Chapter 1: Prudence

[Marullus]

Ambiance: Gun In My Hand

In the Sheriff's Office...
Hansel casually saunters over to the cabinet where he saw his and Talina's gear get stored, saying "If we're not being charged, I assume we are free to reclaim our property. I'd like to thank you, Sheriff, for your hospitality and for taking the time to listen to my side of the story. I was right to believe that you are an upstanding man!"

Sheriff Skender sips his coffee, black, and leans non-chalantly against the far wall, making no move to stop Hansel or Talina getting their belongings from the cupboard.

Hansel grabs his own gear, and passes Talina's along to her. The Sheriff tips his hat slightly to the pair. Hansel, takes a deep breath and opens the door, stepping smoothly into the street...

Dawn on the Main Street...

Hansel steps out of the Sheriff's office to see other figures already standing squarely centered on the road, facing an approaching crowd. Taavi stands with his Greater Kumenha ID badge hanging on a chain around his neck, his rifle upright and resting on his shoulder. Emile has the relaxed posture of a gunslinger, his hands hovering and poised an inch above the massive-caliber pistols on his gun belt. The hovertruck with the matching government paint job sits off to their left at the side of the road. Behind the lawmen, Mirko appears quietly at the corner of the saloon with his shotgun. You hear a door shut firmly further up Main Street behind you.

Talina can exit simultaneously with Hansel at her option. Faraday is welcome to be in the street as well. Báleygr chose to sit inside for breakfast, so can emerge in future rounds at his option.

The mob of two dozen approaches up the asphalt road, past the fuel station, stopping about 30 meters from the somber-faced lawmen. The anger and resentment on their overtired faces simmers as red as the sunrise behind them. There are plenty of guns among them now, plus a few makeshift torches burning sullen in the pre-dawn light. Emile recognizes Valentin Peshkov at the front of the crowd, and it is him that speaks. "Step aside!" he calls out, "This doesn't concern you." The mesquite tree casts long shadows behind him, stretching from the field forward towards the town.

At the Church...

Shadrach crosses the street, barechested and barefoot, the butt of his rifle in the pocket of his shoulder, the muzzle pointed low, the servomotors in his joints already emitting a low buzz. A spectral hound bounding eerily silent ahead of him, leading him up the church steps. He shoves the broken handcart, causing it to tumble down the stairs and away from where the front door of the church hangs slightly ajar. Amalia and the Handmaiden at least dressed and wearing boots, emerge from the boarding house just in time to see Shadrach slip through the church's front doors.

Lira can add herself to the scene behind Amalia if she wishes. They can catch up to Shadrach after his initial action.

Inside the church, the sanctuary is dark, only the faint glow of dawn indirectly providing a red tint through the tall arched eastern windows. The sharp metallic smell of blood hits his nose. The spectral hound emits a low rumbling noise, reminiscent of a growl. The stains have been scrubbed from the center of the sanctuary, the floorboards glistening white in the dimness where Zoe Sadoul was questioned hours before. Shadrach hears a clattering noise, something falls downstairs - The stairs down to the basement, on the left just inside the door. A flickering light illuminates an adjacent room at the stairs bottom.

Combat rifle poised and ready against his bare chest, Shadrach descends the stairs with smooth efficiency on silent, bare feet. The steps are sticky. The metallic smell is stronger. Rounding the corner to the right and pointing his rifle through the doorway he sees into a rectangular social hall beneath the sanctuary above, several chairs knocked over, shoved out of the way. An oil lantern provides the flickering yellow glow, hanging from a rafter and giving off coils of wispy smoke. The body of Teo Hrsak lies on the floor on an unwound fabric shroud, red smears of blood all around him. The young docent lies slumped against the right wall, tousled hair over her face, unmoving. Kneeling over Hrsak's body is Sister Anja Dosen, her black dress a sticky mess. Her red-stained hand shakes as she raises a large-bore revolver and points it at Shadrach, her voice waivering almost in unison, the streaks of tears on her smeared face. "He didn't deserve this. He... he was a good man before. He could be saved. I swear, he could be saved..." The shadowy hound crouches, utterly silent, eyes fixed upon the body on the floor.

[Enoch]

Shadrach's rifle is instantly trained on Anja, his finger tightening slightly against the trigger. "Drop the gun, Sister. It doesn't have to end this way." He releases the barrel of his rifle just long enough to motion the hound at his side to circle around her. The flickering oil-lamp shadows seem to nearly swallow the creature as it moves with a slow, feline plodding that nonetheless propel it across the room faster than it should.

"I'd like to hear more about Teo, Sister. I'd like to hear about his life, and what he did to win your love. Sister Amalia can say the Panikhida for him. He deserves to be mourned, and if he's the man you say he is...well, I believe in a merciful God. If He can save my soul, I suspect there's hope for Teo Hrsak as well."

"But first, you have to drop. that. gun."

Talk: [2d6]=12 (+1 Cha, no Talk skill)
Held action: if we go to combat (presumably because it becomes clear Anja is going to fire), fire a burst and order Grim to attack.

Initiative: [1d8]=6
Burst-fire: [1d20+3]=8+3=11
Burst-fire: [1d20+3]=14+3=17
Combat Rifle damage: [1d12+1]=1+1=2
Grim's Attack: [1d20+1]=4+1=5, damage [1d10]=8

Shadrach: 17 to hit, 4 damage (base roll does not include the +2 damage from burst fire)
Grim: 5 to hit, 8 damage

[redwarrior]

Hansel scans the crowd and lets out a low, quiet whistle. To Talina (or himself if she's not following out the door) he whispers this seems to be where I came in... He scans the crowd, noting Taavi, but not finding the Judge, Lira. He casually/slowly saunters in the direction of the crowd, staying near the buildings and stopping before he becomes part of it, with a clear angle on the oncoming mob. Moving slowly enough to scan (notice roll) any hidden gunmen in second-story windows, etc. His hand is near, but not on, his gun. He'll stop short of the group and observe. It seems like there are enough people talking, and he's not quite sure what all the hubbub is about this time. The torches make him think the people are coming for Zoe, which he won't be ok with. Where's the Judge? He wonders.

Notice [3d6c1+1]=9+1=10
Held Action: If fired on, returns fire

Other OOC, Ammo management. I asked the deputy to charge my battery for my pistol, not sure if he did. If I can rewind the clock, I checked that and swapped batteries if he didn't. If not, I think I'm down 4 shots (2 miss, 1 bowler hat, 1 point blank), leaving six before I have to swap out. Good either way, since I didn't think to call it in advance.

[Faanku]

I'm going to hang back out of sight for now, I doubt Amalia's presence would do much to diffuse this.

[Marullus]

*Bump* Happy Monday! I'd like to get a few more actions before I roll to the next move.

Clarifications:
- Hansel's batteries were recharged by the Deputy
- That puts Amalia inside the church on the stairway, able to see Shadrach's scene but not entered yet

[jemmus]

Taavi stands on the asphalt between the recently-holed government truck and the mob, around 40 yards away from them. "This is just great," he thinks. "A lynch mob after the peace officers. Probably for that somewhat of a jackass of a sheriff. The deputy seems alright. Developing respect for rule of law in this town might be a long, long haul."

He sees Hansel

and Talina, if she follows

exit the sheriff's office, armed. "Now how did that come about? Bribery?" He watches the mob, not ready to intervene just yet, and wonders where Judge Lira is.

[greyarea]

Emile stands relaxed and ready. I'm not sure how you've determined what does and does not concern me, Valentin, but riding in like this bodes well for no man. Anger is the enemy of justice. What's on your mind that you come in with so many ready to do so much harm?

Emile Cha+Talk [2d6r2+2]=8+2=10

[Craigers07]

"Thank you Taavi for representing me. I'm leaving here as soon as possible and will follow your advice."

Talina follows Hansel when she sees the opportunity. She nods at the Sheriff as she gathers her belongings with Hansel.

"Thank you Sheriff."

Before exiting the Sheriff's office she makes sure her pistol is holstered and within reach. With some hesitation, she joins Hansel on the street and is ready to depart town.

[Marullus]

OOC: Player Updates

Faraday - Mister-Kent posted just over a month ago that he was sick and awaiting a COVID test; he has not logged in to the site since that day. I am concerned about him, and hope he does in fact feel better...
Lira - ShroomsofInsanity let me know he was moving two weeks ago; he also has not been back on the site since then. Hoping his transition is smooth and he returns soon.

I'm going to move the story forward for now. As soon as we hear from them as players, I'll retroactively add them back into the story however we need to.

Ambiance: Way Down We Go

Dawn on the Main Street...

"Step aside!" Valentin calls out, "This doesn't concern you." The mesquite tree casts long shadows behind him, stretching from the field forward towards the town.

Hansel scans the crowd and lets out a low, quiet whistle. "this seems to be where I came in..." he whispers to Talina as they both take a position to the left side, in front of the Mercantile and next to the government truck, watching the crowd with their firearms in easy reach. Taavi takes a position between the crowd and the truck, contemplating deeply over the situation in silence. Mirko loudly racks the action on his shotgun, standing at the edge of the saloon on the right side of the street.

Emile stands relaxed and ready, squarely in the road before the mob, near Taavi. "I'm not sure how you've determined what does and does not concern me, Valentin, but riding in like this bodes well for no man. Anger is the enemy of justice. What's on your mind that you come in with so many ready to do so much harm?"

"Justice... Justice is long overdue, stranger. That's what we are here for." says Valentin, raising his own shotgun and pointing it at Emile. Other weapons come up at the ready behind him. "Givin' you the chance to step aside was just bein' polite. I won't ask twice. We're moving. Now. And I'm not letting my kids end up like Windfall." It seems too little, too late for talking, the heavy clouds above already stained the color of blood.

The mob starts forward directly challenging Emile and Taavi's two-man road block, grim determination on their faces.


At the Church...

Sister Anja's red-stained hand shakes as she raises a large-bore revolver and points it at Shadrach, her voice wavering almost in unison, the streaks of tears on her smeared face. "He didn't deserve this. He... he was a good man before. He could be saved. I swear, he could be saved..." The shadowy hound crouches, utterly silent, eyes fixed upon the body on the floor.

Shadrach's rifle is instantly trained on Anja, his finger tightening slightly against the trigger. "Drop the gun, Sister. It doesn't have to end this way." He releases the barrel of his rifle just long enough to motion the hound at his side to circle around her. The flickering oil-lamp shadows seem to nearly swallow the creature as it moves with a slow, feline plodding that nonetheless propel it across the room faster than it should.

Amalia pads quietly down the stairs inside the church, pausing as she sees the tense scene within: the docent against the wall, Teo's body arrayed on the floor, the stand-off between Anja and Shadrach... the shadow-hound padding silently through the shifting shadows, circling them with hunger in its eyes.

"I'd like to hear more about Teo, Sister. I'd like to hear about his life, and what he did to win your love. Sister Amalia can say the Panikhida for him. He deserves to be mourned, and if he's the man you say he is...well, I believe in a merciful God. If He can save my soul, I suspect there's hope for Teo Hrsak as well."

"But first, you have to drop. that. gun."

Anja's eyes drop to the floor, staring down to the body at her knees. Her hand waivers. The gun drops, clattering to the ground. "What have I done..." Anja says in a hoarse whisper. The hound begins to growl low in its throat. The blood on the floor darkens from red, to maroon, to black. The corpse twitches.

Actions?

[Enoch]

Shadrach swivels a few degrees, dropping the barrel to center on Teo's now-twitching corpse. He calls out in a loud voice "Sister, if you're up there, I could use your help right now.
I think we got honest-to-God witchcraft down here, but I'd sure like to know for sure before I desecrate a corpse."

He lowers his voice, and it takes on an almost-gentle tone. "Now, Sister Anja...I know Teo meant a lot to you. Tell me what you did and how to stop it, 'cause I only know one way, and you're not gonna like it."

Held Actions:

If the corpse appears to pose an immediate threat, put a three-round burst into it.
Burst-fire: [1d20+3]=8+3=11, [1d20+3]=7+3=10, damage [1d12+3]=12+3=15 Note that if that's a Shadow animating Teo, that becomes 12 to hit and 16 damage.
If Anja moves toward the pistol or does something else threatening, Grim will attempt to pin her down.
Grim's Attack: [1d20+1]=4+1=5, damage [1d10]=8 (note he's going to try to knock her down and pin her, not bite)

[jemmus]

Taavi is standing on the asphalt in the early morning light, rifle slung over his shoulder. As the mob approaches, he addresses them, particularly the leaders who are at the front and center. Good morning, citizens. My name is Taavi Perttu, I'm a lawyer for the State of Greater Kumekhna. He doesn't raise the badge-electronic ID card hanging around his neck. He knows enough about Prudence now that probably no one would care, and it would just make him look like an officious oaf. A guy dressed up in a captain's uniform, but no platoons standing behind him.

My job is to help see that matters are settled according to the laws and traditions of the people. You're obviously quite concerned about something important. Has some wrongdoing been done?

[Marullus]

*bump*
Hansel, Talina, Emile, Amalia?

(Hoping the best for Faraday and Lira)

[greyarea]

Emile holds steady. Easy there. No need to turn to shooting, yet. I can walk with you.

He stands slightly aside motioning that he’ll let them pass but will match pace as they do, and then try to slow his pace so they slow with him.

Tell me what happened at Windfall.

Let me know if you need another Talk roll.

[redwarrior]

Hansel is staying alert, scanning for any threats (notice roll), optimizing his fields of fire, and continuing to watch this scene play out as he waits to see the judge's face appear. Still not quite sure what he missed while in his free accommodations, or exactly what's going down. A strong suspicion that the townspeople aim to lynch Zoe, but still not sure how it plays out. And no need to get shot at prematurely. The lawyer's paid to talk, after all, so we'll see how that works out Hansel thinks to himself, with a little smile tugging at his lips.


Notice [3d6c1+1]=8+1=9

Held action: "Anybody tries to kill me, I try to kill them right back!" - Will shoot at anyone who attacks him.

[jemmus]

Now that greyarea mentioned it, I think I should have done a Talk roll.
[2d6+0]=5+0=5 Does Taavi's +2 for Charisma 13 apply to the roll?

[Marullus]

Taavi's +2 is in Constitution. Let's hope that doesn't apply!

He has Talk-0 and +0 for Charisma, so your roll is right.

[Marullus]

Ambiance: Ain't No Grave

Dawn on the Main Street...

"We're moving. Now. And I'm not letting my kids end up like Windfall." It seems too little, too late for talking, the heavy clouds above already stained the color of blood. The mob starts forward directly challenging Emile and Taavi's two-man road block, grim determination on their faces.

Hansel stands with Talina in front of the Mercantile, watching this scene play out as he waits to see the judge's face appear. The lawyer's paid to talk, after all, so we'll see how that works out, Hansel thinks to himself with a little smile tugging at his lips.

Emile holds steady as the mob approaches him. "Easy there. No need to turn to shooting, yet. I can walk with you." He stands slightly aside motioning that he’ll let them pass waiting to match pace and talk to Valentin. Before they pass Emile, Taavi steps directly into their path to address them, rifle slung over his shoulder. "Good morning, citizens. My name is Taavi Perttu, I'm a lawyer for the State of Greater Kum..."

BAM! The pock-faced farmer with a widows peak next to Valantin clubs-up his shotgun and slams the butt of it right into Taavi's nose. Blood spurts and the lawyer drops like a sack of unmilled grain, collapsing on the street. A wave of energy goes through the mob - already poised for violence - as the first blow is struck. Emile stands within reach of three of them, Taavi and Talina about 20' away on the side of the road, as the tension in the mob snaps, resolving one way or another into action...

Please include an initiative roll with your action now.

At the Church...

"What have I done..." Anja says in a hoarse whisper. The hound begins to growl low in its throat. The blood on the floor darkens from red, to maroon, to black. The corpse twitches.

Shadrach swivels a few degrees, dropping the barrel to center on Teo's now-twitching corpse. He calls out in a loud voice "Sister, if you're up there, I could use your help right now. I think we got honest-to-God witchcraft down here, but I'd sure like to know for sure before I desecrate a corpse." In the stairwell, Amalia stands frozen, the sheer horror of the scene washing over the young cleric despite the call from her battle-hardened new guardian.

Shadrach lowers his voice, and it takes on an almost-gentle tone. "Now, Sister Anja...I know Teo meant a lot to you. Tell me what you did and how to stop it, 'cause I only know one way, and you're not gonna like it." Anja's face is stricken with shock and horror as she looks down. She falls backwards onto her hands and scrambles a few feet away her eyes fixed on the face of the man.

BRRRRRT! With cold, military precision, Shadrach fires multiple rounds into the corpse as it rolls to the side and begins to rise. The bullets rip through the morbid flesh, shredding it utterly and splattering dark fluid backwards onto Anja, onto the floor. Teo's corpse collapses backwards in asynchronous chunks as it is rendered, landing on what used to be blood, seeming to fall through it, disappearing into the opaque blackness as if falling through the basement floor.

Anja screams, staring into the floor with abject horror.


Actions?

Rolls:

Emile init [1d8+2]=8+2=10 Taavi init [1d8+2]=7+2=9
Emile gets to act just a moment before Taavi does. Emile's choice to not try to impede them means he suffers no harm.
Taavi tries to intercede for his conversation and fails his Talk attempt. Because he's not threatening, they club-up and hit him rather than shooting.
Rifle butt at Taavi [1d20+1]=15+1=16 [1d6+1]=4+1=5
That's a solid blow to the nose (To hit 16 against his AC 15; 5 hit points against his total of 4) and Taavi goes down.
Hansel stated intent to watch how Taavi did, and a ready action to fire to defend himself, but he is not being directly threatened, so it doesn't trigger.

Shadrach burst fires for 16 damage into the animating corpse which more than kills it, but triggers the next phase...

[jemmus]

Taavi lies still on the asphalt, one of his bearded cheeks abraded by the rough surface and its grit. Blood pours out of his smashed nose. His eyes are closed and are beginning to blacken. He doesn't move. But his body keeps breath bubbling in and out his nose and mouth.

Taavi did need the +2 Constitution after all. Not that it really helped in this case. He's unconscious until when/if somebody does a Heal check?

[Craigers07]

Initiative: [1d8+1]=6+1=7

Talina stays close to Hansel in front of the Mercantile and waits to see what happens next.

[Marullus]

Emile? Hansel? Amalia? Shadrach?