Wildcard Bluff - RPLOG
Participants
Date
15/8/479
Log
Most people have cleared out of the main concourse, remembering what happened the last time the gangleader Wildcard made his appearance, leaving a contingent of guards and a scattering of freeswords to gaze up at what appears to be the disembodied head of a matte black hyena floating in the air. For the last 10 minutes, it has done nothing but grin and look around. Occasionally it looks like it is speaking or laughing, but there is no sound to accompany the apparition.
Zuri grips more tightly on the staff he's carrying. The small pegasus had just been doing his rounds and was soaring overhead when he spotted the familiar, giant head. No good news, for sure. He gently swoops down to a nearby street, and then approaches the main concourse quietly. He peeks around the area, remembering the wild stampede from the previous time and double-checking that noone is in danger before he steps up towards the gathering of freeswords, guards and other armed bystanders. He waves at the gathered as he steps up. "Hi.. what's going on? Anyone hurt?"
Cara is merely looking at the disembodied head of the hyena gang leader. She twitches for a second and begins to laugh as she removes her sabre from its sheath. Her smile practically grows as she looks up at the rather ridiculously grinning floating head. Soon, her laughter comes to a stop and she wipes a tear from left eye. She glances over to Zuri and grins as she holds her laughter back, "No, possibly the funniest member of the undead that I've scene in my life!"
Kurah exits the Freesword Inn to investigate the commotion, beady eyes wide at the peculiar spectacle. He looks to the small gathering and clears his throat. "... I am reasonably certain that this-" he gestures to the floating head, then looks to the laughing feline. "-is new. What... is going on out here?"
Angus sighs quietly as he adjusts the brim of his hat, having been awoken from a nap by a rather flightly guard with tales of a floating head. Of all the things to be panicing about, he had hoped it was more of a joke but the closer he gets to the main concourse the more he realizes the situation as he tightens the sling on his musket to keep it fom jostling in movement, squinting a little as he studies the image. "Don't see that everyday."
Cassidy was not feeling terribly sociable today. No crowds, no standing at the fore, ready to attack, no calling orders. Today, the fennec was off on a roof a few buildings over, by her lonesome, leaning on the edge of the building, her longbow propped next to her and a quiver on the other side. She'd be ready if she needed to be, but today she was simply observing from the distance, her feathered cap keeping the sun out of her eyes.
Lidara steps into the main concourse not too long after eveyone else, looking for the most part his usual self, he even still had his backpack on right now, though he did also grip a quarterstaff in his right hand. He had to come down here the moment that he heard about a floating head in the middle of the city of course, after all, who wouldn't have their curiosity piqued by that, and he had of course had also thought the entire thing was a joke.... But, here he is now, standing in the concourse and staring at a floating hyena head, his own slightly tilted to the side.
"Strangest bloody thing I've ever seen," the guard captain on duty says after saluting Angus, "And creepy as Hell. Hasn't done anything yet it just sits there an-"
The burly boar in uniform is interrupted by a sudden cackle of eerie laughter fills the square. "Is it on?" comes the familiar voice of Wildcard, "They can hear me now? Perfect!" The black hyena cackles again and grins wildly. "Hello again friends!" he says, eyes not really focused on anyone in particular, "It's been so long since I got to talk to the good people of Firmament! I'm here to give you another taste of the justice that has been so long absent in our fair city!" The floating image flickers and suddenly shows the hyena standing in the air beside the bound and gagged figure of a HIPPO in fine clothing!
Zuri nods at Cara. "It's unlikely we'll be able to beat it quite just by thacking it. But if last time was any indicator, they-" He pauses as the head begins to speak, the salamander not looking concerned until the image shifts to show a hippo, bound and gagged. Zuri, that sweetwater boy, born and raised in Firmament, gasps audibly. "Is.. is that one of the Goods? Is that a royal?" He looks around in a bit of a panic. "T-they wouldn't dare hurt him, would they?"
Cara's laughter immediately comes a slow, but sure halt. She turns her head slightly from the sudden sight of the Hippo in fine clothing being bound and gagged by a hyena. She turns to face Angus, Zuri, and Cassidy before taking a deep breath and asking in a deadpan tone, "Angus, Cassidy, Zuri, could you explain to me why I'm seeing a member of the royal family bound and gagged right now and who that hyena is?"
Kurah took a step back once the image began cackling, suitably convinced that the head was neither benign nor a prank when the image shifts to show the hippo. "... justice? Wait, is he going to..." He fell silent and faded into the crowd, a grave look on his face. He was no fan of the royal family, but this wasn't a time to crack wise, and instead eavesdropped on the others present who seemed more in-the-know.
Angus cringes a little as the thing laughs. "Yes, I can see why that's unnerving. Nails on a chalkboard sound better." Cara's laughter gets a roll of his eyes, but as soon as the Good comes into view his focus shifts and his attention is drawn while questions are thrown around. "Everyone calm down, we need to think not panic." He comments, studying the image for a few moments to see if he can pick up anything.
A frown crosses Cassidy's face, the fennec giving a quiet sigh. She wasn't going to react, though. He wouldn't get the satisfaction. Instead, she glances around the city's rooftops, seeking any other notable signs of life or projection point.
@Angus Roll me some history.
Lidara simply keeps his attention on the floating head, but he does perk an ear up when the captain starts to speak, and after a moment a small smile even starts to form on his face. This... was certainly something. "Wow...." Whether or not there was anymore to that thought, the orange cat immediately goes quite when the head starts to speak, his smile fading along with it. Once the hippo comes into view though, his eyes widen a bit and his other hand goes to grip his quarterstaff, wielding the weapon in a more battle ready way, giving a quick nod to Angus as he does so. "Right." Even if he's not a native, he knew that it'd be bad if this was really a noble.
"We are on the verge of a new era!" the floating hyena cackles, "The corruption ingrained in the system is embodied in the royal family!" He paces around the bound and frightened looking hippo who watches him like a minnow watching a shark. "Now, Romulus here is not a very important royal, I admit, but we can call this a symbolic first step, right?"
Zuri rubs his head. This is bad. This is -real- bad. He nods at the gathered. "R-Right, well.. I've met this guy once before. He was showing off Creator toys, lots of them. I guess he might have stolen them, as I don't think he'd have been able to get them by any.. legitimate means. He caused a ruckus here and kept harassing us via that.. floating head trick." He looks around, pointedly gazing at nearby buildings and structures, before returning his gaze to Angus. "Whatever.. device or wizardry he's using, it has very short range. Last time he was using it from a nearby guard tower they had cleared out." Killed them to a man, the salamander should have said, but subtext is enough right now. "It's almost certain he's not far from here. As is Romulus Good." He pauses again, then adds. "They're not subtle, they like making a mark. This is all about showing off. Maybe that'l help us find the place where they are."
Cara smiles and nods to Zuri, "Thank you for giving me some information about this. Now, all we have to do is find out where they are." She turns around and looks up at the image to hopefully see something that stands out in the image, a possible clue on where they might be located.
Kurah's brow furrowed deeply in disapproval. Rabble-rousers and shit-stirrers, nothing more. His beady eyes did wander though, intrigued by the technology being used to make a scene. He perks a little at the salamander's prediction that the hyena was nearby and turned to look at the rest gathered. "Is the device two-way?" he suddenly asked, butting in.
Angus crosses his arms a bit as he frowns. "Yes, I'm aware that he's carrying Creator devices. Lot of my men were wounded when he stole them to." He tapps his foot against the ground for a few seconds, weighing his options. "He can't hear us, can't see us either. There are only four towers where he could use this, he'd probably not reuse the same tower to make it that much harder to find him."
Cassidy slings her quiver around her back and takes up her bow, leaping off the roof and onto another, crossing the way towards one of the towers. She had her own plans there, and while she was not confident she'd be able to catch him in the act, she wanted to set up on a high vantage to get eyes on the street afterwards. She wanted to stop his escape.
Lidara flicks his ear slightly at the name, he... didn't particularly recognize it, but after a quick glance around and study of everyone else's reactions, particularly Zuri's, to it, he could gather that this was almost definitely one of the royal family. His stance tenses a little bit more now, his eyes still slightly wide. The cat's attention turns from the hyena and hippo to Angus and Zuri now though, giving a quick nod to each of them. "Alright, all of that's good to know. We're clearly not just messing with some thugs, then...." He glances to the magic... Creator stuff... whatever it is. "Any idea where we should start looking?"
Around the main concourse there are several guard towers and the towers on both the church and the academy are visible from here, along with a couple of high turrets on bigger buildings and inns. But with Angus's revelation, it has to be either a decorative turret on a fine inn off the main concourse, one of the two guard towers nearby, or a strange, private residence toward Saint's Square.
"And we have a special treat for you this time! I know that members of a certain secret unit are watching this, and you are just going to ADORE this one!" The image does not actually show the room or the things around the beings, only the beings themselves. The hyena lifts up the hippo's chin, causing the large being to start breathing heavily in worry and fear. Hung around the hippo's neck is a large, heavy chain and attached to it is a box with strange wires jutting from it.
Zuri looks around, taking in this information. He spreads his wings and nods. "Right.. I guess I'll go check one of the possible places. I'll head to the Inn, can fly up and just check without having to go through." He taps his staff to the ground and raises his hands, gesturing a few runes of the Divine Math as he calls upon the water in the surrounding air to fill himself and his friends with vitality. They're going to need the energy to do this quick and without tiring! He's so busy concentrating on his formula that he doesn't notice the 'box' detail, simply flapping his wings and taking off once the mathemagical phrase is complete.
Cara grimaces slightly as she looks at the image and she thinks to herself before she sighs, "I'll go check the strange residence in Saint's Square. I'm probably going to need someone to come with me just in case." From there, she turns to Angus and sighs, "He most likely wants us to split up, but which place do you think he might be located in?"
Kurah drums his fingers against his beak thoughtfully, then looks up. "... do we have enough volunteers between us to check on the three towers simultaneously? Fire a signal shot off once we've found them? That... would alert them though, and once they've been found, Romulus isn't going to be alive for long." Not to mention they weren't likely to leave that creator technology behind to be recovered, he adds mentally and exhales a deep sigh.
His attention then turns back to the image and he falls silent, giving the odd device a curious look and meandering over to study it more closely. When the pegasus takes off, he looks up and shrugs a little. "That's probably more efficient... I can fly as well, if more eyes in the sky are worth anything."
Angus tenses up as he sees the device, fur bristling for a moment as he swears. As Cara speaks, he looks her way, taking a few seconds to register what she was saying. "Splitting up? Ah...no, not the best idea." He answers, shaking his head a bit as he takes a moment to get his baring once more, taking a deep breath. "They've got eyes on us, so that's a start. Once we move towards one of the towers they'll know we are coming, may even scatter or set off that device."
Cassidy perches herself atop the guard tower, taking a moment to listen for any sounds coming from within and below, before setting one of her arrows against the longbow, taking a resting position ready to draw. Now she had to wait. And watch. Watch the other high spots, watch the bases of them. Watch the streets. No more running away.
Lidara turns his attention to the projection again at the mention of this 'special treat,' his eyes quickly going to the box once it's revealed, but... he has no idea what that thing is. Whatever unit he's talking about, the cat clearly isn't part of it. Instead, his attention goes to the others again, giving another nod up to Zuri as he does so. "So... if we're not going to be splitting up, then where should we check first? Or... should we make sure that people are blocking any escape routes they might have?" There's a short pause and a quick flick of the cat's ears before he glances to Angus and adds, "Wait, what device?"
