Brigands attacking merchants caravans and wagons are one thing, having them to entirely disappear without a trace is another. It seems that after the attacks, any attempts to track the brigands and the trail of the stolen caravans or wagons is futile. The tracks can be followed for a while, then suddenly they abruptly disappeared, as if the brigands just vanished into the thin air.
- Not far from where tracks ended is a slow-moving stream. The brigands have simply unloaded the stolen merchandise unto a boat and rowed away. No tracks to the stream could be found readily because the soil around it is stony. A few debris floating upon the stream may alert the adventurers to what is up, and they can follow it easily to the bandits’ hideout.
- The track laid down is a fake. It usually led to the side of a steep cliff, and there the brigands simply toss the empty wagons down. The wagons and caravans are actually emptied half-way on the trail, through a hidden entrance into the bandit’s hideout.
- The tracks usually end at a steep cliff wall, at least five metres high. What the bandits did is to use a system of pulley (well hidden among the bushes at the top of the ledge) to haul the wagons and merchandise up. Usually, caravans are burnt at a clearing far to the south from where the cliff wall is, confusing the trackers even more. Getting access to the bandit’s stronghold would either require a trip up the mountain…or finding a way to use the pulley system installed by the brigands.
Adventure Types: Strange Situations
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