Part I.i. - The Last Will and Testament...

[little]

"Not looking to pick a fight," Reto whispers back as he grabs the front of the casket to keep it balanced. "I just don't want to see an angry mob rush these mourners."

The soldier does his best to look large and intimidating as he helps keep things steady, and listens for a response to Kendra's question.

[joviality]

Navene takes in the situation, surprised that people would be so militant at a funeral. This, coupled with the cold reception the announcement of his funeral received, led Navene to believe that the town of Ravengro was none too fond of Professor Lorrimor. She observed the crowd quietly, waiting for their response to Kendra's reasonable question, and tried to discern their motives for being out here.

Sense Motive: [dice=20] + 8[rand=754833637271076413752354704774916240964798722416166078009267803282]

[Veritas]

The ringleader, so called as Gibs, speaks up loudly. His voice is strong and carries across the murmurs of the gathered crowd, as well as the line of men before him. "Miss Kendra, we ain't got no truck with you, but it ain't right to bury your father in with our kin."

Kendra's eyes widen again. "What do you mean?" she stammers. "We made the arrangements..Father Grimburrow is there...they've already dug..."

[joviality]

Navene lets this new information wash over her along with her impressions of the crowd. They don't seem to want violence, just to stop us from proceeding. There seemed to be a few rabble-rousers, the rest merely followers. It wasn't right though, to deny a man's soul his rest. She firms her grip on the casket - easily shouldering much of its weight - and begins to speak in Kendra's defense.

"Gibs, and townspeople of Ravengro! I am a stranger to your town, but a fellow citizen of Ustalav and priestess of Pharasma. You may not have truck with Kendra or with any of us, but your grudge against Professor Lorrimor must be great indeed if you wish to keep him away from his final rest. Voice your concerns so that they may be addressed, or step aside and allow this funeral procession to pass."

Navene allows a moment for her stern gaze to pass over the crowd, making eye contaxf with Gibs and a few of the villagers brandishing clubs and pitchforks.

[`Nessa]

"Not good," Chouko muttered softly. "If the professor cannot be laid to rest, and the proper rites aren't said over him, he could come back as a hungry ghost..."

Already this place was beyond strange; Chouko wanted to go back to the monastery and the monks, back to a like and a world that made sense. What could these villagers possibly be hoping to achieve but disaster by denying a dead man his final rest? She waited, listening for what she expected to be utterly ridiculous savag logic.

[comicsans12pt]

Solaz hears most of Gibs' speech and wonders at a town so frightened that it would stop a funeral. She wishes they could set the Professor down so that this could be discussed.

Perhaps they will listen and state their objections. If not, we really will need to set the Professor down. It would be unwieldy to run with him although it would make a good tavern song.

Oh Professor, couldn't you have made friends with a few of these people? They would be less scared and you would be less weighty.

Solaz then begins the litany of prayers for the Professor-the same ones she bas been saying since she met him.

[logan]

"Hey, can you take my post back here, and help hold this vessel?" says Fin, motioning to the blonde holding the front of the coffin, "I want to talk to that man."

Fin was growing tired and couldn't help but notice that Reto looked to be much more muscular than himself.

[Veritas]

The crowd looked very...upset at Navene's words. They murmur more and then seem to hunker forward. Clearly, her words hadn't swayed the group of people - though the time's not yet up for talking. The group with clubs hasn't advanced.

Gibs speaks out over the din, and yells over at Kendra. “You don’t get it, woman. We won’t have a necromancer buried in the same place as our kin. I suggest you move out while you still can. Folks are pretty upset about this right now.”

[joviality]

Navene's face grows grim at Gibs' words. She will not suffer the impertinence of a self-righteous man who seeks to deny Pharasma her due. Her grip tightens as she begins to speak. 

"I am afraid you are the one who misunderstands, Gibs. Surely you know that it is wrong to keep any man - be he necromancer or saint - away from the embrace of the Lady of Graves. Do you dare risk the wrath of Pharasma for your stubborn, feeble attempt at decorum? Furthermore, how cowardly of you to wait until the last possible minute - as strangers carry a man of your own village to his grave - to lodge your grievances! Would not it have been proper to have brought up the matter with Kendra or Father Grimburrow before, say, today? The man has been dead longer than two weeks! Surely you had a spare moment in so many days! Shame upon you for wasting the time of all of us, and for keeping Pharasma's hungry hands empty."

Navene's eyes are cold fires, ablaze with a righteous fury she has rarely shown save for in defense of the dead or her deity. 

"I could stop there, shaming you for your transgressions. But no - I will go yet a step further, to amuse your poor craven souls. I shall claim all responsibility for any ills that befall Ravengro as a result of Professor Lorrimor's interment. I do this willfully - put the onus of his sins on me, so that he may be sent to his grave quickly. Pharasma waits, and her patience with the living is not long. Now move aside and go back to your homes."


Intimidate Check: [dice=20]+7[rand=8525058855302632832106359302997676086157723329964236843476537615]

[`Nessa]

Chouko shoots Navene a look of pure acid. If the crowd didn't like her first spiels, they certainly weren't going to like this one. "How dare you ask them to speak and then criticize them for it before fully understanding their fears! Let the man speak!"

She takes a deep breath before she turns to Gibbs with a much gentler demeanor. "Please, forgive her. Her passionate righteousness overcomes her sense. You have concerns so please, tell us about them. I do not know this word... "nec-ro-man-cer." What does it mean? And are there not rites that can be done, or assurances we can give, that would put your minds at ease? These are his kin, too, after all."

Diplomacy check [dice=20] (untrained)[rand=6978543096420823469863886946716394883809343138464816451657621317]

[little]

Reto moves around the casket and takes the place of Fin, as per the request. He easily shoulders the load of the casket, and leans into Fin, whispering as they switch places.

"Please, try and side with that one," he says, pointing to Chouko. "These folks don't seem violent, just trying to bully and intimidate to get their way."

The young soldier takes a quick glance towards Navene, then looks back to Fin.

"Try to get yourself and Kendra in between the crowd and trouble maker to cut her off."

[logan]

Fin now free of the weight, feels relieved. He moves away from the casket, moving slowly towards the group, making eye contact with Gibs.

Fin walks slowly and carefully, hands in front of himself, palms facing the ground, he doesn't want them to think he is approaching as a threat.

Fin stops just a head of the coffin, motioning to Kendra, "Know anything about these guys that I should know, before I talk to them?"

Fin stops his advance, waiting for Gibs' reply to Navene and Chuoko and hopeful that Kendra may better understand the mentality of the locals.

[Veritas]

Kendra turns and looks to Fin's scarred face for a moment. Her eyes seem to ignore the hideous deformity, and they gaze to the elf's eyes. "They are ignorant," she murmurs, so that the babbling crowd doesn't hear her. "They don't understand...please, be careful with them. They will be violent, I fear, if they are made to feel...too foolish."

As she has noted, the people in the mob are looking at Navene, following her sternly worded lecture. They seem half taken aback, and half infurated. Some are looking at Chouko, after she shouts out her piece to the crowd. Gibs turns, and calls out, "See that, they're trying to stop us!"

[`Nessa]

"Not stop!" Chouko says quickly. "I'm only trying to understand what makes you so upset, and to see if an agreement can be reached that's acceptable to you all."

The dead weight of the coffin is starting to get to Chouko, her muscles protesting holding the weight for so long. She wishes the crowd would let them pass so she could set down her portion of the burden. She also looks, with the corner of her eye, for Ping and sighs when she sees that he's keeping well behind the coffin and away from the mob for the time being.

[logan]

Fin continued his trek towards the unwieldy group. Thinking long and hard about what he was about to say, his stomach started to feel like it was sliding up his throat.

Reaching a talking distance, without drawing too near, Fin swallows hard and begins to speak.

"Please! Listen to what I have to say, I want to explain what is happening." spoke Fin, loud enough for Gibs to hear. Getting the full attention of Gibs, and the begrudged stares of many from his mob, he continued to speak.

"We know that the people here do not wish for the professor to be buried with your kin. Father Grimsburrow knew this, too.

That's why he called us here! Me, and the others, we were summoned here from near and far across this land. We were brought here for a reason.

We were brought here because..."

Fin was unsure if Gibs was going to believe his story, but quickly drew his mind back to the picture he was painting, when he thought of the consequences of pissing this man off, more.

"... because... we knew that you would never let us put a man with such a lifestyle to rest with those you love, unless we were able to properly pass his spirit off, and seal his coffin with a blessing so that no part of him can leach the soil where yours rest"

"Look at us! We each have been summoned here because we have different, special skills to see the ceremony completed. We have everything from monks to others of the Temple, and as you can see by their reactions, they are very passionate about letting the dead rest. "

Fin turns and motions for the group to carry the coffin forward, hoping some urgency will help cause the small-minded ringleader to make a decision in haste.

"This coffin is very heavy, and the last thing we want is to have it smash in to pieces and let his remains disgrace these grounds, please let us through...."

Fin starts to move forward as well.

"You have no truck with Kendra, but you are hurting her by not letting her complete this... let us through... you can even watch to make sure that we follow the right protocols. But I must start preparing now!"

Fin opens the side of his large coat, revealing a number of glass jars with various chemicals, bright and interesting in color. Hoping that these ignorant men would not recognize them as standard alchemical supplies, Fin closes coat again.

"I must prepare the mixtures before it's too late".

Fin starts moving more quickly towards the group, closing the distance between himself and Gibs. Not in a threatening manner, but in a way to increase the urgency with which the man must act.

(big ole bluff check here)

[dice=20] + 4[rand=544695336307748713301736582945159451498836800764888984663247691]