Insight's "Against the Blackstag Cult" (IC) - Chapter One: The River Barge Incident

[Insight]

When the gigantic dragonborn speaks, the eladrin raises his mug. "Something MUST be done. We live in fear now, trade is cut off. How long before the sacrifice victims within view of our walls? They have a weakness. I will lead a strike force. Those that can contribute greatly, that are skilled enough to oppose their plans. A force large enough to find that weakness, but small enough to avoid too much notice. Who will come, who is with me!" The eladrin looks around the bar, looking for takers.

"Har, who are these outsiders?" a voice shouted in response.

"Hush you! We only listen to our own kind!" another voice called out.

"Wait! Maybe he has an idea! No one else does!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Bilbray Mensener called out, banging his drum. When the crowd quieted down, Mensener looked at Erevan. "Look, lad. Some here in East Haylen aren't too kind to folk like you. But I've known eladrin in my life and I respect your viewpoint. Everyone, let's at least hear what he has to say."

Before Erevan could reply, another voice emerged. "It doesn't matter," Billiam Grone said, taking to his feet. "The Mayor doesn't want to do anything. Typical passive Haylen. You all can talk and talk and talk. I believe, for my part, that Harriet Forester has the right idea."

Bilbray Mensener walked to the eladrin warrior. "Speak your mind, stranger," he said. "It couldn't hurt."

 

[Erekose13]

Arjhan listens as the crowd turns to Erevan. The eladrin certainly had a point and while Arjhan didn't like the idea of fighting an enemy they didn't know he was certainly open to listening.

 

[Friadoc]

After Grone mentions that the mayor is settled on in activity, implying that without the mayor nothing could be done, Iados makes a simple statement, his voice carries, but does not shout.

"Last I checked, free folk can do more than one thing at a time," says Iados as his tail lazily curls around the chair that he is seated upon. "Erevan has an idea worth hearing, too."

 

[Lochness]

Regdar grinned. This was getting interesting. He liked the idea of reopening the roads to Storm Peak. If it came to fighting the Cult the people would need to have a source of supplies. With the roads closed it might as well be a siege.
Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to be silent until morning Regdar though as he stood and began to speak.

"The Eladrine here has a point! Something must be done but an immediate strike isn't the best idea right know. If you were the Cultist what would think the first reaction would be? What would be the first thing you prepare for?"

Regdar then sat back down and in a calmer voice, "I agree with the Dragonborn. We should reopen the road to Storm Peak first. We need to have a good supply backing before we can mount a truly successful attack."

 

[EvolutionKB]

The eladrin steps from foot to foot. Clearly he was uncomfortable in the crowd of people. Some others offer support to his cause. A hush comes over the crowd as the alemaster raises his voice. Erevan finishes his mug and stands upon his chair. He addresses those that doubt him...and his people.

"I am no outsider," he says addressing the squinty-eyed man. "I am not from the city proper, but from outside it's walls. I was a farmer. Have you not seen me selling my flowers and vegetables to those that need something to brighten their day or something to put in the night's stew? Have I not given your son advice in the weather to come, to better grow your own crops?"

"Your own kind?" he addresses the bigot. "Am I not a Fordite like you, and many others here? Look beyond my race, to what I brought to this city. These cultists destroyed my home, my garden. I have nothing left except memories of what I once was."

The eladrin steps from his chair, to step upon the table, looking around at the crowd around him, feeling more a leader, less a farmer.

"I was a warlord of the Feywild. Chosen to lead eladrin into battle. Other things interfered. The love of my life was lost. So I came here to forget everything. My internal wounds have been healed, by another I have found to love. Her own insights have made me want to reclaim part of who I once was." Erevan draws his longsword, leveling it above his head. "I will lead a group of like-minded people, strong in arm or spell against those that would block the routes of trade. That is the first place we need help. Without food for ourselves, we are trapped within these walls, like lambs within a pen, just waiting for the wolves to take us. Who is with me!"

 

[Steve Gorak]

As Erevan speaks, Ulrik remains quiet, apparently focused on his words. In reality, he is focusing on his prestigitation spell, making the eladrin's sword glow as he levels it above his head. He'll also create a prestigitation effect, making the Eladrin shed a slight circle of light around him.


OCC: Might as well use those nifty & flavourful wizard's at-wills ;-)

 

[Insight]

The eladrin steps from his chair, to step upon the table, looking around at the crowd around him, feeling more a leader, less a farmer.

"I was a warlord of the Feywild. Chosen to lead eladrin into battle. Other things interfered. The love of my life was lost. So I came here to forget everything. My internal wounds have been healed, by another I have found to love. Her own insights have made me want to reclaim part of who I once was." Erevan draws his longsword, leveling it above his head. "I will lead a group of like-minded people, strong in arm or spell against those that would block the routes of trade. That is the first place we need help. Without food for ourselves, we are trapped within these walls, like lambs within a pen, just waiting for the wolves to take us. Who is with me!"

As Erevan speaks, Ulrik remains quiet, apparently focused on his words. In reality, he is focusing on his prestigitation spell, making the eladrin's sword glow as he levels it above his head. He'll also create a prestigitation effect, making the Eladrin shed a slight circle of light around him.

Just then, the doors to Mensener's Alehouse swung open. A pair of armored men carrying halberds, wearing the mayoral crested tabard, pushed through the doors. After them, Mayor Jinthaleer Haylen came into the alehouse.

"I'd heard there was some sort of gathering going on in here," the mayor said. "I can't say I'm surprised." He looked at the proprietor, Bilbray Mensener. "Are you fomenting dissent again, Mensener?"

Bilbray Mensener blanched. "I... no, mayor," he replied. "I wouldn't... just some folk talking. No harm there."

Haylen looked over the crowd. "Yes," he said. "I suppose that's true. Still..." The mayor started walking through the crowd as his guards gently moved people aside. "We have a lot of weighty issues at hand, as all of you know. Everything seems to have been caused by this Blackstag Cult. But what to do about them? I know that some of you wish to hunt them down and root them out. But how would you go about doing that? With Lord Finsany's demise, and his militia dissolved, we have no soldiers. We defend Haylen's Ford with our own pitchforks and spears, and not much more. Even if we had a militia, where would we send them? Do any of you know where the Blackstag Cult hides? I don't."

Billiam Grone, who had thus far sat silent, nursing a mead, stood up. "Mayor," he began. "The Foresters may have an answer for your lack of a militia."

Mayor Haylen winced at the suggestion. "Go on..." he slowly replied.

"Have you heard of the Guild of Swords and Cups?" Grone asked.

"I have not," Haylen said.

"Of course not," the piermaster said. "I wouldn't think so. It's a new guild the Foresters have formed. It is intended to attract mercenaries. We could use those mercenaries to --"

"Absolutely not!" the mayor shouted. "We hire no transient sellswords in Haylen's Ford. If someone wants to help out, let them step forward and prove themselves. If they can show they are loyal to Haylen's Ford and not just the golden sheckel, then perhaps we can talk."

 

[Friadoc]

"Should they be loyal to the place or the People, Mayor," asks Iados the tiefling warlock. The twitch of his tail might hint at the displeasure he is feeling right now, with the mayor's display cuckolding Erevan's rousing speech. "I can understand the fear of loyalty bought with coin, as coin is more fickled than any ten cats you can find."

Slowly Iados stands up, casting a nod to Erevan as he says, "But, what of free folk, for that is what we are, who decide to go and seek out those most foul who despoil the hard work of others."

"All I hear is talk of who should be in charge of the huddling," adds the tiefling with a jerk of his left thumb toward Grone and Forester, which is followed by the index of the same left hand pointed toward the Mayor and his armsmen. "New order and established order."

"I think Erevan has good sense and purpose in what has been said and I, for one, am with him," states Iados as he walks to stand by the eladrin. "I'll leave government and guild talk to the lot of you and take my chances doing something about the cultists."

With that Iados falls silent, having spoken more words in that moment than most hear from him in a few days. His red eyes flashing above his half smile, as if daring anyone to object.

 

[EvolutionKB]

The eladrin is momentarily startled during his speech as a glow surrounds him and his blade. He then sees Ulrik, deep in concentration of a spell. Knowing what the wizard is doing, Erevan continues on without hesitation. Shortly thereafter, the mayor enters and speaks. The tiefling then responds, speaking better than he ever could. He gives Erevan his loyalty as well.

Erevan nimbly hops down from the table to the floor, speaks to the mayor, pupilless sea-green eyes unflinching. "We are of this town, or if we are not, we rely upon it to make our living. Without this town, we would be nothing. Gold means little to me. I left a limitless amount of that behind long ago." The eladrin sheathes his blade again, and crosses his arms over his chest. "How much more loyalty to do want from us? We that are few," he says gesturing to himself, Ulrik, and Iados, "are willing to fight, to break the siege on this town, or die trying. What more do you want?"

 

[Insight]

SKILL CHALLENGE
All right, folks. We're going to do a Skill Challenge here. Can you convince the passive, reactive Mayor Jinthaleer Haylen to take action and follow your ideas?

Objective: Convince the mayor to take action against the Blackstag Cult
Victory: 6 Successes before 3 Failures

Skills: Arcana (1), Bluff, Diplomacy, History, Insight (1), Religion (1), Streetwise (1) *** (1) means the skill can only be used once during this challenge

Note 1: You will not know the DCs until you start to make checks.
Note 2: You may receive circumstance bonuses (or penalties) based on how well you describe what you're trying to do.

Let's get started!

Post what you'd like to do or say as part of this Skill Challenge and then make a skill check using Invisible Castle and post a link to your result.