< Nuradan CYOA 9 - Skirmish in Sund, part 6 | Nuradan CYOA 11 - TBD >
This is part of a weekly series of choice prompts that all my Patreon supporters get to vote on. See all the poll posts on Patreon here.
The adventure so far: You are River, a Changeling Stray that got lost, beaten, and mugged as you were traveling in the North of Nuradan. You ended up in the outskirts of the remote village of Sund, and are in desperate need for shelter and supplies. You wait for the night and try to steal something, when the same brigands attack the village! You help the townsfolk repel the intruders, and now you might have a moment to rest safely.
“Hey, is that my stuff?” the man with the pitchfork asks, tentatively.
You slowly put down the hatchet in front of you, and begin untying the leather bracers.
“I’m sorry. I was camping nearby, and I wanted to help. I found these in a shack below” you reply. It’s half a lie, but they have no reason to doubt of your intentions now that they have seen you take down more than one bandit. Plus, you are giving the stuff back now.
They don’t question your appearance, which surprises you. But if they won’t, you surely will not bring that up yourself.
“I have been attacked by these same brigands two days ago, as I was making my way out of Riverstead”, you tell them. “They took everything I had, and I suffered minor injuries. May I take a rest in your village for a day or two?”
“Sure, but you are staying with me” says the man with the pitchfork. “I’m the town’s blacksmith, Creed”.
“I’m River”, you add.
You are walked back to the village. There, you learn that the bandits have managed to kill three of the town’s young men, and injured a dozen others, including a woman that got an arrow in the shoulder.
The bandits are tied up and watched over inside one of the village’s barns. The townsfolk don’t know how to handle prisoners, and a messenger is sent out to call for the help of the Charred Ones, a group of guerrilla fighters known in this side of the valley for standing up to the abusive authority of a group of religious zealots known as the Disciples.
You are offered food and beer, and you finally manage a good night of sleep. You can see you don’t have the full trust of the townsfolk, and you know you are being watched over. But you also know that, as long as you don’t pull any weird moves, you won’t be in any trouble.
Creed explains to you a few of the struggles Sund is facing. The Disciples would be the de-facto rulers of Martens, but in reality they only control half of it. They stopped protecting Sund many years ago, when they couldn’t manage to send over enough tributes. This is a remote mountain village, we don’t get many crops and even fewer game up here, he tells you. That said, the village can occasionally rely on the help of the Charred Ones, who control most of this side of the valley. But lately their confrontations with the Disciples have intensified, and they have fewer resources to spare to handle the brigands in the east.
You recall the bandit telling you about their encampment, one day east of here. You tell that to Creed, who is surprised to learn it is so close. Brigands usually don’t dare come this far into the valley.
Another day has passed, and it’s time for you to decide what to do.
Start planning a takeover of the bandits’ encampment. You might need to gather some help first, but you can’t leave the townsfolk like this. They are not ready to face off such attackers.
Learn more about Charred Ones and Disciples. You are a seasoned spy, trained in diplomacy and intrigue, and you should be able to help with the quarrels of this small valley.
Ask for directions. You prefer to be on the move, there’s no point in entangling yourself with the struggles of these people.
< Nuradan CYOA 9 - Skirmish in Sund, part 6 | Nuradan CYOA 11 - TBD >