2001-01-03: Brigand Blockade Bludgeoned
The solitude of Trinsic was disrupted when the town criers began calling out, "Paladin seeks for warriors to deal with bandits! Inquire at Paladin’s Library!" Volunteers ran to the far northeastern section of the city to rendezvous with Alex the Paladin.
Alex told the group that a section of road between Trinsic and Britain was being held by a group of brigands. These heinous men and women were attacking anyone or anything that came near their camp. "Any treasure you find there will be yours," Alex told them, "if you deal with these brigands." Anyone who has even a passing familiarity with the brigand sort knows that where there is a brigand camp, there is treasure, for they are greedy, hoarding types whose lust for gold makes them a murderous plague on polite society.
Setting out from Trinsic was a small group of half a dozen or more brave volunteers, their numbers increasing as news of the disturbance spread. Initially, the sight was grim for the would-be heroes. The brigands outnumbered them terribly and, were it not for the kindness of nearby healers who tended their wounds, this would be a memorial rather than a message of victory. The valiant souls rallied together and turned the tides on the brigands in a hard-fought battle.
It was then that a sinister woman appeared, taunting the champions. Witnesses identified her as Zorsha, an infamous villain who is known for gathering groups of unsavory types and preying on travelers throughout Britannia. She confronted the Trinsic defenders and advised them to throw down their weapons as they were surrounded and had no chance for survival. Naturally, the warning went unheeded and the blades of the noble protectors turned on her instead.
Apparently drawing on some dark magics she is known to practice, Zorsha had augmented her natural strength, transforming her truly almost petite figure into a frame of supernatural power. This did not sway the guardians of the road, however. Drawing on their individual fortes, they used them towards a single accord : the destruction of the vile Zorsha. The gathered warriors fought bravely, poisoning, casting, fighting and tending each other’s wounds, working together in a chorus of expert agility which struck down, at last, this menace to the good folk of these lands.
Alex the Paladin wished to send his thanks and greetings, as should all who inhabit these lands, for the heroic deeds performed by: Jaque LeFevre, Azule, Sir Robin, Dark Widow, El Gringo, Noleens, Mistress XXX, Ryan Nighthawk, and Andrew Bishop.
Merlin the healer reported that he heard one of the conquerors mutter, as they headed back toward Trinsic and lands beyond, shaking his head as he gave Zorsha’s mangled corpse one last glimpse, "She had a big idea, but she attacked the wrong people.... and killed the wrong llama."
