“Don't worry I'm sure we can handle it . . .”
A layer of tension fell away from Oleg’s face at Sylvia’s reassurance with a sigh of relief.

“. . . Could I inquire as to what ‘it’ is?”

Oleg’s face regained all its former grimness and grew darker as Sylvia went on.

“And why the second of every month? I assume bandits or raiders of some form or type, but any information you can give us would be useful.”

Oleg looked around the table for indication that the odd-haired girl was joking or misinformed.

“Slow down there,” Aria told Sylvia. She bowed to where Oleg and Svetlana sat, “Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.” Oleg didn’t seem to appreciate the rehearsed niceties, but he said nothing. Even Svetlana at his side seemed too concerned to return more than an absent-minded nod acknowledging her.

“Now please, if you can, start at the beginning, so we may know your plight in full. It would be good to know what it is that we are dealing with, but also, I was wondering, what is it that they return for precisely?”

“They didn’t…” Oleg barely murmured the words, you had to listen carefully to hear. Suddenly he was shouting. “They didn’t even tell you! Those pussy-footing, arse-licking—Argh!” He threw his hands into the air in frustration.

He balled his fists as if to slam the table, but he didn’t strike anything.

Svetlana stepped in to take over. “We’ve been having problems with bandits at the Post lately.” She said, apologetically. “They’ve been coming every month, demanding all the furs and goods we have for ‘tax collection’. Oleg fears for my safety, or he’d have fought back long ago.

“Please, would you help us deal with them tomorrow? We can offer free room and board for the night if you’ll help.” Svetlana seemed anxious, but she didn’t voice out loud her fears that if Oleg ever stood up to the bandits, he would likely be killed.

(More information to come regarding the bandits, but if you already have plans you want to start throwing in there, you can mosey on over to the Q&A to formulate and discuss. If you want to wait until Oleg and Svetlana tell you everything they know, that's fine, too.

(I am currently assuming that you will agree to help out, but that's just because I know some of the characters are just like that, and it is your job out here. See, it's not really railroading so much as pointing you down a slope and saying 'that way' XD)

“Please, would you help us deal with them tomorrow? We can offer free room and board for the night if you’ll help.”
Hidden behind his mask, Lloyd gave dark smile. It entertained him to hear the way these people were so indirect about the situation and the means of rectification. Placing all of his utensils back in their packages, Lloyd placed these kits into a large backpack that was in the chest. He slung the backpack over one shoulder and locked the chest with his free hand – this was all done with the intent of being loud.

Walking up to Svetlana, his cane in hand, Lloyd decided to force her to explain what she meant by ‘dealing’ with the bandits.

“I cannot help but wonder what you would have us do. Your words lead me to conceptualize that we may be outnumbered tomorrow; and even if this was of no concern, I cannot see any holding cell for the miscreants to be ascertained in until the proper authorities can deal with them. There seems to be very little we can do at this moment aside from pleading them to leave you alone... or do you propose a more underhanded tactic in dealing with vagabonds?”

Lloyd taps the tip of his cane on the ground several times as it slides through the grip of his hand, though it only lasts a few seconds before he realizes he is doing it and stops. It is a habit that he has picked up in the last few years: when making illegal innuendo or expecting something bad to happen Lloyd will fidget with his cane – usually by tapping it on the ground. Though he will also twirl it about or swing it like a metronome as well.

Lloyd cocks his head as he looks to the rest of the party. “I personally have no interest in starting a fight with thieves until I know full well what their resources are. I have had to deal with such degenerates in the past, and I have learned that sometimes the weakest looking rouges can have the best resources at hand. Don’t go charging into this until you acquire more data on the subject.”

Lloyd then walks over to the main entrance of the post and points his cane to the closed entryway. “I wish to go forge for a few basic components that may aid me in my profession. I dare not ask any of you to come with me, but I would like to comeback in with no hassle. A password might make for a good precaution – in case I return when it is dark.”

Turning her head she looked up at Oleg and Svetlana her face remaining hidden slightly. "The password can be 'Shedded skin.' ok?" Turning to Lloyd she looked up at him and smiled. "Could you wait for me please? I would like to inform Junn." She asked then stopped and thought. "Or, wait for me outside the gate at the very least." She added as she sat up more. "Svetlana, could I speak with you for just a moment, please?" She asked standing up and heading away from the group out of ear shot.

Sylvia had no idea if anyone in the area could be a spy, or hear them, but she wished to speak with Svetlana in private to give a better password that she could relay to whoever would be watching should it turn dark. She clenched and unclenched her hands nervously, a bad habit she had developed in her past, whenever she felt anxious or any sort of panic she would often try to hide or make herself look smaller, or fidget.

“Shedded Skin it is then.” Lloyd repeated with a nod. He was about to turn and leave when the girl with the blue hair made a request. digh

”Could you wait for me please? I would like to inform Junn. Or, wait for me outside the gate at the very least." She added as she sat up more. "Svetlana, could I speak with you for just a moment, please?”
The masked man gave a harsh, impatient sigh. He turned once more to look at the girl who had made the request.

“I have no interest in bringing someone like you along! I am out to gather and work, I have no time to babysit children who want to play in the woods. Your babbling will only inhibit on my performance, and I will not have that! Furthermore, even if you were going to be useful, I have no intention of waiting while you go socialize with others! You would either come with me, or talk with others!”

Lloyd then turned back to the door and started to open it. In a few moments he was outside, his backpack over his shoulder and his cane in his hand.

Walking down the dirt road that had brought the part to Oleg’s, Lloyd started to think.
It would be a very bad situation if I happened to get lost in the forest – especially at night. I am sure that none of the others have the insight to think of me as a doctor, and not as a ‘mean’ or ‘rude’ person... so if I get lost I am sure most of them will be glad I do not return.

So in order to keep myself from losing my way, I will have to work within eye sight of the road. I will also have to keep track of how long I am walking, for every step forward means I will have to take an equal step back...

Sylvia let out a sigh and blew a raspberry in Lloy'ds direction. "He says I'm a child? impatient like one is him." Sylvia said then stepped over leaning in to whisper to Svetlana. "For saftey sake the password is Venom Tooth. I have no idea if anyone was listening to my previous suggestion, but I don't want to take any chances, pass it on to the watch." She smiled and gave a crude curtsey, but she was trying.

Her buisness dealt with she turned on her heel and dashed for the gate to catch up to Lloyd. Grumbling to herself as she reached the gate and stepped out she took a moment to survey her surroundings, and make sure she made some land marks for herself, she had learned to do this after she had left the squaller she had once called home. "Rock, tree, path, rock." She muttered, drawing an arrow in the dirt to the side indicating the direction of the sun. "West, east, north, south. Got it."

She skipped off down the path at a brisk, steady pace scanning her surroundings, doing as she had done before. She caught sight of Junn and waved to him calling. "Junn! Over here! I got something important to tell you!" She kept waving trying to get his attention. He had no idea of the passwords implimented.

Junn turned to look at syl then walked over to her

"Hello again what brings you out here I was just about to head back"

Junn pulls compass out of his pocket checks the direction and start to walk back with syl in tow

Sylvia stopped and pulled Junn to a stop gently. "Listen, Lloyd wandered off out here to look for supplies for his profession and I wanted to go along and see if I could talk with him. We implimented a password in case we are out when night falls." She leaned in and whispered into his ear making sure he heard her very clearly. "Venom Tooth is the password to get back in, it was originally 'Shedded Skin' but I changed it and only Svetlana knows right now, no telling who could be a spy inside the compound." She looked up, then swiveled around and frowned a look of concern crossing her face. "You old fool! Wandering off on your own in unknown lands! By the nine hells you better come back alive!" She shouted to the area, hoping Lloyd heard her.

She had lost track of him and was worried. "Damn it all." She clenched her fists then turned abrutly heading back the direction Junn was going. "Fine, lets get back and see if we can't a tracker or something out to make sure gran'dad doesn't get killed." She said grumbling under her breath.

Junn keeps walking and looks back at syl

"You should give him more credit there more to him then meets the eye if hes not scared to wander off then he knows what hes doing, so what did I miss I left before the old coots could fully explain there .... issues to us"

"Bandits, raiders, second of every something month, tax collection, murder mayhem, free room and board. That is the jist of it, hopefully one of the others can fill us in on the remaining details." She said grumpily making sure she kept closer to Junn, herself not to confident to be out in the wilderness she didn't know to well. She had only dared traverse unknown lands once, and she learned it was no fun if your alone. "I know there probably is, but I worry." She sadded with a heavy hearted sigh.

Passwords? Seemed kind of silly to Aria. If it were just goods that they returned for, and with the confidence of no resistance, they likely wouldn't bother using their human resources to place a spy in a place like this. No, they'd be more likely to administer coercion through force of arms, just a larger group of them than the highway-peoples that she had run into when she was a member of the troupe.

Aria shrugged, and actually smiled. No niceties were returned, did that mean people actually didn't care about them here? If that were the case, then maybe she'd finally be able to break the habit. She stretched a moment, before trying to slouch a bit in her seat, but her body wouldn't respond to the thought.

Darn thing. She rolled her eyes inwardly. Would take more than a thought to break this habit of hers.

She shook her head, realizing she must've seemed dazed out to their hosts, "What time would be best to expect these uninvited guests?" she asked. She wasn't one to plan, but knowing when she'd have to be awake by would probably be a good idea.

The table would have shook, no doubt, if Oleg had pounded his frustration into it. As it was, he apparently had a decent amount of self-control, despite the situation. It was evident the Post had been trying unsuccessfully to get help for some time. But if they'd been unable to get any help, the danger was perhaps more serious than simple bandits indicated. Regardless, they were offering a place to stay and Ortlieb had marked no negative reactions toward his heritage. Perhaps the tales they told of Brevoy's tolerance had some truth to them. He had decided to come all the way up here, and it would be pointless to return without having done anything. He only hoped he would not be alone in his acceptance of the Leveton's deal.

Ortlieb waited, finishing his meal as the man with the instruments left after voicing more displeasure. A password was set to identify anyone who might happen to return after nightfall and soon both the blue-haired woman and masked man were gone. The dancer spoke up again then, asking when the bandits could be expected. He took it as a good sign - that she was planning on staying.

He remained quiet for a few seconds to make sure that was all she was asking before clearing his throat to gain their attention. His voice rumbled out of his throat like a small cascade of boulders. "If you will have both me and my friend, we will help and take your offer of room and board for the night." Assuming from their situation that his help would not be rejected, Ortlieb continued, asking like the others for additional information. "Do you know how many are coming, and how they're armed? If you haven't fought back before, they probably won't expect a fight now. Knowing which direction they come from would be useful, too. A watch can be set and other arrangements made. Are your catapults as broken as they look?" He broke off, glancing around the table at the remaining two people of the adventuring group. "And are both of you staying?"

(Fixed continuity error. I will read more carefully in future. Thanks Sib.)

Having finished helping out the driver some time ago, Sordin waited outside patiently listening the conversation inside. His reasons for this were two-fold. He wanted time to sort out his opinion on the matters before he chose to interject, and secondly, eavesdropping was a bad habit he had picked up from his master. On the plus side however, it gave him more time to analyze the people he was with.

More than once he had to stifle a laugh while listening to Lloyd. He was a very particular, self righteous person, one who expected his demands to be met regardless. As amusing as it was to listen to him now, Sordin acknowledged that he might cause a fair bit of trouble later on. Plans on how to deal with this should be made sooner than later. He doubted that he himself would have much influence on Lloyd, perhaps one of the female members would have more of a pull on him? Not likely, Sordin thought, his rudeness extended to Sylvia equally. Aria then perhaps? Still rather unlikely, this angle seemed too much to hope for.

Sylvia seemed somewhat childish, she was very outspoken and would rarely reflect before she would say something. At the very least she was easy to read, her position should be obvious in most cases and it seemed unlikely for her to resort to any subterfuge.

Junn and Ortlieb seemed like they would work very well for the team. Both were respectful to the other members, and seemed to put more care in their words. Sordin was glad that he had little to worry about from them. Aria however... Sordin could not tell much from the little he'd heard from her.

Sordin shook his head, that was enough analyzing for now. Given the little information he had he was bound to make incorrect assumptions, and that could lead him into troublesome situations. Deciding that he had waited long enough he decided to return to the table when he heard something that caught his attention.

“It might not be much, but we can’t thank you enough for helping us out with the bastards. Oleg’s been sending every trapper going to the city with requests, but things were starting to get worrisome until word of your coming arrived. Isn’t that right dear?”
Wait. Helping out with those bastards? He hadn't heard anything of this. He waited to hear more.

“They’ll be here tomorrow morning, the second of every month. Now I don’t know much about fighting, but I want those thieving craven whore’s sons to remember what fear is. You think you can do that?”
That's... new. Had anyone else been informed of this? The pause immediately following Oleg confirmed his suspicious. No, they had definitely not. This unsettled him, while he had no issue with helping Oleg and his wife, there was a certain amount of worry regarding why this information had been withheld from them. Could Oleg be trying to lie to them , making it sound like this had been part of our original mission? It's too soon to jump to conclusions, but that possibility lay burning in the back of Sordin's mind. He would help regardless, but he did not like the idea of this man trying to manipulate them into it.

Following that and his companions confusion there were murmurs of passwords. Really? Passwords? Their group was easily small enough to be able to recognize each other without one. It's not like they had just met each other either. Sordin relaxed his shoulders and sighed, he had been gone long enough, it was long past the time he should have returned.

He smiled sheepishly as he walked in, "Sorry about that, feeding the horses a fair bit longer than I had expected. Nearly got my hand bitten off in the process too. What's this talk I hear about bandits?" He felt his power quivering as he said this, Sordin hated this limitation of Paladins, hopefully this was mundane enough to have no effect. Regardless, he should refrain from such white lies for the rest of the day, especially considering they may have to fight tomorrow.

“I cannot help but wonder what you would have us do. Your words lead me to conceptualize that we may be outnumbered tomorrow; and even if this was of no concern, I cannot see any holding cell for the miscreants to be ascertained in until the proper authorities can deal with them. There seems to be very little we can do at this moment aside from pleading them to leave you alone... or do you propose a more underhanded tactic in dealing with vagabonds?”
Oleg issued forth a low, sighing guttural sound that, in the universal language of grunts, probably would have translated to something akin to ‘I’m still annoyed and unhappy, but not too angry anymore’.

“If I have spoken indirectly, it was to avoid offending the too-often weaker city-folk stomachs. Let me be clear on this matter. Tomorrow morning, a party of bandits will arrive at my gate demanding my wares. I want them dead, preferably, or run off with their tails between their legs if you can’t manage that.”

Aria shook herself out of her reverie. “What time would be best to expect these uninvited guests?”

“They arrive on horseback no more than an hour after the sunrise. We have until then to decide what we’re doing, if we’re doing anything. Does this mean you’ll help?”

Ortlieb stirred up a pile of rocks in his throat, drawing attention to him. “If you will have both me and my friend, we will help and take your offer of room and board for the night.”

“Do you know how many are coming, and how they're armed? If you haven't fought back before, they probably won't expect a fight now. Knowing which direction they come from would be useful, too. A watch can be set and other arrangements made. Are your catapults as broken as they look?”

While Oleg retained his sour expression, his manner grew more relaxed. You’re not sure you’ve ever met a man who could emote in so many different degrees of displeasure and relief. “There’ll be no need for a watch, but I think you’re right about surprising them.”

Svetlana stepped in to explain further. “They first showed up in our fourth month at the post with a dozen of them—that’s three months ago. They were lead by a cloaked man armed with a bow, and a woman with a pair of hatchets. She did all the talking that first time. She made us agree to hand over all our furs and goods or else, ah—” The memory seemed to cut off her train of thought.

“Or else they’d burn the post down and take Svet for themselves.” Oleg finished. “She nearly lopped off my arm and took Svet’s ring while she was at it. Since then they’ve come twice more, led by the dope with the bow, each time with fewer thugs. Last time it was down to four and the archer.”

The bandits have grown confident that the occupants of the post have been cowed. With luck, the next group was expected to be even smaller, led by the hooded bowman and not the dangerous woman with the axes. The bandits seem eager to leave right away, leading the Levetons to believe their camp may only be a day away—either way, they’ve learned to have the wares set out on the tables before they get there. They arrive coming from the forest to the south, and are probably have a camp not too deep into the Narlmarches.

While Oleg and Svetlana were making their suggestions for the party to hide in and ambush from the guest house or the stable while the bandits are loading the furs onto their horses, Lloyd announced his desire to go foraging (as opposed to forging) for herbs. Sylvia made up her convoluted password system quickly, but wasn’t fast enough to catch up to her new ‘old man’.

While out, she met with Junn though, who had been surveying the fort from a long perspective. The fort’s defences were sparse, but standard fare for a small outpost. The palisade was sturdy and probably not particularly easy to climb, if the gates were shut. The material of which it was composed clearly made fire a potential threat should the bandits thought to bring torches or kindling. The catapults themselves were completely useless, though with a little care from a craftsman, they could be repaired and back in order someday.

Provided everyone had a bow, archers could be stationed along the wall to fire on the bandits as they arrived, but giving away their presence beforehand would probably lose them the chance at a definite total-kill.

His inspection completed, he and Sylvia went back inside to where the rest of the group was still planning their actions. No password was asked for or given, since the doors to the fort were still wide open for the daylight hours.

(Lloyd has a 3-hour trip both ways to and from the forest, so he’ll be gone until clear into the evening, though he has time to change his mind about foraging—particularly if he figures the sparse patches of snow left on the open ground herald a relatively poor harvest under the cover of the trees.)

(As for the rest, the Q&A eagerly awaits your various ambush or plotting ideas. Oleg and Svetlana, while they admit readily to knowing nothing about tactics, favour an ambush from either the stable or the guesthouse, behind and beside the tables where the bandits will be respectively. Other ideas are up to you to come up with or vote upon as you feel inclined. Note that if you think you have a fantastic idea, but you’re not sure if your character is clever enough (hardly likely, this party has a high average Int, actually) to come up with it on his own, go ahead and let us know anyway! Your plan doesn’t necessarily have to be one posed by your character specifically.)

Sylvia slumped back into her seat and tapped the half-orc on his shoulder lightly. "What did I miss? numbers, plans, names? I'm Sylvia." She smiled and held her hand out to him in handshake format. She had never seen someone quite like him and was very intrigued, but she also felt at ease around him. Something about the half-orc just made her feel safe. He was larger then she and he also seemed to be friends with the large strong looking hairy thing. Her face was warm and her voice friendly, despite having been annoyed not to long ago by the man she had adopted as grandad. Her mind had a momentary thought, and she wondered if she was being to open with everyone so soon. Her eyes flashed panic and worry, but only for a brief if noticeable second.

Lloyd was out for hours, and the snow had not yet cleared. He should have expected as much that this trip would be useless, but he had hoped to be productive while he got his time away from the rest of the group. It mattered little though. He had his time to himself, and had unwound quite a bit. He was sure that he could deal a bit better with the characters in the fort now, even if half of them made him sick to the stomach.

He had also been able to meditate on the information provided at their little pow-wow as well. The first was that he indeed needed a place to stay and food to eat. And considering that Svetlana character had made a good spread, it did not sound too bad to be able to rely on that when he was not out exploring as per the charter agreement. So he had to fight these thieves, it was the only way to get the best out of this situation. However, self-sacrifice was not his style: he was not going to burst out and fight the miscreants only to have the rest of the band show up later and burn down the whole fort. No: other things had to be assessed.

The first was the thieves’ numbers: there were at least a dozen, but more could be out there, and of course some could have died to a variety of things such as disease or skirmishes amongst themselves... though that should not be relied upon. Assumption of such things is very dangerous when deciding on combat tactics. So this group of thieves could realistically be anywhere from twelve to twenty, meaning that the party would need to average out 2 kills per person... not including the monkey.

The second factor that Lloyd thought about was location. They were to the south and theorized to be a day’s travel away. But this was not reliable information. The thieves could have changed directions at any point in their travels to throw off anyone that might have answered Oleg’s plea for help... though that was unlikely. But the concept of distance really sounded like it was just a shot in the dark. This was more dangerous if the camp was indeed closer to the camp than further, as the rest of the bandits would not catch on that something is up and send reinforcements.

The third concept was the comparative arsenals. Lloyd was no fool, magic could be found anywhere, and it would be a real s*** on his day if he found himself turned into a newt or turned into a walking corpse because no one thought it was likely. He was ignorant in how magic worked, not what it resulted. He would also have to inquire of the others (presuming here that our heroes are not just proclaiming to the world that they can cast magic missile 4 times a day) if any had this ability, as a battle plan would have to apply these talents in its composition.

Lloyd though about all this in the three hours he was gone. On his return back, a plan started to form. What if they did not fight the thieves when they came tomorrow, but instead followed them to their hide out? It is not like it would really matter if the goods leave Oleg’s fort: they would be returned shortly thereafter. Then once the base was found, and then the group could go in by night to assail its occupants. It would make it easier to kill the men if they were asleep, and a hit and run could always be used. So if a few die every three nights, it would still be an effective campaign. It would also allow Lloyd and the others to see if they call up reinforcements. If they do, then falling back for a bit and taking into account that there is more then what they first expected will be a further blessing. But if this is all that the thieves have, then it will only go to reassure the whole party. It was a sound plan, now if only the others will be willing to gamble fort’s goods for a safer, though more drawn out process.

Getting to the closed gates of the fort, Lloyd calls out after slamming his fist on the door.
“Shedded Skin!”