Reimian Empire

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Day One
-- Luck isn't on your side today, One-Eye, -- Jack said with a triumphant smirk, raking his winnings off the table. -- Well, play another? Want to win it back?
-- Screw you, -- One-Eye replied gloomily. Kicking a bottle lying on the floor in anger, he rose from the table and flopped heavily into a sagging armchair in the corner of the den. Today was clearly not his day.
Lighting up from the lamp hanging on the wall, One-Eye took a drag of bitter smoke and scanned the bandits' modest shelter. Jack sat at the table, counting money; Joe was straightening arrows over the fire; Bertrand was asleep, hugging a massive chest; in the far, filthiest corner of the room sat Dog, pondering something of his own. "If that scrub is even capable of pondering," -- One-Eye thought to himself. He looked out the window: the darkness of late night was occasionally torn apart by flashes of lightning. After a few more drags, One-Eye suddenly asked:
-- So f*, where did everyone disappear to at this hour? Mark, Jerome, old Johnny?
-- Huh? – Jack looked up from his money. – Who the hell knows. Johnny seemed to be heading to Belange today.
-- This bodes ill, bodes ill, -- One-Eye grumbled thoughtfully, leaned back in the chair, and fell into the sleep of the righteous, dropping his still-lit pipe from his hand.
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Day Two
The bandits, resting from their daytime "exploits," sat at the table, playing cards and sipping moonshine.
-- Pass, -- Jack threw his cards on the table. -- Your luck today, kid.
Joe, a young deserter who had joined the gang only a couple of weeks ago, took the pot and began to count it.
-- You don't count the money until the game is over, Новичок. Once the deal is done, there'll be plenty of time for counting, -- Jack corrected him and poured drinks into glasses. -- Well, shall we drink up, boys?
-- Drink up! -- responded the discordant chorus of One-Eye, Joe, and old Johnny, when suddenly a breathless Bertrand burst into the room, eyes gleaming with madness.
-- F*ck! We're screwed! The mayor was robbed!
-- Now calm down, stop shouting! Once more, what happened?
-- The mayor was robbed last night! The robber escaped! Do you understand what that means?
Those gathered in the room obviously understood nothing yet and stared blankly at Bertrand, trying to digest the information.
-- I'll explain, f*ck, for the underdeveloped. Yesterday someone robbed the mayor and ran off with the money. No one has seen Mark or Jerome since yesterday. They've bolted from here, bolted, damn them, with the General money! That's it, our gang is no more! We divide the accumulated loot and split up!
With these words, Bertrand rushed toward the chest with the shared property, but One-Eye stopped him. Jack took the floor.
-- Now stop it! No one is splitting up. Maybe they'll show up in a couple of days. Where did you even hear this from?
-- How where, half the city is gossiping about nothing else right now.
-- No sense believing women's talk, that's what. Here's the deal: until Mark returns, I'm in charge here. And no one, -- Jack fixed his gaze on Bertrand. -- I repeat, no one goes anywhere. Even if they really did screw us... No, it can't be. Everyone understand?!
-- Understood, understood, take it easy. Well, we playing more?
-- We're playing, -- Jack sighed wearily and began to deal.
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Day Three
-- Well guys, they screwed us, no point in hiding it now -- Jack said, scanning the bandits. The face of One-Eye, the eldest of them all, showed no emotion: like Jack himself, he understood well how everything in this world worked. Joe, not yet fully part of the collective and unaware of the significance Mark had for the gang, was also quite calm. Bertrand, naturally, had cooled off since yesterday, but was still angry. Old Johnny sat with his fists propping up his chin, looking sadly at the chipped surface of the table.
-- I don't understand, -- he said. -- How could this happen? This was practically Mark's life's work. He couldn't just take and run. We're all friends here, right? What did you tell me at the very beginning? One for all and all for one, right? And Jerome, he was a comrade too, a real comrade! When I took an arrow to the chest, he pulled me out! How could this be...
-- You're a fool, Johnny, forgive my bluntness. Friendship, a gang -- that's all well and good. But none of that replaces money. And Mark was always a man of ambition.
-- No, he couldn't... Betray his friends for money. I don't believe it, I don't believe it!!!
-- Hey, we need a kind of new leader now, right? -- Joe spoke up. -- Maybe...
He wanted to say "Maybe we vote?", but One-Eye cut him off.
-- Jack is the ataman now.
No one contradicted him -- perhaps out of respect for One-Eye's authority, perhaps because they themselves considered Jack the most suitable candidate. The new ataman nodded to his old comrade and continued his speech.
-- Well then, in general, everything remains as before. Although what the f*ck "as before" can there be after all this. As for orders -- right now the city is in an uproar because of this robbery, so we'll lie low for a week or two. Dismissed.
At that moment Dog returned and silently -- One-Eye had cut out his tongue several years ago for some careless word addressed to him -- placed a thin purse on the table.
-- Did you hear, scrub? You're not going after purses for now either.
Dog nodded and sat in his corner.
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Day Ten
-- Old Johnny is gone, Jack, -- One-Eye sat at the table opposite the ataman and poured himself moonshine into a glass. -- Haven't seen him since yesterday evening. He bolted after all, the bastard. I felt it, that he was growing weak.
-- If you felt everything, why didn't you stop him? Ah, to hell with him. Since Mark vanished, everything's gone to sh*t.
-- I was at Belange's today. First, that old slut demanded full price from me, thank goodness she came to her senses quickly. And when I asked her about the profit, she snapped that she'd agreed on the profit with Mark, and now I could go f*ck myself. I told her that one more careless word and I'd cut her tits off; she gave the money, but who knows what'll happen next time. She needs a constant eye on her.
-- Yeah, -- wiping his mustache, Jack followed One-Eye's example, filled his glass with moonshine and fell silent for a long time, absorbed in consuming the brew.
-- We started this business as a trio, One-Eye, -- Jack was suddenly inclined to talk about the past. -- Eh, how long ago that was. Twenty years ago... Yes, seems like exactly twenty. A considerable term. You still had both eyes back then. What was your name? Mike, John? Kill me, I don't remember.
-- I don't remember either, -- One-Eye responded thoughtfully. -- I remember my father and mother, though. They were good people, just died early. I was twelve then.
-- And my old man was a rare scoundrel. I ran away from him along with his wallet as soon as I hit fourteen. As a parting gift, I left him a knife. In the throat.
-- I killed for the first time at fifteen. Some old homeless guy tried to act tough with me -- I just smashed him over the head with an axe.
Joe entered the room.
-- Sit down, kid, drink with the old timers, -- Jack handed Joe a glass. -- Tell us why you joined the army. You're from a rich family, aren't you?
-- Dad's military, an officer, -- Joe grimaced, pouring the cloudy brew into himself. -- So he sent me to serve. After three years, I was f*cking fed up with all of it, so I ran.
-- I served too, -- One-Eye replied. -- A year was enough for me. Our life is more fun!
-- Our life is much more fun in many ways. Mark didn't tell all the newcomers that for nothing, -- Jack sighed. -- Only who the hell knows how much longer it'll last, after... after all this sh*t.
-- Don't sweat it, ataman. We'll make it through.
The bandits chatted for a long time about the future and the past, until they began to pass out one by one. Joe was the first: mid-sentence he suddenly went silent and tipped backward along with his chair. Jack was the second to shut down: he laid his head on the table and was snoring a second later. One-Eye held out the longest: going outside to piss, he shouted some incoherent threats into the night darkness and was already heading toward his favorite armchair, but collapsed to sleep on the floor just as he crossed the threshold.
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Day Twenty-Five
-- Raid! -- was all Bertrand managed to say before his body caught a couple of crossbow bolts. Dodging the guards' shots, Jack and One-Eye rushed away from the house they had just intended to rob.
The bandits knew the city perfectly -- far better than any guard, so they were able to reach the den without bringing a tail.
-- Sh*t! Sh*t! -- Jack shouted, but pulled himself together and calmed down. Catching Joe's surprised look, he explained: -- They were expecting us. Bertrand is dead. We're in deep sh*t. The guards are searching for us all over this f*cking city.
-- And... what do we do?
-- I don't know, -- Jack leaned against the wall and slid down it to the floor. -- I don't know. All the exits are probably blocked. This is the end. The end of our merry life, boys.
This sad monologue of the ataman was interrupted by a powerful, corrective kick from One-Eye to the stomach.
-- What the hell, Jack?! You're not planning to surrender, are you?
-- Ha-ha... You're right again, damn you, -- Jack rose from the floor. -- We'll break through and get out of this city.
Four bandits -- Dog, whose nickname he got not only because of cowardice and disregard for hygiene norms, but also thanks to loyalty (though stemming more from fear), followed Jack, Joe, and One-Eye out into the city street.
-- Wait, -- One-Eye returned to the house, picked up a bottle of moonshine from the floor and knocked over the lamp. A fire started. -- Let's go.
Only great luck can explain the fact that they reached the city gates unnoticed. Now only six guards separated them from freedom. But One-Eye was not only a cruel killer, but also a good swordsman -- though outside of Areid his skills and physical form might have seemed laughable even to simple mercenaries, he significantly surpassed the average guard in close combat. After cutting down the guards, the bandits left the city, forever freeing it from the now almost legendary gang, whose leader for a long time had been a man named Mark.
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Day Twenty-Six
A group of four men trudged along a road to nowhere.
-- Why did you burn the den, One-Eye? -- Joe asked curiously.
-- Just because. Just because, -- One-Eye gave an exhaustive answer.
-- And where are we going? -- the question was now addressed to the ataman.
-- North. To the Empire. -- Jack was gloomier than a storm cloud. In fact, this applied to everyone in the company, except Joe.

"Well" -- Jack reasoned. -- "All good things must come to an end"

* * *
Jack

Characteristics:
Strength - 20
Intelligence - 6
Will - 20
Agility - 30 (+8)
Perception - 30 (+8)
Wisdom - 8
Charisma - 16

Skills:

Gang
Rogue
Marksman

Crossbow Shooting
+30% armor penetration

Shooting range: 7
Rogue
+8 to agility, +8 to perception. +1 to stealth for each unit of agility.

Inventory:
Crossbow, bolts, dagger, axe, cloak with mask and hood, deck of cards

One-Eye

Seasoned Comrade

Characteristics:
Strength - 31
Intelligence – 5
Will - 20
Agility - 32 (+8)
Perception - 29 (+8)
Wisdom - 8
Charisma - 5

Skills:
One-handed weapon
+1 to accuracy for each unit of perception.
Light Step
+1 to evasion for each unit of agility.
Rogue
+8 to agility, +8 to perception. +1 to stealth for each unit of agility.
Assassin
Stealthy melee attacks deal 5 times more damage, ranged - three times.
Lockpicker
Character can pick locks.

Inventory:
One-handed sword, knife, lockpicks, leather armor, cloak with mask and hood, pipe and tobacco, bottle of moonshine

Joe

Marksman

Characteristics:
Strength - 24
Intelligence - 5
Will - 17
Agility - 31
Perception - 40
Wisdom - 5
Charisma - 8

Bow Shooting
+20% chance for a critical attack.
Shooting range: 10
Sleight of Hand
Additional shot

Inventory:
Bow, arrows, one-handed sword, light armor

Dog

Rogue

Characteristics:
Strength - 19
Intelligence - 9
Will - 10
Agility - 40 (+8)
Perception - 40 (+8)
Wisdom - 7
Charisma - 5

Rogue
+8 to agility, +8 to perception. +1 to stealth for each unit of agility
Pickpocket
+30 to agility when attempting to steal from other characters

Inventory:
Knife