/244The ground and parts of the teaching hospitals walls are still steaming in places where the dragon soared past in its mission of insect eradication. A cluster of well cooked mantis creatures slump up against one of the part collapsed walls. Their limbs twisted and sometimes melted together from the heat. The streets around are much the same. A landscape of devastation and tragic loss. The hospital was a circular turquoise ceilinged structure with a taller central dome surrounded by three spires and a long entrance hall. Herb gardens which have been burnt down to smoking stubble spread to the north and east hosting many of the rarest medicinal herbs in the compact. The loss of those herbs alone is going to be a blow but when the medical students and teachers are included the loss becomes a potential tragedy within a tragedy.

But there is some hope. Word has spread that somewhere in that badly damage structure a group of patients, teachers and students managed to shelter through the storm of plantgantuans, bugs and dragonfire but the shelter that saved them is now threatening to kill them. Somewhere amongst the rubble a whole group of people are trapped.

"Which do you think smells worse? Cooked mantis? Or cooked centipede?" Azova poses this question to her fellow Mercy, Ailys. Her nose twitches a little when she asks the question, and she makes a face at the twisted limbs. Most of them anyway. One particular set has her squinting. "Didn't think that was anatomically possible, even with the melty fire thing going on." she muses then, plucking their way through rubble. But in all, her expression seems to be one of sorrow at seeing such devastation, and a girding of self for what else they will encounter.

Better late than never, right? Ian might have been somewhere out on the Mourning Sea when Artshall was being reduced to smoldering rubble, but he's here now to do the parts of helping to clean up that are most likely to result in serious bodily injury. He has the collar of his coat turned up against the cold as he surveys what remains of the hospital, together with the, uh. All the other things. He's also got a scarf on him, but it's That Scarf, so he's not going to wear it up next to his face unless he needs to; right now, it's coiled at his hip like the world's ugliest, smelliest whip. Also among his kit today is a bag, which clinks in a way that suggests it contains at least one bottle of something, probably hard liquor because Ian, and metal armor of some kind. Also, ALSO among his kit today is Lucita, who he seems to have brought with him from somewhere. "You sure you're alright to do this?" He's asking her, his flat, heavily accented voice showing no real worry. Or any other inflection.

Kritr was a day out when tragedy struck and rode as fast as he could once word reached him. He is familiar enough with Artshall to not need directions once he is ready, and he takes time out from helping out at the agricultural college when he hears that there might be survivors to find in the teaching hospital. He casts about for whomeever is in charge to offer his assistance.

Ailys, once again in her brother's refitted-but-still-a-bit-large alaricit, is in full nose-crinkle beside her fellow Mercy. "Mantis. Definitely mantis." Her nostrils flare and she shakes her head at the twisted bodies.

Kiera sucks in a breath as she looks about. second hreports of devastation never do it justice. mostly she is on the lookout for anything that might be twitching the slightest bit whether to help or hide dependent on what said thing is

Lucita glares over at Ian, a little grumpy and says. "It was just wasp stingers on my rump where they worked up under my armor skirt and you got those stingers out for me that I could not reach. No bleeding, nothing broken save what scraps of modesty I might have remained. Thank you by the way. Kept us from bothering a medic and I remember how others ran fevers and swelled up after the insect attacks years ago if the stingers were not removed." She keeps her eyes moving to sweep along the street, jittery, trepidation showing. "It was awful, my friend, bad as Bastion was."

Ilira barely speaks to her fellow travelers as they make their way through the streets of what was once Artshall, her eyes wide and her lips pressed together in a faint, heartbroken frown. Her silence is a jarring contrast to the usual warmth and vivacity of the wildling. She surveys the hospital with the same quiet devastation, swallowing at sight of so many twisted bodies, human and not. Then, seeming to steel herself, she draws a breath in spite of the smell and turns to the others, her gaze reinvigorated with a spark of determination beneath the visor of her helm.

Ian exhales a sharp breath through his nose. "Just don't tell your sister," he says to Lucita, with a twist of dry humor in his voice that's absolutely not appropriate to the current surroundings. "She's already got ideas. I'll admit, I'm glad to have missed the second coming of the demon wasps. Let's have a look at what we've got here."

| 244 Everything is still in the rubble, a city left to funeral rest. But, a soot-covered face peeks about a corner, yanking back with a terrified gasp when she sees people in the streets. Fingers creep about the corner and she peeks again. Mina staggers out into the street where everyone is searching. "Please. Help." Her voice comes out in a ragged croak from lack of water. With a trembling hand she points back where she had come. "The others are trapped inside."

Lucita says, "We'd never hear the end of it if Ariella found our. Luis either for that matter." She draws in a breath, shuddering at the sight of one dead mangled, burned body by which they pass. "Dragons helped. That is what caused the fire, two of them though one looked wounded or sickly or something.. A red one held back till we got as many as we could out... and then flamed a goodly number of them left." She stops, gaze locking on Mina and then simply says. "Where?""

Kritr sets his shoulders and bears down on Mina. "In the gardens?" He asks, the only part of the hospital he is familiar with. He'll pass Mina by completely and round the corner, looking for where she came from.

The gardens are ruined. The plants burned down to the ground. Some of them may, perhaps, fight their way back into life again but today there gardens are nothing but smoldering memories of plants.

Azova isn't paying much attention to whatever conversations are going on around her, but to Ailys she gives a decisive not. "Mantis." is agreed, just before Mina staggers out towards them. Her eyes go wide and round and she rushes towards the woman to try and help her. "We have water with us. What's your name?" There are already others asking questions about where the rest are. But, for the moment her own focus is the person in front of them. "Do you remember how many of you were trapped there? How did you get escape?" A water skin is held out, of course.

Kiera moves forward. others having asked the obvious she says "Are you badly hurt?"

Ordinarily Ailys would be saddened by the destruction of the gardens, but she's not sparing a thought for them at all today, especially as a young girl comes near them. "We will help, of course we will."

Ian seems immune to the sights and sounds of death that they pass, possibly inoculated by now due to the violence in the Isles. Once someone turns up to direct his energies, his manner changes, attention sharpening like a blade. He starts to reach into his bag, but Azova's faster with the waterskin, so he leaves it where it is, and instead focuses on the structure indicated. He's not in a hurry to get over there, though, and seems like he's inclined to get a good idea of the site, what state it's in, even though doing so might take time. As such, his progress is less a straight line and more a wide loop.

Lucita says, "I brought my explorer pack along with me, was originally here with part of Pathfinder Lou's group so had it, of course. I've a variety of supplies in it, not huge quantities of them , but they are here for you to use if wanted."

Mina reaches for the water skin with desperate need and guzzles some down, some spilling down the corner of her chin in haste. She wipes a grimy, scraped arm over her face when she's done and hands the skin back. "T..thank you. There's almost thirty patients and healers." While relieved that they will help, she still has an air of someone who'd been through a horrific experience and is still in shock. She limps a little as she follows Kritr to help guide to the place she'd crawled out. "No, others are hurt worse," she says to Kiera. "I was the only..on... I could fit, the others couldn't."

She leads through the sorrowfully burnt garden and to a section of the wall that has crumbled but in a way it had fallen in precarious support on another part of the wall. There she points to a crack in the wall, terribly tiny. That'd explain why she is so scraped up.

Ilira's eyes widen briefly in kind when Mina makes her appearance, meeting the haggard girl's for one full moment in which her expression melts from surprise to a candid and open warmth. Remaining silent while the others question, she regards the corner from whence Mina came, striding closer and beginning to inspect. Though her intent is on the rubble, her attention is on the words of the girl, and she follows when led. Her lips purse unreadably at the crack in the wall.

That is disappointing news for the Northerner, but Kritr does not give up. He eyes the crack in the wall and the likelihood of its collapse.

"Where in the building?" Ian asks. "We're going to have to figure out a better way in."

Evidence of the struggle that crawl through the rubble must have been is etched in dirt and scratches on Mina's body. The place she leads Kritr too has only one tiny opening in it that is almost impossible to imagine a human being, even one as small as Mina, slipping through. You certainly wont be getting in the same way. But at least now you know where the people are trapped. The wall here has partly collapsed under the fallen monolith of one of the towers. The tower is almost entirely intact and casts a long shadow over the area. This is perhaps the fortuitous event that saved these people but it will not make getting in to rescue them easy. Digging in the wrong place could bring the whole lot down.

"Perhaps if there is a softer or less densely packed part of the rubble?" Ilira offers, the first time she has spoken in a while. She flicks her gaze over the crack, the fallen walls, and the looming tower, thoughtful.

"You don't need to thank us; that's what we're here for." Azova murmurs, trying to be soothing and calm. "Baroness, if you have any rations I'm sure she might appreciate something small to eat. Don't want to overwhelm." is cautioned. "Can we lower any water or supplies in for them, for now?" is wondered, looking at the tiny crack in the wall. "Will they even know it's there, I mean." she wonders of Mina. A glance is given to Ailys there, and then back at the young woman.

Kiera nods slowly " We're grateful for the guidance....Everything's" she considers "The worst is past. You've survived. We'll help"

Azova checks intellect and investigation at hard. Azova marginally fails.

Ilira checks wits and investigation at hard. Ilira fails.

Lucita checks luck and investigation at hard. Lucita is successful.

Ian checks luck and streetwise at hard. Ian is successful.

Kiera checks intellect and investigation at hard. Kiera marginally fails.

Ailys checks intellect and investigation at hard. Ailys is successful.

Kritr checks luck at daunting. Kritr fails.

Ilira tips Azova an agreeable nod at her suggestion on supplies. "Mina," she turns to the girl, her eyes and her voice utterly gentle, "Do you think they may hear us if we at least call in, to tell them help is here?"

Lucita places her pack where the various supplies are visible to the healers amid the group, and those who might need some of the things for use with the rubble. She then backs up near Ian and begins to look over the situation. "This is like that block game the Archlector of Gild used to play in the Golden Hart. how to pull one block out of the stack without making the whole thing come tumbling down. Like that block there... see it? It is sort of wedged in there but... well.. aren't the two adjacent to it supporting the weight over it? I'm no builder... just.. that particular arrangement looked just like the stack of blocks he used.

Kritr shakes his head and cedes the decision making to those who understand architecture and physics. "If you will tell me which block to pull. I will pull it." Kritr promises.

Another first in a while, Ilira quirks a sidelong grin at Kritr.

"They'll probably need some reassuring that we're not demon bug people," Ian observes in a distracted tone while his gaze sweeps up the tower, and then focuses on the rubble again. "They'll need to keep still until we can get to them." He nods to Lucita at her observation. "I've seen enough buildings on their last legs in the Lowers to have an idea about how these things fall apart."

Ailys catches Azova's glance and nods agreement with her words, then looks up at the looming tower. "We can make no missteps with this or it will all come down on us."

Kiera stares with pursed lips, the puzzle lucita speaks of for the moment eludes her

Hugs herself as she watches them contemplate how to reach those who are trapped within. "It's dark in there. It'd give them hope to know... umm to know people that aren't trying to kill them are here.

"Some came to us only for this to happen to them. They thought they were safe... and, and..." She takes in a breath, trying to calm herself. "I crawled a very long time...so long. I hope they can hear you."

"How loud can you sing?" Ian asks Lucita, his gaze flickering towards her. "Uh, just... normal singing. Normal, loud singing. The bugs didn't sing, right?"

Probing around the rubble eventually leads you to a space where several fallen beams seem to be holding the greater mass of the rubble up. You will still need to dig under it to get inside but it should at least be a start.

Lucita shudders again. "No, just buzzing and whirring and chomping noises..." She has a haunted expression then says. "I can sing pretty loud, used to preforming. If someone wants to try helping me sing, a group of voices might give them more hope. I have an instrument with me too, if it did not get damaged.

Lucita gets a maple wood vielle with a mellow tone from a subtly embroidered cloth belt.

Lucita checks charm and performance at hard. Lucita is successful.

Ilira checks charm and performance at hard. Ilira is successful.

Azova is definitely no singer, so she's just going to focus on tending to Mina and letting the others determine how best to get into that space they need to for rescue. "You definitely don't want me trying to sing." she quips quietly, to keep a little humor amidst all of the discussion.

Kritr checks strength and athletics at hard. Kritr fails.

Ian checks strength and athletics at hard. Ian fails.

Kiera checks strength and athletics at hard. Botch! Kiera fails completely.

Ailys checks strength and athletics at hard. Ailys fails.

Azova checks strength and athletics at hard. Botch! Azova fails completely.

Ilira glides to Lucita's side and flashes her a sunny smile, casting an adoring eye over her vielle. "Hi, Baroness," she greets her warmly. "Do you have any passages in particular you think might bolster them? Also, maybe we should call out normally, first, and then in song? Just in case they're put off by random singing from down the tunnel," she grins.

Lucita gives Ilira a little smile. "If you have a favorite, just pick it out and if I know it, will play and sing along with you." She calls out first as was suggested then follows Ilira's lead while watching the others, concern showing in her expression.

Whilst Lucita and Ilira stay back to attempt to warn the trapped people that help is coming everyone else tears into the piled rubble with the desperate haste of people aware that every minute might count. For a while it seems to be going great. You dig under those beams and start deeper into the piled rubble. And deeper. Until you cant move rocks without first climbing fully inside. Thats why, when the rubble shifts with a crack and a groan, you are all forced to scramble to safety as rocks and bricks and what might be a carving meant to teach people about anatomy rain down onto your bodies. Yet you all get out in one piece. Hurt and bruised perhaps.. but in one piece.

Theres enough time to breath a sigh of relief and then you realise something terrible is starting to happen as you watch the tower sinking inch by inch into the rubble with a chaos of groans and clinks as the structure beneath it shifts under the weight. A moment later the tower sheds its roof tiles in a shower of blue and green tiles that might have been rather beautiful in other circumstances.. Its hard not to hold your breath as the tower continues to wobble and shift. Frighteningly unstable now.

Kritr says, "Not good." Kritr understates."

Ailys checks 'permanent wound save' at hard. Ailys fails.

Ailys has suffered a serious wound!

Ailys checks 'unconsciousness save' at easy. Ailys is successful.

Ailys remains capable of fighting.

Mina smiles to Azova, fragile but thankful. She's dressed as some nurse attendant, so probably has friends within. As Lucita and Ilira begin to sing, she clasps her hands together and murmurs prayers to Jayus, a popular goddess about Artshall. "Your singing is so lovely." Cautious, she follows everyone in as they start to clear the way. When the rocks start to crack and groan, she screams in terror and clings onto Azova who is closest. "Not again, no, no no no!" Her wailing cuts off while the rubble falls and when all is still she breathes in ragged fear that this time will be the time she gets smashed. She's now bleeding from more gashes and looks about in wide-eyed terror like she isn't sure she's still alive.

Lucita checks perception and investigation at hard. Lucita fails.

Azova checks 'permanent wound save' at hard. Azova fails.

Azova has suffered a serious wound!

Azova checks 'unconsciousness save' at normal. Azova is marginally successful.

Azova remains capable of fighting.

"Krit, over here." Ian had taken a fair amount of time assessing what could be more or less safely removed, and homes in on a section of wall too heavy for one person to move alone. The wall shifted aside, he doesn't hesitate to climb into a literal deathtrap, moving relatively easy due to being relatively lightly armored. With his steelsilk hood over his head and a pair of goggles protecting his eyes, he's at least somewhat prepared for what happens next. The rise of dust that follows the collapsing wall causes him to tug his scarf free and wrap it around the lower half of his face. He looks up at the tower. "Shit."

Kiera checks 'permanent wound save' at hard. Kiera fails.

Kiera has suffered a serious wound!

Kiera checks 'unconsciousness save' at easy. Kiera is successful.

Kiera remains capable of fighting.

Lucita looks over the tower and the way it is so unstable. She sighs... "I'm not an architect I was trying to think of a way to use this rope to pull it away from the hospital without it falling on us and I just can't figure it out."

Kritr clambers out of the hole in the ground at the last minute, wrenching his leg out from under a stone block just before it was crushed. "We're not getting in with brute force. I might be able to find another way in."

"Ooooooookay, I don't think this idea is going to work." Maybe Azova's voice is pitched a little high, as things wobble and shake and she tries to hover over Mina to shield her a bit. But the tumble of rock and debris raining down manages to slice through one of her arms pretty fiercely, rendering it largely useless and definitely bleeding like a stuck pig. "Shit. Fuck, how am I going to get all this blood out of my leathers." First, though, tightly bandage the arm to stop the bleeding. "Are you okay? Ailys, are you? Does anyone else need help?"

"How about A Song Of Life?" Ilira suggests an old Arvani folk ballad to Lucita. Crouching at the mouth of the tunnel with her fellow singer, she calls out in her rich, sunny mezzo soprano, "Hello? Hellooo! We are here to help you!" Then she launches into the melody alongside the Baroness, their voices echoing lush and buoyant off the stone within, lasting a few radiant bars before they are summarily cut off. "Oh.. fuck," Ilira mutters, stumbling back and reflexively grabbing Lucita to yank her back if necessary. Her gaze skims with rapid precision across everyone around her, assessing the damage and regarding Mina's state. "Friends," she begins, adrenaline trumping hesitation, "Should we take Mina a bit further back from the rubble while we go about this? I want to keep you safe in case this goes the wrong way," she tells the girl directly, tenderly.

"Blast." It's a strong a swear word as anyone present has heard out of Ailys as she's forced to retreat from a pretty sorry attempt to shift some of the rubble. That retreat is significantly delayed as a sharp piece of stone bashes into the back of her leg where her alaricite is only held together by leather. "*Blast!*" As blood starts to leak through the joint, her expression is tight with pain but she shakes her head at Azova. "I'll fix this, see to the others." Hearing Ilira, "Yes, that is a good idea."

Lucita happens to think of something. She asks Azova "How deep in the rubble are they? Is it where someone could get a rope tied to some waterskins and supplies to reach someone inside, they could pull it in and help succor them, buy us some time maybe, till maybe can figure this out?

Kiera doesn't manage to get out of the way of falling rock and a rather large one strikes he right hand and at least two fingers go crack and are now at odd angles

Ilira glances to Ailys' leg, her eyebrows knitting worriedly. "Would you like to fall back as well, Princess? I can help you both find somewhere safer."

Ian takes a slow breath and looks over at Lucita. "I think if it gets pulled down that way, the wall there would probably stop the worst of the stones from coming down on whoever does it." On him. On him when he does it. That's almost certainly what Ian is thinking. "We can't mess with the the hospital any more while the tower's ready to come down on top of it." He's got to be aware of how many of his group are now seriously injured, but he seems focused on the task at hand to the exclusion of all else.

Azova looks over at Lucita, while trying to wind the bandage tightly around her arm. "I'm not sure, Baroness. They seem a little too far back, I think. And now this area may be unstable. I'm not sure I'd want them coming this far out to try and get the supplies."

Kritr says, "If it"

Kritr says, "If it is anything like a fallen tree, I can see where it would be best to break it."

Narrator voice: IT was nothing like a fallen tree.

Ailys pulls a roll of bandages from the kit at her belt and expertly binds the wound on her leg...tighter than she would probably do to someone else, but it allows her to push herself back from the wreckage and stagger to her feet. She shakes her head at Ilira grimly. "I thank you for the offer, but not yet."

Kritr checks stamina and athletics at hard. Kritr is successful.

Ian checks stamina and sailing at hard. Ian fails.

Ilira checks dexterity and sailing at hard. Ilira marginally fails.

Lucita eyes the men then takes out her dagger. She moves over toward the tower and starts to chip away at the mortar, attempting to weaken the wall in such a way it topples where the small group of hopeful rescuers want it to fall.

Lucita checks perception and small wpn at hard. Lucita fails.

Ailys notes what Lucita's doing and limps over to the tower wall as well, dagger in hand.

Ailys checks dexterity and small wpn at hard. Ailys is successful.

Azova plays follow the A-name, and uses her good arm to stab at the tower wall in the same place!

Azova checks dexterity and small wpn at hard. Azova fails.

Kritr chooses his spot, taking guidance from those wiser in the ways of stonework than he, and lays into the groundwork, using a lever, his weight, the weight of his armor and unending stamina to add force to the direction that the group has decided is best for the tower to fall, hopefully, when something breaks, it breaks the right way.

Kiera determined to be of some assistance with her good left hand taking her dagger within it and whacking at the tower near where lucita does

Kiera checks dexterity and athletics at hard. Kiera is successful.

"Let's have that line," Ian says to Lucita, talking about her rope, probably. He scans the tower, attempting to settle on a way of using said rope. "This would be a lot easier with some kind of capstan." He doesn't look too sure about his prospects, here, and might at this point just be hoping he can tank the damage somehow, or get out of the way before he gets buried. He hands his cane off to Lucita before preparing to do the deed.

Lucita gets a coil of rope made from silk from a subtly textured sturdy yet lightweight trail pack.

Lucita drops a coil of rope made from silk.

Ilira inclines her head to Ailys, a lock of dark hair escaping from beneath her helm. "Alright." Raising a steel-clad finger toward the group to indicate one minute, she approaches Mina and takes her gently but decisively by the hand. "Come with me, sweetheart. I'm getting you away from here. With the same gentle assurity, she guides her away to find a safe and decently warm place for her, unwrapping her fur-lined shawl from around her shoulders and tucking it around her. She exchanges a few soothing words, too low for the others to hear, before setting the girl's waterskin next to her and rising to return to the group. Then she surveys the scene. Stepping nearer to Ian, she offers, "I can help with the rope, perhaps."

Lucita gets a pouch of remedies from a subtly textured sturdy yet lightweight trail pack.

Lucita drops a pouch of remedies.

Lucita gets Saikland Greens Blended Whisky from a subtly textured sturdy yet lightweight trail pack.

Lucita drops Saikland Greens Blended Whisky.

Seeing that her helpers intend to bring down the tower to try to get inside the hospital, Mina is very eager to go with Ilira to safety. "Thank you, thank you." She clutches the shawl about herself and huddles, watching their efforts.

After spending what seems like forever chipping away at the tower, roping it up, and trying to fathom out exactly where you should tug it to make it do exactly what you want, you all gather together to execute the final plan. Taking hold of the rope you heave, pull, and very slowly the tower starts to move as you wanted. Some of the ropes snap with a savage twang. One of them whipping out and cutting a narrow slash just under Ian's eye, but the ones that Lucita brought with her hold. The tower shifts a bit and almost, almost, looks as if it might fall - maybe on you, maybe not - before finally giving a little crack and a thud and dropping an inch into the rubble. After that you can't move it at all. Unfortunate. Frustrating. But at least its no longer wobbling.

Azova checks 'unconsciousness save' at normal. Azova is successful.

Azova remains capable of fighting.

Ian might have come out of this a one-eyed sailor if not for the goggles that he settled over his eyes to guard against dust, debris, and probably stray ropes. He's left with a bleeding wound on his face that probably looks way worse than it is. Faces bleed a lot. He seems satisfied with the result, even if it wasn't the one they were going for. The one they were going for involved him intentionally trying to pull a tower down on top of himself, so maybe that's not so surprising. He uses his scarf to staunch the blood from his face while retrieving his cane again.

Ilira peers at the tower in the wake of their combined efforts. "Mk then," she says, stepping back and glancing at Ian to appraise the cut under his eye, lips pursing in worry. But the job has barely begun. She turns back to the rest of the group, assessing them in turn.

Azova checks intellect and alchemy at hard. Azova is successful.

Ailys checks intellect and alchemy at hard. Ailys is successful.

Ian checks dexterity and dodge at hard. Ian is successful.

Kritr checks strength and athletics at hard. Kritr is successful.

These traditional methods just aren't doing it for Azova. She's not strong, she's not good with a weapon. But...she tries to shrug off the pack slung over her shoulders to rummage through it. "Ailys, what did you bring? Maybe we can mix a few things together and weaken some of the rubble to make it easier to dig and less likely to damage." she suggests. "Or reinforce the passage at least." Time for some Mercy Mixology.

Ailys rummages through her belt and hands Azova a couple of vials, then hop-limps to the supplies Lucita set out and pulls a few more things from there. These are presented to her fellow Mercy silently. Azova knows what to do.

Lucita backs away for a few moments and rests, catching her breath. Her eyes widen as she watches the others. "Easier to dig would be good. I am neither the strongest or very athletic. I don't know much about surviving in the streets, just trying to apply what have learned of survival in forests and outdoor settings to what seen here...like having to work in caves.

" She gestures toward her trail pack. "You can thank Pathfinder Lou for teaching me what belongs in there and that I traveled with her to this meeting and had it along with me."

As the mercies begin to open up the passage enough for Ian to see a way through, he just... grabs the waterskin from his bag and goes for it, because he didn't get the memo about how narrowly he avoided getting buried in rubble LAST round. He's on the short side for an Arvani man, and not as bulky as most of his Isles counterparts, so he might have a reason to think he's got a chance of getting in. What he may have forgotten is that he needs a step 2 before the inevitable profit.

Ilira checks dexterity and medium wpn at hard. Ilira marginally fails.

Lucita checks dexterity and athletics at hard. Lucita is successful.

Kiera checks dexterity and athletics at hard. Kiera fails.

Lucita moves to help dig the hole through which Ian is trying to pass large enough to let him not wind up being Stuck-in-Rocks.

A steely fingertip taps Lucita on the shoulder, in contrast to the bright smile that greets her. "Lucita, would you happen to have a shovel or a pickaxe or some such in your expedition pack, and if so could I grab it?"

Ian wriggles into the hole once its part formed and vanishes into the depths. Hopefully to be seen again.
Meanwhile the more cautious approach to digging a tunnel seems to be working well. The alchemical concoctions allow the team to remove rocks without disturbing those nearby and anchor a few into place with a mortar like paste (it might actually BE mortar) Its quite effective no matter what it is. Significant progress is made.

Lucita shakes her head. "No shovel. I'm not the strongest of people so when I go on expeditions, one of the others usually carries the shovels and such. I'm sorry. There is just a limit to what I can manage. "

Ilira dips a gentle nod and steps back, regarding their progress with an unfading smile. "We're getting there," she observes.

Kiera tries using the dagger once more but forgets to watch where here right hand is going and injures it further

Ian checks command and leadership at hard. Ian is successful.

Azova appears relieved that their efforts with whatever mixture they were coming up has borne fruit. "Thank fuck." she mutters to herself, as the mortar-like substance is used in an actually helpful manner!

With a cut under one eye, That Scarf covering the lower half of his face to keep out the dirt, some weird goggles over his eyes, and his Isles leathers, Ian is not the knight in shining armor that Oathlanders are probably expecting, and hoping, to see. He drags himself through a hole that didn't even REALLY look like it should be able to fit him, and pushes the scarf away from his face. The next hurdle to overcome is that thick, thick Isles accent that leaves no doubt in the world about WHERE he's from. But the snap of command in his voice, at least, should be a familiar sound, a projection of competence that brooks no argument. "How are we doing in here?" Oh, and he has a waterskin, so he's going to buy some goodwill using that, too, by handing it over.

Wisps of sulfury-smelling steam waft from one of the cracks that Ailys is weakening with some sort of bizarre concoction. She cuts a very grim sidelong smile at Azova. "I confess I did not think I would ever use this particular element of my studies for this sort of thing."

"I've used it before in... unusual circumstances. It's not pretty, or pretty smelling sometimes. But, surprisingly effective when you're able to make the right combinations of things!" Azova enthuses, obviously pleased with their progress.

When Ian pops out into a surprisingly intact ward he's met with gasps of surprise and a practically mobbed by people asking urgent questions. Is he alone? Where are his friends? What happened to the city? The waterskin vanishes amongst the people and is handed back down until it ends up being used on a bedbound patient. "Can we help?" asks a man with a cap made of bandages.

Meanwhile, further inside the rubble, the rest of the group continues to dig.

Kritr is learning a lot about mining. That was not what he came to Artshall to study. At the head of the diggings, he is starting to get a feel for which stones to pull first and which to leave alone until bracing has been added. He stifles a cough or two at the fumes and powers through the discomfort, the wet and the exhaustion.

Kritr checks stamina and athletics at normal. Kritr is successful.

Ailys checks intellect and alchemy at normal. Ailys is successful.

Azova checks intellect and alchemy at normal. Azova is successful.

Ilira checks dexterity and medium wpn at normal. Ilira is successful.

Lucita checks dexterity and athletics at normal. Lucita marginally fails.

Ilira glances away and to the left, her eye caught by something that glints in the moonlight. Without a word, she slips off in that direction. The next thing all but Ian hear is a lengthy string of curses in Lycene Shav'Arvani over the crunch, squish, and shing of an object sliding free of a body. She lofts it high over the corpse of a mantis creature, its chest now gashed wider, the sky illuminating the edge of a bloodstained shovel. With a beam on her face and a leap in her step, she bounds back to the wall and begins, instead of digging, to tap strategically at the weak points created by Ailys and Azova's mixture, sheering off great pieces of rock.

Kiera checks dexterity and athletics at normal. Kiera is successful.

Ian lifts the goggles from his face and uses his scarf to wipe the dust off of them so he can see. "I'm Lord Ian Kennex. What's everyone's names? We need to reinforce this part here. We've got a bunch of people working their way through from that direction." Cue loud swearing from outside. "...There's mercies among them. They'll want to know how hurt everyone is. Who has a mirror?" One by one, he singles people out by the names they give him, and gives them tasks, some useful, some just to give them something to do other than freak out.

And true to her word, Lucita just does not have the 'ooomph' in her to be of much help though she does try hard to pass rocks out of the tunnel and carry enough dirt away to help clear the passage. She grabs what remains of her 'remedies, whiskey, and waterskins and some trail rations. Whisky, yes, whisky, must not forget that essential. "Here, looks like you might need some of this in there."

Lucita gets a coil of rope made from silk.

Lucita gets a pouch of remedies.

Lucita gets Saikland Greens Blended Whisky.

When Ilira bounds back with a nice gooey shovel in hand, Ailys looks far more pleased than someone should at such a sight and taps at one of the cracks between rocks that she's just loosened. "Hit it here." And again, after a moment of waiting for the alchemical solution to take effect, "And here."

Kiera continues to use the hilt of her dagger as makeshift shovel, slow ans steady progress at knocking rubble out of the way bouoyed by success and sound of voices yet moving forward with care

"I got you," Ilira assures Lucita warmly as she taps and pushes beside her, scooping out shovelfuls of dirt now that the density is lesser. Tilting her head at Ailys' summons, she steps a few feet to the right and reels back with a sharp, swift swing at the first breach, and then the second, and then any other directed.

With people digging from both sides through this more stable area it isnt long before you are starting to spot chinks of light through the rubble and then the rubble is giving way to the open space of a surprisingly intact ward. The people inside range from excited and hopeful to crippled and near death. Whilst some of them can walk out under their own steam others will need a bit more work. And you dont know how long that tunnel is going to stay open..

Ian's request for names results in a roll call of people giving them. Roth Agner. Mera Suther. Mercy Perine. Students, medics, injured, Teachers and even an apothecary or two. Nobody seems to have a mirror.

Azova checks charm and empathy at normal. Azova is successful.

Ailys checks charm and empathy at hard. Ailys is successful.

Ian checks command and leadership at normal. Ian is successful.

Kritr checks stamina and athletics at normal. Kritr is successful.

Kritr is there to assist, checking time and again that the tunnel they have dug is secure and walking it with anyone who needs. For those that cannot walk he rummages up a travois with himself as the puller and jostles them through the tunnel to safety. He is tireless in his efforts and careful not to dislodge any of the supports that smarter people than him have so carefully placed.

Azova is the epitome of compassion and encouragement as the faces of those who've been trapped for days begin to show in the newly dug tunnel. "Here, come with us. This way. We've water, and rations, and medicine. You're going to be alright now." she assures them all, with a warm and confident smile despite a useless arm that is probably seeping blood through the bandages. But her expression is angelic, so it can't be that bad!

Lucita checks charm and performance at normal. Lucita is successful.

Lucita looks toward Ilira then down the tunnel. "Follow the sound of my voice, follow the music, Come to us out here!"

Ilira checks charm and performance at normal. Ilira is successful.

"Excellent work, thank you," Ailys tells Ilira with patent gratitude as the way is further cleared and she is able to start coaxing those trapped carefully through the path opened for them. "Come now. I know it is frightening but we are here to get you to safety."

Lucita says aside to Ilira= Not much room in the tunnel and they will need people to help them to spots of safety and to try to help them calm down. Music will help give them a location to go and hopefully will reassure them. I'm going to use a song of the Sentinel. All of us can use some time in the shrines after this and by darn, I want some justice for what they did here!

Deep in the rubble, Ian takes inventory of who's in what shape and who can do what; he knows they won't have long to get everyone out, and he's getting everyone ready to get each other out as much as possible the moment the way opens up. As the rubble clears overhead, he starts shouting up to the mercies to give them an idea of what injuries they're going to be dealing with. And then... daylight. He's the last one out of the hole, just like he's the captain of the world's most fucked up ship, and it might be easy for the rescued survivors to assume he was critically injured on the way in, the way he struggles to get back to his feet.

Lucita sings:
We've troubled minds and troubled hearts,
Where do we turn when trouble starts,
When our thirst for justice now reigns,
And all we feel are hurts and pains?

To Sentinel's Shrine make our way
To share thoughts, meditate, and pray
To our god, to he who is blind.
We ask that justice we will find.

In blindness he listens quietly
To a troubled heart, or troubled plea
And troubled thoughts giv'n one by one
Choosing if justice will be done.

Weighed in balance are words and deeds.
Are they angry wishes or true needs?
But hope dwells there in Sentinel's shrine
If it's deserved, there'll be a sign.

That sign may not be quickly given
Sometimes wrongs just must be forgiven
But sometimes justice is what is due
And justice is given, sure and true.

Ilira looks at Lucita the same moment Lucita looks at her. She nods, stepping closer to her so she and the Baroness are side-by-side. The wildling flashes Ailys a quick, radiant smile before settling her eyes forward, eyes bright and burning with intent. She takes a great breath, lifts her chin, and unleashes her voice into the night in immaculate harmony with Lucita.

Kiera checks charm and diplomacy at normal. Kiera marginally fails.

Kiera seems to be emotially spent as she makes effort to encourage others forward to safety, coughing her voice breaking in ways she seems embarrased by managining to stumble forward

It takes some effort to persuade the meekest and more timid of the survivors that things will be safer if they head into the tunnel of maybe death instead of staying put in the spot they know is safe. At least for now. But the kind and patient efforts of Azova and Ailys backed up by the firmer organisation of Ian and Kritr outright leading the way soon gets them moving. Some of them start to baulk as the darkness closes in but the songs drifting on the wind promise them that there is salvation to be had if they just keep going. And keep going they do. Soon people are stumbling out into the light either alone or carrying each other. Each face showing a hundred emotions as they see what their city, their world, has been reduced to.

Meanwhile, Mina has gathered up nerve to creep up to the front of the tunnel they had made, but she isn't brave enough to follow them through. When the first people start streaming out, she rushes them to help guide people out to safety.

Lucita puts a maple wood vielle with a mellow tone in a subtly embroidered cloth belt.

As soon as everyone is out of the rubble, Ailys goes into healer-mode, inspecting wounds and dealing with them accordingly. She and Azova have one body's worth of sound limbs between them!

Ian pulls himself out of the hole last. He's dirty all over, a mix of dirt and ash adding to the encroaching salt and pepper effect in his hair. The cut on his face is bleeding again. He wipes his forehead, where sweat has made the grime into a thin patina of mud. "Hey Krit, give me a hand?"

Kritr's stoic demeanor doesn't let itself to emotional outpourings. He will offer Ian a hand to his feet and nod appropriately to those who offer their gratitude.

Lucita slips the vielle back in its harness but continues to sing as she helps support those who are exiting the tunnel. Only when the last of them, Ian, emerges does a look of relief show. She approaches him, one hand dropping to his shoulder as she checks him for any new visible injuries. She lowers her voice and simply murmurs something aside to him before turning to lend her hands to the healers, following their directions since she knows nothing of healing herself, but she can follow their instructions.

Ian lets Kritr pull him to his feet and steadies himself with one hand on the northman's shoulder, before retrieving his cane. "Fucking glad you were here," he says in an offhand, almost cheerful way. Nothing like nearly getting buried alive to put Ian in a good mood, apparently. Enough so that he has a quick, slightly crooked smile for Lucita. "Sung us out of trouble again."

Lucita says, "Just plain-song this time. We got by without needing more." She speaks briefly then as she helps the healer, makes a 'tsk-tsk' sound toward Ian when he speaks and finally manages a little smile his direction. "Lady Zoey would have my hide if I let anything happen to you if a chance I could help avoid it."

Ilira imparts a joyous smile to Mina as she passes, her shawl still around the girl's shoulders. She steps aside to let the line file in front of her, blue eyes following them until the last has past, and lingering a long moment after with a quiet, blazing smile on her lips. She turns and sashays over to the group, her hair now all but completely unraveled from its braid and cascading down around her in a lush, tousled black mass. "Thank you," she says to them all, with a special little smile to Lucita, her fellow performer.

Kiera smiles as she follows the others out tired with a nod to mina "Told you we'd do it"

Something about Lucita's words kills Ian's smile in an instant, sending him back to a neutral expression. He nods to her, before turning away to check in on the A-team and their one person's worth of functioning limbs. "You two alright?"

Mina smiles widely, even if full of exhaustion, to Kiera. "Thank you, all of you! You gave us hope when we'd lost it."

Ilira notes Lucita's words and Ian's shift in expression with a barely perceptible purse of her lips. "I am," she nods to the Kennex, her stare direct.

Kritr nods to those gathered. "I will be returning to the College of Agriculture." He declares, hefting his axe and his bags.

Ailys looks up from cleaning one of the formerly trapped civilian's wounds, something the man is bearing up under with only partial grace, and nods to Ian. "I will be all right." Wait until the adrenalin wears off! " We should stitch that cut of yours when we are somewhere more secure."

Ian is pretty firmly parked in neutral by this point, and the directness of Ilira's stare doesn't seem to have made much of an impact. "Good," he says to her, before casting a quick look back towards Lucita. Then he turns to Ailys. "You should splint that wrist before you use it too much more. You're not feeling it right now, but it's not moving right."

"We'll be fine." Azova parrots Ailys there, as she looks up from cleaning someone's scraps and applying a bandage to the area. "Once we're done with everyone else here, we'll see to each other's injuries." For now, at least, she's awfully serene.

Kiera hehs "T couldn't let richard have all the sympathy" she remark as she looks to her broken hand with a frown drawing bandages from her pack

Lucita says, "Let me help guide those who you have already treated and who can walk back to the camp on the outskirts of the city. They have tents and blankets, warm food there, and maybe those here can find some people they know there. Maybe.""

Ilira rejoins Lucita. "Shall I help you? We seem to make a good duet?" she grins, flashing rosy dimples and pearly teeth.

Lucita says, "We do indeed. Perhaps when we sing another time, it will be for more pleasant circumstances." She looks toward the group who have been rescued. "Ready for a bowl of warm stew and a comfie bedroll? Follow us!""

Ilira sets off beside Lucita, back to her bouncy and vivacious self.