"Hammas and Inuki wanna go look for the camp, see what you see and then come back and let us know? Keep your eyes peeled, remember before we saw that guy up in a tree when we encountered the first troll."
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"We should get some white cloaks to wear out in the snow. I bet it would make sneaking around in this weather much easier. Next time we're at Oleg's I mean."
Inuki agrees to go scout it out (using Message to keep in touch with Hammas within 120'). I'll use Detect Magic periodically. If attacked, I would sound my shell trumpet so I'll make sure not to get out of range.
With no armor, Jutmon is fairly quiet. "Maybe I should tag along with you Hammas. I'm sneakier than you might think."
"I will not be helpful with sneaking about the place so I will stay with the main group. Be cautious out there."
To Jutmon, Perhaps, but fewer is better for this.
To the party as a whole, Midday is a bad time to sneak up on men. We'll wait until the sun is close to down, then head towards the camp. Without elf, or fox, eyes to watch for us, we'll see them long before they can spot us. Most likely they'll have a fire too, making it easier still. Let's see if we can catch them asleep.
We can still do it right now, but that be my preference.
Deferring to the ranger's woodlore, "Hammas knows what she is doing. Her plan is a good one."
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The trip to the bandit camp for the scouts is quick, and easy. No sign that you have been spotted!
Map!
As you make your circuit, you make the following mental notes.
First, there are three sleeping bandits at the K1 location.
Second, someone near K1 rates a tent, and no one else does. There is a lamp or candle on inside the tent, as the soft glow illuminates the white canvas walls, letting you view the accidental shadow puppetry of a woman dressing.
Third, you notice that there are two raised platforms (K2 and K3) that look down over the path into camp, and also look down over a broken wagon, located at K5. The wagon seems to have some goodies on, but you dare not approach too closely, as torches are burning in the sconses attached to the four corners of the wagon.
The platforms both have an archer staring into the night time gloom.
As you are leaving, you notice another bandit, armed with a long-spear and a bow crouched behind a broken log (K4).
The trip back to your own camp is remarkably unremarkable.
Inuki sketches the layout for the others. "Too many trees for a charge, but I think you could ride in there <?>.
He is having second thoughts about committing them to a death sentence without a chance to give themselves up, though.
Hammas relays the information to the rest of the party. Seems odd, but no one is guarding the approach to the boss' tent. You circle round to the east and hit 'em fast before they have a chance to wake up. Inuki knows the way.
Me 'n Jutmon will go on a little further and take care of the log and west tower. Our signal will be Roga charging in. If you can, take the woman alive. Probably our best chance to get learn about the Stag Lord. If this goes well, we'll 'ave quite a few prisoners. I don't like the idea of just taking their stuff and letting 'em go like we did with the last one. That just makes enemies. Do we know if they've done anything?
"There are no jails in the stolen lands, and we are the law. These men and women we're about to fight knew the penalty for banditry was death before they came out here. We may be able to spare a few, but the vast majority of them will have to die. I'd suggest any we spare at this point be put to work at Oleg's. Or if he doesn't want them, at least hang them publicly so that everyone knows the law's returned here."
"Sounds ok to me." Jutmon agrees with Hammas' plan.
Then he adds. "That one we let go... He called them bandits, for what it's worth."
The wizard frowns. "There is some other circumstantial evidence to suggest that these are the bandits we seek."
"If we parley with them first, it may cost us the fight. If we don't, we may be attacking innocents. I think they are the ones, though."
With his arrow wound still aching a bit, Jutmon really doesn't feel like fighting fair, though his conscience tells him he should.
'Cept they didn't. Only law there's been around here are the Freedoms, and banditry is perfectly fine by those. Everyone here, 'cept you, well us I suppose, thinks it's part of the River Kingdoms. Seems a bit harsh to punish someone for breaking a law they didn't know was there.
"Are you suggesting leniency, or just that we kill all our prisoners when we're finished with them?" Roga asks, clearly confused by Hammas complaining about not killing their last prisoner and then suggesting these next bandits were probably innocents.
"I could pretend to be a lone traveler. If they attack me, we have just cause to fight them."
Truth, I'm not sure. Never had to worry about it before. It's always been personal and simple. Kill because you tried to kill me. That sort of thing. If someone wants something, fight if you can win, give it up if ya can't, maybe take it back later when you get tougher. That's just life 'ere.
Plenty of friends 'ave ambushed someone on the road when times were lean. Not to regular folks 'cause they're in the same eddy, but some stranger with money, sure. It's normal, so I can't but think that maybe those men there are just like me. Other hand, there are some vicious bastards out that need killing, and I don't like the idea of making a gang mad, maybe enough to kill, and leaving 'em alive, just bad sense. 'Ard to tell which are which.
The half-orc spits to show her frustration, but gives Roga a wry smile. Bah! This is what I get for hanging around knights. Give me Trolls or Mother's spawn. Them, I know what to do with. Laws and kings are confusing.
At Inuki's suggestion. I'd rather not risk it.
"Well, I'd wager these are the bandits with the female leader that had Oleg and Svetlana in such a state when we first came to these lands. Either way, by your 'River Freedoms' we're well within our rights to attack them and take their stuff. So we kill them, plain and simple. Try to keep the tent woman alive if possible, if she goes down keep one of the lackeys alive." Roga replies to Hammas.
"I'll come up the trail behind the tent, mounted on Midnight. Nareth will come in behind me. Hammas and Inuki come in from the south , while Sergei and Jutmon take cover behind that wagon and deal with the tree guy." Roga says, reviewing the plan and pointing at the dirt drawing. "Once Hammas and Inuki have dropped log boy, we'll have any remaining in the camp flanked. Should be easy from there. If everyone's clear on their part, lets go. Get this nasty business over with."
Eh? What state was that? Lana didn't mention anything while we were there. If they raped her, things are simple. We just kill 'em once we find out what they know.
Plan sounds fine to me.
"Don't think it was like that. Just that they were having to pay "taxes" to them every week. They were living in terror when we first arrived. They mentioned a female bandit with two axes who's a real psycho if memory serves."
Roga will stop out of sight of the camp . Then give the sneaky people two minutes to get in position. After two minutes he'll just ride up to the camp, and charge as soon as he's got a clear line.
To Hammas: "You get the one on the platform (K2) and I'll take the one by the log. (K4)"
Roga waits the appointed time for the groups to be in position, and then rides into the camp charging as soon as possible, setting off the prearranged signal to attack.
"We have reason to believe these are the ones who stole Svetlana's wedding band. If that's who they are, they kill and rob. They are the bandits we are commissioned to destroy."
Jutmon checks over his gear, making sure it is battle ready. "The atomie told us we would find them here. The one we let go told us, they were bandits. It's not the strongest chain of evidence."
Jutmon looks doubtful. "Maybe if Roga shouts out that he a Knight, and demands surrender, while he is riding on his charge, it would give them a chance to parley. At least, it would give the signal that the attack is on."
Jutmon shakes his head."Not as efficient as cutting them down in surprise, but it might help prevent a terrible mistake."
"It's probably better to live to regret, a horrible mistake, than to die, because you gave a foe too much advantage."
Just to be clear, Inuki will start with his longbow if he can get a clear shot.
As they are moving into position, Hammas instructs Garm to defend her. Once ready, Hammas will target the bandit on the tower with her longbow.
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The southerly group moves into position right on time, as agreed. At the designated time, all hell beaks loose for the poor bandits.
Hammas and Inuki each fire at their respective, separate bandits.
Both arrows go wide, failing to find their targets.
Meanwhile to the west, Roga directs his mount to charge the tent, and the shadowy figure therein. The lance snags the tent, tearing a wide gash across the south side and collapsing the tent, but missing the person within.
For simplicity, initiative will be you/them, because roughly half of them are (were) asleep.
Sergei moves as much as he can to get within range of a bandit before drawing a bead on one of them who are not engaged by front-line fighters, and fires his pistol on them.
Now that the element of surprise has been lost, Inuki gives them a chance to submit.
"We are knights of Brevoy. Your lives are forfeit for the crime of banditry. Lay down your weapons and you will have a chance to live."
Roga will drop his lance, draw his greatsword and urge Midnight to step up and attack the closest bandit.
"For Brevoy!" he shouts.
Well, now the fox's given a chance.
Hammas curses the lost opportunity and pulls back on the bow, ready to shot whoever doesn't comply with Inuki's demand. You 'eard 'im! Drop 'em or by the Hag you're dead!
Jutmon lets his staff fly from his hand. It flips end over end, between the trees, on course toward the bandit.
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In a matter of moments, two of the four sleeping bandits to the north are woken up, then promptly put back to sleep via violence. As the gunshot rings in your ears, you can't help but notice that it seems to have awoken the third bandit. The person under the tent begins to squirm and writhe under the fabric, trying to escape.
Meanwhile, to the south...
Jutmons staff flies from his hand Striking one of the bandits firmly in the noggin before returning to the wizards hand. At this impertinence (or perhaps as a reaction to the gunfire to the east) the bandits on the platforms located at K3 and K4 prepare to throw something. In retailiation, the Ranger and Bard let loose their arrows.
The two casters are struk deaf by the noise.
Hammas' arrow buries itself deep into the bandit, almost securing him to the tree.
Both stones land close to their intended targets, the one directed at the mage siling beautifully into the staff that had so recently offended the bandit to the north. The stones explode with a clamor that even Sergei's pistol would be jealous of.
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Edit: Sorry, was editing above, and ran out of time. Clicked in the box to enter the thunder stones, and it put the line in the middle, not the bottom. Bad cut and paste! Continued:
The two casters are struck deaf by the sound of the Thunderstones. Had the group to the north not been awakened by gunfire, they would certainly be awake now!
A furious woman emerges from her now destroyed tent, two axes in hand, glaring, then thinks the better of it, and darts to the thick dense underbrush.
The startled bandit just awakeded in camp by a splash of wam blood to the face, yawns, looks around, and simply raises his hands.
Unaware of the dire circumstances his fellows face, the bandit at K5 fires at his nearest and best lit target, the priest.
Watching the arrow bounce of the clerics armor, and taking note of his fallen allies as he swivels towards the party, the bandit promptly drops his bow as well. It tumbles down the tree from the platform, and gets tangled up in some branches.
"Secure these jackwagons. I'm after the dame!" Roga shouts, riding off after the woman.
Inuki will shoot at K3 since I seem to be closest to him.
Hammas looks back between the fleeing leader that the remaining bandits, weighing her options.
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Roga and Hammas, the woman dove onto what is, at best, a narrow game trail. The branches hang low, barely allowing a human male to walk upright, let alone charge through on a horse. The flickering light from the torches and fire cast many dark and moving shadows and the wind and passing woman disturb the vegetation. It seems moderately clear that the woman set up her tent in this specific location specifically to allow her the action she just took. Garm will have no real difficulty tracking someone on the game trail, and with light and patience, the tracks should be easy enough to follow through the light layer of snow.
The ringing in the bards ears proves too much, and he is unable to focus on his shot well enough to find his target.