Speaking with Thorhilder, Arn Kalapunki learns of the location of the bandit hideout: a series of caves atop a nearby icy cliff. She also informs him that the bandits are extremely loyal to their leader. Another villager informs him of a failed assault on the bandit cliffs just a few days prior in which they were pushed back by a hail of arrows and other missiles from the bandits above.

Arn asks if any of the soldiers of Bleak Hall can accompany him. Refr the Crooked, and older but experienced and stealthy fighter, is made available to accompany Arn, and he accepts.

On the way to the lair of the Bandits, Arn Kalapunki and Refr the Crooked are caught in a winter storm, forcing them to take cover in the lee of a boulder outcropping at the best of a cliff.

They wait out the worst of the storm before continuing on, coming to a long gentle slope that leads to the base of the icy cliff, at the top of which are the lair of the bandits: a few narrow cave openings. Scouts patrol the lip of the cliff edge, making it a tricky approach to the cliffs without being detected.

Thankfully, the dark clouds of the winter storm obscure the moon and stars, granting darkness for their approach.

Arn Kalapunki and Refr the Crooked make an approach to the cliffs of the bandit lair, a difficult and stressful approach in the dark of the cold winter night. They collapse behind a boulder halfway up the long slope leading to the caves, assessing that they have not yet been spotted.

After considering their options, Arn decides on a sneak attack. He slowly climbs the cliff, doing what he can to avoid alerting the guards. As he makes his way up, he tries to ascertain the pattern of the sentries …

One of the sentries turned unexpectedly, Arn slips while trying to avoid detection, causing rubble to fall, which the guards hear putting them on alert. Arn holds on to the cliff for dear life, bracing against the icy wind. His endurance and strength pays off, however, as the sentries dismiss the noise as just being the wind.

This causes Arn to change his tactics: he begins to scale hand over hand as fast as he can, hoping to take at least one of the sentries by surprise.

Reaching the top of the cliff, Arn Kalapunki takes one of the sentries by surprise, driving his blade silently through his throat, pinning him against the wall until the life drains from him. The other guard, on the far side of the cliff, sees the guard meet his demise.

Arn immediately runs to the other bandit, who is pulling his ax to use against the intruder. The bandit sentry manages to block Arn’s slashing attack with the haft of his ax, knocking his sword out of his hand … and it tumbles down the cliff .. leaving Arn unarmed for the moment.

The sentry growls a “You’re mine!” and attacks Arn with his ax … catching Arn in the shoulder, wounding him. Arn steels himself, and shakes off the worst of it, pulling his spear and skewering him straight in his belly. As the sentry attempts to cry out in death, Arn pushes further in and covers his mouth with his hand until the sentry drops dead.

The magical spear whispers to him, but Arn is able to retain his sense and move on, having successfully taken out both of the guards.

Arn throws a rope down to Refr the Crooked and helps him up the cliff. Once atop together, they prepare to assault the cliffs themselves.