As startled by the sudden shift in events as everyone else in the crowd, Antha fails to notice the location of the hidden gunman.
Looking at Kesten, she observes his reaction to close in around the wedding party in an attempt at protection. Taking his lead, she remains calm and looks at the thieves trying to observe any pattern of action or identifying traits.
Perception
Not really knowing which direction the shot came from, Teyran looked to Sabina, wondering if she was thinking the same as he was. If she was, then he would make a quick move to stand in front of Noleski, expecting Sabina to do the same for Natala. If not, he would move to block Natala himself.
Harcos looks at the reactions of the noble he went with. If his assumption is true, then the bandits will avoid their location when they go to gather the valuables.
He only hopes that his warning got through in time, and that the young pair is safe, and that preparations have been made to counter something like this.
Harcos, having a feeling that Dovan has his hand in this, decides not to act yet, as he really doesn't want a bullet or blade in his back.
Unsure what's going on, Grendolynn quickly puts down rose and motions for everyone to duck down behind cover before doing so herself and drawing her spear. "Stay down, all of you!" She scans the crowd below waiting for a good shot at one of the bandits.
The man on the steps IS Dovan. The other players didn't know the name and I thought you would pick up on the description from early, sorry.
Roughly around 10 feet from the ground-level. There are masses of bodies packed between you and the bandits. It is unlikely that the robbery will be able to continue long enough for one to get to close.
Grendolynn leaps off the roof, and says "Get outta the way! NOW!" with a vicious growl and her fangs bared.
Then she will make her way towards the nearest bandit, drawing her sword as she goes.
Arasmes stands in shock as he sees the Lady Orlovsky shot down right in front of him. Not sure if she was alive or dead, he channeled the energy of the Dawnflower in a burst of healing energy, hoping he wasn't too late. After the energy washed out from him he sped to her side to examine her more closely.
Kesten clenches his fist and gauges the distance from the platform to the steps if he wanted to leap over the head of the people massing against the platform to get away from the bandits in the crowd. He looks back at Antha, and shakes his head then lets his shoulders drop in defeat. With a gunmen about he would likely be dead before he got to the scoundrel...
Erostil manages to catch one of the closer bandits with his spell though whether it has effected him or not...
Teyran and Sabina tense to spring into action in order to protect Noleski and Natala, but Dovan gestures at them with the shake of his head. ”If you take another step then your charge will die before you can protect them.” Sabina stops in her tracks afraid that any action will bring death to the Queen leaving Teyran to decide between the King and Queen...
Dovan gives a shudder-inducing laugh as if the fun has just begun. He pulls a pouch from his hip and points at Teyran, ”I think you will serve to gather up the countless riches of the royalty guests, our hosts, the dearly departed, and her mourning father... or maybe her vengeful father, even I have more expression then he does.” He tosses the pouch over to Teyran and gestures for him to go about it. ”No one else has to die.”
Harcos continues to hope that his warning was received and stays his hand...
Grendolynn attempts to drop to the ground without hurting herself, but the landing was not right and she felt her ankle twist. She doesn't slow up even with the pain and pushes at the crowd to get out of her way. She could tell that she terrified the crowd with her inhuman features and rage, but they were more scared of the bandits actually killing people. Unless she was going to start killing humans then they are just crowding up around her.
Arasmes channels the Dawnflower before dropping down to check over the Lady Orlovsky. It may have been his quick-thinking that saved her life; as the damage done by the bullet started to heal the wound with the positive energy. Her breathing is labored, and she is unconcious, but she will live.
Another man tries to resist the bandits and gets cut down for his troubles. The other bandits continue to gather things from the crowd and the furthest ones are starting to slink away in a hurry. The guards can't respond because of the mass of people in central square but they attempt to push into the crowd. One of the largest men in the crowd comes off the bard's platform and is pushing through the crowd towards the steps with his cello clutched to his body. No more shots are fired at the moment...
Frustrated by risk the sniper presents to any attempt at intervention, Antha scans the nearby buildings for any tell-tale sign of where he might be located.
A-ha! Now I've got you!
Spotting the sniper reloading when the wind rustled a curtain in the window of a nearby building, she stood up from her chair and rushed to Kesten's side and pointed directly at the sniper and shouted, "The sniper's up there!" Desperately focusing on her arcane training, she managed to bring forth a fragment of her will and set it to frantically waving a piece of cloth in the direction of the sniper's location to attract attention.
Antha tries to draw attention to the hidden man in a building about eighty feet from the square, and realizes her mistake about the time she cast her spell. The man had already reloaded and the barrel shifts just slightly and another shot thunders through the square.
Kesten begins to move as soon as Antha started drawing attention to the hidden sniper, but he pulled up short as he was about to leap to the steps when he heard someone collapse behind him after the second shot. "Antha! He cries and rushes towards her, covering her fallen form with his own body if the sniper fires again.
The square erupts into chaos in the aftermath of the second attack as the bandits begin to cut down or rip valuables from the hands of people then begin to flee with the crowd. Ioseph Sellemius and Lord Orlovsky, both unarmed, take the opportunity to vanish behind the Sword Baron's statue while Ioseph yells out, "I need a sword."
Sabina moves to cover the Queen who begins to retreat. Teyran notices for the first time that the King seems dazed and now he realizes he hasn't reacted to anything that has happened this entire time. His face which is usually tanned seems bone white at the moment and he is swaying dangerous in place and you wonder if perhaps he was wounded without you knowing it.
Auchs rushes up the steps passed Dovan and towards the back of the steps, but this will bring him passed Teyran, who isn't armed yet and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. He sets himself and it looks like he is prepared to vault someone onto the rooftops. Dovan takes a running start as he passes Teyran too with a sneer and leaps onto the waiting Auchs who vaults him to the rooftop.
Dovan does not look back to see if giant of a man manages to escape.
Antha only had time to hear the boom of a gun firing before she was suddenly looking up at the sky to see Kesten falling down on top of her. She felt cold, and tried to see herself but the attempt to move freed her nerves to send forth a conflagration of pain.
Status:
HP: -4, unstablized with Con 10
Teyran let both the men go, as he looked over the King. He'd never had much medical training, but he had to at least see if there was anything he could do.
Heal, to determine if Noleski is wounded:
Deciding there wasn't anything he could do for the moment, he decided he had to get the king out of there. "My lord, we have to get out of here." If all else failed, he would forcibly escort the king away, following Sabina's lead.
Arasmes looks up from beside the Lady Orlovsky as one of the bards approaches . "Fear not," he says, "the Lady will live. Check on the others."
He then looks around at the carnage brought about by the fleeing bandits and guages the distances to the wounded, before, once again, channelling the energy of the dawnflower into the crowd.
Subconciously feeling life and vigor coming to her, Antha opens her eyes to see Kesten's face - and the many feet of the milling crowd surrounding her.
Antha comes awake though for the briefest moments she wonders if Kesten had been shot and fallen over here, but his body shifts away from shielding her when he feels life in her again. He doesn't have time for anything else at the moment, he just hugs her. ”Thank the gods, you are alive. That was at once the most valiant and foolish thing I have ever seen.” He releases her with a grin.
Teyran looks the King over, but can't find any visible wounds unless they are hidden by his heavy armor. His breathing is becoming increasingly labored and the healing aura of Arasmes that washes over the area is not having an effect on him. Teyran made the decision to forcefully remove the King to safety, but it quickly turns into him half-dragging the man as he becomes increasingly non-responsive.
”Someone restrain that man, alive or dead, bring him to me.” Someone tries to yell over the crowd indicating the giant of a man near the statue of the Sword Baron who is frantically looking for escape. He retrieves his cello and holds it defensively as if he intends to wield it against anyone that tries to stop him. Grendolynn pushes through the panicked crowd towards the steps and begins to climb them to get to the last bandit. ”Stay back. Auchs does not want to hurt you.” He yells in a simple-minded manner, but he holds the cello like a club out before him.
Alexis Orlovsky is beginning to stir back to life as well, and timidly asks, ”What happened?” She blinks in confusion as she stares at the open sky.
Grendolynn will strike the cello wielding bandit with the flat of her blade, attempting to knock him out.
Auchs the remaining bandit grips the cello in both hands and will swing wildly with the cello in order to defend himself.
Grendolynn stays away from the cello with ease.
"Is this gonna turn into a joke, or are you gonna put down that cello and surrender?" she asks, swinging the blade again at the man.
Arasmes crouches down beside the Lady Orlovsky and clasps her hand, looking into her eyes as she awakens. "Try not to move my Lady and remain calm. It seems bandits decided to pay a visit and you were shot. Thankfully, the Dawnflower saw fit to allow me to channel her essence and keep you from the Boneyard. Your father and bethrothed are unharmed but may now be organizing a pursuit. The bandits seem to be fleeing now, apart from one unfortunate fellow, but I think it best you remain where you are until we are sure the danger is passed."
Everything else was secondary, all that Teyran was concerned with was getting the King and Queen to safety. He followed Sabina as best he could, only going a different way if he proved unable to follow her.
"Dovan tell Auchs what you do to him. Auchs would rather die." The man sputters as he looks around for an escape route. He takes a swing of the cello at Grendolynn after she comes in for an attack.
Teyran continues to half-drag the King to safety and manages to get near enough to Sabina and the Queen to follow in their wake. Sabina does not let anyone impede the Queen's escape to safety. She draws her blade as the warning when the crowd is thickest but everyone is fleeing away from the square so she never has to use it against any bystanders. You will easily reach the safety of the street guards in a minute along with the Lord Mayor, with the limited access to the guards is trying to organize a search for the bandits before they get out of the city.
Lord Poul Orlovsky stares at the Teyran and his company when they get into the cleared area of guards, you would confuse the intense emotion stare for murderous intent if it wasn't the same look that he wore at the wedding. Teyran will have to quickly deposit the King against one of the buildings as the man slips into unconsciousness and becomes dead-weight. The Queen rushes to his side and frets over him, "What happened?" She demanded in a worried tone.
Arasmes helps Alexis Orlovsky understand what happened and she begins to cry as she had done so many times before. "Even the wedding to bring peace has become marred by violence before it started, are we doomed to war then?" She says through sobs...
Grendolynn growls, "Hold still you little bastard." she says again swinging at him.
Grendolynn manages to catch the large man with the flat of her blade on the third swipe at him. The attack was hard enough though in her frustration that she could hear the sickening sound of bones crunching as the man dropped like a sack of stones.
"I am uncertain. He showed no reaction to the villain's appearance, and he has been nearly limp since then. I am no healer, but I found no wounds on him." He paused in thought, before adding, "He might have been poisoned. Like I said, he seemed listless before any of this happened." With that, Teyran stopped, uncertain of how to continue. He wanted to assist in the search, but he knew that he was there to protect the King and Queen, and they would not be safe until order was restored.
"About damn time." Grendolynn mutters, sheathing her sword before crouching down to roll the man over onto his stomach and hogtie him with whatever is handy. Then she will stand up and look around at all the people, suddenly realizing she's on a stage with a bunch of important people staring at her. She blushes bright crimson, and drops to one knee in front of whoever looks most important on the dias. "Forgive me, m'lord/lady. I..." she trails off, at a loss for words.
--------------------
--------------------
Erostil begins to help those that remain in the square; beyond those wounded or killed by the bandits some were trampled when the crowd finally cut and ran. The low roar of excitement that raced through the area has been replaced with cries of pain and horror. There are to many to help by himself but Erostil keeps moving from person to person finding that some are beyond help now. There are a few people that remain on the dais under the shadow of the Sword Baron's statue.
--------------------
--------------------
Natala Surtova's face flushes red with anger and she comes up from beside her unconscious brother to round on Ioseph Sellemius and Poul Orlovsky, "You did this!" She hissed the accusation with anger and venom. Sabina, ever the shadow of the Queen, tense up ready to spring into action at any moment if she needs too when Lord Orlovsky turns his intense gaze upon the Queen.
--------------------
--------------------
Grendolynn manages to get the big man tied up, though it wasn't an easy task with his size. She falls to one knee before the prone and sobbing Lady Orlovsky. Arasmes kneels beside the Lady trying to console her.
Lady Alexis Orlovsky looks upon Grendolynn with trepidation and her eyes drift to the bandit that the hobgoblin has hog-tied before she closes down the waterworks, "Arasmes, please help me rise." She offers her hand to the priest so she can rise as proper before addressing Grendolynn.
She stands before the hobgoblin now in a wedding dress covered in blood, still wet and slick from her wound, and her face was tear-streaked but she steeled herself to suddenly look every bit a noble lady.
"You have done a great service for us today by braving death and capturing one of those fiends. I will see that you are rewarded for your accomplishments here today, but I fear there will be more to do." She glances at Arasmes for a moment to draw him into her words and then back to Grendolynn.
"I came here today to start building a new peace for Brevoy and now the task ahead of me looks more daunting then ever. I need people that have been touched by the light of the Dawnflower; people who are noble of heart, kind, and brave. My words may reveal my naivety but I will not compromise my ideals. I do not want to lose hope in the future of Brevoy. I ask that today, the 22nd day of Calistril, to enter my service to work against those who would bring war to Brevoy."
Grendolynn looks at her briefly, dumbfounded. Good gods, what will poppa say? Her cheeks flush an even more furious red and she stammers, "I....uh....you want, me?!" she says sounding completely shocked. "I mean of course I'm honored, but I'm just a simple girl who lives in the forest. What could I possibly do for you, great lady?" she finishes lamely, examining Lady Orlovsky's shoes as if they are the most interesting thing she's ever seen.
"Umm, Kesten? I don't suppose you could help me up?" Antha asked her sort-of-would-be protector. "It seems the worst is over, and even the band members," she tries to wave a hand in the flute-player's direction, "are out trying to help people."
--------------------
Statue of the Sword Baron
--------------------
"A simple girl from the forest that didn't think twice about fighting a monster of a man single-handily." Alexis Orlovsky gestures to the fallen bandit. "I would not have been able to do that so you already have plenty to offer to me. Does it not appear so, Arasmes?" The young noble says to Grendolynn.
Arasmes is reminded of something that Lord Orlovsky said to him just before the wedding. <i>My daughter often brings home strays, and I tire of having to put them down.</i>
--------------------
The Swordlord Square
--------------------
Erostil finds himself alone with only a few others to care for the wounded because the chaos in the city has delayed the arrival of help in the square. The few people capable of healing are quickly taxed beyond their abilities and have resorted to nothing more then patch jobs. It looks grim for a number of people who are still unconscious and dying in the square; not accounting for the number of people that may have been hurt in the streets as the crowd and bandits fled the area.
Kesten does not hesitate to help Antha stand up and will offer to let her lean on him. Antha can see the old boy, somber and serious, in Kesten now as he looks out over the wounded. He clenches his jaw in frustration as things race about his mind. ”We have to secure that bandit.” He makes a move to leave the platform and mount the stairs to the statue where Grendolynn and Arasmes is speaking with Lady Orlovsky. ”Bard.” He calls to Erostil as does. ”There are a great many things to chronicle, and I have a job if you are willing to do so.”
The Lady's father does not seem to enjoy his daughter's open heart. Perhaps, a message of hope to the Lord Orlovsky will soften his reaction. Assuming, the life of his daughter brings him hope...
"It does my Lady," Arasmes says turning to the hobgoblin that had captured the remaining bandit. "I can think of a task that may be of some aid to the Lady." He glances at the swordloard approaching to further secure the unconscious bandit before turning back to Grendolynn. "It seems the bandit will be in safe hands for the moment. Word must be brought to the Lord Orlovsky that his daughter lives. I must remain to assist the people, as the light of the Dawnflower may, once again, be required to prevent more souls from entering the Bonyard."
Arasmes then turns to the Lady Orlovsky and bows, "By your leave, my lady. The people are in need."
Grendolynn seems to hesitate a moment longer and then turns deadly serious. "If you think that you can use me, I will gladly swear myself to you." she says, still kneeling with her sword held point down against the ground in front of the Lady. What am I doing?! "This man makes a good point m'lady, your father should know that you yet live. With your leave I will go to tell him."
"My lady, there will be plenty of time later to see that justice is done, but right now my greatest concern is the safety and well being of you and your brother." His eyes darted toward Sabina and then back before he spoke again. "We need to get you someplace more defensible, Where we can have a healer tend to the King. Perhaps a city barracks, or a noble house that you trust?"
Teyran hated that those last three words were neccesary. He presumed in other nations, loyalty was a bit more common, so that nobles didn't have to look over their shoulders at every turn, for fear of constant backstabbing. That was why he and Erisa had lived so near to the Stolen Lands, at least in a place as lawless as that, you knew what to expect. He shook his head bitterly, realizing for the first time, that that was likely also the reason she'd been taken from him.
Kesten gives Erostil a flashy grin, ”Coin and honest work you will have, friend. We have much to do. Where are you staying so I can find you again.” After he gets his answer and a bit surprised that he was staying at the same inn as Antha. He waits for the guards to bring to arrive before directing them to the bandit. Erostil and Arasmes are the only help that the wounded will get for awhile so they continue to tend to those who are to hurt to move on their own accord.
Kesten approaches Antha and flourishes a bow, ”I must find the Lord Mayor so we can attend to business. I will call upon you tomorrow with details about the southern projects.”
Natala looks glares daggers for a moment at Teyran before glancing back to her brother. She nods sternly, ”Fine. I will deal out justice later. We will need something to transport my brother in.” Though the Lord Mayor provides one it does little to ease the Queen's mind against him. ”We have friends in the city where we will stay. I will send for my own healers. I do not trust those in the employment of the Lord Mayor or Lord Orlovsky.”
Grendolynn is able to track down the location of the Lord Mayor and Lord Orlovsky, and when she delivers the news of his daughter's survival the man does not even blink. Just intensely stares at the hobgoblin as if she was trash. Ioseph, the Lord Mayor, however is more grateful, ”Thank you for delivering the news that my betrothal survives. I will see you are rewarded, come to me offices tomorrow morning.”
Each of you eventually return to your rooms at the Gnarly Hobbit after your duties have been completed.
--------------------
Calistril 23rd, 4709
--------------------
Day fades to night as the torches and lanterns of the city burn brightly while the guards continue to show Restov for the crude criminals that brought so much violence to the wedding. You can hear small patrols pass through the streets from place to place well into the night.
The hours march forward and the sun rises again as the smell of the promised breakfast at the Gnarly Hobbit drifts into your room beckoning you to the common room for companionship and sustenance. The common room is already getting noisy from the guests at the inn and the bard, Erostil, is already playing his morning tunes.
Grendolynn walks into the common room, and looks for Bingo or Rose. She sits down at a table, rubbing her back a bit sore from the previous day's exploits. If she see Teyran she will call him over.
Perform (Wind Instruments)
Erostil will by this time have awoken with the dawn and worked through a small series of both mental and musical exercises. Going downstairs hopefully before any other travellers, he will have a light meal before slowly filling the room with the song from the flute. The tunes slowly weaving their way through the crowd and hopefully evoking feelings and scenes of home, warmth, hope and happiness. Of old memories and long gone friends.
He will observe the world going on around him, and yet at the same time will be working out what he will need to do to take up the Lady's offer of employment. What supplies etc he might need, and whether it would be worth investing in a better flute. Quills and Parchment will almost certainly be needed if he is meant to be chronicling events. Sealing wax, blotting sand and a small myriad of other items.
And then his mind strays to the simpleton, Auchs. What was to come of the man? Why was Dovan involved in this, and what was the reasoning behind attacking the wedding?
Teyran made his way into the common room, smiling in appreciation of the music. It was a stunning affirmation of his faith in the Dawnflower, that the unfortunate events of the previous day did not seem to mar the mood or brightness of the morning.
When he saw the stranger beckon to him, he approached her table and nodded his head respectfully. His curiosity was piqued that she wanted something of him, and that she was clearly a hobgoblin among civilized society, something that Teyran had seen rarely at best. "A good morning to you, lady. What can I do for you?" There was, perhaps, a bit of condescencion in his voice, if Grendolynn was the sort to listen for it, but it didn't seem intentional.
"Good morning Sir. My name's Grendolynn. I saw you at the ceremony yesterday, do you work for Lady Orlovsky too?" Grendolynn asks Teyran, standing up and offering her hand.
Antha rolled over in her bed carefully, the wound in her side still tender and painful despite being mostly healed. The gentle sounds of a flute were vaguely distinctive, comforting in their melody. She soon fell back asleep.
In his room, Arasmes completes his ritual greeting of the sun and meditation on the Dawnflower. Near the end of his contemplation, his stomach rumbles. With a small smirk, he looks towards the rising sun. "Forgive me my lady, I believe it is time to break my fast. There was much work administering your light to the people and I believe I missed my supper," he says quietly to his goddess before standing and dressing.
Heading down to the common room, Arasmes nods at the bard, smiling in thanks for his work with helping the people recover from their injuries.
He then notices the hobgoblin who had so recently joined the service of the Lady Orlovsky, standing to welcome the Lord Regent's bodyguard from the other night. Arasmes moves to join them.
"Sorry to interrupt. Thank you for relaying the message of the Lady's good health. May I join you? I'm somewhat famished, and I'd would welcome the opportunity to break my fast with a familiar face."
Teyran took Grendolynn's hand and kissed it lightly, before letting go. "No ma'am, not Orlovsky. I was to guard Lady Surtova during the ceremony. My name is Teyran Rilskel. Do you know who those bandits were, or anything else abuot what happened yesterday?"
"Not really." she responds, wrinkling her nose. "I was just watching the ceremony, and then everything started going crazy. I was trying to help, but I only managed to get one of them. Maybe someone could interrogate him? Not sure what happened to him yesterday..." she says. "Who's lady Surtova? I don't really know about any of this stuff. I don't even really know who lady Orlavsky is either, other than that she's my new boss."
Teyran didn't even try to hide his surprise at the woman's ignorance. He listed names and titles as questions, in hopes that one would strike a chord of recognition. "Natala Surtova? Sister of Lord Noleski Surtova, King of all Brevoy? I was asked to protect her for the ceremony."
All at once, the comment about only taking out one seemed to hit him, clearly this woman was more than she appeared. "Your new boss? You mean, you weren't fighting for her? Clearly you are more than I had expected." He smiled at that, though he neglected to mention what he'd been expecting, or how she'd exceeded his presumption.