GM Ralph's Hell's Rebels

Game Master Ralphrius

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Infernal Cheliax has been tossed into chaos. About two months ago, a hellknight order, the Order of the Godclaw, recovered a relic, a sword said to be wielded by the Goddess of Justice, Iomedae herself. They claimed the sword for their own and presented it as a sign that their way was righteous.

Followers of Iomedae did not agree. They gathered their forces and managed to do the unthinkable: defeat the Order of the Godclaw. Bolstered with this victory and the retrieval of Iomedae's sword, they organized into an army calling themselves the Glorious Reclamation. Their mission? Take down the ruling House Thrune, do away with the national worship of the Lord of Devils, Asmodeus, and reclaim Cheliax in the name of Iomedae, Aroden's most loyal servant in life!

As a response, House Thrune imposed martial law over every major city in the country, and promised the cities that each one would be ruled over by a direct representative of the ruling family themselves. One of these cities would be Kintargo, in the Archduchy of Ravounel in the northeastern corner of Cheliax.

Kintargo was not a beloved city for the Thrunes and their loyalists. As a trade city, they did alright, and typically managed to keep themselves sufficient. But most of said trade goods did not typically leave the Archduchy due to its natural borders, and Kintargo's inhabitants were known as free spirits: artists, satirists, travelers and the like, the exact kinds of people to oppose a regime like Thrune's. The leading family saw little reason to intervene, however: Kintargo minded its business, and the Thrunes would mind theirs, and everything would be fine. But with a revolutionary army marching through the country, keeping cities like Kintargo from getting any ideas becomes a high priority.

To the surprise of the entire Thrune family, there was a volunteer that wished to head to Kintargo.

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Eight days ago, the city of Kintargo's new ruler arrived, directly following the mysterious vanishing of its beloved lord-mayor, Jilia Bainilus, two days earlier. His name: High Inquisitor Paracount (and new Lord-Mayor) Barzillai Thrune.

Less than a day after his arrival, Kintargo faced yet another setback with the incident now known as the Night of Ashes. Several buildings spread across the city burned to the ground with no discernible cause. The following day, Thrune immediately made a public announcement.

"My beloved subjects, proud Cheliaxians, each and every one of you. In the very first night of my tenure as your guardian, I have been welcomed to your fair city with multiple, heinous cases of arson. They have shaken me to my very core, and I assure you, my heart and support goes out to the victims and those they have left behind.

But have no fear. I will guide you. Starting today, I will share with you proclamations. Consider these proclamations... Lessons. Good behaviour gives one rewards, and bad behaviour gives one punishment. Together, we will make Kintargo the shining jewel on the crown that is Cheliax!"

As he promised, the proclamations came. They started fairly reasonable, but quickly devolved into absurd demands and ridiculous restrictions.

It's only been a little over a week since Barzillai took over and the Night of Ashes occured, but already the city seems like a completely different place. For a city that prides itself on its diversity, creative spirit, and artistry, the yoke of martial law is particularly onerous, and the atmosphere is tense. Numerous minor protests have popped up, only to be quickly dispersed by dottari (Chelish city guards), Hellknights of the Rack imported from the south to aid in crowd control, or the local militia known as the Chelish Citizens’ Group.

However, that's not stopping Kintargans. All of you have heard word on the street that the largest protest yet will be gathering this morning in Aria Park, just across the road from the Kintargo Opera House that Barzillai claimed as his own home, to the frustration of Kintargo's theater-going crowd.

It is the morning of the tenth of Rova, 4715 AD. Autumn is truly starting to creep in now, as a light drizzle and a sky full of light gray clouds greet the day. The four of you, completely unknown to each other, are walking towards Aria Park, each for their own reason. But although your pasts that brought each of you to this moment could not be more different, you all share the same future. A future of revolution, a future of a brighter Kintargo.

Please all take a moment to describe your characters as they approach the slowly growing group of protesters in Aria Park, and also what they hope to gain from attending this protest. Once everyone's introduced themselves, the protest can start in earnest.

PS: Thank you all once again for joining me in this, I've been dreaming of running this for literal years!

Kal is a short, young, human woman, with wavy black hair loosely framing her face, which is adorned with a scattering of freckles. She is dressed all in very plain clothes but for the cloak she wears, a jet black thing with a large silver butterfly embroidered on the back, surrounded by white constellations. Despite its decorative appearance, the cloak looks old and beaten. She has a longbow slung over one shoulder, a quiver of arrows on her back, and a light, near-empty coin purse at her side. A large raven is perched on her shoulder, which she is cautiously keeping one hand by.

Kal looks nervously up at the Opera House, and her jaw tightens as she thinks of Barzillai dwelling within. She stands by the back of the protest. She is here because she is a fed-up citizen, having lived years in a free and prosperous Kintargo, now struggling to get by more than every under the absurd rules enforced by Thrune. Her greatest hope for the protest is that she will meet like-minded people who, if nothing else, will be able to sympathise with her situation without ridiculing her god or attacking her familiar.

As the crowds are gathering, she hears a low grumble from her shoulder. She glances that way, speaks lowly. "You keep quiet, or I'll enact the first proclamation on you myself."

The raven grumbles again, but keeps his beak shut.

At least Thrune's rules have given me some peace. She doesn't really mean that. She scratches her companion on the neck, and looks back to the protest, eyes scanning for danger.

A green-cloaked man pulls his hood up against the morning drizzle, scrunching his nose in distaste. Under the deep green of his well-worn cloak, Shiba wears a long-sleeved shirt over a pair of cloth trousers that tuck neatly into work boots. Curling around his throat is a long, barbed tendril of a plant that leads under his collar. He appears to be a human man in his twenties, and seems to be unarmed.

"Poor weather or an omen?" he murmurs to himself. His dark brown hair is shaggy, falling into his amber eyes, which gaze upon the gathering protest with apprehension. There is no law yet that would decry this... but still I worry. He is here to stay in touch with current events. He has loved this city with all his heart, and it now aches to see it strangled by the creeping grasp of Barzillai. He hopes to observe the protest and Barzillai's response, for good or for ill.

He skulks to the edge of the gathering crowd, keeping a watchful eye for the sight of the dottari.

As Zacarias approaches Aria Park he stops to look up at the sky and clean his glasses as the raindrops hit his dark pale green face. It does not seem like the weather will be getting better anytime soon, Fortunately his worn yet sturdy leather coat offers good protection against the elements. I suppose I'll have to do without pamphlets today, they'll be ruined before I can hand them out. He slings his stuffed messenger back across his shoulder again and picks up the tied up banner again as he begins to make his way through the mass of people in front of him.

Once he's nearer to the opera house and in the middle of the protestors he finds a fountain and climbs on it. Nervous yet eager he runs his hand through his buzz cut hair as he mentally prepares himself for what's to come. He's been waiting for a day like this ever since the new mayor arrived in town, and today's the day. He unfurls the flag he's carrying to reveal banner like many others ordered by their new dictator, except with a cross painted over the symbol of Asmodeus and house Thrune. He quickly mutters an incantation and touches his throat before his voice booms over the masses. Fellow Kintargans! Today we stand here as a reminder. We stand here to remind our would be overlord that we hold the power in our own city, and we will not be silenced! We will not go down quietly. We will not be abused, exploited and terrorized! We take our stand here today in defiance of tyranny! And countless citizens across Cheliax will find courage and stand with us, to resist House Thrune and their dictatorship. Let today be a reminder and a warning that we, the people, will come for what is rightfully ours. This day will mark the beginning of change, the beginning of a new world for us, and for Barzillai and his house, the beginning of the end!

A tiefling approaches from the side of a street, gruff-looking even for members of his race. Grateful for the miserly weather the city's been having lately, all the less attention drawn to his long gloves and full coat. He's a tad taller than most, even though he's slouching. His skin is rough and bumpy in places and age is starting to leave its mark on his face. His normally inquisitive gaze is, for once, averted.

Normally, Joachim thought, he'd be excited about a protest of this scale. So many homes left abandoned for a time and so many rumours on the street. If the crew was still together, there'd be a thousand-and-one plans he could hatch and an equal number of ways he could think of to celebrate his victories. Now though, there is only one thing on his mind:

"Well this is a glorious mess."

Everything has been out of order lately, with his life as well as the city. He takes a moment to pull his sleeve further down over the part of his arm that's still a bit singed and scans the crowd. "Still, I won't let it get the better of me yet."

He keeps his eyes peeled, trying to make out the person that might have requested to meet him here.
"Hopefully this will start to make things right again."

After Zacarias makes his speech, people start clamoring loudly: Some in agreement, some in fierce disagreement, some in a "well, maybe not that far" kind of way... But regardless, the protest has begun, and the voice of Kintargo booms through the park and into the opera house. The protest is now truly underway.

As the four of you traverse through the people, all of you notice that the protest seems to have drawn several different groups of people with differing opinions:

• Partisans, who despise Cheliax's tightening grip on their city and demand local rule
• Economic conservatives, who are protesting Thrune's harsh taxing and business policies
• Anarchists, who are attempting to rile people up to escalate the situation
• Advocates of democracy, who are protesting Barzillai's appointment as Lord Mayor without any election
• Chelish loyalists, who support Thrune's actions and are attempting to derail and shut down the protest.

Barzillai must have anticipated the protest, because since the beginning, the opera house is surrounded by dottari, twelve dottari on the side of the opera house facing the park alone.
Not only that, in front of the door to the opera house itself is a figure of some infamy: Nox, personal assistant to Lord-Mayor Thrune himself, and a woman of intimidating look and posture.

The morning is still young, and the protest has only just begun...

Alright everyone. For each hour that the protest goes on, you all get to perform one of the following actions:

• Listen for Rumors: Make a Diplomacy or Perception check to ask around or otherwise overhear some interesting rumors.
• Pilfer: Make a Sleight of Hand check to attempt to pickpocket some of the people in the crouwd.
• Rabble Rouse: Attempt to better organize the chaotic crowd of the protest with a Diplomacy or Perform-check.
• Silence Undesirable Elements: Make a Bluff or an Intimidate check to silence or outshout one of the five groups that has gathered at the protest.
• Watch the Crowd: Make a Perception or Sense Motive check to simply observe the crowd and see if you can discover anything of note.

Aside from all of these, Joachim also gets one extra:

Search for your Contact: Make a Perception check to see if you can find your contact in the crowd.

Finally, you may have noticed the little spoiler box with a DC in it. You may roll in your post to see if you can hit that DC, and if you do, you get to read what's inside! oooOOooo

Happy protesting!

Kal looks around the protest, nervously, scanning for a change or a point of interest to focus on. Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14 Hearing Zacarias' speech, she feels herself straighten with a newfound courage. "Bring it on, Barzillai." She squares her shoulders, scans the crowds, and catches sight of a group of Chelish Loyalists. After taking a brief moment to gather her courage, she marches over, proud, defiant. Her heart is set on either driving these fools off, or forcing them into silence.

Her words are poetry, written in rage. "Oi, bastards!" Not particularly artful poetry.

They all look her way. Her raven repeats her, shrill voice echoing with the defiance of an animal forced to struggle to survive in a city where a bounty sits on its feathered head. "Oi, bastards! Bastards, bastards!" It shifts on its feet, as if dancing happily at its own words. Intimidate: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Shiba shifts nervously at the edge of the crowd, positioning himself directly opposite of the Opera House in an attempt to avoid the notice of the dottari. He lives and works among the fringe of the fringe, a slum healer peddling his services for little more than bread and a room to sleep in. The proclamations and Barzillai's increasing grasp on the citizenry worry him; a proclamation requiring a license to heal would make his livelihood a crime, and leave many without care.

He keeps his ears perked for what the protesters and counter-protesters are crying out. Speaking to one of the elements at the protest could get him noticed, so he listens in to the conversations and cries around him.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Dear one, now is not the time to be seen. He carefully unwinds the barbed vine from around his neck and slides it under his shirt, leaving only faint red marks.

The half-orc making a proclamation of his own catches his interest, and he makes a note to keep an eye on him during the protest. Such zeal will draw attention, and the dottari and Barzillai's reply to it will be an answer to Shiba's unasked questions.

I rolled with physical dice because I forgot this forum can do it as well, sorry. I will use the forum next time

Perception: 1d20 + 4 = 12 + 4 = 16

Now that his Clarion Call has worn off and the protest is well underway Zacarias turns to the people around him.

Diplomacy for Rabble Rouse: 1d20 + 7 = 14 + 7 = 21

He commends his audience for showing up and tells them to prepare for the tough time that's ahead of them. He explains that many of them will have to form groups and go on strikes or deny resources to Thrune. He spends this hour of the protest helping them organise and instructs them to carry on protesting through non-violent non-cooperation. It comes down to him telling them to make their voices heard without needlessly risking their lives. He reminds them that if they stay true to their cause, the dictators will have to give in and in the end Kintargans will decide over who rules Kintargo again. He also hands people his pamphlets and tells them to read them somewhere dry. (The pamphlets contain roughly the same info, instructions and tips on how to resist the government as a regualr citizen.)

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Joachim moves a bit further into the swiftly thickening crowd, trying to gain his bearings. He figures he ought to stay a bit near the rabble to avoid suspicion.

While he tries to overlook the crowds, a human woman with long braided hair and cheeks slightly too rosy staggers into him.
"Surely it's a bit early for drinks."

"Watch yourself m'am." He moves to straighten her with one arm.
"Would be a right shame to miss anything of the protest", he says while he quietly checks her pocket out of habit mostly.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 ⇒ 14

Kal and her black-feathered friend manage to attract the attention of the loyalist group gathered together in their little counter-protest. Over the course of the hour, she makes it clear that their muddling of the protest's message is not something being appreciated, with some stern staredowns and the help of an insult-flinging raven familiar. They aren't able to get any coherent message out at all for the whole hour.

Shiba bides his time observing the flow of the protest. He notices that the general feeling of the protest is not one that wants violence, judging by the failure of anarchists to rile anyone up. Still, the mood is agitated and discontented. His eyes happen to meet a thief, right as he tries to pickpocket a nobleman. The pickpocket falters because of this and scurries off, and the nobleman gives Shiba a small token of gratitude: 3 gold coins.

This is not the only unlucky pickpocket in the protest. Joachim's palm falls short, as the inebriated lady unexpectedly sways away from him. Joachim looks around, but it does not seem like anyone has spotted him.

Finally, in this short hour, Zacarias makes himself something of a leader of the protest. Others look to him for guidance on what to do, and when he moves down and into the crowd to offer advice and his pamphlets, the crowd moves aside to let him through with ease. At the end of the hour, the crowd is much more focused and unified in the one complaint the protesters share: Barzillai Thrune needs to step down and Kintargo needs to be given the freedom to decide their own fate!

The protest grows in both people and cohesiveness over the course of the hour, in a large part due to Zacarias' efforts to organize the crowds, and Kal's efforts to stop those that would jeopardize it. However, after one hour, there is still little movement from the opera house. The only noticeable difference with the guards is that Nox's mood is clearly souring the longer the protest goes on, and there has been no sign of the Lord Mayor himself...

And now we start the second hour of the protest. Same options apply as before, and you are free to perform the same action more than once.

Rebuffed by his failure Joachim starts moving through the crowd again. By now he's gotten the lay of the land, what street to dive into in case of trouble, what groups of people he can easily hide behind.

Time to get on with business.

He goes about looking for his contact with a singular focus.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Shiba graciously accepts the coins from the nobleman, pocketing them with a bemused smile on his face. How strange, the disparity of men. A moment of serendipity, and I am paid more than I would accept to save a life.

Taking note that the protest appears to stay nonviolent, Shiba wades into the mass of the protestors, taking off his hood at this point to blend into the crowd. He moves among the protesters, speaking quietly and asking them how they feel the protest is going.

Diplomacy(Listen For Rumors): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Kal allows herself a smug smile as she watches the loyalists struggle and flounder to get their own message across. She allows her familiar to squawk one last profanity, before turning and looking back across the rest of the protesters.

"Now, what else can I get done around here?"

Her eyes scan through the protest. Excitement seems to be building, but she wants to see if there's anything specific that may be of note to her.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

I realise now I didn't add on my bonus for Kal's reason to protest in my earlier intimidate roll, but that's my loss. It was a good roll anyway so I don't mind.

Content with the effect he's had on the people around him, Zacarias now moves towards the front of the crowd and raises a fist once he's on the front row. In an attempt to strengthen the determination of the protesters and keep them from resorting to violence he starts a chant.

Performance: Oration: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

He nudges some people next to him and shouts We have lived under the tyranny of house Thrune for too long! turns around to face the crowd. It is our duty to fight for our freedom! And it is our duty to win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!

After repeating it two or three times he falls in line again moving his banner to the rythm and hoping the rest of the crowd will follow.

Joachim takes some time to watch the crowd, looking for his contact. Over the hour, he fails to find him: he'd know if he saw him, the face of his one witness of that night has been etched into his mind. He does notice something, however. As the crowd grows bolder, the wave of people slowly advances from the edge of the park, over the road, slowly towards the opera house itself... If this continues, then in a few hours, the crowd would be breathing right down the dottari's necks... If Nox doesn't chase them away, that is.

Shiba wanders around, making simple conversations about the protest's proceedings. One of them goes off on a short tangent about how he's feeling oppressed by Barzillai's proclamations, and how the dottari have gotten more aggressive and arrest-happy:
“I hear the dottari guard towers are so full of prisoners now they’re keeping those they arrest in warehouses. My cousin even said they’re putting prisoners to work in places like Sallix Salt Works.”

Kal takes some time to observe the crowd, and comes to many similar conclusions as Joachim.

Zacarias once again succesfully manages to get the crowd to follow his lead, and soon, the front rows of the crowd move along to his banner, and the other rows slowly follow their example, creating a strongly unified protest!

Hour two has now passed. Things are starting to get heated, but you still get all the same options as last time again for hour three!

Shiba drifts through the crowd with unease in his heart. While the rumor he had heard could be unsubstantiated, it was not entirely unlike those that worship the Hells to use law to bind one into forced servitude. Indignation blooms within his heart.

Perception(Listen for Rumors): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

With one rumor in hand, he keeps his ears open seeking to catch any others. Rumor may be baseless, may be slanderous, but if enough of them agree on something then there perhaps may be truth within it. He had turned a blind eye to Barzillai Thrune's rule, ignored the dottari and the proclamations as best he could, feeling that they had been simply a momentary change in the status quo. But with Lord Mayor Jilia missing, Barzillai may be here to stay... and if his rule continues as it has, Shiba could not continue to be willfully ignorant of reality.

Kal, seeing little of interest, turns her focus back on her previous targets: the Loyalists. Bolstered by her previous attempt, she rounds on them again, and though they are quieted, decides to try and push things even further. She remembers her harsh words to her raven companion.

"Piss off, then! Or I'll enact the first proclamation on you, you bunch of rats!"

Intimidation: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Encouraged by the crowd following his lead Zacarias continues his chant until he's about 2 meters away from line of guards, basically looking Nox in the eye right about now.

Performance: Oration: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

He steps out of the line in to address the protesters again. Good! Let your voices be heard. Let them feel your anger!. But remember that we need to stay in control! You shall use no violence unprovoked. Our victory today will be that we show everyone we're better than the regime that terrorises us!

Zacarias had not expected to lead a crowd like this. Although it was definitely a good thing beyond his expectations it worried him. He was good enough in a fight that he could maybe protect three or four people. But if things turned sour now there'd be nothing he could do for the people behind him except for delaying the Dottari as long as he could. Given the number of guards in front of him, that wouldn't be long. But despite his anxiety he couldn't stop now. They were finally achieving something.

Aware of the slow, but sure rise of tension in the crowd, Joachim continues his search. Daring to move a bit further into the crowd, he scans every face.

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

"Asmodeus' thrice-blessed taint" he thinks to himself.
Am I taking too big a risk?"

Shiba continues as he did, lurking around and trying to find more anecdotes about life under Barzillai Thrune's reign. He picks up another interesting rumour.
“Someone’s killing tieflings down in the Devil’s Nursery. I’ve heard that whoever’s doing it is taking trophies, but I’m not sure what kind. Sounds like the Slasher’s back... Just what we need!”
The name "Slasher" does not sound familiar to him, but Shiba nods along nonetheless and moves along further with the crowd.

Kal attempts to silence the loyalists further, but they seem to have grown wary of her and her feathered friend, and just scowl at her and ignore her while they attempt to make their (at this point rather soft) voices heard.

Once again, Zacarias' words strike a powerful chord in the crowd, and the different messages of the crowd started melding together. In the end, a single, powerful sentence echoes repeated through Aria Park and its surroundings.

Down with Thrune!
Down with Thrune!
Down with Thrune!

As the third hour has passed, all four of you have been swaying along with the crowd's movements. You all find yourself at the very front of the crowd, close to the fountain where Zacarias made his dramatic entrance, and only a few tens of feet away from the big entrance to the opera house. The crowd's tenor, perhaps riled up by Zacarias' speeches, is getting more and more hostile. Then, at three minutes past 12, suddenly, the crowd is silenced by the loud gongs of the bells on the Cathedral of Asmodeus. No apparent reason, as is usual for the bells, but enough to mum the crowd to silence for just a bit.

Joachim looks back into the crowd, trying one last time to find his contact in this large mass of people... And he does. The tiefling and the human make eye contact for a brief moment, but before the two can approach each other, he, and everyone else, hears two small, quick bangs pierce the silence: the sound of the windows in the opera house being thrown open and hitting against the outer walls.

From out of the window, facing the crowd with the same condescending smirk he always seems to wear, is High Inquisitor Paracount Lord-Mayor Barzillai of House Thrune.

Even inside his house, he wears a large, imposing ornate breastplate over fine silks of red, orange and black. In his hand, a diabolical mace, that he playfully hits against his other hand, as though ready to jump down into the protest and start waving it around.

He clears his throat and says the following:

"Ah, my adoring little chickadees. I am sorry to say I have not yet adapted to your quaint, country ways, being accustomed as I am to the sophistication and learning of Egorian. Nonetheless, know I have heard your concerns, and that I appreciate your valued feedback, and I know we shall eventually find a mutual understanding in the fullness of time. I take pride in updating Kintargo’s quaint, outdated laws to the modern standards the city deserves, and
strengthening its ties with the empire in these cruel times, but obviously I have approached my duties too aggressively.
“You say you chafe at the presence of nonnatives in positions of power? That authorities not of this city have no place as its leaders? That you will not be yoked by intruders? Your lord-mayor hears you. And so it is with a heavy heart that I issue this proclamation, in response to your demands: all ships’ captains are hereafter barred from leaving their vessels and setting foot on Kintargo docks or streets, under pain of... let’s say... squassation!"

A loud murmuring engulfs the crowd, worries. At first, they take the form of a simple question and answer, a question asked by one half of the protesters, and answered by another half.
"What's squassation?"
"It's... torture."

How does everyone react to the birth of the Eighth Proclamation?

PS: I realize I haven't explained this yet, but any knowledge checks that the character is untrained in (no skill ranks) cannot be used for knowledge checks with DC higher than 10. So, the Knowledge Local check up there can only be done by people who have at least one skill rank in Knowledge Local!

For those reading this in the future, for some reason: This large post is a combination of many "posts" that the players and me made during a longlasting Paizo.com outage, so rest assured that all actions by the PCs were written by their players.

Kal can't believe what she's hearing. For one such as her- one whose greatest joy in life has so often been to arrive in a new town and meet its people, and to be welcomed with open arms- she can see no eviller notion than to deny others that right.

Seething, before she can even think, her right hand bursts up from her side, glowing with magical fury.

1d4 + 1 = (3) + 1 = 4

"Squassate this!"

A bright, strong magical missile bursts from her outstretched palm, careening right for Barzillai.

----------

When the bright blue dart of the magic missile cuts through the air, aiming at the sinister new Lord-Mayor, the response is immediate. Nox, who had stoically and intimidatingly kept staring down the crowd, suddenly warps to the balcony and shields Barzillai, taking the full brunt of the missile in her face. In the sudden chaos, Barzillai's wine spills over his ornate clothes. Nox turns to the crowd, her face slightly scarred by the burns of Kal's Magic Missile.

"WHO DID THIS?!" she shouts. The crowd remains silent, too shocked to respond to what happened just a second ago... and what's happening right now.

Magic Missiles leave burn scars, but they tend to heal rather well to the point of invisibility over the course of about a week. So any scars healing is nothing out of the ordinary. What IS out of the ordinary, however, is that it's happening on Nox's face, as you all look at her, in a couple of seconds. Nox's wound heals unnaturally fast, with no signs of magic interference either.

"Enough of this!" shouts a frustrated Barzillai. "Nox! Run them off, arrest them, kill them, I don't care which!"
Nox nods. She barks at the stationed guards, "Dottari! Pacify these rats!" and shuts the windows. The shapes of the paracount and his attendant vanish inside the opera house.

----------
As the magical projectile is launched and Zacarias' fear becomes reality he petrifies on the spot. No one here is prepared for this... This will become a massacre.
The moment Barzillai shouts his commands and the crowd starts to shift he's pulled back into reality again. Zacarias repeats the same incantation from before as he once again reaches for his throat. Seconds later his voices booms across the park. People of Kintargo. Run to your homes. Today is not the day for battle. Escape to stay alive and free but do not forget what happened here. Live to fight another day!

Despite his own words Zacarias pulls out his warhammer and starts moving through the crowd again trying to usher people away from the dottari, ready to face whoever tries to stop him.
----------

All dottari, in perfect unison, draw their maces and start closing in on the crowd. Behind you, inside the crowd, you hear a unified cry. But not in the way they had been before, when Zacarias lead the protesters. These are singular voices, spread out across the entire crowd, and their message is not one you're happy to hear: "Glory to Cheliax! Glory to Thrune!" It's the Chelish Citizens' Group, Kintargo's pro-Thrune militia. They must have been skulking between the protesters from the start!

The protest quickly turns into conflict. The dottari are grabbing, subduing and arresting people left and right, whereas the Citizens' Group thugs seem more inclined to using their light maces to do the talking, albeit clearly aiming to knock out, not to kill.

The four of you try to navigate your way through the unruly crowd, and end up right on the road to the Opera House, where a small pocket of empty space has formed. You all back up further from some thugs that seem to have it out for you. Then you look around. You see each other. Be it through some twist of fate, the four of you have found one another, strangers, maybe vague acquaintances, but most likely little more. But in this protest gone wrong you see a shared fire burning in each other's eyes. A fire to do what's right. A fire to protect Kintargo and its inhabitants.

But first... you'll have to figure out how to deal with the situation you find yourselves in. The four thugs that have their eyes on you have drawn their maces, and their sadistic grins show little promise...

Roll For Initiative!
Shiba: 1d20 + 3 = (20) + 3 = 23
Citizen's Group Thugs: 1d20 + ? = 20
Zacarias: 1d20 + 1 = (6) + 1 = 7
Joachim: 1d20 = 7
Kal: 1d20 + 1 = (2) + 1 = 3

ROUND ONE!
Shiba is up! After that, the thugs, and finally, the rest of your party, in any order you wish!

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Dread curdles in Shiba's gut as the protest quickly turns into a violent suppression. Ah, an ill omen it was, then. Jun would be disappointed. His escape routes are quickly closed off, and all that's left is the Opera House at his back and three unlikely strangers standing at his side.

"I hate resorting to violence," he says to his compatriots. "But when left no recourse... we have to cut through and get away. I don't trust Nox and Barzillai will stay in the Opera House for long, and we are far, far too close for my comfort."

He touches a hand to the half-orc Zacarias's shoulder, wreathing him in a shimmer of protective magic.

Shiba has granted Zacarias "Ward": +2 deflection bonus to AC, +2 resistance bonus to all saves until Zacarias is hit with an attack or fails a save.

With a flick of his wrist, a short, hollow wooden rod drops into Shiba's hand.

Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath- swift action to unsheath a weapon.

"None of you shall fall while I stand. I'm not much of a fighter, but I am a healer."

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The four thugs nod at each other and surround you, one facing down each of you, and they attack with their maces, albeit clearly aiming to incapacitate, rather than outright kill. They exchange no pleasantries, only shouts and insults, especially to Zacarias.

"Dirty half-orc thinks he can take on House Thrune? We'll show you chains, halfie."

Attack on Kal: 1d20 - ? = 14
Attack on Zacarias: 1d20 - ? = 9
Attack on Shiba: 1d20 - ? = 6
Attack on Joachim: 1d20 - ? = 3

Damage on Kal (Nonlethal): 6

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Kal grunts as she takes the hit, and her raven familiar takes off in surprise, cawing "Bastard!" as he does.

She draws her longbow swiftly, hand still buzzing from the magic missile. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. She briefly glances around at her strange companions. I don't think they know it's me. She cautiously takes a few steps away from them, separating herself from the group and the guards by 5ft, to the north.

She looks to the man that hurt her, draws back an arrow, and aims for the centre of his chest.

Longbow = 1d20 + 1 - 4 = 16

Damage = 1d8 = 4

----------

Initially as Zacarias and his accidental allies are surrounded he tries to take up as much space as possible with his banner and hammer in hand. The moment he hears the thug's words however his demeanor and posture changes from protective to aggressive. I will break your hand before you even get to lay a finger on me or any of us you filth! This will be the last time you think of bullying people into submission. With a enraged look in his eyes and anger dripping from his every word, Zacarias' fury becomes almost tangible in the air around him.

Zacarias uses his Inspired Rage ability which will last for 6 turns or until he ends it himself. Everyone can decide at the start of their turn whether they want to accept or refuse the effects. The effects are as follows: the target gets a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus to Will saving throws, but they also take a -1 penalty to AC and cannot use any Charisma, Dexterity or Intelligence based skills while under the effects (except for Acrobatics, Intimidate, Ride and Fly).

--------

As Kal makes a swift retreat, the thug that targeted her tries to get another attack in, but he misses her by a hair's breadth and instead is forced to look as she quickly shoots an arrow right in his chest. The arrow hits him and he recoils, both in pain and in shock. He then looks worriedly at the arrow jutting out of his chest, as if he's never been shot by an arrow before.

The thugs also recoil at the sudden fit of rage engulfing Zacarias. They still hold their maces tightly, but their eyes betray a certain nervousness, like they might be out of their element here...

Joachim takes a moment to gain his bearings notices the healer. Though he has not personally met him, he knows of his work through some of his more removed relatives. He moves to stand between the healer and the thug facing him.

I'd think twice about this if I were you he says, pulling off the long glove on his left arm. Halfway down the upper limb the skin devolves in a smoke-like scarring. Abruptly it ends and continues into an elegant prosthetic arm. The quality of the material in stark contrast with the tiefling its attached to, with intricately constructed silver weaving around a set of jewels interlayed near the knuckles.

As Joachim grabs his mace tighter, one of the jewels begins to glow. To those who can perceive it, he seems enveloped in a faintly red smoke. Near his shoulder arises the ethereal form of a dwarf, who whispers something into Joachim's ear. With that, he lunges at the thug.

Mace= 1d20 + 1 +1 + 2 = 24
damage = 1d8+1 +1 + 2 = 6
crit roll = 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 17
crit roll damage = 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 10

---------

Joachim's mace makes contact. Fiercely. The weapon crashes down on the thug's head with pure force, and soon the thug is nothing but a lifeless body on the city pavement, its face heavily morphed by the heavy blow. Joachim nudges Shiba and whispers: "I... don't suppose you can fix that."

Shiba may act!

----------

Shiba grimaces at the corpse on the ground and murmurs a brief prayer. "May your next journey be a kinder one than this... Reviving the dead is beyond even me, I'm afraid."
He turns his gaze away from the body and turns his attention to the living, laying a gentle hand on Kal's back, soothing her injury with a hallowed light. "Be at ease. We stand together, and we shall not fall. Not here."

Healing Hex: 1d8 + 1 = 5

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The thugs glance at the blow Joachim dealt their friend, and the unsightly corpse it leaves behind, and they shout in anger. "The devilhuman took out Vicks! F%+~ him up, boys!"

All three of them singularly direct their attacks at Joachim to avenge their fallen friend, ignoring Shiba's escape out of range, and Kal's bow still trained at them. They attack with rage, and have done away with any pretenses that they aim to knock out. The thugs aim to do what Joachim has done with their friend. They aim to kill.

Thug 1: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Thug 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Thug 3: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

However, the thugs fail to connect any blows against Joachim's iron defenses!

Kal, Zacarias and Joachim may act!

The spectral apparition of the dwarf pumps its fist and whispers again into Joachim's ear. Emboldened, Joachim turns to the thug on his right and strikes again.

attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Joachim immediately goes for a second hit, but the thug gets a lucky break and jumps out of the way.

Kal and Zacarias may act!

Kal looks to the man she shot, stood before Joachim. She takes aim and fires off another arrow at him, aiming for the spot where the previous embedded itself in his chest.

Longbow: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

Critical: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

With legendary marksmanship, the arrow Kal lets loose manages to precisely enter the wound she made with her previous arrow, and pierce the thug's body completely.

He falls over, dead.

Pick up your friends and f$*% off! With those words Zacarias joins the fight as he lunges at the assailant closest to him with his warhammer.

Warhammer: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 + 2 = 17

damage: 1d8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 2 = 6

The hammer's steel connects with its target as Zacarias brings the weight down on the bigot in front of him.
Why won't they leave? Is their bigotry really worth dying for to them?

The thug stumbles on his knees following Zacarias' harsh attack. There is severe fear in his eyes, and it looks like he might be ready to throw in the towel and run away...

Then, the doors to the opera house swing open, and two dottari guards step out, placing them right in front of Shiba and Kal!

"You, protesters! Leave the area immediately and no one will get hurt. We will use lethal force if given no other choice! Depart the premises and follow the instructions of the Citizen's Group volunteers if need be!"

The thug's fearful expression changes once again to that sadistic smirk these thugs have been wearing since they started fighting you, and he gets back up.

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Shiba grimaces at the sound of the Dottari right behind him, and slides the blowgun back into his sleeve to hide it from his hands. He turns to face the Dottari with an impassive expression on his face, empty hands open.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

"We were on our way back to our homes when we were waylaid by these men. I can only imagine they meant to take advantage of the commotion for their own gain. We have fought in self-defense, but I would quit the field and return to my home if the bloodshed could end."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 2 = 19

"Then, by all means, sir, feel free to leave. It seems to me you yourself are out of harm's way, and I'm sure these fine gentlemen here are only doing what they must to keep the peace."

The thugs, feeling vindicated and protected by the Dottari, turn their heads to Zacarias and shove him around, hitting him with their maces.

"Yeah, halfie. Scram!"

Nonlethal Attack: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Nonlethal Attack: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11

Nonlethal Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

One of the lowlifes whispers to Zacarias. "You're quite the talker, big guy. But you should really think of a different cause to fight for... I doubt anyone would notice if a half-orc like you were to disappear..."

The Dottari guards draw their longbows and aim at Joachim and Zacarias.

"You are advised to cease your resistance and leave, or suffer the consequences."

In the area close to the Opera House, it's gotten relatively calm by now, but large parts of the park behind you are still in a large state of chaos.

Kal, Zac and Joachim may act!

Joachim and the spectral dwarf give Kal the simultaneous thumbs up. Mostly unfazed, he attacks the nearest thug.

attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Kal returns Joachim's thumbs up, then looks to the dottari, whom she actually feels may well be a threat to her life. She clears her throat, and puts on the calmest face she can as she gestures to the thugs behind her.

"These fine gentlemen, as you call them, have been harassing me and my companions. They even keep this vermin," she grasps her raven familiar in her hand, pretending not to care about his squawks of protest, "And have been using it to harass us further. Why, I would't be surprised if they were responsible for the attack on our kind leader's life just moments ago!" She fumbles with her familiar as she talks, ready to let him go at the next sign of danger.

Bluff: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 2 = 25

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20

Zacarias' fury is interrupted by Kal's words. And for a moment he stops himself from lashing out. Another dead thug might escalate the tense situation, dooming his ragtag allies. He hopes Kal's words have more effect than his. He does, however, still grip his hammer tightly. He doesn't trust the Dottari as far as he could throw them.

Zacarias readies an action, preparing himself for an attack on the same guard again if the Dottari refuse to hear Kal out.

With one resounding bonk, Joachim floors the thug near him. The thug falls over, wounded, but not dying quite yet.

Then, Kal shares her 'findings' with the Dottari. They look at each other. Then at the thugs. Then at the raven. Then at each other again. The thugs. Finally, one of them nods at the other.
"It would seem the Citizen's Group contains a few rotten apples, then... Alright, we're taking them in for questioning."
The dottari walk past you towards the thugs. Said thugs are too wounded and shocked to even respond as they're grabbed and taken into the Opera House. They ignore the corpses and the wounded, seemingly in a one track mind to get them in custody. They even forget about the raven.

The road in front of you all is clear for the time being. Most people have dispersed by now, but there's still a reasonable crowd trying to make sense of the chaos.

What do you do?

COMBAT OVER!

"We should go," Shiba murmurs. "The longer we linger, the more likely we can be found out." He takes a moment to close the eyes of the dead thugs, weighing down the eyelids with coppers from their purses, but otherwise leaves the bodies untouched. "May the Lady of Journeys guide your path to eternal rest."

"Have any of you a place to lay low until the retaliation from this quiets?" He looks around at the scattering citizenry, the sense of anxiety hanging over the city like a heavy cloud. "I have a small space of my own, down in the slums. But I have heard rumors of a serial killer in the Devil's Nursery who is targeting tieflings, and I worry that it would put you in danger, friend." He nods at Joachim with respect.

There is blood on the streets this morning, and I would bet there will be more by tomorrow's dawn. Cold apprehension raises the hairs on the back of his neck at the thought.

Kal lets her familiar flutter up and land on her shoulder once more, grumbling and shaking himself off like a disgruntled, wet dog. She Slings her bow back over her shoulder, and looks between this group she seems to have found herself fighting with.

"He looks like he can defend himself," she says, gesturing to Joachim. "But regardless we should get away and lay low. If you have somewhere safe, I won't complain about free lodging."

Zacarias sighs and looks around at the bloody remains of the protest that was supposed to start changing things in the city. After concluding that there is nothing he can do anymore he turns to the others.
Honestly the slums sound pretty good right now if you'll have us. If any dottari come looking they can provide the chaos we'd need to hide. And regarding this killer, if we can beat up racist murderers here I don't see how beating up a racist murderer somewhere else.

The four of you decide to head to Shiba's dwelling in Devil's Nursery. Having decided to lay low, you avoid the main roads and stick to alleys and narrow streets between the buildings to keep as low of a profile as possible. However, Aria Park has only just gotten out of sight behind a mass of buildings when you come across more of those people you really wish you didn't have to deal with anymore.
Chelish Citizen's Group.

The scene is a... curious one. There's 5 thugs, focused on a person they've cornered. However, around them are 4 unconscious thugs. It seems that whoever they're dealing with didn't go out without a fight. But who could it be? Peeking between the thugs' scrawny bodies, you all note that it's a man dressed in fine, albeit filthy, clothing. He's panting heavily and his face looks wounded.

When they notice you, two thugs break off from the crowd around the poor man and head up to you, waving their maces around menacingly.
"Move along, nothing to see here. Just a matter of instillin' some dispiclin."
"It's dipscilin, you moron. Instillin' some dipscilin, see? It rhymes, idiot."
Sod off, Hackett. Anyway, that goes double for you four. Sod off if you know what's good for you."

Shiba's expression falls into a grim countenance at the sight of a cornered, wounded man. Ignoring the thugs for a brief moment, he quickly assesses the man's injuries.

Heal: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

"There is no discipline here. This looks like either a mugging or a murder, I'm not sure which." He whispers to the others, keeping his voice pitched so that it won't carry as far. "That man is heavily wounded; another blow and he may die."

The man looks severely wounded, and although conscious, there's a glaze in his eyes that imply he might lose consciousness any second now. He seems to be at the brink: any more damage could put him in a critical condition.

Zacarias takes his warhammer out and holds it loosely in his hand, letting it rest on his shoulder. You should really be more careful. You don't want to outstay your welcome in places like this. As he tries to talk the thugs into leaving he walks past them trying to get as close to the victim as possible before things can turn violent.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

The two thugs laugh out loud. "It seems to me that we have the numbermetical advantage! Boys, get over here! We got some tough kids here who are in need of some Chelish justice!" Hackett says. The thugs turn their attention away from the victim.

COMBAT START!

Initiative
Joachim: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Kal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Shiba: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Zacarias: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Citizen's Group: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Hackett (red) and his fellow thug walk up to Zacarias. "Time to shut your mouth, hammer-man. And what's the deal with that cheap flag anyway?" Hackett nudges at one of the thugs behind him (white), who immediately moves up towards Zacarias and tries to attack!

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

The thug gets a rough slam in, and while Zacarias is still reeling, Hackett moves in and grabs the flag, trying to wrestle it from Zacarias' hands!

Combat Maneuver: Disarm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Meanwhile, the thug Hackett was talking with lumbers up to Shiba and swings his mace, sensing a weak victim in him.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
However, Shiba manages to duck out of the way.

The other thugs just stand at a distance, laughing sinisterly at the group in front of them.

Okay. For the disarm action, Zacarias gets to take an attack of opportunity. If the attack succeeds, then the thug will get a penalty to his disarm equal to the amount of damage he takes. Zacarias' Combat Maneuver Defense is 13, so he needs to deal damage of 4 or more to defend the flag. For now, everyone can roll as though the flag remains, and if Hackett steals it, I'll keep the penalties in mind as I handle your turns. Everyone may act! Zacarias gets an AoO!

Attack of Opportunity: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Zacarias pulls the thug in by the hand that grabs the banner and headbutts him, using the ensuing confusion to get in a strike with his warhammer.

Hackett loses his grip on the flag, and the flag and its delicious buffs remain in Zacarias' hand!

Shiba slides away from the frontline, squeezing between Kal and Zacarias to end up right behind the half orc. He murmurs under his breath, half an arcane chant and half a prayer. "Desna, guide our path. The road is fraught with danger and we look to you for guidance, shield us from harm." He lays a glowing hand against Zacarias's back and a shimmering field of protective energy once again encases the half-orc.

Zacarias now has a +2 Deflection bonus to AC and +2 resistance bonus to all saves until hit or a failed save happens!

"Come, then!" He calls to the thugs. "You claim to discipline, but show no honor, no dignity. You are wretched. Stand and face those that would deny you, and show us what passes for 'fury' among your misbegotten kind."

Under his breath, he sighs an apology. "Forgive me, but to save that man's life I could see no other route. We will strike them down."

"Gods you people make me sick! You really chose the wrong day to go around harassing people."
Zacarias lets out what is almost a roar as he steps forward.

Raging song is in effect again, have fun with the buffs!

He nods to the witch behind him. "Thanks for your protection, now stay behind me. I got us into this, I'll get us out."

Joachim glowers at the man in front of him and the spectral dwarf gives a resolute thumbs-down. Joachim runs at the thug and swings his mace at him. "Amscray, scum!"

attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Kal draws back her bow, aiming right at the thug directly in front of her. "Have we met? You're awfully similar to another racist back there I just shot," she tells him, loosing her arrow for his chest.

Longbow: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

As the arrow finds its mark, she nods. "Aye, definitely look just like him now."

Hackett shouts. "Okay, that does it, mongrels! Boys, kill them, NOW!" As a response, all thugs start moving and picking out targets to assault. Joachim gets countered by the thug he attacked, and another thug comes to his aid.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Crit Damage Boost: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
One of the thugs gets a heavy hit in, but fails to connect where it really counts, turning a potential critical hit into a regular smash. The other misses completely.
Joachim takes 6 damage!

Meanwhile, Hackett and his ally continue their efforts to beat up Zacarias.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
However, both fail to deal damage to the newly warded and raging Zacarias!

Finally, Kal's target tries to outmuscle her with an attack of his own.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
He connects fiercely, with a fell swoop across the face with his mace!
Kal takes 7 damage!

Everyone may act! Also, everyone, please remember to change your current HP in your profile if you took damage, so your healers (and enemies >:3c) can see how you're doing HP-wise at a glance.