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[JDigital]

Taren calms a little.

"Big ideas, traveller, but there are seven of us in here and a whole company of soldiers outside. The Knights don't negotiate with anyone weaker than them. They conquer. Maybe when the time is right, but for now, secrecy is our only weapon."

[Stush]

Francisca raises an eyebrow, "Oh, by the way you were talking, I thought the whole village was in the same boat."

[JDigital]

"Seric, I still think we should just stab them."

[Beat Bandit]

Ampersand walks up to the bar and takes his platinum piece, and one in memorandum of Dog, who couldn't be here to take his own.

"I don't think these people have to worry about the informant, Tarric. Or the carrier pigeon, his wife." With that he turns and points accusingly to more-or-less the whole room, "and I knew I couldn't trust that damned dog!"

Pocketing the platinum he moves back to the group. "You know, I hear when you're an outlying minority trying to fight a much larger army and an unaffiliated group of warriors show up in town, your best bet is to immediately try and make them your enemy, too. Can't imagine how ya'll could be doing so poorly considering you're obviously being lead by an expert tactician."

(trying to direct their nervousness and anxiousness towards each other. Not sure what to roll for that but I went ahead and did anyway)

bluff and intimidate
1d20 +9 : 1d20 +6
16 + 9 = 25 // 1 + 6 = 7

[Stush]

Francisca crosses her arms and leans back. "I'm on your side, I can't stand oppression, People fighting over who's beliefs and way of life are better, it goes against everything I stand for."

"Anyway, you say secrecy is your only weapon, the problem with that is, secrecy is a fickle thing, it can vanish with but a single word. And if that's your only weapon or defence, you're constantly walking a tightrope." She looks over at her fellow travellers. "If I were travelling alone, i'd offer to help more, but I'd be putting the lives of my friends in danger even more than they are in now." Looking back over at Taren and Seric. "You've really backed us into a corner. I can't and won't have any part in betraying people who only want to practice their own beliefs. But like you said, we can't fight all the knights.", She puts a hand on her chin, thinking.

"You said they won't negotiate with anyone weaker than them. What if we helped make you appear stronger? Strong enough to be a threat to them?"

[JDigital]

(Bluff successful.)

A villagewoman looks around nervously. "Is it true what the drow is saying? Somebody pulling our strings?"

"Don't be stupid," says Taren. "He's just trying to confuse us."

The villagers nod and murmur in agreement, but they seem more suspicious than before.

[JDigital]

Taren turns back to Francisca. "When the trial goes through, the whole village will hear that Father Kerin was involved in the druidic ways. Even his most loyal followers will be swayed to join the old faith. Soon the whole village, all one-hundred-and-eighty of us or so, will return to the old ways."

There's a silence in the tavern and Taren looks around.

"Yes," pipes up a bald bearded man, "and I bet the Church will just forget about the whole village. Remember what happened when we got rid of the last priest? They just sent Father Kerin."

"Also," Seric the tiefling adds, "we can't forget that the village is a day's march from a Catharsus stronghold. If they do decide not to ignore us, as I've repeatedly reminded you, Taren, their numbers are in the region of six hundred knights proper in the city alone, plus a few thousand loyal militia."

"My lady Francisca, I'm afraid we simply don't have the means to pretend to be more powerful than the Knights. They control seven holds from here to Nythertan, they have thousands of trained soldiers, and they have ready access to divination magic that will tell them our true numbers. We have seven druids and ten militia, most of whom will surrender at the sight of a red tabard. We--"

You hear the clinking of chainmail approaching. It stops outside the tavern and someone bangs on the door. The druids reach for their weapons again.

"It appears we are out of time. There are still coins on the table and I must ask you all to pick a side."

[Stush]

Francisca looks over at her friends. "I can't speak for my allies, but I can't stand on the same side as tyrants and oppressors. I can't lend much assistance in combat, but I can try and broker a peace, at least."

"Hey, guys, this might be messy, you'd probably be best off finding somewhere to hide, you can tell the paladins you had nothing to do with this, alright? I'm glad i met you all."

Francisca walks towards the door, looking back at taren and the villagers. "I'll try my best. If they cut me down, at least it'll buy you some time."

She waits at the door, getting ready to open it, having no idea how she's gonna get herself out of this mess.

[Stush]

She looks up, giving a quiet prayer to rothdar. "Hey there. I'm trying to do your work down here, helping protect people from religious persecution. You know these catharsus guys are doing the wrong thing. You and him need to help me stop this. I'm sure he doesn't want the blood of people who only wanted to be left alone on his hands. Help me out this one time, and i'll write a new book in your honour, alright?"

[Beat Bandit]

Ampersand rolls his eyes and sighs heavily, "or, you know, you guys could put those weapons away and we can answer the door like normal people."

[Büge]

"Vaur'cha's commandments'd have you all in chains," Briar says, taking a platinum coin and rolling it in her hands. "But chains are meant to be broken."

Ampersand rolls his eyes and sighs heavily, "or, you know, you guys could put those weapons away and we can answer the door like normal people."

"Yeah, let's all calm down," Briar agrees. "We start something and those knights'll light this place up like a bonfire. So just be cool."

[Beat Bandit]

Ampersand points his thumb out towards Briar, "see? And that's coming from someone that tried to one-on-one a giant beast not two days ago."

[Stush]

Francisca Nods "There's no point in presenting a threatening face, just keep calm."

[Doom]

Vivi smacks Amper in the back of the head and dislodges any funny notion he had about taking two coins(There are five of us and five coins. :V) She takes her own coin and picks up Rudiger in both arms, heading over to Franny and whispering: "I don't care which side wins, but we're still under investigation and they probably won't feed us before they kill us. And I LIKE a lot of the trees around here!"

She swings the door open and sugary smiles. "Hello! Master Wizard here!"

Bluff

1d20 +12
3 + 12 = 15

Agh! That's not a Master Wizard! Just some kid! You blew it, Rudiger!

[Stush]

Francisca gulps and looks upwards, beseeching Rothdar to not forget about her. And then looks out the door to see what's going on. "Hey there, gentlemen, can we help you?"

[JDigital]

It's the sergeant from before with his men.

"Why was this door barred?"

"Sorry about that," says the bartender, "We had a little dispute over a payment. It's sorted now."

"Very well. We just came to tell you that the execution--er, I mean the trial has been moved up to tomorrow morning. You're welcome to attend at the church. Oh, and the priest has already named his co-conspirators, so you'll want to get your affairs in order before we arrest you and head for the city at noon."

He casts glances at Ampersand, Taren and the tiefling before walking out. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

[Beat Bandit]

He casts glances at Ampersand, Taren and the tiefling before walking out.

[Stush]

Francisca glares at the sergeant until he leaves, then slumps onto the wall afterwards, she looks up, wearily. "Sorry for getting a bit overly worked up, guys.." She brushes her hair away from her face and stands back up. "It's just, i've had a revelation. I've found what i need to do, for Rothdar, and myself."

She walks towards the middle of the room. "It's not enough to just spread the idea of freedom through books available at any good bookstore, I've got to actually spread freedom itself." She points towards the door. "Everywhere you go, there's people like that, Oppressors, people who use fear and murder to spread the idea that their way is the only right way. Those guys aren't following the teachings of catharsus, they're just murdering to solidify their hold on the land. They had no interest in any kind of fair trial. We can tell them the truth, tell them that letham was the cause of his own death, that it was nothing but an accident, but that won't change the way things are going to happen. If we go with them, they'll take us up there, chain us up, and kill us."

Francisca rubs her eye. "I only really have one idea left. It.. I don't know how likely it is to work. But other than divine intervention.." She looks upwards, "If the gods would like to show that they're not willing to let their names be perverted.", Looking back down. "The only choices we seem to have are fighting our way out, or bluffing them.." Francisca walks over to Vivi, "Could you make some magical effects appear around me? In a way that'd make them appear to be coming from me? Like some green flames or something?", She paces, rubbing her chin. "These guys will listen to only a few people, their high priest, their superior officers, and.. well, Catharsus..." She looks up "If I can fool them into thinking that Catharsus is speaking through me, I might be able to confuse them, maybe even change the way they work." She stops pacing. "Or it might just earn me all kinds of godly wrath."

[Doom]

Vivi considers her powers and the only one that'd last for say, an entire two rounds would be Witchfire. She beams. "I could light you on fire. It'd be cherry red."

Then she frowns. "Paladins are crazy, not stupid. We should just go."

[Bongo Bill]

"Thinkest thou that the faithful will not know their own liege?" said Pitamaha. "A foolish thought, but well thou understandest the power of concealment and deceit. Strife is inevitable in this village so long as they continue to practice human sacrifice under the watch of those sworn to purge such things (what say yer own gods about such rituals?). I judge it a battle that only the Catharsites can win. 'Twere better if they think it already won.

"Behold: these men honor the old gods with the sacrifice of lives; who among them will not gladly make a similar sacrifice for the deliverance of their people? Let one volunteer go boldly to his death at the chopping block, faithful that the paladins shall know him as the village's sole infidel, who did use Father Kerin as his scapegoat and us as his unwitting stooges, and whose crimes we have only just uncovered. Let him be remembered here as a martyr, a symbol of the strength of the old faith, strength that they shall need if they are to understand that their war will not be won merely by eliminating one replaceable priest."