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Maybe these folks don't like coffee?
Chance stops with the others and catches his breath, frowning at the screams of the demonstrators who didn't get away quickly enough.
"I never paid much attention to the dottari before," he says thoughtfully. "But then, my friend Zamir says I've usually got my nose so deep in my books that I never pay much attention to anything."
A troubled expression crosses his face, but it is quickly replaced by curiosity. He raises an eyebrow at the masked man. "That blood all over your head - that isn't part of your costume, is it? Hmmm. You spent some of your healing on us - much appreciated, by the way - but maybe I can help with more of those contusions, if I can remember the words."
"And if you say, 'My head's been bashed enough'
I would use this tune to heal you up
I could bend reality to better close your wounds
Now you've been soothed..."
The troubled expression returns and Chance looks back the way they came. "It... it really would be stupid to go back there, wouldn't it? In all the excitement of running away, I sort of lost track of why I was there in the first place. I was supposed to meet someone, but I guess it's too late now." He sighs and slumps against the wall of the alley.
"You might say it's my privilege speaking, but I never feared the dottari before. But now under the new lord-mayor, I'm not so sure."
"I would," Jisara says bluntly. "Some of us have feared the dottari our whole lives. Things have certainly gotten worse, but they were always bad for some of us." She opens her mouth to continue, but a warning growl from the cat causes her to shift tracks. Instead, she closes her eyes for a moment, takes a breath, and seems to start over.
"Please forgive me, I'm a bit on edge, as we all are, but you've certainly done me no wrong. The opposite, in fact. My name is Jisara, and my friend here is named Thatch. Say hello to our new friends, Thatch." As she says this, she looks down at the cat as if she truly expects him to speak. He stares back at her with his one eye, blinking once.
"No," says the cat, in a deep, rasping tone.
"Ah, well, you can see who I get my manners from," Jisara says with a shrug. "Regardless, once everyone's caught their breath, we should continue. If we want to get back to the Red Rood district, we'll need to circle back through Old Kintargo."
"Yes, these are the same people. Yet normally even within Cheliax there are laws protecting its citizens."
The masked man laughs at Vitalis's statement as Chance and Jisara help him. As she's helping him up, Jisara notices that he seems to be a lot lighter than she would have expected. He props himself against the wall and thanks both of them before responding, "That hasn't exactly been what I've seen, but I will admit that this is worse than usual, especially for Kintargo. And I would imagine there are those who have it worse than me, which isn't saying nothing." He grabs his necklace, an ornate wooden carving of a butterfly, to make his point.
"It... it really would be stupid to go back there, wouldn't it? In all the excitement of running away, I sort of lost track of why I was there in the first place. I was supposed to meet someone, but I guess it's too late now." He sighs and slumps against the wall of the alley.
"Yeah, I would assume that ship has sailed for now." he says. "I definitely don't want to go facing those dottari again, and while I wish we could help those people, I don't want to get my head bashed the rest of the way in."
After a brief pause, he mutters some reassurances to himself, "Come on. You practiced this." before introducing himself to the group. "Call me Stargazer." he says, trying to seem confident, but his nerves clearly audible in the statement. After a moment of waiting for the groups reaction, he whispers to the halfling, "That name sounds as cool as it does in my head, right?"
After a moment of waiting for the groups reaction, he whispers to the halfling, "That name sounds as cool as it does in my head, right?"
Clang
“Gah—!”
Faintly audible over the group’s conversation is the sound of steel against steel and a cry of pain. As they look toward the sounds source, further down the alley, the see a group of thugs similar to the ones at the riot—Chelish Citizens’ Group members—in an altercation with a well-dressed human man wearing a single black glove. Four unconscious Citizens’ Group thugs lie on the ground and the remaining five surround the well-dressed man in a kind of mosh pit. One of the thugs slams his mace in the small of the human’s back, sending him falling face-first onto the ground! The thug that landed the final blow spits on the fallen man and kicks him for good measure. The rest of the thugs soon follow suit in kicking the fallen man. They don’t seem to have noticed the PCs.
Jisara pokes her head around the corner for a moment, then pulls back into cover. "Hell," she mutters, along with a few other choice oaths. I finally find him again, just as he's about to be killed!
"Forget what I said earlier. If we don't do anything, they'll beat that man to death right in front of us." She turns to look up at Vitalis. "I know some magic that will make your glaive a more effective weapon. I was saving it for myself if I got into a real bind, but I think it'll be better served if you have it. They'll definitely hear it coming, though. Sound good?"
"Please forgive me, I'm a bit on edge, as we all are, but you've certainly done me no wrong. The opposite, in fact. My name is Jisara, and my friend here is named Thatch. Say hello to our new friends, Thatch."
"A pleasure to meet you Jisara. And Thatch. If it makes you feel any better, I've actually separated myself quite a bit from my family due to "differing opinions"."
"And nice to meet you too Stargazer and...little hyper one."
"Forget what I said earlier. If we don't do anything, they'll beat that man to death right in front of us." She turns to look up at Vitalis. "I know some magic that will make your glaive a more effective weapon. I was saving it for myself if I got into a real bind, but I think it'll be better served if you have it. They'll definitely hear it coming, though. Sound good?"
"This is exactly what I was afraid of. We have to go to that man's aid. Cast the spell on me. Let them here us coming. I won't strike at a man's back but I will strike down these attempted murderers."
Vitalis steps around the corner with glaive drawn and shouts at the thugs. "You there! Nine against one? What cowardly jackals you are! Your actions are unforgivable. If Thrune won't hold you accountable, in the name of Shelyn, I will. Prepare to meet your maker in Hell."
.... After a moment of waiting for the groups reaction, he whispers to thehalflinggnome, "That name sounds as cool as it does in my head, right?"
The red-faced, scarlet-haired, bespectacled* gnome, dressed in black leathers and a crimson cloak, nods and whispers, "Oh, definitely. You're some kind of masked astronomer, right?"
The gnome bows awkwardly to the group at large. "Sorry - my name is Fortunato Pineapple-Umbria Phantasmagorius Ravennablitz. My friend calls me Chance, which isn't my name but works well enough for the purpose."
* * *
Chance's eyes widen when he peeks around the corner behind Jisara. "Hey, I think that's the fellow I was supposed to meet."
"This is exactly what I was afraid of. We have to go to that man's aid. Cast the spell on me. Let them here us coming. I won't strike at a man's back but I will strike down these attempted murderers."
Chance hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Yes, yes, that makes sense. Better to roll the dice ourselves than to let them kill that man. I've got one good spell left too, but it requires me to get a little closer to them than I'd like."
Vitalis steps around the corner with glaive drawn and shouts at the thugs. "You there! Nine against one? What cowardly jackals you are! Your actions are unforgivable. If Thrune won't hold you accountable, in the name of Shelyn, I will. Prepare to meet your maker in Hell."
Well, that's a start. Let's see what we can do with that. Maybe we can scare them off.
Chance focuses on a spot near the end of the alley just before it opens into the street. He calls out, "Iluzio de spiritoj!" The voices of several people, shrieking and gibbering in apparent terror and pain, echo through the alley and into the street.
The gnome runs his hands through his blood-red hair, leaving half of it standing nearly straight up, and fixes a malicious smile on his face. Channeling his terrifying former abjuration professor, he stomps out of the alley to stand next to (and a little behind) Vitalis.
"Don't be so quick to send them to Hell," he rasps. "We're having plenty of fun right here! I do hope they want to stick around and take their chances with us!"
.... After a moment of waiting for the groups reaction, he whispers to theThe red-faced, scarlet-haired, bespectacled* gnome, dressed in black leathers and a crimson cloak, nods and whispers, "Oh, definitely. You're some kind of masked astronomer, right?"halflinggnome, "That name sounds as cool as it does in my head, right?"
"Yeah, basically."
Seeing the thugs, Stargazer nods, and starts making his way to the other end of the alley. "I'm going to try to cut them off on the other side."
Chance's comment about wanting to meet with her contact draws a double-take, equal parts confusion and surprise, from Jisara. Something to ask both of them about later.
While the others move into position, Jisara keeps herself behind the cover of the corner wall, from where she can reach out and infuse Vitalis's weapon from relative safety.
Chance focuses on a spot near the end of the alley just before it opens into the street. He calls out, "Iluzio de spiritoj!" The voices of several people, shrieking and gibbering in apparent terror and pain, echo through the alley and into the street.
I’d just like to mention that this is one of the spells that I address in my house rules document (linked here; you can also find the link in the profile of my GM alias). It’s a minor thing, but with how the spell is used it’s usually ruined if people hear you casting it, so I swapped the verbal component with a material one.
Indeed they are. I also adjusted your position prior to initiative to a more convenient spot (before I would rule they actually start needing to roll to notice you).
Vitalis steps around the corner with glaive drawn and shouts at the thugs. "You there! Nine against one? What cowardly jackals you are! Your actions are unforgivable. If Thrune won't hold you accountable, in the name of Shelyn, I will. Prepare to meet your maker in Hell."
One of the thugs waves his mace dismissively at Vitalis. ”Piss off, pretty boy; this is CCG business that you don’t wanna be involved in.”
When Chance comes around the corner and the sounds of screaming echo throughout, the thugs jump in fright then turn back to Chance and Vitalis in anger! ”Fine then! Time to beat in some pretty faces!”
Round 1
===============
Stargazer
Chance
Jisara
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Vitalis
One-gloved man (0 HP) {unconscious; prone; dying 2}
===============
Oh dear, that man really does look as though he's in bad shape.
When he walked into the alley, Chance intended to overwhelm the thugs with a blast of colored light that at best might take out two or three of them at once. Now that he has gotten a better view of the man with one glove, though, he realizes he needs to use his remaining store of magical energy to try to keep his anonymous correspondent alive.
Turning to Vitalis, he says, "We only just met, so let me assure you that I am not usually this reckless."
With that, the gnome scurries closer to the goon squad and their target, then sings the same healing spell he used earlier for Stargazer, albeit a different verse.
"Sir, it seems your skull's been knocked around
And these villains want to take you down
My song will call on spirits to save you from your doom
Now you've been soothed..."
Stargazer makes his way to the other side of the building, watching the thugs, waiting for the right moment to strike. As they begin to move towards Vitalis and Chance, he leaps out from behind the shed and releases a flurry of what appear to be tiny glowing throwing stars that vanish almost as soon as they appear, but not before bombarding the two thugs closest to him. He lands on the ground impossibly lightly, and his cloak is floating around him. He looks them dead in the eyes, his own glowing even brighter, and says, "I'm afraid that's going to be more difficult than you might expect."
,
As soon as the thugs turn their attention to Chance and Vitalis, Jisara reaches out to Vitalis's glaive. With just a tap and a shouted "There!" she infuses it with a magical energy that almost seems to set it vibrating. Before she retreats back around the corner, she sizes up the closest of the thugs and gives him a wicked grin.
"You should have run," she growls.
As Chance soothes the one-gloved man, he groans in a language that none of the PCs recognize before switching back to fluent Taldane (Common).
”Meine Güte, that hurt!”
The one-gloved man then looks around at the situation he is currently in. ”Oh dear…”
Stargazer jumps out from his hiding spot and lets loose a glittering cone of starlight!
The thugs scream as their eyes dilate.
Vitalis’s glaive becomes engrained with arcane runes as Jisara casts her spell on it. She grins at one of the thugs, causing him to start shaking in his boots.
The thugs look between Stargazer and Vitalis as one of them just shouts ”Go!”
Blue rushes forward at Chance and holds his ground and motions toward Purple! Purple sprints to be right in front of Vitalis. The thug grins as he steps over to start flanking Chance! Once he does Blue swings at the gnome!
Purple likewise swings at the flanked gnome.
Red and Yellow advance on Stargazer and prepare to hit the vigilante ! Green looks down at the one-gloved man and kicks him!
The man groans as he is kicked in the stomach. Green then moves over to join the other two thugs around Stargazer and all three swing their maces at the masked man!
The thugs are just as surprised as the dottari were to find their weapons partially passing through Stargazer’s body!
The one-gloved man stands up, putting one hand on the adjacent wall to stabilize himself. He pull out a vial and uncorks it with his teeth. He spits out the cork and downs the vial’s contents and some of his bruises vanish.
He overturns the vial, only to see that no more liquid drops. ”That’s it?!”
Round 1 —> 2
===============
Stargazer (-7)
Chance (-13)
Jisara
Red (-1)
Yellow (-3) {dazzled: round 1 of 10}
Green
Blue
Purple
One-gloved man (6 HP) {wounded 1}
Vitalis
===============
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"That was a mistake ignoring me." Vitalis swings his glaive into Purple with deadly accuracy.
He then steps around to flank Blue and makes another attack but with much less strength behind it.
"Oooow!"
Street fighting seems much easier in books! Jisara has the right idea!
Even assuming Vitalis has dropped Purple, Chance doesn't want to stay anywhere near the remaining thugs. He scoots down the street to the entrance to the alley, then sings a few bars of the inspiring tune he sang at the protest.
Don't let Thrune's Goons' attack
Give you pause or drive you back!
Blood mats his hair, scarlet on scarlet, and runs down his face. Chance leers at Blue and shouts through lips that are starting to swell, "Sure, stick around and fight! Five to four odds are pretty good! No, wait, the man with the glove is getting up, so that's five to five! What, our new friend took out your man with one blow? Now it's five to four our way! Looks like the odds are getting interesting!"
Jisara's jaw drops open as Vitalis cleaves through his opponent, before calmly continuing on his way. After a moment's hesitation, she decides to stick close to the walking engine of destruction, trusting that their enemies will either be too terrified to approach or that he'll punish them for trying.
As she turns the corner to keep pace with him, she sees their new companion Stargazer on the wrong end of a group beatdown. "That won't do at all," she says, sending a surge of electricity rushing out toward the attackers.
Stargazer is knocked back a bit by the blows, and has some trouble keeping his footing. Reacting quickly, he summons a magical barrier of force in front of him, and once more causes his hand to glow a dark purple, reaching out to grab one of the thugs.
,
All of the thugs, the one-gloved man, and even the PCs gape in awe and terror as Vitalis cleaves straight through one of their own, cutting the thug in half!
Chance plays up the paladin’s power, making Blue absolutely terrified!
Jisara lets loose another jolt of electricity!
Red is struck by the electricity and collapses, convulsing on the ground!
Stargazer reaches out and slams his hand against Green!
Blue looks on at the scene before him in pure terror! He violently shakes his head and finally just screams ”F*ck this!” and turns heel and runs!
Green and Yellow see their ally run, look at each other, then yell ”Wait for us!” as they likewise follow after Blue!
The one-gloved man, jaw still hanging open, just looks at the four people before him and simply says. ”I’m glad you all are on my side.” The man picks up a cane that was lying on the ground and dusts himself off. He eyes the single glove on his hand for a moment. ”I suppose I won’t be needing to do this anymore.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an identical glove, which he puts on his other hand.
"Yes! Run, you worms!" Jisara whoops in victory as the thugs flee, before turning to face the man they've just rescued.
"We need to get off the streets, fast. And then you'll answer some questions. It's the least you can do."
"We need to get off the streets, fast. And then you'll answer some questions. It's the least you can do."
"True, true. Thankfully, I have just the—" The man stops himself and looks at Jisara with confusion. "Wait, how do you know that?"
"Strea Vestori is missing. I got your letter instead. Can we do the rest of this someplace else, before more Thrune soldiers come to finish the job?"
While cleaning the blood off his blade, Vitalis addresses the noble. "Rexus? Is that you? I heard you were dead. A real tragedy what happened to your estate. Words cannot express my sorrow for what your family went through. Can you walk? You can have my shoulder if you need. We were headed to the Red Roof District to lie low. Come with us unless you have a different destination."
Vitalis plucks a coin pouch off one of the thugs and looks at the four tarnished silver coins with a frown. "A pittance. This won't even replace my clothes. Perhaps I can have them cleaned. Blood is so hard to get out of fabric though." He then bends down and begins dragging the body out of the alley to the main street. "We can't just leave these in the alley. They'll attract rats and spread disease. Normally, I'd notify the authorities but given the circumstances, I think putting them where they are easier to find will suffice."
The bodies remind Vitalis of the screams of horror he recently heard as he fled. Someone will need to clean up after this massacre. I can't even think about what Aria Park looks like right now.
Chance sees the knight grab one thug's purse and nods to himself. That's how it's done in stories too, I suppose. He leans over and starts pulling off anything of use from the nearest body.
"Strea Vestori is missing. I got your letter instead. Can we do the rest of this someplace else, before more Thrune soldiers come to finish the job?"
"You sent Jisara a letter too? Aren't you supposed to be dead? Why are you sending letters when you're supposed to be dead? Who's Strea Vestori? And where is my friend Zamir? In the letter you sent me, you said you could help me find him, or at least to find out what happened to the Sil... OH!" The gnome's eyes go wide and he slaps a hand over his mouth (if only for a moment). "Yesweshouldprobablytalkaboutthissomewheremoreprivate!"
He straightens up too quickly and winces. "Also, really, owwwwww."
Stargazer heaves a sigh of relief as the thugs flee. I think I've gotten into enough fights for the day. Before he can say anything to the man, he hears the questions the others have, and looks confused. "Wait, you all know this guy?"
”I was dead, yet here I am. Interesting predicament, is it not?” The man winks.
"Strea Vestori is missing. I got your letter instead.
”Well, That makes sense—“
"You sent Jisara a letter too?
”I never sent either of you a letter; I don’t—“
Stargazer heaves a sigh of relief as the thugs flee. I think I've gotten into enough fights for the day. Before he can say anything to the man, he hears the questions the others have, and looks confused. "Wait, you all know this guy?"
The man sighs. ”Not technically. Well, I might have met him at some point.” He motions to Vitalis.
The man shakes his head. ”This is too much to talk about here. I have somewhere more private where we can discuss this. Follow me, please.”
*
The formerly-one-gloved-man leads the group not far down the street, to Crissali’s Fine Tomes. He slips the owner a pair of gold coins, a nod, and then directs the group to a quiet back room with a table and several chairs. The man sits down and sighs.
”For the record, I did send a message to a gnome and tiefling—you’re hiding those horns rather poorly, by the way—but neither of you are who I sent them to. Or…who I intended to send them to? I didn’t know Strea went missing too, and I guess I, uh…mixed up the wrong gnome? Though you don’t seem to know where Zamir is, so I suppose it was just as well that it went to you by mistake.”
He sighs. ”I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Thank you again for that timely rescue. Truth is, our meeting was no coincidence…kind of. I followed you from the protest earlier today, but in the panic that erupted I lost track of your group. You proved yourselves to be people of uncommon skill, and I am a man of uncommon needs.
“My name is Rexus Victocora , and until last week’s Night of Ashes, I was one of this city’s nobles. Now I am, as far as anyone knows, dead. My parents’ estate burned to the ground that night—I escaped simply because I was studying at the Alabaster Academy during the fire. There were other fires that night, as you know—fires that many believe were started by Barzillai Thrune or his agents in an attempt to squash any spirit of rebellion Kintargo might have.
“Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion to stay strong, but Thrune’s actions have driven into hiding those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could once rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilia Bainilus and my parents, are missing at best, and are more likely dead. I am being purposefully vague when I say this, but I cannot do this on my own—look at me, those thugs could’ve snapped me in half, let alone the dottari—but with the aid of talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you aid Kintargo? Will you save the city from the devil?”
"Wait, you all know this guy?"
"Not exactly. I know of him. Being in the noble social circle and all."
”Not technically. Well, I might have met him at some point.”
"Perhaps. If you ever attended any of the Tanessen balls we likely met in passing. Your reputation precedes you."
At Crissali's Fine Tomes, Vitalis sits quietly, elbows on his knees. He scrunches his face struggling to make sense of the man's vague riddling speech. You were dead but you aren't. You did but you didn't. What is he talking about? I hate not getting straight answers.
I did send a message to a gnome and tiefling—you’re hiding those horns rather poorly, by the way
Vitalis glances at Jisara and raises an eyebrow but doesn't say a word.
At the end of Rexus' speech, he responds, "Rebellion!? I do not condone Lord-Mayor Barzillai Thrune's actions in the slightest, but he is still the rightfully appointed ruler of Kintargo put in place by Queen Abrogail Thrune II herself. However, Kintargo is and will always be my home and I have dedicated myself wholly to aiding and protecting the citizens of the Silver City. Unless you can prove to me that the Inquisitor is not a legitimate authority, I unfortunately cannot promise to take direct action against him. However, if this call for aid means protecting Kintargans from another Aria Park massacre or bettering the people's lives in lawful ways, perhaps I can lend a hand."
[....]The formerly-one-gloved-man leads the group not far down the street, to Crissali’s Fine Tomes. He slips the owner a pair of gold coins, a nod, and then directs the group to a quiet back room with a table and several chairs. The man sits down and sighs.
Chance winks at the bookstore owner then hurries after Rexus into the back.
”For the record, I did send a message to a gnome and tiefling—you’re hiding those horns rather poorly, by the way—but neither of you are who I sent them to. Or…who I intended to send them to? I didn’t know Strea went missing too, and I guess I, uh…mixed up the wrong gnome? Though you don’t seem to know where Zamir is, so I suppose it was just as well that it went to you by mistake.”
[....]
“Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion to stay strong, but Thrune’s actions have driven into hiding those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could once rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilia Bainilus and my parents, are missing at best, and are more likely dead. I am being purposefully vague when I say this, but I cannot do this on my own—look at me, those thugs could’ve snapped me in half, let alone the dottari—but with the aid of talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you aid Kintargo? Will you save the city from the devil?”
Chance visibly deflates at the aristocrat’s suggestion that he was “the wrong gnome,” but perks up a little at the plea for help and starts to get angry.
“Are you sure there isn’t some other talented gnome you want? Because I had one friend - one - in this city, and the only reason I haven't pulled up stakes yet after the insanity of the last week is that he's gone missing and I've been trying to find him. The only reason I went to the protest was because I got your note that I thought meant that you had information that would help me find him, and now you tell me that it was supposed to go to some other gnome who was also looking for Zamir? What was he doing, recruiting an army of gnomes, and now you're going to pick up where he left off?"
He stands up and starts pacing. "Anyway, why bother? The new Lord-Mayor may insane, but the main problem with him is that he's a Thrune, and the thing that makes him worse than the rest of his devil-bound family is the fact that he's here. I'm sorry your family was killed, but even if you could get rid of Barzillai - which seems optimistic, even to me - and they'll just send another Thrune who's as bad or worse, won't they?"
All at once, the anger runs out of the little bard. He sighs and sits back down. "Look, whether you meant to send it to me or not, your note said you knew something about the Silver Ravens and at least implied it would help me find Zamir. I don’t know about these others, but how about you give me the information you promised before you ask me to join your suicide mission? Not that I didn't enjoy the protest - everything was great fun until it all went to Hell - but I've never been beaten up like that before and I didn't really enjoy it."
”For the record, I did send a message to a gnome and tiefling—you’re hiding those horns rather poorly, by the way—but neither of you are who I sent them to."
Jisara fixes Rexus with a glare as he says this, but after a moment she sighs in resignation. "Could hardly have expected it to hold up after back to back street brawls, I suppose. If you'll all kindly turn the other way for a moment..."
She kneels down for a few seconds, then stands back up. "There, much better," Jisara says, looking much the same, save for the red spade tip of a tail sticking out from underneath her skirt. She then sits in one of the offered chairs, allowing her tail to droop over the side.
As Rexus finishes his speech, she watches in disbelief as Vitalis and Chance seem to equivocate in the face of the man's call to action. Her tail thumps against the chair in agitation until she can't stand it any longer and leaps to her feet, whirling on Vitalis.
"'Legitimate authority.' What good has the law ever done for tieflings? It's crammed us into a slum shoved up against the city walls, with no jobs, no future, under constant threat of violence from the dottari. Anything we create for ourselves can be snatched away from us like that." Jisara emphasizes that last word with an angry snap of her fingers.
"And everywhere else in Cheliax is worse. You heard what he said today: he plans to bring Kintargo in line with the rest of this damned country. What happened in Aria Park came on his direct orders. If Rexus is right, and Barzillai was behind the Night of Ashes, he's already murdering his way to a more 'lawful' Kintargo. Whether you like it or not, you've already taken a stand against him, and his laws won't protect you from him."
Next, she turns to Chance. "Your friend is still missing, you gonna give up because Barzillai's goons gave you a thrashing? Star...guy here got it worse than any of us, but I don't see him ready to quit town just yet. So what if he's a Thrune? He still just a man. And a man can be killed. Maybe his replacement will learn something from his example."
Finally, having verbally processed some of her frustration, she comes full circle to Rexus. "I don't know what Strea would have done, and odds are that I'll never get to ask. But it matters to me that you wanted her--our--help. If you really mean us well, and if you've got a foundation built on something more than just wishful thinking, then I'll help. Either way, I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and watch these sons of b&&@@es make things even worse for us."
"You proved yourselves to be people of uncommon skill, and I am a man of uncommon needs."
"That's one way to put it."
Stargazer sighs, his head in his hands, and thinks for a moment. "I didn't sign up for this." he eventually says. "I didn't ask to have these abilities, I didn't ask for any of this insanity. I was perfectly happy just living my life until Barzillai showed up." He sighs again.
He looks up, his eyes full of starlight. "I need to do this, though."
"I have these powers for a reason, and I didn't know what it was, but I think this is why. Thrune has been making life here awful and enforcing unjust laws, and whether or not he's "legitimate", whatever that even means, he needs to go. Someone needs to stand up against this, and I can't in good conscious avoid it knowing that I can help." He looks around the room. "With great power comes great responsibility, right? That's how the saying goes?" He stands up, not quite as frustrated as Jisara, but still determined. "Who else is going to help? Everyone who was willing to before is missing or dead, so it's up to us."
At the end of Rexus' speech, he responds, "Rebellion!? I do not condone Lord-Mayor Barzillai Thrune's actions in the slightest, but he is still the rightfully appointed ruler of Kintargo put in place by Queen Abrogail Thrune II herself. However, Kintargo is and will always be my home and I have dedicated myself wholly to aiding and protecting the citizens of the Silver City. Unless you can prove to me that the Inquisitor is not a legitimate authority, I unfortunately cannot promise to take direct action against him. However, if this call for aid means protecting Kintargans from another Aria Park massacre or bettering the people's lives in lawful ways, perhaps I can lend a hand."
”Gute Götter, I got a paladin. Listen, in one week alone this man has banned embroidery, drinking tea, and mint! And now he threatens captains with torture—literal torture! And you heard him at the protest, he didn’t care what the dottari did to the people! What part of that says ‘legitimate’ to you?”
The only reason I went to the protest was because I got your note that I thought meant that you had information that would help me find him, and now you tell me that it was supposed to go to some other gnome who was also looking for Zamir? What was he doing, recruiting an army of gnomes, and now you're going to pick up where he left off?"
”Okay, a lot of misunderstandings going on. First off, that letter was meant for Zamir. The ‘friend to find’ was referring to my mother!” Rexus stops and looks askance with sorrow in his eyes. ”I-I know my mother. No bodies were actually recovered from the ruins of my estate. She’s still out there! I know it! Despite what the letter…” The man shakes his head. ”That’s not the point!”
"Anyway, why bother? The new Lord-Mayor may insane, but the main problem with him is that he's a Thrune, and the thing that makes him worse than the rest of his devil-bound family is the fact that he's here. I'm sorry your family was killed, but even if you could get rid of Barzillai - which seems optimistic, even to me - and they'll just send another Thrune who's as bad or worse, won't they?"
”Except a) the Queen’s resources are thin due to this Glorious Reclamation thing going on in the heartland, and b) the Thrunes don’t like it here. Kintargo is the rebellious teenager of Cheliax; House Thrune doesn’t want to deal with us if they can help it because of how much of a fight we put up! Which makes it weird that the Inquisitor offered to establish order here under the Queen’s martial law, but maybe he just wanted a challenge to his power? Not the point.
“Also, the Inquisitor isn’t exactly well-liked among the Thrunes. If I may ramble for a bit…”
“Anyway, at the bottom of the social pyramid are the slaves—your slips, indentured servants, and what have you. Wait, not all slips are slaves, that’s right. Is ‘slip’ even politically correct? I know they also go by ‘halfling,’ but that’s beside the point.
“Above the slaves are the serfs—your farmers and so on, who serve the viras—estates—of the nobles and have to provide a share of their yield to their lord, count, or whatever other noble title they might have.
“Above the serfs are the laborers—scribes, charters, servants to the nobility, etc. The tiefling here likely belongs here. They usually don’t have an education—no offense—and are just trying to get by.
“Above the laborers are the craftsmen and artisans—such as this gnome here—who create goods that keep the economy moving.
“After the craftsmen are what I like to call the ‘influencials”—they are the merchants, guildsmen, community leaders, military officers, and what have you. This is the first social rung that is truly ‘cared about’ by the upper crust—anyone below them are mostly just considered ‘peasants’ by any on this rung or above.
“Then there’s the ‘wealthy’—those with financial stability but who are not officially a noble house.
“Above them are the old nobility, like my family. They pre-date Thrune Ascendancy and may not have officially declared themselves servants of the Queen. Their social status is mostly just a carryover from prior to Thrune gaining the throne. Some oppose the Queen, some side with her to avoid their fortune being taken away, and some just try not to mess with the political engine.
“Above the old nobility are the new nobility—like the Tanessen here. These ones are those whose fortunes are intimately tied to House Thrune and their loyalty therein. They only arose following Thrune Ascendancy.
“Then there’s the Church of Asmodeus. Since they are technically a religious organization and not a social one, they don’t technically belong in the hierarchy, but they still hold a significant political standing, since it was by the power of Asmodeus that Thrune Ascendancy happened in the first place.
“And of course, at the peak of them all is House Thrune, with Abrogail seated at the pyramid’s apex.”
Rexus clears his throat. ”Now, Barzillai is a strange case. He is a Thrune, that is an un-contestable fact, but he is openly a worshiper of Asmodeus, meaning that he actively identifies as a lower social class. Not only that, but as the leader of the Asmodean Inquisition, he is technically operates outside of the hierarchy. The Inquisitor voluntarily toes the line among three separate social levels. Not only that, but apparently he’s got a serious rod up his rear, even by Thrune standards; he’s essentially become the unliked distant cousin of the Queen. I suppose that’s why he chooses to be more Asmodean than Thrune—he’s on the lower end of respect for the Thrunes, but on the upper for the Asmodeans.
“Anyway, my point with all of that is that Barzillai is not well like among his own family, and his strange hierarchal circumstances doesn’t help that. If he were to vanish, I’m fairly sure the rest of House Thrune would barely care.”
"I have these powers for a reason, and I didn't know what it was, but I think this is why. Thrune has been making life here awful and enforcing unjust laws, and whether or not he's "legitimate", whatever that even means, he needs to go. Someone needs to stand up against this, and I can't in good conscious avoid it knowing that I can help." He looks around the room. "With great power comes great responsibility, right? That's how the saying goes?" He stands up, not quite as frustrated as Jisara, but still determined. "Who else is going to help? Everyone who was willing to before is missing or dead, so it's up to us."
”That’s the spirit!”
Finally, having verbally processed some of her frustration, she comes full circle to Rexus. "I don't know what Strea would have done, and odds are that I'll never get to ask. But it matters to me that you wanted her--our--help. If you really mean us well, and if you've got a foundation built on something more than just wishful thinking, then I'll help. Either way, I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and watch these sons of b#**~es make things even worse for us."
”This is not just wishful thinking!” Rexus stops and turns his head, deep in thought. He hesitantly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. ”A friend of my mother’s—a slip named Laria—gave this to me, as well as a coffer, after the Night of Ashes. This is the last I heard from my mother…”
Rexus spreads the note out on the table for everyone to read.
If you are reading this, what I have feared has come to pass and I am dead. For many years, I have belonged to the Sacred Order of Archivists and have worked to free Kintargo from Chelish rule. I have learned much about Kintargo’s secret history, and fear the time will soon come when the city needs the return of its Silver Ravens. You have likely not heard of the Silver Ravens—few have. Mentions of them have been redacted by the agents of House Thrune, but during the civil war, the Ravens worked to ensure Kintargo’s safety. They were heroes in their day, and I fear that Kintargo needs their kind again. Do not believe the government’s claims that Lord-Mayor Bainilus abandoned us! Darker things are afoot, and I fear that all who work against Thrune may find themselves in danger in the days ahead.
The Silver Ravens maintained numerous hideouts within Kintargo’s walls during the civil war. I have located one such site—the chambers below a building known today as the Fair Fortune Livery. If you are reading this, I was unable to seek further answers there myself. Gather heroes to your side, my son, and search below the livery. There, if my research is correct, you will find something to teach you more of the Silver Ravens and their legacy.
Do not let my death be in vain. Stand up for Kintargo. Bring the Silver Ravens back to life!
Rexus pauses for the group to read the note while he pulls out a small coffer. ”I sought out other members of the Sacred Order of Archivists, and found Zamir. I also reached out to Strea, one of the most steadfast people I know in this city. I’m…not exactly the most able-bodied person, so adventuring doesn’t come easily to me. I know that I’m asking a lot, but please. If money suits you, I’m willing to offer you the items in this coffer—my inheritance—if you will help me search the livery. From there you can choose whether or not we’ll part ways. At this point, that’s all I ask.”
Chance rolls his eyes at Rexus. "So the 'other gnome' you were talking about is Zamir? Who is a halfling, by the way - not a slip, a halfling - and a member of this Sacred Order of Archivists? And the Sacred Order of Archivists is trying to ferret out the secret history of Kintargo? Hmmm."
The gnome stands up and starts pacing, muttering about the Devil's Bells and "the pattern." He paces a few lengths of the room, then hops back onto his seat and beams at Rexus. "Right! I understand how helping you helps me find my friend, and I've spent the last thirty years studying the occult (or trying to), and occult is just another word for secret, so the ‘secret history of Kintargo’ is Kintargo's occult history, which is right up my alley! Count me in!"
After a moment, he adds, "Not that I'm joining up for the money, but if you aren't planning to use your inheritance, could I borrow a gold sail or two to keep my landlady at bay?"
Chance rolls his eyes at Rexus. "So the 'other gnome' you were talking about is Zamir? Who is a halfling, by the way - not a slip, a halfling - and a member of this Sacred Order of Archivists? And the Sacred Order of Archivists is trying to ferret out the secret history of Kintargo? Hmmm."
”Wait, really? I could’ve sworn he was a gnome! Wow. I was really not on the ball with that one…”
After a moment, he adds, "Not that I'm joining up for the money, but if you aren't planning to use your inheritance, could I borrow a gold sail or two to keep my landlady at bay?"
”Well, I sure I could convince Laria to let you stay at her place for a time; it’s what I’ve been doing for the past week.”
Jisara allows the comment about her education (or lack thereof) to pass without comment, keeping her focus firmly on the contents of the letter.
"I know this place," she says, when she gets to the mention of the Fair Fortune Livery. "It's not far from the Devil's Nursery. It's been abandoned for years, rumor is that it's haunted. Now I wonder if that was just a cover to keep people from finding what was underneath."
After spending some time thinking it over, Jisara nods. "It's not the worst starting point. Hell, it's not even the dumbest thing I'll have done today. I'm in."
"Listen, in one week alone this man has banned embroidery, drinking tea, and mint! And now he threatens captains with torture—literal torture! And you heard him at the protest, he didn’t care what the dottari did to the people! What part of that says ‘legitimate’ to you?”
"Yes, Thrune's proclamations are extremely harsh and seem rather arbitrary. I do not agree with them, which was why I was at the protest. Nor do I agree with his actions taken against the protestors. But as a citizen of Kintargo and paladin of Shelyn, it is my duty to obey and uphold the law. However, after reading the letter from your mother especially the part about how foul play might have had a part in the previous lord-mayor's disappearance, perhaps that is enough to put Barzillia Thrune's legitimacy as ruler into question. At the very least it deserves looking further into. I will accompany you to the Fair Fortune Livery in the hopes that it will yield more answers. I require no payment for aiding you but if we are working together, perhaps your inheritance could be put to mutual use. I unfortunately am no longer on my father's allowance and have very little coin to my name. Not even a single gold coin if you'd believe it. Is there anything useful in that coffer?"
"'Legitimate authority.' What good has the law ever done for tieflings? It's crammed us into a slum shoved up against the city walls, with no jobs, no future, under constant threat of violence from the dottari. Anything we create for ourselves can be snatched away from us like that."
"Listen, I know tieflings have it bad here. I understand why you disguised yourself. Which, by the way, the is no need for around me; your natural form is beautiful. I'll have you know that I have dedicated a lot of my time serving at the Songbird Hall and that included aiding a number of tieflings and witnessing their suffering. I've been to the Redroof District and observed how they live first hand. I am not a stuck up noble who thinks he is better than everyone else just because of the house he was born into. I am also all for working to change unjust laws; just not outwardly breaking them."
"I have these powers for a reason, and I didn't know what it was, but I think this is why."
"I would be interesting in learning more about these powers of yours, Stargazer, at some other time. I've never seen anything like them. And I noticed you clutching your symbol of Dezna earlier. Are you a man of the faith, like I am? Are these power god-given?"
"Because I had one friend - one - in this city, and the only reason I haven't pulled up stakes yet after the insanity of the last week is that he's gone missing and I've been trying to find him. The only reason I went to the protest was because I got your note that I thought meant that you had information that would help me find him"
"I will certainly help you find your friend Zamir as well, Chance. In fact, although I have yet to be sworn into the order, I have just recently been accepted into the Hellknight Order of the Torrent whose dedication is to rescuing the abducted. If Zamir was taken, I would be derelict of my new duties to ignore the problem."
Is there anything useful in that coffer?"
”See for yourself.”
Rexus opens the coffer and reveals its contents: 20 gold pieces, an ornate signet ring bearing the Victocora crest , a low-grade silver dagger, two bear claws, a small tub of oil, and a mithral key.
”Urp!” Rexus snatches the key from the coffer and stashes it in his pocket. ”Sorry, I forgot that was in there; the key has sentimental value, so I'd like to hang onto that one. The knife is an heirloom, the claws are owlbear claws, and the tub has an application of oil of potency. By all official accounts I am dead, so I really don’t need any of it.”
Jisara raises an eyebrow as Rexus snatches the key out of the coffer, but reaches in and takes out the ring to examine it. Slipping into in a pouch on her belt, she looks at the others. "We should probably wait until tomorrow before we go onto the streets again, let things settle down a bit. Then I suppose we head for this Livery to see what we can find?"
"That sounds perfect. Although I'd rather not sleep in the back of a bookstore. Let's find a place with proper beds. We could still head to the Redroof District like Jisara suggested before. Given the chaos, I doubt the dottari are looking for us specifically but who knows. Better to play it safe for the night. I bet we could find a merchant willing to take this armor off our hands as well."
”Why wait until tomorrow? I’ve still got quite a bit of my magic left and you all don’t look that bad after the Tanessen’s magic.”
"I would be interesting in learning more about these powers of yours, Stargazer, at some other time. I've never seen anything like them. And I noticed you clutching your symbol of Dezna earlier. Are you a man of the faith, like I am? Are these power god-given?"
"I'm afraid I know about as much about my abilities as you do."
"I would rather do it tomorrow. Giving things a chance to calm down makes the most sense. Although..." he thinks for a moment. "I may want to go back home and meet up with you all the next day. If the dottari are looking for us four specifically, they don't know who I am, and my sudden disappearance would probably put me under suspicion. If I stayed with you in this outfit, I would be fairly conspicuous, and it would be even more suspicious if I was seen with you without it."
”Why wait until tomorrow? I’ve still got quite a bit of my magic left and you all don’t look that bad after the Tanessen’s magic.”
"Going to the livery sounds important but no so important that it can't wait until tomorrow. I personally wouldn't mind just having some time to fully process the events of today. If I'm being honest, I'm still in shock. Staring into an open hearth and listening to some calming music would do wonders for clearing my head. Then I can focus on the next objective."
"I may want to go back home and meet up with you all the next day.
"That's fine with me. Stay safe. Meet up at the livery at say...dawn?" He turns to the others. "Friends, I'm sorry to say that my family is not as "open-minded" as I am and unfortunately would not be pleased if I brought a tiefling and a gnome to the estate. So I will follow to whatever lodging suits you."
Harumph! “Well, well, well, I don’t think my family would be too happy about me staying at any noble estate that owes its titles to the Thrunes, so there!” Chance takes a breath to calm himself down. “Nothing personal intended, Vitalis. You seem like a fine fellow.”
Turning to Victocora, he adds, “Unless there is some reason for urgency that you haven’t mentioned, Rexus, I think I agree. I’m down to minor magics myself, without the energy to cast any of the more powerful spells I know.”
Something their new ally said triggers a question. “And what kind of magic do you practice?”
Turning to Victocora, he adds, “Unless there is some reason for urgency that you haven’t mentioned, Rexus, I think I agree. I’m down to minor magics myself, without the energy to cast any of the more powerful spells I know.”
”That’s…fair. I suppose I’m a bit too excitable about all this…I’ll agree to that. Let’s all meet at the livery at dawn, like Vitalis said.”
Something their new ally said triggers a question. “And what kind of magic do you practice?”
”’Practice’ is a bit of a misnomer; I am an arcane user, but unlike most practitioners of the arcane I didn’t really have to study it. It just came to me.”
*
*
*
The group takes their separate ways and meet back up at the Fair Fortune Livery. Vitalis hands each of the group their share of the coin he made from the thugs—Rexus declines any share of the fortune.
Rexus motions to the chained-and-locked front door. ”Back door’s stuck like no other. This is our best way of getting through. Anyone good with locks?”
Stargazer steps forward and pulls out a bobby pin and gets to work on the old lock.
And with minimal effort gets the door open. Rexus nods as he twists the head of his cane and pulls it out, revealing the blade of a small sword.
This aged stable leans slightly to one side, its roof precariously propped up by aged wooden walls. The air reeks of stale urine. Broken desks, scuffed tables, and torn chairs crowd the thirteen horse stalls, all of which are covered with a healthy layer of dust. A grated-off alcove along the southeast wall seems to house the only relatively intact wares.
As the group opens the door to the livery, they immediately hear the sound of rustling followed by intense barking as a trio of dogs—two young mutts and one full-grown mastiff—angrily rush them!
The two smaller mutts sprint forward at the intruders, Green rushing up to bite Stargazer!
But the vigilante dodges away from the mutt’s snarling teeth!
The mastiff sprints right at Vitalis and goes to bite him, the two mutts hounding the paladin enough to (possibly) get some more scratches in!
”Oh dear! I don’t have good cantrips for this!” Rexus moves forward and stabs at one of the mutts with his sword cane before Stepping back to get some distance.
Round 1
===============
Red
Green
Mastiff
Rexus
Stargazer
Chance/Jisara/Vitalis (-7)
===============
"I do," Jisara growls. Her hair (and that of the cat standing on her shoulders) stands on end for a moment as she pulls electricity into herself, then flings it at the Mastiff and the dog next to it. She then pulls a dagger from her belt, holding it at the ready.
Chance cries, "Havoc!" He hums a few bars of a tune that was popular among students at the Academy three decades earlier. "Here come the dogs of war!"
"Who let the dogs out?
"Who, who, who, who?"
Peering into the abandoned livery, he spies a broken table leg and with snap of his fingers and a shout of "Flugantaj rokoj por ĵokeoj!", sends it flying at the mastiff.
It takes Stargazer a moment to get the door open, considering that he lost his lockpicking kit a while back , and when he finally does, he's taken by surprise by the guard dogs, his starry eyes going wide. He draws upon his powers once more, reaching out to the nearest dog with his hands glowing with a purple energy. He then draws a dagger out of his belt and holds it in front of him.
,
Vitalis swings the flat of his glaive into the side of the mastiff's head (black) and continues the swing (second attack) to cleave into the smaller dog (red) next to it.
"These are probably just feral dogs. They don't deserve to be killed. But I certainly would like them to stop biting me. Down boy!"
"Speaking of which, I recall the Inquisitor's Third Proclamation. The dottari is looking for large feral dogs like this. The law doesn't say we are required to turn the beasts in however, and rather, I think it would be in the dogs' best interest to not let the dottari gets their hands on them. Anyone want a pet?"
Jisara sends her electricity through the dogs.
And electrifies the both of them!
Chance begins to sing and throws a nearby table leg at the mastiff, hitting it square in the face!
Stargazer’s hand glows with purple energy as he touches one of the dogs!
And with a whimpering howl, the dog falls to the ground!
Vitalis swings his glaive into the mastiff, knocking the flat of the blade against the hound’s head, knocking it to the ground! He then uses his swinging momentum to force his blade into the adjacent dog . Thanks to the power of Chance’s music, Vitalis knocks the feral mutt down in one blow!
While Vitalis spends time in silent prayer to Shelyn , the rest of the group looks around the livery.
As the group looks around, they find a grated-off area to the back, beyond which they can clearly see what must have once been a secret door that time has not been kind to—the door-that-looks-like-part-of-the-wall partially hangs open on decaying hinges. Rexus and Chance search through the back offices of the livery and find a key to the metal grate. Stargazer, as he searches the main floor of the livery, finds the strangest thing: an ornate ring that has been nailed to the rafters.
Vitalis, even from this distance, is able to determine that the ring depicts the sigil of House Juliac, a family that existed during the Civil War and who likely owned this livery. Stargazer deftly climbs up to the rafters and retrieves the ring.
At that moment, Chance and Stargazer hear the faint sound of creaking overhead. Just as they are about to say something, several objects—pieces of rubble and other detritus—begins floating!
Round 1
===============
Stargazer
???
Jisara/Vitalis
Chance
Rexus
===============