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[14:34] <CD|Tab> Darro ir'Lien finishes rousing up his "troops" and disappears down from the stage, while the hundreds of raggedy-armored cultists voice full-throated cheers for his rhetoric. A forest of bodies, waving arms, and waving pikes (and other polearm-like weapons) block direct progress to the stage where he last stood, and the crowd pressed close against them--thanks to the confines of the city's construction--impedes progress from the sides.
[14:34] <CD|Tab> For now, at least, you have a good idea of his goals, which is what you had been asked to find, at the least.
[14:34] * Andrea lets out a rumbling sound from her throat, a frosty blast of breath from her nostrils... It's easy to tell she's angry.
[14:35] * Adrielle is now known as Sorneia
[14:35] * Sorneia seems no less upset. She's glaring daggers with her glowing, unnatural eyes.
[14:37] * Blaize is pulling insulting faces
[14:37] <Karkanna> "Alright, we gotta move. No tellin where boss-man is going, but we need to be ready when shit goes down."
[14:44] <CD|Tab> A couple of people nearby turn to look at your group with mild curiosity, but the roaring cheers make it hard to hear anything else spoken, one way or another. Thankfully, it does not seem like the assembled cultists particularly care about your presence.
[14:46] * Andrea nods to Karkanna. "No sense standing about... Let's move."
[14:47] * Karkanna heads away from the crowd.
[14:48] * Blaize keeps pulling faces
[14:51] * Andrea chuckles, giving Blaize an approving nod
[14:52] * Karkanna goes to find some place quiet where they won't be overheard to regroup.
[14:53] * Sorneia follows along, wishing she could have mindblasted Darro in the midst of his speech, if only he had been closer.
[14:53] <CD|Tab> Given most of the city's population is still clustered in that central square, the list of "some place quiet" is quite extensive. Empty inns, temporarily shuttered businesses, and so on; about the only place you know still to be occupied is the Queen's brother's estate, and even that, only by the wait staff.
[14:54] * Karkanna finds a bar. She needs a drink after that bullshit.
[14:54] * Karkanna sits down at a table with the others. "Right, we need a new plan."
[14:55] * Andrea nods. "...We underestimated him. A cornered beast, even with no hope of victory, will still fight to the death..."
[14:56] <Sorneia> <We should have gotten more dwarves.>
[14:56] <Karkanna> "I didn't think he'd move that fast. Most times when someone's in a bad situation, they get conservative, not reckless."
[14:57] <CD|Tab> There's no one in the inn--or, at least, if there is, they're not showing themselves.
[14:57] <Andrea> "I should have seen it... He seeks to rule, so his actions are alike that of a Dragon... Take a Dragons hoard, take their strength, and they will not withdraw... They will rampage."
[14:57] <Sorneia> <It must mean that his allies hold something over him. Some threat that means he can't afford to give up.>
[14:58] <Blaize> "So we'll need to go punch him now?"
[14:59] <Karkanna> "Think so, we just gotta be smart about how we get to that point."
[15:00] <Blaize> "Fly down? No one thinks to look up."
[15:04] <Karkanna> "Might work for you and nobody else."
[15:05] <Blaize> "I'm pretty awesome."
[15:06] * Andrea looks thoughtful. "...He must believe he can achieve something by claiming the reaches. As it stands his army could never stand against the crown... But could taking that territory back really give him enough public support to turn against her? If he could cause enough troops to change sides..."
[15:06] * Karkanna nods. "I bet he's banking on the other nobles flipping to his side, promising them lands that were lost in the treaty would do a lot towards that."
[15:09] <Sorneia> <So he's hoping a stupid powerplay will buy him everything he's lacking.>
[15:09] <Andrea> "But how to stop him... It's a weak army, but it's still an army." Andrea sighs. "I wish I was back home... I could take my case to a Dragon and they'd be able to solve this easily. I don't suppose there are any Dragons nearby who might help?"
[15:10] <Karkanna> "Doubt they'd be interested in our bullshit if there were. Don't think the people'd rise up in his favor, but the nobles might."
[15:13] <Andrea> "...We need to get in contact with Miesta."
[15:13] <Sorneia> <We could plot to ensure they DON'T... I can't see them risking their positions for it if there's demonstrable proof he can't do shit.>
[15:14] <Karkanna> "I'm not sure that's gonna happen. He's gotta have someone watching all transportation and communication in and out of town."
[15:14] <Karkanna> "Unless he is the dumbest motherfucker alive."
[15:14] <Sorneia> <Can't do anything, rather... Sorry.... this guy is making me angry.>
[15:15] <Andrea> "...Or we could warn the Reaches, or whoever owns them. If his army was crushed in the attempt, it would solve itself."
[15:16] * Victoria ([email protected]) has joined #cdndic
[15:16] <Karkanna> "The Reaches aren't owned by anyone, at least not in the way you think."
[15:17] <Andrea> "...I wonder..."
[15:19] <Victoria> "We probably shouldn't try to take them."
[15:20] <Andrea> "Well... It Could work. We found that Orcish warband there a while back, and presumably there might be others... We might be able to reason with them, help them organize and band together to face off with the army... I've always liked the idea of being a general..."