Kingmaker

[Mystic_clown]

Disclaimer: The following story is based upon the Pathfinder table RPG adventure "Kingmaker", published by Paizo. The events in this story will follow the same as detailed in the six modules that make up this adventure.

Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vested within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, has granted the right of exploration and travel within the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles east and west and sixty miles south of Oleg's Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behaviour to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on this 24th day of Calistril, under watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.



Kingmaker

Act 1: The Stolen Lands

Prologue

The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the great halls of the estate, as the Lady Karita Stormfel strode in silence. The woman was definately a beauty, at the age of twenty one, she stood at 5'6'', with fair, smooth skin and slender features. Her pale red hair fell just past her shoulders in waves, and her piercing green eyes held a tempered quality to them. Her outfit, while definately having a feel of nobility to them, resembled that more of a guardsman's uniform in red and silver tones, her leather coat flapping behind her as she walked. Her longsword hung from her hip. Sure, it wasn't exactly the most 'lady-like' of attires, especially for a noble woman such as herself, but she never really felt for that sort of thing. Besides, being from one of the lesser noble families meant not a lot of people cared too much about what you wore. And that's how Karita liked it.

She approached the large oak doors at the end of the hall, and without stopping pushed herself through. She entered the large room, dominated by the long, oak table that acted as the King's personal meeting room. All eyes instantly fell onto her, however Karita ignored the servants in the room and took notice of the five people sitting at the table.

The first was a young man, around her age. He was thin, almost sickly so, and a bit taller than she was, though slightly hunched over. His hair was a messy shock of black, reaching just past his chin, and his dark amber eyes stood out on his otherwise pale face. Hs outfit, comprised of leather and cloth in whites and blacks, resembled that of a scholar, or possibly a scientist. There seemed to be a number of satchels and vails hanging from his coat, and he was even fidgeting with one in his hands, almost nervously.

The next was a young woman, an elf. Even sitting down, Karita could tell she was a good hear taller than her. She had pale skin and sharp features. Her short blonde hair was completely slicked back, and her electric blue eyes glanced at her in a bored expression. She wore a slender, brown leather outfit, typical of one who relied on dexterity and acrobatics. She was currently toying with a throwing knife, twirling it on her gloved fingers.

The third was a young man, from what Karita could tell either elven, or at least helf elven. Despite his youthful face, his hair was grey flopping lazily over the left side of his face, only showing one dull green eye. He wore a long, dusty brown coat, and a brown, wide brimmed hat that almost flopped over his face. Propped up on the table next to him was a strange looking device. A long, steel pipe, attacked to some sort of wooden mechanism. He sat quietly at the table, his face calm and patient, unlike the boredom the elf had.

When Karita first laid eyes on the fourth, she had believed her to be a child. But a quick analysis corrected her as a Halfling. Quite small in height, she had the dark skin and short, curly chestnut hair that was typical of her race. Her attire was definately that of a cleric's robe, in white, black, and purple tones. She could also see the holy symbol of a butterfly, which her limited knowledge of religions identified it as a symbol of Desna, a goddess of fortune.

The final person, sitting on at the far end of the table, was someone she recognised instantly. After all, it was the man who called them all here. A slender man with short black hair, glasses and steel grey eyes, this man was none other than Ioseph Sellemius, Lord Mayor of Restov and one of the Swordlords.

"The Lady Karita Stormfel!" the servant standing at the door announced, caught a little off-guard by her sudden entrance. Ioseph gave the servant a sort of "Yes, we can see that, thank you" look before looking back at the noble woman and smiling.

"Lady Stormfel, a privilage to see you again. You're as beautiful as ever. Come, have a seat. Now that you're here, we can begin."

Karita nodded and sat that the opposite end of the table to the mayor. She wasn't really affected by his flattery. She wasn't anyone special. Just a daughter from a lesser noble house. She wasn't a Orlovsky or a Lodovka or anything of the sort. Probably why barely anyone batted an eyelid when she volunteered for this mission.

"Now then," Ioseph smiled, "Now that we're all here, allow me to introduce you to your collegues." He gestured to the dark haired man, still fidgeting nervously. "This is Artecus Tanrew, apprentice-"

"F-Former apprentice," the man corrected.

"Yes, my mistake. FORMER apprentice to the great alchemist Taris Heldaburg, and from what I've gathered, not a bad alchemist himself." The alchemist in question have a light nod. "Hello," he spoke quietly.

Ioseph then gestured to the elf. "This is Larrem Windson, a master of stealth and scouting, and someone whose talents would be a great help for this expedition." The elf twirled the dagger in her hand, giving Karita a light smile. "Nice to meet ya."

He then gestured to the half elf. "This is Irenjo Kerras. A rare breed. A marksman he calls himself. Go on, why don't you show them that weapon of yours. What did you say it was again?"

Irenjo made no reply. Instead he stood up, picking up the device propped against the table, and walked towards one of the windows. Opening it, he lifted up the weapon, pointing the end of the metal barrel up into the sky, like he was taking aim.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed throughout the room, causing the occupants to jump. Karita stared at the man's weapon, now noticing a slight trail of smoke coming out of the end.

"It's called a Muskett," Irenjo spoke up, finally, before taking his seat. The room was quiet before Ioseph gave a light clap.

"Very impressive. And now, onto our last member. This, Lady Stormwel, is Nela Chesnup, a cleric of Desna. She will act as the party's healer and spiritual guide." "Hello!" The halfling piped up, her face in a big smile, "It's nice to meet all of you!" She seemed pretty enthusiastic about all this.

"And, of course," Ioseph gestured to Karita, "This is Lady Karita Stormwel, lady of the Stormwel house, and sister to Lord Cortis Stormwel." Karita gave her four collegues an aknowledging nod. Ioseph nodded in satisfaction before motioning to a servant.

"Now then, with introductions out of the way, time to discuss why you're here."

The servant laid out five scrolls, one to each of the five people sitting at the table, before unrolling a large map on the table for them to see. Featured was the lands of Brevoy, both Issa and Rostland. The map seemed to focus on a patch of land just south of Rostland, wedged between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms, a nation rivalling that of Brevoy. This section of land itself seemed divided into four parts.

"This, my good people, is known as the Stolen Lands," Ioseph explained, pointing out the area, "For years, these lands have been home to monsters, bandits, barbarians, you name it. In fact, because of such, niether us, nor the River Kingdoms have been able to colonise it. And goodness knows we've tried.

We have sent numerous parties down to this land for a while, none have been very successful in driving out the terrors that roam this land. Fortunately for us, the River Kingdoms haven't been any more successful than we have.

That is why we've brought you in."

Karita knew his words were an attempt to make them feel somewhat special. But she knew better. They were some superior force that had been brought in because the kingdom had to resort to it. No, this was simply a case of "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again."

"Now then," he continued, "We wont expect you to explore the Stolen Lands in their entirety. That would be a bit much. We've sent three parties ahead of you, each one taking a segment of the Stolen Lands. They are the Glenenbon Uplands," he pointed the westernmost quadrant, "The Slough," the section just east of the Uplands, "And the Nomen Heights." he pointed the the easternmost quadrant. He then pointed to the section between the Heights and the Slough. "Your area of exploration is here, in the Greenbelt.

Your mission, is to tame, and to colonize this part of the Stolen Lands. Now, we don't expect you to do all this at once. Just focus on clearing out the land first. We have reason to believe this is prime bandit territory, so they will be your biggest obstacle. Once the bandit problem has been settled, then we'll start bringing in supplies to colonise the area. Any questions?"

"I have one," Larrem piped, glancing back and forth between the map and the mayor, "Once we get this place colonized, then what happens? We just get our payment then leave or something, or what?"

Ioseph chuckled lightly. "Oh no, not like that at all. Your job doesn't end when you start colonizing the place. After all, how could a civilisation run without its founders to guide it."

Larrem paused for a brief second, before fixing her gaze on the mayor. "Wait...so you're saying that, we will be RULING it? As in, we have complete control?"

Ioseph smiled as four more sets of wide eyes all turned to him now. "Well, of course Miss Windson, you'd still answer to me and the Swordlords, but for the most part, yes, you would be running this little kingdom you establish."

All five of the party were now staring at the mayor in surprise. Now it was becoming very clear why people continued to volunteer for the project. Being able to rule over your own kingdom was definately a temping prize. Even Karita was surprised by this. She had figured that helping expand Rostland would help increase her family's stature within Brevoy's political scene, but she had no idea she would act as the ruler of a kingdom. Ioseph definately seemed amused by the party's reaction to this revelation.

"Well, if there are no more questions, I shall make arrangements for you to leave in two days time. Give you enough time to prepare yourselves for your mission. I can send some men to escort you to the border, but that is as far as they'll go. Once there, you're on your own. That will be all. You are dismissed."

The group was still very surprised by all this, but all got up and quietly filtered out of the room upon the mayor's words. After all, they only had two days, and the needed all the time to prepare themselves for this major assignment.

Once they were gone, Ioseph sighed and sat back in his seat with a smile on his face. A servant quietly approached him.

"My lord, are you sure about this plan? I mean, letting them rule their own kingdom. Wouldn't that cause some, well, problems?"

Ioseph gave the servant a sharp look before his confident smile returned. "Four kingdoms under our grasp. Do you know how much power that wields? How much resources one gets from such an arrangement? Yes, they'll rule them, but they ultimate answer to us, to me.

Let's see how King Surtovia stands up to this."

[Mystic_clown]

Chapter 1: Arrival in the Greenbelt

Those two days after their mission briefing seemed to last forever, but at last it had arrived. The five had been called back to the Lord Mayor's estate for one last brush up on the details. Explore the Greenbelt, clear out the monsters and bandits, colonize it and rule it. It was pretty much straight forward. The charters each of them had recieve outlined their boundries. After being given some supplies, including food, water, bedrolls, and tents in case they had no shelter to sleep in (and considering they were going into a relatively unchartered wilderness, there was a high possiblity of that), some of the Mayor's soldiers escorted the five explorers out to the border of Brevoy. From there, they were on their own.

They had been riding for about three hours since then, gaining a good distance from Brevoy, now into the uncharted wilderness of the Greenbelt. Fortunately, their travel had been made easier thanks to the horses Ioseph had provided them. Karita of course had her faithful steed Treen, while the others had been given their own horses (and in Nela's case, a pony).

Speaking of which, Karita had taken this time to study her collegues a little more. She had only met them briefly during the initial meeting, and since she was travelling with them, she may as well learn a little more about them. She didn't really speak to them. She wasn't the most social of people, but she could tell a lot about a person by merely observing them.

Larrem held an air of confidence about herself, and the way she carried herself sort of suggested that she didn't take this mission too seriously, like it was a game almost. Though she didn't show it, Karita had the feeling she was the kind of person more interested in what treasure she could find, than anything of real importance.

Ienjo seemed completely indifferent to the whole affair. His calm demeaner, along with the way he carried himself, made Karita believe that he was possibly some mercenary the Lord Mayor hired for this assignment. Still, she was curious about that weapon he wielded, a muskett did he call it?

Nela seemed like a bubbly sort of person, eager and definately the most excited amongst the group about this mission. She had been doing most of the talking on their trip, trying to get to know the others. Odd, definately not someone Karita expected to be in the rather solemn profession of the clergy.

Artecus definately seemed out of place in this group. The man was quiet throughout the entire trip, and seemed more like someone who would keep to a laboratory rather than explore the wilderness. Why was he on this trip? What would convince him to undertake this task?

Her analysis would have to continue later, as the five approached a small cliff, allowing them to get a good view of the lands they would be exploring.

Needless to say, it was a sight to behold. For miles there were rolling plains, though in the distance Karita could see forests, and possibly a river as well. This land, the land which at the moment was supposedly crawling with monsters and bandits, was supposed to be the land their new kingdom would sit upon. From their viewpoint, it looked almost untouched, like it had been discovered for the first time.

Her comrades seemed just as amazed by the sight as she was. Artecus and Nela stared on in amazement and Larrem was looking quite surprised herself. Ienzo kept a straight face as his eyes scanned the lands before them.

Karita's eyes then fell down onto a wooden fort, just about ten minutes away from their location. Your basic wooden fort, including four catapults, one on each of the four corners. It seemed to be the only structure in sight, marring the untouched beauty of the lands. Still, Karita knew what this place was, at least she had a good idea what it was. Their charters mentioned a trading post under the ownership of a man called Oleg. That would act as the main point from where they'd explore from.

"Our first stop I assume," Ienjo spoke up, possibly for the first time since they had began their trip. Karita glanced at the marksman and nodded before the five rode down towards the fort.

It was only a matter of minutes before they arrived at the large wooden gates of the fortress. They were closed tight and there was no sign of a lookout watching out for travellers. The group waited for a couple of moments for the doors to open. No such luck. Was there anyone even in the fortress?

Finally, Larrem got impatient, sliding down from her horse and walking up to the gate. She pounded on it with her fist.

"Hello?" she called out loudly, "Anybody home? Just a group of travellers looking for some good 'ol hospitality!" she gave the door a couple of pounds for good measure. Karita moved to stop her collegue's rather rude behaviour when a voice called out.

"Who are you?"

All five looked up to see a blonde woman looking down from the wall. A rather humble looking woman, though now looking at them with a look of suspicion.

"Forgive our rudeness," Karita called out, shooting a warning glance at Larrem before continuing, "We're explorers from Restov. We were ordered to report here. You may have been expecting us."

The instant she mentioned Restov, the woman's eyes lit up, and her suspicious frown was replaced with a joyful smile. "Oh, you're finally here! Thank goodness. Please forgive me, I'll open up the gate right away."

She dissappeared back into the fortress, before the large gates began to open. The party slowly entered, to find the woman standing at the entrance, a look of welcoming joy on her face.

"We've been waiting for you all for so long," she said, immediately doting over the five explorers like a housewife with children, "Please, let me help you with your things. We'll take care of your horses. Come, you really must meet my husband. He'll be just as anxious to meet you as I am."

Needless to say, the five were very surprised by this very warm welcome, and before they could say anything, they were being led to a small wooden building at the north eastern corner of the fort. There, on the roof, they saw a large, rather gruff looking man, with short brown hair and stubble. He looked like he was repairing a leak of sorts in the roof.

"Oleg!" the woman called out, "Come on down here. They're finally here!"

The man, Oleg, set down his tools and began climbing down from the roof. He gave the party a stern looking over before speaking. "So, that's what that racket was huh? Well, it's about time you lazy bums got down here. We were expecting you days ago."

Karita blinked at the man's words. They had only been sent out on their mission today.

"Oleg, don't be rude," the woman scolded before smiling at the group, "We were expecting you sooner, but now you're here and at great timing. We'll finally be free of those wretched thugs."

The party was a little confused. "Um, which thugs?" Nela asked, causing the woman to look a little confused before chuckling.

"The bandits of course. You were sent down here to help us fight them off...weren't you?"

"I'm sorry Miss," Karita spoke up as she stepped forward, "But we honestly had no idea what you're talking about."

Both Oleg and his wife were silent for a moment, staring at the five with surprised expressions. Oleg was the first to break the silence. "Great! Just great! As if that damn mayor can be any more insulting! We wait all this time, go through this much, and what does he send us? A bunch of clueless explorers!? Was this the 'help' he offered us? Damn that lying, weasly, backstabbing bastard to the ninth Hell!"

The woman spun around, ready to consol her husband before she turned back to the group. "Well, you see," she explained, "We've been having some trouble with bandits. Wretched things keep coming here and forcing us to hand over all our stock."

The word "bandits" made everything clear to the explorers. The mayor did mention bandits roamed the Greenbelt didn't he? "What have they done to you?" Karita asked, stepping forward, "Please, tell us everything."

The woman looked to the ground, not really fond of having to remember it, but she knew the more information they had the better. "They came 3 months ago, a dozen of them. Their leader nearly took off Oleg's arm when he tried to defy them..."

"I don't care if that axe swinging bitch took them both off," Oleg growled, "I would have kicked her to death if I had the chance!"

"Don't be foolish!" she interupted, "You're only one man. And I couldn't bear to see you throw your life away over our stocks!"

Oleg growled, "To hell with out stocks. It's you I care about Svetlana. If any of those damn bandits come near you, I'd..."

"Say no more..." The couple paused and looked back at Karita, who now had a determined look on her face, "We'll help you."

"Yeah!" Nela piped up, "We wont let those bandits torment you people any longer! The Greenbelt Brigade is here to save the day!"

Larrem and Ienjo immediately turned to the halfing. "The Greenbelt Brigade?" Ienjo asked.

"Isn't it cool? I thought up the name for us on the ride here."

"It's a stupid name," Larrem replied, though her expression showed she was at least amused by the idea.

Svetlana's smile couldn't get any brighter as she bounced in glee. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you! You have no idea what this means to us! Thank you so much!" she turned to her husband. "Oleg! Quickly, help our guests get settled into the guesthouse. I'm going to prepare some of my famous Deer Meat Stew! Tonight's a time for celebration!"

The group watched as Svetlana happily dashed off a wooden house in the north western corner of the fort. Oleg watched his wife disappear into the house before turning back to the party. His gruff expression turned into a small smile.

"Thank you."

Karita nodded, giving a small smile in return, before the six of them headed for their horses. Time to get settled in.


++~*~++

"This stew is delicious Miss Svetlana," Artecus spoke up, swollowing another spoonful of the delicious meal.

Svetlana smiled. "Thank you very much. Now eat up. A skinny young man such as yourself needs to get some skin on his bones."

"So, what can you tell us about these bandits?" Karita asked Oleg from across the dinner table.

Oleg nodded, leaning on the table as he looked her right in the eyes. "Well, they came here three months ago, twelve of them in total. Took our stocks and left. They returned a month later, though only this time with six of them, and that crazy bitch with the hatchets wasn't there. Third time, they only brought four. Guessing they think they can just walk all over us now with no effort."

"This could work to our advantage then," Ienjo spoke up, "There's a good chance they may bring even less this time around. We'd have them outnumbered."

Oleg nodded. "That's right. I think you guys can easily overwhelm them. What me and Svetlana were thinking was that you guys hide in the guest house and the stables. When the bandits come in to take our stocks, you guys rush out and attack them."

"Can't you use those catapults up on the walls?" Nela asked, taking another bite of the stew.

"Those old things don't even work," Svetlana replied, "It would take weeks to get them working. And those bandits are arriving tomorrow."

"Still, they do provide good cover," Ienjo mused. "I'll hide on the north eastern tower. I'll hide behind the catapult so they can't see me. Once they're in, I'll move into a better position to pick them off."

Karita nodded, agreeing with Ienjo's strategy, "Good, then the rest of us will lie in wait."

"Yeah," Larrem spoke up, her mouth full of meat, "Me and the noble here will hide in the guest house. Shorty and Skinny here can hide in the stables, out of the way."

Nela and Artecus sent the elf a dirty look. "What do you mean, 'out of the way'?" Nela asked, completely ignoring the names she called them.

"Well, you're a cleric right? You guys focus on healing don't you? We'd want to keep you back so you can support us without getting killed. As for skinny here, well, he looks like one punch would knock him flat. Better keep him close to the healer. Don't worry, the women are here to kick some butt, and we've got Crackshot Mcgee here to provide cover."

Karita and Ienjo sent a dirty look in Larrem's direction, who merely shrugged it off. Nela pouted while Artecus looked a little dejected. Sure, he wasn't the strongest of the group, but he still wanted to help. Karita seemed to notice this before glancing back at Larrem.

"Everyone here can help Larrem. But your suggestion does make some sense. Ok, me and Larrem will wait in the Guest House, Artecus and Nela will wait in the stables, and Ienjo will wait up on the walls."

Svetlana smiled, clapping her hands together. "Those damn bandits wont know what hit them!"


++~*~++

The morning that followed was still. Svetlana had told them that they would come in the morning, so the group didn't have much time to prepare. Just as planned, Karita and Larrem hid in guest house, while Artecus and Nela hid in stable. Ienjo had climbed his way up to the north east corner of the wall, using the remains of the old catapult as cover. He would be the lookout, watching out for when the bandits approached.

It wasn't long before the early morning silence was broken by the sound of approaching horses. From his hiding spot, Ienjo could see five horses approaching, led by a man in a cloak.

"And here they come," he whsipered quietly to himself. The bandits didn't seem to notice him as they approached, mainly due to them focusing their attention on the closed gate. The bandits stopped before the gate, the one in the cloak stepping forward.

"Open up Oleg!" he shouted out, "We know you're in there! Open up or we torch this place to the ground!"

Slowly, the gates began to open. The bandits looked so smug as they rode in, chests puffed out like they ran the place. Oleg sent a hate filled glare at the bandits as they approached him. He had opted to us himself as bate to draw the bandits in, having made sure Svetlana was safely hidden in their home.

"Happs," Oleg muttered, clearly showing no love for the interlopers. The hooded man, now seen to be a rather scruffy, unshaven man, smirked as he and his men dismounted.

"Darn, no wife this time Oleg? Hiding her away from us? Now now, seeing her's the best part of coming down to this ran down shack of a trade post." He gestured to the others, as they started to go for Oleg's stocks. Oleg made no move to stop them, though he clenched his fists tightly in frustration. Happs couldn't help but chuckle. He could remember how mouthy Oleg was when they first came, now look at him, silently taking it like a beaten dog.

"Good to see you finally realised how we do things here," Happs chuckled, "Now, be a good boy and fetch that pretty little wife of yours. I need something pretty to look at."

"Hell no!" Oleg scowled. Sure, he knew their 'help' wasn't going to let them hurt her, but he'd be damned if he was going to give those bandits the chance. He simply had too much pride in him.

Happs' smirk vanished. "Still having trouble remembering how things work after all huh? I said, go and bring your little wife out here, or we'll go in and get her!"

"Like hell I'll let you!" Oleg shouted out, his anger boiling over, "You said if we did what you'd say, you'd leave her be!"

"Well, I've had a rough week, and I feel like taking a little extra. Besides, not like you can stop us," Happs gestured to one of his men, "Go inside and get her."

"If it's a woman you want, why not someone who can fight back?" called out a voice, giving the bandits pause for a brief second. They turned to see Karita, sword out, sending a steely glare at Happs. Ienjo, from his perch on the outer wall, stared on in shock. What the heck was she doing!!? She was going to blow their ambush! From the guest house, Larrem was thinking the same thing. Artecus and Nela watched on in surprise.

Happ's initial surprised expression turned into a lecherous smirk. "Well well, what do we have here? Got a little present for my Oleg?"

Karita sneered, "The only gift I have for you is a length of steel to your stomach, you pig," she clenched her sword tightly, letting her know she meant business. Happs was either very confident in his abilities, or very stupid, as he laughed.

"Well, this girl's got some fire in her. Guess it's up to us to put it now, don't you think boys?" the other bandits chuckled maliciously, liking the idea of having fun with this red haired beauty. Karita took a step back as the bandits slowly advanced on her. Sure, she would be in a bit over her head if she had to fight them all on her own, but she would damn well make it hard for them.

However, she wasn't alone. The loud gunshot that echoed throughout the trading post. There was a spray of blood, and one of the bandits fell, a hole in the side of his head. The others all stopped, staring down at their fallen comrade in surprise.

"What the fuck!?"

Suddenly a trio of knives flew from the darkness of the guest house. One of them scored one of the bandits right in the throat. The unfortunately man gurgled on his own blood as he reached for the knife, collapsing to the ground before he could.

"It's a trap!"

"Shit! And we walked right into it!"

Larrem, with her cover blown, dashed out of the guest house, knives in hand. Taking advantage of the distraction, Karita charged towards Happs, intent on running him through with her swords. However, Happs managed to spot her attack in time, drawing a large dagger from its sheeth and parraying the attack. His expression was, surprisingly, one of confidence, one that said he was going to enjoy their fight.

Larrem charged towards one of the other bandits, who drew his sword, ready for the wily elf. The two circled eachother, both smirking.

"I never killed an elf before," he said with a chuckle, "This should be fun!" he swung his sword at her. Using her dagger, Larrem deflected the attack, pushing him back with a kick.

"Don't think it will be so easy buddy boy!" she laughed, lunging forward with her knife.

The third bandit was a clever one. He had figured out where that bullet had come from, and he knew whoever was shooting was getting ready to fire again. He made a dash across the courtyard, straight for the barn. He let out a yelp and dived for cover as another gunshot run out and he felt the bullet just brush past his leg. Meanwhile, Ienjo cursed the miss from his position from the top wall.

The graze was painful, but not enough to stop him. Keeping himself well hidden behind the wall, he drew his short bow, smirking when he spied the marksman. "Let's see how well you can dodge crackshot?" he chuckled, pulling the bowstring back.

Only for a hard blow to the back of the head to send him flopping to the floor unconcious. Nela looked down at the unconcious bandit, her morning star in hand. She gave a small, triumphant smile. "Only good for healing huh?"

Larrem couldn't help but smirk as she danced around the bandit. Her agility and speed had made it difficult for the bandit to land a blow. Meanwhile, Larrem had managed to deliver a number of cuts on the man, if only to irritate him further. The bandit's smirk had vanished, and had been replaced with an enraged snarl. Larrem giggled almost childishly.

"Aww, not having fun anymore? Well then, let's end it shall we?" she laughed, lunging forward with her dagger. However, her cockiness would prove to be a mistake. The bandit shifted to the side, causing her attack to miss barely. The bandit then swung his elbow sharply, catching Larrem in the face, causing her to stumble back. She then felt a sharp pain and cried out as the bandit's sword sliced into her side, causing her to fall over. The wound wasn't deep enough to be too serious, but it was still very painful.

The bandit smirked, walking up to the fallen elf, ready to bring his blade down on her. Larrem snarled and lashed out with her foot, catching him in the stomach and causing him to stumble back.

Right into Ienjo's sights. This time, the marksman didn't miss.

Larrem watched as the bandit fell with a spray of blood from his neck. The elven rogue pulled herself to her feet, turning her gaze to the gunslinger on the outer wall. "I could have taken care of that myself she called out."

"You're welcome," was the sarcastic reply.

And so with the other four bandits down, that only left Happs, who was now duelling with Karita. Happs seemed a lot more skilled at fighting than she had been led to believe. He fought like a man who clearly had some military training. A former soldier perhaps? He handled that dagger like a pro against her sword.

Happ's smirked as their two blades clashed. "Not too bad for a pretty little thing. I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

"Like hell I'd even let you touch me," she growled, shoving him back with all her might before swinging at him. Happs jumped back before suddenly bull rushing her, driving his elbow right into her face. Karita stumbled and fell back, managing to recover just in time to avoid the dagger swing to her face. She swung again and their blades clashed. Happ's smirk didn't leave his face.

"Once I'm done with you, we'll burn this miserable place to the ground, and then we'll take you, and Oleg's pretty little woman back with us. It would be nice to have some play things around when we're not working."

Karita snarled, her anger rising. "I wont let you, or anyone else, harm these people ever again!" She shoved him back and swung, letting her anger guide her blade. This time, Happs was going to have a fight on his hands, trying to deflect Karita's rage enforced blows. Dammit, why wouldn't this woman just lay down and die?

"As a cavelier of the order of the lion!" Karita shouted out, "I'm ending your banditry right now!" She swung her blade in an upward arc. Happs couldn't bring his dagger to deflect it in time and let out a roar of pain as the blade raked across his torso, sending a spray of blood onto the ground. Happs stumbled back, clutching the wound as he fell to one knee. He glared up at Karita, his eyes a mixture of anger and fear as he only now realised he was the only bandit left.

Karita stood over him, her anger gone, but that steely glare remained. Wiping the blood off her blade, she sheathed it. "Leave."

Happs looked confused. She wasn't going to kill him?

"Leave," Karita repeated, "And tell your low life partners never to bother these people ever again!"

Happs snarled, his pride bruised by this damn woman. She humiliated him and now ordering him around like a wipped dog!? He pulled himself to his feet clutching his wound. "Oh, we'll be back you bitch! I'll bring everyone here and we'll rip this damn place apart. We'll slaughter every last one of you fuckers! Oh, and I'm going to enjoy making you scream! You'll beg for me to kill you before I'm done!"

Karita turned and began walking away, ignoring the defeated bandit's words. Happs trembled with rage.

"Don't you ignore me you bitch!" he roared, charging at her, dagger ready to stab her. Despite being wounded, he was closing in with surprising speed, barely giving Karita any time to turn around, let alone draw her weapon.

However, before she could draw, something past her, striking Happs in the face with a powerful explosion. The bandit's lifeless body flew back to the ground, his face now a burnt, charred mess. Everyone stared at the dead bandit before slowly turning to the source of the explosive.

Artecus was breathing heavily, his body still feeling the rush of what he just did. Everyone stared at the lanky alchemist in surprise.

Soon, Larrem broke the silence. "Nice throw Skinny." Artceus rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Just glad to help." he replied.

At that point, Svetlana poked her head out of the house. "Is it over?"

"It's over," Karita called out, "They're all dead."

"Except for this one!" Nela pointed out, pointing to the bandit she had knocked out, now tied up and disarmed. The bandit in question was starting to wake up. His eyes shot opened in panic when he realised he was surrounded by people who, quite frankly, would like to kill him.

"What should we do with him?" Larrem asked, still holding the wound on her side. Nela's eyes widened when she saw the injured Elf.

"Oh! Miss Larrem, you're hurt! Here, let me help you!" she approached the rogue, a healing spell in her hands.

"You just noticed I'm hurt now? What kind of healer are you?"

"Hey, I was busy tying up a bandit. Shut up."

Oleg ignored the banter between the two and glared at the bandit. "I say we hang him from the south wall along with his dead buddies," he said grimly, causing the bandit to whimper.

"I have a better idea," Karita said, stepping forward and glaring at the bandit. "You want to live, correct?" The bandit nodded his head frantically. "Good, then you're going to work off all the damage you and your cohorts have done. You're working for Oleg now, understand? Whatever he says goes. If you try anything, well, we'll let you imagine what will happen."

"Yes! Yes! I'll do what he says! Just please don't kill me!" the bandit pleaded.

"Good," she replied, slicing off the ropes that held him bound.

"You can start," Oleg order gruffly, "By helping me gather up your dead friends here. Then go grab some rope and meet me at the south wall. Gonna show your former friends what happens when they mess with us."

"Are you seriously going to hang their bodies from the wall?" Larrem asked, inspecting her now healed side, "That's a little twisted don't you think?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"Hell no. I want to help."

Svetlana was bouncing with glee. "Those bandits wont be bothering us anymore! Time to celebrate! I'm going to cook up the juiciest, tasted roast boar you'll ever have!"

"Ooh! I'll help! Let me help!" Nela piped up, following Svetlana into the house. Karita glanced over at Artecus, who was heading back to the guest house.

"Artecus," she spoke up, catching the alchemist's attention, "Thank you, for saving me."

Artecus chuckled nervously. "I-It's ok, really. I just wanted to help." Karita gave him a small smile, returned by the alchemist before he slipped back into the guest house. Today had been an eventful day, and their journey had only just begun. They would spend the rest of the day relaxing, lord knows they deserved it. But tomorrow, they would begin their mission.

The exploration of the Greenbelt.


Party Rollcall!

Karita Stormwel
Human, level 1 Cavelier (order of the lion), Lawful Good

Larrem Windson
Elf, level 1 Rogue, Chaotic Nuetral

Artecus Tanrew
Human, level 1 Alchemist, Chaotic Good

Ienjow Kerras
Half-Elf, level 1 Gunslinger, True Nuetral

Nela Chesnup
Halfing, level 1 Cleric of Desna, Chaotic Good

[Gavin Luper]

Nice writing style, Mystic_clown. Also, this story - or, at least, the prologue, totally reminded me of Dragon Age (even though I realise it's based on a different RPG).

I never have much time to read fics but I just wanted to say I like the style of this and encourage you to keep at it!

Cheers!