Wildcard - Playing the Game - RPLOG
Participants
Date
6/7/479
Log
Crowds mill around on both sides of the great bridge connecting the east and west sides of Firmament. Two walls of black clad and black colored heavy clanners block the bridge on each side, while on the raised middle of the wide bridge, a scrawny, black hyena stands over a kneeling being in priestly robes with a black bag over his head. Is this some kind of show? Seems kind of rude to block of traffic for it.
Kilani soars relatively high overhead, as trying to navigate that crowd on foot would only end badly if she was trying to actually, y'know, see anything. Upon seeing that someone is actually going to talk (can't hear from up there), the gryphon makes an approach down to the ground, slowing herself as to not actually crush anybody, but hopefully enough people would note that a large creature trying to land was probably not something to stand underneath.
Kazel sticks out of the crowd in her gear like a...person who really sticks out. She had just come back from a "hunting trip" when it formed and decided to stay and see what the fuss is about. Her ventail is resting on the part of her helmet that covers her forehead and she squints at the hyena.
Fliers are uncommon in Firmament, but not unheard of and the milling crowd squeezes aside to allow the huge gryphon a landing spot not too far from the bridge and near the pillar of metal that is Kazel.
Up on the bridge the Hyena grins and waves at the milling crowd. He does not seem especially concerned with the grumbling of city folk forced to find another bridge to cross. "Good beings of Firmament!" he calls out, and somehow his voice is amplified, washing over the throng to everyone's great surprise, "I am here to bring the justice you have so long craved!" The Hyena struts around the bound priest beside him. "This being," he says, "This priest of our great Creators is accused of corruption and found guilty by the most illustrious Wildcard court! And we are here to make an example!"
"Wildcard court?" Kilani mutters semi-quietly to herself, tucking her wings in flat against her sides so beings can file past the tall gryphon. "I don't recall them being mentioned. And, last time I checked, killing beings without permission was a big no-no." She peers up at the hyena some more, apparently locked in a fierce internal debate.
Kazel raises her eyebrows. This seemed weird. Her eyes flow across the crowd to see if any guards or other officials are around like an execution would usually have. Would some anarchist bandits or whatever these guys are really have the nerve to kill someone with dozens of witnesses in the middle of the city? The bat slowly but surely makes her way towards the front of the crowd, just in case.
Zuri turns the corner into the main concourse, having just come down from the Maritime District. The small salamander plops down the heavy bundle he's carrying as he looks around in confusion at the larger-than-usual crowd. "Huh.." From this point he can just about see the black-clad heavy clanners, but is too far away to hear anything properly. He smiles as he spots Kazel in the middle of the crowd, standing out like a beacon. He grabs his bag again and starts to worm his way through the throng of beings, making ample use of his small stature and slender frame to cross the forest of beings until he surfaces near his friend. "Hi Kazel!" He tries to peek between two beings in front of him, trying to have a look at the bridge and those blocking it. "What's going on?"
Rokarion was idly sauntering towards the bridge, arriving from the direction of the academy, before he stopped at the commotion. Setting a book that he borrowed back in his pack, the plant being moved towards the bridge, curious about who was exactly clogging the bridge today, can't be another drunk Solacious.
Having helped herself to the front of the crowd by virtue of size and flight, Cassidy had invited herself to a front row seat of the incident. "And what kind of justice are you thugs doling out, hmm? I don't recall anyone ever asking a bunch of crooks to go pretending to be something better than crooks. Higher than dust."
Perhaps all this wasn't so poorly planned as Kazel might think. It is hard to move through the crowd. Not because people don't want to move aside for a huge, metallic juggernaut, but because there does not seem to be anywhere to go except into the rushing water of the Sweetwater River. In the distance a number of beings in guard uniforms are floundering through the crowd, though it does not look as though they will arrive in time to help the being with the bag on his head.
The hyena roughly tears away the bag and an elderly ape, all silver haired glares up at him. "You won't get away with this, Joker," he growls. It seems like he would say more, but the hyena gives him a rough kick to the midsection. "It's Wildcard now, old man," he says, still grinning, "And I have already gotten away with it. You are the one about to answer for his crimes." The hyena turns and grins around at the crowd again. "For centuries, the church has squirreled away the greatest artifacts left to us by our forebearers!" he calls out, "Keeping from us the power that our ancestors and their creators wielded! That power should be in the hands of the people!" The black hyena raises an odd device in the air that is recognizeable to those in the know as a scorcher! "And now," he says, "Here it is, right where it belongs!"
A gigantic black bear, one of two blocking this side of the bridge turns a beady eye on Cassidy and only grunts, immobile and and uncommunicative as a stone.
Kilani considers this situation for a moment. This Wildcard fellow... sounds familiar. They did a raid not too long ago, right! So that priest is certainly in danger, one way or another. The only question is whether to actually do anything about it or not. The gryphon stretches her wings out, casually, mulling it over. On one hand, what does she have to gain, here? On the other hand... wouldn't the guards give out a reward or something like that? Crowns? Right, that settles it. She takes a leap into the air, batting her wings down hard to try to gain some altitude. As long as none of the fellows had arrows, she was fine...
Kazel nods at Zuri. "Zuri. Bad stuff I reckon." She shoves an elderly avian aside as she talks. "Think we would best intervene." The armored bat chews on her lip and nods to herself. Before continuing on her slow marsh through the crowd.
Zuri nods at Kazel. "Okies.." Still burdened by his heavy bag he follows in Kazel's shadow, his hand slipping into his jacket to retrieve his singular weapon, his dagger. He can't quite shove and push his way around like the bigger beings, but with Kazel to pave the way he makes decent progress.
Hearing some of the claims that were thrown around, the plant being decided to take a closer look. Wasting no time, the lithe youth began zig-zagging through the crowd attempting to reach the front row.
