Episode 5
From Iridium Circle Exalted
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One Last Show - The Village of Wood - Burnt Ruins - The Bandit Camp - Pursued - A Plan is Hatched
Chapter 5 - Where the Wyld Things Are
- Aldbur has received word that bandits have once again attacked the village of Wood.
- He's sending the three exalts, the Pale Horse, and his personal set of eyes to deal with the menace.
- Our heroes will set out tomorrow, after one last show by the Immaculate Conception troupe.
- After the first few acts, smoke billows out to cover the stage.
- One of the performers strides out of the smoke wearing an impressive dragon costume.
- Oboreta rides upon its back, a gleaming lance in her hand.
- She dances acrobatically, striding across the stage on the point of the lance.
- Aldbur: "That was quite good."
- Lady Izume is quite enthused by the performance and its message of "Seize the day!"
- During the intermission, the Dragonlord schmoozes up to the civic leaders of the city.
- In the morning, the travelers set out.
- Aldbur puts Carver in charge of the exalts.
- He thought this was a good idea?
- Aldbur also acknowledges that he hasn't thanked River enough for what River has done for the city.
- The Dragonlord and her mercenaries ride ahead.
- The rest are less hurried.
- River and Carver go by cloud.
- As they fly over the countryside, River spies an air elemental gusting over the plains.
- River "What up my man?"
- It's on its way to visit a friend but is already late.
- It consents to help River with some training if River will do something for it.
- The elemental wants River to go to Jamidari and deliver a message to it's master - Mistress Heart.
- Carver is oblivious to all this as he cannot speak Old Realm.
- The Pale Horse reach the village and immediately start building a fortified camp.
- The leader of the local militia is a woman called Pan.
- The village militia usually deal with errant wildlife and the occasional drunk.
- They can defend the town, poorly, but they don't have the strength to evict the bandits from... THE WILD WOODS.
- Get it? There are WYLD bandits in the WILD woods!
- The mercenaries start accompanying villagers when they go into the woods and begin patrolling the area around the village.
- Construction of a palisade wall is also begun.
- Oboreta rolls in to town and is immediately 'noticed' by a number of villagers.
- Possibly because she's beautiful. Probably because she's not wearing an awful lot.
- She uses this to her advantage in order to try and get the best room in town.
- She ends up staying with the tavern owner, Mr Renwood.
- The exalts and Wind Follower are invited to dine with the Pale Horse at their encampment.
- River builds a bungalow by the river for Carver, Wind Follower and himself.
- Wind Follower is tasked with taking some of the hunters further into the woods to try and find where the bandits are based.
- He takes Carver as back up.
- They take a circuitous route into the woods in case they are being watched.
- They find that the bandits have been burning hunting lodges.
- From the ruins of a recently burnt lodge, they find tracks leading them further into the forest.
- The tracks aren't human. Well, not entirely.
- A boar with two legs is definitely suspicious though.
- As they follow the tracks, they find an unnaturally blue feather.
- Jenkins, one of the hunters knows a LOT about birds and gives his sagely opinion:
- "That there feather ain't from any bird what lives around these parts"
- Further evidence that these aren't your normal bandits.
- Back at the encampment, some of the soldiers are ill.
- It's consumption, same as what the dancers had back in the Glen.
- River works his healing magic on them.
- Oboreta does some small shows in the village for pocket change.
- As night falls, the scouting party see something in a tree up ahead and quickly melt into the shadows.
- There's a sentry up ahead.
- The bandits must be close.
- Wind Follower looses an arrow, killing the sentry.
- Quick as a flash, Carver catches the corpse before it can alert the camp with the sound of its impact.
- Wind Follower and Carver creep closer.
- There, around a campfire, are a group of eight or so bandits.
- One has a very visible wolf's snout.
- Yep, they're definitely Wyld tainted.
- The camp looks like it's used often, perhaps as a rest stop.
- This looks like a good place to ambush the bandits, so the two leave.
- They take the corpse with them.
- In the morning it is revealed that the sentry was a human with cat eyes and ears.
- They decide to take the corpse as evidence.
- The bandits realise one of their number is missing and find the interlopers' tracks.
- Our intrepid band leg it.
- As they take a quick break in a clearing, they see a brilliant blue bird overhead.
- It's definitely a scout for the bandits.
- Wind Follower's arrow misses, so Carver leaps into the air and grabs it before it can return to its masters.
- The bird refuses to cooperate and soon becomes an ex-bird.
- Back at Wood, the villagers watch as two pretty blue birds fly overhead.
- Little do they know...
- Pressing on, the scouting party makes it to the village at nightfall.
- They immediately gather everyone and go to the Pale Horse camp where the Dragonlord is sitting down to dinner.
- Wind Follower relates the intelligence they have gathered.
- Dragonlord Tepet: "Not meaning to demean your efforts, but you're telling me you found a blue chicken and a satellite camp?"
- Carver: "And this!"
- Carver slams the sentry's corpse onto the table.
- Who does that? Like seriously.
- A plan is made wherein the cavalry will venture into the forest near the camp Wind Follower found.
- When the bandits return, the cavalry will attack and ride them down.
- The forest is sparse enough that it is possible if risky.