Good gear n foods !! go quietly..listen n look. bow n arrows if not aggro'd or shield parry n sword if you disturbed em. And yes they persist.. so u have three options.. 1: try a nudie run. funny but not safe. 2: stealth in with bow n arrow (not straight away..go farm something for a bit) or 3: make two sets of gear as you go.. which brings you back to start of my answer...