Walt fears the group is losing control of the situation. He looks towards the heavens and says a silient prayer for [spell]guidance[/guidance]. Walt steps from the crowd, stands beside Tuuli and addresses the crowd. "Please, listen. What my friends say is true. We have not assaulted anyone on this day. We have merely detained him for questioning. We believe Itzmin knows who...or what is behind this curse. His lies, deceit and unwillingness to aid us in this investigation combined with evidence we found in his own mine have lead us to believe he is conspiring with cultists of Pazuzu to spread this plague amongst the good people of San Citlan!"

Persuasion check: 5 (3+2 from guidance)

Pax looks around for any olvidados and decides to try and appeal to them instead. If he sees any, he moves to talk to them directly. "Did you or anyone you know die from a curse that chills your bones? This man caused that curse. Even if you have not been personally affected by the curse, Itzmin is attempting to corrupt the magic of the Night of the Remembered and raise the dead as ghoulish monsters. We have proof." He turns to the crowd at large, "We have proof of our claims! Please let us continue with our business and return to your festival." He motions to whoever had picked up the notes from Teocin's cave.

Persuasion: 6
Oof

Tuuli makes her case (Persuasion: 14+4=18). The crowd continues to gawk. "What did he do?" asks a curious skeleton adorned with twinkling lights.

A group of five centaur acrobats carrying torches prance through, performing flaming high jumps to the beat of a dwarven drummer. They seem oblivious to the conflict.

Pax gets nothing but blank stares in return for his ranting.

Walt's earns only an empty challenge. "But Itzmin runs the city's defenses! You must be mad!" shouts one man.  As Walt looks towards the heavens to say his silent prayer, he sees an owl watching them from atop a nearby building.

Itzmin takes advantage of the distractions and tries to squirm free once more. Acrobatics check: 19
Tuuli should make a contesting Athletics check.

Then, Bendrak and Aranor may act next!

As Itzmin starts to struggle again, Tuuli just lets him go. “Then maybe the esteemed council member can stop acting like a common criminal and answer some questions?”

Aranor stands next to Tuuli and gives Itzmin a stern look. "You owe us that much at least, Councilor, after what happened in your mines."

As Itzmin collects himself, Aranor studies him closely, trying to gauge the tiefling's intentions and honesty in his answers.

Insight - 11

"Have the constables detain these maniacs!" cries Itzmin to any sympathetic parade-goers, then races 30' forward into the chaotic crowd.

Aranor finds Itzmin to be ruffled – perhaps even slightly panicked – sweaty, angry, and frightened. Itzmin turns and looks at them. "What is it you want from me?" he shouts. 

Everyone may have an opportunity attack if they choose, as he runs from Tuuli's grasp.

Zartan, Pax, Bendrak, and Tuuli may act.

Tuuli groans as Itzmin rabbits off. Then she races after him, deftly darting through the crowd to catch up to him. Barely winded, she says, “We want to help Serapio! And you, if you need it! Just stop running from us! Why were you visiting Doña Rosa?”

Move 30’ to catch up

Pax says loudly, so that the surrounding crowd also hears: "We would also like to know why you exploded the mine to trap us inside, potentially leading to our deaths. Innocent people do not evade questions."

As Walt looks up to the sky, he spots an owl perched on the roof of a building nearby. When he looks back to share the news with his friends, he sees them running off in pursuit of Itzmin. 

Walt runs after his friends and yells “Tuuli…Pax! Look, it’s the owl!” He stops and points at the owl on the building.

Pax (who had not chased after Itzmin) hears Walt and looks up. Spotting the owl, he regards it carefully. He moves up to Walt (movement 30' assuming Walt ran up to Tuuli), and takes Serapio's drawing of 'Home' from him (action). Not sure if the beast can understand language, he holds it up to the owl while calling out to it: "We can help you."

Bendrak rapidly stows his crossbow, not wanting to draw any attention, and turns his attention to the owl. He calmly moves in its direction, leaving the chase to nimbler hands.

Aranor hesitates, torn between helping Tuuli with Itzmin and finally catching up to their quarry, Serapio the cursed owl. Finally, he decides that if Bendrak, Walt, and Pax are going to approach Serapio, he may as well help with subduing Itzmin if he can. He catches up with Tuuli and the tiefling.

"Will you just calm down for a moment?" he asks Itzmin. "We can talk about this civilly. Like Tuuli says we can help. We just want to help San Citlan and Milpazul." 

Persuasion if necessary - 20

The owl glares at Pax, then flies forward, perhaps 150 ahead, to a nondescript two-story building overlooking the pit you climbed out of earlier this evening.

Itzmin growls at Tuuli. "You don't know who you're toying with," he says in a low voice. "You'll live longer asking fewer questions."

A 20-foot-tall, papier mâché skeleton puppet appears from a side street and begins to walk across the street in huge, clumsy strides. The crowd gives it wide berth as it heads toward the party.

Zartan and Bendrak (30' behind Tuuli and Itzmin) may act next. (Tuuli still has an action if she chooses.)

Zartan will look a little more at the advancing skeleton puppet

inv: 10

Walt tracks the owl through the sky. "Come, its going that way! Be on guard, it might be luring us to the mine."

DM: Does it appear that Itzmin and the owl appear to be headed in the same direction? 

The massive papier mâché skeleton puppet seems to be part of the celebration – you can see three rather drunk-looking men inside and behind operating it, albeit rather sloppily. They look like they're having a good time, but the parade-goers on the street are jumping out of the way to avoid being stepped on.

Walt, Pax, and Bendrak keep a bead on the spotted owl, which is still perched on a low building by the cenote. The owl, Itzmin, and indeed most of the people on the street are all moving in the same general compass direction, taking you past the cenote again.

Except one group of people – approaching soldiers. You hear the sounds of many boots and the clank of armor as a platoon of armed fighters buck the direction of the crowd and head downstream toward you, at a quickened pace. 

A cascade of firecrackers erupt behind you.

Zartan will wait (including walking towards him) till the opportune moment to casts sleep at the fleeing Itzmin so that it would only effect him. 

Sleep affected: 34 hp

(Zartan: make a Dex or Intelligence check to see if you can aim it and time it right so that it won't affect others...)

Itzmin, hearing the boots of the approaching soldiers, calls out to them. "Over here! Lieutenant! Here!"