Tales From a Guild Member

Bandits - Tale for the Champion's Guild

The Guildmaster had been quite busy that week dealing with a number of recent applicants due to the stories being told of heroes like Zanik, Sir Owen, and Ozan. Many were turned away for being too young or not quite renowned enough.

He'd also given out most of the quests from his logs and quest job board. The only thing left was to investigate a criminal report of some bandits attacking caravans and travelers anywhere at random on the roads to Yanille, Witchaven, and Henmester. Normally this would just be handled by the local guards, but these bandits always seemed to escape.

So off I went to Kandarin.
I scoured the roads, asked the locals, and even pumped some thugs for information in the seedier pubs of Ardounge. No one had any useful information.
Finally I got word that the weekly trade cart from Henmester to Ardounge would pass through one of the routes occasionally robbed. I convinced the fisherman to let me take the cart and report that they had a very good haul with some very rare prized fish for the market in the hopes that the bandits would hit.
I dressed up as a fisherman, started down the road with the cart, and sure enough, I was stopped, by the bandits. They robbed me, tied me up, and ran off with the cart of goods.

Luckily, I had my knife on me, cut through my bonds and gave pursuit. But the tracks ended at the edge of the forest with no signs of footprints or wheel tracks.
I had planned for this with the help of the Seers. We placed a small magic beacon in the cart. Using my magic crystal to home in, I found their camp near a cave.
I quietly headed back to town to get my gear and raced back to the camp followed by a few Knights of Ardounge and a Seer.
When we arrived, some of the bandits had already headed off for another raid. The Knights also recognized a few new faces in their camps, a Town Guard and some merchants of Ardounge acting quite friendly with the bandits. We easily heard them bragging about how with the information they have supplied on the trade routes, and the guards 'conveniently' being led on wild kebbit chases all over, they will soon be able to take over the Merchant's Guild in Ardounge and control the whole market.
With that, the Knights sprang into action, and most of the bandits, merchants, and traitor guard were quickly subdued. But the leader of the Bandits would not go down so easily. He slew 2 of the Knights, threw some Flashpowder at the rest and headed deeper into the woods. I gave chase.
After a brief but hectic duel with him, I managed to defeat him, tie him up, and drag him back to stand trial for the thefts. We even caught the rest of the bandits as they were returning from their other heist.
So with the trade routes in Kandarin safe again, King Lathas made me an honorary Knight of Ardounge and a note certifying my mission accomplished.
With that I returned to the Champion's Guild, and welcomed as a member.