Zed skulks from the shadows, tetsubo rattling across the stones as he moves forward. He tries to catch the gazes of individuals to target them as he skulks closer, seeming to take his time.
Seeing the mob attacking his companions, Vermundr beelines for the nearest of the fools responsible for riling them up.
Constantin struggles to get away from the mob, saying to his allies, "There's nothing I can do. I'm afraid the mob is going to have its way."
Constantin struggles to get away from the mob, saying to his allies, "There's nothing I can do. I'm afraid the mob is going to have its way."
Kaz picks himself up from where rocks and fists knocked him and hustles to keep pace with the mob.
Changing tacks, he begins to bellow at them, no longer haranguing or appealing to their better natures, but neat to outright threatening - both dire legal consequences and rather more personal ones..
Demoralized, Constantin does his best to avoid any further injury.
Miss
Hit
Hit, threat
Did not confirm
Don't listen! one of the ringleaders shouts. How would you feel if they were your babies this monster killed? How would you feel if those bastards helped it get away with it!
Once again, several citizens break off and run into the night before things get too out of hand but many others stay and a group make their way toward the heroes in the south of the courtyard, swarming around Constantin and pummelling him with fists and torches.
The ringleaders themselves now begin to turn on the heroes, sending bolts flying their way - one catching Hazel at the hip and another bringing a club painfully down on Zed's shoulder.
The rest of the mob continue pressing toward the courthouse.
A few rocks and fists was one thing - a crossbow quite another. Kaz squinted at the man, willing a loose cobblestone to hurtle at him...
Zed hisses, getting up into the face of the ringleader. He looks back over the crowd. "One chance to leave before you witness what I'm capable of."
Vala stands her ground as the angry mob storms toward her and the others, hands on her hips. The anger in her face shatters though when her eyes happen to fall on a face she recognizes within the crowd. She takes a faltering step forward, "Albrecht? Albrecht Steiner! Look at yourself! What do you even think your doing? Go home to your wife!" She looks then across the rest of the group and sees all the individuals now instead of a mindless mob and she implores, "You're all better than this! Don't let those small, angry men twist you into something that none of you are! Come to your senses; please!"
Being a man that prefers to speak with his fists, Vermundr steps forward and slugs the malicious rabble-rouser with a meaty fist.
Zed is a terrifying prospect, a nightmarish creature that these people have only ever dreamed of in their darkest moments. Pale skin and fangs, he lunges toward the crowd and they part before him.
Dozens of the townsfolk break and run, dropping torches that sputter on the cold cobblestones.
Hit
The ringleader swings his club as Vermundr lunges in and catches him solidly on the shoulder. But the hefty warrior shakes it off and his thunderous right-cross loosens at least three of the man's teeth.
Staggering back, he manages to somehow keep his feet.
Miss
Miss
Vala's indignant tone finally makes it's mark. Her threat of lightning almost seemed to galvanise the crowd, seeing the defenders as monsters in their own right. But by calling out one of the group, a man named Albrecht Steiner, she shames them into looking at themselves, and questioning who are the real monsters here.
If the first group fled Zed's fearsome visage, then they fairly melt away under Vala's rueful glare.
Meanwhile the ringleaders continue to attack, clubbing at Vermundr and Hazel, though the third trouble maker decides this isn't worth his own imprisonment, and he begins beating a hasty retreat.
Somewhere in the distance, you begin to hear the whistles of the guard.
Zed turns to the last group standing, sweeping an arm wide to indicate the smaller and smaller crowd size. "Do you truly wish to stand against me alone?"
"The answer to that question," Kaz adds, coming up behind Zed, his tone deceptively level for speaking so loud, "is no. You do NOT wish to face him. Trust me.""
SInce he is not doing so well on his own, Kaz will aid Zed on the intimidate.
The crack of the club only seems to make the big northerner angry. He rears back for another screaming haymaker.
Hit
Once again Vermundr lashes out at the ringleader and, though he is able to bring his club up to defend himself, it doesn't stop the warrior knocking the man clean out, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Without the fervour of the ringleader to drive them on, the seriousness of the situation dawns on many in the remaining mob. Couple with the clatter of boots headed this way - it can only be the Guard - many break off and make a dash for it.
Some stay however, and begin hammering on the doors of the courthouse.
Vala shouts at the few remaining protestors and rioters as they pound upon the doors. "That's the guard you hear approaching! Is any of this worth you being jailed? Go home! Before the petty, angry words of lesser men make you pay for their foolishness!"
Seeing the groaning bodies of their ringleader, the smell of ozone still hanging heavy in the air from Vala's spell and the clatter of boots as the guard finally make their way into the courtyard, one by one, they throw down their weapons and surrender.
Contantin holds his longspear up warily with both hands, still ready to ward off any attacks, not quite sure that it's over. He lets out a palpable sigh of relief as the sheriff's men and women arrive.
Gustav Kapel looks shell-shocked as he sits on the courthouse steps, his eye swollen and ugly from the sling bullet
Vermundr feigns pursuit in case the last few stragglers have thoughts of rallying for a last stand.
"That was ugly but no worse than some of the drunken brawls I've seen up in Icemark. Is everyone in one piece?"
As Vermundr chases off any stragglers, Vala walks over to Gustav, sits down beside him with a sigh, and touches a tender, gentle hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry that got as ugly as it did, Gustav. Are you alright?"
The guards rush in and secure the area. Detaining many of the mob and providing basic medical care to those with the worst injuries.
Eventually the doors to the courthouse unlock and open and a young guardsman stands in the doorway, in truth barely more than a boy. He looks like he has been badly beaten and it's fairly clear his left arm is broken.
I...is it over? he says nervously, casting an awed look over the battle field the courtyard has become.
One of the newly arrived guards approaches the battered party.
What the hell happened here, a riot?
As Vermundr chases off any stragglers, Vala walks over to Gustav, sits down beside him with a sigh, and touches a tender, gentle hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry that got as ugly as it did, Gustav. Are you alright?"
[dice=Healing Hex]2d8+5
Gustav sits with his back to the courthouse wall, his eye already swollen shut from the sling stone.
His hands haven't stopped shaking since the first of the mobs gathered in the square.
He looks up at Vala through his good eye.
It...it's just so awful.
I was working late, trying to get everything as prepared for tomorrow as it could be. It's such an important day in the trial, pivotal really. I first heard cries from down below, horrible inhuman screams. When I got into the cells, there were already a dozen guards there, struggling with Bland.
I haven't seen him like that since they brought him in, he's been so meek we can't even put out the lanterns outside his cell - he's afraid of the dark. But whatever happened he was in a rage, straining against his chains - he almost ripped the iron chair out of the floor. The guards set upon him but he almost killed one with a single blow and the others didn't even slow him down. Luckily the chains held but when the guards retreated out of the cell they started panicking and arguing what to do.
Most of them wanted to kill him straight away, to burn him if spear thrusts didn't seem to have any effect. But others, like this boy here; he indicates the young guardsman in the doorway who painfully nurses his broken arm, ...the ones who had been with him longest, knew it was out of character, that something was wrong.
The argument escalated and the guards started fighting among themselves. Eventually the ones who wanted to burn him won out and said if the others "wouldn't help them there were plenty of good folk in this city that knew what justice was." And that's it really. They must have hit the bars nearest the courthouse. I just didn't think so many people hated him and what they were willing to do to kill him...
Zed listens to the tale in silence, heavy frown upon his face. "Which guards were those?" He asks quietly.
Vermundr stretches out his bruised shoulder. "We should check on Bland. If anyone can calm him down it'll be us."
Zed listens to the tale in silence, heavy frown upon his face. "Which guards were those?" He asks quietly.
I dunno. the boy says, wincing with every movement and finally pulling up a chair with his one good arm to sit on. Gamm, Rita, Nikolai - a bunch of them.
In the main lobby of the courtroom, you see another two guards nursing wounds, sat heavily against one of the walls.
You make your way beneath the courthouse to the cell level. You see several guards on your way and each bears evidence of battle.
Bland's cell is unusually dark given his preferences and you notice two lanterns have been knocked from the walls in the struggle Kaple mentioned.
bland's himself cowers in the corner of his cell. He has broken most of the chains from the chair which itself lies buckled and broken on it's side revealing the terrifying strength the creature truly possesses.
He is braying in his weird, cry-laugh and if he were capable of tears you would imagine them to be streaming down his face.
"I think we'd better check on Bland like Vermundr says; whatever got him stirred up can't be good," Hazel responds worriedly.
"I have some unpleasant ideas along those lines," Kaz mutters darkly as they approach Bland's cell.
Vala nods at Hazel's suggestion and rises with a dour look on her face. With a heavy weariness, she begins to work her way through the various clusters of people, offering a healing touch to any who might accept.
"I think we'd better check on Bland like Vermundr says; whatever got him stirred up can't be good," Hazel responds worriedly."I have some unpleasant ideas along those lines," Kaz mutters darkly as they approach Bland's cell.
As they exit the stairs, before they approach Bland's chair, Kazamir asks his companions to pause with him, speaking in a low, urgent voice.
"As a Golem, even Awakened, Bland may be under the control of its maker or master. Recall that he claimed that he had no memory of his actions at the University that lead to his arrest. Keep in mind that whatever is behind his raid on the University may be able to see or hear what we say.
It also may be that said Master, to cover its tracks in some way, seeks the destruction of the Beast. Perhaps it was following the trial and likes our chances (more than I do, really), so triggered the violent fit to prompt exactly the reaction from the guards and crowd that it got. So Vorkstag and Grimes may not be the end of the evils plaguing Lepistadt. Be on guard: if we succeed and Bland goes free, we will have thwarted an adversary powerful enough to control a Golem."
The color suddenly drains from Kazamir's face as he stares at the sobbing Golem in his chained chair.
"We may even face Bland himself...""