Round 5
Reinvigorated, Marillo moves back 10 feet and turns to face Lurio. "Leave them!" he calls out, while he holds his dagger to the side, ready to strike with it if the guards decide to chase. With him stood Crady, a Tengu archer, and the fox that had so mysteriously saved his life: Emboldened by the presence of these unlikely allies, he felt his courage swell even in the face of quickly approaching death or incarceration.
Pakuzzo looks back to see that his animal companion has ignored him in favor of satisfying his hunger for eyes. The tengu is already seeing red over the guards firing into the crowd, and is in no mood for this.
"Vinz! HEEL! "
While the raven makes his way towards him by air, the hunter steps over by the tree where Luthor had escaped, sights down his bow at the guard Lurio had wounded, and fired an arrow at him.
"You three!" He barks at Lurio, Marillo, and Crady. "The fox seems to think that your necks are worth saving, so I'm taking a chance on you. We're not winning this one anytime today, so cut your losses and let's scarper!"
Hearing Pakuzzo yelling at him this time around, Vinz tosses the remaining eyeball into the air with his beak and swallows it in one gulp before taking to the skies after the tengu.
Cerenity double times it out of the deathtrap, she could regroup and figure out what to do next when she has tome to think. This was just too chaotic to even try to formulate a plan
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Pakuzzo manages to get the ravens attention as he fires another arrow. This one landing solid just above the wound Lurio made and the guard drops face first lack a sack of potatoes.
Cerenity continues his strategic retreat. Marillo steps back a few more paces and turns to check on his friends welfare.
The remaining chelish thug makes it out of the square and out of sight.
Order:
Nox and Pet
Pakuzzo
Cerenity
Marillo
5 Chelish Citizen Thugs - 3 (dead), 2 (gone)
Lurio
Crady
2 Dottary Guards - 1
Luthor
Green/Purple Lined Dottari
"I'd expect you to be more than a slavering dog, willingly beating your fellow citizens. Can you not see what they're pushing us to? What the Lord-Mayor instigated? You're killing us because he says to!" Lurio's chastisement is ended as an arrow finds its way into the man's chest and he drops immediately and without grace. The noble's eyes switch to the other man, his face pulling back in a look of disgust and disappointment. "Follow your houndmaster, take these innocent people and bring them to their death at a dog's maw! Look back at the dead and see if they think it was right!" He almost threatens to strike, using the soldier's instinctive movement to pull back and through the trampled forms around him.
He gives a nod of thanks to Pakuzzo, waving for the others to follow him through the crowds. As if the protestors remember, they part as he enters into the crowd and shouts. "Run! House Thrune wants our heads! Get home, get out of here!"
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Marillo, relieved to see his friend finally run, turns and follows him. As he does so he glances over at Pakuzzo. "The fox seems to think that your necks are worth saving, so I'm taking a chance on you." Who was he? And what was the fox? Acting on instinct he called out "Let's go!" as he waved for them to follow. He hoped they would listen, as he had questions that he wanted answered, and this really wasn't the place to ask them.
Enraged, the standing dottari moves to chase down the group. Just as he takes his first step, Nox shouts out over the crowd. "Let them than can leave. Capture those that dally. They will spread the word so others know not to oppose Thrune's rightful rule!" With a quick whislte from the strange woman, the beast returns to her at the steps of the opera.
Visibly sagging at this news, he stops. Kneeling to aid his downed companion he yells over his shoulder "We'll meet again! Next time I won't be so lenient!"
After running around the pond, you continue for several more blocks to ensure you aren't being followed. Encountering fewer and fewer frightened citizens as you go, you find yourselves in a deserted street. The shops seem to all be closed in this section of town, presumably so they could attend the protest.
Luthor sneaks around the edge of the tree trunk, peering out from underneath its branches and for the second time today fighting down the urge to start telekinetically hurling bricks at people. As the people around him continue to exit, he keeps careful watch of the two dottari armed with longbows. The two who had come after the citizens had been neutralized, and he didn't really think stopping the two administering first aid was a great idea. Once satisfied that no more arrows will be shot into the receding crowd, he slinks under the trees and darts off to the east in search of a place where he can privately undo his transformation.
Marillo gladly flees, running as if though his life depended on it.
Lurio rushes away from the scene of the protest, escaping with the throngs of people just to ensure that they were not being followed. His heart was pounding in his chest as the realizations began to creep into his mind, his thoughts arriving in a rhythm reminiscent of the pounding lump just above his temple.
"We struck at House Thrune. I tried to kill those men, some of those men died! We're killers! No, no, we're not murderers despite what they say. They antagonized the crowd, they were the ones who sent men out to beat and harm the innocent! We were defending Kintargo. We were protecting it. I can't let the fear and worry gnaw at me, I have to keep a clear head!"
Passing through the streets, Lurio, Marillo, Crady, and Pakuzzo end up on one of the streets where all the shops are closed and not a single person stirs. It had been like this everywhere, appearing as though most of the city had left to join the protest. "How many died under that monster's command? How many have been taken captive? It isn't right!"
Lurio finally stops running, his hands reaching up above and around the back of his head as he tries to catch his breath. Certain that they were no longer being followed, he looked between the others carefully.
There was his friend Marillo, a friend who had likely saved his life back there and nearly sacrificed his own for him. He had tagged along, not even wanting to come to such a place, and it almost cost him his life! Lurio was embarrassed, unable to look his friend in the eye for too long out of shame.
The other two were unexpected allies; the Bum Sage of Kintargo and a tengu that he had never seen before. Yet it was Crady's touch that soothed the pain of his head and it was Pakuzzo's arrow that brought down the sneering man he was engaged in combat with.
Taking a cloth from his side, he wipes the falchion clean of blood before nodding at the others.
"Thank you, all of you. I didn't think I was going to get out of there with both my life and my freedom." He moves to Marillo first, an arm reaching out and gripping the man firmly but not too roughly by the shoulder. "Are you alright, Marillo? I heard those hits connect. I am surprised you could even run..."
The noble's voice is much softer, calmer now that they were no longer at the protest, his eyes turning towards the other two.
"Crady! I knew you to be a good guide but I did not know you could cast magic. Thank you for your aid, it helped clear my vision." Lurio's attention then turns towards Pakuzzo and he releases his friend to over a firm handshake to the tengu. "You were there at the beginning of the protest and helped save my life. I am Lurio Jhaltero. I wish we had met under...better pretenses."
He looks around for a moment, frowning for moment before meeting the hunter's gaze.
"Where is your fox? I saw it upon the battlefield beside me. And has anyone seen that strange woman with those weird...firearms, I think they're called?"
He interacted little with her during the mess but she was there with them as well. Every crack and kaboom was from her weapons as she tried to take down one of the thugs.
"I think we'll be safe...for the moment at least..."
Marillo put his hand on Lurio's shoulder as he caught his breath. His friend was making the rounds, doing what came naturally to him. When he asked about his health, Marillo nodded reassuringly. He was alright, and it confused him. Because logically he should have been lying in the street coughing up blood.
When Lurio asked "Where is your fox? I saw it upon the battlefield beside me. And has anyone seen that strange woman with those weird...firearms, I think they're called?" Marillo spoke up.
"Aye. I was dying back there and that fox saved me. It saved me after *you* spoke to it. So don't take me for being ungrateful. I truly am. But *who* are you and *what* is that fox really?"
A Tengu archer. Some kind of...magical or divine fox creature. A beggar who could cast spells. And a four armed tiefling with 'firearms' (as Lurio called them). His day had taken a turn for the strange, and he wanted answers.
"Crady! I knew you to be a good guide but I did not know you could cast magic. Thank you for your aid, it helped clear my vision." Lurio's attention then turns towards Pakuzzo and he releases his friend to over a firm handshake to the tengu. "You were there at the beginning of the protest and helped save my life. I am Lurio Jhaltero. I wish we had met under...better pretenses."
Huffing to catch his breathe like everyone else in the alley, Crady responds to Lucio's surprise.
"I am a druid, an urban druid to be precise. Instead of a forest, my scared grove is all of Kintargo. Day by day, I'm endeavoring to learn all her secrets. I don't sleep outside because I have no money, I do it to be closer to my city. She has taught me more than any teacher in school."Looking around, Crady continues, "And with lucky, she will know a good place to hide."
Crady continues to look around, dwelling on his knowledge of the city.
"Hope you don't mind getting dirty.."
By the time Luthor emerged from the trees the rest of the group was out of sight. Its difficult to see through a crowd when you're 1'8". After several enterprising individuals tried to catch him in hopes of showing loyalty to Throne and distancing themselves from the protest, he ended up traveling by gutter and rooftop, further disheveling his already pine needle covered fur with sludge and other unspeakable things. His rage at Throne was quickly subsiding, and his cynicism quickly returning.
He might never have found them were it not for the strong smell of refuse that followed one of them around and occasionally sighting Vinz over the roof tops, but he managed to find them not shortly after they had ducked into the ally to catch their breath. Watching them from above, he considered what form he should take. Should he take a disguised Human form? Pakuzzo wouldn't recognize him... full Kitsune? It'd been awhile since he'd done that, but seeing as no one there had seen it he saw no reason to reveal it now.
"Where is your fox? I saw it upon the battlefield beside me. And has anyone seen that strange woman with those weird...firearms, I think they're called?"
Well he'd put THAT little misconception to rest. He jumped from the low roof, transforming in mid air so that the actual distance dropped was a couple feet instead of ten. The disguises of both the teenager and the fox were gone. "Well Pakuzzo, looks like we managed to avoid the eulogies. Enjoy your little piece of history?"
Pakuzzo had managed to make his escape with the other men, and Vinz had swooped down after him once they'd ducked out of sight. Now that he had a chance to catch his breath, he was attempting to size them up and see what they were about.
"Where is your fox? I saw it upon the battlefield beside me. And has anyone seen that strange woman with those weird...firearms, I think they're called?"
"S'not my fox, friend, he does his own thing. And I don't know the bird with the piece, I'm only in charge of the raven. Speaking of which--"
Pakuzzo places a hand on Vinz's shoulder where the great bird had landed nearby him.
"Aye. I was dying back there and that fox saved me. It saved me after *you* spoke to it. So don't take me for being ungrateful. I truly am. But *who* are you and *what* is that fox really?"
"Name's Pakuzzo. I was a courier, once upon a time, now I more or less make it my full-time business to be a thorn in the Thrune government's backside, or at least I did until all my buddies went up in smoke. The bird is Vinz, and the fox is something that doesn't show up around these parts too often, so you'll have to ask him yourself. By the way, nice work with that pigsticker. Be flattered, my kind knows quality bladework when we see it."
"Hope you don't mind getting dirty.."
"Pfeh. Why start now? We're practically up to our necks in it!"
He jumped from the low roof, transforming in mid air so that the actual distance dropped was a couple feet instead of ten. The disguises of both the teenager and the fox were gone. "Well Pakuzzo, looks like we managed to avoid the eulogies. Enjoy your little piece of history?"
The tengu blew air through his nostrils, clearly annoyed.
"Sure thing, Luthor, fun times were had by all, I just love getting run off by fascists. That was one for the scrapbook. The question now is, what do we do next? I'll bet my bow they're going to put a dottari on every corner from now on. You won't be able to break wind in public without being interrogated over what you ate for breakfast."
He looked up and down the alleyway.
"By-the-by, anyone know who that tiefling in the military get-up was, the one--whassname--Lurio mentioned? I'd thought she was with the Thrunes, but I saw her open fire on one of their thugs with that fancy pea-shooter she was carrying, so now I'm genuinely curious."
Cerenity was looking around as she finally came to a halt. Yes. It seemed she was not being persued. She slowed down then ducked into an alley just to make sure she wasnt being observed. She begins to pat down her cloak. Getting rid of access dirt and grime. Then, carefully, she examined her pistol. Dirty. Grimy. And worn down. But it still worked. Good. It was still in one piece.
When she finally was satified all the pieces were where it should be. No holes or cuts on her person. Did she realise she was sharing the alley with others.
"Oh! Hey!" she waved with her left arms as her right arms straightend her coat and holstered her weapon
"Glad to see you made it out alive" she proceded to give them a bow
"Cerenity is my name, formerly of the Chelaxian army. Now on my own."
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Pakuzzo turned to meet the new arrival.
"Well, speak of Asmodeus and he shall appear. You just engaged in violent civil disobedience, girl, so I guess that means the armor's just a fashion statem--"
The tengu's eyes widen in surprise as he catches sight of Cerenity's second pair of arms.
"...Stone me, that's something new! I know you folks sometimes come with extra parts, but I've never seen one who could hoist two tankards and still play cards before!"
Marillo nodded dumbly at the Tengu, while trying not to look to pleased. A Tengu had praised his knife work! He knew just enough to know that when it came to swords they were second to none. To have one praise him meant...that he was a killer. That he killed not one, but two men! And Pakuzzo pointed out that they would now be wanted men. In but a single day he had gone from being a simple street performer to being a killer and a criminal. He would have went further down that train of thought, but then Cerenity appeared. The four armed...tiefling, he guessed, drove home the situation he was in.
Stepping out of the proverbial spotlight, he looked to Lurio. He was a noble. He always had the right words and the right morals. He would know what to do. Or so Marillo hoped, as he was quickly starting to realize that things had truly and utterly gone out of control and he was in over his head.
Happy to be healed but already disinterested in the conversation, Vinz chooses to occupy himself by trying to pry off one of the bars from a ground floor window with his beak.
She cocked her head
"Im sure if you met my kind you would know we all have 4 arms... unless they are one of those strange chemists" she shakes her head and became serious
"Only statement im making is where my support lies"
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Pakuzzo splays his hands up at the gunslinger in mock surrender.
"All right, all right, let's not get hung up on the little things here. This city's going to hell, and that's the current issue. Question is, what's anybody doing about it? The protest was a trap (shut up, Luthor), I can personally vouch that what pockets of revolutionaries there were before the Night of Ashes have been taken out, and whatever Barzillai's got for muscle is not just limited to your average dottari lunkhead."
He sat down against a wall.
"So now what? We hide, twiddle our thumbs, and throw rotten eggs at passing guards? That's not how I planned to spend my evenings. Well, 'cept maybe the eggs."
"For now I suggest we lay low. The streets will soon be crawling of their thugs. We can probably plan properly once things have settled a bit." she suggests
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Lurio would watch as the fox suddenly came from the rooftops and transformed in front of him, changing from beast to man. His eyes widened at the sight of the man, his attention looking between the two of them. They reminded him of his friendship with the man beside him and that brought a tired smile to his face.
"Pakuzzo and Luthor, is it?" His gaze moved along the shapeshifted man, having never seen any act of magic or trick that accomplished what he just had seen. "Thank you Luthor, for healing my friend. That situation would've possibly grown more dire if it wasn't for that and your friend's skill in archery." Looking back towards the tengu, he grinned slightly. "Your marksmanship is exceptional, that was a hell of a shot that you landed."
He didn't fear getting dirty, his clothes were already grimy with sweat and a bit of bloodshed. The dottari had fought hard and the men that Marillo killed had died in a most violent manner. His smile began to disappear now before he nodded, agreeing with Pakuzzo's observation. House Thrune would certainly use this protest and the violence that they enacted within it as an excuse to tighten their grip upon the city. It would become far rougher and far more dangerous for anyone to travel the streets. He leaned back against the alleyway wall, thinking on what was the next steps to possibly take within the city and what they would do now.
It was then that he heard the voice down the way and he would jump almost, his eyes looking over the strange woman that was standing there. The sight of four arms made his eyebrow rise slightly but he was already surprised by the strangeness of his current companions. A druid, a tengu archer with the largest raven he'd ever seen, a shapeshifter, and now a four-armed tiefling? It was a strange day and an awful day but at least they weren't being actively pursued.
"Tis a strange day, Marillo." He murmured, pushing up and off of the wall and nodding to her.
"Cerenity, a pleasure to meet you. I am Lurio Jhaltero. This is my friend, Marillo. These fine gentlemen are Pakuzzo, Luthor, and Crady. It is good to meet another fighter against the oppressers here." He seemed relatively unphased by the uniform, his smile stronger now as he began to feel more comfortable. "The armor bothers me little. I remember when the Cheliax was an honorable, righteous nation before the death of Aroden and the ascension of House Thrune."
Pakuzzo and Cerenity talk and Lurio listens carefully, that smile fading once more as he thought about it. It wasn't just an idle thought, nor was it a scratch in his mind. No, the thought was growing more and more concrete before he cleared his throat.
"We need to do something more constructive. We need to organize, we need to fight back." His eyes flickered between the others and he studies their faces for a moment's time. "I don't know about you all but I'm not just going to take it anymore and wait to be silenced. We spilled blood today in the defense of Kintargo and...well...more blood will need to be spilled if we're going to free ourselves." When the words escape his lips, it was as if it all made sense. "By Milani, that is what I plan on working on. I plan on working towards Kintargo's freedom. I...I just don't know how yet." He looks to the others, nodding. "What say the rest of you?"
Pakuzzo leans his head back and shuts his eyes.
"Not like I have any better suggestions. Sure, why not? I'd rather stick it to the devil-#%$@ers than hide, anyway."
As you are attempting to determine what to do next, Marillo cocks his head to one side.
One of the remaining ones stands over the fallen individual swinging his mace around to pick up speed as he decides where to hit the downed man in a final blow. Four of his companions stand over the body watching.
The victim is wearing one black glove, while the opposing hand is gloveless.
"Everyone, shut it. I heard something. Come." Marillo says this as he raises a hand. A moment later he has knife out and has turned the corner. His eyes widen as he sees the thugs. They had been found! Then he realized that four of said thugs were on the ground. Acting on instinct, he rushed forward to save the downed man. It wasn't until he was already moving that he realized how stupid he was becoming...
Though Luthor was surprised to see that Cerenity was the source of the gunshots during the protest, he figured she was no more an oddity than he was and acknowledged her presence with a curt nod. The others seemed to have taken some hits to the head, judging by their conversation:
"Did anyone else notice the fire breathing dog? Or how about that Nox Lady that can walk away from a dagger to the throat? (Nice throw whoever did that though)" Luthor looks incredulously at them. "Unless one of you has some VERY powerful friends, then—" he was cut off by Marillo and followed him around the corner. He chuckled as a roughly 5lb piece of loose cobble stone rose from the ground to the side of the thugs. Been wanting to do this all day.
The brick hurtles towards the head of one of the thugs!
She follows, her strong legs carrying her swiftly behind the one named Marillo, seeing that the man was someone she believed she had to meet, she levels her gun at the one she deemed the most threatening, hopefully opening a spot for Marillo and the others to intercept. As she does, she seem to grow and an aura of authority and power appears to eminate from the four armed gunslinger
"You are out matched, lower your weapons, surrender, or I will be FORCED to end you here and now, and your families will be..." she let the threat hang in the air for him to make up his own mind
As you round the corner, the thug starts to bring his mace down towards the mans skull. All of them fully occupied with the joy of their task at hand, none notice you right away.
Marillo hastily charges into the group, plunging his dagger deep into the leader's neck...burying the blade up to the hilt. With a slight gurgle, the man falls forward on top of the would be victim. A spasm shoots through the thugs body and he lays motionless.
A piece of masonry from the warn down shop springs to life. Flying across the alley, it catches one of the cheering bystanders over his left temple.
The sudden, unexpected mayhem and the sight of Cerenity causes those standing to become visibly shaken.
Marillo called for silence and Lurio frowned, the sounds of the alleyway nearby catching his attention. Quietly, he moved along with the man to peek over the corner to see the sight within.
Four of the eight thugs stayed standing, brutalizing yet another citizen, and Lurio's anger began to build again. Drawing the falchion from his back, he balanced the blade upon his shoulder as he moved quietly. When Marillo charged in, he wasn't left alone as his friend moved in quickly and viciously towards one of the other men nearby.
The blade just barely missed the man as he stepped away more from instinct than training, Lurio silently cursing the knot over his eye for blocking his vision clearly. He stood his own though, growling softly.
"You should listen to the lady, be a shame for you all to end up like your friend there."
When the others turn the alley, Pakuzzo commands Vinz to follow him.
"Vinz, HEEL."
*******
When the others have made their points, Pakuzzo draw his bow and points the arrow at one of the nearest thugs.
"Really thinking you boys should consider a change in careers. These streets aren't very safe at night, you know. There's a lot more of us coming up the alley, so why don't those of you still breathing run along before the cavalry arrives, hey?"
When Pakuzzo called, Vinz followed after him. When they encountered the thugs he flew to the highest perch nearest the tengu and watched them attentively, but did not act.
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Stepping forward with his quarterstaff raised, Crady mumbled to those nearest him, "We don't have time for this. We need to get off the streets."
Looking down at their companion, motionless atop the man and back up at the rest of you, one tentatively steps forward.
"Madam Cerenity, forgive the ignorance...but...we have orders." Taking in the strange appearance of her companions, his eyes falling on Lurio, he adds "I...I didn't realize you were taking the beat today. If...uh...." Stuttering as he looks back down at his fallen companion.
The young man takes a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "He's your prisoner ma'am. No need for further bloodshed. Just please put in a good word for us with the Lord-Mayor?"
Tossing a firm salute to Cerenity, he clasps a set of shackles on the downed soul and they promptly head out of the alley.
Lurio watched them with a fierce distaste but a sense of guilt managed to creep up his chest. These men were just trying to do their job, do what they were ordered to do. They weren't the ones that had given the orders, they weren't the ones directly responsible, but he had seen the cruel looks on their face in that dark alley. The Lord-Mayor's viciousness was giving leeway to other cruelties, a cascade of violence. It would need to end, one way or another. Yet that didn't excuse them, it didn't free their conscious or make them any less guilty.
They locked the man up and then quickly left, his eyes watching them the entire time. It was only when he could no longer hear their footsteps that he let out a soft sigh.
"That went better than expected..." He looked oved at Cerenity, arching his eyebrow slightly. "Madam Cerenity? I thought you said you were a former member..."
Marillo steps towards Pakuzzo, seeing as how everyone's attention was elsewhere, and the Tengu seemed like he knew what he was doing and leaned in to whisper "Are we really going to let them go? They'll report us." He would have whispered this to Crady, but...well, the smell. Still, the urban druid would at least know where to hide the bodies.
As he said this, the blood from his dagger crept down, covering his hand. He had thought, before this day, that such a feeling would be disgusting. To his surprise, he didn't mind...
The man appears conscious, though quite badly beaten. The man struggles against his bindings. "Tha...thanks" he mutters. A rather poor attempt at standing, leaves him slumped over, still underneath the thug Marillo handled earlier.
Pakuzzo shrugged his shoulders and answered Marillo out of the corner of his beak.
"Either we're already known commodities to the law from the from the fracas at the protest, or they just saw four humans and a tengu in the company of whatever our young miss happens to be, which is apparently someone who can stand over a freshly dead body and still bark orders at them. At this point, I say we just run with it and worry about the consequences when they eventually hit us upside the head."
"I am." it sounds like she was smiling, you think
"But i still carry some weight. Now let's get you free" she begins to help the man up, her other hands trying to unlock his manacles
She stares at those leaving "Yah, we have to make sure we stay as anonymous as possible, but right now, he needs our attention a bit more"
Marillo sighed as he bent down and cleaned his dagger off on the tunic of the man he had killed. "Well, you seem to know what you're talking about. So alright." Part of him wanted to go after the thugs. The other part remembered how it felt getting his ribs broken. He was just glad that it seemed like Pazukko, Luthor and Cerenity knew what they were doing. All three of them radiated experience and confidence. Well, Lurio too, but he was a noble. Nobles always knew what they were doing. And Crady...but he was probably crazy. Infact, even the Raven seemed like it knew more than he did at the moment.
He settled for walking off to the side and watching the streets to see if anyone was watching them or if more government thugs were coming.
Lurio reached over to help Cerenity lift the beaten man off of the ground, brushing him off as the manacles were undone. It was only then that he caught the man's face. With a furrowed brow, the name quickly came back to him before he spoke with an incredulous tone in his voice.
"Rexus? Rexus Victocora?" He waited to catch those brown eyes and simple grin and, while the man had seen better days, he had remembered the man when they had met during one of Lady Calia Delronge's social gatherings. "My god man, I thought..." Lurio thought that the Victocora bloodline had been erased during the Night of Ashes, after their manor was burned down and their members all vanished. "Are you alright? What happened to you? What happened to your family?" Any that had stayed in the city knew about the fact that the nobleman's family home had been burned to the ground and the family seemed to disappear. Some said they fled, some said they were sacrifices to Asmodeus, others claimed that they were given a special task by House Thrune.
Crady lowered his quarterstaff, and began to smile as the guards left both their victim and those assembled with him alone.
Seeing Marillo case the streets for more trouble, the street shaman decided to help, while nobles got acquainted.
Reaching into his pack, he pulls out a flask and takes a drink.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Glancing around the alley, he whispers, "I wish to speak more...but not here Lurio. It's not safe. Come with me please; all of you."
He leads you to a nearby store. The sign over the door reads Crissali's Fine Tomes. After an quick exchange with an old elven maiden, he leads you all to the back of the building. A bookshelf slides to one side revealing a quaint, private room.
Once there, he takes a moment to look over those assembled. A nod of familiarity to Lurio and he nearly bursts as his frantic mouth spills open.
“Thank you again for that timely rescue. Truth is, our meeting was no coincidence. I followed you from the protest earlier today, but in the panic that erupted I lost track of your group. You proved yourselves to be people of uncommon skill, and I am a man of uncommon needs"
"My name is Rexus Victocora, and until last week’s Night of Ashes, I was one of this city’s nobles. My parents’ estate burned to the ground that night—I escaped simply because I was studying at the Alabaster Academy during the fire. There were other fires that night, as you know—fires that many believe were started by Barzillai Thrune or his agents in an attempt to squash any spirit of rebellion Kintargo might have."
“Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion to stay strong, but Thrune’s actions have driven into hiding those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could once rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilia Bainilus and my parents, are missing at best, and are more likely dead. I cannot do this on my own, but with the aid of talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you aid Kintargo? Will you save the city from the devil?”
Taking a deep breath as he finishes, he eagerly awaits your response.
She crosses one arm across her chest, the other in a salute, then the lower two at attention
"This is my city, I will not see it befouled by these posers. I will do what ever it takes to get her back to her former glory"
Metronicus's fist tightens at the mention of the fires.
"Nobody burns my friends, or harms Kintargo while I'm around", Crady states defiantly. "I'm in!"