Alternate History - The Fire Rises - RPLOG
Participants
Date
11/8/480
Log
It is early in the morning, and as Fenris and Scint leave their respective homes, they find themselves greeted not with the outside air, but instead, with a familiar tent, and the faint smell of... Burning city.
And then, there is the Spirit that had before escored them to a guard-tower, allowing them to see the city from within.
"Good. You are awake. Shall we begin?" he offers, currently in the guise of a owl, looking over what appears to be the character- sheets of their respective characters... Fenris has a hand halfway to his belt before he realizes what is going on, then he relaxes and grins. "I wondered when this might continue," he says, folding his arms, "Sure, let's do this! I think my other plans for the day can wait a bit." The distinct difference of expected surroundings has Scint give a reflexive twinge, eyes scouting before she makes mental observations of teh tent the entity and, well, she gets told pretty much the way of it in the moment, too. She gives a light bob of her head and murmurs, "Ahhh, certainly. It's been some time." "Excellent. All seems to be in order. Now, as you may recall," the Player offers, gesturing at the city, and the two figurines currently placed. Bohmer somewhere in the northern reaches, a little north of Mange square, and Nana a little to the south, in one of the many small alleyways connecting the marketplace to the maritime district. "You were on your way home." Fenris takes a seat at the table and considers his piece. "Bohmer is relieved to finally have escaped the unruly mob," he says, sinking into storyteller mode, "His house is not much, but comfortable for someone with his modest income and he has worked hard for it. He hangs his official robe from its peg by the door and tries to relax after a trying day." The big tiger purses his lips and looks thoughtful, trying to make some decisions about his character. "He unloads his things from the market, staying cool by roaming the house in little more than a breechcloth," he describes, "After all, who does he have to impress? He has his dinner, then settles into the large, soft chair that is one of his only luxuries, then reaches for his only other luxury, a heavy, wooden case containing his small liquor collection and a few, precious cigars imported from afar. He deserved something special after today." With her eyes fertive and her tail tucked close, Nana keeps in pace with the elder pair. Her ears flick with agitation at the circumstances that press around them, and she keeps vigilant whilst escorting them. Smoothing down her vest and settling down into one of the seats within the tent, Scint cracks a bit of a smile, "I guess we're quite in the thick of things, then, huh? Well, here's hoping to more of an exciting story." She nudges herself closer to the table, looking down over th figures. "Slowly, the fires around the city rise, and what started as a small incident is turning into a raging inferno. In fact, the chaos has only increased, and by now, the maritime district is no longer safe," the Player offers... And then, the two find themselves in familiarly unfamiliar bodies...
Bohmer, for his part, is surprised by a brick being thrown through his window, while Nana is greeted with the maritime district, and the vision of several ships' masts... At least two of which seem to be on fire... Fenris starts a little bit, both at the crash of shattering glass and at the sudden, strange heaviness of becoming Bohmer again. The massive hippo looks from his exposed belly to the chunk of masonry that has interrupted his smoke break. Fenris, in Bohmer's skin is momentarily distracted by how pleasant the acrid smoke of the cigar seems. In real life, he can't abide even the scent of the things, but Bohmer seems to like it quite a lot. Along with the aftertaste of alcohol on his tongue, another thing that Fenris cannot stand at all.
"What in six hells?" the hippo drawls, heaving himself from his chair, cigar champed between his teeth as he moves carefully to the window to peek cautiously outside. With a soft hiss on spying the flames and smoke rising from some of the ships' masts, she looks back to the pair she was keeping time with. To leave them and check ahead or to hurry on and chance that every ship was ablaze? The time it would take would likely ensure more were ablaze, sadly, so, she motions to them, calling, "Quickly, now. We must outpace the fires if we're going to make it to a suitable ship." Outside, the beings are rioting, throwing bricks, while the guard stands no chance of calming anyone. Beings are fighting and attacking, and the guard is soon left to retreat to the guard-tower. At least two beings seem to have been trampled, and yet, as quickly as the riot started outside of Bohmer's house, it already disappeared once again.
Scint's proteges seem to try and speed up, but by the looks of things, they're trying as hard as they can, nervously looking over their shoulder, and even pleading for the squirrel to not just leave them in the city on their own... Bohmer grumbles under his breath, and steps back to survey the damage to his home. "No respect," he mutters, fetching a little broom and pan to clean up the little bits of broken glass on the sandy floor. The window was pretty small anyway, but that would be yet another bill to pay.
As the hippo heaves the broken chunk of brick out of the now unglazed window, he sniffs at the air. It is hard to make out over the scent of his cigar, but. . . is that smoke? He frowns and turns around, trying to find the source of the scent of burning. The squirrel keeps pace, still, not leaving them as her eyes take in continual, fertive attention to their surroundings as they progress. The scent of the burning city is rough, and she tugs some of ehr neck-sash up to cover over her mouth and nose to help mitigate some of the thicker air while they progress. Bohmer finds that the burning scent is not inside his home, right now. Although the thatch hanging over his window seems to be smoking and a curiously orange hue. The ruckus is gone, though.
Nana, for her part, finds her path crossed by another angry mob. The city must've been a powderkeg already, and whatever happened in the castle district set it off... Still, she and her two proteges manage to move along, eventually making it to the dock... All in all, there are the two burning ships, a dinghy, and one ship off in the distance, already sailing away for fear of the mob still on the docks... "Hey!" Bohmer shouts, rushing for the door and grabbing his clean robe off its peg. He hurries around the house and raises the garment, intent on using it to beat out the flames in his thatched roof. "Fire!" he shouts, "Fire! My house!" With two of the ships aflame, the squirrel uses a careful eye, trying to discern how disparaging the damage is, if there are any small vessels or row boats around to help escape the fires consuming the city. A dinghy! Nana motions to those with her to folow, skirting as best she can to avoid the angry crowd as she heads towards the dinghy Bohmer's efforts prove less than fruitful, especially considering that while the thatch within reach is easy enough to put out, the small fires starting higher up are not so easily extinguished.
Nana manages to get the beings to follow along, if hesitant, and they don't look all too thrilled to have to get into a dinghy. "But... You promised a ship... How's this going to carry us away from the city proper?" The squirrel looks back over at them before poiting to the ships on fire, "Y'see those? Those won't work... This'll carry us far enough... over to there.." She points to the ship that's already sailing away, "If we can get close enough, we can hail them and board..." All the while that she talks, she's preparing the dinghy, making sure it's set to go. Bohmer drops his singed robe and stares in slack-jawed horror as the fire spreads! "Fire!" he shouts, losing hope that anyone is coming to help and looking around for any other options. "I... Aren't they too far away already? Aren't they faster?" one of the two beings, a lioness offers, as she moves into the dinghy, helping the other, a pangolin, in as well.
Bohmer is getting, well... No help. A few beings are trying desperately to put out their own little fires, with very little success on their part all the same... Bohmer stares as everything he has worked for, modest though it might be, literally goes up in smoke as the fire spreads across his roof. The enormous hippo sinks down to the ground, burnt robe in tatters in one hand and a forgotten cigar still hanging from his lips. "An' that's why we signla them. If they don't respond to our signals, well, we can just ferry down the coast, a ways from teh city where it'll be safer, and we can disembark from teh dinghy from there. It makes it so we don' hvaeta worry about crossing a city in flames and riot, right?" The squirrel shows a smile, more confidence than she's really feeling at the moment, but this seems the safest route. I mean, on water rather than on fire. While Bohmer's house is certainly going up in flames, he might still have enough time to rescue one or two items from the house, if he's fast. The fires aren't spreading fast over his roof, but unless he has some way to put them out, he'll be left homeless.
One of the hippo's neighbors places his hand on Bohmer's shoulder, sighing softly. "Y'want me to help salvage at least something before it goes up in flames?"
"That... That makes sense," the pangolin offers, though by the looks of things, the ship is steadily drifting further and further away from the city, and with the dinghy's speed, it certainly doesn't look like they'll be able to catch up. Bohmer turns vacant eyes on the sympathetic neighbor, then shakes himself. "No," he rumbles, a growing certainty in his voice, "No. The house was all I had." The hippo stands up and looks down at the rag in his hand and tosses it onto the pyre that his house has become. "Who did this?" he asks, a strange tone in his deep, slow voice. Getting the dinghy ready to go, Nana searches about for any ready bit of torch-worthy tinder that might be about before hopping aboard herself. She tells the Pangolin, "Hold this and don't let it out. We'll need that to signal." She glances towards how far the ship is a puffs out her cheeks, "On second thought..." She shakes her head, "We'll just comb down the coast. That ship's gaining too much distance. Let's get safe from teh city, alright?" She motions to toss the tinder over the side, into teh water. "It... Started in the castle district, I think? Some noble threw a tantrum. Look where that got us," the neighbour offers, offering a blanket to Bohmer for the time being. "The guard can probably help you, when they manage to get the riots under control."
"O-okay," the pangolin offers, as the dinghy moves along, further from the docks, and to the outskirts of the city... "Noble," Bohmer grunts, "Right."
Fenris can recognize what Bohmer is feeling and what he is going through, in a strange, detached sort of way. But immersed in the persona of Bohmer, the hippo is experiencing something he has never felt before. Not the loss, not the neglect, and certainly not the compassion of a kind neighbor. For the first time ever, Bohmer has motivation. Unfortunately, that motivation seems to be a cold rage.
The massive hippo has a sort of glazed look as he looks around for the heaviest, sturdiest, wieldable item, then turns to make the most direct route he can toward the noble district, leaving the well meaning being holding a blanket in front of a gutted building. While they're moving, Nana allows herself a sigh of relief, and she looks towards those accompanying her, "I'll get you well past the city limits, as near to the roads as I ca without grounding the vessel." She looks back towards the city, her expression pensive, "That place looks ready to blow higher than packed flour in a blze. "Bohmer? I hope you know what you're doing," the neighbour offers, looking to the hippo with genuine concern. The hippo, for his part, manages to make it through the crowd well enough, with many beings giving him a wide berth for one reason or another.
"You... Are not coming with?" the lioness offers. "I've spent my whole life in the city... I wouldn't even know where to go," she offers, the pangolin silent, but similarly inclined, by the looks of things. "I'm mad as hell," Bohmer growls, looking distantly toward the noble district. His tone sounds the same as ever, even if it sounds a bit flat and stunned. "And now I am going to do something about it. Bout time someone did. Y'all are welcome to watch." He walks slowly and deliberately in the straightest course he can toward the noble district and the castle.
The hippo presents an odd sight, nearly naked and stomping purposefully through the streets, unarmed and grim-faced. The squirrel purses her lips, and she looks over the pair of pangolin and lion before looking back towards the city, "Do you think... there are more lives to save still? I mean... should I go back for more after I get you two to a safe distance...?" She keeps her hands active in guiding the dinghy as she speaks, her feet bracing here and there, "It is madness, there... I've travelled... I could take you elsewhere, too, if you wanted?" She looks towards each in turn. "I'll pass. I'll keep helping the people here," the neighbour offers, while some other beings do, in fact, follow after Bohmer, to see what he's planning to do. The noble and castle district soon rise ahead, where the guard is still, desperately, trying to keep things in check.
Scint's two rescued beings sigh, looking between one-another for a while, before sighing. "I don't know. There's probably beings to be rescued, but on the other hand, we're safer outside, and if we stick together, we'll probably have a better shot," the lioness offers, before the pangolin interjects. "On the other hand... If we're with more people, we stand a better chance against any wild animals or bandits... Or even, Makers Forbid, Shades." Bohmer stomps across the square, mostly ignoring the fighting. It has nothing to do with him, after all. But where the skirmishes get between him and his goal, he cracks the earth, sending paving stone sliding and turning solid earth to sand, like an incredibly slow and destructive avalanche. He seems to be looking for anyone who looks like they might be in charge on either side, a spark of madness in his eyes. Nodding as both points of view are laid out, the squirrel glances back towards the city again, "Back there is a guaranteed conflict, and a smaller group is less likely to entice bandits when we obviously have little amongst us. Why steal from beggars, as the saying goes. We can moor past the city, keep watch and see if anyone else passes from it, bring them aboard to harbor them." The assorted beings are quick to move aside, once Bohmer starts casting spells and making life difficult for them. Most of them are disgruntled, rather than beings with a deathwish, after all. And while the mob most certainly seems disorganized, the guard have -some- semblance of order, slowly driving the mob back, away from the castle. No-one is barking orders, and while there are a few guards with more lavish uniforms, each and every one of them is working on driving the mob back with as few lost lives as possible. Commendable, really.
Still, one unfortunate being finds himself buried up to the waist in rubble, and although he can't do much, he's still throwing rocks at one of the guards.
The two beings accompanied by Nana nod again, looking out over the water. "I... Don't suppose you know a good place to build a shelter? Or... How to build a shelter?" Bohmer continues his march right up to the gates, only one thought on his mind. "WHO STARTED THE FIRE?" he roars. "Depending on how far this madness spreads, we might be able to get as far as further farms, but if we can't find shelter that way, we have a dinghy, and I'm a fair hand at fishing. Shouldn't be much to set up that way. We just have to be vigilant and keep an eye out for settlement along the coastline, here, until things settle." "The fire? Buddy, we have bigger issues to deal with," offers one particularly confused, young-looking guard. Definitely not a ranking officer. "It's like a warzone in here. "The bird responsible for this whole mess's already being interrogated, and she'll probably be quartered once whe've things under control. I suggest you go back home, keep the door locked, and wait out the storm. We'll have the city back under control soon, and then you can get back to your normal life.
"I... I see," the pangolin offers. "The farms are probably more inland, though. I've got a cousin who works on a farm way far to the west. Too far, probably." That was exactly the wrong thing to say. Bohmer sees red.
The hippo bellows in rage and charges across the square to where the guards are holding the rioters back. Aside from pure havok, the pachyderm's motives must seem utterly opaque.
Inwardly, Fenris imagines that this will either be epic or ridiculous. "Well, have either of you spent any time out foraging and camping? I'm use to being on a ship, but we usually have supplies and quarters... but, you still have to fish.," murmurs the squirrel, looking towards the line of terrain. And with Bohmer's charge, the guards and the rioters scatter, some of them launched back and to the sides, others dashing out of the way more rapidly. With the rioters having the advantage of being able to see Bohmer, more manage to dive for cover, before using the opportunity to descend on the group of guards currently keeping another group of rioters back... Seems Bohmer might've caused an unfortunate chain-reaction...
"Whoa, hey, buddy," the guard tries, before dashing off as quickly as he can manage.
"I've spent my whole life inside the city," one of the two offers. "Same. Though I do wander in the forest occasionally. Just a stroll, though, no scavenging. I'm sure we can learn, if you're willing to teach us, lass." Breaking through the skirmish line does not stop Bohmer. It hardly slows him. The enraged hippo continues his maddened rampage on any target that presents itself, most especially on any large and/or fancy structures in his path. He is more interested in destroying real estate than blood. It is the buildings and streets that bear the brunt of his rage. "Well, we can start with fishing, I suppose. No time like the present to snag some food, right?" the squirrel says with a hopefully helpful and welcoming smile to the pair. And indeed, the faces of not one, but two of the nearby buildings come crashing down. A high-class inn and a small bakery, the former largely okay, albeit significantly more open than it used to be, the latter steadily collapsing in on itself.
Meanwhile, behind him, the fighting in the street continues, with the guard now on the losing hand, forced to retreat and regroup, all past work in driving the rioters back undone due to the raging hippo...
"Food would be nice," the lioness offers, before the pangolin chimes in. "Y'know, I did some work at an inn in my younger years... I could probably gut and cook whatever you... We manage to catch." Bohmer has whipped himself into a frenzy, but it cannot last. The hippo is too unused to physical activity and soon wears himself out, winding up panting amid a circle of destruction. And then, once Bohmer comes down, he's hit over the back of the head with a cudgel, knocking him out... And allowing Fenris to come back to his senses... Curiously, there's still a slight, dull throb at the back of his head.
Scint, too, gets to come to their senses, allowed to breathe.
Interestingly, the mock-up of the city has changed... Bohmer's house has collapsed and is significantly blackened, the inn in the castle-district is defaced, and the bakery next to it has collapsed...
"I will see the two of you next time, friends," the bemasked fox offers with a smile. "Now, I should be getting ready for my next group, methinks."
