Battle of Bloodmarch Hill [IC]

[Nightclaws]

Part One: Mysteries in Trunau

The town of Truanu may usually be said to be staid, living under constant threat from the orcs and wildlife nearby, it is a town that values work over play. The residents work on trade, and despite being far off any trade routes, Trunau still receives the occasional merchant from Lastwall or Nirmathas eager for the valuable salvage the townsfolk still pull from abandoned settlements (as well as the inflated prices the merchants know they can demand from such an isolated community). The town is built on survival, and it shows well in it's walls and in it's streets. Even the main amphitheatre is used mainly to train the militia. But not today. Jubilation fills the evening air in the 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. A throng of spectators has amassed at the town Commons; the buzz of the crowd here and there with drinks and food and chitter chatter galore. Not only is it her birthday, but her twelfth means that she has grown into a woman, and will receive her hopeknife.

You're all no stranger to these people, and have seen a fair few of these ceremonies. Lyn herself would have had her own, so mingling and idle talk won't come hard. You know that little events are to come soon, but first. Socialising.

Spoiler: The Tradition of the Hopeknife.

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Carried by every resident of Trunau, a hopeknife is a small sheathed dagger, usually worn on a chain underneath one’s clothes, though young adults recently come of age often display theirs ostentatiously. The tradition of the hopeknife comes out of Trunau’s understanding that capture by orcs is often far worse than a quick death, and thus all residents need to be prepared to take their own lives or offer mercy to the wounded in the event of capture. Ironically, what was originally a grim necessity has become a symbol of adulthood and independence, and many children wait impatiently for their twelfth birthdays, on which they’re presented with their own hopeknives and shown which arteries to cut should they or their loved ones fall into enemy hands. Hopeknives are always kept well sharpened, and never used for anything but their intended purpose, though spouses often trade knives as part of a marriage ceremony.

Spoiler: For you all

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You may meander about and introduce yourselves, description and whatnot. You probably know each other by face, if not by name. Don't feel this means you must socialise with each other, you'll have good reason soon!

[TheOneHawk]

His Lordship Silas Maynard of Taldor

"Ahh, what a beautiful day for a party." Silas looks forward to these ceremonies, meager though they are in comparison to his days in Taldor. Trunau is a tiny speck of a place and even the most impressive celebrations here are muted by the constant threat of attack, but it's very much off the grid and he was safe here. Popping open his last bottle of absinthe, Silas takes a quick swig and gets ready for the closest thing to a party he'd find around here.

[Kallimakus]

The Amphitheater is at the highest tier of the town. Lyn Penell has rushed there through largely empty streets of Trunau. She is latee, something typical for her. The best spots have been taken long ago and she can't see any familiar faces. She scans the crowd again to see if she could see any of her friends before shrugging to herself and moving into the crowd with a smile on her face. She's wearing a modest white dress with red accents. She keeps tugging at the fabric at her right shoulder, feeling self-conscious about the brand-mark concealed beneath it. She's happy for Ruby, though she doesn't really know her. The necessity of a grim tradition like the Hopeknife sits ill with Lyn, though after what she went through she can see a point to it. She chides herself for thinking about such things. This is a happy occasion. She pauses to pick up something to eat before moving on, hoping to find a decent spot to watch the proceedings from.

She heard an elderly gentleman remark on the weather and replied "That it is friend and rightly so. This is something the whole town has been looking forward to for a while." She pauses for a moment and realizes that she hasn't met the man before. "I don't think I've met you before." The words slip from her mouth before she realizes, and she adds, with the greatest courtesy she can muster, "Where are my manners? My name is Lyn Penell, who are you?"

[TheOneHawk]

"I am Lord Silas Maynard of Taldor, but you can call me Silas." He smiles kindly at the young woman standing beside him. "I'm fairly new in town, which is likely the only reason we haven't already become acquainted in a town this size. Would you care for a drink?" He asks offering up his bottle.

[Rollin20sAtm]

Borg

Borg makes sure his wares are safely locked under his stall before heading toward the ceremony. He's been here for four months and has done what he could to get by; building a small vendors stall, helping the various patrols to aid his new home and getting to know the few folk who talk to him hopefully being at this event could improve his social standing. At least it wasn't a as bad as living in his tribe near Urgir he was lucky if others ignored him let alone notice his existence and that's when the pain came, he was lucky to escape while he could. Pushing the bad thoughts away he found a place among some of the others gathering for the event standing next to a pretty girl in a dress and a elderly man . Borg nods at the both of you "Evenin'". Probaly doesnt help that you cant say more than 5 words to people.

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, Protector of the Innocent

Morthic whistled a little tunelessly. He was happy. Today was a good day. He had spent the previous day polishing Valaim and his armor until they gleamed. He had spent an hour on his helmet alone, burnishing the symbol of Torag on the crest.

He enters the festivities a bit late, having found a spot of rust on the underside of his armor. He looked around, and saw a small group starting to form. Grinning, he walked towards them.
Alright, what are you lot plotting today? I don't want any funny business that might disrupt Ruby's celebration.
At this point he drops the grim exterior.
Besides, it might interfere with the drinking and the story telling if you do!

[Nightclaws]

The sounds of the crowd subsides significantly, as the weathered town leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, takes the stage and begins to speak.
“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. 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. “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, signalling the end of the ceremony, and the crowd wastes no time to getting back to it's festivities.

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, Protector of the Innocent

Morthic turns and gives Halgra his attention through her speech. As she finishes, he too raises his voice with the crowd
Trunau forever!
He turns back to the group he had confronted, and sighs.
I really do admire these people. Each and every one of them has the soul of a hero!

[Rollin20sAtm]

Borg

Borg feels happy for the little girl but at the same jealous, he wished he had a knife that made him a instant citizen but working for it at least put money in his pocket. He cringes as the crowd roars in celebration, "damn Ill pop an ear drum soon if they don't stop calm down" luckily the crowd quieted down and began to disperse towards the other events. "This is a hell of a kids birthday giving her a knife to use on herself or her friends if the time comes." Turning to the others around him he asks "What do you think of all this".

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, the Protector of the Innocent

It's a bit more involved than that. These people would all rather die than be taken as prisoners by the orcs or giants.They see that as a fate worse than death. So to earn a place among them, you must be willing to give them that mercy.
He sighs heavily.
It is part of why I am still not a citizen, though I have been here for years. I would sooner give my own life protecting someone than end their life myself.

[TheOneHawk]

"Let us hope you never have to do either, then. Being prepared is all well and good but I don't think there's going to be a Orc raid this afternoon, let's celebrate this young lady's coming of age!" Silas takes a swig from his bottle and places a hand on the backs of Morthic and Lyn while beckoning to Borg with his head. "They've probably got some nice food all prepped up for this one, Halgra's daughter and all. You lot seem as good company for dinner as any! Come on, let's have some fun."

[Kallimakus]

Lyn Penell
Lyn thought about Silas' offer for a moment. If there was a chance she might accept, it was dispelled when she caught whiff of the stuff, catching the strong scent of alcohol. It wouldn't be good for her, she decided. "Thank you for your kind offer, but I must decline" she says. Others had gathered around the two, and the ceremony was going on. She craned her head, standing on her toes to see past the crowd. "Trunau forever" she echoes with the crowd. The ceremony got her thinking of her own hopeknife, strapped to her thigh beneath her dress. That was not nearly as ostentatious, but was kept sharp nevertheless.

"Before I settled here I would have thought this tradition barbaric" Lyn says softly. "But after I came here it feels almost natural. However, I think everyone here looks forward to a time when this ceremony is done out of tradition rather than necessity." She turns to the dwarf, nodding in agreement to his words. "I feel the same way, but not everyone is born with a heart of a warrior, and there won't always be someone to save you."

Lyn cranes her head to see over the crowd again, jumping a few times before letting herself be led away by Silas. "Yes, the dinner is sure to be great. Good idea."

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, The Protector of the Innocent

Morthic nods sadly.
Indeed. 'tis the sad truth of the world.
He smiles broadly
But today is not a day for sadness! Today is a day for celebration! Let us go feast and drink to Ruby's health!

[Nightclaws]

A small group of villagers seem to have congregated to the side, surrounding what obviously looks like an open space with a mix of cheers and smiles. All the goings on are easily visible and heard however far away from them you are in the Commons.
In the ring of people stands Ruby with her mother, Kurst and Rodrik Grath, top members of the militia you all know at least by face, with a few other militia alongside. It seems like games are starting as they make space and unspool a length of rope. As Kurst marks the ground, Rodrik steps forward to address the crowd.
"Hello! Hello! In honour of Ruby's twelfth birthday we are going to host a tug of war! We need to show off her potential as a hero!" He smiles as the crowd cheers, "You all know the rules, first team to drag the first member of the other across the line wins, but who will pull on the side of Ruby against my men, she gets to decide!"

Ruby steps forward, somewhat nervous and awkward, and begins to scan the crowd slowly.

[TheOneHawk]

Silas lets out a deep booming laugh. "A tug of war! Oh man, I haven't seen one of these in years. Anyone want to put some money on this, I'll put a gold coin on Ruby's team, whoever they end up being." He reaching into a small coin purse at his side and pulls out a gold piece. "Anyone have the guts to bet against the lovely birthday girl?"

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, the Protector of the Innocent

Morthic chuckles. He considers for a moment before deciding he may as well poke some fun at the militia.
Do you really think she'll need the help, Rodrik? Your lads are looking a might stringy to me.
He looks over at Silas
Maybe you guys should take this good stranger. He can probably show you a thing or two about putting your backs into it.
His broad smiles clearly shows that he jests, but the challenge is still there

[Kallimakus]

Lyn Penell
On her way to the tables, the call was made for Ruby to pick herself a team for tug of war. Just don't push to the front of the crowd and yell, Pick me! Pick me! Lyn thought to herself.
"Pick me! Pick me!" she called out, waving her hand and practically leaping in place to be noticed from the crowd. Dammit. She eyes the rest of her prospective dinner party. The dwarf definately looks strong, as does the tall half-orc. She knows some of the militiamen quite well, having served as a healer in the Sanctum. Surely this is a worthy test of her own skill in preparation for her heroic journey. It was surely a hero's duty to stand up for a young girl?

[Rollin20sAtm]

Borg

"A tug of war? Best to work out before gorging yourself on festival food after all ". Borg moves himself to the front of the crowd so to have a better chance at being picked.

[Nightclaws]

The men laugh at the dwarf's words, a couple of the ones at the back making a show of looking dejected. Laughs from the crowd join them, as little Ruby steps forward. She points towards each of you, Morthic first, then Lynn, Borg and finally Silas, naming each of you except the last whom she points and suddenly looks lost and curious about the new man, but smiling at everyone's words. The militia make a show of getting ready.

Spoiler

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Everyone make a Sense Motive check.

[TheOneHawk]

"Me? Well of course my dear! There's strength in these old bones yet, let me tell you!"
Silas makes a show of rolling up his sleeves and steps forward, putting the coin away and standing next to Ruby. Kneeling down next to her, he quietly asks her "Hey, you want to see a magic trick? I think this rope should be special for a special girl like you!" He then traces a finger along the half of the rope their team will be using, imbuing it with a deep red colour reminiscent of a ruby. "There, proper team colours now. Strong, powerful red for us and dull, boring brown for you. Very fitting."

Spoiler: OOC

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Cast prestidigitation and use it to colour half the rope a ruby red colour. Also, sense motive as requested. (1d20)[20]

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, the Protector of the Innocent

Morthic's grin doesn't shrink as Ruby chooses him to aid her.
"Very well my girl! Let's show these militia what we are made of!"
He settles himself down at the back of the rope, planting his feat on the ground. He laughs when he sees Silas' trick.
"Well played good sir! Remind me to buy you a flagon of ale at some point!"

[Rollin20sAtm]

Borg


Beats his fists to his chest and roaring right "Right! Lets show this lads how a man does it, and a old man...and a lady you get the idea." grabbing the rope and digging his feet into the ground Borg is ready to give his opponents rope burn for weeks.

[TheOneHawk]

"I will absolutely hold you to that flagon good sir, and I prefer the term 'elderly gentleman' thank you very much!" Grinning jokingly at the Dwarf and Half Orc, he finishes colouring the rope and stands next to it, checking that his sleeves are still properly rolled up. "Everyone ready?"

[Kallimakus]

Lyn walks to the rope with the others, thanking Ruby for choosing her before taking her place along the rope. She chuckles slightly at the banter but refrains from joining in for now, excited to be there.

[Nightclaws]

Ruby looks down in a happy surprise as the rope changes colours, looking up at Silas with awe. The audience claps and cheers as you all take the rope whilst on the other side, the militia wave and make shows of warming up. It sure does look tough and challenging.

Spoiler: Morthic and Silas

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You indeed sense motives, as you look towards Kurst and Rodrick you can see they're not really taking things seriously. They're here to put on a show and make Ruby feel like a hero. However, one of the militia towards the back seems to be giving Morthic in particular some pointed looks, as if his words has roused a challenge. He seems like he's not going to make things to easy.

"Alright, so we all know the rules! Hold on tight and pull!" Rodrick calls out, first in line on the other side of the rope. Ruby herself visibly tenses up, muscles showing through despite only becoming twelve today.

Spoiler: Everyone

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Make a strength check. Ruby pulls the rope with a (1d20-1)[1]

[Kallimakus]

Lyn remains undaunted by the posturing, adding her strength to those of Ruby and her champions. She leaned back and tightened her grip, bringing what weight she had to bear on the rope. Those militiamen were not going to ruin Ruby's big day by winning. And she wouldn't fail either.

Spoiler: Strength check

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(1d20+2)[19]

[Rollin20sAtm]

Borg


Taking a deep breath Borg pulls the rope with all his might, veins popping up over arms. He didn't want to look bad in front of Trunaus leaders kid after all.

Spoiler: Strength Check

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(1d20+4)[18]

[TheOneHawk]

Silas picks up the rope and does his best to get a solid grip on it, but his old hands struggle to maintain that grip once the pulling starts. Despite giving his best effort, he contributes little and gets a pretty serious rope burn on his hands from his hold on the rope constantly slipping.

Spoiler: Check

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I got a 3

[Vhaidara]

Morthic Valard, the Protector of the Innocent

The dwarf shoots an impish little look at the man in the back. There's a challenge in that look. After all, it wouldn't do to have the girl win PURELY out of it being her big day. If she found out, it would cheapen the whole experience.

Morthic sets his muscles, readies his stance, and heaves.

Spoiler: OoC

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Str check, with the added bonus of Stability since GM said that would apply
(1d20+7)[23]

[Nightclaws]

A booming display of heaves and ho's from the other team have the crowd cheering, but primarily it is Ruby's name that can be heard. The militia man at the very back seems to be straining, holding onto the rope with all his might, but his footing isn't as steady. The rope pulls almost too quickly, and there is genuine surprise in Rodrick's face as he falls flat into the mud.

The crowd cheers and Ruby turns, beaming at all of you. Even Rodrick, fished out of the dirt by his brother, is grinning.