~Roland's Giantslayer IC~

[Ancient]

Snuke ends the contest with a satisfied smile and a bow to the crowd, and then begins her celebrations in earnest. She enjoys the festivities with a zest for life, love, and revelry, eating heartily, drinking heavily of blackberry brandy, dancing on tables (and trying to get Ruby to dance with her), and later, certain activities with a dwarven blacksmith that are better left to the imagination.

[paradox26]

Eldryn offers his older brother a long look, with a great deal of respect in it. "You have learned much more than I have then. I did not know that it was orcs that attacked us. I have learned nothing so far. This will give us something to focus on, though as you say, they may well have died by now. More is the pity. I would very much like to have them under my spells for a short time." He sighs, then shifts to less personal woes.

"I have no great desire to help these people either. As much as they have been hospitable, they are foolish to have set themselves up so close to the orc homelands. But I do not wish to see them all slaughtered either. So I don't mind doing a bit of looking around if necessary. We may be able to help them find out why the orcs are riled up, if nothing else."

[Lioslaith]

Nodding in affirmation, "Indeed that is a concern, the uptick in the half breeds is a bad sign and I would like to see some of this graffiti Rodrik spoke of."

[RolandDeschain]

The evening passes happily as the citizens of Trunau are busy dancing, wrestling and feasting. Eventually however you are invited back to the Ramblehouse by Rodrik and Kurt, the two happy to continue drinking. The "victors of Ruby" also invited back. The Ramblehouse is packed to its relatively short rafters. Halflings - all working for Cham - darting about with trays filled with pitchers of ale and beer.

The party is racaous and eventually ends in a rousing rendition of the now famed "Ballad of the Bloodmarch". Rodrik wrote his hit poem “Ballad of the Bloodmarch” after Trunauans held off the orcs of the Legbreaker tribe for six days before finally routing them. The epic piece is not as somber as its name might indicate, and it is practically synonymous with Trunauan pride and the iconic militaristic fervor of the townsfolk. While the poem does manage to capture much of the solemn reverence that accompanies the trials and horrors of warfare, those sobering themes are contrasted by emotionally powerful scenes of wartime heroism and examples of holding one’s own. Chief Defender Halgra declared “Ballad of the Bloodmarch” to be Trunau’s official anthem...

As the ballad passes you can all see Rodrik staring at a young and pretty half orc woman across the room and for the locals to Trunau it seems the rumors of Rodrik being involved with a green skin are true....

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________

The morning dawns in a painful haze. The cramped rooms of the Ramblehouse packed with many sleeping on blankets on the beer soaked floor boards. The slow and intermittent rousing of the celebrants is shattered by the most chilling is screaming coming from the top most floor.......

Spoiler: party

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Please complete any conversations or interactions and arrange your PC to be in the Ramblehouse or if you didn't stay the night(remember the lodgings were free for the 'victors' of Ruby's coming of age contest)just hearing the commotion in the street and coming to investigate....

[Lioslaith]

Having completed his meditation early on in the evening Taegen was awake and sipping some hot boiled bean water with just a touch of honey when the screams rang out. His hunter instincts kick in immediately and he gracefully picks his way rapidly over those lying on the floor and races up the stairs.

[Triskavanski]

In an instant, Epsy practically teleported from his bed to the door, having avoided drinking himself into a stupor the previous night. The man dashed about, with a certain grace as he quickly attempted to head towards where the scream echoed out.

[paradox26]

Eldryn had finished his meditations early, requiring that he put his mind into another place. His body rested upon his sleeping mat, which the villagers had offered him. It was comfortable enough, with few bugs. But he didn't wish to spend too much time upon it. He rested as much as his body really required, then he sat up and meditated to refresh his soul so that he could access his magic, as well as simply to rest his shaking soul, which was perturbed by the presence of his brother. He had drunk a fair bit the previous night, he knew that much, mostly out of nervousness at his brother being present. He could not now recall any details of any discussions they may have had, so the drink the villagers had plies him with must have been strong indeed. Of course, he wasn't all that used to human drink, so it was probably stronger than his more accustomed elven wine.

It took a long moment to bring him around from his meditations, so deep was he in contemplation. But a piercing scream was enough to eventually shatter his thoughts, along with the sudden movement around him as everyone leapt to their feet. As his eyes opened, instantly alert once his mind was able to comprehend the presence of disturbance, he too jumped upright. He didn't bother much with weapons usually, but he drew his silver dagger just in case. His defences usually revolved around using his magic to charm anyone who posed a threat, and in this situation he could not be sure that such a path would be viable. He ran to the stairs and darted up them, seeing his brother and several others going to do the same thing. He hoped that he might at least find out what was wrong, and hopefully to restrain violent reprisal against whatever had been the cause of the scream.

[Ancient]

Snuke awakes with a start, blowing her frazzled hair out of her face, and winces at the pain of too much drink.

"Huh? What was that?" A muffled voice comes from under the covers.

Snuke gives the voice a scowl and a kick.

"Out of the way, oaf."

Snuke hastily dresses and arms herself to rush out and see what the source of the commotion is.

[RolandDeschain]

The various new comrades from the day before bound upstairs towards the top of the house where a few other guests are running upstairs.

It soon becomes clear why. Cham, the halfling proprietress sits on the landing screaming. A few other servants see you as well and you can just make out the scene in the room beyond. It is a sparse room containing only a single cot and a writing desk. The cot is a cheap affair with a straw-stuffed mattress, now stained red with blood and stripped of its linens, while the desk is a slightly nicer piece of furniture that has nonetheless been chipped and worn by time. A cracked window in the southern wall is the only exit other than the room’s door.

On the chair facing the window you can see Rodrik's body, sat upright, head slumped and pale in the death. Blood dried and pooled around the base of the chair from where he has apparently slit his own wrists...

There is a commotion as Kurt races up the stairs. A howl in anguish as he sees his twin and pushes through the assembled crowd who all step back to let Kurt in to see his brother one last time.

[Lioslaith]

Taegen leans in to his brother and whispers in Elven "This makes no sense, why would he kill himself?" His senses on high alert as he watches the gathering crowd.

[paradox26]

Eldryn studies the situation from a distance, being careful not to touch anything. He looks around at the gathering crowd. He asks the obvious question, seeing what he expected to be the case. "Where is the half-orc woman Rodrik was known to associate with? I do not see her here with us. And if they were close, then she had the best opportunity to do this to him."

[Triskavanski]

Epsy hmmed, silently to himself as he began to take in the room, and area. "Does this place have police force who do investigations and such?"

[Ancient]

"Out of the way! Out of the way! Healer! Out of the way!"

Snuke pushes through and examines Roderick, afraid she is too late.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Heal Check:(1d20+2)[18]
Stabilize and Lay on Hand if possible

[RolandDeschain]

Stepping into the room, Kurst moves to embrace his twin brother before stumbling to a halt and falling to his knees. Instead he reaches out feebly to touch his brother's sleeve as he takes a deep sobbing breath. Snuke rushes into the room, moving quickly to Rodrik and examining his wounds. Placing her small fingers on the Captain's throat she notes the cold and lifeless feel of his skin....there is no pulse, and her experience tells her that he's been dead for a few hours.

Seeing the gnome's reaction, Kurst's chin drops to his chest and he weeps silently.

Cham, the halfling proprietor of The Ramblehouse, takes the scream-stifling hand from her mouth, looks up at Epsy and shakes her head, "No real....um....constabulary, if that's what you mean."

She gasps and puts both hands over her mouth at Eldryn's suggestion, "Brinya?! But....but...he clearly....um.....killed himself." Looking around at the assembled, "Didn't he?"

Grief stricken, Kurst lifts his head at Cham's words. "My brother would never kill himself. It is not the Trunau way and he was one of the bravest men I knew. Someone has done this. Who ever did it.... they must be found and punished."

The wave of mumbling agreement, disagreement, conspiracies, and accusations washes over the assembled crowd packed into the hallway.

[Triskavanski]

Epsy moved out of everyones way, standing over to the side. This didn't really involve him yet. Not that he didn't want to help, but he felt it wasn't quite his place to be jumping in and pointing out suspects and murderers. For the moment though he stopped and watched the crowd of people as he sat off towards the side.

[paradox26]

"If this Brinya did not do it, where is she? Is she able to be found and questioned? She was the last one seen with him, so even if she did not do it, she might have useful information. And if she can;t be found, her guilt is more likely," Eldryn says. He looks around, hoping that he is wrong, and that the half-orc woman might be there.