Ashes to Ashes - A Mount&Blade: Warband RP

[FreemasonGamer]

Komolov sparred a wide grin as the trinity of warriors offered to accompany him on his hunt for the bandits that he had spent well over the past season tracking down. Straightening his posture, Komolov informed them, "The journey should only take about two days spent on foot to find the bandit encampment, and I do not have a steed. Regardless, I do believe that approaching them on foot could provide an element of stealth."

 

The Vaegir then began to recollect his past searches and expeditions, occasionally tracing his index finger across the table before him. "They weren't in the forests south or west of Reyvadin, nor were they residing in the woodlands northwest of here. If my presumptions ring true, the gang of marauders we are searching for should be occupying the forests just to our east..."

 

If only I had a map, Komolov chided silently to himself.

Edited May 10, 2015 by FreemasonGamer

[AurianaValoria1]

Bellatrix nodded, "Very well, I suppose two days on foot won't be too bad. I doubt my fat old nag of a saddle horse will be any good in a fight, anyway. And if I'm correct in assuming I know the forest you speak of, it is just north of the village of Ushkuru. Caravans pass that way all the time heading from Halmar and Narra. I have not been that way in a while, myself. It could be they've set themselves up a nice little trap for such caravans. If so...well," she winked, "I don't doubt there will be some unclaimed goods left scattered in the area."

 

She sighed, "As for myself, I have all I need with me." Then, the warrioress frowned as she donned her mail mittens, "I wish I had a shield. And a helm."

[Flipout6]

Cameron sniffed. "I doubt it would even classify as "snuffing out." A term such as that implies that there was a fire to be quenched to begin with. I will accompany you... if only because I haven't slain anyone in an unacceptably long time. The bounty is simply a redundant, if appreciable, bonus." He stood up from his stool, having finished his meal. "A shame that a steed as respectable and proud as my own will be slowed down by the rest of you, but alas, it would be dishonourable to eliminate them single-handedly."

 

He stepped outside the tavern doors and unhitched his horse, mounting it and bringing it around the front. He donned his helmet and held his lance casually against his pauldron. "When the rest of you are ready, let's embark, shall we?"

[FreemasonGamer]

Komolov beamed enthusiastically as Cameron agreed to partaking in their bandit hunt, and his overall demeanor whilst agreeing upon their venture brought a further smirk to the Vaegir's expression. When Cameron strode out of the inn and rode by its entrance upon his "respectable and proud" steed, Komolov shook his head towards the others still gathered around the table. "He's a Swadian highblood, for sure." He sighed with a weakened smirk before looking back to the Sword Sister, elderly archer, and Nord in his company.

 

"So, I believe some degree of premeditation should greatly improve our chances of success. While I do not yet have the exact numbers of these bandits, I can all but guarantee that they will outnumber us. However, these are petty thieves and crooks who have failed to keep their practices a secret. So, I am confident that our combined skills should be enough to route them. As Lady Bellatrix has said, these bandits will also more than likely have unaccounted-for goods scattered about their hunting grounds. Profit is all but completely guaranteed as well, in my opinion."

 

Pausing for a moment, the Vaegir continued with a familiar grin. "Ever been boar hunting? The hunters must rely upon their dogs, the bay and catch hounds, to distract and occupy the beastly prey before the huntsmen themselves deliver the fatal blows. This technique could very possibly work, but with a few intimidating soldiers mustering the bandits' attention instead." He looked to Bellatrix and the Nord, and Komolov said, "If one of you two could distract the bandits with Cameron, the third could accompany Monksley and myself to flank them, possibly."

[Macman253]

Bjorn walked out of the tavern with his companions, he ignored the Swadians posturing and stood next to Bellatrix when he rode up on his horse. He scoffed when he saw the swaggering peacock of a man sitting on a nag that he dubbed "respectable and proud"

 

"Not often ye' see a horse with two rear ends.." He said aloud while staring at the Knight. "Let alone a horse that is more appealing then it's rider." He added, just to throw some sting on his words. Bjorn moved to the nearby stables, his horse was already saddled as he had not planned to stay within the city for long anyways, the things he had purchased earlier were stowed in his saddlebags. He flipped his last coin to the boy he had hired to watch his horse while he ate in the tavern, the young boy caught the coin and thanked the Nord before running off. His horse, Smoka was a large Charger that dwarfed a normal sized man, but to Bjorn it seemed within proper scale, part of the reason he chose the large black and gray horse. He stepped up into the saddle, slid his axe into a loop on the side and rode up to join the others.

 

"Lets leave before I decide to rid the Swadian of his head and sell the horse to a tannery." He growled angrily, he knew a fight was coming and he felt a black mood coming that would require ale or blood to subside, he knew exactly which he would find by the gallons at the end of their destination but Bjorn was prepared, he had a bottle of hard ale in his saddlebag and it would tide his mood over until they reached the bandit camp, so long as the Swadian kept his mouth shut and stayed out of arms reach.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Macman253

[AurianaValoria1]

Upon seeing Cameron and the Nord bringing their horses anyway, Bellatrix sighed and decided to ride hers as well. The old paint nag was fat and lazy, and she'd likely have a tough time getting her to charge into battle, but she could do it. The sword sister nodded again to Komolov after swinging herself up into the creaky saddle, "As you wish. I know how to be a distraction. Learned some things from the Khergit in that regard."

Edited May 14, 2015 by AurianaValoria1

[FreemasonGamer]

Komolov nodded once, and the Vaegir quickly paid for the meager food and drink he had ordered before grabbing his equipment and departing with his comrades. Nodding in agreement with Bellatrix, Komolov said, "Aye, you two should give those bandits more than enough of a fight, and it seems he and Bjorn aren't exactly seeing eye to eye. The last thing that we need to happen is those two fighting each other with a gang of marauders watching."

 

As he passed through the entrance of the tavern, Komolov quickly grabbed his black bearskin cloak from the establishment's coat rack and pulled it over his shoulders before he stepped out into the damp, chilled morning air. Mud and other such filth characterized the majority of Dhirim's streets, and its residents quickly walked along to wherever their destination may be. The stench of a dense population also hung heavily in the air, but the Vaegir did his best to ignore it. Once he had his cloak situated upon his frame comfortably, Komolov slung his composite bow and halberd onto his back, looking to his companions. "If we are all ready for the travel, then I suggest we take the trail to Ushkuru. Perhaps we will reach our destination my nightfall." He said with a smirk.

 

~

The road to Ushkuru was fairly peaceful, but the trip was tedious more than anything. A heavy fog had settled over the grassy hills as overcast weather shrouded the sun's warmth from the land, and the party only encountered a handful of passerby communing between the eastern village and Dhirim behind them. Surprisingly, Komolov kept up to pace with the trotting horses of his fellow comrades, because the Vaegir was not unfamiliar with trekking such distances on foot. Also, the weather did not strike him as too terribly foreign either; his Vaegirian homeland tended to be similarly damp and cold in the autumn seasons before the snows of winter set in. The skies eventually began to darken, and the party soon reached the forests north of Ushkuru, which flickered with light further south along their current trail. Weighing their options, Komolov was unsure if they should take the risk of confronting the bandits at night or wait until the following day. So, he turned on his heel to face his companions. "We could either begin the hunt tonight or seek shelter in Ushkuru until dawn, whichever you all feel is best."

[spyro1201]

Monksley got up from his rickety tavern seat. He picked up the leather bag containing his belongings and from it, took out an ornate silver tankard, asked for it to be filled with ale and proceeded to atach it to the right side of his belt. Afterwards he made his way outside and took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly

 

"Ah, nothin' like the smell of a run down town in the morning...Now, I'm going on foot. I had a jackass that carried me close to here, but it....well...died along the way. Long story short: don't share your drinks with your steed, no matter how close you both are. Anyways, onward!

 

~

Monksley enjoyed the gloomy weather. Was never a big fan of the hot beating sun, making him sweaty and dehydrated. The journey was nice and quiet so far; very calmping and somber.

 

"I'd prefer if we go during the day. Not only would it make my job easier, but some of those blokes are likely to be either sleepy, or with a hangover. Besides, overcasts make me sleepy." - The archer said upon hearing Komolov's suggestions.

[AurianaValoria1]

Bellatrix pulled her old nag to a halt with a jangling of the harness and the squeak of leather, "I prefer we attack now. They will most assuredly have archers at their command, and the fading light will make it difficult for them to fire upon us. As you can see," she gestured to her shieldless, helmetless form, as well as that of Monksley and Komolov himself, "we cannot take a barrage of arrows and live." She shifted in her seat, "If we're lucky, we'll catch them all at the grub pot and their filthy faces will fall in their bowls when we strike."

[Flipout6]

"I'm in agreement with our formidable Sword Sister." Cameron said. "Granted, the less-than-optimal measure of remaining daylight will make it difficult for our archers as well. But if we camp for the night, that grants them a glittering opportunity to attack us in our sleep, when we're anything but prepared for a battle. Our options equate to attacking now or backtracking in the faint hope that we will not be discovered while we slumber." He stretched his neck, enjoying the satisfying (though inaudible) pop of the muscles stretching out.

 

He lifted his lance and held it prominently at his side. "And as relying on chance so readily is foolish...that means that but one option remains. We attack now. They will be disorganized at best, completely unprepared." He shrugged. "All we have to do is find the den where our metaphorical wolves lair. If we aren't discovered prematurely, then it will be a rather entertaining slaughter."

Edited May 19, 2015 by Flipout6