Wolfy's Giantslayer

[UncleWolf]

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. Throughout the town the encroaching fog is beaten back as, one-by-one, massive burning beacons are lit to cook away the damp air and light up the streets beneath the dim grey skies. 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. Her words seem soft but carry the weight of her years and responsibility.

“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." The Chief Defender tells her daughter grimly as she sets a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I cannot promise that doing such will ever be easy for it is quite the opposite. However, 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. "I-I swear." The girl says, finding her voice and attempting to sound resolute.

The Chief Defender smiles at her daughter as she continues, placing the edge of the blade gently upon her own neck followed by Ruby's. “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.

With the formal part of the ceremony over, the crowd grows louder as it spreads out, the participants searching out the stalls of hot food or entertainment. Loud and cheerful music begins to play but in the center of it all, right before the stage, the crowd backs away as a pair of easily recognizable brothers jog through an opening in the masses while carrying a large bundle of thick rope. The twin brothers, Kurst and Rodrik Grath are both in their Militia uniforms but are in good spirit. Rodrik, the slightly more muscular of the two looks up to the stage at Ruby and pounds his chest with a laugh. "Come, Ruby! Come show us how a true member of Trunau competes!" He shouts with a grin. His brother gives a sheepish smile on his part but doesn't say anything as he lays out the thick rope for the traditional game of tug-of-war.

The shy girl swallows and looks up at her mother, but Halgra just smiles back. "Go and choose your champions. You know how strong the twins are. Crush them mightily and make Rodrik kneel to you." She says, encouraging her daughter. Ruby smiles up at her, somewhat nervous but steeled by her mother's words before she hops off the stage and begins to wander the crowd, searching for people to be on her team.

[Slii Arhem]

Staying for the ceremony was a necessary evil. The dwarf has been seen around these before, as Trunau has given her no shortage of work facing the threats that lurk outside its walls. Besides, her gunpowder supplier lives here, and she explained the necessity of these times of mixed revelry and solemnity fairly well during one of Holliela's more curious and open moments.

The dwarf stands tall for her race, taller than Ruby certainly, which is beyond rare around here. When asked, she'll say it was something in her heritage and wasn't uncommon back in the mountains where she was born, but speak no further of it, putting on an air of uncaring. She's wearing her work attire now, her heavy armored coat hanging to her knees, split at the front and back to keep her mobility. And true to her reputation, she hefts a massive hammer that most trolls would have trouble swinging with ease, holding it at the ready and standing, back straight and with confidence. She's advertising, pure and simple, and it's always a good idea to do so before the eyes of the Chief Defender. With her tightly braided, coppery hair pulled back over her shoulder, she cuts an intimidating figure even as she risks a smile, coming off as slightly manic by doing so.

[Halae]

Galena will come up behind Holly and clap the dwarf on the shoulder. The half-orc woman gives the dwarf a grin; they were a strange pair of friends, but people didn't look at them that way given the married half-orc and dwarven arcanist in town. There had been a couple jokes about another marriage, but they'd long since gone away, given the pair have an amiable work relationship, rather than sexual.

"Enjoying the festivities?" Galena asks, adjusting the strap her musket hangs by. It was her big, obvious weapon, but most Trunauans and her friends knew she keeps an additional, smaller weapon on her at all times. She's wearing a large coat over leather armor, though that's thanks to her having watch duty soon rather than showing off like Holly. She doesn't have the same kind of strong bulk the dwarf does, instead bearing an athletic body, more defined for agility and endurance than power. Her own hopeknife hangs off her belt on the back of her waist, having been hung there since her own ceremony eleven years ago, "You should offer yourself up as Ruby's champion, show them your strength. I'd help, but you know I'm not a strong person."

[Gnrlshrimp]

Remirin is a little out of place in these festivities. It all seems a little barbaric to her. Teaching children how to kill themselves and their loved ones at such a young age? Still, from what the clergy had told her, this is an environment that demands such an open understanding of death and the need for it at times.

The tiefling is leaning against a wall, paying attention to the ceremony, but refraining from taking part in the celebration. Her pure black eyes purposelessly scan the crowd and her tail flicks back and forth in boredom. She would turn in early for the night, but there's no way she'd sleep through this racket. It was tempting though. She's getting a little fed up of drunken revellers asking about her red face.

No doubt this "assignment" was another fool's errand assigned to her to keep Iomedae's favourite devil-spawn inquisitor out of the way, but she'd be damned if she didn't do her duty as a loyal servant of her goddess. A few more days and she'd be able to pack up and head home. Her holy symbol of Iomedae hangs loose, twinkling in the glow of the burning beacons. She stands relatively tall and, though the cloak wrapped loosely over her chain shirt and clothing makes her build a little hard to determine, her fiendish ancestry probably suggests a certain degree of strength. There's no real interest in the proceedings from her, though.

[Terumitsu]

'Hopeknife.' A rather ironic name. Not to mention intended with a function that was probably the best way to put a man off his drink. Suicide being a hopeful thing? Bleck. Of course, Louis hadn't ever been that much for drink anyway but the point still stood. Still, that grisly business done, the coal-haired man was still near the front anyway as he was not one to pass up getting a good look at things. He would be an oddity in the crowd which might make him even more prominent as.. Well, he didn't seem all that dressed for the mountains and wore a red bandanna covered in white paisley patterns over his head. In fact, he looked like he belonged somewhere else and even still had the smell of salt around him... The seawater kind, that was as he was hardly the sort to get worked up over much.

The man was a bit of an oddity here, the white-feathered parrot only making it worse when it stayed perched on a shoulder, but he was competent enough in a smattering variety of subjects that he had stayed to lend a hand here and there rather than passing on through on his journey to... Wherever it was he was going. Nobody had asked him about it just yet. Right now Tucker was flapping about overhead, trying to find any unattended morsels to snatch up, while the dressed-as-a-seaman decided to mill about in a somewhat similar fashion to try and get a better view of just what was about to come next. Some kind of test of strength from the looks of it... Though that was just stating the obvious. He wondered if there was any other significance to it and racked his brain in case he remembered a bit more about the ceremony and festivities to follow. His old master had taught him well that while magic was good for seeing and hearing things that one normally couldn't, it wasn't always as good as just gabbing about and finding what people will say, after all.

Knowledge local:
[roll0]

[Slii Arhem]

"An adult picks her own champions, remember? I'm merely advertising to the girl. If she chooses me or doesn't, the consequences are hers." While it would be good practice to show the natives of Trunau a bit of her strength in public, and perhaps even fun to pull a couple of rough-housers around for a while, Holliela wouldn't stoop to asking for the honor directly. "Besides, it's not about strength, but a firm stance, weight, and leverage. It's just like grappling, but at the end of a rope." An odd, but to Holly precise way of explaining the sport.

"You lose more fingers pulling rope than grappling, though." She adds, utterly serious.

[UncleWolf]

Now days, the Hopeknife is little more than a symbol of the Vow that each Trunauan takes upon reaching adulthood. They swear to never given an inch of land for as long as they can breathe and despite there being few known incidents now days of a Hopeknife ever being used to commit suicide or to give mercy to another, everyone born into the town takes the vow, and the knives, seriously. Despite her standing as the Chief Defender's daughter, Ruby is no exception to the rule of the Standing Vow as it is a sign of adulthood, maturity, and strength. More importantly, it means the wearer has grown enough to know that there are fates far worse than death that can await a person. Especially if they are captured by the particularly barbaric and savage orc tribes that are known to roam the region.

Each Hopeknife is finely crafted with the majority of them being forged by Sara Morninghawk or her assistants at Silverhawk's Fine Steel, simply called The Clamor by the locals for all of the noise that's made as the half-orc works. Despite their lack of use, the Hopeknife is commonly traded between spouses or those betrothed to one another as a sign of love and trust so the vast majority of natives still wear theirs around their neck or on their belt in their daily lives.

The ceremony seen today was unusually spectacular for most Hopeknife Ceremonies, but it is still a common celebration with the usual festivities for a town with fewer than a thousand people living in it at any given time. The majority of the festivities are of the usual fair, but one in particular is meant for the recipient of the knife and that game is the Tug-of-War that was being set up.



Whether it is because of Holly's display or simply Ruby's familiarity with the public knowledge of the dwarf's strength, Ruby grins and races forward without saying a word. One hand latches onto Holly's arm and the other hand latches onto Galena as well. "These two!" She shouts to Rodrik, grinning despite her shyness. She isn't particularly strong herself but surely neither of the pair would embarrass the poor girl by declining now, would they?

"You best bring more than just those two! You know how Kurst and I like to cheat!" Rodrik says, winking to Holly with a grin as two more militia men join his side of the rope. Ruby just sticks her tongue out at him in a rather childish manner for a girl supposedly having become an adult, and she races through the crowd once more, scanning for a pair of other individuals. Finally the young girl latches onto two particularly colorful individuals. Namely a man with a parrot and a certain disinterested tiefling. Should either resist, the cheerful crowd is all too willing to help push them forward to help the young lady on her birthday.

[Slii Arhem]

"See? She has an eye for talent and style both Galena! Don't begrudge her her picks, win or lose she's made her choices." Hefting her hammer over a shoulder where a hook on her armor surrounds the shaft and matches with a smaller hook on the haft, she locks the mighty weapon into place. For anyone without her training, levering such a powerfully heavy thing into an overhand swing from such a position would be a nightmare, but she's shown off doing it to crush various things for the townsfolk before.

If no one rebuffs her she'll take up the very front end of the other half of the rope, where a weak puller would be the first to fall. Best in her opinion to have force up front and not risk losing a member early on.

[Halae]

Galena is surprised when she's picked, but the half-orc sighs and nods with a slight smile, and will pick up the rope behind the strong dwarven woman. Galena isn't sure about this; she's not a strong woman, even if she's got some measure of endurance. Still, she was chosen, and she'll make sure that she does her best. Ruby deserves it, and Holly would never let her live it down.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Remirin doesn't resist, per se, but she is caught rather by surprise when Ruby chooses her. The tiefling stares blankly at Ruby for a moment before putting two and two together.

Well, no way she's ducking out of this. And it would be rather rude to refuse the birthday girl's request for her support in this contest.

Remirin puts on her best attempt at a warm smile (with questionable results). "You honor me. I'm a stranger to these parts, but it's clear to me that this is a very important day for you. So I shall do my best to help you claim victory." Truth be told the tiefling is fairly strong, so this may prove to be a wise pick on Ruby's part. Remirin steps up to the rope, intending to position herself at the rear of the line, figuring it also makes sense to have some strength at the rear to dig their heels in if the rope starts to move the other way. She acknowledges her fellow participants with a brief wave of one hand.

[Terumitsu]

"What? Oh no, I can't- I.. Oh, woah there I just- Oh alright,alright!" Resistance was rather futile as he was only one man being pushed further to the front by many others. Still, at least it was a more 'happy' mob than the other kind.. Not to say he had trouble with the other kind but it was just good that it wasn't that kind in the first place.

"Well, ah, seems like we make quite a team here." Louis said. He wasn't especially impressive as a physical specimen but he wasn't at least ill-suited for such duties. Waving at his familiar to just land somewhere finally, he adjusted his belt a little and takes his place at the end of the rope.

[UncleWolf]

Rodrik grins at the rag-tag opponents before him as Ruby takes her place in front of Holliela. "Well now! This is going to be a tough one!" He shouts before clapping his hands together in good cheer. At the signal, his brother and the other two militiamen grab their end of the rope with him. Ruby, despite being young and not so strong herself, looks rather determined as they wait for her mother to give the signal to start.

When the Chief Defender blows a whistle, Rodrik's grin turns to one of determination. "HEAVE!" He shouts as he and his men both begin to do so.

(Alright everyone, roll initiative!)

[Slii Arhem]

Holly decides not to argue with Ruby standing up front, simply moving back slightly and making sure to choke up the line between her hands and Ruby's, making up for the weak front line by supporting it as best as she can. Rather than saying something, she turns that frustration inwards, pouring that drip of irritant onto the scales that delicately balance her temper, toppling them over and letting a harsh red cloud her vision and colour her cheeks. Her arms turn rigid with tension as she crouches, leans back, and pulls hard into her chest while trying to stand, digging in her heels.

[UncleWolf]

Despite he and his men looking rather strong overall, Rodrik is rather surprised when the rag-tag group ahead of them begins to pull against them despite their best efforts. His look of shock is rather apparent for several seconds as they're feet are dragged ten feet but it is replaced by one of determination as he wraps his arm around the rope anew and digs his heels in, slowing and finally stopping the advance. "I must admit..." He says in between heavy breaths. "You're far stronger than you look, Ruby."

The young girl, grinning as Rodrik and his brother are made fools, looks back over her shoulder and gives a nod to her Champions.

[UncleWolf]

Ruby's party will find their gains slowly receding as the Militia, used to working together, begins to haul steadily upon the rope as they step back. Twenty-five feet becomes twenty and twenty becomes fifteen. All too quickly, even ten feet becomes five as Ruby is tugged towards almost the edge of the line. One more mix-up and it could all be over.

For her part, Ruby doesn't give up, pulling on the rope with all her might and gritting her teeth as sweat breaks out across her brow. She wasn't going to have a bunch of old men show her up on her birthday!

[UncleWolf]

Ruby strains at the rope, grunting and finally letting out a little breath of relief as her and her team begins to pull the Militia closer to the line. "We've got them!" She shouts to her chosen Champions, turning a little more to better haul on the rope. As she shouts, Rodrik smiles a bit under his sheen of sweat even though he and his men are pulled forward. Their arms are locked and despite their bulging muscles they're forced forward step by step. When they reach a little past their starting point however, Rodrik slips. He still holds onto the rope, but all of his leverage is gone and short work is made of the rest of his team as a final powerful tug sends the remaining three sprawling on top of their leader.

The crowd cheers as the Militia loses and Ruby shouts in glee before she's whisked away by the crowd and lifted onto shoulders. Rodrik can't help but laugh as he drags himself out from under his brother and he claps and grins towards Ruby's direction from his knees. The match seemed to be over and even the losing team seemed to be in good cheer about it.

(Perception checks)

Rodrik's slip wasn't an accident. The same goes for the rest of the match. Right before Rodrik fell, the militia had locked their arms and slowly gave ground. It wasn't easy, but they had chosen to avoid pulling on the rope to try and drag it to their side. Rodrik's "slip" was simply a surprisingly well-rehearsed act as well, giving Ruby and her chosen Champions the illusion of having won.

Judging from the crowd's reaction, it was a rather convincing one as well or at the very least one that no one minded.

[Slii Arhem]

Holliella straightens at once, widening her stance and reaching out to support Ruby's shoulders in case the sudden slack on the rope causes the girl to topple. Her eyes clear from their clouded state as she lets go the hold on her anger, and her muscles releasing their tension causes a sudden slump in her posture, noticeable to any as the signs of obvious fatigue. She was giving it her all to support the team, but dealing with a handicap meant it was only enough to stymie the force set against them.

Despite her exhaustion, she stumbles over to Rodrik and offers him a surprisingly powerful hand up, "We were very evenly matched there, that could have gone back and forth for a fair while longer. I'm glad it didn't." She eyes him with a wry grin and what, for her, passes for subtlety, rolling her shoulders and nodding to her fellow conscripts gratefully. They might not have all been what she would have picked, but they were good enough for the girl's pride.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Remirin lets go of the rope and steps away, letting out a quiet sigh. The performance is over, the girl is happy, she's played her part and all is well. Though in an ideal world she'd never have been pulled into this to begin with.

She forces a smile and makes her way over to shake the hands of the losing team, "That was quite a contest! You made it a hard fought victory, for sure." She says, though there's a bit of a strain to her voice, making it seem every bit as forced as her smile.

[Terumitsu]

A harsh exhalation from Louis as he caught his breath from the struggle. He had been giving it his all and was smiling despite the exertion. Sure, his 'all' might not be as much as some of the others but he had tried at least!

He gave a hearty wave at their opposition in a show of good sportsmanship. "Well fought, good fellows!" he called, tilting his head a bit to keep from being bapped by the wing of his familiar as it landed upon his shoulder. "And same to the rest of you." he said, nodding and beaming at the rest of his team.

[Halae]

Galena breathes out, and puts her hands on her hips, watching little Ruby get carried away by the crowd with a smile before turning to Rodrik and his men, as well as the group ruby picked out, "What's say we get some of that ale? I'll pay for the first round for the lot of us, even." A little more subtle than Holly's attempt to thank them, but still.

[UncleWolf]

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Galena. My brother and I lost so we'll buy you all the first round. After that though, you can buy us two." Rodrik says with a grin as he accepts the dwarf's hand to help himself up. As he dusts himself off, his brother and the other two Militiamen get up on their own. "There should be plenty of stands set up for ale near by." He points out. "Ms. Holly, it is a pleasure to see you again." He adds with a nod before looking over the Louis. "My apologies, but I'm not sure I know you. My name is Rodrik Grath. This is my brother, Kurst." He says to the man with a warm smile and an offered hand. As he shakes the wizard's hand, he looks over at the Tiefling. "But you must be Mistress Remirin. I had meant to go to the temple to greet you in person when you arrived, but my patrols seemed to keep me from getting the chance to do so. I do hope that Paladin Calderon and Priestess Varvatos have made accommodations that were comfortable for you."


Remirin would have been offered a small room with spartan furnishings at the Temple. It wouldn't be the most comfortable but it could be improved upon in time. Paladin Calderon and Priestess Varvatos are both fairly young to be running the small temple, not even in their 30s, but they lead the half dozen clerics and paladins there.

[Slii Arhem]

"Well with both of you buying, how could I refuse? My pockets are a bit parched of gold, so I was hoping to find some work on this trip through here. A celebration's not a bad consolation though." Holly takes another deep breath and squares her shoulders, her eyes fluttering shut in a way that makes her look strangely vulnerable and open. Then the moment passes, and all traces of fatigue are gone from her body as she rolls her shoulders and grins viciously.

"Who knows, though. Orcs are never hard to come by. Any bounties out on some particular scum or another?" Almost too much to hope for, really. Most of the time, one orc is as good as another, unless they're of particular tactical important or have done personal harm to a family willing to pay for their head.

[Gnrlshrimp]

"It was a pleasant surprise, Rodrik. I was not expecting them to provide accomodation for me. It will be comforting to rest in Iomedae's presence." Remirin smiles faintly at the thought. "And I quite understand your patrols keeping you busy, I'm sure it takes a lot of effort to keep this town well protected. Hmm, speaking of which, at some point I must make a few inquiries about the defences. I was asked to report my thoughts on the security of your town. I can only speculate, but perhaps some of the senior members of the clergy are considering stationing an extra paladin or two here. And of course, if you or anyone else have any thoughts on what more the servants of Iomedae could do to be of service to you, you need only let me know before I depart."

Remirin pauses and looks around at the festivities. Not really the best time for these formalities, is it? "Ah, but business can wait. I'll happily accept your offer of ale, though!"

[Terumitsu]

"Oh I'm just a traveler who's just a little displaced. Heard about this place from a town a few miles out and thought I'd stop and stock up on a few supplies is all." Louis said, deciding to be a little vague on just where he had come from and how he had wound up here in the first place. His accent certainly wasn't from around here, at any rate.

"And it's Louis West. Like the Westerlies. The feathery one is Tucker." he said, shaking the hand given to him. It seemed to him that everyone else was more or less well known in the area, though.

[Halae]

Galena is quiet for the moment, smiling. the others have said what needs to be said; for now, she'll just follow along with her dwarven friend; some booze sounds mighty nice right now.

[UncleWolf]

The Grath brothers gladly lead the quartet of "Heroes" to their well-deserved tankards of ale, guiding them through the rather packed Commons ground and through a couple narrow streets. By the time the drinking hole comes into sight, nearly all of the crowd has died off, preferring to stay in the center of festivities where the booze is watered down and cheaper. The spot Kurst and Rodrik guides the Tug-Of-War Attendees is a small merchant's stall stuck in the back of a graffiti filled alleyway with an awning over a small selection of stools. The stall lacks even a small sign, but the burly half-orc barkeep behind the counter is enough of one as his mighty musculature could only have been gained by years of hauling kegs and casks as large as Louis around.

Fortune seems to have favored the group on their way to the awning as it is only after they all get seated that the rain begins to fall through the thick fog, dispersing both it and some of the crowd if the distant cries of surprise are anything to go by. "One each, Broddy." Rodrik tells the half-orc behind the counter, receiving a curt nod in response before large wooden tankards of dark ale are served to each of the new patrons. The ale is strong, dark and warm and fills the mouth like the heat of a smoldering coal on a cold night due to the mixtures of exotic spices put into it. Each of the brothers, even the seemingly shy Kurst, smile easily at the sensation of the warm drink warming them up from the inside out. After that first swig the skies open up in earnest and the large fat drops of rain hammer down from above, splattering against the awning before slipping off to form puddles at the edges.

"We really do appreciate the help you gave Ruby, you know." Rodrik says, turning to look at the four next to him. "The Hopeknife ceremony really is something special and I know Ruby had been looking forward to her own for a rather long time though I think some of that is simply pressure from her mother's position here. Chief Defender and all that." He adds as he takes another swallow of his ale. "But where are our manners?!" He asks loudly with a grin as he sets his tankard down with one hand and pats his chest with the other. "Again, my name is Rodrik Grath and this is my brother, Kurst." The militiaman says as he swings his free hand to pat his brother's chest. Unfortunately for Kurst, he'd been drinking at the time and goes into a coughing fit as a result. It takes the younger brother some time to recover, but once he does he gives a weak smile. "H-Hello again Miss." Kurst says, nodding Galena before giving Holly a small salute with his tankard. "And you too, Ma'am. You two are well known to us Militamen, you know." He admits.

"And I dare say that by the end of the day, you two..." The older brother says, nodding towards the wizard and Inquisitor. "Will be known by everyone. At least your appearances. I mean it in the best of ways, but you two do stand out quite a lot to us Trunauans. Most folk around here are wary of outsiders, but I think you'll do fine now."

[Terumitsu]

"Pshh! I don't make any secrets of myself if I can help it! Usually. I just try to keep from telling tales that might sound a little too tall for someone who's sober." Lewis said, gesturing with the drink he had been given. He hadn't taken a drink just yet, though, given that he was now trying to figure out just how to properly say 'I'm none too enthused with drink.'

He figured he was probably going to have to fiddle with the taste with a touch of magic here in a bit, in all actuality.

[Slii Arhem]

"Oh I'm well aware of that." Holly laughs under her breath, "It's not so often that an outsider comes to chew through the native orcs for some coin, is it? You can blame Galena and her uncle for that. If they hadn't made this contraption of a hammer, I wouldn't be so reliant on them for repairs and powder!" The dwarf accepts her own flagon with a lackadaisical shrug, finding it a fitting payment for services rendered. She knows who really wanted the girl to win, after all.

"Speaking of which, am I lucky enough that there might be any standing contracts or outings you'd need an extra hand on? Work's been thin on the ground, even when you're as close to the ground as I am." She smiles with forced humor, barking out a laugh that's covered by another careful pull on the ale.

[Gnrlshrimp]

"Interesting aroma." Remirin sniffs thoughtfully at her drink, then shrugs and takes a sip. She's not one for swigging ale, really. "Interesting taste too. A local specialty?" She's hardly a heavy drinker, but enough travel results in a certain degree of familiarity with ale.

"I have a bit of a tendency to stand out wherever I go. Something to do with the eyes, I think. Or maybe it's the tail, I dunno." She laughs, a quiet, lighthearted, but forced laugh. "Though I'm afraid I have no intention of becoming particularly well known. I should only be here for a few days before I've finished my work and have to start the trek back to give in my report."

[Halae]

Galena, for the moment, drinks her own booze, keeping out of the conversation. she's not much of one for talking a lot, and the drink is giving her something else to occupy her mouth with. Still, in spite of their protests, it almost feels like the pair of out-of-towners will become known. There's just something about them...

[UncleWolf]

"Aye. As far as I can tell, the brew is special here but don't ask him how he makes it as he won't give up the secret." Rodrik says with a broad smile as he takes another large swallow from his tankard. Kurst however loses his own smile at Holly's question and he gives a slow shake of his head. "Sorry, Ma'am. It's been strangely quiet from the orcs of late. They aren't in their usual hiding-holes and the smaller, closer tribes seemed to have up and moved. Sergeant Frum and I took a few of the younger lads out last week on patrol and didn't see a single sign of them aside from month old fire pits and scraps. Mighty strange, that." The younger twin admits as he looks down into his drink.

"Yer talking 'bout me, boy?" A gruff voice calls from the end of the alleyway, cutting through the sound of the rain. Rodrik grins and raises his tankard without looking, saluting the man behind them. "Good day, Sergeant Frum! I hope the weather hasn't gotten you down! Come and join us!" He says, eliciting a small wince and an elbow to the side from his brother. "He-...oh, right." He says before wincing himself as the sergeant takes a seat next to the brothers and removes his hood, revealing an older man with a small pointed beard and particularly glorious mustache. "It's a'right, boys. The barkeeps 'round here know the missus would kill me if I touched the stuff again." The Sergeant says with a slightly pained but gentle smile meant to ease their worries. "I just figured I'd come for some warmed cider. I 'eard a new shipment came in and on a day like this, no better time for it." He explains as the half-orc "bartender" nods silently and begins to warm up some cider on a heatstone. The small stone gives off enough warmth to fill the canopied area with gentle heat, helping to sap away the cold that came with the rain.

"As fer how the day went, congrats on the Hopeknife ceremony. It wouldn't have been the same without you all. Shame I couldn't have been there, but I was out hunting for more of that damnable graffiti. Dunno who keeps putting it up, but neither I nor the rest of the boys can figure out how to remove it. Scrubbing it ain't doing a damnable thing."

[Slii Arhem]

"Y'tried scraping or cutting it? Y'might damage the wall depending on where it is, but unless it's magic then peeling off the top layer'll get it gone. New coat of plaster after that and no one will worry." Holly grins into her mug. She might not be able to afford to pick favorites, but the Sarge has her smiling to herself. Anyone who can use a word like damnable as many ways as he can will do that to her.

"What's it say, anyway?" Right to the point. Holliella hasn't seen anything much out of the ordinary that she can recall, so it's probably no more than a nuisance some kids are getting up to in her opinion. She finishes draining her mug and sets it down with finality. Wouldn't do to overdrink out in weather like this. The cold will go right through you with wet skin and a cold chest like booze will give you. She tries hard not to think about where she got that advice from. Damnable merchants.

[Terumitsu]

Lewis had opened his mouth to say something similar to Holly but it seemed like it would be a bit of a waste. A thought did come to mind, though: "Where's it appearing, mostly? If it's not all over then it might be someone who lives closer by than you'd think." he suggested.

It was a potentially lackluster suggestion but perhaps it might be seen as some kind of help? "I could probably take a gander at it to tell you if it was actual magic, though.. Know how to spot the stuff what from a few of the fellows I used to bunk with." he added.. Which wasn't entirely a fabrication but might not be the whole truth.

[Gnrlshrimp]

"Graffiti?" Remirin raises an eyebrow. She's more than a little surprised there'd be a prankster running around scrawling messages on walls in a place where they hold suicide-knife ceremonies.

Still, if it scrubbing it isn't working...

"Even if it's just some foolish youths causing mischief, one has to wonder how they found a way to make graffiti that can't be scrubbed off. Sounds like someone got their hands on something they really shouldn't have."

[Halae]

Galena, notably, keeps her mouth shut. Sergeant Frum may recall that when the half-orc gunner was around thirteen, she'd been one of those particular hooligans. Galena had grown out of it, but she was still teased now and then about her choices back then - the problem with living in a small town. so, for now, she just keeps her mouth focused on her drink and tries to keep from saying something stupid.

Something in the air, it feels like. What is that? Something is a bit... odd. Certainly nothing Galena can spot just looking around.