With some careful planning and respectable execution, our Heroes find themselves INSIDE the Bandit Lords fortress, posing as bandits themselves in the hopes of catching the numerous Bandits stationed here unawares.
With a small group of Soldiers armed with a newly repaired siege engine waiting just outside the fortress and a wagon laden with unusually strong Ale to inebriate the bandits our Heroes seem to have the upper hand against their enemies, they can only hope everything goes as planned...
Bandits and Brigands, who's who in the Bandits Lair?
Topper Red: An outspoken, unusually well kept, and charming man wearing a signature red beret Topper Red is a poet hailing most recently from the kingdom of Pitax. By his own admission Topper came to the Stolen Lands in search of a romanticized idea of what a life of banditry should be and has been left severely disappointed. Apparently unhappy with the choice he has made to join forces with the Stag Lord Topper now seeks to make the best of his situation in anyway he can.
Fat Norry: The appointed Chef of the fortress here, Fat Norry certainly lives up to his name. An aggressively rotund man, Norry does what he can with no formal training to provide passable meals to his comrades. Norry is also in charge of any food or alcohol deliveries to the Stag Lord himself and takes this responsibility seriously instead of viewing it for what it is... a job that no one else wants...
Jex the Snitch: The least popular with the men but perhaps the Stag Lords favorite minion is this aptly named man. His penchant for reporting his fellows mistakes to the Stag Lord is likely to earn him a shallow grave before much longer.
Falgrim Sneeg: A former mercenary from Pitax Sneeg possesses an unnerving calm in the face of danger that has not gone unnoticed among his companions. Sneeg keeps to himself and gets his work done quickly so he can make his way back to the card tables as soon as possible. He doesn't seem to have a particular loyalty to the Stag Lord but certainly enjoys the freedom of bandit life.
Cragger Kench: A former cut-purse Cragger was beaten senseless by the Stag Lord for drinking one of his bottles of liqour and this encounter has left the man a little dim-witted, though not so dim wittd as Auchs.
The Stag Lords Captains
Akiros Insmorte: A fallen Paladin of Erastil Akiros appears now as a man who is broken. His reputation among the Bandits is that of a man with a death wish and none denounce his savagery in combat, often ending opponents with his bare hands before they can put up any real fight. Akiros seems to be conflicted with a crisis of Faith, having come here for reasons obviously connected the the Stag Lords supposed connection to Erastil one would assume Akiros was seeking redemption in the wrong places. After feeling the release of Mythic Power from Erastil's shrine Akiros knew he had failed in some way and assumed upon their first encounter that our Heroes and come to the Fort weilding Erastils righteous fury to finally kill him... now, after his encounter with Rhodan Basmali, Akiros is no longer certain that the Lord of the Hunt seeks his death... he has assured that he will not interfere with Rhodan's mission to end the Stag Lord, but that he could not offer aid either... he just wants to be left alone...
Dovan, from Nisroch: Until Akiros should up suddenly and usurped the role Dovan sat comfortably as the Stag Lords second-in-command of the fort. Though seemingly unaffected by his change of status many of the men beleive that Dovan holds an unending grudge against Akiros for his slights but other than that Dovan is somewhat of a mystery to the rest of the bandits here. A dark tattooed figure of a sword fighter with an obvious lust for pain and cruelty most prefer the Leadership of Akiros to that of Dovan to be sure. Dovan may have Auchs full loyalty but even the support of the big dim wit doesnt seem to be enough to give Dovan spine enough to openly challenge Akiros, which lends even more solidity to the Bandits belief that Akiros is a scary, scary man. In truth, our Heroes can see that fear has nothing to do with why Dovan has stayed his blade as the man seems cunning, sharp witted and calculating to be sure...certainly not an opponent to take lightly.
Auchs: A lumbering lumox of a man, Auchs is big, dumb, and proud of it. Frequently showing off his brute strength by delivering beatings to both bandits and prisoners alike, mostly at the command of Dovan and the Stag Lord. Auchs has a reputation for gleeful enjoyment in cruelty as he enjoys the sounds that his victims make, but Topper Red beleives this glee derives from his close connection to Dovan and nothing else. Even still, Auchs appears loyal to Dovan and is the largest reason, literally, why Dovan has been so successful in the Stag Lords employ.
The Stag Lord, Erastil's Avatar, Bandit King
The Stag Lord's reputation for cruelty, malice, hatred, and iron handed rule far precede him and he has ruled over the Stolen Lands as King of Bandits for some time now. Despite his fearsome reputation it has become apparent to our Heroes that the Stag Lord is not what he once was. Numerous accounts have labeled the Stag Lord as a mentally unstable alcoholic who has locked himself away in his tower leaving the Bandits to fend for themselves. Many of his men seem to be unsatisfied with his leadership of late but none dare voice that opinion to the man himself and for good reason apparently... Rhodans short encounter with the man revealed the rumors to be true, a confused drunken man for certain, but one weilding the unmistakable might of Mythic Energy just as our Heroes do... how the man achieved such power is yet unknown, but the fact remains that the Stag Lord, drunken madness or no, is a foe that is not to be taken lightly...
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