Kingmaker: The Stolen Lands [IC]

[Hazuki]

Kingmaker - The River Kingdoms
Oleg's Trading Post
~

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The lacquered carriage rattled through the wild lands like a gem on smooth water; even the finest of things giving their passengers weary limbs after day upon day of travel, despite the lack of pointed rocks or the sharper wit of a bandit's blade. The only danger was for those who disliked the voice of Timan, the carriage driver, who nattered away merrily with Ryn and happily sung along with the final arrival to the carriage, the young woman who sat at the head of the carriage with Timan and Ryn even as their destination came into view amidst the sea of wooden titans that dominated the Stolen Lands. Some information had been gleamed from the man, in explanation of just what the trading post was, in that it was owned by just a man and his wife who apparently sought to get away from most civilization, judging by the way their letters were written to Restov. They were gifted with an old fort to accomplish this, which had to go through some restoration before it was fitting to serve as their home, a trading post, and now a place for the adventuring groups of the Aldori Swordlords to stay.

"The castle is lit with candles and torches, the carriages and nobles arrive in the front...the smell of splendor and decadence. And nobody can foresee... The masters and mistresses are walking through the halls; they're smiling, laughing, and showing that they're tall... They don't recognize we're waiting here, and just nobody can foresee..." Timan treated the group to another rendition of a favorite song of his, as the group were invited to look out of the windows, past the greenery that surrounded their dirt path and to the trading post that would serve as their bed for at least the night, the the sunlight finally slipping behind the shroud of night on a day that had not been particularly lovely to begin with. The rain, at least, had not seen fit to fall on anybody's head and delay the three day trip for any longer, leaving the troupe with perfectly dry ground for the hour or so before sundown.

The first aspect of the restored fort grounds that came to view were the wooden battlements that surrounded the trading post, each post crafted from remarkably fresh wood and firmly rooted in the ground to give one the sense of an establishment meant to be teaming with life. Instead, no guardsmen stood vigilant atop the walls and the lack of life within them only became more evident as there were no myriads of murmurs that would have been present in a bustling marketplace, nor an active arrangement of people to open the hinged gates that instead required the carriage's occupants to get out and push them open by hand. The archway as soon passed through, however, and the sturdy wheels of the carriage rolled into the trading post proper, where a slightly burly figure could be seen sitting atop one of the quartet of buildings, while a woman just leaving what seemed to be a storage pen looked over to the new arrivals and left her duty to greet the visitors.


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The carriage rode up to what seemed to be a storage pen of various trading goods and sundries, Timan letting its occupants get off before leading the horses and his carriage back away from the Trading Post with a smile left for the quite comely wife of its namesakes and a brief farewell to those who'd been his passengers for three days. He'd explained the day before that there was a hut nearby he would be able to rest at without having to waste daylight in a night at the Trading Post. The woman approached the group with a smile across her pleasant face, though not particularly elegant as one might have expected from a woman in the city, nor with wild beauty one could expect from a tribeswoman; one could easily what would attract some to her, at least, and she shook every member of the group's hand as she spoke. "Ah! We have been expecting you for some time; and prudent as well. The stew would lose its flavor if it bubbles for to long, so come," She gestured to the largest building in the trading post and began to walk towards it, her eyes dancing over the group members as though checking for any discomfort. "My name is Svetlana, and Oleg will be down in just a moment, visitors."

Svetlana shot an expectant look over the group as she spoke her own name, clearly expecting them to introduce themselves, as the doors to her humble home opened and revealed the tastes of homebrewed stew that hung on the air with the taste of musky, but simple, spices along with the filling scent of freshly baked bread and, to more sensitive noses, a freshly opened bottle of fairly potent alcohol, all of which sat on a table in the room immediately to the left of the entrance to Svetlana's home; a simple circular table made out of wood awaited them with all the goods the woman seemed to have gathered. The chairs around the table were slightly mismatched, only four of them standard stools, while two seats seemed to be from a two-person bench pulled in front outside and another two were stocky, small tables with a cloth thrown over them. The blonde woman took a seat on one cloth-covered table, her hands folded in her lap as she waited for the group to finish, though her eyes particularly followed the looming Izlude and ashen-skinned Kalika. Whether from mistrust or worry, one couldn't immediately tell.

Ria took one of the seats up against the wall, the bench intended for sharing, and carefully placed her weapons behind herself so as not to disgruntle the housewife or her soon-to-enter husband. "I'm Ria. This is a lovely meal you've prepared for us, Svetlana, and a lovely change from road food." The woman's eyes widened as she noticed that Ryn was, indeed, still present and chose to occupy herself with staring at her own feet instead of saying anything more.

[Keylac]

As Timan wheeled the carriage out of the yard, Ryn was sorry to see him depart; the man had been a fine traveling companion, full of stories, songs, and good cheer. All things in their time though; he'd wished the driver a safe trip home, a warm hearth, and many more tales to share if they should ever meet again.

He takes a moment to look around the yard of the fort, drinking in his surroundings. He idly wonders who built the fort, and if he could get his hosts to tell him; Timan hadn't known, but maybe this Oleg, who owned it now, would.

When the woman approaches, he breaks off his survey, smiling at obvious happiness at seeing him and his companions. Quickly, he put Duke into one of the stalls, happy that he didn't have to rub him down. There were quite a few benefits to having a mule over a horse, and this was certainly one of them. He placed the mules load on a handy table and followed Svetlana into the house, heading towards the enticing smells of a good stew and fresh bread.

He entered just in time to hear Ria's remarks, and grinned at the top of her head, not offended in the least. "Truly, Goodwoman Svetlana, Ria speaks truth. The meal smells delicious, and will be a delightful change of fare. The bread, especially, smells... divine." He sweeps his hat from his head and bows to her. "I am Ryn Kavaren, lately of Restov, and it is an honor to meet you."

With that, he steps against the wall, unbuckling his sword belt and hanging it from a handy peg, followed by his poncho and hat. His backpack and guitar he sets against the wall before perching on one of the stools and leaning it back against the wall. He looks around the house with interest while his companions introduce themselves.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika had been the last to arrive before the carriage had left. Threading on her talons as she approached, the onyx-skinned female stood out quite a lot, despite her dark cloak. Long feathery wings with a similar dark colour as her skin stuck out the slits cut in the cloak, where the wings looked stunted and crippled. In constrast to the dark colours was her long white hair, and the red pupil-less eyes. She had turned her head to look at each of the others at her arrival and her slitted nostrils seemed to inhale deeply as she noticed just how.. human.. her company was.

When called on it, she had presented the charter with a tight grip, as if not wanting to lose it or getting it yanked away. Not especially talktive she only told her name when asked. She spoke up with a sharp voice: "Kalika. What your name?" During the trip she would also respond to what race she was, telling that she was a Strix. She did not seem especially responsive, however, as when she spoke it was clear she was no native speaker of the Common tongue, not only possessing an almost shrieking accent, but also not being really that fluent. During the trip, she had looked with an especially suspecious eye at Izlude Folles.

During the travel, Kalika had at times taken to the roof of the carriage, perching on it so she would have a bit more space considering her wings. She had looked somewhat curious at all the singing, but did not seem to want to ask about it. During the journey it also became clear that underneath the cloak is a musclar figure clad in dark gray and dulled breastplate, with a preference for dark clothes underneath as the shirt and skirt she wore was of a dark brown. Carrying along simple supplies such as a backpack, a bedroll and trail rations, she does not seem to be in the possession of a weapon.

When they arrived at Oleg's Trading Post, Kalika had been examining the surroundings closely until she jumped off the carriage, using her wings to gently glide to the ground. When Timan left, she did not offer him a goodbye, instead preferring to focus on her surroundings. She looked at the female warily, but when she started about stew, Kalika perked up. After a while, when the group seemed to move to the house, she had to ask: "Stew? For us?"

[Bad Situation]

As soon as he steps off the carriage, Izlude offers a quick and salute to the driver. While he wasn't a fan of the man's ostentatious manner it took some measure of courage to travel in the Stolen Lands. It was respectable, if nothing else. Though, the man's voice could definitely use some work.

Standing before the garrison turned trading outpost, Izlude lets out a relieved sigh, tracing a spiral over his chest before taking long strides into the relative safety of its walls. Working the cricks out of his neck, he is content to let the woman drone on about the food, concerning himself primarily with the defensibility of the trading post's walls and location. For the time being this was their new home and as such, he would be remiss to ignore the structural detailing if he planned on defending it.

Well aware that he was being watched, Izlude stands to his full, imposing height and throws up his hood before passing his gaze over the considerably smaller woman. "I do not mean to bring untoward troubles upon your settlement but I assure that my nationality will not affect my conduct throughout these early, troubling days. However, if it will ease you mind I will gladly retire to the surrounding wilderness than stay where I am unwelcome."

Catching himself in time, Izlude flinches before turning at the hip for a gentlemanly bow, "Ah, I forget my manners. I am Izlude Folles, designated wilderness guide for the expedition into the Stolen Lands." Even if he didn't quite look like a noble, his days at court were still very much alive in the way he conducted himself.

[oyzar]

Kendra had stayed chatty during the trip. Trying to get the others to talk by asking questions, but talking herself if she did not get much response. She had particularly enjoyed the company of the carriage driver as he had been chatting freely. She had told a bit of her own story, mostly that she had been travelling around Brevoy together with her mother where they had lived quite nicely of what that earned her. Given her relative inexperience due to her few years she found it easier to talk about other things than just herlsef. She did tell some of what she knew of the history of brevoy. Having travelled all over Brevoy and being quite curious about it, she knew quite a bit of history both of high and low.

Kendra waved after the driver as he departed. He had been quite enjoyable company during the trip given that he has been so willing to speak. Upon being introduced to Svetlana she produced her own name in return. "I am Kendra Aldori, it is a pleasure to meet you. And this is my familiar Denzel." She said acompanied by the tiniest of curtesies. She is holding Denzel during her curtesy, but lets him down afterwards. Kendra is again dressed in a bright seagreen robe with gilded edges covering her entire body, the hood is pulled back revealing her young pale face. Her hair is not really a natural color, dark brown but with a shine of purple. Her eyes are purple, though they are slowly changing complexity and darkness making those who stares closely feel like they are being drawn in. On her back is a small backpack, a crossbow hanging on one side and bolts on the other side, she is not totally unprepeared for using something other than her magic.

She looks around the fort, Hmm, what histories have I heard of this place?.

Kendra follows Svetlana in, Denzel close on her heels. Always curious she looks around carefully at the walls trying to see if she can see anything unusual. As they get to the table, she takes place at one of the stools, preferably with a back. She prefers to sit comfortably. As the witch sits down she lets her backpack drop down behind her chair, not far out of reach. Denzel lays in her lap, wanting to get some bites of the meal. "How nice of you to prepeare a meal for us, what is the stew made off?"

[roll0]Knowledge, History about the fort
[roll1]Perception, looking around inside the fort

[QuidEst]

Gods preserve us from would-be bards…

Aere wasn't sure how many times he'd thought that to himself during their trip. He wasn't used to the constant nattering of people who would be better off silent. In past times, it would have been a simple matter of silencing them. Still, it was an exercise in patience and maintaining the illusion of good cheer in trying times. The conversation inside the carriage had provided welcome distraction, at least. He had heard of Strix before, but it was fascinating to see one in person. Kalika's wings seemed poorly formed, even for a non-dragon, and the weight of her armor suggested that she didn't do much flying. During the trip, he took time to explain his purported background to his travelling companions. The others might have thought him a little crazy to think he was a dragon, but that was fine. They'd see enough in time.

It was a relief to finally reach the outpost. Certainly, he didn't miss the driver's singing, but they were now disconnected from the bulk of civilization, and he could begin the process of building his life up once more. There was no crowded mass of humanity and the other tag-along races of the cities, checking his growth and getting in his way. He was free.

Smiling warmly at Svetlana, Aere nods his head thankfully as he shakes her hand. "Thank you for your hospitality. I am Aere Hebetor. I must say, it is a pleasure to be here at last, ready to begin work." After taking off his cloak and hanging it up, he sat down with the others to enjoy the stew. With it off, it was evident that he had little muscle to him, looking almost like an academic wizard, too distracted by studies to bother with proper meals. Hardly the case, but the energy burned off in transformations and the lack of exercise in this body left him thinner than most half-elves.

Once he finished his stew, Aere returned his attention to Svetlana. "Again, my thanks. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to be of assistance while we're here."

[Hazuki]

Svetlana seemed particularly delighted by Ryn's flamboyant greeting, though whether it was because she thought he was joking or was flattered was up to the onlooker to decide, and gave him a wide smile in response. Along with relieving himself of his weapons, she seemed to calm down considerably, her hands moving to take a few pinches of fresh bread from the table to eat piece by piece, in a series of nibbles. When Kalika raised her question of who the stew was for, Svetlana gave her a polite nod and gestured to the ladel in the stew. "I-I can serve it for you, if you...can't." She noted, glancing at the onyx woman's fingers warily before clearing her throat and changing the topic. It was Izlude's minor confrontation that apparently seemed to make her worry the most, however, as one hand gripped the edge of the desk and she didn't meet his gaze. "It's not that...you're just very tall..." She muttered, eager to take up the chance of answering Kendra's question. "It's made from rabbit with various vegetables; the last of our meen radishes, even!" A short, sweet laugh escaped her pale lips, which had clearly not seen much make-up. "They're Oleg's favorite, you see."

Some of the delicious meal passed without much of worth to say, besides Svetlana filling her guests in on some of the recent events in the Trading Post. A few days prior, they saw another small group, six people strong, pass around the Trading Post, but they didn't stop to visit and didn't seem to dress much like any of the resident bandits, either. The Trading Post itself is as lackluster in business as ever, most of it coming from a quirky hermit mage that lives nearby, but Oleg doesn't seem to mind the lack of company, apparently. Something which perhaps is for the best, as the troupe hears a few muttered curses from the rooftop as Svetlana's husband fixes the leak. A hunter recently passed by and left a bounty for whoever would do him a favor, as well, but she didn't put it up anywhere because no visitors were expected besides the current group.

With Aere's question, and plenty of bread and wine left, Svetlana lowered her voice to speak just loudly enough for everyone at the table to hear. "...weren't you here to help us?" She queried, an eyebrow raised quizzically.

[QuidEst]

Another group of six… that was interesting. He did not know if there were others being sent, but wouldn't they have stopped? The mention of a bounty caught his attention. Money was scarcer to come by than it was in the city, and a chance to earn more was welcome.

Aere answered a similarly low voice. "We are here to deal with bandits, thieves, and the like, and will be working to sort out any and all troubles with them, as per our charter. I apologize for not being clearer, but I was offering to lend assistance with more day-to-day matters when there are no more pressing needs. It is a small thing to do one's duty- that is expected. What we do beyond it is what we may consider credit," he concluded. "Anything you or your husband can tell us about the resident bandits will be useful, of course."

[Zweanslord]

Kalika had been careful with her wings as she entered through the doors, and now spanned her wings a bit more, almost knocking over a stool. Folding her wings back, she turned her head to look with her big red eyes at those who spoke, and turned to look at the stew again when Kendra asked what they were made of. Gazing up at Svetlana when she spoke, looking her straight in the eye, she seemed to scowl slight. "I can take stew!" She said with a hint of anger in her voice. What did this woman think she was?

Kalika stepped towards the stew, took a bowl and then grabbed the large spoon from the stew and used it to fill her bowl. Looking back at Svetlana with an expression akin to 'See?', Kalika then added: "How radishes mean? People mean, radishes not mean. Radishes radishes!" Silly humans and their silly names for things. No wonder they thought Strix were evil, they were even calling their vegetables mean!

After grabbing some bread she sought out a stool, Kalika carefully moved a talon on one of them, seeing if they were stable enough to sit. Wobbling a bit with it, she then moved to the other small table and did the same. Approving of the table's superior stability, she perched on top of it and began to eat. She ripped the bread with her teeth, and sipped from the bowl of stew without utensils. At the start she seemed a bit nervous and anxious with all these people in this small room, but as she was able to sate her hunger, she seemed to grow a bit more at ease and the scowl on her face seemed to wither. She did turn her head repeatedly to Svetlana, looking at her, studying her for some reason.

When Aere spoke up, she turned his face to him and then put down her bowl and tossed the last bit of bread in her mouth as she went to retrieve her charter, as she had figured it as being a clue to show it. Holding it out to Svetlana, close enough for her to read it, but not close enough for her to grab it, Kalika held it rather clenched so it could not be yanked away while she said: "Charter."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude nods toward Aere, content with letting the more personable man deal with the negotiation and diplomacy. He raps his fingers against the table impatiently, with an poised to listen. It was rude no doubt, but it kept his nerves steady and his fingers moving. At the mention of the six travelers, the drumming abruptly stops and Izlude turns the whole of his face back to the conversation. "We are not the only men and women with a vested interest in the Stolen Lands no doubt. I apologize if I am being overly forward but any information you could spare about these fellow explorers would be most appreciated." The verdict was still out on whether or not these travelers were friendly or not but considering Restov's many political counter-agents he it was very likely the latter.

Leaning back in his seat, Izlude makes an open palmed gesture as he contributes to the conversation. "And it is as the half-elf says. We are trying to stake a claim through our efforts and whatever aid you could provide us with would not go unappreciated. Before my life's tapestry led me into Restov, I was a military man of some talent. My abilities in operational administration and martial combat could find some use in your outpost, I am sure."

[oyzar]

Kendra ducks away as the wings of Kalika almost hit her. "Be careful." She says, though no hint of malice in her voice. Kendra tries to focus on her own food, but the strix provides quite an interesting spectacle. "I don't think she was calling the vegetables mean. Meen is a positive adjective." After they have eaten for a while she tries to spark conversation about something other than just pure business. "How did you find the food Ria? Kalika?"

Kendra pays close attention as the others speak. Her purple eyes jumping from person to person. It is interesting to see how others aproach problems. She raises a question of her own. "Is there anything in specific you need help with? I am sure we can find the time to deal with your troubles if we get something we want out of it.

[Zweanslord]

"What?" Kalika looked at Kendra with a puzzled look. She rather obviously did not understand what Kendra meant with a positive adjective.

"Food good." Kalika was short about it, and it was as much of a compliment about the food you were getting out of Kalika.

When Izlude mentioned half-elf as he referred to Aere, Kalika looked at him again for a moment. She seemed to ponder something as she looked, but then dropped it again, looking at Svetlana to see if she was reading the charter.

[Keylac]

His meal finished, Ryn simply sat, stool tipped back on two legs, listening to the others. Aere and Kendra seemed to be handling the conversation just fine and he was smart enough to know he'd probably make things worse by jumping in, no matter how many questions he had. He'd already figured out that their hostess and his new friends weren't quite talking about the same thing; he wasn't sure what the difference was, but if he just waited, he was sure he'd find out. He did make a mental note to ask her about the bounty, if no one else did. People rarely posted bounties to go do boring tasks after all.

Still, it was terribly interesting watching his new friends interact with someone new. Ryn wasn't particularly skilled at dealing with people, a fact he'd long since realized. His looks didn't help, but he also lacked something, the magnetism, the charisma that great leaders had. That was one reason he'd adopted somewhat flamboyant manners, since it helped draw attention away from his less than proficient fields.

Aere was just as cultured and calming when he spoke to Svetlana now as he'd been the whole trip. Speaking so well was a skill Ryn admired, especially due to his lack of it. He wasn't quite certain he believed him about his other skills though. Hopefully he'd get a chance to see it soon. If Aere really was a dragon... the things he'd have to have seen would be amazing. For now though, he hoped Aere could settle Svetlana's nerves; she seemed like the type who smiled naturally.

Thinking about smiling women, he glanced sideways at Kalika, the strange, winged woman. There was a woman who didn't smile much, though Ryn had hopes for her. He hadn't learned much about her during the trip, unfortunately. Her taciturn nature, combined with the language barrier, had stymied his efforts to get to know her better. He'd resolved to try and learn Strix, just so he could talk to her, but that was going to take some time.

It was a shame that she didn't seem to get along too well with her partner in gloom, Izlude. Izzy, as Ryn had already begun thinking of him, wasn't a bad sort, but he certainly seemed somewhat less than cheerful most of the time. Even now, as Ryn peered at him over his cup - filled with water, not alcohol - he seemed tense and more concerned with the job than with the people he was doing it with or for. Maybe resolving the tension between him and Kalika would help him relax, but for now it was something of a mystery to Ryn.

Ria was a bit of a mystery to him as well. She still hadn't said a word to him since her comment about his cooking on the road. Not that he could really blame her; he probably shouldn't have spiced the soup so much, a habit he'd picked up in Katapesh. She'd spoken to all of them on the road, always willing to let others lead the conversation, or decide what to do.

Kendra was less of a mystery; he'd met other girls like her. One had been a friend of his when he was a child, the terror of all the boys and parents. Too bright by half and used to getting what she wanted. He liked her already, though he figured he was going to have to spend some time keeping an eye on her so she didn't get in over her head. That wasn't a bad thing though. It'd been a long time since he'd really had anyone to look after besides himself.

Smiling to himself, he continued listening to the conversation, resisting the urge to whistle.

[Hazuki]

Svetlana listened to the explanations of the gathered group of food-eating Charter-bears mostly patiently, though she seemed to struggle slightly with keeping up with so many voices talking to her at once and the branching paths of conversation that would have led her down a path of madness, all while smiling and attempting to ignore the slightly irate glance of Kalika. Even were she not the most graceful of women, she seemed to have enough patience to put up with those apparently younger and more filled with energy than herself; a surprise, then, that no children seemed to lurk around the Trading Post to follow the siren's call of delicious food. It was Izlude who she responded to first, folding her hands beneath the table again with her single bread roll eaten, as she seemed to count wordlessly in recollection to answer the tall man's question.

"There was a very tall and spindly man with pointed ears, like darling Ria here," She gave a smile to said mostly-silent member of the group. "An elf. There was a very short woman dressed in leathers, like the," A wayward glance. "Bandits wear, but she was very fair-skinned. And had a blade I've never seen before. She had an unusual look about her that I've seen only a few times before, in Restov, which is a wonderful place if you haven't been and," She corrected her tangent and went on to the next individual. "A hooded woman, very pretty, and she didn't wear any shoes, which was strange. A very short man who rode a mule with six legs, he looked quite dapper. Another man, quite tall, with very big teeth, and big enough to carry more haystacks than my dear Oleg! He was well-dressed, too. And another woman...very dour and she looked ready for a fight. I was glad she didn't come here...and that's all of them." With that explanation over with, she took to reading the charter that Kalika had generously, if slightly rudely, presented to her.

Ria lit-up ever so slightly when Kendra asked her a question, her pale visage turning into a warm smile for the witch as she swallowed her latest sip of the presented alcohol. "I think the food was delicious, thank you. It has this taste one can only get from farmers and folk that keep a simple living." She mused with something of a giggle to her voice, her lithe frame perhaps not processing the beverage quite as well as somebody with a burlier stature would have. The young woman didn't seem to be drinking much of it, at least, perhaps half of a flagon so far. Svetlana and Oleg apparently did not have the glass finery one would expect to serve wine in. She seemed to be a few years older than Kendra, depending on how the individuals judged the age of those non-human, but was closer to the other female members of the troupe than the youngest male, Izlude.

"You see...there have been a lot of bandits around here lately." Svetlana answered the trio that spoke to her, a hopeful spark seeming to have ignited in her eyes as she spoke, despite a cautious glance up at the rooftop from which steady hammering could be heard. "A few months ago, they came to the post with many men; at least a dozen, and demanded we hand over our goods. Oleg got angry, but they," Svetlana cleared her throat as though to measure herself. "Knocked him out and the female leader made a deal with me, about us having to give them some of our trade goods every week. Oleg is humbled and very, very upset by it, and he means well, but he keeps talking about showing them what it means to take from him. But he loses his confidence when dealing with them...even when that horrid woman isn't with them." She glanced at the charter once again. "But you can help, can't you? All of you? Stop them, put an end to this...please?" Through her begging, the woman did not resort to gripping the hands of those around her, or griping the table tightly with her ringless fingers. Just simple questions, from a desperate woman.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude listens to Svetlana's story with rapt attention, visibly frowning when she explains how the bandits came to enforce their thuggery. The very fact that he used to call those men and women 'comrades' was contemptible. From raiding wagons and caravans to demanding tribute from honest traders trying to eke out their livings. It was all the same to them, he knew from experience. Though he had escaped from the very fate, bandits were truly a detestable lot. Some seemed to believe that bandits arose from lawlessness. This of course was wrong. Bandits were simply people who took what they saw as theirs from the world. No more, no less. Honorable men struck their claims legitimately. True, sometimes by force but always in a way that left him respectable by the end of it.

And the sad truth of the matter was that their were men and women like this in all walks of life. Hidden, sometimes and sometimes not.

He'd seen enough 'banditry' among the nobility of his own Cheliax to know this. In the army and clergy even. They were not the common brigands or lawless highwaymen but what were they if not bandits of a different sort? The ones who plundered life instead of riches. Freedom in place of jewels.

Leaning against the table, Izlude presses his fingers into the wooden paneling and looks into Svetlana's eyes with a firm determination burning in his sharp, hawk-like eyes. "I cannot speak on behalf of my companions, but so long as I am here the filth that infest these forests and valleys so will not rest easily, covered in their ill-obtained affluence. Not under my vengeful eye."

Leaning back, Izlude crosses his arms and snorts derisively, "Know this: A true Chelaxian man, disgraced or no, does not undertake his vows in half-measures."

[oyzar]

Kendra studies the conversation with interest. She does not particularly feel like helping the woman out of pity. If there is something to be gained from a task, Kendra is at once more interested and she feels there is something to be gained in this case. By defeating the bandits they will gain more influence, territory and reputation. This could in turn be used to control people and get them to acomplish tasks they want or simply enrich them through taxes. In addition there is also the possiblity of spoils, bandits don't throw away the valuable things they rob.

Thoughts racing through her mind, yet the exterior remains calm almost emotionless. Kendra speaks up in a soft voice. "We are not served by having bandits in the region. As Izulde says, they will not rest easy." A small smile forms on her lips to comfort the woman. Not emotionally caught up in the topic like Izlude, the young girl uses the conversation about bandits to lead into another topic that had caught her interest. "You mentioned a bounty earlier. Is that related to bandits as well? I am sure we could be interested in that, depending on the nature of the task."

[QuidEst]

Aere considered carefully. A dozen men would be difficult to deal with. That was two apiece- easy enough for him, but Kendra seemd quite young. Humans bred like rabbits, and progressed rapidly through magical studies in a process of trial and error wherein those who erred died and were quickly replaced, but even so, he doubted she had trained long enough to take out two thugs by magic. Izlude at least seemed capable of doing his part, and with an almost troubling enthusiasm at that. Ryn looked nearly as weak at himself, with an elf's fragile build. While Kalika seemed war-like enough, she wasn't carrying any weapons on her. As for Ria… his judgment was withheld. He'd learned rather unpleasantly that one could not judge servants of the gods like one would a fighter or even a mage. The mace was reassuring, at least. Perhaps some practice sparring useful.

"Unless the bounty and the bandits coincide, the latter is rather more pressing, since they come weekly," Aere reminded Kendra. "If they come weekly, surely they have a time by which you must have things ready. How much time do we have to prepare for them? Do they send the full contingency every time, or is it less than a dozen now?" He paused, considering for a second. "Also, this may seem odd, but were any wearing amulets of a silver deer skull? Their leader in particular."

[Zweanslord]

Kalika looked at Ria as Svetlana spoke about her. Turning her head to look at the pointed ears, just after Svetlana remarked her as elf, she looked at Ryn and Aere and their ears. Seeming to ponder for a moment, she then turned back to look at Svetlana, taking in the words or at least trying to. Such weird things far away from home, like a six-legged mule!

When Svetlana finished reading the charter, Kalika quickly pulled it back and tucked it away again with care. While Svetlana spoke this time, she finished up her stew, holding the bowl to her mouth with both hands, rising it as the stew gulped between her lips. Her head went back as she lifted the bowl, showing off her dark-skinned neck, until she seemed done. There were a few scraps left in the bowl, which she scraped out with a finger, and then licked off the finger. A tiny smile appeared on her face as she looked satisfied.

It did not last long as Svetlana finished. Kalika turned to Kendra. "Hear? Humans bad. Bandits." Referring to what she had said to Kendra earlier on the trip. Kalika then seemed to focus on Izlude. Her earlier stance had been suspecious already, but when Izlude mentioned being a Cheluxian man, Kalika stepped off her small table and glared at him. She turned rapidly towards Kendra and demanded: "What vow?"

[QuidEst]

Aere looked at Kalika intently. Her fixation on humans and their crimes would prove a liability if she did not make some efforts to behave more diplomatically. "You would do well to remember that you are here enjoying the food provided to you by a human, acting on the authority of a human charter, and travelling in the company of humans. I have been around for some time, and do not think there race that is wholly good or wholly bad. There are saints among tieflings and sinners among aasimars. You don't have to like them, but you would be wise to not to go making statements about humans as a whole." He sighed, hoping that Svetlana would not be put off by him trying to keep his company in order. "And a vow is a solemn promise, typically longer-reaching than simply making a promise to do something."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude scoffs, eying the Strix with a curious mix of confusion and disdain. Who did this woman think she was, demanding such a thing from him. Still, a straightforward question deserved a straightforward response if nothing else. He had honor enough for that at least. After a moment of consideration he deigns to speak, "Every Chelaxian soldier takes some sort of oath or another when he enlists. As I was not a conscripted man I am not privy to such details. And though I abhor the devil-worship as it exists in the state, the nationalistic pride that I stake in my country's history and past imperialistic splendor is not so easily shaken. Firm personal convictions, however corrupted by the government, are still a virtue."

Sniffing slightly, Izlude returns his eyes to Svetlana's and waits for her response.

[Hazuki]

Although the smile that came to Svetlana's lips at Izlude's determination to aid her was pleasant, she quickly glanced away from the fellow in eagerness to avoid his unsettlingly focused eyes. Her demeanor, at least, seemed slightly more improved, as she allowed herself to reach for the table again and break a small piece of bread off of the loaves to chew on for a few moments, listening patiently to Aere's questions and chewing for a good few moments before answering. "Thank you... They are coming again tomorrow, but we've already ran out of most of the things to give them," Those with curious eyes would notice the woman rubbing a finger on her left hand. "They've come with less ever since the...third meeting, and it's been the same four for the last few times. But they still look very well-armed...one of them wore a brooch on his cloak, the leader, I think." She gave a firm nod. "Yes, he was the leader. The bounty is," Svetlana reached over to one of the small tables by the wall and retrieved a rolled-up parchment, in which she glanced for a few long moments. "For a boar." She finished, passing the parchment to Kendra as she was the one who'd asked about it, while glancing warily at Kalika and her growing confrontation.

Apparently noticing the situation between Kalika and Izlude, Ria, too, got to her feet and smiled a pleasant smile at the group. "Say, that meal was quite filling, don't you think? Perhaps some of us should walk it off and take a better look around the trading post, while the rest stay and talk with our gracious host." She offered, re-attaching the buckler to her forearm before anybody could make any objections. "Kalika? Would you like to come with me?" Ria's query was nothing short of desperate, but she seemed to mask it quite well under the guise of dismantling the tension in the room.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika turned to Aere, as he was sooner than Kendra to give a response. She did not seem to care much for his explanation of saintly tieflings and sinning aasimars and she eyed him as he spoke up, looking increasingly annoyed. "Human charter for kill human bandits. Human travellers with charter kill human bandits. Human bandits want things, Svetlana things." Kalika shook her head in disdain, after which she turned to Izlude. This time, after he had spoken, her stance seems angry, as she clenches her fists and stands tense. "Chelaxian humans vow kill Strix."

She then pointed two fingers to her own eyes, then pointed them at Izlude, as if to say: "I'm watching you." Carefully, she walked over towards Ria, while keeping her eyes on Izlude. "Yes. Walk and look good." She only rapidly shifted her head to the side at one point to ensure she did not bump with her wings against Kendra again, avoiding some food as well, but then gazing back on Izlude again until she left the room and ventured outside.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude rudely clicks his tongue at Svetlana's assessment and sniffs, "Armed in goods stolen from better men, no doubt. However, if these men are plaguing your trading outpost then it is our duty to rid you of them."

Turning to Aere he asks, "So what is the plan then? My time spent in the wilderness was not just for show. I have confidence in my capabilities as a tracker as well as my archery. I propose we ambush them when they come into the outpost, and when the tides of battle turn on them we allow one to slink back to its lair. What say you?" The ranger tugs at his bow and nods, hoping for a response in the affirmative.

[QuidEst]

Aere's smiled a little at the prospect of dealing with the bandits so soon. "Ah. Then we have arrived just in time. I regret that our charter was not established earlier, but at least we will stop them before they decide that there isn't enough to take."

Aere considered Izlude's suggestion carefully. It would be a pity to spoil any element of surprise. "The plan is a good one, but then they are warned of our arrival and informed of our strengths. Likely four of them will be coming, and they have grown confident. Do you think you could track that? If not, we can save two of them. The prisoner's dilemma is a powerful motivator, and one of them will be happy to be the one to talk." A slow acid drip was also a powerful motivator, but that was for more extreme cases where words alone failed. He could always threaten to turn them over to Kalika, and that would probably be enough.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude considers Aere's words before shrugging slightly. "...if I had indication of the direction they came from I should be able to follow their tracks back, provided of course they have not taken efforts to obscure their path. However, if they have become as overconfident as Svetlana says I would wager that they have not bothered with such a contingency." Smiling a knowing grin, Izlude absentmindedly traces tight spirals on the table before bringing his fingers up to his face to stroke his chin in contemplation. "If we intend on utterly crushing the force they send to the trading post, I would like to access the means of barring their retreat. Svetlana, do you have blueprints or plans concerning the construction of this fort. If not, would you be able to draw them up on such short notice? It would greatly aid our planning and strategical analysis in any case."

[Hazuki]

Svetlana watches the conversation growing between the gentlemen with a gaze somewhere between curiosity and astonishment at first, as her fingers continue to play with a piece of bread, but her expression slowly changes one to more of mild horror as she hears just what Izlude is planning to do with the bandits that arrive at the fort. "You...you can't be saying that you're going to murder them." Although her voice has not been raised, her smile is nevertheless gone for the moment, and indignation is clear in her tone as her eyes settle on the distinctively taller person. "Not in our home. If that's your plan, I would want be brought to my smallclothes than before being a friend if your...your bloodlust. Do it away from us if you must do it at all!"

[Bad Situation]

Raising an eyebrow at the woman's change in disposition, Izlude shrugs and shows his open palms in a disarming gesture. "Ah, perhaps I misspoke. I did not mean to offend you but you forget that I am not a common merchant like you or your husband. I am a soldier, first and foremost, and I deal with blood. As the charter says, the punishment for unrepentant banditry is execution by rope or by sword." He'd dealt with civilian clients before and he could never quite understand their disassociation with things like violence. The civilian sphere was an arrogant world, to be sure. Demanding that something be done and then finding fault with the most acceptable means accomplishing the feat. It boggled the mind.

Eying her questioningly, he launches into explaining his stance hoping that she would somehow see reason, "The bandits, have done much worse than what I have in store for them. A quick and painless death is more than they deserve but still I proffer it. Though, if you mean for us to end the bandit threat by stringing them along with honeyed words and friendship then I truly have nothing left to say to you. I at least, harbor no such illusions."

Standing up and collecting his belongings, Izlude sweeps his cloak around him and leaves with a dour flourish. "However, I grow weary with this talk. Aere, when you have concluded your discussion of terms come find me and we will plan our assault under whatever provisions she has deigned to allow us."

[QuidEst]

Aere blinked in surprise at Svetlana's forceful reaction. "I had couched it in rather nicer terms than that, justice and carrying out our duty set forth in the charter featuring prominently amongst them. The plan was only for the worst case- that they should remain unrepentant and try to fight to the death. But if you, whom they have taken so much from, would have them all spared, then I can say nothing against that. We shall endeavor to our utmost to take them all alive. If any here have objections, let them be raised now."

He frowned momentarily, considering the various logistics entailed. "I will speak with Kalika about it at length. Ria as well, but that will probably be a shorter conversation. Is there somewhere they can be safely held? I think I have an idea for how we can go about this without conflict. My conversation with Ryn got me thinking. You do have something to offer them. Me."

Aere proceeded to outline the plan. He himself would change his form, looking like an exotic creature that had been capture. It would be easy to make him look tightly bound. He could be tied down to many pegs hammered into the ground- but in reality, the pegs would have the ends cut off beforehand, and would easily come out. He would serve as the bait to lure them in. Once they were in, the gates could be quickly closed. Aere would "free" himself, and the others would emerge. The bandits would be outnumbered, and hopefully inclined to discuss terms of surrender reasonably.

[oyzar]

Kendra had been thinking a lot about why they were sent into the wildnerness on the way to the fort. Sure getting rids of bandits is nice, but there might be more behind it. Brevoy would stand to gain a lot if they had more friendly neighbours. What might start as small adventure groups might turn into something more eventually. If the groups fail, Brevoy lose nothing, but if the groups succed, Brevoy might get an ally. Even simple adventuring groups would poentially be a great aid for the state. Kendra did not mind being a piece in a larger powerstruggle in the region as long as she stood to benefit from it herself. At first it would be cleaning out bandits. That would surely bring reputation and spoils. What came after that was still unknown, but hopefully it would be involving gaining more power and knowledge.

Back to the present Kendra follows the conversation closely. She does not like that Svetlana is so squirmish, but it is to be expected. Honestly she has not participated in battle herself, but she did, perhaps foolishly, not fear it. Kendra brings her voice to an icy tone directed at Svetlana. "The bandits are bad people. If we show them mercy they will take advantage. Battle can be fickle and if we want to survive we should take every advantage we can get. Would you rather that we follow them to their hideout and get ambushed and killed ourselves?" Kendra waits for Svetlana to answer before continuing on to discuss strategy.

"I still think we should work out how to best plan an ambush here. Since they are not expected before tomorrow, we should be able to prepeare our best spells for the opportunity. Best would be to have some surprise magic to lock them all down, sadly the only such magic I have is fog which obscurs vision. Useful for hindering movement and doing what we want, but it does not capture the enemies. If we are successful in our ambush I might be able to charm one of the survivors to tell us if there are anyone else hiding somewhere and what to expect from further encounters."

[Keylac]

All four legs of the stool thump on the floor as Ryn leans forward, inserting himself into the conversation. He begins by addressing the table as a whole. "I agree with Svetlana, that there should be no more killing than needed; capturing the bandits should be sufficient. However, we don't actually have to make them all surrender. It's pretty easy to capture people when they've been knocked unconscious, after all. I even happen to have a magic trick that might do that for us."

He then turns to Aere. "I disagree with the idea of using you for bait however. If what you say about your other form, your true form, is accurate, it's too different. People, especially criminals, don't like different. If they see you, they will instantly become more alert, perhaps out of astonishment, perhaps out of fear. Besides, it is not necessary. I'm sure that between us all, we could create a convincing store of goods for them to attempt to take. Perhaps we could even hide someone under the goods. When the bandits have all entered into the fort, when they are relaxed and ready to take the goods, we close the gate and leap out, seeking to disable as many of them as possible while calling on them to surrender."

Leaning back again, he switches back to Svetlana. "Tell me, what goods do you normally leave for the bandits? The more typical we can make this look, the more the bandits should be off guard."

[Hazuki]

Svetlana watched Izlude's following rant towards her with an unmoving face, moving her palms to rest on the table and shooting a glare after the tall fellow as he left her immediate presence. "Apparently they don't teach manners in Cheliax." She huffed, her gaze next going to Aere and Kendra as though to explain herself. "Good men of the city would prove that these men are bandits before killing them...that man seemed like he wanted to kill them more than help me and my husband. And that's just as bad as any bandit." She again gave a resolute nod to herself, before following the offered trains of thought with a smile towards Ryn. "They could be safely held in the guest rooms; we have a lock we could put on the door and the walls are sturdy. As for what we normally give them, furs and food...anything else that we get brought, but most of it is from hunters. And the hermit..." She added, though her words were somewhat more uncertain in how to refer to the fellow. "The only thing I don't want is murder in my home. Do what you like besides that...."

Ria continued to smile at Kalika, as she led her away from Kalika's home and into the courtyard outside, standing close to the taller woman despite the obstructing wings, and attempted to start some small amount of conversation with her, as she headed towards one of the palisades that surrounded the humble trading post. "What would you like to look at first? I think I saw some broken down balista on the walls..." After the mutter, the elder of the two began to wander about, looking for a way up to the palisade and scuffing her small shoes against the ground with each step. [B]"I adore your wings; they're so big! Is it difficult for you to control them?" She glanced aside for a moment, watching Izlude leave Svetlana's home by his lonesome.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika had left behind all the talk in the building, venturing with Ria outside. Kalika looked a bit more at ease, as she was outside again in less confined quarters and away from the other people, blissfully unaware of what was discussed amongst them.

Her eyes watched Ria for a while, wondering if she liked the outdoors better than indoors, or if it was just the situation, or if she truly found the outpost that interesting. Not that it mattered much, Kalika figured, and slowly let her gaze run along the palisade. "Broken?" Kalika asked. She knew what the word meant, but had not thought the ballista to be broken. They looked fine to her, but then again, she had hardly looked at them. Just like Ria, she started to look for a way up, but she was distracted when Ria complimented her wings. Kalika stoo dup fierce and broad, and spanned her wings broadly, as if to show off. But they also showed off that the wings were not exactly symmetrical, and they were not capable of spreading the full width, due to what seemed like old wounds around the joint in the wings. In her pride, Kalika had actually stretched them a bit too far and surpressed a groan, folding the feathered and dark wings somewhat back again, but the long wings still lend her a larger presence than usual humanoids. "Easy control. Born with wings. Strix fly easy." But then Kalika's pride seemed to fade somewhat. "Kalika not fly easy. Glide easy." Merely mentioning it seemed to depress Kalika, making her somewhat angry as she fiercely looked ahead. She gritted her teeth and decided to change the subject. "Look balita." With that said, she walked over to one of the ladders she had spotted near the entrance against the wall and started to climb it to get on the palisade and move over to the balista, expecting Ria to follow.

In the mean time she had either not noticed Izlude leaving by himself, or chosen to ignore it.

[QuidEst]

Aere turned his attention back to Svetlana after Izlude had left. "Still, a man may be shaped and ruled by the company he keeps, and I cannot think he would be nearly so eager if we did not already have strong evidence against them. The men will stand trial, as best as we can manage without trained representatives. If they are willing to turn themselves over without a fight, it will go much better for them." Personally, he rather hoped they put up a fight and made things simpler. Going out to hold trial and the inevitable execution would be troublesome. If they tried to run, at least it would be easy to catch up to them. Bipeds ran so slowly. It was amusing to watch them try and get away, even now.

He nodded at Ryn. "That is a good point. I can contribute some trail rations and silver or gold pieces to the bait. Hopefully that will seem convincing. Does anybody else have anything to add?"

[Keylac]

Ryn ponders Aere's question, rubbing the missing tip of his left ear, mentally calling to mind what he'd brought with him. "I'm afraid I don't have any furs, but I did bring a lot of food. I can contribute a lot of random gear to it as well, such as the cooking supplies. If we pile them up, and then cover some old clothes, blankets, and the like with any furs the post has left, it should look convincing enough. At lest for long enough to get them into the fort."

"As for trials, I think that's a bit outside of our talents. Me and Kendra might be able to fake it as barristers, but not very well." Glancing at Kendra, he added prudently "I'd defend them, I think." Another moment for thought. "I suppose our best bet would be to capture them, then send for someone from Restov to deal with it."

[Hazuki]

The young woman turned to face Kalika's prideful show with her ever-present smile, her gaze studious despite the apparent vacancy most would have expected from the aura she tended to present. In particular, her eyes seemed to pass over the improperly healed wounds of the feathered girl before her, but before she could add another compliment our question, she was cut fof by the sudden change of subject and passed by the jarring change with a simple nod. Her swift steps followed Kalika to one of the ladders attached to the Palisade with surprising ease, apparently seeming to struggle more with slowing down to match Kalika's pace more than attempting to keep up with the already-climbing companion. "Perhaps one of our other companions will know how to man the ballista if we ever need it; once we can find somebody to fix them." She mused out loud, hauling herself over the top of the ladder and flipping her gaze to each of the other three ballistae before kneeling down beside the nearest one. Although it didn't seem to be broken in any overt way, it certainly wasn't armed. Instead of attempting to fiddle with the device, Ria leaned against it and stared out at the surrounding countryside. "How long have you been speaking Common?" She asked, nonchalant.

The woman at the table seemed to relax slightly, as the majority at the table seemed to agree or at least humor her point of view. "Thank you. With the letter than told us about your group coming, there was word of some protection from Restov coming to help secure the fort, but I'm afraid it won't be soon enough to help you stop the bandits arriving tomorrow." The hammering on the rooftop finally came to a stop, Svetlana's eyes glancing upwards before speaking in a hushed tone again. "Please don't tell Oleg that I asked you for help. He's a proud man..."

Back outside, in the empty yard, Izlude could see that the decently muscular man atop the roof was beginning his climb down the ladder; a fairly content look on his face after looking over his work for a few moments.


http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8225/280yy.jpg

[oyzar]

Kendra is sitting by the table, her arms neatly folded together on top of it. She is keeping quite calm, not moving much and her expression remaining serene. Her face is moving depending on who is speaking. Her eyes are something else though. The color in them seem to swirl and shift, going from darker to lighter shades of purple and back again. "Well, we can not promise that noone will be hurt since we can not control the bandits' actions. An ambush is still the best hope we have to end this quickly and in our favour. Do you have a map over the fort that we might use for planning? While we won't mention to Oleg that you asked, I do not think we should exclude him from the planning. Everyone here should be aware of what will happen tomorrow so we can act the best possible. If everything goes according to plan and we manage to knock out or scare the majority into not fighting that would be nice, but we got to plan to make that happen. I got a spell that make people larger, that should make you more intimidating Aere, to scare anyone into surrendering who does not fall to Ryn's spell. Ryn himself also needs to be positioned so he actually can hit all the bandits with his spell."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude watches the man's descent carefully, holding up an arm as the man's feet finally touch the ground. Nodding respectfully, the ranger approaches wearing his closest approximation to a smile on his face. A lifetime of death and betrayal did very little in fixing one's expressions and in spite of himself, his dour attitude and naturally sullen face affect his smile with an uncomfortable air. It was clear to anybody that this person was not one used talking to people at length.

Remembering how Svetlana would surreptitiously glance at her roof, this was in all likelihood her husband. If that was the case, then it was clear what he had to do. Holding his hand out in a gesture of good will, he says, "Hail. You must be...Oleg? I am Izlude Folles. Under mandate of our Restovian charter it seems that we will be imposing on you for the time being. At least, until such a time comes that we are able to more adequately establish a base of operations. I hope we will not bring any undue burden to your establishment. I am, as always, willing to offer my services as a huntsman and tracker to repay you for your gratitude." It was Svetlana who asked for their aid but paying respects to the man in charge of the fortress was never a bad idea.

[Zweanslord]

Arriving at the ballista, Kalika remarked: "Not look broken." Kalika was observing the contraption located at the corner of the outpost, set up high on the palisade. She crouched next to it and looked closer at it, but then shrugged and rose up again, her wings moving gently with her.

Scratching her head as she turned to look at Ria, she made another shrugging motion with her shoulders. "Not know time. Lots lots months." Kalika sighed after mentioning that and followed Ria's example, looking at their surroundings. She moved her head slowly from left to right and she scanned the area. "Not count time." Having travelled for quite a time now, she at one point started to pick up the language. Simply out of necessity at first, but as she found out it could be useful, she had often tried to listen to others, even though most would rather not be in her vicinity. Having less practise with speaking than hearing, when had she really started speaking Common? Lacking a proper time frame, it was difficult and when did you really speak a language? The bare minimum of 'yes' and 'no' hardly counted.

But Kalika's thoughts were trailing off as she looked at the horizon, far away. Remaining silent for a while, Kalika rested on the wood of the palisade as she stared in the distance with a vacant look. But something seemed to dawn in her as her look seemed to return, a question rising to the surface based on what had just been mentioned. "What day today? What time?"

[QuidEst]

Aere somberly shook his head at Ryn's suggestion. "That is not a luxury we have, I'm afraid. We have been tasked with this duty. It is not a matter of faking it or putting on some show of justice- we are to carry it out in full. It may not follow the full proceedings of a capital court, but the accused will be given a chance to defend themselves."

Kendra's suggestion seemed reasonable. It took far too much effort to change forms for him to manage anything larger than an over-sized lizard. "You are welcome to use the spell, but it would be best once they're inside. Before, and they would be certain to see me, after all."

[Keylac]

Ryn smiles at Kendra. "Aye, you've the right of it. The spell's a bit tricky to aim, but if it works, it could spare us some bloodshed." Pondering for a moment, he shrugs. "The best way I can think is to hide in the goods myself, perhaps under the furs. If they gather round to steal them, then they'll be close enough for me to use my magic on. I like the thought of Aere trying to scare the ones that don't drop into surrender as well. Less messy."

Leaning back in his chair again, he looked around the table. "We'll have to make sure the others agree, but it sounds like we've decent ideas. Svetlana, can you describe to us exactly what happens each time? We'd like to keep as close to that as possible, to keep them relaxed until we spring our surprise. Then we could consult the others and all pick out hiding places."

[Hazuki]

Svetlana shook her weary head at the question of whether they had a map of the fort, though she rose to her feet and approached the doorway regardless, as though looking out for something. "The fort was never big enough to require a map; you should be able to get a good look over everything from on the walls, but I can't help you beyond that." There was a few moments silence following Ryn's question of what the bandits did with their every arrival, but soon her throat was cleared and she spook quietly again. "They just come to us, waiting for them to arrive, make sure that the deal is still on, then they go to the storage pen of goods and start to load everything into their packs. They haven't come in transport since it was more than four of them..."

~

The burly man took a few long looks over Izlude and his hand, unashamed of any judgment that might come from so blatantly checking somebody over, before shaking his hand with a light smile on his aging face that had clearly once been handsome. "Oleg Leveton, that would be me. Wouldn't give you much like on finding a better place to stay, though; unless you like fighting the boars for their caves." He gave a deep, throaty chuckle before continuing, his eyes shakily glancing elsewhere in the courtyard before focusing on the two women atop the palisades and moving back to Izlude. "You're welcome in my home, for now. Don't see much call for a huntsman besides getting us some furs for the goods pile," A vague gesture to the malnourished pile of furs and other such items held within a small border of wood. "But anything you could contribute would be appreciated all the same." With that, he approached one of the lanterns hanging from the walls, pulling out a small flask of oil in his belt to light it up for the night.

~

Ria decided not to pierce the solemn silence that followed Kalika's words, instead enjoying the last of the sunlight slip over the horizon to eventually leave them in darkness. Below, though, a lantern was lit to bathe the fort in a soft amber glow that would keep most of the group from getting lost. "The day today is Sunday; I imagine that's why the Swordlords let us have their fancy driver, 'cause there's not much business again until Moonday. The time is sunset." The pale young woman gestured to the horizon with her slender hand.

[Zweanslord]

As the twilight set, light dimming from the world and the sun colouring the skies in a myriad of colours for a short time before that too darkened into evening, Kalika's eyes seemed to glow a soft red as the last rays of the sun reflected off the large eyes without pupils.

Kalika gave a nod to Ria as she mentioned the day. There was a short smirk as she mentioned the driver, but also a shrug. Kalika cared little for such fanciful things, and she had wondered why they had driven in such a luxurious thing, but that would explain it. When Ria told the time, Kalika seemed to struggle a bit. "Not.. time. Time. Month.. Monthday. Time. Right, time?" She asked, as if trying to ask what the right word was for what she meant.

[oyzar]

Kendra stands up, carefully, keeping her motions calm and collected. She grabs her backpack and asks. "Is there anywhere we can put our things, where do we sleep? Though I suppose we could go out and see the others first." The leather backpack looks kinda out of place with the rest of her atire, all too practical. To it there is strapped a crossbow and quiver with bolts. The backpack slung over one shoulder as if ready to drop it again shortly, Kendra heads out.

[QuidEst]

"Thank you for your help. We'll take a look around and figure out where to position everybody now. Get some rest so we'll be ready tomorrow. No horses, or just no cart?" If they walked, it meant they were based nearby. That, and they would be easy to run down. He couldn't keep up with a horse, not on foot, but a person? Easily done.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude follows closely by the man's side, giving him an appreciative nod as the man gets to work. Looking up at the darkening sky, he shrugs and gives off a chuckle of his own. "Well...I am sure you will find use for my abilities one way or another. I say that I am a huntsman but that is not entirely accurate I suppose. I am-was, a scout for the Chelaxian military before I found myself utterly repulsed by our deeds and abandoned my post. Some people may not appreciate my...particular talents with the bow but I am not discouraged in the slightest." The world needed people like him to dirty their hands for the sake of the common good. He directs his gaze at Oleg, eyes alighting in concerto with the burning of the lantern. "By way of the charter I understand that these lands are infested with bandits. Given your establishment and life in the Stolen Lands I must humbly appeal to your experience in these matters. Is there anything that you can tell me about them?"

[Hazuki]

"The building opposite this has room for sleeping and storing your things inside, but you won't be able to use it if that's where you're going to keep the bandits..." Svetlana answered Kendra's question before she left, along with a flick of her eyes to Aere. "I...don't think they had horses. If they do, they don't bring them inside. We don't keep track of them besides making sure they have what they need." The woman got to work with stacking the dishes that had been eaten from, along with scooping whatever wasn't eaten into the big stew bowl at the center of the table.

~

The woman sitting besides Kalika seemed to ponder the question for a few moments, placing her finger on her temple before giving a smile. "The date is the twenty-seventh of Calistril, four-seven-ten A.R." She answered, her hands next moving to rest on the ballista she sat upon and giving it a few nudges to see what response she could get from the heavy weaponry, almost bouncing on it. "Why?"

~

Oleg's eyes narrowed against the lantern as he lit the next one, Izlude's questioning making the large man's mouth fall silent. "They're a bunch of rotten bastards is what I can tell you." Without, apparently, having much else to say about them, he headed towards the gate to light the lanterns just outside, that would let any traveler know of their presence.

[Keylac]

Standing up to follow Aere into the night, Ryn grabs his gear. Bidding Svetlana good night, he steps out into the dusk. Stopping for a moment to buckle his sword belt back on, he sets his pack and instrument on the table next to where he'd placed Duke's pack saddle earlier.

He glances around, noting where his new friends were, and then shrugs. Moving to a handy ladder, he scampers up onto the wall and walks to the south wall, nodding and smiling at Ria and Kalika as he passes. Ryn slowly packs and lights his pipe before sitting on the edge of the wall, feet dangling over the edge. For long minutes he sits simply sits there, staring out over the Stolen Lands, puffing on his pipe.

He knows that there's still planning to be done, and a battle - or perhaps a skirmish - to be fought tomorrow. For now though, he's willing to leave that in the hands of Aere and Kendra. The night is simply too nice to waste planning violence. Besides, fighting is like music; practice is necessary, but improvisation trumps planning.

[Zweanslord]

The corners of Kalika's mouth moved up as she saw Ria fiddle with the machinery. For a device which was broken, it seemed useless. Besides, it would not do them much good at this moment anyway, without enemies. Seeing the humour in it, Kalika looked amused.

"Date! That word." Kalika nodded with that assessment. She had heard the word before and knew what it had meant, but had difficulty coming up with it by herself, thinking of time instead. With that thought fleeting away, Kalika focused on the date Ria had offered. Was it already that date? So much time had already passed.. "Not know date." She offered as reason, but then admittedly added: "Travel long time. Better know time."

When Ryn passed by, Kalika's eyes were drawn to him and she followed his movements until he sat there enjoying the sight. She looked at him cautiously, but then focused on Ria again, looking between the two for a moment, then back at the device. "He fix?" She asked Ria.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude hums to himself before whipping his cloak about and setting out to follow at the man's heels, keeping himself a steady distance away and only making the vestiges of his presence known. If Oleg had nothing more to say about the bandits then he would ask no more. "He has his reasons for hating the bandits, as do I. That is enough." Still, it would pay to keep track of the man who seemed to be single-handedly running the place. No better way to learn the lay of the fort than to follow the man who maintained, after all.

[QuidEst]

"Thank you. If they're not on horseback, there's much less risk of them making a break and sending word. Now, I've taken up enough of your time- I'm going to look around the fort some and make sure I know the lay of the land." Aere stood up, excusing himself, and walked outside.

The stables were well-positioned. One or two of them could hide there. He himself could come from behind the stables or the house. One behind the front of the stables, one behind the guest house… it should be possible to surround the bandits without too much hassle. What they did after there was their choice.

Aere went over to the front gates, leaning against one experimentally to see how difficult it would be to close. They'd probably want the strongest of them to close it as quickly as possible.

Satisfied with the cursory inspection, he walked over to where Kalika and Ria were talking. Breaking the news to Kalika would be the difficult part."We've discussed the plans for tomorrow. If at all possible, we will be taking the bandits alive. They might have useful information, and we have a place to hold them."

[Zweanslord]

Kalika saw Aere approach and was distracted by what he said, not even waiting for the answer to her own question to respond. She turned to him, her strong and fit body contrasting with Area not just in colour. She grimaced at the mere mention that they would live, but she could understand. Humans were like this, and apparently so were dragons disguised much like one. Cunning and vicious, trying to get every bit of information out others before the final blow.

Did not mean she had to like the smart plan. She gritted her teeth and looked with great annoyance at Aere. She was not clear about something, however, and dearly hoped it was not true: "All?" Her hands had wrapped in fists again, her teeth were visible in her snarl, and her poisture tense. To hold back in the fight would be difficult if she had to spare some. But to spare all.. even just thinking about it angered her. At least she knew it was but a ruse, after all, she knew the punishment described in the charter. But why delay the inevitable? Why humiliate others so? But the answer was already there: to get information. One way, or the other.

[oyzar]

Kendra waits for Aere to finish speaking before going outside. There she tries to get a good look at the place. She sees the half-elf go around to investigate and decides to follow him around. Maybe he does know what he is doing? He does have more life experience than me after all.

After they are done looking around she looks around after the others. She sees Kalika and Ria up on the ramparts investigating what appears to be a war machine. Aere starts heading over to Kalika, but Kendra stops for a bit. She figures that they do not have too much time to plan for tomorrow so it would be most effecient to gather everyone together now. The sun would soon finish setting and she would unable to see much. She spots Ryn sitting at the wall and turns to see Izlude with what is probably Oleg at the gates. She yells out. "Please gather everyone. It is going to be a tensionfilled day tomorrow and we all need to be prepeared." She waves at Izulde to come then starts heading after Aere to where Ria and Kalika is.

Once there she waits for the rest to gather, if they do show signs of comming before saying. "We do not have much light left. Tomorrow there will be bandits here and we got to be ready. We should aim to surprise them in such a way that the result is the most favourable for us. As Aere mentioned Svetlana has asked us to not kill them, but of course we should still protect ourselves if they end up attacking. Ryn will have a spell that will hopefully knock most of them out and we can then aim to threaten and capture the rest. I think we should hide as close together to each other as possible as we do not want to be spread out if a fight do break out. We could all just hide in the stable and then surprise them when they come in, though there might be another position that offer a better advantage. Does anyone have any suggestions?" The swirling eyes looks from person to person, the intense stare making it seem like she is full of motion and emotion despite the otherwise calm appearance.

[Keylac]

Ryn sighs a bit when Kendra calls him over, ending his peaceful star gazing. Swinging back onto the fort walkway, he walks over to the rest of the party, standing next to a broken siege weapon. Puffing on his pipe, he listens to her summary before cocking his head to the side, staring out over the yard in the faded light.

"I don't think we can concentrate that much. Kalika here needs to ensure the gate is closed, and someone needs to back her up in case one of them stays outside. Izzy can be on the wall for that, overlooking the gate. I can wait with the items the bandits think they're going to loot, so I'm as close as possible to them."

"The rest of you can stay together, but you may want to hide in the guest house instead of the stables; that will give more cover to Oleg and Svetlana, in the main house."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude is unsure if whether or not he should be amused by the young girl's attempt at strategy, noting the clear inexperience in her insight. A smirk playing at his lips he begins to speak but is interrupted by the elven warrior. Rather than become offended he instead nods at the elf's suggestion. Gesturing toward his bow he says, "I am an archer. Keeping me nearby the potential melee is not an effective usage of my talents. My skills are more adequately utilized when raining death from afar, after all." He could shoot a man from almost 50 paces without a noticeable drop in his accuracy. That would be useful in case the bandits tried to run or tried funny business.

[Zweanslord]

Carefully watching the others gather around, Kalika waits for Aere to respond, but Kendra already details the plans. Strategy and tactics is far from Kalika's forte, so she does not interfere in that aspect as she carefully moves her head to whoever is speaking at the moment, looking at the person attentively. Her eyes rested on Ryn for a while longer, as she wondered if he could fix the device he was standing next to. Ofcourse, it did not seem like it would help them in the coming fight, as they were meant to be used to prevent people from entering. And apparently the plan was to let them in and surprise them. At least Ryn had already smoothed out the bothersome idea of lying in wait inside, and thus she had nodded at his suggestion of closing the gate. Something else she did not like that much, though.

"Why no kill?" Kalika asked, her tone filled with disdain at the suggestion. Not striking lethally was not only annoying, it was outrageous she could not even kill any of them. They would end up dead anyway! Kalika swiftly moved her head to look at the house they had come from. Did Svetlana really want to see her fellow kin suffer beforehand? Kalika gritted her teeth. Foul humans.

Her gaze returned swiftly to meet Kendra's instense stare. Staring back with an angry frown and eyes bigger than Kendra, Kalika snarled.

[oyzar]

Kendra studies the others as they speak. What they say do make sense to her, what was important is to get everyone to do their best, not how it is done. She is not offended that her idea is shot down. At Kalika's question Kendra holds her gaze steady towards the strix. She smiles disarmingly and says. "Honestly I don't like it much either. Svetlana asked us to, and we could use her goodwill however. If a fight do break out I still think we should protect ourselves as much as necesarry though."

[Hazuki]

The tender of the trading post gave something of a disgruntled glance in the direction of the gathering group, before her lit the final lantern and headed in the direction of his home rather than confront of overhear the people discussing strategy and other such things. Ria followed Kalika down from atop the ramparts, nimbly climbing down the ladder to attend the meeting with the rest of the group. She stayed quiet through most of the conversation, merely offering one suggestion after talking of taking down the bandits non-lethally. "I could disarm some of them if Ryn's spell doesn't work on them all. It will give them a second chance to surrender."

[QuidEst]

"Apart from our hostess's wishes, we are here in the interest of serving justice. It is a poor start to that end to execute them without trial. While we already know them to be bandits, it would set a poor precedent. Our standards for a 'forgone conclusion' could weaken," Aere explained. He didn't really expect Kalika to consider that reason enough, but they would likely have at least somebody to kill to keep her happy. If not in this group, then amongst the larger bandit group.

"As for our arrangement, I do not think you should wait with the goods themselves. You will not be well hidden. Behind either of the adjacent buildings will be close enough. Hopefully, we need only startle them. I'll be hidden in the same area. Izlude, we can put you up on the front wall. You should be able to hide there while they're coming in. Thank you, Ria. That will show we're not just trying to avoid a fight because we're weak if they're not convinced." Failing that, he could lay in to them a bit without doing any serious injury.

[Zweanslord]

Her snarl diminished somewhat and she merely shook her head for a moment after Kendra's comment. She would have to ask the woman herself if she were to get the answer. The argument that Aere brought in, however, did not ease her mind. After Aere seemed to be leave an opening, she stood straight, facing him. "Trial! Hah! Stupid! Lies! Kill bandit. Better. Faster." While she stood fast, she then turned to look in the direction of Svetlana's home again. "Svetlana no want kill. Svetlana stupid!" Kalika put her sharp fingers close to top of her head and made a motion as if swiftly scraping over it, a gesture, as she only waved through the air with her hand.

Despite her outspoken opinion, somebody with a keen eye for body language and the wit to interpret it might notice how she was tensing her fists, her nostrils flaring as she was frustrated with the situation. It was obvious she thought it was useless to try and keep every bandit alive and while she was verbal about it, she did not seem to be of the intention to argue further against it, settling down in the fate set before her, as she did not want to antogonise her partners further, who all seemed willing to do as the woman had requested. A snort, almost a sigh, and with lowering her head, looking down, would confirm this further.

She then turned to Ryn and pointed at him, then at herself. "Want me gate closed?" She took a breath for a moment, her eyes narrowing shorty. Perhaps because she was thinking of something, perhaps because of something else. "Me attack bandit gate?" She pointed at herself again, then towards the ground before the gate. "Bandit no run."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude nods his head, though the Chelaxian man breathes out resignedly as he looks up at the stars. "I will play this 'game' if you so wish. The end result will remain the same, regardless of whatever mockery of 'law' and 'justice' we trap it in. It is only out of expedience that I argue against holding these foolish trials for the filth that so infest these lands. While I will go along with what seems to be the common trend, I must profess that I quite agree with the Strix. It would be far easier if we simply exterminated the bandit threat where they stood. Few men can rise from depravity and if what I have heard is correct, these men and women live quite comfortably with their ill-obtained goods."

[QuidEst]

Aere waited a few seconds, breathing slowly and keeping his temper in check. He wanted to snap at Kalika. Shouting insults and proclaiming death like a mad woman… she seemed of little use beyond a bully and a threat to be pointed at the bandits. "Consider, if you will, what would happen if we simply killed them. Svetlanna turns us out. If we refuse, word returns to Brevoy that we are little better than the bandits themselves, and we are stripped of our charters. So instead we leave quietly. In a few days, the bandits learn the details of what happened. We have managed to set up some small shelter, but what of it? They descend upon in force. We manage to take out a few, but soon we are lying dead on the ground, our bodies riddled with crossbow bolts. Why, then they search our bodies, and take the charters for themselves, use them to open gates like this."

The half-elf smiled coldly, shrugging. "I do not think it is worth it, but I am not as optimistic as I once was. Perhaps you see a brighter future than I do. Now, we could indeed ambush them along the way, kill them at once and retain our place here. But we do not know the path they will take, nor where we may hide along it. They will have travelled it frequently and know it much better than us, and we will be giving them any number of directions to flee and tell the others of us. I could run down one on foot, certainly, and two with enough time. But they may not be on foot, and we should have an interesting time of it then." With that, he turned and looked at Izlude and Kalika. "Is this enough to satisfy you? I wouldn't wish you to go in this with reservations."

[Bad Situation]

Izlude tilts his head, clearly amused by the interactions between the Strix and the Aere. A smirk plays on his expression as a thin smile before he thinks to respond. "I am satiated Aere, so pay it no mind. You would do well to remember that I am not prescribing wholesale slaughter. I am merely expressing my sentiments concerning the bandit population sooner rather than later. When and if a bandit comes for my life, I will not hesitate to strike him dead. I will broker no fanciful notions of law-keeping when my own, or your own lives are on the line. However, if Svetlana sees fit to preserve whatever semblance of 'order' she believes exists in the wilderness at the expense of our lives I suppose that she will simply have to live with that weighing down on her conscience. So, it is as you say. I will keep myself from sending them over to The Mother's embrace until such a time comes when my services are needed." He traces a spiral over his chest to punctuate this statement. "If you require me on the wall, then I will be there. Is that all? I would rather turn in early, to ready myself for the coming morn."

[oyzar]

Kendra tries to gaze out over the fort, though the sun being so low makes it harder to see. Se loooks on with sympathy towards Kalika then turns toward Aere to speak. "You have a grim imagination dear Aere. Socity would certainly not condem us for killing bandits caught in the act. No we do this soley for our hostess. I do not think she would throw us out if blood should be spilled, but I want to keep her goodwill. As such I think we should comply with her wishes, as long as it does not get in the way of us defending ourselves. If it comes to battle, there will be blood." The girl does not raise her voice, but she puts extra preasure on some of the words. She turns towards Izulde and gives him a brief smile. "I think we are pretty much done, the only matter of concern is me and Ria's placements. My magic is mostly good for making us stronger and the enemies weaker, but it does not have very long range. I think I'll hide with Aere and Ryn so I can make Aere larger and more intimidating as well as give him some good luck, both in intimidating the enemy and in an eventual battle should it occur. Though when they go to confront the bandits, I think I'll stay a bit further behind, I am not all that useful in close combat.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika looks at Aere, who talks much. When he mentions how the bandits would descend upon them on force, at his created scenario, Kalika shakes her head. Aere's just being dumb there, they would logically kill the bandits, not be defeated. She does look confused when he suggests ambushing and then killing, which she found odd, as they were not supposed to kill them. But neither of those things were the main point she wanted to express. Luckily there are others capable of talking and expressing things Kalika would have trouble with. "Kendra right." She exclaimed simply, but she felt she had to elaborate. "Me try no kill bandits. Svetlana want. Svetlana stupid." She then gazes over her surroundings. "Svetlana home." While annoyed, she at least acknowledges that it is not the best action to antoganise the one who would offer food and a resting place.

[Keylac]

Ryn, still puffing away on his pipe, stays silent for most of the conversation, sensing that he wouldn't do a good job of soothing Kalika's - here he has to hide a grin - ruffled feathers. He's not sure about Aere's suggestion to hide elsewhere, but it might be true. He'd have to see what the cover is like after they set it up tomorrow.

Sensing that they seem to be done, he speaks up again. "Well then, it seems like we've a plan we can all work with. I think it'd be best if we rested now. Sleep may be some time off, but some peace tonight will probably stand us in better stead than more discussion tonight. Good evening to you, my friends."

If no one objects, he nods to them all and wanders away again to enjoy the night some more before turning in.

[QuidEst]

"Weel, I am glad to have that settled," Aere replied. "We should retire and get some rest for tomorrow. We can conclude any details of positioning when we get set up. As for a grim imagination, it comes with experience."

Glad to finally have matters in some semblance of order, Aere took his leave from the group to head into the guest house, selecting a bed and curling up under the covers. Sleeping was the least pleasant part of his new life. During the day, he could take a form that at least echoed his true nature. But it was impossible to maintain while asleep, and the transition was jarring enough to upset his dreams if he tried. So he was left huddled up, lying on a mattress because coins were too hard for his weak flesh, unable to curl properly with his humanoid spine. At length, though, he managed to drift off.

[oyzar]

Seeing the other walk off Kendra looks at Rin and Kendra. She can still make them out in the light from the moon, though not clearly. She gets a mischiveous grin on her face. This is her first real adventure and tomorrow there will be action. "So just us girls left here now. Let's talk while we walk to our room." She motions two other two females to follow her. "What do you think about this whole situation? Honestly I am a bit excited. Finally we get to do something, tomorrow will be interesting."

She waits for their responses before continuing with question, the young girl hungers for knowledge and gossip. If she knows how people think she can better adapt her actions to make them do what she wants. Making sure the men are out of earshot she says. "What do you think about the men in our company? Ryn does not seem very social. A usful fellow to have around, but nothing that really draws me to him. We will see what things he bring to the table tomorrow, he seems to have some magic and also look like he can use that sword of his. Izlude sure got passion. He does not like to fool around with letting the bandits live either. A confident man got a certain appeal. Aere is the one who interest me the most though. This whole story about being a dragon sounds so strange. If it is true he must have experienced a lot, I would like to hear more stories from him. To be honest I also think he looks nice" Kendra blushes at the last comment. Showing that she can share with the others is a good way of getting them to trust her more. Then they will share more with her and they'll also be able to work better together. It is not like she is sharing something dangerous.

[Hazuki]

Ria smiled back at Kendra through her questions, finding herself a spot in the corner of the guest quarters to set up the bedroll she carried with her, after retrieving her spare gear from the dining room of Svetlana's home. "It's interesting. Bandits are a funny lot." She offered as an opinion on the situation. "The guys are alright," She shrugged. "Aere's handsome, but far from the most handsome I've seen." She gave a small smirk as she said it, but nothing more, as she pushed aside her robes to the cloth wraps that served as her nightwear and fell into sleep with weapons tucked around her, ready for easy availability, and her spear between herself and the wall.

~

Eventful night passed into uneventful morning, as little stirred the troupe from their sleep save for their personal sleep cycles and whoever would choose to wake the others. The sky above was slightly cloudy and grey, hinting at drizzles to follow, but there were no anomalies save for the subtle scent of Svetlana's morning cooking on the wind.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude wakes with a start, having grown accustomed to waking at a moment's notice due to the various 'careers' of his past. By way of his nose, he finds himself drawn toward the fort's kitchen, as he blearily goes over his equipment for their daily maintenance. At the table he waits for the others to show their faces, occupying his time with the loose ends in his bag, carefully sorting the knick-knacks collected from the wilderness and replacing them into the bag's many pockets.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika follows Kendra and Ria, listening to both speak. With the talk soon going to the subject of men, Kalika was actually surprised. Not so much that Kendra in specific said it, but that she found herself with such a casual subject again. For many months she had lived a harsher lives where such idle subjects were not talked about. It was about survival, about making do in a new society, not about.. boys.

It took her a while to respond, also because she was thinking about hte current situation. What did she think of it? It was in fact somewhat confusing to her, but that was because of this society she was in. Not that she would say it like that. In the end, she answered: "Not like no kill." Svetlana was cruel in that wish, or so Kalika perceived it to be. And it would wind up with much more fuss on their end than Kalika liked. "Me ask Ryn. Ryn no answer." Kalika shook her head. She had asked Ryn about her position, but with Aere's discussion they had been side tracked and Ryn had gone to sleep. "Izlude Chelaxian. Hate Chelaxian." She was forced to work with him, but that did not mean she had to like it. "Aere strange. Look nice? No. Look weak." Maybe in his draconic shape he had yet to show was not as weak, but Kalika did not think she could find that shape handsome either. And there was something else. "Aere talk.." Kalika wanted to say something, express herself, but she could not find the word and in the end she simply threw her arms to the side, let out 'Bah' and gave up trying to find the word.

Kalika didn't settle in the guest quarters that night. She did not want to sleep so close to a Chelaxian, and she did not completely trust everybody either. That and it would get crowded with the six of them, especially with her wings involved. Instead, she decided to sleep on one of the corners of the outpost outside, on the higher points near one of the not working devices. There was some room there and sprawling out her bedroll she made herself a comfortable place to rest, sleeping in the dark clothes underneath her armour, which she had put aside for the night.

She had trouble falling asleep, staring in the night for a period she could not divine its length of. But she must have fallen asleep, as she find herself waking to the scent of cooking, stirring her stumach. She recalled the food of the day before and those memories brushed the drifts of slumber away. Rising that morn, she packed up her bedroll and put on her breastplate over her clothes again, strapping it tight. With everything ready again, she unfolded her wings and instead of climbing down, she simply took a jump and descended through the air on gliding wings, landing closer to the source of the smell and being drawn to it as she walks closer to its source. When she sees Izlude, she merely grunts and proceeds to ignore him.

[oyzar]

Funny, that is an odd choice of words. Oh well, seems like she can find humor in even most situations. Kendra thinks as she prepeares herself for sleep. She rolls out her bedroll next to Ria and lays her blanked on top of it, Us girls should stick together. She takes off her robe, with the cloth removed most of her fair skin beneath is revealed. Her long unusual brow hair with a tinge of purple goes almost halfway down her back, stark contrast to the white skin beneath. She is left with just a small tightfitting top that helps keep her breast in place as well as panties. Her robe is hung over a nearby piece of furniture before she climbs under the blanket. "Good night everyone" She says in a mirthfull voice to hopefully make her companions better restetd to fight tomorrow.

She wakes up slowly. Kendra did not have troubles sleeping though she did have dreams. She dreamt of all of them flying around, seeing the world. Though when she tried to look down she did not see much. I want to know what is out there. With this though she awoke to the morning. Some of the others were already up, though noone had woken up the others. She sits up in her bed and says. "Awake well to a fine new day everyone. Today is a day for deeds. Before she gets out of bed Denzel her weasel familiar jumps on top of her. Obviously the animal want a hug. He is useful for more than a hug though. She hugs him tightly, pressing him against her soft breast while murmuring softly. "Real battle today, going to need some spells to impact things, to go big. We have several people who could be much more effective if they were bigger. A bit of protection would also be nice. Hopefully won't be needed against the first batch of bandits, but there will likely be other fights as well. A way to handle enemies and to help dying allies seems fitting if we are going to battle. Lastly figuring out if things are magical or not is always useful. How are you feeling today, up to the task?" She continues to murmur to the small creature, holding it tightly and stroking it to get what magic she can get out of it. Alternating between squeezing it tightly and staring into it's eyes.

Eventually Kendra is done communicating with her familiar, her head brimming with the magic she prepeared for the day. She stands up and get dressed. I wish I had some spell to clean myself, oh well. Instead she gets a bit water from her waterskin and at least cleans her face.

After seeing that the others are awake she heads to where Svetlana is cooking. She sees several people already there. "Good morning to all of you, she says to the gathering. The food smells delicious. May I have some?" She sits down at a table ready to eat.

[Keylac]

Awakening at Kendra's words, Ryn spends a few moments stretched out on the bed, studying the sight of the unfamiliar ceiling above him. It was odd. He still enjoyed the travel, still wanted to see more of the world, but... he felt calmer about it, more at peace. He no longer felt free just because he was somewhere different. Maye he was just growing old.

Snorting a laugh, he gave up trying to find answers in the ceiling and moved on with the day. Thanks to his magic, it took but a few moments to clean himself and his clothing. Truly, that was the most useful trick he'd learned. Dressing, he buckled on his sword belt, picked up his spellbook, and went outside. He could smell cooking food coming form the house, but for now he ignored it.

Opening his spellbook, he found the spell he wanted, one he thought would make this fight so much easier, and hopefully less bloody. Carefully reading through the spell, he began to commit it to memory. Setting the book aside, he drew his sword and began to practice his forms, letting the easy, well practiced motions clear his mind so he could concentrate on the magic. He wasn't sure how long he practiced, barely sensing what goes on around him, but at some point, between a lunge and a quarte, the spell fell into place.

Stopping, he sheathed his sword and stretched. Replacing his book in it's carrying case, he went to go find the others and some breakfast.

[QuidEst]

Aere grimaced, pulling himself out of bed. Every morning, it felt like he was being woken up at least six months early, but he'd gotten used to it. Besides, he needed to get ready as quickly as possible. He didn't want to be caught unprepared when the bandits arrived. He didn't bother cleaning up. Clean people were rarely intimidating outside of the city. The same was probably true as a dragon. Besides, if things went poorly, he would be getting messy again in a hurry.

He followed after the others to breakfast. When he was inside, he nodded his thanks to Svetlana and excused himself from the others to talk to her for a second. "I wished to warn you ahead of time. I am not a very imposing individual on the whole, nor possessed of any great physical prowess. I will be taking… another form. I just don't want you to be alarmed."

[oyzar]

Kendra thinks, Finally he will change into his dragon form. This will be interesting. She smiles and says. "If you aren't already imposing enough in your other form I'll help enlarge you. I am really looking forward to this." She eats with Denzel cuddled up in her lap. She gives him a bit of her food, the weasel also needs to eat. The witch uses one free arm to stroke the creature as she eats.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude smirks when the Strix unintelligibly grunts her greeting at him and returns to his maintenance without dignifying her with a proper return. "I suppose they don't teach manners in those nests of theirs." When the others slowly begin to file into the room he looks up, replacing his belongings and watching the others for their expressions. At Aere's words, Izlude makes an airy gesture with his hand. "Do as you please. Whatever alarm we face will be our own to suffer through."

[Zweanslord]

Kalika ate her breakfast in relative silence, only giving a grunt when Kendra offered a good morning. She looks up when Aere speaks of his other form, wondering when he will change. In fact, relating to that, Kalika eventually speaks up, but only a while after she finished her breakfast and downed something to drink. "When bandits?"

Looking at the others with her big red eyes, her head slowly rotating from one to the next, Kalika got up from her perching position on one of the small set tables. She was ready for it, but she knew not how long she had to wait still.

[oyzar]

Kendra savors the food. On a full stomach one both think and act better. Afterwards she raises out of her chair. "It's time to prepeare ourselves for the bandits. Hopefully we'll be able to knock most of them out and scare the remainders into surrendering. Kalika at the gate, Izlude at the wall and the rest of us ready to surpise and capture them before they can react. Kalika should probably hide behind a cart or something until we unleash Ryn's spell on them and try to subdue them. I'll go to get my crossbow and some rope to tie them up should things go according to plan. Hopefully I won't get to use it though. As for where we should hide, the stable seems like a good place. Aere will be large and have a hard time to move through most of the other doors."

Kendra leaves through the door to go to get her things. She leaves the rope right inside the door of the building they agree to gather in and loads her crossbow. Once Aere enters she quickly grabs hold him and says, "Hold still, this will help in the battle to come." and then stand up on her toes to kiss the half-elf, though on the cheek, not on the mouth. "For luck" she says then starts laughing. A soft laughter that is barely audible outside of the building. "Tell me when the bandits aproach and I'll make you large. It won't last very long." She says before going back to her soft laughter.

Standard Action: Fortune Hex on Aere
Move Action: Cackle
then use two actions per round to cackle for a while for a net +1 round duration per round. Hopefully it won't be too long before the bandits appear. I hope this is not considered abusive, considering we got time to set up an ambush and all that.

[QuidEst]

Aere ate his food mostly in silence. He nodded, adding on to Kendra's list, "Just make sure you're not hidden back on the stable side of the pens, or the door will be blocking you." Once he'd finished, he followed after Kendra to the stables.

His eyes adjusted quickly to the dim interior. His vision was nothing like as good as that of a dragon, but it was still better than the bleary eyesight that humans groped about with. Before he could speak, Kendra grabbed him, planting a kiss on his cheek. He bristled for a second, almost lashing out at her, but managed to refrain. "I appreciate the assistance, but would appreciate it more at a distance," he replies in a deliberately measured tone.

Closing his eyes, he knelt down, pressing his palms against the ground at his sides. He remained still for some time, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Every time, he had to fight back the curse, investing a great deal of what little magical power he had left just to resume his form. He couldn't summon so much as a common rat. After a minute of concentration, his form rippled, subsuming his clothes and equipment and leaving him a black drakeling. "That feels so much better."

[Keylac]

By the time Ryn arrived at the table, breakfast was almost over. He scarfed his down, obviously thinking too hard to make much small talk. Finished, he wandered back out, checking to make sure his sword came easily out of it's sheathe.

Stopping by the guest house to pick up his gear, he carried it into the storage pen and began artfully arranging it. Some of it, like the pack saddle, he covered in blankets and then piled furs on it, making it look like there were more furs. Other portions, including the sacks of food, he simply placed to the side of the "fur" pile. Satisfied that the loot looked believable, he paused for a moment, looking around. Shrugging, he re-arranged the barrels in the storage yard slightly, moving them forward and giving himself a better angle of fire at the central square of the fort.

Content with his hiding place, he moved from position to position, making sure everyone else was setup, pausing to share a few words with each of his new friends. Finished, he heads back to the barrels and settles in behind them, drawing his sword and hiding to the best of his ability.

If you allow it (it's a debatable topic, I know) I'm taking my time getting settled in and taking 20 on my Stealth check for a total of 24. If you don't, here's the roll:

Stealth: [roll0]

I also moved the barrels to the side of the Storage Yard closest to the main gate, so I could hide behind them and be closer to the main yard.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude arrives at the wall, having restrung his bow that morning, twirling a choice arrow in his palm. Crouching low, he stands at the ready while attempting to obscure his form behind the fort's parapets. An archer was doubly effective when the opposition knew not where he was located. If a fight broke out, a sudden and well-placed arrow would sow disorder among their ranks. Even trained soldiers would sometimes break formation when confronted with an ambush. A lawless band of bandits, who knew no such fear, would taste the same despair if he had anything to say about it.

Izlude takes 10 on his stealth check for 17.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika grumbled as she recieved no answer to her question. It was to expected, however. Why tell the Strix anything, anyway?

With everybody going to the places which were mentioned before, she figured it would be best to do the same on her part. She moved to behind the stables, at the corner, so she could move swiftly to the doors, which seemed to be the location where she was expected to be when things got going.

And here, she would probably be bored, as she had no idea how long it would take until the bandits would arrive. When she heard any sign about it, she would call forth the means of attack she had yet to display, but for now, everything seemed peaceful and she sat down behind the stables, waiting impatiently.

[Hazuki]

Time passed slowly as the inhabitants of Oleg's Trading Post prepared for the arrival of the bandits, every inch of the rising sun only serving to send prickles up the spines of the impatient and beads of sweat on the heads of the fearful. After breakfast, while all were vacant of their home, some brief yells of frustration could be heard as Svetlana explained the situation to her husband and he eventually gave in to agree to the plan, though he didn't say much to anyone afterwards. Ria took her place inside the home, prepared to come out with the arrival of spellcasting and what was sure to be a commotion when their prey arrived. Through the morning, the elf as ever had little to say on the subject besides a few words of comfort for whoever came to see her, while Svetlana clearly fidgeted wildly. With the amber orb reaching its apex, the husband and wife took their place out of the way of the group's area of operations, at the far end of the trading post, between their home and the storage pen. Anyone asking earned the response that the bandits surely needed to see they were there to be comfortable.

With the sun finally at its peak, all shadows cast even across the ground, the steady beat of boots against the ground came to the ears of the keen, as four figures approached from the trees to the South with one clearly leading. He was a tall man, fairly statuesque and clearly fit, though an olive cloak cast across his shoulders and his face made his armaments difficult to discern, besides the bow clearly strapped across his back at great length and a quiver of arrows at his hip. Behind him were three similarly dressed folk, lightly armored, with tunics of almost identical material covering their torsos and bulky shields hung across their backs. Two male, one female, and walking in a loose formation behind he who seemed to be their leader. The cloaked man approached the trading post, his eyes set clearly before him and a brief motion of his hand to get the attention of those behind. First they went to Oleg and Svetlana, before glancing across the rest of the trading post. With a few whispers amongst them, as their walk slowed, a harsh whisper went to those who traveled with him.

Soon, they were moving, as the cloaked man drew his bow from his back and the three that followed him had drawn heavy leather saps from their hips, forming a wall before him with their interlocked shields. "I see you." The cloaked man announced loudly, his voice biting to the ears. "A man atop the parapets, another behind the storage pen. Somebody behind the stables, and likely others too. Explain yourselves." He ordered, reaching behind his back for a moment and bringing it back to his front with something clutched inside.


http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/13235/Happs.png

[QuidEst]

"Save your spell for if things don't work out," Aere hissed to Kendra. He muttered a simple conjuration spell to reinforce his scales with layers of force.

"Ah. Well, no point in hiding then," Aere called out, and pushed the door open, stepping out and positioning himself between his hosts and the bandits. "The explanation is as easily guessed at as explained. Knowing you would be coming, we had hoped to catch you unawares so that we could disarm you before having this conversation, avoiding the risk of conflict breaking out. All very messy. Still, I don't mind carrying on the conversation on a more equal footing. If you'll be so kind as to keep any weapons sheathed, I'm happy to instruct my ill-hidden companions to sheath theirs. To, ah, head off at least one potential resolution to this likely running through your mind, I rather suspect I'd be able to catch up with anyone inclined to run." Aere kept his tone casual. It was easy enough to do- these were thugs. He'd melted villages away into desolate ruins. And while he couldn't do it at the moment, it lent a certain confidence to his voice.

[Zweanslord]

Kalika understood she had been noticed. It really was no wonder to her. Not only had she been rather bad at hiding with her hunting group back at home, but she had been bored over the last hours, not paying attention to really stay unaware. When they then finally arrived, she had tensed up and she understood very well they could hear her. See her, however, seemed unlikely, unless this stable was even shoddier than it looked and had holes to peer through.

To her, it simply meant that the surprise was blown. Oh well, that is what you get for fighting during the day instead of at night. Rising slowly, trying to not to stir further, she stood up straight, readying herself for what was to come. Despite the bandit's remark of seeing her, she doubted he could see through walls to see what she was doing now. The expression on her face changed to one of intense hate. She recalled the days that had given her this 'new life', the pain and suffering she had felt. The hate that had sprung forth from it, directed in full force at her captors. It had awakened something within her, the hate had bloomed towards power that had manifested itself. And now, she called forth that hate again, the power of magic she had felt. The arcane magic rushed forth from her heart, from her mind.

With her right arm and hand stretched out straight, black flickers started to appear in the palm of her hand. Motes of power and streaks of darkness shot near her palm, reaching out from it and foward, in the length of her arm and hand. They flickered in and out of existence for fractions of seconds, increasing in intensity. Then starting to coallesce was a dark object of a black deeper than the night, taking shape in mere moments. In her had a cilinder manifested as long as her lower arm, reaching further in darkness, sharp and cleaving the air as the soft and long curve of the blade became apparent in its manifestation. A two-handed blade made of the darkest night, even darker than her own onyx skin, rested now in her hand. Taking hold of it with both hands, she stood ready to leap into action from behind the stables that had served as her hiding spot whenever needed, to strike with her hate made real.

[oyzar]

During their waiting Kalika had gotten plenty of time to speak. While she had been keeping her magic going that had far from kept all her attention. That's a wierd reaction to a kiss, I am not that unattractive am I? Maybe he does not like girls? That would be a shame. I wish I had more control over what people thought. If everyone just thought a tiny bit more the way I want to, things would be so much easier. She is also studying Aere's new form. Such an unusual shape, maybe he is indeed a cursed dragon?

When the bandits start speaking Kendra starts prepearing some protective magic. Damn, this might not be over so easily after all. She keeps her magic going sustaining the fortune hex she cast on Aere earlier. The laughter is not strictly required, it just makes things much easier. She chants "Qnuyelvy sel bnus yray frivr siwry rans sel" A thin layer of force press in agains her body, her robe feels tight for a moment, squeezing the cloth so it is plastered to her body before the force seems to relax a bit and she is left with what appears to be a swirling distortion in the air around her.

Having focused on both casting her own protective magic and sustaining the hex around Aere she is not able to follow the black creature outside at once however she does so when she is done casting. As she does so she resumes her laughter, it does make it easier to keep the hex up like this.

Cast Mage Armor and Cackle,
Then assuming nothing else have happened outside other than Aere speaking She follows after him while maintaining Cackle.
Sound of her laughter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geCpfvZBrGg)

[Keylac]

As he listened to the bandit, and then Aere, speak. Ryn shakes his head in bemusement. True, he's not very good at hiding, but still, he hadn't realized he was that bad at it either. Ah well. Nothing for it now.

Rising, he paused a moment to take in Aere's new form. He really could turn into a dragon! Or something similar to one anyways... He was going to have to talk to him more after this. For now though, Ryn reigned in his questions and curiosity and went to stand on Aere's left, sheathing his sword as he went, but ready in case of trouble.

From there, he began checking angles. Aere seemed to be sure he was faster than any bandit on foot, which meant he was probably about as fast as Ryn himself in a sprint, maybe faster. That was good; if the bandits broke and ran, they might need to catch more than one of them. The problem was the gate. Most of the party was in a bad position to fight outside the gate; it would bottleneck everyone coming out. He supposed they'd planned too hard on getting them inside the fort without being seen.

Ryn's eyes suddenly narrowed in thought. How had they realized everyone was there? Izzy, himself, Svetlana and Oleg... they made sense. If they'd failed to conceal themselves well enough, they would have been easy enough to spot through the gate... but the stables were on the other side of the wall. They couldn't have seen them, and without them making a racket, they couldn't have heard them either.

Keeping the corner of his eye on the bandits and Aere, Ryn began to look carefully around the fort for anything unusual.

Perception: [roll0]

[Bad Situation]

Izlude reveals himself from atop the parapets and lowers his bow but keeps the arrow firmly in his grip. He crouches down to level himself and arrogantly tilts his head back to reveal his neck. "A lucky guess. More than I expected from your lot really but perhaps my judgement was too..halting. However, the man down there speaks the truth. He would like to exchange terms. A 'lawful' discourse as it were." He scoffs at this but continues on regardless, "I am not predisposed to spilling blood on property that does not belong to me but here I am, waiting in case the situation goes awry. I cannot force you to hear him out."

[Hazuki]

The Cloak noticeably placed a hand on the shoulder of one of his gathered men as Aere stepped out from the party's quarters in all of his draconic glory. Whatever the effect, the shield-bearers didn't break formation, though his eyes seemed to narrow more with the proposition offered. "No. I just heard somebody cast a spell, which means that at least one of you is a mage, and mages don't need weapons to hurt people. It's a raw deal for us, and that you know this means you were trying to trick us. Again." His voice was firm, but not particularly irate. "You gather every fighter you have with you in that courtyard, then we'll talk. That gobby one, especially." He gestured to Izlude. The shield-bearers, for their part, seemed to be patiently listening to The Cloak negotiate.

[QuidEst]

"Not a great deal a mage can do if they can't see you," Aere answered. "And if we had anything worth doing to you without seeing you, it would have been worth doing before. To put your mind at ease, if you'll believe me, it was a bit of magical defense. Nobody is a newt yet." He looked at the leader intently. Holding a rock. Odd thing to do in a situation like this. "We have some interest in settling this matter peacefully. Our chief interest, however, is in dealing with banditry in the area. You've noted by now, I'm sure, that I am taking certain liberties with my use of 'our'. The matter, by and large, boils down to which words we consider operative in the phrase, 'the punishment for unrepentant banditry is death'. If you have some interest in discussing my personal preference, 'unrepentant', then I am happy to request my allies come out. I'll even request our mage stay out of sight if you're more comfortable that way. But if you'd rather discuss one of the other words, I'm willing to oblige."

[Zweanslord]

So the talking continued. Well, whatever, if they still did not realise conflict was going to be the obvious outcome, then she would best make use of it. Kalika carefully peeked around the corner of the stables. From what she understood, the bandits were outside, considering where the voice came from, but it did not hurt to make sure.

Seeing nobody inside the outpost, with a light thread she made her way closer to the gate. This way, she would be able to hear the conversation better, and be able to see Aere if he wanted to give any instructions. Furthermore, she would be closer to the bandits. She stuck behind the wall, so they did not see her, and if they went through the gate, she would have an easy time attacking them.

She tried to keep her breath slow, and only move when he was speaking, as these bandits seemed to have an excellent ear, and she did not want to stir them further.

In the mean time she saw Aere. She had heard him speaking, but she had not figured she would see him like this. No longer a human with pointy ears, she saw a lizard standing, and talking, in the outpost, with bandits through the gate. While she could not see the bandits, she could see Aere's black lizard figure. Staring at him with her red eyes for a moment, unblinking, she turned her attention again when the bandit would speak. She had thought dragons to be more impressive than this, to be honest.

Assuming the entrance/gate of the outpost is to the south, Kalika is at the far west end in the outpost, behind the stables. She moves to the south, then a few paces to the east, near the gate. just west of it behind the wall. She will not move to a location where she can be seen.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude watches the goings on with a bored look. Talking wasn't going to go anywhere. Bandits were terrible conversationalists, he knew this from experience. They were also not prone to negotiation which was equally as troubling no matter how adequate the half-elf believed himself to be. "This is taking longer than I had expected it to. We should have just attacked them the second they came into sight. A swift, well-placed arrow to the scoundrel's heart would have saved us from this face."

[oyzar]

Kendra thinks for a bit Well, this is turning out poorly. We are unlikely to be able to talk them into surrendering. Ryn is the one furthest from the bandits, so knocking them all out is going to be hard. I doubt this will end without a battle, we are better off prepearing for such. That means at the very least to get everyone here. She raises her voice to call out. "Ryn, Ria, come closer. The bandits have discovered us hiding, we are better off all being together." She does keep the magic enchating Aere up , emitting hints of mirth in between her words. In addition she focuses her stare on the leader of the bandits. Saying "You do should listen to this creature, how sure are you of yourself?." She lets the magic of her swirling eyes follow along with her words. The eyes turning very dark purple almost black for a moment before regaining their normal color. How sure are you of yourself? Can you dodge the claws of this beast or will it rip your head off?

Denzel peeks out from his location north of the stable. Worried that his mistress might come to harm.

HP: 8/8 AC: 15
Move Action: Cackle on Aere,
Standard Action: Evil Eye on the bandit leader reducing his AC by 2, DC 15. Lasts for 8 rounds is he fails his save, otherwise 1 round.

According to the description here http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/seducer-s-bane people do not automatically know that they are targeted by magical or supernatural effects. Though given that Kendra used the ability while he was looking, he might have noticed.

[Keylac]

Listening to Aere continue to try and stop the bandits from committing suicide, Ryn had the sinking feeling that it wasn't going well. The lead bandit was just being too damn stubborn, too confident that he and his fellows could win... He didn't realize that it was already hopeless. That meant there was probably going to be more stupid, useless, avoidable bloodshed.

Frankly, Ryn was tempted to tell Izzy to put an arrow in his leg, as a pointed warning to the idiot.

At least he hadn't spotted anything unusual so far, which suggested it was just bad luck on his and his friends part that got them spotted. That was a relief. He couldn't try and defend people against threats he hadn't found after all.

Speaking of defending people... twisting slightly sideways, he glanced back at Oleg and Svetlana, still standing near the storage pen. "It's time for the two of you to go inside," he said quietly. "I'm sorry Svetlana, but the decision on how much bloodshed there's going to be is no longer ours to make. Go inside. Perhaps you can prepare some bandages and boil some water."

Turning back to the bandits, Ryn placed his hand lightly on his sword hilt. His eyes no longer swept the the fort for intruders. Instead, he watched the bandits, looking for weaknesses in their guards.

[Hazuki]

"You were just getting readyfor a fight. That's more than enough for me to know," The Cloak's eyes flickered across the surrounding events as Ryn spoke with the owners of the fort, and Ria emerged from their home to hold their door open for them to enter, her spear in hand and prepared for the battle to come, though there was no lack of worry in her eyes as she approached the gathered group of people. "That you're more than threaten-" His jaw suddenly clenched, as Kendra noted the success of her spell working into his mind. "Forward." The Cloak uttered, his fellows taking a moment to gather themselves before they began to charge forward on heavy boots, with him right behind their wall of wooden shields. At a mere twenty feet from the group, he hurled the rock in his hand at the line of the gathered group as the proprietors fled into their home.

The stone exploded with a deafening bang, sending a sharp ringing through the ears and skulls of all those gathered within its radius. All but Aere felt its effects working through their skull and numbing all sound, even as the hefty leather saps of their attackers were brought to bear. Kendra, despite the attack, managed to dodge well thanks to something of a fumble by the bandit, shellshocked by his leader's sudden tactics. Aere felt a sharp smack against his scaly center mass, however, as the sap collided with his skin in a traveling ache. The hilt-holding Ryn, caught unawares by the charge, felt the sack come to collide with his head in a brutal smash, robbing him of all his senses along with his hearing as he crumpled to the ground.

Ryn, Kendra, and Ria are Deafened (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/conditions#TOC-Deafened) for one hour.

Aere takes 8 Nonlethal Damage.

Ryn takes 16 Nonlethal Damage and falls unconscious.

Initiative Order
The Cloak
Male Bandit #1
Female Bandit
Izlude
Ria
Aere
Kalika
Kendra

Battle Map

Character colors match speech color, except for Ria, who is light blue.


http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/55/olegs1.jpg

[Zweanslord]

Combat had started. Kalika heard the bang and while she sneered at the sound, she was happy she had not been caught in the blast. But her reaction had hardly been fast enough afterwards, as the bandits had entered swiftly and had swung their swords before she caught her bearing.

With an angry stare towards the leader, the Cloak, she held up her long blade. Holding it secure at the grip, she twisted it slightly as she recalled her earlier word. She would not try to strike him down with lethal force. For now. She stood ready, planting her feet sturdy, after which she launched herself forward. "Raargh!"

With spread wings, the black figure charged forward, heaving her large blade through the air in an arc to strike at the Cloak. However, her movements were too slow and uncoordinated. With her attempt to withhold her strength and not strike with the sharp end of the dark blade, she had not paid enough attention to her assault and instead of landing on the Cloak, her blade scraped the ground next to him. She sneered at her own incompetence. "Grr!"

Kalika charges with a nonlethal attack at the Cloak when it is her turn in the initiative. Rolled in the ooc. She hits AC 8, which I assumed was a miss.

[Hazuki]

With her spear used to support her for a brief moment, still reeling slightly from the effects of the deafening stone, Ria took a glance around the battlefield and the collapsed form of one of her comrades. Eyes flickering briefly down as she weighed her options, the Cleric jabbed her spear into the ground and held her free wrist into the air, uttering nothing as her sleeve slipped slightly down and a burst of energy emanated from her form, her eyes flashing briefly blue as similarly colored energy wrapped itself around everyone within thirty feet of her. The burst helped heal the bruises of her injured comrades, but did nothing for the thus-far uninjured enemies.

The Cloak easily managed to avoid Kalika's blow, shooting an unimpressed look at her swordsmanship as he did so.

Ryn and Aere are healed [roll0] hit points of nonlethal damage.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude snarls at the scene below and is quick to give a response. Unfortunately, in his rush to answer their call to battle he makes the amateur mistake of drawing back too quickly and without accommodating for the sudden pull, turning his otherwise well-placed arrow into a wildly arcing shot. Grumbling to himself as he works out the tension in his arm, he drops down low and makes himself a small target, watching the situation below play out with a grimace. "It is no longer a case of apprehending them..."

[oyzar]

Kendra's face darkens slightly as she sees her allies strain to not kill the enemies and fail because of it. "We are not going to get away from this if you are trying to not harm them. Please stop this foolishness and attack properly." She says, ignoring the fact that some might not even be able to hear her. She takes a small step backwards, a small laugh makes sure the magic giving Aere good luck keeps on going. Her swirling eyes then darken again going from almost pink to completly black, and she points at the middle bandit and says. "He should be less able to fend off my blows due to my magic." Afterwards her eyes return slowly to their normal pruple color.

HP: 8/8 AC: 15

Free action: 5 foot step backwards
Move Action: Cackle on the fortune on Aere
Standard Action: Evil Eye, DC 15 towards middle bandit lasting for 8 rounds or 1 if he saves.

Are we allowed to know how long we are deafened for?

[QuidEst]

The solid blow dazed Aere for a second, making it difficult to retaliate properly. He snarled and lashed out at his opponent, meeting with little success.

[Hazuki]

The Cloak hopped backwards away from the snarling swordswoman, his hand reached for his belt as he drew another alchemical creation from his belt, hurling an opaque bottle that collided with Kalika's chest easily, its contents spewing on the ground around them and even on The Cloak himself. The air ten feet around them filled with a horrid stench that worked its way into Kalika's lungs like living death. The Cloak's face went slightly green along with it.

Despite her swift backing away, the easily-missing bandit stepped up to her with just as much ease, his sap still menacingly wielded just a short distance away from her. She watched as her spell failed to take effect on the bandit wailing on Aere, whose draconic claws were easily brushed away with the effort of the bandit to shield himself from them, leading his firm whack to whistle past Aere's ear. The bandit attempting to swing at Kendra was similarly thwarted by a lack of attacking technique.

The bandit nearest to Ryn, spotting his healed wounds, brought her sap to bear against the recovering fellow, but he just about managed to dodge her blow despite his prone form. With a wary glance cast the prone mage's way, Ria held her arm aloft again in an attempt to heal the rest of his wounds.

Kalika is Sickened (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/conditions#TOC-Sickened) for four rounds. The Cloak is Sickened for one round, too.

Ryn is healed for [roll0] HP and may act like a regular person now.

[QuidEst]

Incensed that the bandit had avoided his assault, Aere lay into him again with greater fervor, no longer holding back. If he could just clear a path to get at the leader, he could help Kalika take him down. There was no way to get clear, however, not until he battered his way through the bandits around him.

[Zweanslord]

The pungent smell reached Kalika and she coughed harshly from the awful stench. She gasped for air, but that only made it worse. Her body tensed as she refused to further drop her guard. Snarling at his attack, she was only momentarily distracted by Kendra who spouted about attacking properly. What did these people want? First, to honour Svetlana's wish and not draw blood so they could interrogate, and now it was okay to harm them?

Bah! Kalika had so far not even been hit by a weapon, except this vile and accursed alchemical stuff that made it difficult for her to breath. Not wishing to put herself in a further bad situation, she moved away from the other bandits, but stuck next to the Cloak, towards the gate. But not before trying to give him another whack with her blade. Twisting her blade through the air, her swing was far too wide and short, failing to even reach the Cloak as she succumbed to another bout of coughing. Gritting her teeth, she stared at him with anger. She would hit him, sooner or later!

Hit AC 7, thus a miss. 5ft step to a position adjacent and south of the Cloak.
AC: 18, HP 13/13.

[Keylac]

Snapping back awake, Ryn realized he was lying on the ground, staring at two pairs of boots and Aere's clawed feet. He - fuzzily - remembered the bandits charging them, and the one who attacked him connecting with one monster of a hit.

Damn. He was never going to live this down.

A quick glance around showed him where everyone else was, including the other bandit. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear them... that was worrying. Had that blow to his head done something to his hearing? He'd have to ask Ria after this fight. For now... For now, he'd best get up and get into the fight, before this went badly. Pivoting on his hip, he tucks his legs under him and leaps up, hoping that the bandits don't brain him again for his efforts.

ActionsOkay, so I am:
Move Action: Standing Up. Hopefully without being hit by the AOO(s).

If I get knocked out again, well, them's the breaks. This fight is very unlucky for me so far :smallsmile:.

Assuming I don't, I'm going to take a 5-Foot Step backwards/diagonally. I believe I'm in M14 according to QuidEst's grid, so I'm moving back to L13.

Free Action: 5-Foot Step

And now, assuming I'm not Staggered, I'm going to cast Color Spray, to hit all three shield wielding bandits and Aere. Hopefully Aere wont be affected, but by his own admission, he's not doing his job anyways... :smalltongue:

Standard Action: Casting Color Spray. DC 15 Will Save to avoid effects.

Deafness Spell Failure Chance (20%): [roll0]

This portion requires me to not be knocked out, will remove if I am.

Despite the efforts of the bandits, Ryn managed to find his feet. He instantly stepped backwards, out of their range, already calling the spell he'd prepared earlier to mind. Hopefully he'd get it right, though not being able to hear himself speak the words didn't make him hopeful.

His hand formed the proper gestures as he chanted what he hoped were the right words. He was rewarded with the sight of a wave of colors spilling out from his hand, washing over three of the bandits and Aere. He only hoped Aere would be unaffected.

[Hazuki]

The bandit before Aere, despite the magical attacks upon his confidence and the ever-swinging claws of his attacker, managed to fend off the brunt of Aere's attack, grunting with every blow against its wooden surface. Spotting the rising mage to his side, he lashed out with his sap but, unbalanced by the barrage against his person, missed by a wide margin. Unimpeded, Ryn managed to get to his feet and hop backwards to cast his spell. The female bandit that had knocked him to his behind before, however, was right on his heels with her weapon swinging at his chest. The thick leather pounded against his chest, sending him just off balance enough to fumble his casting of the spell.

Ryn takes five nonlethal damage.

[oyzar]

Kendra is getting a bit worried. They keep pummeling us, but we can't hit them at all. And likely noone can even hear me. She takes a small step next to Ryn so the bandits can't Flank them and then proceds to throw her curse at the bandit following Ryn. As her swirling eyes darken she points at the female, as to indicate that she should be the target. Not only would her defense be weaker, but with Ria on the other side, she should also be easier to hit. She lets out a bit of laughter, a bit worried now that their efforts are not working, to make Aere able to keep a bit of luck from her witchcraft.

Free Action: 5 foot step northwest to get next to Ryn
Standard Action: Evil Eye targeting the female bandit for -2 AC. DC 15 vs will 8 rounds if she fails the save, 1 round if she makes it.
Move Action:Cackle on Aere.

[Hazuki]

The bandit attacking Aere made a feeble attempt to pierce the draconic fellow's defense with his sap, but the hit missed by a good few inches. The female bandit closest to Ryn, despite shrugging off Kendra's piercing eyes with nary a distraction, couldn't quite keep up with making sure to dodge the missed attacks of the male bandit behind her and barely missed the mage's skull.

While his lackeys fumbled about in the scuffle beyond, The Cloak hopped away from the stinking Strix and reached into his pouches again, retrieving an ashen stick that he swiftly crushed. Smoke exploded from the broken stick, covering the area around him in dark smoke that would help shield him from Kalika's attacks and Izlude's arrows even more so.

[QuidEst]

Aere heard Ryn start to cast a spell. It wasn't hard to tell what it was- was he aiming the pattern spell at him? Fortunately, the spell was interrupted before it could leave him a defenseless half-elf. Aere snarled, stepping between the bandits, and savagely lashed out at the back of the bandit attacking Ryn.

[QuidEst]

Kalika hisses at the cloaked bandit, enraged by the seemingly unending supply of alchemical goods at his disposal. She swipes with her sword, still hoping to just knock him out, but is distracted by the smoke pouring out of the stick. She tries to kick it away at the same time, but in attempting both actions, neither succeeds.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude clicks his tongue at the miss and nocks a second arrow immediately, adjusting his aim this time and accounting for the smog cloud. If that was how they wanted to play, so be it. If the variables were within his calculations the bandits would surely fall under his fire. A steady hand would lead more arrows than an anxious arm would.

[oyzar]

Kendra thinks Good finally it seems like some of us are hitting, and they are not pulling their punches either. Well, time to hinder their ability to hurt us. She looks towards the bandit next to Ria, The other's got weakened defenses, so it is better to target the one who will likely remain in the fight longer. Her swirling eyes again start changing. But this time they go to a bright shining red, the color of fresh blood. They pulse for a second before turning back to their normal swirly purple color. She then laughs a bit, So much power flowing about. her voice resonates with the curses flowing about her extending their life.

Standard Action: Evil eye on the bandit next to Ria for -2 on attack rolls. DC 15
Move Action: Cackle increase the duration of fortune and evil eye hexes within 30 of Kendra.

[Hazuki]

Ria, with little else she could do without provoking a failure to intone spellls, took hopped diagonally across the second male bandit's vision and placed a brief encouraging hand on Kendra's shoulder; the spark of magic invigorating the Witch promising victory to come. Aere's assault managed to break past the defenses of the female bandit, his natural weaponry leaving a good gash along her forearm, but not enough to dissuade her attacks. The arrow-struck bandit besides Ria, who knew from her weapon that she wouldn't be able to take advantage of her position yet, lashed his sap out at Kendra; the hardy nonlethal weapon smacking against her collar and rumbling the Witch's footing with its strength.

"Wall." The Cloak's voice ordered loudly from within the wispy smoke, as he drew another item from his belt and hurled it at the area between Kalika and Aere. Its function was all too familiar, however, as it exploded with a deafening bang that failed to penetrate Aere's scaly hide, but pierced Kalika's skull like a knife. Under his instructions, the bandits in the center of the courtyard formed their line of shields again, with the one attacking Aere stepping towards where the half-elf had been; in perfect reach of Kendra.

Invigorated by their regained formation, the other two bandits followed suite. The female bandit, unimpressed by the flanking, lashed out at Kendra too; her sap colliding with Kendra's head and proving her accuracy for bashing skulls again, as the Witch felt a ringing in her ears shortly before the world blacked out from around her, as she crumpled to the floor. The second male bandit looked at his opportunities and, remembering how quickly Ryn had risen, smashed his sap on the unconscious woman's form again for good measure.

Kalika is Deafened.

Kendra is affected by a Bit of Luck and may roll any d20 twice in her next turn and take the better result.

Kendra takes 8 Nonlethal Damage and 12 Lethal Damage. She's currently bleeding out and unconscious.

[QuidEst]

Aere saw Kendra go down and roared, trying to make himself seem like a more immediate threat. He lashed out at the female bandit again, snapping his jaws at her and swinging with his claws. He wasn't going to call attention to the cleric by shouting out to her- she'd do her best.

[QuidEst]

Kalika had had enough. They were beating Kendra when she was down. She wasn't going to stand by while they did that. The cloaked bandit threw something again, but was too quick for her to strike while he did. She readied her sword, slashing at him furiously.

[Bad Situation]

Izlude watches the arrow fly and wastes no time in following up with his attack, letting loose another projectile at the bandits below. There was no time to waste, given the time squandered 'apprehending' the bandits. "What a joke."

Current Status
Hit Points: 11/11
Armour Class: 21 (Ranged), 13 (Melee)
Ongoing Effects: Prone

Actions
Move Action~!
Stand up.

Standard Action~!
Attack: [roll0]
-- Damage: [roll1]
-- Target: The most injured looking bandit not obscured by a smoke cloud.

Free Action~!
Drop prone.

[Keylac]

The momentary elation Ryn had felt as his spell had come together was gone; interrupted by that, that, damnable woman, the only effect he'd produced had been a light show, a waste of time. Didn't these idiots understand he was trying to save them?

Expecting a followup attack from the bandits, he braces himself, hand already darting for his sword. His surprise was genuine when she stepped away from him instead, moving into line with others. When her sap crashed onto Kendra's skull, his eyes went hard, and a snarl, inaudible to his deafened ears, escaped his lips.

In one fluid motion, he draws his sword and steps towards the bandits. For a brief moment, his hand glows blue, then the light races up the blade, leaving it with a keener edge, shining a bit brighter in the sunlight.

He feints a quick slash at the eyes to draw the bandits shield up a little, then angles it down to take advantage of the raised shield, a thrust that results in a gasp of pain from the bandit. A quick twist of his wrist and his sword comes back out, flinging a line of blood onto the dirt as he raises it into guard position and resets his feet.

OOC


Move Action: Draw Sword.
Swift Action: Arcane Pool, to add +1 Enhancement to Sword.
Free Action: 5-Foot Step towards the bandits (if needed).
Standard Action: Attack Bandit. My target is the female bandit, unless Izzy already put her down/obviously knocked her out of the fight, when he shoots the most obviously injured bandit. If so, the next closest bandit. I left the text a bit vague.

Attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

Crit Confirmation, if needed:[roll2]
Critical Damage, if needed:[roll3]