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"But Zefiro, I thought you would be happy to see us here. I'm a little shocked you can't muster a friendly greeting. Are you hurt so badly you can't speak?" Dissa asks the bound historian. "If you're upset about the chains, I promise I didn't know what that switch did. Maybe we should try the other switch?"
Bozmir heads to one of the two remaining winches and attempts to crush it with his own scimitar, held in two hands.
Bozmir also smashes the winch, leaving only a small section of chains still whirling around.
Dulomak rushes to the final winch and smashes it to pieces as well, dropping the last lengths of chain to the floor. This loosens all of the chains binding the prisoners allowing them to collapse to their knees.
Seltyiel pushes Bozmir's song from his mind and relaxes his now sore muscles. "Now, let's see if anyone comes to investigate..."
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Dissa strolls over to the Chelaxian Historian to chat. He whispers to the bound and gagged man, "Hey Zefiro, remember that time we were in your museum? You asked us to go get somebody and put them on a boat? Well, now you're that somebody. How do we get you out of here?"
Dissa pops out his wand of Cure Light Wounds, and heals himself fully. He continues with Zefiron "Are you hurt? "
Zefiro drags the gag out of his mouth and swallows a few times regain the use of his voice. "I am not hurt, though these others may be, it is difficult to see tied to a pillar. I've learned they are a part of the Bellflower network and are good people. If you can, take them with us as well. As for getting out of here, I'd imagine we can just run out the door in a mad scramble for whatever your extraction point happens to be."
Everyone waits, tense, for someone to open the door to the interrogation chamber, but after a minute no one arrives to investigate the noise. Seltyiel, who had shaken his head when Zefiro suggest rescuing the other three prisoners here, sighs and loosens up, It appears those crystals worked. Good. Now how do we want to get out of here?"
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"Dulomak, great idea. Zefiro also suggested they may be injured." Dissa nods to the hunter, then burns a few wand charges (3?) to heal the other Bellflower Network prisoners.
"Seltyiel is right. I think we're going to have to fight our way out of here. Hopefully, for the safety of the guards, our friend Krima can keep the corridor clear." He stops for a moment, thinking, and suggests "Should we tie up Krima so it looks like she was an unwilling assistant?"
As he looks to his compatriots, he grabs hiw wands of Bless Weapon and swaps it into his spring loaded wrist sheath, with Fallback Strategy in his other spring loaded wrist sheath. He readies to cast both Bless Weapon and Fallback Strategy immediately before exiting the room.
Seltyiel stops and thinks, "Perhaps we don't have to fight? What if we dress the prisoners as guards? Surely then we could walk out without issue? Much as I'd enjoy spilling Chelaxian blood I'd rather leave no evidence other than missing prisoners of our passing through."
Krima, whom Seltyiel called in, looks around. "You may not have a uniform, but we do. I think I saw some extra tabbards...let me get those before we walk out."
She disappears into the prison for one minute. Two...Five minutes pass and as Seltyiel starts limbering himself up to get out there once more she returns with 4 tabbards in hand. "Sorry, Jurvik wanted to talk, he's always trying to get me to go out with him...Personal problems, not yours, let's get these tabbards on and go."
She leads the group back through the prison proper and along the corridor. You make it to the entrance where Krima informs Straven, "I just got magical word that these Consortium agents are needed to help with the Loyalty Day festivities." Straven grunts and turns away as Krima bids you farewell.
The door shuts behind you and you stare out in the street. You can easily see the festivities going on all around you, unfortunately they are a fair distance from the prison which appears to have forbidden vendors or festival goers from using the street it sits on. "Oh vengeful Calistria," Seltyiel mutters, drawing your attention down the thoroughfare. Mere yards away are the interrogator and his minions, slightly distracted by Tamrin, walking slightly behind them and chattering. "Run, now!" Seltyiel commands the former prisoners before whipping them forward with the flat of his scimitar.
You have a few short moments before the interrogator turns and spots the prisoners, allowing Tamrin to fade into invisibility, but causing the man to call for help. "Guards! An escape attempt! After them!" The chase is on...
The Open Street
There is not much here that will aid you in your escape, you can only hope the confusion left back at the prison will allow you to get enough of a head start to avoid confrontation. You seem to be in luck, for though the interrogator hounds your trail very few guards take notice of his cries for help, giving you precious moments of respite.
Free Meal
Before you lies a group of Asmodean priests distributing free food to pedestrians. Large orderly lines block your way, though it doesn't take much effort to force your way through. Guards begin to notice and stream in from other parts of the city as horns and bells sound the alarm.
Parade
Your travels through the city find you bursting into the main street of Ostenso, right in the way of the parade! Floats, banners, and dancers move around you and across your path, some shooting you dirty looks to interrupt their celebrations.
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Dissa summons his carnival barker and wrestling announcer voice, and yells at both the priests and crowd. "I thought this was a celebration."
He points at the pristine distributing food, "Do you want to spend your celebration distributing food patiently when you could be burning heretical texts?"
He faces the crowd and calls out, "And you, how much time do you have to get mutton and churros? You'll miss the flogging of traitors."
Summoning all the base and bravado he chants to all the priests and townspeople:
"Throw. That. Food."
"Throw. That. Food."
"Throw. That. Food!"
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Pandelerium sets in as the priests throw food, the mob collapses, and the crowd causes a disruption to any chase of the 'official party'. Dissa looks back for the investigator and the chasing guards, but the chaotic flurry of collapsing order obscures his search.
Pointing ahead of them, the Paladin calls to the Hunter. "Dulomak, we need Kontha to stop those floats. If she can disrupt the parade, we can finally complete our mission. She's so fast, and we're dragging these bookworms. Can she help us?" Dissa pleas with his friend, hoping the ferocious reptile is patient and well trained enough to attack the floats without eviscerating the performers.
Dissa mutters to himself, under his breath, giggling as he runs."Sometimes doing the job right takes a little madness... tee-hee-hee." He snickers at his own joke, dragging an extremely confused historian through the crowd.
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Kontha, triceratops he points at one of the longer parade floats. The t-rex charges at the float with a roar
DAMAGE
T-REX ROAR
The lead float scatters with the charging dinosaur heading their way, and pandemonium ensues. The parade slams to a halt, dancers and floats stopping and crashing into the watchers on the sides of the road, decorations burst into flame, and general screaming and pandemonium ensue. You leap over the remnants of a float which has blocked the entirety of the street, Seltyiel laughing at the guards getting stuck by the milling people in the chaos.
Your group continues running through the streets, scaring pedestrians and trying to remember the fastest way to the docks. You continue in a southerly direction and see the harbor still some minutes travel away as you crest a hill. Coming up from the other side of the hill is a wagon loaded with supplies for the celebration, streamers, banners, utensils, and a small box nestled in some hay.
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Dissa stares at the cart, having a strange premonition. "When I was younger, that box was filled with fireworks and explosives. I think that would be the perfect distraction this time around." As they approach, he brandishes the wand of Fallback Strategy from his spring-loaded wrist sheath, and casts on himself as he arrives at the cart.
Dissa reaches for the supplies, but targets the hay-nestled box in particular. He looks for a street vendor with an open flame, cooking food for the celebration. He launches the box to the best of his ability, while yelling "Stand clear!"
Tsukiyo smiles on the Paladin, empowering his body while reinforcing his choice. Freeing prisoners while doing no harm to the guards, minimal damage to the common people, and still completing his mission deserves a reward.
The group moves into action, Dissa and Seltyiel throwing supplies every which way while Dulomak and Kontha panic the draft horses. Just before they burst down the street towards the oncoming guards Dissa finds a lamp and smashes it on the cart, igniting the hay. As the cart reaches the guards the box on it explodes leaving a large trail of fireworks and smoke hanging in the air as festival goers cheer or scream, depending on distance, around you.
The guards finally begin mobilizing and coming together, but you have some lead on them. Continuing the mad rush you make it to a large intersection where a number of priests are conducting an Asmodean rite for the people, complete with faux temple.
Bozmir and Seltyiel attempt to climb the 'temple' but don't get very far before realizing it would be faster for the both of them to continue running instead.
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Dissa follows the lead of Seltyiel and Bozmir, at toting to swiftly scale the fake temple. He utilizes another charge from his wand of Fallback Strategy as he arrives on scene.
He cheers for the unexpected success.
Once atop the structure, he uses a deep and bombastic voice, pretending to be a lumbering giant. "Hahaha I am a Tian Titan, scaling your pathetic building. I will crush your paper mache and balsa wood structures. Bwahahaha."
Ahead of you a large street-side band is playing Chelish anthems, Hail to the Queen, Our Savior, Asmodeus, Hellknight's March and others gracing their list. The guards are still behind you, but slowed incredibly by all of the destruction and distraction you've caused.
"No time like the present!" Seltyiel shouts, loosing a rainbow of colors above and through the crowd. The magical burst stuns several members, fells others, and disrupts the band's playing. Bozmir begins telling a story of brave Andoran soldiers, fighting for their lives against the evil Chelish slavers, hoping to throw the crowd into even more discord.
The audience audibly gasps when a T-rex barrels through causing a disorderly mob to form in the intersection. Dulomak is able to shove his way through with brute force as the band stops playing entirely.
The guards ahead have finally begun to hear about an escape attempt and started closing off the main streets. To your left is a bar with patrons still entering not paying attention to you called The Cloak and Stagger. Slipping inside there is a large open space in the middle of the floor where two men are boxing to the cheers and groans of their fellow citizens. There is a back exit that will lead to a side street, but you see more chances for mayhem here.
Seltyiel pulls out his scimitar and swings it in a wild arc around him. "The man in the blue is cheating! I can see his brass knuckles from here! I'll fight any man who claims otherwise!"
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Dissa thanks Tsukiyo for the relative peace of this escape, and casts another Fallback Strategy as he enters the tavern. When Seltyiel lands an attack, Dissa feels apprehension about truly fighting these bystanders. He switches tactics to an intimidation gambit.
"Be ware! My dinosaur friend here has a half-orc, and she's not afraid to use it. Watch yourselves, and heed the elves."
"Let's get out of here, Kontha."
The wildly flailing half-elf as well as the roaring of two men and a dinosaur send the watchers and fighters into a panic. A brawl begins as men and women push out the door to scatter, leading to fighting in the streets and shouts by guards to break it up. In all of the chaos you manage to slip out the back.
You burst out onto the docks and see the Queen Gale at the other end! The chase is almost over, one final effort will see you safe from the pursuing guards!
Seltyiel doesn't say anything and just pushes to reach the ship before the guards catch up.
