Escalating Riots

"We want work! We want bread!"

"We should not suffer hunger! We should not be treated so unfairly!"

Just as the Masked Mage Guild began to act, trouble arose on the churches' side. After receiving notice from the Council, the major good-aligned churches immediately dispatched personnel to stop the riots from spreading further. Yes, immediately. In fact, from the very beginning of the riots, the major good-aligned churches had already taken action. However, aside from a few neutral or chaotic good churches that had begun doing everything they could to halt the unrest, the other lawful good churches had conscientiously exercised restraint and refrained from overstepping their bounds. After all, they had not received authorization from the Council.

There was one bad thing about lawful factions: they did everything by the book. In Athkatla, the churches' actions were restricted. Any major move they made had to be reported to the Council, so by law, lawful good churches could only remain restrained. It sounded absurd, didn't it? But that was indeed the truth. Laws were the embodiment of order, and the Church of Helm, in particular, treated order as its sole standard. Without the Council's permission, they could even watch helplessly as blood flowed in rivers outside.

The chaotic and neutral factions were much better in that regard. Their alignments allowed them to disregard the law entirely.

Finally, after the Council requested aid, the main forces of the lawful factions immediately rushed toward the center of the riots, preparing to quell the unrest. To them, riots not only destroyed order but also harmed many innocent people. No matter how one looked at it, they could not simply stand by.

Unfortunately, before they could achieve anything, they were blocked at an intersection by a group of sallow, emaciated commoners, unable to advance