Luca steps back from the men attacking him and raises an arm, beginning to chant a spell, white runes bursting into existence and forming a ring around his wrist as he points at the leader of the revolting peasants.
The nearest peasant swings at him as he does, the man's callused fist aimed at Luca's face.
Luca however ducks his head and continues his spell, completing it and aiming it at the leader he reaches into the mans mind and pushes, shouting in his stern commanding voice 'Flee this place you worm!'
Elrith snarls as the men close with her. She tosses her bow at the charging man, and draws her longsword from its sheathe.
She turns the act of drawing the sword into a graceful swing which slides neatly beneath his outstretched arms to cut a nasty gash across his belly. Blood fountains onto the cobblestones, but the man is able to put an arm around his wound and stay standing.
Elrith neatly sidesteps his charge, ending up in O4.
Alistair rushes off after Alejandro toward the Pantheon, searching for some high ground. The crowd doesn't slow him down and he makes it to the Pantheon a little before Alejandro. Not finding any easy way to gain a height advantage over the crowd, Alistair decides to just stand on his toes and yell out, hoping the majority of the crowd notices him. He also searches for any priests of Sarenrae he may have met before during his time in the orphanage.
"This is not the time! This is not the time for petty squabbling between your religions! Please, look around you! People are being hurt! They need help! Right now we need to work together to stop the pain and suffering that is occurring all across Korvosa right now! Look around! There is a building on fire over there and men and women are lying injured in the street! This fighting will only bring more grief!" Alistair hopes he can at least convince the followers of Sarenrae that they have more important things to do.
With Alistair's entreating words seeming to gain traction, several of the clerics of Sarenrae break away to head to the Jade Circle. His words don't carry far beyond the section devoted to Sarenrae, as the din of melee and sheer size of the shared temple makes it very difficult to be heard. The actions of the Sarenrae followes ripple through the Pantheon. A few clerics of other good faiths, especially Iomedae and Shelyn, back away from the skirmish. The worst of the violence is mended by healing magic, though a few of the priests's wounds are too severe to heal. The tension in the room is thick; it would only take another small dispute to send the opposing faiths into another holy battle. The followers of the righteous gods gather on the north side, with the unholy worshipers to the south, and the clerics of Abadar (and strangely, Asmodeus) between them.
Andrezi, an older cleric of Sarenrae with the sun-darkened skin of his Osiriani heritage, finds his way to Alistair. The young firebrand is unmasked, easily recognizeable to the man who raised him in the orphanage that the priesthood runs in Old Korvosa. "Excellent and wise words, my son, and delivered at just the right time. Thank you for reminding us of what's important."
As Alejandro and Rica make it in behind Alistair, Mirren rushes up to him when she spots him. The beautiful young acolyte of Iomedae, holding the longsword so treasured by her goddess, bleeds from a slight cut on her lip. Her long, black hair is messy from the fighting, but she is still quite stunning. She lights up when she sees him, then darkens when she sees Rica. "Alejandro, the city's gone mad! It's so good to see that you're safe."
The leader of the mob laughs through the jaw that he is desperately trying to hang on to. He turns and runs south past the Jade Circle, which is still aflame. The blood trailing from his injury leads down his path as he leaves. If he doesn't get immediate healing, preferably magical, the injury will be permanent. Little does he know that it is Lucadeno's magic that is causing him to leave, not his own decision.
The stabbed thug runs off, holding the wound closed. The other one is too foolish to take his lead and tries to seize her. As he grabs her, he leaves himself open to an easy counterattack. His hands are slow and clumsy, while the elven archer is fast and difficult to pin down.
Surrounded by three thugs, Luca dodges and weaves. He is remarkably capable of dodging their blows despite his undextrous, crippled body. Two try to hit him with their fists, only to find that Luca is not there. One gets behind him and tries to hold him down, but can't get hold of him.
Luca ducks and weaves and twirls, grasping his cane he ducks the last assailant and swings hard at the man.
vs. #3
However the man evinces his own dexterity and ducks the attack.
'Ye yeller bastards! Attackin' a cripple on the street, three on one. Cowards!'
Elrith, grimacing as the dirty man attempts to put his hands on her, fends off the grab with the sharp end of her sword.
Attack of Opportunity (Longsword):
--> Damage:
Her blade severs one of the man's hands. She allows the momentum to carry her body in a single 360 degree spin and the blade opens the man's innards like a winter solstice turkey. He drops to the ground and bleeds onto the stones.
Elrith stoops to pick up her bow, then just leaves it. She advances to flank Thug 3 with Lucadeno, aiming for the blood vessels in the back of his knee.
Flanking Longsword attack:
Alas, her blade catches on a cobblestone and misses its mark.
Senjin lays on the cobblestones, "....ughhh....bigger axe....", but does not move.
The leader of the mob leaves the street completely, heading west on the wide avenue towards easier pickings or perhaps to simply try to maintain use of his jaw. The fruits of his malice are left in his wake, with Senjin bleeding on the cobblestone sidewalk and the Jade Circle more than half engulfed in flame. Like an anarchist, he cares naught for the suffering that he has caused.
As one of Elrith's attackers falls to the ground with a severed hand and a nasty disembowelment, the other continues running behind his leader. She is suddenly not surrounded anymore, although Luca the Gull still is.
The three street thugs surrounding Luca are too much to handle without help. The first tries to get him in a bear hug, but dodging that puts him in a perfect position to be seized by the second. He shouts, "I got 'em!" The man's fetid breath and unwashed stink roll over Luca; while the smell will improve his disguise, it is still remarkably unpleasant. The man holds Luca while the next one tries to hit him. Despite the assistance, he still misses with his haymaker punch as Luca pushes backwards with his feet.
Luca pushes back on his feet as he is grabbed dodging the punch he had a premonition off, his uncanny refelxes born of a vague glimmer of the future keeping him safe once again, but his luck is running and he needed to get to Senjin to heal him.
However in his struggles he manages to get caught all the more strongly by the man holding him, premontion helping little when the man already has him in his grasp.
Elrith slips around to flank and target the man grappling Lucadeno.
Flanking Longsword Attack:
Critical Confirm:
Damage:
Her blade slides in smoothly between the thug's lower ribs and stops just short of extending out the front and impaling Luca as well. Luca sees a satisfied glint in her eyes as she pulls the sword out, then surprise as the man doesn't immediately go down.
As Elrith stabs the man in the back, he shouts out and tries to turn Luca around so that the disguised nobleman is between him and Elrith. His wounds are grave, though, and his strength is waning. He still has a good hold on Luca, but fails to position him between himself and the longsword-wielding elf. The other two, seeing that it's no longer three on one, make a hasty retreat. One runs north up towards the gate, while the other follows the leader of the mob south.
Rica raises a brow at the girl who approaches Alejandro, but keeps her mouth shut for the moment. Despite her silence, or perhaps because of it, a small smirk tugs at her lips. "They can probably feel the lack of piety radiating from me. That or she knows of me. Probably both." She crosses her arms and turns her eyes away from the woman to survey the situation.
"Impressive. Seems they -can- come together in a time of crisis. I wonder how the others are doing?" she finally says, her light tone only barely masking her unease.
Luca nods to Elrith gratefully and turns to hobble over to Senjin. She likes her work that one does, a bit too enamored with viscera. I'll stay on her good side. And not let my guard down. He kneels down painfully on the cobbles beside Senjin, his hip screaming with the agony of a days running.
Laying his hands on the Shoanti's chest, he chants another spell, a single circle of runes orbiting his wrist as his palm glows slightly, positive energy summoned directly from Creation's Forge flowing into the wounded man laying before hime.
Senjin awakens on the cobblestones with Luca looming over him. He looks down at his blood soaked shirt, "Huh. Guess I was the slit pig.
He gets uneasily to his feet and retrieves his axe. It is then that he sees the building in flames.
Elrith stands over the rioter, who lays on the ground with a grave injury. He looks at her and holds up his dirty hands. "Please, I beg for mercy!" The Jade Circle is nearly fully engulfed in flames in front of them, but the nobles inside have not yet made it out.
Senjin pulls his larger axe off his back from underneath his cloak. "Can we cut them out?"
He tries to yell over the flames.
Elrith calmly lowers her blade, letting the point rest on the man's chest. "Mercy?" she asks icily. "What mercy are you showing to those boys and girls inside there? Things needs the change in this city, no question, but do you really want to turn this city into one where we burn children?" She presses harder down on the point of her sword, just enough to pierce skin.
"Yet you want mercy. Your mercy is going to cost you, probably cost you enough that you'd rather I just push this sword through. No? Well, here's what your mercy will cost. You will give me your name - your real name - and tell me how to get in touch with you, should I ever wish to. You will meet me in the alleyway across from the Trapper's Hole every Oathday at sunrise in case I have work for you to do or information I need you to get me. I may or may not be there, but you will come back every week regardless. You will of course tell nobody what you do there or with whom you meet. If I find that you have broken any of these conditions, in any way, I will hunt you down, and the next time, it won't be a single sword thrust in the back, at least, not at first. And if you even think for a moment that I wouldn't be able to find you, I'm an elf. I have a lot of patience. Even if you're dangling your grandkids on your knee, I will find you."
Luca follows Senjin, and seeing the dire state of the fire looks around to find any group of people he can.
Running up as fast as he can go, he shouts 'Quickly get buckets! We need to put out those flames! They'll spread and e'eryone'll suffer for it! Form lines!'
Several clerics from the Pantheon of Many arrive at the Jade Circle, immediately getting to work to try to save the people inside. A bearded man in the simple clothes of a cleric of Gozreh lifts his arms and shouts a prayer to his god. Within moments, rain comes pouring out of the sky. With a flash of thunder, the cleric points at the burning building. The fire is slowed by the rain, though far from out. A pair of clerics of Sarenrae, looking as if they are directly from Katapesh, hold their scimitars out to the flames licking from the side of the building. The swords grow hot, but do not burn their hands. The fire transfers from the building to the swords. The rest of the clerics and acolytes, regardless of their affiliation, start to conjure water atop the burning structure. The fire is slowed, but not stopped.
From inside, someone shouts for help. "There's a window, but we can't get to it!" Sure enough, there is a window large enough for a man to crawl through on the far side of the building.
Over on the street, the man looks to the clerics for help. As they are all busy with the fire, none come to his aid. "I am Cubierto, my lady. I live in Old Korvosa. I'm sorry. I got carried away!"
Alistair is humbled by Andrezi's acknowledgements of his words, but he is too worried about the fire now to stay and chat. "Thank you, Father. Please, see if you can find more help to stop the fire at the Jade Circle. I promise I will come find you after things die down a little." Almost as an afterthought, Alistair adds. "I have important news, Father. I think I have finally found a way to make a difference."
And with that, Alistair heads off to the Jade Circle, seeking out his companions. He finds The Arrow with her sword pointed at a man lying in the streets and Luca the Gull helping Senjin to his feet. He runs over to the beggar and Shoanti. "I've managed to stop the immediate fighting over at the Jade Circle, but I'm afraid they may start up again if things are left unchecked. This fire seems to be a more pressing matter, however. Is anyone still trapped inside?"
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"It is a pleasure to see you again Mirren, though the circumstances could be better. Come, gather your supporters if you can. There is a fire to be attended to and there is no time for the Temples to be lost in petty squabbles!" He smiles down at the young woman, bowing over her hand and kissing it softly. "The cut is quite fetching I must add!" He laughed softly, before turning, and heading back towards the Jade Circle.
He looks over the building with a critical eye, frowning softly. "We need to get them out of there. That window... Does anyone have rope?" He looks around, pursing his lips softly. "Anyone?" Tapping his lips softly, he strips out of his coat and shield, before handing them towards one of the Clerics standing near. "I am sorry Father, could you hold this?" Smiling at the Cleric, he moves over to Senjin.
"Csn you give me a boost up to the window? If i can get in I can lift a few people out, I think. If not... I may be able to get through the door from inside..."
"I'll go with you, Alejandro. Better for you to have someone who can help." Alistair takes off his cloak and weapons, putting them on the ground near Senjin. "Watch these for me, eh?"
Alistair scrambles up the wall, using the lacquered carvings to pull himself up. However, about halfway up to the window, he is stymied by a difficult-to-reach carving. Looking around, he seeks another way to the window.
"Alejandro, I've run up against a bit of a snag. Give a push would you?" Alistair is able grab hold of the window ledge with the help of Alejandro's push and he pulls himself in. Turning around, he offers his hand to help pull Alejandro up.
Alistair then turns back into the room, looking intently at the fire while whispering a prayer to Milani. Virtuous and Wise Milani, The Everbloom, give me the strength to pass through Flame. May you always be victorious, as the fight for justice and freedom never ceases. When the quick prayer is completed, the heat from the flames appear to lessen for Alistair. His first goal is to assess the situation, looking for a way through the flames.
"Good. You two go in through the window, the others can help there. If its too tight give a holler, the Eel is pretty good at getting through tight spaces. Meanwhile, I will work on the door.....Stand back"
Senjin hefts his long-handled axe and will try to chop through.
Senjin rears up and smashes his axe in the door. It is a very solid oaken door, complete with inlaid lacquered figures, but it splinters under the force of the axe. It will take a few more hits like that, but it will soon crash down if he keeps up the strikes. With another strike of that magnitude, he may bring it down with the next hit.
Inside the Jade Circle, Alejandro and Alistair plunge down into a smoky, hazy room. Flames lick out from the ceiling above. The heat is overwhelming, as is the suffocating effect of the smoke. The pair both hold their breath to avoid breathing in the smoke. Half a dozen chairs and table are pushed up against the door. They can hear Senjin battering his way in behind, and see the glint of his axe for a moment as it pierces the door. Deep in the room, a weak voice cries out for help. "Is someone there? Help us!"
As they make their way into the fiery room, they go barely a few steps in before part of the balcony collapses on top of them. Alistair barely makes it out of the way, but Alejandro is hit by a burning piece of collapsing wood. It scorches him badly and knocks him nearly to his feet, but he stays committed to the rescue. Alistair is protected from harm by a faint aura that causes the few licks of flame that strike his skin to dissipate harmlessly.
It takes Rica a bit longer to reach the Jade Circle, and she arrives just as Alejandro and Alistair enter the building. She curses under her breath and makes her way up to the front door, stopping just behind Senjin. She takes a few steps to the right, tucks her cane under one arm, and begins to make gestures in the air with her hands.
She then opens her mouth to say something, but then closes it and lowers her hands. She takes a second to think, before pulling a piece of leather from a pouch at her side. She then begins to gesture with it.
"You," she says to Senjin. "You might need this. Unseen forces of this plane, I command you to grant my ally protection. Let him not be cut with teeth, nor hit with wood, nor pierced with steel. Grant him armor."
She then attempts to touch his back, forcefully if she has too.
Senjin hears Rica behind him, "What's that?" and is surprised by a light touch on his back. Rica feels the resistance of some form of armor under his cloak and tunic, that does not quite mesh with the large amount of blood on the front of his clothes.
Seeing a shimmer cover him, he assumes it was some form of a helpful blessing. "Thanks for that! Now step back, I don't want to hit you. One more swing and I should be through." She did touch me right? What was that shimmer? Well she says she is some kind of mage...must be magic......but she touched me right?"
Empowered by Rica's touch Senjin swings again at the door.
Senjin's axe pierces the door easily, bringing it down in two pieces. However, there are a number of tables and chairs acting as a makeshift barricade. Pulling them out by hand will take a few moments, moments that they might not have.
Elrith follows the man's gaze to the clerics. Seeing that he seems to be seeking aid against her, her brow furls and her mouth curls into a snarl.
"You don't seem to be understanding your situation, Cubierto," she hisses, twisting the blade painfully against his chest.
Intimidate:
"You aren't getting help. The only thing stopping this blade from filleting your heart is your oath of service and allegiance. You are mine or Pharasma's. That's your choice right now."
"We're coming. Hang in there!" Alistair helps Alejandro regain his composure. "You okay, pal? We need to hurry." Keeping his head low to the ground to avoid as much smoke as he can, Alistair presses forward in an attempt to reach the voice calling out for help. He also scans the room, looking for any signs of another collapse.. "How many of you are there? Stay low to the ground!"
The man that Elrith has at her mercy takes a glance at his one-handed fallen comrade up the street and makes his choice. "Anything you want, anything you say! Anything!"
He would say anything to get away right now, with no intention of following through. You could get him to say that he is going to march up to Castle Korvosa and kill the Queen, if you wanted, but he wouldn't actually do it. Whether he'll actually follow up with Elrith would have to remain to be seen.
Sense Motive:
Elrith considers the man for a moment, then nods. She removes the sword blade from his chest, wipes it clean on his own clothes, and sheathes it. She then walks over and retrieves her bow.
"Get out of here, now," she says to the man. "I'll see you on Oathday, or I'll see you dead."
"Luca, do you think you can shove the pile inward if it is tottering after I crash into it."
Senjin drops his axe and lets Luca hobble close to the busted open door before taking a running charge at the pile of furniture.
But just as he connects with the pile, a chair leg pokes him in the gut, sending extreme pain through his wound. It takes the wind out of his charge and the pile does not move.
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Alejandro shakes himself off, groaning softly, before straightening. "I'm okay. Just a tad burned!" He grins wildly, before nodding his head at Alastair. "Okay. You gather the younglings, I'll try the door!"
"Don't worry. We'll get you out of here!" He calls, striding towards the door, keeping his eyes shaded from the smoke.
He reaches the barricade and frowns, chewing his lip in thought. Hearing the door smash open beyond, he grits his teeth, before taking a few steps back. "WERE GOING OUT THE FRONT!" he yells, before setting himself, and charging at the barrier of tables and chairs.
Setting his shoulder, he slams himself in to the large stacked barrier, feeling the bite of the wood and a sharp ache, before feeling it give in a crash of falling, splintering wood. He breaks free to the outside and stands there, sucking in fresh air, before grinning at Senjin.
"Thanks for getting the door!"
He turns, steels himself once more, and plunges back in to the building, to aid the escape.
As Alejandro bursts through the door, Mirren rushes up to him. Her face is an apparent mix of concern and admiration, clearly noticing Alejandro's heroics. She places a hand on his chest and whispers a word to Iomedae, causing his wounds to mend with a gentle light. She gives him a very fast kiss, almost out of instinct rather than a planned choice. "Go, they need you!" A faint smile sits on her lips as she turns to help the others.
Inside the room, Alistair can hear the coughing and hacking of the teenagers and young adults inside. He holds back the desire to breath in, knowing that it will simply cause him to inhale the deadly smoke. He feels his way to the voices and coughing, finding a half-dozen people huddled together. Only two are still conscious, and they don't seem to have much strength left.
Luca rushes up to Senjin, moving as fast as his mangled leg will carry him, feeling woefully inadequate in face of the blaze. Who would have thought I'd have more efficacy in the melee. This day is madness, I pray the Hellknights are returning order in the city. Hopefully people will flee, any whom resist will be annihilated. Not that some don't deserve it. Luca winces as he thinks of the leader of the mob he'd fought.
Just as he reaches Senjin, seeing the man in pain he turns to see the barricade tumble away, revealing Alejandro, a young cleric runs up to heal him and he turns on his heel and heads into the smoke and flames. Very gallant, but then Alejandro has all the requisite talents for heroism. Me not so much, I'm too slow, I'd just get in the way. How else can I help?
'I'll heal any you get to the door,' he says, turning to Senjin. 'But I'm too slow to be of use in there! Go on, I'll try and get more bodies to help.'
Three trips in, three trips out, and Alistair and Alejandro drag out the unconscious patrons from the Jade Circle. The clerics rush to help them, working healing magics over the survivors as they pull them out. One is too badly burned to save, but the rest are saved by the clerics of various faiths. After they pull the last from the first floor, the efforts of the clerics to slow the flames wanes. Moments after they exit from the third trip, the entire building is engulfed in flame and soon collapses in on itself. Someone finds a cloth for the body of the young man, covering it from the onlookers who have gathered at the scene. The holy men and women, for the most part, mill about to help however they can. The city is still in utter chaos, screams and shouts and explosions from the north. The Hellknights will secure the city from chaos, but they will do it thoroughly and slowly. As many as will suffer from their brand of unrest suppression, many more will suffer in the mad violence before they arrive.
Senjin will retrieve his axe and then sit beside the recovering victims to see if the healers drawn there could spare him a little healing.
Alistair, exhausted and coughing from the smoke he's inhaled, sits next to Senjin. "Are you injured? Perhaps I can help." Milani, bring this man comfort and healing, for the fight lives on in him still. May you be ever victorious. Alistair lays his hand over Senjin's wound and a faint light, the color of red roses, shines from it. Senjin's wounds close up, though the blood remains.
Senjin lifts up his chain hauberk and just sees an ugly bruise covered in blood where earlier there had been a ugly stab to his gut.
"Thank you for that, and you too Luca. It is good that we have men such as you with us."
He gets up and stretches, but beside the tenderness of the bruise he felt fine. "That is simply incredible," he says in quiet awe.
Rica, for her part, stands around and waits for Senjin to enter the building. "That was the plan, wasn't it?" she thinks, having arrived late. "Go on, I wasted a spell on you!" When it becomes clear that he was only opening the door, she frowns and takes her cane out from under her arm so that she can lean on it and look disgruntled.
She does this during the entire rescue, waiting silently for an opportunity to be useful. Once the patrons are rescued and the building destroyed, she sighs, shifts her weight off of her cane, and turns her head to better hear the chaos up north.
"So, it's not as quiet here as we thought it would be. What's the plan now?"
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Alejandro takes a deep cleansing breath, before moving over to his armor and donning it once more. When encased in the familiar metal shell, he feels a little better. Smiling softly, he moves over to the Cleric holding his things, and takes them back with a gracious nod.
"Well... Lets get the survivors up to the Temple and settle them in for the nigt. We can not get them home now so we may as well stay and offer ourselves as a bit of extra muscle, hey?" Alejandro pats the Gull on the shoulder before moving over to offer first Senjin, then Alastair, his hand.
"Senjin, you opened that door for us, we would be dead without your help. Alastair, you stood shoulder to shoulder with me in that building. For this, I thank you both!" He smiles, pulling Alastair to his feet as he shakes the mans hand. Turning, he meets Ricas eyes.
"M'Lady I believe you aided our friend in opening the door. I owe you for that!" He smiles and bows, before looking to Elrith.
"Mistress Arrow, I hear you got yourself some blood tonight in the fight. Kudos. It is good to have you here!" Alejandro purposely leaves Luca to last, wanting to enforce the idea that they are but passing acquaintances.
"Master Gull, I believe your Magics were a grand help during the trouble. You have my respect!"