Sergei takes aim at the bandit who downed Castille with a single blow. However, he doesn't want to risk hitting the still-enlarged form of his dying comrade, and the shot goes a bit too wide.
The bandit on the horse struggles to control his mount, failing to make good his escape. The bandit that Aleksandra slashed tries to make a dash for the horses as well, but the young woman's reflexes prove too quick: with a single slash, she hamstrings the bandit and leaves him sprawled on the ground.
Oblivious to the fate of his men, the bandit leader takes aim at Sergei and fires. The shot would have found its mark, were it not for an intervening crate. The arrow thuds into the wood near Sergei's face, and the bandit leader mutters a curse.
Seizing the moment, Aleksandra emerges from the stables, Aldori dueling sword flashing crimson through the air. She opens the bandit leader from shoulder to hip, tearing through his cloak and leaving him a bleeding mess on the ground.
Seeing his leader fall, the last remaining uninjured bandit dashes for a nearby horse, and mounts up. Their mission of robbery abandoned, the two seem intent on fleeing through the still-open gate...
The uninjured bandit has just gotten his feet in the stirrups when an arrow sprouts from his chest, causing him to slump unconscious and dying in the saddle.
The other bandit finally manages to get his horse under control, and rides out of the gate! Sergei fires another arrow, but misses the fast moving target.
Aleksandra, still inside the fort, curses as the bandit escapes. She moves over to the massive, dying form of Castille, only to see Oleg running towards her, a vial of liquid in his meaty hand.
The mounted bandit spurs his horse, and beast puts several hundred feet between the bandit and the palisade. Sergei knows he has one last shot before they're out of range... he angles the arrow at a high arc, leading the shot to account for the target's momentum; in the distance, he sees the bandit fall from the horse, an arrow lodged in his neck. The horse goes galloping off into the distance...
Oleg pours the vial down Castille's throat, and his wounds magically close. The cleric comes to, dirty and bloody, but otherwise fine. Fearing for Tallamor's life, Aleksandra, Oleg, and Castille grab the ladder from the shed and climb up to the elf's hiding place on the roof of the stable, only to find him unconscious but otherwise in decent shape, the arrow having fallen out of its own accord. Castille converts one of his spells to healing energy, and is able to revive the mage.
The morning is yours! The bandits are dead, and all but one of their horses are yours for the claiming. It takes a while, but you're eventually able to gather up all of the bandits' gear, including some gold coins. Aside from weapons and armor, perhaps the most curious trophy is a silver amulet in the shape of an antlered stag's head, worn by the bandit leader.
Oleg, overjoyed, offers you all a reward. He gives the group 50 gp, and the remaining two potions in his inventory: a potion of Cure Light Wounds, and a potion of Shield of Faith. "You're also welcome to stay here for free, for as long as you want. Svetlana and I will even toss in meals! You've certainly earned it!"
Oleg nods. "We're supposed to get reinforcements from Restov soon, but it's good to know you've sent those bastards a message."
At the mention of the Stag Lord, Oleg shrugs, apparently having never heard of him.
(An Appraise check on the silver amulet can reveal how much it's worth.)
Tallamor is uncertain of the value of the amulet; it looks to be silver, although whether or not it has magical properties the elf cannot say. His gut tells him it's unlikely, as the bandits seemed to lack any magical defenses, the leader in particular.
As the afternoon sun rises, Oleg and Svetlana have a brief argument; Oleg wants to string up the bodies of the dead bandits and hang them from the palisade walls as a warning, but Svetlana doesn't want to see such grisly decorations day-to-day, let alone deal with their smell. (If any of you have an idea what to do with the bodies, you can chip in your two coppers; failing that, Oleg will take them out to the edge of the forest and leave them to the wolves.)
Aside from the potion Oleg gave you, Castile is out of healing magic, and the wounds you sustained make further exploration today risky. Of course, sorting through the bandits' equipment and planning your next move should take up a busy evening's time, at the very least.
IC Thread 1: Ch. 1, Stolen Land
