DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 2b - Triboar Attack Aftermath

DM
Darathra

She saw the last, suviving orog twitch. That was too much for her to take and with one, swift, smooth swing she lopped off it's head. Blood splashed on her boots from it's neck. She sneered at her misfortune, then realized that she had been fighting in mud anyway. So she smirked and wiped the blood and mud off her boots on the orog's lifeless body and then cleaned her blade similarly. Satisfied, she called out in a voice of authority, "Are they all dead?"

Nods and calls of "Aye" confirmed that the battle was over. Sometimes living to fight another day is a win and on this day, that was was important. She surveyed her town and saw smoke rise from the shops and homes that had the nisfortune of being in the path of the attackers. Some were still ablaze, set afire by the touch of the magmin. Several townsfolk up the street lay dead. Nearby, some of those who stepped up to defend it lay broken in the street. She had seen Urlam Stockpool get hit by a bolder that the giants had hurled his way. A man that she recognized stimbling out of the Talking Troll one night was tending to him. It looked like he actually knew what he was doing, and she saw him pray and Urlam stir. Perhaps that drunk was a priest? She was fine with that surprise. Further up she saw Ghelryn Foehammer, the smithy. He tried to take on all of the attackers by himself. She prayed he could still be saved. She called out to the priest that had tended to Urlam as she ran towards the dwarf. "Healer!"



OOC: A lot going on this weekend. Might as well let you chime in. With buildings on fire, Several are dead or wounded. Dead enemies lie in the street. I think you have enough to get started with.

<Bern>

It seemed clear that the combat was over. He looked around and saw the devastation, but particularly the fires. Fire was a particular menace to the town since so many of the buildings were wood. He moved to help extinguish those fires.

Jaliera

"Perhaps we should form a chain to get water to the fire? Where is the nearest source?"

She looks around fully intending to be at the water end. She is happy to help save what she can but she does =NOT= like fire.

Sindar

First help with the wounded. Then the fires or any other way he can assist.

Zhu

She is relieved when the decision is taken out of their hands and the Fire Giants flee. She was not confident at all that the group could have won a pitched battle had they chosen to stay, but she does respect their integrity in sticking it out to the end.

She nods to the man with the Trident symbol as he heals the Dragonborn, Kriv. She had not teleported to him because she knew he was a healer but rather because it was a safe spot to take the unconscious Kriv to, and Davroar, the healer she knew of, was outside the range of her magic. "Zhuirentel Elendaril", she introduces herself to the man. "Many thanks for helping my friend."

Standing, she removes her hand from Kriv's shoulder and sees the last of the remaining foes falling. Several townsfolk are down and there are fires burning here and there in the village. She has no ability to heal, herself, but she can help carry the wounded to those who can so she moves off towards the nearest wounded person to see what she can do.

Arus

He props his shield up against the fence, glad to reliquish its weight.

His trident is somewhere down the street where he threw it.

Arus runs his sword through a rag as he sheathes it and summons his most charming grin for Zhu.

"My name's Arus... Arus Ahlorsath.

"If I'm not mistaken we all saved each other in that fight, probably more than once."

Hearing the cries of wounded and voices of dismay now rising elsewhere around town, Arus is sure he isn't done saving lives yet.

He can bring back at least two from the brink by touch alone.

And he hustles to do so, even though his own body feels like a giant hurled a boulder at it.

Kriv

The Dragonborn scowled bitterly at the retreating Fire Giants, arcane power crackling at his clawtips for a moment before subsiding as he let his arm drop.

"Thieves. Right now, they're getting away with it, I'd be unable to keep pace. Next time we'll account for their speed. I am in debt to you both and will make good upon that at your earliest convenience and terms, I can recommend taking on a maximum of only one giant at a time. Property damage, vandalism... the good order of this town lies in tatters, and all as cover for base banditry and robbery. I got a decent look at what they stole, but that is cold comfort in the face of the rebuilding needed."

Davroar

He lets loose his last lightning strike at an Orog, but stops as the giants flee the town. Looking for any enemy stragglers, when no more are visible he looks to where the fire is and then up into his storm cloud to see if he can wring out some rain to perhaps help with the fires.

If no rain is possible he will dispel the cloud and will help out any nearby with a few of his healing spells.

DM
The town of Triboar gets busy trying to recover from the attack on it. There were wounded to heal, fires to put out and sadly, dead to be buried. The help offered by the visitors that came in with the caravans was quite welcome but there was little time for pleasantries. The charred remains of several commoners were found inside the ruins of their cottages. All up the the Long Road, from the town square north, fires were still burning. Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector, directed activities and those who were keen to the requirements of leadership could tell much about her from the way that she handled the responsibility. The was commanding without being condescending and showed empathy and compassion in doing so. She cajoled the fearful to come out of hiding to help their neighbors.

Ghelryn Foehammer stirred as the blessing of Helm flowed through Silvaren Loomshank into the dying dwarf. The smithy gasps for air and that put a smile on the priest's face. Ghelryn and Urlam Stockpool would survive today's encounter but others did not. Urgala Meltimer, the proprietor of the Northshield House, where most had stayed, had set up a first aid station outside of the inn with the helpf of Silvaren. Darz Helgar, the campground caretaker, with help rounded up by Urlam Stockpool the manager of the Triboar Travelers could muster, began the task of removing the bodies of the attackers from the campgrounds and trying to set things in order there. While their shops were unharmed, Othovir, the harness-maker and Narth Tezrin from the Lionshield Coster, work together to help other shop owners that have had their business attack, put out fires and clean up the mess.

The horsemen that Darathra had sent south galloped back into town but by then the fire giants had disappeared from view. Some, however, seeing the fires in the distance did not stop in town but raced towards their ranches. It was not long before word of destruction and death at those ranches became known. In all, a half dozen people had died in the attack.

Even with everyone pitching in, it still took the town much of the rest of the day to return to some semblance of order. All through the afternoon, you were thanked by many of the residents and shopkeepers for your assistance, without which many of them would have perished. And those who you fought alongside, hinted that you should talk to them later, in more private times, in their shops or where they spent most of their time.

OOC: Sorry for the delay. I've been working on the game but sometimes that doesn't translate into posts right away.

[[ no worries. We will be here when you get there <weg> ]]

Arus

If his healing power isn't desperately needed, he saves it, and after taking a foot patrol of Triboar's outer limits he pulls up a pew and a pint at The Troll.

Arus doesn't walk around tending to wounded, or clearing wreckage. That's not his job or the best use of his time.

A quarter-hour's rest gives him time to service his gear and take stock. The town has just suffered a highly co-ordinated attack by a combined arms force. An effective distraction had drawn away the town's militia to the south, providing an opening for the raid. The fire giants employed a shielding force of axebeak-riders, orogs and magmin to cover their objective, recovery of a metal artefact from under the field.

This attack wasn't off the cuff., it took planning, resource gathering. Time to manoeuvre the pieces into place.

By the time he's finished his pint, Arus has decided on his next move.

He seeks out Bern and Sindar, then Zhu and Kriv and any of their companions.

Gathering around the hole the giant's dug up, he explains his thoughts as above, ending with:

"The townsfolk don't think these fire giants were local. I agree. Whatever was in this hole brought them here, and was worth killing and dying for.

"My plan is to form a party, pursue this lead where it takes us. Find the artefact and more importantly its purpose.

"And I plan to start with a visit to the Lord Protector."

Arus looks at these men, women, and draconian. They fought well during the battle, showing marvellous yet terrible abilities. He wants them on his side.

"I am Arus Ahlorsath. Will you join me?"

<Bern>

He listened to Arus' ... presentation. He nodded at the end. He wanted to get some 'pay back' against those giants. He looked at his friends to see what they thought.

Zhu

She listens quietly, not immediately responding. Their group was here seeking information about the dagger they'd found in hopes it might lead them to the Doppelganger, and thru it to it's master. That might, or might not, have anything to do with the Fire Giant raid. Besides that, she has her own mission given her by the head of the Spellguard in Silverymoon.

How any of these things might align, or misalign, she has no idea, so she waits to hear what the others choose to do first.

Sindar

He listens and considers his pointed eared head nodding at appropriate times. When asked for his thoughts he offers "I too am interested in whatever it was that drew them here. Obviously it was important and in my opinion it has a history, otherwise, they wouldn't' have known about it. I agree that we should see what we can learn here, and the Lord Protector is a good place to start. I would be willing to pursue the foes as well." He wasn't sure where this would lead but it is something that he wants to investigate.

DM

As Arus approaches the Talking Troll, he sees it's a mess. It caught fire during the attack. Kaelen Sarssir, the proprietor is helping in the efforts to put out the last flames.

[ooc: Sorry, y'all should've asked.]

Kriv

The Dragonborn noble listened intently as Arus outlined his considerations.

"I hight Kriv Norixius, of Norixius Keep. I am indebted to you, but in any case I'm inclined to agree with your stated plan of action. We are dealing with an intelligent adversary commanding considerable resources and a greater awareness of local history than everyone surprised by their objective here. We do have some other matters that duty compels us to attend, but that should not be incompatible with opposing this looming threat to peace and order."

Jaliera

Well it seems like they are going then. She shares a look with Davroar to see if he is happy with this choice. To be honest she is interested, she'd like to know what that hunk of metal was. Something important she'd guess.

DM

As Arus approaches the Talking Troll, he sees it's a mess. It caught fire during the attack. Kaelen Sarssir, the proprietor is trying to put the of last flames out there. He sees Arus and begs for his help both to clean up and to help him raise money to rebuild the place. It appears that the place will need to close down until funds can be raised to rebuild it. "I suppose most of the drinking will be done down the street at the Triboar Arms for a while," Kaelen says.

Urgala Meltimer had set up and Silvaren Loomshank are at the Northshield house, where you stayed. Urgala sough out Kriv, who she remembered and saw fighting bravely against the giants. "You were very brave today. I thank you and your friends. Come later and we will talk." She does not add much now, seeming not to want to talk out in the open.

Narth Tezrin had been seeking out Arus. There was much work to be done at the Lionshield Coster. It remained untouched by the attack but many of the caravan wagons that had been waiting to unload their wares were destroyed. It was easy for him to find the blue-skinned man in the crowd. Even though he had fought bravely, as he moved through the crowds, Narth was the subject of sneers and evil glances by many of the townsfolk. In what has become quite evident, the people of Triboar dispised him because he worked for the Lionshield Coster, and that only because the operations of that trading company were based out of Yartar. It had nothing to do with Narth or Alaestra Ulgar, his business partner.

It was imposible to not pay attention to the dwarf. Ghelryn Foehammer was fuming at the town's failure to kill the giants. Joining those in the north campground, he took personal blame for not stopping the giants. There was no calming the dwarf before he was done using his hammer to insure that every last orc and orog was dead. The tirade drew pained looks from many that thought his actions are excessive and unnecessary. There were many that complained he was making a bigger mess by splattering brains all about. Two of them, Darz Helgar and Urlam Stockpool were working to clean up the campgrounds. Darathra stopped them, "Let him blow off some steam. Look up the street, do you see the smoke rising from his shop?"

Arus then decided to hold court. As people gathered around the spot where the giants were digging. The discussion turned to forming some kind of search party. Darathra Shendrel, the Lord Protector of Triboar stepped forward, in front of Urgala Meltimer who she was with and takes over the discussion in a commanding manner. She starts off by thanking those that fought this day "You all have my gratidude for today. This town would not have survived without your assistance. That means all of you. I appreciate these offers but the first matter of business is to secure the town."

To answer that, Urlam Stockpool, the one-eyed Zhent spoke up quickly. "Yes, m'lady. I have two dozen guards whose time I will donate until they need to leave with a caravan. They will set up a perimeter around the town itself to warn of a follow-up attack." He waved and a group of men and women, all armed to the teeth, all wearing similar black cloaks approached. To those that knew, those were the colors of Zhentarim mercenaries. They stood in three straight lines, an indication of training and order.

"That is a good start! Thank you Urlam for your generosity. Your assistance is appreciated by the town. You guards will report directly to the Twelve."

Since Darathra, the Lord Protector was now speaking, townsfolk were gathering around. This was no longer a private conversation by any means. Dozens of folks were within earshot and one could be heard calling out "I betcha it's those Yartarians makin a deal with the giants!" which was followed by other similar catcalls. Somehow the discussion was turning ugly and one woman threw a tomato at Narth which then started a scuffle that was quickly put down as the Twelve, started to ride into the crowd, careful to not hurt anyone but separating Narth from the rabble.

Just as the craziness was calmed, Darz Helgar, the campground caretaker started to stare at Bern. As Bern notices him, the old man approaches Bern and says, out loud "What are you doing back here? You were on your way to YARTAR two days ago? What do YOU have to do with all this?" Then Narth approached and had that same quizical look in his eyes.

"I never forget a face!" he said. The crowd started to get agitated once again and the the Lord Protector took command once again. "EVERYONE! Get back to work NOW!" Then she pointed to those that spoke up and had fought by her side as well as to Narth, Darz, Ghelryn and Urgala to come up to her office. She then invited Kriv, Jaliera, Davroar, Bern, Sindar, Zhu and Arus.

"We need to discuss this matter in private!"

<Bern>

He resisted the urge to strike the stupid townsman ... and seriously considered leaving this place to defend itself! It was clear to him that most of these people were as dumb as they came. The giants =clearly= had a fixed objective ... to get what ever it was that they 'dug up' ... nothing to do with the town beyond it being 'in the way'.

But before he could get 'on the trail', the Lord Protector intervened. He shrugged and accepted the invitation. It might mean additional coin and he could use some of that.

Sindar

He kept his own counsel and said little. He knew that the giants got what they wanted, so likely wouldn't be back any time soon. More interestingly though was the comment that Bern had been there before. That would be a discussion. Sindar had an idea of what might have happened, whoever it was that they were seeking might have used a disguise to appear as Bern. The Lord Protector was right though, this should be discussed in private. The townspeople were too angry and couldn't do anything about what had happened so they were looking to take their anger out on almost anyone.

Kriv

A fractious mob was the last thing they needed, and a private discussion somewhere indoors seemed eminently sensible. He held from further counsel until it could be given privily.

Zhu

She turns her head, quirking an eyebrow at the comments that Bern had been here several days back. They'd heard that exact same thing before, and it only re-enforces that they are on the right trail, presuming the group still intends to run the Doppelganger down. Hard to know as it seems they've changed priorities from the conversation she's listened to. In any case it certainly would be best to discuss this in private so she just nods and follows.

Davroar

It almost looked like it was going to turn into an ugly brawl until the horsemen rode in and the Lord Protector got everyone to calm down again. He had instinctively moved closer to Jaliera when things were not looking good, but thankfully cooler heads prevail as he releases his inadvertently held breath and quietly says to her, "Sure didn't want to get caught in a middle of another fight."

Not being the brightest flower in the garden the comments to Bern confuses him for a moment.

"How could Bern already been here...", he says almost to himself.

Then a light turns on and Davroar figures the doppleganger from the mine, disguised as Bern was here. That means they are on the right track, and going by what that old man said it was heading to Yartar. Yet now they are being asked to privately meet with the Lord Protector, and he is not sure what more they might be asked of. Nonetheless, when it looks like Bern, Kriv and the others accept the invitation he gives a reassuring smile to Jaliera and says, "Might as well see what the Lord has to say?"

Arus

Well, The Talking Troll had burn down before it fell down. Maybe if Kaelen rebuilds it he could include a full roof.

Of course, the triton would like to offer reassurances, pledge his aid and support to the barkeep, but that's a job for the townsfolk of Triboar. If they value Kaelen's contribution to their community so little, maybe he should change tack.

Arus has giants to track down. Likewise, he has completed his job for the Lionshield Coster so bids Narth adieu.

Narth bears the brunt of the town's fear and confusion now, but in time folk will see reason, and then they might just decide they should buy a new sword or spear. What arms dealer doesn't profit in a conflict? The Coster will be fine.

So Arus follows the Lord Protector, ready to chart a new course in the Savage Frontier.

Jaliera

She still has a job to do but concern about the giants is also on her list. She smiles as Davroar moves closer to her. It is nice that they can look out for each other and she nods to his quiet comment.

"The last one was pretty intense. Yes, no harm in listening."

She had caught the comment to Bern. Not going to comment out here, this is their group's business. She glances up at Whisper, making sure she is still around and sends a mental request to stay on watch out here whilst they go inside.