Thyste keeps an eye on the proceedings, then shrugs; there's little to be said that wasn't already said.
Dabbing a bit of the vial onto her thumb, she gives its contents a taste...
Thyste sputters and coughs as soon as her tongue touches it. "Blech!!"
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Lidia looks over the wolves silently, confirming that Ben is correct in his analysis. Her lips descend into an angry frown.
You can control things with cruelty just as easily as love." she says, practically snapping the words, for some reason. Her jaw clenches and she just seems to get more and more angry as the seconds pass.
"Excuse me a sec." she blurts, then marches over toward the wounded thugs.
She snatches a conscious one by the tunic and shakes her.
"Who hired you to kill us?!" she practically shouts into their face. Her eyes are wide with fury now, and her hands tremble with adrenaline. She seems really close to the edge. "Tell me everything you know, you worthless piece of s&+#! Or so help me...!"
She leaves the rest unsaid, but not from delicacy. She's just too mad to form words any more.
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Ulretha pays little mind to their fallen foes, watching the freshly arrived militia members warily. Humans had a tendency to change their minds, especially when there were other humans involved.
"I'd like Kurst to be there if we're going to talk to Halgra," he says when it comes out that they're going to have to deal with further authorities.
When Lidia looses her cool, he starts laughing, the sound deeper but quite similar to the noise hyenas make when they're communicating.
"I'm starting to like her," he says to anyone listening.
He then goes to one of the downed women and searches her, ostensibly for "evidence" but really he just pockets anything of value he finds on her.
Thyste sighs as she looks over the proceedings, taking a wide arc around the wolves to get near the humans. ”Give us all the information you have on this guy, would you? He must have paid quite handsomely for you to do this in plain sight... especially given we’ve barely started and most people don’t even know we’re doing this, I’d imagine.”
She considers a moment; ”Might not be a bad idea to forfeit that payment to us, by the way. We’ll want a word with him and if we’re not well-equipped, he might have enough time to find you folk and express his customer dissatisfaction.”
Ben has little to add, waiting to see how the mercenary assassins react to the threats and cajoling already tossed out.
Little Buddy has transferred his attention to the bird hovering around Victoria, stalking it and looking innocently about when Victoria seems to be looking.
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"Some human guy hired us! We don't even know why he wanted you dead! He paid us a bunch of money to take you guys out, but he definitely underestimated you bunch!" the female responds to Lidia.
Lidia barely seems to be listening to the thug, she just continues to glare at her with her teeth showing, trembling all over with rage. By the time the woman is done speaking, Lidia has released her, turns her head and gives a dismissive wave of her hand, then stalks off without another word.
She goes around the corner of a nearby building to gather her emotions, holding her hands to her temples like she's trying to keep her head from exploding. She holds this position tensely for a ten count, then reaches into her pack, pulls out the half-finished bottle of whiskey from last night and takes a long pull. She coughs once, sniffs, wipes her eyes quickly with the back of her hand, and finally starts to breathe normally again.
"It's not him." she mutters to herself. She takes another drink, less aggressively this time, just to calm the nerves, then caps the bottle and puts it away with a guilty look around herself.
For a while she just stands there, lost in her thoughts, then slowly she sinks to a sitting position, pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her forehead on her knees, the cowl of her cloak obscuring her head except for some scraggly bits of dark, dirty hair hanging out.
Little Ben approaches the woman abandoned by Lidia.
"Well, then. that turned out into a massive fubar operation. I'm sure you will be going to jail, no getting around that. but if you were to cooperate, I would put in a good word for you. Don't know if it will help any, but it might shorten your stay or perhaps you might not be executed. You know how small town justice is. It's not what you did, its who you know. Or you could just take your chances. Know anyone local that might... sway some justice? No? To bad."
Thyste shakes her head. "That's where you're wrong, dear! As my frankly enormous friend here says, cooperation will go a long way at this point. And anything that helps us hunt down the man who hired you keeps him from hiring a bigger, stronger bunch of ladies to tie up the loose ends and get his money back, you see?"
She taps her chin. "Although... a crack commando squad of amazons, all coming after me... there's a novel to be written there. Spicy."
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Ulretha shakes his head disdainfully at the histrionics of the snoutless surrounding him. One of them shows a perfectly good display of alpha aggression then wanders away. The big one is about as convincing as if he claimed to be a gnome. The little one is about as good at getting what she wants as...well, as Ulretha is. And the new one...actually, he doesn't know much about the new one except that she helped. He nods thanks to her then approaches the woman they're questioning.
He squats over her, swinging his flail idly so that the heavy, spiked head makes lazy loops.
"Getting to go to jail is the lucky option for you," he says very quietly. "If we don't get what we want, we're going to wake up one of those wolves and set it on you. It will make my pack jealous that they don't get to eat you, but I bet it will be funto watch."
Ah! Yes, now does seem to be a good time to try a little intimidation.
Ben tries to back the fierce looking pack leader up by looking large and intimidating, but Little Buddy keeps bumping into his hand for a head scratch and Ben reflexively gives in.
Head scratches that torpedo his efforts.
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"I've already told you everything I know. What else do you want from me?" the woman replies to Ulretha.
One of the militia men jostles her, "I think they're wanting repayment for being attacked. If they forgive you, well, there won't really be any charges, just a street brawl gone a little sideways, you understand me yeah?"
The woman drops a potion of cure light wounds, an antitoxin, a liquid blade, Small centipede poison (1 dose), a smokestick; a light crossbow with 10 bolts, a short sword, thieves’ tools, a beryl worth 50 gp, and 4 gp.
If you loot the other 3, you find the same things except for 1 vial of poison that Thyste just tasted and a beryl that Ulretha already pocketed.
"So uhh, we cool here then?" she says hopefully towards the group of you and glancing at the militia.
"Except the one thing we really need. A description of the person that hired you. Give us that and you can go with our blessing. Right guys?"
Ben who saw Ulretha pocket something and noticing each of the other women had exactly the same thing, says, "How are we going to divide the loot? From my count that would be 4 gems, 16 gold, 4 potions, 4 blades, 4 poisons, 4 smokesticks, 4 crossbows, 4 short swords, and 4 sets of those weird skinny metal things. Sell it all and split the gold?"
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"Well, I said the man was a human, but that's not entirely true. Our employer is actually a half-orc with a bunch of face tattoos, shouldn't be too hard to miss, though he never gave us his name. That's not how our group works after all." she replies to Little Ben.
Unfortunately, you will likely have a hard time matching that description to anyone in town as it doesn't sound like anyone you know of.
”And where he hired you,” she adds. ”Let’s keep the potions and I’ll hold onto the poisons, if it makes no difference to you all.”
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When Ulretha realizes that the jig is up, he drops the gem on the ground. "Oh look...here's another one. One of them must have dropped this in the fight," he says, bending down to pick it up.
"I'll just keep this one. And one of the potions and one of those knives. You can always use a knife." He puts one of the potions in the pouch with the gem and takes one of the shortswords and the belt the sheath is on. He loops the belt twice around his thigh and fastens it.
Then, he heads toward the gate and Freedom Town.
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Perhaps 10 minutes have passed since Lidia stormed out of the square. Now she slinks back, cowl over her head, hanging back away from the group watching them question the assassins impassively from shouting distance. It’s pretty clear that she’s too far away to actually see or hear anything being discussed. Her arms are crossed and she leans on a nearby wall.
Ben looks around at the others, wondering whether to confront the bold faced pilferer or not. Doing a quick mental calculation he realizes that the hobgoblin is trying to make off with far more than his fair share of the loot. At least he thinks so. Some of the items, like the skinny metal things are hard to appraise, but the gems are about as valuable as the potions and they are probably the most valuable items of the lot.
Then again, his own needs are slim, being used to living off the land. Still, his survival kit could use some beefing up with high quality fishing line and thin gauge wiring for traps.
”Freedom Town?” Thyste asks, lighting up. ”I love Freedom Town! Best place to go if you want to get sold to an orc,” she chuckles. ”Not that I make a habit of it—only happened twice! More pressingly, though,” she says, turning to the... mercenaries? ”Freedom Town is a few days’ ride from here if you’re not swapping horses along the way. As a group, we didn’t exist until this morning, and as far as I can tell you weren’t singling any of us out specifically. When were you hired, and how did you know who you were even looking for?” she asks.
We haven’t exactly gone door to door informing folks that we’re investigating this guy’s murder. We haven’t even had time to do that yet!
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"Uhh yeah well, technically the hire was a few days ago to come here for futhur orders. This morning we were requested to interfere with any group looking 'adventury', that's what the half-orc said not me, that went in and came out of the Ramblehouse together. Don't know the details of all that, but it sounds like someone died, and trust me, we weren't paid for that job." the woman replies to Thyste.
DC 15
You notice that the woman is trying to sneakily slip her bonds in such a way that will make her escape very easy while still looking like she is bound up.
"Well, that's that then. We'll know the guy when and if we run into him, but for now we need to continue our investigation. Speaking of which, I'm debating whether to use one of those healing potions. I'm a little bit bruised, but it seems like such a waste to use one when they cost so dange much and one nights goods sleep will see me in a much better frame of mind. And then there are those hyenas. Some of them look a bit beat up. Hey, how about a visit to a healer instead? Far cheaper than a magical potion."
Victoria, who has been standing awkwardly nearby watching the proceedings, suddenly perks up. "Oh, you're in need of a healer? It happens that I have healing abilities."
"Just a bit, as do the hyenas. So you are a healer are you? How good are you? As a druid I have the healing touch myself, though I've expended the one miracle I prayed for already today... But frankly I'm not all that hurt. I'd prefer to have you save that... spell, miracle? For a time when someone is in more need. That is, if you plan to stick with us."
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Lidia notices the stranger speaking with Ben and cocks her head curiously. She approaches now, close enough to listen in. She studies the stranger in silence for a while, then speaks up.
"You say you're a healer. Where is your holy symbol?" she asks carefully, her brow furrowed. "And why would you want to help us? We haven't been promised any money."
Thyste spins on the spot, stopping sharply in Lidia’s direction. ”Waitwaitwait—we’re not getting paid?!” she asks, eyes wide in horror.
Slightly overwhelmed, Victoria reels a bit. "Sorry, let me, uh, start from scratch. My name is Victoria Elsward, and yes, I am a healer, though I'm not part of any clergy. I use a more... esoteric sort of arcane magic. As for why I would help you, well... my raven told me to." She furrows her brow at the bird as it flutters down to perch on her shoulder. "This bird connects me to a powerful being, the source of my powers. I asked it what I should do to strengthen my magic, and it led me here. It seems to think working with adventurers is the best route."
She taking orders from her bird who's a messenger from a godling telling her that we are the way to greater magical power? Oh dear. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Ben looks a little bewildered, not informed, by Victoria's answer.
"Uh, definitely heal the hyenas first."
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Thyste spins on the spot, stopping sharply in Lidia’s direction. ”Waitwaitwait—we’re not getting paid?!” she asks, eyes wide in horror.
Lidia glances at the foxling with a raised eyebrow. ”Nope. We’re doing this as a favor to Rodrick’s brother. Because we’re nice.” she says, more than a little sardonically.
Then she turns her eyes back to Victoria. “She’s a witch. I’ve had dealings with her kind before. To put it mildly.”. She moves in closer to Victoria and her voice gets lower. ”Stay away from me. The bird too. That’s your warning.”
She stares down Victoria angrily for a pregnant few moments, then turns away and addresses the others again.
”Did those creeps admit to poisoning the wolves?” she asks.
Thyste spins on the spot, stopping sharply in Lidia’s direction. ”Waitwaitwait—we’re not getting paid?!” she asks, eyes wide in horror.Lidia glances at the foxling with a raised eyebrow. ”Nope. We’re doing this as a favor to Rodrick’s brother. Because we’re nice.” she says, more than a little sardonically.
Thyste's shoulders fall back and her head leans to one side as she groans, rolling her face toward the sky. "Nooooooooooo..." she groans. "I did work for free-heeee..."
With a sudden snap, her body shifts to look toward the pile of accumulated wealth. "Well. Not entirely for free, I suppose. It's been a while since I made money this fast unless you could that one night in Kaer Maga so I guess I can't complain. Well, I can complain, and I will complain, but."
She turns toward the newcomer. "So you're a healer who channels magic from a source greater than herself to make sure my little arm doesn't fall off? So... clergy, then. Pet bird makes me think Besmara, but that fella's a little less brightly-colored and you seem unlikely to clap me in irons on an island with a single shot left in a pistol as you sail away on a boat loaded with my belongings, so."
"Very decidedly not clergy," Victoria responds pointedly to Thyste. "I am a devotee of Nethys, but he is not the source of my power, and I do not pray for it besides." She sideeyes Lidia. "The archer has the right of it, I'm what is known as a witch, though preferably with far less vitriol. That said, I mean no harm. I seek power only to protect those around me, no more and no less."
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Lidia snorts, but says nothing more to Victoria.
"I feel we should speak to Rodrick's girlfriend. If he'd spoken to anyone about what he was working on lately, it may have been her. Which means she may be in danger as well. Besides, someone should tell her that Rodrick is dead if they haven't already."
Thyste shrugs. "Sounds like semantics, but I'm pleased either way," she says to Victoria. [b]"Let's go question the knife guy. I don't particularly want to guarantee we'll be the bearer of bad news."
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The middle male, Fazingar, of the pack trails out ahead of Ulretha and the others in a very unusual way for him. He stops just in front of the gnoll and sits down, making himself quite hard to get around.
Ulretha stops long enough to shove him out of the way with a foot before continuing on. Fazingar trots ahead again, and takes another seat.
Ulretha pushes him away once more, a little more roughly.
The male hesitates a moment then stands across the path, head and tail bowed but legs stiff. Ulretha stops then looks down expectantly at Onnikka. She just looks up at him blandly then back at the people gathered at the battleground.
Ulretha looks back as well then sighs. He gives each of the hyenas, even the bottom male who did nothing a good kick for their troubles and turns, heading back.
"I don't want to walk all the way to Freedom Town then find out the person who paid these women is here. I'm going to the blacksmith," is the only explanation he gives when he returns then turns in the correct direction.
Not liking the hobgoblins treatment of his animals, Ben nods in the direction of the receding packmaster and complains, "He does like to lead, doesn't he. But if he starts kicking me, there will be problems."
But he also realizes that in the animal kingdom such jostling for dominance is not only normal, but healthy. Still, he definitely appreciates his own relationship with Little Buddy more...
Pausing in mid head-scratch, he mentally adds,
Though he sure is demanding.
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"Freedom Town?"says Lidia in surprise. She frowns and looks around the square, thinking. "This thing just keeps getting bigger. Something very big seems to be happening in this town below the surface. Big enough to not only murder a town investigator who got too close, but also big enough to bring in assassins from 3 days hard ride away to deal with problems like us. And we only started on this case, what, an hour ago?"
"Whoever our villain is, they're pretty sloppy and pretty desperate. Throwing around money and making assassination attempts in broad daylight in a public square. Not to mention leaving that note for us to find."
"But what in a place like Trunau could be so important?"
Thyste begins trotting after Ulretha, though she keeps a pretty firm distance-- she doesn't particularly fancy being surrounded by hyenas. "Good to know that at the very least, we've got enough information to clear all members of the investigation," she points out. "Unless one of you is a human man in disguise, anyway. But if so, that gnoll costume is pretty convincing!"
And enough to pin it as a Probable Murder. We could probably get the suicide ruling overturned and then go back to sleep. No harm in carrying the investigation a step or two further, though... especially if it means more gemstones.
"But what in a place like Trunau could be so important?"
"Siegestone, maybe, and the land it's sitting on? I'd imagine the orcs would give quite a bit to kick this little settlement off their territory, and murdering the leader of the folks who defend it is enough to set things in disarray and create an opening. I'll be surprised if we don't see a siege soon," points out the halfling.
"...By which time I'm hoping to be somewhere else, of course."
Thyste grins from ear-to-ear, walking backwards to speak to Lidia. "Ever eaten dwarven food, dear? Not the stuff that surface-dwellers have learned to cook by living near humans and halflings, but the real traditional stuff that a bleached gnome would say could use a little salt? The Siegestone is a big pot that can make gruel that tastes almost as good as that. They keep it in one of the more defensible buildings around here so that even if we're locked in by a horde of orcs, we never run out of gruel to throw at 'em until they realize orcs taste better and start thinking about how good cannibalism tastes."
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"A magic pot that makes gruel?" says Lidia doubtfully. "That seems a little indirect for orcs. Usually if they want to drive you off their territory, they just send a thousand warriors to overwhelm a place. Life is cheap to them, and they're always arrogant."
"Besides, the note makes it sound like there's a group here working on some sort of project, secretly. Killing Rodrick only became necessary because he'd noticed something. It didn't seem like he was a primary target."
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You head to Morninghawk’s Fine Steel, commonly known in town as “Clamor” (area G). Clamor is a squat, cramped building in the western corner of lower Trunau. The clang of metal on metal rings out of the building most hours of the day, and the heat from the forge fills the stif ling smithy. Sara Morninghawk, the town’s halforc, half-Shoanti smith, diligently plies her trade during daylight hours, retiring to her home in the inner quarter to spend the evenings with her wife Agrit Staginsdar.
Thyste rushes forward when Clamor comes into view, passing by Ulretha's pack as if she weren't nervous about them the whole way here. She takes a little vial out from her hip pouch and dabbing it on her wrists and neck as she moves.
She enters the smithy with a wide, friendly smile, hopping up on the table to be at eye-level with Sara.
"Good morning and how are you, Missus Morninghawk? I have so many questions for you today and only one of them is 'does Agrit know how lucky she is to wake up next to you each morning'?"
Those arms are wider than I am!
Her tail is very obviously wagging, providing some much-needed airflow.
"A magic pot that makes gruel?" says Lidia doubtfully. "That seems a little indirect for orcs. Usually if they want to drive you off their territory, they just send a thousand warriors to overwhelm a place. Life is cheap to them, and they're always arrogant."...
"Yea, but that fellow that hired them was a HALF-orc." Not without a little pride, Ben adds, "And you know that HALF-orcs are much more intelligent and crafty than your average orc bully. So maybe this fellow is on a darker path and is working with the orcs for, well, whatever self-aggrandizing purpose. And even if orcs as a group tend to be direct, you will sometimes run into a leader that can think. Not just half-orcs, but there are some sharp orcs out there too."
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Ulretha has to agree with Thyste's assessment of the fortune of Sara's wife. He doesn't say it, though. Doesn't say anything, in fact, though he eyes Morninghawk's powerful arms ardently.
He is somewhat distracted by the quality goods in the shop, though. It's hard for a gnoll to concentrate on what he's supposed to be doing when there are good weapons around.
"Half-orc?" says Lidia, her walk slowing unconsciously. "I thought the assassins said the man who hired them was human." She is looking straight ahead, as if not seeing anything.
"Oh yes. At first he said human, but later he corrected himself and said he was a half-orc. With tattoos. I distinctly remember him saying the fellow was a half-orc."
"Oh, are we here already? I tell you, I get going on a nice walk and I always forget time. I'm pleased to meet you too, Miss Morninghawk. We have a few questions to ask. You may have heard that we have been hired as investigators into you late fiancee's murder? Anything you can tell me about Rodrik's affairs the last few days would be appreciated.