• Event • 1. The Morning Of [AoQ Event Part One | Mature]

[Vito Rossau]

66 YMIDEN, ARC 720
CITADEL IN GLEAM

"Wait! St–"

The sacrificial blade slashed across the woman’s throat, the Tribunal’s hand unswayed by the foreigner’s call to stop. Had he not been the one with the woman in his arms, holding her to let the blood trickle down into the bowls and on the floor, he might have left the dais and scolded Captain Black for such disrespectful interruption. It did not matter if this was not the way that things were done in whatever land the mage came from – he was in Quacia, in one of their holy Citadels, and Vito would not tolerate such blatant disrespect for their God and their traditions from anyone. But the biqaj held firm, and did not spare the man any more attention than necessary.

As the collection basin overflowed, he laid the woman face-down upon the cold stone floor. From the wounds in her neck and arm, blood continued to drain, and Vito was not quiet for a moment. His scarlet eyes fluttered shut as he prayed, and motioned for two of his fellow Tribunals to assist him in completing the ritual… and once the floor around them could not be seen for how blood covered over stone, only then did he quiet himself, and return his gaze to his congregation.

“Be not afraid. Your faith will be rewarded,” assured Vito. “Stay near to the altar and pray – everyone is to find a partner and stick to them, do not let them out of your sight. Those of you who are able, carry someone else.”

Vito kept the ceremonial dagger at his waist, dripping still with the blood of his chosen sacrifice. It rested near his cat o’ nine tails and the crushed red velvet pouch, mostly hidden, but not entirely. He gestured for Tribunal Noam and the other Tribunal that he had whispered to, for them to join him as he stepped down from the dais. He nodded for the other eight Tribunals to begin another prayer for the congregation.

His dark, polished shoes clicked against the stone floor as he approached the hasty construction of the barricade. A scarlet gaze swept over the weary soldiers, slightly narrowed, though it was unclear what the stern Tribunal thought. He regarded Captain Black with but a glance, but did not attempt to address the little… incident of his attempt to stop the sacrifice. Vito looked to Woe next, and the… dog? Where had he found a dog so quickly? Dark brows furrowed in confusion before the biqaj opted to leave that subject alone as well.

“Have we any idea of the situation outside?” he asked of the Captains, as he stood with his bloodied hands folded neatly behind his back. “I can take the congregation to the basement if need be, but not all of them can easily walk.”

He looked over the soldiers again as he spoke, as he had done numerous times since the unit had arrived the night before. As if the Tribunal might have been looking for something, and then promptly getting disappointed every time when it was not found. Vito took to watching the dog then, with a slightly more obvious, wary look.

[Balthazar Black]

66 Ymiden 720

Balthazar didn't like the notes that he found in Vito after the man murdered the mother. He'd have understood panic, desperation, guilt, and uncertainty but he didn't find a single one of those notes in the man. Instead he heard the notes of duty, control, and worse of all pride. There were other useful notes to be gleamed from his invasion of privacy but they didn't do anything to quell or raise the anger in Balthazar- they merely refined it. Biqaj was purely informational but the note of Empathy magic in Vito was revealing. It told Balthazar not to trust his feelings around the leader of the blood sacrifice and worse, it made Balthazar think that those giving their blood were not always doing so of their own volition. In fairness, apart from Woe, the most powerful Empath Balthazar had encountered was a necromancer and a rabid murderer so he didn't like the way he'd seen the magic used. Balthazar even felt strange about it when Woe used the magic. He still hadn't quite forgotten the sound of the Condemned ripping themselves off the throne under Woe's manipulations.

But fortunately Woe moved in quickly and directed Balthazar's focus back to the dog at the door rather than the dog at the altar. Woe's uncertainty gave Balthazar enough pause that he considered blinking himself outside to confirm that what they were really looking at was a dog. Woe seemed to consider the dog with more interest than the murder at the altar and while that bothered Balthazar a little, it was not enough to change Balthazar's rather iron-set opinions about Woe... but Vito didn't have the same benefit of the doubt that Woe did. Vito hadn't fought Ornthrus with Balthazar and Vito hadn't bribed the Dragoons to release Balthazar. Balthazar opened the door enough for the canine to enter and then he slammed it back shut.

While Woe went about trying to corral the dog, Balthazar noticed someone approaching- Vito. He turned a spiteful gaze towards the fanatic and folded his hands behind his back. The invisible Fuego sat on Balthazar's shoulders, watching only Vito. Balthazar did not try to make the same peace with the creature they'd let in through the door that Woe did. The hound should have been grateful enough that Balthazar let it in, he didn't think about the more nurturing things pets required.

I don't like him. Fuego thought to Balthazar.

I don't like him either. Balthazar thought back.

Fight him?

No... not here... not yet. Balthazar had enough of his wits about him to know that striking out against Vito was both unnecessary and ill-advised. Who knew how long until the Creep was at their walls? Who knew how long until they were being forced into a retreat? Balthazar didn't have an answer to either of those questions but he knew that when the time for retreat came- if it came, a lot more people would have to be concerned with what the Rupturing mage thought about all this sacrifice. Vito arrived and asked for a report that Balthazar gave in a surprisingly calm voice. One does not become a master in their fields of magic without learning some discipline. "This dog crawled under the Cathedral fence and came directly to the door. The decision was made to let it in." Balthazar did not say who'd made the decision in the event that it turned out to be a poor one. Vito had offered to take the civilians into the basement and while Balthazar agreed that it would be easier to defend them from there, he also knew it would be harder to mount an escape from the basement... or at least he thought it would be.

"Are there any ways out from the basement?" Balthazar asked Vito. "If the Creep breaks through our defenses and the civilians are trapped in the basement..." Balthazar's voice trailed off slightly. "Well maybe that would be enough of a sacrifice to get your god's attention?" He didn't mean to say it aloud. He meant to say it to Fuego through their bond but he was tired and that small exhaustion had caused the slip. He tried to recover quickly adding, "But of course the ideal is that they'd escape."

[Strange]

The sacrifice occurred, quick and certain from Tribunal Vito's own hand.

When it came to the Theocratum, it was the perfect choice in who to offer. From the congregation of citizens, it would have been insulting and disrespectful to offer the crippled, sickly, or elderly to be used for the Wounded God's healing. That left only the children and the two expectant mothers. During peaceful times, fatal sacrifices were not common among the devoted in the church. It was preferred to keep devotees alive to further bleeding over the many arcs... but the Theocratum did not shy away from such things either.

The ultimate blood sacrifice was an ancient and powerful rite among their traditions. Vito fulfilled a rare and difficult choice, in the urgent desperate circumstances, and he did it with exceptional judgment. As such, the other ten Tribunals let go of any lingering doubts and placed their complete trust in him.

Tribunal Ileana had been the one that Vito had instructed to pair up with Noam. Like Vito, Ileana had grown up an orphan under the care of the Theocratum. She was a couple years younger than him, and eyes as black as her curly hair.

Tribunal Noam, especially, seemed fervent while he continued the prayer.

The hope that Vito had lifted out of the sacrificial woman's tangle had been easy to coax. She understood what had happened as soon as Noam cut a bit deeper than the rest. This woman seemed accepting of her fate. She turned to look up at Tribunal Vito and whispered, "Thank you." before Vito slit her throat.

For she was devoted, and willing to die in the service of faith in the hope to provide safety for the rest of the congregation. Not only that but through sacrifice, she would not be left to the possible horrific death that awaited from the Creep, the sort of deaths that had befallen her father and brothers already. To not be shelled out and twisted apart with vines inside of her - for her skeleton to be reanimated into a Ferahom and used against the very people she prayed with. To, instead, be given purpose in her death through the Tribunal's guidance, when otherwise her death might have been for naught. The woman found immense gratitude in Vito's decision and as such, she did not resist in the slightest.

For the devoted followers of the Wounded God, her death was an honorable and glorious one.

Of course, those who were not born and raised in the holy faith of Quacia, would likely find such things either intriguing by the morbid curiosity or appalling by the permanence of such acts of extreme devotion. Woe seemed intrigued, and Balthazar appalled.

The chanting prayers, led by Vito, echoed in the lofty arched ceilings of the citadel. They continued to sound above the conflict outside. Noam led a hymnal chant with great passion, when Vito stepped away... but once gestured to, he left it to a pale red-head woman to lead instead.

As instructed, the congregation of mostly children stayed gathered near the altar and in focused prayer. They moved to the sides, though, and held hands with those who they chose as their partners or groups to stick together. Some of the younger ones were crying, but the older children took it upon themselves to comfort them and encourage attention to be set on the hymns rather than the explosions and destruction raging outside the citadel.

Tribunal Noam and Tribunal Ileana followed close behind Vito, as gestured, while the three agents of the Theocratum approached the soldiers.


While the idea of using the stone pews to barricade the windows seemed like a good possibility... when actually looked at, it would prove impossible.

The stained glass windows in their decorative religious art were simply too tall to stack the pews in any meaningful way over them. At least, as the pews were. Maybe the lower section of the windows, but anything taller than that would prove out of reach.

Under Woe's direction, the front entrances of the citadel were barricaded through a bottleneck.

The sidedoors to the front of the nave were left clear, as well as behind the curved wall of the massive altar, two stairwells and two doors also remained untouched. Vito would know of these, given his familiarity with the church but it was unlikely Woe or Balthazar would since they hid behind the stone of the platform's structure. The curved back-wall was clearly meant to help bolster and echo the chants into the nave, but it also served as a opaque curtain to hide the backstage areas where priests came and went, so the congregation did not know about them.

The decision was made to let the dog inside.

Balthazar went to the door, to do so, and when the mage opened it - as quick as he did - he got further visuals on the area around them.

The dog hurried past the mage, but even with his small opening of the dual doors, Balthazar saw... shadows moving across the corner of the building across from the church's courtyard. Past the spattering of buildings, what looked like smoke but instead was great plumes of ash rising from a great break in the city wall... and around the sharply angled rooftops and steeples of the Gleam's architecture, he would catch sight of three gigantic Treewalkers, taller than the buildings themselves. The Treewalkers made their way through the nearby neighborhood and one swept a branch across a portion of a roof, and knocked a spire off.

Then Balthazar slammed the door shut.

The dog was a large, heavy breed, and the bloodhound sprinted into the nave in a panicked rush. His claws slid against stone, and he bumped into one of the barricades, his dark canine eyes wild with confusion.

At the dais stage of the Citadel, the congregation continued to pray. The soldiers continued the work of moving the pews for the barricade and bottleneck, taking into account where they'd seen Woe place the runic traps. From the congregation, a child who looked to be boy of about ten arcs old, broke away from the prayers and headed toward where the soldiers were. He started to help drag the barricades, without asking about it, and move closer to where the Dragoon Captains and Tribunals had gone.

The bloodhound noticed the offered jerky, and went to it. His heavy jowls trembled while he lapped up the meat and also partly placed Woe's hand in his slobbery mouth. He allowed Woe to pet him, and licked away whatever meat tastes remained on the hand before gathering the scent of the kindly mage who'd fed him.

The canine seemed to notice the Tribunal watching, and turned his head to snort at Vito.

The other two Tribunals who flanked Vito's side seemed bolstered in confidence from the recent sacrifice, as they glanced toward the windows to watch a shadow cross along the thick colorfully-stained glass. They remained close, and Noam naturally looked toward Woe while Ileana surveyed Balthazar with her dark eyes.

Whether Vito decided to share about the architecture of the Citadel; or whether Balthazar decided to share what he'd seen when the door was open... would be up to them.

The Dog

Woe

Woe, you have a lot of dog slobber on your hand now.

Vito

Vito, you have gained the complete loyalty of the ten Tribunals. From this point on, you can assume success that they will now do whatever Vito requests of them. Noam and Ileana can be considered his companions, as well.

Balthazar

Balthazar, when you let the dog in, you saw the Creep approaching from the East and that it is the nearby Eastern wall that got destroyed. You also saw the three Treewalkers.

!

Message from: Strange

Updated NPC Count: 99 citizens alive / 1 dead. 10 Tribunals under Vito's Command (all alive). 10 Soldiers on Woe's Faction (all alive). 15 Soldiers on Balthazar's Faction (all alive). 1 Bloodhound Dog. Attached is the updated map. The cleared space is for Balthazar but he can share what he saw with the other two, if he chooses to. The soldiers are barricading with use of the stone pillars. The skull marker represents the death.

Location Map

[Balthazar Black]

66 Ymiden 720

Well... shit. Balthazar didn't like what he'd seen in the brief glimpse outside for two reasons. The first was that it was unsettling and did not bode well for them. The second was that it made

You have to defecate? Fuego voice asked Balthazar.

What? No! It's an expression. Balthazar's brow furrowed. He'd had this exchange a few times with the small diri who didn't seem to be picking up on it.

It means you afraid right?

Shut up, Fuego. I need to think. Balthazar gestured for his followers to remain near the wall and he walked over to Woe. "So I have good news and I have bad news." Balthazar reported, deciding not to wait for Vito's response to his question due to the gravity of what he'd seen. "The good news is that I know where the Creep is coming from. They have broken through the eastern wall and are currently moving towards us from the east." Balthazar reported in a quiet voice to Woe, not quite caring whether or not Vito heard but certainly not making an effort to keep him informed. "The bad news is when I say moving towards us, I am referring to three trees that were large enough for me to see them over the buildings. I saw one knock a spire off a building with one swing so I don't think our barricade is going to do much but I'm not sure if they know we're here."

After all it wasn't as if he'd made eye contact with one of them. A dangerous thought crossed Balthazar's mind but he pushed his impulse to play hero out of his mind. If the Creep didn't know where they were... maybe Balthazar could distract it? Lead it away from them while the rest of the soldiers lead an escape? He could move around the city faster than any of them but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to serve as a distraction so he didn't mention the idea to anyone. Instead he said, "I think we either need to start moving the people or start burning some Creep."

[Woe]

Woe shook the slobber from his hand, but pet the dog, drying some of it off that way as well. Before he'd gotten to Ne'haer, he had no idea he was a dog person. Even afterward, he thought after meeting Breen, that'd been a fluke. An oddity, or a consequence of him being a spirit. Now as he pet the bloodhound, he realized. He was a dog person, and that was okay. He even smiled a bit as the thing's jowls trembled in taking in the meat and the scents. He still thought the dog would be useful, if it survived long enough. He decided to attune to its frequency, maintaining it and also monitor its tapestry to see what could be gleaned of its mood. Perhaps there was more to the dog than his conventional good looks.

But now, Woe had business and it wasn't going to wait for him to make friends with the Bloodhound. He nodded to Vito, and then to Balthazar as the mage took him aside to confide in common the situation outside. Woe's face blanched when he described the treewalkers. He responded to Balthazar in common, "Those treewalkers... they are to be evaded at all costs, unless the lives of the civilians are at risk." Unlike Balthazar, Woe didn't lower his voice for Vito. At any rate, the young mage wouldn't likely be able to decipher all of what he was saying, being only passing familiar with common. Then again, Woe could be wrong about how good a grasp on common he had.

"This is no shelter then, if what you're saying its true." Woe said to the mage, and nodded in thanks to him. "We need to move the people to a place where they can escape from. The sooner they get to the fortress, the better." Woe repeated what he said in those two exchanges in vahanic, for VIto's benefit as well.

Woe turned to his soldiers, and nodded. These were the stout-hearted among them. They would fight well if need be, but it appeared if those treewalkers were among the hostiles, the barricades wouldn't be of much use. He had to rethink his plan. But one wasn't formulating easily. "We will take the rear-guard, as we move through an escape route to the Fortress." So saying, Woe began dismissing and disengaging some of the traps he'd set up. While leaving the runic trap of Weakness intact, he untasked the runes of numbness, reincorporating that ether back into himself.

To Balthazar, "Let Vito here show you the best way to exit. His common isn't the best, but he can make do well enough with simple gestures to shore up his vocabulary." Woe nodded to Vito. "Allow Captain Black to lead your men to the Fortress. You know where it is. Me and my soldiers will shore up the rear-guard, while Captain Black's soldiers will coordinate the movement of the civilians and perhaps help them move if necessary."

"If there are no objections or idea to the contrary, I suggest we get moving. As I said, I will be right behind you..."

[Vito Rossau]

66 YMIDEN, ARC 720
CITADEL IN GLEAM

Only the most basic of words uttered in the Common tongue seemed to register with the stern-faced Tribunal Vito. Captain Black’s steady voice drew his attention away from the bloodhound that had taken to slobbering over Captain Morandi’s hand, though not before his scarlet eyes narrowed at the big, snorting creature. What words he did catch were thrown together in his mind as he tried to make sense of them: the dog had dug… no, crawled, he had crawled under… Vito assumed he must have meant the fence. But why the captains had thought it necessary to let the animal into the holy Citadel, he was not sure, and he either lacked the proper words to ask or did not care to do so in the first place. The dog was already inside; he did not want to see it running around and messing with the church, but there were other things to concern themselves with.

The rest of Captain Black’s words were a little more lost on Vito. “Bay-cement?” he attempted to repeat the Common word, as if seeking clarification. He raised his chin slightly as his narrowed gaze surveyed the man’s face, his confusion clear over his pale features. It was easy enough to sense the rage that had attempted to somewhat quiet itself within his tangle, but the captain’s tone did not suggest that he was saying anything offensive. Vito thought he had figured out enough of it to formulate a response – he assumed he was asking about the safety of the basement – but before he could, Captain Black turned away to speak with his fellow captain instead.

That, more than anything, confused him. Had the Rupturer not been asking him a question in return, or was he simply being as rude as possible in not sticking around for the answer? The corners of his mouth curved downward in a subtle frown, but the biqaj did not voice his irritations. Had he understood more of the foreigner’s words, perhaps he would have found more difficulty in doing so… but as it was, the mage merely seemed flighty and disrespectful to him.

He stayed where he was, flanked by Tribunal Noam and Tribunal Ileana, standing near to the two captains but he remained frustratingly unaware of what exactly they conveyed in that awful trader’s language. The stain of red blood upon his fingers started to slowly dry behind his back while he observed. His mentor looked to him soon enough, to relay the information Captain Black must have shared, and Vito’s dark brows furrowed slightly with concern.

In spite of whatever anxieties might have risen within the Tribunal at the mention of walking trees, he disagreed on the matter of the Citadel providing no shelter. It was a holy sanctuary, and while it was only as structurally sound as the rest of the churches in Gleam, there was more power to be noted in the blood-stained stone floors than anywhere else but the Citadel of Truth. The thought of abandoning his Citadel to seek shelter in Fortress only deepened his frown, but he did not offer any immediate objections.

With a glance to Captain Black, he repeated in Common, “bay-cement. There is door out.”

Vito did not mention, however, that the door was locked. Nor did he mention, yet, his concerns about the validity of Fortress as an option. Those of importance had already taken shelter there, and he was not sure if it was a wise idea to expect that they would all be taken in with open arms, citizens or not.

In a return to his native Vahanic, Vito looked back to Woe and informed, “we will need to follow the western wall. Fortress is on the other side.” As his eyes drifted back to the Rupturer, however, the Tribunal had to add, “do not let this one panic my congregation. They are frightened enough; they need to know that they can trust the men they are to follow, unless you wish for them to scatter and hide. Muzzle your dog, if you must.”

Something about the glint in his red gaze suggested that he was not referring to the bloodhound. The biqaj turned with a swish of his dark robes, and started walking back to the center altar, uncaring if anyone followed but his fellow Tribunals… but as soon as his eyes glanced over the young boy that had ventured out to help the soldiers, he gestured with a quick flick of his hand for him to rejoin the congregation. As he approached the dais, he surveyed the various pairs of civilians and then nodded to the other eight Tribunals he had left to continue in prayer.

“Everyone remember to stay with your partner,” he reminded, “we will now be moving downstairs. There is no need to panic, it is merely precaution.”

Vito did not waste his time with saying any more than that. With a motion for the other priests to assist in corralling and directing the congregation around the curved altar wall, he stepped forward and moved to lead them alongside Tribunal Noam and Tribunal Ileana. Whether Captain Black had cared to follow or not, Vito did not appear concerned, as he walked around the stone wall and brought them towards the door that would lead into a smaller room. Inside the room, there was a staircase that led down into the basement of the Citadel, but Vito allowed for two of the other Tribunals to take the lead while he waited outside, to watch everyone else pass through.

[Balthazar Black]

66 Ymiden 720

"Avoiding them might not be an option." Balthazar countered when Woe suggested it should be avoided at all costs.Woe had decided they needed to start moving the people and Balthazar couldn't argue with him because Balthazar agreed. Regardless of anything else, they needed to start moving. Unfortunately when Woe tried to send Balthazar on the retreat with Vito, the mage couldn't disagree with Woe more. Woe was moving quickly, beginning to give out his ordered when Balthazar grabbed his arm. "You should go with Vito. Leave me and a few men to buy time for you to lead a retreat." Balthazar explained with a glance back at the priest. There were many reasons the two of them probably shouldn't have been left together but the language barrier was what concerned Balthazar most. Common wasn't as common as Balthazar thought it was. Confusion while trapped in a narrow pathway in a basement would probably not go well for them. "I don't speak their language or know the city, but I know how to keep the Creep occupied. You brought me here to fight, let me fight. You get the others to safety. I don't do well with..." Balthazar paused and looked back to the altar, "fanatics I can't fight." It more or less went without saying that whoever remained behind to hold the Creep off was likely to die fulfilling their mission... but of them all Balthazar had the best chance of escaping when the real combat began.

Yes! We will fight! Fuego cheered in Balthazar's mind.

We will try. Unless Woe insisted upon his plan. Balthazar would understand if Woe did insist, but that didn't necessarily mean that Balthazar would listen to Woe if he insisted on rushing the Creep like a madman. Fortunately Vito took the initiative to begin moving the people and that gave Balthazar and Woe time to debate who would be best suited to lead the retreat because they didn't have to help corral the civilians."Besides, you need me to keep an eye on the Creep." Balthazar looked towards the eastern wall as a uncertainty began to rise within him. A small glimpse had been a gift and now Balthazar knew where he wanted to be looking. Balthazar turned towards the eastern wall again and reached a hand out. Then he reached inward to bend the space between one side of the wall and the other, causing a scrying portal to squeak to life in small blue sparks. He didn't want to push it earlier but now that he knew a serious threat was nearing them he wasn't going to let it take him by surprise. Fortunately scrying opened a quiet portal and nothing could pass through. Balthazar tapped on Woe again and gestured for him to look through the portal.

!

Message from: Strange

Balthazar's Scrying Portal opens and the portal is set high enough along the eastern wall that from its vantage point, Woe and Balthazar can see the following: (the orange tokens are ferahoms, the green is the spread of the creep itself which appears like brown and dull green vines/brambles that spread. There are some random other creepborne among it, but the Ferahoms and Treewalkers are the most pertinent (and obvious) to be noticed) map

[Woe]

Woe turned over the words going back and forth in his mind. As well, he noted the mounting hostility between Vito and Balthazar. It wasn't good for those two to be together in close proximity, especially when they were meant to cooperate closely. In the end, Balthazar's reasoning won out. The language barrier and the obvious growing animosity between him and Vito wouldn't be conducive to a successful retreat to the Fortress. Woe had to make a slight change to the command structure. He hated to spring it on the soldiers, but they were hardened by battle, and ready to fight to the last or else break. And there were some among them who had a dose of wildfire.

To Balthazar, in common, "You're right... But don't try to be a hero. If you should fall, we'll have no way into the fortress. Keep them occupied and do as much damage as you're capable of, while we lead the retreat."

Woe nodded to Balthazar, and then to the rest in Vahanic, "Captain Black makes a good point and one that eluded me previously, as I'm unaware of how Rupturing works. He can better facilitate his portals from the rear guard, so it will be him that stays by the barricades to safeguard our movement to safety."

To the soldiers, Woe spoke with less volume but no less intensity, "Given this change in command, I would ask that those who wish to stand and fight to stay with Balthazar, while those who are quick of mind and foot stay with me. But I won't force you one way or another, should those of you who chose to stick by Captain Black remain with him. Make your choice now, for I'm leading the march to safety with Head Tribunal Vito."

Having given them their options, Woe said a final word to Balthazar, whispered under his breath so that the words didn't carry to the trigger of the traps, "You see those etheric marks near the barricades, at the bottleneck and two by each of the rubble stands? The ones in front of the stands are runic traps of numbing, and the one at the bottleneck is a runic trap of weakness. Should the enemy proceed beyond those points, you can speak these words to trigger them... Entraro for the runic trap of weakness. Exira for the runic trap of numbing. The weakness trap is self-explanatory, it will weaken them. The numbing trap... I'm not certain what effect if any it will have on Creepborne, but they may lose their sense of feeling or coordination? It'll be an experiment. But don't say those words aloud until you're ready to spring the trap. When the enemy enters the midst of those marks, then and only then are you to trigger them."

Having thus given his instructions to Balthazar on how to trigger the traps, he fell back to the front of the retreat, with Vito and his own contingent of soldiers, whoever was still willing to follow him. Woe reached out to the tangles of the strongest among them and tried to bolster those who needed shoring up in their courage. He did it four by four, with his soldiers, making sure to strum their sense of confidence even as they made a retreat. Woe whistled for the bloodhound to follow him, as he went along.

[Strange]

Plans were made, in good time and quick to adapt, as the men discovered new information. Some of the runic Hone traps were revoked, leaving the trap of weakness at the funnel point of the bottleneck, and the traps of numbing at the rubble stands.

Woe did his best to relay between the Quacian Theocrat and the Scalvori Element.

After words exchanged, Vito returned to the congregation. The young boy who had ventured away, followed the Tribunal's gesture. Though the child glanced a few times, in want to help the soldiers. With clear instructions, Vito set the group of citizens to stay with their chosen partners and move downstairs. There were murmurs, but mostly prayers while the congregation maintained calm.

Around the curved stone wall, the priest led them to the back room that would lead down a steep set of stairs into the basement. This way was often reserved for priests, but this was an emergency. Only about two people could fit the width of the stairs though, and it slowed the process down as all hundred or so made their way downstairs.

The boy from before paused at Vito's side, and grabbed onto the black-and-red robe to tug on the fabric. When the child spoke, it became questionable whether it was a boy or simply a young girl with short hair. Whatever the case, their high-pitched voice squeaked past a gap where a front tooth proved to be missing. "Tribunal, I don't have a par-de-ner."


In the absence of the Tribunal, the two Dragoon Captains found a point of disagreement as to who should go with the civilians and who should remain to hold off the Creep.

Balthazar's successful scrying portal helped make the strategy clear, as well as Woe's observations for the tension between the other two differing men.

In the end, their choice was made.

Balthazar would remain behind, in the nave, to stall the Creep during the evacuation attempt.

Woe offered the soldiers a switch to their personal assignments, and there were a few murmurs among the Quacians.

Slipper, the soldier who'd gotten the Wildfire, noticeably remained with Balthazar. Most of the soldiers remained with the Rupturer. There were a couple who drifted over, but then there were others who decided to help Captain Black instead.

Once finished, not much change had occurred to the groups though Balthazar now had 17 soldiers and Woe had 8 soldiers.

Once everything had been relayed, Woe joined Vito and the retreating congregation. Though small in number, the soldiers who followed Woe seemed alert and ready. The strummed confidence only aided in this. With the whistle, the bloodhound lumbered alongside Woe.

Together, after the rest of the citizens and soldiers had gone down the narrow stairs, Woe and Vito entered the basement last... just as they heard an echoed crash from the front of the nave.

Woe and Vito: Continue in 2. Down Beneath
Balthazar Black: Continue in 3. All Alone

[Strange]

Review Rewards
1. The Morning Of

OOC Start: Sept 02, 2020 | End: Sept 15, 2020
IRP Start: 66 Ymiden, Arc 720 | End: 66 Ymiden, Arc 720

Woe

Knowledge

• Tactics x 5
• Leadership x 5
• Discipline x 3
• Persuasion x 2
• Detection x 2
• Rhetoric x 2
• Negotiation x 1
• Attunement: Frequency: Bloodhound Dog (Quacia).
• Attunement: Note: Canine
• Attunement: Note: Escape
• Attunement: Note: Lost
• Attunement: Note: Search
• Empathy: The Tangle of a Canine.

Points

XP: +20 (Can be used for Hone, Empathy, Attunement)

Renown: +20

Loot

+1 Very Loyal Quacian Blood Hound

Review

Woe displayed a mind for leadership and tactics in this dire situation, with a keen eye for persuasion. He served a role as mediator very well, made excellent use of his magic, while keeping in mind everyone involved. He worked as a bridge between the vastly different cultures that Vito and Balthazar came from, and thus would have made Chamadarst proud, I bet! Great job!

Word Count: 3,886 words.

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Vito

Knowledge

• Leadership x 5
• Rhetoric x 5
• Discipline x 3
• Logistics x 2
• Tactics x 2
• Intimidation x 2
• Linguistics: Common x 1
• Empathy: To Aid in a Sacrifice.
• Empathy: Identifying a single thread.
• Empathy: Tribunal Noam’s tangle.
• Empathy: Sifting through a devotee’s tangle.

Points

XP: +20 (Can be used for Empathy)

Renown: +20

Loot

None

Review

Vito did an excellent job in shepherding his flock, even going so far as to enact old traditional Quacian rites to do so. Anyone could have gotten overwhelmed, shunted into the role like he had been, but Vito maintained his discipline and kept his words to maintain hope in the congregation. May the Wounded God accept his blood! Great job!

Word Count: 3,639 words

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Balthazar

Knowledge

• Tactics x 5
• Discipline x 5
• Leadership x 3
• Persuasion x 2
• Detection x 2
• Rupturing x 3
• Attunement - The Frequency of Vito Rossau
• Attunement: Note - Faith
• Attunement: Note - Biqaj
• Attunement: Note - Discipline
• Attunement: Note - Empathy Mage
• Attunement: Note - Authority
• Attunement: Note - Theocratum

Points

XP: +20 (Can be used for Defiance, Attunement, Rupturing)

Renown: +20

Loot

None

Review

Balthazar did an amazing job considering how out of place he was, being both a foreigner and an unknown mage like he was – without much understanding for the city’s culture or religion around him. Despite this, he fought to protect the people all the same, which shows Balthazar’s brave nature. He made a lot of tactical choices when it came to how and when to use his magic and did the name of Scalvori Elements good in a way that some Quacians will probably remember. Great job!

Word Count: 3,982 words

PM me if you have any questions, issues or concerns.