Marcus stands and nudges the beast with his foot.
"Anyone know which bits of this thing are valuable?"
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Marcus rolls up onto his knee and brings his crossbow to bear. He pauses his breath for a moment as he fires at the beast. As soon as the bolt is away, he reloads.
Marcus nods a greeting to Anton. "Figured you'd need the help," he says with a wry smile. Sitting on his haunches next to Arkady, he studies the fort. "Doesn't look like he has as many as he thinks, or at the very least they aren't all here. Regardless, it's still a fort. I suspect the lack of vegetation is to allow his bowmen to see anyone trying to sneak up to the fort. No cover means easy pickings for any man with some training or a crossbow. Not much cover on the way up to the fort either. We're stuck with a frontal assault under the cover of darkness, or deception." Marcus chews this over for a moment. "The safest option is to sit here, dispatch any parties that we see and try to starve him out. However that element of surprise will go afte the first couple of parties that we eliminate. We could send a runner back to Oleg's and gather up as many men as we can muster and assault the fort but without proper siege equipment, I suggest that path would result in too many deaths of our own mean. Or we could deliver a message of our own. Tie a piece of parchment to a bolt and fire it over the wall. Offer asylum and a fair trial to any man who turns his back on the Stag Lord. Leniency if they turn over any of his men? At the very least, it would sow dissension amongst his ranks. At best, it might even cripple him."
OOC, the problem with 'forting' up is that the Stag Lord has no reason to attack us. While we're waiting for him to attack us, he can rove up and down the countryside and even besiege us from afar, knocking out any of our supply routes. We will need to take the fight to him, but only once we've a) got a bit more powerful and b) hopefully have picked off/converted some of his minions.
Marcus rode after the others had departed, easily following their trail in the soft earth. Thoughts of how to overcome this challenge filled his head and he had to admit that he wasn't sure how they could do it.
Marcus listens to Kheldor speak to the fae but as they also speak Common he decides not to impede upon the wizard's conversation. "I have yet to thank you for the extra hair growth," Marcus says with a smile, "I believe it makes me look far more dashing."
Marcus groans inwardly at Kata's lack of diplomatic grace. "What my friend here meant was that you can inform the mighty King of Monsters that the humans are taking care of the bandits and that he need not turn his attention northward to protect his own borders. Once we have rid this land of bandit threats, then we will be able to open talks with the great Hargulka so that our two nations may work together."
"I also speak Draconic," Marcus says, "Would you like me to try?"
Marcus readies himself quietly, checking his horse over and then swinging up into the saddle with increasing ease. "I think that sounds like a good plan," he says to the rest of the party, "A little hunting might reduce some stress."
Marcus looks at Kata with a new appreciation. "Kata, you're amazing! We capture an unrepentant bandit, hold him until we attack the fort and then charm him so that we can send him in to unlock the pen. The owlbear will likely take care of his sentencing and then rampage through the fort taking care of most of them for us!"
"Don't you worry, Linier, it'll be the Stag Lord that falls to the sword, not you. However, the news that he keeps a rabid owlbear interests me. Do you think it possible we could sneak into the fort and release the owlbear? I suspect an angry owlbear could cause a great deal of harm," Marcus smiles at the thought of the Stag Lord's own malice being his downfall. Marcus speaks with Hrothgar as to how best to expand the fort to fit their means, questioning whether they could add some more buildings such as a jail. He also begins to pick up some Dwarven. Useful, if more Dearven engineers could be hired. "These tatzlwyrms sound like a good test of strength," Marcus says with a grin to Anton. Marcus continues to eat in relative silence before excusing himself for bed.
"I never considered he might be fey, but it would fit the anecdotal evidence that has been afforded us so far."
"Apart from the bandits, of course. It would appear that the Stag Lord is able to instil loyalty through fear even at a distance. The sooner we are rid of him, the better," Marcus says as he slips from his horse.
"Well, I think that settles it," Marcus remarks, shifting in his saddle, "Anton, do you wish to offer any of them a chance to die with sword in hand? If not, let's get this grisly business over and done with. Lady Katarina, we shall carry out the necessary away from your property as you have seen enough bloodshed for today." Marcus makes a mental note to speak with the Dwarven engineer about expanding the trading post to include a prison so they don't have to execute almost every bandit they come across.
Marcus is now updated to level 2. I want to spend time with the Dwarf back at Oleg's to learn his language (I've chosen it as I took Linguistics, a skill I feel will be of great import once I get to the point of being Spymaster). I chose Weapon Training as my talent which gives me Weapon Focus as a free feat, choosing my Light Crossbow. At level 4, I'll be choosing Black Market Connections and using it to allow us to make some much-needed purchases from Oleg's.
Marcus also turns his ear towards the remaining bandits, intrigued as to whether any of them off true information or if they're simply trying to save their scrawny hides. From their leader's reaction, he suspects that they may all be the Stag Lord's men but he'd been proven wrong three times so far and was willing to listen to counsel. "Do not trouble yourself too much, Arkady, for these are men who threw their lot in with the Stag Lord where honest work could have been wrought. Nonetheless, if any of these men are truly repentant then perhaps we can redeem them."
Marcus smirks as the bandit's men fall to the ground. Stilling his breath, he pulls the trigger on the crossbow.
Marcus raises his crossbow and points it at the bandit leader. "Your words don't quite ring true, friend," Marcus remarks, "So how about you tell my friend here exactly who you are and why you are here? After all, I suspect you might be wearing a certain silver amulet with a stag's head on it."
Marcus lets the others do the talking, instead electing to concentrate on the answers of the men before them. His hand rests lightly on the crossbow, his finger near the trigger in case the men try anything.
Although Marcus could see the men, he couldn't make out details from here. Trusting in the eyesight of the others, he unslung his crossbow and loaded it with a bolt. With such a number present, he doubted that he would have a chance to fire more than once so he made sure his sword was readily available. "I'm ready when you are," he remarked to Arkady. "It'll be a miracle if there is anyone left in these lands to help settle it by the time we're finished."
"I agree the deed may be distasteful, Arkady, but we eliminate two problems with one act. We remove the head of banditry for this region and sate a potentially dangerous ghost's appetite for vengeance at the same time, which should make this a safe crossing once more. We'll rename it once the deed is done and history will forget it for us."
"Seems pretty clear cut to me," Marcus says to break the silence after Davik returns to his watery grave. "We kill the Stag Lord and dump him here. We call it River Kingdom justice or some such hog wash."
Marcus recoils at the sight of the man, and almost misses what he says. Although not particularly pleased at the thought of parlaying with this strange apparition, it appeared that the thing meant them no harm. Or at least he wasn't immediately hostile. "We intend to kill the Stag Lord, so what harm is there in letting this soul have it's rest?"
Marcus looks at the forlorn site with sadness; a glimmer of civilisation and commerce snuffed out all too quickly. Now the ruin stands as a stark reminder that the Stolen Lands will seek to reclaim any site that is not vigilant. "A desperate sight indeed," he remarks, almost tempted to ring the bell in remembrance, "It appears that the ferry has either been stolen or washed away. We'd have to replace it in order to make use of this crossing, I'd wager. Perhaps the Dwarven engineer back at Oleg's could fashion some form of replacement?"
Marcus whistles as Arkady's shot neatly kills the arachnid in one blow. Hell of a shot, he thinks to himself. He watches as the corpse is fished out of the den, covering his nose as the gentle breeze blows the stench of death over them. "At least it appears to have been one of the Stag Lord's men and not an innocent traveller, and we're one large threat down," Marcus looks at the large dead form of the spider. "I hope there aren't too many of those around." As they approach the tree, Marcus looks at the disturbed soil with interest. "Anyone got a spade?"
Marcus starts from his internal dialogue as everyone readies themselves; he pulls his crossbow out and loads a bolt. "I suggest we shoot it from afar, and let Arkady and Anton deal with it if it closes the range. Any objections?"
Marcus rides with the group in contemplative silence, pondering on how best to approach the issue of the Stag Lord. It seemed that the group were easing away from directly confronting him, which was a good thing, but it appeared they wished to avoid him entirely until later. Marcus could not help but feel this was a bad thing but continued on in silence.
Once Marcus rises, he asks Oleg to send his note to Brevoy. He then reads the notice board in order to see what jobs need to be carried out so that they have white of everything that needs to be done. After that, he converses with Hrothgar the Dwarven Engineer to discuss how soon they'd be able to replace the wooden palisade with a stone wall all the way round the fort. "I'd also appreciate some kind of estimate as to how long it would take to construct a gaol. If we are to brig civility and law to this land, we need somewhere between pardon and execution. If you'd be so kind as to draw up some plans and estimate the cost of materials, I'd be much obliged," Marcus says to the dwarf. He the. Watches the sparring with mild interest, clapping where appropriate. "Two weeks sounds good," Marcus replies to Arkady, "It will give us time to scout the area. I want to try and get more information on the Stag Lord and his men, if possible."
In his cot, Marcus pens a letter to the church back in Brevoy. Abadar's blessings, I write to you in order to provide an update on the current situation. Our group has handled several bandits so far, although the main instigator appears to be a man who calls himself the Stag Lord. Of my party, Arkady Medyved appears to be a natural leader. The half-orc, Anton Lebeda, appears to be a man of honour. Kata Medyved is flighty but good with magic. Finally, the mage called appears to be far too liberal at heart but claims to follow Desna. I would appreciate any background on these four. It appears that Erastil and Gorum have large followings in the area, but I hope to change this. Yours faithfully, M. Marcus sealed the note and set it under his pillow with the intention of passing it to Oleg to send as soon as possible.
At the moment, as I see it we have two possible locations for the capital; the hex containing Oleg's and the hex containing the Stag Lord's fort. Personally, I'm leaning towards taking the fort as it's probably going to be a more defensive position and permit the hex with Oleg's in it grow organically into a market town which can act as the main hub between Brevoy and our fledgling kingdom. As for loot, I'll have a look just now.
When I pick up the Black Market talent at level 4, will that apply to Oleg's or our fledgling town in Book 2?
As the fort comes into sight, Marcus feels the tension that had been working it's way up his spine was away. It was good to see the squat timber, and now stone, form appear out of the driving rain. "Hail, Corporal Ageray," Marcus said when she introduced herself, "Mister Bronzepot. It appears you've done a masterful job on the stonework." Marcus was simply happy that civilisation was beginning to make it's stamp in the Stolen Lands. Once they are inside, fatigue begins to catch up with Marcus. He sits for a while, enjoying the music, camaraderie and food but eventually tiredness catches up with him and he heads for rest at the same time as Kata.
Fort #1:
Marcus eyes the new arrivals with suspicion, his hand dropping to the grip of his weapon automatically.
Horseback Conversation: "A simple game pie would do me," Marcus replies, licking his lips. He could do with a decent bath as well, as he is covered in days of grime. Thanks to the fae prank, Marcus has his hair tied back with a thin strip of leather.
Campfire Conversation:
"I understand your... misgivings about nobility, Linier. Brevic nobles are a mixed bag; some like my colleagues are forward-thinkers, able to put the common good in front of their own desires for the good of the people. Others are far more self-centred and expect the law to bend to them. However, here we have an opportunity to create something new, a nation where all men stand equal under the law and where a man profits from the sweat of his own brow. Where a bandit could rise to become a lord, if he were willing to work at it," Marcus grins at Linier.
"However, I doubt that the Stag Lord would be a man to bend his knee to the law. He has committed atrocious crimes and I imagine he will not willingly repent. For that reason, he must be removed from the picture," Marcus grimaces at the prospect of yet more executions. "I don't think we should tarry," Marcus says as they break camp, "The horses could probably do with a rest, and I need a haircut."
Marcus nods in agreement with Arkady. "I agree, we should get the wagon back to Oleg's and see how things have progressed. We might be able to get information from passers by about the Stag Lord and his lieutenants. Perhaps we can lure some of them out in order to weaken his defences." Marcus scribbles on parchment to catalogue their travels so far, although his skill at cartography is rudimentary at best. Campfire Conversation: "We'll manage, Arkady. Our collective will is strong and we'll manage to make things better for the people of this land," Marcus absent-mindedly fingers his holy symbol of Abadar.
Campfire Conversation:
"It appears most of us have sadness in our past," Marcus says cryptically, "Regardless, you are an excellent cook, Linier." "I can take a mid-watch, Marcus says with regards to the watch. "I'm all in favor of spending another day exploring," Marcus says brightly, "The more we know of this land, the better."
Appraise: "Sounds like a good idea," Marcus replies to Kata.
Aha, so you're also playing in CH's SS game? ;)
Marcus wasn't particularly interested in the talk of woodcraft; he was born and raised in the city and there were plenty of people both in the group and in the area who were far better versed in those arts than he. It was because of this disinterest that Marcus noticed a crack in the rock. "Wait a minute," Marcus called out, hauling on the reins of his horse, "There's a crack in that rock. Might be worth investigating. It could be the lair of some kind of beast, something we'll need to note if we intend to make this land safe for agriculture and the like." Marcus pointed towards the crack in an effort to let the others notice it.
Perception:
"Kheldor, your love for life is commendable. I can understand the desire to see men turned from the path that they are on, but some are unwilling to change. Were there any other way for us to deal with these souls that did not endanger the lives of the innocent, then that avenue would be explored, but alas, until we have established a robust penal system, then to pardon these men and pray to the gods that they do not re-offend isn't a chance that I'm willing to accomodate," Marcus says openly. "Arkady, for the sake of expedience, we should probably bury them here. I've no real desire to transport their corpses very far," Marcus looks at the corpses dispassionately.
Sense Motive: Marcus shakes his head at Kheldor's words. The man was no better than those they hunted, just that he was on the right side of the charter. He would need to keep an eye on this wizard; such a chaotic figure in their fledgling kingdom could spell disaster. Kata's reaction surprised Marcus, and it was good to see that Arkady was similarly surprised. Regardless, there was little that Marcus could do about the situation; he had to hope that Kheldor knew what he was doing.
Marcus rolls his eyes at her display. She must take us for fools, he thinks to himself, as he ponders on how best to approach this situation. She presents our best chance for information on how to deal with the Stag Lord. Yet we can't bargain with her, as she's admitted she's not an innocent party. "Kata, are you able to charm her like you did the sentry? I bet she has all kinds of information she'd volunteer to a friend," Marcus eyeballs Kressel as he speaks, trying to gauge her reaction.
Sense Motive: "If she is anything like Happs, she'd sell her own mother to secure her survival. I vote we interrogate her, then treat like we did Happs," Marcus' voice is deadpan. Intimidate:
Marcus watches Kressel closely, reloading his crossbow quietly as he does so. He flicks his gaze to Anton, aware that the Gorumite might not be happy with this turn of events. However, if he understood Anton's beliefs then he wouldn't obstruct Kressel's execution if it came to it, as she had surrendered. "Is Kheldor alright?" Marcus asks Kata.
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