### Rabble-rousers.
It's time to clear out some of the rabble-rousers causing trouble for our villages today. We've identified 3 Bandit hideouts, and with the current peace treaty after our brutal butt-whoopin' that we gave the Battanians, we have a little time on our hands to clear out some of these locations!
In case you missed it, we also set up our first caravan last session, which is being currently helmed by Adalis the Huntress.
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It's probably not the optimal use for her skillset, but she'll do fine in this role for now, and I don't need her actively with our party at the moment. We're hunting bandits to start with and while she'd be great at that, she's more useful making fat stacks of Denars trading.
Our first Hideout to clear is just west of Ab Comer Castle, one of our newly acquired settlements after our war with Battania.
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We've switched to some throwing axes as our ranged weapon, and while it's a little different to aim... they're a very fun weapon.
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<sup>FATALITY!</sup>
The one downside to these is that they come in pretty small batches. I have 5 axes to throw before it's time to switch to the sword & board or hoist my glaive.
So, I opt for glaive as I absolutely wreck face with this weapon.
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This bandit leader... ahh, such confidence with his tiny little bunch of brigands at his back. Dude is going to get absolutely wrecked. No doubt about it. And then, since I'm going to duel him... those folks standing behind are going to get sold for ransom - one and all.
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***RECORD SCRATCH***
*One Hit Later:*
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And we walk away with 21 prisoners. Cool cool cool. They're worthless, basically, because we're not going to hunt down the quests that make these guys *actually* worth turning in... but still. Not bad!
Having cleared out that hideout, it should reduce the number of bandits and looters in the area. To give a bit *more* help towards that end, we also pause our journey to the *next* hideout and smash a group of 46 looters that are nearby.
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<sup>Boob-window armour, now for men!</sup>
While we stop at Pen Cannoc to drop off our newest batch of ransom-worthy bandits, we notice that one of the Ladies of the region has a quest that I've never seen before - 'Lady's Knight Out'. So we take a moment to chat with her and see what exactly this quest entails.
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As it turns out, what she wants is for someone to win a tournament in her name. Well, heck. I'm the greatest at winning tournaments! Sign me up!
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Is it weird for me to be the Champion of a Lady of Battania after my participation in killing *literally hundreds* of her kinfolk? Maybe. Does that stop me? Hell no!
Boom, done like dinner.
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It took us no extra effort - as it's always fun to do a tournament - and we gain a bit of Charm, a bit of Renown, and some Denars for our troubles. That's a win-win-win in my books! And, handily enough, we're right beside our next target now!
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Since I'd set myself a challenge of taking only half a compliment for my next bandit hideout, I select five of my companions to come with me. Boscoric the Tracker gets to come as the dude's a wrecking ball. I think I could probably take on an entire fort with just he and I, honestly.
Heck, maybe I should try that one of these times!
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Of course, we win without a single loss. I should make this challenger harder on myself in future. Maybe a solo run against an outfit of bandits? Hmm, things to consider!
With two hideouts cleared, we take a moment to snag another quest in a nearby village. One of the notables in the area needs some roving bandits taken care of, and since I'm on a bandit-killing spree, I'm the guy for the job!
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We end up basically getting the easiest quest ever here. All we have to do is run circles around this mountain and snap up the bandits that spawn as we do so. So easy!
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Now, that's a pretty good day's work so far. Two hideouts, a ton of roaming bandits, and a tournament all under our belt so far.
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One of my kinsfolk are suggesting we kick off a war with the Western Empire and so a vote is called.
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We had been paying them a sizable tribute after our last tangle, so I'm **ALL IN** on slapping them around a bit and making *them* pay *us* some tribute next time.
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And with that, it's back to the frontlines for us! First up - defend one of our villages from being pillaged.
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Fights like this where we've got fences and houses and such are sometimes really fun - but they do limit the usefulness of our cavalry forces. So much shit to run into! That's okay though, since there's no way we could possibly lose this fight.
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And then... it happens. The fools. The absolute candlesticks! **They've besieged Ortysia!**
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MY CITY. Nay nay, Empire. I'm not about to let my land fall to *you*! It's time to call my first army together!
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Oooor not. Shit, I don't have enough influence yet. That's okay though because another Lord brings his army south and together we're more than a match for the enemies at my gate.
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We lose about 100 men in our defence of the city. They lose about 300. Not bad at all. That'll teach em not to mess with my city!
Now it's time for a counterattack. But, that's a topic for the next video!
Until next time friends, Happy Gaming!
Check out the video! The link is below.
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https://youtu.be/BvWkv8qdBP8
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