Smoke on Water
Southern Banks of Tarmwar
It's a fine yet chilly day on the banks. Snow still peppers the corners of the walkway and stairs, and the small vendors along the way serve warm beverages and snacks to stave off the cold. Chunks of ice clunk against the bank from the southward flowing river carrying them out to the bay, most not daring to tread on personal craft in it.
Denizens of Alexandria go about in a less than hurried manner, as being down here is more for leisure than for business. A couple vendors hark their consumable wares. Some partake, others ignore. One Lucht carrying a burlap bag spits at them.
Can't please them all.
A small boat comes in from the port, docking against one of the piers on the bank to offload several barrels, the crew working to get the shipment over with to get out of the cold.
Telamon swears softly at the chill. "By the gods, you could keep a side of beef out here and never worry about it going bad." Even with his resilience against the cold, he pulls his cloak around him a little tighter. Staring at the ice floes -- small, but noteworthy -- in the river, he shudders. "I cannot -wait- for spring to arrive." He glances at Raven. "Are you staying warm?" He is nothing if not solicitous.
Where there's food, there's Pothy. Ravenstongue is playing personal chauffeur again for her pale-feathered friend as he consumes a freshly fried piece of chicken from the safety of her shoulder. The violet-eyed half-elf nods at Telamon, smiling. "I'm warm enough. Pothy, of course, doesn't care one iota about the cold so long as he gets his food."
"Snacks," Pothy chimes in. He's finished his food and he looks longingly at the rest of the food vendors that he has yet to patronize.
Well, more accurately, make Raven patronize, and then reap the benefits off her efforts. Parasitism has never looked fluffier.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (6)+4: 10
A lone xian man stands on the embankment. Well. Not totally alone. A raven is perched on his shoulder. Keeping him company at he stares at the waters of the river. He's got a contemplative look on his face. The sort that's a million miles away. It's not a particularly happy expression. The raven on his shoulder seems a time or two like it might talk to him, but in the end neither of them say anything. Well at least not until Pothy is noticed. Then Wuya - for it is Wuya - makes a happy little croaking noise of hello to the other bird.
GAME: Karasu rolls perception: (2)+6: 8 GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (2)+8: 10
It is a question of who would be more effected by the cold, and it seemed that in this situation, it was the fish who lost. Off one of the many ladders leading into the water clambered a tall, dark red makari, carrying several fish and a spear of some sort. They take a moment to towel themselves off, before pulling on the jacket and pants they left off on the side, along with their other things.
GAME: Vaera rolls perception+2: (7)+11+2: 20
Several of the sailors are startled by the redscale makari clambering out of the waters, a barrel turning sideways and rolling into the waters with a splash. "Oi Alta! You drop it you fish it out!" the rower jabs a finger at a half-oruch woman, her sheepishly grinning and rubbing her neck.
Sweet cinnamons fills the air, a stall pulling out a fresh rack of cinnamon rolls for sale.
Telamon takes a deep breath. Still cold. Maybe it's a mental thing, from seeing the ice, though. He rubs his nose, though, then frowns. Cinnamon rolls -- they'll certainly have to drag Pothy away from those, but also... "'Lana, do you smell smoke? Not just cooking smoke either..." He looks around with a slightly furrowed brow.
Pothy hears Wuya, interrupting his scan of the food vendors, and he croaks back to him in an excited tone. Ravenstongue notices this and says, "Oh, Pothy, are Karasu and Wuya around?" She looks around and spots them, too, waving to them.
But she turns her head back to Tel when he asks the question. She scrunches her nose for a moment, sniffs the air, and says, "Yeah, actually. Wonder what's going on..."
Karasu turns just his head toward the pair that consist of Telamon and Cor'lana. Her wave however causes him to turn all the way around so that he can return the greeting with a similar gesture. It's almost a salute, his hand near his head as he flicks it out. It's handspeech for hello, but it's similar enough to a wave that it could easily be mistaken for such. Wuya quietly makes a noise to him, and he sighs before beginning to make his way toward the couple.
"Do not fret, I am not some sea monster come to take my vengeance on Alexandria." The red makari chuffs as she finishes dressing, and strings up the fish. She waves to Ravenstongue and Telamon while sniffing at the air, taking in the sights and smells of the city. The cinnamon rolls sounded quite good. Perhaps she could get some for Lily or Aryia? It seemed quite fitting, at least. But then she notices another scent, of burning. Not of pastry, but of wood. She quickly runs over to the stall, to investigate further, and cant their head to the lucht watching questioningly.
The half-oruch sailor chuckles and waves Vaera off, like it was no big deal as they grab an oar to fish the barrel back closer to the pier.
The redscale would note that the flame was starting to build, the wood beginning to catch as some sort of substance was slung against it, acting as volatile fuel.
The Lucht from before is rifling through his bag, and pulls out three lanterns from his bag. The glass on them painted black to block any illumination from them. Though, he jabs a finger into the top of each, one by one, the digit alight in a flame.
"Wakey wakey, my pretties," he hums at them, the tongue sounding like a wickering of a campfire. Smoke pours from his mouth, and his spit sizzles the ground. Each of the lanterns are grabbed by the rung, cocked back, and chucked in a cluster near the stalls. <Ignan>
They shatter against the cobble road, spreading oil and flame across the-
No. That's not oil.
Like a condensed ball unraveling, three figures manifest and emerge from the tiny flame within, coalescing into what only could be described as a mobile bonfire. Tongues of flame reaching to the sky and lashing out, seeking things to burn.
The Lucht cackles, pulls out some sort of device, and clicks a button on it.
Giggling to himself, the Lucht with a flaming hand eyes the small artifice in his hand, tapping his foot as red eyes glance between it and the manifesting creatures.
The people are stunned at this sudden appearance of fire beings, looking around for who could have summoned such a thing! Nothing should be able to come here all of sudden anymore! Right?
They look as if they are about to flee the scene.
The lucht, mouth billowing smoke with each breath, whistles to himself a discordant but jolly to him tune.
GAME: Telamon casts Unseen Servant. Caster Level: 4 DC: 17
Vaera growls when she sees what the lucht has in store, and the fire spreads into a variety of creatures. "Stay away from the substance on the ground and objects. It wont come off easily and burns." She warns. "And be careful fleeing from the fires, they may lash out at you. Watch your step, and run for it is safe!" She shouts to the passersby that seemed closest to the flames.
Telamon looks aghast as this... lunatic is trying to burn the stalls! Then an idea comes to mind -- the memory of uncorking a wine bottle. "Sisig bursag!" he snaps out, gesturing intricately. There's a shifting shimmer in the air next to him that resolves, and he growls, "Grab one of those buckets and fill it. We may be on firefighting duty." The ghostly shimmer flits off, a bucket suddenly picked up and filled, as the servitor returns to Telamon's side.
GAME: Aryia rolls 3d6: (6): 6 GAME: Karasu rolls 1d20+5: (9)+5: 14
The people start to heed Vaera, then getting off their feet and shouting at one another.
"Get tha Watch!" the half-oruch sailor from before yells out, pointing at someone.
The living flames ignore soft fuel and go for something more sustaining and easier to catch aflame: the food stalls.
Not the food stalls!
Karasu turns, watching the lucht summon the flaming individuals and narrowing his eyes at the fire contraption that he wields. There's little time for explanations, but he sees that Telamon has the fire in hand - at least for now, and decides that dealing directly with the lucht is most likely to solve their issue. So he runs forward, drawing his crossbow and aiming a bolt at the small man. It goes skittering by, but Karasu doesn't seem dismayed by this fact.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Glitterdust. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+3: (10)+3: 13 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (5): 5 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (6): 6 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (1): 1
Pothy screams in dismay. His snacks! They're all burning! The end is NIGH! "Do something!" he screams into Ravenstongue's ear in her voice, his talons tapping in an anxious rhythm on her shoulder.
"Okay, umm--first things first, let's do this," Ravenstongue says, gathering glittery magic in her hands. She throws the magic out at the pyromaniac lucht, getting him and the rest of the area around him very shiny. "Let's hope that sticks in his eyes," Ravenstongue says. "At the very least, he won't be able to vanish now."
GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+6: (13)+6: 19
People began to scatter and duck as the flames begin to build on the food stalls. The further ones seem to combust while the cinnamon roll stand just starts to smolder.
The firebrand gasps, clawing at his eyes. "AGH! NO NO. I HAVE TO WATCH! STUPID, STUPID GLITTER!" he screams, wiping at his eyes as blackish/red magic manifest and yank the glitter away.
He snarls at the group, crimson eyes bright under his bushy brow. Bits of pale skin ripple at his forehead to show a pair of curling horns.
GAME: Karasu rolls knowledge/arcana: (7)+10: 17 GAME: Telamon rolls knowledge/arcana: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (13)+12: 25
Vaera stops in place as the lucht grows horns out of it's head. She reaches for her firearm, but looks back to the others slightly. "Let me know if it's okay to shoot." She asks of the others, waiting just a moment before striking.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+10: (2)+10: 12 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+10: (15)+10: 25 GAME: Telamon rolls 4d6: (10): 10 GAME: Telamon casts Ray of Frost. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Telamon rolls ranged: (4)+4: 8
The unseen servant was instructed to put out fires. A fire creature is just another fire. So it trundles over to the nearest flaming form, and simply upends its bucket with the expected results as well as a -screech- from the creature. Telamon shouts, "They're elementals! Use cold or water on them!" He gestures swiftly, launching a narrow, pencil-thick beam of white and blue at the elemental as well, but the frost beam slashes past, missing it.
GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+6+4+1-2: (6)+6+4+1+-2: 15 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+1+4+1-2: (6)+1+4+1+-2: 10 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d12+1+4: (6)+1+4: 11 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+8: (11)+8: 19 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (26): 26 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (84): 84 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (31): 31 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d3: (1): 1 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11 GAME: Karasu rolls 1d20+5: (18)+5: 23 GAME: Karasu rolls 1d8: (7): 7
Vaera shrugs and pulls their thunderbelcher out of their coat, unfolding and extending the weapon to take aim at the Lucht. There is a crack of lightning as the weapon fires, landing what should have been a solid shot on them. "That wasn't quite right." They grumble while pulling another round out of their belt, loosing another shot, though it is off, and sails harmlessly past into the water. The shot from the thunder belcher seems to screw the Pyromaniac Lucht's concentration up, the glare in his eyes winking out as he stumbles back. There's a faint 'pop', and the elementals warble in their spots. One pauses, only to keep going on consuming the food stall, another babbles and look up to the sky. And one spins around, round, round and whirls up to Ravenstongue, it slinging an arm down to try and enflame her, but whiffs as the steam was too much to keep track of.
"NOO MY PRETTIES!" the "Lucht" screams, waving the artifice in his hand at them. It looks like a pocket watch.
"He's an outsider." Karasu says, for the benefit of Vaera's uncertainty for the most part. Leveling another shot at the man. This time the bolt hits, but as expected it does little damage. "I know little of what he truly is, but he seems to be controlling the fire elementals." That was enough hopefully. Wuya urges Karasu on with a little caw, but it's hardly necessary. He knows his efforts mean little, but suspects that his magic will be just as ineffective.
GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+3: (14)+3: 17 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Glitterdust. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (4): 4 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (3): 3 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (6): 6
Ravenstongue steps back from the fire elemental that tried to attack her. "Tel! Watch out!" she cries out, but her eyes flicker back to the outsider. He has to be stopped. She flings more glittery magic at him again.
GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+4: (11)+4: 15 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d3: (3): 3
Those poor cinnamon rolls are toast. The food stalls catch fire fully. Structurally still sound, but hot.
People begin to flee back up to the bridges, claxions and bells blaring and ringing out, signaling a fire has broken out.
The Fire-go-lucky Lucht sees the glitter coming for him once more, and he bats it from the air. "NO! KEEP THAT OFF ME!" he seethes, gnashing towards Ravenstongue. The bolt hits him in the gut just as he's trying to focus once more, then he spits at Karasu, the ichor sizzling the cobble. "GAH! INSUFFERABLE!"
He lights a hand up in flame and hits his feet with it, him starting to run... up at an angle. Each step sounds like the clopping of hooves instead of footfalls. He looks over to the bridge, then snickers. "EHEHHE... TWENTY SECONDS! A NEW RECORD!"
Telamon steps back with Ravenstongue, ducking low as he fires another pencil-thick ray of freezing energy, it sapping the heat from the elemental.
GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+6+4+1-2: (20)+6+4+1+-2: 29 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+6+4+1-2: (9)+6+4+1+-2: 18 GAME: Vaera rolls 4d12+16+4: (28)+16+4: 48 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (40): 40 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (79): 79 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (47): 47 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d2: (2): 2 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d20+7: (11)+7: 18 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6+1: (2)+1: 3 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Reflex: (3)+3: 6 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Reflex: (11)+3: 14
"You will cease this destruction at once." Vaera growls, running up the side of the pier. she stops, and steadies herself, with no time to fire more than once. The red makari takes aim, and the thunder belcher cracks with the sound of lightning again, sending a shot towards the outsider. It strikes soundly, snapping one of their horns off in the process, and shredding the skin around it in passing as well.
GAME: Karasu rolls 1d20+5: (17)+5: 22 GAME: Karasu rolls 1d8: (7): 7
CRUNCH!
"THAT'S. MY. HORN!!" the Lucht screeches, holding the side of his bleeding skull as he staggers in the air on his feet. His form falters some, ripples revealing a goat's head and crimson fur. It really looks like he's keeping his face together his burning hand at this point.
Two elementals get into an argument with one another, it's very heated.
The other continues to lash out randomly, this time searing Ravenstongue along her side, but just glancing so something catches flame.
Karasu shakes his head at Vaera's words, not counting on them having an effect on an outsider. Not one so bent on destruction. One that enjoyed it so. He levels his crossbow again, aiming for the not-lucht and firing off a round that sinks in. Karasu's eyes are dark as he stows his crossbow, watching the thing fall. "Vardama take you." He murmurs, mostly to himself.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (10)+4: 14 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (5): 5 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (4): 4
Ravenstongue cringes as the fire elemental lashes out at her and singes some of her dress. "Really? That's another one I have to fix now," she complains. She steps back and attempts to fire her own ray of frost at the fire elemental, but her shot also goes wide--her eyes are too focused on Tel and to not accidentally target him that she misses the shot altogether.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+10: (13)+10: 23 GAME: Telamon rolls ranged: (5)+4: 9
Telamon swears in Oruch as the elemental scorches Raven, and as she scrambles back he interposes himself in front of her. "Back off," he snarls at the elemental -- seriously, is he trying to face down a fire elemental? -- "I won't tell you again!" His hands flicker with movement, and another chilling lash stabs out, albeit flicking past the elemental and missing.
Meanwhile, his unseen servant trundles back with another bucket of water and starts putting out the surviving stalls...
Boy oh boy, do those fires burn. Burnt chocolate fills the air as the stall harboring it collapses in on itself.
The place has been vacated of folks. The poor ale barrel floats away on the river. There's the sound of many footsteps and barking orders from the bridge as the Watch starts to make their way down the stairs to get to the bank.
The Firebrand clatters to the ground into a heap, a bolt lodged deep into the side of its skull. The illusion fades away, as nothing more than a crimson furred body with smoldering limbs remain, a goat head atop a muscled body. It's pooling blood sizzles the ground underneath it.
The pocketwatch rolls to a stop from its fall, it circling around a few times before clattering to a stop. It's broken on twenty three seconds.
GAME: Vaera rolls 1d20+6+1+4: (5)+6+1+4: 16 GAME: Vaera rolls 4d6: (20): 20 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (50): 50 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (45): 45 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d100: (71): 71 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d8+1: (8)+1: 9
With the creature no longer moving, and revealing its true form, Vaera turns her attention to the remaining elementals. The firearm is held in one hand as she stops to take one of the many buckets on the docks, one emptied of fish but with water remaining. She runs up to the fire elemental near the still standing stall. Seeing a large tendril of fire, the red makari shoves the bucket right through it, uncaring of the heat. It sizzles and dissipates, as the bucket drenches the main body of the elemental on the way through.
The argument grows more heated and scornful, the one hitting the half-sil woman turning and jabbing a finger at the one across the way that just collapsed the food stall.
One is splashed by Vaera, causing steam to erupt in its place as it hisses in pain. There's a snarling cracking sound as its fire hands point to itself, psyches itself up, and glides to the river.
"WATCH." <Ignan>
It jumps in. The water boils. Then... stops.
They're not exactly the brightest bunch.
GAME: Karasu rolls 1d20+4: (10)+4: 14 GAME: Karasu rolls 4d6: (13): 13
Karasu picks up a bucket from alongside the river, stalking toward the body of the fallen... whatever it was. He picks up the watch as he passes it, then his bolts off the body before almost casually throwing the bucket of water at the fire elemental. It's the only weapon he has against the thing that he knows will actually cause it harm. His eyes flicker toward the sound of approaching hooves and he murmurs something almost silently to Wuya. The raven launches itself skyward. Out of danger? Or seeing how close the watch is. Perhaps both.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (15)+4: 19 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 4d6: (18): 18 GAME: Aryia rolls 1d6: (5): 5
Ravenstongue's eyes glitter a little with admiration as she sees Tel try and bodily defend her from the elemental. "Tel!" she says--then her sense of, well, sensibility steps in. Tel is not a warrior, and he won't live long if he takes an elemental to the face.
He /did/ say she was the wiser of them.
She huffs and runs over to the nearest bucket, filling it with water. She aims carefully and...! Out the elemental goes. She pants a little as she holds the empty bucket.
"Who's the savior now?" she asks, smirking.
All in all. It took about twenty three seconds for an alarm.
And none too long after, footfalls spill out from the stairwell as members of the Watch spread out and start to jog up. As they do, the stall selling warm ciders falls in on itself, barrels behind it cracking and leaking the drink everywhere, yet it doesn't cease the raging flames.
The elemental near the half-sils is snuffed out in a wash of steam and smoke, it trailing off and up into the sky. One remains near the dead demon. And it's laughing at the other two for not being hot enough.
Its laughter probably lasts until the unseen servant and Telamon approach with buckets of freezing river water and douse it viciously. Tel, for his part, also takes a moment to grumble, "There's always some lackwit out to cause trouble." He makes a point to kick the demon's corpse spitefully.
Ravenstongue follows Telamon's lead, taking a bucket of water to douse out the fire elemental. "All of those poor stalls, too," Ravenstongue grumbles as she looks at their remains.
"Snacks," Pothy says quietly. This is the worst day ever in the history of days. All of those snacks gone, like tears in the rain.
Wuya makes a call from above and Karasu grimly nods politely toward Telamon and Cor'lana. "Pardon me." He says the words quietly, but distinctly enough to be heard, and then quickly steals away past the pair toward the opposite direction of the watch. He doesn't stop to explain why, but Wuya dips down and makes a few noises at Pothy. It's a friendly gesture of farewell, and a half apology for the quick get away.
GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (4): 4 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (4): 4 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (5): 5 GAME: Vaera rolls 1d6: (6): 6 GAME: Vaera rolls perception +2: (3)+11+2: 16
It seems the cinnamon roll stall has survived, thanks to the unseen servant slinging water around. Calmly, Telamon ambles up to the counter, places a fistful of silver on it, and picks up three rolls... turning, he presents two of them to Raven and Pothy. "I think we earned these," he says dryly. With a thought, he dismisses his servitor, and smiles wearily at Raven. "Heck of a way to spend an afternoon."
Vaera chuffs as the final elemental is doused, and things return to a more relaxed state, though there was still the wrecks of the stalls to deal with. The red makari doffs her coat and firearm, and fills up two buckets at the dock, before she strides into the remnants of the structures, to put out some of the fire, and look for anything that could be left for the owners. The pickings are slim from the hot chocolate stand, but she is able to bat away the flames from a few casks in the second, and carry them out to set outside, looking a touch singed, her pants and shirt burnt in the process, but otherwise okay. She even manages to find what at first appears to be a piece of charcoal, but it is split open to reveal a mostly intact, cinnamon filled inside, which she holds out to the gluttonous raven.
"That is concerning that that creature found its way into the city." Vaera notes, brushing away the soot from her clothing. “Hopefully the guard can figure out what led them here, it did not sound like the first time they did this."
Telamon and Ravenstongue together manage to splash the hot headed elemental out of existence with a combine smothering of cold river water.
The corpse doesn't do anything from being kicked. But from the sizzling blood on the ground, and the blood on its body, Telamon's shoe starts to catch fire.
The Watch files through, securing the area and ensuring that everything is under control. Statements are taken from those there are present, them missing Karasu as he slinked off before their arrival.
The stall owner thanks Vaera profusely for salvaging a couple barrels of cider as the watch starts to put out the remaining flames.
All in all, everything went better than expected. At least no lives were lost.
The hot chocolate stand crumbles more in on its smoldering self.
Yep. Totally fine.
-End