Giantslayer: Battle of Bloodmarch Hill [IC]

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar nods his agreement. "I accept your offer to buy my team drinks. Cici? With me to the Commons?"

[lostsole31]

And both teams are off and moving ....



Because it is visible from nearly all sides, the Commons beacon is the most important beacon in upper Trunau (apart from the Flame of the Fallen). It is also the closest beacon to the Flame of the Fallen, and is thus likely to be the first one the PCs ignite once they receive their orders from Kurst. Lighting the beacon is the easy part—a lit torch is enough to set the 10-foot-wide pyramid of wood and kindling ablaze—but the chaos surrounding the fire pit might be more troublesome for the PCs.

When Aasgar and Cici arrive, a lynch mob has formed around Brinya Kelver, led by a cleric that Cici identifies as Baseil Sabask from the nearby Trunau Countinghouse, the town's temple to Abadar.

Aasgar, what do you do?

[BuckGodot]

"Cici, do you know any others in the crowd? Anyone we can appeal to with a cooler head?" Aasgar asks.

[lostsole31]

Cici shakes her head. "Yeah, I'm a native Trunauan? But, not a popular one."

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar attempts to force his way to Brinyas side whilst shouting as diplomatically as possible. "People! People! Is this how your town handles its grievences? With lawlessness? Now is not the time! The village is under attack! Please! Disburse to the Longhouse and gather as many people along the way as you can! Let the militia handle the defense and then we can calmly address any further issues you may have!"

[lostsole31]

The crowd is listening to Aasgar, but not doing anything.

Baseil shouts, "This dwarf may be honorable, but he is an outsider, and does not know the treachery that half-orcs have visited upon us in the past! Let us take defense of our town, yes ... but here, now, against this treachery!"

Aasgar?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar responds, ”It is true! I am an outsider! But I have seen the honour that this town has offered to outsiders! The acceptance! The half-orc’s may have done awful things in the past, but I ask you, any of you, was it this half-orc? Ask yourselves, have you had honourable dealings with her? Has she wronged you in some way? If so, perhaps that is a reason to speak with her to rectify those wrongs! But not this way! Not now! This is not the way upstanding and welcoming citizens behave! Even still, there is a greater crisis at hand from without! Get yourselves to safety now, before it is too late and deal with grievances later! In a way that reflects your true selves! Respectfully! And with honour!! Go now! To the Longhouse and help your fellow citizens to reach safety!”

[lostsole31]

Perhaps to Aasgar's surprise, enough of the crowd backs down to essentially overturn Baseil's leadership. Baseil sulks and follows along with the crowd heading to the Longhouse.

What now?

[BuckGodot]

I’ll take “Light that beacon” for 400 please, Alex.

Spoiler: Tech stuff

Show

Aasgar lights the commons beacon.

[lostsole31]

The Beacon is lit! Where to now?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar turns to Cici and let’s out a sigh of relief… ”That could have gone very poorly… I don’t suppose you know of a back way to the Hopespring Beacon?”

[lostsole31]

Cici shakes her head. "Sorry, but we have to go to the Inner Quarter because we have a cliff in the way to go down below."

While Aasgar and Cici talk, and before the crowd is fully gone, Brinya calls and comes up to the two of you. "I am grateful for at least learning that my beloved was murdered and likely by those who were in league with what is happening here, and now you've saved my life. Rodrik's hopeknife, which you recovered in the Plague House and gave to me to be consecrated in the Flame of the Fallen at his funeral, I offer that to you now, along with my undying gratitude. When the time is right, Rodrik's spirit will help those who laid his soul to rest."

She hands it to Cici and with that, Brinya is gone, racing after the others for safety at the Longhouse.

Cici looks to Aasgar, "Do you want to hold onto this, for you are most responsible for the investigation and her thanks."

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar accepts the knife saying, "We're all to be thanked for the efforts but I will hold on to it for the group. Now, to the Inner Quarter!"

[lostsole31]

Aasgar secures the hopeknife in one of his bandoliers, and he and Cici are on the move.

The inner gates is a relatively easy place to reach, and the guards at the gate raise the portcullis to allow the PCs to enter the inner quarter, shutting it after them. Conditions on the other side of the gate contrast starkly with those in upper Trunau. In the short time between the start of the raid and Aasgar and Cici's arrival here, invading orcs have already wrecked much of the inner quarter, utterly destroying the wood pile readied for the beacon, setting fire to multiple buildings, toppling fortifications, and slaying as many townsfolk as possible.

As Aasgar and Cici get their bearings, Kurst Grath appears, leading a squad of stalwart Trunau militia members, and accompanied by Abenor and Imrijka.

"I'm sorry, old friend," says Abenor to Aasgar, "but the beacon was destroyed before we could get to it, and with the attack, we took cover while the militia formed up here."

Kurst cuts in on any pleasantries, shouting over the din of fires and background fighting. "Axewielder, good job lighting the Commons Beacon. Now, I need your team to secure the inner quarter as you make your way toward the final unlit beacon near the Hopespring. We're already under heavy attack here, and the inner quarter may well fall to the raiders if your team doesn't restore some order as you navigate the maze of rubble. Meanwhile," he continues, "I’ll lead a sortie from the town to drive 'that thing' that’s throwing boulders at the town closer to the walls so Trunauan archers can hit it. Erastil guide your hunt, Iomedae give you valor, and Abadar give us civility once again."

He doesn't even wait for reply or report, so necessary are events to occur quickly, and he trusts that Aasgar and his people will do as needed. He heads off with his unit to do his part.

Entering the inner quarter, the PCs will have to navigate burning rubble, obstructed pathways, and half-destroyed buildings to get to lower Trunau and light the final beacon at the Hopespring. As the PCs will wind their way through the war-torn district, dark storm clouds move in over the town, mingling with smoke and the fading light of day to reduce ambient brightness in the town to dim light. This won't be a factor for Aasgar and Imrijka (dwarves and half-orcs have darkvision), but unless they want to deal with dim light, Abenor and Cici will be using artificial light sources, so stealth won't really be a factor in the party's favor.

[BuckGodot]

"Okay... I think we should check buildings as we go to be sure no one hits us from behind. There to the east is the first door. I'll lead in and check the building. Imrijka follows me in then Cici and Abenor hold the door to make sure no one comes in after. That's my suggestion, but I'm open to other options..."Aasgar says looking at Abenor first, then the others.

If there are no other ideas or alternate suggestions, he will approach the door and after giving it a quick check, open it and look inside.

[lostsole31]

People at the medical station notice him, but recognize what he's doing and don't waste their breath saying "don't bother." The first building he looks through has already been attacked and looted, though otherwise in good structural condition. There is a dead family here, and two dead orcs.

The second, larger building also had been run through and attacked and looted, but there are many dead orcs here piled to the side, and right now, this is the makeshift hospital where victims who are wounded are kept until they can be safely evacced.

Aasgar chats briefly with the people at the medical station, but they have no intel to offer, so focused are they on lifesaving and triage.

One thing to note that the map doesn't show .... bodies and bodies of Trunauans and orcs littered all around.

Looking at the map from current point, where does Aasgar go from here?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar leads the group to the west.

[lostsole31]

Aasgar is leading the group westwards, close along the area of the barricade and towards some buildings, but as he gets closer to the well to the northwest, the stench of death hangs over this small square in Trunau’s inner quarter. Bodies of all kinds—orcs and humans, men and women, children and the elderly—lie scattered across the cobblestones where they fell. Veins of watery blood crawl from the base of the well in the center of the square, spreading from the limp body of a slain Trunauan guard draped over the side of the well. A rare moment of silence on the battlefield accentuates the sounds of crackling flames in the distance and the steady, hollow drip of blood into the well.

Aasgar, do you check out the area of the well, continue west to the buldings, or go somewhere else?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar is aware they don't have time to tarry but will move over to the well and pull down the body so it no longer drips into the well. He then turns to the others and nods, heading west again.

[lostsole31]

Cici notices something at the guard's body, but fallen on the muddy ground. It is a clearly marked potion of cure light wounds. She shows it to the group, pocketing it. "That may come in useful for us, where for the guard it did not."

The party checks out that first building, and it is a wreck inside The party does a quick sweep, and then backs out, heading to the second building. The second building has a door to open. It is checked cleared and opened. This building is not as bad as the first, but has significant damage nonetheless. Again, the party does a quick sweep before pulling out.

The next building is The Killin' Ground, a bar you've been to before. The door is checked and cleared, and then Aasgar opens the door to find a few, rough-looking drunkards in there. They aren't orcs, but they don't appear friendly, either.

Round One ...

R1T21: Cici calls out, "Nonlethal until we know who they are!"

Cici ducks inside, taking a dizzying route to get on the far side and casts a spell. Electricity envelopes her fingertips as she then tries to affect a man's nervous system instead of stopping his heart. She touches his right upper arm and the energy discharges to do 9 NL electricity to Blue.

R1T19: Abenor runs in and purposefully puts him self in a multi-flank position, both swords now out. He goes right up to the biggest man there, the half-orc. He attacks with his deadly katana, attempting non-deadly strike, but it only slides off the brute's hauberk. At the same time, Abenor suddenly disappears from that position 10' away as he gets into a martial stance. He notices something behind the bar and says, "Hey, barkeep is down behind the bar. Not sure if he's dead or not!"

R1T18-13: The big brute ignores the elf that just tried to fake him out and instead charges the dwarf standing outside. It is clear from the wild swing that the half-orc is drunk ... not just tipsy, but well in his cups. A man standing in the corner moves forward to attack with a longspear, the point barely scraping against the elf's mail.

R1T8: Imrijka closes on the half-orc and puts her hand on his right shoulder. The man seems like a great weight is bearing down on him - not enough to drop him, but affecting him somehow.

R1T5: Blue steps back and stabs at Cici with his longspear, and the latter has to do a very hard deflection to not get stabbed.

R1T4: Aasgar, you have a big, drunken half-orc with a greataxe in hand in front of you, seemingly feeling some kind of weight and wearing a chain shirt. What do you do?

Cici on deck, Abenor in the hole ...

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar shifts his footing and then grabs his axe with both hands and jabs the head towards the orcs midsection.

Spoiler: Technical Information

Show

SwA: Enter Circular Stance (Cannot be flanked, unless foe level 4+ higher.)



Nonlethal attack using Risky Strike(descriptor above for dramatic effect): (1d20+6)[19]

Damage: (1d12+17)[21]

[lostsole31]

R1T4: Aasgar shifts his footing and then grabs his axe with both hands and jabs the head towards the orcs midsection, hitting him hard for 21 NL, knocking the wind out of him.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T21: "Anyone recognize where these guys are from?" calls Cici as she steps within the longspear's reach with a defensive flurry that gets countered by the man's spear haft.

R2T19: Abenor launches himself over the small thicket of spears to charge Red in the corner with a low roll to smack his foot for 16 NL, causing excruciating pain as the man's head jerks back against the wall to knock himself out. He answers, "They look like hired thugs from Freedom Town. Same place those assassins that came after us came from."

R2T18: The big half-orc recovers from the charge, but not the strange feeling inflicted by Imrijka. He slurs something drunken and particularly insulting to dwarves at Abenor. He steps out of the doorway and attacks. This time, his greataxe bites solidly into the armor.

R2T8: Imrijka says, "We don't have time to make nice with paid mercenaries, Cici. Put them down as best you can."

She then steps behind Aasgar and prays to the Lady of Graves and touches Aasgar's back, "Dear Mother, they say your prophecy is askew since Aroden's death. I beseech thee, show my ally-dwarf that your glimpse of the future can still aid us mortals in our endeavors. Aasgar, bring this gift to bear as quickly as needed to end this fight. Do not hoard it 'just in case.'"

Spoiler: Aasgar

Show

Within the next minute, any time you want to get a +1 bonus to pretty much any d20 roll, mention that you are going to use Imrijka's guidance.

R2T5: Blue drops his longspear and draws a longsword, attacking Cici (who dodges).

R2T4: Aasgar, you have a guidance you may use. What do you do?

Cici on deck, Abenor in the hole ...

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar grins at the orc at Imrijkas words and grabbing his axe again with both hands brings it up over his head and swings down in a powerful overhand strike.

Spoiler: Technical Information

Show

Attack action using Imrijkas Guidance, Risky Strike, and Overhand Chop: (1d20+9)[24]

Damage: (1d12+22)[24]

Overhand Chop (Ex): When he makes a single attack (w/ the attack action or a charge) w/ a two-handed weapon, double his Strength bonus on damage rolls.

Blooded [Region]: +1 trait bonus on weapon damage rolls vs. giants, goblins, & orcs.

[lostsole31]

R2T4: Aasgar grins at the orc at Imrijka's words. Grabbing his axe again with both hands he brings it up over his head and swings down in a powerful overhand strike. The brute tries to block but Aasgar cuts through much of his right elbow and into his chest for 20, dropping him.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T21: Cici steps back but the thug steps up to her as she does so, so she maintains her defensive stance. Protecting her head as she brings the forward part of her body down towards the man she strikes him in the wrist with her elbow for 3, then wards him away with a defensive kick.

R3T19: Abenor steps into the flanking position provided and with multiple strokes cuts the man down.

Combat Ends ...

Now what?

[BuckGodot]

"Well done, everyone. Is anyone seriously hurt or can we move on? Let's check the barkeep." Aasgar asks while stepping inside and looking around.

[lostsole31]

The barkeep (Rabus Clarenston) stumbles to a standing position, being badly wounded in the shoulder. "It hurts, but I'm alright. I took a hit from the half-orc's greataxe," he grunts in pain, "but I dropped and played dead and was left alone. Seems some turncoats or spies were drinking in here when all Abaddon broke loose. Raid began, and they took advantage of the chaos to attack the other bar's patrons what couldn' get away."

Cici comes up to him and heals him of only 3, but enough so that he still feels better. "We need to escort him safely back to the triage station."

[BuckGodot]

"Right. Let's be quick about it." and Aasgar looks out the door to quickly ascertain if it's safe to jog him over to the station.

If so, escort him quickly and make our way back.

[lostsole31]

The group safely deposits Rebus back at the surivors' station.

Now what?

[BuckGodot]

Head back west to where we left off and push onward.

[lostsole31]

Thick plumes of pea green smoke billow into the air in the open area immediately to the west, where three hardy trees that flank the road have been set ablaze with green alchemical fire. The air reeks of sulfur and ashes. There is what seems to be a clear way, albeit covered in smoke, between the burning trees. To the north, there is a building with the door opened.

What do you do?