Kingmaker

[Psychie]

Up on the wall...
Athaclenna, Svetlana nods and smiles. “That’s more than enough. Honestly, I don’t know what would have become of us if you all hadn’t shown up.

She pulls a stray hair dancing over her face in the wind behind her ear. “So, how did you end up with this group? Seems like dangerous work.”

Athaclenna shrugs. "I have lost my home and instructor of many years to a rival wizard, and would have lost my own life if I had not the good fortune to be away from the tower when the fight took place. I seek a way to find this necromancer that did this, along with the strength enough to be able to avenge the death of my master. I strongly suspect that it will take me many years to have any chance of this, and in the meantime, I seek to make my way in the world and try to honor the memory of my master by doing something good for others."

 

[Spiderheart]

"Seems wise." Gerak turns his attention back to Happs briefly. "We'll be back to let you out soon enough. If you break anything important, we'll throw you out unarmed and unsupplied, so play it smart and just sit still." With that, he leaves the storage room, barring the door behind him once Niko is out.

He starts towards the firepit, finally allowing himself a relieved laugh. "Good news! Our prisoners have been very cooperative. We'll be setting them loose with the resources to survive, but not to hop right back into banditry."

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Scikelov finishes his stew and bread "Mmmmm~! Goodness, I could eat this stew my entire life and never get tired of the flavor. Will you need dishes to be done, miss? I assure you, I have the hands for dish-washing." He assures as he twiddles his thin fingers

 

[Wondertainment]

"That'll be fine, thank you," Miren says, then notices Gerak. "I... have your staves. Do you not need them anymore?"

 

[Spiderheart]

"No, no, we still need them. I don't want to give our prisoners sharp objects, but letting them walk out of here totally unarmed could easily constitute a death sentence – and we already agreed that we weren't doing that." Anticipating questions from Oleg, he turns to the older man. "They're still scum, but getting thrashed so thoroughly made it easy to show them they've got no future in banditry. We'll be sending them north, back into Brevoy; from there, if they've got half a wit between them, they'll probably head for Pitax by way of Numeria. They look mean enough that getting work as caravan guards shouldn't be hard."

"Like I said earlier, though, this is your fort and you get final say with what we do with them. Are you alright with that plan?"

 

[Sherwood]

Niko nods at Gerak's description of the bandits. "Yes, they are, but I hope that we've been able to put a deep enough scare into them to rethink their life choices and decide to stop living the life of a bandit. If we run into these fools again and learn that they have returned to their criminal ways, I will let Ifrit at them and give what's left a proper burial."

 

[WlfSamurai]

At the fire pit...
Oleg sighs and looks to the stars.

“I have done enough with anger and hatred for now,” he says. “I’m fine with that. There’s no reason for more bloodshed. Svetlana is safe. That’s all that matters to me. Is there anything else you need to do that?”


Up on the wall...
Athaclenna, Svetlana is stunned. She stares at you, eyes wide with disbelief.

Before you can protest, she crosses the distance between you and pulls you into a hug “I’m sorry, Child,” she says in a hushed tone. “You have seen too much. I’m sorry.” She pulls away and tries to say more. But all that comes out is “I’m so sorry. You will make it through, though. I promise you.”

 

[Spiderheart]

"Not particularly." Gerak shakes his head. "The staves are more than enough. We'll give them the provisions they arrived with, and... two gold apiece should last a while as long as they're thrifty. That's coming out of my share," he adds quickly. "I'm the one who promised them coin."

"That being said, does anyone else need something from them before we let them loose?" The half-orc checks the angle of the sun. "The sooner we let them go, the better. I want them well on their way before the sun's below the horizon."

 

[Sherwood]

Niko ponders, then says, "Assuming that we can trust these to not go running to the camp that they came from the moment we let them go, do we want to give them the chance to alert their former comrades by letting them go before we have a chance of dealing with them ourselves? I don't see any other option other than to either leave them locked up here and let our hosts release them, which has the risk of retaliation against Oleg and Svetlana, or letting them go now. Does anyone see any other answers that are eluding me?" He gives a sigh. "Either way, we have to deal with this bunch."

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna shakes her head. "I don't think that we can leave them here for Oleg and Svetlana to release later, since they may turn on them while we are gone. We must at least try to give them the chance to redeem themselves, and if they do return to banditry, then we painfully instruct them as to the errors of their ways."

 

[WlfSamurai]

So, lay it all out for me. The plan is to give them staves, gold, and send them on their way?

Kameron Esters- , Sherwood , Psychie , Spiderheart , Wondertainment , Orikanyo

 

[Spiderheart]

Also all the rations they arrived with. And to watch them from the battlements, making sure they don't leave the northbound road until they're out of sight. Gerak will throw in a few final comments to the effect of "Better get somewhere safer before you run into a manticore or something," just to drive home that they're pathetic and weak and can't survive if they stay here.

 

[Sherwood]

Niko nods in agreement, letting Ifrit loom menacingly over his shoulder as he watches them go. "Do not make the mistake of getting back into banditry. I'll make sure you'll regret it."

 

[Wondertainment]

"I'm not sure if we should be letting them free, much less with a reward..." Miren grumbles, "But I will follow the will of the group."

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna waves her hand dismissively. "Two gold pieces and an old quarterstaff is hardly a reward. They have seen us readily defeat them, so if the trio does make the bad decision to run to their old buddies, they can pass on the word of their loss at our hands."

 

[WlfSamurai]

The next morning, the remaining bandits head northward and disappear from sight.

It’s the morning after the attack. You can safely assume the clock is ticking on when the camp notices their bandits are missing.

What do you wish to do today?



Kameron Esters- , Sherwood , Psychie , Spiderheart , Wondertainment , Orikanyo

 

[Spiderheart]

Gerak pushes for getting right on the road, after buying some provisions off the Levetons. Three days' worth should be plenty, at least for now.

For the sake of reaching the river as quickly as possible, he suggests a west-by-southwest course through the more open land around the trading post (one hex west, then one southwest). They have the bandits' horses, so it shouldn't take too long. If the bandit camp is better hidden than expected, traps have done a decent job so far; it makes sense to try setting up a campfire with only one person visibly tending to it, and letting the enemy come to them.

 

[Sherwood]

Niko goes along with Gerak's plan. The sooner that they get out there and find these bandits the better.

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna is quiet, allowing Gerak to make the plan for the group. She has no objections to what is proposed, and she makes sure that she is ready to go when the time comes.

 

[Orikanyo]

Gorgorigo has no true strong feelings one way or another he only notes. "if fight happen, focus on living, not death of enemy."

 

[Wondertainment]

Miren, who has taken to traveling with the group, shrugs. "I agree with Gorgorigo. But otherwise, I will follow your lead, Gerak."

 

[Spiderheart]

"You won't hear me complaining about a plan that keeps us all alive." Gerak isn't entirely sure how he ended up the leader, but he takes it in stride. It's nice being treated with respect for once; he supposes he owes this motley band a reason to keep doing so. "We're supposed to clean this place up, not paint the trees with blood. And I think we've seen that these bandits are a superstitious and cowardly lot." I mean, really? A man with no face? Gerak would have assumed Happs had been fucking with him if it weren't for the fear he and all his men held towards this mysterious 'Stag Lord.'

"So we travel south by southwest until we hit the Thorn, then travel along its banks in whichever direction looks most promising. Athaclenna, your raven can maintain a bird's eye view –" he snickers at the accidental pun. "'Scuse me. He can keep watch from above for signs of other humanoids. I don't think stealth is a major concern, since we want to be found; as long as it's not all of them at once, and they don't get the drop on us, running into a couple of them is a great way to learn where the main camp is."

"Everyone got what you need?" He assesses his comrades-in-arms again. Good so far, but – like him – green. None of them, except maybe the gnoll, are accomplished outdoorsmen; the aasimar is a blue-blood, the elf's a book-taught mage, and the human serves the god of civilization. Gerak's spent a decent amount of time in forests, but he also has some of the benefits of a privileged upbringing; he never needed to rely on it for food. It might be worth packing a few more day's resources than he'd planned.

 

[Orikanyo]

"Am ready, can protect skinny ones. Female dosen't eat well I see. No meat on bone, easy twig to snap..." he tapped the shoulder of Athaclenne, a nail bouncing softly off the clothes. "Long ears... but no body... All fat go to chest?" He paused to consider his words, she did have a rather bountiful bossum.

"Other female iron clad, fits well. Good muscle, better than rest...

...Skinny one bigger though... Is strange..."

His absent minded museings carried on as he walked forwards.

 

[Sherwood]

Niko nods. "I have all I need to last a while in the woods. Lets go. The sooner we move the sooner we are done with this whole mess."

 

[Psychie]

Athaclenna fires off a glare at the Gnoll and says, "I am not fat! Ugh! And you don't need to be talking about my chest like that." Turning her attention to Gerak, saying, "Riku can help keep watch from above as we search for these bandits without a problem. Isn't that right, my sweet?" She rubs the head of the raven on her shoulder and the bird pushes his noggin into her hand with his eyes closed.