Being well within two or so months in which I, Barnabos Stonecrop, had joined the Bandits from the North, though I admit I am unsure of all that has happened since my joining. Here I will only document that which is currently known to me in an effort to provide an accurate account of the band of bandit's endeavors as viewed by a bandit himself. Handwriting will lack substantially, due to a lack of hands (though I find strapping pens to my stubs works quite well, surprisingly).
Let's start with some background. The Stonecrops have always been a poor, but honorable family. Well, depends how you define 'honorable' - for we have had a history of crime, but our devotion to keeping our promises is taught in childhood, and our friendships are considered sacred. I myself had three brothers and two sisters, all of whom lived in the same crowded house in southern Bree. Naturally, I and my siblings moved out at the first chance. I personally became a traveling flute-player (that is, traveling through Bree-land), mostly due to a lack of other true interests. I hear one of my brothers went to live among the Eglain, but since the Lone-lands are such a treacherous landscape I doubt he still lives.
Anyways, my parents eventually died in a fire. They had moved to a country home to the northwest of Bree, but apparently my mother couldn't watch a cooking fire very well and that backfired (pun intended). I can't say a grieved overmuch, since I anticipated my share of the will. That share never came, though, since my eldest brother (Henry was his name) stole it and made off for some foreign land. I imagine he's dead now, either because he was attacked by some wild animal or by some wild human.
In any case my money was running low and flute-playing wasn't earning very good income. Then one day in the Pony I was simply standing there, when out of the hall comes a man with an arrow stuck in him. Healers, of course, came, and I watched them heal and I even aided a bit by getting water and lending my dagger. But I left, sooner or later (without my dagger, mind you), and I bumped into another man who had watched the healing. I offered to buy him a drink, and I left. The next day I saw him again and I kept the promise and bought him a drink (probably a mug of ale, but I can't remember for the life of me). He called himself Carlsson. We got to talking, and he told me of an organization he was putting together... a band of bandits.
This band was called 'Bandits from the North', though I'm not entirely sure why. I admit, I know very little of Carlsson or his bandits, but I joined in hope of gaining at least a small bit of money out of it. Very soon afterwards I met another bandit, named Celthil. One day he, Carlsson, and I were talking about something in a back room in the Pony, though I can't say I remember what. Anyways, both of them eventually left, and as I was leaving I was confronted by two people - a female and a male. I can't really remember the female's name (though it sounded foreign), but the male called himself the Black Viper. I later recognized the Black Viper as the same man I helped heal, to add insult to injury. They took me to the female's house and they began to torture me. Among other things they cut off my hands, broke my knees, and they got a dog to... never mind, some things just aren't meant for mortal eyes.
So there I was, being tortured, and for what? Celthil's name, that's what! I hardly even knew the guy and I was being brutally tortured because of him! Of course, I would not tell them the name, nor any other information. The name because I thought that anyone who would go to such lengths for a name doesn't deserve to be told it, and the information about him because I simply didn't know it (and if I did, I would use the same reasoning as the name, I'm sure).
They eventually let me go, and I must say I must thank the female for that. The Black Viper seemed to be getting a bit excited, and I'm glad that she stepped in to calm him. Oh, and she also gave me seven gold pieces for all the torture I endured. I have since quite forgiven her, though I'm afraid that forgiving the Black Viper fellow will be a bit more difficult.
In any case I went on with my life and, using the gold given to my by the female, I found an apartment near the Combe Gate at a relatively cheap price. I have kept my ties with the Bandits from the North, but after a night or two at our headquarters in Staddle (the location of said headquarters being an old hobbit's shed), I had found the apartment and the ties loosened, and I did not see Carlsson, Celthil, or any other bandit for that matter for a long while.
But I suppose it's time I got active once again. I ran into Carlsson near the Comb and Wattle yesterday, and he gave me a very brief sketch of what has happened since my torturing. Apparently our headquarters was breached, and we had to move to the Comb and Wattle. I can't say I particularly like the food there, but I guess there's little other places we can go. I plan on meeting with Carlsson at some point in the future so he can catch me up on all that has happened, since I did hear him mention a conflict with some order that I can't say I've heard of. I simply hope they don't know quite yet that I am part of the bandits, since if they did know then I would definitely be targeted.
((Yes, the title underwent change. I realized a bit late that it really have very little to do with Bandits from the North, so I guess this is a more fitting title))
