2017-03-03: The (Temporary) Fall of Threatening Goats Tavern

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<Digger Challenge - Cutting Words> It begins the way that it always begins in Filgaia's many saloons. A Drifter, wearing a cowboy hat and with more liquid courage than sense, makes an estimation about the legitimacy of another Drifter's ancestry and the nature of their mother's relations with various barnyard animals. The room goes quiet. A fist is raised. If you move quickly, you can get out of the way before the first bottle or bullet flies.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

It's probably a liiittle too early in the day to be drinking, but then again it probably would depend on precisely the definitions of the words 'early' 'drinking' and of course 'day'. And the regulars of the Threatening Goats Tavern -- not really a tavern and probably the closest thing the city has to an actual dive -- would probably argue with anyone about all three. And then some.

At any rate, a hush has fallen over the main room. Judith the Demon has just made a very unflattering comment about Margie Hanson's mother, the latter responding by grabbing a bottle from behind the counter and smashing it. The tension is thick in the air.

<Pose Tracker> Deveria Seyter has posed.

(How can anyone /eat/ this stuff,) reflects Deveria Seyter, Lieutenant in Solaris's elite Gebler unit as she stares at a plate of triple-fried fatback. (It is offensive.)

Of course, to all respects, Deveria isn't here. Instead, the blonde, ringleted woman seated at a far table is done up in an outrageously poofy and somewhat immodest white and pink dress, and she listens to some of the chatter around her with a whimsical little smile, making a show of bantering with a manservant. Astoundingly, it is not Lady Ivanka Margareta Philomena Melita von Croissant XIV who is starting the fight.

She's just observing. As the hush falls over the room, she pauses, mouth open slightly, then brings her lips together in a moue, leaning forward and cupping her chin in her hands.

She's here to investigate, after all. What better way to do that than to see how these wandering surface-dwelling warriors - scum though they may be - handle themselves in a fight?

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

LESTACI DELLORO had come here because they produce drinks which remind her of her rightful home because they involve fruit juices, or at least something fruity after a fashion. There is no slice of citrus nor refreshing chip of ice from the snowy peaks of - but no, nostalgia isn't why it tastes good.

The blue drink that she sips tastes good because it's familiar. Even if it has whiskey in it instead of rum. She also is able to put her feet up on a table while drinking.

Then a bottle smashes and a hush falls. Lestaci opens one green eye and leans back in her chair a little, poising herself to kick over that table and give herself hard (wood) cover if guns start getting pulled. In the mean time she has another sip of her beverage.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cutting Words.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia is in the bar for the same reason everyone is in a bar. Firstly to try the food, then go meet people and make new friends! That's why people go to bars, right? It must be, when there's so many people gathered in one place.

Having bothered like half the bar already with introductions and chatter that wasn't really going anywhere until she got distracted by something else, it's a wonder a barfight didn't start sooner. Probably owed in large part to Xantia's ability to make getting mad at her pretty difficult, answering all reactions she received with a smile, even the antagonistic ones.

Even so, she's not succeeded at making new friends as much as she thinks, her departure from people's tables mostly followed by sighs of relief and exhaustion. Xantia hasn't noticed.

She does notice the room suddenly growing very quiet, followed by the sound of shattering glass. This causes her to look over in that direction, blink blankly, and question out loud, "Um, why'd everyone stop talking?"

Yeah, she's... she's just sort of standing there.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Cutting Words.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen glumly stars down at her drink. The cheapest thing they got, and it's not even water. Water's close to the cheapest, yes, because this isn't the Badlands where water quality comes at a premium, but cheap alcohol has alcohol, which means it can't kill you if you drink it! At least, not kill you in a specific way.

Why did she give that artist bum her coin purse? She didn't torch an entire village and kill every man, woman, and child in it due to a military secret gear from Kislev or whatever. She just felt sorry because said Bum was all 'i didn't mean to' and she, in that moment, thought, 'well I've felt like that too, kind of, I'd like it if someone would be all nice to me if I was seen as a horrible monster'. Because she has been called that, at least once. A few times, actually. Though, to those people's collective defense, she was kinda scaring them away with her ARM arm. Being a lone, seemingly defenseless lady courier in the middle of the Badlands is grounds for trouble.

But she never *killed* anyone.

But anyway. There's a drink in front of her. She drinks it, winces at the taste. Slumps her head onto the bar. ".... I didn't even get a sketch...." Wait, is there something going on behind her? She looks over her shoulder, winces. "... C'mon, it's not even happy hour yet...."

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cutting Words.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

It /had/ been a nice chat about a likely-seeming site for exploration (and hopefully with it more than a few Gella to rub together) -- problems when you're nearly dead-broke due to a lost wallet and not much success to date. Still, the dedicated archaeologist's hope springs eternal.

"And you say the site's out by--"

Elsewhere in the room -- nearish to the door, in fact -- Josephine Lovelace had been rather casually seated and having the afore-said lovely conversation. More accurately at this point in time she's sat up just that much straighter, twisting in her chair to glance over at the center of the sudden silence. "...Oh, bother," she murmurs, steeling herself.

Only for /that/ slight motion on her part serving as reason enough for Penelope (the pigeon, her pigeon) to abruptly burst forth from the safety of her scarf, wings fluttering and a few feathers scattering she she rises up towards the rafters.

It's probably distracting. Penelope is a very ~fancy~ pigeon.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Cutting Words.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Abigail's card game was in full swing. Gella was laid down, drinks were poured, and tempers were flaring. But it is not with this tempestuous game of skill and luck in which the real tension was rising. It was with the two Drifters at the the, one which had a now smashed bottle in their hand. Shooting a shifty-eyed glance at those around the table, she slams a hand down on top her cards. "Not one of you dare try to cash out and run, we still have ourselves a game to finish." She says with a charming smile as her other hand slips to the small of her back where she was hiding who knows what. The somewhat dusty suit, boot, and cowboy hat wearing gambler then dares to glance over at the two that were squaring off while keeping her attention mostly on those at her table. "Now who is ready for another round?" She says with a wink as she slowly tugs open the holster behind her back. Her other hand flips over her hand. All clubs which may appropriate given the heavy atmosphere. "Now look at that, queen high flush! What -are- the odds?" She jests amicably, hand on her revolver.

DG: Abigail Ivers has used her Tool Queen of Clubs toward her party's challenge, Cutting Words.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Completely Full Keg> One of the massive, completely full kegs from the bar's taproom has been loosed. It rolls through the middle of the saloon, crushing furniture and scattering Drifters like so much kindling. It must be stopped, before it hurts someone - or escaped! But, perhaps a sufficient display of force can bring it to a halt or shatter it.
<Pose Tracker> Deveria Seyter has posed.

'Lady Ivanka' wouldn't have come in here without reason. Gwen might feel eyes on her from across the room as the evident noblewoman in the poofy dress stares through the fray at her, watching intently for a long moment.

Then a drunken cowboy is hurled onto her table, slides across it and just about tumbles into her lap.

"Oh nooo~," she gasps, holding her hands up fastidiously and popping out of her chair to jerk backwards before she has to experience the sullying touch of a disgusting surface-dweller.

A corner of Deveria's mind whines petulantly but silently.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Lestaci's eyes turn towards Abigail as she declares her intent to keep playing come what may, which Lestaci respects, in the same way she respects a gunslinger in stories who holds off an entire pass against, she doesn't know, Kislev? Do Kislev have soldiers? Yeah, that sounds right, she thinks, but then something goes BLAM as a third party out there, as yet undetermined, fires some blunderbuss.

A chain reaction scatters throughout the room to the displeasure, no doubt, of everyone involved. Someone calls down a pocket thunderbolt from their Symbological training; someone rushes towards Lestaci and attempts to grab at her belt, which she answers by pivoting around to come to grips with them.

The blunderbuss goes BLAM again and then some wood snaps and there is a ponderous, fluidic THUMP as that massive keg (would tun be more accurate? it's unclear) rolls forwards, gently passing through the swinging flap doors of the bar space and entering the floor generally. Lestaci cranes her head because it's coming right at her, but--

"HAH!" J-j-j-judo flip. Mr. Accoster flies forwards, landing in the path of the barrel and redirecting it about forty degrees to the left with his body. To where?

That's the problem, isn't it.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Completely Full Keg.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Probably, Penelope had the right idea. Not long as the allegedly loyal pigeon makes a break for it, a gunshot rings out.

The best description of Josie's reaction is probably 'hit the deck' - she just slides herself right out of her seat and under the table. Which as a blast of sorcery wings that very same table she'd sequestered herself and her conversational partner (who appears to have 'gotten the hell out of Dodge', to use a turn of phrase from an entirely different planet, many thousands of years ago) not too long ago, was probably a smart move. The mostly-empty bottle of something-unpleasant-but-cheap-so-she-wasn't-pick explodes in a spray of glass and liquor. Which, naturally, ignites a little.

The table is now 'slightly' on fire.

The fingers of her left hand tentatively curl over the edge of the table as she takes a peek. Yep. Total chaos.

And there is a bit of a large, highly mobile problem, one that even a nice sturdy (burning) table can't fix. Yeah. It's the keg.

Emerging from under the table, Josie lunges for her now-fallen chair, rising to her knees as she attempts to heft and throw it at the moving barrel.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Completely Full Keg.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Tensions were now high at the card table too. "That isn't even from the same deck!" The card-player across from Abbie declares which has the gambler eyeing him up from her seated position. "Like hell he ain't. Look again and this time don't let the whiskey ruin your eyesight," bluffs Abbie as the situation near her teeters on turning into a full blown shootout. Flashing her best, most winning grin, Abigail gestures towards the bar with her off-hand. "How about I buy the next round of drinks? Think it's my turn anyways." She says as she tries to defuse her situation while keeping an eye on things going elsewhere in the bar. Deveria gets a glance. Nobility present? Might be someone she should invite over to their card game as new blood and more money in the pot might soothe things out.

Abigail takes her hand of her revolver and gestures openly with both hands now before turning to yell, "Barkeep, more whiskey! Lots of it." And in a complete display of poor karma, a barrel does come rolling in, but not the barrel that Abbie ordered. That thing might as well be a powder keg as it was going to completely set this place on fire if it knocks over the wrong people, or even worse, Abbie's card table. Wait a minute, no. Things were already on fire somewhere in the tavern. But now it was time to try to keep things from getting even worse. With a curse underneath her breath, the brown haired duster wearer slides behind her chair and boots it straight towards the barrel. It's not her best kick, but maybe it will stop it. Abigail fancies she atleast has a one in four chance of pulling this off and those were some good odds to play. Either that, or she just kicked her chair into the back of someone other bar-goer which is sure to go over just swimmingly with them.

DG: Abigail Ivers has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Completely Full Keg.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Someone's staring at her. Gwen can feel it. Maybe one of those weird soldiers came in? Granted, after she makes that comment about 'it's not even happy hour yet', there's more than one person staring at her.

Then, as a wayward shot rings out, the glass she was just drinking breaks from the impact. "..... nnhh..." Gwen lets loose a self-pitying sigh of frustration. "I don't have enough to get another..." Now, she's starting to get irritated. She really should get out of here, though. Lay low. Maybe just... camp outside for a bit.

When a table starts on fire, she decides it's a *really* good idea to get out of here. Fire is bad, guys.

Starting to stand up from her stool, Gwen begins her beeline for the exit.

A keg barrel has other ideas. "What the... HOLY-"

There's nothing really she could do but P-P-PUNCH THE BARREL. Using her right fist, for reference.

The one that's a metal ARM.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Completely Full Keg.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Aaaand suddenly fighting. It takes Xantia a bit longer than everyone else to process what's going on. How did this even happen? She doesn't get any of this. Not even a gunshot seems to clue her in. It takes a bottle flying her way, narrowly avoided by ducking, for her to finally understand that she could get hurt if she keeps standing there.

So she moves, at long last. Weaving through the chaotic crowd, seemingly trying to stay out of harm's way. Except that she's actually headed to the two who started it all, attempting to stop their altercation with words. "Ah, excuse me! ...helloooo? Please stop hitting each other!" Yeah, that isn't working, they're not even looking at her. With a defeated sigh, her shoulders slump, already out of ideas. Trying to stop the fighting at its source made sense to her, but if they're not listening...

When Xantia looks up again, she spots Gwen. Somebody she's met before! So of course, she waves, happily calling out, "Hey, letter lady! Hi!" Gwen just so happens to be a little busy, and ends up punching the huge barrel directly at Xantia. Whoops.

Without any time to think, Xantia does what comes natural to her. She tries to deflect the barrel. With her fist, which in her case isn't metal at all. But she does have literally superhuman strength, which she's not holding back on at all. All things considered, this is more likely to end poorly for the barrel than for her.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Completely Full Keg.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 4 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Unfortunately, the barrel is not the sturdiest thing -God- ever put together, and between rolling over a random passerby, crushing a chair, and being given several brutal fistings by women with both arms and ARMs, it comes to a halt before deciding to burst asunder.

RIP several hundred gallons of warm, foamy Bartweiser. EVERYWHERE.

<Digger Challenge - Flying Furniture> A particularly enraged Drifter has hurled a large piece of furniture in your direction! Duck!
<Pose Tracker> Deveria Seyter has posed.

Deveria gasps as the cask ruptures, spilling beer everywhere. She lifts the fringe of her skirt a little and skips back, kipping away from it with a couple of little hops. "No, this dress was expensive!" she complains.

(No it wasn't.)

With a huff, she flips her ringlets back over her shoulder. Throwing a last peer towards Gwen, she then turns with a ripple of hair and a billow of her skirts, huffing as she turns to stride out of the tavern and leave the team to their fighting.

She has to divert around someone flipping a table so hard that it bounces off the floor and flips /again./

'Lady Ivanka' pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head. "-Lambs- are so disgusting," she mutters to herself as she rushes out the door.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia is pretty much right at ground zero when the barrel bursts, getting soaked quite thoroughly by booze. Things... look a little hazy after that. The fumes alone are making her quite a bit light-headed. It's a struggle to see clearly what's happening right now.

And what is happening is that people are taking cues from the ones who started employing chairs as ranged weaponry. Suddenly, everybody seems to have the same idea, grabbing whatever piece of furniture is nearest to them and flinging it at the nearest other person. Chairs, in many cases, but some of the stronger ones are going for the tables. A group of three people in the back even go so far as to lift the freaking piano, theri combined efforts managing to turn /that/ into a projectile.

Xantia is one of the people who gets a table hurled at her. Even through unfocused eyes, she can see something coming for her, and she reacts instinctively. Probably should've ducked, but she ends up jumping instead. She can certainly jump high enough, but the question is if she can do quickly enough.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Flying Furniture.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Lestaci is hosed down in warm foamy suds and looks downwards as she drips from the abdomen down, the flood of beer surging out everywhere. At least my drink is safe, Lestaci thinks, turning her head to look at the chair where she'd put her drink down on.

Her memory of home is now full of Bartweiser, producing something which probably tastes like Bartweiser mixed with the residue of a tropical fruit drink.

Then some idiot with leather straps for a shirt hoists up the chair and hurls it at her. Lestaci doubles backwards hard and fast, with enough vigor that her spine pops in a not entirely unpleasant way, going into a reversed three point stance that is, perhaps, remarkably elegant. She reaches up as the chair passes --

Her drink falling down towards her--!!

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Flying Furniture.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

In her head: Abigail exquisitely kicks her chair, it flies through the air and smashes against the rolling barrel alongside the blows of her fellow bar-protectors which causes the keg to stop. The barkeep rewards everyone with free beer as a reward! Hurray!

In the cold depths of reality, Abigail kicks her chair which is so shoddily made that is crumbles and the gambler stumbles forward and hits the ground. Cursing now aloud instead of under her breath, the brunette gambler rolls onto her back just in time for the keg to explode and spray beer everywhere. Well everyone did get free beer as a reward....all over them.

Abbie scrambles to her feet and starts batting at the beer on her blouse and duster. But out of the corner of her eye, she spies the other card players gathering their coins off the table. "Fine you cowards, but the pot's mine. I won that fair and square." She declares as she paces back towards the table, and she was going to need it to buy a new suit. The response from the table. Two of the others run while the burliest one flips the entire table at Abbie. A table that was flipped so hard it had a certain noblewoman diverting herself around it. "Sonnuvagun." The gambler murmurs before attempting to roll underneath the flipped table, an array of hidden playing cards flying loose from the sudden movement by the woman mid-roll.

DG: Abigail Ivers has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Flying Furniture.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

It's not as if Josie has a particularly good arm (when it comes to throwing heavy bar furniture anyway), but given the current trajectory of the keg, it's not as if she needed to throw it very hard or very well. It's just a little unfortunate that the keg, instead of being slowed by the chair, rolls right over it, smashing it to bits. And it's more unfortunate when -- as Josie moves to prepare a desperate action in the form of 'attempting to use the table as a shield -- when a flurry of fists causes the barrel to... well, explode. Already close to the floor, the deluge of beer is sufficient to bowl the rather-close-to-the-epicentre archaeologist over.

"Ugh," Josie utters, spitting out a mouthful of the stuff as she comes up, woozily, and dripping in warm sudsy beer. A sticky gloved hand reaches out for the wall as she levers herself up. At that moment, a chair strikes the wall, near her head, in an explosion of wood and splinters. Josie stops dead, a stare zeroed in on the person across the room who had done the throwing. Ducking down, she grabs the remains of the chair -- a leg -- and hurls it with all her might back at the throw-er. "Same to you!"

Which might be fine, except there's the little matter of this turning into a free-for-all with the furniture. And that wasn't the only chair. With little room to pivot, Josie ducks.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Flying Furniture.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

The punch manages to dislodge the keg a bit, but Gwen still gets soaked in a golden wave of refreshing Bartweiser up to her elbows. Deveria's assessment is pretty on-key, as Gwen feels pretty disgusting right now, that's for sure.

Getting up and dangling her arms outward like an awkward, smelly marionette, Gwen headily regards the FIRE that is BURNING still over THERE and fumes, alcohol

flying piano

People did not like the fact that she had punched the barrel and probably wasted all that beer, it seems.

"WHAT THE-" Gwen's yell falls into incoherent screaming as she falls backwards towards the flipped table Abigail is hiding behind, likely tripping over her in the process.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Flying Furniture.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 4 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Navigate the Crowd> Moving through the crowd is hard. They surge and struggle, punches flying and friends dropping. But, here and there, like breaks in the storm, there is a gap. It is less about reflexes and more about noticing those openings, then diving for them. You can get through the brawl, if you are careful.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

The piano crashes like an unwieldy wooden elephant against tipped over tablet, spraying shards of wood, keys, cord, and miscellaneous shrapnel all over the place. At this point, it's difficult to figure out who started what, whose mother was insulted, which fire was started by who and what, whose parents was actually cousins, who jumpkicked the bartender, and if someone smelled of elderberries.

Who did all these things. Who is to blame for all. Who's on first name basis with what.

It's at times like these that a beer-soaked Gwen reaches into her vest and whips out...

~~A Medical Kit~~

Sniffing some smelling salts something to her nose to 'clear' her head (and make her do that weird shiver that happens), Gwen caps the tiny flask.

"Uh, anyone hurt?" She looks at Abigail, then at anyone nearby. "Uh, let's get this under control? Somehow?"

Super Courier Gwen, doing crowd control.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Medical Kit toward her party's challenge, Navigate the Crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Lestaci hears a key word and her head turns to look towards Abigail even as that drink bounds off her top and spills lukewarm alcohol in a place not previously touched by same. She swears in an unpleasant way, even as she straightens up and then KLONG

Music! Sort of.

Someone's pulling out a medical kit. Lestaci gravitates that way. "Get it under control--?? Good idea!" she says, reaching for her hip as she nods to Abigail and then PULLS OUT HER GUN

Which she points upwards and fires several times.

There's a flash and a few pieces of ferrous metal twitch but there isn't much noise because it's an electromagnetic rail weapon. "... Shit," Staci mutters as she remembers this salient fact.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has used her Tool ARM Discharge toward her party's challenge, Navigate the Crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Tables that are flipping through the air prove to be harder to judge than Abigail thinks. Her attempt to roll under the table has her rolling into the table with a thud. And then a second thud happens when a wild Gwen appears and stumbles over her collapsed and beer soaked form. The inebriated gambler tips her heat in greeting as she lays in a heap of what she once was on the ground. "Howdy nothin' like a good old fashioned brawl to leap you in a stinkin' bruised heap on the ground?" She greets Gwen with before flashing a smile as she peeks up over the broken remains of the table to see that the entire bar was out and fighting now. They needed to get to safety and quick or else this might be the -last- brawl Abigail ever sees. She looks around for anything, anything that could help her when she notices one of her fallen playing cards on the ground. Seeing no more sensible action to take, Abbie reaches down and flips it over. "Queen of clubs, I'll be darned. It seems our luck is 'bout to change. Fancy having a go at this together? We might get more done, by joining forces."

The offer is made between freckled faces before the card-shark sneaks a glance over the husk of a card-playing table. "Wait for an opening, and then beat feet." She says before realizing that Gwen had medical supplies on her. "My head's killing me, just had a table thrown at me, and now my hand is going to hurt like hell." Abigail intones back with a bright grin despite her word choice. By why was her hand going to hurt? The gambler waits for her ideal moment and then throws a haymaker to sucker punch one of the fighting cowpokes that hopefully get distracted by Lestaci's fireworks display. This in turn might open up a gap in the crowd for others to file through or back out of. Abbie is one such individual who quickly tries to retreat back with the others.

DG: Abigail Ivers has used her Tool Queen of Clubs toward her party's challenge, Navigate the Crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Josephine isn't fast enough -- the downside of being a bit tall and having quite a longer way to drop to be out of harm's way. The chair slams into her chest and the archaeologist's legs buckle as she exhales a sharp shout of pain, but this time she manages to keep her footing as the brawl continues to unfold around her. That, and she's probably partially adhered to the wall at this point, given her beer-soaked clothing.

Peeling herself away as soon as she's able -- since people have not exactly stopped throwing furniture -- she staggers off into the crowd as the piano takes a mighty despairingly musical crash to the floor. Whatever brief fury Josie had over injured pride is more than spent -- the situation's taken a turn firmly south and doesn't look like it's going to abate. She needs to get out of here.

Somewhere near at hand a young girl calls out if anyone's injured. She glances over, grinning a little weakly. "Why? Do you have something for --" She gives Gwen a once-over, again (a twice-over?). "-- Oh, you do!"

Another woman -- Abbie -- also near to Josie, brandishes a card. "I could really go for a change in luck, you know. Working together sounds like a plan!" They just need some way to beat back the crowd. Or talk some sense into them. "...I'll think of something." Josie glances upwards, spotting something among the rafters. There! "Let's hope this works! Penelope, show your stuff!"

A small black and white shape hesitates, before diving downwards in a tumbling display of her contrasting plumage. Bobbing and weaving through the air, the sudden arrival of the fanciest pigeon might be enough to create a break in the chaos.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Navigate the Crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Jumping, as it turns out, was a terrible decision. Xantia's feet get caught on the table she was trying to leap over, causing her to tumble forward, spin in the air, and land unceremoniously on her back. "Ow," is all she has to say about that. Though it doesn't take her long to get back to her feet, it's not without staggering a little, now woozy from the booze and impact both. Hearing Gwen's question, she clarifies, "My everything hurts."

As the barfight grows in intensity, Xantia has to come to terms with the simple fact that she has no idea how to get these situations under control. Wait, she bought something to help her with that, didn't she? Granted, it's supposed to be focused on dungeon exploration, but maybe...

Fumbling with her travelling cloak-turned-cape, she reached into the inner pocket, relieved that she didn't lose her trusty guidebook, and it was spared an alcoholic fate. As the fighting continues around her, she starts flipping through the book, until finally... "A-ha!" Her finger descends upon a passage that seems relevant, and she quotes:

"Don't approach a fight like a fight, approach it like a problem. Don't get frustrated or angered by it, get excited by it. First you use your brain, then you use your fists."

Triumphantly, Xantia concludes, "I can do that!" And so, she spends a moment to think really carefully about what she should be punching. She'd rather not punch these people directly. So she ends up deciding on a loose floorboard, hoping that hitting it might end up launching some people out of the way.

DG: Xantia has used its Tool Guide to Dungeoneering toward its party's challenge, Navigate the Crowd.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has passed this challenge! The party gained 22 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Clingy Coward> Some people in here are not Drifters. Some are hiding under tables, crying, and hoping they can get out. Some are Drifters, though, and doing that. This is positively shameful. And it doesn't matter, because this one is hugging onto you and will not let go. Shake them off!
<Pose Tracker> Deveria Seyter has posed.

Meanwhile, peeking through the window are a pair of blue eyes.

Deveria didn't go far. She's crouching outside the tavern, peering in through a grimy window as discreetly as she can. She bites her lower lip as she watches the group of drifters navigate the barfight - not only Gwen, but Lestaci too, and the pigeon lady. She makes a few mental notes as she memorizes faces, wishing she could put a name to them. Rubbing her hands together, she --

"Excuse me, miss...?"

Deveria looks up sharply. A couple of young cowboy-looking Drifters are staring at her as she crouches by the window in her poofy, poofy, poofy dress.

For a moment things just hang there as Deveria's cheeks grow increasingly more pink.

Then, with a whirl of her skirts, she straightens up again and splayes her hand around her mouth.

"OOOOO~HO~HO~HO~HO~HO~HO~ Yes, how quaint! So very quaint! But time to move along! YesdefinitelythattimesoIhopeyouwillexcusemeboys! Oooo~ho~ho~ho~" That fades in the distance as she goes scampering down the street, skirts billowing behind her.

The cowboy-lookin' guys just stare.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

"Friend of yours?" Lestaci asks Josephine, completely missing the pigeon flitting around.

Well, now, Dreamkateers, it looks like between the distracting antics of that extremely holy and very well-coiffed pigeons, an unfortunately loose floorboard, and Abigail's application of the age-old key to the resolution of disputes - violence - the crowd in this broken-out brawl is thinning.

It'd be easy to make a break for it through the doorway, avoiding the twin fates of 'dying ignomiously in a spontaneous eruption of violence' and 'being the last ones at the scene, and thus, assessed the financial penalties, viz. 200 Aveh gallons of Bartweiser'. But there is one obstacle, which is not immediately apparent.

"Heh! This sort of thing's crazy. C'mon, ladies," Lestaci says, stepping towards the exit, past one of the tables that hasn't yet fallen over -- when someone in a battered suit wearing a red neckerchief lunges forwards and clings to her at the waist, burying his face right square into her emptied gun'sholster and letting out a bawling scream. "OH BY THE GUARDIANS I AM SO ASCAIRED I THINK I DONE PEED MY PANTS," bawls the man, who looks up with a doughy face.

Another one lunges out - two - no, four of them! They're all oddly similar, if in different colored neckerchiefs, aiming to perform the same maneuver on each of these ladies.

AND YET... underneath that table is a blunderbuss, JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT GOT FIRED PREVIOUSLY... and perhaps someone who is savvy in these situations will recognize the notorious McDeon Quintuplets, five identical brothers who bring harmless levity and a lengthy series of confidence scams to the dusty streets of Adelhyde and points east!

Right now they are sobbing beer-soaked messes. "OHHH PLEASE HELP ME LADY" "YOU REMIND ME OF MY DEAR, DEAR MAMA, A HOBGOB DONE ATE HER" "I DON'T WANNA DIE IN A BARRRR" "WHO'S GONNA TAKE CARE OF MY HORSE?!"

They are also going to try for people's pockets. So, you know, keep an eye on that. Lestaci immediately punches her quint in the face several times, but between her ladylike manicured fingers and his doughy face, she does not make much immediate headway.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Clingy Coward.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

"--I guess you could say that!" Josephine replies, grinning as she glances over at Lestaci, not so much as missing a beat.

Though that smile fades somewhat as one tumbling acrobatic swoop later -- a single white feather falling artfully as she does so -- Penelope abruptly wheels towards the open door and out into the open air of the streets. "--Hey!" So much for loyalty.

The fight, as a quick glance around her tells her that some of the immediate violence is starting to abate but they're not in the clear yet. Shaking her head, a still somewhat rattled (from being hit with a chair, of course) Josie is quick on Lestaci's heels. "Don't have to tell me twice! Let's get out before--"

There is perhaps one final (?) obstacle between them and the door. Twisting away like a cat that's desperately attempting not to get picked up, Josie finds herself on the receiving end of a very much abrupt and unwanted hug.

She hasn't been in town long enough. Whoever this is has just wrapped themselves around her waist. "H-Hey," Josie starts, trying to squirm while there's still an opening in the form of the door ahead. The smell -- and this is coming from a woman who is currently soaked to the skin in beer -- is pretty awful too. "Let go--"

"HEY LADY WHY YOU GOTS ROCKS IN YOUR POCKETS?"

In response, Josie tries to kick him. "Get your paws out of there!"

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Clingy Coward.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia fistpumps as she sends a few brawlers flying with her deft floorboard manipulation maneuver. She sure feels smart now! All thanks to that wonderful Guide to Dungeoneering! Best thing she ever bought! Maybe aside from all the food she ever bought. Which would make it rank pretty low, actually.

Returning the guide to its proper place within her cloak inner's pocket, she's all too ready to follow along with the little group she's managed to join up with. She licks her lips, still dripping with alcohol, immediately prompting her to spit. "Ugh, ew! How do people drink this stuff?" They should be paying /her/ for spilling this vile swill, she did everyone a favor!

But then... the dreaded Quintuplets make their appearance, one of them lunging right for her! Xantia is taken by surprise, squeaking as she's suddenly grabbed by the waist. "Hey! Let go of me!"

She actually manages to force the guy off with relative ease, there's no way he can match her physical strength. However, he returns in a flash, and goes right back to clinging, making up for his lack of brawn with obnoxiously impressive tenacity.

"Stop it! Go away!" Xantia's cries as she forces the McDeon brother off of her again and again increase in intensity, and finally attempts to run away, only to run right into a corner. She looks fearful when she turns about... until she spots something in her accoster's hand. A guidebook. A hand flies to the inside of her cloak... it's gone. That's HER guidebook!

Xantia's eyes suddenly become deathly cold, and she reaches behind her for something that she happened to leave in this corner. A massive hammer, which she proceeds to brandish threateningly in both hands. The McDeon brother understandibly panics, holding up both hands in surrender, dropping the book in the process. "Ah-- Now miss, let's not do anything I'll regret, a lot, p-please?"

Mercilessly, the hammer is swung regardless-- and strikes the wall of the bar full force, knocking a huge hole into it. The hammer thuds down on the ground next to Xantia, who proceeds to point towards the newly made opening, instructing simply, "/Out/."

DG: Xantia has used its Tool Megaton Hammer toward its party's challenge, Clingy Coward.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

A McDeon quintuplet who is very happy to rest his head on Gwen's bosom while he's there. Is he into it? Does he just feel comforted? Is that just how this all ended up due to height, placement of the hug, and the way his body fell on Gwen? He has no answer in those few seconds Gwen just stares at him, almost as if she was waiting for a reason. He gives none. No one will ever know if there was ever a reason to begin with, aside from 'the world is cruel and hates Gwen right now, why did you believe that Fei bum guy, that was the worst excuse he gave ever in the history of ever, and you fell for it, you idiot, he's probably out there destroying colonies of cute cuddly animals while happily jingling the coin purse YOU GAVE HIM, seriously, screw you, signed A Cruel God'.

"Get off me, please." She does give him a few seconds to adjust his handle on her, at least. Accidents do happen. She said 'please', which is a generous offering to the guy considering the position he's in, both figuratively and literally.

.... Did he just sigh happily? That was a happy sigh.

Okay. Grace period over. Time to unleash righteous fury.

"... Oh no. You are hysterical. Snap out of it." Gwen's deadpan words serve as her excuse for the right fist just rockets into the quintuplet with very little in the way of grace, method, or warning. She just does it. More than once, if needed. It's not like she has money to lose, but she has DIGNITY, damn it, and she'll punch him until he lets go. "You are clearly hysterical. I need to hit you until your head is clear."

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Clingy Coward.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Abigail executes her part of the plan flawlessly. It seems like her bad luck has finally changed until she gets to the part where the cowpoke she punched crumbles underneath her sucker punch. He doesn't. "Um feller, that was the part where you're supposed to fall down." She says with a sheepish grin as she's the one to get laid out by his rightfully vengeful punch. The well-suited gambler in the rolled up sleeves now tumbles arse over tea-kettle past both Gwen and Lestaci. It is only here, lying on the gross bar floor in a heap does Abbie finally question her life decisions. Her suit was probably ruined, she smelled like stale beer, she might have broken her hand on that lunk's jaw, and now she just got laid out in return. How could this even get worse? Sitting up, Abbie wobbly gets up onto her feet and looks at those nearest to her which seemed to be on the her side if sides can be drawn in a chaotic bar fight. "Okay, lucky punch. But I'll....I'll get'em next time." She says with a resolute but not very confident nod given towards the others.

And then her next opponent appears, he lurches at her and draws her into...an embrace? And to Abbie's horror, he smells worse than she does right now.. "I'm so...so sorry that someone threw a table at you! You'se one of the good ones, ya know? Not like the other Drifters that come into these parts. You're different, you're speeeeshul. And your brown hair reminds me of my dear...." Abigail cuts him off right there. "Jus' stop and let go of me already, sheesh!" She replies quickly only to realize his hands were going for her pockets just at the same time that hers were going for his. There's an awkward moment when con locks eye with con as they both realize what the other one was doing. Both of the pick-pocketing cons eyes narrow as they wait to see who makes the first move. "Ain't this one awkward dance." They both say in unison before Abbie rears back as if to throw a punch, but actually drives forward with a knee instead that is aimed right where it would hurt the most.

DG: Abigail Ivers has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Clingy Coward.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 2 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.
  • The party lost 92G and a wagon wheel due to the McDeon Quintuplets.

<Digger Challenge - Broom-Wielding Local> Someone standing on a table has decided that he is a master of the Sweeping Broom Style, which no self-respecting country doctor would ever practice. The danger, of course, is not his skill. Rather, his inebriation has led him to feel he is a master of his craft, and he will challenge any who come at him. Such as, in this case, you. He leaps off a table, broomhandle flying for your face!

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

The ebb and flow of the still-raging (if raging like a dying flame) fight carries onwards, and even what look to be brief openings close as the collective encroachment of the McDeon Quintuplets manage to slow the would-be escapees even as they do their best to kick, punch, or hammer their way to freedom.

For Josephine, this means quite a bit of kicking, squirming, shoving, and the loss of everything in her pockets (which was mostly rocks but she LIKED those rocks). "Maybe we can push through, the door's still open--" she calls out to her allies in this mess, elbowing a man aside.

But wait, what's that?

"AVAST, VILLAINS!"

It's Jim Barnes, the local lightweight drunk, standing on a still-mostly-stable and not-particularly-burning table. He holds in his hands a... broom. A broom, held in the stance someone might hold a greatsword, his very posture emanating his challenge to those who dare flee this place!

Leaping from the table -- and sending the already damaged table to the floor behind him, he rushes in, swinging the broom overhead in what would be a fierce if very open-to-counterattacks maneuver. If it were more than just a broom he swiped from behind the bar, that is.

Josie moves to attempt to sidestep the incoming swipe, and makes to stick her boot in too, to try and trip him up.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Broom-Wielding Local.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Well, at least Xantia succeeded at scaring off the McDeon brother that dared to try and take her guidebook. She huffs, leaning her hammer back against the wall, picking up the guidebook, and returning it to its proper place once more. She's confident that she lost nothing of value in that exchange, but once she notices her missing pocket change...! ...well, she'll probably just think she lost it somewhere. Wouldn't be the first time.

She could exit right now through the hole she made... but instead, she quickly returns to the group she was with before. She doesn't want to just bail and leave the rest of them behind! She arrives just in time to encounter the Master of the Sweeping Broom Style as he begins his assault. She is suitably impressed by this, and actually invites her own fate, completely free of sarcasm. "Wow, that fighting style looks amazing! Show me!"

She didn't actually consider that this might lead to the man attacking her, and she quickly finds herself on the defensive. She frowns a little as she intercepts blow for blow with her palms, finding this style neither very fast, nor very powerful. It's really just... kinda annoying. "Okay, that's fine, you can stop now," she urges.

When that doesn't do anything, and a second warning also gets no response, she attempts to push back against the broom, and knock the so-called Master over in the process. Actually fighting him is out of the question, he'd only get hurt.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Broom-Wielding Local.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

There's a flurry of movement as hands and limbs go everywhere as Abigail detaches herself a lot less forcefully from her quintuplet than she had intended. He was able to protect his family's jewels and she only ended up kneeing him in the leg instead. Once the two separate from each other, the brunette gambler pats herself down and surveys what she stole from him versus taking stock of what he stole from her, but she has this sinking feeling that he got the best of her there. Damn those quintuplets! She'll get her revenge yet! No one cons the con, no one!

Abigail does take a moment to take stock of the chaos as some of the crowd had indeed thinned out thanks to their (in)action while more were thinning due to the appearance of a new challenger, the inebriated bloke wielding a broom. Abbie balks at the sight of the normally mostly harmless town lightweight now taking on all comers (and tables) with his drunken Sweeping Broom style. He....he...."He's unstoppable!" The gambler thinks aloud before looking for something to grab, anything to grab to defend herself with.

The only thing she could find....was another broom.

Reaching into her duster pocket, she procures her best friend that appears to have taken the form of a flask of spirits. She opens it up, tips it back, and wipes her mouth off with the sleeve of her duster before eyeing up the other drunk. "Two can play that game. Here, hold my whiskey." Abigail commands to her party members before holding out the flask for someone else to grab. If not, it will hit the ground and start to spill a bit as dropped flasks tend to do. Quickly embracing the potent effects of her chugging the whiskey, Abbie grabs another broom from behind the bar and faces Jim with a broom raises above her head. "The name's Miss Abigail Ivers and if anyone is going to trash this bar, it's goin' to be -me-!" With that, she charges Jim with her broom dropping down to her side as if it was a single-edged katana. She now starts swinging her broom like only an inebriated gambler with no actual sword swinging experience could against someone probably just as skilled but maybe a tad bit drunker than she was. A match of the millennium right here in Adlehyde.

DG: Abigail Ivers has used her Tool Flask of Whiskey toward her party's challenge, Broom-Wielding Local.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Lestaci takes the whiskey and holds onto it from Abigail.

She helps herself to a little of it and looks dead ahead, contributing absolutely nothing save a fierce expression.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Broom-Wielding Local.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

The McDeon sibling Gwen is punching is, truth be told, very very durable. They all are, really, or else they would have passed off this mortal coil long ago. He does, however, let go of Gwen. Eventually. By his own free will, not because he's unconscious. So there's that.

He's still clinging to her. Just.... in a more acceptable spot. And not as tightly.

There's someone in front of her but Gwen's not having any of it. "I admit that fighting style may look pretty creative, but if you're not a shower stall or a bathtub, you need to get _outta my way now_."

She's not even going to try to be polite this time.

Lifting the McDeon sibling in a surprising gesture of strength (if majorly favoring one side over another) and waiting for her opening amid Abigail's own broom-fu, Gwen *shoves* the sibling at the drunken broom pirate. "HERE."

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Broom-Wielding Local.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Table Jumping> The brawl fills the floor, but you see a way out in your attempt to move. If you jump on the tables and hop across a few, you can duck past brawl that has collectively fallen over to punch and kick itself. But, if you miss, you will be back on the floor with an angry mass of people.
<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Just when you think the brawl is over. Just when you think the tavern is safe once again. You get pulled back in. There may be less people total in the bar, but nearly everyone left inside was now an active participant. Tables continues to get smashed, punches get thrown, and sadly even more drinks get spilled onto the increasingly flammable surroundings. But there was a way out. It just involved jumping from table to table.

Abbie, after getting thoroughly trounced by Jim to prove that he is the undisputed broom sifu of the bar slowly drags herself up onto her feet. She climbs onto a table, drunk that she is and gestures towards the exit. "We gotta get out of here before he comes back! Quick, follow me!" Perhaps it would be best to -not- follow Abbie as she looks pretty wobbly as she hurls herself from the table she is standing on to another table that's close to the treasured exit of the bar.

DG: Abigail Ivers has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Table Jumping.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

"Oh for," Lestaci begins, handing Abigail back her flask as she gets out her ARM once more; the electric weapon is held in a rather dramatic way, although she didn't bring any rope to go with it. Even so, a magnetic tug or two will at least make her feel better - maybe she really CAN pull herself up by her own bootnails.

Maybe? She lands on a table, teetering and stumbling forwards. "Ugh-- So hey what are you guys' names? I'm Lestaci," she says, leaping like a bar-frog over the lilypads of tables.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has used her Tool Rope Dart toward her party's challenge, Table Jumping.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Attempting to trip Jim the Broom Master doesn't quite go as planned -- not only does Josie /not/ quite trip him, actually, but she gets a right smack in the face from the broomstick as well. Reeling as he charges on past towards the others, she sways for a moment on her feet. Gotta think--

Abbie spots it first.

"This way!" she shouts, helpfully pointing in the direction of some of the still-standing tables for anyone not following Abbie and Staci's leads. They're arranged just right, so if someone were to leap from one table to the next, they could make their way relatively unharmed, and arrive at a helpfully-open window. Scrambling onto a table as Jim Barnes continues to go wild with his mastery of the art of the broom, she takes a flying leap to the next table.

"Josephine!"

"But just 'Josie' is fine!"

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Table Jumping.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia somehow completely neglects to mention the hole she made in the wall as a possible alternative exit. Things slip Xantia's mind a lot. Especially when something looks like fun.

"That looks like fun!" 'That' being hopping across tables, in this case. Xantia seems to take to it well enough, all smiles as she joins in with this new game, following along with those who are taking the lead.

Introductions! She can do that. "I'm Xantia! Spelled with an X!" Always important when your name sounds like it starts with a Z.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Table Jumping.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

There was no shower stall. There was no tub. Nothing magically poofed into being when she threw an obstacle into another obstacle.

There is only MORE FIRE. FIRE IS BAD, GUYS.

Planting her foot onto a chair and then another table, Gwen follows Abigail. This is as good as any an idea she's had. Anything that involves going Out.

"I'm... not usually like this," Gwen states as her introduction. Oh wait. That's not an answer. "Gwen."

A pause. "Super Courier." Because someone told her that was a good idea to say if you were trying to run a business.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Table Jumping.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has passed this challenge! The party gained 7 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Enraged Symbologist> A Symbologist is in the crowd and someone asked her the worst question in the world: "What dumbass lets someone draw on them?" Her brow furrowed, fire and rage in her eyes, she is looking for a fight. She spots you - and with a flash of her symbols, a swirling magical circle, she sends a lightning bolt flying in your direction!
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

The secret to success is treating things like they're a game, Xantia knows this well. Unfortunately, at the end of the furniture-hopping road lies a cranky mage, who starts shooting electricity every which way! This certainly isn't helping the fire situation any, and every beer puddle is suddenly a much greater possible hazard, if struck by lightning.

Xantia yelps, not at all comfortable with sorcery /or/ electricity, displaying that this is what it takes before she'll actually think to dive for cover. "No, no, stop that, you!"

She's not about to get close to an angry spellslinger, but she will sling things in return, finding some empty mugs nearby to toss at the mad Symbologist.

DG: Xantia has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Enraged Symbologist.

<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

Lestaci makes mental notes. Gwen, the Super Courier. Xantia with an X. Josephine but Josie is fine. Leap, leap - swear word -

Lightning crashes. (A new mother dies. (the mother was a dust mite, don't feel bad)) Lestaci is caught descending, twitching as her gun's nixie tube glows and she shouts, "ASS!" and - well - shoots her gun towards the Symbologist. She shouldn't wave that thing around so much, but she already has it out, and there's beer in her holster, dammit.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Enraged Symbologist.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

Luck is on their side for a change it seems -- Josie lands with a clatter on one table and then the next, the fray still continuing to unfold around her. It shouldn't be long now before they can escape this place--

A crack rings out, followed by a redolent sizzling scent she knows quite well. Uttering a rare oath under her breath, she pauses only long enough to gesture with her left hand in a way she knows quite well, murmuring the few arcane syllables it takes to unleash a spell of this little power.

A brilliant flash of light flares up around the furious Symbologist, hopefully just enough to blind and stun.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Enraged Symbologist.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

Abigail actually makes her first leap and looks to her fellow leapees. She salutes them with her right hand, nearly falling off the table to so. "Nice to meetcha all. I'm Abigail Ivers." A pause. That's right, she sorta yelled that aloud during the broom fight. "And you've all caught me, not my best." She admits before turning to see an angry Symbologist wielding lightning of all things. "....not my best at allllll!" She calls out as she tries to dive out of the way which causes her land near her flash of whiskey.....or a flask of whiskey more like it." What are the odds?" She takes a swig of whatever is in it before hurling the rest of it as an impromptu projectile towards the lightning hurler.

DG: Abigail Ivers has used her Tool Flask of Whiskey toward her party's challenge, Enraged Symbologist.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

It's probably notable that, amid all the electricity, Gwen's right arm responds strangely, jolting briefly at a strange angle. Gwen snaps her left hand over to clamp it down, grimacing.

No one will surely notice with all the chaos going on, right?

She is *not* about to out-electricity a symbologist, especially when Lestaci is there to do it for her. And do a fine, fine job of it, too.

The less people get to see Gwen unveil a metal monstrosity of an arm and unleash havoc, the better, really.

Even if this unleashing probably isn't as impressive as some people she's seen. Holy cow, is that rail gun? Now *that* is a proper gun.

It may be repetitive at this point but, timing her move just as the others point and shoot, Gwen runs up and attempts to slug the enraged symbologist right in the jaw. "CALM. DOWN."

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Enraged Symbologist.

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has passed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Digger Challenge - Anger Management> Unfortunately, the push of the crowd has shoved several fighters around you. These are, perhaps, especially offended. They have drawn ARMs - and the sheriff is nowhere in sight. Perhaps, before you unleash your sorceries, techniques, and own ARMs, you can take another measure. Perhaps, you can calm them down - whether with clever words, a clever escape, or some other plan. After all, one of them is swinging around some manner of Metal Demon Wars-era chainsaw baseball bat.
<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

BIFF POW! WHACK!!

The door is nearby. But there is one obstacle.

A friendly looking man with a short trimmed gray beard. Yes: it's the father of the McDion Quints. He's the one with the chainsawbat.

It whirrs with greasy, ominous force as he raises it up. "You better not have whupped up on my good boys, ya pack of anemone polyps!" What? Either way, he's fixing to swing.

Lestaci's reaction is simple and clean, like the way you feel tonight: She tries to shoot the guy in the kneecap. She misses, and then, perhaps, remembers - or her ARM remembers for her, the nixie tube's glow going from blue to orange as it emanates a sudden magnetic tug on that metal bat. "Whu??" says the proud papa.

DG: Lestaci Delloro has used her Tool ARM Discharge toward her party's challenge, Anger Management.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

"Good to meet you, too!" she calls back to Abbie. "We should chat sometime when-- uh, things are less busy!"

It's not the best time for a conversation, probably, but Josephine is apparently going to damn well try.

The Symbologist must be powerful enough to shrug off such a basic spell like that -- there's bright light, but she's not slowed at all. In fact, she hurls a bolt at lightning straight at Josie in retaliation! A little fancy footwork keeps the archaeologist from getting zapped, but unfortunately there's not much room for maneuvering and the residual force from the spell plus physics in action means that Josephine once again makes contact with the floor with a grunt.

At least she wasn't far from the...

"...Ah." My, that certainly is a weapon. Scrambling to her feet, she squints at the man a little dazedly. This could end well or very very badly.

Josephine opts to grin, hopefully winningly, at the friendly-looking man with the big ancient weapon and spreads her arms wide. "Of course not! I think we've /all/ had a slight misunderstanding here, and if you'll step outside, I'm sure we'll..." Dark eyes skim sidelong at Lestaci's gun going off. "--Exactly!" Josie opts for, free-wheeling blindly down this conversational alley with no goal in sight. "I'm sure we can all come to a good resolution here!"

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anger Management.

<Pose Tracker> Abigail Ivers has posed.

The end is in sight. There is light at the end of this tunnel in that Abigail was near enough to the exit to see a few breadths of light coming from the great outdoors which really could be all the light that Xantia let in by the whole she made. But whatever the case may be, Abbie is all smiles until she nearly runs into the patriarch of the McDion clan. "Howdy sir," the drunk gambless greets with a tip of her nonexistant hat that has long since been knocked off her head. "I was jus' wondering if you wanted to see a magic trick?" She asks with a wink before gesturing openly with her arms showing that she's unarmed at the moment. "Is....this your card?" Abbie asks before snapping her fingers and showing a queen of clubs in her other hand. "Aw crud, I was supposed to ask you first. Here....hold on...let me try that one again." She says before letting her hand drop and hold up a whole mess of cards. "Pick a card...any card!" She implores him in hopes of either distracting him or merely biding time for the others to launch their plans into action. Those on the opposite side of Abbie would see that yes....every single one of the cards in her hand were all Queens of Clubs.

DG: Abigail Ivers has used her Tool Queen of Clubs toward her party's challenge, Anger Management.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

They're all so strong, thinks Xantia, pleased to have found such great companions in all this mess. Something good came out of all this after all!

However, though the mage is overcome, the way to freedom is still barred by a particularly angry man wielding what looks like a particularly powerful weapon. Xantia doesn't know this man, or what he's so angry about. He doesn't look like the kind of man she would feel good about punching, though. Which means she's already out of ideas on how to handle the situation. Unless...

"Waaaaaaaaait!" Xantia waits until her loud yell has attracted the bearded man's attention before she continues.

"We should all strive to be friends, for life without friends would be like travelling the desert without water!"

Yeah, that's definitely not something she came up with herself. That's straight out of her guidebook. A phrase that struck a particular chord with her, a principle that she lives by. Naturally, she's expecting this to have the same profound impact on everybody else.

DG: Xantia has used its Tool Guide to Dungeoneering toward its party's challenge, Anger Management.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Someone just had to amp up the violence. Gwen eyes the Metal Demon bat. "Goddamn it..." Even if there were others with weapons from that era, things could get hairy in a hurry. Time for the gloves to come off. Literally.

Gwen takes off her glove, revealing a gleaming metal, alcohol-reeking ARM. Yeah, her hand. Rolling up her sleeve and holding it in place with her sleeve band, she reveals its true length, making a grand show with each bit she reveals, like a can-can dancer revealing just a bit more leg. That would've honestly been more fun than this. She doesn't like the looks on some of the crowd's faces.

Gesturing with a tool from her tool kit, Gwen says, "You got thirty seconds before I adjust this from 'peaceful' to 'lots of pain'. You wanna go all Metal Demon Wars in here, or do you wanna realize we're all just human beings in here trying to get a drink? Because I can punch you *or* shoot you. And I can do a hell of a lot worse. You wanna try me?!"

With a twist, Gwen produces coiling electricity snakes down the length of bared metal arm, cackling and sparkling ominously as it whirs to life. "You wanna settle this peacefully? I think what my companions here are trying to say is that there's better ways to pass the time in a bar than SETTING IT ON FIRE."

Really, most of it's for show. But she will use what she has if she needs to.

She just really wants a shower, guys.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Tool Set toward her party's challenge, Anger Management.

DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!

DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has successfully explored Barfight (Filgaia)!

<Digger Challenge - Out Before the Sheriff Comes> You manage to just bolt out into the streets, greeted by the sun. Now would be a fine time to flee - because the sheriff is stomping this way and seeing red.
<Pose Tracker> Lestaci Delloro has posed.

And everyone ran the hell away.