The bolt misses. Those standing nearby look in horror and rage at Sebastian, assuming that he was aiming for the Elect.

On the stage, the banker abruptly lunges. Those watching see a blade appear in his hand. Raskovel, caught off guard, is struck with vicious precision, the small blade piercing into the side of her neck. She slumps down, with the Banker cradling the body.

The crowd goes mad.

So Sebastian was acting in a surprise round - he was the only one who rolled high enough to see it coming, on the sense motive. Additionally, the crowd is too thick to permit charging (it acts as difficult terrain of a non-natural variety) unless there's a special ability in use. So I don't think that anyone is able to act further before the Banker/Whisper pulls this off. If I'm incorrect, lemme know and I can adjust it.

Voh'ren lets out a frustrated growl as the scene unfolds too fast for him or Kiru to do anything to stop it. He stops mid-stride and lets out a warbling whistle, signaling the wolf to break off its attack.

The Half-Orc reflexively draws his hood back over his face. Given the chaos that is about to ensue, he is more than a little afraid that his Orcish heritage will make him a potential scapegoat...

OOC:

I can technically hit the regular Handle Animal DCs on a Take 1, but I think I am supposed to roll them anyway?

19:34, Today: Voh'ren Wildheart rolled 19 using 1d20+14.  Handle Animal-Have Kiru stand down (DC 10).

Everything was happening so fast that Bristle scarcely had time to comprehend what exactly was happening. She had been contemplating Firea's comment about the stagehands when Sebastian's warning rendered it moot. She could tell, even from this distance, that the placement of the banker's dagger meant Raskovel had already left the land of the living. "The elect is beyond saving. Focus on the assassin!" She could also tell that Voh'ren's "fight or flight" mode had kicked in, but the ranger was currently hampered by the crowds. She quickly moved toward him before the half-orc got too far away that she wouldn't be able to catch up. She wove a divine spell even as she moved. Maybe some flight would help with his fight.

"Let Death's soul-step assist your journey. Voh'ren, take this blessing and walk above the crowds. Do what you need to do!" She would have targeted his wolf, but animals tended to need training before they would willingly walk on air. Unfortunately, in her armor, Bristle wouldn't be much help in any sort of a chase.

---

Bristle moved toward the stage/Voh'ren and cast Air Walk on Voh'ren. It will last 70 minutes.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/air-walk/

Cursing at his ineffectiveness, Sebastian quickly utters a magical blessing upon himself and begins pushing through the crowd, trying to get to the front. "Out of my way you blasted fools!"

Standard Action: Cast Heroism on Self
Move Action: Push forward through crowd, trying to get to the stage.

Hester reaches out, moving as quickly as she can to close the range between her and the banker, trying to block his escape, assuming he would attempt an escape  When she gets near enough she will begin making broad gestures with her extremely long arms and cast a spell.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Sun 22 Nov 2020.

Firea remains in her fox form and begins charging for the stage at full speed! Between legs, through legs, whatever route her small animal self can take to get there she takes it, and quickly!

[OOC: In fox form Firea has a speed of 40, and is tiny. So she will use that to her advantage and head for the stage.]

Voh'ren snaps his head in Bristle's direction. He gives her a nod of understanding, and runs over the heads of the crowd.

OOC:

If I can run, I'll reach the stage with the banker and the dead woman by the next round.

Caleb took a moment to take in what had just happened before his eyes, watching the madness unfold in front of him before snapping back into reality, raising his crossbow to fire. Seeing Voh'ren take to the air to charge the Banker as Sebastian attempted to push through the crowd, he dropped once more into a firing crouch and took careful aim before firing a single shot.

ooc: Spending one point of grit to use my Targeting Shot deed, aiming for the head. The result of the attack is a 29. Assuming this hits, the Banker takes 12 piercing damage from a +1 weapon and is confused for one round as a mind affecting effect. Lastly, this seems like it's probably initiative time to me, if it is my result for that is a 27.

Hester isn't using magic to get into range.  Instead, she's worming her way through the crowd, partly through barging, partly through the judicious use of the words, "excuse me" and partly by easing her way into gaps.  If that doesn't work, she'll cast enlarge person on herself and roar at anyone in her way.

09:41, Today: Hester Darkeye rolled 25 using 1d20+8.  Oops forgot initiative d20+8.

I suppose I should roll initiative too.
08:48, Today: Bristle Chonk rolled 7 using 1d20-1.  Initiative

The Banker drops the blade as it is slicked with grease, a moment before the bolt takes him hard in the temple. He staggers, but straightens, looking towards the crowd. His expression is one of abject horror as the crowd screams, panicking. Some of them turn towards Caleb and Sebastian, clearly thinking them the assassins.

Meanwhile, Firea, Voh'ren, and Hester all reach the stage, at the eye of the storm that this crowd has become.

"Who benefits?" asks Hester aloud.  "Who gains from this murder.  I see the murder weapon down there", she pauses to point to it, "But who is next in line?" Obviously this is not the sort of question one should ask if one has any common sense.

Bristle continued to hustle toward her faster allies, keeping an eye on the crowds around her. She wanted to know if any guards were rushing in with harmful intent, or if any random crowd members were going to start casting the sleep spells they had prepared for. Her armor clanked noisily as she made her way past the panicked spectators.

"No!" Atraxus snarls as the bolt pierces the banker's head. He slams a fist down on the stage, frustrated with being so utterly helpless to prevent another death. He looks in the direction of the shot, and is genuinely shocked to see the shooter as Caleb. It takes him a moment to understand his companion's intent, but it does not make the present situation any better.

"We're with the Andoran government," Atraxus says to any guards taking the stage. "We may have a lead on the assassin. Please, give us a chance to investigate the scene."

"Firea," Atraxus says to the small fox once it arrives, "see if you can smell any of those spell components on the deceased. You're more familiar with the components than Kiru is. In the meantime, I'll try to look for clues."

The Half-Orc scans the scene and the crowd, looking for anything that might be amiss...

OOC:

21:25, Today: Voh'ren Wildheart rolled 17 using 1d20+11.  Perception.

Forgot initiative

21:26, Today: Voh'ren Wildheart rolled 5 using 1d20+2.  Initiative.

Firea growls low at the still living banker, flames evident in the mouth of the small fox as she stares at the banker. Her seven tails swishing behind her as she attempts to use pure intimidation upon the man. "Get on your knees, place your hands on your head, and surrender for the murder of the Supreme Elect Elena Raskovel." The very flames playing at her mouth and body shows two things, why she is indeed Firea the Firefox, and that if he does not comply she will indeed burn him where he stands.

[OOC:
17:33, Today: Firea rolled 17 using 1d20+2.  Initiative.

17:32, Today: Firea rolled 20 using 1d20+16.  Intimidate.

It's funny that she doesn't need to roll very high at all to have a good Intimidate roll. It's even more funny that a small fox can be that intimidating.

Also, does Firea smell any of the spell components on the banker as she gets closer to him?]

Voh'ren blinks his eyes, somewhat surprised that the fox is talking to what he thought was a dead banker. However, it does indeed appear that the man is somehow alive. He shifts his focus from looking for a killer to treating the man's injury.

"I'm not sure he'll be able to answer," he says as he expertly tends to the wound. "Either from the bolt in the head or Whisper's spell."

OOC:

Trying to provide first aid

15:15, Today: Voh'ren Wildheart rolled 23 using 1d20+8.  Heal-Provide First Aid.

"What are you talking about? We all saw who shot her, it was that man over there!" The Banker raises one hand to point up to the hill where Sebastian is standing. "Guards! Seize them!"

You can all roll sense motive.

"We, no everyone, saw you stab her. You will admit what your actions were, and the reasons for doing them to all who stand before you!" Firea said coldly. The flames still playing along her form.

[OOC: Since it is a new day, using one of my two uses per day of Suggestion. The suggestion is "You will admit what your actions were, and the reasons for doing them to all who stand before you!" and the save DC is 18 Will.

22:50, Today: Firea rolled 19 using 1d20.  Sense Motive.]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Thu 26 Nov 2020.

I'm not sure if Bristle is close enough to properly see or hear for Sense Motive, but here is a roll anyway:
21:47, Today: Bristle Chonk rolled 18 using 1d20+10.  Sense Motive: Banker.

"Hold still," growls Voh'ren at the banker, "unless you want that wound to turn into a scar like mine." He turns his head to reveal the jagged scar that runs across his cheek in order to emphasize his point.

OOC:

19:54, Today: Voh'ren Wildheart rolled 27 using 1d20+11.  Sense Motive.

Caleb rose to his feet as he saw the Banker being thoroughly pacified as he loaded another bolt and faced the confused and enraged crowd. "Before any of you does something to force me to shoot you, we are working under the employ of the People's Council, and we've got the paperwork to prove it. That thing on stage is not the High Banker, don't listen to a damn word out of it's mouth. Just stand aside and let us work. The "or else" implicit in his statement didn't need to be voiced, the crossbow slowly sweeping across the lot of them got the point across just fine.

ooc: Given Caleb took his shot from the hilltop 150 feet away, I'm fairly certain he wouldn't be able to hear what's going on stage for the sense motive to work.

Sebastian swears and glares as he tromps through the crowd with the rest of the group. He had failed. Again. It was so horribly perfect. Before he had done terrible things and gotten away with it. Now he had done nothing, but would be blamed for them all. Of course. A dark cloud came over his mind, one of despair and hopelessness. He gripped his hand on the hilt of his glades, despite the pointlessness of it. This was a fight of words and the mind, not of blades, but for all his supposed brilliance, he could see nothing.

20:54, Today: Hester Darkeye rolled 7 using 1d20+6.  Sense motive.  A natural 1.  I wonder what the effect could be.

The people around Caleb draw back, seeming thoroughly cowed by him - though it's not clear how much of that is that he claimed to be working for the People's Council, and how much is that he's an angry man with a crossbow who just accurately shot a man from fifty yards.

Meanwhile on the stage, the Banker flinches away from the party. "What are you talking about?" he says, in a nearly perfect imitation of frightened confusion. "I would never!"

The guards look uncertain, but several of them step up all the same, hands on weapons. "Beg pardon, but I have to take you in. We'll get this sorted out." One of them says, sounding genuinely regretful.

"You would never?" asked Hester.  "Interesting choice of words. Not 'I did never' but 'I would never' suggesting that it is out of character without it being a true denial.  I believe that you did ever, because I saw you holding the knife until you noticed in pure shock what you had done and let it fall from your nerveless fingers.  I suggest that what happened was, you had a black out and then found that you had murdered your victim.  Except that you didn't.  Someone else murdered him and we will find out who.  You were only the weapon."

Hester looks at the banker through half lowered lids as she spoke, her eyes looking almost but not quite normal.  She could plant the suggestion but would she be able to persuade him to act sensibly?  She would have to see about that.


11:26, Today: Hester Darkeye rolled 14 using 1d20.  Bluff = d20+12 so her total is 26