The Eye of Anubis: Book Ten

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"The only thing that looks worse than being found crouching over a charnel scene would be being found enacting magic and floating over it" he says with a sigh.

"Nnno," Lia whispers back to Sascha, "I do not agree. While it does, indeed, look much worse, there is another thing that also looks worse. Being lynched for a crime you did not in fact commit, to be precise. Also, being lynched as part of a setup. The arrival of all those people is a bit too timely."

[lostboy]

The arrival of all those people is a bit too timely."

There is a very dark look in Sascha's eyes as he softly grunts his agreement. Whoever was responsible was rapidly climbing his aforementioned list, and there wasn't a prize for being top of it.

Still now was not the time for contemplation. "Lets all move now!" he whispers checking behnd to make sure all the others were with them.

[NeoTiamat]

Somewhere in Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 7:13 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Sarari had, throughout this all, been quiet. Some of this was the fact that the elf was just a naturally non-talkative and some of it was the fact that elves and Falkovnians had the same natural antipathy as cats and dogs, or gunpowder and fire. Here though...

"Angamandu gyaashe..." Sarari swore under her breath, pausing to kneel at one of the bodies for a heartbeat. She put two fingers upon the skin, then nodded to herself. "Dead... a half hour, no more."

Then Lia cast her magic spell, and you were off. You could hear the approaching crowd as you left, about a dozen strong. If there was a mob to arrive in a few minutes, standing amidst a half-dozen bodies was really not the most desireable place to be.

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You flew fast and low, staying only a few feet above the roofs of Muhar and staying out of sight as best as possible. Between the spell of flight and the spell of swiftness, you were a block away in under a minute, and travelling quickly. At this rate you would still get back to the Falkovnian headquarters before curfew, though explaining why you were flying through the air might have been marginally problematic. Less problematic than being found in the midst of several corpses though, that is certain.

"I hear horses." Sarari said suddenly, veering to one side then stopping dead-still. Perched at the edge of a roof, the elf-maid gestured down towards the street below. "Falkovnians."

It was Lieutenant Schiffer. The dark-haired Falkovnian was riding at the head of a three other soldiers, armored in coats of mail and wielding the brutal swords and crossbows. The rode at a steady trot, looking from side to side, checking in alleyways, sometimes pausing to listen. A capture force, or possibly a rescure force for you. Or perhaps both, really. They hadn't spotted you yet, however, hidden as you were on the roof of a mud-brick house.

And at their current course, they'd meet up with an Akiri mob thrice their size right after the mob found the bodies.

[Kaitou Kage]

"We have to stop them," Kuzan murmured, "Soldiers or not, they're going to get ripped apart."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Well then," Lia says, "nothing to it but ... to do it, I suppose. Lieutenant Schiffer?" The Mage raises her voice, calling out to the Falkovnian warrior, and rises a little higher in the air, allowing the Falkovnians to see her before she floats down again - provided no one shoots at her. "As you can see, sir," she says in a calm tone of voice, "we are proceeding with all due haste back to the compound. Shall we all travel together?"

[DocBeard]

Tomas looks at Kuzan-okay, so he was a little hard on the priest earlier. How could he know why Falkovnian is a swear word in half the Core? He pats the Raji's shoulder quickly, and proceeds to shoulder his shield onto his arm.

"Hallo!" Tomas fakes cheer, waving at the Falkovnians, "It's this way, right?"

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan relaxed some. Thank you, Lia, he thought. Better to let one of the others say or do something. They all know how to deal with the Falkovnians best. Or at least...when talking to them, they did.

Still, that mob was out there. Kuzan craned his neck, listening...

Listen 35

[Nathan of the FoS]

"To expand on that," Charles says, sticking his head over the edge of the roof, "there is an armed and angry group of Akiri a couple of streets over, and if we all leave now we will not run the risk of beginning a general riot--or, at least, we will be behind walls when it starts."

[NeoTiamat]

Somewhere in Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 7:13 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"There you are! Everyone alright? Any trouble with the Akiri, no wounded?" Lebrecht said upon seeing you, craning his neck upwards and waving his companions to a stop. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow as he saw you on the roof, though he did nod politely to Lia as she landed. "Nearly panicked when I saw you weren't at the compound. Any reason you're all flying about up there?"

Then Charles said his piece.

"...Or any reason there's an armed and angry group of Akiri a couple of streets over?"

[Kaitou Kage]

"If I may be so bold," the Rajian piped up, "Let's get away from the angry mob before we discuss what happened. They're probably going to become more angry soon."

[DocBeard]

"Well." Tomas resumes looking horrified, now that he has to remember this. "A woman came up to us, and asked for help. I went with her-I'm sorry, I'm stupid like that-and she...she killed herself."

"There were five other bodies with her." Tomas looks wretched again. "This was the fastest way away, which seemed prudent once we saw the mob."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"So, yes. They are not going to catch us, for obvious reasons, but we cannot fly you or the horses back. So, general retreat at once, yes?"

Suiting deeds to words, Charles resumes his flight toward the compound.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

'We might not have needed to tell them all of that,' Lia thinks as she lifts off again and shoots after Charles. 'Oh, well. Stories of multiple murders would come to their attention soon enough. ... What a mess this is. Just like every other stop we've made.'

[yalenusveler]

"I can theoretically calm their emotions...but not enough weight behind the theory to stake lives on it." Andre said, trying to get his complexion back to something fetchingly pale as opposed to nauseated green. "Someone is trying to set everyone up, play you off the townsfolk, create chaos for their own benefit." Andre sounded as if he already knew whose feet to lay blame at, disgust coloring his speech to nigh inhuman levels. "A riot plays right into hi..their hands, so we need to get back to the compound."

You don't know it's Cavendish yet. Stop envisioning using his skull as an ashtray for bad Sourangien cigars. If just because you don't have the cigars yet, and won't get them till civilization. Needless to say...Andre's thought processes had just become...interesting.

OOC:Knowledge religion of 39...how likely are Osiris suicide cultists?

[NeoTiamat]

Somewhere in Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 7:13 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Well." Tomas resumes looking horrified, now that he has to remember this. "A woman came up to us, and asked for help. I went with her-I'm sorry, I'm stupid like that-and she...she killed herself."

"Don't blame yourself. Rational people don't kill themselves, but these Akiri... not your fault, not something you could've expected." Lieutenant Schiffer's features softened as he looked at the Lamordian student. He turned to give some orders to his three guards, then turned back to you. "Come on, let's get back to headquarters."

"Someone is trying to set everyone up, play you off the townsfolk, create chaos for their own benefit." Andre sounded as if he already knew whose feet to lay blame at, disgust coloring his speech to nigh inhuman levels. "A riot plays right into hi..their hands, so we need to get back to the compound."

"Thought as much." Lebrecht said as the Falkovnians let their horses at a double-step through the narrow alleys of Muhar. "Turns out there wasn't any riot at the farmlands. We were halfway there when Hermann up and disappeared while our backs were turned. Horse was there, but no guard. We looked around a bit and couldn't find him, so headed back to the compound."

"Turns out Hermann was there, and hadn't left headquarters all day." Lieutenant Schiffer said bleakly. "Someone had impersonated him to seperate us... and you weren't back yet... I was afraid we'd be too late."

"Just what we need in Muhar. More trouble with the Akiri." Lebrecht sighed, then gave a half-smile. "On the bright side, at least everyone's alright."

Falkovnian Compound, Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 7:22 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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You rode through the gates of the Falkovnian headquarters, formerly Snefru's manor, just as the sun was setting on Har'Akir. Lieutenant Schiffer gestured for the other soldiers to stable their horses, dismounting himself.

"I'll go tell the Kommandant that we were tricked apart and then you were lured into a set up." Lebrecht said, taking the reins of Flea in one hand. The lieutenant didn't ask just where you were after being seperated and before the ambush. "You can head to your quarters, I think. No need for everyone to spend an hour in debriefing."

Behind you, the gates of the compound were pulled closed by a pair of hulking Falkovnian guards, locking you inside. There was a note of grim finality in the sound of the massive wooden bar being lowered. The Falkovnians may be the only organized force in Muhar, but they were ready for a siege if necessary.

"I think we've set up some guest quarters for you over on the second floor of that building. Four bedrooms and a common room, so you'll probably have to double up." Lebrecht gestured towards one of the smaller buildings in the compound. "First floor is the kitchens, so if you want to get something to eat, the kitchen staff should be able to get something for you. They're Akiri, but probably the most harmless locals in the entire place."

"Go get some sleep." Lebrecht said quietly, looking at Tomas and the rest of you. "You deserve it."

[OOC: Alright, option time! PCs can do a few things

• <> You can keep talking to Lebrecht as he stables Flea the Giant Falkovnian Warhorse
  <> You can go to the kitchens and see about getting some food, and/or talking to the Akiri kitchen staff.
  <> You can talk to the other Falkovnian soldiers on or off duty.
  
  <> Lastly, you can go to your quarters. Dieter and Edmund should already be there and this is where you can talk in relative privacy and plan your next step.

I'll eventually start herding everyone to the last option before I fully close the scene and move to the next day, but that won't be for a while, so feel free to mingle.