Am I the Baddie?? pt2
Bina looks from one face to the next and chews on her lip worriedly. She quickly outlines the basis of her plan. "If it works then the croud is appeased and hopefulyl we don't have to hurt innocent people. If they do attack we should try not to harm them. Flat of the blade or minor lumps only. Is that ok with everyone." She looks at Sharpton. "Take off your armor..my lord."
Bannon listens to the outline of the plan, nodding along until he adds, "I have a few choice contributions, I think." He then looks back to Sharpton, a grin spreading across his face, "Told you you'll be stripping."
Sharpton pauses a moment. "...must I? I'm a Lord, you know. I don't exactly want to get stabbed. Also, my padding has skulls on it."
He looks sheepish.
Shilde chews on her lower lip as she listens to the plan as well, slowly giving a nod of assent to it as well. She turns and mutters a few words to her dog, then points at the Lord Sharpton. The dog slurps his tongue along the dwarf's face, barkes, then pads over to stay near Sharpton while Shilde sighs and wipes her face down.
Bina grins wolfishly at the Lord. "Well. That will give them all something to aim at and prove you're you. ...my lord."
Rocky chuffs softly. "Ssso long asss This One ssstill drawsss breath, you will not be ssstabbed." The sith lightly raps his blade against his shield, assuring himself it's firmly in place. He blinks, and considers a moment. "...today." "...can I at least change into some real clothes?" Sharpton offers, pained by this development.
Very pained.
Outside, there are chants starting.
"Come now! My quarters aren't far. I can change into some proper clothing," complains Sharpton. "At least leave my armor on. I'm already manacaled. I don't want a knife through my ribs from the commoons." He looks out the arrow slit with worry.
"...gods, what a mess! The rabble is really upset." NO SHIT.
Sabina moves over to the manacled lord with her feral smile and pats the lord gently on the cheek. Then starts to remove the armor piece by piece. "That's not rabble, ...my lord. That's people. People /you/ made angry with years of abuse. It's just fitting that they get to abuse you this day. We'll make sure they don't kill you. You have to meet your lord and deal with his wrath, after all."
"Starting to feel like we ought to just let 'em have 'im," Shilde mutters to herself, though she doesn't look particularly serious about it. She hefts her shield, then pats the club at her belt.
Bannon frowns at the lord and mentions, "You'll have to trust us, my lord." Nodding to Sabina, "I'll be down by the portcullis. Follow a few minutes behind..." He heads downstairs and towards the exit, opening the gate but not the portcullis. As the door opens, Bannon peeks his head around and then calls out, "I know why your
Burai listens. He nods approvingly at the club. Then he looks at Sharpton. "Just to be sure this isn't some sort of trick...we'll accompany you. I can check your garments for magic. And we may have to watch you. Or take other precautions." He looks evenly at the club again. Then he looks at the baron. "Agreed?"
Down the castellum interior you go, making your way back to the front gat es, which you open, then walk down the passage towrads the second gates which expose the portcullis.
There, you see a rather angry looking, torch wielding mob staring back at you from across the bridge to the portcullis. It is, after all, surrounded by a small moat.
Bannon frowns at the lord and mentions, "You'll have to trust us, my lord." Nodding to Sabina, "I'll be down by the portcullis. Follow a few minutes behind..." He heads downstairs and towards the exit, opening the gate but not the portcullis. As the door opens, Bannon peeks his head around and then calls out, "I know why you're mad. We assure you that all coupons for free backrubs issued by His Dullness will be honored, in spite of what those nasty rumors may say!" He then calls out, "Who speaks for the people?"
Rocky chuffs softly again, and moves along towards the portcullis. As the mob on the far side mutters and scowls, the sith wraps a free hand around a bar, and holds tight. The mob might lift a few hundred pounds of iron gate, but they won't lift him.
There are some confused looks between the woiuld be revolutionaries.
"Hey, they've got Lord Fuckup with them!"
"Yeah!"
"Hand him over!"
"Yeah!"
There doesn't appear to be anyone who's 'speaking' for them just yet. Just a lot of angry people.
/Really/ /really/ angry people.
Davienne isn't all that intimidating. She's five and a half feet tall with an otherwise sweet expression. Maybe that is why she is always scowling? Either way she is definitely in bigtime frown-space right now. But mostly she looks exceptionally irritated as she reaches out to take the lord by the arm, whispering to him, "If you want to live you better shut up and let us talk, or they will tear you apart."
Bina steps up to the heavy gate with a smile and raises her voice. "People! My people! Listen and rejoice! The Lord Sharpton.. or Dullton as you wish it...has been recalled offically! We are here to take him away in irons! And as I am a Luckbringer of Tarien I declare you all in luck tonight! For as long as you do not harm him you may certianlyl throw things apon him as we head down to the jail to release those wrongfully imprisioned by him! That means no rocks or arrows or other sharp hurty things BUT trash and dirt and vegtables are a must this time of year! Spitting is ok but rather disgusting. Pee and poop are not because I don't want to have to clean him up! What say you?!"
"And you might hit me, and I will have none of your shit!" Shouts Davi ever so helpfully.
GAME: Sabina rolls diplomacy: (6)+13: 19
GAME: Bannon rolls Diplomacy: (13)+11: 24
Shilde just stays relatively near Sharpton while her dog stays closer.. and as Sabina puts for the offer for the angry townsfolk to start throwing things, she can't help but raise her wooden shield a little further. And maybe take a half step away from Sharpton. She watches the crowd, trying to get a read on which way they might decide to go... violence or simple ridicule.
Burai loiters near Sharpton as well, hand on the prisoner's shoulder again to guide him along if needed. He eyes the crowd and occasionally turns to watch the other party members to see what they are doing.
A bush falls over the crowd and some seem mollified by this. They're talking amongst each other about it.
It's taking a while.
Some seem perfectly down with it, though it would appear that group is breaking down into camps demanding various levels of immediate justice.
Still, they back off, clearing a path from the drawbridge for you.
Davienne is tense but as a way clears she nudges the lord and begins to slowly walk forward, eyeing the crowd thoughtfully. After a moment she raises her voice and says loudly, "Too bad all the guards are no longer employed and protecting his home from looters," While glancing over at Burai with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Well, I'm guessing this is the part where we either make it through or we get mobbed," mutters Shilde, taking up something of a rear guard position with her dog friend keeping not-quite close enough to trip Sharpton up. She knows better than to address the crowd; it's not like she'd know anything about appeasing humans, anyways.
Rocky chuffs quietly again, and moves forward, keeping the bulk of himself between the crowd an Dullard... Sharpton... whatever his name is. The sith moves a little slow, trying to be polite and not rush anyone out of the way. Nobody's toes deserve to be stepped on.
Burai directs Sharpton to get him moving. Gently at first but he's not above resorting to shoving if necesssry. "We might as well give it a try," he murmurs to the others.
Raising the protcullis takes but a moment and then you go out. You carefully make your way across the bridge onto the town's cobbled st reets. the boos are mammoth. Rotten fruit is already beingh hurled. Honestly, some of it is going to hit you, even if they're just aiming for Sharpton.
Mostly. He doesn't look happy, dressed down and out of his armor as requested. Yes, his padding is adorned with screaming skulls.
Bannon glances towards Sabina and nods his head. He then turns to the others, speaking quietly, "Alright. Stay close to him, let the villagers have their fun so long as nothing unagreed to is thrown it them. If you're hit by something," he looks towards Davienne, "Suck it up and keep moving."
As they make their way through to the boos and jeers of the crowd, Bannon does not seem afraid to lead the way towards the airship, using his buckler to deflect some of the more poorly aimed tosses of rotten fruit away from himself, only to shout advice for a better throw a moment later.
Davienne does her level best to avoid the things thrown but her expression is darkening with every little extra bit that hits her. The hand around the lord's arm squeezing hard on each occassion. Just enough to be uncomfortable. Unlike the others this poor ranger has no shield, using a bow as she does.
Sabina sticks her neck out so to speak, her bird on her shoulder she walks near the front. She proposed this silliness after all. "I see some of you aren't happy with just tossing things! But we've been hired to make sure he sees his day before his lord who recognizes you've been treated unfairly! Please don't attack him or us! We don't want anyone else to get hurt because of Sharpton!"
Rocky is fine with boos and thrown fruit. Not exactly happy about it, keeping his shield up and his head low, eyes open and alert for someone throwing something harder or heavier.
Good news! Bannon is now being aimed at by people who are trying to improve thier fruit throwing techniques! As you go down the street, the citizenry closes ranks behind you and some run for the castellum entryway. It's not as if you could close the portcullis behind you, after all.
Shilde is thankful for her shield. She does her best to keep it up at face level, at least, though this doesn't prevent her from getting splattered, or the occasional bad fruit bouncing off of her knee or underfoot. Her dog companion, however, is much more unhappy about the situation.. after all, it's not like he could understand what's going on. When the first fruit hits him, he just looks confused. Even startled. When the second one does, he whips about with a growl... to which a sharp whistle from Shilde calls him to crowd in close to her. "Shoulda thought about that.." she says, almost apologetically to him, as she shifts her shield to cover more of him and less of her.
Burai adjusts his grip until he's holding the baron at arm's length. He winces as a bit of rotten fruit smashes into the baron and then splashes Burai in the face. The druid sighs. "This is getting messy," he sighs. Literally.
As more fruit flies towards him after he begins shouting "tips" back to the crowd, Bannon laughs, bringing his buckler up and keeping it up more often. As one particular bit of fruit flies towards him, he steps gracefully and bats it away. He points towards the person who threw it, "You're not the person with the worst aim I've ever met, but you had better hope they don't die!" It is said just in time to have another rotten piece of fruit, a pear perhaps, smash into him. He takes a look down at his clothing and then nods, "Better!"
Bannoi's efforts are working.
You're starting to smell smoke, however. While they may not be killing Sharpton just yet (though some of them plainly want to given that they broguht nooses for him and his guards), you never said anything aboiut not setting hte castellum on fire.
Yep. That's a thing behind you, now, as you pass through.
A few rocks have been mixed in with the mushy rotten vegeables. It's inevitable that a few would try to escalate but it's holding together for now.
Sabina gets pelted a few times with light things and then a dirt clod. The rock that's thrown her way would be spot on if it was her they were aiming at and not Sharpton. The stone dlinks right off her mithril mask and almost takes it off her face. She pauses and takes a side step, bring her hands up to ward off anything else and the strighten the mask. Her peacock's feathers rise up and it gives out angry calls at the people around them. She sighs and tries to put her smile back on and walks forward.
Rocky stops dead the first time he's hit by a rock. Only for an instant, but the pause is there. The sith doesn't comment on the event, but he does eye the thrower. You ever been eyed by a few hundred pounds of armored lizard? It's not a happy time.
Bannon falls back a few steps to linger amongst the group, at which point the airman growls low, "Keep moving. Protect your face. Protect his face. The rocks won't end you." He then takes a few steps forward, calling out, "Hey, cut it out with the rocks!" He then follows it up, "We're going to free people from the jail, right? The bunch of you with two ideas to rub together should figure out who still deserves to be in there, just incase His Dullness actually got something right! The more near-sighted of you should keep throwing fruit, or whatever passes for throwing fruit in these parts!"
GAME: Bannon rolls Diplomacy: (15)+11: 26
Davienne's lip is beginning to curl and when a rock hits her that head snaps around with a glare for the direction it came from. "NO ROCKS," She says loudly and firmly as she begins to step up the pace. The sooner they get this guy out of here the sooner the villagers can go back to living a better life. And not throwing stuff at them.
Shilde just keeps muttering under her breath, possibly unflattering things about humans, and she has quickly shifted all of her attention to keeping her dog, and to a lesser degree herself, safe from the deadlier of the projectiles. One rock bounces off of the ground, striking her in her shin and she snaps, "CUT IT OUT!" repeating part of what Bannon had said, only with a bit more dwarven emphasis. "IF'n this lord was so bad, I'd think ye'd all have better things to do right now... like free'n yer brothers and sisters and seeing to yer families!"
Burai flinches as a rock strikes him in the forehead. It's where the skin is stretched taut over his skull, and draws blood from a small cut. Burai chants in Druidic. His skin thickens and grows craggy. Then he sighs and puts a shielded forearm on Sharpton's head, forcing him to bow slightly but also shielding the baron's face.
GAME: Burai casts Barkskin. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
Some of them are more than happy to go to the jails with you. Others are taking advantage of the problems.
That's just how these things break down, really, in any mass of people. Those that go wioth you help lead you to the large, stone building in the center of town, along its main throughway. Sharpton shuffles.
"We tore down a few older buildings to make room for the dungeon. There were a lot of tax ev- OW!"
He just got hit with a rotten apple.
"Idiot," Davienne says to the lord without even thinking about it. Smirking a bit when he is hit with an apple. "I would keep my yap shut if I were you, sir. Speaking will only make it worse," And by extent she'll get hit more too.
GAME: Sabina rolls diplomacy: (15)+13: 28
Bina is peppered with ripe things and brused in a few others and all for the safety of a silly lordling that discovereed what he was far too late. She chuckles at first adn then laughs loudly even as she's hit again. Her hands god to the holy symble she wears and she prays to Tarien. "Oh lord of laughter! Help us ease our pains and suffering one and all. Remind us how to smile again!" And then a silvery burst of engery pulses out and over the group and the nearby croud, healing wounds and hurts and leaving behind a light giggley feeling. "Enough! You've had your chances to degrade him. Now is the time to free those falsely imprisoned. Lets set aside anger and remember how to laugh and smile once more."
"Dungeon...?" Burai echoes. He gives the Baron a small shove before going back to his normal guiding of him. "You imprisoned your own people...in a dungeon?" The druid has seen the jails in Alexandria - though thankfully never from the inside - and knows at least they have windows and can see bits of the sky and the sun. "Is there no end to your evil deeds?"
"...yes? That's what you do when they break the law?" says Sharpton to Burai, warily. He's expecting to get hit again.
'I imposed taxes. They refused to pay them, so I had them arrested. That's within my authority, as it is the authority of ANY ruler, anywhere, with legal backing."
He may be self aware, but he hasn't quite come to terms with ever ything yet, you know. Still, the doors remain solidly shot.
"BY MY COMMANd, GUARDSMEN, OPEN THE GATE!"
The gate does not open.
It would appear Sharpton's authority over the guards inside the dungeon evaporated with the vanishing of armor.
Still, the crowd is... behaving? Most of them? BEtween Bannon adn Sabina, you're doigng a fairly good job keeping command of them. This is probably not something that will last forever, but it is working for now... mostly.
As the people get their stuff together regarding who is going to go looting and who is going to go about getting this business done, Bannon is keeping a close eye on things as they progress, occassionally getting pelted by another piece of fruit before walking towards and into the crowds with a wide grin, "Free hugs! Get your free hugs! You look like you need a free hug!" With the overly ripe and rotten fruit dripping off him, nobody quite takes him up on the offer.
As they arrive at the dungeon gate, Bannon watches Sharpton order the gates open, smirking slightly as they don't open in a very timely manner. Cupping a hand as close to his mouth as he dares, Bannon shouts, "Lord Sharpton is here! Look busy, you armored sacks of discharge!"
Rocky grunts, and eyes the dungeon. "Ssaaa. Ssssome needsss tell them they have choice. Join crowd freeing people, join Lord in chainsss."
Davienne stares at the doors that remain closed. Then up at the spots where they may be watching. "You raised taxes to a point people couldn't pay and survive. Taxes that didn't need to be raised so you could build more dungeons," She hisses to the lord besides her. Seriously, it looks like Davi is done with bullshit now. She yells towards the guardhouse, "If you wish to be held accountable to the Count for perpetuating the Baron's misdeeds then by all means please keep the gates shut, we will gladly tell him of how you refused to cooperate." Do they have that authority? Davi thinks they do.
"Fuck off! We're not coming out there until its safe!"
It is plainly not safe with a crowd of torch bearing revolutionaries. The castellum is definitely on fire, now, and in the distance you can see people coming in adn out with things from the castle, apparently intent on sacking it.
'Not safe?' Burai thinks. He turns his head to look back at the crowd. Then he looks over their heads, and his eyebrows go up at the sight of what's happening at the castlellum. "It's chaos," he notes. He doesn't seem completely opposed to the thought. Then he turns back towards the door to the dungeon. "If you won't come out, then let us in. You can see how we've kept the Baron safe?" He gives Sharpton a slight shake now. "We're the only thing keeping him from being torn apart by his people. These people," he corrects after a bit.
"Then send out the citizenship if you're worried. That is what we're here for," Davienne shouts back. "Stop being cockwankles. That's all that's needed here."
"The baron should stay out here," replies one of the protestors, "last thing we want is him hiding in another fortress."
"Yeah!"
"This is chaos. The guards weren't supposed ot flee outright. I was going to command them to stay, but..."
The knight lets out a sigh, shaking his head. "WE need to get control of the town before this spirals even worse. Guardsmen! I am going to deptuize you in the name of the Count. You will be paid well. Open the gates and release the prisoners unto the people, barring any prisoners of a violent nature!"
"Yeah, uh, sure, Sir Fuckoffalot. You look in control of jack and shit right now, so we're gonna stay here, nice and secure."
The crowd is growing more restless. DAvienne's words got pause, as did Burai's, but the jailers seem understandably frightened to be on the receiving end of the crowd's wrath.
Rocky looks towards the door. "This One hasss question. If mob really wantsss to open door, how long will it sssslow them? Isss more danger with door opened in peace from inssside, or broken from outssside?"
GAME: Bannon rolls Bluff: (11)+11: 22
Bannon looks towards the knight and then shrugs his shoulders, "We have the Baron, and we're bringing the Baron back to the Count. Further instructions were unclear as to how we should conduct ourselves during the course of it." He grins, looking back towards the dungeon and then calling out, "Are you new to your jobs?" He then pauses for a moment and then adds, "I'm not! I came here to retrieve a Baron in a fortified fortress to return to the Count. I came ready to lay seige to a fortress." He then frowns, "Take a look around. Look at your friends and look at the people you work with. Figure out now which you'll eat first, because there's going to be a lot more argument about it when the hunger sets in. Best to have a plan, you know. While you're doing that, we're going to send someone back to our airship and get the trebuchet and the disease." Finally, as if laying down the final law, "Release your prisoners, or get the shits."