Solo Bandit Clearout

[Telk]

12th Day, Winter of 512 A.V. Early Evening Palanan Valley, The Unforgiving Part 1 of 3 Winter was a horrible time of year to leave the safety and security of Wind-Reach, the Unforgiving lived up to its name tenfold and so did many other usually 'safe' regions. Not only was there danger present in winter, but the sheer skill and determination required to actually get anywhere through the ice, snow drifts and possible avalanches was high enough to put Endals off. Despite all this, Telk was determined to get back at the bandits, they still were in possession of his shield and this did nothing but irk him all Fall. So he set off, passing through the gates, tracking the bandits and recruiting two Chiet scouts who seemed to be banished from the city for Winter so they could assist him. All knowledge of the bandits and their camp came from two scouts whom he had made a pact with, they would take 1/4 of the loot of the bandit camp and split it between them for their work as Scouts, whereas Telk, who was going to do the fighting and the assault would take the remaining 3/4 of the loot. One of the scouts, named Degud recommended a quick insertion, killing the six bandits quickly and stealthily. The second scout, who went by the name, Kalim advocated a night raid, killing them while they sleep, reducing the amount of possible fighting. Telk retired to bed, a nights sleep would help him think on his approach. Waking on the next day he began training, the scouts had detailed the camp and its surroundings, finding a similar area nearby he plotted and carried out what he was going to do as training, he'd chosen a night raid, giving him stealth, surprise and of course no need to fight too much in such dangerous conditions. After he was happy with his plan, he sat with the scouts, discussing with them the environmental hazards, the scouts put forward a point of a possible avalanche as they were camped in a valley, but Telk wasn't planning on being loud enough to cause one. Another hazard they saw was the possibility of the cold making swords stick in their scabbards, however this was more of a hazard for the bandits, but he was sure they would have back-up weapons, daggers and axes and the like. The final hazard Telk could see was the cold itself, being wounded in the cold would be an excruciatingly painful experiance, a slash to the leg and Telk could still fight in normal weather, but in the cold it would probably immobilize him, letting the bandits have their way with him. He would have to be extra careful and on his guard for this one.

[Telk]

13th Day, Winter of 512 A.V. Early Evening Palanan Valley, The Unforgiving Part 2 of 3 A war might as well have raged in the valley tonight. The Plans of mere mortals were always to be shattered, and it seemed the saying held sway tonight. Telk sat, lonesome at his campfire nearby, the cart filled with the spoils of victory close to him, the only comfort after battle, he said his ode to the dead. Rest silent, rest soft Forever has come, it will hold you high Esteem and Honour has kept its promise Forever are you within its grasp Wrap darkness around me, I sin for your death But now and forever, you are laid to rest. Warming his hands he recounted the violence that had occured and the surprising interjection. It began with his approach, a slow and cautious one. Two senties had been posted and after five minutes of position, they had both spotted his rustling in the undergrowth, he cursed himself while pushing a small branch out of his eyesight. He stalked backwards quietly, low to the ground, he could hear their heavy boots getting closer, he was as quiet as he good be, then they came upon him. Both of them were part of the old gang, recognizing him instantly and drawing their swords, he could do nothing but fight. Telk stood, in the noble fighting position he was taught, unsheathing his sword he placed it in front of his face in salute, then bowing. The bandits cut him off mid-bow, charging him like bulls, one of them even grunted as he charged, that could have been the fat that stopped him from performing strenous exercise though. A quick parry and sidestep and Telk had dodged the first charger, the second caught him off-balance and shoved him to the ground, Telk scrambled to get back up as a sword plunged into the ground where he was just laid. Both of the men fought simultaneously, blow after blow was directed at Telk, without his shield he struggled against them though. He needed a break in the relentless flurries of his enemies, catching one he slammed his hilt against the first opponents wrist, breaking it almost instantly, with an upward swing he ended the mans suffering quickly, slicing through his jaw and into his brain. Turning in time he caught the sword of his final opponent with his free hand, using the lack of defensive possibility he plunged his sword into the final mans stomach and then to be sure, his neck. The two men, now fallen laid near to each other, staining the soft snow with their blood. He would come back for the bodies when he had finished the rest, four remained and they were all asleep, hopefully the plan went forward properly now. Disheartening was the only description of his feelings now, as he came face to face with all four men, awakened by the ruckus nearby. He could only sigh and go on the offensive immediately, despite the numerical advantage the enemy had, he leapt at the closest one, Pommel striking him in the back of the head and beginning sword combat with the second closest, he parried and exchanged blows with him twice before punching him in the face, just in time to meet the swords of the third and fourth opponents who swung at the same time, he forced them into a deadlock before pushing them both back with sheer strength. Hearing scuffling behind him, he spun round without warning or caution, slashing straight across the chest of one of the bandits, the first, who had just recovered from his nasty pommel strike injury. However, with his back turned he was unable to stop himself being shoved to the ground by the remaining three. "He killed three of us, just stick him now, you made this come about by letting him live last time" "No. He deserves something different, something new. Tie him up in my tent."

[Telk]

14h Day, Winter of 512 A.V. Early Morning Palanan Valley, The Unforgiving Part 3 of 3 "Throb. Throb. Throb. Throb." Each time it hurt, he spoke, the onomatapoeic word of what he was feeling, while he was being dragged backwards into a tent, it was over he thought. Finished. This was where he fell. Fate was cruel, but bandits were crueler, he began saying one or two prayers, trying to cement his place in whatever there was after-death. "Throb. Throb. Rustle. Throb." It wasn't until moments later that Telk had realized what he'd said, he'd subconciously spoke the word Rustle as a bush outside rustled, none of the bandits noticed however, but their attention was duly taken when a lean man wielding two daggers came flying out of a nearby bush in a frenzy. The frenzied man moved like an eagle, swift but deadly. Telk tried standing a couple of times and failed, eventually getting the hang of it he put his hand to his head, he wasn't badly damaged, but the bandits certainly didn't put something soft and cosy on their shoes when they kicked him in the head. While his vision recovered, Telk tried to use his ears, trying to notice the mans voice, see if he could make him out, he roared once more as he stabbed one of the remaining bandits in the neck. "Scout. SCOUT. K..ka..ka.kuh... KALIM!" Telk exclaimed "Shut up and give me a hand here" Kalims final words came with a deep baritone as he was struck down by a diagonal slash straight across his chest, Telk was ready though, sword already in hand he rushed back into Battle, relying less on his eyes, which still remained a little blurry. This wasn't the best of situations, he got cut on the arms and legs often as the bandits toyed with him, in a stunning display of flurry however he struck one down. One Remained. Telk raised his sword in defiance, ready to strike the bandit down, promising him a clean death, a soldiers death if he surrendered now. The bandit wasn't a fan of that, he swore at Telk in a language he couldn't understand and charged, sidestepping him Telk plunged his sword into the Bandits back, a swift killing, as he'd promised. Sighing as he sat down he wiped his forehead of the sweat before going outside, pulling the cart up and piling the dead on it with the loot, leading the horse towards his camp. A war might as well have raged in the valley tonight. The Plans of mere mortals were always to be shattered, and it seemed the saying held sway tonight. Telk sat, lonesome at his campfire nearby, the cart filled with the spoils of victory close to him, the only comfort after battle, he said his ode to the dead. Rest silent, rest soft Forever has come, it will hold you high Esteem and Honour has kept its promise Forever are you within its grasp Wrap darkness around me, I sin for your death But now and forever, you are laid to rest. Warming his hands he recounted the violence that had occured and the surprising interjection...

[Whimsy]

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Experience Award

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Telk

Exp
+1 Negotiation
+1 Tactics
+1 Stealth
+2 Weapon: Bastard Sword

Lores
The Danger of Winter in the Unforgiving
Revenge
Ode to the Dead
Battle Tactic: Breaking a Man’s Wrist
Being Rescued

Comments
I liked how Telk constantly prayed to the gods or whoever was listening: it was a nice little aspect of his personality. However, there were a few issues with this thread. I am unsure if you did, but you will need to approve this sort of story with a ST before you write it: with such a widespread manipulation of NPCs, an ST must always give you the green light before you write such a thread. In addition, you'll need to be more detailed about your actions, your emotions, your thoughts if you want more experience points. Be careful about overplaying your skills: you have no stealth skills and only two points in tracking, and competent isn’t enough to defeat six bandits, even at night, and especially not with blurry vision. Please PM me if you have any questions or concerns.