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Ulretha would mock Lidia for her apparent disappointment in having no more tasks but he finds himself silently, unexpectedly, agreeing with her. It's back to acting as security for caravans, now. Or perhaps he really would become a member of the militia. In either case, he had likely faced the greatest dangers he would and that troll would be the only giant he would ever get a chance to avenge himself on.
He watches her eat with frank admiration, getting his own bowl of stew. He doesn't both with bread though and when the clay container is empty, he lifts it up and buries his muzzle in it, licking up all the remnants with his long, flexible tongue.
"You sure are intent on finding us more work after our job is done," Ulretha snarls at Ben. "But since I didn't plan on going to the funeral, anyway, I guess I don't care about guarding the gates. Assuming I get paid for it."
"Gate duty is easy," says Thyste, sitting up on the table next to Ben's plate and knocking a roll astray with her tail. "Take turns taking naps and admiring the local scenery, bring some snacks maybe, and if anyone approaches that you don't like, you put an arrow in their foot."
I believe the idea was to watch the gates while the guards were distracted by their captain’s funeral.
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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. Since you found Rodrik’s real hopeknife in the Plague House and presumbly give it back to Brinya, Jagrin, Kurst, or Tyari, Tyari performs the ritual using the deceased hero’s true blade. Otherwise, she uses a ceremonial replacement 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.
For those of you that watch the gates during the funeral, the guards appreciate your help, but nothing interesting occurs.
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When Lidia rises in the morning, she's feeling more cold and stiff than usual. Her customary sleeping posture of sitting upright with her back to a tree or a wall sometimes left her with a knot in her shoulders or lower back, especially on nights that were cold, or nights when the moon was dark. She also rose with a thick wet cough. That sometimes happened when she ate too well. Or not well enough.
So instead of wandering out of the town at sunrise as she'd expected to do, Lidia finds herself loitering around the stable, taking in the comforting smell of horse and scraping mud from her boots and stewing about money. She had a gemstone and a handful of coins, and she stares at it, thinking and occasionally making scrawls in the dirt with her finger.
So by the time the funeral happens, she's still in town. She hangs back at the fringes of the ceremony, slowly flexing her back and shoulders, and rubbing at them idly, sometimes unsuccessfully stifling a low gloggy cough, mostly watching Brinya.
Afterwards she seeks out Ben.
"I'm getting ready to leave town." she announces without any sort of proper greeting. "Did we put all the confiscated gear into that... those magic scales? Is there a way I can get my share?"
Thyste spends much of the next two days catching up on sleep (including the night she's on watch, though that sleep is considerably lighter than usual). With the rugged utilitarianism of the town and the pervasive bad mood about Rodrick's death, she finds it a little difficult for her jokes to land.
Which is fine. Trunau's a good place to buy survival goods on the cheap, but when it comes to money, it's not usually so good at lining her pockets.
This time, though...
She can't help but notice she's going to be leaving Trunau not just a handful of silver richer, but a pouch full of gold richer. That had less to do with the town's inhabitants and more to do with its aggressors, but...
Well, maybe joking and pickpocketing in Kaer Maga or Freedom Town was more dangerous than picking off orcs from a high wall. Thyste wasn't sure when she'd be captured by a competent slaver, and she didn't want to assume that she could slip their bonds every time she was caught forever.
And hey, maybe one of the half-orcs in the village needs something small to squeeze in their big arms at night.
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Ulretha makes the best use possible of his semi-official status. Unless pressed, he doesn't bother paying for his meal and reclaims his room from the night before, ejecting any other occupant who might have taken residence in the meantime.
"Take it up with Kurst, if you don't like it," he snarls if anyone protests and his own demeanor is not enough to dissuade them.
He behaves much the same the next day at the gates. "Guarding" takes the form of largely idling about near the entrance, sitting on a discarded* crate and watching people come in and out.
He is, actually ready to defend the town, but he sees no real point in making a show of it by standing at attention or pacing back and forth or asking people questions.
In fact, given that nothing happens, the only time he gets up is when a small mule train comes in. He paces them until they are out of sight of the gate then approaches. It's large enough to be profitable but not so big as for the owner to have any real authority or power.
"You've been randomly selected for additional inspection," he claims, putting on an authoritative air and using words he's heard many times himself.
The Pack remain close, not aware of what's happening but knowing to look intimidating...which they do.
Ulretha ransacks the man's goods and picks the most questionable one, which is completely legal. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I guess you haven't heard about the change in regulations. You're facing a big fine, my friend. And confiscation. Maybe of your whole load, here. Now, I'm willing to look the other way, because you obviously didn't know, but you should know I could lose my job if anyone finds out."
He doesn't literally hold his hand out to accept a bribe, but does everything short of it.
Thyste raises an eyebrow as she notices Ulretha slipping away. Slipping down from the town's outer wall, she slips up behind the cart; with the cart owner's attention very clearly on the hyena and hyena-adjacent folks, she quietly eyes over the man's goods and tries to pick out something of middling value.
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The merchant pays Ulretha a small bribe, but promises he will be talking to Kurst about your actions at the gate.
But more importantly....
(same day as the funeral)
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!
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, and Kurst asks you for your help in defending the town.
"If you're planning on helping out, I need you to light the beacons around town while I assemble other militia members to thwart the attack, and you are already an organized group, so you can move more quickly. If you find anyone around town that needs help, help them, but tell them to head to the longhouse for orders or for their safety" He shouts at the party to be heard over the yelling and horns.
Kurst’s instructions are simple. First, the PCs must light the beacons at three key locations around town: the Commons beacon (area J), the inner gates beacon (area K), and the Hopespring beacon (area M). The Flame of the Fallen (area I) is already lit from Rodrik’s funeral, but if the Trunauans are to have a chance in this fight in the dark, the other beacons must be lit as well.
The PCs’ 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 the PCs to rescue townsfolk from danger. For now, Kurst tells the PCs to direct anyone they find in Trunau’s upper quarter to head to the Longhouse (area C) to take refuge or rally with the other defenders.
Thyste spends the rest of the day napping; the rest of the group-- should they be the sort to pay attention to these things-- notice that she's awake mostly during dawn and dusk and the surrounding hours.
So it is that Thyste happens to be awake when the massive stone crashes into the town's perimeter. Her ears and tail raise with the sound, and she quickly ascends whatever she might be near to get a better look-- consequently becoming more visible; likely the reason Kurst has little trouble finding her and whoever she happens to be near.
She ponders her possible options for a moment before shrugging. "May as well light some fires," she says, sliding back down to the ground.
Without any further hesitation, she's off at a sprint, her own bow in hand as she runs toward the Commons Beacon.
As she moves, she gets a few arrows in one hand and a flask of oil in the other, dipping the tips to help their flammability. No sense in trying to wiggle through orcish fingers when a simple arrow will do!
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"Tell any humans we meet to run like frightened whelps. That shouldn't be too hard. It'll be harder to find ones who aren't already doing it. And I certainly don't mind lighting fires," Ulretha says.
He's spent the afternoon spending his ill gotten gains and pondering other ways to get more.
The gnoll runs after the two women, proving capable but not at all eager to do so. His pack ranges around and ahead of him, eyes darting back and forth looking for anything that might be legitimate prey.
Previously...
The night's guard duty turns out to be as boring as can be and Ben is pretty annoyed he wasted his time on it. Little Buddy was bored too and kept getting into trouble, irritating both Ben and the guards.
To Lidia he says, "If you can find a temple of Abadar, we can get money back, or anyone that will accept the note. but there is plenty of stuff we haven't converted if you want to look it over. Try to be fair to the others when you pick."
Current time...
By the time the attack comes, Ben is jumping at shadows. The threats, not having manifested during the funeral, have loomed over him all day. when the attack finally does come, Ben is almost relieved. Though a bit slower to react than the others, his ground eating lope allows him to catch up pretty easily. Particularly the slow moving gnoll with his awkward armor.
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Lighting the beacon is the easy part—a lit torch is enough to set the 10-foot-wide pyramid of wood and kindling ablaze—but the chaos surrounding the fire pit might be more troublesome.
When you arrive at the Commons beacon, a lynch mob has formed around Brinya Kelver, led by a cleric named Baseil Sabask from the nearby Trunau Countinghouse, the town’s temple of Abadar. "It's your fault the orcs are invading! Your kind has been plotting with them all along and now you show your true colors!" Baseil says while the crowd cheers him on.
"No! I don't know what you're talking about! Please, stop!" Brinya replies.
"Shut up, you! And prepare to be hung and burned as a traitor!" Baseil responds
Damn. Another half-orc hater.
Ben looks around to see who should be the spokesperson for the group. Not Ben, another half-orc, and the Gnoll with his wild pack and wild habits would probably be an even worse choice. Lidia or Thyste? Well, even if she does not persuade the mob to accept half-orcs, she is certainly good at creating diversions. Ben gives Thyste a nudge and tilts his chin towards the trouble maker while unlimbering his axe - just in case.
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Lidia barges up to stand between Brinya and her principal accusers.
"Back off!" she yells angrily. "This isn't the time for this! You think orcs need a reason to attack a human settlement? Get yourselves and your families to safety!"
She raises her bow and makes a slow pass over the lynch mob, arrow pulled back taut against her ear.
"Or if you insist on acting like fools while your town burns, you can deal with me and my friends." she growls.
Couldn't we have just asked nicely at first? Oh well.
Ben tries to back her up by thumping his axe into his and meaningfully, but maybe its his friendly grin, or perhaps the fact that Little Buddy keeps running up to the mob and wanting to play, but either way 'team little' does not contribute effectively to the whole intimidate thing.
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Lidia cows Baseil, the leader of the riot, into silence. The rest of the crows turn to stare at Lidia for a moment before realizing they have no chance of winning any fights against heavily armed adventurers with a pack of heynas.
They clear the way to the beacon, and Brinya, but mill around to watch the outcome.
Thyste frowns; being something of a half-breed herself, she's quick to trot forward.
"You all right, Brinya?" she asks, turning toward the rest of the group. "Anyone have a torch for the beacon? Hell, we do not have time to settle squabbles right now."
She pauses, then remembers; turning to the crowd, she shouts:
"Kurst wants everyone to head to the longhouse! Orders for the fighting folk, shelter for those that need it!"
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Ulretha snarls at the crowd, his pack doing the same from around his legs. "Or just head to the gates. The extra 5 seconds it takes for the orcs to slaughter each of you is about all people like you are worth."
He stalks to the crowd, lunging at one of them to make him flinch then snatching the torch from his hands. He thrusts the burning brand in the man's face, not close enough to actually burn him but close enough he can feel the heat.
Then, he turns away, striding to the beacon and tossing the torch in.
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Lidia seems to be getting even angrier when she sees the crowd lingering about. She lowers her bow, but she's obviously about to start yelling again. But then Thyste and Ulretha step in. Lidia mutters something under her breath and turns away contemptuously from the mob.
She speaks to Brinya, the rage percolating in her throat. "Forget them. They're fools and cowards. You should get to safety. Do you want me to come with you to the Longhouse?"
Ben shakes his head at the Gnoll's anti-social behavior. Some day Ben is quite sure that attitude is going to make him quite dead.
"Lidia, you should stay with us as we light the beacons. The longhouse should be safe enough for them if we can get the beacons lit. The inner gates is probably the closest so let's go there."
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For the moment Lidia ignores Ben, looking straight at Brinya and giving her a chance to answer. Lidia's expression is an odd chiaroscuro of rage and tenderness, played upon by the gloaming darkness and the flickering orange of the bonfire.
Taken with a sudden urge -- something more intense than just kindness or sympathy, though that's there too -- she places a comforting hand on Brinya's shoulder and gives a gentle squeeze.
Ben watches as Lidia goes all protective and tries to talk some sense into her.
"Honestly, I believe the danger to the girl is over. The thing is that we have to weight the risks and right now there is far more of a risk that those orcs break in. If you think what you just saw was bad, you haven't seen orcs on a rampage."
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Lidia stiffens at this, then looks around at Ben slowly, her eyes burning like coals.
She smiles. Contemptuously.
"No. What do I know about rampaging orcs?" she says, her voice dripping with irony. She lets a pause hang in the air. Then she turns to face Ben fully. "What I do know is that this girl just attended the funeral of the man she loved and that the cretins in this town, led by the town cleric, just threatened to string her up. Maybe *you* don't know how it feels to be alone and vulnerable and small. But sometimes when you've been assaulted and threatened with murder by your neighbors, you need someone to have your back for 5 minutes."
"Well don't let me stop you. I'll be along soon. How many adventurers does it take to light a bonfire?"
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Ulretha definitely finds torches to take among the crowd quite easily.
Chief Defender Halgra arrives shortly after Lidia's conversation, before Brinya can answer. She gains the attention of the entire crowd with a well-placed thunderstone, and commands the townsfolk in her booming voice to leave Brinya alone and take their places on the walls or seek shelter in the Longhouse. She harshly reprimands Baseil, while she thanks your group from preventing more violence, and understands you likely did the best you were able to, considering the circumstances.
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Lidia looks on with obvious approval as Halgra yells at Baseil and the crowd and seems inclined to leave Brinya in the town leader's protection. She gives Brinya a final nod of well-wishing then begins to jog off toward the next beacon location.
As she heads off, she steals a furtive look over to Ben. She seems about to say something, but then clenches her lips and leaves it unsaid.
"What's wrong with feeling small?" quips Thyste, hustling after the group. She lets the more serious parts lie unremarked upon; there's little fun to be had there, she reckons.
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Ulretha immediately goes quiet and ducks his head as Halgra arrives. He backs her up, though, eyeing the mob balefully, just in case anyone doesn't get the message.
He continues to watch her as she walks away, turning back to the group once she and her charge are out of sight.
"If you flatsnouts are finished squabbling like a couple whelps over a chicken bone, we can continue," he says, joining the rest of the group in heading to the next beacon.
Like water off a ducks back, Ben is over it. He has never felt small, but he has felt vulnerable before so he can at least relate to that, but it still seems a bit of an overeaction to a bunch of blowhards to him. But it's not his problem and he is still in a good mood and on a mission.
Thinking maybe she is feeling overwhelmed, being so small and all, he says, "Problem solved. Off we go! Though maybe you should stay if you are not feeling up to it. You're right. We can take care of things if you are feeling small and vulnerable."
Ben is a bit confused, but decides to let it go. He's heard that women can be like that.
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The inner gates beacon is a relatively easy objective to reach, and the guards at the gate raise the portcullis to allow you to enter the inner quarter, shutting it after them.
Conditions on the other side of the gate contrast starkly with those in upper Trunau. In the short time between the start of the raid and your arrival here, the Twisted Nail orcs have already wrecked much of the inner quarter, utterly destroying the wood pile readied for the beacon, setting fire to multiple buildings, toppling fortifications, and slaying as many townsfolk as possible.
As you get their bearings, Kurst Grath appears, leading a squad of stalwart Trunauan militia members. Kurst orders you to secure the inner quarter as they make their way toward the final unlit beacon near the Hopespring (area M). Already under heavy attack, the inner quarter may well fall to the raiders if you don’t restore some semblance of order as you navigate the maze of rubble. Meanwhile, Kurst says, he’ll lead a sortie from the town to drive “that thing” that’s throwing boulders at the town closer to the walls so Trunauan archers can hit it.
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The first area you reach is the southern barricade.
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 from the Sanctuary and the Trunau Countinghouse have set up a small medical station behind the barricade here. The clerics are busily tending to injured militia members and townsfolk, and have no time to talk with you, other than to tell them that if they find any injured townsfolk in the inner quarter, they should bring the wounded back here to receive medical attention. Guards garrisoned in the southern gate towers will then escort those wounded who are fit to walk back to the Longhouse in upper Trunau.
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"Yeah...you just go riding off...we'll fix everything here," Ulretha calls to Kurst's back as he moves away.
If any of the wounded needed any encouragement in healing, the look on Ulretha's face should provide inspiration. It's basically the same look a housewife (or husband) has at the butcher shop when trying to decide which piece of meat is going to be the best.
"We'll bring back anyone we think you can help," he promises the medics before heading out past the barricade.
Lest anyone think he has grown a philanthropic streak, though, it doesn't take long to notice that he's looking for any valuables laying around that might end up "misplaced."
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You move forward (to area l4). The stench of death hangs over this small square in Trunau’s inner quarter. Bodies of all kinds—orcs and humans, men and women, children and the elderly—lie scattered across the cobblestones where they fell. Veins of watery blood crawl from the base of the well in the center of the square, spreading from the limp body of a slain Trunauan guard draped over the side of the well. A rare moment of silence on the battlefield accentuates the sounds of crackling flames in the distance and the steady, hollow drip of blood into the well.
The dead guard draped over the edge of the well has a longsword, a heavy steel shield, 10 crossbow bolts, a healer’s kit with all 10 uses remaining, 50 feet of hemp rope, a key to the doors of the guard towers surrounding the inner quarter (area L2), and 15 gp. His scale mail is broken—a long gash runs down the side where the soldier was fatally wounded. A potion of cure light wounds lies in the bloody mud at the base of the well.
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Ulretha loots the fallen guard, leaving the weapons but taking the healer's kit, rope, key, gold and potion. He then pulls the body off the well, knowing how squeamish humans are about blood and the things they consume.
He loots anyone else who seems likely to have some wealth, too. Ostensibly, he is checking for people he can help, but he never seems to actually approach anyone who still might be alive.
Thyste draws a wand, loads it into her bow, and shoots it into Ben's pocket. "You can use this better than I can. If you see a wounded soul, give 'em a tap-- I think between the rest of us, we can focus on the beacon."