Seeva explodes into a howling laughter that almost instantly becomes a chilling cackle. In the blink of an eye she fully returns to serious. No. I do not have any intention of picking that kind of a fight. And if we were to use that disguise for either of you, we'd have to stack you one on top of the other. Sending a crooked smirk to the dwarf, the witch finishes stacked properly, Durin, you wouldnt need to loose the beard, it would be placed perfectly.
Halting a moment to collect her thoughts, Seeva tries to better explain herself. As I understand them, half-orcs generally only help a rival clan for two reasons; either out of fear or for the payout. I would place my bet on the first of those two options, and if that's true,any enemy of my enemy is my potential ally. I'm just not confident enough to act on anything we may have so far, I suggest a bit of information gathering.
She looks to some of the other members of the party and pointedly asks Does our wizard or cleric have an opinion?
Emerging from the caves and taking in the destruction of Trunau, Ragnar understands why Torag wished for him to be in this place at this time. Without Ragnar's bravery, battle prowess and divine healing, the small band of companions may have utterly failed and the town would have been lost.
Dirty and bloodied from battle, the behemoth of a man makes his way slowly through the town with the others. He grimly nods to other defenders as they look up at him - a look of relief upon their faces as their confidence is buoyed in his presence.
He makes his way to the sanctuary to assist with healing the wounded.
Ragnar stays mostly silent as Halgra thanks the companions and informs them of her plan to discuss their findings with the council. He seems more focused on his large breakfast (one must eat well when they may die any day, afterall) than on Halgra. He pauses his feast to nod along in support as Durin states their pivotal role in the battle and that they have earned a place at the council meeting.
Oh you've seen my lower beard eh Seeva? Then you must know my nose would have to be much larger to keep it accurate.
What extra bits of the disguise kit we would need for that we would save from your kit. Slap a little green paint on you and yer the spittin' image of one of those sewer trolls we faced. Of course, we would need a story as to why you're so much smaller and uglier than they were, but I'm sure we can come up with something.
Durin looks at the others, either stuffing their faces, sitting there silently, or navel-gazing, no responses forthcoming. Turning back to Seeva, Seeing as how the peanut gallery here has nothing to contribute, you go do whatever information gathering pleases you. I am going to find Agrit and Sara and see what they think of this hammer. With that Durin pushes away from the table and stands. Downing the last of his tankard. If I don't see you before then, I'll see whoever shows at the meeting this evening, he adds before heading for the door.
Stepping outside he turns in the direction of Sara's smithy...
Barely able to remember the group having recovered a letter from Grense...somebody or other, Bym can neither confirm nor deny mention of the Twisted Hearts club. Or was that Band? Sisters? Bym places a finger to his left temple to ease his headache. Perhaps another pint...
Leaning in Seeva's direction Bym asks, Doth thou spell Grenseldek with an e or an i?
His hunger eased, Bym heads out with Vheyron in hopes of filling another deficit - information. If he could manage to gather some clue, clues or anything really about the orc club, perhaps he might regain some footing with the group. The halfling decides to run a few more errands and in so doing improve his chances of mingling with the townsfolk. In particular, Bym looks to speak with the communities' elder folk. If he is going to learn anything about an old Giantkiller's tomb, the keepers of stories and local legends feel like a good place to start.
The witch flashes a crooked smirk at Bym, Depends on the situation.
Seeva turns and nods to Durin in acknowledgement, long ago tiring of the 'conversation'. I'll be waiting on Half-size and his mutt to be ready before I have a look out there, in the meantime I'll go see the old cripple, Katreeza, and poke around locally, joining you for this evenings meeting.
Halgra looks at Durin with a slightly surprised expression. It is a meeting of the council, you wish to attend? She gives her head a little shake, as if trying to comprehend some unexpected or confusing information, We of course appreciate all of the assistance that you have bravely provided in the defense of the town as well as your excellent work in solving Rodrick's death. She pauses again. If you really wish to attend the meeting it starts at dusk.
The council gathers and shortly after dusk. Halgra, Councilor Agrit Staginsdar, Councilor Lessie Crumkin and Councilor Sara Morninghawk make their way into the meeting room. Agrit and Sara greet you warmly, thanking you for saving Sara’s life and ask to speak to you privately sometime after the meeting, but other than that they all get seated and straight to work.
Halgra: Thank you all for meeting on such short notice and with so much that needs to be done both personally and for the good of Trunau. Sara, how are the rebuilding efforts going?
Sara proceeds to go into detail about which buildings were damaged, how badly, are repairs possible or will a full rebuild be needed, the number of building supplies they have available for repairs, how people can best be organized for the most efficient use, how many people can be spared to fell timbers, how many others can be spared to act as guards for the woodcutters, which supplies or skilled laborers will need to be brought in from other towns, how long that will take, and how much it will cost. There are many technical questions from the others. Her report takes approximately 2 hours.
Lessie Crumkin takes over at the mention of cost and details the funds that the town currently has available as well as breaks down everything that was recovered from the invaders, what was known to be lost or destroyed and how they will manage to turn what they have recovered into the goods they need to rebuild. Although she is the banker and a cleric she is also a skilled fighter and has a particularly good rapport with Jagrim Grath and in that capacity also reports on the needs of the militia. Recruitment needs, equipment needs, and morale. Addressing your group directly Lessie asks, Halgra informed me that you have some items that you ‘recovered’ from the invaders. If you would like me to include them in what we are shipping out to other markets I can figure out what the projected sell price would be for them and get you paid for them immediately. They will not sell for full value considering it will be difficult to not flood the market and reduce their value though so it may not be as much as you may normally expect. Receiving a nod from Halgra she continues, We were going to discuss the possibility of other forms of recompense. This time she addresses Halgra, I did what you asked and I think we could manage 1500. There are also goods and services that could be considered as well but I have not yet had time to speak with most of the shop keepers so I wouldn’t want to commit to anything, but I was thinking 25%. Her report takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Agrit details the citizens killed or injured in the attack. She lists all the magic they may have at their disposal, be they items or casters and how they may best be used in the fortification and rebuilding of the town. She also discusses their regular trade routes, their security, when the next regularly scheduled traders are due, what they are likely to have, what they will need to order, if they can have the resources to send traders from Trunau to other towns to gather what they need sooner. Her report takes approximately 1 hour.
Thank you councilors, we now have a much better handle on how we can move forward as a town, but we still must deal with the reason for this latest attack. It was obviously not the usual testing of our mettle the orcs so like to do. The murder of Rodrik and this attack had a much more specific purpose. The group that has joined us tonight played a large part in their defeat and has gained much information. Since they have so kindly joined us I will let them deliver the report to be sure I don’t leave anything out.
Tyari has been hard at work with the wounded but has informed me that she will be able to speak with the apparent ringleader of the attack tomorrow morning just after dawn. I was going to let you sleep, but if you would be willing perhaps you could interview the suspect, you have already proved yourself adept at solving mysteries, and have as much knowledge as anyone about the plot.
I actually spent the whole day trying to find the both of you to talk, Durin replies to the ladies.
As the meeting starts Durin is surprised to see that none of those involved with the town's defenses are present. No Jagrim, Kurst or Omast?! he thinks to himself.
As the meeting drags on Durin fights to keep his eyes open. When the group is finally addressed directly, Durin sits up and looks at his companions. With no one making like they are going to take the lead in speaking, Durin stands and clears his throat.
Ahem. If I may go back to an earlier issue first, while I can see an issue with selling weapons and armor of orc-ish design or those of giant-size, I'm sure not everything we recovered would "flood the market".
Now as far as what we have learned during the attack, there isn't a whole lot by quantity, but there is some actionable information. It is our belief that the attack was orchestrated largely as a diversion for the real purpose. That of to find and recover these. Durin plunks the hammer and map stone they found in the tomb down upon the table. Apparently the town is built upon a hill containing the tomb of a long dead giant by the name of Usgroth. Agents were dispatched by Grenseldek, Chieftain of the Twisted Hearts to locate and recover these items. Their chief agent was the orc named Skreed, whose body is currently resting in the jail cell. We believe he is the one who poisoned Rodrik, to cover the fact that he had discovered their attempt to tunnel into the tomb from the basement of the Plague House, although that attempt was ultimately thwarted by a cave in. Skreed kept in contact with Grenseldek via passed messages, this one being found on his person when confronted in the tomb itself. Durin passes the note to the councillors for their inspection.
Once their attempt to tunnel in had failed, it is likely they switched their tactics to assault of the town to create a diversion that would allow them to search for, and ultimately open, an entrance into the tomb. For these purposes they recruited the help of the Twisted Nail orcs and assassins and sell-swords from Freedom Town.
Another prisoner you now hold in your cells, a Trunau half-orc named Daktani, was another of Skreed's operatives working on the inside. I don't think he was the only one.
As the note indicates, this Grenseldek covets this hammer and map stone to locate yet another tomb. The tomb of the "Giantkiller". Why they want this hammer and whatever is to be located within the other tomb, we cannot say at this point, but it should probably concern Trunau.
Durin then looks to his companions to see if they have anything to add.
Both honored to have been included in the meeting and still feeling the strains of the previous day's exertions, Bym is startled to find gaps in his recollection of what's been said. One moment Halgra is speaking, the next Sara is providing details of woodcutters. For a time the halfling is distracted trying to recall the last time he saw a tree in these lands, much less a forest mature enough to gather timber in the volumes needed. I thought these lands were barren, I ought invest in a map of the area. To his surprise Lessie has taken the stage. Bym's head spins. 25%? What doth she mean? As a further distraction, the words of the late Knight Errant Senori Bernandi Branzino come to mind, "Tis not thy place to concern one's self with such trivia as commerce. Thou art not a merchant. Thou art on the path to Knighthood! And a Knight's worth shalt be ordained by the virtuousness of thy deeds!" At this point Bym's stomach, having supped upon the virtuous deeds of battle, growls. Blinking, he realizes it is Agrit who sits down and not Lessie. Bym suddenly feels he's missed something terribly important.
He is the middle of scolding himself when Durin begins. Much to the halfling's relief, Durin's recounting of the past few days is better than his own - Bym had completely forgotten about Daktani. The pint sized cavalier nods in agreement with everything Durin has to say and upon finishing his report, Bym takes a turn to stand before the council.
Bowing first to thank Durin, then to the council members and again to his companions, Bym begins, I thank thee. Tis an honor to be inviteth thus to make our proclamations ere these past days. I wish to add, thine Plague House hath been useth as a place of meeting by these brigands. As Master Durin alluded, some villains yet remain. Thine Plague House should be demolished to preventeth further treachery and the resulting materials refurbished to thine purposes. On a whim, Bym adds, In kind, as to the orcish weaponry so recovereth, doth thou not have a skilled smithy? Me thinks, such wealth of resource hath much use here. To send these abroad is folly. And as to the newly discovered tomb below, there is potential for it in future defense of Trunau, neigh? Bym is about to say more, but stops himself realizing his testimony is in danger of becoming a rant on commerce and an insult to his beloved mentor. Standing a little taller, Both Vheyron and myself hath some interest in learning more of this Grenseldek. Wouldst be an honor to be party to such a venture and with mine new found companions. To this, and there is yet further discourse to be had in this regard, some of us believeth learning more of Grenseldek necessitates a commission to search out the fleeing brigands. Having given his two coppers worth, Bym bows once more before once again taking his seat.
Seeva makes no effort to hide her boredom with the last five or so hours of tedious details that do nothing to further her own agenda; although Whiff enjoys being the center of her attention for that time. She had spoken with Durin prior to the meeting, and both agreed that the witche's directness in conversation would not likely be gainful here. The expected accounts of damages and available resources took much longer than she would have thought but she was no authority on that type of planning. Hoping, now that her parties information had been shared, that those representing Trunau would now share their findings, the witch sends her companion out of the meeting and sits forward, attentive and listening.
Durin gives Bym a sideways look when he mentions being "invited" to the meeting.
In response to some of Byms comments...
Would be my advice as well to repurpose the tomb for the town's benefit. A secure place to store important supplies and a strong fall back position in times of need.
The Plague House should be dealt with. If not razed, then cleansed and returned to a place of worship perhaps?
All of the orc-ish weapons should be melted down and re-forged into proper weapons and tools.
As I see it we have three avenues of investigation to follow. The Twisted Nails Tribe, Grenseldek along with the hammer and map stone, and Freedom Town.
Seeva lets out a low whistle as she gently takes the offered robe from Calrianne, taking a closer look. Holding the garment by the shoulders, letting the length of it hang, the witch slowly turns it around a few times, scrutinizing it as she starts to recognize the item ...
... After a day of digging through her collection of information, she recalls some pieces of lore and a legend from generations ago but takes her time, being sure to crosscheck her notes, deep in thought.
Patches of purple, green, and black cover Bym from head to foot. Worn out to the bone, yet somehow not dead, the puffy eyed cavalier rises from a night of weeping to stretch. He is rewarded with the familiar stabs of pain first introduced to him by his mentor as part of a cavalier's 'conditioning'. Today's battered bones and sorely tested muscles remind the halfling of yesterday's unlucky lessons.
Adjusting his helm and dabbing a handkerchief across reddened eyes, Bym pats his faithful wolf, Come Vheyron, tis time we doth review the manticore below that they mayeth see some reason to our cause.
Bruises seemingly forgotten, or ignored, Bym mounts his trusted companion and together they check the barricaded door. First listening carefully, then spying as best he can, the halfling ensures the way is clear before crossing the chamber's threshold and descending the stair.
The pair move as quietly as they can, prepared to retreat at the first sign of trouble, back whence they came. Then when they have reached the lower door, Bym once again listens, and once again checks.
Bym opens the door a crack so as not to be see, then whispers, Ho there! Manny, Core. Harken for I bring thee tidings. The time of thy promised release draweth near and thy patience rewarded.
Possible Manticore responses...
Bym says, As to thyne release, thou art correct. Yet thou doth overlooketh thy captors. Would not thy subjugators return thee to thy imprisonment if we doth not first completeth our commission here? For thyne own safety, we hath toiled to rid thee of the menace of this keep so thy might truely be freed. In return, we ask thy one small favor. Unleash thyne anger upon thy jailor's accomplices. The orcs who doth reside within the earthen channel beyond these walls.
As to our word, hath we not toiled to vanquish those who hath imprisoned thy? Doth thy not see the fruit of our labours? Doth thy not heareth our blade clashes nigh but 50 paces from thy chamber? Doth thy not forget thyne own efforts to thwart our ascent? And to what harm did thy suffer? I say to thee, thy suffered not for thy transgression. Thou wouldth do well to remember this. For despite thyne efforts, we hath shown thy mercy.
Upon thy release, thou must sweareth to do no harm to us or our kin. Instead, take thy revenge upon thy jailor's lankees. Slaughter what orcs thou might findeth beyond these walls. Forget not to exact thy wrath upon those dwelling within the earthen channel.
[spoiler=We will kill you for your betrayal!]
Hold thy tongue! Thou hath forgotten who thy real captors art! Twas not we who imprisoned thee. Twas not we who clipped thy wings. Twas not we who stoleth thy freedom! Nay! For we hath toiled here to rid thee of thy menace! Doth thy not heareth our blade clashes nigh but 50 paces from thy chamber? Thou wouldth do well to remember who piled the corpses of thy captors at thy threshold.
And doth thy forget thyne own efforts to thwart our ascent? To what harm did thy suffer for thy transgression? I say to thee, thy suffered not! Thou wouldth do well to remember this. For despite thyne efforts, we hath shown thee mercy. Remember well our response to thyne protests. Think hard upon the fate of thy captors, for should thee seek to do us harm, thou shalt perish here.
Before the group attempts to free the bears, Bym asks Umlo if there was anyone he could see who was in charge of the bears. Did someone open a gate to a pen to release the bears into the pit or did he just get forced in. Was there anyone commanding the bears to attack him and not each other? If they were contained in a separate pen, how did the orcs get them to go back into their pen? How did the orcs prevent the bears from tearing Umlo to pieces each night and/or eating him? If he was being healed, then there must be some way of stopping the bears from attacking. Bym asks to understand If the bears obeyed some commands which would sugget they are trainable.
Bym would like to try to befriend them using orc meat and his handle animal skill. Bym's plan is to spend three hours (minimum) or as long as he can (before the group departs) to get the bears to associate a sound Bym makes (as well as visually seeing him) and the providing of food with friendship. The basic idea is to use food to win a friend. For example, to begin Bym will click his tongue and when the bears look his way, he will drop a portion of orc meat down to them. Bym will repeat this several times to reinforce this association.