Five years ago, tragedy shook the quiet town of Sandpoint: several gruesome murders were followed by a fire that destroyed the Cathedral, killing the beloved priest Ezakien Tobyn and his beautiful adopted daughter Nualia.
But time passes, and with the cycle of the seasons and every new harvest, peace returned to Sandpoint. On the 22nd of Rova of 4707, the Autumnal Equinox, the annual Swallowtail Festival had something more to celebrate, as the new cathedral had finally been completed.
And on the day of the Swallowtail Festival, seven perky kids find themselves in the town square, eager to spend the sunny day playing around, gorging on the free food the taverns bring out, and listening to the minstrels butchering the same folk songs over and ofer, their music growing shakier with every pint of ale. What could go wrong on this beautiful day?
Before the fun begins, however, Mayor Kendra Deverin walks over the wooden stage, addressing the crowd with a large smile. "Greetings, everyone! I am oh so glad to see all of you here, both locals and travelling merchants, even Larz managed to leave his tannery! Is this your first break of the year, Larz?"
As a chuckle runs through the crowd, you tune out the mayor's inane pleasantries, focusing instead on a large, opalescent beetle that Andi has just found among the paved stones. Your attention returns to Kendra just as the fatidic words are spoken: "And now, let the Festival begin! Have fun!"
Games and entertainment:
- Village fair favorites are all presents, from sack races to tug-of-war and balance beam.
- Alma Avertin, the baker, is holding a raffle with cookies as prizes, and a chance to win a carrot pie that could likely feed a whole family for a day.
- Koya Mvashti, the aged fortuneteller, offers to read the Harrow cards to whoever wishes to know about their future.
- Shayliss Vinder, a beautiful girl slightly older than you and occasional playmate, is standing on the sides with a smirk on her face.
- Cyrdak Drokkus, the owner of the Sandpoint Theater, is trying to get the minstrels into shape, leading them with his booming voice. Meanwhile, Jesk Berinni, the innkeeper of Cracktooth's Tavern, keeps refilling their mugs with his dark, foamy ale.
- Jargie Quinn, the owner of the Hagfish watering hole, is daring people to drink a glass of "Norah's water". You have heard rumors about it, it's apparently something so foul that nobody can stomach it.
- Sheriff Hemlock has put up targets for an archery contest, as well as a melee bout. Could he be any more obvious in his attempts to find promising recruits for the militia?
- Ameiko Kajitsu, the former adventurer and owner of the Rusty Dragon Inn, has brought out a cauldron, and people are throwing all kinds of food inside. As she sniffs the mixture, she grimaces and dumps spices inside.
- Daviren Hosk, the goblin-hating stablemaster, has painstakingly painted goblin faces on a large number of pumpkins, and hands quarterstaves and clubs to those who want to hit them, promising a prize to whoever squashes one in one hit.
- Vorvashali Voon, the owner of the local oddities and trinkets store, and Broderick Quink, the old local sage, are arguing passionately. Voon looks amused, Quink looks like he's about to pop a vein.
It's been a rough few days for Vorin. For one reason or another, as often happens, he'd gotten in trouble. This time, they confined him to the orphanage for two days, and they'd left him to wonder if he would be allowed to go to the festival.
Of course, in the end, they did. Relief and cheer, however, has Vorin particularly excited, and he moves quickly through the festival as if trying to see every little thing he can see.
His clothes - a simple woollen tunic and trousers - are worn, as he is probably the fourth or fifth child at the orphanage to wear them. They are quite colourful, however, at least for the moment. His tunic is a bright red, and his trousers an equally bright blue. His feet are, as he tends to prefer it, bare.
Snatching a sweet roll from one of the tables of free food, and one for Andi, Vorin grins and nods quickly, "Yeah, let's do that!"
Trace has taken off. He can hardly believe it! His parents said he can go off on his own to enjoy the festival with his friends!
He loved his little sister but having some free time was something he hardly ever got, and with his new sibling only a month away, this might be his last "Trace only" time for ages!
I have to find Emmy.
Thought, bounding through the crowd, before stopping and doing a double take.
Riiiiight after I figure out what Shay is smirking about
He changes course to slide in next to Shayliss, looking in the direction she's smirking.
"You look like you know something interesting. Care to share?"
He couldn't se a thing through the crowd
Vorin giggles as the cat leaps for the beetle. Then, he looks up to Andi, and says, "It's okay, we are all getting treats today." Speaking of which, he takes a bite of his sweet roll as they walk.
He blinks mid-bite, however, as Andi dares him, and he says, muffled by a full mouth, "What?" He finishes swallowing, and then says, trying to cover for his initial shock, "Um, yeah, yeah, I'll do that!" He looks a bit nervous, saying it, though.
Second later, he's forgotten about it, grinning again as they are waiting for their turn at the fortuneteller. "I wonder what's going to be in our future?"
Minodora hoofs it up to the square with the last couple of sacks of clothes she has to bring to the stall. Rhynn has opted for a stall today rather than opening the shop. She said "it would be nice to work outdoors for a change and besides, it's where everyone will be all day."
"There, that's all of it" Minodora pants as she drops the sacks behind the tables where her sister is laying out the stuff already there.
"Great, now help me fold these" Rhynn orders as she shoves several blouses toward Minodora. "It won't take long to get set up, and then you'll be free. But remember I need you to come back for a little while in a couple of hours so I can go get something to eat. After that you're free for the rest of the day. I'll break the stall down at the end of the day. Hopefully there won't be nearly so much to carry back."
Minodora rolls her eyes but says nothing. Boring! How am I supposed to keep track of two hours anyway? Minodora really hated helping customers. They could never decide anything, which meant giving them opinions. The problem is the opinion always has to be the same. You look wonderful in it! It so suits you, and brings out your ________ so well!
It would be one thing if it were true, but mostly she had to tell something of the sort to some old woman who actually looked quite terrible in whatever she had picked out, and really shouldn't want whatever feature in question being brought out and scrutinized all that much.
But, as Rhynn always scolded when she wavered on compliments. "It keeps bread on the counter and soup on the stove." So she did it anyway.
While she helps Rhynn finish up getting things ready, Minodora keeps an eye out for Avienus. It would be nice if he were to think of coming here since she is having to work, and doesn't want to waste part of her two hours hunting him down.
Empheria runs into the festival excitedly. She runs into Trace and Shayliss on the way to her destination.
"Hi, Trace! Hi, Shayliss!" she says. "Did you know Ameiko is letting people cook something with her? I would have helped her heat the cauldron up, but my sister said I could only come to the festival if I could 'de-mon-strate re-spon-si-bi-li-ty and res-traint.' So instead, I'm going to look for something good at a tavern to put in her soup!"
She darts off towards one of the taverns giving away free food to find something that would taste good in Ameiko's soup.
Talsin looks around as he arrives at the festival. There's so many people here, he hopes he doesn't get upset and make people scared of him again.
He begins to walk through the square, moving towards the minstrels, stopping briefly to grab something to eat as he watches.
I wonder where the others from the orphanage went. He frowns briefly as he thinks hard on this, before arriving over at the minstrels, finding somewhere shaded to sit and watch, grinning at the antics of the theatre master trying to get them to sing properly.
I just hope they stick to singing and don't decide to start telling stories. I dun' wanna hear about Chopper.
Eager and ready to go, Avienus rushes around his home hurrying his best to do his daily chores which were thankfully cut in half due to the festival today. Grabbing a quick bite of bread, he rushes towards the door. "Bye mom I'll see you at the festival!" However, before he could get there, his mother was already waiting for him with her hands out. "No blades." as she shot him a stern look. Giving a sigh, he takes out the short blade of a sword from behind his back and hands it to her. "The dagger too." "But mom, what if-" "Avienus Corvina, hand it over. You have no need for these blades at a festival. Besides, I am perfectly sure you can find other ways to woo that darling Mindora that do not involve stabbing things." Avienus turns his head to the side with a slight bit of red flushing into his cheeks. Handing over the other blade with a defeated sigh, he sulks just a little with his response. "She's just my friend mom, I'm not trying to 'woo' her. Besides, a soldier can't waste his time trying to make girlfriends all the time. I have to always be ready!" Moving past his mother on his way out with a smile he turns and waves before rushing off.
Finally making it towards the square, he spots a familiar face. Rushing over only to make a slow side step, he leans his head over. "You know, boys probably won't like you better if you scowl like that all the time. Piece of bread?" he says calmly as he tears a piece of bread off his small loaf, offering it to Mindora.
Minodora looks up from her folding, staring at Avienus with narrowed eyes.
"Are you saying they don't like me?" Her voice carries a dangerous edge.
She shifts her eyes to the bread for a split-second but doesn't take it.
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"This line to the fortune teller is seriously, taking forever."
Andi continues to hold and pet Licorice, a small black kitten whom she found on streets a couple of weeks ago. The two made an instant connection and haven't been more than a few feet apart since. The orphanage marm tried to move Licorice into a different room at night, but all her efforts gained her nothing but a scratches on the arm and face and nightmares of a screeching, hissing, and twisting furball for several nights after.
Andi adjusts her worn leather armor and sighs. Standing at five and half feet tall, Andi is quite tall for her age, and considerably heavier than the other 8 year old girls in town. She was lucky to find any armor that fit at all. The other girls around town would often point and laugh at her. Around town, it was normal for Andi to hear shouts of "Ugly Andi" and "Blue Green Freak", referring to her two differently colored eyes.
I'm glad I have Vorin, Talsin, and the others from the orphanage. We are all freaks together. Who cares what the other kids say? Hey, where did Talsin go to, anyway?
Avienus' eyes widen up as he hears her tone as he turns a little flush once again. "No, no, uh, no not at all. I was just joking is all, you know, uh, trying to be funny. I actually don't know of any boys that like you. They do ask about you though. I find it weird that they always ask me about you..." he says, stammering a little bit in the first part of his response. Trying to think a moment further, he tries to change the tone. "So uh, how much longer do you have here? You don't have to spend all day here do you?", taking another bite as he finishes his question.
Shayliss turns towards you, and the look on her face could fit on a predatory beast as she points towards the sparring grounds, where two boys in their late teens are currently wrestling. "Eye candy" she explains, twirling a lock of scarlet hair. "Dad's all busy watching Katrine, so I'm free to enjoy the show. Bless Sheriff Hemlock and his militia."
Koya looks at you with a smile as she shuffles her Harrow cards. "So young, and already this curious about the future? I'll take a peek, but don't forget that you are the only ones who can make something out of it."
She lifts an eyebrow at the cards, but quickly composes herself while exposing the omens.
"You, young girl, are going to live as free as the summer wind. Deceitful ones may try to hamper you, but through wisdom and knowledge you shall overcome them."
"And you, boy, will face some who would not accept you, but remember that there is strength in unity and teamwork, and you will find everything you seek."
"But most of all, I foresee some great fun at today's Festival! Go!"
As it's just morning, the tavern stands are mostly offering snacks, cheeses, cold cuts and a plethora of baked goods; meanwhile, farmers have brought out their vegetables: gourds, carrots, and more kinds of cabbage than you thought could exist. Then, of course, there are Hosk's pumpkins.
As you keep an eye on Ameiko, you see Turch Sterglus, the kindly and white-bearded fishmarket owner, chuck an eel inside the cauldron with a hearthy laugh, much to the young woman's dismay. It looks like someone dared her to make the town-sized hotpot taste good.
Drokkus throws his hands in the air in an overacted, prissy display of pretend insufference. "Ah, you louts will be the ruin of me! I am a respected playwright, an entertainer and an enterpreneur, and I'm stuck with a sorry lot that couldn't carry a tune in a bucket! Ah, someone please bring me lemon water and a lively girl, my poor heart can't handle this any more!"
The tallest minstrel punctuates the speech with an off-key burp and reaches for another mug of ale, promptly finding one.
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"Unity and teamwork. That's what she said about you, Vorin! Don't I always say that you should trust people more? As for me, of course I am free as the summer wind. I was hoping she would say I would be rich when I grew up. Well, now c'mon, let's go find Talsin, I'm going to dare him to drink the Norah water too."
Vorin smiles brightly as it gets to their turn, and quickly steps up to Koya's table. He grins at Andi's fortune, giving a nod of agreement as the fortuneteller calls his friend wise.
When it's his turn, he gets a bit more serious. He looks momentarily disappointed at the first part of the sentence but brightens again at the rest. He gives a serious nod, and says, "I'll remember."
He grins again as she tells them to go, and, if Andi does as well, he quickly runs out of the tent. "She said you were wise, too. I already knew that."
As they walk along, he looks around, trying to find Talsin, and after a moment he comments, "I wish I wasn't so short, can't see anything. Someday, I'm going to get a magic ring or something, to let me fly!" Unlike Andi, he's only a couple of inches over four feet tall.
"Pfft, boring. Well you have a good time, I'm gonna go get some real candy."
As he is heading off he turns as he is walking past her, putting on an accent.
"Don't stare to long or it'll rot yer eyes. "
He laughs and runs of after Emmy.
He cocks his head, Wonder why he needs the girl, but I can find him a lemon water. before heading towards where Ameiko is currently making soup, hoping to find water nearby.
As he walks through the market, he catches sight of Andi and Vorin coming the other way. "Hey, where'd you guys go earlier? he shouts, as he runs up to them.
"Oh, Trace, you came to look for food, too?" Empheria says when she notices Trace running after her. "What do you think would go well with soup? Definitely some cabbages and carrots... maybe some of the cheese... I'll take something from everything, and I'll ask Ameiko which she wants, and I'll eat the rest myself."
True to her word, Empheria fills her arms with as much as she can carry. She waits for Trace to make his picks before bounding back to the inn.
"Hi, Ameiko! Which of these can we give you to help with the soup?" she asks, showing her all of the food she had brought. She sniffs the brown liquid thoughtfully. "Maybe some carrots?"
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"Oh, sorry, Talsin. We got all excited and ran off to get our fortunes told, and thought you were right behind us. Hey, Vorin said he is going to try to the Norah's water. All the adults are too scared to try it. How 'bout you? I dare you!"
Then Andi looks around the courtyard and giggles. She lowers her voice to a whisper so just Vorin and Talsin can hear her.
"Oh, this is even better. Vorin, do you think you can dump the Norah's water into Ameiko's stew without anyone noticing?"
Talsin mimics retching at Andi's suggestion, before having a bit of a laugh himself.
"If the whole towns putting food in there, I don't think a bit of water's gonna make it any worse."
He shudders for a moment, before sticking his tongue out at Andi.
"And it don't matter how hard you dare me, I ain't trying that water until you do."
Vorin's nose wrinkles at the of suggestion, "But I wanted to try that stew when it was done." But then he starts to giggle, as he imagines the scene that Andi describes.
After another moment of thought, he says, "Okay, but that means I don't gotta drink it. And you gotta figure out how to get a glass of the water! You're the wise one," he adds with a grin.
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Andi laughs and giggles.
"You know me, Vorin! I am full of ideas. And this time, Licorice is going to help me! Time to show everyone our new trick, Licorice."
Andi leads Vorin and Talsin over to the Hagfish. She peers into the doorway, looking through the gloom of haze and smoke. She coughs.
"Achkkk. Yuck. Adults sure are strange, liking places like this. But this will clear things out. After Licorice does his thing, Vorin, you sneak in and grab as much Norah's water as you can. See if you can get a pitcher."
Andi sets Licorice down. "Ok, Licorice, you go in there and meow and hiss at as many people as you can."
Andi concentrates, and Licorice multiplies... 2, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... In a matter of seconds somewhere around 200 cats go pouring into the tavern. Soon shouts and screams echo from within.
"You know I dont care much for the taste of food, seeing as I can change it. It's all about texture and smell!
Speaking of, I was thinking of taking that drinking challenge and reflavouring it a little, to make it easier!
What do you think?!
He asked, before tossing the rest of the Dark Cocoa bar he had into the pot. He'd seen his much cook with it a little before, on special occasions. And this occasion was special too right?
No sooner had he mentioned the challenge than a cacophony of shouts, screams, and hisses echoed from the direction of the Hagfish.
"Come on Emmy! Looks like we're missing out on all the action!"
Trace pulls at his friend's sleeve under and the vegetables, encouraging her to follow him before he takes of into the streets towards the source of all the commotion.
Talsin looks at the open door of the Hagfish, then turns to stare at Andi with wide eyes.
"I'm not sure whether that merits cool or scary. I just hope the adults don't get angry over it"
He then sidles over and tries to hide to the side of the door, wincing every so often at the noises from inside.
Pleased to have put Avienus on his heels, Minodora lightens up a bit. She even ignores the backhanded, and knowing Avenius, accidental, insult in his reply.
He really should have figured out by now that appearance is a sore spot for Minodora. It isn't easy growing up with an older sister who is widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in town.
"Just a few more minutes... Right Rhynn? And then I can leave." Feeling extra generous since it's such a special day, Minodora evens asks Aventius "what do you want to do first?"
Ameiko plants a kiss on the gnome's forehead. "Darling, you are a treasure! Let's see, these carrots will be perfect, then sliced winter cabbage, lemon juice, and we may-"
The innkeeper stops talking as Trace tosses his snack in the pot, her tone switching to deadpan. "Or just some chocolate, yes. Goes great with eel. Oh, why can't I turn down a dare?"
A storm of cats is a conspicuous distraction. Cursing like a sailor, Quink limps on his wooden leg towards his tavern grabbing a broom, and in doing so leaves a large jug of slimy, foul-smelling water unsupervised.
Vorin has to stifle a laugh as he watches the swarm of cats enter the pub. But, as soon as Quink has disappeared inside as well, he makes his move.
Vorin dashes forward, stopping at the jug of water. He takes a quick look around, and then, as subtly as he can, tries to pick up the jug and slip away.
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"Great job, Vorin! You are spectacular! Now let's head over to Ameiko..."
Andi concentrates on Licorice, who soon appears and jumps into her arms. Just one of him remains.
"Good kitty kitty. I told you that trick would come in handy! Extra treats for you later!"
Andi motions Vorin and Talsin over toward Ameiko, around the corner and behind her.
"What should we do? Should we distract her or just lie about what is in the jar? What do you think, Talsin?
Talsin runs round the corner with his friends, panting a bit before straightening up.
"I don't wanna lie to miss Ameiko, thats not very nice, so maybe distract her? I don't know, you're the one with the plans."
Talsin looks over towards Ameiko, then back round at Andi and Vorin, face scrunched in consternation.
"She's one of the ones that looks at me funny but, so mayyyybe lying to her doesn't count as mean."
He shrugs quickly then.
"What do you think Vorin?"
"Ooh, good idea!" Empheria says to Trace. "But I'm not sure even your magic could fix Norah's water..."
Empheria basks in Ameiko's adoration until the sound of hundreds of cats interrupts them. She follows Trace to the Hagfish, still carrying with her the food Ameiko didn't use.
"That cat sounds like Licorice, but a lot louder," she says, trying to get close enough to the tavern to peer in. By the time she gets there, she only sees one quiet Licorice in Andi's arms.
"I don't wanna lie either," Vorin says, and he bites his lip. "Maybe this isn't a good idea after all."
He does brighten a bit as he sees the other kids, though, and says, "Hi Empheria, hi Trace."
"Hi, Vorin!" she says, and waves to him, Andi and Talsin. "Is something the matter with Licorice, Andi?"
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Hmmmm... I like Emmy and Trace but I don't want everyone in on this prank. Too many ways for it to go wrong.
"No problems, Emmy. Dumb Licorice has just spent too much time licking his butt and had a massive hairball he was horkin' on. What are you guys up to?"
Andi glances at Licorice and gives an imperceptible signal.
"Hey guys, how're you?", Talsin says waving, before pointing at the food in Emmy's arms. "You planning on giving stuff to miss Ameiko for her soup?"
"We were going to check out what all the drama was about, but it looks like its stopped "
At Taldin's comment her looked down at Emmy, her arms still full of food.
"Aw, sorry Em. Ameiko looked really happy to get you're veggies too. We'll go back so you can give them to her."
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"Great, we have something to add to the stew too. It looked really dry. We figured it could use some nice water, and I have been practicing my tricks after all. Created up a nice batch of water right here. Let's go dump it all in."
Andi leads the group over to Ameiko.
"Hiya Ameiko! I thought your stew could use some water! I've been practicing, you see, and can make up some nice fresh water for you on the spot! Oh, and Vorin has some water too! Dump it in, Vorin."
Andi starts to cast Create Water (level 0 spell).
"This food is the leftovers that Ameiko didn't want. Want some?" Empheria offers to Talsin.
"Trace was also going to flavor Norah's water to taste good before taking on the challenge. Isn't that a great idea?" Empheria asks excitedly.
The benefit of having deep, navy blue skin that's almost black, is that Vorin's blush as his conscience starts getting the better of him is less visible. Just a very slight purplish tinge.
Still, he does move to pour some in, unwilling to chicken out at this stage.
Putting a hand to his chin, Avienus thinks and ponders for a moment. "Well to be honest, I haven't put much thought to it. There's definitely a lot of food around that smells great. Sheriff Hemlock also has a competition going on, and I have been wanting to see how much better I've gotten with my sword skills. What about you? What did you want to do?"
"Ah, thank you for the- ah, no, you don't."
Ameiko's ladle springs forth like a rapier, pointing straight at Vorin's face. There are tales told about Ameiko's cooking implements, mostly by the woman herself. How she trapped an Irriseni white dragon inside a stew pot, how she faced an Ustalavian werewolf with a frying pan, how her cooking knives sowed terror among the Kelish cockatrices. The dragon tattoo on her arm ripples over ropy muscles.
"Nice try, but I wasn't born yesterday, kids, I know that slime fully well and I tried the same when I was your age. Drop the water or I'll have you drink it!"
Vorin's pupil-less red eyes pop open very wide as the ladle is pointed at his face. Before he can react, Andi is stepping in protectively, and he gives a little sigh of relief. But, he quickly puts in, "It's not just her fault, I stall the jug from Quink."
His more normal expression lasts only a moment, though, and he gets another wide-eyed look as his best friend takes a swig of the water. "But we hadn't even done the magic to make it taste good like Emmy and Trace said..."
Talsin grabs one of the offered pieces of food, smiling at Empheria. "Thanks Emmy"
He begins to eat quickly, only stopping short of choking when he sees Ameiko stick her ladle in Vorins face, before Andi steps forward and drinks the water.
"Obviously Andi didn't think Trace's idea was worth waiting for, if she just did that." he says, turning to look at Trace. "I thought it was a proper good idea though."