DragonDenn’s Theros Game

Ritha will return to the island to take a shift for the overnight vigil, once her warning to her shipmates has been passed along.

Kanlos would take the watch closest to midnight, and attempt to ensure that the nobles thugs are kept busy during the watch, randomly patrolling at quick paces. He'd also try to have one of the leaders stay with him as he tells tales of those who've angered Athreos in the past.

Tale telling: 18 +2 for performance, +4 for religion

Those who watch the streets at night will see ash spirits wandering the streets, but none of them harm workers or you, and they flee if attacked.

Ritha
During your shift of watching the streets... You would notice some of the spirits approach Khloë’s home during the night. Two of the spirits enter Khloë’s house... What do you do?

((What are Ash Spirits?))

Ritha casts guidance on herself and then follows them in, as quietly as she can.  She knew the ash spirits were terrorizing the nobles, but Khloë?  Was she being controlled by them against her will?  Summoning them from her own power?   

Grimacing, she moves as quietly as she can, but the strange and unnatural ash spirits distract her from truly blending in to the night:  Stealth 10 (9 + 1 guidance)
She observes them without yet interfering once they enter: Perception: 24

Quote from ZulkRS >>

((What are Ash Spirits?))

  If you saw one you would recognize them as the spirits from the vision you saw.

Ritha
You find two ash spirits sitting beside Khloë as she sleeps. These spirits ignore you unless Khloë is threatened. One of the spirits holds her hand, while the other strokes her hair with familial softness. She mumbles in her sleep, talking to her mother and father as their spirits sit beside her.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, as no one sees anything else out of the ordinary. No ash spirits attack any of the land owners this night. You gather back at the ship come morning and Ritha can pass on anything she wishes, prior to me moving things along.

Recognizing the spirits, Io would attempt to hand a few gold coins to some of the spirits in hopes it would help them pass on.

"I did see ash spirits last night," Ritha tells those who did not keep watch. "They visited Khloë... perhaps they were the spirits of her parents.  They were hardly vengeful or terrifying.  In fact, if I had to describe them, they seemed more... sad, or perhaps regretful, that they had had to leave their child so soon.  They are not our enemies, in any case," she says, "and I would take the sign of a bloodied mouth amongst the locals as a marker of those who have done the most sin, the injuries likely visited upon them by their very victims."

With that information, both her face and her heart harden at the prospect of facing the thugs hired to "protect" the landowners from elements of resistance.  "Let us bring this saga to a close," she tells the others.

Kanlos readies his weapons and heads towards the deck, "We would probably be best served fighting from the deck, yes? Have the blockade behind us and prevent the thugs from surrounding us?"

Xerronios shakes his head.  "That would restrict our mobility and if they chose not to engage with us, we would be stuck on the ship and out of the fight."

Kanlos looks around, "If they wanted to deal with the blockade, where would they do that from, are there defenses they would use? Or simply head to the ships?"

As you are discussing strategy options a cry comes up from a lookout, the first of the trade ships has been spotted. Looking well-rehersed, fishers run to their boats, and push off, heading out to blockaid the port. As this is happening Khloë strides to the docks, wearing her Setessan armor now. She glances to your ship, but then turns to stand in the middle of the road that leads to the docks.

Shortly figures can be seen approaching the docks. At their head is Bésios, with a few of his fellow land owners with him. They lead a group of ten thugs.

"Get those workers back to work preparing the dock." Bésios can be heard telling Khloë as he stops short of reaching her position.

A crowd of workers stand nearby, but off to the side, clearly not wishing to stand against the thugs, as they look like bakers, fishermen, and other non-warriors.

Khloë shakes her head. "We have had enough of your ill-treatment." She informs Bésios. "we want to discuss better pay for the workers, a tythe landowners pay to give those workers who died during the eruption the ability to pass on from this world, and negotiate an ongoing offering to be made to the gods to ensure nothing like that shall ever happen here again."

Bésios looks at her for a long moment, then glances to his thugs. "Throw any who will not get back to work into the ocean." He orders the thugs.

This all takes several minutes to happen. You can move and adjust positions as you like as the above unfolds.

"Much as I love Mother Thassa, I feel our answer is on the land, not the sea," Ritha says.  She races towards the docks, and slowing down only to cast guidance on herself and then shift into the shadows of the harbor as she approaches Khloë's position.  As she hides, she drops a hand over her face and the masquerade tattoo on her upper arm writhes.  Her skin crawls and writhes with it, changing color and folding in upon itself until her appearance is similar to that of one of the thugs Bésios hired.  Still encased in the shadows, she keeps moving forward, trying to gravitate towards the root of the problem -- Bésios himself.  'Cut off the head of the snake,' she thinks, her hunting instincts honing on him.  "Thassa be with me," she whispers one last time, readying her weapons. 

Ritha Stealth: 23 (21 + 2 guidance)
Ritha disguises as a thug (DC 13 to see through it)*
Ritha's recast guidance on herself before any hostilities began.
She should currently be hiding among the buildings / cargo of the dock, looking like a thug, and hopefully moving beyond Khloë's position and towards where the thugs are, so she can blend in with them.

*If that sort of movement isn't possible (it's too far away, or there's no place to hide among the docks), rather than disguise herself, she'll prepare to drop a fog cloud between the thugs and the workers, to prevent any of them from carrying out Besios's orders.  She'd try to leave the workers out of the cloud but dump as many thugs as possible in it.

Io would move to stand between the Thugs and the workers. If he can't persuade the nobles then maybe he can persuade the thugs.

"My fellow men, stand down for your employers stand against the will of the gods. As a humble Cleric of Athreos, The River God, I have felt his extreme displeasure with this land and those that own it in my time here. I have seen the spirits of the dead walk the streets at night, unable to pass because of the actions of your employers. I have communed with my god and he is angry. Tell me, my fellow men, have your employers told you why the volcano erupted a generation ago? It was because your employers did not heed the gods.The death, destruction, sorrow and pain brought from the eruption was due to the anger of Purphoros. Now they continue to anger the gods, this time Athreos. Tell me, my fellow men. Will you side with your employers even when they make a move against the gods themselves because your employers are blinded by hubris? Will whatever coin or reward they offer save you from the wrath of the gods? Will what they offer be worth it when you will find yourselves in front of Athreos, just as all mortals before and after you will? My fellow men, I implore you, as a man of the River God, stand down. Do not bring upon the terrifying wrath of the gods upon yourselves. Stand down so that when the wrath of the gods come down upon your employers, you may be spared."

Persuasion: 23 + Guidance: 4

Xerronios moves quickly to the dock, moving to stand beside Io.  As he moves up, and during his speech, the bard plays a song of hope and cooperation, altering the pitch and harmony of the ages-old song to match the rhythm of his companions words.

ooc: He wants to Help Io's persuasion check, so feel free to roll again...maybe you'll get higher than a 16 on the die :)

Performance 17

((Thanks for the assist))

Adv Roll: 17

Kanlos will look for a place within 200 feet of the nobles and their bullyboys with a clear, unobstructed view, preferably up out of their reach, and move to occupy it, making no effort to conceal himself.

Perception: 18

As you join Khloë on the road before the docks, and Ritha disappears, merely another thug now, two ash spirits appear near Khloë as well. This alone gives the thugs pause, several reaching hands to cover their mouths as they recall land owners waking with ash-filled mouths. Then Io steps forward and gives his stirring speach, accompanied by music from the bard. The thugs hesitate, glancing around and then to Bésios.

Bésios orders them forward again, but the thugs step back instead. This has clearly gone beyond simple bullying in their minds, and they now believe they are over their heads in something they want no business with.

At this Nola, with a group of land owners, steps forward from out of a nearby shop. An arguement ensues, between the land owners, with the result of Bésios getting led away under arrest. Things happen quickly after that, the thugs dispersing, the trade ship allowed to dock, and the workers starting to celebrate.

As things calm ndown later, Nola, with Khloë at her side, approaches the group of you again. They thank you for your aid in this, as there would have been no chance for change without your intervention. They let you know that a shrine to Athreos’s will be built in the center of town, and a tythe given by all of the land owners to the shrine, just for the purpose of helping those left behind during the eruption pass down the river and beyond. You are then invited to a celebration, in the town square, where workers and land owners alike mingle and prepare to start a new phase of this island's history.