"Indeed," Greta nods. "Diplomacy is always preferable to violence. The goblins are outside the town's legal jurisdiction, but it is in Breachill's best interests to maintain friendly relations with them, if at all possible."
Ragna rolls her eyes at this and mutters "Obviously we're not going to kill people for a stupid ring."
Indeed, even as she looks around, Neven Deckard is on his feet. "Councilors, my group of adventurers dealt with those dangerous wolves preying on our local farmers' livestock last month. I am authorized to offer our services -- proven services -- to the town again in finding this ring the fellow lost."
Ragna snorts and turns to Deckard, grinning. "Your 'proven services'? That's a queer way to phrase it. Are you going to axe them nicely to open the door?" This may not be the best time or place to poke at Deckard, but the heat in the hall and the alcohol in her belly makes it too difficult to resist.
Seeing Abigail falter, Shaserai tries to pick up the argument. "Councilors, we do have the skills to deal diplomatically with the goblins, but also to deal with any trouble, as we count among us people of varied talents. We have at our disposition arcane magic and the blessings of Torag, as well as numerous skills suitable for adventuring. And we want to prove that to you, as master Deckard's group did in last month's Call."
The councilors exchange glances. "Mr. Deckard," Greta replies, "under the regulations and traditions of Breachill, your group, having successfully completed a task, has the right to preferential consideration for any further petitions which might call for your demonstrated talents." Deckard grins triumphantly at Ragna.
"However," Greta goes on, "this task involves a search, not physical danger and probability of combat. As has already been broached, diplomacy and negotiations may be called for, a talent which your previous success did not make use of." She holds up a hand against his anticipated objection. "In a vacuum, your possession of a hero token might well carry the day anyway. In this case, however, we still have another petition to hear, one which is far more suited to your demonstrated abilities. I urge you to patience until you have heard Farmer Everhilm's petition."
She turns her attention back to the party. "The council thanks you for your willingness to serve. You and your group are engaged to locate Mr. Stagram's missing ring." She lets her gavel fall with an air of finality. "If you will wait until the end of the meeting," she goes on more informally, "we will collect your information, and you may ask any questions you may have about the process of fulfilling your task."
"Thank you councilor, we'll aim to prove your faith is not misplaced." Shaserai sits down and gives a reassuring smile to Abigail.
"I hope there aren't many more tasks, I'd like to get more information from Alak as soon as possible."
"Well that's that..." Jonagher says just loud enough for his friends to hear, then reclines in his seat, prepared to hear the other petitioners and at least see if Neven's crew wins an assignment, as well. He glances over at Ragna. "You think maybe we can do a quick turnaround on this one and then up our game for another? Twice the fun, twice the pay?"
"Now," Greta goes on, "we will hear from our second petitioner, Ezekiel Everhilm, local farmer." She nods to the man seated next to Alak Stagram as she sits down again.
Everhilm gets to his feet, removing his straw hat and turning it around and around in his hands like a cart wheel as he addresses the room. "You all know me," he begins in a slow, comfortable voice. "I farm northwest of town. In the last few weeks, I've had several chickens go missing, and a I found a broke lock on one of my outbuildings and some equipment stolen. I reckon there's squatters in Guardian's Way again, and I'm here to petition the council to hire some heroes to clear 'em out." He nods politely and returns to his seat.
"An outpost used by the Isgeri Army during the Goblinblood War, if memory serves," the Chelish mage says in regards to Guardian's Way. "Bandits have time and again used it as a base of operations of sorts."
Ren shrugs as he continues. "It could be something like that again. I have to admit though, missing chickens and stolen equipment? If it does involve bandits, they sound less disagreeable than I would have thought."
"You know what they say about raccoons. If you let them eat your cat food, soon they'll be back for the whole cat." Ragna responds to Irenaeus. "If it is bandits, we have a cleric that can heal any who might need it." She adds, gesturing to Shaserai.
"Ahh, heal anyone the bandits may have waylaid or kidnapped, that is." Ragna says quietly, her face reddening slightly.
"Thank you, Mr. Everhilm," Greta Gardania responds. "The council will now confer."
With a grunt, the dwarf Jorsk Hinterclaw advises, "We can't let anyone get comfortable in Guardian's Way. Vote to approve."
Posandi concurs. "Absolutely."
Melma Ann Sendari nods. "Banditry in the area threatens both our farmers and any travelers in the region. We must ensure their safety."
Greta smiles. "It looks like your petition is approved, Mr. Everhilm. The council will now open the floor to any adventurers who wish to present their credentials to perform the job. The task in question," she specifies, adding some writing to the parchment in front of her, "is Physical Repulsion of Banditry, and the standard pay for such a task when completed is twenty gold coins, to be divided among the party, as well as official recognition of the members thereof as Heroes of Breachill, assuming they do not already possess that qualification."
She looks at Neven Deckard expectantly.
"If there is the need I'd of course heal them." Shaserai states softly "But I think we should focus on the missing ring for now. Just as helping Alak is our task, dealing with the squatters will be another group's responsibility."
"As long as another group does indeed volunteer," Irenaeus points out a little drily. "Dealing with bandits is not quite as... harmless a task as finding a missing ring."
"Besides, I am not entirely certain whether it is against the rules or not for one group to volunteer to take care of more than one task."
"Hmmm...twenty gold?" Jonagher muses aloud, "That's a tempting haul for any mercenaries. And there may be other loot to retrieve from said bandits. Of course, it likely comes with a bit more danger than finding a lost ring in an old citadel. Bandits won't move off easily from whatever hole they've created for themselves. Guardian's Way is pretty well fortified...or, at least it was during the war. If Deckard's crew takes it, they might well get in over their heads..."
Deckard looks smug when he realizes the pay for the second task is twice what the new group accepted for theirs. "I'll accept that on behalf of my crew, madam councilor," he replies. "I can certainly see why you felt such a dangerous job required an experienced group rather than--"
At that moment, there is an explosive roar, and the hallway just outside the western doorway bursts into flame.
Jonagher is momentarily paralyzed by indecision.
At the sound of the explosion Shaserai jumps to his feet, mind racing. For a moment, the images from his nightmares blur with reality "Torag grant me strength, not now".
"Councilors!" He exclaims, clearing his mind "Is there any source of water nearby, like a fountain or a well? We need to put out that fire right now!"
He races to the foot of the stage, going over the chairs on the first row and around the councilor's table and observes the area, trying to ascertain the origin of the fire.
"Fire!" Jonagher shouts, "Everybody get the children and elderly out! If you're able, fight the fire!" He nods at Shaserai's attempts to locate water. "I'm going upstairs!" he tells him, "There are others up there. They'll need help before the smoke gets to them..." He then sprints from the seating area back to the stairs leading up to the balcony.
Shaserai edges around the stage to get a closer look at the fire.
Jonagher sounds the alarm and runs for the gallery. The boys he had seen up there before are still gawking over the edge of the railing; the half-elf Vox Lirayne is nowhere to be seen.
Managing to climb over the chair in front of him, albeit not too gracefully, Irenaeus makes his way closer to the stage and as a result the fire as well. Now able to get a better look, the mage considers for a moment one of his spells. Once cast, it creates a strong gust of wind that can extinguish small fires.
"Not all that small though," he mutters to himself. "Still, I may be able to at the very least keep it at bay for a little while by directing where it spreads. Or at least trying to," he informs the others.
Ren clambers over the furniture, hopping up on the council's table itself to get eyes on the fire.
As he watches, the flames lick down the steps and onto the vertical wooden wall of the stage.
Ragna jumps to her feet and rushes to the central table, intent on using it as a ramp to reach the trapped children on the stage. "Help me lean this table against the stage. We have to get those kids down!" She shouts to Irenaeus on his perch.
The council, with their backs to the doors, has been slower to react, but once they turn to see the flames, they spring into action.
"Fire!" Greta repeats Jonagher's warning. "Evacuate the rotunda! Sound the alarm! Alert the populace! Form a bucket brigade!"
She speaks over a rising tide of panic from the crowd. Most of the citizens have the good sense to obey her instructions, but some are elderly and infirm. Worse, some are the mothers of the children on stage and rush forward toward their offspring rather than back toward the exits, obstructing the way of those attempting to evacuate. A few more excitable souls swoon or collapse into hysterics. The performers burst into shrieks of terror.
"Come on!" Neven Deckard shouts to his entourage. "Get to the water pumps and gather people for a bucket brigade!" He leads them down the aisle toward the exits.
"Help me lean this table against the stage. We have to get those kids down!"
"Good idea, lass," Jorsk Hinterclaw responds. "The lot of you," he addresses the rest of the council, "clear these chairs out of the way!"
Abigail directs a panicked spectator behind her toward the exit, then moves toward the stage to help the children.
Having worked with fire all his life, Shaserai sees the oddness in the one in front of him The fire is not natural! Shaserai warns the others.
He feels the flames coming towards him and sees the shocked woman on the first row, not moving to evacuate "Miss, the fire is extending and you are in danger. Please, go towards the exit, without rushing."
As none of the blessings he prayed for this morning are useful in dealing with the fire, and as Ragna has the children's evacuation underway Shaserai focuses on getting people out of the rotunda safely.
Shaserai ushers an anxious woman away from the fire and goes to look for more people in need of help.
Taking stock of the situation in the upstairs balcony, Jonagher swiftly navigates the mostly empty seats to get close enough to call out to the children and be heard over the din downstairs. "Boys! No time for gawking! Get downstairs and leave the building! See if you can summon more help! We need water to fight the fire! Spread the word!"
While he waits for the kids to move past him and down the stairs, Jonagher uses the height of the balcony to look down towards the stage and the fire to see if he can spot the cause of it...or a more effective way to combat it.
Jonagher's attempt to leap gracefully over the intervening seats ends in his barking his shin on a chair back, but he still manages to get the boys' attention as he stumbles up against the railing. His plea for the boys to get help strikes the right chord, their chests swelling with self-importance. "Come on! We'll sound the alert, all right."
There is little new to be seen from this angle; the hallway where the fire originally began is out of view. Jonagher sees Shaserai moving from person to person, helping them to evacuate, while the others seem intent on lifting the table toward the stage to let the stranded children slide down. Extinguishing the flames will require water, though perhaps using a cloak or rug to smother the flames would help, also.
Irenaeus takes a deep breath as he moves from the table to one of the chairs next to it in an attempt to both allow the others to use the larger piece of furniture and get the children off of the stage while he retains his higher vantage point more or less.
"Shaserai, get that man away from there," he calls out to the elf as he himself brings to mind the words and gestures of a simple enough spell. As he utters the incantation and his fingers end their brief dance, he stretches his right arm in front of him, palm facing forward. A circle of moving symbols bathed in orange light briefly appears in front of his outstretched hand and then, as it vanishes, a strong gust of whirling wind blasts, seeming out of nowhere, towards the raging flames.
Ren takes a wide, awkward step from the table down to the nearest chair, then over to the next one before directing a blast of wind at the flames.
The fire gutters under Ren's arcane assault, blowing back toward the hallway.
With Irenaeus clear, Ragna lifts and maneuvers the table with practiced ease, leaning it against the stage to create makeshift ramp. It isn't much longer than the stage is tall so the ramp is steep, but it's better than a straight drop.
In a nearly-preternatural show of strength, Ragna lifts the heavy table and pivots it toward the stage, leaning it against the edge as a sort of makeshift slide. Having done so, she leaps up herself, grabbing the lip of the stage at the apex of her jump and pulling herself up by main force.
The council, seeing that most of the crowd is evacuating, begins to move themselves. "I'll see the alarm is sounded," Quentino Posandi volunteers, heading down the aisle.
Greta nods. "Melma Ann, go outside and direct the bucket brigade. Jorsk, would you go back into the storage area to see if anyone's trapped back there? Trini, go outside and around to the other doors and make sure the rest of the building is evacuated. I'll stay until the rotunda is clear."
Hesitantly, the nearest child approaches the slanted table, climbs onto the edge, and bumps down into Abigail's waiting arms.
Grateful that Irenaeus' magic has been able to halt the spreading of the fire into the room, Shaserai keeps ushering people from the room. "Sir, get to the exit and maybe you can help. They are forming a bucket brigade."
Once the man is moving he starts making his way to the stage to help Ragnhild and Abigail with the little ones.
With the balcony clear, Jonagher takes one last look to make sure he hasn't missed anyone...including the other half-elf he met earlier.
Satisfied he's done everything he can upstairs, he quickly races back down the steps to join everyone on the main floor so he can assist in the evacuation efforts or the bucket brigade.
Shaserai talks some sense into another panicking citizen, then climbs over the seating toward the children on the stage.
Having seen the boys rush past him down the stairs, Jonagher takes one last look around the balcony to make sure it is completely evacuated; satisfied that it is empty, he follows them down.
"You, girl," Irenaeus calls out to one of the two children that appear closest to the fire, "come over here. Use the table the really nice and really strong lady has so helpfully knocked over."
Realizing his tone may have sounded a little... dry, he adds, "Not much different than going down a slide, I promise." 'If the top of the slide is about to catch on fire,' he then thinks to himself, avoiding to actually say the words out loud thankfully.
Ren encourages another child off the stage.
The arcane wind stops blowing, but the fire doesn't immediately spread back down the already scorched steps. There's no telling how much is burning behind the partition, however, and the smoke is beginning to grow thick and choking near the open doorway.
"Come here, little one!" Ragna half-shouts to the nearest child upon mounting the stage, placing her hands under his arms. She lifts the boy and pivots towards the table fast enough his legs kick out and elevate a few degrees, dropping him onto the makeshift ramp and moving to the other children. 'This would be fun except for the fire.'
Ragna lifts a nearby child and deposits him at the top of the makeshift slide.
The citizens continue to stream out the doors. There is a shout from the back of the rotunda: "Water! Water!" The first buckets from the hastily-formed brigade have arrived.
Abigail gently unclasps the nearest crying child's hands from her leg and directs him out the door.
Shaserai moves past Irenaeus and ends up next to Abigail at the makeshift ramp. Seeing the fire licking the stage, he calls to the child nearest to it. "Honey, come here and down the table. Just like the others, okay?"
Shaserai pushes nearer the stage to coax another child down the slide, but he lapses into a fit of coughing at the end, as the smoke irritates his throat.