Chapter 1: The Wreckage

[tibbius]

Apparently unnerved by the approaching sounds of a pro-Fauchard demonstration, as much as by the emergence and arming of the soldiers, the five rioters still on their feet start running down the street away from Pelias's auditory apparition, still carrying their stolen fauchards.

Two more Fauchardian soldiers emerge from the physician's shop and arm themselves. The two with their shields up have drawn their short swords, but keep their defensive positions. As the rioters recede, the two soldiers sheathe their swords.

"Well done," says the captain of the soldiers as he steps out of the shop and eyes the bodies on the cobbles. The other five soldiers follow him hastily shoving through the doorway, then looking around for their missing weapons. "There's work for you in the constabulary. Report with me to the camp at the East Gate. You six," he says to the rearmost soldiers, "station a guard on this shop. Take what you need from the citizens until you're relieved. Send a runner when the king's ready for transport." All this in his atrocious Stahlmen accent. "You," he says an afterthought to one of the shield-holding soldiers, "Tommic. Go the Grand Hall and get trash collectors here to clear the bodies."

[sirravd]

Galeschin shrugs––this could lead by and by to impressing higher- and higher-ups in the kingdom's army...He follows the captain without asking his friends.

[Rex]

Rus

Rus scans the area for a path out of here.

[tibbius]

The captain still had business in the shop, so Galeschin did not immediately have to depart with him.

Rus noted that the cobbled street ran both ways between two- and three-story buildings, toward the central square to the left of Conte's shop and toward the North Gate to the right. The street was about fifteen feet wide so that two carts could barely pass each other if needed; it was a main way through the city. edit to add: Numerous little alleys branched off the main street all along its length, disappearing between most of the buildings although some were built on common walls.

The noise of Pelias's glamour had dissipated, but a new clamor rose from the same direction (echoing over the rooftops from behind Conte's shop): "To the Green! Rally to the Green! Down with the F*heads!" It was answered by a few faint shouts from the central square: "Red to the Green!" "Forever the Moon!"

[Xacha]

Pelias

"Oh dear. I hope I haven't started a general riot that will destabilize the entire city. Again."

I never did explain why he was exiled from Dharta, did I?

One way or another, he'd probably be safer inside the building than outside. Pelias tries to slip into the shop and find out what's going on, gruesome though it may be.

[Rex]

Rus

"Are we getting out of here or what?"

[tibbius]

Rus

"Are we getting out of here or what?"

"Huh!" scoffed the captain. "Nah inrested inna constabalary? Whad, ah yer uh Red?" The Stahlmen accent was ... challenging ... for those who had learned Thran from a Vertlander or in the Twin Cities. The imperial language definitely did not arise in the steel-working foothills whence Garrick came forth to forge the empire.

Without waiting for a reply the captain followed Pelias back into the shop.

Within the shop, going back past the litter bearers sitting uncomfortably in the waiting room, and ducking under a low lintel, Pelias found Dr. Conte in his office attending to the naked dead king, who was strapped head downward to a steeply slanted table. The king's royal raiments were tossed in a corner by the door where Pelias entered. Conte was cutting with a silver razor carefully into the veins of the king's neck, and blood was oozing from the veins and trickling down the king's ears into a wide bucket under the foot of the table.

"Hello!" said the gnome cheerfully. "Thank you for the referral... Oh captain. A matter of payment. Will it be coin or letter?"

"Can have regimental scribe write letter," responded the captain intelligibly. He seemed to make an extra effort at pronunciation when confronted with a clear social superior.

[Xacha]

Pelias

Pelias turned away from the sight of the bleeding king. One would think that his training in the esoteric arts would have strengthened him against the sight, but somehow ... not. Apparently there is a difference between reading the entrails of a goat and watching the Gods' appointed leader on earth being exsanguinated.

The reality of the situation began to set in. The king was dead. Bad things happened to countries when kings die. Civil war might be the most benign. Given the clamor outside, complete civil breakdown was a possibility. On the other hand, once the dust settled, small men might be elevated to places of power. Small men like a rogue scholar from Dharta perhaps.

"Doctor Conte, did you need anything? I have some of the usual preserving salts and fluids for auguries in my shop. They should serve well enough if you need extra."

[tibbius]

"Oh, I think I'm all set for salts and so on," chuckled the gnome as he made a final incision at the neck. He picked up an open-bottomed flask with a slender tube protruding from its cork. The tube ended in a needle. He did a few things and the flask hung bottom-up above the king's feet, with the needle inserted into a vein of the big toe. "But could you light the alchemical brazier, please? It's in that cabinet. These next powders need to be mixed over low heat..."

"How much the letter?" asked the captain.

Alessio Conte named a number of lunars that widened Pelias' mercenary eyes. The captain nodded. "Will send boy with letter soon." He walked out.

Outside, Rus and Galeschin stood awkwardly as they tried to figure out whether they were going forward as co-venturers or on separate paths.

[tibbius]

Just want to clarify that "don't split the party" is not a hard fast rule here. We can easily handle three separate narratives as the characters naturally develop. So if you're hesitant to post for that reason, please stop hesitating. For example, Galeschin could make explicit to the captain that he wants to join the constabulary; Rus could bid goodbye and move out of the area to seek other events; Pelias could do whatever Pelias chooses...

[Rex]

Rus

"Pelias, whats taking you so long? We should get going soon."

[tibbius]

The captain of soldiers emerged from the shop and grimaced at Rus and Galeschin, then clapped his hands at the "ska-wad! T'shun!" Those who held fauchards thumped the heels of the shafts on the ground, stood tall, and held their weapons vertically with their shields at their sides. Those without polearms stood with their shields by their sides, free hands on the hilts of their short swords.

"Weah moving owit," said the captain to Rus and Galeschin - especially Galeschin. "Comm to tha camp naow er laydah." With stomping steps he set the time for the squad as they moved back down the street toward the central ex-Tower Square. Presumably they would take a left on East Street there and head toward the encampment outside the East Gate.

[sirravd]

Galeschin, intrigued, followed the men.

[tibbius]

Galeschin, intrigued, followed the men.

I hope you as a player won't mind waiting a bit to find out what Rus and Pelias do as Galeschin heads out. Do they follow? Do they try to dissuade?

[Xacha]

Pelias

Pelias approached the cabinet with trepidation. Alchemy was not his strong suit; too messy and explode-y.

Still, best not to look like a complete greenhorn in front of important people. He fished out the brazier - really, a nice piece, Conte must be doing well for himself - and set it up on a stone bench. With a flourish, he sparked the charcoal.

General Alchemy Check: [2d6+4] = 7+4 = 11

[tibbius]

"Very good, Pelias - thank you!" chuckled Alessio Conte. The human wizard had a slight impression that the gnome was somehow mocking him, as if he were a particularly intelligent monkey who had done a good trick and thought himself a man.

Nothing more was said as the hip-tall doctor dumped and sprinkled powders into a simmering broth that smelled like spoiled, salted wine or even pickle brine.

What would Pelias like to do next? Outside the shop, by this time, Rus and Galeschin will have resolved their actions and Galeschin is headed south with the troops and Rus either will be moving off with Galeschin, or by himself, or coming has just come into the shop to find Pelias ...

Rus

"Pelias, whats taking you so long? We should get going soon."

[Rex]

Rus

Rus follows along with Galeschin. Hollering to Pelias as he leaves. "We are heading to the east gate encampment I think."

[tibbius]

The dozen soldiers marched in a double column at easy time with moderate strides, Rus and Galeschin and the litter bearers followed behind. In a few minutes they had traversed the southern end of North Street and entered the Tower Square. Crowds of dozens had gathered there amid the wreckage. In each crowd stood a loud-mouthed man or woman who inveighed their comrades with appeals to factional prejudice. Armbands and headwraps of several colors were evident. So were light and medium weapons - daggers and cudgels and staffs and staffs with knives strapped to their ends. None of the crowds wore armor.

"Down with the F*heads!" shouted someone in the crowd with yellow headwraps as the soldiers passed within fifty feet. The cry echoed through the square and was loudly repeated by others. In the minute that it took for the soldiers to get halfway along the northeast side of the square, the shouts became a steady chant. At the same time a quieter counter chant arose from a group wearing the undyed garments that typified Stahlmen; the counter chant was heavily accented like the captain's typical speech: "Foaw Bryce! Foaw Bryce!"

Somewhere in the square a stone was hurled. It struck a person, who screamed in pain and alarm.

The crowd with yellow headwraps charged at the column of soldiers. Yellow headwraps priority [2d6] = 7

[Rex]

Rus

Rus will defend himself and try and keep close to the soldiers so they can only get at him from one direction. If the soldiers continue to push on he will as well.

[Xacha]

Pelias

Pelias refrained from rolling his eyes at Conte's condescension. Gnomes, you'd think they invented magic. Well, they probably did, but that's no reason to act like it.

If this kept up, he'd have to resort to Dharta's massive vocabulary of gnome jokes. How many gnomes does it take to change a lantern wick? Depends, what do you want to change it into?

"Pelias, whats taking you so long? We should get going soon."

"One does not simply bleed a king. A failure to observe the proper procedures here might leave us with a vengeful spirit."

Plus with all the energetic types keeping each other occupied with running street battles, staying in here with soldiers seemed like a good idea. Hopefully, all the people who knew they were in here with the king's corpse were now distracted.