The troll is looking pretty bad.
Gundar charges off after the half-orc, skirting around the troll as best he could.
The troll takes a swipe at Gundar as he trudges past, but it is half-hearted and misses by a mile.
The half-orc continues to be crippled by his regrets, but tries to get a hold of himself. But the grief remains.
With longhammer in hand Kragmyr surged forward, chanting of ancient Grudges as he swung at the troll. His chants had moved from the deprivations of giantkin and had moved on to that of the troll.
The troll drops into a slump.
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Ulark steps forward and kicks open the second door, revealing the twisting hallway before him. Blackguard! Stand down and surrender!
Ulark cuts himself off before yelling 'You can't out-run us', not wanting to cry out a lie.
"Tie it up, quickly.We'll need answers from it." Thuradin tells Belir before he runs over to where the half orc lies curled up in a ball. Looking down on him in disdain as he draws his hammer he says "Sniveling coward." in dwarven before hitting him in the side of the head with a blow designed to knock him unconscious rather than kill.
That blow is enough to knock him unconscious. He will recover.
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Belir looks to the others. "We should question him away from here, just in case other return."
Belir begins the process of stripping the half-orc? of all of his equipment as he tosses it on the ground nearby for others to gather while someone else ties the assailant up.
"We need to find out what is going on around here. Why Grath was murdered?"
"We should question him away from here, just in case other return."
"Aye, an he might talk a bit faster knowing we've got him back in Trunau."
Thozar eyes the troll as he enters the room. If that thing tries to get back up again...
"Nice work dwarves, they went down soundly." He begins moving the possessions further away from the half- orc and clearing a space to interrogate him. Thozar pats down the troll, adding anything he finds to the other items.
With everything in a nice pile, he begins to chant. What will the earth grant us today?
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The half-orc has a potion of cure light wounds, potions of pass without trace (2), potion of vanish, smoke pellets (2), tangleburn bag; leather armor, daggers (5), mwk morningstar, short sword, belt of tumbling, alchemically treated coals, crowbar, thieves’ tools, a key, a garnet (worth 50 gp), and 30 gp.
It is possible you have seen this half-orc in town, but it is hard to be sure. The flood troll is not regenerating - in fact, it looks to be bleeding out.
"A troll and a traitor are clearly no match for a band of dwarves! I don't think we will be able to just walk him through the gates of Trunau though. Who do we trust to help get him back in without causing big fuss?"
Ulark - having skidded to a halt down the hallway - ponders the situation.
That's the stone's truth! he smiles at Torith. As for getting him to town, it may be easier than that: it's night after all. Bring him to the gate, get th' watcher to call Kurst, then have him booked and handled. Blood deserves a say in the fate, and he's the law besides.
The warrior stares sternly and dispassionately at the bleeding troll. As to the giant, someone help me take it out of here. Not far - the rat-room would do fine for now. This shrine has been abused enough by time and fortune.
"Aye, Ulark speaks the truth right 'nuff. But for this beastie, let's put it out of our misery. A bleedin' troll will more like as not get back up once we turn out backs."
He raises his hammer to swing if nobody stops him.
Thuradin walks over to the troll and casts Stabilize upon it. "I'd hate to lose any valuable information. " he tells the others.
"I don't think we will be able to just walk him through the gates of Trunau though. Who do we trust to help get him back in without causing big fuss?"
"Blast it! You're right. A blight on the whoreson buggers who've brought this confusing trouble to Trunau."
Gundar considers for a moment, trying to think of anywhere secretive and defensible where they might be able to take the prisoners while they figured something out.
"Let us speak with this beast and bring the half-orc to the guards. Hopefully they do the right thing with him." Never trusted the guards to do what they should, but everyone else seems to have faith in them. He pauses for a moment. "What if we bring him in the morning. Make a big fuss out of it as we drag his ass through the gates. That will force the guards to take public action. We are already known foes of whoever hates us, what do we have to lose?"
"I say we take the monster somewhere less holy but still in this building. No need to cause a stir by dragging a troll out of here. All sorts of rumors could float up about us consorting with trolls!" He spits heavily at the idea. Damn beasts. A blight on this land.
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Ulark frowns as the suggestion to keep the troll alive seems to be gaining traction. He stands over the fallen half-orc and turns to Thuradin and Thozar.
If you think the troll can be spoken to, fine. But caution: those tusks are more likely to spill your guts than secrets. If you wake it, be ready to put it down for the last in an instant.
But unless we're wasting magic on that, it's out til morning. So how about I and some others bring this one, he scuffs the floor by the half-orc through the gates and into a cell? We'll come back to deal with the big one, but Kurst and the rest can have a chat with this man while we do.
"It won't have a chance to get us, we'll be on our guard. Thank you for your caution, it is warranted when dealing with these things." This Ulark has his head on right. Good in a fight too.
"A good plan. Let's get on with it then. Be on your guard while in town, we don't know who our enemies are yet."
Kragmyr frowned. "I agree with Ulark on this. Me hammer be ready for when the beast starts guttin' us again."
So are you just leaving the flood troll tied up here and taking the half- orc into Trunau?
Kragmyr will refuse to leave the troll unless it is dead.
Thuradin stands over the body of the troll "Forgefather, forgive me for what I'm about to do but we don't have days to wait for it to heal on it's own." so saying he whispers a quiet prayer and reaches out to touch the troll, infusing it with divine energy.
"I don't want to talk to it, but if someone can get useful information from it then maybe it can be more useful to Trunau while it's alive"
Torith makes no attempt to even recognize the flood troll as anything more than the monster he thinks it is, though even a monster that talks can be useful.
Gundar is of a mind with those who simply want to put the troll down. It's a stupid, violent beast. What do they hope to learn? Then again, I suppose it might be stupid enough to let slip something we can use...
Already the ranger years for the simple times of a few days ago, when he knew who (and where!) his enemies were.
For a moment Gundar considers staying with the troll as well, but with three hardy dwarves staying behind, it seems likely they'll have things under control.
"This is the bloody stupidest thing I've ever seen. Healin' a bloody troll in the hope that it talks. I'm stayin' behind. 'Cause if it wakes up an' eats the lot o' ye, I'd feel right had 'bout it. Ye'll likely need another hammer for when it wakes up hungry."
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As the troll awakens Belir begins straight to the questions. "Aye troll. If you haven't noticed your orcish companion seems to have quickly betrayed you and ran off. Now tell us what is going on and don't spare the details." Belir asks as he keeps his axe hefted high. You don't talk you lose a hand. Got it?"
The flood troll wakes up and looks confused. It doesn't seem to speak your language. Belir tries again in Giant, and the flood troll laughs at the thought of losing a hand. Then she speaks, "You must let me go if you want any answers here, dwarf."
"Ye are goin' to die today. The question is how slow. I'll gladly burn ye bit by bit. Slowly roastin' ye until ye be naught but a stub with ruined arms and legs, beggin' me to kill ye an' not leave ye to starve. Or ye can talk an' receive a quick death." The hatred was evident in his voice as he spoke.
Intimidation works fairly well. Exhaused, confused and resigned to death, she simply says "Daktani would know more than me, but..."
She tells you that a group of half-orcs has infiltrated Trunau, and that an orc raid on the town is planned for the near future. She doesn’t know the details, but she acts as a messenger for the Twisted Nail tribe, and her contact here is Daktani, the half-orc that fled.
Once satisfied that the troll has spoke all it knows (including what they look like) Kragmyr will kill the troll. He will grant it a quick death.
Seeing the troll make no move to attack him or his friends, he stands silently as Kragmyr goes about his business. Let's hope it doesn't come to torture... I hate these things, but I'm not quite comfortable with such needless suffering. His threat did work though...
________
Torith watches Kragmyr complete his task without feeling a single bit of empathy for the creature in front of him.
"What it shared does not make up for past deeds, but learning more is important in helping Trunau. It earned a quick death." he looks towards their captive with a scowl on his face.
"Nothing more to do now but to take the half-breed back and tell the guards what we've found here."
The troll dies.
You drag the half-orc back to the front gate and into Trunau?
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Belir helps drag the half orc back. Once back in Trunau he calls out to the Guards. "GET GRATH. NOW! IT'S IMPORTANT!"
Belir waits as the guards run off to get Grath to explain the dire situation.
"We need to have the city on high alert if the orcs be coming. Hell the half-breeds are already here if what that Troll says to be true."
Assisting Belir as he flags down the gate guardsmen, Ulark waits for the town 'constable' to arrive before adding. Course this one may be able to tell more. He's a saboteur, and the one who took Rodrick from you. Would have done the same to a youth besides. I know it can't bring the lost back, but at least the cad can face the law.
The guards at the gate look at you, and at the half-orc. "What's this about Rodrik?"
Eventually, Kurst Grath appears and sees you. "What do we have here?" He lifts the half-orc's head. "Daktani. A thief, to be sure. But I doubt Rodrik fell prey to him. Let's get him locked up and see if we can sort all this out."
On the way back Kragmyr flipped through his Book of Grudges, looking for anything relating to the twisted nail tribe:
Seeing his cue, Kragmyr stepped forward and began to weave the tale of their adventure. In the style of dwarven epics, he was sure to include the elements of betray, vengeance, blood and violence in equal measure. He was sure to extol the virtues of his comrades, while enhancing the danger posed to the town, using whatever knowledge he had of the orc tribe to spice up the tale.
You don't know much about the Twisted Nail orcs.
"It's a good story, but the evidence against Daktani is not very strong. When he wakes, we will try to get some answers. "
It is as I feared. These guards don't know what we have seen and won't take us seriously. I had hoped making a spectacle of the event would force them to action, but it seems they are too beholden to their rules. Thozar frowns deeply when the guards cart him off to prison.
"Kragmyr, that was a fine tale, worthy of our dwarven blood. I fear they need something more. It is worrisome that they aren't heeding our warning of an orcish raid either."
He begins braiding and rebraiding his beard as he delves into his thoughts. Should we make preparations to help the town even if they don't seem to care? I admit my fellows are more important to me than this town, but surely this town would fall if not properly prepared.
Kurst pulls you aside. "Listed, friends. I really appreciate the work you have done, but it sounds like the tunnel collapsed and was a failure. Yes, sure - I will send some men out to look at it and secure it right now. But it sounds like a failed attempt. Your concerns about a raid are probably justified. We are constantly at threat. As long as the attack won’t take place until the half-orcs signal for it," Kurst reasons, "and as long as the militia keeps guards stationed at the beacons and around the city walls, Trunau has little to fear. Even if the saboteurs signal the attack from outside the town’s walls without being detected, the militia should have time to sound the alarm and close the gates."
"Now, for more pressing matters. This evening we will honor my brother with our funeral rights and ceremony, and I hope you will join us. Now, I wish to spend the rest of the day honoring his life."
"If'n there are enemies inside the walls, might be best to put extra guards on those beacons and the gates. They've managed to cause plenty of trouble so far - I wouldn't put sabotage beyond their abilities," Gundar mentions to Kurst.
And if they've got any more of those damned assassins...
Every instinct Ulark has is to push further into the matter. Daktani or whatever his name is knows more. The thing's to brazen to stop here.
But biting his tongue and with a glance at Kurst's uniform, the warrior gives, after a long pause, a nod to the guard. "Of course. You asked for help, and we did what we could. It'd be an honor to come send the passed on to the next world tonight. In fact I may spend the day with my own kin besides."
"But tomorrow, I might head out the gates and look around the lowlands, see if any beasts - of all sorts - are gettign to close. With you're blessing of course."
"Of course, you are free to come and go as you please."
"I'll be with ya, Ulark. Have to make sure you don't get lost out there." Gundar says to his fellow dwarf with a wink.