[WFRP] The Bloody Crown X

[RossN]

Adelbert

As tempting as it was to lie stunned and whimpering on this section of the roof Adelbert had to get down on the ground proper. Dragging himself to the edge of the roof he called out in the direction of the soldiers:

'Quick over here, help we've got wounded stuck on this roof!'
OOC:

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Jump!

Agility Test #1: (1d100)[14] vs 55
Agility Test #2: (1d100)[77] vs 55

[-Sentinel-]

"You! Curly! Do as he says!" Elsa barked to the last halberdier standing, the one she had ordered to the other door earlier. She pointed imperiously at the window. "Leave this to Sieghard and I. We've fought bigger and uglier at Manann's Keep."

As for Ludo and the other two halberdiers, they seemed in a really bad shape, possibly on Morr's door; Elsa was not sure how they could get them out of here in one piece, but she was determined to try, even though her very soul felt like it was being drained out of her body with every passing moment.

She turned her attention to the monster and prepared a new fireball, putting as much raw power as she could into it.


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I'd really like to get out, but I've no idea how to roleplay Elsa choosing to leave Ludo behind.

Elsa technically gets to act before the mail-armored Sieghard, so she can strike before he gets in the way.

Channeling 88: (d100)[87]
Fireball, Magic Focus for double damage: (3d10)[9][3][9](21)
Dark Magic: (d10)[5]
Chaos die: (d10)[3]

That's... two minor Manifestations.

Location: (d100)[12]
Damage: (d10+7)[11]

Location: (d100)[89]
Damage: (d10+7)[9]

Location: (d100)[96]
Damage: (d10+7)[17] And a possible Fury!

Edit: 6 extra damage rolled in the new OOC thread.

[LCP]

Elsa’s fireball blasted into the vampire once again, the raw power she was channelling burning through the channels of her body and making her shorn hair crawl with witchlights as it stood out straight from her scalp. Her target didn’t flinch. Stepping over Ludo, it caught Sieghard’s borrowed halberd in one bony hand, using the leverage of the long weapon to sweep him out of its path. It was all Sieghard could do to hold onto the haft – for all its withered appearance, the thing was as strong was one of Sforza’s ogres.

Grabbing one of his fallen comrades, the last standing halberdier began dragging him back towards the room where Klammenberg had fled. Elsa tried to fall back too, but it was too late – a grey hand shot out to catch her by the arm, wrenching her shoulder out of its socket as it dragged her back.

Blood sheeted down her arm as the creature’s claws sank into her skin, bones grinding and cracking under its grip. Looking up into its ancient, deathless eyes, she saw her own reflection – small, pale, terrifyingly mortal.

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I'd really like to get out, but I've no idea how to roleplay Elsa choosing to leave Ludo behind.

Picking him up and carrying him to safety could have been a start...

Have made a temporary OOC thread for use until all the character sheets are up, here.

I write the vampire catching hold of Elsa for dramatic effect, but mechanically she’s free to break away if she wants to – just write her being slippery as an eel.

RossN, I’ve left Adelbert’s actions out of this post because I’m giving you an official GM Are You Sure. There’s friendly soldiers just within yelling distance. They could catch you, or fetch you a ladder…

Maps:

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo landed hard on his face, tried to scramble to his feet, and such intense pain sheeted through him that he came down hard again. His legs didn't seem to be responding properly, and it was too painful to move his arms, and he thought his nose might be broken, which was just great, wasn't it, and something in his jacket pocket was digging painfully into his chest. Over his shoulder he heard the cracking noises as more of his halberdiers died, and the howl of pain from Elsa as her arm was snapped. Adelbert at least seemed to have escaped the room, and presumably Klammenberg was dead, but... even given courage by Verena himself, he was afraid.

What was that in his pocket?

He heard Adelbert's voice, clear as day through the pain. "Thank you, thank you for everything." Had Adelbert not escaped or - no, it was a memory, of when he had left them during the war. "Farewell, my friend, until we meet again."

His head was starting to swim now, and he wondered if he was about to pass out. Or die, of course. And of all the things to think of now, why did it have to be such an unhappy memory? Why this, why-

"I can buy another easily enough."

He knew what was in his pocket.

With an immense effort of will he rolled over onto his back and spoke, holding back the clawing darkness with the last of his strength. "Elsa! My jacket pocket. Adelbert's holy symbol. The vampire-"

"Here. May the goddess watch over you."

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If this works, it's awesome. If not, it's incredibly warhammer. In Ludo's pocket is Adelbert's Owl pendant of Verena, that he gave Ludo back in thread 8 when he was exiled.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Let go of her!" Sieghard shouted, swinging at the vampire. "Go!" He repeated. There was a note of pleading in his voice. "I won't be far behind, I promise."

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His armor may be down, but we have no clue how many wounds he has and if Klammenberg had an escape method, I wouldn't be surprised if the Vampire does as well. Whether Elsa stays or flees, keep that in mind.

Roll to try to overcome terror
(1d100)[52]

Swift attack vs either 61 or 41 because Elsa gives outnumbering.
(1d100)[35] to hit
(2d10)[1][7](8) +6

(1d100)[10] to hit
(2d10)[4][8](12) +6

(1d100)[53] to hit
(2d10)[8][8](16) +6

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa wailed in pain as her arm was almost ripped out. Through a haze that was not just from the smoke, she briefly locked eyes with the vampire, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw her doom reflected in her opponent's pupils. But she was not one to dwell on her own mortality; there was nothing she could do about death in general, and so she chose not to concern herself with it, except when it came to delaying it.

She turned her flash of terror into outrage. Outrage at the beast that dared to grab her by the shoulder, like a bony old Altdorf magister about to punish an unruly apprentice. Outrage at Sieghard begging her to save her own life, as if they had not braved many dangers together, as if he did not need her in this instant; she was fairly certain she had harmed this particular creature far more than he had, so far. Even outrage at poor Ludo; she was glad the halfling was alive (for now), but what he was asking of her was ridiculous. This was not a Sigmarite tale, where the abomination could only be destroyed by true faith, which Elsa lacked in any case. This was boring old real life, and in real life, monsters died from much the same things that also killed men.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she wrenched her arm free from the vampire's grip and began to channel her magic into a fireball. "UNHAND ME!" she snarled, though well aware it did not speak her tongue. "This is our city and our kingdom! This is our era! I swear by everything I believe in, creature, tonight an immortal will die!"


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Fireball, using a ball of sulphur as a +2 spell ingredient (since I'm down to Magic 2).

Channeling 88: (d100)[54]
Fireball, Magic Focus for double damage: (2d10)[3][3](6)
Dark Magic: (d10)[4]
Chaos die: (d10)[8]

Arrrgh. Failed the casting roll by ONE, due to being at -1 Magic (which knocked my Channeling bonus down to 2). After all this dramatic speech.

Only two fireballs, since Magic 2.

Location: (d100)[59]
Damage: (d10+7)[17]

Location: (d100)[19]
Damage: (d10+7)[10]

Wasted a nice Fury, too.

Now I'm really hoping Sieghard can kill it, or Elsa is sure to die. (And worse, her proclamation might turn out to be false.)

The drama of her little speech was somewhat undercut when the fireball fizzled out above her palm.

[LCP]

Elsa did not have long to reflect on her failure. The vampire's long arm lashed out as quick as a spider's, catching her by the shoulder. Withered claws speared into her, her own blood pouring down the creature's arm as it lifted her one-handed off the ground. For a moment, it held her gaze, studying her face like a specimen under glass. Seemingly satisfied, it threw her aside without so much as a word, flinging her against the wall with bone-cracking force. Elsa rolled senselessly to the ground, a great pool of blood spreading under the ruins of her arm.

Sieghard's halberd chopped into its back, the impact reverberating up Sieghard's arm as if he had cut into a tough old tree. Baring its long teeth, the creature turned on him, moving almost too fast to follow. Its claws shrieked like knives from his armour, denting plate steel with their terrible strength. The others' bodies lay littered around its feet. He was the only one left.

The entire landing was ablaze now, thick brown smoke billowing through the door to pool against the ceiling. Eyes stinging, Sieghard wondered whether this creature needed to breathe. Sieghard certainly did.

OOC:

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~

Out on the rooftop, Adelbert could see the smoke pouring out of the open window above him. Orange flames were licking out of the one to its right, Elsa's fire spreading hungrily through the old house. Its ruddy light gleamed on the halberds of the militia as they hurried to the sound of his voice.

Reaching up, they caught him as he lowered himself off the edge of the kitchen roof, setting him carefully on the ground. Turning, Adelbert found himself in a circle of worried, unfamiliar faces.

"What happened?" one of them asked. "Where's the commander?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"You bastard!" Sieghard spat, swinging wildly. He knew he was going to die. He knew it and he didn't care. All he cared about was that he kill the monster in front of him before he did. Kill it. Cripple it. Cut off an arm. Anything.

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(1d100)[68] Terror recovery

All out swift attack. Probably only have one round no matter what I do.
(1d100)[54]
(2d10)[10][2](12)

(1d100)[11]
(2d10)[10][6](16)

(1d100)[40]
(2d10)[6][5](11)

[LCP]

The vampire flitted out of the path of Sieghard's first blow, moving with preternatural speed. Whirling after it with an energy born of desperation, Sieghard struck at it again, the point of his halberd scoring down the side of the creature's cheek. Grey flesh tore like dry paper, revealing the white bone of the creature's skull beneath. The creature reeled, a single drop of black, brackish blood falling to the floor beneath it.

Screaming, Sieghard drew back the halberd for another swing. Before he could bring it down, the thing before him dissolved into a maelstrom of whirling, black smoke. The darkness enveloped him, filling his nose with the scent of dust and incense.

As quickly as it had appeared, the smoke began to contract, coalescing into a new shape. What stood before him no longer wore the shape of a man: instead, it took the form of an enormous, coal-black jackal. Only its eyes remained the same, burning red through the shadows of the burning house.

Sieghard swung for it, but the creature was too fast. It sprang out of the path of the descending halberd, reaching the lip of the open window in one long bound and leaping into the dark.

~

Out in the alley, Adelbert heard a clattering rain of tiles behind him. Looking up, he hoped to see his friends making their escape - instead, he saw the gigantic hound poised on the kitchen roof, silhouetted against the green orb of the Chaos Moon. The militiamen yelped and swore, recoiling in fear as the jackal turned its blazing eyes towards them. It was foolish to read expressions on that canine face, but Adelbert could have sworn it seemed to recognise him.

Another moment and it was gone, leaping down off the roof and out of sight. Behind it, the house was burning merrily. flames licking out to brush the walls of its neighbours...

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Combat time is concluded! Klammy and the vampire have both left control range, so the zombies on the lower floor have collapsed like puppets - though no PC currently has that information IC (with AK (Necromancy) Adelbert might be able to figure it out).

[RossN]

Adelbert

All that for nothing... Adelbert reflected bitterly as the vampire escaped.

With an effort he dragged himself back to the fire. 'Your commander and comrades are in there! One of you run to the hospital and get a healer, the rest help me put this fire out.'

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How far away is the river or any wells?
Are bucket chains viable?

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

The adrenaline drained from Sieghard as quickly as it had overcome him. They may have won, but it certainly didn't feel like it.

"You still with me, Ludo?" he asked, deflated. He began to move the wounded into the other room. He didn't know how he would get them out of the building, but until he figured that out, he could at least move them further from the flames.

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Keep in mind there's tons of neighbors who probably don't want the fire spreading that you can press into helping.

[LeSwordfish]

"Can't move but still alive." Ludo said, his voice hoarse with smoke. "What happened to Elsa? Is she..."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"She's not moving," Sieghard replied with a pained expression, "And she's lost a lot of blood." Stupid, stubborn, brave, reckless, selfish, incredible, idiot woman. He had to keep it together - he was the only one who could get the others out. There would be time for grief later. He made his way to the window and shouted. "Is anyone there!? There's people stuck in here who need help! Can anyone hear me!?"

[RossN]

Adelbert

'Sieghard?' Adelbert called back in disbelief. 'Hold on - we're getting help!'

He turned back to the soldiers. 'You heard your commander - we've got to put that fire out now.'

[LCP]

One of the halberdiers took off running for the hospital at Adelbert's command, glad to be headed anywhere with fewer fires and daemon dogs. The others followed him to the front of the building, gawping up at Sieghard leaning out of the window. It was a long drop from this side of the house, around seven yards from the window to the street. Curling threads of smoke were already beginning to leak out of the windows on this side too.

Two of the militiamen grabbed a nearby water-butt, charging in through the front door to dash its contents against the flames now engulfing the stairs - but it was much too little to have an effect. This was not some cooking mishap, this was a battle conjuration of the Bright College, and after months without rain the creaky buildings of the Old Town were tinder-dry. Townspeople were pouring out of the houses to either side, yelling and babbling in alarm. Some carried blankets or pitchers of water, but it looked far from enough to stop the blaze.

Inside the house, Sieghard had found the surviving halberdier, shaking the grey and blasted body of his erstwhile comrade in a futile attempt to wake him. Grabbing him by the shoulder, Sieghard pulled him back into the drawing room to retrieve the others. They carried Elsa and Ludo through first; by the time they returned for the third of the militia, the smoke was so thick that they were both coughing and spluttering. Questing fingers of fire were crawling along the ceiling from the doorway, their hungry crackle louder than the shouts from outside...

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert cursed in Classical. He was not overly familiar with fires but even he could see the building was a lost cause.

'Grab the sturdiest blankets you can find. We'll try and catch them as they get out the window.'

Looking out he called up: 'Sieghard you and the others will have to jump!'

[LeSwordfish]

"Oh of course." Ludo said. The last vestiges of the blessing of courage were still with him, and though his broken bones were grinding together and his voice was hoarse, he could still see the funny side. "Put me down, I'll do a backflip."

[LCP]

Blankets at least they could find. The militia and a few sufficiently concerned citizens hared off in search of them, returning after a few minutes with a large blanket carried between them. They stretched it out beneath Sieghard's window even as the door to the landing collapsed in a cloud of embers, the hungry flames licking through...

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The blanket seems like a pretty solid idea to me - I can't think of any test I want to enforce that wouldn't just be needless dice rolling. If you guys want to make the jump/be thrown you can do it automatically. For Sieghard in his plate armour I might roll a Strength test for the blanket-holders to see if they can hold onto the blanket when he hits.

[LeSwordfish]

"Elsa first," Ludo urged. "Get her to the shallyans."

[-Sentinel-]

The semi-conscious Elsa was only vaguely aware that someone was talking about her. She mumbled something incomprehensible, tried to shift to a more comfortable position, and moaned in pain from her severely mangled left arm.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"There's one more thing I want to grab if there's time," Sieghard told Ludo and the halberdier, "Shout if they're ready before I'm back." It was a risk, but he headed back into the room where they had fought and dragged Udolf's corpse back to the window.

Once the men below were in position with their blanket, he and the halberdier began tossing the others to safety.

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If it takes a few minutes, then Sieghard should easily have time to grab Udolf. I'm hoping that his remains can be used to make Lady Sforza actually begin to take this seriously. Maybe the priests could learn something by examining him as well.

In any case, it's a lower priority than the escape. Elsa, Ludo, the alive but helpless halberdier, the conscious halberdier out of the burning building in that order. If there's time, Sieghard will toss the dead halberdier and Udolf down as well before jumping out himself. If the men below do have to roll strength and fail, will the blanket at least cushion part of the impact? I realize I could just use the time that they need to get the blanket to just take the armor off, but if I can use that time to get Udolf instead, I'll take the risk of leaving it on.

[LCP]

Heading back for Udolf through the door he had broken, Sieghard was greeted by a wall of heat and choking smoke. Orange flames were crackling over half the room, little rivulets of fire reaching out towards where Udolf had fallen. Face burning, eyes stinging, Sieghard could just about make out the dead man's body, still lying where it had fallen.

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Can I get a Toughness test to see if Sieghard can stand the heat?

I'm about to hop on a plane to Gatwick and then back to Chicago. Got a long wait at the airport so I should be able to post a bit in between the two, but just letting you guys know about the change of timezone.

Covering his face, Sieghard rushed over to the corpse, hastily picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder. Running back to the relative safety of the next room, he and the militia began carefully dropping the wounded to the safety of the blanket below. Behind him, the flames were creeping through the open doorway, crackling along the seams between the floorboards.

They pitched Udolf's body out last, followed by the halberdier and finally Sieghard himself. When his armoured weight hit the blanket, one of the men holding it lost his grip, and Sieghard spilled onto the hard dirt of the street with a pained curse.

"Here, commander," said another, stooping over Udolf with a look of apprehensive curiosity. "This one of ours?"

Behind them, there was a crash and a roar of flame as a part of the roof fell in, towards the back of the house. Flames were licking up higher than the chimneytops, and small fires were already spreading to the neighbouring houses as the alleyway around them quickly filled with panicked, half-dressed people.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Theirs," Sieghard replied curtly as he got to his feet, "The only one who didn't get away. Watch him and if he starts moving again, stop him."

"I doubt there's any stopping that one from burning at this point," he continued. "Worry about keeping it from spreading to the other buildings. Hack apart and pull down parts of the homes next to it if you have to, just keep it contained."

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(1d100)[23] vs 54 Command to try to keep this organized. Sieghard is also going to be ordering around the people who live nearby - it's their homes, they're going to help save them.

[LCP]

The halberdier looked baffled at Sieghard's instruction to stop Udolf from getting up. Looking down at the sooty, hacked-up body at his feet, he very slowly gave it a very careful nudge.

Sieghard's dramatic entrance and authoritative air quickly corralled most of the able-bodied inhabitants of Sundial Passage into helping control the flames, but they were short on water, and short on tools. Even as the militiamen tried to use their polearms to pull down smouldering tiles from the neighbouring roofs, glowing embers were drifting on the hot wind rising from the main blaze, kindling new fires wherever they settled on something that would burn. With the houses overhanging the alley so far that in some places their eaves almost touched, the fire didn't have far to jump.

Two more houses were ablaze by the time Adelbert's militiaman returned with the Shallyans, with a third, fourth and fifth beginning to smoulder as their inhabitants frantically tried to hold back the fire. Kneeling by Elsa's side, Sister Ioana looked wide-eyed at the shreds of the wizardess' arm, holding her hand over her heart and murmuring a prayer to her goddess. Feeling Elsa's feeble pulse, she quickened her movements as she realised her patient was still alive.

"Her shoulder is out of joint," she said, beckoning her young initiates forward. "We have to push it back in. Hold her steady." The white-robed girls took hold of Elsa, who murmured incoherently. Rolling up her sleeves, Ioana took hold of the mangled arm and pushed it firmly back into place. Elsa came to with a scream of pain.

There was a rending crash as the rest of the roof of Klammenberg's house fell in, sending burning tiles raining down into the alley. Looking up at the roaring flames, Ioana gestured urgently for her initiates to carry Elsa back.

"We have to get these people to the hospital!" she shouted to Sieghard, trying to make herself heard over the pandemonium. "Can you spare any of your soldiers?"

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It's a good Command check from Sieghard and it allows him to whip the locals into line and stall the fire, but in these conditions you're going to need a lot more people and resources to actually put it out.

Things you're gonna need:

• A bucket chain all the way to the river, and enough buckets to make it work.
• Enough axes and fire hooks to pull down the most flammable parts of the neighbouring buildings faster than the fire can spread.
• Enough people to do both those things. Currently you've got about 10 soldiers and 50-60 civilians; you're going to need several times that number, and the longer the fire has to spread, the faster the manpower requirements will grow.

Obviously this requires a fair bit of running about and coordinating people. 1 PC can coordinate 1 of the above tasks, using Command or any other appropriate skill; one person trying to do two is going to lose enough time and efficiency to make it an automatic failure. You can delegate the coordination of tasks to NPCs, but of course they don't necessarily have the same nice stats and Fortune Points that PCs have (and your choice of NPC to delegate to could matter).

Now would definitely be a good time for Urgrim to show up. The good news is that at least it's not a windy night!

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert found that he could walk. He took one long look at the fire before turning to Sieghard: 'I'm going to the Temple to try and bring back as much help as I can.'

Fighting his exhaustion and lingering pain the priest ran off (or loped off) in the direction of the Temple, making a beeline for the first senior priest or priestess he could see: 'Brothers! There is a terrible fire in Sundial Passage, and if it keeps going it will burn this entire city to ash! Everyone who can move follow me to help - and grab every bucket you can!'

At least given the endless hours the initiates spent in scrubbing floors buckets should be available here.

[-Sentinel-]

Rolling up her sleeves, Ioana took hold of the mangled arm and pushed it firmly back into place. Elsa came to with a scream of pain.

Now that she was awake, Elsa had to fight hard to keep herself from passing out again from the pain. How long had she been unconscious? How had she ended up in the street? How were Sieghard and Adelbert and Ludo? Were Klammenberg and the vampire dead? She had many questions on her lips, but the people around her seemed too harried to be paying her much attention, save for the Shallyans, who were not here for conversation.

Not far from there, Klammenberg's house had become an inferno, and other buildings were catching on fire fast.

Oh. Oh, dear.

I'm in so much trouble.

Almost as an afterthought, she willed her wall of flames to go out. Not that it made much of a difference at this point, but it was not as if there were anything else she could do. Some things were beyond the ability of magic. Some things could only be accomplished by brave, hard-working men and women giving their all.

Her left arm was growing numb, as if all the nerves had burned themselves out.

She called Morrslieb to her side, and gave him a gentle pet on the head with her good hand when he landed. If she was going to die, she wanted him close.

He'll probably be pecking at me before my body grows cold.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard gave the priestess a funny look. Does it look like I have men to spare right now? "Norville, go with them," he grumbled, "Find a cart to help move the wounded."

"Roth we need more axes if we're going to make a firebreak," Sieghard said. "Plenty of weapon and tool shops in town - Take who you need and gather what you can. The owners can have 'em back when the fire's out. I'm gonna try to round up some more bodies." He glanced back towards the flames. "We'll need them."

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(1d100)[74] vs 54 Command.

Almost as an afterthought, she willed her wall of flames to go out. Not that it made much of a difference at this point, but it was not as if there were anything else she could do. Some things were beyond the ability of magic. Some things could only be accomplished by brave, hard-working men and women giving their all.

The magical part should already be out by then. Since Elsa's magic was reduced, the curtain only had a 2 minute duration. Definitely took that to get Sieghard and everyone out of the building and to fetch the priestesses.

[Thragka]

Urgrim

"That was a good tale," he offered - high praise from another dwarf.

"Thank you," Urgrim said with a firm nod. "It's not finished yet, but I'm glad I got to share what I have so far."

Urgrim passed a happy time in the Dwimmulhold as the celebrations continued. After the shock of tasting real Bugman's, he stayed off alcohol for the rest of the evening; his emotions were unsteady, after the thrill of the recital, and he knew himself well enough not to do anything foolish. There were so many other sights and sounds and tastes to take in at the festival, that although not drinking was unusual, it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself ...

~

Merry and even a little intoxicated by biological mechanisms other than alcohol, the ranger was rosy-cheeked as he departed the gates of the hold some hours later, profusely thanking the unlucky sods still on guard duty as he passed out under the darkening sky. It was twilight; the sun had set, but the dome of heaven was still bright - much brighter than the caverns of the hold anyway. Humming as he loped, Urgrim cast his eyes upwards. Unlike most of his kin, he had a fondness for the jewellery of the stars in the night sky. At this hour, maybe on the horizon -

A dark column occluded the warm pallet of the dusk. Nebulous clouds of smoke were rising, the unmistakable dun of wood combusting. The ranger's gaze snapped down to the town below. There was a star, shimmering as beautifully as any in the sky - but such scintillation on the earth spelled doom for those caught near the raw, agonising beauty of the conflagration ...

"The city is burning," Urgrim said to himself, astonished. Then he spun on his heels and began running back to the gate of the Dwimmulhold, yelling and waving to the gate guards. "The city is burning! Zhufund is burning!" His heart rose in his throat as he realised that, lacking the perspective from the Rock, the umgi population would have no warning of how vast the fire could get in this dry heat until it raged around them. "We've got to help them!"

Leaving the guards to see and understand what he had seen and understood, Urgrim raced back down through the Dwimmulhold, down to the feast-hall. "Zhufund is burning!" Stumbling back into the celebrations, faces turned to him in amusement. Did they think this was another performance? "Zhufund is burning now." He looked to the high table. "It will be ashes by morning if the fire can't be stopped!"

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After delivering this message, Urgrim will make for the fire, hoping to have clansmen at his back to help. It's up to the gods how early he spotted the fire, and how quickly he can find the party.

[LCP]

Hurrying to help the Shallyans, Norville slung Elsa over his shoulder, doing his best way to ignore the way Morrslieb cawed and flapped around his head. Picking the rest of the wounded up between them, the Shallyans headed west for the hospital. Looking up at the fire, Sieghard had the feeling more people would be needing their services before this night was out.

~

Adelbert's shouting shattered the restful quiet of the temple, bringing priests and initiates stumbling sleepy-eyed to the main hall. Liebrecht's eyes widened as he reached the open door, and saw the fierce orange light flickering over the rooftops of the Old Town.

"What are you waiting for?" he demanded, rounding on his shaven-headed initiates. "Buckets! Quickly!" He cuffed the nearest gawping novice around the ear to lend them urgency. "Besnik, ring the bells. Wake the city!"

The long-faced boy turned and scampered for the stairs, while the others scattered in search of buckets. Appearing from the back in a baggy woolen nightdress, Jocasta pushed through them, stopping on the threshold with eyes as wide as saucers.

"That's the biggest fire I've ever seen," she breathed.

"It's going to get a lot bigger if we don't hurry," said Liebrecht, following hard on Adelbert's heels. "Come on!"

~

Rising a from their benches, a good number of Dwimmulsons followed Urgrim back up into the open air, some of the more unsteady on their feet shouting for him to slow down. Packing the ledge outside the gates of the hold, they jostled to peer down at the line of fire that was spreading in the dark beneath them. Over on the temple mound, bells were beginning to ring, their mournful sound carrying on the still night air.

"That's manling workmanship for you," volunteered one. "Nothing but matchsticks and kindling."
"We should leave them to it," said another. "It's their town."
"Did you knock your head on the way up, Hargun? I've got customers down there!"

Their bickering was cut short as they one of them noticed Urgrim already haring off down the winding path that led to the low town. "Hey!" they shouted after him, "Jotunnsson! Wait for us!"

~

By the time Adelbert returned to the scene, Sieghard's firefighters had been forced to retreat from Sundial Passage, the whole alleyway now a raging wall of fire. Fires were spreading north and south down Tower Street, the drifting curtain of smoke they sent up shedding embers over the roofs of the Old Town to the east. The old minaret loomed up through the billowing fumes, a black needle against the moons.

The arrival of the priests was a welcome sight, both for the presence of the priests themselves, and the mob of concerned citizens that followed after them. Jocasta pulled Bertelis back as he ran forwards to gawp at the flames, the boy's arms loaded with buckets. There was still no sign of Roth - but as Sieghard wiped the soot from his eyes, his ears caught a strain of something strange over the crackle of the fire. It sounded like... singing?

Sure enough, around the corner of Tower Street and Half Moon Alley appeared a couple of dozen dwarfs, Urgrim in the lead. They approached at a steady jog, singing either a drinking song or a marching song in their own guttural language - or, knowing dwarfs, both.

Coming to a halt at Sieghard's position, they took a moment to recuperate, some of them clutching at stitches they had developed on the long run down. They were attired for a feast, not for war, but Sieghard noticed they were still not short of axes.

"So," said one - through the dark and the smoke, Sieghard took a moment to realise it was the smith who had forged his sword. "Who forgot to put out their candles?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Most people Sieghard would've ignored, but after the fine work the dwarf had done on his sword and given the dwarfs unexpected arrival to help with the fire, he felt that he had to give some answer. "A murderer called Klammenberg is responsible for it," he lied. No matter how angry he might be at Elsa for her recklessness, he wouldn't throw her to the wolves, "If you want the full story, it'll have to wait til the fire's dealt with." And until I've come up with one...

Spoiler

Show

Sieghard will work to get the new arrivals organized. Priests and tag-alongs into a bucket chain. Dwarfs joining the soldiers in creating a firebreak since they brought axes and I doubt they care to let any umgi touch them. Do you want anothe roll or was the organizing roll from before sufficient to handle this as well?

If Roth hasn't shown himself by the time the new arrivals are doing what they need to be, Sieghard will go after him.