The weather had been unbelievably bad this early in the year. The usual spring rains had turned into a torrent of rain one could believe to drown in.The winds had also been icy cold, making for a bad combination. Pharast was not by any means the most accommodating month for travel, and many hopeful prospectors would only start their journey in Gozran. But the bedraggled,drenched group nearing Oleg's outpost close behind the border to what was known as the "River Kingdoms" - a name most members of the expedition rejected in favor of "Stolen Lands" - wanted to have an early start. Maybe that had been a mistake, because what was supposed to be a week or two of travel had taken almost three, and on the road several people had gotten sick, and some had turned around already.

Now the old border-fort-turned-trade-post was looming in front of them, the waterfall from the clouds making it seem sinister and a beacon of hope at the same time. The gates were,of course,closed. In these bandit and monster riddled part of the world, there was no such thing as taking too many precautions.

Valentin Osin Mevyed was not only part of the group, but in the last few days the other members of this trek had come to regard him as somewhat of a leader. Or maybe they just wanted to have someone to blame when things went to hell. In any case, except from the dwarf warrior named Hulag, they kept themselves and their animals behind the young noble.

Hulag wrung water our of his impressively woven beard and tried to call out to the outpost, but all that came out was a croaking sound. Like almost everyone else, he had a cold. It seemed it was to Valentin to make contact.

Val gave just a touch of a heel to Xenia and the dun mare clopped forward, with Ulf, the thick black packhorse on a lead, behind them a few lengths.

He stood in his saddle and bellowed as only a noble can "Hullo!!"

Turning behind him, he mentioned.  "Just want to give it one more try before we resort to more drastic measures."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then the face of an older man peaked over the wall. "Friend or foe?" a cracking voice fitting the face asked.

Pick your spells - 3rd party is fine,too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:48, Fri 30 July 2021.

"Friends!" calls Val, gesturing with the sweep of an arm to include all the travellers.  "I am Valentin Osin, Lord Mevyed, and we have arrived after hard travel.  I bid you open the gate, good sir!"  Val is practically beaming at the thought of dry & ale & warm...

"Ah! We have been expecting you! A moment, a moment, I will open up.!" The way the old man shouted, he might have been a bit hard of hearing. But it did not take long for the doors to swing open,and an older woman,probably the wife,waved everyone in with a friendly smile."We are so glad to have you. so many problems around here. Bandits, monsters...come on in and be at home."

Inside,the noise of animals was subdued but present, one loud rooster crying out over everything else. A little black dog and a larger,fluffy sheepdog appeared, wagging their tails, and the woman moved to take the animals to water as everyone dismounted. Hulag the dwarf went straight to the well built under the southwest tower and threw water over himself. All the rumors about dwarfs not washing up, he had explained numerous times, we just that. The others made way for the tables while Oleg and his wife helped with the animals and arranged for quarters.

Oleg, his impressive brown beard streaked with white, brought out the traditional salt and bread for welcome. "Lord Mevyed," he said, "I've made space in the better storage room with a window for you,you can't sleep with the others, it would not be right." And he motioned for Valentin to follow. The room had a simple bed with straw and furs and a table with a chair, with a window looking out north. A few barrels held up makeshift shelves. It was obvious it had all been brought here in a hurry, but the place was clean.

That's the room over A9

"Oleg, I can't thank you enough.  Your hospitality is most welcome.  I will set my things here, and will only be a moment.  But before I join you" he adds in his best co-conspirator tone "I'm hoping I can talk to you, privately, before joining the others in your hall."

OCC - Just hoping to find out the rumors - all the rumors.  & I'll cover the first ale for everyone.  Aside from Hulag the dwarf, anyone I should know from the caravan?

"Sure, Lord Mevyed. What do you need to know?"

When Valentin asked about the goings and comings he frowned and talked of the bandits troubling the area. They have, in fact, laid siege to the fort a few times. The bandits’ first visit was three months ago. They threatened to burn down the trading post and abduct Svetlana for their own amusements back at their camp if the Levetons didn’t agree to hand over all of the furs and trade goods they’d accumulated over the past month from hunters and trappers. Oleg made it clear to them that this would be a bad idea,as it would mean he would have to leave and they could have no more,so instead they agreed on a "protection tax." Since then, the bandits have returned twice more, each time within an hour of sunrise on the first day of the month. The Levetons have learned to have their “taxes” ready and hand them over quickly. The bandits usually seem eager to return to their camp somewhere in the Greenbelt, Oleg says because of this Svetlana thinks their camp is about a day’s ride away but he thinks it might be closer.

The first time the bandits visited, there were a dozen of them - 10 lower-ranking thugs led by a cloaked man armed with a bow, and a woman who carried two small hatchets. The woman did the majority of the talking on that first trip, and her black sense of humor and the way she smiled when she spoke of what fate would await Svetlana if the Levetons didn’t comply frightened Svetlana all the more.  The woman also seemed to be particularly sharp and observant, whereas the man seemed to be a bit more crude and foolish. This, plus the fact that the woman quite nearly lopped off Oleg’s right hand with one of her hatchets in a cruel bit of mockery, convinced the Levetons that she was the most dangerous of the bandits. As it was, the woman took Svetlana’s wedding ring right off her hand and tossed it to one of her men as payment for "not shortening Oleg’s reach." Svetlana is still crying over this. On the second and third visit, only the crude hooded man accompanied the bandits. The second visit, he came with only six other men, while on the third he only came with four. The Levetons suspect that the bandits have let down their guard and think the owners of the trading  post  are  completely cowed. Hopefully, when they visit again, which is due tomorrow, they’ll be even fewer in number, and hopefully the scary woman with the hatchets won’t be with them.

There was a wanted poster for the bandits posted by Brevoy authorities a few weeks back, but the promised patrol could not reach here yet. It read

The bandits in the Greenbelt need to be shown that their actions will not be tolerated. Dead or alive, for each bandit the Swordlords offer a bounty of 100 Brevoy Crowns.

There were other wanted posters, but this one was outlined in red as it was urgent.

The caravan cheered as ale was handed out and they saluted their Lord Mevyed. The weather had let up, and Svetlana was already busy serving a hearty stew, warm bread, and has even opened a bottle of wine. A teenage boy is busy repairing part of the roof, but now climbed down to wash and take part of the food, but his eyes darted around the yard and he was obviously weary.

I posted NPC separately  and will do the same with the other wanted posters
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:38, Tue 03 Aug 2021.

Before the evening gets too out of hand, or people get too tired, Valentin clanks his pewter mug against the trencher to command some attention.

"Good people!  Good people all.

*We made it!  Huzzah!* (takes a small drink)

*To our hosts, Oleg and Svetlana, Huzzah!* (takes a small drink)

*To our futures in these lands, Huzzah* (takes a small drink)

- - But now friends, some serious talk.  I'm sure that you all - as have I - seen the wanted poster with the Bandits of the Greenbelt.

They are real - all too real, and Oleg tells me that they have been a scourge on this very fort.  And they may be here as soon as tomorrow...

But fear not."

He looks to Hulag and then with a smile, looks back at the people.

"Actually, I know you're not afraid.  With this fierce crew, and the determination you have to carve a place in these lands, it's the bandits that should be afraid! Huzzah!"

"But - I will take no grave risks.  I have a plan to catch them unawares.

First, we need a watch tonight for sure.  I have no interest in being surprised.

Then, if the bandits approach the fort, as they approach, we open the gate and feign setting up a wagon.  They are greedy and will come charging in, eager to steal it for their own.  When they do, we shut the gates, all step out of hiding, and surround them.  We are nearly a half score at least, and while we may not all be battle-scarred veterans of foreign wars, we will not let some mealy bandits steal what it ours, or frighten us into servitude!  Among us, we have talents galore, and the will to a new future.  We will prevail!"

Plan:
So - a watch tonight so we're not surprised.  Maybe one of the non-fighting people?  Then one or two behind the open gates, ready to push them shut.  Someone like Ataboi maybe under the wagon hiding between the axles? Others in the various buildings, just inside the  doorways.  Others on the parapets, out of sight until the bandits are well inside.

I'll come out on horseback, make my heroic speech, cast sleep, and hopefully avoid a pitched battle.  We'll take prisoners, and maybe to barter them for the leader? Or use them as bait?  or at worse, we'll have a trial.