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The Swallow Tail festival has always started on the first day of Autumn. This year in the Sandpoint elders decided to put off consecration and the official reopening of the newly rebuild church until Sunset of the festival. You have all gathered in the Town for different reasons but you are glad you timed it to this festival, arriving last night a taking rooms in the White Deer for the evening. The White Deer is new and recently rebuild on the location of one of the previous Inns in town. During the recent unpleasantness it burned to the ground. The white deer is a very nice Inn and could clearly charge more then it is for the clean and spacious rooms, you quickly learn why they have lowered the price when you meet Garridan Viskalai, the dour Shoanti proprietor, who glares at you while getting you a room for the night. That night leaving the inn joining in the local tradition of drinking away the end of Summer, choose the Rusty Dragon Inn for the music and spice aroma you meet the proprietor Ameiko Kaijitsu as she is alternating between serving her own food and playing exquisite music for the crowd.
Early the next morning see the whole town up and active bright and early, the bustle fill the streets and inns. The White Deers Chef is occupied preparing the While deers contribution to the food all the Inns and taverns are providing for lunch, so a cold breakfast greets all the inns guests.
At Directly after breakfast the for keynote speachs will occur, Mayor Deverin, Sheriff Hemlock, Cyrdak Drokkus, the local Theater owner, and Father Zantus, priest of Desna, will all be giving speeches opening the festivities.
Later, at Midday, Father Zantus will perform the Swallowtail Release, filling the town with colorful butterflies.
Lunch will be provided by The Rusty Dragon, The White Deer, and the Hagfish tavern, they will be serving, Curry-spiced salmon, Peppercorn Venison, and Lobster Chowder respectively. There will be a poll taken and the winner will be awarded and small blue ribbon.
Finally Father Zantus will perform the Prayer of First dreaming and the consecration at Sunset in front of the Church.
Between these events there are games of chance, games of skill, compitions in eating, on the best pie, and more. There will even be a small dance after lunch in the Sandpoint Market Square.
It is early morning of the Swallowtail Festival the noise of preparation wakes you then prevents you from sleeping. What would you like to do?
Tuberu wakes with a cotton mouth and a headache. He had defiantly had too much to drink last night. I wonder if Cure Light Wounds cures a hangover?
Why is it so damn loud here... oh right the festival. Still groggy from the previous nights festivities Gisdrok pushes himself out of bed and gets ready, there's work to be done, no sense in laying around all day.
Gisdrok heads towards the main dinning room of the White Deer, looking for food and maybe a little to drink to offset his slight hangover.
When Tiberu makes it downstairs he spots Gisdrok and heads over to his table. "If there is any justice in the world your head hurts as much as mine." Sitting down he signals the help and orders breakfast. A cold meal was better than none after all. "I am heading to the speeches after breakfast if you care to join me. I need to make a stop at the grave yard to pay my respects to an old friend first though. Who was it that thought double distilled brandy would make a good night cap after a night of drinking ale?"
"There is some justice in this world trust me" Gisdrok says into his meal, looking up at Tiberu he continues "I am also going to the speeches today and a companion would be better than going alone." Having finished his meal Gisdrok waits for Tiberu to finish his "who is this person you are paying your respects to," maybe it's someone I know.
The former cathedral cleric looked after me for a few years before I found Dr. Jones. He and my foster sister died in the fire during the 'Unpleasantness'. I hadn't seen either one of them in years but they were kind to me when no one else was. The hang over doesn't seem to have had much of a dent on Tiberu's appetite as he diggs into the breakfast. Any sign of the cleric from last night? He had better not have received any divine dispensation on this morning's payment for last night!
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You know that the Speeches will be held in the Sandpoint Market Square , the Swallowtail Release, and the Dance will be there as well. The Free Lunch will be in front of the Cathedral, the consecration at dusk will also be in front of the cathedral, not inside, using the same seating as the lunch. The remaining activities are taking place throughout the town.
Anton gently cuffs Tiberu with a meaty fist. "Fool! You've forgotten the last half of the evening- you owe me! Never drink with a man who has lived years with dwarves. But I will forgive your debt if you will show me this church." He sits uninvited and snaps casually in the direction of the innkeeper.
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Garridan brings a third cold breakfast to the table looking even more dour than the previous night, and sets it down in from the of Anton with more force than is strictly necessary. Will you fine gentlemen be staying another night or will we be enjoying your company for another evening? Garridan stands near the table awaiting your reply seeming to be caught in between the desire to spit, and the desire to keep his tavern room clean.
I think you can plan on us for at least one more night. There is too much going on today for us to head anywhere else. Speaking of which, eat up Anton we will have to move quickly if you want a peek at the cathedral before the speeches begin. Plus I need to stop at the grave yard to say goodbye to some old friends. As soon as Anton has made some progress on his meal Tiberu excuses himself and heads back to his room to grab his gear, eager to head out.
Having already grabbed his gear and being done eating Gisdrok sits at the table quietly waiting for Tiberu to return, after a few moments he pulls out his musket and cleans it while he waits.
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Leaving the White Deer behind and walking a short ways to the south east, you walk past the bustle of the tables and benches being set up in front of the new cathedral. As the building it self is closed today in preparation for the consecration you walk around the southern side to the graveyard that spreads out between the wall of the town and the east side of the church. A narrow path runs along this side of the cathedral all the way into the graveyard. Once inside you move to the newest portion of the graveyard some thirty graves that are all no more then five years old, and all appear to have been set there at the same time.
Two graves in the group stand out from the rest. First is a monument of grey granite inscribed with the symbols of Abadar, Erastil, Sarenrae, Gozreh, and Shelyn, surrounding the lager symbol of Desna. This is the gravesite of the late beloved Father Ezakien Tobyn, the cleric in charge of the chapel that stood here before the fire that burned it down, with the white deer, and three homes, took the lives father Tobyn and his ward Nualia. The second grave is a pillar of mottled black and white marble, covered with engravings and gilded with silver and gold. This is the grave of Atsuii Kaijitsu wife of Lonjiku one of the rich merchant nobility, and owner of the Sandpoint Glassworks.
You notice tracks between the wall of the town and the grave of Father Tobyn.
Moving to the grave of Father Tobyn an Nualia Tiberu pauses for a moment before dropping to one knee next to the grave and lowering his head. After a short silence he stands and brushes off his knee turning to the others.
Thanks for stopping here with me. It wouldn't seem right to attend the festival with out coming to visit first. Let's got hear about this new cathedral!
Anton scoffs at the monument to Tobyn, and mumbles to himself Bastardized worship is a perversion. Gather the herd to better fleece them all. Fitting he should be sunk next to a Kaijitsu.
Circling the marble obelisk to admire the filigree he notices an unusual line of footprints in the bare earth between the town wall and Fr Tobyn's grave. Orcling, come have a look at these.
Humanoid, perhaps, but beyond that, I can't say what bothers me other than the strange gait.
“No problem as I said earlier it is better to have walking companions than to walk alone,” Gisdrok says to Tiberu as they stand looking at the graves.
Hearing Anton address him Gisdrok mutters under hid breath “I'll show you an orcling,” then says to the cleric “what is it.”
"I don't know what kind of tracks those are, you got more out of them than I did" Gisdrok says scratching his chin.
Tiberu raises an eyebrow at Antin before deciding to let the comment pass. There seemed no point to arguing.
Following to look at the tracks for a moment.
I can say what they are either. Are either of you and good at tracking? I can't say I ever had the knack.
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The turnout for the opening speeches is quite respectable, and the four keynote speakers each deliver short but well-received welcomes to the festival. Mayor Deverin’s friendly attitude and excitement prove contagious as she welcomes visitors to town and jokes about how even Larz Rovanky, the local tanner (and notorious workaholic) managed to tear himself away from the tannery to attend, much to everyone’s but Larz’s amusement.
Then Sheriff Hemlock, who looks very familiar, takes the stage and his speech brings everyone down a bit with his dour mood, his reminder to be safe around the evening’s bonfire, and his request for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the fire that claimed the town’s previous church five years ago.
Fortunately, Cyrdak Drokkus is more than up to the challenge of bringing the crowd’s mood back up with his rousing anecdotes as 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, Father Zantus steps up and gives a short speech thanking everyone for coming before declaring the Swallowtail Festival underway.
Now that the speeches are done, would you like to spend the day doing anything specific or just enjoying the festival before the consecration? You can look at the first post for all the different options of stuff to do.
Turning to Gisdrok and Tiberu, I respect the way the Deverins handled the Shoanti- steel is the only thing they truly understand. You should know that even better than I, Orcling. And matching the Kaijitsus scheme for scheme is no small feat, even when you have made a deal with your own devil...
Anton doesn't think the resemblance is worth noting aloud...
I've had my fill of games of chance after last night. But I never turn down a feast of lobster- any creature that fights on with it's back broken in two is a worthy meal. The thing is, these tracks still bother me, and they run south toward the river's edge. I'll take a walk down the shore to the docks, listen to the chatter in the market square, and then lunch at the Hagfish. Tiberu- perhaps you would show me the church this afternoon before the consecration? Most of the acolytes should be busy at that time, and I've come to see the structure they have wrought, not listen to their prattle.
Tiberu listens to the speeches with the rest of the crowd though most of the local references are over his head.
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I am assuming that everyone will be going with Anton to the river shore for the day. If you plan on eating the free lunch you will need to return here as all of the food is served together at the church square. Then you will all be at the consecration this evening planning on going inside as soon as you can, is that correct?
After Listening to the speeches Gisdrok heads out to enjoy the festival grinning like a child. He can be seen over the course of the day just having fun and trying everything.
I have never been one to pass up a mystery. I would be happy to show you the church this afternoon once we look into those tracks some more.
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The day passes uneventfuly, Anton and Tiberu walking along the river looking for more tracks, then moving into town near the docks and listening for rumors. Many rumors can be found in a town this size, though the veracity of any is greatly in question. As the day passes Gisdrok can be seen moving from stand to stand laughing and trying different games. Everywhere he goes stares and mutters follow in his wake though no one is rude to his face, the only disappointment for him comes at the dance when he can not find a partner amongst the towns folk. With the cathedral closed Anton and Tiberu are forced to inspect the structure from the out side for the time being. It is a large building that seems like it will be more then up to the task of holding services for all six of the Gods whose symbols adorn the doors and towers. While all the food provided if delicious the curried salmon, from the Rusty Dragon, wins the blue ribbon. As then day grows long and the town begin to quiet from the festivities people start to gather in front of the cathedral for Father Zantus's speach, preayer and the opening of the building to the public for the first time.
I still can't figure out who would need to climb the wall to visit the grave yard. Perhaps Father Tobyn has befriended one of the Shoanti though that seems unlikely. It doesn't look like any damage has been done so I can see why else anything would visit a specific grave in a grave yard, especially an old grave. Maybe tomorrow we can see what the outside of the wall looks like.
Tiberu shrugs then searches for a good spot to hear the blessings for the cathedral. He takes a seat near the rear so his long speer doesn't block anyone's view.
]Updated Map[
Not really knowing anyone else Gisdrok moves to the back to sit with Tiberu and Anotn. "today was fun, how about for the two of you, did you find anything?"
updated map
Nothing. I can't figure out why anything would climb the wall to visit a grave site just to leave it undisturbed.
Anton nods to Balbrulk as he sits down.
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Sunset is approaching and you have all come back to the courtyard in front of the Cathedral awaiting the final consecration that will open it to the public. 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…
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. You hear cries and more then a few retches from the people around you as blood pools around its head.
Now, the raucous sound has changed to that of a strange song, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices.
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! You be food!
Roll initiative!
A low, slow chuckle escapes from Anton as he surveys the scene. Ha ha! So it turns out we will consecrate this ground to Gorum! He stands, and there is a snap then a long scritch as he pulls 4 foot blade resting on the bench beside him free from its scabbard.
Gisdrok pulls out his musket and aims at the goblin closest to him, saying "this is going to be loud," then fires