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.
"Doesn't sound like it deserves to be in your hands," Cassidy says, tugging an arrow from her quiver. "I'm all for freedom, but, ah. You are but brutes that wouldn't know the subtleties of such thing. You are just making another ploy for power like all the rest. Another deranged cackle. It's probably time you went down like one, hm?" She nocks the arrow and lines up a shot on the bear. She doesn't fire at him though. Or at anyone. As tempting as it would've been to shoot the Hyena, she figured one of those burly fellows would try to intercept it, so instead she lets the arrow loose towards the scorcher he's so proudly waving around.
The crowd roars and panics when recognizable weapons are drawn and trying to pass through the crowd is like trying to swim upstream in the Sweetwater. In fact, a number of beings wind up doing just that, tumbling from the walkways into the rushing water below.
While decisive action from all of the heroes watching is admirable, it is not particularly effective. Kazel's spell, expertly and silently cast tears up a segment of cobbles from the street that stretch out to protect the crumpled ape. . . but then crumble back to earth THROUGH the silvered old being. Cassidy's well placed arrow also passes straight through Wildcard's hand, snapping against the far rail of the bridge.
Wildcard cackles and roars with laughter. "See, Old man?" he crows, "Already winning! Creators these toys you've kept from me are handy! Did you know we have an audience, priest? Why not smile for the people?"
The huge bears on this side of the bridge aren't about to let this go, just because their leader is unhurt. Both of them pull long truncheons from their belts and grin malevolently. One raises his weapon to bring it crashing down toward Cassidy!
Well, then. This was going to be an issue. She didn't think objects could pass through things like that. Kilani soars over the bridge, trying to figure where she could approach safely... doesn't look like they have many arrows, so she should be fine. The gryphon tries to lever her bird's-eye view to her advantage, scanning the madhouse that's the bridge for any sign of anything interesting, or useful... recon is the order of the day, again.
Kazel cringes at the effect of her spell and picks up the speed, shoving beings out of her way left and right, clearing a path for herself and Zuri, and, finally reaching Cassidy, whom she gives a nod and the guards, whom she gives a grin as she slaps her ventail shut and draws her large two handed sword and grips the handle tight. "I don't suppose you guys will just surrender and tell us where your boss is, huh?" The bat does not wait for an answer before bringing her huge weapon down onto the one that attacked Cassidy.
Zuri gasps as he hears the commotion around him escalate from tense and annoyed at the bridge blocking to panicked and fearful. As the various beings begin to try and shove and push their way out of danger the small salamander makes a point of staying behind Kazel where he might not be in danger of being trampled. He keeps Famine held tight in an inverted grip, the blade tucked close to his arm and hidden from sight. He focuses for a moment, calling upon his dedication form to shift from small mander to slightly taller pegasus. The black-and-blue feathered being lets out a little equine snort before kicking up into the air, taking flight as he assesses the situation and plans his next move.
Rokarion finally reached the front of the bridge to see Cassidy and the fancy and exciting actions that were being down which caused a stampede, good thing he reached this place in time to not have to deal with that. Seeing a blue pegasus flying above, the flower being gave him a quick wave before refocusing his attention on the bears and the hyena.
Cassidy is already plucking another arrow from her quiver as she pivots and ducks around the swinging blow, coming back to back with the attacker as she draws the string back. She'd never seen a projection function long range, and this was a publicity stunt. If she could shut it down... She sets her eyes at the base of the image and lets her arrow fly towards where she imagines it'd be. There are not many places on the bridge to affix such a thing with clarity, after all. "Check the rooftops!" She calls up towards the Gryphon. "The rest of you, return to your homes. Do not give them the recognition they desire. They are undeserving of your time. You are not in any danger," she speaks, voice amplified by air magic and spoke with all the authority she could muster from lifelong military service.
"Watch them run!" the inky black hyena cackles, "That's guilt! Complacency! This whole city is corrupt!" He looks down at the gasping old ape. "Oh, can't you see them?" he asks, "Oh well. Say, watch this!" The hyena and ape vanish, leaving only the floating, magnified head of the hyena floating above the bridge. "Fear and tremble!" he cackles, "Corrupt and weak of Firmament! Soon, the deserving will take their place at the helm!"
There is not a lot of time for introspection as the bears lumber to attack. The two watchers in the sky can see that the heavy clanners on the far side of the bridge have started to lay about with their own clubs, scattering the milling crowd. There is a strange crackling and a smell of burnt hair and fur on the air.
Kazel's strike hits home, but does not have the usual effect of dismembering her target. Instead, the large sword catches in the strange material of his dark clothing. There is a crunch of bone, and blood starts to flow freely from his shoulder where the sword is currently lodged. The bear cries out in a roar of pain, but then he swings his baton. Not to strike at Kazel, but rather to touch the sword! Lightning suddenly crackles along it's length!
The other bear has turned his attention on Cassidy, swinging his baton at the smaller fox. Her arrow found no target on the bridge. It must be projecting from a nearby building!
Look at the rooftops, eh? Kilani takes a wide arc around the immediate area, scanning the tops of houses and shops for anything remotely worth looking at. She doesn't see anything... Ah, well. Time to make an offensive move. She'll circle back around and take another look here in a few minutes, but for now, she goes ahead and takes a sharp dive towards the bear doing the fancy electricity things, talons outstretched and going for the ursine's neck.
Kazel lets go of her weapon just in time to see the spark of the connection between baton and sword and as Kilani swoops in, the warrior uses this opportunity to grab the base of the baton herself and yank it right into the ursine's face.
The mander-turned-pegasus scans around as the battle is joined. He's torn between wanting to help the crowd to safety and assisting those making a stand against the black-clad bbeings. As he spots a familiar plant being his decision is made, and he swoops down to hover some distance above Rokarion. He gestures in the air with his free hand, tracing mathemagical symbols in the air to help him recall his memorized phrase, and then unleashes his mathemagical spell with a swat of his hand, sending a wave of bitterly cold, magically imbued air towards the bears Kazel is engaging.
Rokarion purses his lips as he eyes the unfolding battle in front of him, wondering what kind of devices did that hyena use exactly. Given that the situation seemed to be handling itself, the plant being instead focused his gaze towards the surrounding buildings, looking for any buildings that could be use as a base by the hyena, or failing the tallest building.
Cassidy frowns a little at the impact of the sword in the Bear's clothing, but she doesn't get to ponder it long before she's ducking around another swing. "More stolen goods. Try not to bleed all over it, I'll need to take it back," she says, bringing the bow around and up over the bear's head, taking him from behind as she tries to strangle him from behind with the weapon.
The injured ursine doesn't stand a chance. He goes down hard under the triple attack from Kilani, Kazel and Zuri, sliced, shocked and frozen. His eyes roll back and he crashes to the ground.
Cassidy's new friend scrabbles at his throat and flails at the fox on his back, but cannot manage to dislodge her. Yet.
The Hyena head floats about above the bridge and cackles manically. Then stops. "Well," he says, "That was fun." Then the image vanishes.
Kazel yanks her sword free from the bear it was lodged in and sheaths it back into place on her back, before picking up the fancy baton the ursine had and, after a nod to Cassidy, smashing it into the face of the guard the fox is strangling. "You sure I can't keep this?"
Zuri looks around the immediate area, unable to assist with the panicking crowd in any way. He flutters down to join Rokarion, looking up at him trying to figure out what he's up to. He glances out at the surrounding buildings, following Rokarion's gaze.
Rokarion looks around before spotting a guard tower that seems to fit the requirement as a backstage for lunatics testing Creator technology, "Zuri, might want to fly over to that building to catch the hyena." the plant being states as he begins running towards the guard tower as well, making sure to stick to the edge if the stampede was anywhere nearby where he was heading.
Cassidy grunts as she likewise struggles to keep the pressure up, resisting the attempts to be dislodged thus far. "I'm afraid not, Kazel," she says through clenched teeth. "There were others on the other side of the bridge. Try to take care of them. These things are not ready to be in the hands of anyone. Myself included. They are better locked away, as much as I hate to say it."
The second hulking, black bear staggers wildly, but not for long. Cassidy's tenacious grip sets him up perfectly for Kazel to deliver a brutal strike with the strange baton, settting the huge ursine twitching and shaking before collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, Cassidy is able to let go in time to avoid a shock of her own.
Amidst the chaos of the concourse, Rokarion and Zuri both manage to make it to the base of the guard tower. The door hangs open. No guards in sight. This might explain why no guards were nearby when all this started.
Across the river, two more heavy clanners in black garb are making their getaway in the fleeing crowd. A massive black skinned Rhino and an equally huge black elephant. The air is filled with the cries of the panicked and the groans of the injured, who will soon be the only beings left in the area.
Kazel watches the ursine go down and smirks under her helmet. "I will make sure to return it, but for now, I am going to use my advantage. My sword does not like their armor." She holds onto the baton tightly and sprints after the two heavies, yelling for people to get out of the way and shoving them aside to close in on them.
Zuri follows alongside Rokarion, peering into the guard tower. He nods at Rokarion and takes flight again, flapping up to gain altitude as he flies towards the building he was pointing towards. He keeps his distance, observing for now to try and find anything suspicious worth pointing out.
Rokarion unsheathe his rapier and heads inside, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement as he closes the door to the guard tower behind him, "We should check for other exits." the plant being adds as he begins exploring the building.
Cassidy nods at Kazel, frowning. "Alright. I trust you to bring it back, yes. Make sure you do!" She says before setting to stripping the bears of their clothing. And the remaining baton. That was her primary goal now, lest someone come by to filch them from the fallen.
Both bears seem to be alive, though the one with the sword firmly embedded in his shoulder doesn't look like he will be able to keep it up for much longer. Cassidy's search reveals that beneath their clothing, both beings wear armor made of strangely thin, but sturdy material. Honestly, the most remarkable thing about these two beings, aside from their sheer size and alien armor is the fact that they are uniformly BLACK all over. Like they had bathed in ink.
Kazel's charge, while worthy and speedy is not enough to catch up with the two heavy clanners. There are just too many straggling beings. The pair vanishes into the alleys leading off toward Mange square.
inside the guard tower is a disquieting scene. Four guards lie sprawled out in a cell at the back of the little guard room. One of them, a Solacious fox, seems to be bleeding from the nose and ears. A narrow stairway leads up to a second level.
Kazel grunts as the two beings vanish from her sight and, after casting her eyes about the crowd, returns to Cassidy in a speedy jog. "They got away. Bloody crowd. Thankfully not literally at least from what I saw." She peers around once more. "Any idea where that hyena guy might be?"
Zuri continues his ascent up the guard tower from the outside, peering in as he tries to find an alternative point of entry into the higher-up floors. He checks each window in turn trying ot find one he can enter from to provide assistance to the Jasmine.
Rokarion eyes the guards, tapping his chin, looks like someone really holds a grudge against house Solacious? Shrugging, the plant being continues his own ascent using the staircase, keeping a light step to avoid detection.
Cassidy strips the bears of that, too. They'd have nothing left on them when they woke up. Nothing that has even the slightest chance of Creator origins. She takes Kazel's sword, too, for good measure when it was time to trade it back for the baton. Fabrics bundled up, the baton safely switched off and tucked into her belt, and the sword lugging behind her she sets about running damage control on the remaining and injured beings.
On the near side of the river, it looks like most of the injured are only injured. Beings who fell in the stampede to escape the area, mostly. Guards, who have finally managed to break through the wall of fleeing beings are hurrying to tend to the fallen on both sides. The far side of the river has some casualties. Those lightning wielding pachyderms pulled no punches and there are three beings at the foot of the bridge who received rather more than a healthy dose of electricity. They don't seem to be dead, but they probably wish they were. There are no more beings down in the river. But there wouldn't be, would there.
The upper floor of the guard tower is mostly empty, though the window pointing out over the city toward the bridge stands wide open. The hyena had definitely been here, if the simian corpse on the floor was any indicator. Otherwise, aside from a few stacked barrels of gunpowder and some undisturbed munitions, the place is empty.
Zuri swoops in through the open window, landing inside the guard tower and peering around. He stalks around the empty floor, waiting for Rokarion to catch up. "Hm.. a lot of poweder in this place.."
Rokarion eyes the room before looking down at the dead ape, "Looks like the lunatic has left early." The jasmine shrugs and begins walking down the stairs again, "It is either a storage room or he is planning on blowing up the room once more guards come in. You can douse the gunpowder in water if you are suspicious."
Cassidy gives a little shake of her head as she turns towards Kazel. "Right now? No. Probably made a quick get-away. We need to find him before this continues, though. And if I had to guess, he's hiding in the Shanties somewhere." She holds out a hand, nodding. "May I have the baton now, please? I'll have to see what can be done to keep them from going missing again."
It looks like the culprits have made a speedy exit, though the method of their egress is anyone's guess. The window opens onto a perfect view of the bridge and everything that happened there. Even if there were not a dead priest with a hole burnt into him, it would be just as certain that this was the hyena's vantage point. It seems that his plans are rather larger than harrassing the thieves' guild and a single noble house.
Kazel gives the weapon one last look and sighs. "Fine." She hands the baton to the fennec and lifts her ventail. She squints at the surrounding and nudges the two ursines with her foot. "That one looks sorta alive, think we can get some info out of him?"
Zuri shakes his head. "Nah, doesn't seem like they've been tampered with." He walks over to the plant being and lightly hugs him from the side, before shifting his attention back to the room. "Hm.. this entire thing was really strange. IT was just a show of force, wasn't it? No real other point to it other than.. flexing."
Rokarion pats the salamander on the head as he continues his descent, "The hyena sounded slightly sincere, and utterly crazed. So, I am guessing less of a show of force and more of following some kind of plan or prophecy or whatever he believes in. Religious lunatics tend to be really unpredictable."
"We will certainly try," Cassidy says, taking the baton with a nod. "Thank you. I know, it's not fun to give up the fancy weapons, but we can't have this situation devolve any more than it already has. That lunatic needs to be stopped. I'll speak with the guards about getting more security around the Church."
