You, unfortunately, have struggled. Due to the call for guard work being scarce, your lack of any vocational skills, and your general trouble communicating with the tshameks (lol, 7 cha) you've had to get by with the occasional job moving freight along the docks.
You hope the upcoming Swallowtail festival will change things. With any luck you'll be able impress the right people and find some work.
For the past week you've been helping out the Father and the others prepare for the upcoming festival - running message across town, cleaning, and whatever else was asked of you. This was easy! Soon you'd be able to return home and tell that stuffy professor about the good works you'd done.
Finally, the day of the festival arrives. Father Zanthus thanks you for your service but lets you know he won't be needing your help for the day. He encourages you to enjoy the festival and try and make some friends.
Sandpoint is, in fact, a den of lawlessness and chaos. Men and women walk the streets with naked steel, merchants largely ignore zoning laws (selling their wares on almost every corner), and the city curfew is almost entirely ignored! In fact, you spend so much time learning the city and its various faults that you never get a chance to check in with the local high priest.
Finally the day of the festival arrives, that the city has been preparing for the whole time you've been here. You realize it will be impossible to get in touch with the proper authorities today and that you had might as well try to enjoy the festivities. With any luck you'll run into that tian woman from the Rusty Dragon. What was her name again?
Expressing your disappointment to Brodert, you're overjoyed to hear that the upcoming Swallowtail festival brings all sorts to Sandpoint, including some prestigious experts of ancient Thassilon! You do what you can to occupy your time until, finally, the day of the festival arrives. After a quick breakfast you set out to see what the festival has to offer and find those scholars!
Even though your introductions were a bit awkward soon Nisk came to you with an offer for work. It seems he'd been commissioned by the mayor to fashion a number of fireworks for the upcoming festival and there was just no way he was going to be finished in time. After a brief period of disagreement on formula and artistic direction the two of you start making progress and soon the task is complete. You come to realize that the half-elf is quite bright, if a bit lazy.
The day of the festival is suddenly upon you and hopefully someone (preferably a wealthy someone) will be impressed enough by your work that they'll want to hire you for a bigger project. Money was getting a bit scarce and without it Marysin's treatment was going to become difficult.
Finally the day of the festival arrived. The city, although busy before, is absolutely packed now and there's no doubt that you'll be able to find some work once this whole thing is done. Until then, you had might as well enjoy the festivities.
The day of the festival begins with short series of trumpets followed by the screams of children tearing down the street in droves, eager for the treats and sweets being offered on every corner.
The city is absolutely packed, both with Sandpoint natives and visitors alike, and all are out to either enjoy the festival or profit from it.
The 'official' part of the festival begins with speeches from Mayor Kendra (a friendly middle-aged human woman) and a few others important Sandpoint natives. The Mayor's excitement proves contagious as she welcomes visitors to town and jokes about how even the town's worst workaholics have managed to attend.
Sheriff Belor Hemlock (and intimidating Shoanti man) brings the crowd down a bit with his dour mood. His speech is focused on reminding folk to be safe around the evening’s bonfire and on a request for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in some sort of tragedy that claimed the town’s previous church several years ago.
The next speaker is scheduled to be a local nobleman, but a sudden illness apparently prevented him from attending the ceremony. The locals in the crowd murmur, not surprised, given the nobleman's well-known dislike of frivolity and festivals.
A local showman by the name Cyrdak Drokkus quickly takes over and he seems to bring the crowd’s mood back up with some biting humor (mostly focused on the absent nobleman). He delivers a not-completely-irreverent recap of the long process the town went through to finance and construct the new cathedral. He throws in a bit of self-promotion at the end, as is his wont, inviting everyone to stop by the Sandpoint Theater the following evening to check out his new production of “The Harpy’s Curse,” revealing that the lead role of Avisera the harpy queen will be played by none other than the famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda!
Finally, Sandpoint's all-purpose high priest, Father Zanthus steps up to give a short speech thanking everyone for coming before declaring the Swallowtail Festival officially underway.
Once the crowd disperses it seems a number of contests and games have begun!
Boxing - Bouts are short and go to a certain number of points or a knockout.
Wrestling - Best 2 of 3 pins or submissions.
Sandpoint's Most Eligible Bachelor/Bachelorette - Contestants perform in some way (usually a song or dance) and then are judged on their worthiness by a crowd of potential admirers.
Archery - This is a timed event in which everyone must hit as many targets as possible within a given time limit.
Pie Eating - Contestants compete to eat as many pies as possible within the given time limit but the pies are donated and not all of them were made by skilled bakers...
Standing contentedly along the outskirts of the crowd is a tanned, gray-eyed man with slicked-back brown hair, a very unusual combination for a Chelaxian such as him. He is dressed in a simple traveler's outfit, though discerning eyes could make out armor underneath the hooded cloak. A heavy-looking satchel hangs across his body, and he is further burdened by a crossbow. A single look at this man might not reveal him to be anything special, but a closer inspection would reveal that he is certainly not just here to enjoy the festivities.
Doran looks contented to simply listen to the speeches given by the first two speakers, especially the Shoanti man, but seems to lose interest in the second two. Once the crowd disperses, he keeps an eye out for any hooligans or lawbreakers, even though he's not been hired to keep the peace. Old habits die hard and all that. "I 'spose I should keep me nose clean, I'm not 'ere t' meddle in affairs tha' are not mine t' deal with," he mutters to no one in particular, his voice mostly drowned out by the crowd's dull roar.
Deciding that participating in some of the events will keep him from sticking his nose in the business of Sandpoint's city guard, the tanned Chelaxian begins to check out the various events.
The petite, morbidly pretty Shelynite who has been assisting Father Zantus for the last few days perks up at mention of the 'most eligible bachelor/bachelorette' contest & makes her way into the crowd of onlookers/judges.
'Late Unpleasantness'? Hmmm, was so busy this week helping Father Zantus I forgot to ask what that was? Master Albus specifically instructed me to make certain I was able to give him a thorough explanation of that concern. Perhaps I can find out more during the festival.
Hmmm, pie or archery, pie or archery...
Pie!
How is this person a Paladin? How is he a follower of Shelyn? He's Cecil! She thought to herself for at least the hundredth time since her parents & mentor had left her here at Pitax's Academy of Grand Arts.
"You falter? Again!" Ysmerelda brought up the practice blade Ursion had tossed to her when she had first stepped out onto the Academy's sparring yard in her padded gambeson. "Your guard is weak," Ursion stated flatly as his own blade, little more than a heavy walking stick really, flicked in, the blow flinging Ysmerelda's sword to the side, completely exposing her to another, harsher assault.
Having received a very brief overview of the "Late Unpleasantness" from the local clergy his first day in town, and seeing no need to probe any further until after the festival was over, Ensu gets comfortable on a bench just outside the Curious Goblin once the speeches are over, grabbing snacks and conversations from the various vendors and individuals passing by as he continues various ongoing discussions with the local scholars ranging in topics from the serious to the completely random, mostly frivolous topics. The biggest discussion of the day, influenced by the influx of visitors, revolved around the nature and different types of mud, where each type could be found, and how to properly handle each type most effectively. While seemingly not particularly scholarly, Ensu found it to be of utmost practicality, being a well seasoned traveler himself, and having had to deal with that concern many more times than he really cared to remember.
Pirknok wanders around the festival, yawning. He doesn't listen to the speeches, but does manage to wander over to the right place in time for the wrestling competition. Afterward, he follows the aroma of pie and makes his way to the pie-eating competition.
DM Feral, would you like me to adjust my AC accordingly?
***
Stoot’s excuse for wanting to move onto the isle seemed innocent enough. The place was a haven for local birdlife, and his claim of “wantin’ ta be with th’ birds” seemed to make sense—so much so, in fact, that the guild of carpenters (with whom Stoot had maintained a friendly competition for several years) volunteered to build a staircase, free of charge, along the southern cliff face so that Stoot could come and go from his new home without risking life and limb. For 15 years, Stoot lived on the island. His trips into town grew less and less frequent, making it something of an event when he chose a building to host a new Stoot.
Sandpoint was no stranger to crime, or even to murder. Once or twice in a year, passions flared, robberies went bad, jealousy grew too much to bear, or one too many drinks were drunk, and someone would end up dead. But when bodies began to mount in late 4702 ar, the town initially had no idea how to react. Sandpoint’s sheriff at the time was a no-nonsense man named Casp Avertin, a retired city watch officer from Magnimar. Yet even he was ill-prepared for the murderer who came to be known as Chopper. Over the course of one long month, it seemed that every day brought a new victim to light. Each was found in the same terrible state: body bearing deep cuts to the neck and torso, hands and feet severed and stacked nearby, and the eyes and tongue missing entirely, having been plucked crudely from each head. Over the course of that terrible month, Chopper claimed 25 victims. His uncanny knack at eluding traps and pursuit quickly wore on the town guard, taking a toll on Sheriff Avertin in particular, who increasingly took to drinking. In any event, Sheriff Avertin himself became Chopper’s last victim, slain upon catching the murderer in a narrow lane—known now as Chopper’s Alley—as he was mutilating his latest victim. In the battle that followed, Avertin landed a telling blow against the killer. When Belor Hemlock, then merely a town guard, found both bodies (Avertin’s and the penultimate victim) several minutes later, he rallied the guards and they were able to follow the killer’s bloody trail.
The trail led straight to the stairs of Stoot’s Rock.
At first, the town guard refused to believe the implications, and feared that Chopper had come to claim poor Jervis Stoot as his 26th victim. Yet what the guards found in the modest home atop the isle and in the larger complex of rooms that had been carved into the bedrock below left no room for doubt. Jervis Stoot and Chopper were one and the same, and the eyes and tongues of all 25 victims were found upon horrific altar to a vile demon lord of winged creatures and temptation whose name none dared speak aloud. Stoot himself was found dead at the base of the altar, having plucked his own eyes and tongue loose in a final offering. The guards collapsed the entrance to the lower chambers, burned Stoot’s house, tore down the stairs, and did their best to forget. Stoot himself was burned on the beach in a pyre, his ashes blessed and then scattered in an attempt to stave off an unholy return of his evil spirit.
But as fate would have it, the people of Sandpoint would soon have a new tragedy to bear, one that almost eclipsed Chopper’s rampage. A month after the murderer was slain, a terrible fire struck Sandpoint. The fire started in the Sandpoint Chapel and spread quickly. As the town rallied to save the church, the inferno expanded, consuming the North Coast Stables, the White Deer Inn, and three homes. In the end, the church burnt to the ground, leaving the town’s beloved priest Ezakien Tobyn and his beautiful adopted daughter Nualia dead.
All that remains today of the once-loved Stoot carvings are ragged scars on buildings and figureheads where owners used hatchets to remove what had become a haunting reminder of the wolf in the fold. The homes and businesses ravaged by the fire have been reconstructed, and the Sandpoint Chapel has finally been rebuilt as well. With the consecration of this new cathedral, Sandpoint hopes to finally put the dark times of the Late Unpleasantness in the past.
The petite, morbidly pretty Shelynite who has been assisting Father Zantus for the last few days perks up at mention of the 'most eligible bachelor/bachelorette' contest & makes her way into the crowd of onlookers/judges.
The crowd at this event is easily one of the biggest and most varied of those surrounding the festival contests.
After asking around the crowd you learn that the rules of the contest are such:
Each contestant takes the stage and offers some sort of performance (usually a song or dance but other displays are not unheard of). Afterward , the contestant exits the stage and makes his/her way through the crowd of potential admirers and collects a kiss from each that finds the contestant worthy (a peck on the cheek for men and a kiss on the hand for ladies). One of Sandpoint's more respected crones (a grandmotherly human woman) presides as a judge as to who has earned the most kisses.
Based on how loud and distracted the crowd is you gather that success is wholly based on the performance itself.
The contest occurs in two phases. First the women and then the men.
Ventus watched the boxing, still nursing a couple of bruises from his first encounter with the local scrappers. He decided to give it a go in a more regimented environment. After a moment he stripped to the waist and trusted his gear and clothes to the contest judges. While he waits for his name to be called, he takes the time to wrap his knuckles and do some basic stretching.
Ventus has never been the most agile fighter but he knows a thing or two about causing violence. Without his armor, he feels a bit naked but he did have one trick the others did not. He is ambidextrous, it comes in handy with his shield work and it would come in handy here.
Ysmerelda finds her way as close to the stage access as she reasonably, and courteously can, idly fingering her travel-worn garments.
Should have asked Father Zantus if there is an able seamstress in town. Ah well, too late now...
Walking along arm in arm, Eli and Marysin make small talk with each other and many of the other attendees and some of the vendors at the festival.
Eli is a tall, thin man, with the typically sharp Chelaxian features. His hair is short and brown, and his brown eyes are bright and alert. Dressed simply, he fits in with the crowd. Marysin is a pretty woman, almost as tall as Eli, she also fits in with the crowd. Her Varisian complexion and curly black hair stands out a little, but there are many Varisians in Sandpoint and she is hardly unusual. Her face is pale under the wide-brimmed straw hat she wears, however, and there are signs for the observant or the expert in healing, that she is fighting to stay alert.
Eli leads Marysin through the crowds, never releasing her arm, and his manner is protective when people approach her and seek to touch her. The various contests elicit a smile from Marysin, and she teasingly suggests Eli take part in the Pie eating, but he shakes his head and refuses to leave her alone.
As Ysmerelda takes up a bit of an observing position, she finds herself adjacent to the old woman acting as the contest's judge.
She looks you over with nearly blind eyes but smiles warmly.
"Well you're not just going to watch are you? I don't see a ring on your finger. A pretty young thing like you just has to join in! Go on now, get in line. You don't want to end up like me do you?"
She puts a bony but gentle arm around your shoulder and walks you a couple steps closer to the stage.
And father Zanthus did encourage you to make some friends...
Eli leads Marysin through the crowds, never releasing her arm, and his manner is protective when people approach her and seek to touch her. The various contests elicit a smile from Marysin, and she teasingly suggests Eli take part in the Pie eating, but he shakes his head and refuses to leave her alone.
Marysin soon grumbles as her husband's stubbornness.
"I'm sick but I'm not helpless. Go have some fun. I would die from guilt if I knew my condition kept you from all of this. I need a few minutes to catch my breath anyway. Go, enjoy yourself", he says while pointing at the assembling pie eating contest contestants.
Over two dozen men have gathered for the festival’s boxing competition. They are mostly humans of varisian descent but a few towering shoanti and a couple half-orcs have signed up as well. Most of the boxers appear to be cocksure youths with more bravado than actual experience. After you strip down, an acolyte from Sandpoint’s monastery, the House of Blue Stones, applies a glistening oil to your face, neck, and upper body while explaining the rules.
*Each bout goes until one boxer scores at least 5 points and has 2 more points than his opponent or until one man is knocked out.
*The oil applied to each boxer causes most blows to glance harmlessly off the flesh, this grants each boxer DR/3 (Lethal).
*Since the competition is about putting on a show just as much as it is a show of physical prowess and skill, add your charisma modifier to your AC for purposes of this event. This represents the crowd getting behind you as the match goes on.
***
After about twenty minutes, your name is called and you’re brought to a circle of white sand (one of three that’s been drawn in the town square for this event). The crowd forms a ring around the arena and quickly begins to hoot and holler for the bout to begin.
Your opponent for your first match is a greasy-looking varisian youth. Although shorter than you and noticeably leaner, he looks to be quick on his feet. He smiles at you, turns to blow a kiss into the crowd, and then falls into a loose fighting stance.
Doran finds himself near the front of the crowd for the Boxing competition. His eyes search the crowd to make sure people are not being too rowdy or doing anything improper, and when he is content (at least as content as he can be, considering the chaos and hub-bub of the festival!) he settles against a fence post to watch the matches.
"Hope 'ey don' beat each otha too 'ard, would hate t' 'ave t' deal wi' 'em fightin' grudge matches in th' street af'er th' fact," he once again mutters to himself, but his honest interest in the competition keeps a small grin on his face.
Adventus: 0 / Greasy Varisian: 1
Adventus: 1 / Greasy Varisian: 1
Adventus: 2 / Greasy Varisian: 1
Adventus: 3 / Greasy Varisian: 1
Adventus: 5 / Greasy Varisian: 1
Ventus's opponent lands the first punch but the ranger quickly proves the more skilled fighter. After a resounding pair of blows to the ribs, the varisian youth collapses, and the monk watching over the bout steps forward to raise Ventus's arm in victory. His young opponent struggles to regain his breath after Ventus's bodyblows knocked the wind from his lungs.
Ventus, not being a prick, helps the greasy youth out of the ring and gets him over to where someone will surely be able to look after the kid's bruised ribs. He then hunts down an official for some water and a towel. It was a refreshing match, even though he felt a little bad about pummeling a kid who obviously did not know much about fighting other than the misconception that it would get him girls. These days girls always seemed to swoon of the fancy bard types rather than the guy who could flatten a man's nose with his fist.
You're given a few minutes to catch your breath and recover your strength. During the downtime more than a few spectators come by to congratulate you on the well fought bought and wish you luck during your next one. A priest of Irori stops by to check on your bruises (if you had any nonlethal she would heal it.)
***
About ten minutes later you're brought to one of the circles again.
Your opponent for this round is a hulking Shoanti that murmurs in the crowd say belongs to the Shundar-Quah tribe. Despite being monstrous in proportions and muscled like a bull, he seems to have garnered a bit of animosity from the crowd (to which he replies with animal growls).
At the size of his foe, Ventus breathes a ragged sigh. This one would actually hurt.
AC: 13
"No Marysin, I don't feel like competing today, but I'll get you one of those candy tarts if you want a moment to sit in the shade." Eli says reluctantly. He moves away from her, glancing back repeatedly to make sure she's still okay.
Round 1
Round 2
The huge man proves a bit more nimble than Ventus anticipated as he dodges away from the ranger's first two blows. He responds in kind with a shot to the body that rattles Ventus's whole ribcage.
Undeterred, Ventus dances in and lands a jab and then a followup right hook, each drawing a growl of frustration from the giant shoanti. The big man steps in and throws a screaming uppercut that catches the ranger square in the jaw and puts him down for the count.
"No Marysin, I don't feel like competing today, but I'll get you one of those candy tarts if you want a moment to sit in the shade." Eli says reluctantly. He moves away from her, glancing back repeatedly to make sure she's still okay.
Marysin breathes a sigh of relief as she's allowed to sit.
"A tart would be nice. A husband that would take a moment to enjoy himself so I feel less like a burden would be better", she says with a sad smile.
Ventus wakes a few minutes later in the priest's care, jaw aching and teeth rattled. A touch more humble than before, he stumbles over to the officials and collects his gear. After a couple of buckets of water and a short scrub with a towel to get the rest of the oil off, Ventus is almost feeling a hundred percent again and wandered off to find other, more sedate pursuits for the afternoon.
Sixteen strapping men of various ages are assembled at the wrestling preparation area. Many of them are Sandpoint natives just looking to have some fun and test their mettle but there’s also a few of your shoanti brothers here and even a couple students from the monastery. As the rules are explained you’re helped out of your armor, stripped to the waist, and oiled up.
Your first opponent is a lithe elven monk. He does a few stretches before bowing deeply.
”Good luck to you master dwarf and may the best man win.”
This is sort of like Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Pin: You wrestle with your opponent in an attempt to get the upperhand and pin them. As long as the opponent hasn’t gone for the submission, make a CMB check opposed by your opponent’s CMD. If you win, you’ve successfully pinned them. If your opponent tries for the submission, this automatically fails.
Submission: You wrestle with your opponent until an opening presents itself and then lock in a hold to try and force a submission from your opponent. Your opponent must succeed at a Fort or Will saved (DC: Your CMD) or tap out. If your opponent tries for the ringout, this automatically fails.
Ringout: You maneuver into a good position and then try to force your opponent out of the ring. Make an opposed strength check. If you win, you’ve tossed them out of the ring. If your opponent tries for the pin, this automatically fails.
If the same maneuver is chosen for a given round and both are successful, the greater success is the wins the round.
As with boxing, the crowd’s favor is a big factor. Apply your charisma modifier to all rolls (except your opponent’s opposed roll for the ringout).
Ventus wakes a few minutes later in the priest's care, jaw aching and teeth rattled. A touch more humble than before, he stumbles over to the officials and collects his gear. After a couple of buckets of water and a short scrub with a towel to get the rest of the oil off, Ventus is almost feeling a hundred percent again and wandered off to find other, more sedate pursuits for the afternoon.
After you come to, a priest checks you briefly to make sure there's no permanent damage and then dismisses you.
"Well fought sir. Let me help with some of the pain."
Eli frowns and a shadow passes over his face. "You're no burden."
I owe you everything, Marysin. I'll never let you down again.
He remembers to smile after a moment and then pats her on the arm. He kisses her on the cheek before he heads off to the nearest vendor.
As the conversation about the toils of travel drags on, Ensu excuses himself, preferring more cheery thoughts. Wandering around town, he stops briefly at each of the events to watch, though he is not inclined to participate in any of them until he reaches the archery event. Having so sense of self shame, and deciding that he may as well get the practice while he could, he grabs one of the crossbows at the signup table as he puts his name down for the shooting tourney.
Pirknok's mighty maneuvers are countered at almost every turn by the elf's graceful ones. The dwarf gets a lot of booing from the crowd but his opponent doesn't seem to be much liked either.
Finally both combatants lock-in painful holds almost simultaneously. Both howl in pain but the elf taps out his submission first!
Perhaps a bit shamed by his embarrassing submission, the lean elf immediately goes on the offensive. Pirknok catches the charging monk off-guard, hurls him to the ground and secures the pin.
Casually overhearing the couple's banter, Ysmerelda notices that the woman's pallor, unlike her own, is not natural. As her husband finally takes himself off, Ysmerelda murmurs by way of an introduction, "A doting husband is not the worst thing in the world, or is he one of those 'my wife is fragile as glass, a mere puff wind will shatter her' types? Though I wouldn't expect to find many of here." She ventures a quizzical smile, by way of mitigating any implied criticism.
Pirknok blinks, realizing the match has ended. He grins widely at the crowd, elated to have won, then exits the ring. Almost as an afterthought, he taps the elf on the shoulder and says: "Er... good fightin'."
Some parts of the crowd cheer but their hearts aren't really into it. They quickly disperse to go watch other ongoing matches. Regardless, a couple of the onlookers nearest, clap you on the back and congratulate you.
A few minutes later your name is called and you find yourself squaring off with old soldier middling in age. Although his strength is fading you get the feeling this old dog might still have some bite. He slaps his chest with a loud clap to get your attention before settling into a wrestling stance.
Pirknok gets into the spirit and tries to outdo the man's gesture, making grotesque faces at him in an attempt to appear intimidating.
Pirknok thinks he's intimidated his opponent but is surprised when his quick ankle-lock is countered and he finds himself in a choke. Unable to breath and with no way out, the dwarf submits.
After dusting himself off, Pirknok squares off for round two.
Which the old soldier wins just as decisively with a quick and effective pin.
The monk watching the bout raises the human's arm with one hand while helping Pirknok up with the other.
Pirknok gets up, watching the man with a new-found respect. After leaving the ring, Pirknok waits for the man and says, "Yer reel good... kin you teach me ta be like that?"
Doran amusedly watches the first two competitions, impressed at the tests of strength and skill. After the wrestling event concludes, the tanned man decides to head over to the Archery contest grounds to sign up and wait, rather than stick his nose into the assured chaotic mess that the Bachelor/Bachelorette event would become.
The crowd assembled for the archery competition is easily the biggest and most varied of all the contests. Men and women, young and old, all manner of Sandpoint residents and visitors have stepped up for the fun. The after some initial chaos, the various contestants are separated into pairs and the rules are explained.
Both archers fire at the same time and the object of the contest is to hit as many targets as possible Before your opponent can hit them. This is represented by a Perception Check (against a random DC), an initiative check, and then an attack roll.
*If one person gets the perception check and the other doesn't his attack is resolved first.
*If neither or both gets it, initiative is used to determine who fires first.
*If initiative is a tie the higher attack roll hits first.
For the first round, Doran is paired up against a small human child of no more than ten years of age. He handles the weapon with surprising expertise but seems distracted.
Ensu is competing against a shy young human woman. She constantly scans the crowd as if looking for someone while the rules are being explained.