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At the start of the adventure, Trunau’s citizens have gathered in the Commons (area A), the large amphitheater in the center of town, to celebrate the birthday of Ruby, the youngest daughter of the town’s leader, Chief Defender Halgra of the Blackened Blades. It is not just any birthday for Ruby, though—it is her twelfth birthday, which means she has come of age and will receive her very own hopeknife.
Jubilation fills the evening air in the normally staid town of Trunau, for it is the twelfth birthday of the Chief Defender’s youngest daughter, Ruby, and the townsfolk have been preparing all day for the ceremony and festivities to follow. A throng of spectators has amassed at the town Commons; the buzz of the crowd subsides as the weathered town leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, takes the stage and begins to speak.
“Thank you all for joining us this night. I take immense pride in my responsibility as Chief Defender, especially when it comes to the honor of the hopeknife ceremony. It is always a great privilege to bequeath Trunauan youths their hopeknives as they come of age.” Halgra stops speaking long enough to open an ornamental case and retrieve a slender, ornately decorated dagger hanging from a silver chain. “But tonight is a special occasion, for the recipient of this hopeknife is none other than my youngest daughter.” Once again, Halgra pauses, but this time she turns to talk to the child beside her.
“Ruby, by the traditions of our town, you have come of age. This hopeknife represents your responsibilities as an adult and defender of Trunau. You must be willing to use it on yourself, your fellow Trunauans, and your family—even me, should it come to that. It will be a far quicker death than that which the orcs will offer, and providing it is your duty. Do you swear to guard Trunau from all comers, and to use your hopeknife only for its intended purpose?” Ruby—dusky skinned, black haired, and painfully shy—nods her head in response to her mother’s question. “If the orcs come, and there is no other option, this is where you cut—here, here, and here.” Halgra demonstrates which arteries to sever while Ruby watches. When she is finished, Halgra sheathes the hopeknife and places the necklace around Ruby’s neck before turning back to address the crowd.
“Tonight, Ruby becomes a full member of our community! Let us welcome her, and celebrate her passage into adulthood! Trunau forever!” The crowd echoes Halgra’s last words in unison, signaling the end of the ceremony.
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Once Halgra finishes her speech, the townsfolk waste no time transitioning to the ceremony’s more lighthearted festivities, including a number of games in which Ruby is the key player. The first such game is tug-of-war, which traditionally pits the hopeknife receiver against Trunau’s best defenders. For the past several years, Kurst and Rodrik Grath have taken on this role alongside several other members of Trunau’s militia.
When Kurst and Rodrik announce the game of tug-of-war, Ruby is allowed to choose a number of spectators from the crowd to participate in the game on her side. An awkward child, Ruby takes a hard look at the crowd and hopes someone volunteers to help her out...
At any point during the hopeknife ceremony and the festivities afterward, you can mingle with the townsfolk. You can learn much about Trunau and its customs by asking around with a successful Diplomacy check to gather information or a Knowledge (local) check.
Ruby looks around, "Ummm...can anyone help me? These guys are really strong!"
Thyste sits up on a barrel in the commons; her fingers dance in a wave beneath her chin as she warms them up for her little performance.
Usually, she'd be working the crowd, but on this day, the little curiosity remains on the sidelines until Ruby is free to participate. Random citizens were all well and good, but including the birthday girl in one's act garnered a much stronger appreciation.
With all that being said, she looks down at her body. While she's got a little more muscle than some halflings, it still pales in comparison to the Patrol Captains! She figures she'll sit this one out and preserve her hands.
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A lanky gnoll with thick, pale gray fur with slightly darker spots stands at the front of the crowd, giving a glare to anyone, man, woman or child who gets too close of him or even hints at trying to or suggesting he move. A powerful hyena sits next to to him while two more sit half a pace behind. Or were sitting half a pace behind. Just as Ruby is looking around for volunteers, those two start wrestling and tussling, snarling and snapping and generally endangering those around him.
Ulretha snarls down at the fighting hyenas then aims a kick at roiling mass. He loses his balance in the process and stumbles a couple steps closer to Ruby.
He looks around, realizing from the expressions on the faces of those nearby that he has accidentally volunteered.
He snaps, whistles and points at the two males. The female indolently looks back at them then delivers a sharp snap to each of them and they immediately settle down. The trio sitting calmly and watching their master...though one of the males scratches his left ear periodically and fiercely.
Without a word, the gnoll walks up to the rope behind Ruby and picks it up.
A large man (over 7' tall and 350 lbs) with extremely large hands and an axe that looks like it was taken from a giant smiles and gives the girl a hearty (though not violent) slap on the back. He is tailed by an odd looking beast that must have come from far away lands. The thing is 50% teeth, bipedal, and reptilian but seems calm enough.
"I'll be your anchorman, thanks for asking. I remember my own hopeknife ceremony years ago before I apprenticed."
He smiles at the crowd and waves before taking up his position.
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Watching the festivities from the back railing of the Commons area is a gaunt and grubby human girl with long, unkempt and unwashed hair, probably no more than 18 years old. Lidia, while not a resident of Trunau, passes through town often enough to be known by a few, usually just to purchase a little food or a few arrows before venturing off into the wilds of Belzken again. Oddly, she almost always reappears for these hopeknife rituals, and today appears to be no exception.
When Ruby makes her call to the crowd, Lidia doesn't respond and her expression doesn't change. She watches the child intently, almost wistfully. She nods slightly to herself as others step forward to aid the child. She fingers a filthy hunting knife idly as she watches.
Ruby looks in awe at the giant of a man that is Little Ben, "Wow mister. You're huge! There's no way I can lose with you on my team! I think I still need to pick a few more people to hold the rope...how about, you, you...and you." she says as she points at various volunteers in the audience.
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Ruby, Little Ben, and three other volunteers take position on one side of a 50ft long rope, while Kurst and Rodrik Grath take the other, along with 3 of their volunteers, or voulentolds as the case my be. Between the two teams closest members is 30ft of rope, with a marker at exactly 15ft.
Mechanics of this:
Each round, Little Ben will roll initiative against the Grath brothers. If you're total strength modifier is higher than +7 (Ruby is +0 and her three volunteers are +1 each for +3 total), you get a +2 bonus to the tug of war roll.
As a full-round action each round, each team attempts a Strength check opposed by the other team’s Strength check. The winning team pulls the rope (and the opposing team) 5 feet toward its side. For every 5 points by which the winning team exceeds the opposing team’s check, the winning team pulls the rope an additional 5 feet. A team can take 10 on the opposed check, but cannot take 20. The opposed checks continue each round, with a new initiative check each round, until the first member of a team is pulled across the center line, at which point that member’s team loses the match.
Anyone not participating can make a charisma check to cheer and aid Little Ben and Ruby at DC 10. Passing this check gives Little Ben an extra +1 instead of +2 as normal for aid another.
At any point during the hopeknife ceremony and the festivities afterward, you can mingle with the townsfolk. You can learn much about Trunau and its customs by asking around with a successful Diplomacy check to gather information or a Knowledge (local) check.
Little Ben, you're up!
TL;DR, make a strength check. If your STR modifier is higher than +4, you get an extra +2, if your STR modifier is +4, you get an extra +1.
So, it looks like the total strength check is +6, +3 from Little Ben and +3 from the rest.
; +4 from Ulretha if he's in on this.
Little Ben has obviously played this game before. His huge hands consume a few feet of rope as it is wound aground them. When the whistle blows he is ON IT and the jerk almost sends his own team flying.
"I got your back little one."
Thyste adjusts her seating on the barrel. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yells out some choice words of encouragement:
"WOOOOOOOOOO!"
...Maybe it would have helped her to include someone's name.
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As the three volunteers that Ruby selected begin heading over to the rope, Ulretha thinks he was being pointed at and makes it up to the rope before one of the other volunteers.
The people in the crowd cheer either way, but seeing the massive bulk of a man that Little Ben is, a couple more cheer for the Grath brothers.
The pulling is very close, so close in fact that the rope snaps! Nearly everyone goes flying backwards with the force of how strong each side was pulling.
Everyone is completely silent for a moment...before the cheering returns in full force, and then some! The town blacksmith says something to the Grath brothers that gets lost in the crowd. Rodrick smiles and nods back at him. The blacksmith disappears for a moment before returning with 50ft of chain!
Time to do this again!
The Grath brothers pull with enormous strength once again!
You guys are up!
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
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When the rope breaks, the sheer slapstick of people toppling backwards breaks her face into a gleeful grin. She glances around at the people near her, as if making sure that they find it amusing too. She seems to relax a little. She moves inside the railing then climbs up to sit on the top rail.
"Come on Ruby!" she calls out loudly, and claps her hands. The knife is put away.
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Before the first round of tug of war, Ulretha stares straight ahead, mostly emotionless. His lip curls slightly back to reveal his sharp teeth just before it begins.
Still, he's not ready for what's coming and only Little Ben anchoring the rope for a moment before he understands what is to be done keeps them from losing outright. Then, he digs in and pulls with all his might, jerking and yanking the rope.
When it snaps, he tumbles down with the rest of them but is on his feet in an instant, looking around at anyone with an expression that dares them to laugh at him.
He is even more determined when the second round starts and he wraps the chain around both of his hands for a better grip, ignoring the pain that will come from having it tighten around around.
Little Ben smiles a grin as wide as a mile and goes over to high five the brothers.
"That was a fine piece of work."
Settling back into position and wrapping the chain around his hands.
But it is a disaster! The tricky brothers let the chain go slack and then give it a mighty tug pulling the whole team off balance.
Ben laughs uproariously at his own discomfort and being outwitted.
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Just as it looks like your about to be pulled across the middle of the tug-of-war line, about ten more people come rushing over to help Ruby pull the rope, making it far easier to pull the Grath brothers across the line instead. To outsiders, this might seem strange, or even like cheating, but the focus of the night’s events is Ruby’s emergence from youth, and it would hardly be a celebration of her coming of age if she lost her first trial as an adult!
Ruby jumps and down with excitement, "I can't believe we won! That was soooo close! Thanks for your help Mr. Giant and umm, Mr. Dog guy?" she says as she gives each of you a hug.
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When the crowd rushes forward to rescue Ruby, Lidia's mouth flattens and she loses interest. She glances around and notices the enthusiastic halfling howling like a dainty little wolf, and seems to consider this for a moment, then searches the sky, sniffs the air, slips down from the railing and slips off to find a new vantage point on events...
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Others might have been offended or upset when people rushed in to help them. As the tide turns in his favor when they are so close to loss, Ulretha knows that only one thing matters in any contest - winning, no matter the method or cost.
So, when the brothers are hauled back across the line, and they are declared the winners, he throws his arms up in the air in victory, pumping his fists.
He's in this position when Ruby hugs him. Looking down he says. "Ulretha."
"Congratulations on reaching adulthood. May you bear offspring before being killed," he continues, each word sounding like he is chewing on it like a bit of gristle before being spit out.
Little Ben smothers a laugh at the Gnoll's 'blessing'. Little Ben opts for a more traditional hopeknife blessing.
"May your life be long and your death swift."
Sensing her opportunity, Thyste gets up on her feet to stand on the barrel she's been sitting on. "Rubyyyy! Congrats on your big win! I've got a performance for you that I can't start without your help! Come on by when you have time!"
She grins from ear to ear, giving a welcoming wave.
Ruby blushes after hearing Ulreatha's statement, "Oh my, I don't know if I'm ready for...children yet! Thanks again though!"
She takes interest in Thyste, "Oh that sounds amazing! Maybe you can teach me a song or two! I don't think I'm much of a fighter, but a bard? Maybe!"
Rodrik and Kurst Grath (the Grath brothers from the tug-of-war and Ruby's father and Uncle respectively) approach you either seperately or together as the case may be for each of you as you party the night away.
Rodrik is a confident man with a hearty laugh and an honest smile. He is self-assured, an excellent swordsman, and a locally respected writer as well. Kurst is more reserved, and while just as capable as his brother, he seems content to remain in Rodrik’s shadow.
Rodrick eyes you up and down, "Now you, would make a great addition to the Truanu militia! You never know when some orcs, or goblins, or even trolls could attack, and while we have the hopeknives if it comes down to it, the militia is the first and last line of defense to prevent us from ever having to use them. I'd love to have you join up!"
Rodrick walks over to you carrying some choice cuts of meat for the heynas, "So...I know you offer a guard service, but how would you like to make a more fixed rate of pay? I'm sure you and your hounds would prove quite effective and terrifying to any orcs that dared attack our town. The more the merrier, and I think you'd find the work quite enjoyable. I'll even match your going rate."
Rodrick watches you carefully throughout the night, but tries to find a quieter time to talk to you, "I know you're not the loud type, but I see that bow you carry and I know you know how to use it. That training isn't common, what with the crossbow around, and the Trunau militia could use both your bow and your skill to train some future archers. I know you don't tend to tie yourself down, but think about it, ok? You'd be doing a lot of good for this town."
Rodrick has a blast partying with Thyste leading the way, occasionally he shouts over the music or crowd, "YOU KNOW, THE MILITIA COULD REALLY USE SOMEONE LIKE YOU. HELP KEEP MORALE UP YOU KNOW? IF YOU HAVE ANY COMBAT TRAINING, EVEN BETTER, BUT I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN EVEN IF YOU DON'T. YOU CAN ALWAYS GET SOME ON THE JOB TRAINING!"
"Well, then. I never considered a position in the militia. I was looking to launch a career of my own, though. Do you have anything for a scout. I'm not much of one for sitting around on guard duty, but I could definitely go for some scouting missions."
Treesplitter won't like it, but I'm tired of haunting the mountains alone. I'm not the kind of guy that should spend that much time alone. I need people, dang it!
"Here she comes! You've got your hopeknife and you're already taller than me-- practically an adult!" Thyte half-jests, waving her (and her crowd of friends) over. "Why, I'd reckon you could out-drink half the gnomes in town already! But I'm not the first person to marvel at how big you've gotten, no, no-- come, sit!"
With this, she gestures towards one of the chairs set up.
"There, there, perfect, good! Now, I'll admit I can't carry a tune to save my life, but you've heard ol' Funny Thyste the Fox-Tailed Halfling can make all of her own money disappear, right? Well, see, there's a reason for that!" she chimes, animatedly withdrawing what appears to be a large, orange marble from her sleeve.
"You see, money is irreplaceable, but this is a real treasure. Foxfolk like me can put our souls in these things-- for safekeeping, you understand! In case we run into a succub-- er, haven't had to do the kid-friendly version for a while-- in case something nasty catches us! Nastier than an orc, I mean-- that's why I carry a knife of my own, though it's a little less fancy!"
She clears her throat, flexing her fingers as the marble travels around her fingertips. "It is for this reason! ...That I need someone to hold onto this, for you see, I'm about to dazzle and wow you with some very impressive acrobatics, and if I landed on my soul-crystal I'd get my spirit all over my butt and wouldn't that be a hell-- heck, sorry-- a heck of a thing to explain to Pharasma! Will you carry it for me?"
If Ruby nods without too much cajoling, Thyste grins from ear to ear and passes it to her.
"Many thanks, friend! You seem the responsible sort. Now, please, and I cannot stress this enough, please make sure that no one steals that. It only contains my immortal soul, so I'm going to request that you do not lose track of it!"
Once she's gotten Ruby to swear increasingly elaborately (the oaths and vows growing increasingly complex until the poor girl either refuses or stumbles to keep up), Thyste seems to accept her as protector. Taking a few steps back to her improvised stage, she cracks her knuckles, shakes out her neck, and begins her routine.
Despite having talked up a fairly large game, Thyste seems... strangely hesitant, actually. After a few (admittedly rather good) cartwheels, she crouches herself into what was undoubtedly about to be a backflip, before going back to a neutral standing position.
"...Truth be told, dear, I'm still not entirely at ease about you holding onto my immortal soul and all that. After all, though I do see my beautiful soul crystal right there in your hands, you seem to have misplaced... let's see here," she mumbles, reaching into her sleeve.
"That comb from Lessie, a note-- did you write this, or was it written to you? Looks personal!-- annnnd... your hopeknife, even!" she says, triumphantly holding it aloft!
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When Lidia sees Rodrick coming, she sighs and spits. "Kicked out of another town." she thinks.
So when he offers her a job, it takes her a moment to process what he's saying and even then she looks at him for a long time to see if his offer is some sort of joke or trick. After deciding he's serious, she stands a little taller.
"That's smart." she says, looking at Rodrick warily. "Crossbows are forgiving weapons, but they break down easily, especially in the wilds. Cranking them up can be noisy too."
She scratches her neck idly. "What's the pay?"
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Ulretha watches Rodrick's approach warily. The people of Trunau have rarely given him much trouble, but a gnoll knows its only a matter of time before the furless ones decide that he's the cause of some trouble or other. Admittedly, a gnoll often is the cause of some trouble or other, so he is always ready to fight or flee when anyone in an official capacity approaches.
The captain has to be careful feeding the hyena's lest he give them a finger as part of the meat he's offering. In fact, the 2nd male is still a little too aggressive and still almost nips a finger. That earns him a kick from Ulretha and loss of his treat.
The gnoll's shoulders widen and raise when the expected rebuke or accusation does not come. He looks wonderingly at the human.
"I could do that," he answers, simply.
Little Ben mingles and talks and drinks and mingles. he even watches Thyste's show for a while, laughing a little more than most, his velociraptor following along quietly while eyeing the hyena pack (wondering whether there is a meal there or the other way around).
Ruby seems a little overwhelmed by the fast pace conversation that Thyste leads, but when given the marble, she stares at it for a moment before realizing what the halfling is saying, "Oh wow! I don't know if I could keep something that valuable for you! I mean...I guess I can hang onto it for your routine, but this seems like something you should put in a bank vault for safekeeping!"
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Seeing as how this is a celebration, the crowd enjoys Thyste's act, even if its not quite the amazing display of acrobatics she had planned. When she begins taking out her stolen objects, the crowd is both amazed at the seemingly magic trick she preformed and roaring with laughter...until Thyste reveals the hopeknife. The crowd hesitates for a moment and goes almost quite before Ruby walks over to retrieve her knife and plays along, "It's all part of the act people!" she says, and with that, the crowd resumes their laughter and clapping for Thyste's show.
In response to Little Ben's suggestion of scouting, Rodrik pictures the giant of a man holding a tree branch in front of himself to hide and cracks a wide smile, "Uh, sure, we can figure out the logistics of all that tomorrow after the party, yeah?"
For Lidia he says essentially the same thing, "Those are all good points about the crossbow. It's easy to hand it off to someone and have them use it, but its nothing compared to an expert longbowman. I was mainly seeing if you're interested, we can talk tomorrow about all the details, ok?"
Thyste happily surrenders the objects, grinning. "Thank you for being such a good sport, Ruby!" she says with a great bow before launching into a few more minutes of (significantly less offensive) jests, mostly at the expense of the orcs and occasionally herself, and one or two delivered from a handstand position.
"And with that, I'm all out of material for tonight!" she says, flipping back onto her feet and bowing once more. "Enjoy your night, be nice to foxes, and don't forget to tip your local performers!" she says, stomping twice on the top of the barrel.
Rather than whatever she had planned on happening, the lid of the barrel gives way, and Thyste just about disappears as she falls inside, aside from her arms sticking out the top. Thinking quickly, she reaches down inside for a moment and produces a cap, waving it upside-down for tips.
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"Those are all good points about the crossbow. It's easy to hand it off to someone and have them use it, but its nothing compared to an expert longbowman. I was mainly seeing if you're interested, we can talk tomorrow about all the details, ok?"
"Fine." says Lidia. "Just remember I... never mind. Tomorrow then."
Lidia turns and walks off, pulling out a small pouch made from some animal's bladder. She turns it over and two gold coins trickle out. She thinks for a moment, still walking, then seems to decide, closes her fist around the coins, and heads off toward the sound of the celebration.
Reaching the Ramblehouse, she slips inside, goes to the bar and puts the two coins down on the counter.
"A bottle of dwarf whiskey. And whatever food that'll buy." she says, a little too eagerly.
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As the celebrations wind down for the night, you will likely need to a place to stay. Unless you have already secured lodgings elsewhere, any Trunauan can point the adventurers to the Ramblehouse, a halfling-run boarding house that is also the only inn in town. As it happens, Rodrik Grath is staying at the Ramblehouse as well. Regardless of how you spend your night, when you awake the following morning, you find many of Trunau’s residents in a state of dismay. A large crowd has gathered outside the Ramblehouse, and the news spreads quickly: Patrol Captain Rodrik Grath has been found dead!
The inn’s owner, Cham Larringfass, discovered Rodrik’s body in his room, his wrists fatally lacerated and his bloody hopeknife in his limp hand. The town militia arrived soon after and roped off the entire building to investigate the scene, but all signs point to a suicide, a fact that saddens many of the town’s citizens.
Ben has been sleeping the celebrations off in his tent. He doesn't like inns and neither does his friend Little Buddy, and besides their beds are way too small.
He's not sure what he can do about it, but he joins the gawkers and contributes to the rumor mill.
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After receiving her bottle of whiskey and meal, Lidia had wolfed down the food with almost grotesque haste, then retreated outside with the whiskey, settling down behind the stables. The smell of horses was comforting. There her spree began with a long gurgling pull that made her cough like a drowning person for half a minute. After that, she took more leisurely swallows and doodled in the dirt with her knife until falling asleep sitting up not long after.
In the early dawn she awakens, as always, with the birds. She smells of flop sweat and old spit. She stands, stretches, and makes her way over to the Hopespring for a long drink of water and a splash of her face. Knowing that she might be called upon that day to give a lesson in archery, she slips out of town for an hour or so to practice. By the time she comes back, she can immediately tell that something has happened, and follows the rivulets of consternation back to the inn where she learns the shocking news.
"Damn. Looks like I'm not getting paid after all..." is her first unguarded thought. But she immediately frowns at herself. She tries to match up the suicide with the man she met so briefly yesterday and saw celebrating his daughter's coming of age. It just didn't seem to fit.
"Ruby..." she murmurs to herself. Her heart quickens like it had been kicked, and a patina of sweat breaks out over her whole body. She looks down at her hands and sees that they are trembling. She retreats from the crowd around the Ramblehouse and hides in an alley between houses.
"Breathe. Just breathe." she pleads with herself, pounding her breastbone with a fist.
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About 15 minutes later, Lidia sidles up beside Little Ben. For a moment she just stares at the militiamen milling around the Ramblehouse, like everyone else. She crosses her arms. She looks very, very angry.
"That man didn't kill himself." she growls suddenly to Little Ben, apparently for no reason. The harsh statement just seems to explode out of her.
"I talked to him yesterday. He offered me a job."
Rodrik's brother, who was with him when he talked you, although silent, Kurst Grath, approaches Little Ben and Lidia, "I’m sure you’ve heard by now that my brother, Rodrik—you met him last night—was found dead this morning, and I’ve had my hands full since. Right now, the official cause of death is suicide, but I just can’t believe that. Something else has to be going on. Unfortunately, Rodrik was the best investigator in Trunau; if he were on the case, solving the mystery of his death wouldn’t take long, but with just me left, we might never know what really happened." Kurst sighs heavily.
"I simply can’t handle the investigation and tend to my family duties at the same time. I may be a patrol captain, but right now, I feel my responsibilities as a brother outweigh my other duties. Still, I can’t just let this lie. I’m afraid I’ve exhausted all my other options—the members of Trunau’s militia are competent defenders during siege times, but they’re not sleuths by any means. I need your help. Will you investigate my brother’s death? Until his death is solved, I won't be able to make any of the moves to honor the offers he made to you yesterday." he says as he looks around and points at people in the crowd.
"On that note, you might as well ask Thyste, the fox-girl that put on a show, and Ulreatha, the gnoll with all the Heyenas, to help out. Actually, those heynas might prove quite useful if he can handle them like bloodhounds. Also, I heard a man named Hans is here, we were going to offer him a type of medic position with his skills, but we weren't able to see him last night. Regardless, if you see him, ask him to help, then come talk to me about that position." he says as he looks around to try and find Hans once again.
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Ulretha and his pack stayed largely silent and unobtrusive as the celebration continued. However, they were there any time there was free food or drink, taking what was probably more than their share but skulking away if anyone said anything.
As the celebration wound down, he headed into the Ramblehouse and rented a small room. Pulling the mattress off the bed, he tilted the frame on its side and pushed it against the wall, making a sort of nest on the floor out mattress and bedding. Taking off his and his hyenas' armor, he kept his weapons close but then all four of them settled into a pile in the nest.
He is awakened by the first cry of dismay but takes great care to don his armor and put the barding on the hyenas, moving as quietly as possible. Even afterwards, he listens at the door, trying to get a sense of what is going on outside. Accommodating as Trunau is, people have a tendency of looking at a gnoll when a dead body is found. Of course, Rodrik hasn't been eaten so evidence doesn't really point toward him.
Still, he skulks out of the inn, making a beeline toward the gate until he ears his name. Paranoia as much as curiosity brings him to Kurst, Ben and Lidia.
"I didn't do it," he spits, defiantly.
When he is caught up on what Kurst is actually asking, he gives a nod. "We'll help. They can track."
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Lidia looks doubtfully at the gnoll and his hyena pack, but keeps to herself whatever she might be thinking.
"It will be hard to track anything here in town. Too many people moving around last night, especially in and out of here." she says with a nod toward the inn, arms still crossed. "I don't mind having a look around. But is the town militia going to have a problem with us investigating this? I mean, we won't have any actual official authority, right?"
Ben rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I'm no investigator, but I'm good at asking questions. Heck, that's what I've been doing for years now. Going from town to town and asking questions. You'd be surprised what folks will tell you over a beer to two or three, particularly if you're paying. Speaking of which, do we have a budget?"
Lidia's point is a good one so Ben decides to back her up.
"And the lass has a good point. We should be deputized or something."
Ben's usual carefree grin is gone, replaced by something grimmer. He too does not think this looks at all like a suicide. But why would someone kill a likable fellow like Rodrik? And Rodrik reminds Ben of himself so it is almost a personal assault.
"Our militia is trained to fight orcs, not investigate mysterious deaths—especially one that’s officially a suicide, so they won't really have any interest here. And my father has forbidden me from talking with ‘that half-orc temptress’ who he thinks seduced Rodrik. I'm not sure what you'll need, but let me know and I'll see if I can get it for you." he says in response to Little Ben and Lidia.