Jadzia gives Ori a flat look that clearly says, "Not in a thousand years." She turns to Mutterall and remarks, "It might've helped if you'd just said that from the start a simple 'I'm worried you'll die down there.' It really would’ve saved a lot of drama."
Facing the rest of people in the hall, the genasi adds. "In any case, I stand with what Duncan has said. You can't deny it—this mine will run dry, and probably not before something worse happens. Whether it's a monster the miners can't handle, a collapse, or just bad luck—something always gives. And building a town's future on something that's both dangerous and temporary? That sounds reckless to me."
Jadzia pauses."But what do I know, right? Truth is, it's not really our fight. Before Mutterall ever leaves, we will. The ones who stood up here tonight. So this choice—it's yours, Shinbone folk. Just make sure it's a choice you can live with. Not just now, but five, ten years from now. When the gold is gone, and the ground might be too."
"And by then me and my crew will have moved on to another mine and more profits. People need work, we give it to them, it's that simple." Mutterall replies.
"And that's why I can't let you leave here alive," Kerrigan answers. "You'd let everyone and everything die for a mere pile of gold you can't even take with you when you die. Foolish man, know now nature's fury!" Kerrigan suddenly lets looks a spell and fire erupts in a ring around the hall, her eyes fixed on Mutterall as she commands the bears with her to attack.
(Your choice what to do. If you want to fight we'll move to an initiative type order, but if you want to just escape yourselves and/or help bystanders escape we can simply narrate that. I will say too that the elders aren't against you really either, they're just too swayed by Mutterall and his men and work, you could gather that much from watching them.)
Cramaris will help those who are trying to escape. Neither Kerrigan or Mutterall convinced him to fight so will not fight unless one of the sides directly attacks him or his companions decide to fight.
For now, Jadzia will help the townsfolk who are trying to escape, just as Cramaris is doing. Mutterall has his miners, and Kerrigan her magic and bears, so the scales seem balanced in a fight none of them have been entirely willing to avoid.
She will keep watch on how the fight progresses, because she might change her mind. It's one thing to come to blows—so to speak—but if it turns deadly, she may intervene.
Ori stands up, her lips pursed. “I’m super OK with Kerrigan using her amazing”—she repeats her opening again as it is lost in the bear’s roar and Kerrigan’s scream of fury and magic—“and murdering them and the elders on behalf of her private vendetta, ofcourse.”
She inclines her head towards Duncan. “Duncan has taught me the importance of non-violence in towns and villages. But, didn’t we say the town should determine its own fate, and aren’t people part of nature too? I’d never argue with a Druid who wants to maul people, but it feels like we said they should choose their own path, and now we’re just going to let them get murdered by Kerrigan (who, to be clear, is an awesome Druid, and I’m sure it’s barely murder, and I’m just misunderstanding).”
”I just wanted to make sure it’s right and why. Because obviously if Kerrigan wants to murder and maul for nature then it’s right, but I just don’t quite get how that gels with what we’ve been up to, and I want to be, like, a super good adventuring team member!”
”Gosh, I didn’t expect to be getting into the weeds on all this adventurer ethicalese so quickly. We should really sit like a theory test you know?”
The fight between Kerrigan and Mutterall looks fairly one sided. If Mutterall looks to be reconsidering or fleeing, Duncan will get involved. If he looks like he is up for the fight (with or without backup) Duncan will focus on getting the Elders and innocent bystanders out. He does say to the elders who voted to keep the mine "Any blood spilt here today is on your hands."
Mutterall does not appear to be backing down, and has several of his men with him fighting back the bears.
Everyone then helping the few other townspeople and elders escape, breaking down the door will take a little bit of fire damage (3 damage, too be exact if you want to know) as you push everyone and yourselves through the wall of fire in the room. But you otherwise make it out and turn around to see what happens if you wish. The elders are a bit at a loss but not unsympathetic to your comments either. Tug mentions it was going to be a tough sell no matter what, with so many getting their livelihood from the mine, but he is hopeful things will return to the old ways again.
You're welcome to try and help Kerrigan or Mutterall still, if not, we'll wrap the story up asap. :)
With the townsfolk—and the party itself—safely out of harm's way, Jadzia turns back to watch the fight. Neither Kerrigan nor Mutterall is backing down, and it's clear this will only end when one of them is dead. The bard already tried reasoning with Mutterall, but never with Kerrigan—so now, she makes one final attempt to stop this before it ends in a tragedy that will most definitely not help the people, the town, nor the land.
She mutters a few arcane words, plucking a slow, solemn melody from her bandore—notes as grave as the moment. Then she raises her voice so the druid can hear her.
"Stop this, Kerrigan. Mutterall's death won't solve anything. Your death won't solve anything. If you kill him, another will rise to take his place. And the land will still need you. Back down. Find another way. Live to 'fight' another day."
The air genasi doesn't elaborate, but hopes Kerrigan understands that she doesn't mean 'fight' in a literal wat.
Jadzia waits to see if her the spell kicks in—hoping the fight might end without death. If Kerrigan ignores her, then she turns her back and walks away, following Ori.
Jadzia makes an earnest plea, but in her rage against Mutterall, Kerrigan refuses to accept any other solution unfortunately.
In the end, despite an attempt to get them to see reason and work on a solution, there was only so much you could do. The fire raged that day and consumed both the building and the bodies inside: Kerrigan, Mutterall and his right hand man and a few fellow workers. Over the following days, with the loss of both Kerrigan and Mutterall, the town dwindles as people leave to find new work. The elders hold out for a while longer, but the nearby forest begins to creep on the edge of town without the druid's guidance although the land does start to heal again with the closing of the mine once more.
Tug is one of the last to leave Shinbone, and anyone who talks to him later hears about the strange, ominous growls coming from the mine. He swears he felt rumbles in the ground as well and wholly believes something was woken from the depths of the mine. He doesn't know what it is, but if anyone is going to live in Shinbone again that will need to be dealt with and the forest tamed. But, perhaps it was all for the best as well, maybe it is best to simply nurture the nature that is already there.
(Thank you all for playing. I know it was an odd story but you did very well. Thank you for your patience, and I hope to see you again with a new story!)
I mean, Kerrigan died too so it might have been both, which was my thought all along. My theory was there was actually something happening with the mine (such as Ankhegs) but because the townsfolk didn't listen to reason, Kerrigan started to add her own threats to blame on the mine (the wolves). The corn could have been either. With the mine closed, even if Kerrigan survived she would have stopped her actions so it would have always seemed like the mine was responsible unless Kerrigan was killed and the mine stayed open which would be the only definitive answer
Jadzia gives Ori a flat look that clearly says, "Not in a thousand years." She turns to Mutterall and remarks, "It might've helped if you'd just said that from the start a simple 'I'm worried you'll die down there.' It really would’ve saved a lot of drama."
Facing the rest of people in the hall, the genasi adds. "In any case, I stand with what Duncan has said. You can't deny it—this mine will run dry, and probably not before something worse happens. Whether it's a monster the miners can't handle, a collapse, or just bad luck—something always gives. And building a town's future on something that's both dangerous and temporary? That sounds reckless to me."
Jadzia pauses."But what do I know, right? Truth is, it's not really our fight. Before Mutterall ever leaves, we will. The ones who stood up here tonight. So this choice—it's yours, Shinbone folk. Just make sure it's a choice you can live with. Not just now, but five, ten years from now. When the gold is gone, and the ground might be too."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
"And by then me and my crew will have moved on to another mine and more profits. People need work, we give it to them, it's that simple." Mutterall replies.
"And that's why I can't let you leave here alive," Kerrigan answers. "You'd let everyone and everything die for a mere pile of gold you can't even take with you when you die. Foolish man, know now nature's fury!" Kerrigan suddenly lets looks a spell and fire erupts in a ring around the hall, her eyes fixed on Mutterall as she commands the bears with her to attack.
(Your choice what to do. If you want to fight we'll move to an initiative type order, but if you want to just escape yourselves and/or help bystanders escape we can simply narrate that. I will say too that the elders aren't against you really either, they're just too swayed by Mutterall and his men and work, you could gather that much from watching them.)
Cramaris will help those who are trying to escape. Neither Kerrigan or Mutterall convinced him to fight so will not fight unless one of the sides directly attacks him or his companions decide to fight.
For now, Jadzia will help the townsfolk who are trying to escape, just as Cramaris is doing. Mutterall has his miners, and Kerrigan her magic and bears, so the scales seem balanced in a fight none of them have been entirely willing to avoid.
She will keep watch on how the fight progresses, because she might change her mind. It's one thing to come to blows—so to speak—but if it turns deadly, she may intervene.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Ori stands up, her lips pursed. “I’m super OK with Kerrigan using her amazing”—she repeats her opening again as it is lost in the bear’s roar and Kerrigan’s scream of fury and magic—“and murdering them and the elders on behalf of her private vendetta, of course.”
She inclines her head towards Duncan. “Duncan has taught me the importance of non-violence in towns and villages. But, didn’t we say the town should determine its own fate, and aren’t people part of nature too? I’d never argue with a Druid who wants to maul people, but it feels like we said they should choose their own path, and now we’re just going to let them get murdered by Kerrigan (who, to be clear, is an awesome Druid, and I’m sure it’s barely murder, and I’m just misunderstanding).”
”I just wanted to make sure it’s right and why. Because obviously if Kerrigan wants to murder and maul for nature then it’s right, but I just don’t quite get how that gels with what we’ve been up to, and I want to be, like, a super good adventuring team member!”
”Gosh, I didn’t expect to be getting into the weeds on all this adventurer ethicalese so quickly. We should really sit like a theory test you know?”
The fight between Kerrigan and Mutterall looks fairly one sided. If Mutterall looks to be reconsidering or fleeing, Duncan will get involved. If he looks like he is up for the fight (with or without backup) Duncan will focus on getting the Elders and innocent bystanders out. He does say to the elders who voted to keep the mine "Any blood spilt here today is on your hands."
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Mutterall does not appear to be backing down, and has several of his men with him fighting back the bears.
Everyone then helping the few other townspeople and elders escape, breaking down the door will take a little bit of fire damage (3 damage, too be exact if you want to know) as you push everyone and yourselves through the wall of fire in the room. But you otherwise make it out and turn around to see what happens if you wish. The elders are a bit at a loss but not unsympathetic to your comments either. Tug mentions it was going to be a tough sell no matter what, with so many getting their livelihood from the mine, but he is hopeful things will return to the old ways again.
You're welcome to try and help Kerrigan or Mutterall still, if not, we'll wrap the story up asap. :)
Ori sighs. “Good luck Kerrigan and co!” She wanders away from the crowd in the direction, waiting for the others but clearly ready to leave.
With the townsfolk—and the party itself—safely out of harm's way, Jadzia turns back to watch the fight. Neither Kerrigan nor Mutterall is backing down, and it's clear this will only end when one of them is dead. The bard already tried reasoning with Mutterall, but never with Kerrigan—so now, she makes one final attempt to stop this before it ends in a tragedy that will most definitely not help the people, the town, nor the land.
She mutters a few arcane words, plucking a slow, solemn melody from her bandore—notes as grave as the moment. Then she raises her voice so the druid can hear her.
"Stop this, Kerrigan. Mutterall's death won't solve anything. Your death won't solve anything. If you kill him, another will rise to take his place. And the land will still need you. Back down. Find another way. Live to 'fight' another day."
The air genasi doesn't elaborate, but hopes Kerrigan understands that she doesn't mean 'fight' in a literal wat.
Jadzia waits to see if her the spell kicks in—hoping the fight might end without death. If Kerrigan ignores her, then she turns her back and walks away, following Ori.
Jadzia casts Suggestion on Kerrigan. WIS ST DC 13
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
(Wisdom save: 18)
(Jadzia will also take 4 fire damage from having to get close enough for Kerrigan to be able hear her as the building burns further)
Jadzia makes an earnest plea, but in her rage against Mutterall, Kerrigan refuses to accept any other solution unfortunately.
In the end, despite an attempt to get them to see reason and work on a solution, there was only so much you could do. The fire raged that day and consumed both the building and the bodies inside: Kerrigan, Mutterall and his right hand man and a few fellow workers. Over the following days, with the loss of both Kerrigan and Mutterall, the town dwindles as people leave to find new work. The elders hold out for a while longer, but the nearby forest begins to creep on the edge of town without the druid's guidance although the land does start to heal again with the closing of the mine once more.
Tug is one of the last to leave Shinbone, and anyone who talks to him later hears about the strange, ominous growls coming from the mine. He swears he felt rumbles in the ground as well and wholly believes something was woken from the depths of the mine. He doesn't know what it is, but if anyone is going to live in Shinbone again that will need to be dealt with and the forest tamed. But, perhaps it was all for the best as well, maybe it is best to simply nurture the nature that is already there.
(Thank you all for playing. I know it was an odd story but you did very well. Thank you for your patience, and I hope to see you again with a new story!)
Thank you all for this story! See you around! :)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
See you around. Huh, it was the mine after all, I really thought it was going to turn out to all be Kerrigan. Ciao!
I mean, Kerrigan died too so it might have been both, which was my thought all along. My theory was there was actually something happening with the mine (such as Ankhegs) but because the townsfolk didn't listen to reason, Kerrigan started to add her own threats to blame on the mine (the wolves). The corn could have been either. With the mine closed, even if Kerrigan survived she would have stopped her actions so it would have always seemed like the mine was responsible unless Kerrigan was killed and the mine stayed open which would be the only definitive answer
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Thanks for the game!
Neat theory! Questions still unanswered! Who knows, maybe one day they will find out what's really going on deep in the mine. :)
Take care all!