Wrath of the Righteous - Worldwound Incursion

[Kallimakus]

For several weeks, excitement has been building in Kenabres - Armasse is coming! Once a holy day of Aroden, former patron of the Mendevian crusades, the day serves as a festival. New priests are ordained, young hopefuls chosen as squires, knights and warriors allowed to test and display their prowess before crowds. For a city this close to Worldwound, it is a welcome distraction from the regular horror of being the front line of the war against Fiends. While celebration has been going on in the city since sunrise, the main event and most of the activity is at Clydwell Plaza, where Lord Hulrun, ruler of Kenabres is set to officially open the festivities at noon.

While the celebration is spread across the city, Clydwell plaza is the place to be, and you have turned up there among the massive expectant crowd.

Link to OOC Thread

[Woodsman]

Kaltan huffs somewhat impatiently. For weeks now he'd been trying to track down Sir Alistair, with zero luck. He had to be somewhere in the city, but where seemed to be anyone's guess. He taps his foot, scanning the massive crowd once again, but it proves no use. More and more people were streaming in, and his chances of seeing Alistair would likely be slimmer as the crowd grew heavier. He tilts his head and rubs his chin for a moment. On the other hand, more people meant it was more likely someone had seen the older paladin.

"Well," he murmurs to himself, "standing here wasting time won't find him. Might as well try again." He approaches someone nearby, politely bowing his head. "Excuse me? Have you seen or heard of a paladin who goes by the name Alistair? Mendevian, looks a little older, has a coat of arms like this?" he asks, raising his shield to display the white lion painted on an azure background. "Any information you have at all would be incredibly useful."

[Pancakes]

Arlena stands nervously admist the crowd, doing her best to keep her tiefling features beneath her cloak. Coming here was probably her best chance at finding a way to search for her sister. But if just one person saw her and assumed she was an enemy...

She'd just have to hope no one would pay attention to her.

Suddenly started when an impatiently looking man approaches her, she does her best not to sound too nervous when she answers:

"I'm... I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone matching that description. Are... Are you two part of the crusade?

[HappyMerecat]

Kogger

Kogger walked around the city feeling unconnected to the city and it's inhabitants. It was his home and yet it didn't feel like a home. As he walked through the city he could see Clydwell plaza, even busier than the rest of the city and so headed there on a whim to watch the crowds and what was going on.

[Zhentarim]

For the first time in 5 years, Yuln took a day off. He was normally a kindly and obedient man who worked behind the scenes to keep Kenebres safe, but he wanted to see what else to life there was.

[ZinZenWho]

Making he's way through the crowds Damon us uunperturbeb by the odd looks he's seems to be attracting.

Passing by several people on his way into the plaza, what appears to be a knight having a conversation with someone in a cloak, the only people that seem to stand out.

Fingering his bracer and the Holy Symbol mounted in it. " OK, I've made it here, what's the next step?" He asks himself as he moves deeper into the plaza.

[Woodsman]

Kaltan's face falls as Arlena responds. "Ah, I see..." he looks rather disappointed before brightening a bit at her question. "Well, I am, at least. Not officially yet. I'm to be inducted today along with some of the others. I was hoping my mentor, Sir Alistair would be here. He said he would be in Kenabres, but I have yet to see him. What about you? What brings you to the city, might I ask?" He turns his gaze back to Arlena, looking rather curious.

[HappyMerecat]

Kogger

Walking through the crowd a knight talking to a cloaked figure. It crosses him mind she is also someone who feels like an outsider and the knight is harassing her, but as he listens he finds this is not obviously the case. He slowly moves closer to hear better.

[Zhentarim]

Yuln takes a seat in the bar, the last electrum, and gently touches the bandages on his head from his last friendly bar brawl. "One beer, please!"

[Pancakes]

At Kaltan's gaze , Arlena instinctively grips her cloak tighter.
"I'm sure your mentor will come to see you. As for me, I... I was hoping to join the crusade as well, if they'd have me. There's... Too much at stake in this conflict, and I would like to help however I can."

[Woodsman]

"I hope so," he mumbles softly, shrugging. He gives Arlena a light smile. "That's good to hear. I admire that. I'm Kaltan, by the way," he says, offering her his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can work together in the Crusade."

[Kallimakus]

Yuln
The bartender takes your coin and draws a bear from an oak cask, setting it before you. The kindly-looking old man does warn you that he'll need to usher you out and lock his establishment a bit before noon. Not gonna be much business with everyone watching the opening ceremony and the joust, and thus no sense to miss them. He'll make up for you though. Get a free drink after.

Kaltan, Arlena, Kogger, Damon
Alas, there is no sign of Alistair right now, and little hope of finding him in a crowd this huge. While Kaltan and Arlena converse, they begin to notice that some in the crowd pay attention to them, though most of the masses seem to be more focused in their own lives and enjoyment to pay attention.

Noon
Alas, noon comes eventually, and the surging crowds drive everyone to Clydwell Plaza. Sky is clear blue, framing the grand cathedral in golden light. Expectant eyes turn to the podium raised before it as word passes through the crowd that the lord of the city is about to announce the official opening of the celebration.

There is a disconnect.

You find yourselves in utter darkness, as though waking with a thunderous headache. Your ears ring. It's hard to breathe.

As your senses refocus, you find yourselves aware of clatter of rocks, moans of pain, coughing and dust everywhere, getting in your mouths and nostrils. A quick assesment reveals that you yourselves, though in pain and discomfort, as well as lying on a slightly cold rough stone, are unharmed in general sense. You might be in shock though, as you still have little idea how anything came to pass to deposit you here.

Those with Darkvision can see that you have found yourselves in a large underground cavern. The exact size is still hard to tell with all the dust that has yet to settle down again. One wall is made of an enormous wall of rubble. More chunks of rock litter the floor, and some even appears to be masonry. Occasionally, a slight tremor of the earth sends a miniature rockslide clattering down, explaining some of the noise. Those without can only hear rustling of cloth and sounds of movement nearby.

[ZinZenWho]

Damon looks around to see who else is down here with him (he's assuming he's underground). If he can find something to make a torch with he does so.

Spoiler: OoC

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If you need rolls let my know and I'll throw them up in the OoC.

[Woodsman]

Kaltan heaves himself to his feet, wobbling slightly, head pounding and ears ringing. He takes a moment to steady himself, putting a hand to his temple and drawing in a sharp breath. He closes his eyes, even with the darkness, and draws in a few more breaths. He reopens his eyes, feeling steadier. He gently pats himself to check for injuries. Nothing noticeable-- though a sharp pain upon touching his nose suggests it may have been broken. Whether it is broken or not, he can walk, and he can fight, and that's what's important.

"Okay," he says, taking the sounds of rustling cloth to mean there were others with him. "Who else is in here? And could someone light a torch or cast a spell? It would be helpful for those of us who can't see in darkness."

[ZinZenWho]

"Over here, and that's what I'm trying to do. You hear a deep voice say from not far off.

With that I use one of my "Elemental Rays" and shoot it strait up. (it's fire bassed and am assuming it will shed some light for the people who can't see.

[Kallimakus]

The elemental ray sails upwards, hitting the ceiling some 20 feet above you and dislodging a small piece of rock that falls to the floor, hitting something soft before clattering to the stone floor. The cavern is briefly illuminated by the ray, revealing that it is well over a hundred feet across (You can't see the far edge). It reveals a jagged, immobile shape near the periphery, perhaps forty feet away, as well as larger pieces of a building that tumbled down here.

The orange-red glow of the fiery ray reveals that there are other people in the cavern, and not everyone was as fortunate as you. An arm peeks out from beneath a piece of rock, and a pair of leg peek from the wall of rubble. The owners of these are not alive, at least you hope. Besides you all, you see a few figures near you that appear mostly intact and probably alive.

One of them is a woman lying prone on the floor, unresponsive, her left leg trapped under a rock below the knee and bent at an angle you think it probably shouldn't.
Another is an elven man, clutching his face, breathing short, panicked breaths, his fingers and hands painted with blood, dripping down his forearms.
The last one, in best shape, is the one that was rudely awakened by a dropping rock. A man progressing in years, he sits up, shakes his head and yells out "What is going on? I demand that whoever is behind this explain themselves at once!"

Damon locates some wood, probably once part of a floor, and can set it on fire with another elemental ray to produce an elemental ray.

Notes: The sudden start of this adventure means that you likely aren't fully equipped. While everyone in Kenabres bears arms an those fortunate enough to own armour wear it daily, you probably didn't get out to the day of celebration with all your gear on your person. As such, you've got your combat gear with you, as well as what items you judge your characters would have carried to the celebration. Those that came out of town for the celebration might even have had all their gear with them, having been too busy to search for accommodation to drop them off to.
So with that, I make the assumption that most of you would be carrying what's in your belt pouch (or similar), but not your backpack. Likely, seeing as you were set to be within the bounds of the city, you didn't take along rations (certainly not for more than the day), nor excess waterskins, changes of clothing and similar. Whatever you feel is in character for your characters to carry on a 'day off' sort of thing.

[ZinZenWho]

"Who ever did this isn't down here I don't think." Damon replies to the person clonked on the head with the rock. While he says this he makes a torch and lights it with an elemental ray (6 left).

"Who ever is unhurt say so, whoever's awake say so. If you can see, see who's still alive if they didn't answer." Damon says after passing his torch to the nearest uninjured person.

[HappyMerecat]

Kogger

Kogger picks himself up off the ground, dazed and confused. It seems he is in complete darkness, but there are voices, talking about ... light and injured people. Shaking his head he casts light on the end of his staff and looks around, by reflex heading to any injured people.

First he moves to the unconscious woman and casts stabilize on her.

"We need to get her out from under that rock. I need some help. I need a few of you to get in position to lift the rock and when I say lift, do so and I will slide her out."

[Woodsman]

"I think my nose might be broken, but otherwise I'm all right. Save any healing for those who need it," Kaltan says, looking at Damon and nodding. He moves over to the rock, looking over it. "I can help lift this, but I think I'll need a little assistance."

[Pancakes]

Arlena slowly comes to her senses, and carefully looks around the room. She spots Kaltan and another person standing over an unconscious woman, and promptly rushes towards them, as she hears Kaltan's call for assistance.

"I'm not that strong, but I'll try to help as best I can."

As she notices the elven man, she asks the other two people who seem mostly uhnarmed:"Could one of you please check up on the elf? I don't know if I like the look of that head injury."

Spoiler: Elven

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"Please, try to calm down sir. We'll try to help as soon as we can."

[Zhentarim]

"Hell no! I should have died defending my post! Where am I?"

It is at this moment Yuln sees the fiery ray.

"Does anybody need help?"

[HappyMerecat]

Kogger

"Yes. Help lift that rock off this woman."

[ZinZenWho]

"I'll try and help, but I probably won't be of much. Damon exclaimed."I'm not as strong as most of my kin." He adds as he rolls back his sleeves.

[Zhentarim]

Yuln adjusts the bandages on his head, and goes to the rock to try to lift it up.

Spoiler: STR CHECK

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(1d20+4)[9]

[Woodsman]

Kaltan kneels down to help Yuln lift the rock, speaking to him through gritted teeth. "It would seem that the gods had other plans for you than dying at your post."

[Kallimakus]

You get to work. The unconscious woman is stabilized, and you get to lifting the rock off of her. While it isn't all that heavy (Somewhere in the vicinity of DC10), you need a few people to move it aside carefully and not hurt her. The ambulatory survivor, a noble of some sort based on manner and style of dress, gives unhelpful instructions as to how best perform the deed. Things like 'lift with your legs, not with your back' and 'be really careful' are amongst words spoken. You might also think you hear him mutter something under his breath at your performance. All he appears to be good for is holding the torch so everyone has their hands free. Besides this he shows no inclination to actually do anything.

With the rock moved, it is quite obvious that the woman is not going to walk on that leg without some help. The nobleman, rallying, instructs someone to make a splint for it. He doesn't give any further instructions.

As for the elf, he replies in common that he is alive. His injury is quite severe, but he manages to get to upright position and gropes for support. His face is a mess from nose upwards, and there seems to be little left of his eyes. He asks if anyone has seen his staff, which is lying a few feet from where he is.

Once everyone is approximately stable, the nobleman introduces himself as Horgus Gwerm, and proceeds to take offense at the fact that you do not instantly recognize him. Anyway, he explains, he is one of the more significant nobles in the city, especially now, what with this (he casts his eyes about the room).
The elf introduces himself as Aravashinal, and curtly demands to be appraised of the situation. If any of you possess healing abilities, they should be applied to him and the injured woman. That should also wake her up.

Spoiler: OOC

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You can make diplomacy checks as a group to make these NPC's more inclined to help you. That is to say, go out of their way to help you. Everyone's life is on the line, after all.
As to how this will work, as a group you get one diplomacy check/NPC. That means that two people can aid to try and improve the attitude of whichever NPC.

[Woodsman]

Once the woman is pulled from under the rock, Kaltan turns to chastise the noble, opening his mouth before stopping himself. What would Alistair do in this situation? he asks himself. He certainly wouldn't make any unnecessary enemies."

Kaltan closes his mouth, taking a deep breath before addressing the noble properly. "I apologize for not recognizing you, Master Gwerm," he says, bowing his head politely. "Would that we could have met under better circumstances. But, as it stands right now, we need to get moving. We won't last very long in here, and whatever is going on in the city above, we need to find out and help. Your cooperation is of the utmost importance."

Spoiler: Diplomacy

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(1d20+6)[18]

He turns to the elf--Aravashnial. "Aravashnial-- The situation, as it stands, is that we appear to be in some sort of cavern underneath the city. How we got here is anyone's guess, but something is happening above us. We need to be moving. If you need assistance walking, I'm more than happy to provide it. But right now I'm afraid I'm not capable of healing," he grimaces. "Regardless, your help in our venture will be greatly appreciated. You look a knowledgeable sort," he says, walking over and picking up the elf's staff before gently placing it in his hand. "Please."

Spoiler: Diplomacy

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(1d20+6)[25]

[Pancakes]

Arlena lets out a sigh. Healing other people with her extracts was something that was still beyond her.

"I'm afraid I'm also unable to provide healing through magical means. But I can at least try to do something about her leg."

Arlena tries her best to make a splint for the woman's leg, using some of the wood near them and a piece of her own cloak.

Spoiler: Heal

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Would a heal check be appropriate?
(1d20+5)[9]

[ZinZenWho]

"Elf, Aravashnial. Hold very still." Damon says as he starts rubbing his hands together. He then says a shot prayer in orcish to his god.

Spoiler: Cure light wounds.

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(1d8+1)[5]

[HappyMerecat]

Kogger

Having pulled the woman out with the others' help he put his hands on her and murmurs some words and then follows with "Thank you for your help."

Spoiler: Crunch

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Healing Hex(1d8+1)[6]

"I got healing, who else needs healing?"