Chapter 2: You woke up where exactly?

[tooleychris]

"Or perhaps they are no more than highway robbers with less whit than skill. The oaf would have been happy to twist knife in gut for a few shinies. I say follow the laws of our benefactor and rid the realm of this twit."

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon / questioning Lump

... King Benagal has no authority over here, no, this here place is a big ol' jail, and everyone here are its captives.

"What did your leader mean when he said this forest or land is a jail?" asks Deceidon. "If it is a jail, why, and who is the warden? And where is this land relative to New Dathan?"

[Rukellian]

Lump just shrugs at Deceidon's string of questions. "The people here, they says that they walk and walk, and keep on walking but they gets nowhere. Somethin bout circles, whatever those are, and gettin lost. The boss, he says that the place is like a jail. No way out he says, cantz find one."

The bandit then pauses for a moment and tries to think about something real hard, you can tell it hurts his head. His tone is then filled with fear again as he exclaims: "This place don't make no sense. The sun, it don't go out. It bright all day. We all wants out of heres, but we cant, we cant finds a way out!" Flynn's threat cuts the bandit short in his rant. He goes silent and awaits his fate, whatever it may be.

[Rukellian]

After looking through all of the slain bandits, all that could be salvaged was the leather and chainmail they were wearing as well as their weapons. Some gold too, but it wasn't much compared to what Deceidon is used to seeing.

Here's a list of the loot:
2x Leather Armors
1x Chainmail
1x Shortsword
1x Dagger
1x Longbow
1X Quiver of Arrows (12)
19 Gold Pieces

Everyone gets 210 xp as well as an addition 100 for taking no damage.

[tooleychris]

Flynn rolls his eyes and says to the group. "The man has lost his senses or this is magic beyond our means."
Then to the bandit:"Is there a settlement within this prison or were you attempting to liberate our purses for coin you've no hope of spending? "

[onlyme]

Whitsell hears the Q&As and asks,

How many folks show up here mysteriously? daily? Did any of them tell you what they were here for?



How shall we split the loot? Flynn and Whitsell are the only 2 that need chain, and both could use it equally.

[NJWilliam]

Gustov

Gustov absentmindedly pushes the dagger looted from the bandits into his belt.

"I don't see much to be gained by killing him, tie his hands securely and I'm sure he'll remember something of use eventually, or a use for him will show itself."

Turning to Lump, he says, "Now, where were you from before you were here, and how did you know where to set this ambush and trap?"

[Rukellian]

:"Is there a settlement within this prison or were you attempting to liberate our purses for coin you've no hope of spending? "

Though Lump may appear very dim, it can be equally said that dim people are not bright enough to lie. It seems apparent when Lump insists that there is a settlement nearby. "Look Look! If you walks over to theres," he points into a general direction, "you will finds the farmers and the townsies for sures, honest! We like to visit them sometimes and takes their foods, but I'm not good at the sneakin stuff, the big boss takes care of that."

How many folks show up here mysteriously? daily? Did any of them tell you what they were here for?

Lump strains himself again as he tries to think. After a minute or two he grunts and finally says something. "Mosly bad guys like me. Those who don' join our group are killed. Some weird guys with crazy magics and stuff appear too! We be scareds of them too much to take their stuff. Uhh... there were some peoples like you guys, but like everyone else, I dontz know why they all come here. All we knows is that they have coin with them when they come, works for me. They alls come here at this spot though, a big spot. So we set traps and wait. Uhh and whos Daily?" Lump ends with a bit of panting. The wound is making him tired and very slow.

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon / in contemplation

"If Lump's claims are true about never-ending day, an inescapable forest, and visiting mages," says Deceidon. "Then some immensely powerful magic is at play."

"Magic strong enough to worry Fenrin. Perhaps the rogue mage is behind it with his globe artifact? Or, if the laws of nature are defied here with the absence of night, then perhaps we are in another dimension or plane? I have heard ancient tales of such from the Old Age of Magic."

"Perhaps we should head into the settlement, turn in this admitted thief and the heads of his comrades, and in the process gain the village's favor. They may have better intelligence for us than Lump."

On the splitting of loot, Deceidon finds only the arrows and gold of interest. He suggest they be divided. Unused equipment can be sold later and that gold divided.

Deceidon turns to Lump: "What is your answer to Gustov's question: Where were you before here? And how did you get here?"

"And a final question: Have you heard rumors of any a powerful mage possessing a crystal ball magic item?"

[Rukellian]

"I d- *pants*, I cants remember. I was a... a farmer I thinks? Golden fields and foods, yeah, it was like thats for a while. Then Finga Joe founds me and I got a new job!" He goes silent for a bit, almost ready to faint from his wound, then starts up again. "We got coin and shinies for long time, attackin' peoples and merchants, but then one day we wakes up here, and most of us donts know why." Though most of what Lump says is useless, one can gleam from it the fact that Lump probably won't know much in the ways of names and places. Upon hearing the mention of rumors of powerful mages or magical artifacts, he just shakes his head, showing that he indeed does not know anything about that.

[Rukellian]

Okay, Lump is getting tired of talking, he's on the verge of passing out too. So I suggest you guys start thinking about what you want to do next.... preferably before Lump's bandit friends starts to look for his patrol.

[tooleychris]

Code: Select all

bandit friends? Bandit patrols?  Is this jail populated with scum? Oh crap, we've been ported to Australia!!!  :) 

[onlyme]

Whitsell will take the chainmail and put it on, after washing the blood off of course.
eh... might as well go toward those farms they steal from. Bring him in for justice.

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon / woods

Deceidon binds Lump's wound as best he can, so the bandit won't bleed out on them.

He then drags the bandit leader into the woods and returns shortly with a small sack. "Chap couldn't keep his head about him."

Bow users Deceidon, Whitsell and Flynn divide up the 12 arrows among them. Splitting the gold, each group member gets 5 gp, Deceidon 4 gp. The rest of the unclaimed equipment will be sold when possible.

"Let us see what yonder farms and village yield," says Deceidon, joining the rest as they get underway. 

[Rukellian]

Lump, filled with a little more energy now, knowing that he will be getting away from the forest, alive, helps point the group towards the general direction of the farming settlement. The walk is uneventful and it seems like an hour or so has passed, but no one really has any way of knowing. Just like their dimwitted addition to the group said, the sun doesn't seem to change its location or waiver in its intensity.

As the group makes their way to the edge of the forest, they are welcomed by a large field of rich green grass, and off in the distance can be found a golden field of wheat. The silhouettes of buildings and a grainmill can also be spotted in the distance, a decent sized community too from what the adventuring group can see. They are not too far from the settlement that Lump spoke of.

[tooleychris]

"Perhaps there be more cohesive answers from these peoples... "

[onlyme]

Whitsell gets ready for whatever reaction is coming their way.
FOlks, be ready. They may hate all surprise visitors, thinking us bandits. Or, they may be bandits themselves.

[Rukellian]

Walking through the grassy fields, the group takes in more of their surroundings. To the left and right of them, they spot even more forested areas. It is no wonder that the town, upon closer inspection, is protected by hastily put together pallisades. Two towers also overlook the front entrance of the settlement, keeping a full view over the fields of wheat and crops nearby. When the group approaches, a young boy jumps up from the chair he was sitting in and rushes inside. Two guards then shortly appear, in not so impressive equipment, and remain in front of the entrance, watching the new group of people advancing towards them.

[NJWilliam]

Gustov, Half-Elf Fighter/Thief

"I expect they might be more at ease speaking with one of us," Gustov says, as he steps behind Lump and makes it obvious that Lump is a captive.

"I can't say I have the knack for such smalltalk myself," he adds with a slight smile.

[Grognardsw]

Deceidon / town entrance

"Hail good townspeople!" exclaims Deceidon. "We are recent arrivals to the forest and seek shelter and knowledge."

"We were set upon by bandits. We verily routed the vagabonds, and present you with their leader," says Deceidon. He dumps the bag and the head rolls out.

"You need not worry about those bandits anymore. And this is their only survivor," Deceidon says, shoving Lump forward and down onto his knees. "He begs forgiveness. You can jail or hang him."

"Now please, take us to your leader."