Bolin and Opal didn't seriously come here, did they?

At least, that was what Jinora wondered as the scent of alcohol and smoke assaulted her nose as she stood outside of Uxkhal's main tavern. Night had fallen and with a very productive afternoon Korra had let the troops head out to get their own dinner if they didn't want to stick to the rations. Bolin and Opal had both taken that offer up, but they were taking their time coming back. Wanting to get away from some of the Nords starting a bunch of informal duels, Jinora had volunteered.

"If nothing else I can ask where they went," she muttered as she took a deep breath of the fresh air before she went in, closing the door behind her. The tavern was relatively empty - the only person present at the moment was a drunk well into his cups and several tables still had scraps from earlier dinners. His red hair was a wild mess and he looked like he hadn't shaved for a while - or at least stopped tending to his beard. A sword sheathe hung at his waist, but there was no sword.

Odd, she thought before making her way forward and walking up to the bar on the far end from the man. The barkeep is probably grabbing something, she decided as she kept her eyes towards the drunk.

"I'm lost… lost…" the drunk muttered as he tried to drink from an empty flagon.

"Why?" Jinora asked before she could stop herself. The man paused, turning and tilting his head at her. Something seemed to spark in him as he stared and Jinora found herself sliding her hand into a position to quickly push him back with airbending.

"I have committed the gravest of sins, young lady. Though it's shameful, I must appoint you as my confessor, if you'll hear me out."

She nodded, her own curiosity piqued.

"I was Count Delinard's Captain of Horse, serving alongside my brother in the retinue of Swadia's marshall. Oh, glorious days as we fought against our land's many foes. Honor, prestige, worthy deeds of chivalry to add to the annals of our family history, we were Knights in every sense of the word!"

"But you killed countless people?"

"Yes, but that is not my sin. We slew them in honorable combat. No, what I have done is more foul… my brother and I fell in love with the same woman - a courtesan, a temptress who played on our jealousies between campaigns! My brother and I quarreled, and one night I had drank too much."

Jinora was able to piece together the rest. "And you attacked him?"

"He slapped me with his glove, and I spit him upon my sword. My own brother! My sword arm stained with my kin's blood! Is there hope for a man like me, to try and regain my worth as a chivalrous knight, or am I doomed to follow the demons that dwell inside of me?"

Demons? Jinora wondered for a moment before writing it off as a Calradic equivalent of dark spirits. He's speaking metaphorically, he's had his whole worldview yanked out, but how...

"My knowledge of Calradia's knights isn't what it should be," she started slowly, wondering where the tavern keeper was, "but they're basically soldiers, with the job of killing people?"

"Chivalry is to make war, but it is a code of honor: to uphold the ideals of loyalty, courage, service… forbearance…"

"But fighting for what reason?" she asked. "Non-violence is the best answer, but there is no shame in self defense."

The drunken knight nodded slowly. "To protect the innocent… yet, I have been party to terrible deeds. Villages raided. We tell ourselves it is to win the war, but how can I reconcile protecting innocents with being party to their butchery? How can I be a warrior quick to defend his honor, yet not hesitate to slay kin with a few too many glasses of wine?"

"I don't think you're supposed to. You're seeing the flaws in Calradia's state; there's too much war."

"Yet if we do not stand up, what happens?" he asked, looking longingly back towards his glass and sighing. "What can a knight do for his honor if not fight?"

"Maybe you could try something else. Maybe learn to heal, rather than hurt?" she offered.

"I am no surgeon, and to learn I would have to walk away from my oaths… how can a man redeem himself that way?"

He's killed his own brother and he still thinks war is the answer?! she thought in shock before pausing, thinking back to Korra's warnings. No, Jinora reminded herself as she took a breath to steady herself. Words won't do it alone, but words backed with steel… and he's one of Calradia's nobles, if he starts to believe in peace...

"Then maybe you need to fight for something right," she offered. "Not for national glory, but for something worth defending. You know, actually protect the innocent knowing that you are not going to turn on them."

"I am but one man, young lady. Even the mightiest knights will fall alone against the hordes…"

Jinora hesitated; he was still drunk, but he needed something to get out of his stupor. "Maybe you could find company. I'm travelling with the Avatar, Korra…"

"I've heard that name…" something seemed to go on in Firentis' mind as he blinked, staring at Jinora blankly and she felt increasingly uncomfortable as the silence stayed.

"Are you okay?" Jinora asked.

"Yes…" he said slowly as his eyes began to widen, "yes, yes I am! You… you must've been sent by divine providence to lead me away from this darkness! Where is your captain, I must speak to her!"

This is getting way too creepy, Jinora immediately realized as she stumbled back at the sudden shouting - and the drunk knight lumbering to his feet. "Hey, hey, slow down, you're still drunk!"

"Damn the drink, I must…" he took a step forward and stumbled, landing on his face.

"He sat too long and his legs fell asleep," another voice cut in and Jinora looked up to see the tavern keeper coming out from the back. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I was getting another cask ready, then I heard you talking…"

"Why didn't you interrupt?" she asked as she checked him - the knight had hit the space between floorboards with his head and was starting to bleed at his forehead, though it was a small cut and more of a welt than a gash.

"He… Sir Firentis has been in here ever since the war with the Khergits started," the tavern keeper explained as she leaned against the counter to look at him. "He needed something to get him out of it, and when I heard someone actually talking to him rather than shoving him back…"

Jinora nodded. "Can you keep him safe? I need to go find Korra and tell her; he… Firentis is going to need someone to check him to make sure he's okay."

"Aye, I can do that. Go find your friends."

"Speaking of that, there were two I was looking for. Guy and a girl, both wearing shades of green…"

"Sounds familiar. They left before I went to get the next cask. Something about 'heading back'..."

Go figure, Jinora realized as she shook her head. "Alright, thanks."

Leaving the tavern behind her, it didn't take long for Jinora to navigate her way through the streets of Uxkhal and to where they had found an old warehouse that wasn't currently in use to sleep in. The owner was happy to let them all stay as long as the attic remained locked and they paid a token charge.

As she made her way inside, she noticed Bayar and Lydia having an argument over bending, which Korra was watching closely and others were paying attention as well.

"How long have they been at it?" Jinora asked.

"Huh?" Korra blinked, turning toward her. "Not long; they're mostly arguing about the validity of bending as a way out of being peasants."

"We're too used to bending," Asami pointed out as she walked up, a ledger in hand. "So it's not as much of an in for us as it is for them. Anyways, so about the pay from earlier, Korra…"

Korra groaned, putting a hand on her forehead. "Yeah, the guild master refused to hand out the bonus and threatened to not let us trade here if I pushed it. Next time I'm getting it in writing…"

"Probably a good idea. Oh, and Opal and Bolin came back…"

"I know, but there's something else," Jinora explained. "I ran into someone where they went for dinner…"

XXXXXXX

"Thank you for seeing me so early in the morning," Korra said as she bowed.

"You rescued my son at great personal risk. Unladylike as it was, I cannot turn aside such an act."

Was the jab necessary? Korra wondered as she looked up at Bela. She noticed Elina standing nearby, giving her a faint nod as the two made eye contact before she looked back at the woman who was in charge of the city while her husband was away.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Thank you, Lady, but I already have. I came to ask you about one of the knights in your husband's service, a man named Firentis..."

"Sir Firentis, he is still a knight."

"The poor soul," Elina muttered as she sighed behind her mother's quick correction. "All because of that harlot…"

"Don't be so vulgar, you are a proper lady," Bela admonished before turning back to Korra. "But yes, he was the Captain of Horse for our house. After the unfortunate challenge, Delinard discharged him recognizing he was in no condition to serve in war. Sadly, he chose to spend his time drinking rather than mourning."

"One of my friends found him," Korra explained. "She talked to him a bit, but when he heard my name he felt like he needed to join my warband. He's still sleeping it off and I have no intent of accepting him if he's not sober when he does, but if he murdered his brother…"

"My husband has forgiven it in the eyes of Swadian law. It happened in the land he holds in fief to King Harlaus, and as such his place to pass judgment. However, if Sir Firentis' relatives seek to pursue honor, they may do so. If you wish to accept a kinslayer among your ranks, you can."

"You're not worried about anything he would know as your former horse commander?" Korra asked, blinking in surprise.

Bela shook her head. "He is an honorable man played by a woman who neglected her role in chivalry. He needs the inspiration to find his way back, and if you are willing to take him, your campaign against the outlaws may be what he needs to find himself again."

Nodding, Korra glanced out the window behind them showing the morning fog. "Back in Praven, you talked about how I was destroying my femininity by being a fighter… why are you suddenly okay with it?"

"I am not, but I recognize that you are from a barbarian land that never felt the light of Imperial culture. Calradia has fallen on hard times, but it remains in some Suno. Perhaps in your travels with a knight of that heritage, you will start to learn what you simply could not in your lands."

Rolling her eyes, Korra fought down a retort about Calradia's war torn status. "Maybe, but I like who I am." She bowed her head again. "Thank you for your time, Lady."

Bela returned it. "You may go. But before you do, one more thing…"

"Yes?"

"His equipment is still within the keep's armory. If he chooses to join you, make sure he recovers it as it is fitted to him. I think you'll find a true Swadian Knight to be worth more to your company than whatever rabble you have amassed so far."

Korra nodded, and made her exit. It didn't take her long to make it back to the old warehouse, and Mako was waiting for her outside.

"How is he?" she asked.

"I put him through some of the sobriety tests we use for drunk drivers," the ex-cop explained as he looked up at her. "Far as I can tell he's sober, just has a hangover. Jeremus seems to agree too…"

"You don't trust him?" Korra asked as she could hear Mako hesitating.

"He killed his brother. And it's not like we're running dry either, but… do we really want a murderer running with us?"

"Would the Avatar be friends with a former Triad?"

Mako blinked, tilting his head. "What are you saying, Korra?"

"Look if someone had told me in the South Pole that I'd be dating someone who ran numbers for the Triads and other 'stuff'," she made a point to emphasizing the last word, "I would've laughed at it because that's not the kind of company that I thought I'd have as the Avatar. I was wrong, and I don't want to make that mistake here. I'll keep an eye on him, but he may not even want to join us."

"Alright, but it's still feels wrong, waiting for him to sober up or not. I mean, you met us by chance. Firentis…"

"... wants to join because Jinora happened to miss Bolin and Opal," she retorted. "I'm the Avatar, weird stuff happens."

"Good point," he gestured into the side room they had kept Firentis in and Korra made her way in, finding the knight with a bag of ice on his head where he had hit the floor.

"Ah, here she is now," Jeremus said, prodding Firentis.

"I recognize you now," he said. "You rescued my liege's son from the Vaegirs, and fought against the Nord's slaughter of Gisim…"

"How much do you remember about last night?" Korra asked.

"I remember your young friend, her point about needing something better to fight for, and wanting to join your ranks, but little else."

Korra's gut tightened again as how abusive this felt crawled up in her mind. "Alright. You were eager to, but you were drunk. It didn't feel right to accept until you sobered up…"

"Fair and just as a lady should be, but no… drunk as I was, I think I saw something of myself. I need to do this. I need to be more than a knight killing at my liege's say-so. I am supposed to be a shield for the meek, yet I have been party to their destruction. Is this what chivalry is, to profess ideals of nobility but discard them when it is convenient or advantageous?" he shook his head. "No, I must atone for what I've done, but I do not think I'll find that atonement with the good Marshall and his army."

This still feels wrong, Korra thought before shoving it aside. "If that's what you want, you're welcome to join us." She held out her right hand to shake. He looked at it, as if expecting something else.

"Do you mean to shake, or have you simply lost your family's signet ring?"

"Shake," Korra added.

Firentis nodded and took her hand, shaking firmly. "Now, before I go, I must ask Lady Bela about…"

"Your gear? It's still in the keep's armory, she wanted you to take it." Korra finished.

"Gentle of her. I will go recover it, and be back here as soon as I am able. When do we head out?"

"As soon as everyone's ready," Korra explained, then glanced behind her. "Mako, why don't you and Jinora go with him, just in case his hangover hits him? I need to talk with Lezalit about our next move."

Mako nodded and helped Firentis out, leaving Korra to make her way towards the back end of the warehouse where Lezalit was going over a map with Asami.

"We know the bandits are somewhere in these woods," Asami pointed out as she was pointing on it. "The question is where?"

"They may also be in the other forests, however unlikely," the Geroian added. "Still, our new skirmish tactics for the benders seem to be working well, so as long as we don't have to deal with too many capable archers or cavalry we should be fine."

"The line's still too thin," Korra pointed out, both of them looking up.

"I agree," Lezalit said as he briefly bowed his head, "but until we have the shields and other equipment for them to participate in the line properly, the best they can do is add a little more depth. Even then I wouldn't be certain about it."

"So, where are we heading next?" Asami asked. "I know we're going to go after those bandits, but we need something more."

"I'm thinking head towards Ibrian and beat up any bandits we met on the way," Korra explained as she sat down and pointed on the map; north of their current position. "One of them will spill the location eventually."

"If nothing else, Captain, the campaign should season the troops and give the benders some experience in combat for when we make the final attack," Lezalit nodded. "May I ask you something, Captain?"

"Sure."

"How is it that benders like the two brothers could end up as street rats? Surely the ability to bend would get them out of such a fate - the potential in warfare is too great. If Calradia had benders of your caliber, they'd be offered quite the prize for their service.."

Korra thought back to how quick Graveth was to offer her vassalage. He barely knew me and he was willing to offer me a noble title and command of some of his troops after one battle… She shook her head.

"It's a powerful thing, but it's also much more common than it is in Calradia," Korra pointed out. "Our bending recruits managed to learn quickly, but they're still beginners."

"And yet they've still proven to devastate the morale of our foes - bandits may be cowards who prey on the weak, but few are unwilling to fight for their prize. I've seen bandits less equipped than the ones we fought at Ruluns attack a heavily armored Swadian patrol just to steal a coat of plates they carried!"

"Maybe, but that isn't going to last," Asami pointed out. "Once people get used to the idea and it's more common, they'll get used to it. It's scary and new because people can barely use it. Those who can are usually alone and really, well, pathetic. It's not a single fireball that's scary, it's volley after volley that scares them."

"Then when we have time, we should spend more time training them. The heavy hitters of our day would not be so easily cowed; Knights, Huscarls, or even the Marksmen in the Vaegir's ranks. If we really want to apply this advantage, we shouldn't squander it. Think of the power you could wield, Captain, once this company has grown in strength."

Korra shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean, start conquering?"

"Or swear fealty to a king to your liking… or support one of the claimants to the thrones. You could be a kingmaker with this company."

"I don't know. I want to stop these wars, not make them worse."

"A quick and successful war with one side surrendering, even if it yields merely a single province, is better than a stalemated white peace with neither side's war goals fulfilled," he retorted. "Calradia has had nothing but those since the Empire fell. I know you come from a more peaceful place, Captain, but just consider the power you could wield here if you chose to."

I probably could wield a lot, she realized. Calradia didn't have the set nation states that had existed - they had six kingdoms, but they didn't live together. It wasn't like Republic City where there was a very firm law enforcement and her actions as the Avatar were those of a vigilante - it was like the times where the Avatar could have been a force of law by herself. And if I unlocked the Avatar State again...

"Maybe," she admitted as she put the thought aside for the moment. "But I don't have the reputation to do it… not yet."

"King Graveth was pretty eager to have you," Asami pointed out. "And I don't think any of the other ones would need too much persuasion either."

"I mean to act as the Avatar should," Korra pointed out. "You know, before Republic City and all that."

"You mean before nations centralized?" Asami asked, tilting her head. "Eh, I dunno Korra… the kings here seem pretty eager to not answer to anyone but themselves."

"I don't want them to answer to me, just listen."

Lezalit snorted. "Unlikely, Captain. They all believe they are by rights heirs to Calradia's golden throne. They might respect your counsel eventually, but only if it's to their advantage. Men must be kept in firm check, and diplomacy only works as long as you have the stick to back it."

"Then it's a good thing well trained benders are a big stick," Korra retorted.

Lezalit paused, then nodded. "Very well, Captain. Still, consider what you want to do in the long term. Going around defeating these bandits is a good way to build a reputation and hone a fighting force, but it will not make you a peer to landed lords and their kings."

"I'll keep that in mind."

XXXXXXXX

"The Avatar has been busy."

Ghazan nodded as Borcha had left the makeshift house that Hundun had set up for himself. "Those forest bandits aren't going to last much longer, we might need another distraction."

"Indeed. A shame that the Rhodoks and Sarranids made peace, but I suppose kings must consolidate what little they gained in an unsatisfactory war." Hundun shook his head. "Some things never change."

"You're speaking from experience?" Ming-Hua asked.

"Indeed. I was a king in my day, and saw all the things that royalty likes to hide."

"You didn't mention this earlier," Ghazan frowned. "You said you wanted to bring them down."

"I did not lie, but I know that you don't trust me. If I told you outright that I was once a king, would you have agreed to follow?"

"Considering the last chief who was with us, trust doesn't come easy."

Hundun chuckled. "Indeed, they trust few. I was fortunate to be able to trust my own brother, but the other petty kings of what you know as the northern Earth Kingdom? No, to trust them was to be a fool."

"So you were basically in charge of something like Omashu?" Ming-Hua asked.

"A thousand years ago, yes. I was a spiritual ruler, having studied with the Air Nomads in my youth and furthering my studies on my own. I could meditate into the Spirit World myself, learning much and using that knowledge to do what my people needed to thrive. The Avatar objected to my techniques."

"What were you doing with it?" Ghazan asked as he frowned.

"I bargained, gaining knowledge with which to outwit my foes and bring them to heel. My wealth and power grew, to the point where the Northern Water Tribe began to consider me a threat. Unfortunately, they also decided to bring in the Avatar of the time to deal with me."

"And not liking the idea of someone using spirits to help their kingdom, the Avatar attacked?"

"Some Avatars are notoriously easy to manipulate, and having the Avatar deal with a problem gives it a legitimacy that the kings cannot match. But yes, the Avatar attacked and the battle brought the palace down on top of my brother and I."

"And you meditated into the Spirit World to survive," Ming-Hua finished, receiving a nod from the ancient earthbender.

"What about your brother?" Ghazan asked.

Hundun paused, looking out each window carefully before raising his hands, wide but flat stone pillars rising to obstruct the entrances. Ghazan was on guard, but Hundun moved unusually slowly, as if trying to show he was not a threat. His walking stick fell to the ground, and Hundun reached back and down at an angle that no human had any right to reach, pulling up the hems of his robe…

"... he's attached to you?" Ghazan asked as he saw a second set of feet stick out onto the ground.

"Yes, the Avatar's attack wounded my brother and to save him I had to use what I had learned to bind us together. We meditated into the Spirit World, but there was no cure there even as our former physical bodies became dust."

"But you have…"

"An artifact of Harmonic Convergence pulling us into Calradia, I suspect," Hundun answered as the legs pulled back and Hundun let his robe fall back down. "But my brother is too weak to speak and act as you or I would, and must sleep so he has the strength to act when it matters. To restore my brother, I need the Avatar's chi. If I can extract it, I can save my brother."

"And all this?" Ming-Hua asked, gesturing outside as Ghazan brought the pillars back down. "The bandits, taking advantage of all the causes of war?"

"Calradia's people do not realize that the current kings will not be their salvation. The Avatar looks at chaos as purely destruction, but with too much order there is no growth."

Ghazan frowned, but did not answer. He hardly considered Calradia to be 'ordered', but the philosophy of such abstract concepts like order, chaos, or balance was something he usually left to Zaheer. He preferred more practical things to talk about, like what hoops a man has to jump through to earn enough bread for himself and his family. And with nations and kings choking everyone, they usually had to jump through far too many.

Yet for all his misgivings about the old man, he was their best shot to break the power of Calradia's nobility. Unlike the Earth Queen's aristocracy which she had managed to reduce to being near useless, the nobles in Calradia for the most part were able to hold their ground and do things themselves. Ghazan had seen how here the bandits could oppress helpless farmers, but were too weak to dare confront any of the lords in anything besides an ambush when he was hunting. Yet under Hundun's organization and with his ability to find the information they needed, they had started to be able to fight openly even if ambush remained their preference.

The question is, what happens after? he wondered as a discussion of strategy resumed and considerations for where to strike next if the Swadian bandits could not keep Korra busy long enough.

XXXXXX

"Get down, more ahead!" Asami warned as she ducked behind a fence that surrounded a farmstead. Bayar, Svarog, Balian, Keiko, Ymira, William, and a few other fire and waterbenders crouched down next to her and the Vaegir bowman leaned out, blinking as the rain kept pouring on them.

"Dozen guys," the William muttered. "Not a problem though, their bows are all in bags."

"I hate not being able to shoot," Ymira muttered as she was stuck with a salvaged spear rather than her crossbow, which had been left back at the camp to be kept dry along with William's warbow. "What's your plan of attack?"

"You stay back and warn us if we get flanked, you can't bend," Svarog suggested.

"Ahem," Bayar muttered through his mask. "Hello, you looking at us?"

"Oh right, pipe mask. Eh, just get anything we miss…"

Asami rolled her eyes. "Bayar, Ymira, stay down. Benders, hit 'em!"

They rose and attacked, a barrage of the elements shooting towards the bandits and either knocking them into the ground or staggering them.

"Over there!" one shouted and those who weren't knocked out in the barrage began to try and cross the muddy pasture. The mud wasn't thick enough that they got stuck, but several slipped as they were rushing towards them.

"More behind us!" Ymira warned. Asami and Bayar turned to see another half squad of bandits running up from the other side of the farmstead.

"Focus on the main group, Bayar and I can take care of them!" Asami ordered as she pushed herself up and ran over. The nearest bandit had a wooden staff and as she closed he swung down, but Asami caught it and used it as leverage to flip him onto the ground. Bayar got the next two, striking at their elbows and other pressure points.

"Ow, what the-?!" the second one shouted as his arms froze up and Bayar grabbed his cloak to hurl him into the next two bandits behind them. All three landed in with a splash as they fell into a ditch between the dirt road and the fence.

No one else challenged them, and as Asami looked back towards the benders one bandit had gotten in close, but Keiko quickly redirected the nearby rain into a flurry of little bits of ice, blinding the bandit as it shot into his face and she followed up by decking him.

Confident that their job was done, she turned towards the chi blocker. "Nice job."

"Thanks. It's nice when they don't wear thick clothing," he answered, gesturing towards the bandit with the cloak who, under that, had been wearing a thin shirt likely meant for summer.

Asami nodded. "Make sure these guys are down, I'll go check on the others."

As Bayar checked the downed bandits, Asami walked over to where the benders were smirking at their handiwork or even making their way over to loot the corpses of the dead bandits.

"Let's see a girl with a crossbow match that," Balian retorted as he nudged Ymira's arm.

The Rhodok woman scowled. "Look, it's the rain, I'm not a waterbender…"

"In fairness, what I did wasn't very impressive," Keiko chimed in as she had finished binding the bandit she had knocked out. As she joined them, Asami saw that while he had numerous cuts, they were mere scratches and none looked serious.

"Still, can't keep us down with a little rain," Svarog smirked.

These guys really are getting full of it, aren't they? Asami realized. "Yeah, Bayar and I just took care of those guys flanking. Get this cleaned up, then we head back."

"Yes ma'am," Ymira responded. Several minutes later they dragged the knocked out bandits over to where they were making camp near another farmstead. The bulk of the bandit group had been dealt with earlier, but there was another group that was supposed to meet them. Asami had led a smaller group of skirmishers to take care of it.

And that had been what they were doing the last two days - breaking big groups, then sending smaller groups to deal with stragglers or the smaller bands that they found out about. They were doing well; lost a few but also recruited others to fill in, though training was being done on the move and untrained recruits were left to guard wherever they set up their baggage train.

As they made it back to the camp itself, Asami saw the most of their fighters were staying underneath something to shelter from the rain. Being able to make tents with earthbending has been real popular, she noted and half smiled. It still sucked travelling in the rain, but at least they were able to camp somewhat dry. After making sure what the skirmishing team had gained was split fairly and keeping the stuff that would go to the war chest, she made her way towards Korra's tent only to find it was empty.

"You see where Korra went?" Asami asked as she moved on to the one next to it where Barnaby was busy performing maintenance on his equipment.

"'fraid not," Barnaby answered as he finished sharpening the tip of his spear.

"She's out taking that bear dog thing for a run," another soldier behind the Rhodok spearman answered.

"Thanks. If you see her, tell her that we caught a couple more."

"Right, think these guys will talk, Lieutenant?" Barnaby asked.

"Maybe," Asami shrugged as Bayar was making sure the captured bandits were being hauled to Mako for interrogation. "But until then we keep going until the bandits are gone."

"Bit surprised about the tempo," he admitted as he moved on to checking the fit on the spearhead. "We've been marching and fighting more than you usually do in an army."

"Really?"

"Yeah; not sure how we've still got enough to keep going. Usually by now a campaigning army would need to slow down and replace its losses. I can still count our dead with my hands."

"Having good medical does that," Asami pointed out as she nodded towards where Jeremus was talking with Bolin about a large gash on his arm from a previous fight. "Without it, it's pretty shocking how many survivable things you can die from."

"Yeah…" he muttered as he finished tightening the spear tip and nodded satisfactorily. "Eh, anyways, you aren't here to hear me whine, are you?"

"No, but we don't have much else to do."

He briefly lowered his head. "Aye, Lieutenant."

Asami returned it and left. Military rank still feels odd, she decided as she made her way to where she had her tent nearby. A result of earthbending like the majority of them, she had one to herself as she also had the chest with their funds. The ground was still wet, but no longer having the rain constantly pouring on it had let it dry up enough.

Taking a moment to dry off as best she could before heading in, she hear a familiar heavy footfall and turned around to see Korra coming back on Naga, looking focused.

"Korra?"

"Hey, Asami, I just got a location on the lair!" Korra answered, starting to smile.

Blinking, she stared. "From who?"

"One of the local farmers, apparently his brother had ran with them for a while before realizing crime wasn't for him."

Asami paused, wondering if this was actually trustworthy or if it was a trap. "Alright, you sure it's good?"

"Best we're going to get. Thinking of asking Furry Foot to go take a look, you know, being a spirit and all he can avoid attention. If it's right, we can get moving early tomorrow."

"And after that?"

Korra paused. "Well… hopefully we can get paid and then maybe get some better gear. We're still mostly running around in work clothes unless someone had their own armor."

"Well if we take out the bandit lair, we probably won't be able to find the owners for the goods they've got stashed there, so add that to Delinard's payout we might be able to afford some better gear. Probably not much, though, unless we're willing to buy older stuff that should be retired."

"Yeah… anyways, I'm going to go see if Mako found out anything from the prisoners. Maybe something about this Hundun… speaking of that, any more arguments from the chi blockers?"

Asami shook her head. "No, but they still get plenty of guff from the bender recruits. They really like what they can do and love that it's something others can't."

"I guess they figured out that bending is one of the coolest things around," Korra smirked, shaking her head. "And have about as much tact about it as I had."

"Huh?"

"I never told you about the Equalist protestor I argued with on my first day in Republic City, did I?" The Avatar looked down, frowning and shifting in the saddle.

Asami paused, opening her mouth as she was about to ask how bad it was, then shut it. Korra's reaction gave her a good idea on what had happened. "I'll pass, but we need to sort this out at some point."

"If you've got a suggestion I'm open to it, right now it's looking like it's going to take something like those chi blockers that covered the Equalists kidnapping Bolin…" Korra stopped, staring at Asami as her eyes widened.

Asami smiled as well. "We just need to time it right."

XXXXXXXX

"Bloody business, hunting these bandits."

Jinora nodded to Jeremus as they were sitting towards the outside of the camp that night, under a lean-to made from earthbending. The campfire they were sitting around was at the edge, just far enough out for the smoke to escape yet under the protection so the rain did not easily snuff it out. Sitting nearby was Bayar who had chosen to accompany them on the perimeter to get away from the majority of the warband.

"But it's worth doing," Bayar answered as he poked the soup with his fingers, gloves and mask lying nearby. "Especially since now there's a maniac out there who's going to be training them in how to use bending."

"Yes, I imagine such would be a bloody prospect for any to fight," Jeremus admitted. "Still, I must admit that I'm fascinated by your prior creed. You said that you were part of a movement to eradicate bending?"

Bayar shifted where he sat, glancing away. "On paper it was supposed to be about equality, but we attracted far too many people who just wanted to destroy it. Doesn't help that Amon actually could do it, bender himself or not…"

"Still," Jeremus continued, "from what I have surmised from the knowledge gleaned through conversations with others displaced to Calradia by this 'Harmonic Convergence', bending has been an integral part of your societies for far longer than Calradia has written record and enabled it to make advances beyond our own. Why only now would bending become something hated?"

Jinora frowned. "You know, that's a good question. Why weren't there Equalist movements before Republic City?"

"Might've been a lack of communication," Bayar offered. "Pretty easy to cut off ideas when it relies on word of mouth and the people in power could easily isolate troublemakers. Most of them probably liked bending too much to want to get rid of it."

"Not without something to give it a bad reputation with the majority," Jeremus pointed out. "I take it the Triads you mentioned as helping this 'Hundun' figure were one such source?"

"That, and a bunch of self-righteous…" he paused and looked up. Jinora turned and saw Firentis walking over, wearing only the mail that would normally go under his coat of plates, and a dark red cloak with a hood.

"May I?" he asked. "The other fires are full."

"Sure," Jinora said, scooching to the side so he had enough room to sit down.

"Thank you," the knight said as he sat down. "Apologies for interrupting."

"It's okay," Bayar said as he had some more of his soup. "But yeah, there was that. Though I always thought the idea of destroying bending was too far. Sure, modern technology made it possible to do things without bending, but we also used a ton of it to make that."

Firentis frowned. "Modern? The craftsmanship of your kit alone is beyond that of most smiths."

"Modern for where we came from," Jinora pointed out as she tried to suppress a smirk. So many people forget that what's 'modern' changes every generation. No one lives in ancient history.

"Anyways," the chi blocker continued, "There's also the fact that before, well, are farmers just trying to make a living going to care about this? They're busy enough just getting food for themselves, they don't have time to ask why some are born with special privileges that others can't earn."

"As we men of Suno would say, they knew their place," Firentis offered.

"Yeah, something like that," Bayar shifted again. "Look, no offense mister knight, but I can't say that I'm impressed with Calradia's nobles either. Kinda feels like the same crap that got the Equalists moving, except it's not about bending but some arbitrary line of who gave birth to who."

"I would not expect a foreigner to understand Calradia's ways, particularly one so new to our land," Firentis said, but to Jinora's surprise he did not sound either insulted or irritated. "But just as I hope to learn how to control myself, perhaps you will learn of our ways as well."

"No thanks," Jinora retorted before she could stop herself. "I'd rather not be part of a culture of constant war."

"I understand," Firentis answered.

"You do?" Jeremus asked suddenly, almost spilling his soup. "But you are a knight, Firentis… Sir Firentis," he added after a moment.

"You may drop the 'sir', if you wish, I am not sure if I am worth that honorific."

The surgeon nodded. "Very well then. Firentis, the entire point of Knighthood when you break it down is to have a strong warrior elite to fight the enemies of whoever rules their realm. Being raised from a young age to such a task is part of what makes the Knight such a powerful force on the battlefield despite being few against the bulk of a levied army."

"That is… true, in many ways. We are defined by our actions on the battlefield, and heralds who record such deeds often focus their writings on the conflicts of Calradia's noble sons. But it is supposed to be more - to uphold our promises, serve our lieges dutifully, to avenge the wrongs done to us…" the knight suddenly paused, looking away.

"I'm aware that this is how you came to our company," Jeremus said as he leaned forward, his voice suddenly becoming softer. "But I will be frank, I did not expect such introspection from a nobleman used to waging war. Those I have met seem confident in their right to rule as stemming from the old Empire in some form, even those who proudly boast of their ancestors defeating the Empire!"

"Jeanne of Suno, I know her tale well…" Firentis paused, looking towards the center of the camp and rubbing his chin, leaving them with only the rain that was petering off and the conversations of their comrades elsewhere in the camp for noise.

"Is something wrong?" Jinora asked, looking at him.

"Nothing," he said. "I just wonder now how much the Code of Chivalry has mutated past honor. And… if it has truly changed, can it be made right again?"

"My historical studies looked elsewhere, so I cannot help you there," Jeremus offered, "but if you truly seek to move past what you have done, you will be able to find something. It may not be what you hope for, but you can move past your transgression, and find forgiveness if that is what you are really looking for."

"You have to forgive yourself first, though," Jinora pointed out. "You don't have to excuse what you have done, but you can move past it."

Pausing, the knight nodded to both of them. "Thank you. I do not know if I will find what I'm looking for, but I appreciate your counsel."

"Speaking of what you're looking for, what's the Avatar's long term plan?" Bayar asked, looking at Jinora. "I mean, you were there when she started this. What's her actual plan?"

Jinora frowned as the question caught her off guard. "You know… I'm not really sure. She became a captain because she felt that she couldn't do much alone, even just fighting off the bandits. I really don't know what she's planning on doing in Calradia. Actually… I'm not even sure what I want to do. We're kinda just making it up as we go along."

"I said that to Chen and Hayato far too many times after Amon was revealed as a fake. Probably something to consider, Firentis. If you do find what you're looking for here, you going to go back to your old commander and try to fix things?"

"Perhaps… but until I can govern myself, how can I provide counsel for the governing of the realm?"

Jinora shrugged as the question lingered over the slowly dying campfire.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning they broke down the camp and began a march towards the woods northeast of Ibrian. The woods were thick, thick enough that Naga and the horses had some difficulty moving, but they were able to make enough room to reach the bandit's hideout even if the attack was going to be on foot. The rain had tapered off, which made travelling easier but also meant that they wouldn't have much to cover up their own noise. But within a few hours, they had reached their target.

"Feels like I've been here before," Korra muttered as they took a look out from the small copse they were hiding behind near the lair.

"What do you mean?" Opal asked as she glanced over, being part of the squad that was going in first along with Firentis, Bolin, Jinora, and Asami.

"First day in Calradia I followed a trail to a kidnapper's hideout that looked far too much like this place," she explained as she looked up the valley.

"I remember, just south of Azgad," Asami answered as she held her arming sword close. She also had Korra's shield given the large numbers of bowmen amongst the forest bandits.

Probably need one myself, Opal decided as she glanced down. While the outfit she was wearing was patterned on the gear for people heading into regions where the wildlife was not so cooperative, she still felt too lightly armored for the task. Almost wish I had some guard armor, she mused as she glanced around.

And as they heard someone doing an impression of a bird, Korra looked up. "That's Bayar's signal, let's go!"

They hurried forward, rushing towards the small wooded valley between two ridges. The small valley led into a large cave that apparently was where most of them slept and had it's own spring inside for fresh water. Outside of it were numerous tents, poorly assembled huts, and a tarp covering several crates of what was likely their pillage.

Most of the bandits were still indoors or were busy checking the various crates or fixing their gear, and hadn't been paying attention until they suddenly came under fire from the benders. "We've got company!" one shouted as he tried to grab a stubby and notched sword from his belt before getting knocked into a tree as Korra shot a fireball towards him.

Other bandits reacted, dropping what chores they were doing and rushing towards the group. Opal fired off several gusts in quick succession, hoping to keep them back as a group came rushing out of a nearby shack as most of the others were focusing on a group that had been moving crates and were now running their way.

"Couple coming in close!" Jinora warned, and Asami was already getting in front of them, shield up as several of the brigands rushed ahead. They lacked shields, carrying either axes for woodcutting or older maces and falchions, but they were still coming in fast. One with a mace sprinted ahead of the others, going for Asami. The ex-CEO braced with the shield, letting the bandit smash into it and knocked him onto the ground.

That had to hurt, Opal winced as the bandit fell unconscious as he hit the ground. But any unease from the impact was quickly cut off as a bandit brought his axe down vertically. Leaping back, she immediately countered with airbending and knocked the bandit off his feet, axe embedded in the ground.

"Opal, watch out!" Jinora warned, grabbing her and pulling her out of the way of an arrow as one of the thugs had drawn a hunting bow.

"Thanks," she answered as the two and Asami finished with the last two attackers while the bowman up ahead suddenly found three figures in green dropping down and striking at his joints.

Glad the chi blockers are on our side, Opal decided as she nodded to them. They nodded back and moved towards the center of the valley to regroup with the others to deal with the bandits gathering further ahead. Alone their task wasn't to eliminate all of them, just pin them down long enough for the rest of the warband to seal off the entrance properly, and then spearhead an effort to break them down.

But as the advance party regrouped, the bandits had no intent on letting themselves be pinned in and were now coming out of the woodwork. Opal gulped at the numbers and took a glance back. The warband had moved into position to cut off the escape and the shield wall was advancing, skirmishers taking up position on the ridges and moving forward as well, but they were still moving slowly to hold formation. On the ridge to the left, she saw blue sparks and smiled.

"Duck!" she warned, though it probably was not necessary as Mako's lightning shot well over their heads and into the group of bandits.

"Shit is it another storm?!"

"There wasn't any lightning last night!"

"Over there on the ridge!"

"Don't just stand there RUSH! Before we're cut off, attack!"

"Charge!"

"Here they come!" Korra shouted as she and Bolin threw up an earthen barricade for them to take cover behind as a hailstorm of arrows, thrown and slung rocks, and… was that a bottle of wine? Opal wondered as something red in a glass shattered on Firentis' shield. Putting it aside, she rose to fire off several quick air gusts as the bandits were starting to run forward as they were readied. Too many for them to hold if they stood and...

"There's archers on the cave roof!" Hayato warned, gesturing ahead as he side stepped a spear and then chi blocked the bandit who had used it.

Korra looked up as she punched another brigand. "I see them… too far."

"Fire at will!" one of the bandits shouted, and Opal quickly yelped as she ducked her head down and felt something hit her shoulder. Instinctively she looked at it as one of the chi blockers stopped another outlaw that was closing in on her. The arrow had hit, but it hadn't penetrated, simply leaving a small hole before falling out from the speed at which she ducked. Just a bruise, she told herself as she rose back up.

"Too far?" she asked as she knocked a club out of a shirtless looter's hands, causing him to pause to stare at it and the man behind him crashed into him.

"They're not warbows," Firentis answered as an arrow dinged uselessly off of his coat-of-plates. "But they can still hurt the others!"

"Bayar, Chen, Hayato, you three think you can slip around?" Korra asked as she and Jinora started to try and create a whirlwind to keep the bandits back.

"Need something to cover us," Bayar answered as he took a look after kicking another bandit back.

"I can do it," Jinora offered.

"Go!" Korra ordered and half the team broke off, heading for the right side.

"Whoa!" Bolin shouted as he ducked under an axe before reaching to the side and shooting a chunk of the ground into the offending bandit's head. "Yeah we can't stand here!" he warned as another lightning bolt from Mako shot over their heads. He didn't have an angle on the archers further back, but he was still hammering the main group and stopping them from organizing properly.

But even without proper organization, they were still dangerous. Opal yelped again as another bandit took a swing at her, barely missing as she jumped back. "He's right!" she answered as she felt her heartbeat picking up. I'm getting good, but not this good!

Korra knocked another bandit back with a swift kick. "Alright, move back towards the others!"

Opal immediately retreated, covered by the benders on the flanks. Korra, Asami, and Firentis had formed a breaker in the center while Bolin moved to help the other flank, and the center was moving forward steadily under Lezalit to close the gap as the others slowly let themselves be pushed back.

But even though they seemed to be gaining momentum, the bandit attack just grew more desperate. Unlike when they had fought bandits in the open, Mako's lightning didn't seem to terrify them and the approaching shield wall didn't intimidate them. And as she reached the others, Opal found she had to stop and defend with the other skirmishers, and enough were trying to go around she was firing off her airbending in quick and sloppy gusts that did not do much to slow down those after her.

Focus, she told herself as she ducked under a swung club, take the path of least resistance. She struck back at the looter that had swung at her, punching him in the stomach. It only winded him, but it was enough for her to airbend him back.

"You okay?" another voice asked and she turned to see Lydia running up, pulling out another stream from her water pouch.

"I am," Opal answered as the Vaegir moved up in front of her.

"Good, 'cause there's about to be a brawl!"

"Brace for charge!" Lezalit shouted and the spearmen locked their shields together while the skirmishers behind put their weight in behind, including Korra as she dropped in behind the center of the line. The bandits hit, several getting caught on the spears while others bounced off of the firmed up shield wall. Then they began to push, most distinctly to Opal being what Lezalit did with his short sword and shield.

He would bash his opponent with it as if he was slamming a door in their faces, then moved up to stab them in quick succession. One poor man with a falchion tried to swing it down only to find the thick board shield blocking the blow, then a sudden stab to the waist, upper stomach, and throat with machine like speed.

At least it was quick, she hoped as she realized she was standing there doing nothing as everyone else fought on. The bandits on the flank seemed more determined to run past them at full tilt than fight, but they still tried to kill their way past. Opal saw one bandit plunge a short sword into the chest of one of their earthbenders and yank it out, leaving the Rhodok man to hit the ground roughly.

The man with the sword turned towards her as two other bandits caught up with him and followed him forward. Opal almost gulped before several fireballs shot past her and into the group, knocking them backwards and the one with the sword fell to the ground. She glanced back and saw Mako running up, winded but still fighting with Ymira not far behind him.

"Come on!" Mako shouted, gesturing for them to move forward.

"What's he doing?" Opal asked as she fell in next to Ymira.

"This flank's strong, if we swing around we can hit the main fight!" the Rhodok woman answered as she discharged her crossbow towards the back end of the bandit mass.

Opal nodded. The fight in the center was growing increasingly bloody as the bandits were desperate to break out, but Korra's bending and that of the others in the line or near it was keeping them from concentrating their mass to completely break past. The shield wall itself had faltered into more individual duels, making it all the more easy for the flanks to swing in.

"Fall back! Fall back to the cave!"

XXXXXX

As Jinora's airbending sent the last volley from the cave roof archers harmlessly into the ground, Bayar sprang forward and charged the gauntlet on his right hand and grabbed the nearest of the brigands, shocking him and he dropped onto the rocky face silently.

"Fall back! Fall back to the cave!" another shouted and the archers quickly abandoned their position if they could, running down the slopes around it. The few who were facing the chi blockers up close dropped their bows and grabbed knives, falchions, short swords, or whatever else they had even if it was merely an arrow they had in hand.

Bayar ducked under the next one and struck at the joints, paralyzing him and letting him hit the ground while the gauntlet was doing it's three second recharge between bursts. As the last of the bandits who stood fell, he saw they had taken out nine men in about as many seconds once they were up close.

"Looks like the Avatar's doing alright," Chen remarked as she nodded towards the main fight as the bandits were fleeing back towards the cave. "Bloody, but alright."

"Yeah, she is," he said as he looked back and saw one of the bandits twitching. "Chen, look out!" he warned as the bandit grabbed her left foot and tugged.

Shifting back into a ready stance at that exact moment, Chen lost her balance and stumbled forward off of the top of the cave. Bayar reached as Hayato shocked the bandit again, but her arm slipped out of his hand and he nearly lost his own balance.

"No!" he started to shout as she was falling head first, but a sudden whirlwind caught Chen and spun her around, slowing her landing so she skidding on her back instead, and away from the mouth of the cave.

"What was…" he glanced up and saw Jinora shifting out of an airbending stance, and exhaled. "That was too close."

"Yeah," Hayato started. "You don't think?..."

Bayar raised an eyebrow at him, even though he knew the other chi blocker wouldn't see it through the masks. "It's your choice, now c'mon."

Hayato paused as Bayar made his way around to a slope he could easily drop down. Chen was already picking herself up, ignored by the retreating outlaws, and the Avatar was busy with her duties. Both directing people into positions to keep the cave entrence pinned, and tending to one of the wounded Swadian spearmen as soon as her orders were finished.

"Who caught me?" Chen asked as he landed next to her.

"Jinora," he answered as the young Air Nomad was walking up.

Chen looked at her, then nodded. "Thanks. I guess I owe you one."

"No you don't," she immediately answered as she looked towards the cave. "We should probably move."

Bayar nodded and the four rejoined the others. Korra had finished tending to a wounded Swadian spearman and was taking in how they were doing. They had wounded, but he couldn't tell if they had any fatalities and many of the benders who were still doing skirmisher duty now found themselves policing the injured bandits or making sure none were about to get up and fight again. Still, it looks like the line took the worst of it, he realized.

"Good job on the archers," Korra said as she saw them walking up, blood splattered across her armor and face. "They didn't get any more volleys in."

"You're welcome. So what about the cave?"

"Furry-Foot didn't find any passages out the back," Jinora explained as she looked over, "but I think they've had enough. We can get them to surrender without anyone else having to die."

"Possibly," Lezalit cut in as he walked over. "But these are outlaws. They know that death is very likely. Unless you plan on letting them walk away…"

Bayar glanced at the Avatar and had a hunch the answer to that would be 'no' as she put a bloodied hand onto her chin.

"It's worth a shot," she decided. "Just be ready in case they attack."

"Very well, Captain," Lezalit lowered his head as both of his hands were occupied, either with his blood drenched sword or his shield.

Bayar folded his arms as Korra walked over towards the cave entrance alone, and took a look at what he could see. Rocks, crates, and light ahead and he could hear an argument that had fallen silent inside the cave.

"Bandits!" Korra called out as she was approaching, "I know you're in there! You don't have to die today!"

"We know!" came a call back from inside the cave as a bandit came out, hands open and over his head. This one wore a leather jerkin that had been torn and a quiver that had emptied on his belt.

"So, you surrender?" Korra asked and Bayar could see her standing just a bit straighter.

"Are you going to kill us?" the outlaw asked.

"Only if you choose to fight to the death," she answered. "Otherwise I'm going to take you to the proper authorities."

The man snorted. "I became a brigand to get away from the 'proper authorities'. You don't look like someone who's had to slave away on a plot of land that's not even enough for your whole family. And even if you did, I doubt you had to do it for some lordling's field as well just to have that scrap!"

Serfs, Bayar realized immediately. They're former serfs who ran away from their lords. He glanced to the side, Chen and Hayato simply looking back but not saying anything. They could draw their own conclusions.

And the Avatar seemed unnerved as well, glancing down. "You're right. I didn't have to toil away in farms and if I hunted it was more for the experience then needing to get the food. But that doesn't suddenly mean it's right to make others suffer."

"We're just doing what we can to survive. Serfdom is slavery with the trappings of honorable government slapped on top. So if you wanna kill us for that because we're hurting others, fine. But don't expect us to take it quietly."

"So you're not surrendering?" Korra asked.

The bandit paused, looking around at the numerous soldiers who not only outnumbered them, but some were also busy taking the surviving brigands captive and tying them up. Then he looked back, and sighed.

"Well… you looking for more men?"

"What?" Korra asked, suddenly taken aback.

"Look, I think we'd rather be press ganged into a merc company then sent off to the butchery. Besides, it's not like we'd be able to threaten you."

"Avatar, that's rubbish," Chen immediately warned, speaking up loudly. "You can't trust them to stick around."

Looking back, Korra tilted her head for a moment before nodding. "She's right, how do I know you guys won't desert when I'm not looking?"

The bandit negotiating hesitated. "Well… look we've got enough supplies in here to hole up for a while! All the food's in here too! You don't have enough to starve us out!"

"I have no intent of starving anyone," Korra retorted as she stomped on the ground, cracking the earth nearby. "You've seen what I can do, what my friends can do. Do you really think that storming a cave would be too hard for us? We could just bring it down on top of you!"

The bandit hesitated, looking up at the cave and gulping. "You'd… you'd destroy the loot in here just to get us?"

"I'd rather lose some loot than see you murder more of my comrades."

The bandit hesitated again, looking back. "Try most of it. I doubt your men would like losing out on their hard won loot. You don't have the charisma to make them accept that, not after how many got killed!"

Korra glanced back uneasily, but then hardened her expression as she glared to the brigand. "You've got two minutes to surrender. Decide quickly if you want to die here, or have a chance with the law."

"Some chance!" he snorted back before running back into the cave. Korra shook her head and turned back towards the others.

"You sure we want to head into the caves to fight?" Bayar asked.

"I'm taking an earthbender team or someone with armor like Firentis. Besides, I doubt they have an arsenal in there. And once we take care of them, any bandits who weren't here are going to scatter."

"They'll be back," Hayato pointed out. "There's still a small army of Equalists in Republic City. Probably got a whole bunch of new hiding places with those vines too, assuming they didn't rot away."

"Maybe," Korra admitted as Asami walked over, "but we've broken the worst of them. Should be enough for the Count."

"You want me to start sorting out what's here?"

Korra nodded to Asami. "Probably for the best. Mako can start interrogating the bandits while that's being done, maybe they'll have something on this Hundun. Lezalit, make sure we've got lookouts. Non-wounded only."

"And us?" Bayar asked, gesturing to Chen and Hayato.

"You three took out the sentries and fought, I think you've earned a break." Korra paused. "Once we get everything taken care of, maybe we can all take a little break."

XXXXXXXX

End Chapter

Author's Notes:

- Bit more of a talkative chapter. This story's been in the trenches a lot, and really I'm getting tired of the bandits too, or at least the ones as they more or less were in game. The ones Hundun organizes should be different enough, but these bog standard ones? Yeah, I've really reached the limited with what I can do with those.

- With Firentis, I didn't want to open the chapter with a recruitment twice in a row (in fact I originally did a scene of Korra getting shortchanged by the guild master), but I also felt that his really needed some focus. Because quite frankly, Firentis' recruitment is utterly creepy. And I mean in-game, which I more or less lifted. I just had him faceplant drunk rather than have him actually sign up while he's so wasted. That and, you know, being a rather high profile murderer if he was the town lord's cavalry commander. Wanted to at least sort that out too…

- With Hundun, just remember that he has an angle. While he was a king in his time, the details were never established in the canon. So, I just filled it in. Tried to make him a little more dimensional than just a generic chaos loving villain on a power trip, without actually contradicting anything from the canon. Similar idea with mentioning Hou-Ting defanging her EK nobility, though in that case it was in part inspired by Louis XIV of France's centralizing and making a lot of nobles go to Versailles so they wouldn't really be a threat.

- Personally speaking I've never seen recruiting prisoners as very viable in the game, mostly because you lose a rather significant amount of morale for every prisoner you recruit and there's good odds that they'll just desert anyways unless you stuffed them into a castle. Of course you also don't normally get prisoners for the bandit hideouts...