Tarian pressed the tips of her fingers to her forehead and scrunched her eyes. “I think I understand why he kicked you out, Mister Cannith. Your interpersonal skills are terrible.” Not that I’m much better, she thought.
She looked up at the tenement building, in the general direction of the foreman’s apartment. “You haven’t even seen your foreman as a person. He has a name, I assume?” Immediately after asking, Tarian brushed the thought off with a vigorous swipe of her hand. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t know. I’ll have to ask him myself.”
Tarian crouches down and inspects the area that Arc brought her to carefully.
Using advantage, assuming Arc has assisted Tarian with information on what he has already seen. If advantage would not apply, please disregard the second die roll within the roll calculation, even if the first die result is lower.
“Though, with as many people that knew on your end, I don’t know if it’d be helpful to ask him about who knew when you’d be there.” She stood up. “But let me tell you what I think: this incident was as much a warning to you as it was to him. Yeah, his wife got the brunt of it, but if they had her in a position to get her fingers, they had her in a position to get her head. And they didn’t. So, she’s probably being used as a negotiating chip, either to get him to do or not do something. The only thing of value I can think of with what little information I have is that you have something to do with it.”
Tarian tapped a foot. “So, since you’re hiring me, I’m going to presume you’re not the culprit. I’m a bounty hunter, not justice; whether it’s true doesn’t matter to me here. But if you’re not the culprit, this means they want him to do something that you don’t want. This, I presume, would mean they don’t want the strikers to come to terms with Cannith. So who would benefit most from you not doing what you want to do with his help?”
Before Arc could tell her, Tarian raised her hands. “I don’t need to know any sort of classified information about what projects you’re working on, or even the non-classified information. I don't care what your projects are. All I want to know is who wouldn’t want you to finish it, or would benefit from a greater delay.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
The alley they stopped at didn’t look particularly ... particular. Arc had told Tarian that all he found was a match book and some ashes, she’d have a look at those later. For now, she wanted to try and gather as much as she could from this alley.
Looking at the steps of the Foreman's tenement building from the small alcove in which Arc had found the Ashes, the corner gave her decent cover and a nice view, but approaching the steps, she'd have to cross into the bright light of a nearby Everlamp. That left a couple of possibilities:
Either, the package was dropped off during the day, and nobody noticed the pool of blood leaking from the package. Possible, but it wouldn’t make sense to approach from a dark alley then.
Something might have stood in the way of the light, like a market stand, or a coach. It was hard to verify, but could provide a simple solution as to why this approach was chosen.
Or, and this was exciting, whoever delivered the package didn’t need to get any closer. Now she hadn’t seen the package, but it was possible that someone threw the package the fifty odd feet to the front steps, although she assumed that Arc would have said something. Still though, the fact that the person stood here smoking, was an indication that they didn’t move for a while.
There was a detail that confused her though. Why would someone deliver a package outside of a tenement building, if the message was meant for someone inside? Either, they didn’t know the target personally, which was hard to believe given the fact that they went after the guy’s wife, or whoever delivered the package was a different person to the one abducting the wife. It sounded plausible, but she hated the implications: With multiple people involved, she might be up against someone organised, with some means at their disposal, someone willing to use force to get what they want...
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Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Brandt calls out towards the girl on the stage. "What do you think you're doing up there? This is a restricted area, not some observation deck where you can come gawk at the people. Get out of there before you get yourself hurt."
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
With the crowds getting thicker and thicker Milo Can’t find a way out “Shit, I guess we are staying right here then.” Looking to Brandt and Sparks “Do you know who their leader is? It won’t do any good speaking to the masses, We need someone smart enough to listen.” Milo begins to look towards the workers and the formations they are taking. Looking for any signal of a hierarchy.
Thia looked back at Brandt, readying herself on her toes in case she needs to make a dash for it. “I’m looking for the one who warned me this was coming.” She’d shout back at him, shielding her eyes from the sun as she returns to scan for Leo’s red hair amongst the commotion.
Corti weaves through the protestors to find Bellows, "Could you keep on eye on the fellows in the back there? They're fine for now, but it'll be bad if things get out of hand. I'm going to head up front and try something." She makes her way to the front and joins her mechanical arms with the workers. As the group gets closer to the guards and crowd, Corti casts Minor Illusion. Around her area of the front line, she creates the sound of clanging machinery, as it would be in the factories. She makes it loud enough for the people in the crowd to hear, but not so loud that it drowns out the voices of the protestors.
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I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
“If it helps, we can narrow down your list of enemies a bit.”
Tarian thought a moment. Whoever dropped this package off was likely an intermediary. Or worse, and more likely, just a runner. She had made deliveries, herself, before, as a show of good faith to exchange for information. If the structures are the same, then the breakdown would likely be as follows:
This person who made the delivery, we’ll call them ‘Runner.’ Runner is just here to deliver a package. They don’t have any information except on who they received the package from, where they received it, and where they delivered it to. They probably don’t know why they delivered it, what’s in the package, or who it’s really from. This way, if they get caught, there’s little that will direct their captor to the true culprit.
Runner received the package from someone on the lower end, but not at the bottom. We’ll call them ‘Lackey.’ Lackey knows what’s what. If we find Runner, maybe we’ll find Lackey, but probably not. Lackey knows well enough to not meet Runner anywhere that might implicate who they work for. Lackey delivers the package to Runner, but they’re probably not the one who put the package together.
The one who did that would be the one who removed the fingers. Let’s call this brute ‘Captor.’ It’s possible that the Captor and Lackey are the same person. Also possible that Captor’s the one in charge, if they’re the sadistic type. But for now, let’s assume Captor and Lackey are separate, and they’re working for someone else.
The ‘Boss.’ Boss is someone who operates or protects a business that is in direct opposition to Cannith. Gives them motive to keep the strike going. With as well-organized as this crime is, either Boss is civilian with ties to organized crime, or organized crime operating a legitimate business as a front. Cannith’s business is in manufacture, so an opposed organization would be the same. Business is either in the Forge or outside Duskrock. Attacking a striking foreman’s wife makes it look too local to be outside Duskrock, though. Still possible, but let’s ignore that for now. Anyone with money enough to run both a business that can oppose Cannith and be connected to organized crime probably lives in Northward.
Next, strikes have been going on for a while, so why now in specific? Either they just now got enough information about the foreman to make a move like this and it’s actually entirely coincidence that it happened now, or something else is going on now that they need to stymie Cannith for. Immediately acting on information doesn’t seem likely. You don’t get to be Boss by being hasty.
“For now,” Tarian stated, walking across to the tenement building, “let’s stick to just business enemies of yours that operate in the Forge, and the executives live in Northward. Someone who’s just done—or will be doing soon, if you have inside information—something that Cannith could put them out of business for, if they were operating right now.”
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"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
Still leaning up against the wall Arc replies in a slightly irritated tone, "His name is John. I ask you don't assume me to be like the stereotypical pompous man baby, who believes himself above others." He glances back at the apartment but returns his gaze to Tarian as she works, "As for who would benefit? Take a look at the last war. My house wasn't exactly without enemies to begin with, but now everyone with any desire for power or coin, wants a piece of us. However, most of that is pointless, because while the protest may slow down production in the short term, I'll remind you what my family is famous for." With that Arc sticks a hand into his pocket and pulls out a small, seemingly normal stone and in a matter if seconds, small runes appear on it and a projection of light that shows a small Warforged. "We are creators of life. So replacing manpower isn't exactly hard." With that Arc turns of the projection and pockets it again.
Thia hears the halfling have a similar idea to herself. Between the crowd below reaching a boiling point, and the impatient gunner trying to shoo her off the stage, she only gets a glimpse of red hair in amongst the marching workers, who are now approaching arms linked, banners waving and sounding increasinly like a steel mill, adding a certain rhythm to their chants and slogans. In amongst the front ranks, a warforged unit seems to be speaking to the workers or even giving them orders.
You try to point this out, when you see that at the other end of the square, one of the guards is pushed back, to which he retaliates with his truncheon. As the worker goes down, the whole line seems to be rushing forward, swinging picket signs and tools, to form a protective barrier around their downed comrade. It’s not long before someone in the back ranks is throwing a stone.
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Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
“I’ll be the judge of what I can or cannot see.” She huffs out to the crusty mercenary as she catches a glimpse of red hair.
”I may have found the guy who warned me, but it also looks like we have a warforged unit giving some orders.” Thia would be intending to relay this to the halfling who she overheard suggesting to find a leader.
Thia would rock back up onto her tippy toes and shuffle in the direction she may have saw the red head, hoping she can get a better glimpse to ensure it was Leo so she could zero in on his location. “Unless either of you got a plan... someone’s gotta act now!”
Thia’s mind was rushing through possibilities in her head. Would speaking to one person really be able to calm a crowd of this size? Would causing another commotion or distraction even be an option?
Milo uses his own minor illusion the space above the warforged he remembers seeing in the tavern the night before. The one seemingly provoking the defiant rhythm to fuel the marchers. Making the sound of nails on a chalkboard, a high shrill piercing sound to cut out the machinery noises. To get everyone’s attention:
persuasion: 25 if advantage: 24
Jumping up on stage. “ENOUGH! Brothers and Sisters, I know you’re angry, broken, and hungry! Growing up on the farm I am all too familiar with the struggles of the working man. But this violence isn’t the answer! Now, I enjoyed a meal last night with this Warforged unit that provides the rhythmic heart beat of this protest. I expressed my feelings about the freedoms granted to all Women, Man, and Machine, she will vouch to that! I also mentioned the way to peace and prosperity is not to break down the machine, but to infiltrate it. Choose your representative to come to the table and discuss civilly the freedoms that is due to you and your families. I will stand beside you!”
pacing back and forth, meeting eyes with members
“My name is Milo Spudsder, that Farm I spoke of is Spudsder Farms. What once was a small potato farm, had now become one of the largest produce and livestock providers in the area! There is a good chance my family has fed yours already! These are exciting times, Revolution is coming my friends! There doesn’t need to be bloodshed. I fully support Sparks and this genius plan. That’s why I am pledging the full support of the Spudsder Farm Estates to ensure that no working family will go hungry!”
taking a second for a dramatic pause.
”Now is the time to make a decision. Are you going to be another cog in the wheel in this cycle of class warfare and violence or are we to come together and become one United machine, bringing prosperity to every individual here and across the land. To be forgotten to time, or to go down in the history books as the catalyst to change. WHO IS WITH ME!”
The screeching sound causes most of the protesters and the crowd to cover their ears in pain, and provide a momentary break in the struggle.
The words that follow have an almost magical effect. None of the people here probably knew of Milo Spudsder before today, but they certainly knew him now!
His words strike a chord with the workers, and shifting the attention to the Warforged among the marchers only gives his words more credence. As he carries on talking, makeshift weapons are dropped, as protesters and crowd hang on his lips alike. When he finishes, his speech is met with a roar that surpassed even that given to Sparks before.
At the northern end, where the protest had escalated, the workers are allowing gaps to form for people to leave the square, or to make room to grant access to wounded people. At the eastern end, the marchers still stood shoulder to shoulder, but everyone in the front rankwas unarmed, and it seemed as if they were waiting for further instructions from a red headed figure among them, or to wait for confirmation of Milo Spudsder’s words from the Warforged.
Up on the stage, Sparks is slowly emerging from behind the hired gunner, and the two of them stand close to Milo, with another guard and a spunky student standing there with them.
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Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Corti looks up at Milo and decides that the only way to keep anyone else from getting hurt is to talk. She finds Bellows again, "Mark, we need to talk with him. I haven't known this man long, but I think he has your best interests at heart. Your men are going to get hurt if we keep fighting, and on top of all that, they'll turn themselves into a public enemy. Come with me, we'll talk things over with him, and then you can make a decision with your men."
Persuasion: 22
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I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
The huge human foreman still seems stunned by the events he just witnessed, but hearing Corti’s words, he snaps back. Turning to his crews, he says “Alright, she’s got a point. I’ll talk with Sparks and Spudsder, see what we can gain from his plan. Know that I won’t back down from our demands, I will fight for you!”
With a look at Corti, he adds, “Are you going to come along?”
Seeing that he has been sidelined by the foreman and the Warforged, Leonid Tetuski was teeming with anger. “I have to insist I come along too.”
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Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Sparks looked at Brandt, and added in an icy tone: “The situation is under control, and I’m no longer under threat, a circumstance not brought about by you. Who would I be, if I ran away and hid now, when members of the public are invested in my plan and wsnt yo discuss solutions to their problems? I owe it to the people of Duskrock to stay and listen!”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
"Very well." Brandt scans the crowd until he finds the Warforged, the foreman, and this redhead that seems to be such a big deal. "Now that things have calmed down a little, Mr. Sparks is ready to address your concerns. Since it seems like you three have become the spokespeople for this movement"He said, pointing at the aforementioned trio, "You can come up and air out your grievances. I ask that everyone else remain calm so that they can speak."
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Thia certainly felt the change in energy as Milo rallied the crowd, she caught herself fist pumping in the air with the roar of the crowd. She clapped along with them too. ”Thank you, Milo Spudster.”
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just an unstable unicorn.
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Tarian pressed the tips of her fingers to her forehead and scrunched her eyes. “I think I understand why he kicked you out, Mister Cannith. Your interpersonal skills are terrible.” Not that I’m much better, she thought.
She looked up at the tenement building, in the general direction of the foreman’s apartment. “You haven’t even seen your foreman as a person. He has a name, I assume?” Immediately after asking, Tarian brushed the thought off with a vigorous swipe of her hand. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t know. I’ll have to ask him myself.”
Tarian crouches down and inspects the area that Arc brought her to carefully.
(PERCEPTION): 19
(INVESTIGATION): 16
Using advantage, assuming Arc has assisted Tarian with information on what he has already seen. If advantage would not apply, please disregard the second die roll within the roll calculation, even if the first die result is lower.
“Though, with as many people that knew on your end, I don’t know if it’d be helpful to ask him about who knew when you’d be there.” She stood up. “But let me tell you what I think: this incident was as much a warning to you as it was to him. Yeah, his wife got the brunt of it, but if they had her in a position to get her fingers, they had her in a position to get her head. And they didn’t. So, she’s probably being used as a negotiating chip, either to get him to do or not do something. The only thing of value I can think of with what little information I have is that you have something to do with it.”
Tarian tapped a foot. “So, since you’re hiring me, I’m going to presume you’re not the culprit. I’m a bounty hunter, not justice; whether it’s true doesn’t matter to me here. But if you’re not the culprit, this means they want him to do something that you don’t want. This, I presume, would mean they don’t want the strikers to come to terms with Cannith. So who would benefit most from you not doing what you want to do with his help?”
Before Arc could tell her, Tarian raised her hands. “I don’t need to know any sort of classified information about what projects you’re working on, or even the non-classified information. I don't care what your projects are. All I want to know is who wouldn’t want you to finish it, or would benefit from a greater delay.”
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
The alley they stopped at didn’t look particularly ... particular. Arc had told Tarian that all he found was a match book and some ashes, she’d have a look at those later. For now, she wanted to try and gather as much as she could from this alley.
Looking at the steps of the Foreman's tenement building from the small alcove in which Arc had found the Ashes, the corner gave her decent cover and a nice view, but approaching the steps, she'd have to cross into the bright light of a nearby Everlamp. That left a couple of possibilities:
Either, the package was dropped off during the day, and nobody noticed the pool of blood leaking from the package. Possible, but it wouldn’t make sense to approach from a dark alley then.
Something might have stood in the way of the light, like a market stand, or a coach. It was hard to verify, but could provide a simple solution as to why this approach was chosen.
Or, and this was exciting, whoever delivered the package didn’t need to get any closer. Now she hadn’t seen the package, but it was possible that someone threw the package the fifty odd feet to the front steps, although she assumed that Arc would have said something. Still though, the fact that the person stood here smoking, was an indication that they didn’t move for a while.
There was a detail that confused her though. Why would someone deliver a package outside of a tenement building, if the message was meant for someone inside? Either, they didn’t know the target personally, which was hard to believe given the fact that they went after the guy’s wife, or whoever delivered the package was a different person to the one abducting the wife. It sounded plausible, but she hated the implications: With multiple people involved, she might be up against someone organised, with some means at their disposal, someone willing to use force to get what they want...
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Brandt calls out towards the girl on the stage. "What do you think you're doing up there? This is a restricted area, not some observation deck where you can come gawk at the people. Get out of there before you get yourself hurt."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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With the crowds getting thicker and thicker Milo Can’t find a way out “Shit, I guess we are staying right here then.” Looking to Brandt and Sparks “Do you know who their leader is? It won’t do any good speaking to the masses, We need someone smart enough to listen.” Milo begins to look towards the workers and the formations they are taking. Looking for any signal of a hierarchy.
Thia looked back at Brandt, readying herself on her toes in case she needs to make a dash for it. “I’m looking for the one who warned me this was coming.” She’d shout back at him, shielding her eyes from the sun as she returns to scan for Leo’s red hair amongst the commotion.
just an unstable unicorn.
Corti weaves through the protestors to find Bellows, "Could you keep on eye on the fellows in the back there? They're fine for now, but it'll be bad if things get out of hand. I'm going to head up front and try something." She makes her way to the front and joins her mechanical arms with the workers. As the group gets closer to the guards and crowd, Corti casts Minor Illusion. Around her area of the front line, she creates the sound of clanging machinery, as it would be in the factories. She makes it loud enough for the people in the crowd to hear, but not so loud that it drowns out the voices of the protestors.
I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
"Do you see how thick this crowd is? You're not finding anyone in here. Now get back in the crowd before I call the guards."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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“If it helps, we can narrow down your list of enemies a bit.”
Tarian thought a moment. Whoever dropped this package off was likely an intermediary. Or worse, and more likely, just a runner. She had made deliveries, herself, before, as a show of good faith to exchange for information. If the structures are the same, then the breakdown would likely be as follows:
This person who made the delivery, we’ll call them ‘Runner.’ Runner is just here to deliver a package. They don’t have any information except on who they received the package from, where they received it, and where they delivered it to. They probably don’t know why they delivered it, what’s in the package, or who it’s really from. This way, if they get caught, there’s little that will direct their captor to the true culprit.
Runner received the package from someone on the lower end, but not at the bottom. We’ll call them ‘Lackey.’ Lackey knows what’s what. If we find Runner, maybe we’ll find Lackey, but probably not. Lackey knows well enough to not meet Runner anywhere that might implicate who they work for. Lackey delivers the package to Runner, but they’re probably not the one who put the package together.
The one who did that would be the one who removed the fingers. Let’s call this brute ‘Captor.’ It’s possible that the Captor and Lackey are the same person. Also possible that Captor’s the one in charge, if they’re the sadistic type. But for now, let’s assume Captor and Lackey are separate, and they’re working for someone else.
The ‘Boss.’ Boss is someone who operates or protects a business that is in direct opposition to Cannith. Gives them motive to keep the strike going. With as well-organized as this crime is, either Boss is civilian with ties to organized crime, or organized crime operating a legitimate business as a front. Cannith’s business is in manufacture, so an opposed organization would be the same. Business is either in the Forge or outside Duskrock. Attacking a striking foreman’s wife makes it look too local to be outside Duskrock, though. Still possible, but let’s ignore that for now. Anyone with money enough to run both a business that can oppose Cannith and be connected to organized crime probably lives in Northward.
Next, strikes have been going on for a while, so why now in specific? Either they just now got enough information about the foreman to make a move like this and it’s actually entirely coincidence that it happened now, or something else is going on now that they need to stymie Cannith for. Immediately acting on information doesn’t seem likely. You don’t get to be Boss by being hasty.
“For now,” Tarian stated, walking across to the tenement building, “let’s stick to just business enemies of yours that operate in the Forge, and the executives live in Northward. Someone who’s just done—or will be doing soon, if you have inside information—something that Cannith could put them out of business for, if they were operating right now.”
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
Still leaning up against the wall Arc replies in a slightly irritated tone, "His name is John. I ask you don't assume me to be like the stereotypical pompous man baby, who believes himself above others." He glances back at the apartment but returns his gaze to Tarian as she works, "As for who would benefit? Take a look at the last war. My house wasn't exactly without enemies to begin with, but now everyone with any desire for power or coin, wants a piece of us. However, most of that is pointless, because while the protest may slow down production in the short term, I'll remind you what my family is famous for." With that Arc sticks a hand into his pocket and pulls out a small, seemingly normal stone and in a matter if seconds, small runes appear on it and a projection of light that shows a small Warforged. "We are creators of life. So replacing manpower isn't exactly hard." With that Arc turns of the projection and pockets it again.
Thia hears the halfling have a similar idea to herself. Between the crowd below reaching a boiling point, and the impatient gunner trying to shoo her off the stage, she only gets a glimpse of red hair in amongst the marching workers, who are now approaching arms linked, banners waving and sounding increasinly like a steel mill, adding a certain rhythm to their chants and slogans. In amongst the front ranks, a warforged unit seems to be speaking to the workers or even giving them orders.
You try to point this out, when you see that at the other end of the square, one of the guards is pushed back, to which he retaliates with his truncheon. As the worker goes down, the whole line seems to be rushing forward, swinging picket signs and tools, to form a protective barrier around their downed comrade. It’s not long before someone in the back ranks is throwing a stone.
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
“I’ll be the judge of what I can or cannot see.” She huffs out to the crusty mercenary as she catches a glimpse of red hair.
”I may have found the guy who warned me, but it also looks like we have a warforged unit giving some orders.” Thia would be intending to relay this to the halfling who she overheard suggesting to find a leader.
Thia would rock back up onto her tippy toes and shuffle in the direction she may have saw the red head, hoping she can get a better glimpse to ensure it was Leo so she could zero in on his location. “Unless either of you got a plan... someone’s gotta act now!”
Thia’s mind was rushing through possibilities in her head. Would speaking to one person really be able to calm a crowd of this size? Would causing another commotion or distraction even be an option?
just an unstable unicorn.
"Here's the plan, we try and find someplace, anyplace that isn't completely swarmed and get there."
Perception: 22
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Milo uses his own minor illusion the space above the warforged he remembers seeing in the tavern the night before. The one seemingly provoking the defiant rhythm to fuel the marchers. Making the sound of nails on a chalkboard, a high shrill piercing sound to cut out the machinery noises. To get everyone’s attention:
persuasion: 25 if advantage: 24
Jumping up on stage. “ENOUGH! Brothers and Sisters, I know you’re angry, broken, and hungry! Growing up on the farm I am all too familiar with the struggles of the working man. But this violence isn’t the answer! Now, I enjoyed a meal last night with this Warforged unit that provides the rhythmic heart beat of this protest. I expressed my feelings about the freedoms granted to all Women, Man, and Machine, she will vouch to that! I also mentioned the way to peace and prosperity is not to break down the machine, but to infiltrate it. Choose your representative to come to the table and discuss civilly the freedoms that is due to you and your families. I will stand beside you!”
pacing back and forth, meeting eyes with members
“My name is Milo Spudsder, that Farm I spoke of is Spudsder Farms. What once was a small potato farm, had now become one of the largest produce and livestock providers in the area! There is a good chance my family has fed yours already! These are exciting times, Revolution is coming my friends! There doesn’t need to be bloodshed. I fully support Sparks and this genius plan. That’s why I am pledging the full support of the Spudsder Farm Estates to ensure that no working family will go hungry!”
taking a second for a dramatic pause.
”Now is the time to make a decision. Are you going to be another cog in the wheel in this cycle of class warfare and violence or are we to come together and become one United machine, bringing prosperity to every individual here and across the land. To be forgotten to time, or to go down in the history books as the catalyst to change. WHO IS WITH ME!”
The screeching sound causes most of the protesters and the crowd to cover their ears in pain, and provide a momentary break in the struggle.
The words that follow have an almost magical effect. None of the people here probably knew of Milo Spudsder before today, but they certainly knew him now!
His words strike a chord with the workers, and shifting the attention to the Warforged among the marchers only gives his words more credence. As he carries on talking, makeshift weapons are dropped, as protesters and crowd hang on his lips alike. When he finishes, his speech is met with a roar that surpassed even that given to Sparks before.
At the northern end, where the protest had escalated, the workers are allowing gaps to form for people to leave the square, or to make room to grant access to wounded people. At the eastern end, the marchers still stood shoulder to shoulder, but everyone in the front rankwas unarmed, and it seemed as if they were waiting for further instructions from a red headed figure among them, or to wait for confirmation of Milo Spudsder’s words from the Warforged.
Up on the stage, Sparks is slowly emerging from behind the hired gunner, and the two of them stand close to Milo, with another guard and a spunky student standing there with them.
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Corti looks up at Milo and decides that the only way to keep anyone else from getting hurt is to talk. She finds Bellows again, "Mark, we need to talk with him. I haven't known this man long, but I think he has your best interests at heart. Your men are going to get hurt if we keep fighting, and on top of all that, they'll turn themselves into a public enemy. Come with me, we'll talk things over with him, and then you can make a decision with your men."
Persuasion: 22
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Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
Brandt looks at Sparks. "What are you doing? Get out of here before they change their mind."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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The huge human foreman still seems stunned by the events he just witnessed, but hearing Corti’s words, he snaps back. Turning to his crews, he says “Alright, she’s got a point. I’ll talk with Sparks and Spudsder, see what we can gain from his plan. Know that I won’t back down from our demands, I will fight for you!”
With a look at Corti, he adds, “Are you going to come along?”
Seeing that he has been sidelined by the foreman and the Warforged, Leonid Tetuski was teeming with anger. “I have to insist I come along too.”
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Sparks looked at Brandt, and added in an icy tone: “The situation is under control, and I’m no longer under threat, a circumstance not brought about by you. Who would I be, if I ran away and hid now, when members of the public are invested in my plan and wsnt yo discuss solutions to their problems? I owe it to the people of Duskrock to stay and listen!”
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
"Very well." Brandt scans the crowd until he finds the Warforged, the foreman, and this redhead that seems to be such a big deal. "Now that things have calmed down a little, Mr. Sparks is ready to address your concerns. Since it seems like you three have become the spokespeople for this movement" He said, pointing at the aforementioned trio, "You can come up and air out your grievances. I ask that everyone else remain calm so that they can speak."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Thia certainly felt the change in energy as Milo rallied the crowd, she caught herself fist pumping in the air with the roar of the crowd. She clapped along with them too. ”Thank you, Milo Spudster.”
just an unstable unicorn.