Duty Session 106: Still Water Bandits

With the increased trade between the various cities and kingdoms, the Lander traders have also been reporting an increase in Bandit activity. A group that calls themselves the 'Still Water Bandits' has begun raiding caravans and ships. This has caused a slowing of supply lines, as well as damage to the lives and livelihoods of the traders. They are seeking help from capable Adventurers to help clear out a number of bandit camps.

Difficulty:    Moderate
Rec. Party:    3+
Rewards:       2
World Rewards: Increase in trade route efficiency

Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu rallied the troops! Except... there weren't as many as his name would normally have brought to the party. But four people was more than enough to handle a bunch of bandits. "Alright, everyone! Listen up! For those of you who don't know who I am, I am Naotsugu! Former front-line Tank of the Debauchery Tea Party! Here's what's going on. Transports have been going missing on these roads as of late! We're going out and dealing with the threat! I have a feeling it's that clan of bandits again. There's no evidence to suggest this, just my Guardian's intuition! So! Keep your wits about you, and remember to stay awesome out there! Now... let's MOVE OUT!"

    Naotsugu didn't even wait for everyone to talk. He figured there was time to talk while on the road.
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek would walk along with the party when Naotsugu brought all of them to the place to begin their watch. He pulls on the scabbard of his to draw Shadow Eclipse, and nods a bit. He wears dark attire, with a belt about the waist and leather, along with a longcoat pulled about him, and gauntlets that are clawlike. He does seem to be a little quiet like he often wants to be, taking the time to watch.
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade will get moving with the others, marching out with steady strides. She's met Naotsugu, but she's mostly here because this seems like a good way to help people, which she's taken as her calling. She likes helping out the Landers, and hopefully this will make things a bit safer overland in the future. Trade is important for a successful society.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

One a guildie had called for help and two when said person? Was one of the Tea Party's tanks? You just don't say no. The short Salamander smith and samurai had joined with bells on. She was walking along with the others singing some random anime intro as she goes. "Can't let the trade routes get cut off now can we?"
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade is interested to see if this works, it's something she's ever tried before. She's got a kit of tools from her pack, and will set to work on the gate's lock. "Never had to do this before," she admits. "Not sure how it got on my skill list, either, to be honest." So, without puzzling out the puzzle, she goes to work directly on the lock with her set of small tools, and after some minutes, there is a small click that pleases her.
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek looks to all of the general runes upon the floor of the place, then he picks up one of them. "This one looks like it will assist with the lock," he notes. Then he places that into a slot while others do what they will to assist in opening that gate. "There's been blessing to people, I think. It's difficult to explain, I think there are more than a few folk with skills that wouldn't originally come with the class."
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu led the group back to where he had encountered the bandit hideout first, in hopes of finding any clues. What they found instead... was a locked gate. "Well... that wasn't here the last time. That must have been what Shiroe was talking about, these places changing constantly..." He looks around to see if he can find a key anywhere. Or some other way to get in...
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Miho Says "This is a new one too, I tried to se up for this as besc I can. It seems everything is changing like an actual world would." She notes however it seems there are few more things. She pulls out a map and start to go over it trying to help plan out better route. It doesn't go so well it seems Miho doesn't have the best ability to do this. "Who knows what is going to be waiting. I'd not even trust what we knew before we arrived here. I keep hearing the floor bosses are changed from how they were."
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu looked at Golden. "Yeahh! Nice one! Alright. Now that we're in, we can find-" And suddenly, the group was beset by a plethora of Bandits!

    "Awh yeah! We've been lookin' for you asshats! Time to get some!" He rushed into the group of them, lifting his sword high as he glowed green, shouting "ANCHOR HOOOOWWWLLLLL!!!"
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek looks to the bandits while he seems to think about it. He then lifts up the hand of his to draw a divine shield upon the party to give people the space to fight.
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade reacts quickly to the rushing in of bandits. Her blades come out and she's stabbing and slashing each bandit as they come close, twirling and whirling, blades flashing brightly as the bandits take, well, virtual wounds, but she still thinks of it as stabbing people. But it's OK, they're bad people, and they fall as she cuts through the ones that come at her, striking them down onesie-twosies with her twin swords.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Bandits? Its always bandits or green skins around here it seems. Miho doesn't take long to draw her Katana and leap into the fight with the scouts. It doesn't go so well. While she's able to take a few down she ends up pretty beaten up and she's muttering. "I should get out of the forge more..."
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek looks to the plate, while he nods a bit, "I think that it means that," he would note a few things. The man is actually great with the task, all the same it looks like the party as a whole doesn't succeed in it.
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu looked at the Gnoll... "Well, at least it's the same this time... but I still can't make heads or tails of it at all..."

    He looks to the others there. "Any of you got it?"
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade peers at the strange mix of herbs and things the old crone has assembled and looks to Naotsugu. "What's this, then?" she wonders. Under her breath, she asks, "Can't we just stab her?" She shrugs about getting it, shaking her head.

"I've got nothing," she says.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Things just go balkdy with the bandit soothsayer who seem to be ready for htem. She looks to her for a moment, she looks at the thing there's what might be a map she pauses for a moment and looks to Goldenmblade. "Look if they are not going to fight us leave em be."

She shakes her head at a loss herself but seems ready to move on without fighting this bandit. "I'd see about trying to find work that isn't for a bandit camp." She notes before she turns her tail swishing as she goes.
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings



    Naotsugu just nodded to the Gnoll mystic as they passed. But what was waiting ahead was not fun! As suddenly, there seemed to be some form of enforcer! "Ah fu-"

    Suddenly, that hammer came down hard! Raising his shield up, he was able to deflect it to give the party their openings! "You guys...! Take your shot!"
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade hahs as the one bandit says that she won't pass. "You underestimate us." Well, if it got its advanced warning from the soothsayer, maybe that -is- a reasonable expectation. She dodges in, baiting it, the dodges back out as it tries to attack her. The others will be able to smack this beast down, she concentrates on baiting it and avoiding it's counterattacks. She seems to have found a rhythm, it's health bar going down as she avoids its attacks with quick, darting steps.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Miho is quick on the draw as she draws her bow, there are some bandits who seem to have enough brains? As they keep the hell out of the Adventurers way. She'll draw her boy at the one who does not seem to be smart enough to get out of the way.

"We can't pass huh?"

She notes in reply to the bandit.

"You should have been like your friends and got out of our way."

She draws her bow and levels it at the creature calling out.

"BURST SHOT!"

There's glow about her arrow which builds up until she fires.
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek looks to the beastman, and takes a moment to look around, before he begins to sweep into him with a few strikes of the sword, all the same he seems to be dodging while he does as well, waiting until all of them finish him.
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu immediately rushed to the boss, putting himself right in front of the lizard and blocking it from hurting allies! "Get around him and go for the gut! I'mma make a nice lizard skin binder for my new Panty Book! And it's gonna be made from your face!"
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade pauses at Naotsugu's taunt of the lizard boss, "Panty book?" and she shakes her head with a sigh. She won't argue about him taking the boss first, it takes her a moment to really wind up her attack. Scooting behind him as Naotsugu pins him in place, she unleases a storm of heavy blows at his back, knocking down his health bar rapidly. "Take that!" she shouts, "and some of this. And more of that." She slams it with strike after strike, abandoning defense since it seems to be fully paying attention to the tank, which is as things should be, she's been told.
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek would begin to fight with the lizard, calling up eartth to begin to sweep along him with a little bit of shifting. Eventually, when the party wins, the man nods a bit with a look about, "Interesting," he would note.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Miho looks at Naotsugu for a moment.

"Pantie book? /Really/ that's not just a rumour?"

Miho's tail is up like a lighting rod at this. However with the Pirate Captain to deal with well? She's going to focus on that.

"I'm afraid this isn't the end for us, but for you."

She'l draw her Katana and move to start intercepting the incoming attacks and sometimes even forcing the target back as she does so, it seems she's pretty good at parrying...
Naotsugu
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings


    Naotsugu looked perturbed by the Lizardman's last words as it fell into pixels... "The master... I wonder what he meant by that..." He sighed and looked at the shards of the weapon he found. "Well... no hide. But souvenir regardless." He picks up one of the shards and tucks it away. "Suppose... job done for now. I'll be gathering some people together to find this Master the Lizardman referred to. If we can take them out of the equation, it could seriously do so much good in clearing the roads for Landers to travel on again. But for now, the roads should be clear. But we'll have to get people out here clearing this camp as often as possible to make sure it stays clear."
Goldenblade
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

Goldenblade peers at the dying lizardman and his last words. "Well, they can bring it on," she says, mostly to herself. She's mostly up to the task, minus the fortunetellers. "We should have just stabbed her," she grumbles, recalling that part. She takes a look at the reward, a broken metal shard, and sighs. "Well, it's not like I'm doing this for money, I guess. But ... really? What do I even do with this?" Maybe the fortuneteller got away with whatever loot they had and this was what's left?
Merek
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

    Merek looks over to Goldenblade and frowns a bit at her words, "We're not murderers." The man would look to the skies, then he pulls the longcoat about him, before walking away from the party when they won.
Miho
Carmina Gadelica - Town of Beginnings

It doesn't take long for things to finish up there as she pauses lowing her weapon as the Captain mentioned a master. "This means it's not over, he was just a pawn and not the master mind." She will move about starting to clean up she looks to Goldenblade. "What kill everything we come across?" She shakes her head a bit. "Sides there might be an upside to sparing her later."