Crowley's Kids [IC]

[JNAProductions]

BOOM!

An earth-shattering explosion rocks the city. A plume of smoke is visible above your home, curling up from the smoking wreckage of the second floor.

What will you do now?

[Rokku]

Kila's eyes go wide, and then her jaw sets.

"We have to go help dad!"

She rushes to do so.

[YoFizz]

Bongo springs up to his feet, "Kila, let's get the others and go help!"

[SidTheSicko]

George drops his maul in the explosion and scrambles to pick it up as he turns to follow

[JNAProductions]

You start making your way through the crowds, most of whom are slack-jawed and stunned at the sight.

By the time you've made it maybe thirty seconds, you hear people calling for the guard to investigate it, among other worries.

[SidTheSicko]

George quickly assesses the state of the manor

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

As you reach the manor, the topmost floors are gone. Just plain gone. The agents of Vox Angelus are nowhere in sight, but neither is your father.

[YoFizz]

Bongo looks for somewhere tall to climb to scan the crowd for his father.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

There are various other mansions and tall buildings nearby, with good vantage points. However, his initial scanning does not reveal Crowley anywhere in sight.

A few of the neighbors are looking out, but seem too scared to leave their homes.

Finally, you can hear the sounds of people in armor approaching-the guard is likely to be here soon.

[YoFizz]

(With my initial scan can I see anyone fleeing?)

[JNAProductions]

(With my initial scan can I see anyone fleeing?)

No, no one is fleeing the scene by the time you arrive.

[OutOfThyme]

Katerine slowly made her way through the crowd, her dark blue cloak pulled up to conceal her face. She knew that attacking the mansion was generally a bad move, and hoped that their father was fine.

He has to be, she thought to herself. There's no way anyone could beat him, Vox Angelus or not.

As she arrived at the front of the crowd, Katerine could finally see what was left of the mansion. There were so many memories here - some harsh, but many of them endearing. Crowley may have been a demon, but he was still their father.

Katerine shook her head, and started looking around, hoping to find at least one of her other siblings. Hopefully they were alright.

Trying to spot the others in the crowd.

[roll0]

[Rokku]

[roll0]

Kila plows through the crowd, screaming for her father. Heedless of the danger she heads straight for the nearest entrance, hoping to find some sign of him inside.

[JNAProductions]

Looking through the rubble, Katerine is able to find a spot on the ground of part of the second floor.

A burnt imprint on the ground, with the smell of sulfur around it.

Kila is also able to see this, when she meets with Katerine.

By this time, the guards have arrived, and are calling for order as some form a perimeter around the area.

"You-what are you doing..." one of the guards says, seeing people in the midst of the wreckage. But, upon recognizing who you are, stops a moment. "I'm... I'm going to have to ask you to step out. We'll find your father-but right now, we need level heads. If you want to help," he says, "work with us to clear the wreckage."

[YoFizz]

"Clear the wreckage?... HEY! HE WANTS US TO CLEAR THE WRECKAGE! What happened to our father!?"
Bongo points one of his claws into the guard's chest.

"Where is he?! And if you don't know you better get me someone who saw something!"
Bongo's anger was making his magic energy flare up so much so that little bolts of lightning were crackling around his sharp teeth.

[SidTheSicko]

"Bongo relax, these are friends, we're gonna find dad no problem" George also places his hand on Bongo's shoulder to try and calm him down.

While saying this, George's eyes are frantically flitting around

[YoFizz]

Bongo let's out a deep breath and withdraws his hand from the guard

[JNAProductions]

The guard backs up a little, clearly nervous. "We... We'll ask the neighbors, see if they saw anything. But right now," he says, drawing some courage into himself, "Your father might be alive under this wreckage. If he is, we need to find him and save him."

[OutOfThyme]

Katerine sighed in relief as she spotted Kila race up to the wreckage, and let out another sigh - this one in mild frustration - when Bongo confronted the guard. At least George stepped in to calm down Bongo - she didn't want to make this any worse than it needed to be.

With her siblings now occupied with the guards or looking around, Katerine began to examine the second floor. There was the indistinguishable smell of sulfur, which was probably Crowley's work. She'd need a bit more time to piece together what exactly happened, but maybe she could get a good guess...

I'd like to make an Arcana check to identify what happened to the second floor. I'd imagine that Katerine would have some idea of what Crowley could do.

[roll0]

[SidTheSicko]

George is going to start lifting up some of the larger pieces of rubble and looking for possible signs of his father

"Bongo, help me out with this"

lol ok I used the discord bot format check OOC for my rolls

[JNAProductions]

And personal experience.

Crowley is a more subtle type of demon. He's not the kind for big, flashy explosions. That was most likely the work of Vox Angelus.

The imprint on the ground... The only thing that would make sense is Crowley's form dying and being dragged down back to whence he came.

George starts moving rubble. Occasionally, he (and anyone else helping) have to act very carefully, so as to not cause any more collapsing.

Everyone can find the spot of sulfurous smell and the burnt imprint. If you can't make the perception on your own, one of the fam will help you see it.

And just take 10 on Strength checks to move it. There won't be any major dinger-dangs with this.

[YoFizz]

Bongo, slightly embarrassed he let his temper get to him, doesn't hesitate to help his sibling with wreckage.
1d20-1

edit: 1d20-1

[YoFizz]

I messed up my roll and i don't think it will let you edit a post with a roll?

[roll0]

[SidTheSicko]

I messed up my roll and i don't think it will let you edit a post with a roll?

[roll0]

(presumably after whatever catastrophic thing occurs)

"Maybe you could keep searching while I lift"

[YoFizz]

Bongo now thoroughly embarrassed, "Okay George." he sulks away and searches the area for anything out of place.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

If you mess up a roll, just post a new one in the OOC thread.

Also, wow.

Bongo makes a valiant, if futile, effort to pull some cobble out of the way. He fails.

Also, if you guys are just going to search and clear wreckage, we can probably skip ahead. Any objections?

[Rokku]

[roll0]

Kila joins in trying to shift rubble, but being overcome with emotion makes her lose her grip. She lets out a truly impressive string of swears then slumps to her knees, screaming and crying.

[YoFizz]

"Kila, why don't you help me keep an eye out." Bongo says, extending his arm with a smile that says, it's okay.

[JNAProductions]

The rubble is moved. Neighbors are questioned, but the accounts are contradictory, as they often are. Memory is a fickle thing.

No body is found by the time you're too tired to keep going, and with the amount of wreckage you've sifted through, no body is going to be found.

The sun is now setting-what will you do?

[YoFizz]

"He's not here!" Bongo shouts, "And the day is nearly gone. That means whoever took father is a day ahead of us! I say we check the armory and the coffers and take whatever we can find. Get ready for war. Because there will be hell to pay for taking Father."

[OutOfThyme]

Katerine had spent the past few hours pouring through every possibility - trying to tell herself that her father didn't fall in a fight. He was an outsider, but it was troubling that there wasn't any presence of Vox Angelus on the scene. One question lingered on Katerine's mind as she raced through the possibilities:

Did they follow Father after he fell, or did he manage to stop them otherwise?

As Bongo made his announcement, Katerine walked back to the others, and stood quietly. Bongo was half-right in his eagerness - they needed to leave, which meant getting their gear from the armory - but he didn't know what had happened with the imprint and sulfur.

"We need to go somewhere safe for the night. I... We need to talk about something - away from here."

[SidTheSicko]

George catches the drift and attempts to misdirect the guards

"Uhhh I think that whoever did this... left... with dad...?

George is not a great lier

[roll0]

oh well I guess he has a pretty ok stat bonus tho

[YoFizz]

Bongo regaining his composure quickly after Katerine's comments speaks pointedly, "Maybe we should all take a walk and clear our minds," Bongo turns to the guards, "If you'll excuse us." He doesn't really wait for an answer but will hope his siblings will all follow so they could speak more privately elsewhere.

[JNAProductions]

The guards let you go. You're obviously not suspects for who did this, and your father just passed, in all likelihood.

As you go, a young female guard, a dwarf, does approach. "I'm sorry for your loss. If there's anything we can do... Please, just ask. I know not all in the guard here are as kind as they should be, but we've got good people in our ranks. We're here to help."

After she says her piece, she lets you go, trying for a warm smile as you leave.

[Rokku]

Kila follows her siblings, halfway between sobbing and raging.

[OutOfThyme]

As the four of them headed away from the wreckage of their former home, Katerine directed her siblings further out into town. As they left the larger crowd, she moved into an alleyway - away from any prying eyes and ears. Noticing Kila's state, Katerine gives her younger sister a quick hug. After letting go of Kila, Katerine turns to her other siblings.

"Dad's gone. I don't know if you saw the imprint upstairs, and the smell of sulfur, but that only happens when he's killed in this plane." Katerine pauses for a bit, but not long enough for her siblings to interrupt."The good news is that he's a demon, and he's probably still alive. The bad news is... Well, Vox Angelus wasn't there. I don't know if he took them out completely, or if they followed him."

I'm guessing that during the timeskip, our characters got what their gear from the mansion.

[SidTheSicko]

Have any of you heard of Vox Angelus? I thought dad had been trying to avoid attention

Religion
[roll0]

[Rokku]

"So what, dad's back in the Abyss? Are we gonna have to find a way to summon him? Will the other demons even let him go?"

[YoFizz]

"I think we'll have to get more to go on... If he isn't on this world there isn't much we can do. We need more information."

[YoFizz]

We should find out more about Vox Angelus. If Dad was trying to avoid them then we know that's a good place to start.

[Rokku]

"Good idea, but not my forte. I'll find us a place to crash."

[JNAProductions]

You know that either the temples or the libraries would be a good place to learn about Vox Angelus. They are a holy order, and have been around a while.

As for where to crash, there are plenty of taverns and inns, as well as your neighbors, who knew your dad well enough.

You might want to find a place away from your home, to rest in. No telling what Vox Angelus knows about you.

[Rokku]

Kila knows exactly where to go, and leads her family to the Wretched Crow, a dive on the bad side of town.

"Alright *******s," she says as she strolls in, "our house blew up and our dad might be dead, so me and the sibs need rooms. I don't expect to get any lip about it."

Relying on her Bad Reputation here, these people should know Kila for getting into fights (which she usually wins) and other uncivilized behavior.

[SidTheSicko]

"Mind your language Kila, I'm sure this... fine establishment won't have any problems letting us pay for our rooms

Additionally, George is going to see if he remembers any local temples that might serve Vox Angelus

[YoFizz]

Bongo will go with George to help.

[JNAProductions]

Kila knows exactly where to go, and leads her family to the Wretched Crow, a dive on the bad side of town.

"Alright *******s," she says as she strolls in, "our house blew up and our dad might be dead, so me and the sibs need rooms. I don't expect to get any lip about it."

Relying on her Bad Reputation here, these people should know Kila for getting into fights (which she usually wins) and other uncivilized behavior.

The bartender looks up. "So long as you pay, no lip. If you don't... There might be trouble," he says, unafraid.

The other patrons, though, seem a little nervous. Not scared, but Kila's sudden appearance puts them on edge. Some seem curious about what she means by their house blew up, but no one is willing to ask.


"Mind your language Kila, I'm sure this... fine establishment won't have any problems letting us pay for our rooms

Additionally, George is going to see if he remembers any local temples that might serve Vox Angelus


Bongo will go with George to help.

The temple district is some ten minutes from the Wretched Crow, though in a much nicer part of the city. Arriving there, you see a larger amount of people than usual-apparently, a mansion exploding puts some faith in people.

There are many temples here, the prime of which is the Holy Cathedral. It serves nearly all gods of the upper pantheon, excepting just a few minor ones (and no one objects if you DO pray to them, they're just lacking in official priests).

In addition, there are many other smaller temples, most of which serve one to three deities. They're a bit more focused than the Cathedral.

[SidTheSicko]

Bongo, any ideas? Otherwise we may want to pay a visit to the Cathedral first

[Rokku]

"Paying's no problem," Kila tosses a handful of gold to the bartender, "but we'll need privacy and discretion."

[JNAProductions]

"Paying's no problem," Kila tosses a handful of gold to the bartender, "but we'll need privacy and discretion."

"Of course," the bartender says. "The quiet room is currently occupied, but if you need it before they leave, well. Tough luck for them."

[OutOfThyme]

Katerine followed Kita as her younger sister walked to the bar. Fishing out a few coins from her coin pouch, Katerine slammed them down onto the counter.

"I'm going to need something strong. What do you have?"

She'd been quiet after dropping the news to the others for good reason - she didn't quite know what to do. Leaving the city was probably their best option, especially if there were more Vox Angelus agents still in town, but would the others want that? Or did Vox Angelus only send a few individuals after Crowley, and would they be safe here?

Gonna have Katerine make a History check on Vox Angelus, to try and see if she knows anything about how they operate based on their previous exploits.

[roll0]

[YoFizz]

Can we see any Vox markings on any of the buildings? If not Bongo will say, “Good idea. Should be a good start.”

[JNAProductions]

Katerine followed Kita as her younger sister walked to the bar. Fishing out a few coins from her coin pouch, Katerine slammed them down onto the counter.

"I'm going to need something strong. What do you have?"

She'd been quiet after dropping the news to the others for good reason - she didn't quite know what to do. Leaving the city was probably their best option, especially if there were more Vox Angelus agents still in town, but would the others want that? Or did Vox Angelus only send a few individuals after Crowley, and would they be safe here?

Gonna have Katerine make a History check on Vox Angelus, to try and see if she knows anything about how they operate based on their previous exploits.

[roll0]

"Wyvern '83. The good stuff," he replies, grabbing a bottle from the back. The bottle itself is black glass, and when he pops the cork, a wisp of red smoke curls up. "Strong stuff, this is. Drink at your own peril."

You know the bartender. It isn't poison, but gods be damned, it WILL pack a punch.

As in, drink this, and be ready to make a Con save.

Vox Angelus frequently operates in armies-big crusading forces. At least, on the outskirts of civilization. They tend not to work within civilization itself.


Can we see any Vox markings on any of the buildings? If not Bongo will say, “Good idea. Should be a good start.”

There are none.

[Rokku]

"Too bad for them indeed, she sits down next to her sister, "but we're gonna get good and drunk before we toss 'em. Gimme that."

She grabs the bottle of Wyvern '83 and takes a swig.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

The liquor burns on the way down, and you can feel it hit you like an elephant at full charge. But, you take it like a champ, grinning and still standing.

The bartender whistles. "Never seen someone take it that well before. You part dinosaur or something?"

[YoFizz]

(Can I do a check to see if I know which god the Vox do pray to? I'm assuming its religion. If I don't know, I'll suggest to George that we start at the Holy Cathedral)
[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

The Vox Angelus have no specific deity they pray to. They do, however, uniformly pray to the upper pantheon.

[SidTheSicko]

"Well Cathedral it is then"

and George is going to lead the way up the steps and into the front door if he can

[Rokku]

The bartender whistles. "Never seen someone take it that well before. You part dinosaur or something?"

"Nah, just had good parenting. You shoulda seen my dad's liquor cabinet, it was straight up spooky."

[JNAProductions]

"Well Cathedral it is then"

and George is going to lead the way up the steps and into the front door if he can

Inside, it's quite busy. People are going to and fro, priests performing ceremonies, and the smell of incense everywhere. The entrance room itself is brightly lit, with a chandelier high above.

You see, exiting from deeper within the building, someone with an emblem of Vox Angelus. He is unarmed, wearing only simple traveler's clothes.


"Nah, just had good parenting. You shoulda seen my dad's liquor cabinet, it was straight up spooky."

The bartender nods. "What happened to your old man anyway? You shouted something about your house exploding on the way in."

[Rokku]

The bartender nods. "What happened to your old man anyway? You shouted something about your house exploding on the way in."

"Yeah, and no sign of him in the ruins. Some *******s attacked us. I hope he got out okay... but either way, we're gonna make those ****ers pay."

She takes another drink.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

You've made enough saves. You can handle your Wyvern '83.

"Any info on the people that did it?" the bartender asks. "I can keep an ear out for anything on them. I know you're good for paying me if my info's good."

[OutOfThyme]

As soon as Kila is done with her swig, Katerine takes the bottle from her sister and takes a swig of her own.

This stuff was... strong - much stronger than she was used to. Katerine was more used to the wines that Father kept in the cellar - those were usually much more pleasant than this.

"'83 was a hell of a year for them. That's damn strong stuff," she said, coughing slightly from the burn. "As far as the people that went after Father, I don't think they'd try to come after us quietly. But..."

Katerine paused, hoping to let Kila explain more to the bartender. Katerine didn't really know him, after all.

I made a con save in the OOC. If you'd like me to roll a fresh one, I'll do another one there.

[JNAProductions]

Con save in the OOC is fine.

[Rokku]

"Guys think they're 'holy warriors', as if dad was some kinda monsters. I never saw him hurt anybody. At least, anybody that didn't deserve it. But he's tough as hell. He musta made it outta there."

Kila's shoulders slump a bit.

[JNAProductions]

"Hm... Nutjobs, I guess, but nutjobs tend not to be strong enough to hit a family like yours," the bartender says. "I mean, hell, I've had to break up my fair share of fights here, and you know we get nasty customers. But even then, I wouldn't want to take you on, and I know the old man is better in a brawl than you."

[YoFizz]

Inside, it's quite busy. People are going to and fro, priests performing ceremonies, and the smell of incense everywhere. The entrance room itself is brightly lit, with a chandelier high above.

You see, exiting from deeper within the building, someone with an emblem of Vox Angelus. He is unarmed, wearing only simple traveler's clothes.

"George, look..." Bongo says quietly, "Let's follow."

[SidTheSicko]

"George, look..." Bongo says quietly, "Let's follow."

I'm not the sneakiest, but I'll try my best

George whispers back

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

The man heads out, leaving the Cathedral.

Outside, he picks up the pace to a moderate jog, heading deeper into the city, towards the nobility's district.

[YoFizz]

Bongo tries to keep pace without being noticed.

[roll0]

[SidTheSicko]

Bongo tries to keep pace without being noticed.

[roll0]

George does the same

[JNAProductions]

The man eventually arrives right near the garrison in the district for nobility. He then turns to face George, calling out and saying "Why are you following me?"

[YoFizz]

Bongo stays hidden and casts mage armor on himself.

[SidTheSicko]

The man eventually arrives right near the garrison in the district for nobility. He then turns to face George, calling out and saying "Why are you following me?"

Are you not a member of the Vox Angelus? George calls back

[OutOfThyme]

"Right. That, and whatever they did blew up our house," said Katerine, taking another swig from the bottle. Katerine glanced at her younger sister, and held the bottle out for her.

"Kila, do you want to grab the quiet room while we wait for the brothers to get back?"

[JNAProductions]

Bongo stays hidden and casts mage armor on himself.

Mage Armor is VSM spell, correct? No hiding with that-you'd be heard casting the spell.


Are you not a member of the Vox Angelus? George calls back

"I am. Though usually those who follow are not so sneaky about it," he says.


"Right. That, and whatever they did blew up our house," said Katerine, taking another swig from the bottle. Katerine glanced at her younger sister, and held the bottle out for her.

"Kila, do you want to grab the quiet room while we wait for the brothers to get back?"

"If you do, I'll run ahead and kick the layabouts in there out for you," the barkeep says. "No need to worry yourselves on that."

[YoFizz]

Mage Armor is VSM spell, correct? No hiding with that-you'd be heard casting the spell.


oh you're right, sometimes i completely forget about all the actual stuff that goes into doing spells, I'll just ready an action to cast chromatic orb if the Vox member turns hostile.

[Rokku]

[SPOILER=OOC]"If you do, I'll run ahead and kick the layabouts in there out for you," the barkeep says. "No need to worry yourselves on that."

"Nah, I'll do it," says Kila, taking the bottle and rising from her stool. She stretches languidly and then takes another deep swig.

"I could use the exercise," she explains, smiling wolfishly. And she heads to the Quiet Room.

[SidTheSicko]

There are eyes everywhere, it never hurts to be cautious, besides, I doubt I was truly that hidden

[JNAProductions]

"Nah, I'll do it," says Kila, taking the bottle and rising from her stool. She stretches languidly and then takes another deep swig.

"I could use the exercise," she explains, smiling wolfishly. And she heads to the Quiet Room.

The quiet room is upstairs, third floor. As you pass near the bar, the bartender hurries over and hands you the key.

The door is secured and locked, and no sound can be heard from the outside.


There are eyes everywhere, it never hurts to be cautious, besides, I doubt I was truly that hidden

"Well, they say a good man has no need to hide. I won't say that's always true," he says with a laugh, "but it feels right here. What do you need?"

[Rokku]

Kila pops the key into the lock and swings open the door.

[SidTheSicko]

Perhaps it is too bold to ask but as a man of faith myself I was desiring to learn more about the Vox Angelus? It also sounds like you have been busy of late

[JNAProductions]

Kila pops the key into the lock and swings open the door.

As soon as the door opens, Kila can hear and see quite a spectacle. It would seem that a certain nobleman of low stature (but regards himself quite highly) is partaking in some... Scandalous activities, with a woman of the night. Several, actually.


Perhaps it is too bold to ask but as a man of faith myself I was desiring to learn more about the Vox Angelus? It also sounds like you have been busy of late

"Ah, yes!" he replies. "I am a squire to Hrothburn, who just recently worked with his allies to take down a demon in the midst of this very city! The news is to be spread soon, and the city will rejoice!"

[Rokku]

Kila shrugs, and closes the door behind her.

It's been a stressful day.

[JNAProductions]

As she closes the door, one of the women mouths "Thank you," presumably for not causing a scene.

[Rokku]

Kila tromps back down the stairs and plops back down next to her sister.

"Orgy up there," she says, "figured I'd give 'em some time."

She takes another long drink.

"...maybe I shoulda jumped in, blown off some steam?"

[SidTheSicko]

A demon? Here? Wow, what were they doing to attract your attention?

[OutOfThyme]

"Eh, maybe." said Katerine, gesturing for her sister to pass over the bottle of Wyvern '83.

"Do you want to get other rooms for the night? I mean, it's not something you regularly think about, but now that we know... It's just kind of bizarre to think about, especially after today."

[JNAProductions]

A demon? Here? Wow, what were they doing to attract your attention?

"They've been working their insidious way in this city since before it was built!" he says. "Twisting people's minds, forcing their unwholesome presence on the innocent people of this poor city... I shudder to think of it."

[Rokku]

"Nah, I know this place, and that room's secure. It'll get cleaned up before we move in."

[SidTheSicko]

"They've been working their insidious way in this city since before it was built!" he says. "Twisting people's minds, forcing their unwholesome presence on the innocent people of this poor city... I shudder to think of it."

Sickening, and you seem to be saying there are more? Perhaps is there any way I could be of use, I confess I have not heard anything particularly useful that I recall but I may hear something of interest now that I am aware

[JNAProductions]

"Nah, I know this place, and that room's secure. It'll get cleaned up before we move in."

The bartender stops a moment, his hand freezing where it holds a rag to a mug. He turns to face you, and says "Thank you. Not many people would bother with that."

And with that, he goes back to his job, but with a small smile on his face.


Sickening, and you seem to be saying there are more? Perhaps is there any way I could be of use, I confess I have not heard anything particularly useful that I recall but I may hear something of interest now that I am aware

"More? I... I don't know about that. This demon supposedly had a cult around him, but I don't THINK they were fiends. Just poor, deluded people," he says. "But, for now, I really must be off to inform the governor about what's been going on. If you wish to help more, head back to the Cathedral. They can find something good for you to do."

[SidTheSicko]

I'm sure they can, thank you for your time

[YoFizz]

As soon as the Vox member is out of sight, Bongo will wave down his brother in case he lost track of him in the shadows.

[SidTheSicko]

George will join Bongo and recount everything just in case Bongo couldn't hear all of it

We should meet back up with our sisters before we do anything else

[YoFizz]

“you’re right. We should go.”

[JNAProductions]

A little time passes. The quiet room is freed up around the time the brothers return, letting you have a private place to discuss.

Before you go, the bartender pours you all a few mugs and makes you some sandwiches, so you won't be hungry or thirsty when you're in there.

[SidTheSicko]

Assuming we head up to the room now

We found a Vox Angelus squire to someone named Hrothburn, and apparently both him and his allies are our villains

[OutOfThyme]

"Hrothburn, huh?" Katerine says as she summons Woedrinker in a brief flash of crimson. "If they're still in town, we should figure out where they're holed up."

"I want to go after them, but only if we're all in. What do you say?"

Would it be fair game to roll History to see if Katerine knows anything about Hrothburn?

If so,

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

Hrothburn is a dwarf. He grew up in a monastery, the Monastery of The Stoney Egg. They have trained some of the most renowned pugilists of the world, and Hrothburn is an apt student.

He joined with Vox Angelus by being sent by the monastery, but enjoyed the camaraderie he found there, and so stayed. He quickly rose through the ranks of the more practical part of the Vox, earning the title of Holy Fist for his work.

You think that, with everyone in your family (minus Crowley, of course) you could probably take him on, if he's alone.

[Rokku]

"Of course we're in, it's for dad!"

[YoFizz]

“If they want demons, let’s show them what kind of hell four foster demons can unleash”

[OutOfThyme]

Hrothburn... Where have I heard that before?

Katerine mused for a moment on the name, as the others agreed to go after him. She'd been keeping some tabs on Vox Angelus on her own, and that's why the name sounded familiar.

"As far as I know, Hrothburn is a skilled fighter. Vox Angelus gave him the title of Holy Fist, which means that if we do take him on, he's going to have to be all alone. We'll have to either distract his squires and other men, or deal with them first."

[SidTheSicko]

They probably don't know we're coming as an upside, but do we have any ideas on how to actually accomplish that?

[OutOfThyme]

"We'll need to figure out where they're holed up, for starters," said Katerine. "Then, we need to know numbers. We should plan this out properly."

"Or, we could rush in spells blazing."

[YoFizz]

"I like the sound of that." Bongo's front teeth crackle with lightning, "We could get back to the Cathedral in the morning for more information, that's what the squire said to do to try and lend hand."

[JNAProductions]

Sleep on it, head to the Cathedral in the morning, and go from there?

If I don't hear any objections, I'll narrate the breakfast and trip to the Cathedral, assuming I don't have anything else happen in the meanwhile.

[JNAProductions]

You eventually finish your discussions. Some of you might get a few more drinks, others might go right to be. Regardless, you wake up in the morning, refreshed and ready for the day.

After a light breakfast, you head for the Holy Cathedral. As you do, you hear the town criers starting to sing the tales of Vox Angelus and your father's defeat.

Well before noon, you arrive at the entrance to the Cathedral, where there's a tightly-packed line.

[Rokku]

"Front door's not my style unless we're knockin' it down. I'm gonna look for another way in."

Kila pulls up her hood and skulks away.

Stealth: [roll0] Perception: [roll1]

[JNAProductions]

It takes some [roll0] minutes of searching around the edge of the building to find that there appears to be two side doors, one on each side. One has two guards, chatting with each other, while the other has one standing at attention. Neither has a line, but no one appears to be being let in.

[YoFizz]

Bingo waits for Kira to return with info or a plan.

[Rokku]

Kila returns through the crowd and sidles up to her siblings.

"Two side doors," she says, "single attentive guard on one, two more relaxed guards on the other. Thoughts?"

[SidTheSicko]

I would take the two relaxed guards over one prepared one any day

[JNAProductions]

The line at the front slowly moves in, as more people come and join the back of it.

[OutOfThyme]

"I could try to distract the one guard, if that's something we want to do," said Katerine. "I think George is right, though. The two guards are probably easier to distract and get past."

[SidTheSicko]

Well in the meantime

George queues up in line

[JNAProductions]

The line continues to shuffle in slowly. It looks like you'd be a decent way inside in perhaps half an hour.

Would you rather wait, or try the side entrance?

If you wait in line, it'll take time, but we can skip that. If you try for a side entrance, that might change.

[SidTheSicko]

I presently see no reason to cause a disturbance in our fine city, you're free to try and enter through a side entrance but as we have time to spare I don't see why we shouldn't just wait

I changed the text color :^

[YoFizz]

Bongo follows George, hood up trying not to draw any attention.

[Rokku]

Kila lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Fiiiiiine."

She gets in line with her brothers.

[JNAProductions]

The line moves... Slowly...

After longer than expected (perhaps an hour?) you finally arrive in the main chamber. And there, you see several badly injured, but smiling, people. A dwarf-perhaps Hrothburn?-and three others. A human, a gnome, and a dragonborn.

The people are, apparently, getting a chance to speak directly with them-many appear to simply be giving thanks, but others have questions. In particular, one man, near the front, seems quite agitated.

As that man reaches the front, the dragonborn turns to him. And why are you here, friend-

"I'm NOT your friend!" he yells. "You bastards killed Crowley!"

Well, yes, he was-

"The best damn man I ever knew! If it wasn't for him, my wife'd be dead!"

I... I can assure you, that... Um...

"What? That what, you-"

That Crowley had sinister purposes, the gnome says, before being cut off.

The man, shouting now, continues. "Sinister? He paid for my wife's healing! Didn't even think twice-hell, he cut me slack!"

Don't you understand, that-

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP BEFORE I SMACK YOU AND-"

And with that, the dwarf stands and smacks the man, dropping him to the ground. He's clearly breathing, but equally clearly knocked out.

Next, the dwarf says.

[SidTheSicko]

There's no need for violence!

George bends down and uses Lay On Hands to restore 3 hit points

[YoFizz]

"You can't go around hurting people because they have a different point of view! What's your problem? You kill a man and expect everyone to be happy? Sorry pal, the world's more complex than that."

Bongo doesn't usually have quite this sort of temperament, he was able to keep cool before, but these are different circumstances, his neck his hot with anger and his eyes are narrowed with range. He will help the man up if the healing brought him back to consciousness.

[Rokku]

Kila's entire body tenses up. Her siblings have seen the look on her face more than once - she's ready to fight, and will spring into action at any moment.

[JNAProductions]

The dwarf looks at you, and sighs. Some people have no respect. Kila, Durst, Rephd, handle the rest. I'm done.

He starts to walk off, as the man George has helped up gets to his feet. "Thank you," he says.

The rest of the crowd seems rather upset by this, but aren't sure who to side with.

Only spend 1 point of LoH. He was KOed, but not actually damaged, so 1 HP is all that's needed to get him up.

In addition, if you'd like, make appropriate checks to sway the crowd against the Vox/onto your side.

[OutOfThyme]

"Hold it right there," declares Katerine. Her voice is firm and level, as always, but there's a hint of anger in it. "You think it's right and just to come into town and kill someone who's made this place better? You think you're all noble and just by coming in here with your crusades, but what in the Hells are you going to do now? You and your people will probably stay until the end of the week, then it's off to whatever grand crusade you have next."

"Crowley didn't give a damn about your glorious lives. He lived here, among us, and made our town a better place. Each and every person here knows it, too. You call him sinister? The only sinister thing I see here are the people who barged into town, took justice into their own hands, and don't give a damn about our day to day lives!"

Rolling Persuasion to try and turn the crowd in favor of us.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

The dwarf stops as the crowd looks at him. I won't pretend to know the full extent of his plans, but I know what he is. Well, was. And trust me-it was anything but good.

Ah yee, dorf power!

[roll0]

[YoFizz]

"You didn't know the full extent of his plans? Perhaps you mean saving a man's wife? Helping this town flourish?" Bongo turns toward the crowd, "Let me ask you this people of [CITY NAME], how has Crowley helped you? How has he helped this city? Was he a drain on society? I think not." He turns back to the dwarf "If you are going to assassinate someone, you better know full damn well why you're doing it. Don't sugar coat things and don't make it about what someone is. People are made up of their actions not of their genetics."

Sorry I don't think we mentioned the city name lol
Persuasion: [roll0]

[JNAProductions]

It's Indos.

You hear the crowd start to murmur amongst itself. Many people didn't really know Crowley, at least, not by name, but those that did... They're spreading the word.

One of the attendant priests steps forward, and says "Ah, if everybody could please leave now! I'm sorry, but this is clearly inappropriate, and-"

The gnome speaks up, cutting him off. Let them talk, she says, looking at her companions.

"He gave me time off when my kids were sick," a woman says. "I didn't really think much of it, but I found out later that he went over my direct boss's head to do that."
A man speaks up, saying "He sent me a law-person when the guards were after me for something I didn't do."
"Wait-I remember that!" another man says-you can recognize him as one of the guards, though out of armor. "He gave us a tip to find the guilty one!"

Voice after voice starts adding in to the din, while the gnome levels her gaze with outright FURY in it on the human, dwarf, and dragonborn.

[Rokku]

Kila begins spitting words at the zealots.

"He was kind, and sweet, and he rescued me from absolute horror and..."

She pauses, and her entire body shudders.

"AND YOU MURDERED MY FATHER, YOU BASTARDS!"

She lunges forward, fists flying for the nearest target.

[roll0] [roll1]

[YoFizz]

Bongo sees the attack and knows there is no coming back from this, he casts Mage Armor on himself.

[JNAProductions]

Kila, make me a DC 19 Charisma save. If you succeed, you can attack. If not, then...

And yes, of COURSE the Vox Angelus have an exception into these wards.

As Kila goes to swing, runes begin to glow brightly on the walls, especially on the high, vaulting arches. Kila can feel a heavy presence on her mind, stopping her from attacking, but not all-powerful.

[Rokku]

Charisma Save: [roll0]

[JNAProductions]

Seeing the wards flare and Kila's punch stop mid-motion, the crowd begins to back off.

The dwarf looks back. Your father, aye? That explains a lot. Been indoctrinated from a young age, haven't you?

[Rokku]

Kila struggles against the wards, muscle straining against magic to no avail.

"If you mean being taught to punch pompous bastards who break up families in the nose, yeah I was 'indoctrinated'. You didn't even try to find out what kind of person he was, did you? You knew where he came from, and that was all you wanted to know."

[JNAProductions]

The gnome looks to the dwarf. Horthburn-back off.

Why should-

Now!

Horthburn backs off. Just a little bit-but back off he does.

I'm... I'm sorry, the gnome says, but the fact of it is, if you look at your father's history, no matter what good he does, it's all for evil ends. Helping them, raising you... It might seem benign, but the end goals are anything but. We can't risk letting such a great evil live-even if it hurts us. Even if it hurts other people. But... Can we make it up to you? What can we do?

[YoFizz]

"Hmm... can you make it up to us? Let me think..." Bongo taps his claw on his chin.

"Well, you've just made us bastards. And there was no due process and to my knowledge he hasn't committed any hienous acts, at least not to the good people of Indos. Now what do you suppose a fair amount of coin or power could make up for that? Is there a going rate for that? Is that in your Vox handbook? 'Let's see a family of four is now left without a father and we've leveled part of the city ah yes here it is...' no. I don't think YOU have it in YOUR power to make it up to us, because what transpired will never be forgotten my siblings and I are now forever changed. How dare you even suggest that you could make it up to us? Maybe line up your parents and watch us kill them all, that... now THAT! Might be fair."

Bongo's eyes narrow and lightning crackles down his sharp teeth.
there was a lot of purple so i'm switching up my speech color

[JNAProductions]

Horthburn stalks his way back over, clearly ready for a fight. A fight you're practically guaranteed to lose, considering you can't properly fight in here.

The gnome steps in between him and you, and shouts Horthburn, DON'T!

Why not? Send them home to their daddy-

You're going to have to go through ME if you want to do that! She turns to face you, and mouths Go-please! before turning back to face her dwarven companion.

[YoFizz]

"So no? No make good now? We'll go but Horthburn? Was it? Watch. Your. Back."

[JNAProductions]

Are you going to leave?

If so, you can make it out safely. If you stay, though, no promises. :P

[YoFizz]

Bongo would turn to leave after the threat, can't speak for anyone else

[Rokku]

Kila continues to struggle against the wards. She really wants to punch Hrothburn in the mouth.

[SidTheSicko]

Kila, let's leave, he's not worth it. Fighting here would only cause more trouble

[Rokku]

"But his smug faaaaaaaaace!"

[OutOfThyme]

"He's right. We'll have our chance. Not here, and not now. At least, not with the townspeople around," Katerine turns to leave with Bongo, gesturing for her other siblings to follow.

[YoFizz]

"Come now, Kila, unless ol' Horty is feeling tough enough to take on The Children of Crowley by himself... outside... punching him will simply have to wait." Bongo heads out the door, and without looking back adds in, "Oh and gnome, sorry didn't catch your name... I will be looking forward to what you come up with in regards to the reparations for the brutal murder of our father and the destruction of our home, I simply can't wait for what you come up with."

[Rokku]

And since nobody's willing to dramatically drag Kila out kicking and screaming, she sulks out last.

[SidTheSicko]

How is the crowd outside, did they catch wind of this struggle in the cathedral?

[JNAProductions]

The crowd outside seems unaware of what happened inside. However, as the people are ushered out by priests and acolytes, word begins to spread of what happened inside.

You can, if you like, wait around and talk to the crowds, perhaps after they learn more from the others. You could also return to the bar. Or, of course, you could always do something entirely else.

What will you do?

[YoFizz]

Bongo strolls out and sees that the commotion from inside hasn't spilled out. He turns to his siblings and winks.

"I can't believe Vox killed Crowley! Not for any crimes either just because they felt like it! What are we going to do now? We have no family to go to. Crowley was our father and a good man and now we have NOTHING!

Bongo looks to his siblings to play along and work up the crowd he holds out his arms and starts fake sobbing.

[roll0]

[SidTheSicko]

George manages to catch on and tries his best to continue

o-oh yeah, and they beat up the average citizens just for vocalizing dissent! It's absolute tyranny, they shouldn't be allowed to get away murdering innocent subjects of our city like this on a whim, someone should do something about this!

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

The crowd murmurs amongst themselves. They seem quite amicable to your words, and you see a few people casting their eyes about.

You also see some nearby guards getting interested. There are currently only three nearby, one by himself, and one pair of two guardswomen. The pair talk to themselves, and one sets off, heading for the direction of the barracks.

[YoFizz]

"Well we're stirred the crowd up... but what do we do now? We don't have much of a home to go to, and we can't just take on all of Vox head on."

[SidTheSicko]

Well if we can't take on Vox Angelus by ourselves, then the first step would to not be by ourselves. Do we know any allies?

Am I aware of any other friends of my father who might be willing to help us?

[JNAProductions]

Many noble families like and respect Crowley. The odds of them going up against the Angelus, though... Not high. They're friendly, but not to the point they'd risk life and prestige to help out dear ol' dad.

There are a few cults that Crowley used to work with, but that was before your time. You're not sure what they'd think of helping out.

And finally, the last major player you might be able to contact is a crime lord by the name of Boss Macragge.

[YoFizz]

“I don’t know if y’all will like this... but Boss is our best bet for help.”

[Rokku]

"Macragge? He likes me, but his help ain't likely to come cheap. Still, he might know who to go to about trying to get dad back. He's got connections."

[JNAProductions]

You know that you have no idea where Boss Macragge would be right now. He's always on the move, and doesn't like people to know where he is.

You also know, however, the locations of some of his underlings. There's a corrupt guardsmen who frequents the Red Eagle's favorite tavern, there's a clerk in the palace who conveniently forgets a lot of stuff, a mage of the Guild who's willing to cast spells against the law, and a priest who is perfectly willing to believe anything about how you got your injuries.

The Guardsman, Derek Undertow
Derek is a brute of a man, despite his short stature. A human who stands maybe five feet tall, he's vicious in a fight and merciless. If it weren't for Macragge, he'd certainly have been taken away from the guard, but since Macragge is here... He's one of the better enforcers working for Macragge, but not the brightest man.

The Clerk, Laughter Gembright
Laughter is an elf who is in love with one of Macragge's highest adviser. While you're almost certain that the adviser doesn't love her back, he does use the affection for his own gain. As such, though, Laughter does usually know where the adviser is, if not where Macragge is.

The Mage, Snazzy
Snazzy is an incredibly greedy gnome. He works with Macragge's men because they pay well, and for pretty much no other reason.

The Priest, Daniel Carpenter
Daniel is another human, and you're pretty sure he works with Macragge's bunch because they have hostages. You know he usually tries to talk them out of their lifestyle, but has had pretty much no success yet.

[SidTheSicko]

Laughter sounds like he would be our best place to start, he usually has an idea of where to find Macragge

[YoFizz]

"Lets get out of here and talk to Laughter then."

[JNAProductions]

You head out, aiming for the palace. You leave behind a crowd of angry and confused people, but you do see the guard arriving in larger numbers.

You don't think anyone is going to start a fight. There's going to be complaints, and maybe some shoving, but chances are, no one's going to spend more than a night in jail for anything that happens after you leave.

It takes only a short trip to the palace, and seeing as Laughter is only moderately important to the workings of the kingdom, you're able to get to her office in not much longer.

Once inside, you see her handling some parchment, looking a little annoyed and overworked.

[YoFizz]

"Laughter! How the heck are ya?"

[JNAProductions]

She looks at you for a moment, then recognition crosses her face. "Oh! You're Crowley's kids-I haven't seen you in years! I'm... Sorry, about your father."

[YoFizz]

Yeah, thats kind of why we're here. Um, we need to speak privately, is it safe here?

[JNAProductions]

"It's perfectly safe here," Laughter replies. "But I don't see how I can help-try the temples. They know a lot more magic than I do, especially healing and resurrection."

[YoFizz]

"No, no, no... We need to know where Boss is. We need to get a hold of him."

[JNAProductions]

Laughter's face darkens when you bring up Macragge. "I... Why?" she asks.

[YoFizz]

"Vox Angelus killed him, Laughter... We need help."