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Reign of Fear: A NeoGAF DnD 5e Play by Post Campaign

Mike M

Nick N
Chandra favors Keranos with a smile. “You are welcome to ride on our humble cart and we appreciate your offer of protection and help. But know that just because I am a historian and scholar does not mean I am helpless.”

In demonstration, she cups her hands together for a moment and something begins to glow from within. She lifts her top hand to reveal a small flame floating in the air above her palm. It takes the shape a of a lithe, serpentine dragon before it loops around her arm as it travels to her shoulder and over her head, where it spreads its fiery wings and dissipates into embers that wink out one by one.

“An insignificant display of power, I will grant,” she says as her cantrip creation vanishes. “But I fear that anything more formidable would provoke the crowd, even under the aegis of your protection. There is no truth to the belief that tieflings bring misfortune when they gather in numbers, but that does not prevent people from thinking it to be so.”

Fortunately for Chandra and her companions, Keranos’s occasional warning is enough to keep hecklers at bay on their journey to see the king.

Codex updates:

#

The parade moves forward once more, with Sagishi engaging in an acrobatic number in an attempt to make things more interesting while Fhiess does his best to advise and provide inspiration. The sharp bursts of the firecrackers are generally well received (except perhaps by Nyx and her headache), but Sagishi at his peak performance simply pales as the following act to the clown and his accompanying dancers on the float immediately preceding them. Ludwig, as always, is the object of much curiosity and fascination and prevents their float from being a total washout for following in the wake of one that has demonstrated a more cagey allocation of resources rather than investing it all in a single dubious sculpture.

The entertaining float in front of the delegation pulls to a stop in front of the balustrade where the young king is seated on a gilded chair. He is young, perhaps even younger than one might have imagined him. Over his right shoulder stands man bearing a scarlet sash of office--almost certainly the regent tasked with the administration of the Telmurian government until King Dio comes of age. On the left stands a noble-looking man in gleaming plate armor and a sash bearing a coat of arms featuring a green dragon rampant on a black field that Nyx would recognize as the standard for the Province of Durmas in distant Westreach.

The clown’s tune changes now that he stand before the king. It grows increasingly uptempo as the cartwheeling dancers move in patterns and routines that grow ever more complex. Dio claps in time with the beat, and in short order so does the crowd in the immediate vicinity. The spectacle ramps up gradually, but constantly, until it rises to a frenzied peak. Just before it threatens to spin out beyond all control, the clown launches into a tumbling number that ends with him on his knees at the forefront of the float, only a meter below the balustrade.

Without warning, the song comes to an end as the clown pulls the pipes away from his lips and the dancers instantly grow still. A toothy grin on his face, the clown holds his arms wide and accepts the thunderous applause as it washes over him. “A marvelous show,” the regent says, coming forward to rest one hand on the railing. “There is no gift so fine as that of an experience that can never be had for the first time again. My compliments to your troupe and your obvious effort.”

The clown snaps to his feet and bows so low the belled tips of his hat brush the black surface he stands upon. “What, that?” he says as he stands back up. “Oh, that was no gift, sir! That was stuff and nonsense, a happy little frolic to occupy our talents while we awaited our opportunity to present ourselves before the throne. No no no no no, that was only prelude! A precursor! Prologue! Some other word that starts with the letter ‘P’! Our gift is far more magnificent, far more grand than any such as that!”

Adopting an expression so serious that it comes full circle to being ridiculous, the clown turns his back to the boy king’s retinue and raises his hands high above his head. He wiggles his fingers and babbles nonsense words in a mockery of spell-casting as a trap door slides aside in the roof of his float and something covered in a sheet of black silk rises through the opening. It stands vertically, wide and tall, with a depth of but a few inches. “Feast your eyes on this!” the clown hisses as he pulls the silk aside.

The mirror is half again as tall as a man, and half as broad. Its frame appears to be carved from the same dark ebony as the float. The carvings are unsettling, but it is difficult to describe why exactly this is the case, because one’s eyes have only a fraction of a moment to look upon them before the catastrophe begins.

The sunlight reflects off the silver surface of the mirror directly on King Dio. It is bright--too bright--and Dio hangs suspended in motion and bleached of all color within its beam. As quickly as it began, it ends, and nothing is left of Dio but a retinal afterimage superimposed over where he sat on the throne.

The crowd erupts into chaos.
 
"I hate clowns," Keranos deadpans in the microseconds that hang between the king's disappearance and the resulting panic.

He locks his eyes on the clown in the precious moments before it threatens to vanish into the chaos and forces the following thought into its head.

You have incurred the wrath of Keranos, God of Storms. I've no tolerance for your brand of mayhem. Your days are numbered. Watch your back.

He turns to Chandra. "You and your people need to get out of here," he says urgently. "My suspicion is that when things calm down again, the clown and his entourage will be gone, and the people will seek a scapegoat. What better scapegoat than the cart full of tieflings who were a stone's throw from the throne when tragedy struck?"

He scans the ensuing free-for-all and frowns. "I have no doubt that you can handle yourselves, but even still I offer my assistance in your escape, should you wish it."

He awaits her reply before taking any further action.
 
Great, Ludwig thinks. The king and pawn for the rulers of the kingdom has been abducted. Now they have a direct inroad to introduce more unjust laws on some false basis of security. Shit, this is probably a false flag operation to let the advisors go full dictator. That seems like the kind of shady thing a state would do. And he supposed that government figure or not, he should probably try and stop a child kidnapping.

His brow furrowed, Ludwig says to the rest of the party "Well fuck. Unless we want to watch this place become more of a dictatorship, we should try and rescue the royal figurehead before the Royal spy-err, kidnapper gets away."
 

Nezumi

Member
((Outstaged by a clown? Oh, the shame...))

Sagishi is trying hard to impress the crowd, but since he is basically on his own and the delegation before them seemed to have put their resources into an actual performance instead of a tasteless statue, there is nothing much he can do. So he soon settles on just watching the spectacle before them and waiting for their turn, wondering how Barrow might actually sell the monstrosity they are carrying as a generous gift.

It seems though that the dwarf is spared that embarrassment which is probably the only good thing that can be said about the situation. In his mind Sagishi can already see the chaos and possible violence erupt.

He frowns at Ludwig's comment. "We? Why would we have to rescue him? Wouldn't that be a job for the Royal Guard? Or the army?"
 
"Assuming it's not a false flag operation, it would be their job, but I'm not convinced it isn't." Ludwig stops for a moment to think. "Well, figurehead for a shitty government or not, he's a kid and that's reason enough to stop the kidnapping. Other than that, there's the potential reward to think of. Also the fact that they'll have free reign to go full martial law if little Dio isn't back soon. Though in all fairness, if you flee the country that last bit won't matter. You are your own man, I won't try and lecture you into what's best. I can't just stand here and let the state spread its grip, though."
 
((Hoping I am able to overhear Sagishi and Ludwig here...))

Keranos glances over to his traveling companions. "The King is dead," he says aloud. "Did you not see that foul mirror vaporize him whole? There is no one to rescue. We must concern ourselves with those who are still living."

Telepathically, he addresses Fhiess. Can you find a way to cut a hole into the statue underneath the scaffolding? We may need a hiding place in short order, if our new Tiefling friends opt to accept our help in escaping. And please use discretion; I do not want the wrong ears to overhear my plan.

If he has time enough, he will broadcast the same message to Sagishi next, then Nyx, then Ludwig.
 
Ludwig looks to Keranos confused. "Fuck? Are you sure he wasn't pulled into the mirror?"

Ludwig starts to get a headache from overthinking and says "I guess it doesn't matter. If it's a false flag they'll have their way, if not, they won't let the chance slide anyway. Ok, let's focus on the here and now then."

Looking around, Ludwig tries to spot the clown in the chaos, thinking he could still be important.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=132889]Perception: 1D20 + 3 = [10]+3 = 13
[/url]
 

Nezumi

Member
Ludwig's talk about governments and false flags go completely over Sagishi's head but the J'raffa is right, there was a child in trouble and... puzzled he listens to Keranos. "You really think he is dead? I... I'm not sure what I saw but..."

I'm not sure, that statue is big, but I don't think it will hold all of them. A quick get away while there is still chaos everywhere might be a better option. He thinks in a way that he hopes can be heard by Keranos.
 
Nyx thinks the clown is fantastic, until it murdernaps the prince anyways. After hearing the discussion on what to do, Nyx decides to join Ludwig, "I don't know anything about a false flag or whatever, but we need to stop the people who did this before they hurt anyone else."

Nyx joins in the perception check to track down the clown.

Perception: 1D20+4 => (4 + 4) = 8
((this is one of my best skills damn it!))
 

Mike M

Nick N
((The clown is hard to miss, he's still next to the mirror and appears to be reading a book of all things. The cartwheeling figures have interlinked their limbs to form a human wall between you and the float, there's no getting to him directly.

You're not going to be able to cut into the statue with mundane means, and even if you did the interior space would conceal maybe one person, and not very comfortably.))
 

Mike M

Nick N
((You can try, sure, but you won't get another action before the clown and his posse act in response. So you may break through, but no attacking, and anyone who follows through the gap would have to scale the tiered float and wouldn't have enough movement to get within melee range. Ranged attacks are kosher.))
 
((...How much of the party could fit on Ludwig's back? I think I have an idea in the works.))

Amid the panic and attempts to come up with a plan, Ludwig's eyes lock on to the clown. "He's just standing there reading a book, that son of a bitch!" Noticing the cartwheeling figures forming a human shield of sorts, he looks to the party. "The way is blocked, but I think I charge through them. Are you still on board with bringing the clown down?"
 
((There is a lot going on here already, so I'm going to wait before making another in-character post, but my plan will be to hang back near the tieflings and provide ranged support, so I'm not hopping on))
 
((...How much of the party could fit on Ludwig's back? I think I have an idea in the works.))

Amid the panic and attempts to come up with a plan, Ludwig's eyes lock on to the clown. "He's just standing there reading a book, that son of a bitch!" Noticing the cartwheeling figures forming a human shield of sorts, he looks to the party. "The way is blocked, but I think I charge through them. Are you still on board with bringing the clown down?"
((Damn, I had a plan, but it turns out every creature with a grapple attack has swim so I can't turn into them yet(regardless of whether or not I plan to swim with them... use to be you wouldn't get the swim speed, but not anymore). I guess we go with Ludwigs plan.))

Nyx hops on Ludwigs back. "Lets do this big guy!"
 
The clown's psychopathic display of horror puts the weaker elf in an ongoing trauma, leaving his mind having trouble instructing his body pace his breathing correctly. Despite that, his fear only leads to pulling out his crossbow as if it were some kind of ward.

"He.. he was turned to ash by Pelor's light!?" he laments, trying to make sense of what had happened.

The suggestion to cut a hole in the raft only leads to a hesitation before he can force his mind to process the steps needed to complete this action in wake of the shock. Just as his rapier proves a horrible tool for cutting, Ludwig saves him from the duty and presents an alternative.

Looking around, Fhiess asks, "What about Barrow? will he fit too? We can't just leave him here."

EDIT: <I don't actually remember if Barrow was still around or if he left, so if he's not around just ignore that last line and assume Fhiess went ahead and climbed onto zhee shoopuff Ludwig's back.>

EDIT: 2: <Corrected his name>
 

Mike M

Nick N
((Just gonna rule that Ludwig can carry everyone but Keranos since he's staying behind anyway. Breaking through is a naked STR check, a giraffe isn't going to hurdle this.

Barrow's just keeping the horses calm at the moment and swearing a lot. The tieflings are still present, but they're about to bolt with the rest of the crowd.

The next float is 30 ft away, the stilt guys are in a row at 20ft. There are 3 tiers to the next float, each 5ft tall with 10 ft of clearance. So the clown is 60ft away as the crow flies, but from the base to the top would count as 50ft with the climbing.))
 
Ludwig is pleasantly surprised to see the majority of the party ready to charge in with him. He knew he'd get at least one, but three is great.

"All right then guys, we have a kid to rescue or avenge. CHAAAARGE!"

Amidst the noises of panic, the thundering of hooves grows louder. The noise eventually hits a peak as Ludwig gets close to the line of cartwheeling figures. Reaching full speed, he prepares to barrel through them, letting his riders aid him to ram with a ton and a half of a one giraffe stampede blazing, merciless justice.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=132899]Strength Check: 1D20 + 3 = [11]+3 = 14
[/url]
((Inspirational song time?))
 
((Inspirational song time?))
No song. You don't want to hear Fhiess sing. Instead, he grants Ludwig a motivational bit of wisdom to encourage the J'Raffa to fight the weight of his companions on his back, "Hogan always said that heavy burden only meant more potential sales!"

Somehow those words have a bit of power behind it, or it could be Ludwig's love for the free market.

Bardic Inspiration: 1D6 => (4) = 4

It could be both.

<EDIT: Also, now is a good time to load the crossbow with ammo so Fhiess will do that while he has time>
 

Mike M

Nick N
((All right, Keranos is holding to see how Ludwig's attempt to break through has gone, Fhiess loads his crossbow and hitches a ride on Ludwig with Nyx, who hasn't taken any further action. Sagishi?))
 

Nezumi

Member
((Sagishi is on Ludwig's back readiyngng his crossbow as well. I need get ready for work, so no time for a proper post at the moment.))
 

Mike M

Nick N
Keranos opts to stay back with the tiefling's cart, though half of Chandra's companions have already fled and the remainder are only a heartbeat from following their example. Though she may possess the courage to stand up to an unloving populace and speak truth to power to the monarch of the kingdom, Chandra's resolve has wilted before these horrible sights. Even now, she is backing away to the rear of the wagon.

The clown, meanwhile, seems ludicrously nonchalant about the whole affair, ignoring the bedlam that surrounds him. His accompanying dancers are somewhat more proactive, locking their limbs together to form a human wall of writhing motley to stand guard around the treacherous platform.

Ludwig kneels before the edge of the Remdormo float's scaffolding to allow Nyx, Sagishi, and Fhiess to clamber up on to his broad back. Once everyone is as secure as they can make themselves--mostly by grabbing on to what tufts of hair they can between the plates of his armor--Ludwig charges forward with Fhiess shouting advice about where to best aim his sizable mass.

"Yeeeah!" Barrow shouts, pumping one fist in the air while his other hand wrestles with the reins of the rearing horses. "Ye show them gangly bastards and that grinnin' loon what for!"

Ludwig plows into the living barrier, bracing himself for the pulping of flesh and the breaking of their foolish bones upon impact. He is immediately thrown off balance as he finds that their bodies are elastic and yielding, stretching well beyond what should be possible for any natural creature before snapping back into place, sending the J'raffa staggering and tripping over his own four hooves. Whatever lurks behind those masks and costumes is clearly not human.

((Dexterity saves for Sagishi, Nyx, and Fhiess. DC 22 to remain on Ludwig's back, DC 18 to land on your feet. Anything else and you are knocked prone.))
 
<Dexterity is my good stat but not 22 or even 18 DC good so this could end badly

1D20+3 => (15 + 3) = 18>

Fhiess skids along the ground after being thrown off Ludwig upon toppling over what seemed like manequinns or dolls of some sort.
 

Nezumi

Member
((Proficiency in a save means I get to add my proficiency bonus to the save, right?))

Dexterity Save: 1D20+5 = [14]+5 = 19

Somehow Sagishi finds himself on Ludwig's back, rushing towards the wall of dancers. He has only enough time to ready his crossbow when their attack is cut short and he is hurled through the air. Thankfully, his instincts kick in and he is able to land safely on his feet ready to spring into action.
 
Satisfied that the tieflings will find themselves far from the scene of the crime, Keranos prepares to weather the crowd when he hears Ludwig's indignation.

"He's just standing there reading a book, that son of a bitch!"

Finding that hard to believe, Keranos looks back to the float in front of them and finds it to be true.

"A foolish decision," he calls out to the clown. His eyes glow neon purple. Thunder rumbles from some far off place. A breeze picks up. "I shall enjoy smiting you in the name of basic human decency, king-slayer. Prepare to die."

((I'm holding off on taking any actions because I'm assuming that combat rounds are going to start very soon. Let me know if my assumption is off and I should actually be doing stuff, though))
 
((Not sure if people are waiting on me, so quick reaction post))

To Ludwig's shock, the performers are less people and more a wall of rubber. The J'raffa's momentum is turned against him as he's bounced back. Stumbling and tripping, it's all he can do to make sure he doesn't fall on any of his comrades.

Taking a moment to stand back up, and checks to see if everyone's ok. "Well that was unexpected. It might take magic to get through them, otherwise we may have to go around."
 

Mike M

Nick N
((Wasn't waiting on anyone, just had a rough day yesterday and didn't get to posting.))

Coulro.jpg


The costumes of the dancing figures swell into grotesque, bulging shapes before rupturing entirely and disgorging their contents onto the street and the panicked crowd. Shapeless, slithering masses of nothingness that seem to absorb all ambient light and leave a gaping hole in the world. In retrospect, it seems impossible that they could have ever been mistaken for any shape resembling a humanoid. They are multitudinous, and there are certainly more of them forming a perimeter around the float than there had been cavorting dancers, though there’s no way of knowing where the additional specimens have come from.

Up on the top of the mirrored float, the clown’s face has taken on a demoniac cast--or perhaps it has always been that way and the failure to note it is owed to nothing but misdirection and stagecraft. He stands beside the mirror, flipping through pages bound together and tapping his foot impatiently. King Dio can be viewed within, screaming silently and pounding ineffectively against the other side of the glass. “Blah blah blah, In your name, master, I, Coulro sacrifice, blah blah blah,” the clown narrates from what appears to be a script. “Come on, where’s the good stuff? I have prepared the way for your coming, blah blah blah. Ah, here we are! Smashy smashy!”

Coulro twirls his pipe in his hand like a baton before wrapping his skeletal fingers around it and swinging it in a hammer blow against the glass of the mirror.

The mirror does not shatter so much as utterly disintegrate. The glass explodes outward into a galaxy of tiny motes of light as the frame crumbles into fine ash. The pinpricks of light whorl outward as though caught in some cyclonic wind, each cutting as keenly as a blade and forcing the delegates to retreat to a safe distance. The whirlwind narrows and extends upward until it becomes a single piercing beam of light lancing toward the heavens. As the last of it is lost to sight in the sky above, a stain the color of a deep bruise begins to spread across the heavens like dye in water.

Shrouded in roiling clouds and violet bolts of lightning, a massive black something begins to penetrate the rift like a malignant tumor. A cycling funnel cloud descends from its leading point, and as it draws closer it becomes apparent that is not a cloud at all, but rather a swarm of innumerable winged monstrosities. The delegates are standing at what appears to be ground zero for their touchdown.

It is total bedlam. The shapeless creatures are multiplying further and assailing the screaming and fleeing civilians as a vanguard of nightmares descends from the sky. Coulro laughs hysterically from his perch, performing a mad dance as he flashes every obscene gesture in the book at any who happen to look his way.

Chandra and her fellows have abandoned their wagon complety to escape while they still have the opportunity. Barrow leaps down from the cart and scrambles back from the approaching nightmares. He meets Keranos's gaze and looks at him with wild eyes. “Run!”

((Let me know how you’re planning on escaping and I’ll have you roll accordingly. Or if you’re going to stay and fight, I guess. I would not recommend that, incidentally.))
 

Nezumi

Member
((Hm, ideally Sagishi would want to pick up Nyx if she is still prone for the sake of the escape, and then hop onto Ludwig's back since he's probably the fastest of us, but I'm sensing a strength check in there and Sagishi is not strong at all.))
 

Mike M

Nick N
((Yeah, between your equip load and Nyx's, you're in excess of your carrying capacity before you even figure out how much Nyx herself weighs.))
 
Keranos's look of steadfast determination shatters as the profane black mass tears through his storm clouds like tissue paper. As the throngs of creatures make their way toward him, his eyes dart among the fleeing population. He breaks into a cold sweat. His lips quiver with an agonizing mixture of unbridled rage and profound despair. Tears well up in his eyes and his breathing becomes heavy. Labored.

Not now, he reminds himself. You may not be able to defend them, but you can still help them escape.

He pauses for half a second to steel himself, and to implant one more thought into the clown's mind.

This is not over.



He steps up onto the highest part of the teifling cart and amplifies his voice enough so that it can at least be heard by those in the immediate area.

"This way! Don't trample each other - make room! Here, you go that way! Avoid bottlenecking - that alley is too narrow! We can get out of this alive if we work together!"

He stays from his elevated vantage point for as long as is practical before himself moving toward escape, but even as he goes, he uses his ability to marshall crowds to facilitate as orderly an evacuation as can be expected in such a crisis. When possible and necessary, he will transmit telepathic direction to better facilitate coordination among members of the crowd.

If he sees Fhiess, he says to him (telepathically if necessary): "Breathe. Do not let the panic overtake you. You will escape - we all will escape. This is not the end. You can break down and freeze later. For now, you MUST focus."
 
((Ludwig ought to be able to grab Nyx with his mouth and drop her on his back before fleeing. He can wait a moment for the others to get back on before taking off))


Ludwig gets back to his hooves in time to see the mirror shatter and for things to really start going to hell. With no more king to rescue, he's suddenly not so inclined to stick around. He gets Nyx off the ground before looking at the mass, back to the others on his back, then back to the mass and saying "Nope."

Ludgwig moves through the crowd as quick as he ca. Without trampling anyone, swinging by where Keranos is to pick him up if Keranos is so inclined.
 
((Pretty sure I can't fit since it seems that everyone else is hitching a ride. That's okay though since Keranos will want to do what he can to help the crowd escape more efficiently, and that would be tough to do while riding a stampeding giraffe))
 
Just as it seemed like he had finally sparked bravery charging into battle on Ludwig's back, something about the jester's inane sensibilities and shattering the mirror that trapped its captive henceforth melted something within Fhess- the ice that wells around him and makes him freeze disappears, causing a new form of panic; with a scream he lifts up the crossbow then fires it, only to be lifted by the J'Raffa just as he retrieves a second bolt to install.

<I assume Ludwig had picked up those that fell on the ground.>
 

Nezumi

Member
((I think he only picked up Nyx since she was knocked prone by the previous fall. Also, I'm waiting with my response post when I know what skill to use to quickly jump onto Ludwig's back.))
 

Jackben

bitch I'm taking calls.
((Guys I've read this manga, you need to be on the lookout for a necklace with a face on it))
 

Nezumi

Member
Sagishi isn't sure what he finds more unnerving. The strange deformation of the dancers, the fear on the young king's face when the mirror shatters or the sudden onrush of... whatever those things are.

For a few moments he stands frozen in place before his brain kicks into survival mode and he turns around to look for Ludwig in the chaos. The J'raffa id not far away and Sagishi immediately runs towards him, only slowing down a fraction to slap Fhiess who appears to have a major panic attack, across the head.

"Snap out of it! Now!" he shouts as he passes the elf. The J`raffa has gotten up after his fall and it takes but a swift jump before he is once more seated on Ludwig's back.

He leans forward and shouts over the screams of the crowd. "We need to get out of here, and quick!" Just in time he spots Nyx, the gnome still flat on her back. "And don't forget Nyx!"

((I think between Keranos' warning and Sagishi's slapping it is save to assume that Fhiess would have snapped out of it and managed to get onto Ludwig's back alone.
 

Mike M

Nick N
((Guys I've read this manga, you need to be on the lookout for a necklace with a face on it))
((Hey! No spoilers!))
((I think between Keranos' warning and Sagishi's slapping it is save to assume that Fhiess would have snapped out of it and managed to get onto Ludwig's back alone.))
((Yeah, Fhiess has no penalties to action or anything, he can climb up on Ludwig as his move action too.))
 
Fhiess reels, causing his hat to slip off from his recoil. Still gritting his teeth, he grabs onto Ludwig as he passes by and gets swept away. Eventually he'll manage to climb onto the back of the beast even with his crossbow held.
 

Mike M

Nick N
Keranos keeps his head about him during the crisis, projecting his authority and attempting to exert as much control over the panicked hordes to ensure as safe and orderly a retreat as possible, given the circumstances. Ludwig follows behind carrying the rest of the party on his back, picking his way through the crowded streets to ensure that he doesn’t trample on anyone. Barrow tags alongside, running as fast as his short legs can take him, his cheeks red with effort.

As the members of the former delegation from Remdormo make their way through the terrified flood of people spilling out, over, and around every possible exit, wall, and obstacle, a voice echos from within each of their heads.

Come. You must come to me.

The voice is accompanied by an uncanny sense of it being of the utmost importance to turn due south out the castle gate. Any who look in that direction will see what appears to be a lone figure standing beneath an archway sitting on a small hill. There are two others already climbing the hill toward the summit, seemingly heeding the same call.
 

Nezumi

Member
((Yay! New people :) ))

Sagishi is trying his best to hold on to Ludwig's back. A J'raffa, as it turns out, is not an ideal riding animal by any means and all he can do is dig his hands in the spaces between the armor as to not slide down when he hears the strange voice.

Surprised he turns to the others. "Did you hear that, too? I think someone wants us to go to that hill over there."

For some strange reason he later would not be able to explain, the thought that this might be a trap never occurred to him.
 
Keranos hears the voice and looks around, wide-eyed. He attempts to reply:

Who is this? What do you want?

But receives nothing in return.

"So," he says aloud, to no one in particular. "That's what that feels like."

The accompanying compulsion is difficult to resist. Although it's a little unsettling, upon consideration he can't think of anything much better to do. He does as the voice instructs and approaches the hill. He is glad to spot Ludwig and the others headed in the same direction, and struggles to catch up to them. He is lucky that Ludwig is weighed down by three people, for otherwise, reaching them would be a lost cause.

"Glad.... to see... you all.... made it," he pants. "I take it.... you heard the voice.... too."

He peers ahead, raising an eyebrow at the two other figures ahead of them.
 
Keranos and the stranger's voices in the past minute hadn't echoed in his head, stifled by foggy struggles to wake up from what seems like a nightmare: first feeling something move from his pack, now having witnessed a surreal cruelty shrouded with garish figures mocking them. A part of him hopes that he is just so nervous for tomorrow's presentation to the king that this nightmare is just an exaggeration of things that may go wrong.

Once his adrenaline starts to fades, he slowly gains realization of the clarity of the reality, and now real and close by his companions are. Now he's not even sure what happened just now was as he saw it, but he is certain that he's currently on the run along with them. He answers, "I, ah.. I heard a voice too. But, wasn't it you?"
 
Ludwig flees the site as fast as he is able, though choosing his steps carefully enough to avoid stepping on anyone is probably helpful in letting the others hang on for the ride.

As the get through the heaviest part of it, Ludwig looks to the hills in surprise. "Yeah, I heard a voice too. Guess it wasn't Keranos. Huh."

Normally, he would be ready to head elsewhere and let the people here sort out their own problems, but for some reason heading over to the voice seems like a really good idea right now. He begins heading over to the archway with the others.
 
((I imagine pre-introductory posts can start at this point. Hello everyone.))
MikeM:
Portent rolls are 2 and 6

Pale blue clouds race overhead, intermingling with flashes of pitch black void. Below the roiling firmament, jagged peaks of a ruined city lie silent. Shadows dance among the structures as they would a sundial formed by a mad sun. He looks on at the scene, seeking meaning in it as he has for the last decade, yet finding nothing but chaos. Then, the feeling comes again, the creeping doom writhing up along his toes and toward his torso. "Don't look down, don't look..." But he does. A swarm of worms are crawling up his body toward his face, leaving a numb chill as they go. Eventually, they begin to tickle his chin and... tickle?

https://youtu.be/npsAcevrIzk?t=4006

The short elf bolted awake from his trance. A spider had found his chin and was meandering slowly along it. He swatted it away, annoyed. "Damned arachnids, I really ought to peruse that vermin barrier Professor Hjalmik had mentioned." He attempted to rest further and return to the vision but found it impossible, unable to escape a sense of deep foreboding. "Some poor soul is going to badly fail their midterms today, hopefully it won't leave too much of a mess."

The elf proceeded to dress and prepare for another exciting day of babysitting the spoiled children of rich merchants and pretending to care about their "academic success". After leaving his dorm he was approached by a regally robed gnome.

"Good morning Thosar, planning to enjoy the celebrations today?"
His little face beamed a mix of glee and mischief.
"Professor Misk, good morning to you. I'm afraid I'll be too busy with the students today to partake."
It's too early in the day old man, leave your troublesome foibles with another.
"Ah, you seem to have forgotten that today was a campus holiday, so that everyone could attend the young king's birthday. Any regular duties of yours can wait, you really ought to see the sights, get out there, live a little!"
Thosar sighed. He wished to get away from this as quickly and cleanly as possible.
"I don't suppose there's a last minute errand you have needing to be completed?"
"Hm, well, now that you mention it, perhaps you could bring back some fried cinnamon flats and bat entrails? Trast and myself are doing a little last minute research and could use the materials."
A simple enough task and something to get him out and away from any other impromptu requests, Thosar accepted. As Misk handed him the coin for the "ingredients", he stopped a moment.
"One last thing, do be careful out there. I know the guard contingent should keep trouble to a minimum, but you never know what those hayseed buffoons from the country might do."

Thosar rolled his eyes walking back toward his room, but girded himself nonetheless. Can't be too careful, I suppose. Now in a suit of scales, with a shield and sword strapped on, he grabbed his pack and made his way to the street. Thosar was greeted by the usual waft of animal musk though the typical undercurrent of exposed excrement was almost unnoticeable. Making sure to keep his pace to a minimum, he followed his nose to the food vendors hawking their roasted meats and fried delights.

The procession of dignitaries had already started, and Thosar took a few minutes to observe, using a bench to get a better view above the crowd. For the most part, it looked like the usual procession of bootlickers that made their way to appease the king. However, a strange looking creature appeared next to an otherwise uninteresting group... He paused to take a quick sketch. Long neck, hairy, I don't see any fine manipulators. Hm. A unique specimen, perhaps worthy of an inquiry to Professor Trast later. With nothing else of interest to hold him, he moved on to gather the snacks and entrails.

On his way back to Rheus academy, the sky darkened suddenly. Thosar glanced back, expecting some wayward cloud, but was instead witness to a great, dark hole in the sky above where the procession should have ended... where King Dio should be. Suddenly, a gout of black, swirling masses swept from the portal and rushed to meet the ground. His eyes grew wide at the implication and he began sprinting to the school to rouse any of the mages still inside. He stopped short, however, when he heard it.

Come to me.

A voice in his head, seeming both at once tiny and shatteringly important pulled his gaze toward the hill to the south. Maybe it was his diviner's sense, maybe it was a compulsion spell, maybe it was heedlessness born of desperation. Whatever it was, Thosar began his trek up the hill to meet this figure, hopefully they had a better plan than he.

((And now, for present tense programming.))

As he climbs the hill, Thosar notices the strange tall creature approaching along with a few others. He feels relief at their survival, and a shared sense of purpose. Maybe it was some magical attempt gone horribly wrong and not an assassination? No, hm. Something else is going on. He decides to take a short rest halfway up the hill to await them.

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<Welcome!>
If Fhiess is able to spot the man as they continue to travel, it will mark the first time much needed fortune was granted since last night; he will point and state, "Look! I see someone upon the horizon, and others as well! Should we draw closer to see?"

But as with Sagishi, it doesn't somehow cause worry to him that they are about to hail another party even with a wanted bounty and a valuable artifact of history among their possessions- it could be the strange sense of urgency to be here, or it could be his still unsure how to process the situation following his sudden desire to push back against the villain.
 
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