Crohd's arrival drew more than a few looks, and murmurs spread through the room. He was a long ways from the Devil's Peak Mountains, and the lands were his kind were seen as more than roving marauders and bandits. This far into northern Aelora, few orcs could be found and those that existed primarily lived off the misfortune of others. Pillaging and robbing their way through life was a thing of the norm for renegade orcs this far from the militant control of the orcish nation of Urugar.
And where there was one orc... surely more followed.
One townsman, emboldened by a few too many drinks even rose up from his seat, his hands atop the table to steady himself.
"Oy, there," he growled. "
Orcs aren't welcome in the company of
civilized folks."
Murmurs of agreement surrounded Crohd who was likely unfamiliar with the reputation of the northern orc tribes that he was being painted with. The tension in the air was thick, and even the barkeep and Tilda didn't seem intent to intervene on behalf of the orc. Before things could devolve though, a powerful and sickening sensation struck everyone in the room. Those standing upright would be sent lurching against tables, counters, chairs, and walls for support as their surroundings seemed to twist and pull in all directions. Those sitting down would be better apt to maintaining their equilibrium, but likely find the sensation nauseating and disorienting.
The sensation lasted only a few moments before the front window shattered and one of the two stone gargoyles from out front slammed into the floor. Standing up it walked menacingly towards Jackson, and each step was punctuated by the crunch of glass beneath its stony feet. Nearby the fireplace flickered and twisted as if a gust of wind had just blown through it and the shadows along the floor seemed to ripple and distort for a moment.
---
Those who already moved upstairs to retire for the evening were subject to the lurching distortion as well, but they would remained unaware of what was responsible for the sound of shattering of glass downstairs. Should they attempt to make their way downstairs to determine the source of the noise, they would make it only as far as the top of the step before finding their passage barred. The steps seemed to twist and turn before their eyes while the wooden planks stretched and warped in upon themselves, rippling hazily before regaining stability for brief moments. The experience was dizzying and disorienting as the mind tried to make sense of what the eyes were witnessing.
---
Outside, the auburn haired woman hadn't made it more than half a dozen steps before she too had been struck with the disorienting and gut-wrenching sensation. The sound of glass shattering behind her would be all the warning she would get as the second of the two gargoyles descended upon her from behind.