The Unseen Servant forums

Sister Amalia is seemingly less concerned with the chaos inside the tavern than with the shadowy wolves that escaped punishment. Now able to continue their interrupted introductions, she inquires about Shadrach's wound whilst keeping her gaze on the trail the wolves left in their wake. "Will you be needin' any care givin' there, Babysitter? The Handmaiden here can see to wounds, assumin' they ain't of a darker nature."

"They came here lookin' for a girl, and someone had given them that intention. We need to go after them."

Apologies again for my absence.

Shadrach nods in agreement as he strides toward the saloon with a slight but noticeable limp. "I'll take you up on that, Sister. Felt like mortal teeth, even though they're not.

"Might be I can track them," he says as he mounts the porch of the saloon, "but whoever called them is likely close, or was. Let's see what the commotion was over here before we go making plans."

Talina pulls a chair out and takes a seat at the nearby table. She keeps her hands on the table and looks toward the Sheriff.

"Sheriff, I've done nothing wrong today and was only defending myself from being attacked. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have."

She points to each of the motionless bodies on the floor.

"From my point of view it looks like justice has already been served."

Ambiance: I Fought The Law

Outside on Main Street...

Sister Amalia is seemingly less concerned with the chaos inside the tavern than with the shadowy wolves that escaped punishment. Now able to continue their interrupted introductions, she inquires about Shadrach's wound whilst keeping her gaze on the trail the wolves left in their wake."Will you be needin' any care givin' there, Babysitter? The Handmaiden here can see to wounds, assumin' they ain't of a darker nature."

Shadrach nods in agreement as he strides toward the saloon with a slight but noticeable limp. "I'll take you up on that, Sister. Felt like mortal teeth, even though they're not. Might be I can track them," he says as he mounts the porch of the saloon, "but whoever called them is likely close, or was. Let's see what the commotion was over here before we go making plans."

Emile is again struck by the complete lack of bystanders outside. He recalls that the street was eerily still and free of townsfolk as soon as the storm appeared, before the wolves made their appearance. He comes up on the porch at the same time as the Sheriff's Deputy, behind Shadrach and Amalia.

They all pass through the door, joining the tense situation inside the Saloon...

Inside the Saloon...

At the Sheriff's order, Taavi slowly crouches down, leaves his handgun on the floor, and stands up again. He raises the combination badge-electronic ID hanging around his neck. "Sheriff, the judge here and I are officers of the Greater Kumekhna Ministry of Justice. That's our vehicle outside. Taavi Perttu, Circuit Counsel."

"If that's your truck, I suggest you get in it." the Sheriff states dryly. "We handle our own problems here. You're pretty far from the city, Counsel."

Shadrach stands in the doorway for a moment, the muzzle of his rifle pointed at the floor in front of him before abruptly looping its sling over his shoulder and letting it hang there. He clears his throat quietly to let the sheriff know he's there, then steps inside. "Demons outside have fled, Sheriff." He tucks his thumbs into his belt, his empty hands in plain view.

Judge Lira Bunt surveys the final scene of the carnage. After lowering her rifle to her side, she first addresses the Sheriff, "Sheriff, I am so glad that you have arrived and are settling things, as any good sheriff should. Few people recognize the importance of keeping a cool head in all situations, this..." she gestures to the multiple dead and injured "chaos is assuredly difficult to interpret and I am happy to assist so we may have justice delivered swiftly, and more importantly" Lira lets her eyes glow slightly more red for emphasis "in accordance of all proper laws. I assure you that this is not how I would have liked to enter your town, in fact I would have rather taken the day to learn about you and your town before I began my work, but as they say; 'Man devises, God determines'."

Hansel smiles and nods. "Fair enough, Sherrif. I understand you've got a job to do. Always happy to cooperate with legitimate lawmen. I look forward to talking with you when this has all settled a bit." The Deputy steps forward from the doorway, and snaps metal handcuffs on the gunslinger, putting his arms behind his back, and disarms him of his laser pistol and monoblade knife. The Deputy looks them over, then stows them in a bag on his belt, wiping his nose on the back of his other hand as he sniffs. With Hansel bound, the Deputy watches the scene uncertainly. He doesn't move to hustle him to the door, his own ready six-shooter on his belt.

"Begging your pardon, Sheriff, but those shadow wolves seemed a bit much for anyone," interjects Emile, indicating the lawman's wounded leg as subtly as he can. "A good lawman knows that deputies are important to his work, if nothing else to keep the numbers even. As there was a disturbance both here and outside the mercantile at the same time, I'd say allowing others to assist might be fruitful. I'm sure the others here, like I myself, have no desire to interfere on your jurisdiction."

"They came here lookin' for a girl, and someone had given them that intention. We need to go after them." states Sister Amalia solemnly at the mention of the wolves. The Handmaiden smiles serenely behind her.

"See, that right there is the problem," gruffs the Sheriff, "ya'll act like we ain't ever seen Vukodlak before..." He trails off, his eyes resting for a long moment on the body of Teo Hrsak lying against the southern wall.

Talina pulls a chair out and takes a seat at the nearby table. She keeps her hands on the table and looks toward the Sheriff "Sheriff, I've done nothing wrong today and was only defending myself from being attacked. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have." She points to each of the motionless bodies on the floor. "From my point of view it looks like justice has already been served."

Judge Bunt continues, "I was here here during the conflict and saw how it grew and changed, I would like to continue my directives from a moment ago, with your leave of course sheriff. I agree with taking that man who claims to be a bounty hunter into custody for questioning, as to determine if his actions can be justified. As for the several warrants out for this woman, as long as she isn't trying to leave town, I feel she is only of concern after more pressing matters have been put to bed. A matter such as that man," pointing at the corpse of Teo "That man came down the steps with a knife and plan, took a shot from my rifle in the shoulder and did not seem to care, along with several other shots before being killed, ignored all demands to desist his actions, and then had two friends remove something from his body and use some very old technology to vanish to hell's know where. I would like to know much more about this individual, as I feel he also relates to the, I think I heard someone mention, shadow wolves outside. Unless those are normal around these parts of course. Oh and sorry for talking just so much, but the name is Lira Bunt, Circuit Judge, nice to meet the man who keeps order in this wonderful town of Prudence.

"No offense to you, of course, Judge," responds the Sheriff, "but I don't give naked rat's ass if you agree with taking that man into custody." He lowers his rifle, still holding it at waist-height as he again tries to command the situation. "Outlanders comin' into my town and murdering each other is something I am quite sure I got the... jurisprudence to handle. We also got keen local interest in handling our own crazies and devil-folk," he briefly nods to both Teo and Zoe. Then, however, his eyes fix on the seated Talina."Now... the rest of this mess is from city bounties and their fugitives coming to start piling more crap on my town. You girl, you're going to jail with that one," he jerks his head to indicate Hansel and the Deputy. He looks squarely at Lira. "I reckon her bounty is your problem, and you, her, and all these bounty hunters," he looks over the room, then the corpses, then settles on the unshaven brute that remains, "...that Chuck there has more than earned the payout from your offices for her. I'll even fill your truck for you, and you can happily just roll right on down the road."

"Vještica!" speaks Sister Anja again as an epithet, striding with purpose towards Zoe. Two sweaty farmers raise Zoe to her feet, hands now tightly bound, and begin her towards the front door. Sister Anja accompanies them with her face stern and nose raised officiously.

Báleygr Gangleri gets up from under the table and sits back in the chair, dusting himself off as he does so, looking around the room at those gathered. Faraday slumps into a chair and holds his wound. He looks around for some whiskey to pour on it, then plans to find the town's sawbones...

The skinny young man addressed as Martin returns with a gray-haired old man with a large red nose, his eyes bleary. "I got Doc for you," Martin says. After a frowning assessment of the five already-dead bodies on the floor of the saloon, Doc bends down next to the wounded Faraday with a reassuring smile, his hands shaking as he snaps open his black case and gets out his tools to examine the stab wound.

Next moves?

OOC:

Folks here only trying to do their job, not trying to tread on toes, Sheriff, says Emile, moving into the lawman's view if he can. Let's see how we can help, work together even.

So, you've faced those Shadow Wolves before, Sheriff? Reckon that's the only way you're so calm after what they done here in your town.

Emile Cha+Talk [2d6r2+2]=9+2=11

Shadrach leans over to Amalia, speaking quietly but urgently. "I don't know as much about witchcraft as I suspect you do, but I reckon we're going to see a hanging or worse here in
a moment unless you intervene." He tosses his head in the direction of Anja and her entourage.

The gunman unobtrusively steps back into the doorway of the saloon as Anja leads Zoe and the farmers toward the street, seemingly unaware that his bulk forms an obstacle to their progress. He calls out in a loud voice, "Sheriff, you may be used to letting those demon-spawn run loose in your streets, but whether they're being summoned or finding their own way here, your problem's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. 'Where one evil is allowed to flourish, other and greater evils shall follow.'

"Figure you've got a shadow cult out yonder in the badlands, or maybe right here in town. How about we stop fighting amongst ourselves, and sit down and figure out what we're going to do about it?"

Talk: [2d6]=7 (+1 Cha, no Talk skill)

OK, third time's the charm... the internet ate it the first two times and my computer decided to crash...


Hansel looks over at Talina and says Ma'am, it appears we will be roommates for a spell. To the sheriff he says You strike me as a fair and just man. I'm sure you'll see that I acted reasonably given the situation once we have the time to chat. There's a lot going on right now, so I'm ready at your convenience. and nods respectfully. To the deputy, Shall we? He'll engage the deputy in small talk to the extent that he's willing, but not push it.

Talk roll is to continue focusing on having the sheriff see me as reasonable, respectable, and RESPECTFUL of his role as the sheriff. i.e. one of the "good" bounty hunters. Not one of the ones that needs to be made an example of. Connect roll is to see if there is any chance the deputy and I have any connections in common. I figure the talk roll is in the room, and the connect roll is once the deputy starts escorting me/at the jailhouse.
Talk [2d6+1]=7+1=8
Connect [2d6+1]=5+1=6

Taavi steps up to the two sweaty farmers frogmarching Zoe to the doorway. Hold on there. There'll be no vigilante justice here. A fair trial under the law of the land will be conducted, and both the accuser and the accused will be given a chance to speak their minds. Looks to everyone all around the room. All of you will be called on as witnesses. His handgun is on the floor three paces behind him, which he dearly regrets. It's a good thing Judge Lira Bunt is still armed. We're counting on you and your staff, Sheriff.

Taavi makes mental notes. Other issues: a) Laser pistol gunman and two deaths. Who fired first? Justified homicide, reasonable expectation of imminent lethal force? b) Wanted woman. Wanted for what? Valid warrant? Why no reaction to Teo's approach? c) Teo. Murderer dead already. But WTH?

Trying to command the farmers to desist and convince the sheriff to cooperate. Talk: [2d6+0]=3+0=3

Oh good, we are in town for roughly 20 minutes and the local law hates us, let's see if we can focus on some of the more imminent details. Sheriff, can you do me the service of either informing me, or directing me to the individual or individuals that would know about that man? Lira points at Teo's dead body. I feel like you have been very vague about this man, even though this all escalated to raw violence due to his actions. While he might be dead, if he acted on the words or directions of another, I would have them brought up on charges of conspiracy, and judged as such. I assure you, I tend to find the source of corruption and sin, and I punish it severely. I don't plan on stepping on your toes, or your jurisprudence, I only see this as a symptom of a greater disease, one that isn't cured by hanging one that could help us, at least not until their usefulness is expended of course... Lira references the accused "witch." Lira continues; I respect how much work you put in to keep your town in one piece, I only feel having the backing of a central set of laws would help everyone in the region. It helps prevent outsiders from wandering into town and without realizing it, breaking half a dozen local laws and customs.

My associate, Lira stretches the word for all its worth, will do the due diligence afforded by his position, I do like to make sure those I judge over receive adequate defense, as you tend to find many who volunteer to prosecute, and few willing to risk their reputation in defending the accused. I apologize my dear Sheriff again for causing any inconvenience in your beautiful town. I will happily sort out the bounty situation with fine gentleman who defended justice this day, just as soon as I have a lead on this Teo character.

Ambiance: I Won't Back Down

Inside the Saloon...

"See, that right there is the problem," gruffs the Sheriff, "ya'll act like we ain't ever seen Vukodlak before..." He trails off, his eyes resting for a long moment on the body of Teo Hrsak lying against the southern wall.

Emile, moves into the lawman's view. "So, you've faced those Shadow Wolves before, Sheriff? Reckon that's the only way you're so calm after what they done here in your town."

Shadrach unobtrusively steps back into the doorway of the saloon as Anja leads Zoe and the farmers toward the street, seemingly unaware that his bulk forms an obstacle to their progress. He calls out in a loud voice, "Sheriff, you may be used to letting those demon-spawn run loose in your streets, but whether they're being summoned or finding their own way here, your problem's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. 'Where one evil is allowed to flourish, other and greater evils shall follow.' "Figure you've got a shadow cult out yonder in the badlands, or maybe right here in town. How about we stop fighting amongst ourselves, and sit down and figure out what we're going to do about it?"

"Sheriff, can you do me the service of either informing me, or directing me to the individual or individuals that would know about that man?" Lira points at Teo's dead body. "I feel like you have been very vague about this man, even though this all escalated to raw violence due to his actions. While he might be dead, if he acted on the words or directions of another, I would have them brought up on charges of conspiracy, and judged as such."

"Mi o vuku, a vuk na vrata," mutters Sheriff Goran Skender, raising one hand from his rifle and rubbing his hand over his receeding hairline, his tone haggard as he replies to Emile and Shadrach. "Local problems, as I said. The Hrsak's been trouble since their daddy and my daddy were pissin' in the ditch together. Sometimes you get to chase the wolves away, sometimes you get to hang 'em." He nods in the direction of Sister Anja, crossing the saloon floor. "Now, I appreciate you two steppin' in and helping drive those mangy curs off main street, I do. Glad to have help like that from..."

"Vještica!" speaks Sister Anja again as an epithet, striding next to two sweaty farmers who move Zoe to her feet, hands now tightly bound; her face stern and nose raised officiously.

Taavi steps up officiously to the two sweaty farmers frogmarching Zoe to the doorway. "Hold on there. There'll be no vigilante justice here. A fair trial under the law of the land will be conducted, and both the accuser and the accused will be given a chance to speak their minds." Looks to everyone all around the room. "All of you will be called on as witnesses." He glances at his handgun on the floor, three paces behind him, extending his empty hand to stop the farmers. "We're counting on you and your staff, Sheriff."

The Sheriff snaps back to business, his rifle butt back in the crook of his shoulder, the barrel perilously close to Taavi. "Now, what did I say about sticking your nose in local business, Counsel? He cocks the gun. The whole room goes silent. Zoe stifles a sob, eyes down. Deputy Karlo gasps, covering his mouth with the hand that had hovered near his holster, his other hand gripping Hansel's upper arm. Mirko whispers, "Kvragu, Goran...", gripping the bar, his shotgun at hand. Doc Volokh pauses mid-stitch on Faraday's wound, his hands shaking even more as he turns to watch the altercation. The farmers pause for just a moment, eyes defiant, clearly not intending to be stayed by the unarmed lawyer with the Sheriff and Sister Anja on their side. "The Will of God is clear," intones Sister Anja loudly, "We will not suffer this witch to live!"

Next moves? Looks like conflict over Zoe is being handled first. Include Initiative on your next posts just in case.

OOC:
Lira, Emile, and Taavi:

Initiative: [1d8+2]=8+2=10

Taavi thinks, Well this sure went south in a hurry. The first stop in the first town and we have four dead people, a lynching in progress, and the local constable pointing a rifle at me. Well, nothing to do but try to do the job we were sent to do. If we cave in here, we cave in everywhere, maybe forever. Looks the Sheriff in the eye and says quietly (in more of the colloquial speech and accent of his humble origins), Sheriff, as the judge said, our intention was to meet with you right off and discuss things. What is proposed and how the town people might feel about it. But this arga warga here (shifts his eyes to indicate the blood and the bodies around the room, returns to eye contact) happened before we could get to your office.

Now, you can shoot me right here, but the State of Greater Kumenha considers this town a part of it. Other people like the judge and me will keep coming here, until Prudence and Kumenha arrive at some kind of an understanding. What I'm saying is, getting rid of the issue now isn't the same as getting rid of it forever. "If you fix the hole in the roof, you don't have to empty the bucket." So can we put off this hanging for a while while you, the judge and I sit down to at least discuss?

Talk: [2d6+0]=4+0=4
Oh crap.

Hansel
init [1d8+2]=4+2=6

Hansel looks around as the deputy comes to a stop, suddenly regretting taking a "go along to get along" approach and very much wishing his had were free. I can't possibly be the reasonable one. That ain't right! he mutters under his breath. He takes a deep breath in his chest and shrugs his shoulders trying to judge just how tight a grip the deputy has and decides that he's GOT to talk prettier than these "lawmen." It's like they WANT the Sherrif to start blazing. Which his hands behind him - voluntarily, even, Hansel mentally kicks himself again - Hansel doesn't think that's a great approach. So he's going to take one more swing at calming things down. Clearing his throat, Sherrif, as the guy most likely to get killed in a crossfire right now, I'm sure that these gentlemen are just a bit caught up in the moment and have their blood flowing a bit fast. I can't imagine that they mean any disrespect to you, just as I can't imagine that you'd let that pretty young thing over there be put to the rope or the fire without at least a chance to plead her case. Self-defense is everyone's right, I would think you'd agree. Anyway, I'm not studied in such things, and I've accepted your authority, as I'm sure these other fine gents will, as long as everyone lives long enough to take a few deep breaths.

Praying for the luck of the Irish, on this the day of the Sainted Patrick! Talk roll to 1) keep the Sherrif thinking that I'm ok and 2) trying to calm the situation.
Talk [2d6+1]=2+1=3
Darned leprechauns!!

Shadrach doesn't move out of the center of the doorway. "Sheriff, it seems to me we've got at least three different systems of justice represented here, and while respect your authority in this town, it's not at all clear that your authority trumps theirs. At any rate, there's no taking back a hanging or a burning, so let's palaver before we make any decisions we can't take back."

As he speaks, the sling of his ACR-11 starts to slide, bringing his combat rifle in front of his body. He pushes it back behind his shoulder and waves over the bartender, then looks at the sheriff and gestures to a nearby table. "Shall we?"

Talk: [2d6]=4 (+1 Cha, no Talk skill) That's a "time for Plan B" kind of roll.
Initiative: [1d8]=4

If they attempt to push past me, I put my hand on the chest of the lead farmer and prevent them from passing.

Readied actions if violence breaks out or they succeed in pushing past me:
Move Action: Club up my combat rifle
Attack Action: Attack the closest farmer with the rifle butt (melee attack)

Melee Attack: [1d20]=8
Damage (clubbed rifle): [1d6+2]=4+2=6 Well, I'm glad that's not likely to hit. I don't want to kill anybody here.

All this talk of God's will and divine retribution has piqued Sister Amalia's interest, not least because she hasn't been consulted before apparent judgement has been passed. Eschewing the diplomatic pleasantries of her peers, the young woman climbs atop a chair and thrusts a powerful finger at Sister Anja, her voice commanding and clinically enunciated, carrying to fill the entire room. "And who are you to speak with the voice of the Lord, Sister?" Amalia holds aloft the battered holy book of the Order of Saint Chrysostom as if its mere presence invokes . "You stand before the ordained of Saint Chrysostom, and your accusations have been heeded. Now hold your tongue."

After scanning the rest of the room, Amalia turns to Sheriff. "The mundane lawbreakers are of no concern to me, Sherrif. Do with them as you see fit." She then indicates Zoe. "Though that woman is mine to judge." Her gaze indicates that this was a statement of fact, not a suggestion.

[2d6+3]=9+3=12 Lead to take command of the situation.

Ambiance: Personal Jesus

Inside the Saloon...

The Sheriff snaps back to business, his rifle butt back in the crook of his shoulder, the barrel perilously close to Taavi. "Now, what did I say about sticking your nose in local business, Counsel? He cocks the gun. "The Will of God is clear," intones Sister Anja loudly, "We will not suffer this witch to live!"

Taavi looks the Sheriff dead in the eye and says quietly, "Sheriff, you can shoot me right here, but the State of Greater Kumenha considers this town a part of it. Other people like the judge and me will keep coming here, until Prudence and Kumenha arrive at some kind of an understanding. What I'm saying is, getting rid of the issue now isn't the same as getting rid of it forever. "If you fix the hole in the roof, you don't have to empty the bucket." So can we put off this hanging for a while while you..." The farmers interrupt him mid-speech by shoving Zoe right into and through him, knocking Taavi off-balance to land on one knee and, gratefully, out of the Sheriff's sight-picture.

Hansel gives an impassioned plea for reason, hands-bound and lightly-held by the Deputy as he is, but his words are drowned out by a cacophony as others in the Saloon begin shouting as well. Some at the Sheriff, some at Sister Anja, some at the loquacious outlanders. In all this chaos, Báleygr has no problem going unnoticed, seated in his chair. Shadrach's attempt to palaver is also drowned out, his presence squarely in the doorway to block Sister Anja more pressing. He clubs-up his assault rifle, a clear threat as the farmers move straight at him as well...

Amalia climbs atop a chair and thrusts a powerful finger at Sister Anja, her voice commanding and clinically enunciated, carrying to fill the entire room. "And who are you to speak with the voice of the Lord, Sister?" Amalia, at least half the age of the older Anja, holds aloft the battered holy book of the Order of Saint Chrysostom as if its mere presence invokes. The entire room goes silent, the cacophony abruptly coming to an end with her command like a mute button. "You stand before the ordained of Saint Chrysostom, and your accusations have been heeded. Now hold your tongue." Sister Anja sputters a moment, then simply closes her mouth. The angelic Handmaiden stands besides the chair, smiling serenely. The farmers and Sister Anja stand rooted to the floor, not moving another inch towards the stoic and prepared Shadrach.

After scanning the rest of the room, Amalia turns to Sheriff. "The mundane lawbreakers are of no concern to me, Sherriff. Do with them as you see fit." She then indicates Zoe. "Though that woman is mine to judge." Her gaze indicates that this was a statement of fact, not a suggestion. All eyes are on Amalia. Zoe, stifles another sob. Faraday notices Doc Volokh holding his breath, but unable to stop the shaking in his hands. Mirko's knuckles are white where he grips the bar.

The Sheriff releases his tension and lowers the barrel of his rifle. "Alright, sister. That's up to you an' the Church," he says, his tone measured as he looks between Amalia and Sister Anja. "You take her for confessions an' whatever you like."

"The REST of you..." the Sheriff turns to the Saloon with an encompassing gesture, then looks down at the sprawled bodies and blood stains. "stop runnin' your mouths and help clean that up. Bunch of busybodies." He snaps his fingers at Deputy Karlo who jumps like he's been stung. "Karlo, with me. We put these two in the holding cells." He motions Karlo and Hansel to the door and he steps over to put his hands on Talina to escort her out, too.

You guys are awesome.

I'll jump ahead to three simultaneous scenes and you can narrate what you do and which one you end up in as your priority.

• The Chapel (Witches to the Question) [Sister Anja, Zoe, Two Sweaty Farmers; presumably Amalia, Shadrach]
• The Sheriff's Office (Establishing Legal Jurisdictions) [Sheriff Goran, Deputy Karlo, Hansel, Talina; presumably Lira]
• The Saloon (Talking/Gathering Information, Body Clean-up) [Mirko, Doc Volokh, Chuck, Martin, the old couple; presumably everyone else?]

Next moves?

Hansel feels much better, moving towards the sheriff's office, and says to Deputy Karlo Well, that was a bit more tension than I like, at least while handcuffed and unarmed. I'm glad shooting didn't start again, say, I've been in town a week or so and don't think I've had the opportunity to talk with you before! The name's Hansel and.... Connect roll from earlier goes here.. Once that conversation has worn down, he'll turn to Talina and ask her So that bounty was a bit vague on exactly what you were wanted for. Though it did indicate "alive and undamaged" which isn't what I think those folks planned on doing. What did you do to be worth so much money to those folks?

He’ll bide his time in light conversation with Karlo, Talina and Lira, going for an impression of lightheartedness and respectfulness of the law, where and when it exists. Hansel will wait until the sheriff is ready to talk to him, not pushing the pace. He wants to reinforce the sheriff's sense that his authority is being respected. When the time comes, he will state his case clearly, like he was briefing one of his old commanders.

and now, for all the cookies...

Sheriff Goran, I am a bounty hunter, here are my credentials, and I was getting ready to collect a bounty of 50 gold chits – quite a bit of money – placed on the return of this lady [nods toward Talina]. The Warrant, as you can see here, specifies that the payout is for her return “alive and undamaged.”

I’d been watching the card-players at the table for several hours while waiting for the young lady to make an appearance, as she clearly must at some point. It was obvious that they were focused on something other than cards, so I was watching out of self-preservation.

When she entered the room, they pulled out a piece of paper that they stared at. I’m guessing it was a copy of the bounty warrant. I don’t know if they’re registered bounty hunters or just amateurs, I’m thinking the latter. Anyways, they started to move in on MY bounty. Moreover, it was clear from the way that they were acting that they didn’t pay much attention to the “alive and undamaged” bit…. And to be honest, I was starting to think there must be some mistake. This girl doesn’t look like the kind worth 50 chits. But money is money, and I figured it could be sorted out after I had it. But not if these yahoos killed or damaged her first.

When the gent in the fedora started walking towards her, and the other two moved to block the door. It was clear they were intending to take her down HARD. Rembert, “alive and undamaged.” Anyway, I paid close attention to the bearded gent with the bowler hat. The way he carried himself told me he clearly knew what he was doing with that gun he carried. When he started to move, I fired two warning shots over his head and into the wall. It was laser fire, so no damage to the saloon!

He should have taken that as a hint that the jig was up. Instead, he took a shot at me in earnest. At that point, I shot him. It was him or me, surely, you can see that.

His partner tries to attack me, and I work my way free. Well now this hombre, I guess some sort of lawyer?, starts yammering about not pointing weapons at anyone while pointing a weapon, and this Lady here, a judge, I think? Starts talking about “standing down.” Not sure that’s going to work, or that they have that authority, but I guess they’re officers of the court and all that, so I nod my head and start to do what they’re asking. Then this other gent, I think I heard his name was Henry took that as a license to attack me. He was looking for blood and trying to take my pistol from me. In the struggle, the gun went off. Again, pure self-defense. Plenty of witnesses too, one a lawyer, and another a judge…

I guess the fedora fellow got his as well, though I was busy at the time and didn’t quite see that. And I guess there were some other folks who go into the action with some high-tech stuff, but I can’t talk to that. I just know that them I shot were in active and fair combat, while trying to serve this warrant.

I think, if you’ll recollect, this is pretty much what I told you, just with a bit more words when you entered the room, Sheriff. And, if you’ll recall, while others were challenging your authority, I put my gun away and peacefully followed your order to let your deputy here cuff me and take me to your jail, while others were continuing to make a mess of the situation. I was a fair bit nervous when it looked like there might be another round of shooting, I tell you what.

Speaking of which, what is happening with that girl, Zoe? I can’t see how anyone should be afraid of such a sweet young thing. And about that warrant, I note that the lady is in your custody, I don't suppose you would consider the warrant fulfilled? Regardless of whether you chose to return her or not? He asks hopefully.

Talk roll - supporting him buying all that, and releasing me. Which to be fair, is within spitting distance of the truth....
Talk [2d6+1]=11+1=12
I spent quite a bit of time on that. A 3 would have made me sad.

Taavi lets out a breath of relief. Twice it looks like he's about to address Zoe before she's taken out of the room, but both times decides better and looks down instead. He retrieves his handgun from the floor and puts it in its shoulder holster. Well, he thinks, for now the judge, Greater Kumenha and I have been put pretty firmly on the sidelines. And sheriff, if you insist you're in charge of this town, you can clean up your own saloons. He goes over to the bar. To Mirko, Sir, a cold beer please. Quite a mess, eh? I wonder what he wanted? Why he did that? Indicates Teo Hrsak's body.

Is trying to the use the fact that he and Mirko just went through the same bad mash-up to empathize and make a friendly connection in the town. And could just a use a cold beer about now. Connect: [1d12-1]=9-1=8

Saloon

Báleygr Gangleri shakes his head after all the commotion is over and people have left the saloon. Great place he's in, trying to pass incognito. Best to leave town at the first opportunity. He looks around at those still inside.