Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:18 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac looks at the rider walking away, the axe bearer and then to the shed.

Whomever she was and whatever situation she was in, she was safe inside that shed for the time being. Sir Isaac didn’t like the idea of leaving a damsel in distress be, but she would have to wait for just a little longer.

Sir Isaac walks to the axe-wielder, sword in hand and still standing strong despite the few wounds he sustained. The bloke looks at his arm, the way his hands shook from the wound, and then dropped the axe. He put his hands up in the air, surrendering.

“Stay there.” Sir Isaac says before turning to the grass fields. The hunter was limping as fast as he could, but Sir Isaac walked faster and eventually caught up. Grabbing the man by the collar, he dragged him back to the farm.

Throwing the hunter into the dirt next to the axe-wielder, Sir Isaac kicks away the axe and the throwing axe. His own sword sheathed, he takes off his gauntlets and takes the lad’s wounded arm.

Sir Isaac’s touch becomes a pleasant warm sensation as he invokes what little healing prowess that he knows to [heal] the lad’s wound enough to stop bleeding.

Taking some rope from the barn nearby, Sir Isaac binds the ranger’s hands together and then does the same with the other guy. With the two men bound together back to back, Sir Isaac takes the hunter’s broken leg and examines it. Not a nasty break, not shattered at least. Sir Isaac puts a gag in the man’s mouth, both to silence him and to ensure he doesn’t break his own teeth in a minute.

The hunter yelps in pain as Sir Isaac sets the bones correctly again, panting heavily as he examines the leg further and concludes that it’s not life-threatening in any way. No healing, he should save his stamina for the time being.

With that handled, Sir Isaac looks around at the corpses around him. They were all dead, the few whom he didn’t kill right away since killed by their wounds or circumstances. Sir Isaac drags them all over to a less bloody place, with the exception of the horse. He didn’t have the time to dig a grave for them yet, nor were there any sheets nearby to cover them with, so this had to do for now. Once he finished his job, he could see to their eternal rest.

With all of that said and done, he turned to the shed. It was locked with a flimsy chain, not even locked so there was no reason to force it open. With a reassuring smile to calm down the damsel inside, Sir Isaac opens the door.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:15 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

The shed reverberates as you bash the club against it, followed not seconds later by the gurgling that would be the archer’s last breath.

Those were not the only sounds that erupt around the shed. The moment that you slammed the club a shriek of surprise and terror could be heard from inside the shed, followed by ragged breath. The voice of a woman, young from the sound of it.

As you turn to the last man standing and the rider who was a formidable foe for a brief moment, you see that the ranger is slowly managing to crawl his way out from under his dying horse. As the horse keeps kicking and flapping around, creating a dangerous situation for the crippled rider, the ranger pulls out his knife and slits the animal’s throat.

An expression of solemn mourning spreads over his face as he sees his steed die, a hard decision but one that had to be made. A few more tugs and his leg is freed.

As he gets up, his will seems broken and his gaze is one of desperation. His left leg is clearly broken, his breath is ragged and his knife doesn’t seem to be meant for combat.
But swinging his heavy morning star over his head wouldn’t be too successful with just one leg supporting him, and he only had the two axes he already used.

He looks at you, the farmstead and then the grasslands behind him. Knowing his chances, he turns around and begins to hobble away.

[d20: 11]

Your axe wasn’t well-aimed, but it struck true. The last opponent managed to quickly raise his axe to block yours, but the collision nearly bumped the weapon from his ahnds and the throwing axe finds flesh to cut into as it falls down. There’s a nasty gash on the axe-wielder’s left arm, not bleeding profusely but certainly more than a mere sting.

[remaining difficulty: Easy]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:11 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac stares down the rider, shield and axe readied to parry the man and strike at the horse as they’d pass. As the horse and rider go down, the pose suddenly feels rather silly. Sir Isaac straightens himself and re-evaluates the situation once again.

The rider’s left leg was stuck underneath the horse, he wasn’t getting up soon. The axe wielder wasn’t moving either. And the archer…

Sir Isaac can barely raise his shield in defence when he sees the arrow coming at him, the arrow whizzing past it but the butt of the missile tapped by the corner of his shield.
The arrow meant for his neck changes directions suddenly and scratches harmlessly on his chest plate, though its rapid spinning causes the butt to smack into his face.

With a red streak forming on his face, Sir Isaac turns to his sword and quickly dashes to it. It’s just a few steps away and the boy so close to death that he doesn’t put up any resistance. Poor lad, his death sure was painful. Unfortunately, Sir Isaac needed to do one more thing before he could put the lad out of his misery.

Taking aim at the axe-wielder, the closest and most open opponent and thus the most likely to get hit, Sir Isaac throws the throwing axe.

Not watching to see if his aim strikes true, he grabs his sword, twists it to put the impaled lad out of his misery, and pulls it out. Sir Isaac turns to the shed and dashes over, using the same cover that the archer was using to prevent another arrow from being fired at him.

The archer quickly drops the bow and picks up the club he prepared for close combat, only for Sir Isaac to pin it against the shed with his shield arm and pierce through the archer’s abdomen with his sword. This time he twists, granting the bandit a swift dead.

The club falls back to the ground, followed by the archer. Sir Isaac turns back to the last two opponents, ready to finish this.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:09 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

The rider turns around and laughs at Sir Isaac, clearly taking great pleasure in hunting and slowly whittling down the proud knight's defence and stamina.

“Nice flexible moves you got there, for a buffoon in steel. I think I’ll take that armour from your bloody corpse and give it to Servius as a gift.” He taunts. “You know, after I played with you a little more.”

As the rider taunts you, the axe-wielder cautiously comes closer and the archer by the shed puts a new arrow on his bow.

Fortunately, no new bandits seem to show up from the house. Perhaps unaware of the ruckus outside, or perhaps they didn’t care enough to help their comrades.

The rider kicks the horse’s sides and the horse gallops back into action. Swinging the morning star above his head, the rider rushes you once more.

[d20: 1]

He was too focussed on the price, however, and forgot the basics. As his horse runs into the corpse of the Slavedriver bandit, the poor animal's legs are pulled out from under him and he goes sprawling to the ground. The rider shrieks just as loudly as his horse as he falls forward and loses control of his weapon.

The horse shrieks even louder as the swinging morning star goes haywire and finds its way into the horse’s side. A nasty wound quickly turns the horse’s maple brown into a darkened red.

[d20: 5]

The axe-wielder’s charge fails just as quickly as the rider's, though not as miserably. Distracted by the fall of his senior and intimidated by the sudden screams of pain, he stops walking to look what’s going on.

His axe held in front of him in defence and his legs wide for a stable stance, the lad clearly wasn’t planning to move from his spot for the time being.

[d20: 13]

The archer isn’t as overtaken by the sudden disaster, his arrow aimed and fired at Sir Isaac properly this time.

[Remaining difficulty: Normal]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 2:06 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Blasted, that rider looked like trouble. Sir Isaac stares him and his horse down as they come closer and closer. He hears the screaming of the others behind him, moving in to make things even more difficult for him.

Sir Isaac spins around and looks at the two guys charging at him. If he wanted to stand a chance against the rider, he couldn’t be distracted by other opponents.

MOUSTACHE FLASH!

As he screams, the sun reflects on his moustache and the light is magnified a hundredfold into a bright explosion of whiteness that blinds the two. [Sunburst]

Sir Isaac quickly turns around again to face the rider, who’s a mere few feet away from him at this point. The morning star swings in the air, already in the last swing before coming down upon him.

The swing was good and trying to block it with his sword was risky, so dodging was his only option. Sir Isaac jumps to the side, the morning star grazing his head, and he falls to the ground.

Grunting as he tries to get up in his heavy armour, Sir Isaac turns to Hayfork. The lad was squinting and stopped running, still dazed from the flash. Sir Isaac slaps the hayfork to the side as it’s raised as a quick but indecisive defence, and stabs the lad through the abdomen with his sword.

As he stabs, Sir Isaac looks at the rider and the other two opponents to gage their distance and speed. The horse already stopped and is slowly turning, and the axe wielder wasn’t too close yet. Looking at the archer, Sir Isaac quickly pulls the dying lad like a shield between him and the shed.

An arrow plunges itself into the lad’s shoulder and he grunts in even more pain. Just as Sir Isaac was about to pull out his sword and move into a less open area where he wasn’t exposed to the rider, he feels a burning sensation in his shoulder.

Looking over his shoulder, he sees the handle of a throwing axe obscuring his view of the rider. Not just thrown accurately enough to hit him but even to find the weak spot in his armour, the axe caused quite the flesh wound before it slowly slipped out of the wound and fell to the floor.

From the back of a horse, that was one impressive throw.

Damn it, that was his sword arm. This was bad.

The rider already urged his horse to run, the morning star once again swinging in the air as he rushed towards Sir Isaac. Not enough time to defend, or even pull out his sword.
Sir Isaac lets go of the boy and quickly picks up the throwing axe. It was better than nothing, and expendable. But what he really needed right now was his shield. It was still lying over there, back with the previous two lads he defeated.

As the rider charges past him once again, Sir Isaac jumps out of the way and feels a hot sensation in the wound on his shoulder as he lands roughly on the ground. He quickly gets back on his feet and keeps running.

His shield is right there, lying on the ground. The spearman he threw it at wasn’t, though. The man had since gotten up, drew his dagger and took a fighting pose.
Sir Isaac curses the man’s otherwise admirable tenacity and determination, and charges at him like a bull. Body slamming the man to the ground, the knife breaks on his chest plate and ribs break under his weight.

The spear wielder screams out in pain and agony as blood foams from his mouth, his chest unnaturally bent and dented as Sir Isaac rolls off of him.

He didn’t have time to spare, nor the luxury of a coup de grace, but this time Sir Isaac saw no choice but to help this man out of his agony. His shoulder, his abdomen and now his chest. Slowly dying from those afflictions was too much to put a man through.

With a quick chop the throwing axe slashes through the man’s neck, ensuring a quick death. Sir Isaac picks up his shield with his left hand as he does it, and then scrambles to his feet.

The rider is already upon him, too close. That second he used on the poor lad were capitalised upon fully. Sir Isaac can barely raise his shield as the morning star comes down.
Splinters fly around as the morning star bashes into the shield and causes a chunk of it to break off. One of the splinters leaves a nasty but shallow scratch on Sir Isaac’s temple, the rest falling harmlessly to the ground or getting stuck in his hair.

Given the danger that he was in, the outcome was more than forgiving. Sir Isaac quickly whispers a blessing to the gods as he turns around to face the rider once more.

An unfamiliar throwing axe in the one hand and his battered shield in the other, Sir Isaac prepares for the rider and the two leftover foot soldiers to strike.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:26 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Blood splashes up all the way to the leaves above you as the sleepy bandit dies. Blood drops fall down on the grass like rain, slow and lazy. You take a step forward to be spared the horrific downfall, looking at the two men appearing from the cottage.

The lad who ran inside just a minute ago is now wielding a hayfork, a simple weapon but judging from the carves and scratches around the tips it has been sharpened to be as deadly as any spear. The boy behind him, barely in his twenties as well, clutches a woodcutter's axe in both hands.

The man on the cart behind you stirs awake. He runs to the shed and disappears behind it, only to reappear in a few second with a bow in hand. He places a club against the shed, ready to be picked up for close combat, and draws an arrow from his quiver.

The first bandit you’ve slain pants heavily, turning onto his back while grasping at his wounds. He’s not fighting any time soon, but he’s not dying quickly either. The spearman is still clutching his stomach from your kick, his shoulder looking bad but his condition perhaps good enough for him to get up and use the knife on his belt.

The biggest threat however is the one you didn’t see. Not until you hear a horrid scream do you look back at the grass fields from whence you came to see a man in leather armour strike down one of the villagers you set free. He whistles and one of the horses quickly gallops over. It jumps over the fence and slows down to wait for his owner at the edge of the lush grassland.

The ranger bandit doesn’t bother retrieving the throwing axe he used to kill the villager, instead walking to his horse and taking the morning star on the horse’s saddle. Jumping on the horse’s back, he rears it to turn to you and with a single soft kick he sends it into a gallop straight for you.

[d20: 6]
The man near the shed aims his bow and fires. Letting go much too quickly in his adrenaline, the arrow goes wild and doesn’t even come near you.

[d20: 20]
The riding ranger on the other hand is clearly an experienced rider and his horse well-trained. With his horse charging at you fearlessly, he swings his morning star above his head ready to strike.

[d20: 11]
The two guys at the cottage look at you and at the rider. They run forward, ready to capitalise on the opening you’ll create by jumping out of the way or blocking the morning star. The hayfork is aimed at you as his wielder runs at you while screaming. The axe-wielder circles around, ready to flank you from the right.

At the very least they don’t seem to be working as one like the last couple you faced, but in the current situation they’ll be just as muhc of a problem.

[Tutorial: We’ll discuss in PMs how much you’d like the adventure to come down to luck and rolls, but the sky is the limit. There can be no rolls, or rolls everywhere. These are actual first rolls, turned into actions. If you want the story to contain rolls, please adhere to them. For example that unfortunate nat20 there ought to be a real issue to you.]

[1 rider, 3 bandits. CR: Tough]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:41 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac blocks with his arm guard, the arrow deflecting off to the side. It left a scratch on the polish that he knew would bother him to no avail for the coming days, but for now he couldn’t concern himself with it.

The bandit before him wouldn’t be an issue any more, Sir Isaac could cross the distance and strike the man down before another arrow would touch the bow. But he was on a very tight timetable here. Four foes for certain, six in the end, perhaps even a dozen depending on how many are hiding inside.

He would have to hurry, ensure that the situation wouldn’t turn against him. Even if it meant a few more scratches, rushing things was a necessity.

Sir Isaac accelerates into a rush, running at the bowman and striking him down. Splinters and blood fly around when his sword carves through the bow and leaves a long, lethal slash across the man’s chest. At least, Isaac hopes that the slash is lethal, for he had no time to spare on a coup de grace.

“Damn it, get him!” The swordsman shouts as he stops running and takes a defensive position. “Intruder!”

Isaac curses under his breath. Seems like these men knew that they had to swarm him. “Blasted, foul knave! Have at thee!”

Sir Isaac runs forward, intending to charge through the man’s defences and catching the counter-strike with his armour. But the spearman was ready too, and readied his spear.

Sir Isaac strikes with a horizontal slash, an effective technique that didn’t leave one ill-defended. The swordsman jumps back causing the slash to swing wild, and only with pure skill and luck can Sir Isaac redirect the momentum of his blade to deflect the spear thrust coming at him.

Damn it, these two actually knew how to work together. A defensive swordsman and an offensive spearman behind him, a simple yet effective strategy. The swordsman just needed to block and deflect, and the spearman would attack while Isaac’s defences were left open to attack. It would even allow two average soldiers to face a skilled warrior like him.

Letting go off the sword with his left hand, Sir Isaac strikes at the swordsman with a much weaker swing while his left hand quickly grabs the shield on his back and pulls it out. His sword clashes against the bandit’s and causes both blades to bounce off one another with sparks flying.

The spear lunges at him, and Sir Isaac slaps it to the side with his kite shield. It’s quickly reeled in again, ready for another attack just as quickly as Sir Isaac is ready to defend.

The swordsman readjusts the grip on his sword, preparing to fight more offensively. He understood the situation, that Sir Isaac was planning to fight him with his right hand only while countering the spearman with his left.

And this time, the swordsman doesn’t wait for a counter. He lunges forward, a simple yet effective thrust at Sir Isaac’s abdomen. The spearman thrusts as well, aiming at his shoulder.

Sir Isaac sneers, not liking his next move. It was a bit too cunning for his sense of pride, but the honourable way of fighting wouldn't lead to a victory fast enough. And he had but little time to spare on these two.

Jumping back half a step, Sir Isaac throws the kite shield at the spearman’s face. The spearman immediately raises his hands to deflect the missile in reflex, the spear swishing as it rose to the sky and the shield causing a mild thump as it bounced off the man’s fingers.

The swordsman’s thrust goes wild, leaving him wide open. As much as he knew a few techniques well, this man’s footwork wasn’t that adequate. Without his thrust finding some resistance to end into, his body followed and lost its balance.

Sir Isaac steps forward again, his sword slicing just past the swordsman’s neck. Just lightly carving into his neck, the sword stops. Sir Isaac pushes to the side, the blade carving deeper into the sliced open skin and piercing an artery. With the swordsman falling to side, Sir Isaac swings his sword the opposite direction at the spearman.

With his spear still pointed to the sky and his face in the natural reflex of glancing away with closed eyes, the spearman was left completely defenceless without his sword wielding friend. The sword carves into his right shoulder, injuring him beyond using his spear proficiently. With a heavy kick of Sir Isaac’s armoured boots in the man’s abdomen, he was sent sprawling on the ground.

Sir Isaac looks to the cottage and then to the tree. The fight with the two had only taken about fifteen seconds, but that was an eternity on the battlefield. The man near the cottage hadn’t reappeared yet, but the guy who was sleeping under the tree had since reared to life again. Sir Isaac runs towards him, sword ready to strike.

The man reaches for his weapon and tries to get to his feet at the same time. Sir Isaac considers letting him get ready first, for there was no honour in striking down an unarmed man, but this thug was no honourable man himself.

A single downward strike separates the man’s left shoulder from his neck, causing blood to spray up. He looks terrified as he screams and looks up at Sir Isaac, but this view is but a flash as Sir Isaac immediately turns around to face the next challenge.

“No honour on the battlefield, no mercy for the wicked.” Sir Isaac sighed, his words only half directed at the dying man behind him. “May you find peace in the next life, and forgo making the same mistakes in it.”

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:42 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

As you appear from the shrubbery, the bandit doesn’t notice the mud on your boots nor does he laugh at the grass seeds and grains hanging in your hair. No, he is captured by the fire in your eyes, encaptured by your determined gaze focussed on nothing but him.

After a few seconds, only after the farmers hear your words and start running for the fields, does he react. “Oi!” His hands raise up, the arrow he was already holding quickly placed on the bow and the string pulled back. It’s a bullet point arrow so it wouldn’t leave much more than a shallow dent on your armour, but it can still sting quite badly if it were to be shot into a less armoured area.

The other bandits don’t seem to react immediately, the slave driver’s shout not much different from the ones he had been belching before. The man sleeping under the tree doesn’t stir and the one sitting on the cart doesn’t bother looking over his shoulder.

The two near the barn however see you as well. Alarmed by your appearance rather than the shout, one of them quickly reaches for his sword and the other grabs his spear after a moment of confusion about his friend’s sudden reaction.

You can’t see him from this vantage point, but you can hear the lad near the cottage move too. Probably alarmed by the guys at the barn, he runs inside the cottage.

In a matter of seconds, once the sound of swords clashing and men dying fills the air, the other two men will notice you. But for now, you face four men in multiple waves.

With that said and done though, another second passes and the slave driver bandit finishes aiming his bow. His arrow flies straight at you with high speed.

[Challenge rating: Normal, tough if not hurrying.]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:08 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

[Tutorial: Combat like this is quite variable depending on the approach. Easiest would be if the PC tells the Narrator what they’ll do, but not yet do it so that the narrator can narrate what happens and how difficult things will be. If you’re using stealth, you can choose to just kill the mentioned foes one by one, but please roll a d20 for success or only kill the ones that context suggests are an easy kill.]

Sir Isaac stops walking, considering the situation and contemplating what would be the best approach. Six against one, that is a tough situation even for well-trained knight facing a bunch of bandits. Flanking alone would see to that.

He was no rogue, though. To strike from the shadows, to kill someone in such an unhonourable manner, it was beneath him. He would walk into this camp and fight his way through. It was the honourable way. He would have to keep moving and he’d have to use any advantage he could get, but he would strike these men down face to face.

Sir Isaac’s hand clamps around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles growing white under his greaves. No, he couldn’t do that. This wasn’t just his own honour that was at stake, the lives of these kidnapped villagers were also his responsibility. And if he would just walk in, those foul bandits might take those innocent people hostage or kill them to prevent them from running away.

His pride couldn’t risk their life, it would be dishonourable rather than righteous to do so.

Sir Isaac turns to the side and walks into the grasslands. If he hunches over a bit, he all but vanishes in it. His armour didn’t exactly allow for stealth, but this should keep him hidden and unnoticed from a distance.

Crouch-walking through the grass and grain, not concerning himself with the mess of grass streaks it left on his clothes, Sir Isaac circles around to the side of the farmstead where the farmers were forced to work. Unseen, he watches the situation for a bit before standing up and walking forward.

The slave-driving bandit is the first to spot him. The farmers are next. Sir Isaac doesn’t care, unsheathing his sword and calmly walking forward. Without looking away from the bandit, he says:

“Run into the fields and don’t stop running until you reach the village. I’ll hold them off.”

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:31 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

The two boys immediately drop their weapons and put their hands in the air. Bow boy confirms that Carl’s farmstead is their hideout, and tells you that there was some kind of operation going on just a few hours before. Their ‘supervisor’ was grumbling about being stuck with them while the others were doing some actual banditry.

Dagger kid apologises profusely, telling you that they never wanted to become bandits. But they overheard their families, they heard what their fate would be if the bandits weren’t stopped. And they had no hope of defeating the bandits before you appeared.

They chose their new career of banditry before they’d be homeless and without possessions. They knew that they were wrong once they made the choice, though. but once they offered to join, the bandits wouldn’t let them leave. If they ran, their families would pay with their lives.

You nod and sheath your sword, and the boys run off to the village. Their weapons are left on the ground, along with the dead bandit.

Continuing to follow the dirt path west, you eventually pass the lightning-struck tree and take the smaller gravel path into the fields. Soon enough the farmstead appears on the horizon, the roof of the farm peeking out from the high, unkept grass.

Once you get near enough, you get a good view of the place and find out that it’s bigger than you expected. The farmstead actually has a little recreational area around it, as opposed to just being a building surrounded by crops. It’s just one floor, but it’s a tall building and seems spacious enough.



As you approach [from the path below in the picture], you see that there are also two other houses. They are almost like guardhouses, situated on the side of the road with a good view of anyone trying to reach Carl’s farmstead from this side.

One of them borders a fenced in grassland with three horses grazing, this wooden barn apparently repurposed as living quarters. On the other side there’s a small cottage, probably once the house of a farmhand or other helper of the farm.

In the distance you also see a grain silo, but you disregard the decrepid building which is clearly no longer in use. Not even by the bandits, you reckon, as the rotten wood wouldn’t even be able to support one person.

Unfortunately, the temperature and nice sunny weather hasn't chased many to seek shelter inside. The farmstead is crawling with people, most of which are bandits.

Someone is leaning against the cottage, standing in the shadow of the building. As the shadow is cast to the left, he facing away from you and isn’t watching the part of the road you’re on right now. Not that he seems to be paying much attention.

Two more are standing near the barn, occasionally glancing at the horses but otherwise talking loudly and without a care in the world. A fourth bandit is lying under a tree in the centre of the farmstead, sitting with his back against the trunk and his cap over his eyes. There’s no way to be sure, but he’s most likely asleep. Number five is standing near the shed of Carl’s farm, sitting on the cart without a horse with a straw of hay in his mouth and a whittling knife with some wood in his hand.

It’s the last few people outside that make your blood boil, though. In the cabbage patch between Carl’s farm and the barn are four people working the land, all covered in dirt and clearly here against their will. The last bandit you can see occasionally shouts something at them, you can’t overhear it but it’s probably something that a slave driver would shout while using their whip. Seems like the bandits are keeping prisoners for labour.

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:30 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac laughs. “Turn over my sword to the likes of you? Preposterous! You can’t even properly wield that glorified club. A knight’s blade would be no more useful in the incapable hands of one such as yourself.”

Cudgel sneers, running at Sir Isaac while preparing to strike with a wild swipe. Sir Isaac rolls his eyes, the man’s defences being left so wide open that he didn’t even need to counter.

“If that’s the fate you’ve chosen, hoodlum, then so be it.” Isaac says.

Placing his right hand on the blade, he waits another half-second and then draws it quickly. The same motion that unsheathes his blade slices through Cudgel’s neck. Isaac takes a step to the side to evade the raw body slam of the dead man walking, preventing his armour getting sullied with blood.

The bandit falls down and a pool of blood immediately starts to form under him. Sir Isaac ignores him, he’s not getting up. He instead looks at the other two with a stern expression.

The young boy points the knife at Isaac, holding it with both hands and the blade shaking. Hunting bow quickly springs to life, his right hand quickly grasping at his waist to find one of his arrows. He quickly pulls it, only for the tip to get stuck behind his belt. He pulls it a few more times, an act only resulting in a tear forming in the leather.

Sir Isaac sighs. These were but kids, either lured by sweet words of wealth or threatened with violence. Killing them wouldn’t be right.

“Put down your weapons, children. I am Sir Knight Isaac the Second, you would throw away your life by facing me, and nothing more.” Sir Isaac says. “Tell me where I can find the bandits and any other piece of information that you know of them, and then return home. Apologise to your parents and to the village for aiding these hoodlums, and hope that they’ll forgive you.”

[Tutorial: Please play your alignment and character description. If you're Lawful Good and actually act like it, I can throw situations your way that will reward such behaviour. A more predictable PC is an adventure easier made memorable and awesome.]

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:28 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

As you walk out of the village, the people follow you to the outreach. Stopping where the houses make way for the fields, the crowd stops to watch your form grow smaller and smaller.

Walking the dirt path, you wander a few minutes until you can no longer feel the gazes of the people and the wind no longer carries their whispers. The village still within sight but growing distant on the horizon, you continue on.

Then, suddenly, you hear some rustling from the bushes and an arrow whizzes just barely past your head. You hear a voice curse like a sailor, certainly not pleased that they just lost their element of surprise to a stray shot.

Three men rise up from the bushes. The first one a mid-twenties lad wielding a cudgel, with a man of roughly the same age but a lot less years of experience and hardships in his face and a young boy who can’t be older than sixteen.

The guy in front walks out of the bushes, raising his cudgel and letting it fall into his left hand again and again as an intimidating look. The lad behind him, still holding the simple hunting bow and with two arrows tucked under his belt, remains standing in the bushes without as much as attempting to grab another arrow. The young boy next to him is clutching a dagger probably nicked from a farm, sloppily sharpened with a grindstone to be sharp yet scratched and wicked.

Examining them further, it’s easy to see that none of the three is wearing any armour. They sport simple cloth that makes them look no different from the villagers. The cudgel guy’s clothes are dirty from months of wear, the clothes of the other two stained with dirt from crouching in the bushes but otherwise not layered with filth.

If you’d have to guess, bow and knife have a wife or mother to wash their clothes. Villagers, perhaps?

“So, yer the bloke that we saw enter the village, eh?” Cudgel says. “Looking fancy, you do. Your purse must be filled to the brim with silver, it is. But donna worry, I’ll help you with that little problem.”

“And don’t bother drawing that fancy sword of yours, I’ll take it sheath and all.” He says, licking his lips while looking at your blade. “No use fighting, it’s three against one. Don’t let the shoddy shooting fool you either, you won’t be so lucky next time.”

Cudgel looks over his shoulder. “Now you better show that you’ve got what it takes to be one of us, lads. If you can’t, I’ll take care of you myself.”

After that threat to his companions, he turns back to you. “Now, hand it over and we’ll only hurt you a bit.”

[Scout bandits, 3. CR Easy.]

[Tutorial: The CR, or Challenge Rating, refers to the difficulty that your character should have beating these guys. The guidelines, amount of posts and such can be found in my profile or OOC thread. With Easy for example, full god-mode is allowed and you can do whatever.]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:26 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac smiles, nods to the mayor and walks out of the house. The people who were watching him from afar before are now crowded around the door, skittering back a bit when the door opens but curious nonetheless.

“Greetings, citizens!” Sir Isaac proclaims aloud. “My name is Sir Knight Isaac Bartholomew Casnothal the Second, second son of your Lord Casnothal. I have heard of your plight and came to help you in your time of need!”

The people look up in amazement, clapping and gawking. With a broad smile and his finger curling his signature moustache, Sir Isaac lets them admire him for a bit longer before he urges them to make way. There was still some time left of the day, but he couldn’t linger too long before dusk would come. If he wanted to deal with this issue before nightfall, he had to hurry.

The crowd departs and Sir Isaac looks up at the sky, determining which way would be west and thus the path to the farmstead presumed to be the bandit’s hideout. Having asked the more specific directions before leaving, he knew that he had to follow the main path until a fork near a lightning-split tree.

[Tutorial: Coming up with things done in the past or own details to fluff up the RP’ing yourself is always okay, especially if it’s about things that are easily overlooked. If it’s plot-relevant that you didn’t know, I will PM you and pretend it was false info or never mentioned.]

A figure parts from the crowd, quickly walking up to Sir Isaac. He was wearing simple leather armour from his shoes to his helmet, his equipment worn but well-kept. A cheap but proper sword is strapped to his belt.

“My Lord!” He says, bowing deeper than he has to. “My name is Finn, I’m the guard of this village. Please, my Lord, I ask you if you’ll let me accompany you during your fight with these bandits, as it was my duty to protect the village from them. While I have failed to do this before, I still see it as my responsibility. Please, it’s my duty to protect these people, and thus to help you.”

Sir Isaac thinks for a moment, but then shakes his head no. “As you said, it is your duty to protect these people. If you were to be wounded or killed during the battle, the village will be without a sword arm to protect them from the next spot of trouble. I shall go defeat this threat, you remain here to ensure that no bandits attack the village in the meantime. Feel not like you failed your duties, sometimes we face hardships too great to conquer ourselves. It is not a shortcoming, it’s simply the way of the world sometimes.”

[Tutorial: As it had been mentioned before that this village has a guard, making him appear is okay. Adding people to the party like this falls under the ‘Stick in the forest’ rule, but don’t abuse the rule. When saying no there’s no issue. When it’s a plot-relevant NPC or someone important like a healer, please let me roll for success before adding them to your party.]

Sir Isaac smiles at Finn and then turns away, walking westward to the bandit den.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:25 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

“How many bandits? I’m not sure, but I think a whole dozen. At least eight as far as we’ve been able to see and distinguish from one another. Their leader is a bald man with a scar on his lip, or at least we think he’s their leader.” Diggle says, looking down in contemplation to recall all the rumours and sightings that his villagers had spread amongst one another.

“Equipment-wise, I wouldn’t know exactly. Their leader has an axe meant for combat and one or two have swords, but I don’t believe most of their weapons are much better than what we have here. Bows meant for hunting, spears of simple quality, one even uses two simple harvesting sickles as weapons. At least, their weapons are simple as far as I can tell. None of our residents have a keen eye for these things.”

“Organisation-wise, they’re smart. I already told you of their foul practice of taking hostages, so they no doubt have scouts watching the village.” Diggle says. “And their den is probably somewhere to the west, Carl’s farmstead most likely. It has been abandoned for half a decade now, easy pickings.”

Upon hearing this information, you get up and smile encouraging. Upon telling that you shall deal with this problem, a big smile and a strong surge of hope well up in the mayor.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you, my Lord!” Diggle says. “If there’s anything you need, anything we can offer you, please ask!”

[Tutorial: Feel free to do multiple actions at once in one post, to make sure that the thread won’t take forever. Asking questions about the setting and quest, encouraged for being good RP’ing, can be done in quick succession. If the answer won’t change your decision like here, the reaction can also be added after it. The Narrator shall narrate the events as if you’ve had a conversation with the NPC.]

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:25 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac looks at the mayor, solemn and defeated. The same broken expression hangs like a shadow over his wife, who places the bottle of wine on the table.

“There’s no need.” Isaac says as she’s about to uncork the bottle. “I do appreciate a good drink every now and again, but this is neither the time nor the place to get drunk.”

[Tutorial: Under the ‘Stick in the woods’ rule, you are allowed to obtain items from the setting within reasonability. These items will only be in your possession for the duration of the thread. The bottle of wine for example can be obtained as (partial) reward or otherwise demanded, whether full or empty. The same goes with items that are most likely present in the house, like pillows or a chair. Things that are too valuable to be taken or borrowed require barter or theft, which you cannot god-mode. The Narrator shall roll a d20 for your success.]

“I see. Your village faces quite a challenge indeed. Tell me, good man, how many bandits with what kind of equipment are we talking here? How organised are they?” Isaac asks. “And do you know where their den is located?”

“Worry not, for I shall not sit still or turn away when the good people of my domain are suffering like this.” Sir Isaac says, getting up again and placing his left hand on the hilt of his sword. “I shall go seek out these foul bandits and chase them away.”

Sir Isaac curls his moustache around his finger, smiling proudly as he sees the glimmer of hope and amazement in the eyes of the mayor and his wife.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:42 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

“House Casnothal? My deepest apologies, my Lord.” Mayor Diggle says, quickly taking a knee for you. Behind him, his wife bows too. Whispers rise from the people watching you from afar upon seeing their mayor bow before you.

“Please, please. Come in, take a seat. You must be tired from your journey. If there’s anything you need, please just tell us so. Food, water, anything we can offer.” Diggle continues. “I must apologise profusely for not greeting you upon your entrance to our humble village. I wasn’t notified that we would receive such a prestigious guest.”

[Tutorial: The same flexibility also applies to things such as your background and current power. If the location allows it, this village becomes part of House Casnothal’s domain. If your legend allows it, the NPCs have heard of your tales and deeds.]

“Please, sit. If there’s anything…” Diggle continues. His wife quickly appears with water in what’s probably their most prestigious crystal, though the glass is of nominal quality to you. “If you wish for something with a bit more of a kick, we have a bottle of Adeluna wine.” Diggle quickly looks at his wife and nods to the kitchen, and she quickly goes to fetch the bottle.

“Anyway, you’ve spoken of a disturbance. Indeed, there’s something troubling our humble village as we speak.” Diggle says, sitting down in the chair opposite to yours. “Bandits, my Lord. They came out of nowhere and they came with many.”

“Which unfortunately means that we have little silver to our name as of now. They’ve been stealing from us for weeks now, not just our valuables but even living necessities like our flint and whetstones.” He continues. “Sometimes they even take people prisoner if someone’s careless enough to walk alone outside of the village.”

“A savvy bunch, they are. They don’t demand all the silver of the village for their hostage, just a sum of 50 silver every time. But they target the young women, knowing that we’ll pay up quickly. Before they can…” Diggle shudders, the very thought too grim to speak out loud. “We have maybe one ransom sum left amongst the whole village, and once that is paid we will be lost. One bad harvest and we’ll be reduced to abandoning the village and wander the big city as beggars.”

The mayor and his wife both look down solemnly, the very thought a prospect much too real. Perhaps even a future that they had all but accepted to be an inevitability.

“I’m sorry, my Lord. But that is what troubles us right now. We only have one guard in this village, he cannot possibly face so many bandits alone. And we don’t have the money to hire mercenaries.” Diggle says.

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:40 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

Sir Isaac smiles, giving his moustache one last curl before he lets go to place his right hand on his chest and his left arm straight. He gives a curt 10 degree bow with a friendly smile.

“Greetings, good sir. My name is Sir Knight Isaac Bartholomew Casnothal the Second, second son of Lord Knight Matthew Leonard Casnothal the Third, Lord of house Casnothal.”
Sir Isaac smiles as his name and noble heritage impresses the mayor, who immediately straightens up a bit.

[Tutorial: God-moding NPCs in a simple and non-invasive manner is always okay. A bit more is okay as well. Please don’t do things like stab a plot-relevant NPC, though.]

“I was told that there was some kind of disturbance in the area? I’m here to investigate what it is and, if possible, resolve the issue.”

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:38 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

[Welp, seems like that BBCode button does have a purpose after all.]

A woman opens the door of the small mansion, first wide open and then closing it again quickly once she sees an unfamiliar face. Keeping the door at a slid just wide enough for her eye to peak through, she sizes you up and asks you who you are.

Seems like inhospitality is quite new to these people. The woman hadn’t even thought of looking who was visiting them as she opened the door, a mistake that no one would make in the big city. No, the kind and welcome habits of these people were still very much present, speaking volumes of how serene the place was not weeks ago.
As you introduce yourself and ask if the mayor is present, the woman asks you to wait for a bit and the door closes again.

[Tutorial: If you speak your mind or think of what you would like to do next, I can narrate you do it as opposed to you having to make a new post and wait twice as long to continue.]

[Tutorial: The setting is quite flexible. Unless there’s an actual plot-relevant reason, details such as what house would be the mayor’s are interchangeable. Had you gone to the house with the smoke coming from the chimney, you would’ve gone to the correct house too.]

Soon enough footsteps near you once again and the door opens. This time it opens wide without being closed again quickly. A man, probably in his mid-forties with his grey hair quickly draining the brown from his head but not thinning the volume of his hair quite yet, stands in the door.

He’s not fearless, but he doesn’t appear to be anxious and skittish either. There is a cautious hint in his expression, but he’s not armed nor does his body language suggest he’ll flee at the first sign of danger. This man doesn’t want to live in fear, he doesn’t want to give in to the threat of the bandits. But he’s no hero either, those youthful days long behind him.

“Greetings, stranger. My name is Benjamin Diggle, and I am the mayor of Tegerral. I heard you were looking for me?” The man says with a voice not laced with confidence and charisma, but steady and calm. “If I may ask, who might you be?”

Author: Sir Isaac, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:30 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

[Whoops, looks like I screwed up copy pasting in the last post. Well, that's what these practice runs are for.]

Sir Isaaclooks around, looking at the quaint little village and the people who’re just a
tad bit more wary of him than most villagers are. There is a tension in the
air.

Not that hedidn’t expect it, his house told him that there was some kind of disturbance in
the area. Something that was upsetting the villagers. That’s why they send him
to investigate, after all. It would be quite disappointing if there was nothing
amiss but unfounded rumours, so the tension didn’t unnerve him. Though the
people’s stares did, just a little.

Sir Isaac curlshis moustache around his finger, playing it with while he examines the houses
for the one he’d have to visit. There were two that stood out as potential
mayor houses, or at least as the more prestigious houses of the village. The
one with the blue in the roof and the one with smoke coming from the chimney. He
would have to choose one.

[Tutorial:Using the map to determine a direction or location is always okay to get
somewhere.]

Sir Isaaclooks around once more, but it didn’t seem like the villagers were going to
come near of their own accord. They still kept a safe distance, too far to
speak to them without shouting. And that would just be rude to do.

Well, hewould have to make a choice eventually. Might as well do it right now. Turning
to the house with the blue roof, Sir Isaac walks to the door and knocks.

Author: Narrator, Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:14 AM, Post Subject: Help, bandits! [P]

[Note; Thisis a showcase thread made with an alt of mine. It’s an example.]Behold, Tegerral. A village with a hundred andfifty inhabitants, a village revolving around simple farming. Located somewhere
in the Adeluna flatlands, but a few-travelled nexus of the country’s vast network
of roads that all lead to the capital.Gaze upon this simple village, peaceful and simple.Imagine the serenity of this place, how quiet it must be. And know that this is
not the case.No, unfortunately there’s a tension in the air.The people are not as warm and open as they used to be, not as carefree to walk
alone or happy enough to smile to everyone they greet. Ever since crime came to
this peaceful little village, the mood has been dropping lower and lower. Ever
since the bandits showed up, this village seized to be peaceful and serene.

As you walk or ride into Tegerral, you noticethe mood. It doesn’t necessarily strike you as odd, for you have never been
here. But you see how the people look skittish and somewhat worried at the sight
of an unknown face.People quickly walk back into their house orgroup up with their neighbours. Not all do, certainly not. Children look at you
with a glint in their eyes, and some people can tell from your appearance and
equipment that you are not the kind of riffraff that troubles them.Wandering further into the village youeventually reach the village centre. Standing near the well, you look around at
the village and the people who are gathering around to have a look at the
stranger in their midst.