People have been up for hours, several merchants have set up tents to vend their wares of food, clothes, local crafts, souvenirs, and beverages. Others folk have arrived early to gain positions near the podiums and the tables beyond. Tables loaded with a picnic buffet ready for the congregation after the ceremonies. The Swallowtail Festival begins promptly as scheduled, and the turnout for the opening speeches is quite respectable. A stage has been set up in front of the cathedral and a woman with short auburn hair stands in the center. Behind her sit four wooden chairs, three of them occupied. The square before the church is crowded now, the women loading the tables and the merchants hawking their goods join other locals and travelers as Mayor Deverin walks on the stage. As the crowd notices her, the chatter begins to die down and eyes turn to the stage. She smiles and begins to speak.
“Good morning everyone.” The attractive and personable woman welcomes the crowd with her usual friendly attitude. Her excitement is obvious and proves contagious as she welcomes visitors and locals alike. “I see everyone’s arrived. Even Larz Rovanky has left off tanning hides to be here. I’m sure his workers are glad it’s not their hides getting tanned, at least not today.” When the chuckles died down and Larz stops glowering past a reluctant smile, Mayor Deverin continues.
”It's wonderful to see so many of you here to join us on this proud day, and I'd like to extend my welcome to the many new faces I see in the crowd. As Mayor, I’d like to extend welcome to you on behalf of the town. I hope you all are enjoying your stay here in Sandpoint and I sincerely hope that you're having a wonderful time. Our town has much to offer and I hope we can consider you as new friends. Spend some time in Sandpoint and you’ll grow to love it like we do. And even if you don’t stay long, spend your money while you’re here!”
Several of the merchants give a vigorous applause, and the Mayor lets the crowd settle before continued over the remaining chuckles. “And to all of the old faces I see, thank you for coming and thank you for everything that each of you has done to keep this town strong. Thank you especially for all the time, sweat, and love you've put into building this fine cathedral. Sandpoint didn't seem complete without a church. We've always had heart. The true heart of Sandpoint is you, her people. But now we have an expression of that heart, and we built it ourselves!”
"Anyway, I can smell the lunch our tavern keepers are cooking already. A round of applause to Ameiko, Garridan, Cracktooth, and Jargie! I'm sure Father Zantus can spare an extra prayer that they don't burn anything before we get to eat it." More cheering erupts: the enticing aromas drifting over the crowd are overwhelming. "Now, since you have three more of us to stand there through, I'm going to sit down. Today as mayor I am declaring a town order to have fun! This is my favorite time of year!"
The crowd responds with a roar, and its a while before the Mayor could continue over the applause. “Without further ado, let me welcome our dutiful Sheriff, Belor Hemlock to the stage!” She indicates a dark-skinned, bulky man, clearly of Shoanti descent, wearing his armor and armed with a prestigious looking sword. Sheriff Hemlock nods and steps forward onto the stage.
"Thank you, Mayor. First off, let us have a moment of silence."
He bows his head and begins speaking, "Let us remember the memories of those friends and family members who lost their lives in the tragic blaze that made our new cathedral necessary. Cherish those memories and may the blessings of our Gods see them happy and well in the Afterlife." He raises his head and stands in silence for a moment scanning the crowd.
"Over the next three days all instances of wrong-doing will be dealt with swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law. No exceptions. As the sheriff of Sandpoint, I, Belor Hemlock, would also like to welcome everyone to enjoy themselves today, and you may or may not be aware of the planned bonfire at the beach tonight... it looks to be a promising festival. Do trust that I will be monitoring the level of safe conduct late into the evening. I am trusting our fun will lean to the side of caution. If you are a militia member, remember where your duties lay, and help Sandpoint keep the peace. Thank you." With that the sheriff steps back awkwardly and beckons with his hand, for the next speaker to approach.
The next speaker is quite a contrast to the Sheriff; he is brightly dressed, sports a well-groomed goatee, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying the day. As he reaches the center stage he loosens his collar a bit, winks into the crowd and starts to talk:
"Well, thank you Sheriff for that uplifting oratory. Don't worry I doubt there will be any fun for you to stress over today. If things get out of hand you can ask Ameiko to take the stage and put us all to sleep with one of her stories." The crowd responds with a combination of chuckles and offended heckles.
Without a beat Ameiko shouts from her merchant tent "What about the story of your last flop at the theater? I'm almost done with my newest ballad, I call it Cyrdak the Unimpressive! Who wants to hear?"
The crowd responds with laughter and cheers. Amieko can still be heard shouting over the crowd "Your secret boyfriend helped me come up with the name!"
Cyrdak stands awkwardly waiting out the crowds laughter to die down, as it does Amieko sneers in one more one liner, "What a sleepy crowd Cyrdak!"
After the noise finally quiets Cyrdak continues with a forced smile as if nothing happened, "We can all agree, this is our time to celebrate! I know this town has been through some hard times, but we don't lay down easily. Look at what we've accomplished!" He motions towards the church. "And I'm telling you, they spared no expense with this place. Father Zantus' chamber pot? It's solid gold and comes with a singing choir standing nearby. It's no doubt our neighbors and nobles put a pretty copper into the construction of this joint. And to think they wanted nothing in return, but to enlighten us and our taxes for many lifetimes to come. But worry not about your coin purse, I've heard from father himself that the gods are getting their gold together to help pay for this place. But don't take it from me, let me hand the stage off to the man who's in charge here. But before I let him get things going I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my personal invitation to each and every one of you to the new production of "The Harpy's Curse" starring the world-famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda as Avisera the harpy queen! It's all premiering tomorrow evening and continuing throughout the next two weeks at the Theater. Come see it, it will be fabulous! And now join me in a bit of applause for his holiness himself, Father Zantus!"
The crowd cheers as Cyrdak motions Zantus to the center stage. The young priest looks noticeably abashed at the reception set up for him. He wears the traditional ceremonial robes of a priest of Desna and a shiny silver holy symbol about his neck. He smiles and tries to calm the crowd down, eventually speaking when the applause has subsided: "Ahem, thank you. Thank you Cyrdak. And thank all of you for coming to join us on this most Holy day."
“Today ushers in the new Fall season. A season I have always thought was named appropriately, as today was the day Desna fell from the heavens during battle with Lamashtu."
"Though all the world wept for the loss of the goddess, and of dreams, it is said that she survived. She was discovered, on the rocks of a beach, by a blind orphan, forgotten and cast aside by the rest of the world. Though the orphan didn't know who she was and could do little for the wounded goddess, she still stayed by her side, holding a vigil on the beach, tending to her as best she could and praying to her god, Desna. When other followers had abandoned Desna, the orphan empathized and held hope in her faith. Through the care of this orphan Desna recovered and revealed herself to the blind woman. In return Desna transformed her into an angel and offered the girl ascension to Desna's palace in the heavens. It is now there and forever that they shall remain."
Father Zantus motions toward the newly finished cathedral, the sunlight glittering off the stained glass windows. “This story reminds us that tragedy is just a setback, not an end. Though our place of worship was destroyed, and our previous priest, Father Tobyn, perished in the flame, we have preserved as Desna would desire, and built anew. Today is our day of new beginnings. Our day of ascension. Friends of Sandpoint, I declare the Swallowtail Festival officially underway!"
An acolyte throws off the canvas of a nearby wagon, revealing thousands of swallowtail butterflies...the Children of Desna. He opens the cages and the crowd begins to applaud as butterflies flutter in every direction through the crowd, and eager children begin chasing them.
Moments later Father Zantus and the others step off the stage and the crowd begins to disperse to enjoy the festival. Numerous games and contests take place during the day, including sack races, games of hide-and-seek, weight-lifting challenges, balance beam contests, tug-of-war events, and the like. Lunch is provided free, at the expense of Sandpoint’s taverns. Each brings its best dishes. It soon becomes apparent that the darling of the lunch is, once again, Ameiko Kaijitsu, whose remarkable curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead easily overshadow the other offerings, such as the Hagfish’s lobster chowder or the White Deer’s peppercorn venison.
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Rhanloi wanders the festival, sampling each of the delectable foods and providing favorable reviews to the tavernkeepers. He observes the contests of physical strength and dexterity with amusement and laughs easily at the many children rushing about, caught up in the joy of the festival.
During his wandering, he stops at each market booth and shop that offer books or magical items/artifacts. He engages in good natured haggling with owners if anything catches his eye - using some of his own collection of books. Rhanloi also asks for any rumors of rare books or magical items the shopkeepers know, and offers to keep an eye out for any interesting items he may run across. If there are no bookstores, or only one or two poorly run shops, he will instead ask about the possibility of opening his own Rare Books and Items store...
Rhanloi wanders mostly by himself; he never turns away from conversation with others, but rarely stays with any one person or group for more than 20-30 minutes.
Archeak wandered the festival looking for food or perhaps better wine that was better then what the local inn sold. His mind wandered to memories long past and then shunteditself back into the present, the past held nothing for him.
Ursion attends the opening speeches and afterwards begins wandering through the crowd, meeting people and talking to merchants. He samples food, but no alcohol for the time being. He is dressed in his full armor and cloak, his warhammer and shield slung on his back, helmet strapped to his side displaying his holy symbol prominently. His longword is in it's sheath at his other side. He has spent some time this morning cleaning and polishing his gear to look his best.
Ursion takes care to appear friendly and casual, but also takes it upon himself to keep a careful eye out for any wrong doing as advised by Sheriff Hemlock.
Carring his Great Sword and daggers as he normally does while still trying to appear friendly and casual as he wanders the festival looking for food or perhaps those tests of physical strength and dexterity he has hear about... After each event he can be heard yell loudly "ON WARDS!!"
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Zariel wandered the town taking in as much of the festival as he could. He loved these celebrations, and was glad to be rid of his hangover so he could enjoy it to the fullest. He keeps his sword wrapped in his poncho and strapped to his back. It pays to be prepared but he didn't want his weapon to get in the way of a good time.
Zariel spends most of his time challenging people in the physical contests and, win or lose, sharing a drink with them after wards. When he takes breaks from the games, he attempts to sample as much of the food and drink as he can.
During one of these breaks he will wander around the church grounds. Not snooping, just admiring the newly build structure.
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Seeing the action start to lull, Rhanloi decides to perform some magic tricks for the children in the crowd. He casts prestidigitation and wanders through the crowd, performing minor magical tricks such as lifting girls' ponytails and necklaces by magic, or chilling boys shirts, or coloring his own clothes in gaudy shades to make the little ones giggle. He even sweetens their water and colors it red so when they drink it they have wonderful red mustaches!
"Ugh, my head... That's the last time I decide to drink myself to sleep in the hayloft...Where's the food?"
Smelling the various delectible items brought out by the taverns, Grimjaw scrambles down from his perch, and begins to parttake in anything he can get his hands on.
I'm sure I've got time fer this...There's always time fer breakfast after all.
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Seeing Grimjaw covered in hay and scowling with an obvious hangover, Rhanloi can't help but direct some mischievious magic his way...like making his sausage cold and blue, or flavoring his mead, or moving various food items when the dwarf reaches for it...
He's gonna be sooo pissed at me... Rhanloi giggles But how can I NOT tease the dwarf today?
"Hey Grimie - having trouble over there?"
Absolutely unaware (or at the very least, unconcerned) with the visual or taste oriented aspects of the ensorcelled food, Grimjaw angrily attempts to stuff as much of it as he can into his maw. Seeing it dart out of his grasp only further incenses him.
"Aye, this food is slippery! Can't seem to keep a hold of it. Bloody greasy sausages are what they are!"
Grimjaw raises an eyebrow.
"And I'm not sure about that tone of yours. You wouldn't be puttin' one over me now would ya?"
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Can't help but laugh out loud at this!! Rhanloi buys two mugs of pale ale and walks over to Grimjaw, clunking the mugs down on the table and sitting across from his new friend.
"You caught me! Welcome to the Festival, sleepy-head. This one's for you..." he says as he nudges one of the mugs towards the dwarf.
Never one to say no to a gifted ale, Grimjaw lifts a glass with the pointy eared half-elf.
"Pranks eh? I like a good prank well enough. Known a few gnomes in my time in the world. Though usually it ends up with one of us wakin' up with naught but some homely barmaid and a smile."
Grimjaw leans over and sniffs himself, recoiling at the smell of barn animals and booze.
"Gah, I smell like a horse. I'm gonna need a bath. I'll be in the river."
He wanders off.
"Ahh i haven't seen a smell like that in years.... I took me days to fight it"
While strolling around the perimeter of the vendors, Ursion spots a few of the fellows he met last evening.
"Good morning!" he calls out. He approaches Zariel and extends his hand and then addresses him and the rest of the group, "I imagine last night might be somewhat blurry for you, but I was pleased to meet you then, as I am now. I am called Ursion, are you enjoying the day?"
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I'm glad to hear it. Sometimes people who were glad to meet me last night aren't so happy to meet me the following morning Zariel chuckles.
If I neglected to mention last night, my name is Zariel, and I both was and am glad to meet you. I have been enjoying the day, perhaps a little too much, but with so much to see and do, how can one resist? Such a lively town, I'm glad I came here. I trust you're enjoying the day as well?
Archeak went into the tavern and began drinking down several ales, his ability to hold his ale catching the eye of several patrons...including a dwarf cramming blue suasages into his mouth...
"Yes, I'd say that I am. Nice day, good people, and no signs of trouble." Ursion replies.
More of this wonderful beverage u call rout bear please...
With everyone finishing up their meals, and the day breaking into late afternoon/early evening the crowds settle down from the games and the abundance of wonderful food, mainly content on talking amongst themselves and shopping stalls. A few of the organizers of the festivities go around announcing that the consecration ceremony will begin shortly and try to huddle the masses back to the town square.
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Back on my feet in a crowd of people? Ugghhh...better grab my staff so I have something to lean on.
Rhanloi finishes his ale and quickly ducks back into the White Deer to grab his quarterstaff. He heads towards the town square, looking for an out-of-the-way spot, preferably not in a large group of townsfolk but still affording him a good view of the platform.
Turkey leg in hand, Grimjaw wanders toward the square.
Hearing the announcement, Ursion stands, and heads back towards the square. He finds a good view from the edge of the crowd.
After one last gulp of rout bear golarian make his way to the stage but not before making sure his armor is still tight and his weapons are still their and ready for anything that may or may not happen at this fest...
Whit that he shouts "On Wards!"
Archeak wandered towards the consecration, and the bunch of religious fools who would inevitably know their lore about the planes and screech "kill the tiefling"!
Grimjaw leans against a cart full of cabbages, pulls out a block of wood and his knife, and begins to whittle. After a moment, he begins to sing a jaunty tune with a grim topic.
"Ooooh, there's a big dark hole on the gallows
A big dark hole to the ground
A big dark hole on the galoooows
N' that's where pa can be found..."
Archeak looked over at the half elf next to him and said, why do I get the feeling something bad is about to happen?
Im more worried about the religious idiots, only bad things come from religion. My home country of Nidal proved that to me, religion indoctrinates and controls its followers leaving no room for free thought.
"Your views might change a bit the first time ya need some priest to magically put your insides back where they belong."
Considering the fact that I am Shackle-Spawn most priests would leave me to rot...and those that would help I would kill on general principle. But that is a tale for another time let us see what unfolds, anyone wish to take bets on something going wrong?
Priest I have seen and endured the horrors of Nidal, the land of Zon-Kuthon. You have not born witness to true horrors that would shatter the average man's sanity. I have, I witnessed it since my childhood sixty years ago...
There is a general rowdiness to the crowd just from everyone's excitement for the consecration and the chatter of people talking about the festivities of the day.
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 stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, and the buzz of two dozen conversations quickly hushes as all heads turn toward the central podium, where a beaming Father Zantus has taken the stage. He clears his throat, takes a breath to speak, and suddenly 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 parts and 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.
i'll draw my weapon and move toward it yealing "ON WARDss!
Priest you attack them head on I will flank our attackers, where there is one goblin twenty more lurk near it, dwarf your with the Priest as for the other one he's coming with me.
"What's all the bloody commotion? Have they come? Are the ogres here already?"