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Dennid and Chase begin to dig out the rumble. After several minutes they hear a blunt "THUD!" come from underneath the pile of debris. Seconds later the debris is sliding in a funnel shape downward. They hear a heavy crack in the floor and he door to the cellar gives way. A beam slides end first through the shattered cellar door. You hear a commotion of voices from below.

Chase
"Who's down there?" Chase calls out into the cellar. After a second of reflection he adds: "It's Chase and Dennid here."

Agelia Redstart
There is a grunt of assurance from Agelia to the inquiring adventurers that were stuck in the cellar, followed by, "Agelia of Luno." She pokes her head out, that the others can see her.

They are met by a woman in her early twenties.  She is pale, with long dark hair, and almost appears used to poking her head around corners.  She is also very clearly in the process of trying to make heads or tails of the situation, as evidenced by the look on her face.

Bodric Battlebelly
The dwarf politely waited for the others to ferret their way up through the hole, offering his hand to the lass. "Watch yer step Missy, this thing ain't done settling yet..."

He felt like he had some debris lodged in his large ears and so didn't catch exactly what was being said above him. When the others had exited the cellar, the dwarf wiggled and wormed his way to the surface and shook himself like an old hound dog, sending dirt, wood chips, and rocks flying around him in a dirty cloud.

Chase
Chase did not bother to hide his disappointment at the group of strangers whole clambered out. "No one from the village made it down there?"

Korak
The rubble about him, Korak swore he lied on the slabs Ca'tul the ancient banished underworld of the orcs. Not bested in battle, not fallen by an army or a sword, no Ca'Tul claimed him by the end of a tavern-beam slamming into his chest. Not honorable combat at all. Still the spirits swirved within him as he regained consciousness, groaning and thanking the gods silently that he was given this chance. For who would want to face their ancestors if they had been thrown into the after-life by a well constructed beam?

"...Mayhap a dwarf?" Korak muttered the mortal realm coming back into focus as the others worked feverishly around him. Is this his grave? Too soon to tell, but sounds enveloped him, and all he could do is wonder why. It was only a damned door!

Bodric Battlebelly
Bodric helped the dazed half-orc up out of the hole, coughing and spitting more dust and debris that flowed down upon him. The sight above was not pretty. All the while the half-orc was muttering about "mishaps" and "dwarves" and Bodric could only assume he was expressing gratitude for saving his warty skin.

Durgon Oroth
"Durgon's the name" he said as he creeped up the hole to freedom. "Cleric of the Lady Autumn at your service." Durgon gather himself for a moment and then grasped his holy symbol and whispered a small blessing.

Chase
Chase narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Just how did you survive while everyone else in the town died?"

His voice cracked with emotion on that 'everyone'. He still couldn't believe his father and sister were gone.

Durgon Oroth
Durgon looks at Chase with a look of surprise and when he sees the look of distrust on his face his demeanor turns to anger as his words about everyone being dead echo through his brain"I thought the obviousness of our situation was clear too you.  We have been down there for days.  I am not the only one standing here now before you from that pit below.  The fire happened so fast we had no choice but to retreat into the room where we were trapped. You yourself just found us here. If the situation is as bad as you state then I too am alone. Get out of my way I need to get to my home"  Durgon headed for the nearest opening in the burnt out building to see the damage to his home and try to find any friends.

Bodric Battlebelly
The dwarf finally emerged from the destroyed cellar into the destroyed Inn, or rather what was left of it. He brushed some of the dust and debris from himself as he looked around at the destruction. "Belgin's beard!" he swore. Just then he noticed what he thought was a vaguely familiar face.

"Is that Chase?" he asked, making his way around the huge half-orc standing in his way. "What do ya mean everyone died? Y-ya mean everyone died? By my boots! We never saw it comin'! We've been in that cellar fer days..." He ran a large, gnarled hand over his balding forehead.

"How long have ya been back? I didn't see ya around before the attack. Where're yer friends? They come back too?" Bodric asked the elf. He kicked some of the burned debris with the toe of his wooden-soled boot.

Agelia Redstart
Agelia could only sigh, and helped the remaining survivors out of the wreckage.

Korak
Korak followed the others, a bit woozy at his sudden fall (from grace) and stepped from the cellar into the Inn. The air felt better and lighter, turning to Bodric, he set a hand upon the other's shoulder. "Me thanks for kicking me away from the brunt of the collapse, hope to return the favor someday."

Tuar
Tuar looked at his mother. "Must be a spell I can use to bring her back. Master could bring her back. Must be a spell. Think must think.  MUST BE A SPELL."  He slammed his hands against the ground repeatedly saying there must be a spell.

Korak
Korak raised an eyebrow to the cloaked one. It did not take an orc or a barbarian to know the madness of the will, when something had to be done at all costs. In a strange way, the act, the declaration comforted the half-orc to know that others had things contained deep within them.

Durgon Oroth
A loud mans scream is heard down the road just away from the burnt tavern. A few seconds later Durgon returned.  "So it is true the town is devastated. Death and decay are everywhere, who? what?"  He walked closer to Chase "What do you know of this? Who is responsible for this? My friends, what family I did have, my possessions, my pets all gone. Someone will pay if I have to track these murderers down myself!" he did not mince words his anger was very apparent and he was ready to kill and for a split second he looked to the sky and wondered why Lady Autumn would let this happen. The he prayed for strength to avenge the fallen of the town as he grasped his Holy Symbol so hard that the chain broke from his neck as he stood there shaking with anger.

Korak
"Blood oaths," the half-orc muttered. Looking upon Durgon with a certain admiration and envy.  "Blood oaths are good, either get you killed or get things done!" He attempts to shake the left-overs of the Inn collapse from his cloudy mind. To him, it seems, that mind is always in a cloud. A cloud of fury and red, ready to take on the world. It picks at his muscles and makes them crave steel.

Bodric Battlebelly
"Bah! You ain't a full blood orc, so I couldn't just kill ya down there, half-drunk and slobbering! Yet, I gotta say lad, ya can swing an axe as good as any dwarf! I ain't never seen such a thunderin' blow! As fer returnin' favors... discoverin' the meaning of the word 'bath' would be a good start. Soap won't kill a half-blood orc, only a full-blood!" The dwarf's comments were made in the gravelly tone that was typical of his kin when trying to cover up emotion. He did not want to show weakness, but it was obvious from the look in his eye that there was a newfound respect for Korak. Despite his grumblings and racial jabs, which would probably never cease, a spark of friendship had burst into his gentle heart for the largish brute.

As the others sort of began to congregate in the burnt-out inn, Bodric took note of their sorrow and shock. He felt in keenly too.  His closest friends, those who had tried to get him out of the bottle before he'd lost his family, were now gone. That thought brought him up short... His family!  They had left over a year ago! Bodric had no idea where they'd gone, but he began thanking the God of the Anvil they had not been here when the attack came.

"There may be others like ourselves," he said while gesturing to those who'd been in the cellar with him, "trapped and dyin'. We'd best split up a little and scout out and try to find anyone we can.  We can weep and wail later, but right now we gotta try to help anyone that's still out there! And keep yer wits about ya!  Whatever did this may have left a scout or two behind or worse, a trap or two. Stay alert!"

Agelia Redstart
Agelia nods.  "That's a good idea.  Maybe we should split up into groups, and scour the area?  Two sets of eyes are always better than one, and two sets of ears to go with that, even better.  There's a decent amount of us, and we're armed..."

Bodric Battlebelly
Bodric nodded and drew his own worn battle axe. "Alright then Missy, why don't ya come with me? Let's meet back here in two hours. If somebody ain't back in three, come a'huntin'!" He motioned to the northeast and began searching with Ms. Redstart.

Chase
Chase turned scarlet with fury at Durgon's words. Narrowing his eyes the half-elf spat: "Get out of my father's tavern priestling or I swear I'll cut you down where you stand. My own kin perished here while you were hiding away in a hole in the ground."

Indifferent to the man's response he turned around and began to walk towards his sister's body, mind already on digging a grave. He ignored the woman's suggestion to go out searching; everyone he cared for was already dead.

Korak
Korak takes his axe from about his back, looking about the scene. "Ill search, but not without THIS in hand!"

Durgon Oroth
Durgon heard the groups idea to split up.  He had heard Chase's words as he left and they rang in his ears. He looked at Korak "You shall not go alone, I will go with you and do what can be done."  He fixed the chain for his Holy Symbol and put it in its normal place upon his armor. He nodded at the rest of the group that were still in the tavern. When he looked at Chase he felt great sorrow and looked back at Korak as they walked "Lets see what we can find shall we?"

Tuar
Tuar started to trace strange runes and symbols on the ground in front of him. He took out his sickle and cut his palm letting some blood drop into the ground around what he had traced. He began chanting his body swaying and moving of it's own accord.

Agelia Redstart
Agelia nods, and searches with Bodric.  She is unfamiliar with the town, but looks for buildings that are more or less intact first, as a general thing...

Bodric Battlebelly
Bodric led the way through the section of town he and Agelia had volunteered to search. His head was on a swivel and he spent as much time searching the landscape beyond the town and the possible hiding places of hostiles as he did looking for trapped victims. He had a good idea of where people may have gotten trapped or perhaps hid if they could've done so in time.

"Let me know if ya see anything ya wanna check out Missy," he said quietly.

Korak
Korak searches, sniffing the air for anything strange in this sudden predicament of his.

Durgon Oroth
Durgon followed behind Korak and listened for any sounds of life at all.  He takes in the devastation and silently blesses any of the dead he came across.

Agelia Redstart
"Back at you." Agelia nods.  She takes to searching every space that looks like it might have people trapped beneath or inside of it.  In the event that a body is found and bereft of life, she will say a brief prayer, that its bearer be guided safely to their next, and likely final, destination.

Korak
Things move and Korak is there to make them stop moving.

Durgon Oroth
Durgon keeps searching for any signs of life but so far nothing seems to be living.

Bodric Battlebelly
"Things be pretty dead around here..." Bodric mumbled. "Er... I didn't mean... You findin' anything Lassie?" The dwarf tried to recover from his insensitive remark but dwarves are not often known for their social graces and so he decided to change the subject.  "Keep an eye out fer any kinda tracks," he said.

Agelia Redstart
Agelia is just as socially awkward, and does not even bat an eyelash at the dwarf's comment!  "Nope, dead as the end of all things..."

"Wouldn't hurt to call out for survivors...just in case." After clearing her throat, Agelia calls out, "Can anybody hear me?  If so, please, call out to me!  Push something!  Make noise!"

Korak
Korak, unused to things not moving, more accostomed to things coming at him, and fast, plants his feet firmly in the nearest rubble and shouts...

"IF YOU ARE ALIVE MOVE A BEAM, SHAKE A CHAIR, KICK A STONE!!!"

Maksim Munzuk
A small gnome stepped out from the shadows behind the gathered friends. With his bow in hand, arrow notched but pointed at the ground, Maksim approached, "Bodric? That you? I take it the loud one is with you... What happened here? Where is everyone?"

Bodric Battlebelly
Even as he began to whirl around, axe in hand, Bodric thought to himself, "I know that voice..."

It had been over a year, but Bodric recognized the gnome right away. It was Maksim, one of the few folk from this area who had never belittled him or took advantage of him when he was in the depths of the bottle. The dwarf lowered his axe back to the side and made his way over to his short friend.

"Maksim! I be glad ya made it! We was stuck in the cellar, it's been days now... Didn't hardly see much, but we heard some. This one here," Bodric gestured toward the huge Korak, "he busted us outa there to find... all this." He placed a hand on Maksim's shoulder, "Not many survived..."

Agelia Redstart
Agelia watches the reunion between the dwarves.  "One happy reunion out of many more in other worlds..." She mumbles to herself, shaking her head and continuing her search.

Bodric Battlebelly
After searching for several hours, Bodric called them all back to the ruins of the Inn for a quick bite to eat and to share with each other what each team had found, which besides destruction and death, amounted to a goodly portion of nothing. They ate in relative silence, lost in their thoughts and grief and likely still in shock.

Bodric shoved the last of a stale biscuit into his mouth and washed it down with some brackish well-water. Everything tasted and smelled like death and after having eaten his meager portion of found food, he almost wished he hadn't. He looked up at the sky which had grown overcast and made the observation, "We've not got that many more hours until dark. I reckon we oughta be preparing for a long night. We'll be needing to find some defensible shelter, stock up on some more grub and water... whatever we can find and figure out some watches. I ain't got any idea what might be out there, but we should be preparing. What think the rest of ye?" He stood and faced the rag-tag little band of survivors.

Durgon Oroth
Durgon joined the others as they ate.  He wondered which way the foul things that did these unthinkable deeds may have went off too.  Obviously they didnt go the way the Chase and the others came from.  He decided to take a quick look around as part of their preparations to try to determine which way the murders may have gone and perhaps how many.

Korak
Korak ate but the food tasted grim, sullen, as if all life had been taken from it. He grumbled and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Better to have someone to fight than being stuck in this hollow of a village!" he roared.
This message was last updated by the GM at 20:54, Mon 16 Dec 2013.