After finishing the early supper Casca searches out the local book stores to purchase some cheap texts on the other religions present at the cathedral (Abadar, Erastil, Desna, Gozreh and Shelyn). "Vailic, your welcome to join me.""Get me some good deals and I'll help get Luchesciu drunk and talking shop after the festival."
Afterwards Casca returns to the room to clean his armor for the ceremony and study the other religions present at the cathedral. He also memorizes Ears of the City and Guidance in his empty spell slots and casts it to gather information regarding the new cathedral.
At sunset he returns to the cemetery to cast Light on the flowers at the monument and say a quick prayer. "Let there be light a little longer."
Um...yes...I would be happy to join you, maybe my good looks will come in handy when talking with some of the shopkeepers. I may even know a few of them already. Vailic thinks, maybe I can help ease his paranoia. It is good that Zeldana has him around. They make good companions.
Ah, you are handsome among the shadow folk? Casca comments without considering how it could be taken.
"Hahaha...No not even among shadow folk. I'm fairly average but I have learned to be persuasive all the same. My apologies that joke was ill thought out given my current audience."
Vailic leads Casca to a bookshop across from the imposing Sandpoint Garrison near the waterfront. Called The Curious Goblin, the shop has a comical picture of a goblin wearing spectacles, "reading" a book which is clearly upside down. Inside, every horizontal surface including the floor is crowded with books and folios of every kind. A young woman reclines in an easy chair by the window, reading a large book with no visible title; at the counter, two elderly men discuss the finer points of ancient history. One of them stops mid-sentence as you enter, smiling at the faintly-tinkling bell which rings above the door.
"Ah, welcome, friends, to The Curious Goblin! Good to see you, Vailic... enjoying that treatise on ancient Varisian ruins I gave you?"
The man walks over to shake Casca's hand. "Greetings, your sir. I am Chask Halidan, the proprietor. I can see that you are a discerning reader, only interested in the best. What's your pleasure today? Chelish fiction? Sonnets of the First World? Perhaps a chapbook from the Pathfinder Society?"
The man Chask was talking to at the counter looks down his long nose at Casca, before nodding to Vailic. "Afternoon, Vailic... got yourself a bodyguard, did you?" The man, Brodert Quint, is the self-styled sage of Sandpoint, and he's always seemed a little put-out by the idea that you are even close to as learned as he is.
Zeldana
-------
Casca's brother Luchesciu offers to escort you to the room, which is upstairs and on the south side. There's only a single bed, a rough table and chair, and a small wooden chest at the foot of the bed. "Best they could do, with the festival on," Luchesciu apologizes. "I guess you and Casca know each other well enough to share a room?" he inquires innocently.
The sound of the river flowing out to the sea would almost be relaxing, if it weren't for the drunken rowdies at the waterfront tavern only a few hundred yards to your south. Across the harbour you can see several villas on the higher ground overlooking the river, including one that has a distinct Tien flair. As the sky darkens the stars begin to come out, with a thin sliver of moon still visible against the ruddy glow of twilight. Tomorrow will bring the Swallowtail Festival, and perhaps new beginnings.
"Chask! You are well, I hope. I'm working my way through the treatise. It's a very heady work, so I'm taking my time. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."
Vailic muses to himself, "there is a 99% chance this treatise is nonsense, and a 1% chance Chask has stumbled onto something much greater than himself. It's a weird world and anything is possible."
"Ah...Mr. Quint it is a pleasure to see you. No bodyguard, just a temporary travel companion; a guest in our fair city. You must be rather happy the festival is about to start and the Cathedral finished. You can get some much needed respite from all the advising you have, surely, been doing."
Addressing Chask once again, "Casca is an avid reader, don't be surprised if you seem him again before he leaves."
Looking up at Casca, "Is there anything else you would like to see or do before you retire? Do you and Zeldana have accommodations?"
"Thank you Chask, this gets me started. I'm certain to return for more." Happy with his purchases Casca departs with Vailic.
"Sandpoint is bursting at the seams. Lushesciu was only able to find a single bed for me and Zeldana at the Dragon and I've seen it, a narrow travelers bed. If you have a quest room, I'd happily pay inn rates plus a premium for a comfortable nights sleep."
"Otherwise I am done for the day, I'll use the daylight remaining to read these new purchases and pray to Sarenrae."
"I have a floor and a bed sized for me. I regret not having more to offer but it is a roof and walls if either of you are in need."
What am I doing I am not this naive. Think first talk second you fool.
"I will leave you to your reading. If you find yourself needing something contact me."
Vailic heads home.
While Zeldana is in her room, she takes a moment to reflect on the day. She finally arrived at Sandpoint and the new cathedral looks fantastic. Casca was an excellent travelling companion even though she feels something is bothering him. And she met a new friend. This Vailic seems nice enough.
And so far Varisia didn't disappoint. She was looking forward to maybe exploring Old Light and talking to the Quint history guy. Just as the last light of the day touches her room, she gets down on her knees and prays.
Sarenrae, mistress of the sun and light, may your blessing guide me to restoring light to the world. With your spells that you so generously give me, I vow to be your mortal servant. I will be a bastion of good to whoever is in need. I thank you for giving me this unique opportunity to see the homeland that was lost to me beforehand. Dawnflower, please watch over my new friend Vailic. He seems to want the light to shine on him, so please bring your blessed light upon his brow so he can see what Casca and I already know. I am yours always, Dawnflower.
After she opens her eyes, she takes out her harrow deck. Why not? she muses. Let's see what tomorrow brings?. She starts the harrowing.
Zeldana thinks for a second and then asks aloud What kind of a day are we going to have tomorrow?
The Bear. The card of pure strength. People often think that the bear can be tamed. They are often wrong?
Zeldana sits back and thinks about this. What? Tomorrow we're going to need strength to consecrate a cathedral?. After a moment's thought, she says out loud Full Reading. She deals the cards left to right, top to bottom.
Zeldana looks at the first column. And sees a laughing giant in the top row, followed by a mysterious figure in the second row, and finally peasants with torches and pitchforks.
The Joke, The Foreign Trader, and The Uprising. Zeldana says. The Joke - a terror that must be overcome but not by physical means. The Foreign Trader - the card of spies and peddlers. And then The UPRISING - and overwhelming strength that crushes whatever is in contact with it. That's all the past. What could that mean?
Zeldana turns to the next column, the cards that represent the present. At the top was a colourful snake with rainbow wings. In the middle was a man in the clutches of dozens of hands that had sprung from the ground. And at the bottom was decaying feathered dragon with red eyes.
The Winged Serpent, The Beating, and The Peacock A feeling of dread fell over Zeldana as she looked at this column. The Winged Serpent - Knowledge and Prudence help bridge to understanding. The Beating - An attack from all sides. The Peacock - A sudden personal shift in attitude or a societal change.. Zeldana did not like the look of The Beating. In the near future, there could be a huge confrontation.
Finally, she looked at the last column. The icy feeling in her chest going stronger. At the top was a figure with the torso of a woman but had the lower bottom of a snake. In the second row, was a slave whose shackles were broken, and finally the last was a man blindfolded and chained about to be dipped in molten wax.
The Liar, The Big Sky, and The Waxworks. The Liar, but misaligned. A new relationship is forming, but disguised and something much less beautiful. The Big Sky - Momentous and Powerful change as old shackles are cast off in the light of day. The Waxworks - but strongly aligned. A place of helplessness and physical entropy. The mind might be willing, but the body is unable to move from this place of horror.
Zeldana does not like the look of this spread of cards. Nobody knows, except her mentor, that the Harrow deck is magical. She uses it as a focus for her summoning but it was also given to her by a witch. Not for the first time, Zeldana wished that old lady was alive so she could explain a few things.
As Zeldana, gathers up her cards and lies back on her bed, she thinks to herself Tomorrow should be an interesting day She listens to the crowds of people outside her inn and finally she drops off to sleep.
Zeldana is asleep by the time Casca returns to the room after dark. "I hope Lushesciu told her about the room shortage." He quietly rolls out his bedroll on the hard floor and falls asleep wondering if he could have found soft grass outside of town...
Vailic reads for an hour, prepares his writing material for the next day and goes to bed.
Early the next morning Casca and Zeldana awaken to the sound of shouting coming from downstairs. A man and a woman seem to be arguing loudly, although you can't make out any words. As you shake the sleep from your eyes, you hear a few more muffled shouts and then a crash, as of breaking glass.
Vailic sleeps soundly, although his dreams are unusually turbulent. The fragments you can remember upon waking include having large blue butterfly wings, and seeing the town from high above. West of the town, a small building burns on Chopper's Isle, as men tear apart a set of wooden stairs that lead from the beach up to the summit. Then a black cloud begins to seep from the ground near the garrison and spreads through the streets, sending people running,. The smoke rises up to meet you, and your wings turn to ash as you fall...
It is 7 bells, and you can hear the town beginning to wake outside your window.
Even with his love for the light, mornings are hard. First light burns his eye. Tears wash away the sleep and the halos receded but waiting for the world to come in to focus is his morning penance for freedom from the dark.
Vailic grabs a book, coffee, and some cheese and bread then sits preping his spells for the day.
Walking over to his valet, Valic inspects his robes and sets out his rings, bracelets, and necklace. Looking at the bright lavender robe he chose for this day he knows he chose well.
Valic has another flashback of his dream.
Piece by piece he dons his outfit. Buffing each piece of jewelry, adjusting and readjusting until the look is perfect.
Valic runs his open hands down the front of his robes sharply to set the pellets evenly and thinks, maybe I will walk up to the temple, I can see Chopper's Island from there it may settle my mind.
Vailic leaves for the festivities.
After hearing an argument, Zeldana looks at Casca and sees him awake at the sound of shouting as well. I'm going down there. She immediately grabs her holy symbol of Sarenrae and her harrow deck. She then opens the door and heads downstairs to see what the problem is.
Casca frowns at the sound of shouting as the sleep clears his mind. At the sound of breaking glass Casca jumps to his feet an reaches for his sword, his mind returning to the here and now he instead grabs his holy symbol and hangs it from his neck. "This is not the worldwound, we will have no problems that can not be solved with peacefully."
He follows Zeldana out the door, donning a shirt as he hustled down the stairs.
Zeldana and Casca head downstairs, and find the common room mostly deserted. A middle-aged halfling woman stands near the kitchen door, looking with wide eyes at two people in the kitchen. One of them is the bartender you saw from last night, her face flushed with anger. One hand holds a glass pitcher over her head, ready to throw it at the other occupant of the room, an elderly Tien man in traditional kimono, holding his cane in one hand. His face is a mask of rage, and he shouts words in a foreign language which, while you can't understand them, make his meaning quite clear. The bartender replies in kind, and raises the glass pitcher again as if to throw it.
Vailic wanders through the streets which are even now starting to fill with people. As you climb the hill to uptown, there is a buzz in the air, the sounds of a town about to shed its troubled past and move to the future. In the town square, the food stands are beginning to prepare the lunch already, and several carnival games are set up along the outside edge. The White Deer Inn has moved several tables outside to allow for more seating. From beyond the north wall, you can see several flagpoles and the top of a large, multicolored tent which seems to have appeared overnight. You see several shocked looks from the tourists when they see you, although your disarming smile and pleasant conversation seems to at least show them you mean no harm.
Zeldana immediately rushes up to the pair raising her hands to get their attention.
Please! There is no need for violence. We can try and resolve this peacefully! I'm sure there is some sort of resolution possible
Zeldana thinks to herself Casca, I hope you're right behind me...
Casca follows Zeldana's lead and rushes between the pair. "Enough throwing glassware, what is going on here!" He eyes the cane and the pitcher nervously, looking around for a cutting board or a serving tray to use as a shield if things get ugly.
The woman turns, surprised and somewhat embaressed to see you, but before she can speak the old man shouts at you.
"How dare you interfere in a family matter!" he shrieks, spittle flying from his mouth. He turns back to the bartender and smirks. "So this is what you dishonor me for? Peasants and children?" He switches to the other language, and continues in a biting tone. The woman's eyes fill with tears, and she suddenly moves to hurl the pitcher at the old man.
Vailic wanders the streets for a short time feeling better about his dreams. Then heads to the shop to do some writing or cleaning before the festivals opening ceremonies. He thinks to himself, “I hope those folks from yesterday have a nice day at the festival. If I see them I must ask how they liked the inn.”
Please! There is no need for this! Zeldana desperately tries to keep this from escalating, knowing how things have escalated in Nerosyn and things have always turned out bad. She hopes that's not the way things are here.
Seeing her eyes fill with tears and and wondering a what words he used to cut her so, Casca hopes that her retaliation is fair...
Casca attempts moves out of the way to give her a clean shot. He will attempt to prevent further escalation after that.
Round 1
=======
Initiative order: Casca, old man, bartender, Zeldana.
Casca moves out of the way to give the bartender a clear shot.
The old man raises his cane defensively and hisses something in the foreign language. It seems to strike the bartender harder than any weapon could, and he turns and limps out of the kitchen and towards the door.
The bartender crumples under the man's verbal onslaught, dropping the pitcher which shatters on the stone floor and burying her face in her hands.
Zeldana immediately goes to the innkeeper, drops to her knees to inspect the innkeeper's physical condition.
As she checks for injuries, she says soothing words. It's alright. It's over. You're safe. Who was that man?
Casca waits for the old man to leave, ensuring the door is closed behind him. Seeing Zeldana is caring for the bartender, Casca goes to the middle-aged halfling woman that was standing at the door. Speaking quietly "Do you know what just happened here? Has this happened before?"
The bartender is wracked with sobs, and flinches at Zeldana's touch, but your soothing words begin help her to calm down.
Casca's question startles the halfling woman, and she turns wide-eyed to look at him. "Master Kaijitsu's temper is not a stranger to the Rusty Dragon," she whispers. "He does not approve of his daughter's career choice." She then turns and looks busy as the woman slowly gets to her feet.
Thank you for your kindness, but I am uninjured," she assures you. "I am Ameiko Kaijitsu, and I apologize for my... father's behavior." She straightens her clothing and wipes her eyes once more with the back of her hand.
Several other guests have begun to filter into the common room, most hanging back by the stairs to avoid intruding. Ameiko raises her voice and quickly puts on a business-like demeanor.
"Will'm, clean up this mess! Bethana, get the guests some breakfast! We're heading to Festival in thirty minutes, so eat now or miss out!" She heads back into the kitchen, after a nod a Casca and Zeldana. As she passes Zeldana, she whispers, "Come see me at the festival site and I can explain."
A young boy comes running in with a broom and dustpan, and the halfling woman appears with trays full of steaming bowls of porridge and pots of tea. The guests begin to filter in, and within a minute there is no sign of the disturbance.
"Thank you Bethana" Casca takes a quick look around the kitchen before deciding that he would only getting in the way by trying to help. With a stomach full of porridge he hustles upstairs to make his morning prayers and don his armor, it is buffed and shining from his work last night.
As he crosses paths with Lushesciu, Casca asks "How long have the Kaijitsu family been in Sandpoint? Every time I was here in the past we stayed in the White Deer. Does Master Kaijitsu have a trade? A profession?"
With a bright ribbon wrapped around the hilt of his scimitar "Never though I'd be grateful for Tiermerel's lessons on parade and formal dress, funny the paths we take." Casca is prepared to head to the festival with Zeldana.
Zeldana looks at the bartender's request quizzicality but says nothing except nod slightly. For appearances sake, she says I'm glad you're OK before heading off to grab some breakfast. After she eats quickly, she heads upstairs to her room to change into her robes. After putting on her holy symbol and securing her Harrow Deck, she goes out with Casca to enjoy the festival.
As she walks around the streets of Sandpoint, she casually draws out her Harrow Deck and draws a card.
The Locksmith she muses.
Everywhere around here she can see the excitement on the faces of the residents and visitors and their enthusiasm is contagious. But in the back of her mind she is concerned about the bartender. When next she sees her friend Vailic, she intends to ask him about it, and she starts to actively search him out in the crowd.
Pity he didn't tell me where he set up shop she thinks to herself. Turning to her companion, Casca, do you know where Vailic said he set up shop?
"Yes, it is over here on Market Street, he showed me when I went book shopping. How was the bartender? Did you understand any of that exchange?"
It was odd. The bartender seemed to be OK, but she said she wanted to meet with me later on at the festival. Weird, huh?
Zeldana starts to head down to Market Street. Looking at the people who stroll past them. I thought perhaps Vailic might know something about what was going on, unless your brother happens to know something. What did the Halfling woman say to you?
Updating Zeldana on his conversation with the halfling woman Casca leads the way to Vailic's shop.
“Please come in,” Vailic says with out looking up from his scroll. “Do ask if there is anything I can do for you. You will want to shop quickly the festival should be starting soon.”
Hearing the floor board creak Vailic looks up to see to familiar friendly forms, one slight, the other block all but a sliver of light from the doorway. “Good day friends did Desna bless you with rest after your long travels?”
“Welcome to my shop. My partner and his son are already attending the festival otherwise I would introduce you.”
The shop is small 25ft by 25ft with a simple righting desk, at which the little shadow sits, centered near the back wall. Two chest high shelves with minor magical texts and scrolls sit facing each other creating an isle way from the door to the desk. On either side of the shop against each side wall is a table. On each table is an assortment of dried plants, animal parts, jars of exotic liquids, bits of metal and a multitude of magical ephemera.
The shop is plane bare wood, slightly bent floors, all greyed with age. It is unadorned but clean and tidy.
“This is my shop. It is not much to behold but we care for her immensely. Scroll of endure elements are currently our best seller but we are looking to change that.”
The shop is, though ramshackle, impossibly clean. No dust nor streak on the windows.
“Texts are there, scrolls to your left, spell components are on the outer tables along the walls.”
Vailic thinks to himself then calmly but suddenly says, “Would it be improper for me to sell holy symbols? Folks like you require them but would it be an insult if I imported some for sale?”
Not waiting for an answer, he says "We should get going. It would be a shame to miss any of the festival.”
Casca casually inspects the spell components on the shelves "Vailic, how do you keep track of all the different components? There are hundreds of materials here."
"The gods care not who sells their symbols, only that they are in the hands of the faithful. I've seen favored souls make symbols of great power, but they were never lessened or bettered by the seller."
Thinking it over, slowly and carefully Casca continues. "The more available the symbols of the gods are the better it is for the gods, less barriers to worship. There are some who believe that an organized church can be a barrier to worship, one does not need to be instructed how to worship the faithful will intuitively find their way. Caydenites and Desnites are particularly fond of this argument and would see your sales are serving the faith, it is no surprise it would occur to you."
"On the flip side, the oversight of the church provides guidance and assurance. History provides enough cautionary tales of cults distributing corrupted symbols to the ignorant, drawing power from false faith. The clergy does not guarantee against this but it is a safeguard. Also some have a connection to their gods stronger than others, if people must go through them to worship they can provide teaching that brings them closer to their gods than they would get floundering alone. This belief is near universal within the Abadar church."
Casca frowns, "And some believe the sale of unholy symbols is a deserved tithe to the church. They would react strongly to someone 'stealing' their tithe."
"It may be better for us to import them for the church rather than to sell them ourselves. Thank you for your insight. As for tracking we weight most of the material and sell them by per ounce. Some of the rarer and more costly materials have set prices all recorded in our catalogue here." Valic taps his finger on a brown leather book.
"I'm still trying to secure some diamonds and diamond dust but we don't have many clients that can purchase those types of materials. I do suspect that just having them may attract a more affluent clientèle."
Zeldana browses through the shop, allowing Vailic and Casca to talk business. She never did have a head for numbers and mathematical tallies. They were far beyond her. But as the conversation wound down she approached the two males and quietly lowered her voice.
Vailic, what do you know about the bartender at the Rusty Dragon? There was almost an altercation there between the bartender and her father. Nobody was injured but it certainly didn't look like it was finished.
"He is the owner of the Glassworks, why? Did something happen?"
Vailic says furrowing his brow with concern.
Vailic's shop is quite well-stocked for such a small town... it's likely that it would be quite a draw for anyone planning to explore the wilds of Varisia, since it's away from the bustle and corruption of Magnimar.
After finishing at Vailic's shop, you head to the festival grounds. The crowds are gathering, and you hear the calls of the side-show barkers long before you see them. Several games are set up in the festival field, and the tempting smells of food cooking wafts through the air. Above the North Wall, the circus big top is visible, and through the open gate you can see a steady stream of people heading to and from the area. There seems to be a series of animals in cages as well as several tents, staffed by folk in traditional Varisian garb.
A hand-lettered sign plastered on many buildings proclaims the schedule:"Games until noon; followed by the Swallowtail Release; lunch courtesy of Sandpoint's fine eateries; Cathedral Consecration at sundown."
How do you wish to spend the morning?
On the way to the grounds Vailic explains what he knows about the family, being sure to speak softly to prevent being overheard.
Listening intently to the Kaijitsu tale, Casca ponders "Zeldana, Does this give you any insight on what Amieko wished to speak of after the festival?"
Casca drifts towards the games on the festival grounds. "It's been a heavy 24 hours, I'm going to watch the games for a bit.
Zeldana follows Casca and whispers Not really. If this has been going on for a while you'd think she'd be used to it. Maybe she feels that she needs spiritual guidance?
While looking around for the bartender Amieko, Zeldana nudges Casca towards the games that feature swordplay and feats of strength. Go for it Casca. Show them what a champion of Sarenrae can do
Then she remembers her reading from last night. The beating she thinks to herself. Here's hoping that was the huge confrontation
Then she turns to Vailic. Vailic, do you believe in fate?