Mouse had been following Marten, since he seemed to collect others like a proper swarm should, which is good and right and odd the others did not. Far enough back that the man that popped out of nowhere did not see her rapier out and ready to defend.
"Why are you here? Can't you go home?" her small voice asks, alerting the two men to look down, sword properly put away. She does not have a comprehension of time travel so just thinks he came from somewhere else.
"Errr..." says Dalsin to Mouse.
"... no."
Marten raises his eyebrows and folds his arms.
"Well I mean... that's my plan. To go home by traveling back into the future, at a rate of one second per second," says Dalsin.
The junior mage wobbles slightly and hands the hooch back to Niadroub.
"I'm um... having a hard time focusing, though. Must be a side-effect of the temporal displacement."
Marten says, "Look, we'll get you somewhere to get some rest, and then you can answer some questions. As long as you don't present a threat to other people, you can... help Niadroub out around the lab or whatever it is you do."
Dalsin nods slightly, massaging his forehead.
Marten leads Dalsin off to a guest room and then turns and crouches down to Mouse once the visiting mage is lying down.
"Mouse, there's something off about that fellow. I don't sense any malice from him, he's not an evil man, but his story just feels... off. What do you think?"
Mouse does something she avoids doing, since it makes one Judge people without getting to know them. She lets her divine sense take over her eyes to see what alignment his inner core is in.
"Odd, yes, but so many of you... I mean people on the surface are. But if you suddenly were somewhere you didn't know, far from home, without those you know and trust, would you... drink something a stranger gave you?" that is the oddest of things in Mouse's mind. "If he was just a person, a normal person, it would be one thing, but someone like Mr. Niadroub? It seems dangerous, we should watch him, I think." she looked then to Marten "What do you?" think she means.
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Marten nods. "That's an excellent point," concedes Marten. "Maybe he's not what he appears, or maybe he was trying to earn trust by accepting Niadroub's offer without question. Either way, we don't know his real motivations yet. I hope Niadroub can keep an eye out for any magical shenanigans. The last thing we need is someone causing havoc by enchanting people or sabotaging our operations quietly with spells while we're trying to deal with international diplomacy."
Zelera was quite pleased with the idea of officiating the wedding and asked Tessara, "So what kind of things do you want for the wedding? Are there particular things you want done? I've never officiated something like this before, and we don't really have particular traditions for weddings."
Zelera was quite pleased with the idea of officiating the wedding and asked Tessara, "So what kind of things do you want for the wedding? Are there particular things you want done? I've never officiated something like this before, and we don't really have particular traditions for weddings."
Tessara says, "I just want it to be beautiful and memorable. Hopefully without leaving the entire audience shocked or horrified. It doesn't need to be a religious devotion, it's a celebration of our union and of our friends in the community who share this joy with us."
Zelera smiled and said, "Well then, I think we can make this work then. Let's get to planning the wedding!"
.
"It's obvious that Irovetti is trying to stab us in the back again. He does this tournament every year trying to play the cultured ruler of a kingdom rather than a jumped up con-man."
He glances over at the Herald for a moment. "We'll accept the invitation. You go and poke around to see if you can find out what he's up to. I'll get our defenses ready in case he tries to send more trouble our way. Whatever he says he sent the Barbarians after Drelev and then onto us. I doubt he'll give up his game when others are doing the killing and dying for him!"
Niadroubis struck by how far Colwyn has grown from the nervous criminal that set off for the Stolen lands with you. He's now a confident and capable leader.
What are you doing?
"Let's assemble a diplomatic party, then, and accept this invitation. What can we expect from the tournament? What have they done in the past?"
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"Let's assemble a diplomatic party, then..."
"Welp, that means you're staying behind!" Waffles mutters to Niadroub Kliip, who responds with a spark cantrip to the faerie dragon's snout.
"What can we expect from the tournament? What have they done in the past?"
From what you can gather the Rushlight tournament is: Rushlight tournament.
.
What are you doing now?
It will take you approximately 5 days to travel from Fort Drelev to Pitax.
Unusually you encounter no trouble on your journey to Pitax.
The Rushlight Tournament is held at a massive festival ground erected by King Irovetti a dozen miles northeast of the city of Pitax, about a half-mile from the southern shore of the Rushlight River itself on the banks of a minor waterway called Cutter’s Creek.
Once the tournament gets underway, the festival grounds become thronged with people, essentially transforming the area into a town overnight. Merchants from numerous River Kingdoms come to hawk their wares at this event—traditionally, even Brevoy sends some representatives, although this year marks the first with no official Brevic presence as internal
tensions in that nation are nearing a breaking point.
Wandering merchants jockey for space, crying their wares, whether hot from a basket or cool from a cask. Stages with jugglers, minstrels, mummers’ troupes, and trained animals dancing and leaping all vie for the attention (and the coin) of the throngs reveling in King Irovetti’s bounty.
The first day of the tournament is given over to trading, feasting, a preview of the beasts of the traveling menagerie, entertainment (of varying quality), and (after sunset) a grand display of fireworks.
The next 3 days are highlighted by contests at the Coliseum, then followed by a day of rest. Finally, on the 6th day, the tournament
culminates in a nightlong celebration of wine in honor of Pitax’s many vintners—all culminating in the traditional Midnight Joust, after which the final winner of the Tournament is announced.
You arrive and show your invitation to the Pitax Wardens who provide the security for the fetival. Irovetti isn't here yet and you are free to wander around and take in the many sights.
What are you doing now?
.
As they move through the fair grounds, Niadroub Kliip is interested in who else is attending. He understands that Brevoy -- his nations benefactor -- is absent, but who is attending? Perhaps they are Pitax's allies; perhaps they can be the allies of the Republic of the Kamelands.
Zelera was quite curious about what this trip would be like. She had never experienced one like it before and given what she knew of these...Pitaxians, she suspected they were due no small amount of mischief to be wrought upon them. It was best to be cautious though,, as far as she could recall they were a hostile power to their republic, and she doubted they were friendly to nature or the fae.
"Well," Zelera said, "there are certainly a lot of people here. I wonder what we should do first...," she trailed off as she looked around thoughtfully. Gunoke, a silent passenger on her shoulder for now, was matching her and looking around. Given their propensities some kind of trouble was sure to follow if an eye wasn't kept on them.
.
Mouse is a pack animal at her core, so she sticks with the largest group of her companions. "These people are enemies, no?" she watches a laughing family with colorful snacks walk by, her eyes following them until they are gone.
Marten arrives riding on Tracer, looking every inch the shining knight, complete with a pennon. Tessara rides alongside on her own light horse.
"Let's take a circuit of the fairgrounds," he suggests. "Understand where everyone is encamped and where the activities will happen."
He glances down to Mouse and says, "Would you like to ride up here?"
The Festival Grounds
.
The festival grounds are laid out along Cutter’s Creek, a minor tributary of the Rushlight River. The major features of the festival grounds are described below—all of these locations can be visited at any time by curious adventurers.
Coliseum: All of the official tournament events take place in this large field of hard-packed dirt. The northern side of this large open field has rows of bench seats for spectators. A noble’s box stands at the east end of the field—but seating there is limited.
Menagerie: This enormous purple pavilion is a showplace of tamed horrors and monstrosities from across Golarion. The mysterious Madame Duclarion and her hulking handlers, the Brothers Ohka, keep a charmed menagerie of dinosaurs, exotic animals, and magical beasts culled
from every land for the viewing pleasure of festival-goers.
Rotunda: The Rotunda is where passes to tourney events can be purchased; each day’s events cost as little as 1gp for a single ticket to as much as 1,000 gp for a noble “box” suitable for seating up to 10.
The Royal Blue: The buildings that surround this small lake are grand silken pavilions facing the water. These are reserved for the private use of visiting dignitaries from the other River Kingdoms, the flags flying above them marking the lands of their inhabitants. Since you accepted the invitation to the event from Lord Irovetti, you are
granted the use of the easternmost bathhouse for the duration of the event.
Royal Pavilion: This pavilion is used by the king, his bodyguards and minions. The pavilion is protected by a permanent mage’s private sanctum so that anyone who peers into the tent sees only a dark, foggy mass.
Staging Pavilion: This pavilion is used for competitors preparing for games in the Coliseum. The pavilion consists of several smaller areas formed by canvas walls surrounding a larger central area for competitors to gather in before they emerge when they are announced for a competition.
What now?
As they move through the fair grounds, Niadroub Kliip is interested in who else is attending. He understands that Brevoy -- his nations benefactor -- is absent, but who is attending? Perhaps they are Pitax's allies; perhaps they can be the allies of the Republic of the Kamelands.
[dice=Knowledge (Local)]1d20+12
This year, the participants consist of six kingdoms in all, including yours.
Daggermark: Daggermark, as one of the most successful River Kingdoms, attends the competition out of a sense of duty, although their competitors are generally more interested in the entertainment than they are at actually competing for the prize.
Gralton: The kingdom of Gralton has suffered long and hard to survive, and their reasons for competing this year are the same as every year—if they can win, the fame and glory and monetary awards will help their nation greatly.
Mivon: Although Mivon’s relations with Pitax are shaky, with skirmishes common along their borders, the two nations are currently in something of a peace.
Pitax: Although Pitax hosts the competition, its champions feel no shame or awkwardness over competing themselves.
Tymon: The kingdom of Tymon is famous for its own competitions and gladiatorial battles. King Ungin sends representatives to all of the competitions and tournaments that occur in the River Kingdoms if he can, large or small.
Republic of the Kamelands: A collection of weirdoes and moonshiners.
What now?
Vibenia rides along, mounted atop Mist, Dusk loping alongside them, taking in everything about their surroundings. Noting Mouse’s collective nature, she smiles as Marten offers her the opportunity to ride with him. ”Or you can ride with me if you find Tracer a little intimidating.” she adds.
Nodding in response to Marten’s suggestion, she runs her hand along the back of her neck. A habit she had when thinking. ”We can make the rounds and end at the pavilion with the baths reserved for us if we need a place to plan, or just settle in until the fun starts.”
As they explored the grounds and found the Menagerie Zelera's expression dropped into a frown. Confining nature for others amusement was very inappropriate and she may need to intervene. She decided that she and Gunoke would need to investigate this place before they left.
"Hmmmm, we should make sure that menagerie is not abusing nature at some point. Other than that we should probably settle in and get the annoying introductions out of the way," Zelera said.
"We ned to go met Irovetti, but geetting clenned up befoore hend would be good."
Niadroub Kliip is happy to make the rounds of the attractions, but is ready to do what they need to to to meet Irovetti.
Mouse gulps as she looks WAY up to Marten atop his horse. Then to Vabenia. Horses are obviously demons made to set up up to fall to your death, but she wants to keep an eye on things, do doing so in a sea to big people is impossible. "Okay" she says with much trepidation reaching up to grasp Marten's hand.
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For no reason (other than horses being demons), Niadroub Kliip's horse suddenly tries to buck him, which causes the arcanist to curse in his swamp accent and ineffectually smack the horse's head while Waffles elicits peals of laughter.
Marten smiles as he leans down and easily hauls Mouse up on to the saddle.
"Just hang onto me. Tracer is a very calm horse, you'll be fine."
As if on queue, Tracer slows slightly to an easier pace.
As Niadroub's horse bucks, Tracer turns and whinnies at the other mount, as if to chastise it.
.
What are you doing now?
Tessara uses her telekinetic powers to set up the team's pavilion, then once the group cleans up, Marten dons his best knightly attire and joins the procession to meet with Irovetti.
Tessara says, "Guard your thoughts—remember, he is a powerful potentate, and he may use magic to try to detect our secrets and our motivations."
”Good to remember.” Vibenia replies, performing a last-minute check of her gear, the dark wood of her arboreal armor highly polished, Mist thoroughly groomed, and even Dusk’s fur given a good brushing. ”This should definitely be interesting.”
You are allowed to enter the royal pavilion and announced as you do so.
The interior of the royal pavilion stands in sharp contrast to its relatively plain exterior. Lush red carpets cover the ground and a dais supporting a carved and gilded chair evoke the feel of a throne room, while a haphazard collection of pedestals bearing sculptures and mounted paintings of wildly varying quality and realism suggests a strange sort of art gallery.
A small raised stage supporting numerous large musical instruments sits to one side of the pavilion. King Irovetti is a handsome, muscular, dark-haired man in deep red velvets. A crown sits comfortably on his
brow and an elegant cloak drapes his shoulders.
His belt is thick with tools, weapons, and pouches, bespeaking an
adventuring lifestyle not completely left behind. He also carries two strange pieces of equipment.
The first and most impressive is a long staff of unusual metal, one end of which is fitted with thin blades and a spike that periodically shift and move with a soft whirring noise.
The second is a thin, short rod of strange metal with a single spike at the end. Small, circular lights periodically f lash along the length of
this rod.
King Irovetti waits you on his throne, attended by a pair of beautiful women, “My most illustrious guests! I am so eternally and unendingly happy to see that you have safely arrived. Come, my pretties,
bring refreshment for these weary travelers—whether by magic or by mare’s shank, traveling is thirsty work! Drink with me to our continued success and the bonds of brotherhood and friendship that shall be ours.”
Irovetti may seem friendly and calm, but you can see he's studying you carefully.
A fairly standard diplomatic meeting where nothing of any real meaning is going to be said. What are you doing now?
Immediately after entering the tent, Marten hears Waffles' telepathic voice in his head.
"Oh, that's right! My arcanist wants me to tell you that he thinks you should be the one to do the talking! Something about your nice smile and not being a creepy magic user.
"Aaaaaactually, he wanted me to tell you that a while ago, but there were lots of banners around, and Zelera was talking about visiting the freakshow... I forgot."
Mouse doesn't really like anyone being called 'my pretties' too possessive. So instead of the King, she focuses on the women, worried there is more to their employment.
.
For now, though Irovetti wants you to feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. The food and wine he offers are safe and delicious, and the idle questions about how you and their kingdom fare are relatively meaningless.
Anything you wish to ask? Aside from Mouse and Zelera's eyeing of the 'pretties' that is.
Marten gives an easygoing grin and says, "My lord, you are too generous in inviting representatives from our fledgling polity. The tales of the Rushlight Tournament have spread far and wide, and we are delighted beyond measure to be guests at your festival."
He accepts one of the goblets as the servants bring them forth and continues, "Though only the gods know how we shall fare in the competitions, we mean to enjoy all of the hospitality that you extend, and we hope that this will provide a greater understanding between Pitax and the Republic of the Kamelands."
He takes a sip of the beverage and says, "Your Majesty picks a fine vintage, in addition to striking a commanding figure. Though we are simple guests, if there is any way that we can form a bridge between our nations, we are all eager to hear your thoughts."
Tessara seems to take some of the subtle nuance and cues from Marten's introduction, and she takes up a position slightly behind and to the right of him, as if to be an accompanying maiden of surpassing beauty in a subtle reflection of Irovetti's position.
Knowing he would just get them in trouble before the King so Gunoke elected to take a more thorough look around the fair and see what he could find of interest. At the least he would get a better feel for the layout and where possible trouble might be found.
Zelera, meanwhile, was dressed up more than usual. There were no such thing as traditional outfits for meeting fey royalty, not that there was such a thing exactly, as it depended on the fey and the person, they were meeting. Instead, she had Melianse help her figure something out, an outfit that more resembled a dancer's garb more than anything. It was made in colors of red, yellow, and orange, and the pattern made her look like a flame. Her movements made the longer sleeves and skirt flutter, and the whole look seemed like a dancing flame. She had the symbol of the Lantern King worn around her neck and along with her changed nature as a feysworn there was an exotic beauty to her, if not one on the level of the two women beside the King.
Zelera curtsied to Irovetti and said, "My thanks for your hospitality your Majesty," she rose and then continued, "I am Zelera, the ambassador of the fey to The Republic of the Kamelands. It is a pleasure to meet you." She gave the king her most enchanting smile and continued, "I have heard much about you Your Majesty so I look forward to the chance to meet you and see this small part of your kingdom for myself and the opportunities it will bring."
Mouse startled a little as introductions were being made. She is not used to being polite to enemies, so this is strange to her.
The halfling is of course small in comparison to anyone else in the room, but immaculate in her celestial plate armor adorned with a cupper cup in the center of her chest. She bows with almost inhuman grace, but the motion still comes off as awkward. "Mouse of the Sootscales, allies of the Kamelandiers."
Far from the most socially adept, Vibenia remains somewhat toward the back of the group, her natural stillness rendering her barely noticeable, especially with Dusk hidden away in her armor.
Giving a polite nod if directly noted, seh instead puts her sharp eyes to use, studying every detail of their surroundings and those within Irovetti’s pavilion.
Conscious of his accent and general disheveled appearance, Niadroub Kliip remains silent unless directly addressed. If he is noticed, he hopes it's because he's being so mysterious.
You spend some time making pretty sounds but saying nothing of value before you leave the pavilion.
======================================================================
The Rushlight Tournament has all manner of common entertainments, minstrels, mummers, singers, jugglers, tumblers, trained animals, and on and on, but much of its allure lies in the glory of competition.
All competitive events take place in the Coliseum and, with the exception of the Midnight Joust, begin an hour before noon. Typically, the competitions last for a few hours, with the day’s winners announced at the
rotunda in the Commons in the early evening.
The schedule of games is posted throughout the festival grounds. Each competition has its own rules, but there are three rules that govern all of the events: harm no spectators, kill no competitors, and don’t get caught cheating. Breaking any of these rules is grounds for disqualification from that event.
.
Event 1: Aiming at the Target
The first tournament event is an archery competition, and occurs on the second day of the Rushlight Tournament.
Since this competition is meant to test skill and not magic, each contestant must use one of the masterwork longbows provided by Irovetti.
Contestants stand at the eastern end of the Coliseum and fire at one
of three targets set up at varying distances to the west (particularly
foolish or daring observers enjoy sitting on the benches on the west side of the shooting range).
Contest Rules: In this stage, each contestant is given six
arrows to fire at three different targets—a blue target at a range of 30 feet, a green target at a range of 220 feet (–4 penalty due to range), and a red target at a range of 550 feet (–10 penalty due to range).
To score points, the contestant’s arrow must not only hit the target but must stick into it as well (a shot that fails to do enough damage to overcome the target’s hardness bounces off and does not stick). A successful critical hit on a target counts as a bull’s-eye.
All shots must be taken in 6 rounds or the shooter is disqualified. Likewise, if no shots hit, the shooter is disqualified. If the shooter
fires all six arrows in fewer than 6 rounds, he earns 2 bonus points for each remaining round.
Blue Target (range 30 ft.; AC 5; hardness 0).
This Tiny target has a picture of a kobold painted on it. The target
itself is made of canvas stretched over straw. A solid hit earns 1 point, and a critical hit 3 points.
Green Target (range 220 ft.; AC 7; hardness 2):
This Diminutive target has a picture of an owlbear painted on it. The target itself is made of several layers of thick hide. A solid hit earns 3 points, and a critical hit 9 points.
Red Target (range 550 ft.; AC 11; hardness 4):
This Fine target has a picture of a dragon painted on it. The target is
made of soft wood. A solid hit earns 5 points, and a critical hit 15 points.
Anyone entering the archery contest?
Zelera did not expect to get on the king's good side but it never hurt to try. His reaction showed he simply had little concern about knowing them better and she instead oogled the concubines until they were dismissed.
The archery competition was of little interest to Zeera, she threw spells or her dagger, not shot arrows, so she decided it wasn't worth paying much attention. Instead the sight of the two concubines flitted through her head as she thought to herself, Hmmm, maybe I should find concubines of my own? At least until I complete my task for the Lantern King and gain my reward.
"Vibenia? Mouse? Anyone a fair hand with a bow?"
Mouse was nibbling on some kind of cheese stuffed pastry watching the many MANY people wander about in an awed kind of wonder.
Her name brings her out of her inattention "Me, oh, yes, somewhat. Stabbing is best, but I do have my crossbow." she pats the darkwood crossbow on her back, just in case. It is only then she notices the large bows that the king is providing to do the contest with "Nevermind. No." she states flatly before taking another small bite (savoring) and resumes watching.
Tessara says, "If there is literally nobody else, I can try. But I am not a warrior."
" While most of my training and skill have been focused on crossbows, I'm a fair hand with a regular bow, though nowhere near as good." Vibenia replies.
.
The herald in charge of events Nunzio Arpaia introduces himself to you and explains the events as, an archery contest using longbows, a test of strength using handaxes or greataxes, a boasting contest, and a drunken jousting competition.”.
He assumes your kingdom will be participating in the tournament and needs to know who your competitors will be for each event, along with how each competitor wants to be announced at the start of each game?
He then has horns blown to quiet the crowd and kicks off the archery contest.
Ilraith Valadhkani - Male human. Daggermark.
.
Ilraith switches the arrows provided for arrows from his backpack!
If you succeed in spotting this make a DC15 diplomacy check to call him out.
All Ilraith's arrow hit and penetrate the targets.
No criticals but +3 for only taking 3 rounds so he scores 27.
========================================================================
Florante Mayank - Female Half-elf. Gralton.
9 + 5 for 14
.
=======================================================================
Navarathna - Female Elf. Mivon
A bit of a showoff Navarathna uses Rapid shot to fire all her arrows in 2 rounds.
18 points + 8 for taking only 2 rounds to use all her arrows - 26.
=====================================================================
Villamor Koth - Male human. Pitax.
4 hits but 1 bounced for 15.
.
=====================================================================
Damanjot - Male Half-orc. Tymon
.
6 shots for 30 points.
Damajot is the leader!
Vibenia take your shots. Rules are up above