False Rightousness - RPLOG
Participants
Date
3/6/477
Log
The air was hot and muggy around the shanties, a light rain pouring down upon any whom entered as piles of trash covered in burning tar block off side streets to force any travelers down waste avenue... All the while, the normally packed area void of residents it seems as doors are locked and shut... If one thing was certain, it was more than likely shit had finally hit the fan in the district, and no signs pointed to any good resolution. A few signs are hung up along the balconies, spelling out in barely legible letters for intruders to turn back...
Not often one sees Jera in heavy armor. The kit fox seems to be wearing something with the Lightbringer's badge proudly displayed on his chest, heavy pauldrons slung over his shoulders and his usual fletching gloves replaced by gauntlets. He kept his cloak about him though, looking at the signs and frowning, slowing his pace and waiting for backup first.
Cassidy drops from the sky, landing next to Jera with little fanfare. Tugging at the hem of her hood for a moment and turns to give a soft nod to the fellow Lightbringer before reaching up to adjust her mask. "Not how I planned my evening, certainly," she muses, eyeing the signs and the fire blocking the path.
Surabhi shakes her head slowly as she reads over those scrawled warnings, those big bovine eyes seeming like deep wells of pity. "Fail to help 'em and they blame you. Try to help 'em and they lash out." She gives a weary sigh. "I know it's always good to do good...but...well, doin' good here feels like planting seeds in Drytongue."
Elroar raises his massive sword up to his pauldron'd shoulder, walking behind the group with heavy steps. The massive Dragon just huffs. More Fires in Shanty town, when will they learn? "Right, Guards went quiet. Captain doesn't like it. Where are we going and Who do I have to knock to Thera'dor to get awnsers?" He doesn't seem to be in very good mood. It could be because MIA guardsmen never end well.
Fenris lopes along the mismatched rooftops of shanty town, keeping pace with his enormous golem Behemoth. He has decided not to be directly in the line of fire this time around, especially since this looks like it had already gotten extremely ugly. He wears his normal dark coat, but glints of bronze sparkle underneath in the light of the fires. He keeps an eye on Behemoth as the golem meets the other Lightbringers while he himself keeps his vantage point.
The city keeps that almost eery quiet as the group gathers, a few shutters opening up to peer out at the group before slamming shut... As it seemed the residents hadn't -fully- abandoned yet. The burning piles are thankfully maintained enough that they're not in danger of setting the buildings on fire, and judging from the way the ones farther out were begining to smolder, they had been set awhile ago...
From his position upon the roof Fenris would most certainly be able to see farther down the street, noting a few barricades set up in curiously effective defensive positions just around the corner... THough he can't tell if there are people manning them, there does seem to be a being ina guard uniform laid out face down upon the ground before them!
"This is bad. I wonder if this is linked to the riot from before..." Jera growls as he pulls out his bow and nocks an arrow just in case, shield slung on his free hand. He looks around at who the squad comprises of, leadership tactics and the like already playing out in his head from his soul before he points to Surabhi and Elroar. "You two head in front with the golem. Cass and I'll cover you with fire, and Fenris'll watch all our backs. Let's find any guards still alive."
Cassidy folds her arms and nods. "I would bet that it is related to the riots before." She frowns a bit at the prospect of being in the back, but after last time she doesn't argue. "However we wish to do this, we should do this quickly. The more time we take, the more time and chance there is for people to lose their lives."
Surabhi nods, pulling the modified scythe off her back with a snort and advancing at Jera's command. She moves slowly but steadily towards the downed guard for a closer look--her head is up, looking for trouble, but every so often she glances down at the fallen form, looking and listening for signs of life.
Elroar stomps toward the front of the group, keeping his sword drawn and on his shoulder. First problem is the fires. "Right." He looks over the scene, A guard in the middle of the road and big mess in their way. "Anyone Have water Magic? We're not going anywhere with flaming Rubble in the way."
Fenris waves understanding to those below and urges his huge golem forward with some silent math. Using just a touch of air math, he sends his words down to his fellow lightbringers and Freeswords. "Barracades ahead," he says quietly, "One downed being in a guard uniform, and I cannot see if the barricade is manned."
As the group makes their way down the street to the corner, the barricades Fenris warned them of become obvious... Set about eighty feet infront of them, it consists of two walls of wood and stone made with just a small break for bassage between them, forcing individuals to file through one by one...
Yet, before the barricade, near the corner is the downed guard, the male Swallow barely breathing, a muddy trail of his blood being washed through the streets as he was barely even breathing... Although, it seems they didn't wait to strip him of any valuables! His weapons missing, along with some of the more valuable portions of his armor, and his guards crest as well! Though that does leave the peculiar question of why nobody bothered to finish him off...
Jera watches Elroar and Surabhi approach the guard, fearing the worse. He grumbles, pulling his drawstring and narrowing his eyes at the barricades. "There has to be a trap behind this. We can turn it against them if we fire over the barricades and force them to stream out." He looks at Cassidy and readies a few arrows, scattering them in a shot if she decides to follow his plan.
Cassidy rubs the chin of her mask and frowns. "Or there could be non-aggressors on the other side we'd be hitting. We could just try to go over it, maybe? Send one person over to scout?" She looks towards the guard and scoots a little closer, kneeling down by him as she reaches out to rest a hand on his back. "What happened here, exactly? Can you speak?"
At the front of the gang, Surabhi spots a downed figure and clutches the scythe tightly, rushing towards him--by the Creators, is he still breathing? Planting the butt in the ground and the blade against the barricade, she kneels beside the figure, checking him over for wounds and trying to see whether she can save him, or merely ease his suffering. She lays a large, gentle hand on Cassidy's shoulder. "Keep watch. I'll tend to him, but he could be bait." That said, she prepares for the worst...
Elroar is already standing guard, looking about with the rest of the crew. Nothing seems to have come up yet, but the wounded guardsmen was something of a worry. If he was bait, they at least have a massive scaly shield to stop any attack.
Fenris keeps to the high road, watching the action below and keeping an eye out for trouble. He focuses on a tricky bit of magic, and Behemoth's iron jaw begins to move! Fenris's voice booming from somwhere within. "This looks like a distraction and a trap!" the tiger's voice echoes from within the massive bull golem, "But there are likely to be shanty thugs disguised as wounded guardsmen headed somewhere right now." The automaton's mouth clanks shut and it begins an inexhorable advance on the baracades, prepared to spring a trap or at least draw away fire from more vulnerable targets.
%t Fenris himself scans the area for any sign of activity, especially if that activity is accompanied by a certain shady frog. He extends what awareness he has acquired for Old One activity, but comes up blank. Nothing to indicate a Spirit. . . yet.
The guard wheezes some as the group approaches, the swallow barely managing to lift his head as he speaks in a hoarse voice. "N-Not th-thugs..." The swallows words barely audiable, as Surabhi would be able to quickly notice he had already lost far too much blood...
Sure enough, and true to the suspicions, as Fenris' golem approaches the barricades, four beings pop out. All dressed in their regular shanty town outfits, weilding rickety crossbows that three fire at the Golem in a panic, the fourth firing at Surabhi as he closes his eyes! Meanwhile, up on the roof Fenris has his own issues as a more well armored lynx slides out from the shadows of a opposite building, sending a wave of wind scythes at the tiger that miss just close enough to crash into the area around him... The shanty structure creaking from the sudden shock, but remains stable! "Get out!" The Lynx growls out lowly...
Elroar Brings down his massive sword in front of Sturbahi, making sure the bolt hits the massive slab of metal and not the poor Zebu. He picks is sword back up taking a defensive stance with it, crushing the bolt underneath a heavy plated boot. "Ay! Get over here you Craven Cowards! You Filth are barely worth the wood you're shooting!"
Jera was sold into Cassidy's idea, but now he regrets this immediately. He finally shows his bow, a heavily reinforced compound bow, making use of his fighter bulk to fire larger arrows with more force. Lining up his arrows, he steps to the side to try to get a little more clearance before taking his shot.
Cassidy quickly stands and looks towards the shanty town assailants, grimacing. "Hey now. Wait! What's the deal here? Can you guys explain what's going on? We don't have to fight right now, you know?" Likely a fight would ensue either way, but she wanted answers first! "Why the hostility? What's going on?"
Fenris rolls aside as whipping wind scythes slam into the place he had just occupied. He spins back to his feet, pulling a kerchief over his face as he faces his attacker, pulling a short staff from within his long, dark coat. "It really complicates my life when I don't know if I am facing an enemy or a friend," he says casually, "but friends rarely attack me from behind. Who are you?" The tiger spares a glance toward his golem, blocking the entrance to the barricaded area. (GUARD!) he commands mentally before facing his own assailant, staff at the ready.
It's all over for the poor guard but to draw his last breath. Surabhi sighs and unslings her kit bag--which she then drops in fright as a small gang of bandits pop up and the great Dragon stands between them, deflecting a crossbow bolt. She lays a hand on her chest to gather herself for a moment--she'd have to thank him when he wasn't bellowing out threats--before pulling a homebrew out and unstoppering it. Bottle open, she lifts the Sparrow's head up a bit and pours some of it into the Sparrow's mouth. "Drink this, lad. It'll help take away the pain," she says, trying to imbue her voice with a calm she doesn't feel at all.
"W-We won't fight if you leave! We just want you all -out-! Just get out of our homes!" The four manning the barricade crying out and ducking as Jera's shots fly close to them, shaking for a moment before one pops back up to fire a quick pot shot at Jera with his crossbow, managing a lucky shot that manages to puncture the plate in his right thigh... Thankfully the bolt was cheap, and the wound isn't severe, just painful. All the while the others keep their crossbows trained between the golem and the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, above the main group the Lynx growls as he whips up another flurry of air math in his hands. "You fight the innocent! We evict you from our homes, we evict the guards, we evict the soldiers, we evict the king himself!" The lynx moving with surprising grace as he lashes out another set of wind scythes, the blows hitting fenris hard to send him realing, though his armor manages to absorb most of the damage.
The Sparrow gives a dull nod of his head as Surabhi tends to him, drinking the liquid down with difficulty, but managing it none the less. "T-Thank you..." His voice trailing off as his eyes soon get a glassy look to them, and he's left breathless and still once more.
"Crap." Thankfully the bolt missed anything serious, but he can't extract it, and it's making it difficult to walk right now. Jera stumbles on using his bow carefully as a crutch, using his free hand to get a tunnel of wind going...and then he calls forth a stream of cleansing fire, trying to brute force through the hole in the barricade!
Cassidy folds her hands in front of her and heaves a sigh. "This isn't what you want, is it? Who put you up to this? We cannot leave til we get to the bottom of this. Shanty Town is part of the kingdom. You cannot just become your own little thing. Lay down your arms and flee, please. You know you cannot stop us. So just stay out of our way and we shall deal with the one behind it all. You are quickly becoming less the innocent and more the guilty. So I say again. Get out now while you can. Go to your homes and shutter the doors. My friends will not likely stop, and you know this won't end well for you. Please see reason."
Surabhi shuts the poor guard's eyelids. Not that any of the residents here cared about kindness to the guards, but anyway. Using the knobs on the scythe, she pushes herself back to her hooves, picking it up again and holding it crossbody once she's done.
"Y'all killed a guard--there's not much turning back from that--but if y'all stop this and explain yourselves, we may be able to plead for clemency on your behalves!" she calls out. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Jera hobbling towards the barricade, and waves him over with a wry grin. Medics never wanted for work around here, that was for sure.
Elroar phehs, keeping his sword hefted. "You're also all complete idiots. You REALLY think this is going to work? Killing random guards is only gonna bring MORE Guards and Lemmie Tell you one thing. You think One Dragon is bad? Try having an entire Regiment bearing down your twig thin necks. You want to try and kill a guard? Try to kill me I DARE YOU!" The massive Dragon Steps Forward Slamming his foot down on the dirt. Moving forward like a massive walking tank.
