The World of Layonara
In-Character Forums => Rumour Has It => Topic started by: Dezza on April 03, 2012, 01:28:29 AM
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Authorities in Castle Mask have been forced to take action and send a small force of standing soldiery to several outlying hamlets at the eastern edge of their jurisdiction after a brazen group of bandits have raided the homesteads.
The bandits murdered several farmhands and raided what little foodstocks and livestock the farms had before raising them to the ground. Displaced families have been forced to move to farmlets closer to the Castle for added protection.
At the same time authorities have announced that foodstock within the Castle and surrounding villages are running low and a request has already been sent to Golden and to Lor to provide assistance.
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Bandit bands have become more than a general nuisance in the outlying areas of Castle Mask and now also Golden. The Baroness has urged for calm in the growing unease in the region.
Regular patrols of the small standing force in both cities are being sent to sweep outlying farms and hamlets to try and provide additional security. Already some have decided to abandon the poor faring farms and move towards the cities creating small tent towns outside the cities almost overnight.
The Diet in Lor are deliberating on the Baroness' request and whether they can field a regiment made up off Hilm-Kuhl war units that had been disbanded upon their return to Lor and send them out into the field in the region.
Meanwhile food prices in all three cities have increased of late with a noticable shortage beginning in Golden and Castle mask of fresh produce. Merchants in Lor are already cashing in on the shortage by buying up and hoarding stocks arriving by ship to the ports and on selling for large profits.
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// A short quest series around these events will continue from this thread in the next few weeks. It will be run at AEST times on weekends by Tanman and myself. If your PC wants to get involved you may join in on this thread if you wish too. First quest will be in 2 weeks time.
// No level req - rewards based on RP and level of involvement not level of PC
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// Is there a level requirement? //
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I think Dezza answered it here:
// No level req - rewards based on RP and level of involvement not level of PC
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I believe that comment was editted in after Script's question, judging by post time and edit time.
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*Aesthir passing around the area, stops pondering on the events, looking and analysing the situation, he smirks* Bandtis and starving usually comes together, or a political strenght impulsed by benevolent lords. Oh the struggle for power, a beautiful oportunity for many, even for those who who oposes some of those oportunities. *with a deference he looks upon a beggar and keeps walking still observing around.*
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A dark, foreboding figure enters the vicinity of Castle Mask and seeks an audience with a steward or Captain of the guard concerning the news of bandit attacks.
//PM coming your way Dezz to see whether Nym can get involved IC. Whether I can make it OOC is another matter.
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The situation has now escalated with a brazen group of bandits attacking and burning down one of the Castle Masks main grain storage warehouses and then a day later raiding a wagon carrying food supplies coming to the castle from Lor.
Several city guards were found dead at the scene and those attached to the food wagons not killed are missing.
The Baroness is now heading to Castle Mask and has issued a 10000 true reward for a man assumed to be coordinating the bandit groups. A Saric Lumont, formerly of Golden, ex adventurer and disgraced captain of the baronesses own personal guard.
The Baroness has also asked for bounty hunters and other mercenaries to journey to Castle Mask and take up the bounty.
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*A rugged and unkempt white bearded dwarf can be seen walking the smoke filled remains of the burned down hamlets outside Castle Mask. He takes his time methodically picking through the rubble. He finds the carcase of a sheep slain in one of the attacks and bends down to examine its remains. With his skinning knife he performs a quick autopsy on the animal seperating the innerds and laying them on the grass. He does this with the other animal remains he finds in his search.
He then goes about picking up any loose grains that were scattered from the hasty retreat of the bandits taking his time examaning them as well. He looks up to the smoke filled sky from time to time and sideways at the other hamlets and back to the Castle in thought wiping his brow muttering.*
Seems de famine and de taint takin' its toll out er' te. De balance be offset moitey powerful in dis place. I wonder what Horn tinks bout all dis?
*He then disapears into the wooded outskirts heading toward Castle Mask*
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"This may be worth the visit after all.."
Nym, upon recieving details about the bounty-mark, begins his search.
//will this be handled quest wise or should we be sending PMs detailing how we are going about the investigation privately?
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// quest coming in next two weeks
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Arfur Dumas, Gentleman and former Halberdier of Hlint stands ticket in hand at Lor Docks when he overhears two enthusiastic bounty hunters discussing the opportunity. He looks from the ship to his ticket and back towards the City.
"Saric Lumont, formerly of Golden eh - well I rather fancy that he is just former, full stop." He lifts his overfilled bags and hoists them onto his shoulder with an ease that defies the eyes and walks a jaunty step back towards the Inn. His ticket flutters in the breeze.
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*Görmungard, passing through Castle Mask to the docks of Lor gets into the rumors of hired hands needed to cull some bandit activity, and with a snort of eagerness he decides to see to the matter*
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*Griff travels to Castle Mask upon the news of the bandit attacks. He arrives to Castle guard and ask for an updated briefing on the situation and offers his help to quell the cowardly and ruthless attacks and bring this Lumont to justice. He looks to the direction of Prantz and softly to himself "a weakened Castle Mask and Lor is not what weh need roight now".
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A copper haired dwarven lass trundles down a ship's gangplank onto the docks pulling a large trunk behind her; it was good to see Lor again.
She is not long quartered and returned to duty when she finds herself summoned before the Marshal and a Diet representative: bandits threatening to undermine the independence of the south (helped in no small part by profiteering merchants); a message for the Baroness of Castle Mask; and any assistance she can render.
The dwarf salutes her superior, and with a nod to the councillor.
"Argali iz happy to help."
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*Portlie Dumas looks up from his supping and wenching long enough to see Arfur stride back into the inn.*
Ah brozzer, a change of mind perhaps? Some adventure you 'ave found for us?
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An elderly farmer leans against the wall outside the main gates of Castle Mask watching a mixed but powerful group of gathered adventurers and bounty hunters move onto the road towards Golden.
"You reckon they gunna do any good Elroy?"
Another skinny and bent elderly man spits onto the ground.
"You mean like them that stirred up a hornets nest with Rael all them years ago?"
The first speaked glanced at the bent and hunched older man Elroy.
"You always got to go and bring that up don't you Elroy, you gotta let it go."
"Why, those stupid venturers made me loose everything, they think they are sooo high and mighty and all they do is interfere and make life harder for us little folk. Look at all them famines, I reckon they did it with their meddlin' in world 'fairs."
The first man snorted a laugh. "You're a doomsayer Elroy."
Elroy grunted and spat again. "You mark my words, Drew. That boy Saric, he's got black murder set in his heart, he's a smart one that one. All these venturers going out, some of em are gunna meet the Mother and we're gunna pay too."
Together they watched as the last of the adventurers disappeared out of sight.
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*Back at the cave entrance Zig sits on a large flat rock studying the map that Arfur and Portlie and others found in the chest inside the cave. He scratches his beard his eyes popping every so often as he traces the map with a finger. He waves the Voraxians and Toranites over and the others he trusts*
Aye dis hear be a map of de Castle Mask areas n outskirts. Seems de got de patrol routes and camps of de Barronesses men figured out and marked. De even mention toimes and dates of when certain areas be loikely te be patrolled.
*He raises his head briefly glaring at Nym to see if he's close by before continuing*
Der be many farmlets and and other locales wit de red circles around dem. Some of dem be already hit by de bandits and others nae not yet te me knowledge.
*He shakes his head in disbelief*
De area dats covered on dis map is quite vast indeed. Oi think de Barroness has underestimated Saric. Judgin from dis map and de area dat he influences we got a real problem on our hands. If dis aint a ruse, and it may be, Saric has much more influence and manpower dan we expected if he gots control over all des areas.
*He holds the map a bit closer to his face and squints*
Some of des area Oi nae sure of what de are. Te figure de entoire map we need to ask de folks at Mask or maybe we track down one of er' rovin partrolers te ask.
*To those who have gathered he waves them closer and points to a spot on the map with his finger*
Come have a looksy at dis. See dat red dot? Dats were we are. It marks de bandit cave campsoite. Ders three more of dem red dots te. *He lifts his head slightly offering a grin* Closest one is a days treck te de south east *indicating with his figer sliding it down* The second is a two day journey north at de border of de hills n' fores'. De third, *indicates to the south east of Castle Mask with his other finger* looks te be bout two days from Mask.
Oi nae got de moind of a bandit but seems we got lots of options er'. Oi say we hit one of dem bandit camps closest te de most recent activity but Oi differ te more brilliant battle moinds dan me *Grins up to Argali, Griff and Daniella*
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Nym is close at hand due to the map being their best source of information. He asks his question and offers his advice without waiting for permission.
"Check if the farmstead that we passed had this cavern as the closest bandit lair. Or if there was another closer; and if there was, its evident they only use these encampments to stage attacks and then briefly afterwards for loot division. They will ithen swiftly evacuate to a safer, less obvious haven to cover their tracks, and we will not find him or anyone else there... unless we wait for another attack before searching.
If the mark is intelligent, he would break away with a small number and go to the a haven farther from the raid so that if the main group is followed he will not be amongst their number.
I suggest either waiting for them to attack a fresh target, following their trail while they are slow with loot; or picking one of the encampments that are a little further away than the closest, most evident option."
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*Those viewing the map would also see the third "red dot" that is two days trech from Castle Mask to its south east is also located near a lake that feeds into trembling creek*
//forgot to mention that before
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The group camps outside the cave in the foothills several days north east of Castle Mask.
In the meantime the Mayors in Lor have assembled almost two score ex soldiers from the Hilm-Kuhl conflict to form additional militia for Castle Mask. It's been announced that their training will be undertaken under the watchful gaze of Lors Marshall before being disatched to the Castle.
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Word has filtered back to Castle Mask that several of the Hunters have found and stormed one the hiding place of a bandit group operating in the forest to the north east of Castle Mask. The rumours are unconfirmed at this time.
Meanwhile the Baroness has called up additional levies to the local militia to help keep order as food stocks in the city and market places start to get low. Prices in the market place by some unscrupulous merchants have already started to climb.
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*In the middle of the night, the knight stands observing and planning on the bandits, a strong hit was given to the camp, but not a definite one, a good aproach despite the lose of the Xeenite, now some bandits dead, a strong shortage of men, and yet at the same time the finges that move the silk cords revealed, looking upon the distribution of the camp, he tries to learn where is the tent of the man dressed in black robe.
The Xeenite tied in the middle of the campsite, always vigilated, it turned that it was a good bait, an expendable resourse, for the order to use, and yet, this bandits are indeed breaking the law, thing that at least so far the Xeenite has not done, and by that he deserved some consideration., The falconlike eyes of the man poses on the movements of the camp, wearing his clothes and in the "invisible cloak that the Golden had put over him, he awaits , patiently with the patience of the stones*
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Word filters back to Castle Mask that a well known slaver company led by a dwarf called Quintus the Tendril has been tracked and killed by a group of adventurers and bounty hunters employed by Baroness Sefina to deal with Saric Lemont.
The groups investigations led them to a farmlet north of Golden where many had been sold into slavery by some of Sarics people. The group led by Lor Captain of the Beacons Argali Trueaxe came upon Quintus just before he crossed into official Rael lands and dealt with the slaver without mercy.
Those captured by him were delivered to a Golden patrol to take back to Castle mask and also to report on Quintas's death. The search for Saric Lamont and his network continues.
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In recent days almost a week after the announcement of Quintas's death in Golden and Castle Mask a druid called Phelicia, from Vale, reported movements of several groups of mercenaries through the southern forests of the Forest of Fog to the group of Adventurer/bounty hunters employed by the Baroness.
Unwilling at this time to cross into Rael lands to investigate in case they triggered another confrontation with Rael the group headed south to track down Quintas's contacts in Golden lands. The Druid offered to maintain a watch on the groups though and keep them informed.
Meanwhile a familiar face from Belinara seeking out Argali arrived in Seawatch fort. Honorary Hilm Captain Kromlek made his way along the road encountering a unit of soldiers claiming to have turned mercenary from Succession. Discussions with the soldiers concluded that the 'mercenaries' were tracking a group from Golden rumoured to have crossed into Rael lands and murdered a Rael citizen called Quintas.
Captain Kromlek denied any knowledge of the group and hurried south to Golden to warn Baroness Sefina of his findings. Scouts have been dispatched to warn the group of the possible threat.
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The search for Saric lamont continues over several more weeks, scattered reports come in that the original adventurer and bounty hunter group have broken up and taken their own paths for various reasons.
Meanwhile reports of a group of riders harrassing those fleeing farms to the west of Golden come in and also accounts of people being captured and carried off by the group also surface as trickles of refugees seeking food and escape from the famine trickle into Golden and Castle Mask.