February 15th: Assault on Janwall

"Alright, assassins, got it. By the way, I'm Snarg," he nods to the other three, "and we came to help get this mess sorted out. From what you're telling me, there's someone trying to clean up the Undermarket here, that right? Is it really so bad right now that you couldn't get word out?"

Hanuel cracks a smile, and laughs, unable to hold it back. "It's almost like you planned this!" Hanuel walks over and greets Kador, before turning to face Javen. "And you! It feels like it's been ages Javan!"

The Centaur lady turns and raises an eyebrow at your brief reunions. She waits respectfully before answering, "I am Trenaran, I speak for the Free Trade League, and am trying to help these beleaguered peoples. This is Eruth of Moonwhisper, with the former Undermarket, and Kador, also with the League." She turns and gives a small bow. "I'm to take it you're here to help?"

"That we are. Ashakel's the name. Hm, alright then. What were you planning when we...uh...interrupted you?" Ashakel wasn't sure whether Javan's explanation made any sense to him. "I have a particular spot in my heart for assassins. Count me in."

Tab says nothing

Zeiss gives a look to Ashakel's comment about assassins. Then return his attention to the centaur.

"Whatever you are planning, we will help you. We are from the Exchange, a group that replaced the Undermarket in Holtburg. And we came here to restore the trade route."

"Yeah, here to help get this sorted out. What're we up against and do you have any idea who's sending assassins?"

Eruth coughed, and spoke in a slightly nasal tone. "Some rival gang no doubt, weeee suspect it's the PTC trying to stretch theeeir aims a bit more violently theeeen usual but that is just a theory," he admits with a shrug.
Trenaran frowns down at him. "What my Elven friend means to say is, no, we have no idea who is behind this. Except that they are bloodthirsty and determined. No attacks in almost a solid day, we've been waiting for their final push for hours, it's getting wearying."

Ashakel disregarded the look Zeiss gave him. For now. This was neither the time nor the place. "So.. how about we push them?"

"I think it might be hard to push without knowing where their base of operations is. What direction have they been coming from most commonly?"

To push back we would meed to know were to push.

Have the attacks been coming from a fixed direction Or randomly?

"These aren't very good assassins if you know they're coming."

"I got lucky," the Elf blurts out suddenly. He looks up, and you see for the first time fatigue lines on his features. "Theeeeey uhm. They hit everywheeere, every major city at the same time. Killed some, bought others. Just showed up out of no wheeeeere, no demands, no mercy, no hesitation. I ..." He coughs, sputtering. "I was... seeing someone, a lovely little thing, she's... actually here with me, with the refugees, weeee'd been back in the storeroom and I heard the gurgling noise, looked around..." He's started to shake slightly. "One of the guys I knew, someone I'd worked with for months, haaaad had had... had a knife and it was inches in Terthia's neck and he looked up and sssaw me saw us and... I panicked, grabbed Lera and crushed my eeeemergency Exit stone, and we were here." He's now sweating from the memory, just slightly. "I got here, weeee got here, told the others but one of theeem was one of them, pulled a sword, barely got him in time. We... we were lucky." He looks down, and repeats quietly. "Wee... were lucky."

"That explains how Holtburg managed to get gutted so completely."

"this guy you had knowed for months was he acting strange before the attack or anything?"

Zeiss thinks for a moment. He then approach the elf, put an hand on his shoulder and says :

"I am sorry for what happened. We will make sure no one hurts you or your friend Lera."

He steps back then turns towards the Centaur.

"We will help you against these assassins. And capture one of them if possible."

Eruth doesn't look up to meet your gaze as he mutters for a second before, realizing he hasn't responded, shakes his head shortly. "No no, n-no he was a decent fellow, did hard work, never seemed out of the ordinary to me unleeeeess you count being a hard worker out of the ordinary. Really good at beeeeing on time, exceeding quotas, that sort of th..thiiing."

"This sounds a bit too much for PTC, I'd say.."

"By the way, those guys right now? They seems to be aiming for total town annihilation, just for the heck of it if you ask me. Good or bad, they are doing their job.", Javan says, getting visibly frustrated as his own words remind him of the town's situation, and what he express after that seems to come from the bottom of his heart.

"So you guys being here means a lot. Thanks!"

"You think...?" Hanuel looks over at Ashakel, not finishing their sentence.

"I'm just... It's just a hunch." Ashakel said to Hanuel.

Snarg seems a bit surprised and shocked at the story. "Oh, er, wow... those are some very disturbing events. I'm sorry you're a target of whoever wants you out of the way ... to go that far. If they've got those kind of resources, there's no telling what they've got up their sleeves. What have you seen so far, other than planted men?"

"Javan a little over a week ago Stonehold was attacked and im guessing destroyed and im guessing thats when theres attacks started, i dont think they care about the village one way or the other they just want whats left of the Undermarket gone for some reason."

"Doesn't matter who they are, and we can ponder their motivations after they're dead. We need to find them and kill them. So, what do you know?" Rory asked Trenaran.

Trenaran clops her front hooves, looking visibly disgusted. "These... butchers of men," she sneers, "Are holed up somewhere nearby but I've no idea where. I know they have a ship, a Sailing vessel, but it hasn't moved to attack yet. I'm betting it will in this final push. I've sent out a couple scouts but we're traders, not fighters, we fight best on the advantage and on the defensive. And, uh, those scouts never came back. But," she taps her head and gives a tired grin, "I know a bit about tactics myself from my time in the Magram lands. They're getting desperate, and they're running out of men, and they're getting pissed. They've made mistakes their last few strikes. That's why I think, and my most esteemed colleague Javan here seems to agree, that this last strike will be the big one. Try to just burn the town down, hit us with full force."