Fire on the northern farms - RPLOG

Participants

• Cara
• Fenris
• Kilani
• Lyas
• Shira

Date

22/7/479

Log

When the Freeswords finally arrive at the farms, it quickly becomes clear that they are too late. The farm closest to them, a big one that even has a small windmill of its own is burning brightly. So are the corn fields surrounding it. The fire is going strong and a stiff breeze is both fanning it and spreading it in the direction of other nearby farms. That being as it is, two more, smaller farms a good bit away seem to be burning as well, however the fires seem newer as they have yet to engulf the two buildings completely.

"Bleeding hells on fire," Fenris growls. This is not what he had planned for on his rounds to the farms tonight. The tiger speeds along the road, tucking his ornate pendant under the collar of his unusual uniform with practiced ease as his silvery otter golem zig zags along behind him, keeping pace. As soon as he is in range, he stops, focusing all his concentration into killing the fires in the cornfields. "Go ahead!" he shouts to any other responders, "I'll catch up after i take care of this." He does his best to redirect the winds, depriving the flames of their motivating force and trying to gather what moisture he can to dampen down the inferno.

Lyas stops short at the sight of the three blazing buildings. "well, fuck," he says ruefully, tugging at a frayed seam on his glove. "Thought we'd be lookin' at thieves, not arson." It seems a shame to burn perfectly good farmhouses. "Mayhap they'll have looted them first?" he wonders aloud, tail flicking as he advances, one hand to his sword. Nodding to Fenris, the cat slips past, heading towards the least-damaged of the houses. He pays more attention to the shadows around the area than the burning spectacle: it could be that the arsonists stayed to watch. "Anyone in there?" he calls experimentally, to the houses in general.

Taking her preferred entrance, that is, through the air, Kilani soars through the sky, taking stock of the area. She ntoes that the largest fire is probably a lost cause, and thus would be hard to stop from burning, and, so, instead, she decides to soar for one of the two smaller farms, reasoning that they'd be much easier to put out, especially with only the downdraft from her wings.

Cara dashes directly over to Fenris and she stands next to him. She can see that he is attempting to redirect the winds, so she decides to the same. She glances over to him as she attempts to unleash a breeze that would help redirect the winds, "Sorry for being late."

The combine magic of Cara and Fenris seems to have an effect, containing the fire to the farmhouse, while the fire that was threatening to destroy the harvest is mostly contained by the two mages. Kilani and Lyas arrive at a second house, where the fire seems to have been started rather recently. The feline's calling is answered by the screaming voice of a woman and the cries of a child, who come bursting through the front door only seconds later.

"I said GO!" Fenris shouts, "There are people in the HOUSES, not here! Get moving!" The tiger flexes his water magic muscles once more, now that the fire is somewhat contained, to reach out to the irrigation canals, hoping that they have not yet been emptied for the year, to drown the flames as best he can before dashing to the burning farmhouse, fiddling with something at his neck as he runs.

Lyas jogs up to the door as the farmhouse's frantic occupants bursts from within. Catching the woman by the arm and the child by the collar as they go to run past, the cat cajoles, "Here, hold on. In a sec you can run over to-" he looks around, suddenly aware that there is no safe spot for the frightened beings to shelter, not if there are arsonists still around looking to do them harm. "Uh, you can run over to... him-" here he points towards Fenris, a pillar of stability, still concentrating on his mathemagic. "-But first, anyone else in these places? Or anyone watchin' to see you don't make it out?"

Kilani notes that Lyas has this one covered. She looks over to the third house, presumably the smallest of the three fires, and begins to soar over to that one, wings tilting and turning to carry her with the currents of the wind, trying to keep a sharp eye out for any of the arsonists who may still be lingering about.

Cara nods and immediately dahses off to the nearest burning house. As she continues to rush through, the noxious smoke is beginning to wear on her nerves. She continues to dash over to the third house. She immediately dashes to the door and she attempts to use her air magic to put out the fire with a strong enough wind.

Fenris brings the fire under control with a mighty assault of water, however the victory is kinda diminished by the fact that the building is completely burned out and that the wooden support beams have fallen, taking much of the first floor and the roof down with them. The woman, a badger, shakes her head at Lyas, coughing as she tries to speak. Seems nobody is still in there, but the fire is quickly spreading and threatening to consume house and crops. Cara and Kilani are both on their way to the remaining house, it is probably the second one to be set on fire, judging by the fact that the house is completely burning, but the crops remain untouched so far. Cara's burst of air is not terribly effective at putting the fire out, but frees a bit of a passage deeper into the building, from where crying can be heard. Kilani, on her way to the building, does manage to spot a cloaked figure, ducking through the crops bellow.

Fenris does not wait for an invitation or to explain himself. He only slaps something on his belt and charges down the passage that Cara has opened toward the sound of the crying. As he leaps into the flames, a slightly shimmering bubble wraps around him. Hopefully it will last long enough. . .

As Cara's gust of wind clears a passage into the nearby house, Lyas starts in that direction, but is surprised to find himself over taken by Fenris, moving in a great burst of speed. "Woah!" he exclaims, raising an eyebrow as the tiger speeds past. "Well, rather you riskin' your fur than me." Hesitating on the spot, he glances around the surroundings, taking in the immediate vicinity before his gaze is drawn back to the singed duo. Guiltily aware that the bastion he has earlier pointed out has now moved, he shrugs and waves them over to a clear patch, one that he hopes is unlikely to catch alight. "Stay there," he instructs, drawing his blade and padding forwards a few steps - close enough to provide a protective presence, but far enough to give himself room to move.

Spotting the fleeing figure, Kilani tucks her wings in just a tiny amount, taking her into a dive towards the being. She has a destination to go to, yes, the other farm, but who said a gryphon couldn't multitask? She bares out her forelegs' talons, making small adjustments during her approach, as she's aiming to catch the being up by the shoulder blades, thus disarming them and actually picking them up to carry them to where she's going to go. That being, the third farm.

Cara looks at the house in front of her that is currently burning and the house that is burning miles away. She grits her teeth as she notices the smoke from the second house is still there. The feline is completely unable to keep up her composure and she stomps the ground with one foot before turning to the house in front of her and concentrating on making a wind current that could extinguish the fire. Sadly, someone is going to be homeless from the fires.

Fenris' shield withstands the flames long enough for him to find a crying mouse girl, she could not be older than two years old, cowering in a corner, next to the lifeless bodies of two older mice, one male, one female. Just as he reaches the crying toddler, the shield gives in. Lucky for the Tiger, the other Tiger manages to keep the flames at bay with her air magic and the path free for now. The badgers follow Lyas' lead and stay where they are told to. As Kilani swoops at the cloaked being, she is surprised to find a strong hand close around one of her ankles and pull, even throw, her to the ground, before drawing a short sword.

"Come on, Sweetheart," Fenris says, scooping up the little girl and wrapping her up in his huge arms before charging out of the burning home. "The house is a loss," he tells Cara, "Just keep it contained! Don't let it spread to the fields." Then, toddler still in his arms, he charges off toward the last house. "Is there anyone still inside?" he calls out to the singed badgers. His little golem still bobs and weaves behind him, since he has given it no specific instructions as of yet.

Eyes scanning the scene before him - but with no useful input to make in containing the fires - Lyas sees Kilani being thrown by a cloaked being. Swearing, he abandons his position by the badgers and runs towards the bat and her opponent, blade up and ready to block any attacks made to the prone Freesword.

Tuck and roll! Tuck and roll! Kilani draws her wings in close, trying to use momentum to her advantage and bring her back into a standing point, utilizing her claws to increase friction against the ground to bring the slide to a halt. She tosses her wings out to full length again, raising her wings up, throwing them down, and lunging for the being, claws outstretched. They could definitely take a hit or two from that puny sword, if it came to that.

Cara grits her teeth as she proceeds to attempt to redirect the flames away from the fields. In her attempt to redirect the flames, she manages to spot Fenris running out with the little mouse girl. She calls to Fenris as both of her hands are covered in a green glow, "I'll try to keep the flames contained, but please hurry!"

The hooded and cloaked being is faced with two opponents and draws a second weapon, probably expecting to only have to finish off

The hooded and cloaked being is faced with two opponents and draws a second weapon, probably expecting to only have to finish off Kilani before. He easily evades the strike directed at him and slashes at Kilani with one of his swords, giving her a cut on the left hind leg. His other weapon lashes out at the cat that arrived to help and is dodged. The badgers shake their heads at Fenris and the mother was about to say something as her eyes fall upon the neighbour's daughter and her hands claps over her mouth in shock as she realizes why the parents are not here. Cara finally loses control of the flames as her concentration slipped slightly, which in turn let the flames reach the fields.

Fenris swears under his breath as he notices Cara losing control, but there is no time to go back. "Take care of her," the tiger commands the badger woman, "I will be back." He raises a hand once more to his pendant, fiddling with the crystals there. And here he had expected a reconnasence mission.

Sidestepping the strike aimed at him, Lyas grins at his and Kilani's opponent, raising his blade to guard. This was far better than looking after a frightened farming family. "So, we wouldn't happen t' find matches on you if we searched, would we?" the cat asks, lunging forwards on the final word. His sweeping attack is aimed at the being's leg, looking to debilitate rather than kill.

Kilani appears severely displeased about the gash in her leg, but refuses to comment on it. Instead, she takes off towards the air, circling around and dive-attacking repeatedly, often circling around to attack the being's back rather than side or forward. If they take a swipe at her, she'll attempt to literally attack the sword with her claws, actually hoping to break the sword through cutting.

Cara nearly bites her tongue as she almost swears as well. Immediately, her hands glow a vivid green as she recounts the math needed to summon a wind that would be strong enough to immediately put out the flames. As she focuses, she attempts to unleash a large gust of wind opposite the direction that the fire is spreading to force the flame out.

Shira The fire Cara is targeting, does, in fact, go out, but a lot of damage is already done. Meanwhile, a deep, booming chuckle escapes the cloaked fighter. "I would say not." That is all the warning Lyas and Kilani get before he points a sword at them, summoning a fan of fire at the duo, who thankfully both manage to leap out of the way, Lyas simply to the sie and Kilani higher, one of them has a few singed feathers though. The flames obviously spread to the crops the fight was happening in, creating a whole new problem for the group and a distraction for the being to attempt an escape.

Fenris leaves the attacker to the others for now, focusing his attention on the burning home. He moves his hands in wide, swooping loops in the air, patterns of a water kevinscope, summoning the water from the irrigation canals to spray over the house and field. And possibly the ongoing fight if luck permits.

Rolling to the side, Lyas manages to dodge under the fan of flames and comes up ready to attack again. The WHOOMPH of burning fields behind him makes the cat hesitate, turning enough to feel the scorching heat on his face; but that's someone else's problem. Ears flicking in agitation but still grinning, the feline focusses on the being before him. Feinting with his sword-arm, he unhooks a bolas from his belt and slings it at the figure's feet, trying to prevent an escape.

Fire. Can't be helped. Any effort she could make to put it out would be futile. She reasons that melee attacks are useless, due to the figure's swordsmanship, and, so, circles and swoops around to pick Lyas up by his shirt, figuring that he could still use whatever ranged weaponry he had while she was close enough to the ground. Hot pursuit!

Cara immediately attempts to put out the next fire along with Fenris. After all, if both of them work together, than this should be easy to handle. As her hands glow and she attempts to unleash wind to control the flame, she wonders who would start this fire in the first place.

The fire engulfing the last of the houses is put out, but the building, having gone so long without attention, is completely destroyed, the same goes for about half of the surrounding fields. Meanwhile, the arsonist is all but gone, successfully having used fire and smoke as cover for his getaway from the horrifying combination of cat, eagle and another cat that soars through the sky.

Fenris sags, exhausted from all the fast and dirty magic. The tiger frowns at the decimated farm houses and the charred fields and drags himself back to the badger wman and the two girls. "Where is everyone?" he asks wearily, raising his hands for one last push, to drag the irrigation water through the flaming field. "There should have been a water chain up in moments! Where are the farmers?"

Though well-intentioned, Kilani's tactical maneuver of picking up Lyas only aids the villain's escape, as the cat reacts badly to his feet suddenly being jerked from the ground. "What the fuck!" he yelps, turning to smash his elbow backwards into Kilani's face. The maniacal grin he bore throughout the fight is gone in an instant, as his tail fluffs to three times its ordinary size. Flying, it would seem, is not a preferred activity of this feline.

Kilani clutches her claws together in deep surprise, surely not doing good things to the cat's shoulder muscles. She then proceeds to drop Lyas, quickly, about five meters from the ground, wings swiping up and down quickly to regain altitude and hunt for the fugitive. The gryphon didn't have -time- to deal with the cat, and, though it's a strategic disadvantage, she'll continue trying to hunt from above.

Cara glares at the field that is somehow still on fire and she groans, "This is getting ridiculous! I thought we had two other people to help out with this!" She grits her teeth and attempts to use one last burst of air magic to aid in snuffing out the rest of the fire.

The fires are finally all put out, but there have been substantial losses in harvest and buildings and even a few lives. The badgers just shake their heads at Fenris, too strongly under shock from the traumatic experience they went through to say much, but he eventually gathers that most farmers from this area went to the city to sell some produce and that is why there are only so few around right now. The arsonist has completely vanished and seems to have gotten away with his crimes.

Fenris sits down hard on the ground beside the poor woman and the two children and gathers the little mouse girl into his arms. "Come here, Sweetheart," he says gently, "You and I are going to have to go on a bit of a trip." The tiger fishes inside of his uniform and produces a small, but heavy pouch, which he passes to the badger. "It is not enough to replace everything," he says, "But it will be a start. Call on the DSU at the Solacious compound when you are ready to rebuild. They will provide all the grunt work you need." The tiger looks exhausted. And he still has to find out who did this and why. And see to it that this little girl has a safe place to stay. It is going to be a long, long day.

Released from the gryphon's steely grip, Lyas falls and lands poorly. The close proximity of the ground prevents the rattled cat from getting his wits about himself in time to avoid a jarring impact, his arm half-twisted under his body. Stunned, the pain takes a few moments to register, as the feline shakily scrambles into a sitting position, cradling the injured limb. This job will be taking its toll in medical costs.

Circling around in the sky, the gryphon seems thoroughly disappointed that the culprit is nowhere to be found, angling her wings to the side to gain altitude and survey the damage, making small notes on what to report back to the freeswords when the time comes. She coasts over each of the ruined houses, trying to take note of how much crown in damage the arsonist had caused.

Fenris spends 2000 Crown to: Farm Damages

Cara looks into her coat pocket as she walks over to the trio that managed to survive. She looks into their eyes and drops a pouch directly on the ground. It contains crowns as well and she responds, "I know this will not be enough for make up for my failure, but use this money to pay for living expenses as well." She glances toward the large tiger and sighs, "I'll go find the other two." From there, she walks off into the forest and she manages to find Lyas sitting down, cradling his broken arm. She looks down at him and sighs, "I'll go get Fenris immediately. He is probably more trained in handling an injured person." Then she rushes off to Fenris in order to tell him of Lyas's location.

Cara spends 3000 Crown to: The survivor's living expenses.

Cara spends 3000 Crown to: The survivors' living expenses.