Falis looks happy with her and Ricky's handiwork.  She approaches the moving form and attempts to catch its blade with her axes.  "Dead or alive, you're coming with us.  Until then, you're gonna wanna not move..."

11:47, Today: Falis rolled 15 using 1d20 ((15)).

Just in case I need to roll for Falis attempting to catch a moving blade with her weapons...!

"We surrender." a voice calls from under the tent. "Denchay, Erich, stand down." The swordman stops struggling.  "Just don't kill us."

 Falis looks to her companions with a smile on her face.  "Good.  Come out, and then grab the sky."  She seems relieved that no more blood might be spilled.

 "Ricky, could you do us a favour cut some lengths of rope?  Bind their hands."

Zorbon watches the bandits carefully as they emerge from the tent and are bound by Ricky.

"Perhaps letting them out of the tent one at a time would make the tying easier," Ärchönia suggested. "It would spoil the magnificent end of our grand romp if the varlets suddenly all ran separate ways out of a poor sense of sportsmanship."

 "You heard the woman, and SHE'S the one you need to be afraid of.  One at a time, single file!"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:57, Wed 28 July 2021.

The three men are bound without incident.

"Before we commend them to the turnkey, should we first look for what the larceners have stolen?" she asked the others. There were several tents here, so no doubt at least some of the items could be recovered and returned to their rightful owners. "We can index all within, provide the peelers the list, and perhaps keep the remainder as a guerdon."

Indicating the prisoners, she added, "If the varlets assist and cooperate, perhaps their recompense will be degraded."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Fri 06 Aug 2021.

 Falis takes a moment to process the wizard's words, but then nods.  "Hmm... sounds good... what do you think, Zorbon?  Some for us, some for Moe's, the rest for the guard?"

"As long as we return all of Thorak Copperwell's goods to him first. Remember, he's paying 200 gold to get it back."

He pauses for a moment and adds, "Remember, these bandits have already killed Joe and attempted to kill all of us. We must not forget to let the authorities know that. I expect little sympathy for such murdering types."

The party survyes the camp again.  Off o the west, a picket of horses, two large draft, a pair of shaggy ponies, and a couple of riding horses.  One of the larger trees has a tent at its base, the smoke coming up getting dispersed by the branches, next to it, a wagon and cart covered in tarps.  Two more tents are there, one larger than the other.  Garret and Joe's bodies lie near the campfire.   There are two men tied to one of the trees to the east.

           ******
       *** w c  [] ****
      *h             *
     *p h             []  *
     *p       #           *
    *H                 [] *
    *H                   pp*
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 Falis nods at Zorbon.  "Well, how about that?  They might get sharp blades to do the deed instead of dull ones."

 When everyone returns to the camp, she says to the men they're carrying with them, "What do you know about this?"

While Falis questions their prisoners for information, Ärchönia went over to the two tied up men. She tried to get an indication of their position in society by their clothing, but it seemed to her that they were likely merchants or townsfolk held for ransom by the bandits.

She greeted them, and said, "Felicitations! The Amaranthine Doxy is the intelligencer, and would provide manumission if the answers are filling. Are either you a burgess of Helmsbreach?"

The three men look at Falis.  Two of them stay silent, glancing quickly at the third.  Now in the open the other man looks to be an elf.  "Know about what?"  He retorts back.

Archonia finds the two men, tied and beaten.  They appear to be merchants, they don't respond to her question, but either dead or unconscious.

Zorbon will cast a CLW on one of the merchants should he prove mostly dead and not all dead.

 Falis rolls her eyes at the bound bandits, and clicks her tongue.  "The captives.  The stolen goods.  Don't be a smart-ass, I'm not in a good mood.  Two good men lie dead, and more died needlessly.  Unless you want to be another 'needless death', then you'll cooperate with me.  Might get to live out the rest of your days in a cell or doing something useful, instead of getting some iron in your diet or dancing for a crowd at the end of a rope.  So, talk, and talk true." She grips her axe.

Given their state, they surely were not in league with the bandits. So, while Zorbon tended their injuries, Ärchönia untied them and tried to make them more comfortable. She kept glancing over at Falis and the bandits though, since, even tied up, they might have designs on fleeing.

"They were merchants, too cheap to hire real guards, thinking they could save coin. You could say they chose poorly."  The elf looks to the woman, with a slight smile.  "You are quite brave, with an axe and my hands bound." One of the men chuckles, and they start to spread out a few steps from each other.


Zorbon follows Archonia across to the other side of the camp.  Both men live, one of them, thanks to Larry, opens his eyes looking around in confusion. "Who are you?"

Having been watching, and seeing the bandits start to separate, Ärchönia decided she would be more useful there, especially since Zorbon had things well in hand here. So, she walked over to Falis, and indicating the captives. "Perhaps a bit more rope to keep them in a line will keep them in line."

 "Wow." Falis' tone is flat.  She gives the rope a tug.  "You speak of my cowardice, when you admitted to killing unarmed people without bodyguards?"

 To her magical friend's advice, she nods.  "Yes, some more rope would do us wonders.  And, some rags to gag them with.  They're not saying anything useful."  Needless to say, Falis assists in binding... and hopefully gagging... the bandits.

The cleric answers the prisoner, "We've been hired to stop the bandits. I'm Zorbon, Cleric of Moe. My friends will introduce themselves in due time, I'm sure."

Ärchönia kept watch while Falis added to their bindings and included the gags. The earlier fight had not depleted all of her spells, so she was ready if they decided to be less than cooperative.

The party has no more trouble with the bandits.  The prisoners, though in rough shape, can ride in the wagon.  The left over goods are loaded into the wagon, and hitched to the draft horses.  The ponies are hitched to the small cart, and it is loaded with the barrels of drinks.  Garrett and Joe's bodies are wrapped and laid over the two riding horses.   The bandits are trailed along behind.

The group returns to Helmsbreach, and the sheriff takes care of the dead, and prisoners.

The rescued merchants offer anything from their wagon as a reward,   It is loaded with gear, rope, oil, torches and sudries. any mudane equipment is available.

All that remains is to find the dwarf and return his cart of fine liquors.

---

For recovery of the prisoners, and apprehension of the bandit, everyone receives 500XP.

Ärchönia pokes through the offered reward. She had been well-equipped, she thought, but took a few items, less for her own need, but more to give the merchants a sense of having done a good turn for their rescuers.

With that, she was ready to go seek the dwarf. He had seemed a bit out of sorts when last they had spoken; perhaps the return of his cart of spirits would put him in better spirits.

Zorbon will check on the merchants and thank them for their offer, but he will not take anything from their wagon. He will camp out at the Blue Turnip for a while this evening and wait for Thorak to arrive. He'll leave a message there if Thorak doesn't come in tonight.