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It is the first day of Autumn here in Sandpoint. The new Cathedral has finally been completed after five years, and the town has thrown a festival in honor of the dedication of the temple, the Swallowtail Festival. The square in front of the Cathedral is roaring with laughter and conversations from the various townfolk of Sandpoint. The mayor of the town stands up in front of the crowd, and begins his speech.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for attending the Swallowtail Festival today, in honor of the dedication of the new Sandpoint Cathedral. Please help yourselves to all of the amazing food and drink provided by the local inns and taverns of the city."
The crowd goes back to its obnoxious state for a few minutes, when the sherrif gives his speech.
"Again, thanks you all for attanding tonights festival. I would like to ask that you all stay safe here tonight, especially around the bonfire. Now, let us take a moment of silence to remember those who persished in the fire that awful night five years ago."
After a moment of silence, the festival is offically underway! Everyone samples the food of the day.
Tekk wanders the festival aimlessly, careful to avoid becoming a part of any dancing, singing, or other frivolous revelry. He does, however, make an effort to taste every single food sample available.
Regardless of Gene's best efforts to just enjoy the food and visual pleasantries dancing could offer. He found himself "tricked" into dancing several times with several different Priestess of his church. Each time however, they would let me slip off after a good amount of dancing to enjoy different parts of the festival.
Ceinwynn spends the first part of the festival performing oratory on one of the small stages for the local actors guild. She adores the attention and cheers she receives throughout her performance. Once completing her time on stage, she snacks on all of the local delicacies and partakes of the fine assortment of wines offered.
With a slight buzz from the alcohol, she spends the next hour dancing around in a large group of people. As she is twirled by one male dancer then passed to another, she recognizes a young man's face. Cayden Cailean bless you Gene! Drink and be merry!. She brushes the hair out of his eyes with the fingertips of her right hand, bites her lip ring softly, and then gives him a flirtatious smile before being passed on to the next male partner.
Spectrum watched from a distance with a book in his hands politely but coolly declining offers of merriment, much to the dismay of many young ladies.
In another life the young elf could have been a man of sculptor's dreams. He was insufferably attractive, almost "pretty" with his high cheeks and pale tilted eyes. His white-blond hair was of the type that simply fell perfect. It was at worst attractively 'unkempt' but never quite reached 'unruly'. It flowed rather than tangled and soaked in the light so much that it practically glowed.
Sadly, for all his attractiveness the young elf was practically devoid of charm. He was an insufferable workaholic with patience only for old tomes and lost relics. He had been in Sandpoint long enough that anyone under thirty summers knew to avoid the pale elf's scathing tongue. He was never cruel or spiteful, he was simply disdainful of mistakes and anyone who displayed a lack of logic.
Today he was taking a rare break from his work as a favor to his friend Ceinwynn, and because Ameiko had told him that if he didn't get out of the house once in a while she was going to make him live on the street.
He had been resistant even then but had finally been persuaded when Amiko had told him that the hatchlings needed more time to stretch their wings.
With a glass of mulled wine and a sticky bun (held aloft with a bit of magic so as not to get sticky glaze on his tome), he had to admit the celebration was rather enjoyable.
"Hi Ceinwynn!" the excited voice came unbidden into her mind as a tiny dragon landed on her shoulder. "What'cha doin'? Why's everyone moving around all funny like that? Why do those people keep grabbing you and swinging around like that? What's going on? Who's your friend?"
The little dragon was barely the size of a newborn kitten and only a few weeks old, but already her mind was sharp as a razor and voraciously curious. She wasn't nearly as adventurous as her male counterpart, but she was quite a bit more social.
Ceinwynn reaches up on her shoulder and pets the psuedodragon. Hey there girl! Oh the gentleman? He is lives at the Temple. The funny moving is called dancing. Where is you master?
Ceinwynn appears excited to see Glimmer. She looks around for Spectrum.
"He's not my 'master'." Glimmer says with a snort of her tiny nose while she preens under Cienwynn's touch. "He takes care of me. He feeds me, opens doors for me, gives me things to play with, makes Array stop picking on me. I'm pretty sure that makes me his master. He's over there on the edge of the light, reading some old book."
Ceinwynn laughs. You are correct! That WOULD make you his master! Take me to him please sweety. She pets her again attempting to illicit a purring response.
With a surprisingly strong kick, the tiny dragon is airborn again, her little wings reflecting the firelight like diamonds.
"He's right over here."
Sure enough, once they were beyond the crowd the pale elf was easy to spot.
Gene after a long while of enjoying the dancing and food he notices Spectrum of in the corner reading. "Hello Spectrum, nice to see you haven't given up on your goals quite yet. Find anything worthy of attention as of late? Be it an artifact or any new developments on the Runelords?"
Ceinwynn comes up behind Gene and rests her chin on his shoulder. She peers over him at Spectrum. Yes Spectrum...how are you doing? Your master Glimmer said you have been well. She winks at Glimmer.
Spectrum looks up and removes the small wire rimmed reading glasses perched on his nose, closing the book but holding his place with a finger.
"A rather old account of a dwarven merchant who came across a ruined temple he believed was Thassilonian in origin. The man was a passable artist with an eye for architecture, though his prose is uninspired. He gave no indications of where the temple might be. Apparently he did not want others to raid his find. Typical dwarven miserliness."
He looks to the tiny dragon who had once again landed on Ceinwynn. "Master?"
Glimmer stretched her neck proudly.
"Yes servant! I require a meat pie!"
Ceinwynn giggles. Come on Glimmer. Let's see what we can find. With the pseudodragon on her shoulder, Ceinwynn looks for the tastiest meat pie at the festival. After feeding her new friend, she returns to the others.
Spectrum spoke idly with Gene while Ceinwynn did the bidding of the tiny scaled tyrant.
When they returned, Glimmer was buried up to her shoulders in a meat pie that was larger than she was. Ceinwynn was able to hold both easily in one hand.
It was all quite amusing until Ceinwynn was attacked from above by second dragonling dive-bombing for her hand.
Ah i see but Spectrum there must be unintentional clues hidden in there yes?
Upon seeing the lady's return Gene got up from the seat he had taken and Held the seat for Ceinwynn and Glimmer to sit in. "My lady's welcome back and please have a seat." as he did so he noticed Array dive bomb Ceinwynn.
Ceinwynn barely holds on to the female pseudo dragon and meat pie. Array you rascal! It is much easier to just ask!
She smiles at Gene Why thank you. At least there is one gentleman here. She gives Array a sharp look.
Array hissed, attempting to be fierce but not quite succeeding while his mental speech washed over all of them.
"It will be mine!"
The slightly larger dragonling engaged his clutchmate over, on, and in the meat pie in Ceinwynn's grip, making quite a mess.
Spectrum ignored the commotion and shrugged at Gene. "There are clues in everything. Unfortunately most are only revealed by hindsight. I am not reading this in hopes of uncovering the location of the ruins. I simply wish to learn more about Thassilonian construction so that I might recognize it in the future. Much less exciting, true, but far more useful over the long term."
"knowledge is power my friend." Gene states as he gently pushes Ceinwynn's chair in. Many people have fallen because of the correct use of information gathered. However, to much information and no network to support the use for it is wasted information. Yes?
That said he looks to Ceinwynn " and you are very welcome Ceinwynn."
Ceinwynn sets the meat pie on the ground to let the dragons fight over it and wipes her hands off. She gives Gene a smile and looks at the different activities all around her. I love people watching!
Spectrum nods to Gene. "Indeed."
Glancing down at the adorably savage war over the meat pie, the pale elf tisks and shakes his head.
Looking back up at Ceinwynn, he raises an eyebrow. "Have you begun pursuing anthropology since we last spoke?"
Nope. I am just an amateur anthropologist. You learn from books...I learn from experience.
Ceinwynn continues to watch the crowd. So boys...what are we going to get into tonight?
"Then in this case I would be the middle man. That being I learned from both books and experience. Well I don't have any mischief planed yet and you?
(edited what I said as I misread what Ceinwynn wrote.)
Perception:
Auto is Sitting down Off to the edge of the crowd enjoying some pie with his Horse (Horse is eating pie too. Both of Their Armor is Shining Bright in the sun.
Perception
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As you all gather together, you hear a high pitched female scream. A small green creature licks blood off of its blade. A goblin stands about 15 feet away, cleaning the blood from his weapon, the recent end to a small dog. He scans the croud for his next victim. You also hear some strange chanting about 30 feet away, ao you see two other goblins, one chanting and another holding a similar blade as the first one
Init
Initiative:
init:
Seeing the goblin standing over the dead dog, Tekk's eyes go flat. Tearing off another hunk of turkey meat, he tosses the bone over his shoulder and draws his mattock. Twisting his hands to get a solid grip on the handle, he roars and charges the goblin:
Gene in a bit of a shock Yells out, "GOBLIN attack!!! Defend the town!!! If you need healing come to me!!!
Ceinwynn looks at her new allies and begins exhorting them.
Bardic Performance: Inspire Courage +1 (Su) Morale bonus on some saving throws, attack and damage rolls.
Gene moves up closer to Tekkis making sure to keep everyone as best he can in channel range if need be.
"Don't Kill them all of them if it can be helped. We need to find out why there here, besides to cause havoc."
Tekk glares at the human and responds through gritted teeth while brandishing his mattock, "Better make sure somebody else hears you, human. This isn't too good for keeping them alive!"
Spectrum looked up, then stood with a stern look in his eyes.
Array, seek the Sherriff. Glimmer, scout. Look for more of them.
Looking to the chanting goblin, concerned it may have been the beginnings of some kind of primitive spellcasting, the pale elf raised his hand and whispered in a complex but graceful tongue.
Array leapt and flapped once, moving without hesitation, splattering the remains of the meat pie around as he took wing. In a moment he was out of sight in the darkness.
Glimmer was not so bold. She dashed beneath the chair Spectrum had been sitting in and shook. Her telepathic speech gave her a certain empathy into the feelings of others, and the sudden surge of panic, anger and loathing from all the people near her had her young mind reeling.
Make it stop...