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Corric looks around for some kind of locking mechanism or something he can use to prop the door closed. Not seeing any immediate threats, he decides not to move in and close the door. He moves on to the next hallway.
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Corric will try and manually unlock the door.
If there's nothing alive, Corric will leave and join the others. If there is something alive, Corric will try and leave stealthily and wait for the others to arrive while tracking it quietly.
Corric, always nervous about being double-crossed, checks the room for traps and hiding people
If seeing none, he moves carefully and quietly to the boy.
And asks "Who are you? what are you doing here?"
His weapons are drawn and he's hoping the others would be back soon. He wasn't planning on running into someone.
Corric works quickly to release the man of his bonds.
"C'mon, let's get you to safety. My comrades should join us shortly if we leave now.
Corric will proceed to leave with the man to meet up with the others.
"Any of you know an Othdan?" Corric asks as he sees the others from a distance.
"Othdan...the missing Othdan? Where have you been? What happened... ? Come on, walk and talk- we've got to get back and talk to the Council as fast as we can."
Corric eyes the lad.
S##!! There was someone like this at the fort?
"I see," Rokar replies, as they continue walking back towards Trunau.
"And was it one of our friends here, or someone else entirely?"
He gestures to their two prisoners, and bares his teeth menacingly, clearly suggesting to the men that they had best tell the truth.
"Well, not murdering a child is a point in your favor I suppose," Aisha says dryly.
"But you could have," Aisha says. "It wasn't an insult you know. I'm glad he's still alive."
"Aye, and even if ye didn't kill anyone, you probably someone kill someone. Not to mention, you betray yer home. That puts you right up there...or should me say down there with kin slayers and oath breakers. Home traitors, kin slayers, and oath breakers are the worst of the worst amongst we dwarves," the dwarven paladin said glaring at the bound half Orc traitor.
Norasha nodded in agreement with Aisha.
"Well, now we've got double reason to trek back home. I'm assuming since you all aren't full of arrows or missing a few limbs, that we currently aren't under attack? They take your warning seriously?"
Corric indicates they should be walking back to the fort as they speak.
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Othdan, glad to be back in Trunau, happily shares what he little knows with the Council and the half-orc and his troll ally are taken off, with the promise that they will receive a fair trial and justice will be done. As he makes ready to leave, Othdan presses a small glass bead into Corric's palm.
"It isn't much, but it's all I have to offer. Place it on the ground and say the word 'ignite,' and it will become a blazing fire. It will burn for eight hours or until extinguished and then become a bead again. You must wait double the amount of time that it burns before you can use it again."
Kurst and Jagrin are pleased to learn that Rodrik's death was not at his own hands. The elder Garth simply says, "At least we know that Rodrik didn't disgrace himself with a needless suicide."
Kurst asks you to join him at the Flame of the Fallen for Rodrik’s funeral just before sunset. In addition to Kurst and his father Jagrin, Brinya and Omast are present, as well as Katrezra. High Priestess Tyari Varvatos officiates the ceremony. After consecrating the Flame of the Fallen with sacred herbs, Tyari performs a traditional requenching of the deceased’s hopeknife. Heating the hopeknife in the alchemically infused flames causes the blade to turn pure black, and after the ritual is over, Tyari hands the dagger to Rodrik’s grieving fiancee, Brinya.
Kurst takes the news of the impending attack with surprising resolve. He reasons that, so long as the attack will not take place until the signal is given, and as long as the militia keeps guards posted at the beacons and around the city walls, Trunau has nothing 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. Kurst desires instead to spend the rest of the day honoring his fallen brother's life.
At the funeral, Norasha being a paladin of Bolka, says a few words:
"I may not have known Rodrik that well, but from the moment I met him i could tell that he was man of worth and honor. A hero to his family, friends, and neighbors. Surely he be blessed by Torag himself! A shame he is not with us now. But his spirit lives on each of you. Remember that he was a good man and that he loved this town that he would die than see it razed to the ground. So when the orc hordes come a knocking, remember that his honorable fighting is still with us and lopp off an Orc's head for him! No finer way to honor a man than fight in his noble name! And take heart Brinya, for in the next life, I'm sure Bolka herself will see to it that ye two meet again. I'll say a prayer tonight that Bolka sends your love to him. Well I think I've done enough rambling on now. So I'll finish up by saying We shall remember ye always Rodrik! And by the beards of me ancestors and by the holy hairs of Torag's sacred beard I'll make sure this town does not fall, or me clan name not be Mountainrunner! And it is Mountainrunner by the way!"
Afterwards she tells Kurst that she thinks the town should be on alert just in case.
"Never know when the raiders will come. Always be ready when the enemy's marching to your front door step."
Corric is not in attendance at the funeral, though he is nearby and listening. His face is sullen. He did not enjoy solemn events, too many memories, too powerful emotions.
Instead, he sits on somewhere watching the event from afar. He spends the entirety of the event igniting his new marble, extinguishing the fire in a few seconds, then reigniting it after it has recovered.
Tonight, he just wants to be alone.
Rokar and Milani attend the funeral with the others. Taking a measure of pride in the work they've done, he reflects on the events of the last 48 hours, thinking through the whole situation enough times to lose count.
Strange how celebratory this feels, but a heroes funeral is measures happier than the alternative would have been... Safe travels, Rodrik, my friend...
After Norasha's words, Rokar makes his way back to the Longhouse, and spends a bit of time making sure that all have been made aware of the truth. After a little while though, he starts to get anxious, and he and Milani leave to take a walk around the town, hoping to get a nervous eye on the horizon.
"Come on girl, let's get some fresh air."
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As the sun sinks below the horizon, the peaceful evening is shattered by the brazen calls of signal horns. Shouts and screams from the town’s lower quarter join the clamor, followed by a crash as an airborne boulder smashes into one of the guard towers. Trunau is under attack!
When the raid begins, the solemn atmosphere at the Flame of the Fallen transforms into a chaotic race to prepare Trunau for attack and protect its citizens. Patrol Captain Jagrin Grath and Omast Frum immediately rally the nearby guards and take command of the town militia to repel the invaders. Those residents capable of fighting stop what they are doing and head to the walls, while the town leaders hurry noncombatant townsfolk into the Longhouse for safety. The Battle of Bloodmarch Hill has begun!
Kurst Grath immediately approaches you. "Your success in investigating Rodrik’s death has made you de facto members of Trunau’s militia. I need your help defending the town! You'll need to light the beacons kept in readiness in various locations around town. I'll be assembling other militia members to thwart the attack.
"First, you must light the beacons at three locations around town; the Commons beacon, the inner gates beacon, and the Hopespring beacon. The Flame of the Fallen is already lit from Rodrik’s funeral, but if we're to have a chance in this fight in the dark, the other beacons must be lit as well.
"Your secondary objective is to secure as many areas as possible as they make their way to the beacons. While slaying orcs is helpful, it’s even more important for you to rescue townsfolk from danger. For now, direct anyone you find in Trunau’s upper quarter to head to the Longhouse to take refuge or rally with the other defenders. The closest beacon is the Commons! Best you get going!"
"So much for not attacking before they saw the signal..." Aisha mutters, half to herself. "Alright, then. Let's get going before we're completely overrun."
Laughing her head off, Norasha beats her axe against her shield, as if taunting the Orc raiders.
"Looks like we got a fight on our hands, lads and lassies! Let's take the battle to'em! And don't worry Kurst! We'll take care of the beacons! Let the battle begin!"
She takes her war horn, and blows on it with all her might!
"Well what are ye comrades of mine doing!? Those beacons aren't going to light themselves! Come on!"
The dwarven paladin leads the party to the beacon in the Commons.
Corric pops his head up as he hears the incoming chaos. As the boulders and carnage rips though the town, a small smile crosses his face and he hurries to catch up with Aisha and Norasha as he watches them leave to the Commons.
Rokar accepts the orders from Kurst without thinking much. It made sense, what they were being asked to do, and he'd do his best to do it.
"Come on girl!" he cries out to Milani, who ROARS as they follow Norasha towards the Commons as fast as they can manage.
After lighting the beacon and noticing Brinya trapped by the crowd, Rokar descends upon the crowd as fast as he can manage.
'What is this? Trunau has always accepted everyone! What is happening here?'
When he and Milani get to the outside edge, Rokar encourages his companion to roar again at her loudest, doing their best to distracting the crowd before pushing up towards Brinya.
"FRIENDS, FRIENDS, STOP!" Rokar yells, from the center.
"THIS IS BRINYA- ONE OF US!" he continues, before realizing that he's might not be the best person to talk down the crowd...
Aisha shrinks back from the mobs, fairly certain that a half-orc trying to intervene would make the situation far worse, rather than actually helping anyone.
Corric starts smacking people on the back of their hands in a stinging fashion to get them to move so he can make way to the middle of the group.
"REALLY?!" he bellows at the crowd. "Raiders at our doorstep and you pick now! Of all times NOW to release your pent up despair against someone who makes an easier target? This woman lost her fiance and now as death beats at our doorstep you decide the best course of action is to gang up on her so you can feel like you did something before the raiders break the the walls and slaughter us all! ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO FEEL LIKE BIG ADULTS AND PICK ON ONE OF OUR FELLOWS INSTEAD OF G!*$*~N HELPING AGAINST THE CURRENT CRISIS!"
Norasha nodded in agreement.
"Aye! Ye idiots should be ashamed of yourselves! Your town is under attack, and yet when you should be defending it with swords, axes, hammers, frying pans, and even the freaking kitchen sink, you're pointing fingers and looking for someone to blame! Well, time for the blame game is over, the time to get off yer arses and protect your homes is now! So stop sitting around, grab whatever weapon you can get your hands on, and that includes the kitchen sink, and start driving off the raiders! Get the wounded to shelter fast and the rest of ye start reinforcing your militia! And leave poor Brinya alone! She has suffered enough already! So leave her alone and do what I said and maybe Torag will forgive you if you stop acting like immature brats and start acting like grow ups! So grab your sword and shield and the kitchen sink and start showing these villains why you don't mess with Trunau!"
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Though a few of the townsfolk seem swayed by your words, one man among them calls out, "She's one of them, the enemy at the gate! One less half-orc is one less troublemaker!" Several in the crowd voice their agreement. The crowd remains under very tenuous control, but it may erupt into violence at any moment.
Norasha tried to figure out why this man was being so hard headed.
She continued to try to sway the crowd before things got ugly.
"Bah! The only troublemaker I see is you," the dwarf told the man but also directed her accusation towards the crowd as well, "Yeah she's a half-orc so what? I can tell you that when those orcs break through start their pillaging and raiding they're not going to care what race you are! So put aside your differences and start moving your arses as those orcs aren't going to defeat themselves! You have lived here alongside each other for a long time and now when cards are stacked against you, you panic and start playing the blame game! So get moving and start working together to defend your homes and families! Theyre counting on you to protect them and here you are not doing that! It's time to show these raiding low lifes not to mess with Truanu!"
Corric does his best to think of place to stash someone in times of danger.
Corric turns around to face the half-orc, then starts to beat her senseless. He raises his saps into the air and brings them down with a mighty crack as he renders her into a bloody mess, unmoving. Its a grisly scene, and one of graphic imagery.
In truth, Corric was pulling a ruse. changing how the saps hit nearby earth and stone to change sounds as if hitting flesh and bone, biting the inside of his own mouth to spit blood on Brinya in order to give a realistic look. Hopefully she understood what he was doing, and played along.
When he finishes, he turns to the main aggravators.
"Now get your asses in there and start defending our settlement!"
Norasha kept on going: "We dwarves are well known for our hardheadedness and our stubbornness when it comes to fighting when the odds are against us, but you people of Truanu have defiled the odds! When others told ye that it couldn't be done that defending this town from threats, from constant Orc raids was suicidally impossible, you said no and proved them wrong! And you know how you did it!? By standing beside each other, no matter your gender, religion, sexuality, race, hair color, height, or even if you had allergies, you prove other nations and those Orc raiders that you won't give up this town without a fight! So stop being so childish and start showing why Truanu is a great place and why you're going to kick those Raiders' arses to oblivion! So stop blaming each other and grab your shields, your weapons, the kitchen sink, and start driving those drivers back!"
"Who's causing more trouble, the scared girl, or the angry mob!"
Rokar added, hoping to help Norasha make her point. He'd gotten used to her penchant for speeches by now, but was hadn't expected that one might help save a life.
'Come on people...just go home...'
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"But she...she's one of..." the man stammers, realizing that his sway over the crowd is waning. With a low murmur, the crowd disperses, leaving only Brinya, the heroes, and the man who had been riling the crowd up. He quickly follows suit, running from the scene. Brinya is relieved to have been rescued and hands over her hopeknife. "May it serve you well. It glows with the light of Rodrik's spirit," she says, demonstrating by removing the weapon from it's sheath. It glows with a healthy blue light.
"You can also use it to harm the incorporeal," she adds.
“When the time is right, Rodrik’s spirit will help protect those who laid his soul to rest.”
"One of you take that..." Corric says, eyeing the knife. "If I had something sharp I'd have proabably gutted the guy earlier."
Corric then realizes their original mission and hurries to to start the fire.
Aisha hesitantly takes the knife from Brinya's hand. "We'll take very good care of it. Please, get somewhere safe while there's still time."
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Brinya flees for safety, headed for the Longhouse. Corric finds the wood for the beacon hopelessly scattered and several buildings already aflame. Out of the smoke and chaos, Kurst appears.
"Make your way to the Hopespring," he commands, "Clearing the Inner Quarter as you go. It is already under heavy attack and may fall if control is not restored. I'll lead the charge against that thing hurling boulders at the walls to draw it closer so the archers can hit it!"
Following Kurst's orders, you move into the beseiged Inner Quarter. A makeshift barricade has been hastily constructed before the inner quarter’s southern gate. The barricade is already covered in the spilled blood of raiders and innocents alike, and several victims of the bloody fight are strewn about the ground north of the barricade.
Acolytes have set up a small first-aid station behind the barricade and are treating wounds of townsfolk fleeing the attack.
"In the name of Torag and Bolka, let's take the fight to these raiders, y'all," Norasha yells in glee banging her axe against her shield.