02 Give Violence a chance!

We set out towards Oleg's Trading Post. It should take us about three days to get there. As we traveled, we talked some so that we could get to know each other. It is good to know your allies so you can work better as a group. Everyone seems to be able to contribute something. Some more than others.
 
Cherilyn told us about how she hates being called "Cheri", as it reminds her of her terrible aunt that goes by that name. Call her Cher. She is kind and protects others. She trained some peasants to fight for their freedom. So far, she seems like a good choice to lead our expedition.
 
Zira is here as a favor to a dying friend. She left her seclusion to stop hating herself. Her skill set seems similar to my own. Unlike me, she has followed the traditional Elven path to become a Ranger. I have never been patient enough to learn how to cast a spell. I prefer to hone my own natural abilities to become the best on the battlefield. I don't need magic to do that.
 
Ikori told us about her tragic back story, and everyone she has ever cared about has died. She is the weirdest companion that I have been willing to travel with. While she has seemed reluctant to do so, she seems like she could be formidable in combat.
 
Amiri told us a little about her Six Bears tribe from the frozen lands in the north. She takes things very literally, and does not get sarcasm. She is not good at talking about herself. I don't like doing it, either.
 
Linzi is from a small village. She went to an academy to become a bard. Some of realized that she is The Linzi that wrote that book of limericks that I enjoyed reading in the past. She signed my book. The king did NOT like her limericks and she was kicked out of the academy. That is what brought her to this expedition, and she is writing a book about it.
 
Harem (Harrim? Whtever) left the dwarves in the mountain as he does not care for their god, Torsg. I find that I am still irritated as he was so ready to die from a minor wound. He is weak, and because of it, the least useful in our group.
 
Valerie is a very beautiful, well-mannered noble warrior that grew up in Brevoy. She was training to be a paladin of Shaellyn, but refuses to believe that all art is beautiful. She is right. But that got her kicked out of that path, so she is here as a warrior that has wasted time learning useless things. I hope Cherilyn does not read that part, as she is a paladin. At least her goddes, Iomedae, is over something useful.
 
I decided to be open and up-front about it, and told them that I am here to find some ancient Elven ruins, and that I am striving to be the best at everything I do, and bring honor to my family.
 
After a couple of days on the road we were attacked by a group of cat-dogs. I killed one with an arrow just as it ran towards Bashful and was about to bite him. Zira killed her target with an arrow. Cher wounded one with her sword.
 
I killed the cat-dog that was going to bite Linzi with my rapier. Bashful finished off Cher's kill with a dagger. Zira killed two with her shortswords. One of the cat-dogs did not like that, and bit into her. Cher killed one with her sword, and I wounded that last one with an arrow. Bashful finished it off with his halberd. We skinned the cat-dogs.
 
We arrived at Oleg's Trading Post in late afternoon. A man was hammering on the roof. When he saw us, he got down and greeted us as he smoked his pipe. He is Oleg, the owner. His wife, Svetlana, served stew that smelled wonderful. She had Oleg fetch some bread and wine. She is glad we were sent from Restov to handle their bandit trouble.
 
The bandits will be coming tomorrow to get their "taxes". They are lead be a cloaked man with a bow, and a cruel woman, Kressle. We looked around and thought about how we will put a stop to the taxation when they come tomorrow. I recommended we let them come as normal, and ambush them.
 
Oleg suggested we talk to the nearby alchemist. We visited him, told him we needed something to help us take care of the bandit problem, and he showed us his shop. We agreed to get some Fang Berries for him, and he gave us some healing potions.
 
We waited for the bandits to come. I was hiding on a palisade, near the gate. Zira hid near the stable, ready to close the gate after the bandits come in, trapping them. Bashful would be trading with Oleg. Linzi would play her Lute for Cher, who would be eating nearby. I have no idea where Ikpri wandered to.
 
Seven bandits came in, pretending to be weary travelers when they saw the others. Zira closed the gate, and Ikori wandered into the scene. She then said something to one of bandits, and the fight was on.
 
The leader shot an arrow at Ikori, wounding her. Cher hit a bandit with her sword, killing him. Zira went up to the leader, and stabbed him in the back with her shortswords, killing him. This scared his remaining bandits. One yelled out in horror when he realized someone closed the gate, trapping them.
 
Bashful hacked into a bandit with his halberd, cleaving him. Ikori told one of the four remaining bandits to surrender and he dropped his weapon. A bandit climbed a ladder, seeking escape. He did not get to, as my arrow caught him in the air as he was jumping towards freedom. His body fell to the ground as I pyut a second arrow into a bandit that was near Bashful, wounding him heavily. Zira killed the last one that was still putting up a fight. Thanks to Ikori, we have one prisoner.
 
Oleg and his wife were very grateful. Kressle is Svetlana's sister (I had wondered to myself how she knew her name). She wants her ring back, but does not want her sister to die to get it. We can use Oleg's outpost as a base. We will use the bandits' horses as our own.
 
The bandit told us where his camp is located. He was then hung off the walls near the gate, next to the bodies of his allies. We left the rest of the people to guard the trading post while some of us went to retrieve the fang berries.
 
The fang berries were in a cave that is home to spiders. The fang berry bush looked very prickly. Four giant, man-sized spiders and some spiders swarms attacked us. I wondered how that alchemist normally gets the berries if they are guarded by such aggressive spiders.
 
A giant spider caught Cher in a web just before a different spider bit her. Zira shot that one with an arrow, greatly wounding it. A giant spider caught Zira in a web. I killed that one with an arrow, and then killed the one that bit Cher. We bite back. One started skittering towards me, and Cher cut it in half with her sword.
 
Amiri freed Cher from her web, who then attacked a spider swarm, killing some. Linzi blasted the web and spider swarm with a thunderwave. Zira was freed and some spiders died. Zira threw a fire flask onto the spider swarm. The other swarm then swarmed Cher and Amiri.
 
I shot the last giant spider as it skittered on the ceiling, wounding it. Linzi blew apart the spider swarm with another thunderwave. The last wolf spider retreated into a hole. We got the fang berries. The bush was, as we thought, very prickly. It was not fun to get them. We took them to the alchemist.
 
As we were exploring, we came upon the hunting area of a giant trapdoor spider. I noticed its beady eyes poking up from hiding, and I put an arrow between two of them, wounding it greatly, and it screeched and went deeper into hiding.
 
Amiri went up to it to draw it out, and it pounced her, bit her, and skittered to its hole. Amiri then attacked its cover. I held my shot, waiting for it to pop out again. Zira went up to the door, breaking it, exposing it. Cher finished it off with her sword. We searched its lair and found a body with a treasure map.
 
We came upon some ancient ruins. Atrocious has broken in. That made me angry. He will die soon. I heard his voice ahead. I put down a hunting trap near the doorway in case he tries to get away. On the hunt for a gnome's head, Zira and I scouted ahead, as the others hung back a bit.
 
Jaethal is with Atrocious, helping him even though she looks very unhappy about it. She and Atrocious jumped through a Dimension Door as their four mercenaries were left to die.
 
And die, they did. Zira shot their wizard with an arrow, killing him. Cher ran forward to engage the mercenaries. I hit one of them with an arrow. He then came forward and hit me with a longsword. Linzi put a crossbow bolt into him, wounding him. He then got an axe thrown into his forehead by Amiri, dropping him. Zira cut into a mercenary, killing him, and continued her dance forward into his friend, cutting into him. I fiinshed him off as I put an arrow into his eye.
 
The wizard had a metal fragment. I used my scroll of identify to know it is part of an amulet that has dark powers. It originates from Brevoy. There are seven remaining fragments somewhere in the world.
 
We took some time to search the room, and discovered a secret chamber. It held 5 sealed stone sarcophagi. According to the writing on the room, one of them was a knight that acted as an ambassador between the Elves and the Fey.