Loot, Loot, Loot
In the last blog, our heroes Kel Tuh Las, Theo, Aldric and Löwenzahn successfully stole some parrot eggs from their parents’ nests and also wiped out a family of Bachkrabbler. It may sound paradoxical that all this was necessary so that the herbalist Rosvita could brew a love potion, but it is nevertheless the case. The four of us are now resting in the middle of the Telzer Moor and discussing things.
They would actually like to start Lieutenant Kampf’s quest now. Firstly, they need to recover Emanuel’s half-rotten head, which should be lying somewhere in the moor outside the gates of the Chiraque residence. They also need a replacement for Emanuel so that Lieutenant Kampf can continue to keep an eye on events at the Chiraque residence. Dandelion has a good idea and suggests Kira, Rosvita’s daughter. According to the sailors in Fichtenstein harbour, she is not a child of sadness and has a particularly good rapport with men. And since Mr Chiraque is known to be one, that should actually work quite well. And if not, she still has access to her mother’s love potion if necessary. Unfortunately, Kira recently ran away after our friends caught her in flagrante delicto with the Jarl of Fichtenstein. But if they’re going to make their way back to Fichtenstein through the moor anyway, they might as well keep an eye out for Kira.
But now it’s time to head towards Emanuel’s head and they pack up their things. After about two hours of walking, they get closer and closer to the Chiraque residence and begin to move a little more cautiously. It takes them a while to find the spot where Kel decapitated the bound Emanuel, but eventually they find it again. Fortunately, the head has not yet been completely eaten away by wolves, maggots and flies, and with a little imagination you can still recognise the features of the former Emanuel. The head is quickly stowed away in a bag and the cosy little place is quickly left.
Now they head back in the direction of Fichtenstein. But on the way there, Dandelion and Co discover a column of smoke directly in front of them. To have a look at the situation in peace, Theo should first sneak ahead in this direction and find out what is hiding at the foot of the column of smoke. He carefully works his way through the swampy thicket and finally comes across a small camp. The inhabitants are heavily armed and don’t seem particularly friendly. He counts a good dozen people in total. He returns to his friends with this information and shares it with them. Although Aldric actually wants to talk to the bandits in a civilised manner (of course, he is particularly interested in whether he might be able to pick up a crossbow here), our four are not so sure that this will go well. So they decide that Dandelion and Aldric will bypass the camp and Kel and Theo will march straight into the bandit camp. If it does come to a fight, at least they would have the element of surprise.
And so Kel and Theo stroll leisurely straight into the centre of the bandit camp, while Aldric and Dandelion hide in the thicket behind the bandit camp with their bows drawn and throwing spears drawn. This soon pays off, as Kel and Theo’s mission fails with a crash. Before they can say a word, the bandits draw their weapons and sprint towards the not-so-welcome visitors. Theo and Kel naturally draw their weapons and take up attack positions. For Theo, this primarily means making a quick getaway to hide and then attack from ambush. Kel, on the other hand, stands rock-solid in the crossfire of the three archers and endures the first attacks of the short-sword fighters without batting an eyelid. But his steadfastness pays off, as suddenly Aldric’s arrows and Dandelion’s spears fly into the bandits’ backs. Taken by surprise, some of the bandits turn to fight the other attackers.
Theo is now forgotten and tries to utilise his attack bonus for hidden attacks with his throwing daggers. However, he probably needs a bit more practice, as the daggers fly everywhere but close to the enemy. He therefore decides on a new strategy and tries to incorporate the bandits’ tents into his plan of attack. He sneaks into a tent and cuts his way out of the back to finish off the bandits behind it. Even as he rears up, dagger in hand, and sinks it into the bandit’s back, Kel’s sword also strikes the bandit. The bandit is now out of the fight and his colleagues are also mown down. Aldric records one kill after another and Dandelion, who has now switched to close combat, keeps the remaining opponents at bay.
After a few minutes, the remaining bandits give up and flee. But not without Aldric sending an arrow or two after them. Satisfied with their work, the four of them look around the camp and are amazed at all the items the bandits have left behind. First, they decide to take down two of the bandits’ tents and take them with them to expand their outdoor equipment. Then they pack some durable food into their rucksacks before filling the remaining space with short swords and bows. They also help themselves to the bandits’ leather armour, thereby increasing their armour value considerably.
Once every rucksack, bag and pouch has been stuffed as full as possible, they head back towards Spruce Stone. As planned, they keep an eye out for Kira the whole way, but find neither Kira herself nor any trace of her. As their rucksacks are really heavy, their enthusiasm for time-consuming detours is rather below average and so they prefer to take the direct route. They arrive in Fichtenstein late in the evening without Kira and fall straight into Udo’s prepared beds, this time without even drinking half the bar empty first. But you won’t find out how the adventure of our four heroes continues tomorrow for another two weeks in Arkanthia Pen and Paper.
