Coastal Raiders of the Western Reaches
The River Bandits who raid valanby are not a random mob, but a roaming cell of a larger coastal gang that operates along the inlets and river mouths feeding into the Bay of Ostican. Seventeen raiders took part in the attack on Valanby, but the gang’s total strength fluctuates around sixty when all members are present at their hideout. They are rarely gathered in full force. The bandits operate in raiding parties that rotate between river routes, coastal smuggling runs, and temporary inland camps. This dispersal makes them difficult to track and harder to eradicate in a single blow.
Their hideout lies in a concealed cove along the left side of the Bay of Ostican, reachable either by narrow coastal paths or by small boats hugging the shoreline. The approach by land is steep, rocky, and treacherous, unsuitable for horses and carts. The final descent into the cove requires climbing down switchback paths and natural stone steps cut into the cliff face. By sea, shallow waters and hidden reefs protect the cove from larger vessels, allowing only small craft to enter safely. This geography makes the hideout difficult to assault quickly and nearly impossible to reach with mounted forces, forcing attackers to approach on foot or by boat under exposure.
The River Bandits arm themselves in the style common to their kind across Calradia. They carry round shields, short swords, axes, and clubs, and most notably, true iron-headed javelins designed for war rather than hunting. These javelins are heavy, balanced for armor-piercing throws, and devastating against unarmored foes. Unlike village militia, the River Bandits possess practical combat experience and know how to use missile weapons in coordinated volleys before closing into melee. Their gear is mismatched but functional, scavenged from fallen soldiers, looted caravans, and black-market trade along the coast.
The militia of Valanby outnumbered the raiding party on paper, but their defeat was swift and brutal. The villagers lacked armor beyond padded coats and improvised shields. Their weapons were farming tools and hunting spears rather than war-grade arms. When the River Bandits opened the fight with javelins, the militia broke formation almost immediately. Several villagers were cut down before they could close distance, and panic spread as shields shattered and unarmored bodies fell. The bandits did not linger in open battle. They struck, overwhelmed resistance, took captives, and withdrew quickly before organized aid could arrive.
The bandits operate under loose leadership rather than a single chief. Veteran raiders command individual cells, and authority shifts based on success in raids. This structure allows the gang to survive the loss of leaders without collapsing. Some members specialize in river navigation and scouting inland targets. Others handle coastal smuggling and the movement of captives and goods. The hideout serves as a meeting ground, storehouse, and temporary holding site for prisoners before they are sold, ransomed, or distributed among coastal criminal networks.
The cove hideout itself is a crude but defensible encampment. Caves cut into the rock serve as storage for weapons, food, and stolen goods. Wooden platforms and rope bridges connect lookout posts overlooking both sea and land approaches. Fires are kept low and screened to avoid detection from the bay. Bandits rotate watch duties constantly, and approach paths are marked with false trails and rockfall traps to slow pursuit. Captives are held in shallow cave chambers near the back of the cove, guarded heavily but moved frequently to avoid rescue attempts.
The River Bandits view villages like Valanby as ideal targets: lightly defended, predictable in their routines, and slow to receive aid. They avoid fortified towns and strong garrisons, preferring to bleed the margins of the Marches where patrol coverage thins. They do not consider themselves rebels or ideologues. They are predators who survive by exploiting the gaps in Vlandia’s road-and-toll system. To them, the world is a web of routes, and villages are merely nodes where wealth and bodies can be taken with manageable risk.
For the player, this gang is not meant to be a single early-game obstacle to clear. It is a living threat with reach, memory, and mobility. Even if one raiding cell is destroyed, the wider network persists. The cove hideout can be scouted, infiltrated, or slowly dismantled over time. The bandits remember faces. They retreat when pressured. They strike elsewhere when hunted too openly. This makes them a recurring wound in the Marches rather than a one-time villain, perfectly fitting the indifferent cruelty of Calradia you’ve built.