Book 1, Part 3: Threat of the Red Jills

ccanary · March 14

Maria Callus

Maria Callus — Human Monk (medic)

Jill Talking

Maria looked on in stunned silence as Scarplume fairly exploded in a fine pink mist along with the ringing retort of Temperance's weapon. She wasn't sure she heard everything that came after but she caught that Kjersti seemed to be on top of things and had given her a task.

"Yeah, OK. Ledge. Right," she muttered leaving the talking to Kjersti and the violence to Deadman and Temperance as she went to follow Kjersti's plan, hoping they would continue to talk their way out of this now that the organization had been decapitated.

Mechanics

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pi4t · March 14

Star - Character Sheet

Star stares at Temperance's weapon with respect, not to mention fear. She'd seen the other tiefling use it in previous battles, but never with this sort of result. Shaken, she just nods at Kjersti's suggestion, and jumps off the roof to land near Deadman.

"Hey," she says, softly, reaching out a hand toward him. "Let 'er go. She ain't the real enemy, jus' a kid what got caught up in somethin' she couldn't stop."

She stares her friend in his empty eyes. "Trust me. 'S time to let 'er go."

Show Mechanics

Using Cat Fall to avoid fall damage, for style :)

Edited March 14 by pi4t (see edit history)

Mister Doctor · March 14

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

KAC: 19/18 Fort: +10 Ref: +5 Will: +6
HP: 40/40 THP: 6/6 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +6

"Hrrk-mmm-merccyyy?" The corpse growled at the Red Jill sprawled before it. The dead thing loomed over the fallen Jill, terrible in its unholy vitality. She was begging for mercy, now? "Mmmrr-merrrcy?"

It wrenched the sword from the ruined bricks, gripping the hilt with such unnatural power that desiccated flesh creaked alarmingly. A near skinless hand reached down and grabbed the front of the woman's shirt, hauling her up as though she weighed nothing more than a scarecrow until she was face-to-face with the ruined visage of the unliving abomination. The glassy grey-blue eye stared into her face. Mercy was as foreign an idea to this thing as there could be. The mind that stared out from that eye in this moment was a thing of hollow rage, only paused in the execution of its one calling by the sheer ridiculousness of trying to beg it for mercy. It would kill her and probably eat part of her before moving on to continue its bloody work elsewhere.

The ganger was saved by the appearance of Star at their side, her words stubbornly worming their way into what passed for the corpse's consciousness. The ruined face turned to regard Star for a moment before that baleful eye returned to regarding its next potential. It opened and closed its mouth a few times, teeth audibly clacking with the force and ground its jaw with the effort of thought or, perhaps, imagining how the Jill's trachea would feel as it collapsed under tearing teeth.

"Nnnmm-mercy, Ssstaaarrrr," it decided and tossed the unlucky Jill aside like a ruined cloak. There was no doubt as to who the Jill owed their remaining life to here. Sheathing its sword, it began to climb up towards the roof, pausing only to extend its less gruesome hand down to Star and help her back up. It stood tall among the living souls that it had decided to follow, fixing the new leader of the Jills with its sole eye.

"Hhh-k-k-kill them?" It asked in an almost conversational way. A looming threat given human form. Maria, Kjersti, Star, and Kyla were the nicer option here. A stern word to set those who had done wrong on a better path. Temperance too... though maybe not as much if the state of the very dead strix's head was anything to go by. What the corpse would do if it was let from its leash did not bear thinking about.

Climbing to the roof with a 17, 23, and 20

Edited March 14 by Mister Doctor (see edit history)

pi4t · March 14

Star - Character Sheet

Star accepts Deadman's hand up, wincing a little as he pulls too hard on her bad hand. She takes the more convenient method of getting back onto the roof, by climbing up the ladder.

"No, I don't think we need ta kill them neither any more. Do we?" she asks the Jills' new leader, meaningfully. Then she sighs. "What are we doin'? Look, you Jills weren't like this a few months ago. Goin' round attackin' the Hoof? Thieves fightin' thieves? We're doin' Thrune's work for him! If you really want ta strike a blow 'gainst what's wrong in this city like that Scarplume said, you want to fight gainst Thrune, not takin' it out on the folks Thrune's hurt."

Show Mechanics

Edited March 14 by pi4t (see edit history)

Toraka_Stormheart · March 18

Temperance - Character Sheet

AC: 19 Fort: +6 Ref: +10 Will: +4

HP: 24/24 Rebel Points: 4/3 | Perception: +6

Ammunition: 19/20 (40 Reserve) | Alchemy PreparedAlchemical Cartridges: 20 | ConditionsNone

Temperance stood still, staring directly ahead as Kjersti directed the other members of the Ravens present, as well as laying out the terms from where to go from here. She glances as Star dips down off the roof to the ground below, deciding that she would not need help reining in their less than alive companion. She did not speak, as what has already said did not need elaborated.

Rather, Temperance regarded the firearm-toting member of the Jills that was speaking for the rest of them. A brow quirked at the appearance of a four-barrelled gun, and the tiefling's head dipped forward just slightly. A nod of recognition and...professional respect.

Show Mechanics

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ripleycat · March 20

The Jill saved from the dead man by Star's presence is too terrified to be grateful. She scrabbles away, abandoning her gangmates, sprinting and stumbling through the streets, driven by nothing but primal panic, but alive, at least.

With the crisis averted, the apparent new leader relaxes a bit, turning somewhat guiltily under Kjersti's and Star's pointed words. Her odd, soft drawl exposes her as one of the many wanderers who find their way to the Silver City. It's not at all like the quick, musical patter of most native Kintargans, or the clipped, sharp tones of the southern heartland. "Scarplume had some points. Some damn good points, the kind of fire you only earn by livin' through the worst life can throw at you. She'd earned her revenge. Mad visions, like some godly zealot, not a petty thief. Hated this place more than you'd believe. Or maybe you would. Went out with a good rant, but that kind of screaming was pretty much standard by the end. It ate her up."

"Heard about you lot through the folks in the Nursery. Said you might have saved the whole neighborhood. Scar laughed at that. Said you were soft, working the wrong angles. Revolution needed more blood and fire. I don't think she'd have gone after you if you didn't come after us, but you Ravens sure rubbed her the wrong way after a while. Did not care for 'heroes'. "

"Thing was, her grand plan never came off. Was never the right time to send the tyrants to meet their devils in person. Never had the weapons, never had the numbers, never had the reputation. Always something. Always pickin' at soft targets instead. 'Collaborators'. She loved that word like she needed to say it to breathe." Rueful nods of agreement from the rest of the Jills, and stifled laughter from the youngest one. "Some of 'em were, I'm sure. Thrune's got spies and informants under every floorboard in Kintargo, but eh, a lot of them looked like regular folk who couldn't keep you from taking their silver. Dotties know to mind their business, but those Chels, the Citizens, wander everywhere, lookin' for fights. Scar didn't like us picking at them. Drew too much attention, she said. I guess that's true, but I think she'd lost the plot by the end. How do you win a fight if you never throw a punch? I was starting to worry that there was some puppetmaster on high, letting her growl and rage, playin' politics. 'Look at those who oppose us! Mad dogs! Don't you see? Now you have to let us step on your throats even harder, to be safe!'"

She steps back from the bridge for a moment, waiting for consent from the rest of the gang. The motion has some weight and uncertainty behind it. Scarplume probably wasn't the "put it to a vote" type. "I'm willing to extend a hand, make some friends. What do you all think? Pick some bigger targets? Remind the high and mighty not to go where they don't belong? Break some windows in the Greens? Cut some fat purses? Do a little good?" Enthusiasm is mixed, and some of the Jills scoff outright at "good", but there's a general murmur of assent.

"Well, it's a start. Ada Drummond, should you need my bonifides, or want to stop by for tea." She taps her heart by way of introduction. "Now, not to be an ass to my guests, but Scar, she deserves a proper send-off, the way the strix do it, so get the hell off my roof."

Realizing the half-joke might be taken badly, she adds "Send a messenger around in a couple days, when we've all got clearer heads. We'll sit down, hash out what needs hashing out, see if we can't make this truce into something better, lasting, but now's not the time, if you'll pardon me."

Mister Doctor · March 20

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

KAC: 19/18 Fort: +10 Ref: +5 Will: +6
HP: 40/40 THP: 6/6 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +6

Mention of the Chelish Citizens Group seemed to catch the corpse's attention. As Ada tried to dismiss them so she could see to the remains of her former boss, the corpse shouldered forward and planted a foot on the bridge, making the unstable construction shake. The burning eye fixed on Ada.

No doubt there was something familiar there, if Ada's words about Scar were true, but the strix had been a creature of living hate. The thing staring across the gap between the buildings at her had no such petty concerns or secret fears to sully the purity of the rage fueling its unliving body. It would kill and kill and kill until there was nothing left.

The ruined face twisted into a snarl. The only kindness was that the influence of the 'heroes' around it had turned opinion of the situation enough that it no longer considered the Jills a valid target for that rage. True and terrible hatred was being directed past Ada. She was just another step being taken to put the corpse in a position to seek its single monomaniacal goal. "Hk-Chelllls? Wheerrrreee?"

Perhaps there was some horrible turnabout on offer here. Ada could, if she wished, direct the thing that had been intent on gorily driving her and her comrades to ground at a group they both hated. The Chelish Citizens Group was the corpse's favorite prey after all, which should not be surprising considering what the fate of Guy-Arist Lavigne had been. The CCG were plentiful, easy to kill, and of limited enough intelligence that a walking corpse filled with fury and rage could outthink them. What better way to enact revenge upon a bunch of cruel thugs unthinkingly picking fights with those less fortunate than by loosing something even less kind upon them?

ripleycat · March 20

Ada freezes stock-still as the zombie lurches forward, hands up, taking a very prudent and unprovoking step backwards, treating the remains of Guy Lavigne like a wild predator, perhaps a more sensible approach than some of those who insist on treating the man-shaped thing as a man.

That said, she does not look the gift horse in the mouth. She doesn't much care to look at him at all, but the outlaw doesn't need much prompting to point the killing beast at the least-loved people in the city. "B-back down the hill. Closer to the Nursery, in those cheap apartment blocks. Um... there. See there, the old House of the Spheres? A patrol of 'em, six or so? Couple of the girls saw them while they were shadowing you. We weren't exactly in a position to do anything with them, but if you want, well, be my guest."

Fletcher · March 20

Kjersti Volden

Kjersti's posture and expression slowly softens as Ada speaks of their journey with - or potentially takeover by - Scarplume. Arms no longer cross firmly but drape and her brow is no longer furrowed. It didn't take much for a small group like this to be waylaid by a strong ideology, even one they might not have originally sided with. A clever demagogue knows how to sway people with fiery rhetoric and 'otherisms' until they eventually adopt (or at least accept) extreme views. Scarplume might not have had the wrong goals, but the execution was exactly what the Rose has warned her about. They had made too much noise, on top of hurting the wrong people (like, really the wrong people... just innocents, even) and despite Scar's concern, a stronger faction had still come to give them a look. They were lucky it was the Ravens.

"There're more'a us feelin' the same way than we all realize," Kjersti muses, glancing over a shoulder at their own mixed group of folks. "Scar weren't entirely wrong 'bout the way things are. But we ain't gonna get traction on our lonesomes. An' hittin' 'em direct just ain't on the table... yet." Almost as if to contradict her thought, their undead companion shifts forward and foots the bridge, causing the farmgirl to uncross her arms in case she was about diffuse a situation. "H'oh..." But Ada is forthcoming with his answer and she turns to him with an approving nod. "You gw'on if y'want. An' I know you want. We'll be right behindja." Her bright blue eyes turn also to Star, thinking the young tiefling might want to keep an eye on him.

Turning back to the curious drifter - whose firearm-related glance to Temperance had not escaped her notice - she chuckles quietly at the harshness of her request. "Kjersti Volden," she replies with a hand-to-heart then gestures behind, "An' the Silver Ravens, since names seem to be gettin' 'round. I understand - we'll give y'all some space... take care of your own, an' y'll be hearin' from us soon 'nuff." She concludes with a firm nod, her eyes moving across and trying to memorize all the faces looking back. Maybe they would be allies - maybe even friends - eventually.

"A'right, let's head back. We'll needta talk to Zea."

Mister Doctor · March 21

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

KAC: 19/18 Fort: +10 Ref: +5 Will: +6
HP: 40/40 THP: 6/6 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +6

There was a cascade of twitching motion over the corpse's face as Ada did the smart thing and offered the information up quickly and willingly. Then it was even given permission to go about its bloody business. Was it trying to grin? Did it even remember human facial expressions? Was it just snarling further?

With dreadful intent it turned and strode to the edge of the roof, gripping the lip and lowering itself over the side before dropping the last few feet. A few seconds later and the back of the corpse's ragged cloak could be seen shambling off with an obvious heading. Best to keep the pet monster's thirst for Thrunist blood well sated.

It was moving just slow enough that anyone properly motivated to join it might be able to catch up, but clearly it was not interested in waiting for anyone else to fall in step. It understood the value in planning and building up to the more difficult targets, but killing CCG lackeys was hardly a challenge.

theredshirtwholive · March 21

Kyla

Kyla walks up and extends a hand to Ada. "Kyla Argentbloom. Pleasure to work with ya!" She's slightly covered in a fine red mist of what used to be Scarplume, and she only just now notices. "Uh. Just realizing you probably don't want to shake my hand...how about we get to know each other later. After I've had a bath. Perhaps several."

OOC

ccanary · March 23

Maria Callus

Maria Callus — Human Monk (medic)

Jill Talking

Maria gathered with the others, crisis averted for now.

"Oh, I think you'll find we're quite open to the idea that we're working the wrong angles. Maria," she introduced herself after Kjersti and Kyla had, but not quite comfortable enough yet to give a surname.

"And a bath is rarely a bad idea. But Kjersti's right, we should go see Zea first despite the .. state we're in."

Mechanics

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Mister Doctor · March 25

Dead Guy - Character Sheet

KAC: 19/18 Fort: +10 Ref: +5 Will: +6
HP: 40/40 THP: 6/6 Hero: 1/3 | Perception: +6

By the time Star started to catch up with the corpse, there were already dead in the streets. The first one she found was laying what should have been face down on the cobbles but the corpse had managed the rather grisly feat of wrenching his head through half a rotation. The face had an almost comical look of disbelief at being able to see his own back. The otherwise pristine nature of the body made it easy to pick out the CCG armband, something that would usually be a symbol of fear and power when dealing with the average citizen of Kintargo but here only made them an easy target.

Following a scream after finding that first body might not have been the finest survival strategy in most circumstances but it was perhaps her best bet for finding the abomination. Moving through the tangled streets, the next body she found was distinctly not capable of screaming, having been lifted bodily and swung over the spiked top of a nearby wrought iron gate. Blunt metal tips stabbed up through his back and out his belly with the inhuman brutality that was a hallmark of the corpse. It hung there awkwardly, back stiff, arms and legs dangling, blood and other fluids that did not bear thinking about running down the gate to pool in the dirt below. A CCG armband lay in the puddle, discolored by the mud and filth.

The screaming petered out by the time Star actually found the dead man. Having both arms lopped off with a barely sharpened length of steel is not the sort of thing most people walk away from and the corpse's most recent victim was no exception. He sat slumped against a wall, having finally succumbed to shock and passed out before blood loss finished the job.

The corpse was still standing, idly pulling a short sword free that had been thrust through its forearm and letting the ichor stained weapon clatter to the ground, as it scanned the surroundings. At first it did not seem to notice Star but slowly it swung its sole eye in her direction.

"Hhrrk-Ssstaaarrr."

Toraka_Stormheart · March 25

Temperance - Character Sheet

AC: 19 Fort: +6 Ref: +10 Will: +4

HP: 24/24 Rebel Points: 4/3 | Perception: +6

Ammunition: 19/20 (40 Reserve) | Alchemy PreparedAlchemical Cartridges: 20 | ConditionsNone

Yellow eyes remained fixed on Ada, as if studying, as Temperance slowly stepped up next to and just behind Kjersti. An eye twitched as Kyla and Maria exchanged pleasantries as if nothing had happened, the tiefling doing little to mask her mild annoyance. Clearing her throat quietly, she got the farmgirl's attention.

"The longer we are here, more likely to draw attention. We can come back" was all Temperance muttered, nodding towards Ada. Introductions for her would happen later. In the meantime, the blonde turned on one heel, making her way back to the ground.

Show Mechanics

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Fletcher · March 27

Kjersti Volden

"Alright, let's roll out folks. Give 'em their space."

Kjersti nods to Ava and turns to head to the ladder down (since scaling the side seems particularly unpleasant). Once she reaches the bottom, she heads to the spot where the Jill had fallen from the roof and had the unfortunate introduction to their dead companion. Exhaling a deep breath to see she is no longer waiting around, she leads on. Hopefully she gets the help she needs. Hopefully all of them make the right choice.

When they arrive back to Zea, there are distant, ominous sounds just barely pricking their senses. The absence of Deadman and Star is a clear explanation, but the farmgirl hopes this isn't going to become a common thing. Having the violent hulk wandering their streets at night - for protection or not - will not have the impact desired, even if Thrune's agents show their faces again.

"Eve'n' Zea," the tall redhead greets when they find the tiefling leader who called for them. "Got the Jills sorted... Seems they all got theyselves swept up in some dangerous rhetoric an' couldn't quite cut their ways out without help. Temp'rance saw to the, eh, snake's head as such an' the rest of'em seem like they might be leavin' good folk alone. I'd like to talk to 'em again soon, see if we can't all get movin' in the same direction... at least somewhat."

Edited March 31 by Fletcher (see edit history)

Text_1	Text_2	Text_3	Bold_1	Accent_1	Mood_1
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Cool_1	Cool_2	Cool_3	Bold_3	Accent_3	Mood_3
Bright_1	Bright_2	Bright_3	Bold_4	Accent_4	Mood_4

Book 1, Part 3: Threat of the Red Jills

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