Leora curses, realizing that everyone around her is injured, including Kiri. Heedless of the crowd, the thug threatening her, and Davina's suggestion to flee, she lumbers back to her friend's side. Her ears still ring from the gunshot. "Sorry Kiri! Get behind me!" She moves between Kiri and the Dottari and draws her sword.
Kiri heard Leora tell her to step aside and did so, moving away to get a bit of clear space and then waited for her friend to move just after she saw one of the thugs take a shot from some loud weapon and drop unconscious and took the chance to step away. She waited until Leora moved in to shield her and directed a blast at the thug next to the downed woman.
Lydia attempts to stand up, and, assuming that she does not get instantly smacked down again, attempts to use Power Word: Spark on the brute next to her.
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Kiri takes aim at the man already wounded by Lucius, and the blast of air slams into him, knocking him off his feet and into unconsciousness.
After Kiri blasts her attacker, Lydia stands up and fires a jolt of lightning at the one remaining CCG thug.
Leora moves in to protect the wounded Kiri from the dottari guard, who swings his mace at her, delivering a heavy smash to her right shoulder.
Sabrina steps over, helping Jessibel with her task. She pulls the manacles out of the thug's belt, and slices the loops of his belt pouch with her blade, taking both with her. "We should get going, I'm sure Nox will be back any moment..." she says worriedly. "I don't know about you, darling, but I don't think my father's name will stay her hand."
Jessibel
Lucius
Domitius
Davina
CCG Thug
Kiri
Lydia
Leora
Dottari
Davina nods to politely to the man who stepped up beside her and attempted to hit the Chelix Citizen's Group thug standing next to her. If he's attacking the thug he must be on the citizen's side of this fight. She thinks she might have seen him standing next to Jessibel, but isn't sure if he's with her, Sabrina or was just standing near them when the riot broke out.
She swings her rapier at the thug, in an attempt to actually hit him this time, and takes a step back. She wants to be out of reach and prepared to leave the park with her friends when the opportunity presents itself.
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Jessibel nods at Sabrina, and dodges through the crowd to help Domitius. She shifts the mace she took from the thug to her hand, and taunts the thug facing the big bodyguard to distract him. "Hey, ugly! Yeah you! Why don't you go back to licking a dog's backside like you must have been before coming here, judging from your face?"
Domitius grins fiercely as Miss Jessibel taunts the thug. She's got guts, if nothing else. Let's see if I can keep them from getting spilled all over the park. With his foe's attention diverted, Domitius shifts his footing, and attempts to blindside him.
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Jessibel and Domitius strike almost simultaneously, their blows knocking their foe to the ground.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Kirri saw a chance, their enemies were falling and a chance to flee was here. Sadly she couldn't just leave Leora to fight alone after protecting her, sadly the blast flew wide. Still she began to move away towards the nearest path to freedom.
[Ooc]I'll move myself when I get home.
"As fun as this has been, who's up for leaving now?"
Lydia turns to Davina and her new allies. "Seems there is an opening for us to leave. Thank you for saving me; if you wish, you are welcome to follow me to the temple of Shelyn and seek asylum there. We can formally introduce ourselves and decide on our next plan of action... I don't think cooperating with Thrune is a valid choice anymore."
"Well, this has certainly become a fine mess." She wipes some blood off of her face where the spiked mace had struck her; the wounds were healed but there was not much she could do about the stains. The elder priests would not be happy to see she had nearly been killed, that was certain.
Leora shouts in surprise and pain as the Dottari's mace smashes into her shoulder. "Good idea, let's get out of here! I can patch us up when we're somewhere safe." Not eager to take another hit, but still wanting to get away, Leora backs away cautiously in the direction her friends and allies are heading. She's glad they'll have somewhere safe to go and is intrigued to hear more about their plans to bring down Thrune.
Lucius reloads his weapon with another alchemical cartridge. "I'm up for running right now." Seeing the opening on the east side of the crowd Lucius motions in that direction. "Let's not tarry here folks. There's an opening to the east and we should take it now." Moving foward Lucius tries to avoid any more members of the crowd.
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Lydia calls out a word of power, and the dottari's muscles cramp and twitch with pain.
At that moment, the doors to the Opera House burst open before a bounding creature of flame and snarling fury. The beast resembles a thin, lanky wolf with reddish-brown fur, white claws, and burning, fiery red eyes. It roars a challenge to the crowd, then spouts out a burning cone of fire from its mouth, sweeping it across those unfortunate enough to be nearby.
If that wasn't enough, Nox, flanked by another half dozen guards, follow it out of the Opera House.
One person collapses from their injuries, while others run away, frantically beating at their flaming clothing.
Davina searches her knowledge of both planes and local events.
I'm glad I grew up in a house with a large library and lots of visiting academics. She speaks loud enough for her new allies to hear, but hopefully not loudly enough to cause a panic in the people still in the area. "Ladies and gentlemen. That creature is a hell hound. We'd better get a move on before it turns it's attention to us. I've heard Nox keeps one as a pet."
Taking the suggestion of the young man with the gun she moves to the east as fast as she can through the panicking crowd. "Lydia I like your suggestion. Let's all head to the temple. We can get healing there."
Domitius does a bit of a double-take at the sight of the fearsome creature. Okay, as awesome as it would be to fight something like that, now really isn't the time.
"Show's over, girls, and there won't be a curtain call. You heard the nice lady, we're on the move to the temple."
"Let's go, quickly!" With that Kiri quickly fled the scene.
Jessibel looks back fearfully at the raging hellhound before hurrying after the unusual group of fellow protestors/survivors.
"I don't think I'll be taking that beast home and asking Mother if I can keep it," she whispers loudly to Sabrina. "In fact, I wish Nox would keep it...chained!"
"Good idea, let's get out of here before things get any worse. That's all I need to learn about hell hounds today. "
Leora grimaces from the pain in her shoulder.
She follows the rest of the group, glad they've offered somewhere to stay for the moment. She'd rather not return to her apartment looking like this and potentially let someone learn more about her or her benefactor.
Jessibel scampers through the group of fleeing protesters until she can reach out and grab the arm of the young woman who she's been referring to as Blondie Elf-Eyes.
"Listen--can you really offer asylum to anyone at this point? Kintargo's become an asylum! Are you certain that fleeing to the temple won't just bring down the wrath of Thrune on Shelyn's faithful? Perhaps it would be safer to flee elsewhere for a time."
Lucius follows the group unwilling to try his luck with whatever a hellhound even was. Before leaving he does tip his hat towards the dottari guarding his fallen friend understanding that sentiment.
"I doubt anywhere in Kintargo will be truly safe right now; my friends in the priesthood have already run ahead and should be preparing for the worst. As far as places that are defensible and are not firmly in Thrune's control there are not many better options."
Besides, Lydia thinks privately, I have already created a connection between Shelyn and the resistance. I can't just not be there when Thrune descends on the priests. This is my responsibility and so I will take responsibility for it.
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The group of eight people move together away from Aria Park, escaping the notice of the dottari bringing down the remainder of the riot.
The Songbird Hall is indeed not far away from Aria Park. However, getting there may be tricky. Throngs of citizens clog the streets, and groups of dottari and militia thugs can be seen patrolling along the major throughfares. In addition, many of you are still wounded. Numerous small alleys offer a possible escape from the crowds, patrols, and notice to possibly allow healing to occur.
"Are we really going to go with these people?" Jessibel whispers to Sabrina and Domitius after dropping back to them. "Blondie Elf-Eyes promises shelter and healing, but she also seems ready to hole up in the Shelynite temple and try to fight off House Thrune when they come a-knocking. I don't think that's a good...."
"Oh--hi there!" Jessi gushes suddenly, scooting over to the side of another refugee. "You're Kelyana Eradon's mother, aren't you? How's she doing? And how'd you get into this mess?"
"Are we really going to go with these people?" Jessibel whispers to Sabrina and Domitius after dropping back to them...
Domitius furrows his brow as he moves through the streets. "I dunno, Miss Jessibel. We could at least get there, stop, figure out our next mo -" Aaaand she's gone, Domitius has to smile as Jessibel doesn't even wait for his reply before moving on to the next thing that enters her mind.
"It can't hurt to at least get there, take a second, and catch our breath," Dom turns and says to Miss Sabrina. "Not like we have to hole up there and take a stand..."
"Sounds good!" Jessibel calls back to Dom even before Ms. Eradon can reply to her many questions. "There's strength in numbers, after all."
"Hello Jessibel. Yes I'm Kelyana's mother. Thank you for remembering us. She's doing well. Her wizard studies are coming along. She misses the dance classes you attended, and home though." She smiles at Jessibel, and nods to Sabrina and the man she realizes is a guard for the two young ladies.
"How did I get into this mess? I was hoping to meet someone who could help me with research for my latest story. I should have known that the whole thing would turn into a riot. What are you two ladies doing out and about this early in the morning? She gives the younger girls a concerned look. "Your family will be worried."
As she continues to walk along with the others, she smiles and introduces herself to the three people she doesn't know yet, the woman in the cloak, the man with the gun, and the guard. Hello my name is Davina Eradon. Thank you all for your help. It made leaving the riot relatively unscathed possible.
Jessibel gives a moment's thought on how she might reply to Davina's question but then her tongue takes over.
"Oh, just broadening my horizons by experiencing something different, making a little money, and testing the boundary of satire versus subversion. I'd never been to a protest before. Nor a riot. I think I like the former better. But a couple of family servants knew I'd be here, and they'll tell Mother eventually should she grow worried."
Having reached a place of relative safety and being questioned about her identity Kiri turned her head to loo at Leora a moment before deciding to respond. She kept her hood up but turned her focus to Davina while again moving her whole head to do so, much like an owl would. Her voice is rough a breathy with a slightly melodious undertone, "Kiri." She didn't seem liek she would say anything more but then continued after a moment, "I didn't do it to help you, I did it to help myself and her," she twitched her head in Leora's direction.
"Regardless of who you intended to help, you did help us, and for that we are very grateful." Lydia smiles warmly and sincerely at the Strix; she had never met one personally before but has dealt with enough tieflings to not be taken aback by unusual features.
"My name is Lydia. I'm afraid that, despite being a priestess, I am not a cleric, so I will not be able to treat your wounds myself; once we get to the temple there will be plenty of people with the requisite cure spells."
"Oh--I didn't realize so many of us are injured!" Jessibel intercedes suddenly. "I can cast a couple of cure light wounds spellsongs, but once I do, that's about all I'll be able to contribute."
Again she scoots away from the protection of the half-orc to Lydia's side. "I can do other minor magics that might be helpful, though...."
"Presto-Cleano!" she sings merrily, barely brushing Lydia's cheek with a fingertip. The blood from the half-elf's terrible wound vanishes! Jessi again sings the minor spell and with a wave of her hand cleans away the blood from Lydia's robes as well.
"I can make us look more presentable and less like we're a bunch of violent protestors fresh off the whooping of a bunch of mindless Thrune-Goons!"
"What kind of magic was that?" Kiri was curious about this, she didn't think Jessibel was a cleric, but she couldn't be sure. "what healing you have would best be used on those worst injured. I could certainly use the help, that mace hurt."
"I'm a bard--classically trained, though I also took some lessons at Songbird Hall about a year back," Jessibel tells the unusual winged member of their little group.
Jessibel examines Kiri's wounds as they go, looking for the area with the most damage.
"Now understand--I'm a novice at this, so I may not be able to heal you fully, but I'll give it my best try...."
"Music's weal--hear and heal!"
Jessi follows up the healing spell with a presto-cleano-digitation spellsong to clean up Kiri as well.
The bard then turns to the nearby woman in scale mail .
"You're a healer of sorts, too, aren't you? I saw you perhaps save Lydia's life when that goon belted her in the face with his mace. I must admit, though, your technique mystified me."
Lucius looks around at his fellow travelers keeping quiet while forming his own opinions of them. The majority of them seemed to cast magic of some sort which unnerved him. But it never paid to make spellcasters angry so Lucius inclines his head in greeting to them. "Lucius."
"Ah, so you're the one who brought me back from the brink of death." She turns to the woman noted by Jessibel. "I must thank you especially for that-when I heard a crunch I was certain I was to die today."
Davina bows very respectfully to Kiri. "Regardless of why you helped, you did when you didn't have to. Thank you.
I seem to know most people here. She waves from Lydia to Leora Lydia meet Leora. She's a fine alchemist. We've had many discussions about rare ingredients, and alchemical methods. Leora meet Lydia priestess.
She then waves toward Jessibel and Sabrina. Jessibel and Sabrina acquaintances of my daughter. She deliberately does not use their surnames.
Lucius it's nice to meet you She glances quickly but longingly at his gun. I'd love to examine that weapon up close. I would be rude to ask so I won't.
"I'm Leora. I'm glad to meet all of you. And to find out that I'm not the only one in Kintargo who isn't happy with the way things are." She follows Davina's lead and doesn't mention her surname.
"You're welcome" she says, smiling at Lydia, but grows more serious when Jessibel asks about her healing techniques. "I'm an alchemist, those were healing potions" Leora lies, nodding along with Davina's explanation. "That's how we met. We've traded recipes, and she's somehow managed to teach me a bit of chemistry."
Well... It's best to get the truth out now. But I don't have to beat Jessibel over the head with it.
With a meaningful look at the bard, Leora continues. "I'll be the first to raise a toast to Shelyn's faithful. It is good to know they've got the courage to stand up against Thrune even after those who follow the Sun, the Rose, or the Wasp have been driven underground."
Leora is implying I know firsthand what it's like to be part of an outlawed religion, like the worshipers of Sarenrae, Milani and Calistria.
Leora marvels at Lucius's musket as they walk, having never seen - or heard- one before he'd shot it at the Thrune goons.
"Does anyone know a back way to Songbird Hall from here?" Leora asks. "It might be better to take a more... scenic route."
As they stop for a moment to determine which route to take, Leora shakes something in her flask and then opens the stopper. A strong scent of lavender wafts through the air, its smell soothing the wounds of everyone nearby.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Leora. I have no talent for alchemy myself; though arcane in nature my abilities were gifted to me by Shelyn's graces, and I know no more about magic than what she sees fit to bestow upon me.
I assure you that Shelyn's faithful chafe under Thrune's rule as much as any of the banned faiths; if Thrune thought he could get away with it he likely would have already banned us, though considering recent events it is likely he will take that next step. He seems insane enough to turn more than half the city against him now. I am fully confident it will cost him." Lydia has already convinced herself that the time for revolution is now; she sounds perhaps a touch too excited about the proposition, the naivety of untested youth spurring her on.
Lucius isn't sure what Leora is. He's sure she isn't an alchemist for sure, but she still had some healing ability. Not sure what to classify her as Lucius just once again assumes some sort of spellcaster and leaves it at that. If Leora didn't want to say what kind of spellcaster then that was her choice. Probably wouldn't even recognize what she is even if she told me. Seeing her interest in his gun however changes his attitude slightly. He pulls his musket around and lightly smacks it on the side while holding it pointing down. Grabbing the alchemical cartridge as it fell out Lucius stowed it away in his back pouch. He then held his musket in front of him while polishing the barrel. "She may not look like much, but she packs a large punch. She's also seen better days, but she's seen worse as well and carried me through those days just fine."
Davina realizes that Leora is not an alchemist. No wonder she wasn't interested in chasing down that special alchemical tome last year. She doesn't need it.
She asks Lydia "Do you know a back way to the temple? I agree with Leora it might be better to take a less busy route. We should try to avoid notice. I hope that there were so many people fighting at the protest we aren't very high on the list to find.