A small contingent of marauders from Fixxit's camp have gone out to retrieve the satellite that came down somewhere in Eastern Poland. There are 20 men and one stout leader, who goes by the name of "Faust". They are only horse and wagon mounted, so their travel speed is limited.
Faust is a big, burly man from Germany, who used to be a soldier, so he is very dangerous. Even though his size is usually enough to deter people from messing with him, he always carries around a sawed off, pump shotgun. He is short tempered and commanding. And while he has all of these not-so-pleasant attributes, he still commands respect from the men under him because of his size. Few have ever questioned him, and even fewer have ever lived to regret it.
The other men are all experienced marauders, armed with an assortment of AK-74s (with about 2 clips of ammo each) and Uzis (also with about 2-3 clips). Some have knives, and none have any grenades or heavy weapons.
Each night when the marauders camp, they post 5 men as guards. That leaves 15 other men to sleep for a while. About half way through the night, the five men on guard-duty switch with fresh ones. The men on guard are not very obeservant, but they always keep one eye out for Faust, as they know it's bad to be caught sleeping on guard!
There are five wagons that the marauders use, and the satellite is stored in one. When the PCs attack the marauders, the satellite will be in the wagon closest to Faust's tent. There are about 25 horses that the marauders use to pull the wagons. Four to a wagon, with spares being led behind or rode individually as scouts.
The marauders have been gone for quite some time, so they are anxious to get back to base. Their readiness will be at its least the day before they arrive at base camp, as they will feel most safe then. Their food provisions are running low, but their ammunition will not be short, as they have not had to shoot at much more than a couple of common thieves.
They have about 8 tents, all fairly large, but unkept, and none military issue. They have all got dirty and torn clothes, and would love to lay their hands on some nice, warm, military winter fatigues!
The important thing to remember, is that the satellite will not look at all like a satellite. In fact, the marauders did not actually bring back the battered satellite casing. They only brought back its film canister, a cylindrical, black item, made of high strength steel. Even though the canister is small, only about the size of a thermos, it weighs quite a bit, about 12 kg. Fire will not damage it, but bullets might, so the players must be careful with it.
Each night, before the guards are placed, the marauders build several large bonfires to help cast some light around. These bonfires actually light up quite a sizeable area, and anyone entering that area has a pretty good chance of being seen. If the PCs come in by the horses, the animals might spook, giving warning to the guards. There is normally only one guard by the horses.
From the time the alarm is sounded, it will take at least 1 full turn before the marauders in the tents will react. Most will go prone immediately upon hearing gunfire. The guards will not. Even though Faust will go prone immediately as well, he will instantly jump back onto his feet and move to rally his men. While in camp, the only people that are normally armed are the guards. Most everyone else has their weapons either in their tents or in the wagons. When the shooting starts, they will go prone, and then, after 1 full round, move to get their weapons.
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