'The half-elf is too slow to avoid the punishing grasp of the fierce barbarian, who contemptously tosses the bard down the stairs. Fortunately for Aramis, his reflexes don't completely fail him and he manages to turn himself in the air, landing painfully on his side and back, rather than his neck or head.'

[OOC] Aramis succeeds on the save and takes half damage [5]

"Err, nice landing..."

'Skerckrit hugs the stairwell wall, watching warily as the barbarian stomps up the stairs to the tower's second floor. You all hear Briston, the guard sergeant and the watchwoman tending to the two guards on the ground floor... apparently they were unconscious, rather than dead. However, having revived one of the guards, the guard sergeant falls to the side with a groan and the other guard curses, muttering something about poison  as she kneels at her superiors side.'

"The last thing we need is enemies let's just focus at our currently ones" Pyro says as she attempts to sneak up the sairway. 

12

*xavier will go out to where he saw the orc get shot and try to find him, if his alive he will restrain him and bring him back, if his dead, loot

"ugh. I don't wanna hang around him long. He's no better than the orcs" I mutter and stay close to skerckrit

Act like a coward and i shall treat you as such show me you have strength and we shall get along just fine, even if you are a half elf

[OOG] Xavier make an investigation check. Skerckrit, seeing Pyro sneaking up the stairs, attempts to follow suit stealth   26

If Aramis is also going to attempt to sneak up, make a dex [stealth] check.

20

'While Xavier and Thain head out to look for the body of the orc who fled, and the barbarian stomps up the stairwell bloodied great axe in hand, both the halfling and half-elf melt into the stairwell shadows and slip noiselessly up to join Pyro who is crouching near the stairwell on the tower's second floor.

You all see a young Silverstar guardsman, brown curly hair with a hint of chin stubble, standing uncertainly, with a heavy crossbow leveled at the top of stairwell. His eyes go wide with fright when the imposing form of Del emerges into the room. Croching behind a chair to the side of the stairwell, Pyro's breath catches in her throat as she fears for a moment that the guard is about to shoot the half-orc, but the young man pauses as he hears the rogue's intake of breath. A moment later an older guard descends from a trapdoor using a ladder and the obviously green guard seems to take some confidence from the other man's presence. He lowers his crossbow, apparently realising that you are not with the orc raiders. There are no signs of the orcs in this room.' Guard's perception check 5

Guard's insight check 16

'The rest of the tower seems secure and free of the attackers. Not counting the sole orc who fled, the bodies  of 7 of the scarred orcs are pilled into a cart and hitched to a nearby draught horse, while only 1 of the guards died in the attack, the one who was cut down as he stumbled downstair into the holding area. That guard is carefully wrapped in a sheet and then gently laid atop the pile of bodies in the cart.Two of the other guards were beaten badly and left unconscious, and it appears that none of the guards escaped the attack completely unscathed. The sergeant is being administered to by the female guard, who has plucked the jagged bone dart from the now swollen wound. As you watch, she pours a small vial of clear liquid down Briston's throat, which seems to have the desired effect of steadying the man's breathing.'

"Ahh, thank you, Tarna. I fear my arm is itching like a trollop's bottom, my head feels stuffed with cotton and my tongue feels three times it's usual size. But at least I'm, at least WE'RE, alive. Thanks in no-small-part to our former prisoners, no less. Never thought that I'd be glad to see a prison break, but it just goes to show what a mad old world this is, I guess."

'He looks whoever is present up-and-down, noticing those who are injured or clutching bloodied weapons, then continues,'

"Worry not, we surely won't be trying to put you back in those cells, at least not without good cause. I told Magistrate Arneu that it was a damn fool idea to lock people up simply on suspician of possibly being spies. That road leads to fearful paranoia I told him, but of course he ignored me. Well, for what it's worth, you have my thanks for your efforts in ending this threat to myself and men. My men and I will do a last scout around to make sure there are no more of those bastards about, then I'll be taking that cart into Ambersilt to make my report to the Magistrate and the Alcalde. You can go on ahead of me if you want, or wait to head into town together, but either way you can rest assured that I'll let my superiors know about your assistance here today."

'Briston and the other guards begin to secure the tower. A number of the other guards also mutter their thanks to your group as they pass.'

*xaviers investagation 

6

11

'Xavier and Thain dissapear into the trees surrounding the tower, moving in the direction they saw the orc run off in.' 

[OOC] Xavier and Thain may read the spoiler below:

*xavier turns to thain

"he seems to have escaped , let me try something, if it doesnt work i say we should head back and let the others know unless you think otherwise"

Xavier then walks 10ft more, and yells out in hopes the orc hears him 

"ORC!, you are injured , im a healer, come back and no more harm will before you, we will sort something out" (trying to be friendly so persuasion) 

26

'Xaviers voice carries through the warming morning air and the trees, but only the sound of birds and local insects can be heard in response.'

Aramis steps out of the shadows and goes towards the guard who looks to be in charge. 

"so seems that you lot have an orc problem. howd they get this far in when even we couldnt."

'Briston, the guard sergeant, nods his head ruefully, saying'


"To be honest, the orcs have only started being a problem again in the last two weeks or so. Before then, we'd not heard a peep from them for nigh on three years now. Not since those damned snake people moved further North. I spoke to an adventuring party, or half an adventuring party at least, that returned from the South about a month ago and they swear that they saw signs of Yuan-ti only three days South of here, around the borders of the Greymarsh. This orc raid can't be a coincidence, especially with... well here, let me show you."


'The burly human walks over to the corpse-laden wagon and grasps the head of one of the dead orcs, forcing its mouth open. Inside you see the expected teeth and tusks of an orc... as well as a somewhat elongated tongue, noticably forked at the end.'

"Can't say that I've every seen anything like that before. And yeah, orcs aren't usually none to stealthy in their attacks, but these ones appeared right out of the pre-dawn darkness as if by magic. Neither of my two boys atop the tower detected anything amiss, at least not until they'd broken in the front door, catching us painfully unawares."

Del approaches next to aramis

"what are the yuan-ti and why are they attacking you. have they displayed anything else unnatural? perhaps we could capture one so i can persuade it to tell us more"

'The guard sergeant gives the fierce looking half-orc a measured stare and then cracks a rough but genuine smile, nodding to the spot where the barbarian had cleaved the larger orc clean in half with one blow,'

"Nice swing that! Can't say I've ever seen anyone manage that with a single strike before. Glad that you were on our side and not theirs!

Unnatural? The Orcs? Can't say that I have, though I haven't seen one (at least not up close) in years. Like I said, they quietened right down about the time that reports starting coming through of the Yuan-ti moving closer to Alliance territory. If you can capture one, go right ahead. And if you learn anything useful, might be that the Alcalde will make it worth your while, though you'd have to talk to Reevis himself about that.

What are the Yuan-ti? Damnable snake people is what they are, vile and venomous, through-and-through. While I've only glimpsed a couple from a distance, I heard plenty about'em back when I was a merc working out of Cragside. Black magic and human sacrifice is bread and butter to that lot, least that's what I heard. Come in all different types and kinds too, least again, that's what I heard from some of the soldiers who'd been involved in the border skirmishes a few years back."

"these snake people. can they shapeshift? or do you think theyve been breeding with orcs?"

Aramis shudders at the thought of snake-orc breeding and takes a tighter hold on his weapon.

"Couldn't rightly say, to be truthful. As I said, haven't even met one face-to-face like, and I'm surely no expert on between-the-species breedin'."

'Briston's cautious grey eyes flicker as he glances quickly among the exotic appearances of your assembled group.'

"Some of the orcs were seen watching this tower from a distance about a week ago, but they moved on without causing any fuss. A merchant who came through three days ago, wounded and riding two half-dead horses hitched to a broken wagon, said that she'd been attacked on the road by orcs two days ride South of here. Lost her guards and most of her trade goods in the attack, but was fortunate to escape with her life. Apart from that, I haven't seen orcs in these parts for near-on three years." 

'The guard sergeant oversees the bandaging of two of his more wounded men, while getting another guard to take stock of anything that may have been damaged or taken in the attack.'

"I should be on my way into Ambersilt within the hour, if you're looking to head that way. What with the orc troubles, it's probably the safest place around these parts. I doubt the orcs would be willing to attack a fortified town with a couple of hundread souls in it."

"what reason could they have to attack this place anyway? but yeah, friend, i'd be happy to join you on the way to Amberslit. im all for a fight every now and then but im no adventurer, just a... nevermind" 

Aramis stops before revealing to a guard that he often works as a smuggler. and looks towards the other prisoners to see if they are also heading towards the city.