The Manor (D&D campaign) (IC)

Reva watched blankly as both of her companions began to pace back and forth with their eyes fixed on the ground. She couldn't help but think it rather made them look like chickens. Bird like at the very least. Occasionally one of her companions would call the other over and they would both stare at the same mark in the dirt. Reva had no idea about how the pair were judging if the tracks they found were worth following other than that they looked vaguely the right shape. Part of her suspected this was a form of magic and she was musing on this point when Edon announced they had found a path to follow.

"I still don't get why they wouldn't have just kept going north. I thought they just took a necklace from a dead girl." Looking between here two friends, for a moment, Reva's expression softened and she began walking toward the pair. "If you two are following this path then I guess I am, but... if we have to backtrack then you both owe me a drink."
​
 
"I don't know how they think, but perhaps they just didn't want to be seen in the road." Suthra said, straightening up, a soft scowl on her face. This had took way longer than she was comfortable with, and she didn't like it at all. She would need to make sure she wasn't losing her touch. "Or perhaps they just weren't headed for the next town."

In any case, the important thing was that they had found a lead. Suthra waited for Edon to take the lead, if he wanted to, before following the path.

"This might not be the bandits' path but, all things considered, I think it's safe to say they came this way." She said, with a hint of a chuckle in her voice. "If we're incorrect, though, I'm more than happy to buy you a drink in apology."
 
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Edon shared some of Suthra's concern over how long it took them to notice some simple tracks. He didn't let it show. There was no point dwelling on it. His next task lay ahead of him.

"Hang back a little from me," he said. "If you can find an open path off the trail, follow it. Move when I move. I may not be that sneaky, but I can at least draw the focus to me. If they see only one, they might be cocky enough not to run at the first sign of danger."

He checked over his gear one last time before hefting his maul and resting it over his shoulder. Then he began walking down the path. He didn't worry about being sneaky. There wasn't much of a point to it anyway. He tended to make more noise when he tried being quiet.

Some people saw Edon's maul as an odd pick for a noble. He thought it fitting for his more 'direct' style of dealing with problems. It was simple, brutal and effective.
 
The path leads on for about an hour before opening up into a small clearing. There's a small cluster of boulders at the other end, a single, rusted pole sticking out of the middle and what looks to be the remnants of a flag hanging from it.
 
Pacified although still unconvinced, Reva nodded silently to acknowledge Edon's instructions. Hiding their true numbers seemed like a good idea and since he had so willingly volunteered Reva was happy to let Edon be the bait in that little trap. She was confident he could handle any trouble that might find him for long enough that she and Suthra to catch up.

"Suthra," Reva watched for a few moment as Edon set off. "if you're right, the drinks are on me." Conciliation offered, and without another word the red, haired woman set off. She had never really struggled to move quietly, and the foliage around the path provided ample cover. That being said, Reva still felt a certain tension. She was constantly waiting for Edon to cry out. She felt like a coiled spring. Over the course of the journey, Reva's hands kept subconsciously twitching to the spot on her hip where she kept a flask.

It was only when the path opened up into a clearing that Reva began to relax slightly. Staying off the path, she moved up until she was more or less with Edon and took in the view in front of her. What was this place? Some abandoned camp? A meeting point?

"Either of you two think anybody is here?" The words came out in a hissed whisper as Reva tried to spot any evidence that someone had been here recently.
​
 
"I look forward to it!" The half-orc smiled, wide and easy, the thought of sharing a drink a good one, regardless of the 'winner' of this little bet. Suthra turned the battleaxe in her hands before she followed the other two, the grip on her weapon sure and ready to strike, if needed. Despite this, she wasn't really tense, and, like her companions, she didn't bother to keep a silent step as they walked on the trail.

An hour passed, without any sort of excitement, before they finally reached an opening. She frowned at the display, not really a camp, but definitely a place where people had been.

"Maybe." She answered Reina, taking a look around before approaching the flag. Suthra tried to raise whatever was left of the fabric. If they could identify which flag it was, perhaps they would known who had been there.
 
"Let us find out," Edon said, his voice low. "See anything...?"

While Reva and Suthra examined the scene, Edon paced slowly around, his eyes focused outward. He trusted their ability to scout the area and intended to prevent anybody from sneaking up on them. He had made a fair bit of noise on the way here and didn't want to risk being ambushed in this odd location.

Edon had been hoping to find the bandits for a stand-up fight and be done with it. People like them didn't exactly become bandits by fighting fairly, however. Oh well.
 
As Suthra made their way towards the weather battered metal pole sticking out of the boulders at the other end of the clearing, Reva stayed crouched in the undergrowth. Her eyes scanned the vegetation on either side, waiting for someone or something to burst through it and set upon the half orc. It took until her friend was actually touching what remained of the flag that hung from the pole that Reva finally felt confident enough that they were probably alone to break cover. The fact the Edon was patrolling the clearing, clearly watching for anyone sneaking up on them helped too.

After stretching to ease the aching in the back of her legs, Reva began pacing back and forth. She was looking for those little things that people left behind them when they packed up camp. The rubbish that they didn't want to take with them like food scraps and the things that they couldn't like fire stained rocks. What she found, quite by accident was footprints. She almost tripped over them, the toes of her right foot catching on the ridge of a particularly deep imprint that must have formed when the soil was wet and then dried hard.

For lack of any other evidence of people being here, the flame haired mercenary started to follow the trail. Even with her limited experience of such things, Reva didn't find it challenging to follow the path of whatever stranger had trodden this ground before her. For a short while she weaved back and forth around the clearing before the tracks headed towards were Suthra was examining the flag, but they didn't stop there. Following the prints around the boulders Reva found herself face to face with a wall of stone. She spent several minutes looking around for where the tracks went but ended up back at the same spot, frustrated and a little confused.

Reva was turning to head back to where Sutra was when she noticed a faded brown patch on one of the smaller rocks on the ground a few feet in front of her that she hadn't seen before. It certainly looked like a footprint, but Reva had no idea why it was where it was until she stood up. Tucked in the recession between two of the rocks there was a small dark hole. Cautiously, the red head, advanced towards the patch of darkness before sticking her head through its threshold, gasping with realization and scurrying back to her friends.

"Get Edon over here." The words to the half-orc were hissed in a whisper. "I think I found something." With that Reva returned to where she had found the hidden entrance ready to show Edon and Suthra her discovery.
​
 
The flag was old, very old, that much was clear by the tattered and battered look of it. Suthra tried to remember if she had seen the symbol anywhere before, if she recognized it, but either she was out of luck, or her memory was failing her. Or she had seen it before, and it was so unremarkable that she had forgotten. If it was the latter, that was actually a good sign.

She stayed at the flag for a little while, thinking, while Reva walked around her, apparently following some footsteps. The half-orc was about to move away from the flag, convinced she wouldn't be able to get much more out of it, when Reva came back, telling her to go fetch Edon. Suthra raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't say anything before she walked to where their companion was scouting and tapping him on the shoulder, pointing to Reva.

"She found something." She said, simply, before following the other woman and glanced to where she was pointing.

A smile grew on her face, making her canines even more pronounced, when she saw the hidden entrance.

"Wonderful!" She exclaimed, although taking care to keep her voice in relatively low. "That might answer the question as to why the bandits didn't go into the next town. This can be their hideout. I couldn't identify the flag, but it seems pretty old. Not sure if it's important."

The half-orc peered inside, as best as she could, before straightening up.

"Shall we go?" She said, walking inside.
 
Nobody had come out of the woods to attack them while Edon was on patrol. That meant either nobody was there or he was being appropriately menacing. Both eventualities were acceptable to him. When Suthra called out to him, Edon gave her a grim nod then turned his attention back to the trees. He gave the surrounding foliage one more parting glare to make sure it knew who was boss before rejoining the women.

When he saw what Reva had discovered, he said, "A rats nest. Fitting." There was no hesitation about whether or not they should go into the cave. He calmly strapped his maul to his belt to get it out of the way and set about lighting a torch.

"If it will bother your eyes, I can hang back."

He was human so, of course, he could not see in the pitch black of a tunnel.

With that said, he drew his longsword and made ready to follow their lead. This way he could fight while holding the torch aloft.
 
"Might as well have a look." Looking at her friends, Reva half shrugged. "We've come this far. What is there to lose now by looking?"

Squeezing past Edon, Reva wrinkled her nose slightly as he lit a torch. She knew that he needed the light to see but the smell would be overpowering in the confines of a small cave. Why it was she didn't need a torch was a question that lingered at the back of Reva's mind. As far as she could tell, she and Edon were much alike physically and yet there was this huge difference between them. It bothered her not knowing these sorts of things.

"Do you want to go first or shall I?" Reva held out a palm containing a silver coin towards Suthra. "Or do you want to flip for it?"
​
 
"The light is fine." Suthra said, smiling to Edon and waving her hand. "Although perhaps it's better if you hang back anyway, so if there's someone there they won't see us coming as easily." While she preferred the darkness, felt slightly more comfortable in it, the light wasn't exactly bothersome, and if it would aid Edon, Suthra would easily put up with it. "I always forget you can't see in the dark." She said, absently, already squeezing Reva's shoulder and walking past the woman.

"I can go first, don't worry. Just tell me if you hear anything."

She walked in. The tunnel didn't seem remarkable in any way, but it was clearly housing someone - or something -, as there was the occasional torch on the ground that was still lit up. At the first one she saw, Suthra looked back at Edon.

"There are torches here." She whispered. "If you want to put yours down, I think you can still see." She then continued, trying to move as silently as possible as she made her way inside, only stopping occasionally to look over her shoulder and make sure Edon and Reva were still following without any trouble.
 
Edon nodded to Suthra's comment about the torches. He saw the light ahead of them but decided to hold onto his own for the time being. It would only take a few quick steps in a twisting tunnel to suddenly lose that static light.

While he trusted his companions, he also felt responsible for them. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to be wounded when he could have stopped it. So he stayed tense and ready to spring forward the moment he heard one of them call for help.
 
They were only a few steps into the cave when the sound of echoing voices struck Reva's ears. Despite having let Suthra lead the group into the cave, curiosity got the better of the fire haired woman. Squeezing past her friend, Reva quickly but quietly padded her way to the edge of where the corridor they were in seemed to open out into a more spacious chamber. She could see well enough in the dark and was less noticeable than Suthra. It would be easier for her to try and see who she could hear talking. All it would take was a quick peek.

A scream bounched off the stone walls as something smashed into Reva's shoulder and sent her spinning to the floor. Disorientated and in pain, Reva scrambled backwards on the floor until she felt stone against her back. Looking down, she could see the short, fat, feather shaft of a crossbow bolt sticking out of her right shoulder. Blood was already seeping out from around it, staining her clothes. Grimacing, Reva gingerly grasped a hand around the bolt before looking towards Suthra and Edon.

"I think they know we're here." From around the corner the sound of cursing and the moving of heavy objects served to support her statement.
​
 
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Edon had been holding back just as they agreed when he heard the unmistakable sound of a crossbow bolt being loosed and connecting with flesh. Reva's scream and the sound of people scrambling followed. At once, the noble fighter started running down the dimly lit hallway toward his companions. As he arrived he saw Reva, reeling from her wound, cast Light on one of her darts before tossing it into the room. He also saw Suthra turning the corner and preparing a spell. The spell must have connected because Edon heard a cry of pain echoing off of the walls.

For just the moment, Reva seemed to be out of immediate danger. She would need some time to collect herself. He was determined to buy that time for her - and to exact revenge for the blood shed.

As Edon turned the corner and got to see the situation, his gaze swept over near to a dozen bandits. They had overturned tables and were cowering behind their makeshift cover. He tossed away his torch and said, "Passing," for Suthra's benefit. Then he aimed for the enemies on the left, dropped his shoulder down and powered into the barrier. His goal was to knock them down or otherwise inconvenience them as much as possible, hoping to buy his friends time to dismantle the others.
 
As Edon crashes through, he knocks the table against the three bandits taking cover. Instead of dodging, they try to hold their ground but are instead knocked prone. Until they stand up, any attacks against them have advantage. Luckily, they manage to stand before this can happen with bandit 7 seven using the last of their movement to flank Edon. Whilst 8 and 9 distract him, 7 lands a hit on his back with their scimitar and 11 throws their dagger to catch him in the arm.

As for the rest of the bandits, they aim their sights on Suthra and send a barrage of crossbow bolts at her, though only one of the six manages to graze her side.

The final bandit lies in wait by the cage, seemingly keeping an eye on the i habitants.
 

The occupants of the cage had been mostly ignored by the bandits up to this point. They had after all be stripped of anything useful including most of their cloths and magical abilities. The magic part of that equation still baffled one. If his companion had any ideas on the matter they hadn't yet been spoken. But now it seemed a group of people were storming the lair, and this, if anything, might provide that chance for escape.

The tiefling occupant of the cage moved to the front, trying to make out the action in the room, but everything was moving too fast. Tables were being overturned, and crossbows loaded then fired. Though his golden eyes scanned the room for any sign of the keys he had very little idea of where to even start looking. It was fortunate that he did have something of a hint as to where his affects had been stored though. He would hate to actually make it outside of this place only to have to trek to the nearest town in nothing but his under britches. They had even taken the cuffs that usually adorned his grey, gerenuk style horns, disappointed to learn they were only costume jewelry, well except for one...

Suddenly there was added light to the room as one of the newcomers did something to a dart and chucked it in. He turned his gaze away from the glare, new shadows being cast across his pale rose colored skin. Indigo hair fell to his shoulders and briefly obscured his face, extended goatee, and the scar that crossed his left eye. A tail flicked in irritation.

"So!" He shouted, "So this is the best you can do? Hiding behind tables as mice expecting the cat? I would think bandits brave enough to attack a man in his sleep would put on a better show! And you expect me to fear you? I'd sooner run from a mosquito!"

What he wouldn't give for his thaumaturgy right now.
 
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After landing two hits with her shortsword, Reva then focuses her energy to unleash a quick series of blows and lands a punch on the face of enemy 1. With a sickening crunch, he falls to the ground, dead and out of the fight.
 
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Suthra laughed at how Edon knocked the bandits with the table, a threatening grin lingering in her face as she felt an arrow graze her side. Barely enough to distract her, barely enough for her to feel, and she turned, ready to charge again when an unknown voice cut through the cave. The half-orc looked up, at the cage in the corner of the room that she hadn't bothered with until now. She could see a tiefling pressed against the bars, shouting angrily to the bandits. She chuckled again.

"Attacked in your sleep? I guess you're really an unlucky one." Suthra said, amused, although there wasn't any bite or mockery in her voice. "Don't worry, we're going to get you out of there."

While Edon seemed to have things handled, the turned table hiding the bandits in front of her made things difficult. So instead, her hand closed around her battleaxe, and she charged towards the enemy behind Edon, raising her weapon and swinging it towards the bandit.


Dice​
 
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After enemy 1 falls, the rest of the groupd surround the attackers, each taking turns to hit. Number ten, though, remains by the prisoner, watching the battle and trying their hardest to ignore the prisoner.
 
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