"Sergeant, please confirm what I'm seeing. Look at the southern approach, just beyond the hills we use for catapult practice", Captain Titus said to Sergeant Domitian as they stood guard on the newly built palisades surrounding the Obsidian Tower.
The sergeant looked in the indicated direction and replied "Confirmed sir. I count about 30 horsemen and about as many infantry. Looks like crossbowmen. Those must be their officers in front. I think they might be in the mood to parley...they're not in formation and I don't see any siege weapons."
"I concur. Send a runner to alert Master Blastikus and tell the men to suit up, just in case we need to make the grass grow", the steely eyed captain said, loosening the sword at his hip. "Man the ballistae, but don't fire unless I give the command".
"Yes sir!", Domitian responded, before turning away to execute his commander's orders.
Titus, a veteran of many campaigns, kept the intruders in his sharp stare as their troops wisely halted just outside of ballista range and two of the officers continued forward on horseback. One was clearly a hardened warrior in well maintained banded mail and the other a somewhat nondescript man in leather armor. Possibly a scout or an advisor, but clearly someone accustomed to blade work, judging by the well kept blade at his side. Both had seen recent combat based on their bound wounds and bedraggled appearance.
"That's far enough stranger," Titus called out, "State your intent or suffer the consequences."
"Tell your liege that Brogallo would speak with him," the warrior called out. "We have business to discuss."
"Well, well, well...look who finally made an appearance," Blastikus said to the captain as he took his place next to him on the parapet. "Ho, Brogallo! You've got a set of balls to show your face around here after leaving me to die at the claws of that dragon. Give me a reason not to splatter your brains all over the field."
"I killed Zenabarithon two days ago and brought you some presents. Now are we going to scream at each other like street whores or speak like the comrades we once were and can yet be again?"
Blastikus softly chuckled to himself as he quietly said to himself ,"Hmph...he always had a knack for being a charming little bastard, in a crude sort of way." Addressing himself to Brogallo, he called out "Fortune favors the brave, my friend. Tell your men to behave and then advance to the gates with Kleptikos. We can have a drink and talk about what brings you to my door."
Downtime Activity
- Brogallo feels out the mercs over the treasury funds recovered from the usurpers. A reaction roll of 77% = Friendly. Brogallo convinces the troops that since they all bled for the funds, they are the rightful owners. The Bros distribute generous bonuses to all troops with promises of more to come and, as is frequently the sad case in military history, greed defeats honor. The mercs continue their loyal service to the Bros, rapidly forgetting any lingering sense of obligation to the plundered citizens.
- Brogallo makes a peace offering to Blastikus (The spell books of the recently deceased Man Lee and Manderbro, a +2 Staff, a Brooch of Shielding, a Figurine of Wondrous Power (Serpentine Owl), and a Wand of Negation) in the interest of soothing any past grievances. Of course, these are all former possessions of the fallen Bros and of little use to Brogallo personally so he's not really impacted by his ostensible generosity.
I decide the loot is worth a +20% bonus (mainly due to the spell books). A reaction roll of 61% + 20% = Friendly means Blastikus is more than willing to bury the hatchet. - Brogallo proposes reuniting the original Bros, noting that as a combined force they have a much better chance of surviving the increasingly dangerous threats that are manifesting. They both exchange tales of their victories and setbacks, with Blastikus eventually deciding that Brogallo's proposal had merit. After all, it would be easy enough to convince Krall to kill Brogallo in his sleep if things started to fall apart again. Krall was a bloodthirtsty bastard after all, and the prospect of yet more loot would quickly melt any objections.
- Having discussed the odd inhabitants of the village of Eastsea, they agree that something suspicious is going on. It was just a little too coincidental that Brogallo was ambushed by a hydra, normally an extremely rare abomination, so soon after leaving the village. When coupled with the fact that they Bros have encountered not one, but two such monsters (see Session 6) in their travels indicates there are events in motion that are far from usual.
- Dejing pan Ark and her henchmen ask to join the Band of Brogallos. A reaction roll of 38% + 25% = Uncertain (36% = positive) means that Brogallo is willing to accept the former usurper, reasoning that the more duplicitous conspirators are now crow food and it's better to have more swords than less for some of the future endeavors he has planned.
- The Bros secure the treasure in the second level of the tower's dungeon, knowing that the threat of the hostile air elemental trapped therein will deter the mercenaries from running off with the loot. Blastikus makes note of some future purchases and spell research he will undertake to make a more permanent location for their loot.
- Brogallo, Voon deGoon, Kleptikos pay each the mercs 100gp combat bonus pay; officers get 100gp/level
- Brogallo, Voon deGoon, Kleptikos all have enough XP to advance and are in training until 24 April 2025
- A random roll on the rumor table decides the newly reunited Bros will investigate the Hamlet of Eastsea to see exactly what is going on with those fishy bastards
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