#Lore24 – Entry #137 – Muckenmyre Month #16 – Swamp Drake Hold
From the journal of Takara, Slave Inquisitor of the Stellae Illustris, Town Marshal of Grimbridge.
Though my primary targets were the twins, as a town marshal of Grimbridge, I was just as obligated to deal with the bandit threat and see them brought to justice alongside them, though the laws of the town stated that bandits, like pirates, were to be dealt with harshly unless they surrendered themselves for judgement. Unlikely, given what I knew of bandits from the outskirts of the Empire; I doubted they were particularly different here.
Perhaps a hundred yards away from the nearest wall, at Jessiryn’s suggestion, I made heavy use of some of the plentiful mud to cover my skin, fur, and hair as he did; it would make it that much harder to be spotted, and my coloration would stand out, even to the less keen eyes of the human bandits, in the browns and greens that filled the area. We had come to an outlying section of ancient collapsed stone, covered in moss and vines. Augra had make quick work of a viper that had called the rubble home, snatching it up and tearing its head free as if it were nothing, and we made a makeshift hide using some additional moss and fallen branches to aid in concealing Satella, Abdel, and Joeseph while we scouted the old fort.
With the general layout in mind, myself, Jessiryn, and Augra set out to locate and deal with any sentries, then see what we could gather about what was going on inside. From the sound of things, the bandits were beginning a celebration of their successful raid on the caravan. As we spread out and crept closer, I heard laughter and music start up, then saw flares of light fly into the sky, erupting low over the clearing in a multicolored pyrotechnic display, likely the work of the twins. I could make out the well-worn draconic visages in the ancient stonework, even a few runes of draconic text as well, though it was far too decayed for me to have read it properly in the low light.
I came upon the first of the bandit watchers perhaps fifty feet from the old fort as he was pacing back and forth, his attention drawn to the celebration instead of his assigned duties. When his gaze turned to another burst of magical light in the sky, I rose from the tall patch of swamp grass I’d been hiding in and brought him down silently, one hand over his mouth, then a quick twist and snap of bone, dragging him into the tall grass to conceal the body. The next sentry was likewise distracted, and I dealt with him in kind. I saw one bandit atop a section of the wall make his way toward the edge, drawn by something I didn’t hear or see, only to get an arrow through his throat before being pulled over the edge with nary a sound that could be heard over the party.
Making my way to the wall, I crept along its length to the makeshift gate that had been fashioned from logs and peered through the openings. Indeed, the majority of the bandits were distracted by the twins, the blue- and red-skinned mazoku dancing around the big fire half-naked, magic sparkling around them as they danced to approving shouts of the bandits. I counted a dozen of them, plus the leader, the orc named Jaggedtusk, who sat watching the dancers with great interest. Another trio of bandits were off to one side, playing the lively tune on their fiddles and a flute. The smell of unwashed bodies was strong, and I could discern there were other orcs about, for I picked up at least two different scents lingering besides that of the leader.
I watched in silence for a time, counting off the minutes in my head as the booze began to flow. I spotted one of the other orcs making their way to the leader’s side, leaning down to say something to him. Jaggedtusk laughed, shook his head, then went to the nearby roasting boars, tearing free a bloody chunk for himself, following it with a long draw from a dark bottle. After about thirty minutes, I made my way back to the hide, meeting up with Augra and Jesiryn on the way. He’d dealt with the one guard atop the wall, and she had dealt with two more, one of them an orc, and from their vantage points, had spotted another three amongst the bandits besides Jaggedtusk. They filled in the details of the fort as best they could discern, indicating what was likely the storehouse for the stolen goods, the barracks, and the leader’s den. It also appeared that the bandits had repurposed the old jail, and may have had at least two prisoners inside, perhaps more, women from what Augra had indicated she had heard.
I reiterated the details of what I had learned of Charity and Chastity, and emphasized that they should be considered amongst the most dangerous of the bandits. One well-placed spell could take out all of us, if their power hadn’t been exaggerated by the sailors and their previous displays. I had originally intended on taking them alive, but if they’d thrown their lot in with the bandits, then they would suffer their fate as well, should the situation deem it necessary. I could deal with them if I could catch them by surprise and my aim was true; arcanists cannot cast their spells without their voices or their arms, after all. Though Satella was not as used to stealth as I, she was agile, and could make a decent effort to keep herself hidden, so we would prioritize the twins while the others dealt with the bandits. Jessiryn and Abdel would get atop the walls and open up with their bows, and Augra and Joeseph would come in from either of the makeshift gates, while Satella and I would slip in and get as close to the twins as possible to neutralize them quickly.
The attack plan was solid, and thanks to Satella, we had received a blessing from Yurisaya, but as with most plans I have been involved with in my life, it would not survive the first few moments of the attack.