Open Chronicles Errant Knights

[Marr]

Northern Allir Reach - The Bandit Trails
Kaylus

Marr tore his blade free of the merchantmen, a guttural sound of pain and death flowing from the humans mouth as he was tossed to the side like a ragdoll.

A scream came from a nearby woman, her eyes filled with terror. A knight dressed in black grabbed her, tossing her to the side with a command of silence before he began to tie her hands behind her back. Marr watched for a moment, and then slowly turned back towards the scene of butchery behind him.

The small merchant train had been guarded, but the men they'd hired proved to be less than capable. Marr and the others had slaughtered them first, and those that had not died now fled into the deep wood. Such sights were not uncommon here on the Bandit Trails, though most of the time the scenes did not turn into a massacre like this one.

"Did you find it?" His voice was a low grumble, like a mountain slowly falling in on itself.

"The lead cart."​

Was all that he received in answer from the nearby Knight. A snarl flickered over Marr's muzzle, and slowly he trotted towards the front of the merchant train.

The man who had owned all this was still alive. Marr could hear the simpering human as he began to beg for mercy and his wares. There was talk of gold, of bribes. Pleading.

It would all be ignored.

 

[Klaus]

Just a bit earlier, a severed hand grasping a sword flew off into the air. A human caravan guard screamed in pain Kaylus readied his bloodied sword for another swing. Then, swoosh. The guard’s head rolled off his body.

“WRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Kaylus bellowed as he continued to hack the headless body in an apparent rage. A crimson mist began to stain the Tarri’s armor. The other caravan guards nearby saw how easily their comrade fell before what seemed like a monster. They spent little time in making the decision to turn tail and run into the forest.

Once the caravan guards were out of sight, Kaylus stopped his rampaged. He looked around to see several stragglers being tied up by his companions. He saw Marr walking to the head merchant’s wagon and decided to approach it as well.

The closer Kaylus got, the louder the merchant’s begging became. Once he could see the fat merchant himself, Kaylus asked Marr, “Ransom?”

Marr

 

[Marr]

Kaylus

Marr glanced at his fellow Tarri, then slowly towards the Merchant.

There was pure terror in his eyes, the kind that came only when one truly feared for their life. For a brief few seconds Marr watched him, and then he shook his head. "Kill him."

Witnesses would only hurt this endeavor.

Before the man could even object Marr quickly turned away from him and ripped open the door to his caravan. The flimsy wood shattered off it's hinges, torn away and tossed to the ground. The cart itself shifted as he stepped inside.

His armor rattled as he moved across the wooden floor, dreary blue eyes searching out until he found a small chest. He plucked it from it's place, strong hands tearing open the lid to reveal a small piece of parchment inside.

Ears twitched.

The parchment contained a map, one that would lead them to a nearby settlement that had done its best to hide itself away. He and the others would see they learned the folly of that attempt.

 

[Klaus]

As soon as Marr spoke, Kaylus swung his blade and severed another blade.

With another look around the devastated merchant train, Kaylus saw no other enemies remained. He turned his focus to the caravan’s cargo as Marr investigated the head merchant’s wagon. He had a fellow bandit rip open a cargo crate.

“Silverware?” he growled.

Kaylus plucked a two-tined fork from the box and examined it. Its design was very ornate and would be worth a lot to aristocrats.

Pointing at a little clearing away from any bodies, Kaylus said, “Put any crates there. Separate the food.”

With the caravan being not too large, it did not take long for four crates of luxury goods to be stacked in one area. A few bags of grain were gathered from the caravan’s stockpile.

After walking back toward Marr, Kaylus asked him, “Back to base?”

 

[Marr]

Marr nodded his head as he stepped onto the ground once more. "Only to stow what we have taken."

With a single claw Marr unfurled the piece of parchment for a few seconds. The map was as clear as any that he had seen. It marked the name of several small villages nearby as well as the larger crossroads town that most merchants in the area set out from.

Then within a thicket of trees on the edge of the map lay the Village that would ultimately be their prize.

It was a mining town, rich with ore and defended by only a handful of Allirian Rangers. A smile pulled at his lips. It would be enough to do as they had wanted for so long, provided that they could take the town without much loss.

"We have much blood to spill yet." Marr said as he motioned for them to move out.

 

[Klaus]

With that, Kaylus gave a quick signal to the band to gather up the supplies they had looted.

The journey pack to their camp was relatively quick. They were able to follow the road until they reached a sign marking the distance to the next village and Alliria. From there, they would disappear into the thick forest and travel up a winding, barely treaded hill path.

Light still shined through from the forest canopy by the time the band reached the camp. Several tents surrounded a clearing where a smoldering firepit laid. The tents and most supplies could have been broken down and carried on poles in the event of a quick escape was ever needed. The camp was sandwiched between two steep hills. A creek flowed just beyond the opposite side of the camp and was the source of water for the rogues.

Five party members had stayed behind to keep an eye on it and reported no sightings. The silverware crates were stored where the other stolen goods were. Food was taken to the camp’s stockpile.

It was not long after making sure everything was squared away that Kaylus returned to Marr.

“I’m guessing you found something in that wagon?” Kaylus asked.

 

[Marr]

"A map." He confirmed. The merchant had held it likely because he intended to travel to the ore rich village sometime soon. Such a place was valuable, and there was no doubt in his mind many traveled through there.

Which is why he wanted it.

"An opportunity for us." He told the younger Tarri. "There is a town, rich in ore and weak of spine."

When they had massacred their Lord each of them had their own reason for it, yet they were not common bandits. They were Knights, warriors who held skill above the rabble. Marr intended to remind them of that.

Slowly he unfurled the map, showing Kaylus. "We will take it."

 

[Klaus]

Kaylus looked over the map. The settlement on the map just looked like a simple, isolated mining town.

“If we left now, it looks like we could get there at night,” Kaylus commented. And that was the extent of his contribution to any planning – he knew what he would be doing at the town.

With excitement, Kaylus slammed a fist into his palm.

“That caravan wasn’t much of a warmup, we should be good to go soon,” he told Marr.

As Kaylus turned to get ready, he added, “Maybe we’ll have meat for once!”

The food they had looted of recently mostly consisted of grain or hardtack. Maybe a little dried meat, but that was devoured on the spot by whoever found it. The town likely had some livestock and meat stores they could take to boost the band’s morale.

 

[Marr]

Marr nodded his head. "We go."

Why wait?

The young one was correct in his assumption. There was things to take, and the town would be less prepared at night than they would be during the day. With no flourish Marr donned his helmet and grabbed his large scythe like sword.

"GATHER!" He called to the other Knights. They quickly formed up, armor clinking as the sun in the distance began to settle. "The March will be a short one, prepare yourselves."

Marr had no intention of stalling this out any longer than he had to.

Within just a few minutes the band of Knights was once again marching through the forest, this time to a far more rich target.

 

[Klaus]

Kaylus quickly prepared for the trip – which fortunately did not take much considering they had just returned from a raid.

As Marr said, the journey was quick. The sun set while the band was on the small trail heading toward the village. The dirt road they walked down was still rough, but it was enough for wagons carrying ore to head off to get to the main country road.

Eventually, the band would reach the edge of the forest once again. Immediately before them would be some fields used for the village to grow its own food. A couple lanterns highlighted outlines of houses and buildings forming the village center. No night watch could be seen. Yet from past experiences if one were there, they would be in the dark to avoid night blindness. Or just sleeping on their shift…

No noise could be heard from the village.

Kaylus approached Marr with two soldiers and whispered, “I can loop around and take care of the night watch. Once that’s done, we’ll douse one of the lamps. Okay?”

 

[Marr]

Marr nodded his head. The people of this settlement were not expecting a planned and coordinated attack. They had grown complacent in their time here, thinking themselves secreted away within the forest and the mountains.

"Do it. We shall await your signal." The slaughter would be quick.

The eyes of a Tarri worked better in the night than those of a human. It was said that thousands of years ago they had been the apex predator of the stepped, faster and stronger than any creature who might town among them.

Marr knew the truth of that.

His fingers slowly wrapped around the hilt of his scythe like sword, drawing the blade in anticipation of what was to come. As Kaylus and his companions wandered off Marr motioned to the others nearby.

"Spread out along the forest line." There was no need to form a close wall here. "Kill everyone inside the city."

 

[Klaus]

And with that, Kaylus and the two other party members quietly disappeared into the darkness.

Their approach was slow. Kaylus kept an eye out for any watch. The trio did not hear or see anything by the time they reached one of the village’s quiet houses.

Only a couple buildings had some lights shining through the cracks of the window shutters. With that, Kaylus could tell only a handful of villages would be awake at this moment. He crept down a path toward the main road until he finally saw a man with a polearm looking out toward the forest.

A night watchman. And with a village this size, Kaylus and his crew would assume he was the only one.

Silently, Kaylus signaled to one of his companions toward the watchman. It took a second for the human to recognize the villager’s outline in the darkness. With leather armor, the human would be more capable of stealthily taking out the watchman.

Picking up a stone from the ground, Kaylus chucked it toward a cart on the opposite side of the main road. Startled by the noise, the watchman jump and turned around toward the cart.

As the watchman walked toward the cart to investigate the noise, the human snuck up behind him. With a quick grapple to cover the watchman’s mouth and a slit of the throat, the human dispatched the villager.

With that out of the way, Kaylus approached one of the candle lanterns and snuffed it out to signal that no one would see Marr and the band walking up to the village.

 

[Marr]

Marr saw the signal, and that was all he needed.

The rogue Knights moved together at once. It was what set them apart from the common rabble. They were well trained, each one of them a match for ten lesser men. As the village existed in it's quiet little state, Marr couldn't help but smile.

He saw the first bit of movement to his left, one of the Humans on their rank reaching the village first and grabbing a watchmen from his post.

His ears twitched as he heard the slightest sound of guttural pain.

Marr was the second to reach the village. With rags stuffed between the plates his armor made no noise, and he stepped between the buildings with his eyes open. His head turned left, then to the right. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a man, half stumbling, half pressed against a wall.

Before he could walk too far Marr grasped his, massive claws dragging over his throat and ripping his body into the alleyway.

 

[Klaus]

Once Marr and the rest of the band reached the village, Kaylus got to work. He entered one house by smashing down the front door.

After a second, a man from within the house yelled, “Wh-what’s going on?!”

SLASH​

The man’s voice never spoke out again.

“Honey, ru-“ a woman screamed as she was silenced mid-sentence.

A child cried, “Mom!”

And that was all.

In quick order, the only noise left in the house were Kaylus’s footsteps. He exited the building with a blooded sword.

Before Kaylus could continue on, he heard someone yelling in the distance.

“Quick, to the mines! We can barricade the entrance!”

The villagers on the far side of the village rushed to the mine entrance – which was at grade. One could simply walk through a gateway into the mines. At night, it was normally locked to both prevent animals from finding refuge within and to prevent would-be thieves from stealing ore or tools.

Upon hearing that, Kaylus rushed toward the sound of the running villagers. Yet, he would not be able to make it before they shut the way into the mines…

Marr

 

[Marr]

A dozen bodies lay strewn about the village square. Most of them were not soldiers, but farmer who had thought themselves brave enough to stall the Knights cutting their way through the village. Marr looked upon them with little more than disgust.

The loud clang of an iron gate rang out, and the Tarri slowly turned his head towards the nearby mine. His muzzle flicked with a sneer as he stepped into one of the corpses around him, blood still dripping from his scythe like blade.

Some of the others had begun to search nearby buildings, breaking down doors and throwing open windows.

The greater part of the village had filed towards the lines, but that didn't mean all of them made it. The Errant Knights could afford no escape, not on the first day. Marr slowly trudged up the slope of the mine, catching sight of Kaylus as the younger Tarri came to a stop just before a massive iron door.

"How many made it?" They would have to do a count of the bodies as well.

This village was not a large one, but the mine did not have any tunnels leading away from the mountain or out the other side. Those had filed within would be trapped.

 

[Klaus]

“A dozen, more or less,” Kaylus told Marr.

Just about one tenth a normal village.

Kaylus yanked on the door. There was movement, but the door only budged by a milimeter even with the strength of a Tarri. However, since the door opened outward the hinges were on the outside of the mine.

Examining them, Kaylus saw that the hinges to have built up a coating of rust. Attempting to pull the pin out would likely take great force. The nails would be difficult to pry out as well. It would be easy to assume using one’s weapons and an impromptu tool would ruin them.

“If we find tools, we can take the door apart,” Kaylus said, “Or we a couple days until they want out because of thirst.”

 

[Marr]

Marr considered for a moment. "Let them starve."

There was no real point in trying to pry them out. The Mine had no other exits and the Town itself was secured. In a day or so there would be another Caravan arriving, and Marr intended to have everything secured by then.

"Post a guard at the door and wait them out." Eventually the hunger in their bellies would drive them to do something foolish. "For now we secure the rest of the town."

He glanced at the Iron door for a brief moment.

It could be useful in the future. "The Rangers will come for us when they hear what was done. We must be ready for them."

 

[Klaus]

“Let them starve…” Kaylus echoed as he pointed at an orc party member to be the first guard.

Looking to another human member of the Errant Knights, Kaylus added, “Find something to bar the door.”

Since it was a foregone conclusion that the Allirian Rangers would come to the village, Kaylus helped organize the cleanup of the villagers they slaughtered. A traditional steppe funeral would be a burial. Though, that requires work that would distract from preparing for the Rangers’ arrival. Kaylus simply ordered a mass cremation in an open field. The few things of value on the villagers would be taken by those handling the bodies.

Kaylus also checked on the food stores of the village. With the village meant to support about 100 people, Kaylus saw that they could survive for a much longer time than the village could since the Errant Knights were nowhere near that amount of people. That was even considering the fact that the Tarri in the band must eat considerably more than the human knights.

Something Kaylus noticed was the lack of a palisade for the village. While this easily allowed for the Errant Knights to capture the village, it would make it difficult to hold. Kaylus instructed party members to start constructing a palisade at key choke points – such as on the trail to the village near the forest. This work might not be finished by the time a new caravan arrived, by the hope was that it would be complete before the first Rangers arrived.

During the efforts to secure and prepare the village, Kaylus thought it important to ask Marr, “Should we move supplies from the camp to the village?”

 

[Marr]

Marr took the time to go through the central building of the Village.

Though he was a warrior first, his time under the Baron had taught him more than just martial skills. Ledgers and scrolls scattered all around the mayors House, and through them Marr managed to glean some small pieces of information about how this village had operated.

When Kaylus found him Marr stood over a desk that was almost comically small compared to the large Tarri, his massive clawed hands hanging onto a scrap of paper.

He looked up when the younger warrior spoke to him. "Yes."

The answer came quickly.

"This will be our new home." Even if the Rangers would try to take it from them. "It seems the ore mined here has been going to the Templar. It has properties that make it valuable to them."

 

[Klaus]

“I’ll see to expanding the palisade, as well,” Kaylus told Marr as soon as he confirmed that they were here to stay at the village.

But then,

“Templars?!” Kaylus exclaimed at the mention of them.

While the quality of the Rangers would likely be low – at least for their initial foray toward the now quiet village – any Templar Order with interest in the village would likely be well armed and trained.

“Won’t they come looking for the ore?” Kaylus questioned, “Or… are we trading with them?”

If the Templars became hostile, it would only be a matter of time until they combined forces with the Rangers to expel the Errant Knights. Considering that the Knight were not literal monsters, the Templars’ specialized skills would be of no use against them. Yet, the palisade would still need to get bigger…

 

[Marr]

"We will have to for the time being." Marr said with a growl.

They did not have the force of arms to fight both Templar and Rangers. Though the former specialized in fighting monsters, they still had skill in fighting men as well. Best not to make too many enemies in one swing.

His lips curled for a moment. "Perhaps if we offer them a better price we may use it to our advantage."

There was also the mystery of just what they used the ore for. Was it magical? Was this the only place it could be sourced from?

A mystery he would very well like solved.

"We build our palisade give the Templars what they want." They could use that to fund further defenses. "We must make this more than just a village, and quickly."

They would need a fortress before long.

 

[Klaus]

“Aye,” Kaylus replied…

The second day since the attack came. The villagers within the mines still did not emerge or attempt to do so. Unless a stockpile of ore sat in the village, it would be impossible to study its properties.

Slowly, Kaylus organized the movement of their equipment to the village. He kept the transfer to just a few people – which while it made the movement of everything slow it would reduce the chance of someone noticing the party moving into the village.

The near noon on that day, Kaylus looked for Marr. He hoped that Marr was not having a cat nap because,

“A caravan is on the village trail,” Kaylus told him, “No large goods, four armed guards.”

 

[Marr]

Marr had taken up residence within the Halls of the mayors home, deciding that it would be the most defensible place if the Rangers came for their attack before the palisade was put into place.

"Templar?" Was his first and only question.

There was no telling just how many Caravans visited this city or how often, but the Templar's would have been the most recognizable. Plus it was the only one that they had actually seen a schedule. Not waiting for an answer the Tarri stood from the log he'd been using as a makeshift seat.

He quickly moved out the door, expecting Kaylus to follow. "Ready Archers on the roofs, just in case."

 

[Klaus]

“The scout swears one looked like a Templar,” Kaylus told Marr.

Kaylus followed Marr as they exited through the door. He listened to Marr’s order. Once they were outside, Kaylus raised his arm and roars, “Archers! To the roofs! Prepare for ambush!”

The palisade on the road had a gate that was still open. It would take no effort to shut it. It would at least stop the caravan from entering the village even if the palisade did not completely envelope the village just yet.

Whether it remained opened or closed, the caravan would stop at the sight of the palisade. Confused.

One of the four armed escorts bore the Templar symbol, as reported.

“This is new,” the wagon driver commented.

 

[Marr]

Marr stepped past the Palisade and onto the dirt road.

His scythe like sword was sheathed, but he wore his full armor and helmet. As he moved the metal ground against itself, the heavy weight of his figure tracking massive steps through the muddy dirt.

"Your business?" His voice was a low grumble, each ot the Templar visibly tensing slightly as they laid eyes upon the Tarri. He was larger than all of them, and had he been forced to Marr was confident he could have slaughtered the lot without much effort.

"We are here to trade...who are you, what have you don't with the Mayor?"

The Templar answered back quickly, but Marr ingored his question.

"Trade we can offer." That same growling town echoed forth. "At better rates than were found before."

Marr was no diplomat. He was a soldier, and thus instead of bandying words he offered simple terms.