Defending the Fort

Game Session Two

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Players / PCs

• Jeff Faller / Brother Lothar
• Ray Holding / Elsbeth
• Jeff Koch / Kirill Andrayson
• Heather Koch / Selah
• Paul Reinwald / Durvil Otterson
• Ed Auran / Ixilplix "Ix" Windrunner

DM: Wes Robinson

Day two at the fort / trading post brings Ixilplix with a "Pop" of magic...appearing out of thin air, as mages are wont to do. Much ado is made about how we're going to handle the bandits that are due the next morning.

Ideas abound. Durvil struggles to take the lead in planning, as cavaliers are wont to do. But the party is still trying to gel and everyone wants to get their idea in edge-wise. After nearly a full day of discussion and a bit of looking about the old fort itself a plan is agreed upon.

Oleg would rather that we didn't duke it out with the bandits on the inside, he's afraid that we'll do even more damage. But unfortunately, inside is about the only logical place to spring an ambush. There isn't a tree around for miles and the ramshackle building stands atop a small rise, so the choices are rather limited.

The idea then is to have Elsbeth watch for their approach from atop one of the towers. Everyone else, minus Durvil, will confront the bandits when they get inside. Brother Lothar and Selah will be in plain site, standing with Oleg and Durvil will be watching from the back wall and then repel down the outside to his waiting horse once the bandits are inside.

Somewhere before noon Elsbeth calls out that 5 riders are approaching, which is about what we'd expected. They get to the gate, spy the two newcomers, Selah and Brother Lothar and immediately become a little suspicious. But Oleg and Selah claim that we're guests, that seems to mollify the leader, and things get down to business.

That's when the trap is sprung. Durvil opens the action by charging the man waiting with the horses just outside the gate. But before he can set spur to horse the leader opens fire and the bandits charge into the courtyard, surrounding Selah and Brother Lothar. One of their blows falls on Lothar just as Ix pops up from behind a building and lays down a sleep spell...which also happens to catch the drunken monk.

But the spell also affects all three bandits and this is the turning of the tide. The leader of the bandits fairs poorly against a raging Kirill and once Durvil gets going he shows his horsemanship by stopping his charge inches shy of skewering a shaking bandit.

In the end we get 4 captives. The deliberations about what we're to do w/ the captives once their questioned is a heated affair. Durvil wants them dead, and quotes the charter as proof. Kirill is not sold on their deaths though, while Selah and Brother Lothar are basically against it. Ix and Elsbeth are willing to go either way.

Durvil gets his way early on though and clumsily hacks one of the bandit's head from his shoulders. The others turn white at the display and instantly turn repentant. We learn that the bandits are a day and a half to the south. Just head to the river and follow it north and we'll find their camp.

Oleg and Durvil are not impressed though and hang another bandit to prove their displeasure. One of the remaining bandits swears his fealty to Oleg and is taken on to help out around the trading post. The other is dispatched...he's just too much of a liability.

We take off immediately for the bandit camp, in the hopes that we can quell the threat and win the reward. (1000gp in trade credit for the return of Svetlana's ring and 400 gp for getting rid of the bandits in general.)

But of course nothing is simple with this group, and more arguing ensues. Durvil insists that we take our time and explore as we make our way south. The charter backs up his stance. But the rest of the group, Kirill and Brother Lothar especially, want to head south to the river with all speed. Their argument is that the bandits pose a very real and imminent threat to Oleg and Svetlana. Unless they are wiped out, the trader and his wife will always be in danger.

So it's put to a vote and we head south post haste. The first night is spent at the edge of the forest, out on the open plains. It passes peacefully though... The next day we parallel the forest heading south and the country starts to turn hilly. This is where we hit the river...and an old wooden bridge.

After some deliberation we head north along the river to the edge of the woods just as dusk falls. It's decided that Elsbeth and Kirill should move through the woods while the rest of us wait at the edge of the woods. A quick reconnoiter shows that the remaining bandits number somewhere around a dozen and are led by the strange woman who wields twin hand axes.

In the center of their camp lies a small ruin, where the leader stays, which is surrounded by a few ramshackle tents. We decide to move against them in the early morning. This way we can see. Our plan is to have Durvil come in from one direction, attracting most of their attention, while we come in from the other. And as luck would have it, he's spotted heading towards his position. The game is afoot!

And this is where we stop. Here are a few photos from the night. Wes is really putting a ton of effort into the props...and it shows! Really amazing stuff:

The bandit camp...

Durvil's spotted...

Help Wanted postings...

Oleg's Trading Post...