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Renault, Évrard

[SHOW]

"Évrard?" you hear called back after a moment, faint but still able to be picked out among the chatter. It comes from a ways to your left, through more clustered people you can barely make out in the darkness.

"Renault, is that you?" is also heard, coming more from the right, in the same direction as you hear the shouting coming from before.

"Hopefully one of the neighbors has noticed the flames by now and sent a servant to the fire brigade," the armored man says, freeing himself from Renault's support. "If not, we'd be best trying to see if there is another way out of this garden. I can't imagine it will do to well with an inferno raging through it."

Jacques

[SHOW]

It takes some time, but you manage to reach the back of the garden the same as your brother and new acquaintance. You can faintly tell you've arrived because the chatter from the remaining party-goers makes it clear they are nearby, and you occasionally bump into a few people as they go. Most of the chatter seems to simply be some people consoling others, or trying to calm the situation. However, you do hear someone loudly shouting at someone else a bit in the distance, though it is difficult to tell what they are saying with the other chatter happening nearby. Additionally, you do quite faintly hear someone say "Renault, is that you?" in the distance.

"Adrienne!" Renault calls again. "I'm over here. Hurry!" he pleads.

Turning back to the armored man, the Father nods. "We should check the perimeter. Surely there must be a way out."

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Can you explain the perimeter that I can see? Are there walls boxing us in, or tall hedges, etc?

"This way Alicia!" Évrard calls out before turning to the other men.

"We could probably get everyone over the wall with some effort but we may not have the time. There must be a side gate somewhere we can force open," he suggests.

Jacques breathes a sigh of relief as he draws nearer to the chatter. Goddess, grant me more strength for just a little longer. He further perks up as he hears his sister's voice piercing through the crowd. "Could I have some assistance here? A healer? A doctor? Anybody?" he calls out in the crowd, hoping another can tend to the dying woman now that they're in more relative safety.

[sblock=Renault, Évrard]"I will leave the investigation to you two," the man responds, before heading more towards the right. "I've got something to do first, and people who may be of help," continues as he moves further in the direction of the shouting[/sblock]
[sblock=Jacques]Through the crowd you can hear someone moving forward towards you after your call for help. It takes a short time, but eventually you are greeted by a familiar voice in the dark. "I am here," comes the sound of Katarina, sounding somewhat exhausted. "What is the situation? How can I help?"[/sblock]
[sblock=OOC]You can see very little of the garden, more just silhouettes in the darkness and vague shapes. You can tell that the pathways you've walked along have mostly been gravel, weaving through various hedges and benches, statues and fountains. The walkways have been lined with oil lamps that all remain unlit, though you can make out their locations by the gaps in the hedges leading to their bases, and can occasionally spot their silhouettes when the lighting permits.

The rear of the garden appears to be a solid mass from what you can faintly make out, suggesting that there is either a masonry wall or a line of hedges. There are still a decent number of people between any of you and the edge, so closer inspection might reveal more details. Finding or creating a light source might help too.

Between where you are now and the rear of the garden appears to be a relatively flat space unburdened by decoration and foliage, likely an open yard area where games or lounging occurs. The survivors of the ballroom's events are gathered in this area and clearly terrified. Some chat amongst themselves, some are more distraught and in need of consoling. Others appear to be taking charge and doing what they can to calm the situation down, though with little success from what you can yell. All of this is made quite difficult by the sheer darkness of the area.[/sblock]

"Katarina, thank the Goddess," Jacques replies, sighing with relief as the renowned healer appears. "It's Marcella. She's a lost a lot of blood and won't make it without help," the man says solemnly. "I've heard your skills are great, but can you work miracles?"

"Very well," Évrard replies to the Armoured Man before turning back to Renault. "Some light would help. Do you have anything we could light the lanterns with?" He asks.

"No," the Father answers with an unseen frown. "Though I suppose we can find some."

He turns to face the rest of the weary crowd. "Does anyone have any matches? We need to light these lamps," the man calls out, his voice ragged after all the shouting so far.

[sblock=Jacques]"I will do my best," the woman replies. "Do you know where she is wounded? How much blood she is lost? It will be difficult to do anything in this darkness, but I will do my best," she continues. As the woman speaks, you can hear a familiar voice in the darkness shout out, "does anyone have any matches? We need to light these lamps."[/sblock]
[sblock=Évrard, Renault]No one approaches the two of you immediately following Renault's call for aid, though after a moment you hear some footsteps approaching. "Évrard, are you alright? Did those... things hurt you?" comes Alicia's voice as she draws nearer. Her voice is quickly followed by Adrienne, from the other direction. "Renault! Where is Jacques?" you can tell that there is fear in her voice at the question.[/sblock]

"He's close," Renault answers to his sister, his mask long-gone. "We got split up. But he's here. Stay with me, okay? We are going to get through this, Adi."

Jacques thinks back to minutes prior, when his brother had been examining Marcella. He recalls Renault examining her neck, having thought nothing of it at the time but suddenly realizing. "Her neck, I believe," Jacques says to Katarina. "As for how much, I can't say. My brother seems to have tried to slow it, though."

From the darkness, Jacques hears Renault's voice. "Speak and he shall be heard," he says with a subtle smile, relieved his sibling is safe from harm. He calls out, "And with great haste, Renault! We can't save Marcella in the dark."

"I'm fine Alicia," Évrard says. "I've had worse in battle against the heretics," he adds, before pausing for a second.

"We need to create some light so we can find a way out of here. Any ideas?" He asks his sister given that no one had answered Renault.

[sblock=Renault, Évrard]"Okay," the woman responds to Renault as she arrives at his side, giving the man a large hug. She still sounded somewhat afraid, but it is clear that she is feeling relieved to have found one of her siblings. From further towards the house the both of you can hear Jacques call out, "and with great haste, Renault! We can't save Marcella in the dark."

"I'm not sure," Alicia responds to Évrard as the other pair of siblings speak. "Perhaps we could use a branch from one of the bushes? I don't know how to set it aflame, though," she continues, trailing off as she arrives closer to the man and takes his hand, squeezing it firmly in her distressed state.[/sblock]
[sblock=Jacques]The woman's silhouette nods in the darkness as she takes in Jacques' words. "Very well. As that man said, we need to get light quickly. Do you have any loose cloth? A handkerchief or scarf, perhaps? I will work on making more proper bandages, but I will need material to work with," the princess continues, as she takes Marcella and gently lays her down on the ground to begin her work.[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]Jake, use your flintlock to ignite some flammable shit, then we can start the oil lamps[/sblock]

Évrard returns Alicia's squeeze with one of his own in an attempt to reassure her. "A branch could work and my pistol can provide the spark," he replies after a moments' thought.

He lets go of Alica's hand with a final light squeeze, and makes his way over to the nearest bush. Breaking off a branch and making sure it is long enough to reach the lanterns, he also gathers a few of the smaller twigs to use as kindling. He crouches down, arranging the kindling in a pile around one end of the larger branch. He draws his pistol once more, and after checking it is unloaded he cocks the gun and holds the mechanism close to the kindling before pulling the trigger.

"Aye, I do," Jacques remarks, retrieving a handkerchief from his coat pocket. He hands it to Katarina, hoping the others are able to light the garden before it's too late.

[sblock=Renault, Évrard]The gunshot causes the people not within earshot of the earlier conversation to gasp and begin to panic in the distance. The mechanism sparks and it causes some of the kindling to ignite, causing a small bit of flame to appear. With a bit of fanning and a few moments of waiting the flame is eventually large enough to spread to the branch to make a makeshift torch, or large match.

When the fire comes into view many of the people who had initially panicked seem to calm back down, though not all seem to realize the connection between the two and there are still a number of those in the distance in shock. A few close by clap for Évrard as his face comes into view.[/sblock]
[sblock=Jacques]"Thank you," the woman says, sounding somewhat stressed. She quickly grabs the handkerchief before placing it to the woman's neck in the darkness. However, she quickly comes more into view as a gunshot is heard and, moments later, a light appears a few dozen feet in the distance along the path. You can see that it was the man who went up the stairs with you and Renault, now holding a lit branch from some bush or tree.[/sblock]
[sblock=OOC]The single lit branch does not provide enough light to illuminate the entire area, or even really anything more than a few feet from its source. However, it can function as a very short-term torch to move around. The area it does illuminate reveals that there are a handful of lamps in the immediate vicinity around where Renault and Évrard are standing, and many others visible by shadow and silhouette further along the path and all directions.[/sblock]

"Good," Renault grunts, grasping for another twig or branch in the dim light and lighting it with the other man's improvised torch.

"Let's get these lamps going. That'll make it safer for everyone to evacuate." He begins to move toward the closest lamp, hoping to figure out a way to safely ignite the oil within. Just need to keep an eye out for those... creatures.

"Thank the Goddess, some light," Jacques remarks as a faint light begins to pierce through some of the darkness. He is unphased by the gunshot, having dealt with much worse earlier in the night. How can a gunshot startle one after having seen a giant flaming snake?

Évrard replies to Renault with a nod, standing up and moving towards the second nearest lamp. "Once the lamps are lit we can always light more torches off of them," he says as he attempts to light the lamp, wary that the branches will likely burn out relatively quickly.

[sblock=OOC]The lamps are around 10 feet high from the ground, high enough that it is possible for someone quite tall to reach them with not too much difficulty, but most others would need aid. Someone giving another a boost should be sufficient to reach them to light them. Otherwise, it might be possible to climb a lamp post if one is skilled enough.[/sblock]

"Can someone boost me up?" Évrard asks no one in particular - seeing he can't quite reach the lamp with the length of the branch alone - hoping either Jacques or one of the crowd come to his aid.

"Yes," Renault grunts, setting the smoldering branch next to him. He takes a knee and lifts his hands toward the man to help raise him. "We need to hurry, Captain," he says quietly. "Chaos will ensue if that... thing reaches us before we've gotten free of the gardens."

While not especially difficult, it does take some time and maneuvering for Renault to lift Évrard and keep him steady enough to remove the lid from the lantern and light the wick inside. It appears to still have a decent amount of oil in its base from the last time it was lit, suggesting the light should burn for at least a few hours before going out. As it is ignited the area around becomes more illuminated, the light from the lantern spreading out a few yards in every direction and illuminating the faces of many nearby.

With one lantern lit it becomes all the more clear that there are numerous other potential light sources. One of them is not too far from where Jacques is currently located, and would surely provide enough light to aid Katarina in her healing attempt should it be lit soon.

"Let's do the others now," Renault says to Evrard, stepping toward his brother.

"Jacques, help lift me so I can light this," the man asks, gesturing toward the oil lamp near him, a flaming branch still in hand.

Jacques breaths a sigh of relief as one of the oil lamps is finally lit, dimly illuminating the expansive gardens. He looks up from Katarina's duties as his brother's figure emerges in the light. Nodding, he says, "Of course. We need as much light as we can get." Standing himself, he helps his sibling to reach the lamp.

At Jacques' mention of needing as much light as possible Évrard has an idea. He walks back over to the bush and breaks off more branches before lighting them and handing them to other nearby party goers. "Light more of the lamps if you can. If not light more branches and pass them round," he says.

We need to look for a way out of here and it's going to take too long with just the three of us lighting the lamps one at a time.

Alicia and Adrienne are two of the first to respond to Évrard's orders, and a number of others follow suit after he begins to hand out the burning branches. Some people pair up and also light lamps, others begin to light more branches and begin to look around. Within a few minutes it is nearly fully illuminated in the garden, and the full layout begins to come into view.

The walkway, which most people are on, is lined with short 1-2 foot high hedges for most of its length from the manor in the distance to where you are now. However, towards the end of the garden - where many others are standing - the hedges and walkway end in a large grassy yard, likely the site of games and other activities when the Twins are entertaining guests. This yard extends a dozen or so meters back, not lined with any lamps of its own, and in the distance you can faintly see what appears to be the back wall to the estate ground. It appears to be a metal fence lined with shrubbery about 10 feet high, with ornamented spiked tops. You cannot make out a lot from this distance, but perhaps if you move closer with a source of light you will be able to see more

"I'm going to check out that wall and what's beyond it," Renault says, already moving for the yard. He holds his burning branch forward, hoping to find some form of passage out of the estate.

Jacques nods to his brother, hopeful he discovers a means of escape from the yard. I pray we're not trapped back here. With the garden now more lit, he turns back towards the princess-to-be. "How are you doing, Katarina? Is there anything else you need?"

"I'll join you," Évrard says, following Renault. "The wall wouldn't be impossible for a few people to climb over if needed, but there's no chance of getting everyone out quickly that way," he says as they approach the yard.

Renault, Évrard

[SHOW]

Moving closer to the wall you can see that it extends many meters in both directions from where you stand. However, in one of the directions - to your left, if facing the wall - it appears that a few dozen meters away there is a gap in the shrubbery lining the wall. It is only faintly visible from where you stand, but at the angle and with the small bit of light you have it is possible to just barely make it out.

Jacques

[SHOW]

"A hospital would be nice," the woman says with a bit of forced laughter, as she continues to work at Marcella's wounds. After a pause she adds, "at this point I have all I think I am going to find. We should definitely find a way out of here, though. She needs real medical attention, there is only so much my spells can do and they won't stop infection if she stays out here too long."

"There," Renault notes, hurrying toward the gap in the foliage. A way out? Or a way further in...

Jacques nods to the healer-princess, replying, "I shall go see if I can help find a way out." He follows the direction his brother and the man from earlier had went. "Any progress?" he asks the pair of gentlemen. "Marcella can't stay in this garden much longer if she's to live."

"Maybe this way," Évrard replies to Jacques as he moves to follow Renault towards the gap. "Based on what we saw inside, I imagine that applies to all of us," he adds.

Moving further still you get far enough away that you are no longer within earshot of the rest of the gathered guests. Closer still and the flames of your burning twigs reveal that the gap gives way to a large but otherwise mundane wrought iron gate, connecting two spans of the outer fencing. It seems to separate the estate from a back road, connecting it along with what appears to be the outer walls of some other estates across the way, and presumably eventually letting out at a main roadway.

The gate itself features a pair of wheels where it swing open, wheels which run along a curved stone track over an otherwise dirt and gravel ground. This path appears to head from the road further towards the estate, though with the limited light you cannot quite tell where it terminates. You can see that the gate itself is sealed with a large chain that is licked with a thick, heavy iron lock, though it does not appear from the outside to be an especially complex one.

"I don't suppose either of you two know anything about locks?" Évrard asks, turning to the two men with him, unaware of their specific skills and strengths.

Jacques shakes his head at the man's query. "Lockpicking isn't exactly a Navy-taught skillset." Nor is it becoming of the head of the city's most renowned orphanage.

"I fall into the same boat," Évrard says in reply. "It's not a skill set I'd expect many to have at this event."

Renault slips his writing case from a pouch at his waist, removing a pair of small penknives from within. He had broken into a few locked doors in his past, though more often in his bestial form and rarely with the finesse required now. "If this doesn't work, then I suppose we'll just have to destroy the lock — or the chain."

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Thievery check to pick lock: 14(1d20) +7 = 21

After some fiddling with his tools, Renault finds that the lock is as was assumed - not especially complex, and not difficult to open. Once picked the lock falls to the ground below, landing in the gravel with a soft thud. The heavy chain remains mostly in place, but should be simply enough for one or two people to remove, and is the only remaining obstacle to opening the gate.

Good. Keeping with the momentum of picking the lock, Renault begins to unravel the chains from around the gate-ends. "Help me with this," he demands, droplets of sweat falling to his hands as he works.

Jacques watches with astonishment as his elder brother manages to pick the gate's lock. "I don't suppose that skill to taught to all the clergy, is it?" However, not one to distract himself with such a thought when work was to be done, the man assists in removing the large chain from the gate.

"Good work," Évrard says as Renault manages to pick the lock. A clergyman with lock picking skills. An Apostle perhaps? He thinks eyeing Renault. He watches as the two brothers removing the chains, deciding a third pair of hands would only get in the way.

It requires some effort to eventually lift and maneuver the heavy chains through the bars of the gate, but after a few moments the St. Claire siblings manage to do just that. Placing the chain off to the side of the path, near the bushes, you find that the gate now appears to be able to easily open, moving smoothly along the stone tracks.

Opening them enough to move through, you find that the roadway behind the estate perimeter is as mundane and narrow as one might expect from a service-way. The road, made of rough cobble and curved slightly towards the edges, appears to extend a ways in either direction in a mostly straight path. You can not see far, but you do notice that the estate opposite the Dupuis one appears to have a similar back gate not far down the pathway towards your left, though theirs appears made of wood like the rest of their fencing.

"A way out," Renault remarks. "Let's start the evacuation. Hurry!" he shouts, racing back toward the crowd of people. As he nears, he cups a hand around his mouth, the other hand waving the burning branch to garner attention.

"Everyone! There is a way out back here! Move quickly, yet safely!" the Father cries out, his booming voice projecting through the courtyard. I sincerely hope this doesn't cause a trampling.

Renault looks around warily for the surviving Dupuis twin. We will need to carry her again, he considers.

Jacques breathes a sigh of relief as the gate is finally opened, their garden prison a prison no longer. As his brother seeks to spread the news, the vampiric man makes his way towards Katarina and the downed twin. "How is she faring? We've a way out now, if we might be able to move her."

"Thank the Goddess," Évrard says once they manage to open the gate and are giving an apparent route to safety. The Navy Captain follows the two brothers back towards the rest of the party goers to assist with evacuating people. "As soon as we've got everyone out of here we should alert the city watch," he says. "If we escape the estate there's no reason whatever remains inside can't either."

"I wonder where the other group ended up after we were split up in the ballroom," he wonders aloud. Specifically Hector and the Commodore, he thinks to himself.

With Renault's words, there is an initial confusion before sounds of rejoicing. This is quickly followed by the sight and sound of many people moving rapidly through the dark garden in the direction the men show them. Some move rapidly, ending up passing the others, but by and large most of the people are too injured, exhausted, drunk, or some combination of the three to cause a stampede.

The direction Jacques heads in is clear to Renault and Évrard, and the Tulrissian princess makes no efforts to limit her speech should either of the men accompany the other to speak with her. "No changes," she says to the man at his approach. "I've managed to stop the bleeding as much as I can, but as I said, there is only so much that can be done out here. Moving her would be best. Do we have anything around to wheel or on? Or will she just be... carried?" the woman asks, looking worried about the prospect.

"Perhaps we might find a wheelbarrow or similar within the yard," Jacques remarks as Katarina mentions wheeling the injured woman. He scans the darkened yard, hoping to find a wheelbarrow or pushcart, or a service shed that might contain one.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception to look for a wheeled thing or a shed that could have one: 17(1d20) +4 = 21