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Harter is glad the bandits are reasonable and agrees with the others when they discuss how to handle them. Back to the bandits, he asks them "What about traps around the Thorn River camp? How do we avoid them? Also, how is the terrain, swamp? Undergrowth? What about wildlife? Anything we should be concerned about?" He looks to the others trying to convey that they should also be getting all information from the camp as they can.
After quickly blushing from Ivo's words, Harter says "You have the right of it, Stanislaw. We should be wary. Right now there's little information. However, a cursed fog cannot be good news, so we may need to make haste. We are heading towards the Stag Lord's hiding place in any case, if we do find a druid making this happen, then we should handle it." Looking eastward, he says "I hope Restov's guardsmen aren't too affected by the fog." He turns to the others and says "Come, let us talk to our prisoners." and goes to the makeshift prison that Oleg set up.
Harter wakes with a confused look and needs more than a few moments to gather his bearings. Silently, he checks the fog and hears Sven's words, then says "I've been... visited at night, in my dreams. A fey of sorts, I think a nymph. She told me that there's a curse building here, and that there's a druid behind it. The druid would have something to do with the Stag Lord. She wants my... our help. I can only assume she means to disperse the curse. I told her I'd help, she sounded in danger. I feel I wasn't completely in my senses. Elenaril, do you know anything about this?"
2. I worry that going after the bandit camp immediately may throw us into a fight for which we are not prepared. We don't have any way of knowing whether the adventure was made with the expectation of "PCs should explore for a while, gain a level, then do the encounter with the bandit camp" or "Players should go straight to the camp, catch them by surprise, then take their time exploring." So it's risky. We might show up and discover that the camp is, like, a 5th-level bandit wizard, a 4th-level fighter sergeant, and twenty 2nd-level warrior bandits. I just want to temper expectations. If we do head straight there, it would benefit us to do whatever reconnaissance we can before charging in. This point I think we can trust the GM to (de-)scale things appropriately. Maybe the AP itself has some rules in this regard.
Harter follows the others inside and takes a quick look outside. He considers his life until this point, all the trials he faced. It is clear to him that nothing could prepare him for what he and his new companions will face ahead. As he takes the first steps inside Oleg's inn and trading post, he realizes he is now part of a group who will decide the fate of this new land, be it by succeeding or failing in their mission. Once inside, he says "You two speak the truth. Right now, there is that immediate threat. But do remember that they know the way of the land and we do not. As Sven points out, we should not rush in. We must assume they have laid multiple traps along the way, with purposes to both hurt us, or alert them or our approach." Before sitting down, he approaches a water basin and washes his face and hands. He sits down thinking it is grim to eat after a deadly battle, but he needs to calm his nerves somehow. He slowly picks up the wine jug and pours himself some, focusing on keeping a steady hand and asks the others who will have some.
Harter sits a bit stunned by Oleg's information. He thinks, "Should our ruling change because Oleg offered a temporary stockade? Or because Restov's men are coming soon?" He suddenly feels he may be giving this too much thought. On the other hand, it's three lives under consideration, he thinks he should be giving them much thought. If this group of adventurers is to found a barony in these lands, then the first decisions count the most. He looks over at Piret and notices she is also deep in thought. He can only think that she going through the same ethical discussion he is having, so he nods at her in understanding. He finally says "I believe our stance should remain unchanged. I thank you Oleg, we will use your shed for now to house these three men. Let them recover there. Please make sure they have clean water to drink once they wake up. However, Restov has nothing to do with this. They should be given the choice to share information or die for banditry. But we are all equal in this expedition. If anyone has objections, please let's hear them."
Harter looks at Sven impressed. He mouths "Thanks", as he feels his battle wounds patch up. He hears the others give their opinions and says "Thank you, Elenaril. You touch important points. I understand what you mean Stanislaw, and I have to agree that they've chosen their paths and fate. However, there is simple solution. We still need information that they have. I believe they deserve the opportunity to buy their lives with valuable information." The paladin doesn't mention the problem that they do not have proper stockades to hold these bandits in case they come through.
Breathing hard, Harter gets back to the trading post, cursing the tar they spilled themselves. He sees the scene and feels hot and sweats and is ready to give Oleg the order to kill the bandits. However, he is breathing hard and can't speak immediately, and luckily has time to think. He remembers that he never actively told these particular bandits that they could give up or die. Killing them now wouldn't be holding up to his word, but just murdering a helpless opponent in cold blood. He says "Oleg, stop, please. This isn't killing in a fight anymore, they're no threat. Let them be for now. We should take care of our wounds for now." He does a general check on the others and Oleg to see who's hurt and offers his limited magical healing to anyone who needs it. He also makes sure the surviving bandits don't bleed to death.
After all is back in order, he says "We fought well, bravely. I'm glad to have you by my side."
Harter is so surprised that the bandits managed to get past the tar and Elenaril's spell so quickly that he fails to dodge the bandit's strike. He quickly drops his bow, touches his chest for a quick heal, then in a swift motion, draws his two-handed sword and swings it at the bandit in front of him.
Harter's heart races as they wait. He feels he finally understands what his old friend Martin meant when he used to talk about watching pots as they boil. He looks at the others and starts to wonder... He himself was blessed by Erastil with divine powers and he trained enough in the use of weapons and armor, and he was still nervous. How were the others feeling? As they wait, he decides to speak "Friends, we may be prepared, but this will still be a tough fight. But we can be sure of one thing. We have come to bring law and justice to this land. Our mission is not to bully honest folk or self-enrichment." He makes a point to look each of the others in the eyes and continues "We represent something larger than us, and because of it, our resolve is greater. Our will is stronger. We must prevail, because if we don't, the alternative is unthinkable. Our task is too important, our duty is... It's imperative." He marks his speech with a cry "For the Stolen Lands!"
Harter doesn't have any magic to boost himself or his allies. However, for now, he leaves his big sword sheathed and takes out his shortbow and makes sure the arrows are easy to grasp. He reinforces the strategy to the others "Remember, let them come to us. If we rush out to meet them, we give up all the advantage we now have."
Harter looks at Ivo inquisitively and says "My, we've been here talking for a while, have you slept through the entire conversation? Uhm, forgive me, yes, we can very much use extra help in the coming fight. They won't charge in due to the tar we've spilled at the front, but we do expect them to do their best in getting to us. I see your chosen weapon is a bow. We think bowmen should stand on these towers to the side, so they have a good view of the battlefield."
Harter is more affected by Piret's smile as he'd have liked. He is glad to see her break her stoic and calculating take for a bit of warmth, but his life experience makes him wonder if her smile is of endearing warmth or of ironic dismissal. He decides to add "Well if most of them are archers, then a mist spell will either force them into melee or allow us to deal with the melee threat and give us time to prepare for them."
Harter forgets to breathe as Piret speaks. When she's done, he says "Well, then... For someone who doesn't get in a lot of fights, you do know a lot about fighting!" He chuckles and continues "Well, as to your critique... Meredith might need support. As capable as she is, she might get a volley of arrows before she reaches them, depending on how many they are, how perceptive they are and how noisy her armor is as she's getting ready for a charge."
Although Harter wanted to continue the discussion on how to deal with the bandits' morale, he realized the subject is a new one. Unfortunately he doesn't have enough knowledge on tactical combat to contribute, so he just stays silent. He does think the subject of how to handle the bandits' morale should be touched before the attack. He waits for a better time.
Harter watches Piret's work on the map with interest. This is completely foreign to anything he's ever seen. He considers that most of his life he's dealt with either politicians or people who work with their hands. It was refreshing to see someone working with their brain. Instead of asking more about it, he figures he'd rather talk about the bandits, because it's where he can actually contribute to the conversation. He replies to her and Sven "You two bring an interesting issue to light. Given the leader's response to us, I think they fought because they were so confident, it never occurred to them that they might lose the fight. And this is a behavior that we should expect in the future. It would be bad form from us to try and fight them all with this confidence, as it can be quite a boon and it may come the day we don't survive the fight for that very reason." He scratches his head for a few moments and says "By now we can be sure they know we've arrived, since two of them returned to their camp. They will probably be ready for us, but we can look at it as an opportunity to pass the message along. They now have a force to contend with, and victory isn't certain anymore." Knowing he is about to touch on a subject not all people usually agree with him, he says carefully "I believe we need to make a strong statement. Those who want to turn from the fight can, they may even be allowed to take our side. But that is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Any who chooses to fight us will have no quarter. To be honest, this banditry and lawlessness get to my nerves, so by taking a strong stance, we can solve two things at once. We serve justice for one, but our statement is that much clearer, any bandit we encounter will know exactly what to expect." Although he is nervous about how the others will react to his proposal, Harter's face remains impartial, which is something that people who know him closely already know means he doesn't want to show weakness.
Noticing Piret's reticence with the way the combat went on, Harter waits for an opportunity to approach her and says "Hey, I noticed you were taken aback with that fight. I just want you to know that there's no expectation for all of us to approach everything the same way. But it'd be nice to know where you stand. Can I ask you for your take?"
Impressed by the others' capacities, Harter says "I have heard that the longer we wait, the harder it is to track. Even if they do come from the Thorn River Ford camp, they probably know the safest way there, so following them would be beneficial." If he were doing this alone, he would force himself to press on as much as he wants to rest and he wants his horse Intrepid to rest as well. However, that would be foolish and unwise, so he says "But I agree, let us rest. Hopefully after we'll still be able to follow their footsteps."
Harter thanks Elenaril for her help. Then he sits at Oleg's table. Right before he speaks Stanislaw starts. The paladin scratches his chin trying to think of what to say. He measures the Erastilian who shows his pragmatism. After cleaning the sweat and blood from him with a rag, he puts up his palm and says "My friend, slow down. Oleg here is a tradesman whose business is being disrupted. For now, let us thank him for his hospitality and be thankful that we still breathe after a bloody fight." Turning to Oleg, he says "Thank you. I hope we won't inconvenience you while we stay here. We will pay you for your rooms, obviously. It is important you know we are very different from these bandits. If possible, we will stay here while we learn more about our task, which is to bring law and justice to these lands. My name is Harter Lebeda, although I hope I won't be mistaken for a mere politician like my distant cousins." The way he speaks has changed much from how he talked to the bandits before, it's hard to believe it's the same person. He completes "These are Stanislaw, Meredith, Sven, Elenaril and Piret." Finally, he adds "If you and your wife can, it would be very helpful to learn more about the Stag Lord. Stanislaw here asks very relevant questions."
Harter holds the wounds caused by the bandits and steps up to Oleg saying "Well met, Oleg. Indeed we are sent by Jamandi. Apparently we haven't been the first, by what this man stated. I did not know that. It seems there's much we haven't been told. We should talk." Looking at the others as they have already started dealing with the aftermath of the fight, the paladin feels a bit ashamed and says "But first, I should help them take care of these bodies. One thing, however, as we approached, an elderly man warned us before we came. Do you know him? He is about yay high and a certain desperation about him. I hope he's all right. For now, please stay safe, and if you have fresh water, I think we could all use a sip." He walks to the others and says "We should bury them with their belongings, but these weapons and armor should be put to use." Then, he helps the others take care of the bodies.
Paladin 2:
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