Facelift! (He could return, you never know...)
Search Posts
Grigori yelps in pain, but although his face pales once more at Casimir's assured sounding threats he raises his face defiantly once more. Kill me and be done with it! he demands.
Grigori's head rears up as he spits on your plate armour, refusing to respond. In his mind, Kip is subjected to some very erotic memories as Grigori purposefully thinks about various sexual encounters the bard has had over the years, in excruciating detail. He seems to have marshalled his courage and is less intimidated now.
Grigori sneers at Casimir. Scrying spells are among the many I have mastered.
Grigori says nothing in response to Casimir's initial words, but breaks out into a hoarse chuckle in response to Casimir's comments about the note in the tavern. He speaks softly, almost whispering. Best... Four hundred gold pieces... I ever spent. he says between mocking laughter. Watching your faces was worth at least five... So now I see how you found me. A Hellknight. I wish you'd been employing one before our debate- things might have gone very differently... Grigori is focusing on what he is saying and remembering both his capture by Ricter and the debate outside Sir Edric's monument.
DM Only:
Although Grigori attempts to win the crowd back over, the combination of Ilya's early success with them, his follow-up speech, Fenna's assurances as Councilor and Casimir's somewhat unorthodox shock tactic of splashing troll blood all over the front few dozen citizens end up winning the crowd over. Fenna's final words are met with a roar of approval, and between you it appears you have successfully destroyed Grigori's credibility. Grigori, perhaps fearing the worst, takes the opportunity to suddenly leap out into the crowd, swigging a potion mid-air and disappearing from sight. The crowd ripples with his impact, but then he is swiftly lost in the teeming masses of Swordhaven.
DM Only:
VS DC 33
Grigori looks quite shocked at your entrance, and Ilya's impassioned speech does much to win the murmuring crowd over. Despite Ilya's early success, it seems the debate is far from over. I see one of the aforementioned Guardians has come in person to silence me! Keep watching, ladies and gentlemen; for i'm sure it won't be long before a River Freedom is torn asunder by my esteemed Elven guest. You speak pretty words songbird, but you dodged the main issues of the hour like a true politician; Scorchbark, and the monster called Kundal. Even if you have made strides in the wilderness as you have claimed, you still consort with a murderer, ignore the destruction of an entire village- and hear this good folk of Swordhaven, for I had not yet finished listing the Guardian's crimes. They have also befriended yet another monster; the swamp witch living a mere handful of miles from our fair city! The same swamp witch that is suspected to be responsible for the abduction of a boy named Tig- a case brought before the Guardians by tearful parents, only for it to be quietly brushed aside! What say you, Ilya? The blood of this sweet, innocent boy is on your hands! A murmur of outrage and anger reverberates through the crowd. Casimir, Kalev and Fenna, you become aware through whispers in the crowd that a group of burly men nearby intend to go get Tig back from the swamp witch right now during the speech...
You follow the gathering crowds towards the monument of Edric the Valiant. With your hoods up and with the crowds mostly moving in one direction there is little risk of being recognised. You have rarely seen so many of your kingdom's citizens gathered in one place; normally you only see crowds like this at Foundersfeast. There must thousands of people here, and a few look to have come from the many farms outside of Swordhaven's direct influence. You are currently stood at the back of the crowds, but you could slowly work your way forwards if you wish. Standing atop a makeshift wooden stage raised ten feet above the ground and just before the monument of Edric, stands a well-dressed nobleman with a well-trimmed beard and dressed completely in purple, including a beautiful purple hat. You hear from whispers in the crowd that the agitators name is Grigori. Pic for your convenience. Yes I know the avatar doesn't look much like him :P. His hands clasped firmly behind his back, the orator waits patiently for a few minutes, allowing the majority of the stragglers to turn up and wait. His voice seems to be augmented by magic somehow, and it booms loudly over the assembled crowd. There is something very compelling about the way he talks, and whether magic or mundane, he is clearly an incredibly skillful orator. Good people of Swordhaven! Loyal subjects of Kardas! For those of you who do not know me, I am Grigori, nothing more than a concerned citizen of the River Kingdoms, and I bid you welcome to my humble court! Here today, we shall speak freely and openly together as a community, under the tragic shadow of the very first victim of the Guardian of the Greenbelts misrule- great Sir Edric. The great man of law and order, the fist of House Orlovsky, the Eagle Knight; surely such a man could have kept the kingdom safe, under control. Alas, Sir Edric died under suspicious circumstances while visiting the so-called vassal kobold tribe known as the Sootscales. I'm sure you've caught glimpses of them from time to time, scurrying about Swordhaven, while their fat and lazy leader Sootscales sits stuffing himself in the castle. Regardless- perhaps if Edric was alive to steer the course, the Guardians would be fine and outstanding leaders of this community. Between him and the First Citizen of Kardas, Oleg- they could have made this a wonderful home for you fine Brevic people. I call, and shall continue to call, for nothing less than the full resignation of the Guardians of the Greenbelt for their many crimes of incompetence. Under their leadership, we have had a werewolf slay innocents within the very boundaries of Swordhaven. Worse, the misguided Guardians did not bring the sword down upon the head of this beast, a skin-wearing monster known as Kundal! Nay! The monstrous murderer of a sweet and innocent tavern wench enjoys an easy life inside the jail, with frequent visits from none other than Warden Akiros himself! Surely such a man should be spending his time ensuring the stability of our realm, but instead the ex-bandit chooses to consort with a murderer during his free time, breaking bread with a fellow villain! Surely, Akiros and the Guardians could have better spent their time protecting the poor serfs of the kingdom, ye farmers who keep this blessed city's granaries full. I speak, of course, of the Guardians greatest shame... Scorchbark. An entire village... massacred. A great travesty to our fledgling nation, and well inside our borders. Yet, do the Guardians ride out to track down and slay the fiends that dared to attack us? Nay! They spend their time exploring a few miles at a time, and hiding inside their castle, crafting magical weapons and armour for their own gain! Even the exploration and reclamation of these Stolen Lands has floundered after the initial land grab; we have unexplored territory merely a score of miles from our doorstep! Let us hope Mivon does not decide to show us what Aldori steel is made of, for by the time we realised they have sent an army north, it will likely be too late! The Guardians and their allies seek to exploit this realm and gather wealth for their own gain; likely before scurrying back swiftly to Brevoy before the full fury of the Stolen Lands is unleashed upon them. Taxes are heavy, festivals are scarce, and they have erected no walls to shield the citizenry from the terrors of this harsh land; such an expense would reduce the returns they plan to make off their investment! You need only look at the extravagantly wealthy gentleman known as Bokken to see the fortune that being the friends of these would-be lords of the realm can grant...
|