"At least it really was smoke, maybe we can get real food."
As the group walks down the road, the smells get stronger, and eventually sounds can be heard. Animals, cows lowing for example, dogs barking. Turning a bend, they see a small settlement ahead in a clearing.
There are two dozen buildings, most made of wood, but there's a large two story stone building that dominates the settlement. Stained glass glints in the windows of the building.
The second largest building is almost as big, but is just a squat wooden edifice that seems to be the source of the strong sewage smell. Hundreds of hides hang from beams attached to that building. Beyond it is a large building that's smoking heavily, belching thick dark smoke into the air, the source of Luna's smoke no doubt.
On the side of the road, before the settlement, on either side, are 3 wooden posts with wooden arms sticking out, about 10 feet up. Iron cages hang down from those wooden arms, with rotting corpses contained within. The oldest is merely a skeleton. The most recent has crows feeding off it still. This also adds to the reek.
People can be seen walking around inside the town, even some kids running around.
"Looks like we found the hub of civilization. " That freaky town's isn't looking so bad now.
"A tannery? Extra furs means that food isn't sparse, I'd think."
Neri continued to move along, staying on the side of the others opposite Sterling, but still towards the front. Short ranged spells, and shorter ranged attacks meant he needed to be able to move into position quickly, if it was necessary.
"And... I hope the sign doesn't say 'trespassers will be killed.'"
Kong motions toward the cages...
I hope zat's not vat zey do to vitches.
"There's one way to find out," replied Jacob to Kong.
The bard walked forward a few paces, waving. "Hello!!! We're some lost travelers. Could you tell us where we are?"
Sterling spend the time in transit thinking. Had he been in the old world, Neri's words would have never found purchase. He would have seen them as insignificant as Neri himself. But the new world had changed him. Set him off kilter. His emotions were too close to the surface. They influenced his social calculus. It was time he return to the cold hard math. He consciously pushes them down, burying them until they are nothing but sparks in a dark night.
Upon reaching the settlement, he says What a medieval s#it hole. I was hoping for first century Roman empire. Shame really. He pushes forward deeper into the settlement. He wondered if the archetypes they assumed are still within the local consciences. He watches the children. The first he seen here. It could be a sign that these were actual real people.
The large building looks religious. It would be a good place to start to gather some information.
Several people look in Jacob's direction, and of course, the party's direction as well. No one looks openly hostile. A man in leather armor with a crest on his arm gives a wave. "Hoy, ye be in the Demonwood, ye must be turned around to be lost enough to be out here." Several people laugh. "This be Demonreach. I'd welcome ye, but it'd be more of a curse." More laughter.
What exactly do you mean by that my friend
Mythic point
Diplomacy Check 31
The man looks at Sterling, and laughs. "Ye must be really lost, friend, not to have heard of Demonreach. At least ye found ye're own way here. Ye can leave." He shakes his head. "This be where the church send it's exiles." He tugs his hair to the side, and on his forehead is a brand. "I be Montellius, it be my job to keep the peace. Ye not be causin' troubles be ye?"
Of course not Peace Officer. We are peacable. But we are stangers in a strange land. Our ignorance is a dangerous specter that follows us everywhere. Is there a teacher that can lift this shadow?
Kong watches quietly...happy to simply observe, at the moment.
Luna keeps looking around the town but does what she can to be as far from the hanging bodies as she can without leaving the group.
"All of these people were exiled by the church? What kind of church turns people away?"
"And what's so bad about this place that you would get exiled here? We haven't encountered anything dangerous for days. It honestly seems like it wouldn't be a terrible place to settle intentionally. Bad history?"
The man looks at Sterling oddly. "The church be there, stranger. So of course the priests be there." At Neri's comments, he looks much more perplexed, and suspicious. "What are ye? Daft? Have you no seen the Demonwall?" He gestures in the direction of the shimmering wall.
My friend is a bit addled. Lumpy makes a swigging motion with a pantomime bottle. Yes I see the church now. Thanks Peace Keeper Montellius. By the way, is there a place for a meal? Maybe the town has some horses for sale?
Neri lofts a brow. "He's the one carrying all the empty bottles, he's the one asking for a tavern, and I'm the one drinking? Alright then. How about instead of lying to them we tell them the truth. We were brought here by magic and have -no idea- what is going on or where we are." he stares at Sterling. "It's about time you started treating people like real people instead of toys." He turned back to Montellius,"The demon wall, as you called it, is perfectly safe with the right gear. We were attacked on the other side of it, but haven't had any problems since crossing it."
Why learn about the politics of a place that chains people to cages in the middle of the street? You can't fix stupid
Lumpy waits to see what happens. He should be dead already anyway.
Vy iss it called ze..."Demonwall"?
Kory steps forward a step, and tries to get a better look at this...church. Any obvious holy symbols?
Brilliant, now why do I bet they assume we're demons because we came through the demonwall? and he will start looking for a place they can pull back to which is defensible if they get mobbed.
At Neri's words, the man's friendly demeanor is gone. "DEMONS!" He screams at the top of his lungs. Other people on the street begin to cry out, women grabbing children and tugging them into buildings, while those with weapons begin to draw them.
As the cry spreads throughout the village, somewhere a bell begins to ring.
Neri sighs. "Look, sir. Not demons. People. We don't have any reason to fight. I give you my word, we mean no harm. Yes, we saw demon horses and demon deer, they're what attacked us." He made no move for his weapon, and actually took a step forward, adopting a nonthreatening, placating stance. "Dang it, Chia, this is why we don't open with lies, or tell people that one of us is crazy." He kept his tone even. "Let's talk this through. What will it take to convince you I'm not a Demon? Surely there's some test. Holy water, for instance?"
So much time you could have saved us, here, Id.
If we aren't moving into initiative yet, Kong casts Mage Armor...if he has even more time, he'll cast Guidance...
Luna waits until she sees a weapon drawn before she takes up her own.
"Do we not deserve a chance to prove our self?"
The peace officer backs away, his weapon drawn.
Most people start to get off the street, a few drawing weapons.
That's when a robed figure steps out of the stone building. He looks out, see's the group, and raises a staff. "Demons? Then why do you flee! Fall on the demons and destroy them apostate! It was this for which you were spared the deaths you so richly deserve!" He holds his staff up, which has metal in the same shape as the brands on the peace officer's forehead.
Energy streams out and hits everyone in town, man, woman and child, regardless of age. As one they scream.
Then they all draw weapons, or in the case of the children pick up rocks, and begin to move toward the group.
A fierce look crosses Neri's face as the man who suggested they were fleeing (when he was still attempting to talk sense into the peace officer) attacked the children; at least from his perspective that was what happened, and that was enough.
Neri ignored the peace officer and everyone else, making a bee-line for the man. Id's precious dragonhide kept him from being able to simply duck and weave past, but that didn't really matter. Hurting children was the quickest way to anger Neri, and that's exactly what this man had apparently done.
Neri draws Id's Nine-ring sword as he moves for the priest, it flashing out in the instant before he reaches him, striking out against the implement of torture, rather than the man himself in the last instance. He wasn't that kind of person.
Neri's blade hits the staff, and while it doesn't manage to do any damage, massive red sparks flash from the blade, while purple-black sparks flash from the staff. The man's eyes widen at the sight of the sparks. "DEMONS! KILL THEM OR FACE CELISTINE'S WRATH IN THE AFTERLIFE!"
As Neri attacks the staff, the man brings the staff around in an arc designed to take Neri's head off, or at least bash his brains in with the staff head. However, he misses the attack.
Before he'd had a chance to get a diplomatic word in, the villagers were already at odds with them. Great...
Jacob distanced himself from Neri, throwing his rapier to the ground. "Please! We mean you no harm. We are but lost strangers to this land."
Harry will get his bow ready and prepare for a fighting withdrawal.
He will be focused on targets which are trying to attack himself, not those attacking anyone dumb enough to drop their weapon.
Ve are not here to harm people, but if ve are attacked...VE VILL kill zose of ju zat haff no better zense! I DO NOT vant jour blood on my hands!
...again, Kong does cast Mage Armor if possible...unless someone will be attacking him already...in which case he will KILL his attacker.
The police officer grunts in pain as the brand on his head glows blue. He grimly sets his mouth, and advances on Sterling. Others around the town also draw weapons and advance forward.
All of them pulled weapons and then moved into attack position, rather than charging. None of them seem to be eager for a fight, but all of them seem ready to die attempting a fight.
Lumpy ran through the probable results of given scenarios quickly. They could turn and run. It would leave Neri in a situation where he would likely die. A smile creeps across Sterling’s face at the thought of it. However, they would not be able to stop running until they make it to the wall, giving the heretics time to box them in. They would always be outlaws in the area. Sterling did not like the idea.
Second, They could fight. Effectively murdering superstitious folks for Neri’s stupidity. The F#cking moron is going to get us all killed! He sees Jacob drop his weapon, and finishes with. I can see why you and Neri are friends
The last and best option was to try and turn the towns folk. They were here as punishment. It’s likely that if they are freed, they would be willing to come to some sort of truce. The first order of business would be to incapacitate the priest.
He sees the Peace Keeper advance on him. I’m not about to let Neri make me a murderer. He quickly tosses a flash bomb at the lawman.
Trickster Attack
Deadly Throw (Ex)
As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to draw a thrown weapon or alchemical item and make a ranged attack with it. This attack doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. When making a deadly throw, roll twice for the attack, take the higher result, and add your tier to the roll. If the attack misses, the weapon or alchemical item lands adjacent to the target, regardless of the range.
Swift action:
Powder, Flash 50 gp Creatures within the 10-foot-radius burst are blinded for 1 round (Fortitude DC 13 negates)
Edit: added tier to swift attack roll
The man with the staff raises it on high, and it flashes again, and when it does, the symbols on all the villagers flash as well.
Then he steps back and points the staff at Neri. "Feel the weight of age, Demonspawn!" A purple ray shoots from the staff and hits Neri in the chest.
The old woman and the child both pick up rocks and throw them at Neri.
The rocks bounce off his armor.
The peace keeper chokes on the bomb Sterling throws.
Sterling momentarily blinds the Peace Keeper, and calls to the others. Free the slaves. Incapacitate the priest. Make it to the church. It's defensible and will not burn.
Lumpy makes a dash past the officer towards the church. He pauses momentarily to quaff a potion to make him harder to hit.
Move Action: 30'
Standard Action: Shield +4 to AC
The older man with the axe takes a swing at Sterling as he runs past, and the blade scrapes along the heavy duster he wears, not quite biting in.
Harry will summon his hammer and make a break for the church. Once there he will try to hit the priest. Looks like too much to do in one round though given the distance.
Luna stepped up and tried to trip a target nearest to her.
"Neri, No run!"
Seeing the situation disintegrating quickly, Kory runs for the priest, whipping the chain off along the way...I'm no damn demon, jou bastart, but jou haff attacked us, und I vill vight like vun!
Assuming he can attack when he gets there, he does...
...assuming he's still standing, Kong does a Mage Strike...(I'll do the post soon...)...also, if he appears armored, surge...