Seeing the house burning, it was almost instinctual for him to rush inside and check for any survivors and try to get them out.  Trying to lift beams proved to be a more difficult task than he had imagined initially, but with his hammer to use as a wedge, he hoped that he could make some headway and hopefully get everyone out to safety before he himseld needed rescuing.

Hang on!  I'll get you out of here!  He yelled, trying to find the voices and when Quel came in, he immediately ran to help her.  Two pairs of hands were definately better than one pair anyday.

Quelenna takes the potion and pours it into her dad's mouth, not really thinking about trust or not. Upon seeing the massive paladin enter, she can't help but think this poor guy is probably going to roast alive in all that armo- ...until she notices the firey eyes and such. OK. The paladin will be fine. "Alright. All at once." the mom says. Quelenna grabs the beam with her mom and Ryujin, then synchronize yank it off Aramil when Jake pulls on the rope. The beam is moved and the group manages to get Aramil out!

Meanwhile, Gale and co arrive at center square in the carriage and Mara-Kai immediately starts forming a bucket brigade. Most are willing to help with THAT, at least.

Gale of course helps out with the bucket brigade as best she can.  Cantrips help a little with getting the water to the blaze without risking singed hair, so score one for Hoal.

Jake is still catching his breath from what little smoke he inhaled.  "Good to see you're alive, mister," he says, "I'm an artificer.  Don't hesitate to say something if you need more healing."

  While it likely would not fully deal with the dangers, at least Mara-Kai and Hoal were both mildly fire resistant (via feat, and armor respectively).  "Thank you Gale, though I believe I will save thanking to further people until after this is over."

  Where is a guy in a fireman helmet handing out fancy extinguisher backpacks when you need them?  Maybe he stopped after people just came by to get a backpack and then never even tried to put out the burning building?

  The Voidsoul approaches the survivor with rescuers group and asks "Were there any others known the be in the house at the time of the blast?"

Yaaay CoX reference from Hoal. Even as Hoal asks if anyone was known to be in the house, a bunch of people come out. Namely the people mentioned in previous posts. "Oh father..." Quelenna swoons. Aramil gets to taking deep breaths of the fresh, smoke-free air. He coughs and says, "Good thing I'm a smoker.. I'm used to inhaling all this smoke." he gives a smile as he continues coughing.

Quelenna can't help but smile. "Father, you silly goose..." she says before turning to the others. "Thank you for your help rescuing my father." then looks at her home. People are already putting the flames out.

Mara-Kai continues moving water to the house, though she is sure to be a lot closer to the source of the water than to the house. Water feel good. Fire feel bad. More so for someone like her. She watches her bro and then sees the people coming out. The person Hoal asked answers, "That's... all of them. I'm positive there was nobody else."

"You're welcome," Gale answers as she continues to help keep the fire under control.

Meanwhile, Jake makes with the healing of people who need it.

"What happened?  What caused the fire?"

  Considering it was Quelenna's house that had exploded, and the entire (known) family was currently outside of the burning remains, the assumption that all are safely not in a burning building is a sound one.

  "A blast of that scale is not likely a naturally occurring one."  The thing about magitech kitchen appliances, is that oddly you have less dangers of a giant movie gas stove explosion.  Unless you're method of cooking was older edition magic wands and the thing broke using every single fireball charge at once or somesuch.

  On that note, Arcana Check time!  With a Religion check just to be on the safe side.  Would 'act of god' actually be covered in DnD setting insurance policies considering them being confirmed and active?  Of course, considering the large percentage of population sporting the Arcane source tag, Hoal is expecting either no such clues (because that would be stupid if any culprit), or such clues to exist only because non-magical means wouldn't get the same results... If they were magical causes at all.

Hoal senses no arcane play in the area that suggests "sudden house combustion".

Jake meant to add to his post "And don't say "an Explosion"...", so we'll skip that confusion for Pete's sake. Pete says, "Thanks!"

Quelenna looks at her father expectantly when Jake asks his question. Aramil says, "I don't know. I wasn't experimenting with explosives or anything. Just writing in my journal."

Mara-Kai says, "This day just gets weirder and weirder. First the lack of Fey in School, now this..."

"This warrants investigation," Gale says, "I don't sense magic at work, so I suggest we leave the poking about for clues to the professionals lest we trample the clues under foot from inexperience in such matters."

"Lack of fey?" Jake asks, "Don't you qualify as fey, miss?  Was there a big fey party you weren't invited to?  Think it has anything to do with doomsday dwarf?"

  "If every doomsayer was responsible for tragedy, then the world would not be standing.  However, I suspect we are lacking even the slightest lead otherwise, true link to events or not."  If this were an edition where it was a casual spell (...is it i 4th ed?), Hoal would ask if Aramil had happened to be writing explosive runes in his journal as a violent anti diary snooping measure.

  Dear Diary, I went to the mall today with the girls and it was fabulous, also, you're a dick for reading thi*BOOM*

Mara-Kai answers Jake, "I don't count as fey. I am elemental." my dear Watson. "What doomsday dwarf?"

Quelenna says, "There was a dwarf here going on about imminent doom. Possibly related..." she looks at her dad and step mom. Aramil goes to hold his wife and daughter close. Aramil speaks quietly, "We should find a more private place to talk about this..." as he begins leading his two ladies off, letting the emergency crew finish with his home.

Gale and Jake are part of said emergency crew at this point.  Gale makes no indication of nosing into another's business, but Jake double-checks.

"Does 'we' include me?" he asks quietly, "And why'd you get all quiet all of a sudden?"

Gale shrugs at Hoal.  "Following leads sounds like a job for law enforcement.  I'm a scholar with scholarly curiosity.  While I'd be interested in what's behind all this mystery, I don't want to get in the way of the authorities.  If we're to look into this, we should probably check with them first."

  Hoal suspects less than selfless reasons for why Aramil would desire to discuss such matters in public.  Unless this was one of those weird 'doesn't want to alarm anyone' things he could never quite grasp the point of.  "I would suggest you come along regardless Jake.  This may be something he only speaks of once for all we know, better to hear it from the source."

  At Gale's suggestion, he says "If it were Aramil that held answers, then the authorities would have none for us.  However, he has narrowly avoided death.  If there was a chance of further danger to himself, then explaining what he knows in the presence of the authorities would likely be safer for him."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:14, Tue 21 June 2011.

That's because Hoal hasn't been in a riot before. And even if he dodged it, he'd have a dead sister on his hands. Hopefully, though, the story will make the others matter almost as much (right now, they are all just acquaintances)

Aramil nods to Jake and upon Hoal suggesting Aramil might be safer with the authorities, Aramil thinks on it. "There is one I trust. Let's go to her." to Jake he says, "You will find out soon enough why I was being quiet."

Quelenna and Mara-Kai follow along to the authorities.

When the group arrives, Aramil goes to Officer Bordeceli. We know her as Bridget. Aramil says, "I need to speak with you privately about a problem that is going on in this city." So Bridget takes the group to a room.

Aramil explains, "The fey have been called to the Feywild. All of us. And the rulers of the Feywild have come to a very dire decision. They plan to attack the Prime Material plane... this is... this world. Unfortunately, if I said this out loud, people may have immediately considered me, my wife, my daughter, and anyone they decide to mistake as fey to be enemies. A riot would occur and we would be dead."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:02, Thu 23 June 2011.

"Attack the Prime Material?" Jake asks in obvious confusion, "What in the world for?  And what makes them think they'll succeed?"

"I doubt this man was given details on their specific tactics for victory," Gale says, "And I could rattle off plenty of reasons for them attack, but it would be helpful if you let us know what reasons they told you that diplomacy wouldn't work.  And thank you for letting us know.  Think this might be connected to the explosion at your house?"

  "If I were to guess, possibly when it comes to the various realms the Prime Material is both full of potential hazards to any, as well as the one that poses the least risk in assaulting compared to ones such as the elemental chaos or astral sea.  If a scapegoat plane was needed, they would find much less willing to follow orders to attack places such as those."

  Anyone want to attack a numbered hell?
  Boooooo!
  Okay, how about a peasant village?
  Yaaaaay!

  "As your house has already been destroyed, with you inside of it, I somehow thing we are beyond the point where keeping your family from being a target is an option.  Although I can understand the desire to prevent further risks to them.  Though I am curious, what were your rulers stance on Half-Elven and the like?  Or those with no Fey decent who have pacts with Fey entities?"

  Who let this Tiefling in here!?  He works for one of our gods sir.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:21, Wed 22 June 2011.

Aramil says, "I was likely targeted by my own kind because I didn't feel the reasons given to attack this world were justified enough. But I will tell you those reasons: The head prophet of the Feywild foresaw the whole of the Feywild decimated by the people of the Prime Material. He even saw you folks destroying your own world in the process... and all this for power. The Fey council believes if they don't strike your world first, the Feywild is doomed to die. They wish to invade, conquer, and maybe with luck, preserve your world."

Bridget says, "You realize, of course, most authorities of this world will not simply take your word for it."

Aramil says, "Yes... and worse still, a few of your authorities will hope it to be true so they can profit from the upcoming war. But I have nothing beyond my eye-witness account as proof. Even if I had managed to keep a recording of the events, my house was blown to pieces and set on fire."

Quelenna looks at Hoal and then to Aramil and says, "Well I didn't know about this... and I'm fey. So Hoal asks a valid question: Who knows about this and who will be involved?"

Aramil says, "I honestly am not sure. The reason you weren't involved is because I made sure you weren't."

Quelenna rubs her arm. Her step-mom looks saddened.

Aramil says, "The prophecy was pretty detailed. Including the extinction of many races that live on this world."

Jake blink-blinks in shock, not knowing what to say.

Gale nods sagely as if she saw this revelation coming from a mile away.

"And that would explain why they would assume diplomacy is a no-go.  So much irony.  In trying to undo the prophesy, they'll likely be the very reason it comes true.  Even if they succeed in preventing the predicted future, they'll have made their most trusted prophet a liar.  While your own kind attacking you is a likely possibility, there's no evidence it really was them, is there?  Best not to jump to conclusions right now.  But I'm glad you came to the conclusion that their response to this prediction was a bad one.  Any idea how long before this prophesy will come to pass?

"Officer.  In the event that the authorities are in need of a scholar who happens to be a beginning level illusionist, I am at your disposal."

"And an inventor who happens to be a beginning artificer," Jake adds.

  "A widely sweeping threat, if there ever was one.  However such vagueness in the means of destruction or reason of cause make it hard to take seriously if not for the fact your leaders are already taking hostile action.  For a prophecy so detailed, we have been given next to none of them.  Through no fault of your own if such was kept from you.  If you do know the means by which this realm would destroy itself however, it may be best to seek this out.  Wars will ever be part of life.  Realm shattering events by their very nature, are one time occurrences."  While sound logic,  Hoal may be taking the wrong plot hook.

Aramil says, "I think the prophecy included a form of magic called "Defiling Magic" that was able to suck life out of the immediate area. It was more powerful than other magic, so those who used it began over-using it and destroying all life around them. As to who discovered defiling magic or where, they did not say. I'm unsure what other details you wish you knew, but it's almost unheard of for a prophecy to provide the details on how something comes about. Just that it does. I could sit here and tell you what races will become extinct, but I'm unsure how useful that would be."

Bridget says, "At the least, it would give the authorities a good idea who to give warning to."

Aramil says, "Very well... Kobolds, ogres, Trolls, orcs, gnomes, wemics, lizard men, pixies, goblins... those were the ones listed. And according to prophecy, it was part of some "cleansing" crusade. Good luck warning them."

Bridget says, "We'll find a way. Meanwhile, I suggest you bunch prepare yourselves. Any of you who just offered to help, your first mission is going to be warning those races listed."

Quelenna nods and says, "Most of those races are known for being mostly populated by ruthless or evil people. But extinction? That's overboard. Heck, I've heard of good orcs before. But I *know* lots of gnomes and pixies are good. We'll start with them."

Gale rubs her chin.

"Now the attack on one of their own is making more sense, assuming that is indeed what happened.  If word of this defiling magic got out, it would accelerate efforts to discover it.  Not surprising that they would assume prime material types to be more likely to make use of life-sucking magic.  Especially as a weapon to defend themselves against a feywild invasion.  So in a way, this is a clue into the possibility that they are aware that their actions could spark the very thing that they are trying to prevent.  I'm sure phrases such as 'Necessary risk' were used in their debates.  No doubt there are individuals who are using this prophesy as an excuse to advance their own agendas.

"Starting with gnomes and pixies sounds like a good approach.  Meanwhile I would recommend inviting some of the magic professors to send animal messengers to the other less inviting races to give them warning."

Gale takes out a map and points out the nearest gnome/pixie community.  If it looks like everyone's ready to go, she heads out and leads the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:18, Mon 18 July 2011.

  "I suspect such a task may be beyond us, though such a fact does not mean the little we can reach deserve no warning." One of the easiest ways to negate 'All is meaningless in the grand scheme' thought processes Hoal starts to go through, is to remember that he wouldn't exactly do much of anything if he took philosophical views quite so literally.

  But yes.  Warn entire species of impending threats and Doom.  In person.  Maybe there was an opening to kick Grumsh in the ground instead, that sounded much more easily accomplished.

  "I am uncertain about the true threat of this prophesised defiling magic.  While such methods would clearly be a risk to the world if overused, if they were truly that much stronger to merit that overuse then how could it's wielders have not succeeded long before the world is reduced to ruin?"  Hoal will follow along with his Sister regardless.

OOC Style:  Ah, good ol plot magics.  Defiling Magic! Oh so Uber!  Enslave the world!  Wow! It must have some great powers and bonuses, what can our players do with it?...  Reroll an Arcane Attack roll for Day powers only, must take second result, and automatic irresistible HP Surge damage to allies within a huge radius... Uh...  That sucks.  A lot.  Who would even use this?

  I also just realized,  Dragonborn take more damage to defiling than other Races then, due to their buffed Surge value.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:55, Mon 18 July 2011.

Aramil answers Hoal, "I do not know. My guess? You kill the farmer, his farm dies. Kill a community, the city falls to ruin. Kill a dozen entire races into extinction... the world begins to die."

Bridget gives the group a map to the nearest gnomish community. "Go speak with the leaders there." she then stamps the map with something. "Show them this seal to prove what you mean is officially acknowledged by this city."

Warning a whole race is easier than you might think. Word can spread amazingly fast. Just ask any middle/high school student.

When the team is ready to head out, they are provided a horse-drawn wagon and the driver offers basic lessons on how to drive while en route. Aramil takes his wife and goes with the group, claiming he'll be moving into the gnomish community until things calm down.

"There's also the trouble that once 'success' is accomplished, the 'successful' turn on each other," Gale points out, "All the while those less successful try their darndest to climb that ladder to the top."

Gale accepts the map and bows to Bridget.

"Thanks.  I'll get on that right away."

She studies the map and gladly accepts any lessons offered.