Travel quest - Loyal bandits

This is a travel quest, as such it is meant to be run when your party travels somewhere. This is built for travel between Wysepka and Zaufalski keep, but it could be implemented in other places if the travel time is around 3 days, and wierno loyalists are in the area. Otherwise it can be modified to fit need.

Day 1 - The intimidated merchant

A couple hours into their journey, our heroes's travel is interupted. Read "As you crest a small hilltop, you see down the slope a cart, and a pull horse. The carriage holds a number of chests stacked ontop of one another, and next to the cart stands an older looking man. The man seems to not to have noticed you, as he leans heavily on his cart, seemingly exhausted or otherwise occupied."
If the players get closer you can explain that "As you near the man, you see a small red pile underneath where he stands, it seems the man has sustained some injury not long ago. You can also see that the horse is breathing heavily along with the man, though no visible injuries are apparent on the animal."
This is one of the carters who bring goods between Wysepka and Zaufalski keep. This man is loyal to the Sorcerer, and is not part of any deal between Mayor Pavlina and the Wierno Loyalists, and as such, he has been attacked by just these people. He was injured, but worse is that his son, who acts as his guard, was captured. Though he is able to heal his own wound, it takes him time, and he has just stopped running. The merchants name is Henio, and his son is Jacuk.
If he notices the players he is at first afraid, thinking them to loyalist bandits as well. However, if calmed down, he takes notice of their weapons and gear, and offers to pay them greatly for protection and to save his son. He can pay them 10 gold each as a maximum for the protection, but begins by offering 5 gold each. He offers to give them another 100 gold if they save his son from these loyalists, though he can be persuaded to give up to 200 gold. He is desperate, and says that protecting him and saving his son will also curry favour with both house Zaufalski, as well as Thurh and Mayor Pavlina.
If the players accept to travel with him, this will change things later. He can also give information about the region if asked, he would know things most normal people would know. He can also give historical context if needed as he has lived here since before the sorcerer.

Day 2 - A visitor in the storm

During the day of the travel, a storm begins to kick up. Because of this storm what was once a small river along their journey, which was easy to cross before has become much to large to just walk through. The players have to find a way past the river, lest they wish to waste possibly days waiting for it to shrink. Have them make some skill checks, atheletics for maybe two of them to push the cart through the water, have the horse start to kick up a fuss and someone can try to calm it, and maybe before they cross someone can make a survival/perception to find a good crossing spot. This is all assuming they have the cart, otherwise if they left it behind come up with some other difficulties

Later in the night they will also have a visitor. During their rest a thief working for the wierno loyalists will creep into their camp and try to take some of their stuff. If someone is holding watch they might just notice the thief, in which case he will not fight to the death, and instead just try and escape.

Day 3 - The loyal bandits

On day 3, if they learnt from the thief of the bandits hideout, they might just go there. If the thief stole something they need, they could run into a small group of bandits (like one or two) who they can defeat and get the hideouts location from, do the same if they are looking for Jacuk. Alternatively, if they seem unwilling to head to the bandits hideout, have a group of loyalists ambush them in a fairly difficult fight. The loyalists would first focus on getting the loot from the cart, but when they notice that the group is powerful, their focus would go to winning it instead. For the ambush they might be approached first by the face of the loyalists, who will try and make them just hand over the cart to them without the need for bloodshed.
If/when they get to the bandits hideout read "As the trees begin to clear, you see before you a camp alongside a small entrance into what seems to be some sort of cave. You see a few figures relaxing by the campfire, drinking and laughing, and the smell of sizzled meat wafts through the air. Around them a few makeshift tents stand raised with closed entrances. It's difficult to make out anything in the cave, but a man clad in chainmail stands guard at the entrance to the cave."
The leader for these loyalists is a bandit captain named Iza, she is in charge mostly because of her skill, as well as charm. She has with her 4 bandits, 2 thugs, and 1 apprentice wizard. The camp outside is where the bandits and thugs spend their time. But Iza lives inside alongside the apprentice, Sterno, a young boy of only 14 years of age who has shown great talent. To Iza the boy is like a son, for she rescued him before he could be brought to Castle Katrach, and has taken care of him since.
Iza has a few letters from and to Tamara Wierno, the leader of the Wierno Loyalists. The letters only call her Tamara however, not mentioning the fact that she is a, or at least claims to be a, Wierno. These are mostly letters of Tamara instructing her not to attack certain caravans, and Iza then informing her of when she has attacked one, and needs someone to come and pick up the goods.
Furthermore, in the camp they can find a large stash of iron, around 500 pounds to be exact. Along with the iron there is also around 100 gold in Iza's personal desk. In Sterno's room there is a table, and on it some books on basic magic can be found, though they are not very relevant to someone who has mastered the basics of arcane magic. Iza also carries a +1 longsword, plus two standard healing potions.
If theyre looking for Jacuk, they will find him locked up inside Iza's room. He is chained heavily, and clearly heavily injured. Iza has tried to beat information out of the man, who is in fact a soldier of Thurh's, who decided to travel with his father as his protection this time. Jacuk is a brutal man, who Iza known has done great evils to the slaves in Zaufalski keep, so she has no regrets about her violence towards neither Jacuk of Henio. She is well aware of his atrocities, for she was once a slave in the Zaufalski iron mines. She managed to escape a few years ago, and since then has been a member of the loyalists.

Allying with Wierno Loyalists

If our heroes are interested in fighting against The Sorcerer, and don't attack on sight, they might come to join the Wierno Loyalists. Though the loyalists might be suspicous at first, they are more then willing to accept any help they can get. Iza would give the players a task first, and if they could complete said task, then they would be allowed to meet with her superior, Tamara Wierno. This task would be difficult, but important to the loyalist cause. Iza would ask the players to infiltrate Zaufalski keep, and slay the leader of the forces there, Ming Xiao. They would need to do this carefully, and once done head south towards Niewierny Keep. The killing would need to happen in two days time, as they would need to meet someone a days journey south of Zaufalski keep once done. If they were not there by then, there would be nobody to meet them, and if the killing was not done, there would be more than one waiting for them.

Relations

Iza and Sterno share a parent-child bond almost, as Sterno has been in Iza's care for some time now. Both of them are also close to the Morninglord follower Himek saventhi who worked with them up until the 13th of Feranaar. Sterno sees the priest/paladin as almost an uncle of sorts, with the man having taught Sterno many important lessons on what is right and wrong. At the same time Iza and Himek would often bicker and argue over ideals and morals, something they both pretend they dont like, but secretly enjoy a lot.

Plot type

Travel Quest

Related Organizations

• Wierno Loyalists