Mm... They don't seem to happy either. But that hag... Miranda shots a careful glance at their leader when her back turns. With a little shudder Miranda heads down the line away from the officer. Maybe the soldiers at the end would be more chatty? Maybe if I had some tomatoes left to bribe them with ...
***
Miranda does not kneel. But she does take advantage of her small statue and slip in behind someone larger and also non-kneeling. Oh hey there is that man I saw earlier! she noted as Boros began to blabber in his accented tongue. His obvious declination to kneel and self assured attitude provided Miranda with the insight that, should hostility erupt, he would be a good decoy for the dottarii's wrath and it would be beneficial for her to stay close to avoid being targeted herself. But not too close, heavens know how they aim! With a friendly grin towards the man she headed his way.
As the herald comes out onto the balcony, Nissim quickly adds And don't show up in bare feet. Now get out of this plaza and find something to eat. There are too many dottari around for your health.
After quickly wiping the moisure from his glasses, he turns to hear what the herald has to say, squinting into the newly arrived sunlight. It's a very disappointing but not unexpected opening statement that he hears.
Another sign Barzillai Thrune isn't here to manage the city, but to convert it into what the rest of Cheliax has become.
Nissim remains standing. Screw it, this is ridiculous.
"If you hadn't stepped in, I likely would have lashed out at him myself, and that's what he wanted." Juliette affirms to the man that he did nothing wrong given the circumstances. "However, if we want our city back, we have to do it the right way, and that means we have to be better people then Thrune." Juliette knew however that being the better person was not the easy path, it was all to much easier to incite a riot in the streets, to not care about the consequences, but Juliette didn't have the luxury of not worrying about the consequences.
--
As the herald came out, Juliette couldn't help but utter a chuckle. "Kneel? Seriously?" But Juliette did not kneel, instead she gripped her unstrung bow firmly ready for whatever happened next.
As he takes his purse back from the girl, Nissim says to her: "I want you to remember what I'm telling you. With a Thrune mayor, cutting purses is very dangerous now. If the dottari catch you, your age won't protect you anymore. And your punishment will be much, much worse than the crime. It's time for you to find a new line of work. If you know the city streets well, come to the Siverto Apothecary two days from now if you think you could make deliveries."
Varuzhan raises a questioning eyebrow as his acquaintance makes such a generous offer to the street urchin - not only giving her gold, but also a job. "You really are an idealist, aren't you Nissim? First the apothecary guild, next taking in waifs. It's no wonder the girl pegged you as an easy mark. It's too late to change a street urchin like that. Hire her to work for you, and she'll likely snatch something really valuable and slip away, first chance she gets." Varuzhan shakes his head in resignation. "Ah well, I guess that's why I like you. Always believing that you can make humans better than they are. Just don't start thinking that Brazillai Thrune is a nice guy too."
As the herald makes his announcement, Varuzhan is pleased to see that Nissim is not going to kneel either. He gives the apothecary a warm grasp on the shoulder. "Good! Let's see what our Lord-Mayor has to say to our demands!"
Boros, trying to follow his mark, suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder. A heavy hand. One that made "clink" when it touched you. A man who's size forces Boros to adjust his view slighly upward smiles at him:"Bob, fancyful to meet you here. Why, I thought your curiosity got you killed already. I always told you to be careful in who's affairs you stick your nose, right?..." The man goes on talking, with a firm grip on your shoulder.
He'll keep you in place until the Herald appears, releasing you that instant. When you shout your part, he smiles at you:"Best watch yourself, once what's going to go down goes down...if you are not willing to back those words up, you'd best go home now-", before disappearing into the crowd, towards the Dottari Guards
The burly man near Juliette and Lily is delighted that they don't hold his actions against them, and seems happier about the rainbow than one would expect of a man his size. He stays nearby to hear the speech.
The street urchin looks back at Nissim(avoiding Varuzhan's gaze), shouting "I'll be there!" before vanishing into the crowd, heading towards the inside of the park, where it's less crowded than here in front of the opera house.
Miranda considers the guards for a moment, before deciding that she saw one of those near her home when he was younger, which would make him a local. Most Dottari were, though there WERE rumors of a more elite unit, a house guard of sorts, who accompanied Thrune to Kintargo. But those? Just local guards, doing their jobs. Discontent, she heads away into the crowd, finding the man she gave the tomato to waiting(probably either motionless, or being talked to by an even larger, other man).
As the Herald disappears, frustrated, a couple second pass(but seem like minutes), before suddenly, the Devil's Bells ring out 3 times, exactly at the moment Barzillai steps outside, on the balcony. He seems to speak in a normal voice, but what he says carries far, and easily overpowers any shouts coming from the crowd:
Following his announcement, there's suddenly a shriek coming from near the fountain, and the crowds shy away from something, there.
The woman leader of the Dottari saw whatever is there and starts to approach the fountain, and those people still around willingly give way to her.
Nissim shrugs slightly.
If she had run I would have lost the whole purse. Giving chase would have risked attracting the dottari's attention. That would probably not be good for us either. And yes, I would not have her killed or maimed by excruciation over it. There's some risk in the job offer, but I don't believe necessity and character are the same.
He would like to say more, but paying attention to events is more important.
What is it with this man and herbal cures? Rose oil is an excellent astringent and can improve digestion. Consuming rose hips will prevent the disease that causes lethargy and the loss of teeth.
The new proclamation sets Nissim's teeth on edge. It's as if Barzillai Thrune was sent specially to torment those in his trade.
Something is about to happen...
Nissim casts Heightened Awareness on himself. Then he shifts over slightly to be able to see what is happening at the fountain.
Boros narrows his eyes at the larger man, looks past him briefly to the others with him, then smiles faintly while making a quick, but meaningful, glance down in the direction of his left hand. The moment he was grabbed, instinct took over and his pistol was in hand and ready to fire, the distinct noise of the hammer drawing back easily disappearing under the crowd's dull roar. Though the body of the pistol is hidden by his cloak, the barrel is quite visible as Boros presses it into the man's side.
"Nah, old friend, alive and vicious as ever. But maybe we should hold off on the reunion until we can really get goin', yeah?" Boros responds with a show of teeth that only a blind man or an idiot would call a smile. Though he very much wants to know what this lot is up to, the current circumstances are hardly ideal for a random fight, so Boros shakes the restraining hand loose and takes a step back while uncocking and holstering his pistol.
After hearing the man's words following the appearance of the Herald, and Boros' own response to the command to kneel, he shakes his head and waves his "friend" off. "Go and handle yer business, and leave me to worry over mine."
Finding his efforts at stealth stymied by a glaring lack of skill even he can't overlook, Boros maintains his distance from the now-wary group at the fountain. Also remembering--well after the fact--that he himself is supposed to be keeping a low profile today, Boros stops his verbal prodding of the herald. Instead, he fixes his gaze on the nearby dottari, gauging their general demeanor as best he can.
As Boros studies the dottari, he sees from the corner of his eye the approach of the generous small-folk lass from earlier in the day. Though briefly puzzeled by her actions when she gets closer to him, it doesn't take Boros long to realize that she's using him as a meatshield, avoiding the guards' line of sight by standing in his shadow. Rather than take offense at her action, he instead nods thoughtfully and gives her an approving smile; she's doing exactly the right thing from the standpoint of a possible fight, using what assets she can develop in the immediate area to generate cover and a distraction both.
Another moment of thought results in Boros beckoning the lass closer and, doing his best to avoid being overheard by the members of the crowd nearest to them, offering her a bit of advice. "If trouble starts, miss, don't get on the left side o' me, that's where I'll be respondin' from," he cautions quietly. Then, with a wary glance at the group bunched up at the fountain nearby, he briefly points their way and adds "And mind ya' don't get too close to tha' lot either. Not tha' I know what they're doin' there, but I'll wager my powder it's not the sort o' thing yer wantin' the guard to associate ya' with."
His caution delivered, Boros directs his attention to the paracount and his words. The new proclamation does little more than draw an eye roll from Boros, though the nearby shriek from gets a better response as Boros immediately moves back in the direction of the tree full of small folk, taking care to ensure that the lass who's decided--for whatever reason--to become his temporary shadow knows what he's doing; a smart soldier doesn't run toward the screams until he knows why they're being made, and this dense crowd doesn't give him that information just yet.
When Boros can finally see the cause for the screams, he shakes his head in disgust. While he can understand the desire to send a message, this was not the method he himself would have chosen. Seeing the response from the dottari squad leader, he sighs and draws his pistol under his cloak; his experience as a soldier is telling him that things have just gone very much awry.
Lily at first listens attentively, but before even half of the second sentence is finished, she's cringing, and speaking low to the people still nearby. "I cannot believe this is the kind of person that the Majestrix would send to us. This is perhaps the most obvious show of incompetence I have ever seen in a speech." she shakes her head, hanging it slightly in disappointment. "He needs more Shelyn in his life."
As he reaches the end of the first stanza, she tilts her head back and forth, "Decent recovery." but as the speech continues, she sees far too quickly where it's going. She's reminded very quickly of an ironic memory from her childhood. A beautiful flower, a rivulet of blood, and a beautiful discovery to go with. And now, the roses she had tended no more than a few hundred feet from this very spot were illegal. A sour look crosses her face as she remembers that particular event, and notices the crowd moving away from the dottari woman as she presses forward, but is already turning on her heels, to head towards the park. "Like Hell." she says, unceremoniously.
With a grin back at Boros Miranda took up a spot behind him. She was obviously pleased that he was cooperative even after realizing her plan.
"Left-handed. Okay!" she chirped and glanced in the direction indicated by Boros.
But not that I think the Dottarii would be overly pleased if I associated you either - mister left hand response! she thought to herself. Now luckily she didn't really value the Dottarii opinion that highly.
With all that done she settled in to listen to their new 'leader' make his speech. When it turned out he had decided to use magic to enhance his voice, Miranda winced a little. Hearing things both loud *and* disagreeable was almost painful!
"Roses? Why bloody roses? He's deranged ..." she did like roses even if her always managed to die off rather quickly. Now some investigation had revealed that this was not, as she had hoped, a result of some fell curse in her blood but merely her lacking botanical skills. At least the tomato plants are resilient! She fiddled with the garlic at the bottom of her satchel, considering what other even stranger things that may be banned. I can hardly throw roses on them can I? Hmm. Maybe if he bans bricks ...
But then she is snapped out of her thoughts by the shriek ...
... and not surprisingly she didn't see much except the legs and backs of taller people. A bit annoyed she jumped up and down to try and catch a glimpse but to no avail. Instead she settled for following Boros whom also seemed to have some initial troubles at spotting what was going on. But then his expression changed - clearly he had seen something! Excited Miranda bounced to his side; caution momentarily abandoned.
"What is it? Can you see it?!"
In response to the question, Boros nods with a grim expression. "Someone decided to express their dissatisfaction with his presence,” and here, he waves his empty hand in the direction of the paracount upon the balcony to indicate whose presence he's referring to, "by killin' and mutilatin' one o' the types o' dog he's known to favor."
In light of the paracount's well-known preference for dogs, Boros decides that readying the rest of his weapons for quick use might be wise. Based on the paracount's behavior since his arrival in Kintargo, of which the latest proclamation is just another bit of evidence in support of his theory, Boros is very firm in his belief that Barzillai Thrune is a few grains shy of a shot, so to speak. And crazy people are rarely known for the calm and even-handed nature of their responses to things that offend them.
"Lass," Boros says over his shoulder as he finishes his urgent preparations, a distinct tone of worry to his voice as he casts occasional glances between the paracount and the mutilated corpse "if this goes the way I'm thinkin' it will, ya' should give some serious thought as to which direction yer goin' to run."
"Oooh clever!" Miranda exclaims and stops jumping. With a small shrug she adds. "But gruesome. Still clever though."
With a sunny smile she continues "And don't worry, I'm quick on my feet!"
And if things turn bad I rather be here to do something about it! Thrune can't think we are simply going to lay down ...
"I think I'm going to puke." Juliette uttered hearing Barzillai Thrune speak. "This man is so incompetent, it's downright disgusting." Kintargo had done fine in the past on it's own, why now of all times did this idiot need to be instating these ridiculous proclamations. As the man declared that roses were the newest illegal wares, Juliette watched as Lily ran off trying to save a few roses.
Then there was the scream, Juliette was not sure where it came from, but she had to be ready. Stringing up her bow, Juliette looked around to try to figure out what was going on.
Varuzhan's grip on his staff tightened as he heard the condescending words spilling out of Barzillai Thrune's mouth. Oh, so this is how it's going to be, eh? Varuzhan was glad that there were not many Cheliax supporters around, or he might have been inclined to take out his anger on them. And then, just as the latest proclamation finished, a scream.
Varuzhan turned and looked, but could not see past the crowds. "Wait, what's going on? Do you see it, Nissim?" While the Dottari leader approached the fountain, Nissim was inching closer for a better view. Varuzhan proceeded on by his side, as much out of curiosity as a desire to ensure he did not get into too much trouble. He offered a quick prayer to his ancestors for their favor.
And felt their presence in this brewing situation.
As more people clear away from the inmediate area of the fountain, it becomes easier to see what is going on.()
Barzillai watches from the balcony, seemingly speechless and with an expression set in stone, as the female captain of the guard advances towards the fountain.
As she bends down there, picking up a letter of sorts(she lifts it up to show Barzillai), a half-dozen man from near the fountain rush at her, with daggers, handaxes, and other small, easily concealable weaponry. They all have similar grey-colored cloaks, and one of them lands a lucky hit from behind, slitting the womans throat, causing her to fall prone in a pool of her blood.
At the same time, some more of the grey-cloaked rebels start an assault on the dottari guarding the entrance, and 2 flasks of alchemists fire fly up towards the balcony, but fail to make contact with the Paracount, instead returning to the crowds below.
A few seconds pass before the panic starts, and Barzillai waves with a hand, shouting:"Enough with this charade, wipe the rebels out-", before turning around and going back inside the opera house.
The next moment, several other people in the crowd unclasp their cloaks, revealing light armor bearing the crest of asmodeus beneath, and moving against the greycloaks, from their interspersed positions among the crowd allowing them to cut off the escape path of any stragglers-
More numerous than their enemies, not only the grey-cloaked assailants become targets, but everybody bearing a semblence of armor or weaponry is picked out, as are those who seemed most vocal during the protest.
They move swiftly, and only Nissim realizes what is going on fast enough to react before they act.
Round 1: The bold may act:
Nissim
Agents
Guards
Rebels
Varuzhan
Boros
Miranda
Juliette
Lily
As he reaches into a bandolier pouch, Nissim raises his voice so Varuzhan can hear him over the noise of the panicking crowd.
"Those two groups are prepared to fight a pitched battle right in the middle of this crowd. It could be a slaughter! Do you have any idea who those in the grey cloaks are? If they oppose Thrune, we can hope they won't strike against the crowd, but Barzillai's order leaves no doubt his agents can do as they wish."
"It looks like there is a weak point in the Thrune agents' screen, immediately in front of us to the east. If we could incapacitate only a couple of agents, we could make a funnel for the crowd to flow through away from the fighting."
Nissim then drinks down the contents of the vial he retrieved.
The infiltrators Thrune had placed among the protesters swarm towards the central plaza. It would seem whoever the greycloaks are, they have run into a trap, with Thrune knowing they were coming.
At the same time, the remaining Dottari form up in front of the entrance, closing the ranks and taking a defensive stance, hardly landing a blow on their assailants but turning into a formidable obstacle for the attackers.
The rebels themselves, understanding that their retreat is cut off, press the attack, with the realization that they will not get another chance to accomplish what they set out to do.
Three of the Asmodean agents, however, show interest in you...one of them presses up through the crowds, towards Juliette, who just finished stringing up her bow:"Stand down, and consider yourself under arrest to be questioned!", he states, raising a shortsword towards you to lend more weight to his words. The burly man who decked the Chellish supporter is still standing next to you, alternately looking at Juliette and the man threatening her, trying to decide how to react.
A second agent comes up towards Boros, with the same shortsword:"Awfully rude for an guest in Kintargo. Do accompany me to the barracks, so we can show you some Chellish hospitality regardless!"
A third one approaches Varuzhan, brandishing a Mace:"Drop that staff, and don't even THINK about flying away!", using his weapon to point towards the opera's roof, where a few crossbow-man appear, and start to fire almost straight down at the rebels assaulting the gate.
Round 1*: The bold may act:
Agents
Guards
Rebels
Boros
Varuzhan
Miranda
Juliette
Lily
Nissim
Round 1
Varuzhan wants to respond to Nissim's plans, but the Asmodean is on him too quick. "Foolish human, just get out of my way!" Varuzhan didn't want to fight, but he wasn't about to give up his weapon or allow himself to get arrested, either! He takes a swing at the man with his staff, but aims to disable rather than kill.
;
The swing is true, and hopefully is enough to bring down the man. If so, he struggles forward through the crowd, making just a little bit of progress. If the man is still standing, he stays put.
As the protest erupts into violence, Boros begins to curse sulfurously in three different languages, none of them Common. When a number of previously-hidden Chelish agents amidst the crowd make their presence known, the swearing briefly intensifies.
When the flasks of alchemist's fire thrown by what must be rebels miss their intended target and fall back into the crowd, Boros' swearing cuts off suddenly, and he shudders in horror as the agonized shrieks of burned protestors rise above the din of the panicking crowd. Though something about the flasks' movement seems peculiar to him, he can't quite figure out what, and the approach of the revealed Chelish agents leaves little time for idle pondering.
The revealed rebels themselves are unfamiliar to Boros, apparently belonging to a cell other than the one he was in contact with, or possibly a completely separate group altogether. Neither possibility would come as a surprise to Boros.
In the chaos of terrified civilians scrambling to escape the park, while dottari, rebels, and the Chelish agents clash in their midst, Boros makes note of the fact the Chelish agents are being meticulously careful about collateral damage involving the civilians themselves. Though they're about to become his enemies, as a fellow soldier, he wholeheartedly approves of their restraint.
As one of the Chelish agents approaches and makes his demand of Boros, he takes a deep breath, clears him mind of the extraneous thoughts that previously occupied it, and flings his cloak open to reveal his armor and weapons. "Goin' to have to refuse that offer, temptin' though it does sound." Boros replies with a wide grin as he steps back out of sword range of the agent, levels his pistol, and pulls the trigger. Though his actions take him out of reach of his smaller shadow, he's hoping that the agent will focus his attention on Boros himself, leaving her to flee the scene safely with the other civilians.
Ewww - gruesome indeed! She stares at the dog with morbid curiosity, not snapping out until the protest suddenly turn into a maelstrom of battle. Aight. This took a turn south ... She noted just as one of the Chelaxian goons stepped up infront of her. The fact that her own dagger had chafed a little hidden away as it was seemed like a very minor problem now. Sadly that also meant she had no weapon in hand ...
...but as a resourceful tiefling she was she had other means! With a widening grin she watched the infiltrators back and blinked at Boros. Just in time to yelp in surprise when his pistol fire. What was that?! She thinks momentarily confused until she sees Boros smoking gun falling to the 'floor'. Awesome! I have to get one of those ...
A scream caused Lily to turn back towards the crowd in time to hear Thrune tell his agents to 'kill them'. She paused, wide-eyed, looking for the source, but was only able to see men throwing off cloaks to reveal weapons, armor, and the colors of Thrune. Her brow furrowed as she tries to pick out each of the people... and try to figure out what to do.
Her imagination pulled her towards two possible endings. A blackened flower patch, roses withering in the heat... and a reddened street, blood pooling along the cracks in the cobblestone.
She came back from her daydream in time to have decided that she needed to help the people to escape. "Untold beauty can arise from an awakened soul." she says, stiffly, pausing long enough to see what comes of Juliette's present dilemma.
"You can arrest me after this is over, for now..." She pauses, raising her bow and taking a shot, at the closest rebel.
"I just want to make sure that everyone gets out of here safely, including the Dottari!" The "rebels" had already spilled unnecessary blood - even if Juliette might agree with their goals, she did not agree with their methods.
Then, turning to the burly man who had protected her earlier, she motions for him to get out of here as quickly and safely as he could. Though she wasn't very good at concealing her intentions.
Lily tilted her head curiously as Juliette fired into the crowd of rebels. All of this was growing so incredibly confusing. Given that she seemed to have a... handle on her present situation... Lily would simply retreat eastward along the coast.
+flank
Seriously, did I not tell you to stay out of these spoilers?
The skirmishing for the main gate continues, with the Dottari hard-pressed to withstand the determined "nothing-to-lose"-assault by the greycloak rebels, while most of the Thrune agents converge towards the action to join battle, but a few of them remain standing back, ready to cut off any escape routes.
As Boros moves away from his attacker, he is grazed by a hit that could easily have cut deep, if the swing had not been forced to be slightly angled to avoid a civilian.
With the loud thunderous noise from Boros pistol, sounding across the plaza, the brave man tries to press his attack, stepping close to Boros again, but is distracted by a quick bite to his leg that only failed to pierce an artery because Miranda didn't manage to open her mouth that far.
One of his allies, in turn, observed the tiefling woman bite the man, and in turn moved into an advantageous position to strike at her, but his swing is way too high and lets his nimble target easily duck under it as he shouts"Surrender! Don't even think about biting!"
Varuzhan shares Miranda's fate, with an Asmodean agent watching as he knocks his target out in a single blow. Trying to land a decisive hit as well, he comes directly at Varuzhan, stabbing at him with his sword. Luckily, the man is not very aware of Strix Physiology, or the blow could have been even worse, landing solidly in a way that would be lethal for a human-
The guard next to Juliette is surprised by her shot, which pierces the throat of one of the rebels already in combat with Thrune agents. In fact, he was so surprised he forgot to stop her before she managed to shoot. Taking a closer look at her, he ponders:"Do I know you?...Your face seems familiar...no matter! This ain't over, stay right here, and don't dare move!", before heading on. The burly man that was so taken with her before watches on in horror as she kills a man, then slowly backs away before turning to run.
Something is IN the water. You have a feeling you'd best not try and swim.
Round 2: The bold may act:
Agents
Guards
Rebels
Boros (-4 HP)
Varuzhan (-9 HP)
Miranda
Juliette
Lily
Nissim(plus R1*, previous action)
Taking the cut from his opponent, Boros struggles against the press of the crowd for room to maneuver effectively, but has little success. His focus is ever so briefly broken by the sight of the small-folk lass viciously sinking small, but effective, teeth in the lower leg of the agent facing him, giving him a startling reminder her unusual heritage.
A quick glance at his surroundings tells him that a retreat would be a very good idea right about now, and he calls out to his bite-happy temporary companion. "Lass, I do believe it's best tha' we bid our farewells to these folks and find someplace less excitin' to be!" When he spots the agent at her back, he curses, realizing that safely evading two enemies at once might be too much for her. As such, he takes a moment to deliver a thrust with his rapier against the foe before him, hoping that being shot, bitten, and stabbed will put the man down for good.
?
Round 1
Nissim stares at the Thrune agent advancing on Varuzhan, working into his mind to sow doubt.
Round 2
Nissim notes for a moment the irony as he reaches into his spell component pouch for some dried rose petals. He forces the thoughts back to the immediate, and casts a spell which consumes the petals.
Lily holds her ground, now that everyone is seemingly ignoring her... as well as Juliette, and she has a chance to see the Thugs moving towards the center of the melee. She raises her voice, as loud as she can, though she's unsure that she'll be heard over the din of combat, all the same. "Retreat to the south and east. Do not throw your lives away!
Round 2
"Augh!" As Varuzhan takes a near mortal wound from the creature in front of him, he wonders how he got himself into this situation. Going from amused bystander to rowdy protest participant, to combatant, to being on his last legs. He had come along to keep an eye on this apothecary -- but now he was the one in over his head.
"Nissim, get your butt out of here! This one's striking to kill!"
Varuzhan was sorely tempted to return deadly force with deadly force. But he feels the spirit of his ancestors restraining him, guiding his stroke away from his lust for revenge
;
He hoped his attack was good enough to bring down this next man. If so, he keeps pressing forward, pressing his wound to stauch the bleeding. Otherwise, he holds his ground.
Juliette moves closer to Lily, now that she had gotten the guard to clear from her side. She doesn't take another shot at this time, but instead elects to attempt to get lost in the crowd.
Miranda makes an ugly grimace at the trooper and then attempts to slink away into the crowd ...
After the shot and the bite, Boros finally manages to bring his enemy down utilizing his rapier, and then retrieves his pistol.
As he shifts to pick it up he sees the female guard captains corpse bubbling and rapidly bloating, already having in-human proportions. Mere moments later, some kind of pseudopods, tentacles, or similar whip out from the wriggling mass, attacking two greycloaks and one of the asmodean agents indiscriminatingly, grabbing them momentarily before dropping them as acid-burned corpses.
Miranda, who was still under assault by an asmodean, had already planned to leave, but seeing what takes place near the fountain now that the crowds in the center have mostly cleared reaffirms her in her decision. Using her small frame to her advantage, she weaves away from both asmodeans near her, making off to the southeast.
Varuzhan lands a good blow on his enemy despite his momentary distraction, but does not manage to bring him down. Luckily, his attacker does not fare any better, and his clumsy stab fails to connect, only grazing the Strixes cloak as the agent all but falls forward during his stabbing motion, snoring lightly.
Nissim meanwhile had focused on the powers of a sleep spell, gathering magical energy before unleashing it at the guards most likely to block his and Varuzhan's escape. And only the one farthest from him manages to remain awake, withstanding his spell.
Juliette, having managed to escape the guards scrutiny for now, heads away from their reinforcements, and sees the woman from before again, trying to direct the survivors towards the safest escape path. Hearing heavy bootsteps behind her, for a moment she is not sure if the guard was coming for her, but the asmodean agent she heared was simply trying to get to his designated position.
Lily, facing against the crowds, and relatively centered, may or may not be surprised to find that the asmodeans do not advance further, despite 2 more dottari falling under the blows of the greycloaks. Instead, they stand back, forming two lines blocking the road, alsmost reaching from the opera to the pond. It seems that quite a few of the crowd picked up on your tip, but the conflict parties don't seem to really care about what you said.
Round 3: The bold may act:
Agents
Guards
Rebels
Boros (-4 HP)
Varuzhan (-9 HP)
Miranda
Juliette
Lily
Nissim
Boros watches with an almost regretful expression as his opponent goes down, blood and air leaking from a well-placed puncture in the man's chest, courtesy of Boros' rapier; he could respect the man's attempt to do his sworn duty, but Boros had no interest in spending his last days on Golarion in a Chelish prison, screaming his throat bloody for nonexistent mercy. Thus, he was required to kill the soldier before him to preserve his own life. Such was the way of the world, and Boros was doubtful it would ever be otherwise.
A glimpse of the sharp-toothed lass scrambling away into the crowd, unharmed and slick as a snake down a hole, shakes him out of his dour thoughts and restores his good humor somewhat, and he quickly bends down to retrieve his pistol, intending to reload it before making his own exit from the park. What he sees appearing at the fountain behind his position has him reconsidering that course of action immediately. He rises, recovered pistol in hand, and takes a good look at the horrid mass of--something--making its noisome presence known to the plaza. The sight brings to mind mercifully brief flashes of memory from some of his worse patrols through the Mana Wastes, and Boros glances down appraisingly at his empty pistol and bloodied rapier before shaking his head firmly.
"Nope, nope, nope," he mutters to himself as he turns his back to the vile horror, just as it begins what he is utterly certain will be an indescriminate slaughter of considerable proportions. "Not in the mood for this, not today. Goin' to get to the damned safehouse, any safehouse, have a nice cup o' tea, forget I saw tha' thin' back there until tomorrow." Boros casts a quick glance over his shoulder at the writhing mass of meat and death, ensuring that it isn't drawing near as he continues his escape through the fleeing crowd. His rant is easily audible to Nissim and Varuzhan as he passes their respective locations, making them aware that something unpleasant is apparently in the plaza now.
Only when Boros spies the small-folk lass does his course alter, bringing him alongside her in the crowd. "Don't slow down, lass," Boros calls to her over the crowd's noise. "Somethin' vile decided to show up and join the slaughter, and smart folk want to get gone from it while it's distracted," he finishes with a thumb pointed over his shoulder in the direction of the fountain, unaware that she'd already seen the horror for herself. Unable to find a moment to store his weapons, Boros makes no attempt to hide them from curious on-lookers, taking care only that he doesn't catch someone with the rapier as he shoves his way through the mass of people.
Round 3
Varuzhan readies his quarterstaff to deflect his opponent's next stab, only to see him suddenly slump down on the floor and sleep. He turns to look at Nissim, who, instead of heeding his instruction to run, seems to have used his magic to great effect. "Wait, did you do that? Well done!"
But in looking back, his eyes widen at the terrifying -- thing -- that had suddenly appeared by the fountain! . It didn't look like any creature he had ever seen or heard about. "Okay, now we really have to get out of here! Someone has summoned a humongous tentacle monster!" Varuzhan runs south and east, his feet reaching the dirt road that would hopefully allow escape.
Somewhere at the back of her mind Miranda *was* indeed very curious as to what that tentacle-y thing was and what would happen next. It even called for her to find a good nice spot to watch! However; her sense of self preservation quickly took that other part of her mind and bludgeoned it into submission. Interested? Yes. Desire for first hand experience? Low. Very very low.
But some things seemed to be going her way! The infiltrators closest to her apparently decided to take a spontaneous nap, which was nice for her, even if a bit ill-timed for their own well being. Slipping trough the crowd was easy now without obstructions - and she really doubted the Dottarii would be able to catch up. And since the fire-wand wielding stranger seemed genuinely worried about her she figured she could extend some of the same courtesy back.
There he is! she grinned back and waved her arm. Briefly she put her thumb over the thin bronze band decorating her index and grinned even wider. As Boros momentarily escaped the line-of-sight of the last standing infiltrator in their vicinity behind a tree his doppelgänger sprang into existence. With a senseless gibbering chuckle extra-Boros stepped back and levelled his fire-wand at one of the sleeping infiltrators while simultaneously raising his rapier towards the last standing one in challenge. With her little trick done Miranda blinked at the real-Boros and disappeared further into the crowd again with surprising swiftness.
What the hell is that THING. Juliette questioned silently to herself as the tentacle monster dropped three people. There was certainly no time for subtly now, now was the time to run like hell.
As Lily calls out to those in the melee, and now those nearest the beast, as it rises, her eyes fall on the writhing, burning forms of the men, brow furrowed. Death was not uncommon. But murder without a second thought was. She didn't pay much attention to the quivering form of the creature as it tore into the men, instead, focusing inward. "I see beauty in others. As a rough stone hides a diamond..." she says, low, trailing off, focusing her attention on following her own advice... and getting out to the east.
NIssim doesn't need to be told by Varuzhan to flee. As soon as his spell is cast he runs for the trail out of the plaza to the southeast. As he catches up to Varuzhan he tells him:
When it is safe to stop for a moment, I will see to your wounds.
During one of his frequent looks back to confirm the beast's position, Boros is startled to see what very much appears to be himself, standing in a small clearing and cackling quite madly as he menaces a pair of the Chelish infiltrators. One of the infiltrators is apparently sleeping in the clearing, of all things, and Boros is willing to wager that that little nap had some magical push to bring it about.
As he watches his copy caper and gibber, but not actually do anything of substance, the thought occurs to Boros that this must also be the work of magic. Though the nature of the magic, the identity of the one responsible for it, and the reason for their choosing him, of all people, elude Boros at the moment. Still, it seems to make for a handy distraction, and he won't refuse any aid that gets him further away from that abomination in the plaza. Resuming his retreat, Boros makes a mental note to cook up some specialty ammunition when he has the chance; if this is what Kintargo will be like for the foreseeable future, Boros damn well plans to be prepared for it.
While he makes his way through the crowd, Boros is careful to avoid focusing all of his attention on any one thing, and so easily overhears someone make mention of tending injuries. A look around shows him that cloaked duo he'd noticed earlier in the day, and the one with the unusually twitchy cloak is obviously in need of some help, if the spreading wetness staining the cloak is an indication.
Boros realizes that he and the lass with the sharp teeth weren't the only ones to draw unfriendly official notice today, and it is this realization that prompts him to speak up. "I notice that yer' friend had a run-in with a sword," Boros says by way of introduction to the duo. "If yer' in need of a helpin' hand that knows its way around an injury, I can provide it," he offers helpfully.
"Can yer' sliced friend there hold out long enough to get clear o' the park and the unfriendly sorts infestin' it?" Boros then asks with a faint tone of worry. Though clearly desiring to vacate the area, as soon as possible, it is apparent that he will stop to lend the offered aid if need be.
All of you flee towards the southeast of the plaza, as did many others. With the crowd further clearing up, several of you take a moment to look back.
The creature, whatever it is, seemed to slam right up towards the doors of the opera house, engulfing rebels and dottari alike in it's mass, lashing out with it's tentacles at the others nearby. Those who survived, faced with the futility of their quest, attempt to flee, but find themselves cornered by the asmodean agents, and as such, are quickly cut down as they try to make it past them.
You don't see for sure, but by the looks of it, none of the greycloaks made it out of there alive. With the beast murdering those who stay and the guard line those who don't, several of the agents who were covering the back refocus their efforts, on those who fled, and especially on those who resisted their compatriots, or brought weapons, or armor, or simply tricked them and then run off.
As such, several of the agents give chase to various members of your group. In an attempt to shake them, you stick with the main flow of the panicked civilians, trying to get lost with them(or, for those with no quarrel with the guards, simply getting swept along). Following the outline of the park down for a while, the panicked crowds also use side streets to dilute the stream of people fleeing from the park. Following the flow into one such sideway, you manage to finally escape the masses(or consciously do so to evade pursuit) by ducking into a sidestreet with a deadend, hoping to get some breathing space there and wait for things to calm down.
But instead, you find some more Asmodean agents already there, with three cheering on a fourth, who is kicking a prone man fully covered by a grey hood into the side, walking a few steps before preparing to kick him again. 2 of them realize you walked in, but so far, pass you off as some common rabble:"Move along, citizens, nothing to see here!"
Varuzhan was angry. The thrice-damned Asmodean agents couldn't leave enough be, and insisted on pursuing them. Despite the fact that his only crime was carrying a large walking stick for self defense. "You'd think that these guys would have more important things to do than to chase after a crowd that's running from them," he says in an exasperated voice, pushing ahead to escape his pursuers despite the severe wound he had received.
So he was not at all pleased when he turned the corner. "Nine hells, how are there more of you?" he cries, seeing more of these uniformed cronies appear. Watching these agents of Thrune beating an obviously defeated man left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was one thing for these self-appointed thugs to arrest a greycloak. Unsettling as that would be, it maybe had the semblance of legitimacy. But there was nothing justified about kicking a man when he was down. It was precisely the kind of hypocrisy that he expected from these supposedly law-loving Asmodeans.
Varuzhan looked at who else was seeing this carnage. He recognized the singer, leading the protest and now hiding a bow behind her back, which he found encouraging. There was the half-elf who was trying to keep things peaceful--a whole lot of good that did. There was also a man himself wounded from the protest, and finally a halfling. Well, that meant there were six of them, and just four of these cronies.
Varuzhan turns to face the other bystanders, holding his ground despite the agent's request to "move along," and asking them with a look whether they were planning on staying or running. He wasn't going to confront these guys alone, but if they were willing to stand their ground, he would do it too. Hopefully the agents would be convinced to behave better now that they were being observed.