Cimri and Sister Ismene's orders are taken promptly. Even though the entertainment resumes soon after, the atmosphere inside the tavern remains subdued and fairly tense. Every so often a group will get up and leave bringing the number of remaining patrons closer and closer to the proscribed number in the decree. It seems likely that those leaving are warning others, because almost nobody shows up to replace those that leave.
Even though Muziel does a pretty good job of drawing some attention to himself, Penelope proves to be far less than subtle. As she drops off the bag containing the corpse of the Allomar twin it partially spills out, making it plain and obvious to all bystanders the nature of exactly what is going on.
The square is filled with a moment of stunned silence, and then the outrage of it all begins to seep into the assembled citizens. Then, from somewhere in the square comes a thrown rock at Penelope.
The missile isn't thrown well enough to do any serious harm to the bloodrager. Instead it skips off the protective strips of her leather armor before impacting on the church wall behind her. Still, the sentiment draws an unsteady murmur of approval from around the area.
"Get out of here, murderers!" someone shouts.
"Hey, quit that!" The rock bouncing off Penelope draws an immediate reaction from Muziel. All of the electricity and noise sparking around Muziel flies out and crackles above the heads of the crowd in the square.
Penelope laughs Is that all you got? scornfully shaking her glossy black hair back and forth in mock disappointment. Not worth even getting angry about. she turns in indifference and saunters off, hips rolling. All the while trying to hide the cold sweat of knowing the power of a mob and what it would mean with little old her verses it.
The gathering mob seems to be confused into a temporary stalling by Penelope's reaction to the thrown rock. As she strolls off affecting a very convincing attitude of nonchalance, those whole square feels like its holding its breath waiting for the other shoe to drop, whatever that might be. Penelope makes it back to join the others without any further acts of violence erupting, but there are starting to be signs that the almost fascinated state is starting to wear off.
Penelope sighs in relief now flanked by the impressively armored dark prince and the deviantly brilliant master of electricity. Turning to the mob, she raises an eyebrow Well? Shouldn't you all be getting back to your business, or do you want us to be getting angry now?
The space between Muziel's hands start to crackle and roil once more with electricity. It was a reminder of the warning shot he launched earlier. He was more than ready to fire at the first instigator who tried to escalate the situation further.
.
The illusion of having control over the situation, despite being outnumbered, finally breaks. Perhaps some people in the crowd have fully realized that in spite of the posturing and threats there are just plain more of them than there are of you. The distinct moment when it happens is hard to pin down, but the end result is undeniable and obvious: riot! Almost in perfect unison, like a flock of birds turning at the same time, the tense stillness of the church square is broken with people shouting and grabbing up rocks or other improvised weapons.
Just as the mood is changing from watchful to overtly hostile, a salvo of thrown rocks comes from the crowd, one targeting each person. The first of the throws is a rather pitiful effort with no hope of even getting close to the Gnome, but a rock strikes each of the Dhampirs. Unlike the one which glanced off Penelope's armor earlier, these ones strike well enough to hurt.
"It is unfortunate that these citizens have chosen lawlessness, rioting, and disrespect for authority. It is even more unfortunate that we shall be forced to defend ourselves against their vileness, and that some of them may be hurt, or worse. It makes my heart sad to consider it."
As the crowd starts searching about for rocks, Muziel meets force with force. "Screw this, time to put the rabble in their place!" He fires a bolt of electricity into the crowd that's just about to hurl some rocks at them. ; .
As the bolt misses the mark, Muziel begins to get some more distance from the large crowd, moving back 20 feet.
Blood drips down from where she was struck in the forehead, which she wipes away with a girn. Time to die fools! she cries driving right into the nearest group.
[ooc]status, rage, +4 strength, +4 constitution(4 temp hit points), +2 will, -2 ac[/dice]
Muziel's electric blast fails to connect with any of the rioting townspeople. Emboldened, more of them start throwing rocks at the Archbaron's agents, hollering obscenities and exhorting you to get out town and never come back. These people, however, aren't exactly experienced rioters and only one of the rocks makes any significant contact, and even then it could be worse.
Penelope then retaliates by wading into the crowd an slashing her flaming sword across one of the slower rioters. The major blow leaves a deep gash across his midsection and the infernal flames scorch the area at the same time. The target of her attack staggers away as best he can while two more rioters angrily move up on either side of her to retaliate for the retaliation. Even in her extra-reckless state of rage, however, neither one manages to accomplish much.
Kolaiah then, rather sarcastically, bemoans the fundamental nature of the riot itself. His demeanor displays very little concern. His statement is shortly followed by more thrown rocks at him and Muziel. The majority of the attention is directed at the Gnome since he's (so far) being more actively dangerous.
P/S 20/x4
Muziel fires at the guy Koliah hit, if he's out of melee. Or fires at some other guy who is not in melee. ;
"Drat, why isn't this working?" he says in frustration.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Penelope will twirl and hack on one of the people flanking her. If she was thinking she might go after the wounded one But she's not thinking, she's loving. Cries, panic, blood, and FIGHTING! Her wide smile, her glazed eyes, and her flaming sword are pure delight.
Sister Ismene belches and laughs her way through the meal. It's fun not having to care about other people's opinions; there's no Mother Superior to tell her to pipe down, no windbag priest to make faces while judging and condemning her for her lack of manners. All of those laws and regulations dressing up as 'civilized society' only serve to constrain the strong - which is why the truly strong are those who make the laws, and are therefore above them.
When they've finally finished their meal, Ismene puts her head together with Cimri. "So what are we gonna do about Madame Cembers? Making the townsfolk squirm is fun and all, but do we let her keep getting away with this? Caggan got thrown in the stocks for this kind of thing."
My second round attack..,
P/S 20/x4
"It is most unfortunate that these lawless ruffians have forced the situation to violence!"
Cimri thinks the question over for a moment, chewing. After another second or so she washes the food down and takes a deep breath of uncertainty.
"Well, I doubt that Cembers is going to make as much of a ruckus as Caggan did, but at the same time if we were to take her in then there wouldn't be any place left in town to relax and have a bite. Even overpriced, underqualitied food is better than having to bother to cook it yourself, if you ask me." She emphasises the point by taking another quick bite, then continues around her chewing and pointing an almost completely empty chicken bone at one of the enormous portraits of Archbaron Fex that adorn the walls.
"But maybe, what with her weird obsession toward the boss, all we'd have to do to get her to toe the line is to threaten her a bit. She'd probably be super eager to keep any unpleasant news from making its way back to 'im, right?" She swallows her mouthful of food. "And who knows, maybe we can also extort her for some sort of employee discount while we're at it?"
After his insincere appeal to reason and authority, Kolaiah then moved up to strike a nasty slash into the back of one of the two townspeople that foolishly decided to try ganging up on Penelope.
Muziel fires another electrical bolt into the crowd, but in the random panic and agitation he's finding it difficult to hit any of the erratically moving targets. Meanwhile townspeople continue to pelt the group with rocks, this time focusing on the two Dhampir in the middle of the fray. With the increasing levels of chaos, everything is getting confused however and their aim, already not the greatest, is definitely suffering.
The continued barrage only seems to stoke the firey rage grown inside Penelope, and she lashes out with another vicious hack from her flaming sword. This blow is even more effective, instantly knocking the person to the ground unconscious. The other one, wounded, attempts to withdraw from the melee but only succeeds in leaving himself open to Kolaiah instead. A second slash from the scythe and there are now two unconscious, bleeding bodies on the ground. One begins succumbing to his wounds, but the other tenaciously holds onto vitality for the moment.
My second round attack..,
At a stone thrower...
P/S 20/x4
"Oh, the penance I shall have to make to atone for injuring these lawless unfortunates"
As the bloody rip appears in the man's chest, her laugh escapes. It is loud and bright as the morning sun. Barely a moment passes before she darts like a hungry predator to another group of people. Throwing rocks, cowering in fear, doesn't matter, as long as it is breathing and not a friend.
Round 3
Seeing the rampant slaughter inflicted by Lust and Envy, Muziel feels inspired. "Okay, playtime's over! You all better run home before Hell's lightning burns ya!" Another charge and another electric blast fires into the crowd.
;
And for when my spot in the third round comes up...
At a stone thrower...
P/S 20/x4
"Oy you, take that as a warning, run off to your traitor's den, so I shall not need to hurt you for real""
Ismene wrinkles her nose. "Employee discount? You were gonna pay? Pfft!" Taking another sip from her cup, she smiles craftily. "I think you've got the right idea, though. But instead of threatening her, maybe we can use her. If the townspeople think this is a safe place for them to gather, they might go flapping their gums about the wrong stuff. Cembers might be the best person to help us root out any disloyalists."
Cimri smirks. "Oh, I got no problem with the ten-finger discount if you don't," she says. "I just woulda figured that you'd be more comfortable with more above-board means." She leans back and stretches out a little and belches.
"Sounds like the sort of plan that would make the boss happy, so I'm fully on board." She stands up and fondles the handle of her new knife. "So you wanna do nice cop, and I'll do mean cop?"
With the other of the two that had surrounded Penelope downed while trying to escape, Kolaiah then moves into the surrounding rioters and uses Pestilence to reap a nasty wound from one of the ones that had been throwing stones. At this point the bystanders begin to flee. Most of them scatter to the town at large, though one of them puts his arm around the staggered one and helps him limp his way away.
Two more rocks are thrown at Penelope, while the one that Kolaiah slashed finds his inner courage (or stupidity) and tries to wail on him with a club in retaliation. The rocks don't penetrate her armor, but the club does manage to land a heft wallop.
Muziel then sends another blast of electricity into the crowd. He's starting to get the hang of the erratic behavior of the crowd and, better able to predict where his target will be, hits her quite solidly.
The other conscious rioters continue to try to pelt the raging and dangerous Penelope into submission with a hail of stones. Thanks largely to the reckless nature or her rage, this time two of them manage to painfully penetrate her defenses.
Penelope then quickly closes with one of those that had the nerve and fells the rioter in one brutal stroke.
After a flashy swing from Kolaiah, which the anti-paladin claims is a warning, and the steady progress that the group is making in cutting down their numbers advantage, the riot starts to break up, three of them withdrawing from the area as fast as they can, leaving the unconscious and the slow behind.
"Run! Run! Before it's too late!" Muziel channels a great deal of electricity before sending a parting shot.
; .
The blast falls short, but hopefully sends a message that they're not safe yet and had better keep running.
The fires on her sword burned through the flesh of the fallen, filling the immediate area with the scent of barbequed human. The blood dripping from her blade seems to quenches the flames, but not her thirst for violence. With a panting cry, she drives her blade into the gut of the nearest rioter, ignoring the rocks hitting her as if they were dust and air.
Fourth round...
Kolaiah will first swift action heal himself...
And then at a belligerent that didn't heed my warning...
P/S 20/x4
"I am not kidding now, shoo fools, before you force me to injure more of you!"
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Sister Ismene frowns, scrunching up her horse-like face. It's not a good look for her. "I dunno, never been nice before. I guess I could try it, though." Coughing, she clears her throat, hawking into her now-empty cup.
"Yoo-hoo, Madame Cembers," she croons. Waving her hand with a floppy wrist, she beckons the proprietor over to their table. "I don't know what you did since the last time we were here, but the food was simply to die for," she gushes. "And I'm so glad that business has picked up! It's no wonder, as good as the food has gotten all of a sudden! The Archbaron will certainly hear about this! It's too bad we'll have to tell him that you don't have the proper permit to host such large crowds," she moans. "But after he tastes the food, he couldn't possibly have you executed like that other tavern owner, could he, Sheriff Cimri?"
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The expression on Madame Cembers' face starts neutral and reserved, then begins to swell with pride and hope with the compliments and suggestion of telling the Archbaron. Finally it plummets down to horror and dismay.
"Executed? What?!" Her tone is fairly pleading. "But, but, Master Sarini-" Cimri cuts her off.
"Surely you've seen that the notices specify there are to be exceptions only in the event of immediate family, medical emergencies, or the Archbaron's personal agents." She points between Sister Ismene and herself pretending to unconsciously use the sharp knife as a pointer. "That's us." She uses the knife to point back to Cembers. "Not you. I don't care what Sarini told you. It's all there on the notice in black and white, clear as crystal. Even if you're too stupid to read, surely someone has told have told you the details by now."
"Look, please," Cembers pleads. "I'm the Archbaron's most loyal supporter! Really, I am! This is all just a huge mistake! A misunderstanding. Please, there must be something I can do to put this right? Something that doesn't involve dying?" She looks at Sister Ismene with a combination of terror and hope. Cimri winks and smugly smirks behind her back.
Muziel sends another warning shot at the already fleeing rioters. It doesn't do any physical damage, but it does put any possible thoughts at turning back right out of their heads. Meanwhile, the two remaining conscious rioters drop everything and flee for their lives, all thoughts of tactics put right out of their heads. Kolaiah gives one of them a nasty scare as he turns to run, his words chasing the rioter away. Penelope, on the other hand, is less interested in warning shots and when her target turns his back to flee she delivers a brutal blow to the already singed rioter, completely decapitating him before he can take more than a half step.
With the will to fight broken amongst the conscious, that just leaves behind those incapable of escape: The decapitated man, a dying woman and two unconscious men who seem to have stabilized for the moment. The square is quiet for the time being.
In a voice loud enough to be heard by any prying ears, Kolaiah yells, "hurry, worry about our own wounds later, we might be able to save these three, as he kneels down next to the more injured of the two men. He places his hand upon the man's brow, and proceeds to act as if he is trying to heal the man, however...
... his intentions are not beneficial to the man, who proceeds to commence dying again. "Ahhh, this poor bastard is beyond my ability to save, have you others had any better luck?" He looks at Penelope, "do you have that healing wand?"
Penelope was actually considering running after the fleeing rioters when Kolaiah asks he the question. Panting with her hands on her knees, she looks over at him, a question in her eyes, but then just shrugging Sure she taps herself first with it and then hands it over. While Kolaiah spreads propaganda, she walks over to Muziel, Well dropping and going didn't work out so well did it?
Kolaiah gave Penelope a stare as he said, "you know I can't use the thing right? Can you tap me with it?"
I figured anyone can, not like I'm a magic user or anything. she taps Kolaiah.
Penelope was actually considering running after the fleeing rioters when Kolaiah asks he the question. Panting with her hands on her knees, she looks over at him, a question in her eyes, but then just shrugging Sure she taps herself first with it and then hands it over. While Kolaiah spreads propaganda, she walks over to Muziel, Well dropping and going didn't work out so well did it?
Muziel is too ignorant of Koliah's handiwork to understand what he's doing. Or perhaps he's just too distracted. Despite being quite used to seeing blood and entrails from his experiments, even Muziel cringes as as Penelope, Peasant Slayer, sends the final rioter's head flying off from his body. He's still looking at Lust in awe as she quips at him. "Um, well, it kind of worked out, in a way. I don't think they'll be wanting to throw rocks at us anymore!" Muziel looks over the victims, dead, dying or unconscious, and tires to see if he knew where any of them came from.
"An unfortunate business, to be sure," Kolaiah says as he smiles a toothy grin at Penelope, "wasting such resources."
Ismene puts on her best sympathetic face as she tuts. "You know, I'm sure we can work something out. Archbaron Fex has certainly taken notice of your unwavering loyalty, and I'm sure he would support a mutually beneficial solution to axing one of Longacre's most valued citizens." Turning her eyes to the ceiling, she taps her chin thoughtfully, giving the woman another moment to sweat.
"You know, I think there is something you could do. Just between us," she says, leaning close and whispering, "we're really only interested in cracking down on the rebels, and we can take certain liberties with enforcement." Pulling back again, she casually drapes an arm over the back of her chair. "With the Arch and Lark being the only place in town to get a decent bite to eat, you're sure to get a lot of business. Especially if we turn a blind eye to the illegal congregation." Turning her head, she looks away from Madame Cembers and scans the room. "Of course, if you or your staff happen to hear anything that might help us identify the disloyalists, such information would go a long way in making sure that those eyes stay blind, if you follow." Looking back at Cembers, Sister Ismene smiles sweetly. "You do follow, right?"
So where to now? We are doing great at causing chaos, stirring the population up to no ends, but finding anything about this glorious whatever it was called we are absolutely rubbish at. Everyone who knows anything we end up killing... not that I'm complaining, but we might get sacked if we don't produce results soon. Penelope complains a bit, standing in the midst of the morning sun and bleeding bodies. Maybe we should find Wrath and Slough?
Muziel speaks in a quiet voice. "Yeah, we probably need to make some more allies in town. Besides you know who, we don't have too many connections. For now, let's go find the others," agrees Muziel.
"By the way, we probably can't just leave the dying people here, right? We need to pretend that we're helping them or that they can't be helped? Then, exchanging a look with Koliah, he says a little more loudly. "It's too bad these rioters are beyond saving!" Using dark gnomish magics, Muziel calls on one of the unconscious victims to suffer a turn for the worst.
"Too bad indeed. Well, it is the least we can do to ensure they are properly interred."
"Y-yes," Cembers says, hesitantly at first, but when she glances at Cimri she repeats the statement with a bit more confidence. "Yes, certainly. Anything I can do to help. These walls shall be as his ears." She breathes a shallow sigh of tentative relief then seems to wrestle momentarily with a question before just coming out and asking it.
"Are you really going to tell his excellency how good my food is? I would so love to cook for him." There's a half-second beat before she adds, "and meet him, of course. His portrait is so dreamy."
Behind her back Cimri rolls her eyes and mouths the suggestion that it's not too late to just lock her up instead.
Thinking about it for a few moments, Muziel comes to the conclusion that this wasn't any sort of organized or planned mob. The Church Square is both the literal and metaphysical heart of Longacre, and is usually around this crowded most days. It will probably become so again in a few hours once people are certain that the action has died down.
After "tending" to the survivors with your combined ministrations, those that were stubbornly clinging to life expire quietly without ever regaining consciousness.
After "tending" to the survivors with your combined ministrations, those that were stubbornly clinging to life expire quietly without ever regaining consciousness.
"Unfortunate."
"Very unfortunate!" agrees Muziel a little too enthusiastically. "We'd better go find the others."
If I was sloth where would I be spending the day? Penelope musses, already starting to stride toward the tavern.
By a coincidence of timing, Muziel, Penelope and Kolaiah arrive at the Arch and Lark to find Cimri and Sister Ismene engaged in discussion with Madame Cembers. Cimri looks over to see the entrance and gives a wave. Then she points to the back of Madame Cembers (who's currently facing Sister Ismene) and makes a few quick gestures that suggest crying and pleading and grins.