Talene finally approaches the group with Kira in tow, "Were you playing that awful racket to clear out room for the children to fly kites?!" Talene laughs.
"Well the strategy certainly worked that is for sure". she states as she looks around at all the children trying to fly them.
The winds of the Cathedral and lack of space make it tough to fly the kites very well but Windsight does his best to assist the children in keeping them afloat.
Kira comes by and gives Windsight a kiss on the cheek, "You are so thoughtful", she whispers and then dances away giggling.
The cart finally passes through the crowds and stops near the stage on its right hand side. Sister Thea steps down from the wagon and claps delighted by the display before the stage.
"Those kites look wonderful Acolytes simply wonderful!"
As the children play with the kites, their parents step between the flyers and touch the Godmarked saying short prayers to their Deities of choice for well wishes for the rest of the year for themselves and their loved ones.
This type of activity has been happening more and more frequently of late as you have all been out and about in town. When they can, these supplicants try to directly come into contact with your Birthmarks, nothing overt or pushy mind you. There is a sense of wonder and awe in the eyes of these people as they get near you all.
Perhaps it is the Cathedral finally being consecrated or perhaps seeing it happen to all of you together in the same place at the same time the effect is just, different than it was before, more spiritual. They see you as direct links to the Gods who you represent and it shows.
In truth, Windsight was expecting the children to take the kites down to where they can actually fly them, where there's more wind - the cliffs or the beaches - as that's the place he usually flies his kite. Speaking of his own kite, it's a bit more complex than the others, using two lines and not having the balancing tail the other kites have. Setting it up takes a moment, but with an expert tug and a couple of steps back, the bow-kite zips into the air. Tweaks and tugs of the lines make the bow dip and dodge from side to side, dancing close to the kites nearby.
The Shoanti's concentration upon the flying constructs of fabric is intense, watching his kite as well as the others, eyes bright as he can for once watch how the wind's ripple plays with one kite, then the next, then the next. His focus is strong enough for him to almost not notice those who approach and touch the dark bow-mark down his left arm.
Some of the members of the little “Godtouched” club get skittish about this part of the deal, the fawning, the requests for prayers, the touching. And fair enough if their mark is somewhere a bit more, personal. But Rojava is just fine with it. She’s perfectly happy to be in the crowd, to talk with, hug back, or whatever might be wanted. She’s happy to make them happy. Why not? Some of them need it, most all of them want it, and they should have why they want. It’s fun too, even if she isn’t confident it’s real.
Sure, the mark is there. People who know more about such things than her say it’s a true sign from Desna, so who is she to say differently? But the footprint, that’s Rojava’s private name for the mark, isn’t letting her in on any secrets. No answered prayers, or signs, or manifested imaginary talking butterflies for her.
That’s why she has come to think of it as a footprint. A person walks along and steps on a place, they leave a footprint. They move on. The footprint remains behind. It’s there for anyone to see. But, the footprint maker, do they remember their footprints? No ill will toward Mother Moon or anything like that, Rojava certainly doesn’t keep track of her footprints either. Can’t hold it against someone if you thought there was something between you, but actually there never was.
Footprints eventually fade over time, disappear, that’s the natural order of things. But if a footprint is dug out, taken in and put on a shelf for people to look at, the order of things can’t operate like it should.
While Rojava is working the crowd, she’s thinking Magnamar, Korvosa, Riddleport, south, east, north, which will it be? Or maybe I’ll try to make a new start with Mother Moon, take off my boots and blindfold myself then walk a few miles. Let that decide my direction. Whichever it is, once I’m clear of Sandpoint that mark becomes a tattoo. Nobody ever needs to know that I didn’t choose to put it there myself.
Lia is mostly still focused on her Kite flying, but almost lets go of the line when Kira touches her shoulder from behind, saying 'Hello'. Kira quickly grabs it before the Kite flies away, and hands it back to Lia, who hugs her friend:"Hej. Finally got away from dishwashing duty? Grab a Kite, it's fun! Don't worry about there not being enough for everybody...you can give it to one of the kids later, they'll have plenty of time to fly them all year...today is our day"
Only few of the adults try and touch Lia...despite her being to clearly marked by Desna, the fact her birthmark is slightly above her buttocks and she's usually wearing a dress makes it a bit hard to come into direct contact with it.
Instead, people seeking Desna's favor from her instead try to touch Flutter, who happily lets them, for a while...if it's too many people in a short while, he simply takes off and stays out of range, circling around for a while before indulging them once more.
People's hands reached out and grazed Gwyd's cheek, fingers brushing the songbird below his eye very lightly. Murmured words to Shelyn, some songs under their breath. One little girl came up with her father, desperate not to be seen, ducking behind her father's legs.
It's ok hun, come here. Gwyd said, as he knelt down. It's just a little mark on my cheek, nothing bad or dangerous. And I don't bite, he added with a wink at her. With a little trepidation, she came out and touched his cheek gingerly. See, no big deal. Go with Shelyn's grace little one. Dance and your heart will soar. Sing and watch your spirits fly, high as these kites.
Marcelano shakes hands with those seeking him, most using their other hand to make contact with his godmark. He offers each a simple phrase; "may the Lawgiver watch over you."
The Bard begins his performance.
The man plays what he introduces as "the spheres" a combination of windchimes and quite literally spheres which hold liquid upon which he taps with a wool skinned drum stick. The combination of sounds is in some instances haunting and others breathtaking. Mixed with Prestidigitation used to handle multiple drum sticks it is quite the virtuoso performance. Despite itself, the crowd is in awe of this Bard utilizing such strange instruments.
The show lasts for nearly an hour when Father Zantus arrives. Instead of taking the podium he instead heads to the wagon which Sister Thea set in place prior to the show. As he steps towards the wagon the crowd begins to hush.
"Goodfolk of Sandpoint. The Swallowtail Festival serves to commemorate one of the many legends of Desna. In this particular tale, an Avatar of Desna fell to Golarion after a fierce battle with the wicked goddess Lamashtu. She was discovered and nursed back to health by a blind child. To express her thanks, Desna transformed the child into a beautiful, immortal swallowtail butterfly so that he could explore the wonders of the whole world for all eternity.
May the Starsong keep you safe, and full, and full of joy this day and for many more to come! Remember, wherever you may wander to only one place is the place which you may call home." Father Zantus glances towards Marcelano as he finishes speaking, then he pulls the tarp off of the large cart and multicolored clouds of the eponymous Swallowtail butterflies fill the air.
The crowd lets out its biggest cheer yet to accompany the releasing of the swallowtails and children immediately begin chasing after the butterflies, as best they can in the crowds. It is considered a good omen for a worshiper if a butterfly rests on him or her for a short time. Many a worshipper is so blessed this afternoon.
Father Zantus then approaches you all, "Go my young Acolytes, be merry and enjoy the rest of the Festival. I expect you all to be here as night begins to fall though as that is the time that the Consecration of the Cathedral will begin. When you hear my Thunderstone, it is time to return here. From there you must do what you will, remember while you may not all be Clerics, the Gods of gthis Cathedral all walk with you".
Even before Zantus approaches, Lia happily joins the children in chasing the butterflies, being chased by butterflies in turn. The moment she stops to look around, several of the Swallowtails inmediately sit down on her, taking off the moment she moves on again.
The archer Shoanti of Erastil (to differentiate him, notably, from the earthbreaker-using Shoanti of Erastil - two neighbors more unalike there rarely are, but then Windsight is not a tall brawny brute like most Shoanti) turns when Father Zantus enters with the wagon; with a rapidity that is perhaps astounding to those who haven't seen him sail a kite before, he reels in the two-line bow-shaped one, getting it out of the air before the good Father begins his retelling.
Afterwards, of course, is another story; once the swallowtails are out, Windsight smiles - almost that same most-un-Windsight-like grin that he had for Lia upon demonstrating the existence of the kites - and gets his Erastil-kite back up into the air. Standing not quite still, but close enough, he and his stable kite-lines serve as a resting-point for many a swallowtail in the time to come. He will speak, if addressed directly, but as he's been for much of the last year, he's a reticent fellow.
Karina happily sets aside her kite as people begin to reach out to touch her arm. "May the Dawnflower's light guide you."
"Someday, perhaps this mark will actually make me worthy of this attention. Although, all my training is due to it. Without it, I would be dead or in prison."
Impressed by the bard's performance, she almost misses Father Zantus' arrival. She watches the release of the butterflies with hidden delight, maintaining her composure.
She watches Flutter lead Lia on a merry chase through the butterflies and actually lets the smile show.
You ought to be red in the face, dismissing Chris just because of his clothes. The man knows what he's doing, and he's doing it well.
Rojava listens to the bard's performance and watches with interest. The music isn't of a type that she would perform herself, but it's obvious that Chris Wink has talent. The thing that really grabs her attention is his use of magic to augment his playing. Ro has been tossing around a few ideas along those lines in her head for a while, but hasn't figured out quite how to pull them off yet.
After the swallowtail release Rojava hurries straight over to talk with the bard. Chris, Mr. Wink Sir, you gave a wonderful performance. Thank you. I really appreciated the way you were using prestidigitate to add extra texture, and I'm wondering if you'd have a minute to talk about how you use magic...
She excitedly continues on about spell durations, casting without interrupting a performance, and the possibilities and limitations of spells such as prestidigitation, alter instrument, and magic mouth. Ro attracts a couple of butterflies who land on her hair and shoulder, but she's so excited about her conversation with the bard she barely notices.
You ought to be red in the face, dismissing Chris just because of his clothes. The man knows what he's doing, and he's doing it well.
Rojava listens to the bard's performance and watches with interest. The music isn't of a type that she would perform herself, but it's obvious that Chris Wink has talent. The thing that really grabs her attention is his use of magic to augment his playing. Ro has been tossing around a few ideas along those lines in her head for a while, but hasn't figured out quite how to pull them off yet.
After the swallowtail release Rojava hurries straight over to talk with the bard. Chris, Mr. Wink Sir, you gave a wonderful performance. Thank you. I really appreciated the way you were using prestidigitate to add extra texture, and I'm wondering if you'd have a minute to talk about how you use magic...
She excitedly continues on about spell durations, casting without interrupting a performance, and the possibilities and limitations of spells such as prestidigitation, alter instrument, and magic mouth. Ro attracts a couple of butterflies who land on her hair and shoulder, but she's so excited about her conversation with the bard she barely notices.
Wink nods and smiles at Rojava's excitement, "Thank you. I can never know how a crowd will react to my music as it is very odd compared to most. Despite the small size of this town, with so many adherents to Gods of the fine arts, I was somewhat worried I would be booed off of the stage!
At first I was hesitant to play but when your friend fixed one of my instruments and at no cost to me, I felt compelled to do so.
Magic Mouth is indeed a terrific idea, I wish I had thought of it. Though I am not sure lyrics would work well with what I am trying to accomplish.
What I really wish to incorporate is a light show of some sort of course that would be effective only at night..."
He seems more than happy to continue the conversation wit you for as long as you continue to be interested!
As the crowd starts disbursing Karina puts an arm over Marcelano's shoulder. "Before you leave us, you should take part in Shalelu's annual archery challenge. Maybe you can finally best her."
As she begins to guide him away she calls back over her shoulder. "Hey, Windsight, when you're done playing with your toys you should come join us." She has a huge smile on her face as she says this.
"Maybe Jasper and Gavin will have a reasonable sword list at the garrison this year too."
Flutter, after hiding among the other Butterflies until now, decided to instead use Kira as cover. More guessing his presence than actually seeing him, Lia runs to her friend, smiling:"So what shall we do?"
Kira ponders for a moment, then responds:"Well, dishwashing was very tiring work...so I'll need some new energy if I am to enjoy this festival. Hey, Gwyd, do come along...racing both of you to the sweets stand", Kira is already running off, shouting back:"Last one there treats the others!"
Lia doesn't react very quickly, and with that many people, it's hard to weave through the crowds...and there were so many distracting things to see...while she was fast, she only caught sight of Kira already waiting in line...she looked around, wondering if Gwyd managed to arrive before her-
Gwyd whoops out as Lia takes off, leaping into the race right behind her.
His dancing practice paid off in spades as he deftly wove through the crowd, leaping to and fro off of poles and walls, skidding into line at the sweets stand just in time to watch Flutter and Lia break through the press. With a grin, he nudged Kira. Free sweets eh?
"Might as well give it a try" says Marcelano with a half-shrug, as he lets the young half-orc woman lead him to the contest grounds he thinks she always seems so confident; I wish I could be so certain of what it is I ought to do. A-anyway, it's not like I'll be able to leave today with the consecration starting at sundown.
Last year, Windsight had arrived after the aforementioned annual competition; to be fair, the expression on his face as he saw the huge number of swallowtails fluttering around, and discovered that the festival was all about them, sort of made up for the fact - at least for him. Hearing the tease from Karina, he glances her way, seeing her sauntering off with Marcelano. "Well, if you'd wait a moment," he calls after them, and begins to reel his kite back in, after getting it only twenty or thirty feet up.
Collapsing his kite into its component sticks, then wrapping the cloth around them, he tucks the bundle into his thigh-quiver and the kite-string into his belt-pouch. "Do they have a hand-to-hand contest too?" he asks the more locally-experienced pair once he's hurried and caught up to the other two.
You ought to be red in the face, dismissing Chris just because of his clothes. The man knows what he's doing, and he's doing it well.
Rojava listens to the bard's performance and watches with interest. The music isn't of a type that she would perform herself, but it's obvious that Chris Wink has talent. The thing that really grabs her attention is his use of magic to augment his playing. Ro has been tossing around a few ideas along those lines in her head for a while, but hasn't figured out quite how to pull them off yet.
After the swallowtail release Rojava hurries straight over to talk with the bard. Chris, Mr. Wink Sir, you gave a wonderful performance. Thank you. I really appreciated the way you were using prestidigitate to add extra texture, and I'm wondering if you'd have a minute to talk about how you use magic...
She excitedly continues on about spell durations, casting without interrupting a performance, and the possibilities and limitations of spells such as prestidigitation, alter instrument, and magic mouth. Ro attracts a couple of butterflies who land on her hair and shoulder, but she's so excited about her conversation with the bard she barely notices.
Wink nods and smiles at Rojava's excitement, "Thank you. I can never know how a crowd will react to my music as it is very odd compared to most. Despite the small size of this town, with so many adherents to Gods of the fine arts, I was somewhat worried I would be booed off of the stage!
At first I was hesitant to play but when your friend fixed one of my instruments and at no cost to me, I felt compelled to do so.
Magic Mouth is indeed a terrific idea, I wish I had thought of it. Though I am not sure lyrics would work well with what I am trying to accomplish.
What I really wish to incorporate is a light show of some sort of course that would be effective only at night..."
He seems more than happy to continue the conversation wit you for as long as you continue to...
Rojava happily chats with Chris Wink for a while. Who was it who fixed your instrument? Gwyydym? That was very nice of him. I'll have to thank him for doing that if it convinced you to peform.
True, Magic Mouth wouldn't be much help in your case since it's limited to words. But I think fundamentally we are interested in the same questions. How to use magic as a multiplier in performances given spell limitations and possibilities. For example, with Magic Mouth I could sing counterpoint with myself, or sing my own backup. With two castings I could sing three point harmony or rounds. But, with the small word limit to what the spell will repeat the parts carried by spell would need to be very sort, or repetitive. Of course most of this is theoretical since my magical knowledge is still a little too limited to put these ideas into practice yet. But it's still very interesting I think to consider the ways magic might vary more simple performances...
Rojava goes on with the conversation like this for some time. At one point, as an aside, she mentions: You know you're right about lights not being very useful in situations where there is already plenty of light. But, maybe you could use the light that's there already? For example, you could use an illusion to change the colors of objects around you, like the liquids in your glass containers. If you used a patterned illusion you could set up sequences of color changes to happen following the rhythm or melody. Since it's visual a pattern that simply follows one of those, it wouldn't be too much emphasis like sound could be. And it would reduce the demands on your concentration...
After a while the conversation wraps up, and Ro bids the bard goodbye, asking where the bard hails from and promising a visit if she's ever there.
After leaving the bard, Rojava decides to take a look through the stalls to see what might be for sale.
A new scarf for traveling might be a good idea. And while I'm at it, I should check around to see if Rynshinn has set up a Vernah's stall. I could really use some time with Ryn right now.
She smiles to herself as she starts searching.
Wink replies, "Actually Talene had someone here in town repair it for me, it is why I agreed to do this at all".
As you leave, "Thank you for the suggestions my dear, perhaps we will see each other again one day. The life of the Bard is one of travel. Good luck and Godspeed to you!"
"Damn straight!", Kira answers to Gwyd with a grin, before waving to Lia:"Slowpoke, it's your turn to pay, today!"
Lia shrugs"I guess it is, then!", and joins Gwyd and Kira in the waiting line. Once it's their turn and they picked out what delicacies they want, Lia walks up to the counter to pay.
Then, over the course of a good 30 seconds that Lia, from an outside viewers perspective, spends staring at the salesperson without speaking or blinking, a number of realizations fall like dominoes into her conscious mind.
First, having stepped into something sticky, Lia notices that she is barefoot...mentally scanning over her articles of clothing as a reaction to her barefootness she realizes that her dress is pretty much the only thing she's wearing except her component pouch necklace.
Following that train of thought, she figures out that she has no coin pouch or purse on her. Consequently it dawns on her that there is no money on her person.
Finally(after those 30 seconds) arriving on the conclusion that she cannot pay for the sweets, she turns around to Kira and Gwyd:"Uhm...could either of you borrow me some money? I kind of....left it in my room"
Kira laughs, "Lia, everything is free for the festival! Especially the food".
Gwyd chuckles as the gears all clicked into place for Lia. When Kira reminded her that all the food was free at the festival he broke out into a full body laugh.
So where should we be off to with all this delicious bounty? He mumbled through a mouthful of sticky bread.
"Oh...right..." A few moments of consideration pass, then Lia turns around to the counter..."Another handful of the honeyed nuts, please!"
Smiling at the amused Gwyddym, she looks around:"You know, if we've nothing else to do, we may go watch the others taking part in their respective competitions. Wish them luck, cheer them on, see them fail, give them a piece of free candy to make them happy again, that sort of thing!"
Karina watches the archers shoot for a while before heading to the garrison to check out the other martial contests.
In the random draw ordering, Windsight is selected to go near the end of the round. He applauds vigorously when Marcelano puts his last two shots into the double-handspan-wide center of the target, the second shot dead center. Unfortunately for the thoughtful Shoanti, between that point and when it's his turn, Kira, Gwyddym, and - particularly - Lia show up to watch. Perhaps it's the being in front of a crowd, perhaps it's trying to find the sense of rightness he'd felt only yesterday when shooting at the buck. Perhaps it's the fact that there's a time limit, or that he's still working on the basics.
Most likely, though, it's the fact that Lia's there, because though the others probably can't see how his gaze shifts slightly to the side, towards his compatriots of the last year, he can feel it. His first shot strikes in the outer ring; the other two fly past the target entirely. Blushing in embarrassment and self-disgust, he trots out to recover his arrows.
Rojava wanders among the vendors’ stalls looking through the different wares on display. A Varisian woman from out of town has soaps and scents that tempt her, but she decides to wait and come back later if nothing else looks better.
Before too long Rojava comes across the Vernah’s Fine Clothing display. Unlike the other sellers’ table or two piled with clothing, Rynshinn Povalli has set up a wooden frame like the type that would support a pavilion. Many multi-armed displays adorned with clothing and accessories hang by rope from the overhead frame. Tiny bells attached to the ends of the arms jingle when a breeze moves them. The whole effect is of a collection of giant, color swathed wind chimes.
“Beautiful, you’re a clever girl Rynshinn.”
Rojava stops a few feet away to check her smile and posture, and then strolls in to look around. As she starts to browse, she glances over often at the young half-elven woman, who is occupied with customers. Eventually she catches Rynshinn’s eye. Ro mouths “Hello” while giving a quick wave. Rynshinn gives a slight nod and wave in return without breaking the conversation she is having.
Although she went in thinking about a scarf, a short cape grabs her attention. It is waist length and deep blue, with an embroidered pattern of vines and small birds along the edges.
“Oh, this is just perfect! The price is going to hurt though.”
While she’s considering the cape, Rojava notices a middle-aged woman near her who seems to be having similar difficulties with a shawl. Ro approaches her and says: “You’re making a great choice, it’s like that shawl was made just for you.” The woman purses her lips. “Oh, I don’t know dear, I’m sure it’s rather expensive. I don’t really need anything so nice.”
“But you do” Ro insists. “Your friends will envy you so. If you don’t get it, you’ll regret it later. I don’t doubt that for an instant.” Ro sees Rynshinn give her a curious look from the other side of the small space.
With only the slightest bit more cajoling from Rojava, the woman smiles mischievously. “You know you’re right. I’m going to do it.” The woman takes the shawl and walks over to Rynshinn to pay for it.
Rojava decides to take her own advice and fetches the cape from where it hangs. She waits until the woman buying the shawl leaves and Rynshinn is alone.
“Hi Rynshinn, it’s nice to see you. How have you been?" Rojava’s cheeks have gone a little pink. “I hope you’re not cross with me. I wasn’t shilling for you. That woman did look quite good in the shawl.”
Rynshinn smiles at Rojava. “It’s good to see you too Rojava. I’ve been fine, and of course I’m not cross with you. Thanks for your help. Are you enjoying the Swallowtail Festival?”
"Just call me Ro, it's mostly the people at the Cathedral who call me Rojava. Yeah, the festival is great fun.... Maybe I'll see you around out there later on...."
Rojava purchases the cape and retreats from Rynshinn’s stall thinking about what it would be like to nibble on one of those delicate ears. “I wonder if she’s ticklish?”
The day is too warm for wearing the cape, so she folds it carefully to carry under her arm.
As Marcelano proceeds to make his three shots for the second round his first flies just a little too high while his second and third both hit the outer ring.
Looks like that's my limit for now. Still I did better than last year. He thinks back to the pathetic showing he made last time as he smiles weakly. He proceeds to pull out his bolts from the target and goes to collect the final one from among the pile of hay stacked at the very end of the archery range.
A cloaked figure walks onto the archery range and fires a succession of 9 shots aiming at the targets from all of the other competitors. The figure wears gloves and is a few handspans shorter than the rest of the competitors.
Ranged Attack 1
Ranged Attack 2
Ranged Attack 3
Ranged Attack 4
Ranged Attack 5
Ranged Attack 6
Ranged Attack 7
Ranged Attack 8
Ranged Attack 9
The collected crowd murmurs as the first shot splits Marcelano's shot in half! The rest all find the bulls-eye but two which are just slightly off target.
The crowd gasps at the amazing work of the competitor, many begin to laugh as she pulls her cloak off, it is Shalelu the local Ranger.
The man judging the contest declares her the winner and hands her a small prize.
She heads over to Windsight and Marcelano, "A gift for the Cathedral". She splits half of her winnings between the two young men, 5 gold each. She then smiles and walks away into town to presumably enjoy the festivities.
Lia approaches Windy after his performance:"Sorry I was late. I meant to wish you good luck, too, not just cheer for you! Close your eyes and say Aaah"
Inmediately after, she'll place some of Windsights favorite sweets in his mouth(regardless of wether he goes along with her request, or merely opens his mouth to answer), then smiles:"I have seen you training, you have been doing a lot better then. I think when it counts, your arrows will find their mark. I mean, the target is not moving, and most things you'd shoot at are not as small as that bulls-eye."
Shortly after, Marcelano is also done with his second round, and Lia turns to him, still smiling, and offers him some Chelaxian sweets she found."I meant to wish you good luck too, which kind of ruined the plan I had. But I guess we continue right to the part where both of you get sweets!", she mentions, looking at Gwyddym and Kira, who giggles.
When Shalelu gives the two contestants both a gift, Lia will frantically search for some Elven Candy, and hold it out to her, only to have Flutter sit down on it and starting to nibble at the edges.
Matrim has been moving through the crowd, trying to get people to cheer for Marcelano, while keeping an eye out for young pickpockets. Stopping any that he sees are getting into too much trouble. Crowds like this tend to gather a lot of thieves.
Gwyd pops another sweet into his mouth while Lia delves into her own stores of candy once more.
Really, both of you, great job. Certainly better than I would have fared with a bow. At least a bow that you use with arrows! He said, winking at the archers.
A sharp retort, like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as the sun’s setting rays paint the western sky.
A Thunderstone! You gather together and begin to hustle through the crowds not wanting to miss the Consecration ceremony. The crowd realizes who you all are and begin to part allowing you to pass quickly.
You come around the corner and notice a stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, such a cutie!
The chaotic race to the stage becomes more chaotic when a woman’s scream slices through the air. A few moments later, another scream rises, then another. Beyond them, a sudden surge of strange new voices rises—high-pitched, tittering shrieks that sound not quite human.
The crowd panic and begin to race to and fro in the streets. Something low to the ground races by, giggling with disturbing glee as the stray dog gives a pained yelp and then collapses with a gurgle, its throat cut open from ear to ear. As blood pools around its head, the raucous sound of a strange song begins, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices.
Goblins chew and goblins bite.
Goblins cut and goblins fight.
stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force!
Goblins race and goblins jump.
Goblins slash and goblins bump.
Burn the skin and mash the head,
Goblins here and you be dead!
Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Bonk the head to shut it up.
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We be goblins!
Gwyddym Soarsong
Karina of the Flame
Lia Tani
Marcelano Alazario
Matrim of Shadows
Rojava Brishen
Windsight
Goblins
Initiative
Block 1 - Matrim, Gwyddym, Rojava, Windsight.
Block 2 - Goblins!
Block 3 - Karina, Lia, Marcelano.
When she hears the thunderstone, Rojava begins to move with the rest of the crowd back in the direction on the stage by the Cathedral. The usual bustle toward the stage begins to go wrong though, there are a couple of screams, a loud yelp, and then strange, inhuman singing coming from her left. The crowd starts to change direction, moving away from the sounds and the people passing by her from that direction look frightened.
What's happening over there?
Rojava veers to the left to see what's going on, and breaks out of the crowd to see goblins skittering around. What? Did they come up here from Junk Beach? That's crazy!
Seeing that the goblins are menacing the people anywhere near them with weapons, she drops her pack and new cape. Readying her buckler and drawing her rapier, she moves toward them to stop the nonsense.
Hearing the big bang, Matrim shakes his head, Party crashes... he thinks before charging after them. If he has a chance he will flank with Rojava and attack.
Do you want me to take care of maps?
At the screech of the goblins and the heartrending gurgle of the dog's expiring breath, Gwyd looks around rapidly, seeing people scream and cry. Not again. Just like the fire. People everywhere, the pain, the screams. Images of orange flickering flames coursing over the old cathedral assailed him. With a shake of the head and a determination born of his love for Shelyn and the people of Standpoint, he took a breath and began to sing loudly over the din.
Brothers and sisters stand tall.
Don't let them see you falter or fall.
The gods stand with us today.
So woah ho stand up come what may!
Knowing the sun's going down, Windsight starts with the others towards the square in front of the temple, to be conspicuously present in attending the ceremony. The thundrous crack that calls the festival-goer's attention definitely hurries him up through the crowd that parts for them; he looks a little embarrassed at the prospect of being late for something they very specifically were supposed to be present for.
The cackling chant of the goblins wipes those concerns from his mind, however, as he extracts a pair of arrows from his thigh quiver. A couple of quick steps forward, and while the first arrow smacks into the wood cart above the goblins' head, the second sinks into the flesh of the goblin that had put his blade through the canine's throat.
As the battle begins in earnest the Goblin chant continues unabated.
Three Goblins scramble from under the cart the fourth remains stabbing the dog again for what reason is not clear as it just received a shot from Windsight. It lives despite the shot in the upper shoulder likely because the second shot missed high.
Goblin #1 - Charges straight north and towards Ro, well not right towards Ro, as the charge is erratic.
Matrim sees the Goblin heading in that direction and charges after it but misses.
All the same, Ro manages to slice the creatures jugular as it charges into her general vicinity, it dies a horrible gurgling death thrashing on the ground.
Goblin #2 - Seeing Matrim swing at his companion and miss while Ro succeeded, he makes the logical choice and attacks Matrim!
He connects, the dogslicer seems to slice human meat just the same as dog meat!
The remaining Goblin #3 - is enraged by Gwydd's performance and charges towards the rest of the group.
The Goblins' slice though is wide to the right his charge having been a bit overzealous.
The rest of the Party may GO!
The Goblin attacking Matrim is about 20' from the remainder of the party while the one that charged is within Melee range.
Seeing the small goblin horde attempt to swarm the crowd, Karina stands momentarily stunned. She shouts at them while drawing her scimitar and readying her shield, "હવે આ સ્ટોપ! તમે આ કરતાં વધુ સારી બની શકે છે! કોણ તમારા સોજો હેડ માં આ વિચાર મૂકી?"
She steps forward and swings at the closest goblin.
Her sword biting deep into her target.
Matrim will 5 foot step and get into flanking with Ro and attack one the Goblin on him.
"Hu? Whats going on?" Still having happily chatted on while returning to the cathedral plaza, Lia is somewhat taken by surprise when the Goblins strike.
Upon even realizing there ARE Goblins, the others with her pretty much already dealt with them. And good, too, since she did not bring the little crossbow she owned to this formal occasion.
Looking out for more Goblins, Lia seems to be waiting.
Lia will cast Ghost Sound, a little(~10-15 feet) behind said Goblin, imitating a pack of dogs barking and growling, as if ready to jump at it/them.
(Will DC 13 disbelieve for those who hear it(they still hear it, but know it's not real))
Rojava pulls back from her thrust as the goblin falls to the ground and squirms as it bleeds out. Her eyes widen and she wrinkles her nose.
Oh my Goddess! This is just foul!
Rojava has never actually stabbed, much less killed, anything before.
Goblins!? What could have provoked them to attack? No matter, I can't risk firing into this melee. Marcelano thinks as he rushes forward past Gwyddym and Karina while pulling out his crossbow. He quickly assumes a fighting stance as he tries to use the butt of the crossbow to bludgeon the goblin, but his momentum is too much and the goblin easily sidesteps the blow.
Karina makes short work of the Goblin that charged her friends (#3) slicing a large part of the front of its head clean off while Marcelano charges at the raving Goblin (#2) who sliced open Matrim's leg but misses the agile little critter.
The Goblin under the cart (#4)
ignores the sound of barking dogs behind him and it narrows its eyes at the group.
Matrim takes advantage of Marcelano's charge sinking his dagger into the beasts eye bringing it low, blood splattering his hand.
Rojava walks over to about ten feet from the goblin under the cart. She readies herself in case the goblin decides to attack her and then calls out to the goblin.
You're all by yourself now. You might as well drop your slicer and come on out. We won't hurt you if you give up.