Killian rushed up to meet the enemy before they had a chance to roll rocks or shoot arrows down upon their position.

Patch laughed, a wheezing sound rich with mirth. "Looks as if they were expecting someone else!"

Seeing his companions charging up the rocks, Patch began climbing the western spire, clutching his staff in one hand and his shield in the other. "Suppose we keep one alive this time?" He called out.

10:09, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 9 using 2d8.  Sleep Spell Effect.

Nine of the brigands are asleep.

Even at a distance, most of the party is able to hear a number of dull thuds as most of the brigands slump to the ground, lost in a deep slumber. A couple of the bandits begin snoring mere moments after Jayanti completes her incantation.

Scanning the rocks, the adventurers can see that only one of the brigands remains awake, a single bandit on the eastern formation, who yelps as Greyband’s arrow slices through the air near his head.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:13, Thu 15 Aug 2019.

Neuken casts his own Sleep spell at the remaining brigands, looking forward to the throat-slitting to come.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:00, Thu 15 Aug 2019.

With a wave of his hand, Neuken sends the last of the bandits, who is panicked by the state of his comrades and the approach of the adventuring company, into a heavy sleep.

"Well that was easy! We should keep one alive to interrogate, at least..."

"Agreed, but which one...." Jarder says with a mischievous smile on his face.  He races forward and begins tying up the Bandits, looking for the one that might be a leader and this have the most information.

Greyband looks annoyed. "Tie them all up, fellows. We're not bandits ourselves killing helpless captives."

He quickly finds any rope on the captives and starts to bind them with it.

"Perhaps Sleep spells were not the wisest choice if we did not plan on taking captives.  Now, it would seem, that some of you object to ending their lives peacefully while they dream."

"I will awaken them one by one and dispatch them in single combat duels if that satisfies your honor, Greyband.  We had no time to bury the dead, we have even less time for prisoners."

Orin rumbled up the slope to help the others restrain the captives.  He understood and agreed with Greyband's approach but did see the conundrum they were in.  Unless these were truly brigands owing fealty to none.  In that case the local warlords might be happy to have them handed over as fresh conscripts.

"What if we marched 'em into the town and handed them over as new 'press-ganged' recruits?  The enemy gets troops, their own roads are safer leading into Wendar, and we have yet another present for our would-be employers?"

Patch sat down upon the rocks, not quite to the top, removing his dilapidated hat and wiping at his balding head with a small handkerchief kept within. "We don't have to kill them. War is a terrible thing. They are the bottom rungs of a tall ladder. Nevertheless, we cannot have them turning right around and getting back into the fray."

Replacing his hat, the old cleric of the God of Mysteries and Riddles got to his feet. For the moment he looked old and tired, but it was not due to the distances traveled, nor the years of trial and toil, it was the weight of what they were about to do. Looking over to his more martial companions, he cleared his throat. "Break their sword-arms at the elbow. I'll use my staff to mis-heal the bone in order that they'll never be able to fight again."

He made his way to the first of the sleeping ambushers and nodded to Killian. "One by one, let's get this over with."


OOC: Patch will use his enchanted staff to heal each broken elbow to fuse the bones so it will never bend again. The intent is to make it so they can never be pressed into military service, but won't be cruelly maimed.

"Unless you plan on cutting out their tongues and mis-healing their fingers in case they can write messages too, Patch, I do not see your idea as practical, nor particularly merciful.  It is not their sword-arms that we need to fear, but their wagging tongues." Killian said to the Cleric.

Patch merely shrugged. "Good point. But they seem to be bandits, not soldiers like the others we encountered. They don't know that we're not just a disagreeable group of mercenaries... who and what are they going to tell?"

 Jayanti holds Patch’s staff before it strikes.

”Breaking a limb and healing it wrong? I’m not even a healer but that sounds...twisted. Your own species no less! I say we strip them of their arms and armor, then send them on their way after we get the information we need.”

“Ordinarily, I would prefer to simply cut their throats.  But I must admit that I find the idea of press-ganging them instead to be not only clever, but downright charming.  I favor it.”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:23, Fri 16 Aug 2019.

Skillfully searching the slumbering brigands, Jarder is able to puzzle out which one is the leader, a dark haired female bearing a sword and crossbow. The thief finds 40 gold pieces in a pouch on her belt, along with a map that marks several potential ambush locations along the road the company is following and notes on effective formations for each spot. Jarder notes that a neatly drawn arrow pointing to the top of the map denotes which direction is north. At the upper edge of the drawing, written in a feminine hand, is a single word: ”Dragon!”

The leader’s pouch also contains a black medallion with the figure of a red wyvern inscribed on it.

Greyband stops Patch "I think the press-gang thing is the smart plan. Let's go with that and not maim 'em."

"But after the press-ganging, let's rest.  I wouldn't want to face down a dragon without having all of my spells ready."

He yawns, emphasizing his point about needing a rest.

"Perspective," was all Patch had to say.

The odd curate returned to his porcine mount, taking only a moment to glance at the map.

"Can we get a copy of this back to our side? It's good information to have, especially if this pass becomes important during troop movements should war erupt in the future..."

Standing up after tying off the last one; he holds up what he has found-"Look some coin for our trouble, but more importantly this map and amulet here that shows some interesting things".  Walking away from the prisoners he unrolls the map and says to the others; "I'm not sure I like what this map says here 'Dragon' could be a ruse or reality..I don't know.  Also the locations for ambushes ahead, that we should be able to avoid...and this amulet may be of use later."

Do any of use recognize this sigil?

From the back of his riding-boar, Patch glanced at the symbol, pursed his lips and considered...


OOC: Need a roll for that DM? Riddles and Mysteries are Patch's strength, but Intelligence certainly is not! ;-)

Neuken reiterates his desire for rest, as his prior remark seems to have gone unnoticed.

”Perhaps we could provide it to the spy in Geron,” Renia suggests, in response to Patch’s question about the map, ”He could see to it that the information reaches Wendar.”

The scout confesses that she has never encountered the symbol on the talisman before.

Although each of the party members take a moment to examine the sigil on the necklace, none find it familiar.