Scorn

These two stockaded villages are the major fortified settlements of the Reyhu bandits under the leadership of Skannar Hendricks, who dwells in the fort named after him. Each holds some 400 bandits, together with around 50 horses, a couple of dozen chain-barded war dogs, and 100-150 wood elves living in the village or in tree houses within a mile of it.

Both these encampments are heavily guarded and well protected. In both sites, trees have only been thinned to make space for building, so that tree cover is mostly unbroken and the camps are not obvious to an aerial spy. Camouflage is laid over the roofs of the wooden huts. False trails are laid away from the camp sites and elven sentinels decoy any unwanted visitors away from the encampments into ambush sites where elves and bandits lie in wait. The bandits have a pair of blacksmiths at each site, but they do not heat their fires and forges, nor do the bandits risk more than the lightest cooking, unless a pall of mist, especially common in fall or winter, hangs over the forest, disguising the smoke from the fires.

The Conjurer Reynar Pohvlsen rules in Skannar's name at the defiantly-named camp Scorn, using many summoned monsters to spy on and harass the forces of Iuz east of the Cold Run. Patrols are especially common around the camp and for miles to the east. Men and elves get little sleep protecting and watching over their homeland.

The new way of life for the bandits has altered them a great deal. Men who would think nothing of splitting open the head of a man who insulted them now think hard before felling a tree. They are especially protective of their children. There are only some 800 women among Hendricks' bandits, and by the time a child is seven, he is expected to be modestly proficient with a bow at least. By the age of ten, sword proficiency and the ability to throw a spear accurately is common. Groups of older children, led by one of 12 or 13 years, trap small animals around the camps. To be sure, there are evil men among these bandits and one or two ne'er-do-wells, but very few would even consider betraying their fellows to Iuz, even if death was the only alternative. They have seen what Iuz's ores and fiends did to friends and relatives and have heard of the events of Steelbone Meadows.

The elves and bandits watch outsiders carefully. Any group with but a single humanoid amongst their number will be attacked on sight. The elves and bandits will not surrender if they see any evidence that their opponents serve Iuz. They fear the torture that capture would bring, but most of all, they fear being magically compelled to betray their fellows. Human intruders will be surrounded and killed if they do anything other than surrender immediately when ordered to do so. Humans are tested with holy water. The elves have detected a couple of alu-fiends posing as woodsmen in this way. Then, detect lie spells will be used after the captives are taken to a priest of a suitable elven deity. Captured humans are always blindfolded and escorted through the forest to any settlement, even if only a small tree-house complex, in order to prevent the location of these encampments to fall into the wrong hands. The elves and bandits require evidence of good faith before they trust any intruders into their lands at all. Prisoners who appear to be of any note or worth will be taken to Fort Hendricks for Skannar and the Clanmaster to subject them to lengthy interrogations.

The elves and bandits need certain supplies badly, such as spell components for more unusual spells, good weapons like two-handed swords and axes which are beyond the ability of the human blacksmiths to make, well-crafted utensils, furs, good leather armor, and chain armor for the bandits. All these are in short supply, even after raiding Iuz's forces.