Hell's Rebels

[EmEss]

Even with the cobblestones of Argent Avenue and the foliage of Aria Park still wet from the morning's light rain, dozens of Kintargans have gathered along the facade of the opera house to protest the city's new lord-mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune. The city's new leader was appointed by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II, in the wake of the previous lord-mayor's sudden flight from the city - an event that still has local rumour mongers whispering furiously. In a scant seven days, Paracount Thrune has instituted Martial Law, a curfew, and seven outlandish and polarising proclamations. These actions and more have called many of Kintargo's dissatified citizens here on this overcast morn. There has been no sign yet of Barzillai Thrune himself, and the opera house's doors remain tightly closed- as they have since the man chose the landmark as his new home - and guarded by a dozen dottari guards, but judging by the growing sound of the protesters, he surely can't ignore the scene on the streets below much longer.

The protesters lack any real unity of purpose, with some calling for the lord-mayor to lift his unreasonable restrictions, and others calling for an end to foreign rule and a successor to Lord-Mayor Bainilus to be properly appointed. Many are content merely to yell and agitate, but a growing minority show their unabashed support of Thrune by arguing back and baiting the crowd.

The different identifiable factions in the crowd of protesters are as follows;

Kintargo Partisans (Who despise Thrune's tightening grasp and demand local rule)
Economic Conservatives (Who feel the squeeze of the new taxes and business policies)
Advocates of Democracy (Whose Bitterest complaint is Thrune's appointment rather than legal election)
Trouble-makers (who hope the protest turns into a good riot)
Civil Rights Activists (who oppose the draconian decrees)
Chelish Loyalists (who support Thrune's actions to curb the city's dissent)


In addition to the various protesters there are also those who see the event as an opportunity to profit, either setting up small stalls selling items such as hot pies, pastries... and rotten vegetables, or mingling with the crowd in search of unwatched pockets.

You have a variety of actions that you can take at this point such as; listening for rumours(Diplomacy or Perception), Pilfer(Sleight of Hand), Rabble Rouse (Diplomacy or Perform), Search for a contact (Perception), Silence undesirable elements(Bluff or Intimidate), Watch the Crowd (Perception or Sense Motive) (

[zimmerwald1915]

Morning, 2 Rova, 4715

Cerissa had come too late. It couldn't be helped. She'd started packing the moment news of the Glorious Reclamation and Thrune's response had trickled into Almas. The ship she'd boarded had been the first she could find bound for Kintargo. But news travels slowly over land, and ships sail by the fickle wind. Hers had been becalmed twice, around Cape Erebus and Gemcrown Bay. Scuttlebutt said it was the work of Thrune weather-wizards, an aid to the Chelish Navy's blockades of Ostenso and Westcrown. They limped by unmolested thanks to the closeness of the blockades, but there was no avoiding inspection at the Arch of Aroden. Altogether, the delays meant that Cerissa had arrived in Kintargo mere days ago.

Yozif had taken her in, graciously if not happily. She had missed much in her time abroad: their parents funerals, her brothers' marriages and the births of their children, and the terror of what was already being called the Night of Ashes. Yozif wasn't political, and his news was poorer for it, but from what Cerissa could tell the events of that night had smashed or driven underground just about every radical group in Kintargo. In no time at all, the city had been remade in the image of its new lord-mayor, Barzillai Thrune. Of Cerissa's old friends, she'd only been able to track down Giveni, who told her about the protest in front of the Opera House.

The gathered crowd reminds Cerissa of a similar scene in Old Korvosa, almost seven years ago. There, as here, they had been sandwiched between the forces of reaction in front and water to their back. There, as here, the reaction had the position of strength. The names changed between cities, but the implacable faceplates of the Hellknights and the hungry glares of the dottari are mirror images of each other. But Korvosa's Order of the Nail and guard had faced an organization that had proven its strength and was fighting for its honor. This crowd is yet unformed and fractious, untried, but more promising for all that. The people would probably run, rather than fight, if pressed today. But it cheers Cerissa to see that so many can be stirred to action even though the shock of the Night of Ashes is still raw.

"Hail the mighty, conquering hordes of Barzallai Thrune!" she calls sarcastically. "The Glorious Reclamation proved too strong to vanquish, so the devils descend on their own people! But they'll learn to their cost that we're stronger than any enemy they ever fought." There are murmurs of agreement from the people around her. Cerissa finds herself lifted by her arms onto a nearby bench. She steadies herself with her parasol and continues.

"Brothers and sisters, when we call for elections, we must do so conscious of what that would mean. The Night of Ashes is not even a month past. An immediate election can have only one result; a sweeping victory for Barzallai Thrune. Think! He and his soldiers have smashed every other political group! Hellknights of the Rack roam the streets of Kintargo, where they have never been before. 'Chelish citizens' are turned against the people. Under these conditions, an election will not represent what we think. It would be tainted by repression and official violence." That sobering assessment delivered, Cerissa clenches her free hand, raises it above her head, and shakes it to punctuate her next points.

"Immediately, we must reclaim the right to organize. That means the end of martial law! We must demand time to organize. Elections one month after martial law is lifted, and not a moment before. We must demand the broadest possible franchise. Former slaves—for we must demand their liberation—halflings, tieflings, tengus, women, workers, and the poor. No weighted voting schemes! No estates!

"Of course, our struggle will continue under whatever forms Thrune permits. But we cannot be satisfied with those forms. We must demand our own. The struggle between Thrune and the mass of the people is coming. It is inevitable. We must fight it on our own terms."

While Cerissa thus begins her attempt to galvanize the democrats (whose demands most clearly pose the question of power), and to harness the liberals' demands to their cause, Mimi perches on the bench's backrest. Her eyes scan back and forth, taking in the shape of the crowd. Cerissa can feel her worry. There are knots of both Kintargan and Chelish nationalists nearby, and the combination is volatile. But Cerissa has never been one to keep her head down.

Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition None

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Perform (oratory) to rabble-rouse: [roll0]
Mimi Perception to watch the crowd: [roll1]

[Kish]

Seoni, lifetime resident of Kintargo and reluctant scion of the Tanessen family, mingles with the crowd. She had planned to simply wait and watch for the Silver Raven contact, but as her passage through the crowd brings her next to a man who belligerently shouts at anyone who says anything critical of the Thrunes, she can't resist saying, "You know, the thing about siding with a foreign occupier is: You'd better be sure they're staying."


Seoni Tanessen (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=928668)
Female Lawful Good Human Paladin, Level 1, Init 9, HP 11/11, Speed 20
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 3, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 1
Longsword, 15 gold +2 (1d8+1, 19-20/x2)
Scale mail, 50 gold, Heavy wooden shield, 7 gold (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 17
Condition None

[roll0] for Intimidate, to silence undesirable elements.

[3SecondCultist]

The man in the hood watches the protest with some interest. He's been doing so more or less since it started. Where is she? Myrletta had been the one to tell him that today's Aria Park protest was worth going to. If the Rose of Kintargo is doing anything at the moment, it has its ears to the ground. After the Night of Ashes, everyone's stepping a little more carefully. I suppose that today, I am included in that demographic. Beneath his armor and tunic, Vandilus fingers the miniature rose given to him by his friend. The holy symbol of the Everbloom is as warm against his skin as it was when he was first bequeathed it. But his armor, choice of weapon, even the deep red color of his cloak all scream 'Asmodean' to the casual observer.

As Vandilus peers out at the masses, he is struck by the demonstration's state of disarray. There are as many different causes present today as there are people to represent them. He shakes his head slowly. A revolution needs to be one front; the wants and needs of the many brought together by a common voice. The teachings of the Light of Hope could not be more applicable today. But even as he watches and listens, Vandilus hears a voice echo over the crowd. Through the glistening half-rain of the early Rova morning, he catches sight of a figure standing on a bench, surrounded by a crowd.

"The struggle between Thrune and the mass of the people is coming. It is inevitable. We must fight it on our own terms."

Vandilus' eyes narrow, and then widen. No... it's not possible. The speaker is immediately recognizable, but then... he thought she had been exiled. For Cerissa to return to Kintargo now means only one thing. Today's events are not to be taken lightly. Despite the gravity of his former mentor's sudden appearance, Vandilus cannot help but break out in a boyish grin. They will have so much to talk about! And yet, there are things to be done here. Now is not the time to reminisce. Suddenly berating himself for skulking about in the shadows, the young men presses himself forward, into the living surge of Kintargan protesters. The caution that previously dominated his thoughts disappears, if only for a moment. Sometimes that's enough.

"Our esteemed friend is right! If the Night of Ashes has proven one thing, it's that the counter-revolutionary forces are ready and willing to put down any semblance of free thought! Under the spectre of martial law, any exercising of our rights as citizens of the empire is little more than a formality to be swept aside in the search for 'dangerous insurgents'! I'm sure there are those among you who were present for the Thrune raids. Tell me, do you think those that Barzillai Thrune made disappear constitute more of a threat to Kintargo than its current Lord-Mayor?" Despite his colors, the Milanite is in disguise no longer.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- wrath, protection from law
For the first hour, Vandilus is going to Rabble Rouse. I rolled an 8 in the Hangouts, for a total of 16 on the Diplomacy roll.

[n0ble]

Abagail's eye fluttered open as she woke up. By the nine her head hurt something fierce. Wa-was I... drinking last night? Looking around, she glanced down at her left forearm, inscribed with the "Check you journals-the last one on the case" tattoo. Abagail checked the time on the clock next to her bed. Good a place as any to start the morning off. She hopped off her bed and went over to the book case opposite it, scanning the volumes for the most recent one. Cracking it open, she began to read last night's notes and entry. Alongside the usual details about her wanderings about town for rumour and information, as well as the more generic details of the day, something else caught her gaze:


"Protest tomorrow outside opera house-Residence of Mayor Barazalli Thrune (refer to previous journal for why Thrune as mayor is bad)."

Things to consider:
- Possibility of answers?- Negligible, bound to be dottari and hellknights active in the area. Protest most likely could will take a violent turn.
- Question to ask in the morning: do the risks of violence outweigh the benefits of potential information/answers?1
- Inquire about Jackdaw? Conclusion: No, too risky. Stick to mining archives for potential truth.
- Potential things that could or should be worthy of observervation: those with information, advocates of democracy, Kintargo loyalists, advocates of democracy and dottari plus any hellknights,

1: If yes, then remember to wear armour (in closet, hidden compartment, under cowl)


She snapped the journal shut, making a quick reference to the previous one as indicated. Abagail closed her white eyes. By the Nine her head hurt. Answer: I need answers, regardless of implicated violence. One must understand themselves before understanding how to affect the world around them. Armour. She jotted a new entry in the latest volume that simply said "going to protest today" followed shortly by, "Kintargo must change". With that she donned her armour, pants, cowl and a backpack that had two field journals in it. Once she had everything on her person Abagail went down the stairs and out the door, into the city, but not before adding "don't drink" to her latest volume.

Wandering her way to Aria Park and the opera house was difficult for Abagail. Sure, she could manage well enough physically. It was the faces that made her draw her hood about her face just a little bit more. Shame I couldn't have read more of the journals. Would've been nice to know what faces I can and can't trust. She'd now way of knowing who knew her and who didn't. It was frustrating, infuriating and perhaps just a bit too exhilarating for Abagail's taste. Regardless, she pushed on towards the Opera House, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, her hands stuffed in the front pant pockets. Gods, don't let me run into anyone who knows me.

Upon finally reaching the protest Abagail idly scratched a note on hand with some charcoal to wake up earlier. Would've been easier to see faces if there werent so dam many. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a circle of people coalescing around a bench, where a young man and woman were proselytizing their attending crowd. Hurm. With that, Abagail leaned against a tree and cracked open one of her field journals. She turned to sketches of people within her journal, with their own portraits and filled out descriptions. She then began to try and match the faces and names therein with the two figures on the bench, making a mental note of people she'd already failed to match them with. Finding little in terms of success, Abagail went to lean against a tree and took out the second of her field journals. She drew a quick sketch of each of their faces, leaving a section for their names and several pages in between each sketch. Under the blank name entries she wrote "Lodge enquiries with him (or her) when possible." Following that, she returned to her first journal and tried to match the faces in it to other members of the protest that she could see, repeating the same task she had done with the pair though on a much larger scale.


Watch the crowd: [roll0]

[zimmerwald1915]

Morning, 2 Rova, 4715

After he says his piece, Cerissa helps the newcomer clamber up on the bench. It's wide enough to squeeze in maybe one more person, so she doesn't get a good look at him. What strikes her most is his youth. His cheeks are smooth and creamy, his blue eyes flash like a lighthouse over the crowd, and his words only flirted with coherence. "A question worth exploring, brother," she says, turning slightly to stand back to back with the young man. Everyone around them should feel addressed. "Who fell in Thrune's purge? The mayor, her allies on the Court of Coin, and several icons of free thought. In other words, the people who because of their prominence he imagined were the greatest threat to him. But they weren't." Cerissa's words turn bitter with old memories. "Bainilus and her ilk were at their best only floppy-kneed guardians of our liberties. Shensen and company made such great strides that Thrune's power today is as secure as it's been for seventy-five years. They were no threat at all, except to the misplaced hopes of their followers."

The murmurs that follow are dark and angry. Cerissa is calling out popular figures, after all. But if people are to take power into their own hands, they must break the habit of entrusting it to heroes. "The real threat to the regime is one it cannot extirpate: the masses of people. If you push a plough in a field, swing a pick in a mine, haul a net on the ocean, or fire brine for salt, you are indispensible, because you make their world run. Thrune can burn as many taverns, break up as many assemblies, as he likes. Our rulers are forced to bring us together to keep them in their money. When they do, we become powerful enough to order our own working lives, to seize time for leisure and money to make the most of it.

"We are the real threat to our masters' Kintargo, to their whole world, a threat they cannot combat forever. When the time comes, they will be faced with a choice. In Andoren they surrendered many of their stolen fruits. In Galt they lined up behind Thrune and were wholly dispossessed for it. In neither country today is production and trade controlled by the people, but they are not the limit of what we can achieve. All across Cheliax, the vitalizing breath of revolution is stirring once again. From Pezzack to Dinyar, from Kintargo to Westcrown, labor stands with folded arms and says 'no more!'"

This is not a formal action, and it does not advance the timeline into the next hour.

[EmEss]

Quite a large proportion of the crowd is now gathered around the pair on the bench. A lot of people seem swayed by the arguments presented but others seem less convinced. A tall, imperious looking young lady, wearing noticeably finer clothes than most of the rest of the crowd manages to make herself heard above the babble of agreement and disagreement.

"A revolution? Why how very droll! Remind me again how that worked out for Galt and Andoran?" she asks with a wry smile. "Galt has faced forty years of chaos and terror and as for Andoran... well things might look all sunshine and rainbows from the outside but its rulers aren't concerned about their people, all they care about is money. Andoran isn't free, they merely traded a set of nobles with an ancient and long standing tie to the land and her people, trained from birth to do what is in their, the peoples, best interests for a crowd of uppity merchants, who care only about today and give no thought to the future." She turns and locks eyes with Cerissa. "I agree that something must be done about Thrune, they may keep the peace but a horrendous cost. However, just because we reject the rule of Hell, doesn't mean we should reject Heaven in favour of the Maelstrom. Our existing way of doing things largely works. Before the disappearance of Mayor Bainilius our people were some of the happiest and best looked after in all of Avistan. Things could have been better, but they could be a lot worse. Let us not forget who the real enemy is, or dismiss potential allies out of hand. Reform might be desired, and be desirable, in the future but for now lets focus on righting current wrongs and returning things to the way they should be."

The end of that speech is greeted by cheers from the Kintargo loyalists and Economic conservatives but with jeers from the Chelexian Nationalists, who seem only a little daunted by the strong counter current of opinion in the crowd and the attempts made so far to silence them.

Cerissa and Vandilus each gain +1 to all Charisma-based checks for the next 24 hours as they have gained a reputation among those at the protest. The crowd will also part before Cerissa and will no longer count as difficult terrain. Abagail notices that the crowd seems agitated and discontent but not overly violent. Seoni manages to quiet the Thrune supporters closest to her but has only a limited effect on the group as a whole. Another hour passes and the same choices of actions are available.

[zimmerwald1915]

"The lady speaks the prejudices of her class," sneers Cerissa. She holds her gaze only for a moment before turning back to the crowd. Cerissa will not let her self-appointed opponent distract her from her real audience. "They will lead her to stand behind Thrune in the coming struggle. 'They keep the peace?' Seventy-five years ago, Abrogail Thrune stood up in Egorian and proclaimed that peace had come to Westcrown. At that very moment, flames were dancing on the rooftops and her lackeys were butchering people in the streets! A whole district remains unpeopled to this day. The rest is stripped of wealth and trade, subjected to martial law, curfews, midnight disappearances, divide and rule. That is their peace, built on blood and fire and fear! It is, if I may say so, a Hell of a way to live." Some scattered laughter greets this line.

"As for Galt and Andoran, their revolutionary crisis was also seventy-five years ago, before history revealed the liberal burghers for the frauds they are and before the labor movement found its footing. Today, slaves across Cheliax work to rule until they can escape their masters. Today, Pezzack's whalers, not their employers, decide among themselves which of them will work when. Even under the blockade, they share their wages to make sure none of them starve. Seven years ago, I saw Korvosa's organized ironworkers, sailors, and longshoremen bring down their tyrannical government by means of a mass strike. In Almas and Magnimar, great labor parties fight from within the government itself, engaging the burghers directly.

"Not that there's a bright line between the burghers and our Court of Coin (a revealing name if ever there was one). Such ties to the land our nobles boast! That must be why Barons Aulamaxa, Jhaltero, and Vashnarstill all live in Kintargo mansions full-time, leaving Cypress Point, Whiterock, and Anchor's End to be managed by agents. And those agents, who squeeze every last drop of labor they can out of their fishers, stonecutters, and miners in the name of profit, are really engaging in careful husbandry with an 'eye to the future!' Nor was Kintargo itself so very wonderful before Thrune's coup. A city of art, and love, and beauty it was—for the few. The lady imagines her experience to be universal. For the masses to taste the fruits of culture they created, however, they would need time away from drudging labor, and they got precious little of that.

"Even if you, like the lady, saw the Millennium in the past, however, there is no return to it. Barzillai Thrune has posed the question clearly; you are with him, or you are with the toiling masses. The future will be one of common rule and common wealth, or it will be one of blood and fire and fear." Mimi yowls in agreement.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Bluff to silence Kintargo partisans: [roll0]
Mimi Bluff to aid Cerissa's action: [roll1]

[Kish]

Seoni's eyebrows flick up at the combination of passion and polish the strange woman with the cat demonstrates. Not directly addressing either of the debaters, but pitching her voice to carry into the crowd, she declaims, "There is no justice in the rule of any member of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune. Indeed, they would be the first to admit it. They do not wish to keep 'peace' or ensure 'prosperity' for anyone but themselves and their sycophants. The few who can cluster closest to them benefit; all others are ground underfoot. Our lives mean nothing to them. If we do not throw them off, there is no ambiguity about what the future means under them, and Asmodeus' faithful would be the first to openly admit it: the world as he and his chosen envision it holds only slaves, corpses, and twisted monsters who stand astride slaves and corpses."

Diplomacy to rabble-rouse: [roll0]

[3SecondCultist]

Vandilus only pays scant attention to the counter-agitator as she speaks up. To respond to the low-hanging fruit would be to stoop to her level, and yet the people of Kintargo should know that it's not merely Thrune that needs to be abolished, but the whole Court of Coin's hegemony. Once again, before he can even say anything of substance Cerissa has launched into her own diatribe, so Vandilus lets her continue. I wonder, would she make an example of me now if she recognized me? Revealing his actual identity in front of the crowd now could shake things up, but the circumstances of his birth ultimately shouldn't matter. It's as the lady said: the movement must be about the people, not any single person, no matter how noble their intentions. And yet, her words don't exactly inspire the kind of feeling that a revolutionary might want. In fact, the very act of her truth-telling threatens to put Cerissa in the very spotlight she so derides. Still, that's not a contradiction to get into here.

He's not exactly shocked to hear his own family being called out by name. The Jhalteros might not be Thrune supporters - thank the Rose - but they are central to the problem that the tiefling has outlined to the crowd. Vandilus knows then how to continue. He might be a hypocrite, but today that's the price of truth. "The question facing Kintargo today is greater than that of supporting Thrune. Can we, as Kintargans, continue to live under the blighted shadow of an empire that - with careless abandon - steps on our liberties? Even before the Night of Ashes, we were hard-pressed to make our way as a Chelish appendage. For years, we have held our heads high as the cosmopolitan northwest of the empire, and yet slavery persists even in Kintargo! We put on elaborate dramas at the very Opera House behind me; but tell me, since when has the Huntress of Heroes ever inspired any of you beyond the scope of an evening? The plain truth is that beyond our pretensions, we are no different from the rest of this thrice-damned country!" He's layered his speech on Cerissa's, to act as a follow-up that addresses the crowd directly without even acknowledging the noblewoman.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Kintargo do not need saving! We cannot put our faith in heroes. Only by believing in each other, in the strength and unity of purpose of the common men and women, will we succeed. And make no mistake: this effort cannot stop with Thrune. For Kintargo to be truly free, for this great city to earn the reputation it has coveted for so many years, it must unshackle itself from the oppressive oligarchy that has bound it since its inception! The Court of Coin, the Temple of Asmodeus, the Hellknight Orders... such structures only serve to keep us down, and perpetuate the myth of opportunity that has plagued us since before the Civil War. Kintargo must elect its own leaders and start anew. It must all go." The inquisitor finishes his speech not with a brilliant exclamation, but with a quiet turn of phrase. After the bombastic shouting, anyone who was already listening to him will be leaning in to try and catch the end. That's how he knows he has their attention.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
Vandilus is going to continue to Rabble Rouse for the second hour, giving variations on the above speech.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[n0ble]

Hurm. Abagail closed up her second field journal with a sigh, finding that none of the faces in the crowd matched those she'd sketched. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the tall woman dressed in scale mail. Promising.Though her apparent age leaves little in terms of potential knowledge. She flipped through the journal with the two stranger's faces, making a sketch and the same note about the tall woman. She also sketched the woman in fine clothes who'd questioned the rabble rouser: Note: figure above shows potential. Possible middle ground between extremism and Thrune. She then goes back and adds something to the woman on the bench's entry: Uppity about social class/station. Pushing for revolution of the lower echelons of society/"toiling masses."? Has been to Korvosa, witnessed mass strike. Likes to give speeches. It's followed by a similar entry about the man that's with her: Training in public speaking? Capable Orator. Less liberal, with personal experience than woman depicted in prior entry

Afterwards Abagail got up and put her journal away, instead slinking over to a nearby tree she could lean on, arms folded across her chest. All this noise is giving me a migraine. Only half listening to the speeches from the bench, Abagail began to watch the Nationalists. Trouble makers if ever there were some. She shook her head in order to try and dull the building pain, trying afterwards to get a good read of those she was observing. It made sense to pay attention to any potential danger. Cant't have it getting in the way of the search.



Sense motive on the Chelexian Nationalists: [roll0]

[EmEss]

A large portion of the crowd murmurs in support of the last few statements made. Cries of "Tear it all down!" and "It all must go!" ring out from the crowd, with the rally call coming particularly strongly from the portions of the crowd least interested in lofty dialogue and political theories and more interested in more physical pursuits.

The well-dressed lady, sensing the shift in the crowd's mood takes a more reconciliatory approach,"Of course, of course. I'm not saying that change isn't needed, merely that we need to look at the bigger picture and focus on our common enemy. All of us here today are here for one reason- Thrune. We can stand together and throw off the yoke of oppression, or we can bicker like children over pipe dreams of freedom. I for one am happy to stand with any who share my goals. What say you?" she concludes with a sweeping gesture over the crowd, finishes pointing at the pair on the bench. Affirmative sounding noises greet her question to the crowd, although grumbles can also be heard from those around her.


Abagail notices that the Chelaxian Nationalists seem far more eager for a fight than most of the crowd, with many trying to deliberately antagonise other protesters.

Many in the crowd now recognise Seoni and Vandilus and will make way for them. The crowd no longer counts as difficult terrain for Seoni or Vandilus.

Seoni gets +1 to Charisma based checks for the next 24 hours.
Vandilus gets another +1 to Charisma based checks for the next 24 hours (+2 total)
Cerissa, better luck next time.

Another hour, same options and then the real fun begins.

[3SecondCultist]

By the time the well-dressed woman is finished speaking, Vandilus has finally put a name to the face. Pertina Jarvis. A few memories come floating back to him: them meeting at one of the Court's balls, a potential match for his brother Marin. It's unlikely she'll recognize him here, in this place, in this context. Still, it's enough to go on. Vandilus has his rebuttal already prepared.

"My friends, I beseech you not to be snared by the false promises of this woman - she is one of the very pillars of oppression that all Kintargans must resist! A Jarvis, one of the daughters of the Court of Coin, is hardly an ally of the people. She would direct your anger towards the current threat, only to return to the way things were! A change, once made, should not be mitigated. If you truly want to stand up for yourselves, there can be no half-measures. What kind of freedom do you want; one proscribed by the elite, or one that you choose for yourselves? " The crowd is already listening to him; scanning the sea of faces, the son of Canton Jhaltero can see that he has earned more than a few sympathetic ears. It fills the young man with confidence, so he presses on.

"The call has been uttered; not only here, but all across Avistan! This woman beside me," he points to Cerissa, "refers to worker's strikes in Korvosa, in Magnimar, even in Pezzack and across the Hellcoast! Those are the kinds of demonstrations we should be looking to, not the bloody martinets of Galt or Andoran. The people of Kintargo owe it to themselves to be better than that; to make the kinds of changes to the very systems that allowed Thrune to take over in the first place." Vandilus is struck in the moment by a quote from Jubannich. Not a perfect role model, but suitable enough for the situation at hand. Besides, the reference will likely go over the heads of most. "Oppression is like a great tree. You can prune away its branches, or even cut the tree to the ground, but it will grow up again ever the stronger and ever more comely. Yet all awhile the root grows thick and black, gnawing at the bitter soil, drawing its nourishment from the darkness, and growing even greater and more deeply entrenched. Well, my fellow Kintargans," he says, implicating Pertina without so much as pointing her out, "I think it is fairly evident who the root is in this scenario."

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
For the third hour, Vandilus will once more continue to Rabble Rouse. I'm kind of on a roll here, and hopefully the dice agree with me.

Diplomacy: [roll0] (that's technically a 16, although Diplomacy is now a Wis-based skill so I'm not sure if it counts)

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa takes a breath and shares a glance with Mimi. She jumps into Cerissa's arms and climbs up on her shoulder, looking backwards. The young man from earlier is still there, haranguing the crowd with no small success. Cerissa catches a whiff of curiosity from the cat, followed by a glimmer of satisfaction. Her own doubt flares for a moment. She and the stranger had been talking over each other, so she hadn't heard everything, but some of what she had heard sounded almost separatist. But Mimi had always been a good judge of people. Cerissa decides to trust her.

"The revolution follows its own logic," she begins. One of the other things she'd heard was the young man's slogan, and how it had been taken up by the crowd. Now is the time to invest it with as much meaning as possible, before the inevitable rupture. "It follows that logic to the end. Toppling Thrune means toppling the old society built on plunder, and replacing them with common rule and common wealth. It is impossible to stand before the revolution and successfully cry 'this far, no further.' It can only be stopped by force or fraud. When we say it all must go, we mean that we no longer believe Thrune lies, and that their regime cannot stop us no matter how much force they bring to bear!

"Thrune's star is fading. They failed to put down the rebellion in Pezzack. They failed to subjugate the Shackles. With the fall of Canorus, Andoran is winning the Arcadian trade. Their great victories today are won against lined-up rows of their own bound and blindfolded subjects. In the east, their subjects have burst their bonds, ripped off their blindfolds, seized their captors' bloody spears and rendered even that martial glory beyond them. Conscious of all that must come after, we join them today in saying 'down with Thrune!'

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Bluff to silence Chelaxian loyalists [roll0]
Mimi Bluff to aid Cerissa's action [roll1]

[Kish]

Seoni falls silent, trying to analyze the dynamics between the other three speakers. It is apparent that the hooded man and the woman with the cat are coordinating this; it is equally apparent that they find the noblewoman's arguments even less welcome than overt loyalty to Thrune would be. She drifts closer to them, scanning the crowd. It occurs to her, belatedly, that perhaps it would have been wiser to focus on looking for the man she came there to find.


Seoni searches for a contact: [roll0]

[EmEss]

As the third hour of the protest draws to a close, the crowd is growing increasingly hostile, both towards those in the Opera House, and different factions in the crowd. The chant of "It all must go!" can be heard from more and more of the crowd, but it accompanied by increasingly heated arguments between various groups and individuals within the crowd, with some coming close to blows. Most of the traders around the edge of the protest, reacting to the increasingly ugly mood of the crowd, have quite sensibly decided to pack up and leave. The only two remaining are a pink haired gnome selling sweet pastries, and a shifty looking human selling both hot sausages and rotting vegetables from the same cart, a combination which seems to be proving none too popular so far, with the aroma of the vegetables serving to ruin the appetite of any of who otherwise consider purchasing a sausage.

Pertina Jarvis appears to have given up her attempts to sway the more radical members of the crowd, and instead joins her supporters in echoing Cerissa's cry of "Down with Thrune", finding it more palatable than the other chants of"It all must go".


Vandilus is on a roll and has established himself as a key voice of the resistance in the minds of the crowd. He gets another +1 to Charisma based checks for the next 24 hours (for a total of +3)

Cerissa is not very successful in silencing the Chelaxian Nationalists, but has provided large portions of the crowd with another cry to rally around.

Seoni catches a fleeting glimpse of a man wearing one glove, the agreed method of identification, but quickly loses sight of him in the crowd.

Still waiting on Abagail.

Time will not officially move forward until Abagail has acted.

[n0ble]

Abagail kept watching the nationalist for a bit, just to be sure of their motives. Instead she summoned up the courage to go into the crowd, towards the tall woman in scale mail. She didn't look like a dotari or hellknight. Just before going she made sure everything was secure in her backpack. Cannot afford to lose the progress made today. Still. Somone must be told. She kept her arms drawn up around her body but for the odd elbow to get a protestor out of the way. Hate crowds. Too many faces. Abagail wasn't the strongest of women at the best of times. Elbowing her way through a crowd was a whole days exercise for her.

When she finally got to the woman, she approached the her from behind, not for lack of trying to get into her view. Godsdam crowds. As if they werent enough of a worry already. Abagail tapped the woman on the shoulder, "S'cuse me, don't mean to distract you or anything, but you look like you know how to handle yourself. Those nationalists back there" she jabbed a thumb in the direction of the simmering group she'd been observing, "they look like they want things to get violent. Looks like deliberate antagonism."Abagail found that she almost had to shout over the crowd to be heard, but tried to keep her voice low so as not to inflame things any further. As she spoke, her pupiless eyes flitted around the crowd, trying to discern if anyone looked off or dangerous or worse, was paying attention to her.



Action: Perception check of the crowd gathering around the bench: [roll0]

[EmEss]

As Abagail approaches the crowd around the bench she notices a young female tiefling with large curly horns about to pick the pockets of an overweight man. A cry of surprise erupts from her lips, causing the target to look around and the pickpocket to flee. The man thanks Abagail profusely and presses 6 gold pieces into her hand, explaining that he would have lost far more if it hadn't been for her vigilance.

Any further conversation is cut short however as the bells of the Cathedral of Asmodeus ring out three peals (the time is approximately 3 minutes past 2 in the afternoon) and an imposing man dressed in red, orange, and black clothing and an ornate breastplate, all emblazoned with the pentagram of Asmodeus and the cross of Cheliax throws open the windows of the opera house and steps out onto the balcony to address the crowd. The gathering swiftly grows quiet as he clears his throat and begins to speak with a condescending sneer.

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


Squassation is a form of torture in which the victim’s hands are tied together and raised above the head; the victim is then hung from the hands while a weight is suspended from the feet, causing intense pain to the arms and legs.


The crowd erupts in outrage at the final statement by Barzillai Thrune. This is the first proclamation to specifie torture as punishment rather than imprisonment or a fine and the crowd are not happy about it.

[n0ble]

"Uh, thanks. Just doing my part I suppose." Where'd that tiefling go? Her train of thought was cut off as the fat man looked up to where a figure was emerging. Barzallai Thrune. She listened to the speech, arms crossed across her body while quietly simmering next to the woman in scale mail. Bastard.

"That speech is exactly what those dam nationalist's neede-".She stopped, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that she was talking out loud. It wasn't just the realization, but a sharp pain that lanced into her head, momentarily driving the psychic down onto one knee. A foreign memory barged it's way into her mind, one of walking up steps. A jubilant crowd. Weights hanging from limbs. Unbearable weight. The pain of those weights threatened to drive her down onto both knees. She forced her mind to make sense and was left with a slurred word. Squassationnnn. Mu-Must remember to record the words meaning later. Abagail got back up off her knee standing back to her full height. Vulnerable. Hostility in the air. Time to go.

[Kish]

"What? Um...thank you?" Seoni blinks at the strange woman who approaches her. Well, I suppose--before she can complete the thought and start moving toward the group the woman pointed out, Thrune comes out and speaks.

He...didn't miss the point. He dodged the point. He's taunting everyone here--a mocking version of saying that he's in charge and there's nothing we can do about it. He's wrong, but it's unlikely we can prove it here and now. I hope I didn't miss my contact entirely--I need to be more focused She starts moving toward the Chelaxian nationalists Abagail had pointed out.

[EmEss]

Suddenly from somewhere in the crowd a barrage of rotting vegetables and manure are thrown at the Balcony. Though the putrid projectiles miss Barzillai’s noble personage, the lord-mayor nonetheless flinches and spills wine across his ornate clothing. With his wardrobe and dignity endangered, the lord-mayor’s demeanor shifts from amused to bellicose. He shrieks, “Enough of this! Nox, run them off, arrest them, or kill them. I don’t care which!” before retreating into the opera house and slamming the windows. Down below, Nox immediately mobilizes the dottari, who draw their weapons. At the same time, men and women throughout the crowd pull back their cloaks, revealing matching armbands, truncheons, and the sadistic grins of Chelish Citizens’ Group members eager to mete out some “justice.”

Four eager Chelish Citizens' Group Thugs converge on the group around the bench.


Seoni 23
Abagail 16
Vandilus 11
Cerissa 10
Thugs 9

[Kish]

Oh well then. Seoni draws her sword and moves to intercept the aggressive nationalists. "Poor judgment. If anyone's getting badly hurt here, it's you!" she tells them, slashing at the apparent leader, or whichever one is closest to her if she can't discern any sign of leadership.


Attack: [roll0] Critical threat check (on a 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[EmEss]

Seoni swings at the largest and meanest looking of the four thugs but her sword glances off the studded leather armour he is wearing. He laughs condescending,
"Looks like this one has plenty of spirit. Good, I was looking forwards to having a little fun this afternoon"

[3SecondCultist]

Vandilus watches impassively as Thrune speaks, although the young man is troubled by the words that come tumbling out of the new tyrant's mouth. The proscription of a drastic penalty like squassation to foreign captains works to dis-incentivize foreign nationals from doing business here and further isolate Kintargans, but it's just as much an arbitrary display of Thrune's own power, obviously designed to taunt the crowd. That touch at the end, where he hesitated... that was just the infernal icing on the cake. The Milanite shakes his head as the protesters grow even more rowdy following the Lord-Mayor's newest proclamation. When things start to fly, and violence becomes imminent, Vandilus is hardly surprised, and more than a little disappointed. I suppose it was only a matter of time. While the Everbloom doesn't look down on fighting for what one believes in, violence is hardly the best way to get things done.

At the sight of the Chelish Citizen's Group nearby, however, the inquisitor sees no alternative but to draw his mace and shield. He knows he was one of - if not the most - prominent voices in today's gathering. They'll be coming for him. He'll need to be ready when they do.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
Move action - draw mace and shield, then Vandilus will move to wherever the fighting is thickest. He won't engage this round, but if he sees any CCG thugs attacking or harassing anybody else, he'll try to get into melee range to at least threaten them this turn.

[zimmerwald1915]

Of course it had been a provocation. Thrune's guards, and Thrune himself, once he looked, could see that the protest lacked organization. An outrageous proclamation, coupled with the already inflamed crowd, and no sense of discipline? Of course someone would react precipitously, and of course the regime's thugs would take the excuse to move in. Cerissa, however, has no regrets for her part. The proclamation was sure to come either way. It had probably been prepared in advance. The question had been whether the people would accept it docilely (or worse, enthusiastically) or challenge it. Now that they have challenged it, the question is, which side is she on?

The answer is obvious. Even if her loyalties had been unclear, the grinning boar of a man bearing down on her gives her no choice. His black and red armband mark him as one of the Chelish Citizens Group. From what Cerissa's heard, they consider themselves auxiliaries to the dottari. She had also heard that they mainly just beat up whoever they don't like. That, at least, looks to be true. The crowd roils around the thug as he pushes people aside to get at her.

Cerissa drops down to get the bench between her and the man. Fortunately, the protesters part around her, and she lands on her good leg. Mimi, getting an inkling of what Cerissa's about do to, digs her claws into her shoulder. Cerissa winces, but with a muttered "temep jutosh" and a tap of her toes, successfully channels power into her abdomen and thighs. "I've upset you," she calls, taunting the thug. When the crowd breaks—which it surely will, courageous women with swords notwithstanding—maybe he'll follow her instead of the others. "Heaven knows why. You're a lapdog for a rotten regime, no reason to get defensive about it."

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None

Move climb off the bench;
Standard cast expeditious retreat. 6 rounds remaining.

[n0ble]

Ah crap. Abagail made a mental note to sketch the fat man before she next lost consciousness, just as the four thugs came into view. Doesnt matter. Just thugs. Not friendly. She looked at the one nearest the woman. The one who'd been on the bench. Abagail's eyes started to glow with a pale magenta as she looked at the man. Calm your fury, pig. Sleep. She reached out into his mind and tried to trigger the part of his brain that would make him sleep.



Full round Action: Abagail will cast Sleep on the thug nearest Cerissa
Going to be going down to 3/5 phrenic points to increase the save DC of the spell by +1 for a will save of DC16

[EmEss]

The thug nearest Cerissa's swings cautiously at her, aiming more to disable than to kill and strikes a heavy blow across her midsection 4 nonlethal damage.After he lands the blow he sways woozily for several seconds before his eyes roll upwards and his legs buckle; he falls to the ground, fast asleep.

The large thug next to Seoni swings his light mace at Seoni's head, but he miscalculates the distance and the blow doesn't even come close to hitting.

Two of the thugs close on Vandilus and swing their clubs at him but the first blow goes wide and Vandilus catches the second blow on his shield.


Many of the crowd are fleeing in terror, although a few are trying to put up some fight against the CCG and the dottari guards. Someone in the crowd throws a dagger at Nox, Thrune's devilish looking bodyguard, and either through luck or judgement the knife strikes her right in the throat. She snarls and draws out the dagger before throwing it back into the crowd. Even from this distance you can see the jagged wound begin to close up as Nox ducks back into the Opera House.

[zimmerwald1915]

"Oof!" Cerissa staggers back, clutching her belly but resisting the urge to double over. Mimi hisses protectively at the thug. Before the cat can pounce, however, the man's knees buckle and he falls, eyes closed and nose snoring before he hits the ground. Cerissa, recognizing the slumber spell, looks around for the caster, but nobody sticks out. There'd been no shower of sand or audible incantation either. Perhaps her benefactor was invisible? Cerissa tosses off a "thank you" just in case.

One thing that does stick out is the eagerness of the dottari to wade into the crowd and crack some heads. Another is the blood that briefly spurts from their commander's carotid artery before her flesh knits itself back together. Both are signs that the correct course of action is to flee and assess what the demonstration accomplished in safety, and most of the crowd seems to be doing one of those things. Unfortunately, both her comrade from the bench and the woman with the sword are tied down trading blows with the loyalists.

Cerissa approaches them through the thinning crowd. "In situations like this, anyone left behind gets beaten unconscious and hauled off to jail!" she reminds them. "There's a time and a place for flooding the system, and it's when there's an organization to support you. Thrune's smashed them all, or driven them underground. Thus, we should go." She'll stay with them until they do, though.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat, 4 nonlethal damage

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Free Spellcraft 23 (rolled in chat) vs. DC 16 to identify Abagail's sleep spell
Move Near Vandilus and Seoni, keeping them between Cerissa and the CCG thugs
Standard Hold action. If Vandilus and Seoni both flee, Cerissa will join them, using her standard action to move her enhanced speed. If either one does not, she will fight defensively.

[Kish]

"Quite. Time to go, everybody who values freedom!" Seoni shouts. If she can cover the retreat of innocent people of any description, she will, but standing here and now to fight an invulnerable enemy sounds profoundly unwise; she won't stick around for Nox to emerge.

[3SecondCultist]

Vandilus, upon hearing Cerissa's warning, decides to make the most of it. Nodding in her direction is more effective than trying to shout over the screams. Surveying the field, the Milanite is struck by how quickly everything has gone to Hell. The violence here, just how quickly Thrune's thugs stormed into action - there's no way that wasn't premeditated. He wanted this. All the better an excuse for future crackdowns against organized gatherings. And all he had been doing was throwing fuel on the pyre. Part of him wants to curse, but now is not the time. Dodging the wild swing of a Thrune partisan and blocking a second on his shield, the inquisitor is able to extricate himself from striking range as he notices the tiefling's arrival.

"You'll hear no argument from me, at least not today! A true sacrifice is one made for the right cause, and this..." Vandilus waves a hand at proceedings, letting the ensuing chaos speak for itself. "The appropriate response here would be to... what was the word you favored, Miss Kulika? 'Reconnoiter'?" The young man laughs. He's seen no sign of Myrletta here today, and the time for disguises has long past, if it ever existed at all. Hopefully Cerissa will recognize him up close.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
Once he's sure that everyone is good to go, Vandilus is going to withdraw out of combat if possible, double-moving out of the protest. I fluffed it as him stopping mid-movement, hopefully that's alright.

[zimmerwald1915]

"What're you talking about?" Despite her limp and their head start, Cerissa's spell lets her easily keeps pace with the armored fighters. "I haven't seriously used such a militaristic term in years, let alone been called 'Miss Kulika—'" Cerissa turns on her heel, her eyes wide, a look on her face like she's seeing the young man for the first time. Which, as Mimi's amusement reminds her, she is, in a sense.

"Van?" The crowd flows around them as they stand face to face for a moment, before Cerissa takes her pupil's hand and pulls him along. "It's so good to see you here!" she says with evident pride. "And such a fine speaker!"

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat, 4 nonlethal damage

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Standard Move enhanced speed to the edge of Aria Park and safety

[n0ble]

Time to go. If Abagail was sure of anything, it was that she wanted to be next to the woman with the big sword and scale male, especially if Nox could heal like that. She then caught the two ringleaders moving away out of the corner of her eye. Potential for answers. Protection from the woman with a sword.Conclusion: go with all of them. As she took off after them, she reminded herself to add 'Van' and Ms. 'Kulika' to the profiles in the journal. The names themselves didn't remind her of anything, and she was too busy running away to give them much serious thought. Theres going to be a lot to write about today.


Abagail will double move.

[EmEss]

As the group withdraws deftly through the crowd they find that they easily outstrip the thugs they were facing who find it difficult to pursue them through the mass of protesters. You leave the immediate area surrounding the riot and are about to pause to catch your breath when Vandilius hears the sound of steel clashing against steel and cries of pain coming from a nearby alley. Drawing closer you see a group of CCG Thugs knock a man to the ground. Four unconscious thugs lie sprawled near by and one of the five remaining thugs draws a wicked looking knife to finish the downed man off.


The man on the ground is wearing one glove.

[Kish]

Seoni lunges silently toward the man with the knife.

Charge: [roll0] Critical threat check (on a 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[EmEss]

Seoni deals the thug with the knife a grievous wound and he drops to the ground. The other thugs look around in panic for any more attackers.

[3SecondCultist]

The young man breaks out into a wide grin as he runs with Cerissa, hand holding onto hers. He last time that had happened, he was eight years old. "I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later." He doesn't have time to say anything further, however, as he spots a group of men beating on a poor fellow on their way out of the riot. Wasting no time, Vandilus readies his mace, steps beside the armored woman, and swings at one of the Chelish Citizen's Group members.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
Vandilus doesn't have his shield out, but he's going to attack with his heavy mace.

Attack (vs. CCG Thug): [roll0]

[zimmerwald1915]

Mindful of her bruised belly, Cerissa skids to a halt well back from the fray while Van and the swordswoman charge ahead. She takes in the tableau of fallen bodies, first with her normal sight, then with the special sense she'd possessed ever since her first brush with death as a little girl. It galls her to use it, but she has to know whether their fallen comrade—what else would you call someone the loyalists seem so determined to put down?—is okay. As Cerissa's eyes flash red, her stomach protests, but her brain registers something alarming. Only the fallen man and the thug with the knife are clinging to life. The other unconscious loyalists are barely injured at all. That has obvious implications.

"Most of these were laid low by magic," Cerissa says to the only person available to listen. The curious woman with the blind-looking eyes had followed her and Van from Aria Park. "Depending on the spell, they might awaken at any moment. We should get our man up on his feet and leave, post haste." Seeing that Van and the swordswoman had pushed the thugs back some, Cerissa starts forward, but Mimi beats her to the fallen man, butting his side with her head in an effort to get a reaction. When Cerissa reaches him, she kneels by his side, squeezes his shoulders, and asks "Can you tell me your name?" in a loud, clear voice.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat, 4 nonlethal damage

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Standard Use deathwatch as a spell-like ability
Cerissa Move Move next to the fallen man
Mimi Move Move next to the fallen man

[EmEss]

Vandilus swings wildly at the large brutish looking man. The blow goes wide but it does force the man back and guarantee that the majority of his attention is on Vandilus and not on any one else.

The downed man is dazed and disoriented and has clearly suffered one to many blows to the head recently. He stares up at Cerissa with glassy looking eyes for several seconds before responding weakly."R-rexus. *COUGH COUGH* My, my name is Rexus.

[n0ble]

"Agreed." Abagail looked down at the man, not bothering to crouch down next to him or do much beyond stare at him. Rexus. Rexus. Rexus. Note: hand wear unusual. First seen wearing one gloved hand. She committed the name and face to memory. Abagail turned to the big woman with the sword, "Can you carry him or heal him? We really should be going." She moves up closer to the others, specifically the woman in scale mail, trying to remain in the centre of all of them.



Move action placing Abagail as much in the centre of the group as possible.

[EmEss]

Cerissa 15
Vandilus 14
Seoni 14
Abagail 11
CCG Thugs 5


The group of thugs react slowly to the sudden attack on them, unable to process how quickly the situation has changed. They ready their weapons and prepare to face off against their new opponents. They seem somewhat uncertain however, unnerved by the loss of their leader and less keen on fighting a group of clearly able combatants than a single man.

[zimmerwald1915]

"Rexus. Good." If he can talk and remember his name, he might not be too badly hurt. "I'm Cerissa. My friends and I want to make sure you're safe. Can you walk? Maybe with help?" Cerissa throws the man's arm over her shoulder, in case she has to do a single-person carry. Lifting him even slightly allows her to examine his back and the ground for any blood she might have missed. Cerissa also notes his finery and the craftsmanship of his walking stick. It looks as as good or better than some of Van's garb. That probably makes Rexus a noble or rich burgher.

That doesn't change Cerissa's goodwill. If the loyalists want Rexus dead, she wants him alive. But it does mean he might have the skill, magic, or gear to heal himself—something she knows is beyond her and from what she's seen might be beyond her companions too. She continues her examination, her eyes alight with a new divination, this one keen to the signs of enchantment.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat, 4 nonlethal damage

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Standard cast detect magic, focusing on Rexus.
Cerissa Move hold for now. If Rexus says he's okay to walk, move along with him, at his speed (while continuing to concentrate on detect magic).
Mimi standard total defense.

[EmEss]

Rexus staggers to his feet with the help of Cerissa. He still appears very unfocused and Cerissa is left supporting most of his weight. He is able to move very slowly with Cerissa's help. OOC - Both of you count as flat footed. You are able to move at half speed.


A faint aura of conjuration and transmutation can be detected around a pouch on Rexus's belt. The pouch is of a rigid leather construction, of the sort frequently used to carry a number of potion vials safely.

[Kish]

"Flee while you still have your lives," Seoni advises the thugs, stepping between them and the woman retreating with her contact, and slashing at another thug to punctuate her sentence.


Attack: [roll0] Critical threat check (on a 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[n0ble]

Sound advice. Abagail back-pedalled, keeping her eyes on the thugs as she speaks to the woman supporting this Rexus figure. "Do you require assistance?" She sneaks a glance over at woman supporting the man, mostly to confirm that it was her speaking. With that she turned her gaze back to the thugs. Her eyes alit with the same magenta glow as before as, tipping the nearest thugs luck decidedly against him. The psychic equivalent of a banana peel under your foot, cretin. She wouldn't bother remembering their faces. Didn't seem worth it with the woman in scale mail hefting her sword about.


Standard Action: Casting Ill Omen (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/ill-omen) on the thug Seoni struck.
Move Action: Move back to Cerisa and Rexus

[3SecondCultist]

Stepping in is the only option, especially since these thugs really don't seem intent on stopping until this man is dead. As Cerissa helps him to his feet, Vandilus is struck once again by seeing a face he recognizes. Rexus Victocora. Kintargo is quite a small place, when one thinks about it; from what he knows of the Victocora family, they were more subversive than his own bloodline. In fact, he faintly remembers running into a Victocora daughter at a party, but that was years ago.

"Don't worry, we've got you." Patting one mailed hand on Rexus' shoulder for comfort, the noble inquisitor steps into the fray after the armored woman. She strikes quite the formidable figure, but he's happy to play second fiddle here. A small smile plays across the young man's face, as he thinks up a way to take advantage of this situation. "Trust me, you don't want to see Trish here in action! She'll knock all of you down, and she won't even break a sweat!" In his free hand, Vandilus' hand tightens almost imperceptibly on his mace. If they don't bite, there will be violence.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
First, Vandilus is going to try and Bluff the CCG thugs into running away after Seoni's attack (I think that should be a free action, as he's not trying to feint or anything, just using the skill to speak as a free action). Then he'll move up and ready a standard action to attack the nearest thug.

Bluff: [roll0]

Attack (vs. CCG Thug): [roll1] for [roll2] damage (crit confirm: [roll3])

[EmEss]

The thug Vandilus struck also goes down and the other thugs look increasingly skittish. The largest of the three remaining thugs gave a succinct explanation of what he would do the the other two if they ran away (Intimidation of 18) and that served to steady the nerves of the other other two for the time being.

The thug who was struck by Seoni swings confidentially at her but seems to stumble at the last second, going wide.

The largest remaining thug swings at Vandilus, striking a glancing blow which is absorbed entirely by his armour.

The final remaining thug starts to back away slightly, drawing and throwing a knife at Cerissa and Rexus as he does so. His hand is visibly shaking as he throws the knife and it passes a short distance over Cerissa's shoulder.

[Kish]

"Your leader is a dead man, as is anyone who stands with him," Seoni tells them, swinging at the leader. She notes that her potential contact is relatively intact and still present, but most of her attention remains on the enemies.

Attack: [roll0] Critical threat check (on a 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[zimmerwald1915]

Ceriss and Rexus both flinch away from the flying knife, but it's not enough to make her drop him or break her concentration. "I'm going to reach into your pouch and take out a potion, alright?" she says calmly. "You tell me if it'll help." Her divination would tell her as much eventually, but it would take longer, and it's important to keep Rexus talking. Mimi sidles after the pair, looking back at the fighting in case one of the thugs gets any more bright ideas.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, expeditious retreat, 4 nonlethal damage

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Move another 15 ft. away from the fighting
Cerissa Standard continue concentrating on detect magic. Draw vial from Rexus's belt.
Mimi Move 15 ft. away from the fighting
Mimi Standard total defense

[EmEss]

Cerissa feels several potion vials in Rexus' pouch. The first she draws out contains an opaque dark green liquid and Rexus feebly shakes his head. Returning the vial to the pouch Cerissa draws out another vial, this one holding a thick pastel pink syrup. Rexus nods and you help him to drink the potion. The potion takes an immediate effect and a light return to Rexus' eyes. He stands up straighter, no longer leaning on Cerissa for support.


Use Rexus' action to drink the potion (Cerissa's aid being fluff).
Rexus and Cerissa are no longer flatfooted and can move at full speed from next round (if necessary).

[n0ble]

Hurm. Abagail backed up, keeping her eyes on the thugs. "Suggestion: we should all be going. Including you." The former is directed at her erstwhile companions while the latter is clearly made out to the thugs. Her eyes flit over to the man with one glove. "Feeling better?" she doesnt wait for him to respond before turning her gaze back to the other two armed figures. Instead she moves back more, to put her at a more or less even distance with the pair that was limping away. Her eyes glow again, as she targets the mind of the thugs leaders. You look like someone who messes up enough that this shouldn't be new.


Standard Action: Casting ill omen on the thug's leader.
Move Action: Move back to Cerissa and Rexus

[3SecondCultist]

Seeing that it really will be violence today, Vandilus sighs inwardly. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he mutters as he steps in for another strike. The alleyway doesn't leave much room to maneuver, so it's going to be a down and dirty fight. Nothing fancy, just the mace. They're not worth the spells, in any case.

Vandilus Jhaltero (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=916590)
Male Chaotic Good Human Inquisitor (Infiltrator), Level 1, Init 1, HP 10/10, DR -, Speed 20 ft
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, CMD 13, Fort 3, Ref 1, Will 6, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 0
Heavy Mace +2 (1d8+2, x2)
Dagger +1 (1d4+1, 19-20x2)
Masterwork Agile Breastplate, Masterwork Steel Shield (+6 Armor, +1 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 7
Condition None
Inquisitor Spell Slots 1st level (2/2) -- protection from law, wrath
Vandilus is going to close with the nearest thug and attack again!

Attack: [roll0] for [roll1] damage (crit confirm: [roll2])

[EmEss]

The Thug falls before Vandilus' determined assualt and the remaining two thugs decide that discretion is the greater part of valour and flee the alley.

Rexus is positively effusive in his thanks, saying;
""Thank you ever so much for the timely rescue, I would've been a goner if you chaps hadn't shown up. Just the people I wanted to speak to as well, what are the chances of that, eh wot?"
He gestures at Vandilus and Cerissa before continuing
"I saw your speeches at the demonstration, simply marvelous, just fantastic"
A groan from one of the unconscious thugs interrupts Rexus causing him to look around nervously
"Could we perhaps find somewhere a bit more private to talk? I'd rather not be around when our friends wake up? I know a nearby book shop with a backroom which is nice and quiet."

[Kish]

"Of course," Seoni says, sheathing her sword once she's sure no immediate enemies are in sight. "I was looking for you there--at the demonstration, I mean. My name's, ah, Seoni."

[zimmerwald1915]

"Lead the way." Cerissa follows Rexus with her head downcast and her eyes flitting back and forth every so often. If, as seems likely, the streets have been taken by Thrune's lackeys, it won't do to draw too much attention. Mimi keeps close, but not underfoot. "So," Cerissa says quietly, "Rexus, Seoni, how do you know two each other?" She's already thinking in terms of rebuilding an organization. Given the comprehensiveness of Thrune's purge, any such thing might have to be built on personal relationships like Rexus's and Seoni's, or hers and Van's. No matter how uncertain a foundation that might be.

[EmEss]

Rexus performs an elegant bow upon Seoni's introduction;
"Seoni. You must be the young lady I was meant to meet. Absolutely delighted to make you acquaintance. I'm dreadfully sorry I missed you at the demonstration, jolly good thing you managed to find me here though."

In response to Cerissa's question Rexus answers;
"We've never met before but a friend of mine informed me that we shared a number of common interests and that getting to know one another could prove to be advantageous.

[n0ble]

Abagail trailed next to the armoured woman, casting a few furtive glances around for anything that might cause trouble for herself or the others. Seoni. Right. Was meant to meet Rexus. Rexus: unknown so far. Ask for information later. Busy now. Wracking her brain for information about this Rexus person was a fool's errand without her books. Instead Abagail kept quiet and listened to the others talk, keeping pace with them.

[3SecondCultist]

Vandilus looks down at the man he felled with some sympathy. Simply a matter of choosing the wrong side today, it seems. He offers a small prayer of condolence, with the hope that the man will wake up with a newfound outlook on life. But of course, life is never that simple. Far more likely, he'll wake up with a new dark grudge to nurse.

When Rexus compliments him on his earlier pontification, the young man smiles openly. "Thank you, Rexus. If only Kintargo's problems could all be solved by shouting over one's opposition. I think we might have something of a monopoly on that here." It was a bit long-winded for his tastes, but if it had inspired those who watched, then he had spoken effectively. The criteria of eloquence, that part he left to Cerissa. The nobleborn's smile fades when he thinks nobody is watching. The wheels are already turning in his former tutor's head, he can practically see them.

"Common interests like liberating and reconstituting Kintargo, perhaps?" The words are spoken almost flippantly, but Vandilus means them as a sort of test. Most of them have been seen at the demonstration already, their faces known, but not this Rexus. If Cerissa is already sowing the seeds of association, better that he try to do his part to make sure this other noble is willing to speak his mind in a public setting. These streets are where any organization will need to take root, not in the backroom of a library.

[EmEss]

A look of nervous excitement crosses Rexus' face at Vandilus' words.

"Ah, ha, ha ... yes, I suppose you could say that that is an accurate description of our common interest. Voicing such sentiments too loudly can be dangerous however as our friends in the alley helped demonstrate. I fear that you are a far braver man than I however... I want to help the people of this city, the city that I love but we need to be careful. I do want to see Kintargo 'liberated and reconstituted' as you put it but I'm no fighter. Ah here we are. "

Rexus' last sentence is prompted by the groups arrival at a fairly large shop with the words Crissali's Fine Tomes carved above the door.

Inside the shop is overflowing with books of all shapes and sizes. A rather severe looking older woman is sitting at a desk filling in a ledger while a young, willowy woman with extremely pale skin and hair is arranging books on a shelf near the front of the store. Upon seeing Rexus enter the younger of the two ladies immediately hurries over, knocking over a pile of books in the process, eliciting a disapproving stare from the elder. The young shop assistant begins tidying up the scattered books whilst speaking to Rexus at an incredible rate not giving Rexus or anyone else a chance to get a word in edgeways.

"Rexus! I haven't seen you here for almost a week, what happened to you? I was so worried that you'd do something rash and get into trouble after what happened to your home and your family. Oh before I forget the book you wanted by Grandfather Pei arrived the other day, goodness was that difficult to find, we had to go through about six different agents to locate a copy, how did you hear about it again? Oh where was I, Oh yes I was really worried about you, you weren't at the Protest today were you?" At this point the woman seems to notice Rexus' injuries and companions for the first time and she ignores the books to focus entirely on fussing around Rexus.

"Oh my goodness! Rexus! You're hurt! Are you alright? What happened? Who did this to you? You should go see a healer or something.

Rexus eventually manages to get a word in.
"Honestly, I'm fine Tre. I'm sure it looks a lot worse than it is, I just had a little accident that's all. It's my own silly fault, I should have been more careful. I don't want to distract you from your work anymore, maybe we can speak later though. Is it okay with Nandy if my friends and I use the backroom? We were just discussing philosophy and Crissali's is a far more pleasant place for such discussions than out on the street.

The older woman, Nandy Crissali, nods her assent and Tre leads the group to a comfortably furnished room at the back of the shop.

"I'll have your book ready for when you leave Rexus. You might need to find a translator though, I think its all written in Tian or something. You know with all the funny picture symbols. Anyway I finish at six tonight, maybe we could talk more then?

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa smiles, indulgently but sincerely, at Tre's lovesick babbling. She remembers being that young. Heavens, if the universe has a sense of humor, she and Olandil might have bonded over the same texts. They'd certainly been around long enough. Pei had witnessed the turning of the Age, rode the revolution and reaction that followed in Lung Wa much as it had in Cheliax, and had died almost fifty years ago. Cerissa knows better than to mention any of this, a decision Mimi approves with a purr and a shin-rub. Tre doesn't want a rival, and she, Cerissa, doesn't want to create that impression.

"Actually, Nandy, would you mind if Tre joined us?" she says instead. "We shouldn't be long, and I'd be willing to pitch in to make up for lost time. I know my way around a library." Having the young woman involved from the start will serve two of her purposes: cementing the personal foundation of this little group, and giving it some theoretical color beyond what she herself can bring and what Van remembers.

[Kish]

Seoni starts to quickly affirm her commitment to reconstituting Kintargo, but falls silent at Rexus' words. "Of course. We should go somewhere private. Do you think--well, we'll talk about it later."

She follows along silently after that, not commenting at the interactions between Rexus, Tre, Nandi, and Cerissa.

[EmEss]

Nandy Crissali doesn't even look up from her books when responding.

""Hmph. I suppose I could spare Tre for a while. It's be quiet today anyway, no idea why."

Tre babbles her thanks to Cerissa for including her and takes a seat with the others.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to join you, it's so nice to feel included, I do enjoy talking about philosophy. You must be friends of Rexus, do you know him from the academy? Oh we've not been properly introduced have we? My name is Tremetorideria Serapitolo but you can just call me Tre for short, everyone else does. What are you all called? What sort of philosophical discussion were you having? Epistemology? Metaphysics? Axiology? Aesthetics? Theology? Ethics? ...

If you want to respond to Tre at this point you can but to keep things moving forwards I'm going to post what Rexus has to say. If you could mark anything as happening before or after Rexus speaks that might be useful

Rexus allows Tre to talk to the others for a while before clearing his throat a couple of times and waiting for silence.

"Thank you. Now as most of you know my name is Rexus Victocora, and until last week's Night of Ashes, I was one of the city's nobles. My parent's estate burned to the ground that night, I escaped solely because I was studying late at the Alabaster Academy. There were other fires that night, fires that many believe were started by Barzillai Thrune or his agents in an attempt to squash any sense of rebellion Kintargo might have.Now more than ever we need that spirit of rebellion, the spirit of Hosseter, Jubanich, and Grandfather Pei, but Thrune's actions have driven into hiding many of those who would stay strong and resist. Those who could rally the city to a cause, such as Lord-Mayor Jilla Bainilus, my parents, and the singer Shenshen, are missing at best and are most likely dead. However I see before me a group of people who may be able to fill that void. I cannot do this on my own but together I believe that we can make a difference! Will you help me help save Kintargo from the devil?


Rexus seems slightly uncomfortable at the idea of Tre getting too involved in resisting Thrune, likely due to a concern for her safety. It is clear that although Tre and Rexus may have discussed politics in a theoretical sense before, this is the first time he has spoken about taking action in front of her.

[zimmerwald1915]

I'd rather respond to the post as a whole, rather than in pieces. It flows well enough.

Cerissa sits troubled through Rexus's introduction. It can be seen in her face, in the thinning of her lips and the creasing between her brows. Mimi begin pacing, like a caged tiger. The young noble knows how to invoke the masters of the last great revolutions, but seems to have absorbed few of their teachings. If Cerissa learned anything from their theories, and from her work with Baris and Olandil in Korvosa, it's that passion and spirit, while necessary, are not sufficient to make revolution.

"Cerissa Kulika," she intones heavily, addressing Tre first before turning to Rexus. "We two just met today, and I never attended Alabaster. My brother Yozif did, well before your time. I knew Porcia though. She was a strong and virtuous woman, and her work was important. I'm sorry to hear she's gone." Mimi stops pacing and hops onto Rexus's lap, narrowly avoiding the edge of the table. She curls up into a warm, fuzzy ball and looks up at him, encouraging him to take comfort in petting her. Cerissa's mien lifts slightly at the familiar sight.

"I say her work, but she obviously wasn't alone. The best way to take what you have said, Rexus, is that each of the leaders you mentioned stood at the head of a social group or at least a political organization. Porcia and Shensen were intellectuals, and to some extent represented the opinions and aspirations of that class. Though the leaders are gone, the class remains.

"What worries me is the comprehensiveness of Thrune's purge. Some rulers, frightened of wit, have mistaken intellectuals for the sole decisive class of society, but our Lord Mayor seems to know better." Cerissa pauses a moment before forcing out the name of the old Mayor. "Bainilus represented a coalition of the burghers and the Court of Coin, and she is gone too. You have not mentioned the labor movement, the force of the shipping, fishing, salt, timber, and mining industries. Nor the oppressed peoples: the halflings, the tieflings, the strix. Is the situation the same, where the classes remain, perhaps unbeaten, but their leadership has vanished into smoke? These are democratic forces, but as the democrats at today's protest lacked any leadership I'm forced to conclude as much." She tips an apologetic glance at Van. He'd stepped up, to be sure, but that had clearly been a spur-of-the-moment decision on his part. He hadn't started the day as an organizer. Hopefully he'd appreciate her meaning.

"It seems to me that our task now is to identify which of these classes can be galvanized into opposing the Thrune regime, which are situated to do so successfully, and which carry the possibility of building something better than both it and what came before out of its ashes. It is towards them that we ought to direct our activity, not the city as a whole. Aria Park should have demonstrated how divided Kintargo really is." Cerissa nods decisively. "One thing I do agree with. None of us is adequate to that task alone, or those that must follow. Even a political group consisting of us six would struggle to make its weight felt. As for me, I place my faith in the labor movement.

"It is not the only group arrayed in opposition. Thrune draws his support from the Church of Asmodeus, the Order of the Rack, and a mob of either paid or sincere loyalists. That means Bainilus's supporters, liberal nobles and burghers, still smart at being deprived of power. But given time, they could find an accommodation with Thrune. Bainilus herself found an accommodation with the Thrune regime when it was far away, after all. Labor is one of the few classes impelled to opposition. Both the old ruling party and the new agree that they and they alone should hold the country's wealth and power. Labor's natural demand is that both these things be held in common, as I'm sure that will say." Cerissa points at the Tien text on the table in front of Rexus.

"I spent the whole protest shouting about its power and its promise, and demonstrations of both across Avistan. I regret neglecting Tian Xia now, but Van and Seoni have probably had enough for one day. Let me just say that Kintargo has not escaped the last seventy years of social and industrial development, with all that entails." Cerissa had better know as much, she'd written her dissertation on that very subject. "I'm just sorry I don't know the intimate details. Who the old leaders were, the hot shops, the day-to-day politics. I've been too long in exile." She looks from face to face. Rexus, Van, Tre, and Seoni were Kintargo natives, albeit mostly noble natives, and should have at least some news. As for the other woman, the one with the strange eyes, who knows? Eventually she comes to rest on Tre, and smiles a little half-smile. "I think that answers the question of what we were talking about up to now."

[n0ble]

Abagail gazed around in barely contained wonder at the books on the shelves, noting the store name for recording. I should really come here during a bout of free time. Nice space. Quiet. Only two (Six?) people in it. She slinked into the back room with everyone else, not bothering to give her name to either of the two woman. Going to be a busy night of writing. Must remember to sleep. And avoid drinking.


She listened to Rexus' words in silence, not taking her eyes off Rexus. Possible sting operation? Too elaborate. Potentially dangerous to stay on and engage in sedition against Thrune. As the man spoke, Abagail quietly weighed the possibility of getting answers against the danger of what the woman was discussing. She nodded in the affirmative before quietly listening to Cerissa's discourse on labor and mobilization. Recruiting others to a cause: good. Converting others to a new way of thinking: better. Kintargo has to change. "Entropy and energy. We're born to live. Not to prepare to live..." Abagil trailed off, suddenly aware that she was speaking out loud. Dam n' blast it.

[Kish]

"He doesn't seem terribly anxious to be accommodating to anyone who doesn't rush to serve him," Seoni comments, "but I'm sure that could change if he saw a need for it to. I'm--my history education is somewhat, er, slanted, I'm afraid, but I have no hesitation about committing myself to overthrowing Thrune."

[EmEss]

Tre seems somewhat shocked by everything that has been said so far. Rexus listens carefully to everything the group has to say before responding, mostly to the points Cerissa made.

"Of course. I understand completely that any change must come from the people, for the people. Passionate arguments and clever theories may win renown in the coffee house and may even sway opinions in the Court of Coin but I understand Thrune won't leave simply because we ask him nicely. However just as the intellectuals need to work with labour and other groups to give them strength and numbers so too does labour need the guidance of the intellectuals to secure lasting change. Galt, Andoran, and even distant Bachuan, I believe, were all a result of this progressive alliance against tyranny at least initially. The only exception to this rule that I can think of is Nirmathas and I do not believe that that is an example any of us wish to follow here.

An alliance of intellectuals and labour is essential and any other groups that we can add to that alliance is a bonus. I believe the forces of Thrune have been fairly comprehensive in attempting to weaken all the possible sources of opposition although it seems that the intellectuals and the labour movements have been worst hit in terms of leadership, probably because the leadership of both groups are more easily identifiable. I've heard that the Bellflower network has been virtually wiped in Kintargo, although I do know that at least one of their local co-ordinators is still safe. I know less about the other groups mentioned but I do have a couple of contacts who may be able to help us out there. The worshipers of Sarenrae and the cult of Milani may also be worth seeking out, although I confess even greater ignorance here.

Even before Barzillai came to Kintargo there were groups working to free Kintargo from Chelish rule. My mother was part of one such group, the Sacred Order of Archivists. She wrote a letter to me before she died and left it with a friend of hers, Laria Longroad. I'd like you all to take a look at it."


Rexus draws out a piece of parchment from an inner pocket and lays it out on the table.

My dearest son,
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 likely only know of the term Silver Raven used generically to refer to outspoken individuals, troublemakers and 'dangerous' liberals but the term originates from a group of resistance fighters active during the Civil War. 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!
Your ever loving mother.


"Will you help me investigate the Livery? We might discover something useful"

[zimmerwald1915]

"I will," says Cerissa, rapid and breathy with excitement. Part of her feels guilty for speaking in such an insensitive tone, but Mimi's derision reminds her she's being silly. "If Porcia was correct, the Silver Ravens belong in the pantheon of liberty alongside Jubannich, Hosetter, Pei, and Benedict. But I am wary of 'bringing them back to life.' Their memory cannot become the exclusive property of any particular party or group, and especially not of a sect such as us."

Cerissa gives Rexus a hard look as she segues into a critique of his position. "I would also caution against preconceiving the group's history before we uncover it. The known history of the civil war is the history of great parties fighting for control over the empire, not of peoples struggling to leave it. Separatism only appeared, and only took on the faintest progressive tint in Galt and Andoran, after House Thrune established itself as the intolerable ruling party. It retained that faintest progressive tint only as long as Thrune stood unchallenged. Thus could groups like the Archivists justify a separatist position. Even then, groups like the Bellflower Network knew better.

"Conditions today are different. Once again, great parties vie for control over the country. That makes separatism the cuckoo's egg in the nest of the Glorious Reclamation, which when it hatches devours the other chicks. Whatever the Silver Ravens of the past stood for, our task is to fight for a cooperative commonwealth spanning at least the whole of Cheliax.1

"We would be fighting that fight badly by installing intellectuals at the head of the labor movement—and I say that as an intellectual. Labor needs no condescending 'guidance.' Circumstances will drive it to struggle time after time against Thrune and his party. Experience will be its schoolmistress. Nor are the masses a mere weapon to be wielded by their political betters. They have their own program. Intellectual allies are useful because they can account for current conditions, anticipate the course of events, articulate concrete, practical demands, and effectively proselytize for the better world to come. It's a distinctly subordinate position, and that is as it should be." Sensing her mistress finally finished, Mimi bounds from Rexus's lap to the door.

"Speaking of concrete, practical things, who else is going to the Fair Fortune besides me and Rexus?" Cerissa has few doubts about Seoni and Van. But Tre looks like she's wavering and still has to work for several more hours. As for the quiet woman, who knows? She'd shared her philosophy of life before even her name, much less any political commitment. "If all goes well, we'll have something to contribute to the movement beyond our sect besides theoretical exercises."

I am aware that this goes against the grain for the AP, and against the premise of Hell's Vengeance. To preserve both, I plan to play Cerissa as futilely fighting the inevitable nationalist tide. Her ending will probably involve leaving Kintargo to reforge the scattered remnants of the Glorious Reclamation, Children of Westcrown, etc.

[Kish]

"Most definitely. I'm eager to help the Silver Ravens and bring freedom and justice back to Kintargo. And Cheliax." Seoni is reserved next to Cerissa's enthusiasm, but not uncertain. "I'll be at the Fair Fortune."

[EmEss]

"I want to help you guys, I hate what Thrune is doing to this city, even if Nandy doesn't really like me to speak about politics. I just not really sure how useful I can be at this moment, I mean I know a little magic, but it's mostly just stuff that's useful around the shop. I don't think I've ever deliberately hurt anyone and you all saw how clumsy I am back in the shop." Tre gives a nervous giggle "Finding out the secret history of the Silver Ravens does sound terribly exciting, don't get me wrong but I'm just worried that I might get in your way or something.

[zimmerwald1915]

"You would be in good company. I'm worried about getting in Seoni's way myself." Cerissa lifts her parasol, which she'd been leaning on, a few inches off the ground, and gives Rexus's walking stick a pointed look. Neither of them seems particularly suited to the rigors of underground work, yet here they are. Until someone took their place, they would have to serve. "But if you do decide to stay back, would you mind doing me a favor?"

Cerissa tears a corner from the blank back page of her spellbook and scrawls the address of a Redroof tenement. "If you do not hear from us by this time tomorrow, let my brother know where I fell?"

[EmEss]

Rexus clears his throat. "I for one would appreciate it if you came with us Tre, at least as far as the entrance to the Livery. If nothing else an extra pair of eyes would be useful and your eye's are keener than mine, especially in the dark. The choice is yours however.

Rexus reaches for his stick and stands up.

I think we've said all that needs to be said at this point. Shall we?

After leaving the room Rexus and Cerissa assist Tre with the various tasks she still needs to complete around the shop. Together the three of them make good time and Nandy Crissali allows Tre to leave earlier than usual, with an admonishment not to stay out too late as she would be expected to come in early tomorrow.

[Kish]

"No one mistake me for an experienced...er, revolutionary," Seoni says a little uncomfortably. "I'm sure you'll be at least as useful as I can be, Tre." When she sees that not everyone's leaving immediately, she says, "I can help here; I don't need to be anywhere before we go to the Livery." Unless someone objects, she'll help with Tre's tasks as well.

[n0ble]

"Evidently we shall." The opportunity to get some concrete answers on the Ravens brought a hint of anticipation to Abagail's voice. Conflict: Probable. Potential answers outweigh the risks. Stay the course As she got up to leave Abagil swayed a little bit, massaging the bridge of her nose. Migraine? No. Headache.Note: invest in some sort of ranged projectile device should headaches persist. When money is forthcoming of course.

[zimmerwald1915]

"Experience my foot. I was talking about the independent quality of usefulness," says Cerissa lightly, keeping her terms vague in front of Nandy. Luckily, Tre had mentioned the shopowner's aversion to political discussion. If she hadn't, they'd have been kicked out. Not only would that mean either being separated from Tre or having to loiter in the loyalist-patrolled street; Cerissa would have missed handling these treasures. Most of what Nandy had her and Seoni do was stockwork: reshelving books from the reading room, or organizing new inventory. She kept the money-handling to herself and her actual employee. Actually, that relationship isn't entirely clear.

"You mentioned you know magic, Tre?" They were just wrapping up, and preparing to head out into the mist of the evening. "Does that make you Nandy's apprentice?" There was little doubt that the woman practiced wizardry. There had been works on theoretical spellcraft among her stock, the pouch on her hip smelled familiar, and she'd gotten very upset when Mimi started chasing a white rat.

[EmEss]

"Yes, that's right." Tre said to Cerissa as they prepared to leave the store. "Nandy is my mother's second cousin on her grandfather's side. I think that's it anyway. She agreed to teach me in return for helping around around the shop. I really enjoy the theoretical side of magic, but I'm not so good at the practical stuff. I love working with all the books though, I reckon I know my way around the shop even better than Nandy now and she say's I have a gift for languages."

Tre continues rambling about the joys of translation and the similarities between that and reading another wizard's spellbook as the party head out into the street.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Well, Kintargo itself doesn't seem to have changed any more than the rest of the empire since I was last here, mused Tinnüe. He wandered the same streets, saw many of the same institutions he had visited over two decades ago, and felt a familiar tension that spoke of a people near the edge. The people, however... I can't seem to find any of my old contacts, which suggests the Thrune agents have been more successful with their purge here than they were last century. I suppose they've been allocating less resources in Nirmathas of late, though - the place is hard enough to infiltrate when you're known to be friendly. Lost in thought, even Tinnüe's quick eyes barely noted a face he recognised as a relative of one of his old contacts. Ah, yes, the Victocora boy. Son of one of the contacts I lost during the recent purge. Their estate is quite thoroughly destroyed, and they wouldn't have gone into hiding without taking the boy with them, so there's only one thing I can assume. Tinnüe's long wanderer's stride took him out in front of the boy and his retinue.

"Why, young Victocora! I do hope you recall me; we briefly met two or three times a couple of decades ago when I met with your mother. I was most upset to discover the state of your estate; I assume I must offer my condolences?" Seeing Rexus' face move from confusion through to recognition and sorrow, Tinnüe hurriedly attempts to reassure him. "I shall keep your parents in my prayers; they were good people, and I have no doubt their next life will be pleasant."

Embarrassed, he turns to those following Rexus. "My apologies, I don't believe I recognise any of you. I am Tinnüe Undoren, at your service."

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa had been enjoying her animated discourse with Tre. Building on the other woman's fond description of deciphering another wizard's work, she had just proposed a mutual exchange of spellbooks when they had a spare moment. Before Tre could answer, however, the appearance of an elf from an alleyway brings the party to a halt. Warily, she notes the newcomer's familiarity with Rexus and Porcia, and the flash of recognition on the young man's face.

But she also senses Mimi's tension, and as always has to concur with her familiar. Even if Tinnüe is completely sincere, a family connection doesn't mean that he shares Rexus's politics. And even if he does, the damp evening street, in sparse company, is a place and time for discretion about one's identity in front of strangers. Who knows who could be listening? "Anna Matchstick. A pleasure to meet you."

Bluff 15 rolled in the chat to pass that alias off as Cerissa's name.

[EmEss]

Rexus throws an aside glance towards Cerissa but doesn't say anything regarding her deception.

"It's nice to see you again Tinnüe, even under such circumstances. I must say I'm surprised you recognised me, I've changed considerably since we last met after all. Rexus strokes his goatee and laughs at this last statement. He then pauses for a while as if thinking. "Are you busy at all this evening Tinnüe? Rexus asks and receiving a negative response continues. "We were going to check out somewhere related to that period in history you and my mother shared a keen interest in. I don't suppose you would care to accompany us?"


Rexus is being more cautious about his choice of words now that they are out on the streets again.

[Kish]

"Ah, hello. I'm called Seoni." Seoni blinks at the newcomer, taking in Cerissa's having given a fake name and herself opting, as a middle ground, to give only her first name. "You know each other well?" she asks the newcomer and Rexus, fumbling for a subtle way to ask "can we trust this person?" and not finding it.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Tinnüe smiles at the group. "When you've lived amongst humans as long as I, Rexus, you learn to notice what stays the same, otherwise you can end up looking terribly rude. Yes, I had been hoping to run into someone who might be able to fill in some gaps on recent events for me, and I'd be more than willing to assist you in return." Making an elegant motion for Rexus to lead the way, Tinnüe falls in step with the small group.

Rolled 4 in Hangouts for sense motive to determine whether Rexus was simply hedging because of being in public, or whether he was trying to communicate something deeper to Tinnüe.

Edited for formatting.

[n0ble]

Abagail simply stood amidst the others and didn't offer her name. She didn't want to and didn't really seem to need to given how little the others had questioned her lack of appellations. Smart of her to offer a fake name. The thought was accompanied by a sidelong glance at Cerissa. As they trudged on, Abagail merely followed along with the others, content to memorize the newcomers face and name for later.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Tinnüe turns to Seoni, with a curious look in his eye. "I have not had the pleasure of getting to know young Rexus, I'm afraid to say." He smiles at Rexus. "As I said it has been many years since I was last in Kintargo, and I knew his parents and some of their friends rather well. Sadly, my... line of work means that I travel a great deal, and events have carried me far from Cheliax for much of the last two decades. I had actually come to Kintargo hoping to get some more up to date information on the state of the empire, but it seems I have fallen into one of the more interesting ongoing situations."

I realised I hadn't given a description of Tinnüe anywhere, so, for your mental map of the group:
Tinnüe Undoren is tall and lithe, moving with a grace that often seems to come effortlessly to elves. He wears his blonde hair to shoulder length, tied back from his face with a simple leather band. His eyes are a shocking blue, and occasionally seem to swirl like trapped stormclouds. While fine, his clothes are clearly sturdy traveller's gear - a deep green woolen cloak, a linen tunic, and dark brown woolen leggings. Leather boots, slightly scuffed, cover his legs to mid-calf. He carries a large leather satchel and a quarterstaff that he often leans on, and has a shortbow, unstrung, in a quiver on his back.

Anyone who is watching Tinnüe closely and achieves the sense motive DC may perceive that Tinnüe appears to be fishing for information, and may interpret the hitch in his speech concerning his line of work as Tinnüe catching himself; perhaps Rexus knows Tinnüe's line of work, and Tinnüe had almost forgotten to cover himself in new and unknown company.

Edited for formatting.

[zimmerwald1915]

"More savage situations, you mean." Cerissa's walk has settled into a steady, if uneven, rhythm, Mimi padding quietly at her side. The wizard gazes unwaveringly ahead, alert as much for uneven cobbles as ambushes. "There isn't much interesting about repression. Appropriately, as its aim is to reduce the play and color of life to a kind of flat brownish-gray.

"Which is not to say the past ten years have not been interesting." Cerissa finds it incredible that Tinnüe would have no news for that long, but then, he might have witnessed the Civil War itself. Anything might seem like a blip compared to those epoch-making events. So she tells the same story she's been telling all day,1 though she keeps her tone free of the passion of the morning. "Revolutionaries in Westcrown lifted the shadow plague. Workers in Pezzack and Korvosa overthrew their governments by means of a mass strike. In Pezzack they maintain a dual power to this day, even under a literal state of siege. And you will have heard of the Glorious Reclamation, who struck such fear into Egorian that they've imposed martial law from here to Ostenso."

May have failed the Sense Motive check, but as I tried to make clear, talking about this stuff is Rissa's ground state.

[EmEss]

"Excellent, excellent",Rexus smiles as Tinnüe joins the group.

The Livery is quite a distance from Crissali's Fine Tomes, near the river in the Redroof distract, in the South-east of Kintargo. Rexustakes advantage of the walk to summarize recent events for Tinnüe (in elven as a minor precaution against being overheard), including the true purpose behind the visit to the Livery - to find more information on the Silver Ravens.

After about half an hour of walking the group reaches the Fair Fortune Livery. These dilapidated stables lean slightly to one side, the roof precariously propped up by aged wooden walls. The stench of stale urine fills the air. The front doors to the Livery are secured by rusting chains, with a large padlock attached.

[JustToBeAwkward]

With Rexus having confirmed that he trusts his companions, Tinnüe relaxes somewhat. They might still be spies, but they would have to be good ones to fool Rexus. Speaking quietly, Tinnüe gives the group a little more detail on his life. "I hope you won't be offended if I don't give you any specifics until I know you all a little better, and we have a little more privacy, but suffice to say I have been around long enough that I predate the Silver Ravens, and had circumstances been different I might have known some of them well. Sadly, most of my time was spent much further south than Kintargo during the civil war, and I doubt I know any more than Rexus concerning them - likely far less if you've been looking into them, friend. As for why I am a little behind on current events, I have been staying out of the main imperial territories of late - I have only just returned from a long-overdue trip home to Kyonin, in fact."

Happy for more conversation to take place, but otherwise past this spoiler tag I'll assume we're at the livery.

Upon Rexus' announcement that they had reached their destination, Tinnüe looks around with great interest.

Rolled 19 in chat for Knowledge(local) to check if I know anything about this area of Kintargo that might be relevant. Rolled 15 in chat for Perception to check for anyone other than us in the vicinity, particularly if they're acting suspiciously or seem like the sort to be a Thune thug.

[EmEss]

The Redroof district is primarily residential, with the majority of the homes and small shops in the district built with brick and tile made from river-dredged red clay, rather than the white limestone used in most of the rest of the city, giving the area a distinctive look and giving rise to the name Redroof. These brick buildings provide worse insulation than limestone in both the cold winters and hot summers of Kintargo but are significantly more affordable for the lower middle and working classes. The vast majority of the of Tieflings in the city live in the slums of this district, in an area known as Devil's Nursery.

The Fair Fortune Livery was one of the earliest businesses in Redroof but has been abandoned for many years. Subsequent attempts to reopen it have always failed and it is reputed to be haunted by capricious spirits.

Perhaps due to this reputation there is no-one in the surrounding area as you approach.


You also recall hearing a rumour that there have been a large number of murders in Devil's Nursery recently. All the victims have been Tieflings and the killer (or killers) have been taking grisly trophies, although the details vary with each telling.

[n0ble]

Abagail looked at the newcomer. "Likewise. It's a wise policy" There's a bit of a hungry gleam in her pale eyes at the mention of the Silver Ravens. Finally. Some godsdam answers.Otherwise she spent her time silently looking about and contemplating what she knew about the Livery. Couldn't pay to be too careful. specially with a group this unwieldy. Plus it wasn't like wearing full mail armour in the streets was inconspicuous or anything...


knowledge local: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]


Edit: One day... one day I will roll above a 15...


With no immediately new knowledge forthcoming, Abgail screwed her face up in a slight gesture of frustration. Now would be a good time for one of those headaches. Ugh. She made a mental note to write down anything she remembered about the place while waiting for the others.

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa steps assuredly through the winding alleys of Redroof. She had grown up here. The cramped courts between the leaning, crumbly tenements are the same as the one she'd looked out on as a bedridden child, when the blue tits, next to her brothers and sister, had been her closest friends. The washing strung up between the buildings wave at her in welcome. In most ways, it's a shame there are no people out on the streets. The dottari would have rounded up the beggars and those fortunate enough to have homes would have shut themselves up in them from fear—or from the hour, as it's getting close to curfew.

All the more reason they should get this over with. Before opening the door to the ruined stables, however, Cerissa digs a strop of cured leather out of her bag and touches it to her shoulders and navel. With a murmured word and an effort of will an invisible ward drapes itself into place around her shoulders. Just in case.

She reaches for the handle and gives it a tug.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 16, Touch 12, Flat-footed 14, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, 4 nonlethal damage, mage armor

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cast mage armor on herself. Open door to the stables.

[Kish]

"Wait, I should go in first." Seoni stares at the door.

Stares at it as Cerissa opens it, presumably; if Cerissa changes her mind, Seoni will try it instead.

[zimmerwald1915]

"By all means."

[Kish]

Seoni will try to open the stable door.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Tinnüe watches proceedings with interest, storing away these interactions for future assessment. It seems Rexus has surrounded himself with people of action. I hope they also have the subtlety needed for this sort of work.. Murmuring a brief incantation to himself, Tinnüe follows the same rule he has followed for much of the last two centuries - failure to prepare will prepare you to fail.

Tinnüe casts Mage Armour on himself. 3/4 level 1 spells remaining for the day.

[EmEss]

After a bit of a struggle Seoni is able to open the door wide enough for a person to squeeze through. It is fairly dark inside the stables but just about enough light is able to get through the small grimy windows to allow you see. 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.

A low growling can be heard as Seoni steps through the door. At the far end of the stable a large mastiff is crouched under the remains of a wagon, flanked by two smaller mutts. The dogs do not look pleased about their territory being disturbed.


Cerissa 18
Mutts 17
Seoni 10
Tinnue 10
Abagail 9
Mastiff 3

[zimmerwald1915]

Clicking her tongue invitingly behind her teeth, Cerissa levitates the piece of cured leather she'd used as a spell focus into the abandoned stable. If any of the dogs pounces on it, they'll get it away from her almost immediately, but that's one dog that won't balk at her companions—or Mimi, currently cowering under her skirt.

"They're probably just scared," she murmurs, just loud enough to not break her concentration. "Please don't provoke them."

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 16, Touch 12, Flat-footed 14, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, 4 nonlethal damage, mage armor

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Cerissa Cast mage hand. Untrained Handle Animal 16 (rolled 15 in the chat, forgot to add a +1 bonus for it being a Cha-based check) on the dogs to get them to play with the makeshift toy.
Mimi total defense.

[EmEss]

One of the two smaller mutts pounces on the leather and begins worrying at it. The other mutt, jealous of the new toy its companion has found growls and grabs hold of the other end of the leather strip. The two dogs begin to noisily fight over the scrap of leather, distracted for now.


The first dog was automatically distracted. I set a will save of 8 for the second dog but it failed (7).

[JustToBeAwkward]

Tinnüe replies in a similarly low voice, "If they have an easier escape route, they may feel more at ease." Concentrating on the door, his hands move in an arcane pattern.

Tinnüe attempts to open the door more widely using the Open/Close cantrip.

[Kish]

"Good, if you can get them to leave, that's good," Seoni says in the same hushed voice.

[EmEss]

The door opens slightly further but the chain prevents it from opening as far as it otherwise might.


The two smaller mutts look like they are fairly likely to run off if sufficiently frightened. The large half starved mastiff seems far more territorial and is unlikely to leave.

[Kish]

"Anyone have food? Meat, preferably? I'm afraid I only brought dried rations which they probably wouldn't care for. The big one seems hard to scare, but they all look really hungry, especially that one," Seoni says in a low voice.

[JustToBeAwkward]

"Seoni, if I might trouble you for a piece of that dried meat, I have an idea." Taking a piece of the rations from Seoni, Tinnüe mutters an incantation and the rations suddenly seem far more appetizing. Smiling encouragingly, Tinnüe holds out the meat for the dogs to try.

Tinnüe casts prestidigitation to improve the flavour of the dried meat, and rolls a 10 for Handle Animal to attempt to feed the dogs.

[EmEss]

Tinnüe manages to attract the attention of one of the mutts (the other still being preoccupied with its strip of leather) and the large mastiff with his 'glamed up' meat. The good news is that the mutt now perceives Tinnüe as a provider of food. The bad news is that the mastiff now perceives Tinnüe as a source of food. It moves towards Tinnüe with a predatory glint in its eyes.

Abagail's turn and then the Mastiff. Note- I tend to have antagonists take minor actions, like the mastiff's movement, out of initiative order before a fight starts in reaction to PC actions as I feel that it improves the story without much of a mechanical difference. Just thought I'd make a note of it here so you were all aware of this moving forward.

[n0ble]

I don't like dogs. She stared at the big mastiff with her arms crossed before summoning up the energy to deal it. Abagail's clear eyes flared magenta as she tugged at the part of the big dogs brain that governed rudimentary behaviour. Like sleep. Really don't like big dogs. Nap time pooch.



Full Round Action: Casting Sleep on the Mutt trying to get Tinnüe

[EmEss]

The Mastiff opens it's mouth wide... giving off an enormous yawn. It circles a couple of times drowsily before lying down and falling asleep. The other dog also seems to have succumbed to the soporific effects of the spell and is also asleep, still gripping the scrap of leather.

Tre steps into the room and breathes a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad we didn't have to hurt the dogs or anything like that. Well done.

You feel a chill run up your spine. The room feels noticeably colder than it did a few moments ago and although you can't see anything untoward you get the nagging suspicion that you are being watched

[Kish]

"There's something wrong here," Seoni says in a hushed voice. "Be careful."

[n0ble]

Abagail gave a dismissive shrug of her shoulders before bracing herself against the wall so as to stave off exhaustion. "Nng" a small drop of blood wormed its way out of her nostril before the psychic hurriedly wiped it off on the back of her hand. Of course there'd be more trouble. "Is anyone possessed of a projectile device that I may appropriate for the time being?" The migraine that was beginning to encroach upon her psyche left her without a response to Seoni. Instead she simply fixed her mouth in a tight line and tried not to look like she was in too much pain.



I don't think Abagails actually given her name to anyone quite yet, though I might be mistaken :smalltongue:

[zimmerwald1915]

No, I think you're right, stranger. Ctrl+F agrees with us; Tre is the first person to have spoken the name "Abagail" aloud.

Cerissa retrieves her spell focus from the mutt's mouth, petting the back of its neck gently. Its hind foot kicks, but it does not wake. Rising, Cerissa spots the blank-eyed woman from Aria Park slumped over, sniffing back a nosebleed, and gripping the wall. She quickly puts two and two together; it was almost certainly this woman who had saved her from the thug's beating, she had repeated the performance on the dogs, and doing so is hard on her. Poor creature. Cerissa limps over to her. She doesn't have a handkerchief, but can offer the other woman blotter paper1 for her nose, and possibly something else.

"Look around, comrade," she says softly, holding out the paper roll for the woman to take. When she does, it is replaced in Cerissa's hand with a plain, but new, parchment scroll.2 "Find a long, sharp stick that will suit you, and this will make of it a spear or javelin." She leaves unsaid the possibility that it would also give her something to lean on besides the wall.

Comes with every scrivener's kit!
Abby should be able to UMD this scroll of refine improvised weapon, or I can have Rissa cast it if you don't want to risk not hitting DC 21.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Surveying the scene, Tinnüe makes a small noise of satisfaction. "Excellent work, friends. Now, let's see if we can't find what we came here for." Tinnüe begins a cursory search of the building, keeping his arcane senses open for any hints of magical concealment.

Rolled 10 in chat for perception and 9 for spellcraft to try and sense any magical auras. Good luck to me I guess.

[EmEss]

Oops my bad re: using Abagail. Consider it retconned.


Most of the stuff in the area appears to be junk. There is a lot of old furniture stacked up in the back offices (A1a and A1b). The cupboards and chest of drawers all appear empty on a cursory examination.


While checking out the pile of furniture a drawer you opened slams shut suddenly, almost catching your hand in it. It was probably just the angle the chest of drawers was at causing it to fall shut but you can't help but remember the tales of hauntings at this place.


A hallway leads away from the main area of the Stable but it's blocked off by a large iron gate. A 'secret' door hanging half open leads from the corridor into another room.

[Kish]

"I'm afraid not, for my part," Seoni says quietly. "Do you need healing?" She goes over to the secret door and looks through it.

[n0ble]

"Gratituide" Abagil gingerly took the cloth and scroll before cricking her neck from left to right in a satisfied motion. Musnt push myself so hard. Damned migraines.. Having blotted away the stray blood coming from her nose, Abagail turned to look for the aforementioned sharp stick. Picking up a suitably pointy one, she read the words on the scroll, trying to change the stick into something resembling a javelin. I should not like to fight up close...


UMD vs. DC 21 to use the scroll, assuming Abagail can find something: [roll0]
If not I'll hold off on using till some sort of object is present
Edit: And so the low rolls continue :smalltongue:

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa smiles warmly, and waves away any attempt to return the blotter roll. "You are most welcome. Deserving, even." The dogs still slumbered peacefully, all thanks to the taciturn woman, leaving the others free to search. Before she joins them, Cerissa waits until the other woman is ready to cast her scroll. Her face falls at the sound of the incantation; she can hear a subtle wrongness in it, and sure enough, the parchment sits stubbornly inert.

"I'm sorry, I should have been clearer," she says, stepping somewhat behind the other woman so she can read her penmanship. "I imagined the scroll itself would tell you what it did, without a full explanation. The object itself doesn't actually change. Rather, the magic imbues the object with the abstract effort of a craftsman, and this abstract effort changes how the object interacts with the world as if it had been crafted. The splinter does not become a javelin, but it sits in the hand like one, flies through the air in an arc like one, and spills blood like one." Cerissa's voice turns rueful by the end of her spiel, but she reads the incantation aloud again and stalks off so the woman can test the feel of her new weapon.

By this point, Tinnüe has emerged from the back offices, shaking his head at his lack of results. Cerissa decides to join Seoni by the gates. The Silver Ravens would have wanted their cache as secure as possible, and behind a gate—and, as she soon sees, even more doors—fits that description. And this gate seems to have stood the test of time. The few patches of rust don't look like they go very deep, and while the bars have been wedged open near the bottom-middle, the hole isn't big enough for any of them save Mimi to pass. She does, and waves her tail teasingly at the humanoids on the other side, but is sensitive enough to Cerissa's concern not to explore beyond the secondary door on her own.

That secondary door might have a clue to opening the gate, Cerissa muses. It's hanging open because its wooden hinges have rotted away. Unfortunately, the gate's hinges are the same iron as the rest, and they look like they'd swing easily if the lock was undone. Nor does the stone to which the hinges are bolted seem ready to budge. The stone on the far side of the room, however, does. Even in the dark, Cerissa can see the outside through chinks in the old mortar. "Seoni," she says, pointing at the weakened wall, "Do you think we could demolish that?"

Use the scroll for Gail;
Perception 22 looking at area A2, rolled in the Hangouts chat (the 9 was Mimi's perception).

[Kish]

"Should be possible." Seoni takes a step toward the wall, then pauses and looks back at the dogs. "We should probably move them out of here first, or the noise is likely to wake them up and make them aggressive again. If we can. Or muzzle them somehow if we can't--unless your spell will make them sleep through us smashing a wall," she adds to Abigail.

[zimmerwald1915]

"All we should need to do is shut the front door behind us, Seoni," limping gingerly past the sleeping dogs. "The hole in the gate is too small for them to get through, especially the big one."

[EmEss]

Cerissa has already covered the results of her perception check in the above post, namely noticing the weakened wall. A strength check is all that is needed to try to break through.


Rexus walks over and inspects the area of wall Cerissa indicated. "Hmm. You're right. This wall is virtually just a pile of bricks. The mortar has almost all crumbled away. Either they cut some serious corners when building this place or the rumours of acid fogs down by the river might have some truth to them after all.

[zimmerwald1915]

Cerissa shakes her head. "Acid would have damaged the bricks themselves," she says, and pries one loose from the wall with her fingers. The mortar crumbles away, leaving the solid, fired red clay behind. When Cerissa drops it to the ground, it chips but doesn't break. "It would also have depopulated the district, or kept it from being settled in the first place. Acid burns us as much as it does you, and even if it didn't, Redroof is bigger than the ghetto."

Mimi mews from the inside, and Cerissa starts carefully widening the hole brick by brick, working her way up. Right at the top, under the eaves, the mortar is a bit more solid.

19 Strength rolled in Hangouts.

[Kish]

Seoni joins Cerissa in dismantling the wall.
Strength check: [roll0]

[EmEss]

"Perhaps a very weak acid might affect the mortar but not the bricks" Rexus rejoinders halfheartedly, "Although probably not on an interior wall." he tails off as the wall comes down.

The 'secret' room on the other side of the wall houses numerous old slaughterhouse tools, veterinary equipment, and woodworking tools, all of which are covered with a thick layer of dust through which strange tracks and patterns have been traced. Heavy mallets, crumbling ropes, and tools for restraining animals hang from pegs in the walls or rest atop leaning tables. To the southwest, a trapdoor sits ajar, propped open by a block of wood.

As you step into the room the tools on the table begin to shake and beads of blood start rolling down the far wall.

[Kish]

"What? That's really weird." Seoni grabs the hilt of her sword but thinks better of drawing it yet, and scans for malevolent presences.

[zimmerwald1915]

Startled, Mimi jumps into Cerissa's arms. As she soothes the cat, Cerissa adds her own arcane senses to Seoni's, fully expecting Tinnüe to do the same.

For you viewers at home, that's detect magic, not deathwatch.

[EmEss]

Cerissa notices a number of very faint magical auras present in the room, almost as if several cantrips had been cast.

A few casting of prestidigitation might be able to produce an effect similar to the bleeding walls.
Mage Hand could make tools shake, although again more than one casting would be needed to shake multiple tools

[Kish]

"I'm not sensing any evil. If it was haunted, I'd think I would," Seoni says.

[zimmerwald1915]

"Which means someone's playing tricks, and petty tricks at that." Cerissa shakes her head in annoyance and disappointment. She ought to be able to say more. In lieu of that, she lifts the trap door all the way open, Mimi hopping to the floor.

"We will probably meet this someone soon. If they'll play at haunting they probably won't want to give up the Raven history. I hope we can be convincing."

[EmEss]

When Cerissa opens the trapdoor an eye-watering stench of urine and feces fills the room. Behind the trapdoor is a fifteen foot deep shaft with a ladder leading down into a dark room. When a light source is held in the shaft you can make out nests of chewed crates and barrels lining the walls, while rusty knives and hooks cover the tabletops.


You see something scurry away from the light into the shadows. It looked like an unusually large rat.


"Wh-who's going first d-down there? Tre asks. "It looks creepy.

[Kish]

"I'll go first," Seoni volunteers quickly, but she flinches at the smell. I was prepared for violent and dangerous--not so much for gross. Not a good time to be a spoiled noblewoman. She starts to climb down the ladder.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Peering down, Tinnüe grimaces. "Why can't these passages ever be behind perfume shops?" Pausing for a moment, Tinnüe conjures a light at the tip of his staff, and passes it down to Seoni as he climbs down to join her. "Well, I suppose we may as well see what we can find down here. There must be something if a person or persons unknown went to the trouble of trying to scare us away."


Cast the cantrip Light on the top of my quarterstaff, which I will renew as needed. Rolled 9 for perception in hangout.

[EmEss]

As Seoni steps off the ladder a rat the size of a small dog launches out from a crate just behind the ladder and bites at her leg. Fortunately its pointed little teeth fail to penetrate the greaves Seoni is wearing.


Seoni 25
Dire Rats 10
Abagail 9
Tinnue 6
Cerissa 4



Dire Rats frequently carry Filth Fever and can infect those they bite.



The Dire Rat tries to attack Seoni (Rolled a 10 in Hangouts). Initiative order as above, we are now in Round One and it is Seoni's turn.

[Kish]

Seoni draws her sword and slashes at the rat. "Big rat!" she shouts.


Knowledge: Nature (untrained): [roll0]
Attack: [roll1] Critical threat check (on 19 or 20): [roll2] Damage: [roll3] Critical damage: [roll4]

[EmEss]

Seoni's strike almost decapitates the rat at her feet. As it falls two more rats charge at her from opposite ends of the room. As she fends off the first rat the second sinks its teeth into the back of her left thigh.


All rolls are in the chat.
Two dire rats move to attack and flank Seoni. Rolled 20 (non-natural) and 9 in chat for attacks.
4 Damage Rolled in Chat
Seoni rolled a 20 (non-natural) Fort Save so no disease.
Seoni takes 4 Damage
Abagail then Tinnue then Cerissa to act

[Kish]

"OW!" comments Seoni.

[EmEss]

Rexus moves to the edge of the trapdoor and conjures an orb of acid in his hand, hurling it at one of the rats. He seems rather surprised when it hits the rat squarely on the nose.


Rexus cast Acid Splash at the rat doing 2 points of acid damage.
19 Ranged Touch Attack rolled in chat.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Startled by the appearance of the rats, Tinnüe virtually leaps down the ladder to aid Seoni, almost dropping his staff in the process. He steps away from the ladder to allow the others to join him and Seoni, and a bolt of lightning lances from his palm.

Rolled a 6 in chat for Knowledge(Nature) and a 7 for my elemental ray attack. I assume the ray misses! If not, rolled a 4 for damage.

[zimmerwald1915]

While Mimi stays up top with Rexus and Tre, Cerissa follows Tinnüe down the ladder. With her bad leg, however, she's too slow to take advantage of the room the elf left her, and the telekinetic kick she aims at one of the rats goes wide.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, 4 nonlethal damage, mage armor
Spellbook:
0: acid splash, arcane mark, daze, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, haunted fey aspect[UC], mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance
1: burning disarm[CEoD], charm person, disguise self, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, liberating command[UC], mage armor, refine improvised weapon[ACG]

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Move climb somewhat down the ladder.
Standard Miss a rat with telekinetic fist.

[Kish]

As she focuses her mind on her training, the pain in her leg fades to the back of her consciousness. She slashes at the injured rat and moves to place her back to a wall.

Moving into a corner to be unflankable, if possible without moving toward Tinnüe, and attacking the rat who was hit by the orb of acid.
Attack: [roll0] Critical threat check (on 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[EmEss]

The rats deftly avoid all the attacks aimed at them and move back on the offensive. The injured one snaps at Seoni while the other launches itself at Tinnüe. Fortunately Seoni's armour and the field of force around Tinnüe prevent the rats' teeth from breaking skin.

Rexus attempts another potshot from the trapdoor but wary of hitting his friends the ball of acid goes wide.


Rat I tries to bite Seoni and rolls 11 in chat.
Rat II tries to bite Tinnü and rolls 14 in chat.
Both miss.
Rexus casts Acid Splash at the injured Rat (Rat I) and rolls 4 in chat.
He misses.

[Kish]

Seoni tries once again to slice one of the rats.
Attack: [roll0] Critical threat check (on 19 or 20): [roll1] Damage: [roll2] Critical damage: [roll3]

[zimmerwald1915]

Another telekinetic bop, this one aimed at one of the rats' behinds, fails to send them scurrying off. At this point, Cerissa just hopes that Seoni is quick about her grisly work.

Dr. Cerissa Kulika (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female CG tiefling transmuter, Level 1, Init 2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 ft.
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10, CMD 12, Fort 0, Ref 2, Will 2, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 11, Cha 12
Condition +1 to Charisma checks, 4 nonlethal damage, mage armor
Spellbook:
0: acid splash, arcane mark, daze, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, haunted fey aspect[UC], mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance
1: burning disarm[CEoD], charm person, disguise self, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, liberating command[UC], mage armor, refine improvised weapon[ACG]

Mimi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=923682)
Female N cat familiar, Level 1, Init 2, HP 3/3, Speed 30 ft.
AC 15, Touch 14, Flat-footed 13, CMD 6, Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 3, CMB 0, Base Attack Bonus 0
(+2 Dex)
Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7
Condition None
Standard Miss a rat with telekinetic fist.

[EmEss]

Eventually your combined efforts enable you to dispatch the rats. The room seems to contain nothing of interest except a door in the western wall. Now that the danger is passed Rexus and Tre climb down the ladder and join the rest of the group.

"Is everyone alright?asks Tre. "Nobody is badly hurt are they?

"I must say I didn't expect the local wildlife to put up such a fight. Perhaps we were slightly over hasty? Is everyone in a state to continue or should we retreat, rest, and regroup and come back tomorrow in a more prepared condition?"

You can just make out a few bars of very quiet discordant music coming from somewhere deeper in the basement complex. It sounds like a flute, or possibly a set of pan pipes.

[Kish]

"Ow," Seoni comments. "I don't need to turn back; we can handle worse than rats."

[zimmerwald1915]

With the rats finally gone, Mimi hops down the shaft. She puts her nose in one of the carcasses, then turns away in disgust, retreating towards Cerissa.

"If Seoni remains game, so do I," says the tiefling. "It will be a while yet before I am completely exhausted."

[JustToBeAwkward]

Frowning, Tinnüe holds up a hand. "Indeed, we should continue - does anyone else hear that faint music? We ought to approach carefully, lest it prove to be a trap." Cautiously, he moves further into the basement.

Well finally the dice work for us instead of against. Rolled 22 (natural 20) for perception in chat.

[EmEss]

You exit the storeroom and enter into a gloomy hall. Dirty salt and sawdust coat the floor. Bits of the wall masonry have been chewed or clawed away, revealing narrow, winding animal tunnels beyond. Steel rails are mounted in the ceiling, with a few lonely iron hooks dangling from them. A pile of stained pillows and moth-eaten blankets lies in a ten foot square depression to the northwest of the hall. Numerous sets of the small tracks you saw earlier lead from the narrow tunnels to the pile of pillows and back again. To the Northeast a broad set of stairs leads deeper into the basement complex.


The music you heard came from down the stairs. You can also tell that there are three small bipedal creatures scurrying around in the tunnels near the pile of pillows and a fourth hidden among the pillows sleeping.



The door opens out roughly in the middle of the hall with the pile of pillows and the most heavily tunneled sections of wall the opposite end to the stairs.



The tracks are Grimple tracks. Grimples are a variety of gremlin and more than capable of the sorts of 'tricks' you experienced earlier.

[Kish]

Seoni hesitates, scanning the creatures for evil.

She's using Detect Evil on the creatures, which will take her a few rounds; just as well, since she certainly doesn't recognize them and someone else's input would probably be wiser than letting her take the lead.

Also, Mythweavers go boom, I may need to remake her character sheet after it comes back up, and I currently have no access to her stats.

[EmEss]

There is no detectable traces of evil to the North-west of the hall (the direction the creatures are).

[EmEss]

"We might be able to sneak down the stairs without disturbing them any further" Tre suggests. "We're just here for information aren't we? And there is clearly nothing really in this room.

[zimmerwald1915]

"Disturbing who?" Cerissa said, scanning the far corners of the room. When she failed to spot anyone, she took a deep breath and tuned herself to the memory of her childhood brush with death. Little lives revealed themselves to her, squirming fitfully in the rubbish piles and where the walls of the basement met the floor. "Oh," she said. "We might also ask them what else is down here?"

Not really sure how we were clued into the grimples' presence. Tinnue spotted them but said nothing, then Seoni detected evil and said nothing, then Tre spotted them. I guess it can be handwaved as Tinnue pointing them out offscreen, but I think it's funnier if Rissa's just slow on the uptake here.

[JustToBeAwkward]

Tinnüe frowns. "Well, I think we can surmise given our scuffle with the rats that they know we're here by now. No point trying to sneak in, so let's try friendly before getting into another fight." Tinnüe strides forward, calling out greetings in common and Elvish, with brief hails in Sylvan and Draconic for good measure.

Sorry for the slow reply - yes, fair to assume that Tinnüe would have quietly pointed out the presence of the creatures upon noticing them.

[Kish]

Seoni sheaths her sword carefully before going forward along with the others, holding out her hands peacefully.

[EmEss]

Tinnüe's greeting prompts a furious hail of chatter.


"They speak our language
"And our tricks didn't make them scream and run"
"Why didn't they scream and run? I like it when they scream and run"
"What are they doing down here? What do they want?"
"They want our shinies, I bet.
"Well they can't have them. Our shinies are ours. If they try then maybe we see what colour their insides are.
Can we see what colour their insides are anyway?
"They did deal with the scary dogs, maybe they see what colour our insides are?
"Stupid Coward!"
"Reckless Fool!"
"Shut up! Shut up! You idiots! They want to talk. I say we talk.


A small, ugly blue head with a bulbous nose, droopy bat-like ears, and lots of small pointed teeth pokes out of one of the holes in the walls.

"What youse want? it asks.

[zimmerwald1915]

"To learn," said Cerissa, somewhat cagily. "A long time ago, some people we admire but don't know much about hid here. We want to see if they left anything behind that would tell us about them."

Rolled an 8 for diplomacy. I really should have known better.

[EmEss]

"Can we cut them open now?
"Yes, Yes, see their insides hehehehe


My friends no like you. My friends want see your insides. Why I not let friends? You trespassers. What you give us to sorry? Something better than insides? the voice replies petulantly.