Book II: Flamekeep- Chapter 3: The City Walls

[vandalaria]

passing this turn

[resonance]

((Also going to pass!))


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[redcoat]

Pushing the climbing vines away, Jamison revealed a Hidden Door, unlocking it with the keys in his hands. "Well then Sirs, Ma'am. I wish you the best of luck in your errand. Keep safe, and keep your purses close. May the Silver Flame light your way safe."

[Ancelas]

Tobias grunted. "Yours as well," he said, making an effort to sound earnest before making his way forward through the door, watchful of potential dangers.

Cynic.

Dupe.

[§~Samwise~§]

Pheuse said nothing as he followed Tobias through the hidden door. He refrained from any spell casting at the moment, but did intend to wield magic to locate the wayward Si. Although part of him wanted to seek out whatever this demon speak was all about in order to address it and ease suffering.

For the moment he was all business though. Waiting until the guard closed the door behind them before opting to speak at all.

[vandalaria]

The servitor warforged followed closely in Pheuse's wake. Shadow demons or scared mobs -- either way, Porter strode forward in their characteristically precise tick-tock step. Most likely the second. Poor, scared people; a collection of refugees, neglected and abused, still longing for their lost home. The Jewel of Galifar. They still remembered its grandeur, too, but its time had passed despite that. The work goes on, Porter thought, returning to the present, and they served another now.

<<Feel yourself returning?>> The thought bubbled up to their consciousness from somewhere a bit deeper, recalling their claims of recovery. <<Are you strong enough to protect him, then? Or will you fail him, too?>> The idea was a cold cutting edge. They said nothing as they stepped through the door.

[resonance]

Neuks followed the others out of the door at the very back. Gotta look tough. Tough tough tough.
Grrr. Tough. I'm a bodyguard, look at me. Tough tough. As she walked through the door she gave the soldier a big smile and wave. "Bye!"

[redcoat]

Jamison gave a wave, and then began a quick jog back to his post.

[redcoat]

As the group slipped through the hidden doorway concealed within the city's formidable walls, a palpable sense of tension hung in the air. The transition from the polished grandeur of the urban enclave- even just the edges of one- to the sprawling slums beyond was nothing short of a stark contrast.

You step onto a narrow, uneven alleyway that wound its way between makeshift dwellings. Late day sunlight struggles to penetrate the labyrinthine streets, casting sporadic patches of warm illumination amidst the shadows. The air is heavy with a melange of scents – the earthy aroma of dampened cobblestones, the acrid tang of smoke from humble cookfires, and the underlying scent of desperation that permeated the lives of those living on the fringe.

Rough-hewn structures, built from repurposed materials, lean precariously against each other, forming a collage of patched roofs and mismatched walls. Faded banners and tattered cloths flutter overhead, creating a canopy that shielded the alleyway from the prying eyes of the world above. The ground beneath your feet is a tapestry of uneven stones, caked in layers of grime and memory.

To your right is the sound of the crowd, clamoring to be let in the gates. Everywhere else is eerie silence.

[Ancelas]

Tobias eye the crowd and quickly moved into the shadow of one of the ramshackle buildings. "Well," he murmured, his features smoothing back into those of the face he preferred, "that's one challenge down. Now, the next one. Pheuse - you can trace her ring, right?"

[§~Samwise~§]

Pheuse was uneasy and a good part of him wanted to see to the people. If there was danger it seemed prudent to either get away fast or to head into it and handle it. He didn't take note of the silence at first. It wasn't until Tobias spoke to him that he registered it.

"Uh ... yeah" He cast his eyes in every direction other than the crowd trying to perceive something ... off (( Perception rolled 18+4 = 22)). "I can do that. I can even change form to maybe move faster."

He kept looking around, now slightly more wary that silence existed everywhere except the gates. "Should we assess what's actually going on before we skulk around?"

[vandalaria]

"Indeed," Porter began, looking from him first to the rest of the group and the alley they found themselves in. Slowly their head continued it's turn, the scattered light catching the spiderweb of gold across the left side of their face. They looked to the right and the sound of the crowds, then to the rest of the slums. Their eyes lingering particularly on the shadows, not yet entirely ready to discount the cries they'd heard earlier. (Perception 10)

Nothing immediately seemed out of place other than the silence. They took a few steps forward and, realizing how even that echoed in the odd quiet, paused. Again they considered the alley. They looked for a moment like they were considering some old, unused room they couldn't quite remember the purpose of, now gone musty from neglect and time. "It does feel a bit off, doesn't it?" They hadn't gone far, really no more than another few feet, having paused just far enough ahead that hopefully any danger would find them first.

[resonance]

Likewise, Neuks also dropped her disguise. The silence away from the crowd was practically deafening, and she grabbed the tufted end of her tail to fiddle with the gear she'd braided into it nervously while they decided what the next step was. "Other than the gates being closed on them, there must be something that's wrong..." ((Rolling perception specifically to determine the mood of the crowd - 18))

[redcoat]

(Perception checks! There is nothing that immediately sticks out to you as wrong or out of place)

(Insight- the crowd appears to be panicked, but not growing larger)

[Ancelas]

"Stay close," Tobias said to Pheuse. "You might be able to move faster, but if we can't keep up, then it won't be very helpful." He eyed the crowd, and then looked around him at the others, as their attention was drawn toward the agitated gathering. "We're not here to-" he began, only to cut himself off abruptly.

What if there IS something that they're afraid of?

It's not out concern. Si is.

What if what they're running from is a danger to her.

Don't.

What if it's threatening her right now?

Stop that!

What if we find her and then have to face a monster without any intelligence?

Damnit, FINE.

"...So are we going to ask the crowd about what they're running from?" Ellie said out loud, Tobias' features shifting into her own. "They can probably direct us toward it and we can try to deal with it before it causes more problems."