Map Day - The Bastard Baron's Hideaway

I've been working on this map most of the day, on and off.  It'll be my next Patreon micro-adventure.  I think.  Sometimes I start them and they stall out so instead of dwelling on it I move to the next map.  Then I always come back at a later date, do a face palm because all of a sudden I see how easy it was to finish and I do. 

I tend to swerve back into gang leaders or cults with some sort of bigger than life personality.  I always enjoy enemies like this, a group to go against who may be the problem or just a part of the problem.  It's flexible enough to suit either.

The premise of this one is there are a group of errant knights, self-dubbed knights, led by a guy who named himself The Bastard Baron.  They enjoy the mockery of nobility.  Their main hideout is located beneath a crypt.  In addition there is a Petty God I am going to throw in there as a little twist as to what's going on.  While I have this premise outlined in my head, nothing has been written yet. 

Two men sit around a campfire discussing the Bastard Baron over burnt bacon and bread they needed to soak in water to be able to eat.

Choke sat with his back against  the tree stump, he figured it would keep him from getting stabbed from behind.  Then Urians mentioned the night before they could swing a rope around the tree and strangle him with ease.  Choke kept looking over his shoulder.

"You're a goddamn child," Urians laughed as he stabbed at a grease dripping piece of bacon.  The edges were curled up and black.  He bit down and burned his tongue and made a hooting noise as he tried to blow on the bacon to cool it down, but would not take it out of his mouth.

"Serves you right," Choke wiped a layer of road dust from his leather vest.  "Why'd you have to tell me about the strangling.  I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is."

Urains managed to get two good chews in before he swallowed the bacon chunk.  "You afraid of that the Bastard Baron will come to get you?"  He shoved a wad of soaked bread into his mouth and managed to shape his words around it.  "Comes at night, him and his knights.  I heard they kill every man woman and child they meet, but they won't kill clergymen."  He twisted a to his right and reached into his pack and held up a vestment.  "That's why I got one of these."

"You ain't no priest.  You can't even read."

"So what, most preachers can't read either."

"Did you get one for me?"  Choke asked and looked behind him again.  The horses stirred a little.  While they were on the outside of the Manatine Forest he understood to let down his guard would be a death sentence.

"No!"  Urians shook his head.  "I figure he could kill you and that would give me time to run away."

"You're a son-of-a-bitch."

"My mother was a whore, not a bitch.  That's different."  Urians corrected.

A loud horse snort made Choke jump.  He turned to see a pair of armored riders only a few feet away.  They wore the crest of a two decapitated heads, the Bastard Baron's men.  The one rider heft a spear and tossed it with ease and enough strength that when the spear struck Choke it slide through his ribcage out his back until the tip buried itself into the ground. 

Urians scrambled to put on his vestment.  He watch as the two men unhorsed and took everything of value that was in Choke's pack and the two rings he wore.  They did not look his way.  He was able to get his arms in the sleeves and pulled the vestment over his head.  He was still terrified.

"Baron wants to see you."  One of the men said without looking at Urians.

"The Baron wants to see me?  For what?  I ask with all respect and humility."

"Wants a new priest.  The old one isn't inspiring him."

"Inspiring?  I am not very inspiring myself."

The first man spun to look at Urians, his expression was enhanced by the scars down his face.  "We are not going to have a problem.  The Baron's wants a different priest and you are the first one we've come across.  So you can tell him yourself.  But don't mistaken that this is a conversation or that you have a choice.  If it were up to me I would run you through right now."

Urians heart raced and his mind searched for an escape.  He couldn't find one.

A large, brutish man walked into camp with a smaller man who face was bloodied.  He looked at Urians.  "I see we have our new priest."  He turned and hacked at the wounded priest separating his arm from his shoulder.  The Baron then pointed to Urians, "I guess this makes you my new priest."