Unfortunately, no. I had a sort of false-alarm regarding not having to work as much. Supervisor informed my cell that we'd be working 7 days a week for six+weeks starting this week. :(
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If someone explicitly wants to snatch you guys up, I won't keep you. I can also provide notes for where I was planning to take things for different people's stories, if that is to come to pass, so they can know where I was going with things without leaving dangling plot threads (like the entire current scene. :))
I know there's been a lot of radio silence from me lately, and it's one of those things that kind of upsets me more than anything. I keep meaning to do things... but I keep deciding to do other things, instead. Like sleep. Or go to the store. My life has become constant work, with most weeks being well above 60 hours, and I just don't have the time to be a good DM right now. I can see about returning later, if things change... but for now, it's not fair to anyone involved for me to 'want to' instead of simply doing. That... and I'm tired of constantly being disappointed in myself for not updating. So... I can give you guys a PM if you're still around if I ever develop more free time, but for now... I'm going to have to put this game on pause.
Yeah, GM is fine. Ish. Just insanely tired, and didn't like constantly saying sorry or making promises. Main priority is keeping my best friend happy... then I worry about games. Posting as a player, even discussing theory, is a whole lot easier than slipping into character and doublechecking the long-term ramifications of how I react to any given thing. :) This week is looking to be 70+
The man is cognizant enough to understand, now, that these people don't have any drugs for him - and don't intend to give him any. "Hungry and thirsty. Spare some gold, maybe?" he asks in a sickly-sweet voice, looking to Lia with eyes rendered into pools of black as he stares blankly in her direction. Rexus has been silent as he watched how the others reacted - he was still uncertain of precisely how to deal with everything - especially this man. "Our plans probably shouldn't be talked about in strange company." he says, looking towards Jack, "Though we don't have much business left in this area."
Homecoming:
"Be safe. Don't do anything your father wouldn't do." she calls as you're leaving. Feel free to slide in on the next Lucky Bones spoiler, and any of the above spoilers since my last post. :). The building's exterior is mostly intact, though scarred by flame. Its interior is mostly gone, with the exception of three fireplaces. The group seems to be gathered around one of the fireplaces, talking to a man lying on the ground. If you get closer, his pupils are dilated, and he seems to be trying to drag himself towards the group, wincing in pain each time he touches the ground. Lucky Bones: "Can stand fine. Just need more." the man on the ground grunts out as he pulls himself forward, his feet scrabble against the foundation, but he definitely cannot push himself up to standing, only barely managing to drag himself forward. Rexus looks from the man back to Kesin as Kesin shares a more... intimate knowledge than any of the others had on the effects of the drug, leaving him to quirk an eyebrow.
Kesin:
Go ahead and read the next spoiler, you'll arrive during it. When you arrive, there will be a man suffering from withdrawals from a drug - while you aren't trained to recognize it, you've seen more than one person in this state. Such people seem blinded, at least temporarily, can go into fits of hysteria (and in at least one case, violence), and always want more of the drug. You've never actually noticed someone while they were taking the drug, though. The man in question is on the floor near one of the fireplaces in the ruined building - all of the interior walls have been gutted, which makes sense, why haul stone from a quarry when you have perfectly good stone right in the middle of the city? The outer walls have been simply too much work for the locals that had 'borrowed' the interior stone in the first place. While you may not have looked into all of the drug stuff, it seems likely... as Kintargo does not approve of Dreamweaver. :P
The building is basically four outer walls, with three fireplaces, much of the group is near the man, who seems to have been using the fireplace as a sort of shelter. There are multiple puddles from the earlier rain, and he's lying close to one. Lucky Bones:
Rexus nods to Adonara, he also hadn't intended to highlight her mistake, but didn't want Rakhel left in the dark... and was following her lead in keeping it less... accessible. "I... don't believe we can." Rexus says, shaking his head as he responds to Rakhel, and then keeps doing so as he looks to Adonara once more, he didn't know what Dreamweaver was, either. "Need it. Money? If you have money, I can get it." his face seems to follow the sound of Adonara's and Rakhel's voice, though his eyes stare blankly past them. "Ple-he-he-hease.." he sobs, as he turns over and starts to pull himself across the ground towards the group as a whole, gritting his teeth each time his hands hit cement. Homecoming: "Be careful of the Lucky Bones. A lot of bad went on there, though it was long before my time. And not just because of the bad. The Order of the Torrent sealed up the surrounding area pretty well, made it a lot harder to get down into the basement, at least. All of the worst sorts of vices happened in that place... some of which, where the sun never touched."
Her mother shakes her head at the question of her father. "Haven't seen him since this morning... but you know him. He's likely found some more things to do around town. The coast is clear, if you need to get something from upstairs... and the stew will wait. It won't be good for a few more hours, anyway."
Aria Park:
"May you find your place in this world." the larger man nods to Kesin, as she turns to leave, before returning his attention to the others.
Lucky Bones: "I... don't know, Rakh. I don't know anything we can do." he says, looking over to Jack with eyes moving back away from concern. "I hadn't intended to look for anything." he states, as Adonara moves forward and asks her question.
"Need... dreams. Dreamweaver. Can't sleep. Pain. Needit-needit-needit-needit." he says, mostly calming down as he falls into the rant, though his hands search the area near where he had been, grasping at nothing. "Can't feel anything..." he says, gritting his teeth and making a hissing sound with a sharp intake of breath. Rexus shakes his head, before adding in Celestial to Rakhel, "Adonara says he's an addict of some kind."
Homecoming:
"I figured it was something like that. For time immemorial, Thrune or some other Asmodean, has been rewriting the truth to suit them. The first Abrogail even tried to change the Huntress of Heroes to feature Asmodeus more prominently... And she calls herself a fan of the arts." your mother shakes her head. "I don't know the official wordings. I haven't been out today." she comments with a bit of dry humor. "I'll let Maybelle know that Thrune wasn't completely innocent, though you know she won't listen. Are you planning on heading back out? Curfew is only a few hours away." she adds with a smirk. Lucky Bones:
"Vyre is... complicated. It's -old-, and has its own sets of traditions. Confusing, confounding traditions. Very eccentric. It's interesting, though, that they're 'ruled by Cheliax', despite the fact that you can't really see it. It's like Kintargo once was."
He holds up a hand to stop Rakhel from moving forward, but she slips gracefully away. As Rakhel reaches the man and touches his shoulder, he recoils bodily, surging against the hand, as he rolls over onto his back, thrashing a few times while she undoubtedly backs away, his clothing flies open somewhat, revealing more of the crazed person. He's shirtless, so you're now certain it's a he, as his cloak lies splayed across the floor of the building. His eyes dart every-which-way, looking for the source of the touch, but his eyes never seem to focus on anything. Adonara: Spoiler:
The man seems to be suffering from a type of affliction that is much more common within cities than elsewhere: He's in the throes of some sort of madness, the type of which is usually caused by addiction to some substance made by alchemists, whether mundane or magical. Most refer to them as 'drugs', though they tend to have much more favorable and informative names. He's also very likely blind. Jack: Spoiler: The first alleyway you duck down proves to be empty. Though, combining it with the other alleys gives you several viable escape routes... but also several directions that people may come from, only adding to your paranoia.
The back alley is littered with more trash than the sides of the building, apparently less tended to by those in charge of cleaning the streets - out of sight, out of mind. Curiously, a large amount of it seems to be made up of low-quality glass, an occasional vial or two littering the ground, unbroken, though most of the glass is jagged. As you reach the second junction of alleyways you note one of the city's sewer entrances, though this one is covered in a stone etched in the fish-symbol of the Hellknight Order of the Torrent, and that stone is sealed into the cobblestones by plaster of some kind. The final alley is reminiscent of the first. The area is empty and quiet, save for what little movement and sound you can hear from inside of the building. Which, despite the lack of roof, isn't much. Aria All Over: "What the hell?" asks one of the militia men, a short, tanned man with dark hair that hasn't been washed in a few days, but one of the others cuts across as he starts to grab his mace, eyes wide at the strange sight of a fox-person. The second was large and just barely balding, with a well-maintained, but full beard. "Relax Tracy. It's a Kitsune. They're from that Tien place. I don't recognize you... and I think we'd all have noticed a talking fox when we were clearing out the streets..." he says, but shakes his head. "I don't think we really have anything for someone of your age. The Lord-Mayor's got most of that covered for us, if I understand things right. Could always go file for a charter, though. Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to apply for all of those things at The Temple... or Golden Veils, I guess. Same as you'd apply for just about anything nowadays. If they've got a job, that's where you'd find out about it."
I apologize for delaying so much, but I'm burning a candle at all ends. I'll try to get a post tonight, but it may take until sunday night. I just... have so many things to do in my waking hours, and so little time. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Recruitment has been closed for nearly three weeks. :o
Lia: Sneaky poster!
Your mother nods as you come into the doorway between the two of you, a mixture of relief and pain at seeing you. "Which..? Word says he made two. He forbade large groups acting together without the express permission of either the church or state... as well as opted to 'give Kintargo some control over their city' by directly chartering citizens to join a militia to help keep Kintargo safe. The former?" she asks, grimacing, as she shifts into seat, now that Lia has come to her.
Lucky Bones:
Rakhel: Not casting, and not drumming them near the puddle, but in the puddle. :)
Rexus honestly doesn't have much to share on local gossip, though he does explain that he'd just returned from Vyre, which is a city down the river at the mouth of the ocean. While technically part of Cheliax, and it technically followed Chelaxian Law... it was a place that mostly catered to Chelaxian nobility, making it seem much, much removed from Cheliax beyond the token nods, bells, and whistles. He also points out that in Vyre, names only exist if you decide to give them; it's rude to ask for names there, as most are avoiding the responsibilities of home.
Rexus looks in that direction as he recognizes Adonara casting her cantrip and Rakhel draws his eyes over. The robed figure continues to prod the water, switching seemingly randomly between fingers as he does. Once Adonara is close and calls out to the person, they raise their head, leaving the hood to conceal less than they had, though they stare mostly-blankly with dilated pupils. Their fingers don't stop drumming and he... or she... it's difficult to really tell - smiles faintly and dreamily, staring at a space to the side of Adonara. "Need more. Always more." responds a voice, still difficult to understand, given the dryness of their mouth as they speak. Kesin: The two are not alright. There are no prisoners here, only dead people - including the two militia men. The red-headed woman had seemed intent on finishing the job with Rexus when you spotted Rakhel cast a spell that only seemed to affect her. This is a not-so-subtle hint that the red-head wasn't friendly at all.
"Are you... normally this condescending, Mister..?" Rexus asks, but then doesn't wait for a response. "I was specifically in that alley, saving people from Thrune's lap dogs. And had more not shown up..." he trails off, clearly offended, as he turns back towards the door, moving to open it, and escort everyone out, if there weren't more business. He doesn't mention Kesin's slow reading, allowing her to keep the letter for as long as she needed it. Kesin: Return to Park:
You duck and weave back through the city; once you knew where you were with the book store, it was much easier for Kintargo to share the answer of where you should be. The streets are mostly deserted, despite it being hours from curfew. You manage to run into a few Dottari, but they don't pay you any mind. As you get closer to Aria Park, the numbers seem to increase, but they don't seem to be turning anyone away, instead simply having a large presence.
Your return to the Opera House is met with... what could best be described as tragedy. You'd seen nearly everyone get away safely, and several people arrested. You were almost positive most of those who were wounded would survive... but more than a score of people in civilian clothing lie dead in front of the Opera House, along with a dozen Dottari. You recognize every single Dottari as one of the men and women who had been in front of the Opera House... you recognize a few of the arrested citizens as well, and perhaps as a twisted knife, you notice the bald man who had been silent, and the blonde man who had listened to reason. The red-head is there as well, but unlike the others she's still alive and still dressed in the clothing she'd been in in the alley. She's busy talking with another member of the Militia and hasn't spotted you yet. What do you do? Lia: Go Home:
You quietly return home via pathways that had become familiar over the course of your life... at least once you get back to a main street. When you arrive home, the window is open, which means that your mother is having a bad day; she prefers to be outside when she can. Despite the fact that you're nearly certain she must be hurting, you can smell an early afternoon meal cooking, some sort of stew that she'd likely put on that morning.
As you step into the door, you're greated by a call from your mother; "Lia, is that you? Thank goodness! I'd..." she pauses to collect herself, from the next room. You can tell she's making her way in your direction, though she hasn't even given you a chance to respond, yet. "Maybelle stopped by... she said that the protest turned violent. Apparently, would-be assassins pretended to be entertainers to gain access to the Opera House... and push the crowd to violence. A lot of blood." Rakhel/Adonara: Not so Lucky Bones:
The Lucky Bones isn't far... and while it isn't on the way, it's certainly fitting. Rexus talks about many things, but tends to focus gossip with Rakhel; the girl can run circles around him with the stuff, but that just helps him to fall back into the loop.
Your arrival at the Lucky Bones leaves a surprisingly intact structure, the outer walls are made of marble, though they've been charred black in places by flames. The foundation is likewise sturdy, though stepping through the open space that is the doorway, you note a distinct lack of interior walls, an oddity... you'd expect for the walls to have fallen, perhaps, but not to simply be gone. Without a roof, water has pooled in places on the cement floor, as well as in the three chimneys. In the back corner of the building is a bundled up figure that appears to be lying face down, fingers drumming a nearby puddle of water... the only sign that the figure is alive at all, given the complete stillness of the robes they're wearing. Rexus enters the building and starts to look around; he doesn't seem to have noticed the transient. What do you do? Jack: Not sure where you're going. I presume with Rakhel/Adonara/Rexus, if so, feel free to read that one, otherwise, I'll try to get you up something more personal!
Going to push back til after work, cause slept too much. :P Hopefully I don't become 'that DM who says things and doesn't do them!' :P I'm actually more likely to do smaller scenes for each of you that have somewhere else to go, and a larger scene at the Lucky Bones. If those of you who don't have obligations desire, you can simply talk where you are now, or talk once you arrive at the Lucky Bones or Fair Fortune Livery. The results are roughly the same: Ruined building in the middle of town, in various states of disrepair. Lucky Bones is much worse off than Fair Fortune. Sorry!
Will try to get a post up tomorrow in ~10 hours? Not sure. I worked 11 hours today... and will tomorrow... and the day after... :p (Plus 10 thursday and friday... and saturday, Iunno.)
"Everything still in the box is yours, if you'll aid me in this." he says, leaving the box on the table, "Honestly... I haven't a clue how much is there. I hope that we're able to find our families in the same place, and alive, then." he says, shaking his head to Jack, but motioning to the box as he does. "That being said, not at all. I just have to keep my head down, assuming Thrune was the cause of my home burning down. Though... I'm relatively well known, both in high and low places. I don't really have anywhere to claim, though I've already been offered a summer home." he nods towards Rakhel. [b]"If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can come along with me. I'll simply be heading straight there; I've no where else to be... and it's neutral, which means that if anything does happen, my friends aren't pulled into it... besides, it just seems a fitting place to meet up - being the only victim of fire that I don't believe was ultimately caused by Thrune. I'm open to other suggestions if you'd prefer?"
"Very well. Nearby makes things simpler. How do you feel about meeting up at the Lucky Bones in an hour or so, assuming you're still interested in coming along?"
Rexus nods along as each person responds, offering a s mall smile to each as they suggested they would come with him, only pausing once Lia had spoken up. "Very well. Which side of town do you live on, do any of you who have family to check in with live? I'm certain I know of at least one location that we could use as a place to meet up once more, once we've taken care of affairs in any given part of town." Rexus replies in response to Lia's lesser enthusiasm for 'now' rather than 'later'.
watches Kesin for a moment, seeing whether she'll go into the room or not, obvious concern on his face regardless of her choice. Her presence certainly gave him pause, however. He waits quietly as she makes her choice, and then closes the door behind the group. "I suppose it's fitting that I'm to think of one of you as a parent when it comes to this exchange. If any of you have a reason not to get involved with what happened today..." he trails off, motioning to the door. Once everyone who had determined to stay had done so, he moves to another chair in easy view of everyone involved. "I don't know about the thugs that you managed to send away, but the others knew exactly what they were doing. They were harassing people who had fled the scene earlier... I drew their attention to myself and then knocked them out... a moment later, I was surrounded by more thugs and then you were there." he gives a small helpless shrug. "I'm just glad the others managed to escape. Regardless, I take the fact that I'm still awake, alive, and healthy as a sign that you're all like-minded individuals with regards to the earlier situation... which leads me to a request. A request that I can pay you for." he says, removing a small wooden chest from one of his belt pouches. He opens the box, removing an untarnished silver-blue key from the top and placing it into his pocket. Dozens of gold pieces rest beneath an envelope with a broken wax seal with a stylized V broken in half by the opening of the letter. He places the box on the table in clear view of everyone, before passing the letter to Adonara to read over. As Adonara reads the letter (and anyone else it is passed to), Rexus begins to share his story. "My family was involved in a secret society even before I was born, a group of Iroran Archivists who ensured that Thrune's history was not the only history available to us... once all of this nasty devil business is over, at least. I had gone abroad for my studies... and had gained a renewed interest in joining my parents in this endeavor - seeing the world through the tinted lenses of the diabolic revisionists made me realize how lucky I was to have parents like mine." he says, staring at a spot past everyone else. "When I returned it was the day after the Night of Ashes. My home had been burned to the ground, leaving only cracked marble walls to welcome me. I scoured the wreckage that night, and didn't manage to find much of anything... though in speaking with a friend, I was given a note left for me by my mother." he inclines his head towards the letter in question. "Along with a bit of money to see things through." he nods towards the chest, "And a key that I'm 'supposed to know the purpose of'... but I don't. That's why I'm keeping it; in the hopes of finding the answer to that question." He waits for everyone to finish reading over the note that has shown interest in it. "I'm planning to head to the Fair Fortune Livery either today or tomorrow... to attempt to discover what it is that my mother was looking for. Would any of you be willing to come with me for this..?"
You're good. Some posts will be other-player centric as well... simply by virtue of my attempts to tie them in with the narrative. Nandy never expects trouble, because Nandy explicitly is not involved. I think Rexus suggested you not get her involved in a roundabout way, and if I didn't, he should have. :)
Rexus seems just as staggered by Rakhel's bombardment of gossip-worthy questions as he had been by the earlier 'thugging'. "I'd actually been out of town, trying to find an old book for mother's library." he says, shaking his head. "The studies come as they do. I'm... not particularly adept at them. Just a natural. Still single." he finishes, and seems slightly out of breath as they travel, he certainly doesn't have the constitution to communicate and walk at the same time. As Rakhel shares her magic with Rexus, he calls on his own to help tend to the other's various wardrobe malfunctions. * * * Nandy doesn't even look at Rakhel, having moved back to her books, focusing on whatever precisely it is that she's doing. "Yeah, don't move things in the next room, please. Feel free to use whatever you need, though." "It's just part of the job." she adds to Adonara, still not overly paying attention to the group - perhaps intentionally. Rexus waits by the door, holding it open for the others.
Rakhel:
The man on the ground is Rexus Victocora. It occurs to you that you knew where he once lived. The Victocoras were a family friend, even as they didn't have a great deal in common with one another, there were undercurrents that linked them together in their own ways.
You're nearly the same age, and can still remember when the Victocora's daughter had disappeared and he had been adopted by the family. Even beyond the family ties, he also moves around in the same circles Kyl once did... though with a lot less swagger. After the group talks for a bit and heals the man, resulting in the concave spot on his head bulging slowly outward, he eventually groans as they pull him up onto his feet, forcing him to stop taking his nap. He looks around, not seeing any more bodies... or even the bodies he had made, and then looks to the group quizzically. He doesn't let it phase him too much, and upon learning of what had happened, in short order, he nods. "We should be going... I know a place that's safe, nearby. It's... the closest option, certainly. Chrissali's Fine Tomes, if you've heard of it. Best to talk once we arrive." K(Local) DC 15:
Chrissali's Fine Tomes is ran by one Nandy Chrissali. She has a reputation for upholding neutrality and not allowing political discussions to occur in her presence. Moreso, however, she is known as a purveyor of books of arcane and particularly for the availability of books that exist solely for pleasure. She has a rather large back room that is normally used for discussions on arcane theory... as well as book clubs. The store itself is one of the few places this side of the bridge with an assortment of scrolls, as well, Chrissali being an educated wizard straight from Alabaster Academy. Feel free to talk, until you reach the place, and then...:
As at least a portion of the group fall into step behind the nobleman, he guides them through streets and alleyways, showing actual skill in remaining unseen and moving freely among the silver-laced buildings until they reach one in particular. The only windows are attached to the second story, and the front door is kept tightly shut whenever it isn't in use. "Here we are." he says as he heads for the door, sliding it open, and showing deference to the others to enter before him.
Once inside, the obvious sight awaits them, books everywhere. Certainly, there were many bookshelves, and books were set upon those... but they also rested on tables, in chairs, were stacked into neat piles to either side of the walkway, and one even floated across the room towards the heavy stone counter on the opposite side of the room, mostly obscured by said bookshelves. A wrought iron spiral staircase leads to a room above, and just beyond that is another heavy door, closed. The only spaces that weren't occupied by books (aside from the walkways, the doorways, and the stairways) were several display cases near the front of the store, the majority of which consisted of rolled scrolls and scroll cases. There were likewise a few lock boxes resting within the cabinets, hiding goodness knew what. The only movement in the room, aside from the book taking a leisurely flight from its bookshelf to the counter, is coming from behind the counter itself. "Ah, wonderful." came a feminine voice from that side of the room as light spilled in through the front door. "Come in, and be sure to close the door behind you. I thought the riots had ran all the customers out of this part of town for the day." And as you pass her...:
"Mmmm..." came the voice from the corner of the room, as the book finally makes its precarious landing on the countertop. "Just make sure you don't bring any trouble in here, with you. The back room is always open to lovers of books. The first five pages are always free." she adds, which is when Rexus steps inside, and moves towards the back, with only a slight limp, helped along by his cane, adding himself to the conversation. "Thank you very much, ma'am."
To which the woman replied, "Damnit, Rexus, don't get blood on my books. What on earth have - nevermind. Just stay out of trouble." Which leaves Rexus to flash an uneasy smile towards the corner of the room, and open the door for the others to pass through once more, avoiding the stairs. Passing under the stairs means moving to the right, towards the countertop, and those who look in that direction see a middle-aged red-headed woman, whose eyes glow with a pale blue light. She's dressed in rather plain clothes, and only gives each of you a passing glance, not particularly focusing on any individual. She's holding a rod that's about ten inches long. A green crystal on one end, and an amber on the other. It looks quite a lot like a rolling pin without handles, overall. K(Arcana) DC 20:
Arcane Sight! And then the next room! Zoooom!:
The next room is filled with tables and chairs, as well as dozens of different measuring tools. Minor, inexpensive spell components are readily available, as well as several tools used for precise graphing. Only a dozen or so books rest in here, and they're each sitting in their own position, near one of the other apparatuses, not so curiously detailing their uses in the arcane sciences. The room is curiously lit by several dozens of candles that glow despite not burning.
Working on a post nowish. If it takes longer than 45 minutes to get out, it delays until after work. Sorry.
I haven't even looked at gameplay, yet. :P I'll get to it in the morning. Sorry for blah-ing out at the moment. :(
"Right." The man says once more, still watching Rakhel, but eventually shaking his head. Jemma unceremoniously picks up the heaviest, a darkskinned man with gray hair, and starts out the alley-way past the others causing the blonde man to shrug. "Come on, Sorin. Time to go." he says, picking up one of the others, leaving the final man to just quietly go over to the third and pick him up with no signs of strain, before continuing to follow after, leaving the slightly-twisted body of the nobleman on the ground.
The young blonde man begins to reply, when the redhead nods blearily. "Yeah... we should just go home." The blonde purses his lips, looking to her, before looking to Rakhel, and shaking his head. "Right. Just... make sure they're okay and we'll get them out of here." Adonara: Looking over the three thugs-turned-militia to the north, you quickly realize that none of them are injured in the slightest, aside from maybe a slowly forming bruise where they collapsed. They're even breathing slowly, but comfortably. Whatever the man on the ground did, it was pretty far from hurting them.
"The Lord-Mayor's supposed to make our organization legitimate today! Part of his announcement he'd planned for this afternoon from the Opera House. What do you mean'attacking unarmed Kintargans?'" he asks. "I don't really know. All I know is that there was a flash of light, and then we came round the corner and they were on the ground. We surrounded him, and Jemma clubbed him when he wouldn't drop the weapon."
Giving a chance for someone to either aid Adonara's Diplomacy attempt... or to expressly not do so. They're getting really mixed signals right now... and so am I. :) So we'll see how it plays out after I have a better idea of what people are aiming for. At the moment: Jack/Kesin sort of offensive questioning. Adonara thinly veiled threats with honey on top. Lia switch hitting between threats and offers to help. Rakhel needing to give me some information on what she intends to do with that hypnotism. Also, Kesin can't see around the corner, so it's not necessarily important, but the grayish-white space at the 'end' of the alley isn't a dead end to me. :)
The man tightens his grip on the mace as the woman begins to cast a spell... but when nothing bad happens, he seems relieved. He looks down when she says the bleeding has stopped and nods, looking between the two women. "Thanks for that... but I can't do that. This man attacked several of the Civilian Militia... we only just arrived to find several of our allies unconscious. We need to take him in for questioning.."
"Hey, hey. Put down the knife and no one has to get hurt." The blonde says, as the man with the shaved head looks between the blonde and the party as they arrive. The Redhead just stands quietly staring at Rakhel, head tilted slightly.
The red-headed woman who had previously seemed keen on just finishing the man and emptying his pockets... or perhaps in bashing some new heads goes slackjawed as she stares at Rakhel.
Initiative:
As (most of) the group hustles forward, there's a cry of pain from up ahead, where the light show had come from. Dipping around the corner, Rakhel spots a man lying on the ground in a small pool of blood, a deep wound in the side of his head. A few feet away is a small sword with an unusual handle. Standing over the man are three of the same Chelish Thugs they'd seen previously, each with a light mace held in hand. One with dirty blonde hair (5), the closest to the group (and unaware of their recent arrival), has a raised voice, "And I'm telling you, offing a noble, even accidental-like isn't gonna look good for our future with this gig. And I figure it's a nice, cushy job, yeah? So we need to figure out a way to get him back on his feet." A redheaded woman (4) shakes her head. "And I figure we just loot the boy, and let it look like he was robbed. No one'll ever know." then she trails off, looking to the group, brows furrowing as she squints across the distance. "They'll know.." she finishes, prompting the blonde to turn back to towards the group.
Well, in another campaign, that may well be true, in some ways... :3
I figure it's either in a book I haven't read through yet, or it's like one line in the entire book, which seems to be how these things work. Alternately, it may be in the guide to Cheliax (which I also don't have!)
The group, other than Jack and Rakhel, wend their way through the streets, following behind and within the crowd. None of the thugs or guards follow after. Eventually, each of you begins to move in something resembling an actual direction, towards home... or wherever else your heart may be. Jack, once on the other side of the lake, also becomes somewhat lost within the streets within the chaos, and each of you eventually come upon Rakhel, just as she's steeling herself for something and drawing her mask up around herself. You notice a small group of people fleeing out of an alleyway, and hear someone yell something, though exactly what it is is questionable, at best, given the distance. You're fairly certain something is going on down in that alley-way. There's a brilliant glow of coruscating colors that break over the tops of the roofs in that direction, and then the sound of metal clashing against metal.
Rakhel:
"Right. Somewhere safe... that's not going to be with me. I need to go see a man about a job. I'll... try to stay in touch." Kyl responds as he finally slips back into the crowd, melting rather smoothly into it.
The Dottari and Thugs press forward as the plaza empties out. Some doing their best to tend to wounded, though moving to trap Adonara between them in short order. "Throw down your weapons." they demand. Just as this happens, there's a delighted baying, as a burning monstrosity of a dog leaps out of the front door of the Opera House, and then slams down mid-air as it runs out of thick silver chain. Nox steps out behind the large creature, other end of the chain wrapped around her forearm. Infernal:
"I said HEEL." Then she looks up and sees that most of the square is already empty, save for those already arrested and those arresting them, with only a few stragglers still disappearing. She turns her attention towards the cluster of guards on her right, reaching down with her left hand to snatch a silver handaxe out of its loop.
"You... you've been ... paying our servants to find out about me? You DO care!... I thought... oh never mind what I thought..." She blushes and then her face blanches when he tells her her father was right..."My father is a pompous ass, Kyl, and I don't believe for a second that he was right about you ... whatever this is... if you're involved, then I want to be too." She searches his face... for any kind of hint of his reaction... "Tell me what IS going on.. what's 'this stuff' I'm not to get caught up in? just you? or something more? I... I... " She trails off, letting the silence build between them... Rakhel: "Of course I care. And I don't disagree about your father, but that doesn't mean he isn't right." Kyl responds, breaking eye contact, "The rebellion. Every house that burned was completely unrelated to Thrune. Every business. That's not random chance. Worse... many of them had people who would stand against him inside. But that doesn't matter." He pauses, staring at the ground, looking like he's about to slip away once more, but shakes his head. "Is it alright to do bad things for good reasons?"
JustDMThings™:
Jack reaches out once more with the bladed claws, and this time, manages to hook part of the haft with the cat's paw of the gripping surface, pulling the guard's weapon out of his hand, causing him to grunt, looking around for something else to use. Instead he opts to simply back off. The Dottari pinned between a kid and a sharp place opts to take his chances with openly fleeing from the pair, holding his arm where the latest attack opened a vein. He should be fine as long as he gets attention. The guard looks confusedly at Adonara, having not caught a word of what she just said, but being perfectly content with how she said it. But for now, he had to keep his head in the game... even if there were swaying hips involved... then he remembers himself and clips someone as they begin to run away. The dottari begin to press forward, as the crowd thins, you can see a pair of bodies bleeding out, or having bled out on the ground as the crowd clears out to near nothingness. All of Thrune's men's eyes fall on those who decide to stick around at this point... The baying of a hound grows ever-closer...
Rakhel: "Kelsy isn't the only one who works for your family, Rakh. And few servants turn down real gold." he says, not meeting her eyes. "It's complicated. Just say your father was right about me and call it a day. And... don't get caught up in this stuff again. Please." He asks as his hand moves slowly away from hers, seeking to break contact, now that he's become incredibly aware of the intimacy.
Yeah, here's hoping. :p Scarily big changes, though.
:p. Kesin does have a bite attack...
As a heads-up: Today is my last day at mthe first job I ever had. I've worked here for just shy of nine years... But I've decided I need to move on to a job that pays better... As a result, I'm going to be picking up a lot more hours at work, changing my schedule in the process, and ultimately having a lot less time for those things and people that I love. That being said... I'll become less of a post hog in the majority of my games. Things might change in the future, but at the moment, I'm hoping to continue playing in my games. I don't at all plan on disappearing, especially as a DM, but I might be less good about posting often, soon. (Every 36-48 hours was specifically because of this probability)
Between the piercing gash and splitting headache, the Asmodean looks much worse for wear, and is wounded. His eyes begin to dart back and forth between the pair. Kesin:
You also note that his eyes linger occasionally on the street beyond you. You're fairly certain he's going to run. Forgotten things! From the inside of the building you can hear the baying of a massive dog of some sort, meanwhile, closer to the door, one of the guards catches one of the people assailing her at a bad angle, and their body crumples to the ground. Another nearby guard kneels down, placing a hand near the neck of the limp form and shakes their head. Strangely, as the crowd reduces in size, things seem almost to grow louder. Rakhel:
Moving along with the crowd, Rakhel, you're half-dragged to safety of some sort. Kyl ducks into an alleyway that most people completely pass up. He leans against the wall, one hand still on yours as he closes his eyes rubbing his temple with the other. "What in the world did you think you were doing there!? You're supposed to be locked up, safe in your room... Now of all times..". Kyl shakes his head, clearly he's angry... But why? And at whom?
Dicy things:
Still trembling with fright from Lia's early threat and pulled in several different directions at once, the Asmodean spins round as Lia's dagger digs into his side, clipping her heartily in the shoulder. If he'd been aiming to disable this time, he'd failed rather terribly, as she feels like a horse had just kicked her in the chest from the impact on just her arm. A more direct hit would be... significantly worse. Jack moves quietly through the crowd, then reaches to snatch for the only weapon nearby, that of one of the thuggish brutes, a light mace, like most of the others. He manages to hook the man's weapon, who looks to him surprised, and focuses his assault in that direction... but the crack of what sounds like a dozen whips at once pulls his attention away, making it child's play for Jack to wheel out of the way. Meanwhile, the crowd continues to flee in your direction, though the 'tide of flesh' has abated somewhat. Less than half of the initial crowd is still here and moving.
Round 3! FIGHT!
The Thug's eyes cloud over for a moment as he gets a distant look, then his eyes widen, as he turns his attention to Kesin, "Little witch.."
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