Parlay
A bloodied
Saewen comes down to meet the party. She explains, prior to the orc assault, she was out with a scouting party and saw a huge pack of goblins. She quickly retreated back to the Aviary, but they followed and attacked. She had initially followed the tracks from
Mount Gundabad and she believes there must be more of them there.
What's left of the
Smiling Hawks surrounds her, and then,
Tieg, her Lieutenant and second highest ranking member within the group, walks to the forefront.
Tieg sees an opportunity and challenges Saewen’s authority right there, saying he should be leader, and that the men are exhausted and tired from being out in the cold, in the dilapidated tower with nothing to show except death and frostbite. He wants to lead them back to town. She declines, saying she'll never go back and that
Sheriff Ivor is a thief and a liar and that it’s his fault they rebelled in the first place.
She pleads with her men, telling them going back now would mean facing prison or worse at the hands of Ivor's militia. Half the men seem to waiver, and Tieg takes the moment to challenge her to one on one combat for leadership of the group. Seeing her injuries are worse than she lets on,
Eschelon discreetly heals her but also sways the crowd, with
Vandre and
Vargas' help, convincing them to split the group. Those who want to head back to Anghor to see their families may do so. They can reintegrate into the town and the heroes will put in a good word for them.
Saewen will take the rest, and indeed she does, back to
Summershaw to rest and heal up, in anticipation of the greater ensuing battle with
Balcoth's Army.
Angered and frosty, Saewen and Tieg, once trusted mates, stew at having their army broken. Tieg sets out less than a day ahead of the heroes into Anghor, telling them he will meet with them another time. Saewen leads the shambles of her company back through the mountains and south.
The party now levels up, and heads back, into
Greater Anghor.
