first. Obviously something caused him to be hesitant when accepting the proposed position. And while Fergus wasn't sure he could help or assuage whatever that was. He could at least try to understand it. In case it proved to potentially bring further trouble.

Fergus finds the taciturn man in the barn watching two other former brigands, Chadwick "Chick" Tabbot and his short tubby friend Wilbur Scotello try to figure out how many bales of hay will be needed to cover the stall floors on the barn wall with a bit of chalk.

Good day to you, Akiros, I believe it was?

"Still is."

I see my companions have had a habit of picking up people long before my turn. May we speak for a time?

"Sure."

"Akiros, (whom hopefully got invited for some food too :p) would you be interested in helping us protect the folks of our fledgling nation? There's many dangers, mundane or monsters; but I hope everyone in our realm will get a chance to thrive."

Akiros is here. You can tell by the chill coming from Anando's side of the table.Akiros hesitantly looks up from his dish. "Sure."

Then returns to his food.

"Grrrr."

The party returns to the outpost and gathers the wagon train. It takes much longer to travel with the train to the fort (especially with no roads). Finally, though the party arrives at the ruins. There are scant a dozen of the former brigand left, and while the land has been mostly cleared very little else has changed.

"So. What's the plan?"

The ruined fort counts as already cleared and 'claimed' as explained in step 3 on page 212 of Founding a Settlement in Ultimate Campaign.

Still skeptical. Akiros sends two of his men back to the ruined fort to tell the men there, and with his last man turns north to the outpost.

"'Renault'? You mean to go to war with him and his folk?" asks Akiros on the way back to the outpost. "Best be careful. I believe he still has friends back in Brevoy."

"We're looking to pick you up and head north and see if the sour plate up north can't be mended and made spinning."

"And what about the men down at the fort?"

Fergus doesn't get much from Akiros--who doesn't seem the talkative type. The magic 8-ball says things are unclear try again later.

"So now what then? Hm?" Akiros asks grimly. "Why have you come back and more to the point--why are you here now, aye?"

Okay so that's the plan then.

The party gets some sleep in the bunk house and makes ready to leave the following day. With Illthir marching song the party (sans wagon train) catches up with once-brigands after a day's travel mid-morning on the second day.

"Where in the Nine Hells have you been!" shouts Akiros from atop his horse, as the party rides up to him and his three fellows on the rolling grass plain.

It is mid-spring (April-ish in the Northern Hemisphere--The Stolen Land sits about at the level of the northern tier of the U.S.), but you would need to clear, flatten, and plow the rough landscape (requiring a plow at minimum, and usually some horses or oxen), have the right seeds, and actually know how to farm. Most of these folks are more on par with 'farm hands' rather than actual farmers. Remember too, the fort is really more of an open-air ruin than a fort, and most of the bandits don't have much in the way of engineering skills (as attested to by the condition of their lair).

"'Docks?'"

As a side note, I should point out that as bad-ass as Akiros is, he is an paladin/barbarian classes not really known for their technical skills.

"So you want me to start rebuilding the fortifications here, until you get back from this 'war'?"

"Well, yeah, but that's only because the men didn't really trust Dovan--the man was a snake." says the man with the rag-covered Iomedaean longsword. "What do you even want me to do with them?"

"ME!?!" protests Akiros.

Back at the bandit party.

"So now what? We just march up to the outpost and say let us in? Won't that look a bit--I dunno--suspicious?"

Outside

Akiros and Erevenywg are waiting.

"Did you find him?" asks the big man.

Excited, Erevenywg leans in to hear more.

"Akiros, could you head to one of the camps? They know you. Tell them that the Stag Lord is dead, Salzarus has fled, and there is a reward for Salzarus alive, gagged, and bound. He can't have gotten far. Tell them to travel in groups, and the reward will be 100 gold each for a team of up to six. So they will not have as much reason to turn on each other."

"Aye. I'll tell them." he mounts one of the mangy horses and rides out.

After the zombies settle once more into the hill and he gets some help with the gates.

"We've never been formally introduced. But he's Gozren I think, or at least chooses to worship that god's more dangerous aspects, though I have heard that he once worshiped Erastil--he blames the Stag God for his wife's death. I've never gone to far into the cellar myself. It always feels like something is watching you down there."

The gate is raised and Posh is finally allowed in. Then the gate is quickly lowered afterward, on Akiros's advice.

"The Hilldead only rise if you don't follow the marked path up the hill. They'll settle back down again given some time."

Realizing the Stag lord has fallen and no other enemies remain in the inmediate vincinity, Alia looks around, seeing 2 faces she does not recognize. A man and a woman. The woman, it seems, was held prisoner. Enough time to talk, later...the man, though, seemed armed and to have been one of the Bandits - staying sufficiently away to not make it an inmediate treat, she points her Estoc at Akiros: "Who are you? Did you simply switch sides to avoid his fate? Or hope to take his place? Know that the likes of him won't be tolerated in Telvurin any longer!"

"'Telvurin'? Where the Hells is that?" says the man in as dead a voice as one could imagine.

"Thankyou Durgan, let's go downstairs now and see what the old man is up to, actually." he turns to Akiros "Is the old man in the cellar, hostile, a captive .. why is he down there and is he dangerous?"

"All the above if I am any judge. He's the band's healer--though most suffer their wounds rather than visit him. He's crazy."

"Old man in the cellar?" Scarlet lowers the gate long enough for Posh to get in, then closes it shut. "Who's that?"

"I think he's his father." Akiros says sheathing his longsword and nodding to the fallen bandit chief.

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BTW Akiros has one of the best pictures in all of the Kingmaker books. If Paizo had put it on the site as an icon it would have like 500 users who wanted their character to look like a total badass.

"He's dead then. We'll have to tell the rest of the men when they start to arrive in the morning with their food tithe." Akiros says looking on at the body. "We'll have to deal with the old man in the cellar too."

Akiros loiters around the dead behemoth.

Akiros raises his sword....

coup d'grace v Beaky: 2d8 + 18 ⇒ (1, 1) + 18 = 20

With a roar, Akiros swings his blade in a might arc at the big owl-bear-thing.

longsword v Beaky (v prone, v grappled, rage! power attack): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27 damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

"It's Beaky!" Akiros calls over the tumult. He rushes past Illthir, his ponytail flying. "The hunters brought it down a week back and the Stag Lord thought it might make a nice pet! It's the biggest I had ever seen!"

He moves in to aid Scarlet.

Akiros holds up his sword, ready seemingly for anything to come out of the keep.

"The hell is that noise? I'll find out one way or another."

"That sounds like the gate on the cage." Akiros looks up in alarm and then in somber voice says: "Beaky."

"I am Akiros. Here drink this if you can." says the big man to the even bigger Scarlet. He hands her a potion vial.

Not being able to do much else he engages the talker to try and distract him from fighting Scarlet "You seem oddly talkative for one who does not seem to care and you have the wrong idea about us, we are hoping to civilise this place, to bring law, safety and opportunity to all those who dwell in these lands. ."

"I came here seeking a new liege, but a bandit's life is even more hollow than my life before." He tears the silver stag's head pendant from his neck and throws it to the ground.

Akiros Ismort, the Fallen wrote:

"Why are you even fighting?" calls the (other) big scary man. "What's in it for you? Gold? Is that worth your lives?"

Scarlet tries to hold herself. "He killed Oleg. He used a bride's head as his toy. I'm gonna punt his head across the Shrike River. Stag Lord is going down with him. Everyone else can leave, but those two are dead- URK!" Scarlet coughs, nauseated.

The man steps around the corner, coming right up to the staggered giant Scarlet.

"And then what? Build your own little bandit camp? Raid Mivon, Pitax, and Brevoy? Hmm? Or are you working for one of them? Not that it matters much. They're no better. This is no place for civilized people. Whether I kill you and the bowman over there or you kill me. It doesn't much matter. Someone will always be doing what we're doing--killing ourselves." He raises his sword in salute.... Readied action.

"Why are you even fighting?" calls the (other) big scary man. "What's in it for you? Gold? Is that worth your lives?"

Lastly, (almost reluctantly) the grim-faced warrior advances with his wrapped longsword. He seems slightly disgusted at what is unclear. He locks eyes on Zokon before passing his gaze up toward Scarlet. Those eyes are as cold and as implacable as death.

"...."

intimidate v Zokon: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

This man bears a longsword, the hilt of which is wrapped in a cloth that only somewhat obscures the sunburst design common to those weapons borne by holy warriors dedicated to the goddess, Iomedae. There is something in the man's stance that marks him as a crusader.

"Yield. Or be cut down where you stand."

He lends credance to his words by directing Serena's attention to all the bows (all of the other brigands on the map's) bows arrayed against her, out in the open on her tenuous perch.

"You will not get a second warning."

Intimidate v Serena: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Serena believes him.