The Swallowtail Festival begins promptly, as scheduled, on the first day of autumn. The square before the church quickly becomes crowded as locals and travelers arrive, and several merchant tents featuring food, clothes, local crafts, and souvenirs are there to meet them.
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. Sheriff Hemlock brings the crowd 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 give a short speech thanking everyone for coming before declaring the Swallowtail Festival underway.
At noon, Father Zantus and his acolytes wheel a large covered wagon into the square, and after recounting the short parable of how Desna first fell to earth and was nursed back to health by a blind child who she transformed into an immortal butterfly as a reward for her aid, they pull aside the wagon’s cover, releasing the thousand children of Desna—a furious storm of a thousand swallowtail butterflies that swarm into the air in a spiraling riot of color to a great cheer from the crowd. Throughout the rest of the day, children futilely chase butterflies, never quite quick enough to catch them.
Lunch is provided free, at the expense of Sandpoint’s taverns. Each brings its best dishes—this event is a marketing push by the taverns as much to win new customers as it is to feed a hungry crowd. It soon becomes apparent that the darling of the lunch is, once again, Ameiko Kaijitsu, whose remarkable curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead easily overshadow the other offerings, such as the Hagfish’s lobster chowder or the White Deer’s peppercorn venison.
Through out the event many of the townsfolk engage in various games and idle chatting in between eating as much as possible. Beyond music and dancing, there are sack races, hide and seek, weight lifting, tug-of-war, knife throwing, and of course, the Hagfish challenge.
A stout dwarf, dressed in plain but sturdy clothing for the road, wanders through the crush of the festival crowd. Festooned with weaponry--multiple spears, an axe, a morningstar, and who knows what else--he's constantly shuffling one or the other of these implements around his body to avoid an accidental scrape against someone in the crowd. He moves from table to table, sampling all the food on display. He takes deep pulls from a wooden tankard (hung loosely around his neck on a rope run through its handle) after each tasting. The venison, that tasted like home. Lobster, never got the taste for that. Too sweet. I guess I see why people like it, though. The locals sure love it. But here's the treat; exotic spiced salmon. Fantastic. And this mead! I've got to learn that trick. They say it's easy, but... bees! He returns to that table. "Hi, name's Rak. I need to scrounge up a place to stay, and maybe some work if you've got it. You've definitely got the best food in town, so you're my pick if you've got a room."
At the crossroads of Tower and Main Street stands a severe looking man with a shaved head, decently armored with a plain but well sharpened axe at his back. He doesn't partake in the festivities, considering himself on duty-except for one break when a pale, dark haired young woman dragged him to lunch at Ameiko Kaijitsu's table-and instead keeps his eye out for trouble. "Damn festivals," he mutters under his breath. "Someone always ends up cutting too loose, and something ends up going wrong."
A smallish Halfling sits atop a barrel overlooking the square, he has the look of a rascal, dressed in woodland colors, and a grin plastered on his face.
Bendoc sits atop the barrel he claimed, enjoying the improved vantage while he listens to the speeches of the prominent townsfolk. Longwinded bunch, he thinks as samples the food on his platter. As the speeches conclude Bendoc hops off the barrel with a mug in his hand. He pauses a second raising the mug to his lips taking a long swig of Winterdrop mead and wipes his sleeve across his mouth when he finishes.
Where to next? he asks himself. Concluding in typical halfling fashion, More food then some games. He moves toward Ameiko’s table as fast as his stubby little legs will carry him, smacking his lips along the way. When Bendoc arrives he manages to squeeze his way up to the table next to a walking armory of a dwarf and overhears,
"Hi, name's Rak. I need to scrounge up a place to stay, and maybe some work if you've got it. You've definitely got the best food in town, so you're my pick if you've got a room."
Bendoc nods his head in agreement, "You've got that right, the food part I mean, Master Dwarf. Ameiko's food is second to none." He stands of his tippy toes and reaches up to the table piling more of salmon onto his plate." Next some mead, he thinks with a grin.
A man with deeply tanned skin and dressed in animal skins and hide armor rises from his bedroll. He packs up his meager belongings and makes his way to Sandpoint Harbor, where he wades out into the water to bathe himself in the seafoam. As he emerges from the water, he kneels on the sand. He draws a small totem from within his cloak and places it on the sand. After meditating with the totem for a short while, Akuleh rises from his knees, just as the sun begins to break over the treeline.
His morning rituals complete, the Shoanti man makes his way back into town, taking in the sights and sounds of the festival. Strange that my visions have brought me to a place of such joy and celebration when I feel such a darkness growing on the horizon. Still, I cannot deny a free meal, especially when the festivities are in celebration of the gods. He picks at the offerings available from some of the vendors--seafood had never been his favorite, and the spices on the fish...what a strange flavor. But the hearty and simple venison offered by the Hagfish truly delighted him. That was a meal he was familiar with and had prepared for his own family on more than one occasion. As he sat at a table, sighing contentedly after polishing off a large serving of the venison, he leans over to a neighboring man that appears to be a guard taking a small leave from his duty and says, "Can't say I've eaten this well in a few weeks at least. Lovely deer the Hagfish provided wasn't it? The name is Akuleh, by the way. Might I ask yours?"
"You've got that right, the food part I mean, Master Dwarf. Ameiko's food is second to none."
"I don't recall the food being this good the last time I was through Sandpoint, but I suppose it's been a while." He looks around for something to wipe his hand with, gives up, and wipes it on his jerkin. Extending his hand to the halfling, he introduces himself. "I'm Rak, an Opal of the Five Kings Mountains. I travel for Cayden Cailean now, though. Pleased to meet you. Are you local?"
Izbela meanders around the square of the cathedral, taking in the sights and speeches of the festival. Although she and her family are followers of Desna, she has never been a particularly devout person. Still, she does, of course, know the story of the blind girl who nursed the fallen goddess back to health. Even after all the years of knowing the parable, as Father Zantus recounts it for the crowd, Bela can't help but think, perhaps a bit sacrilegiously, What an odd way to repay someone's kindness. Surely she could have just cured the girl of her blindness... As the thousand swallowtail butterflies take to the sky, the young woman decides to abandon that line of thought in favor of seeing what else the festival has to offer this year. It isn't the first time she has questioned that story, but perhaps doing so at an event dedicated to Lady Desna isn't the wisest choice.
Two years have passed since the young woman left Sandpoint to study at The Twilight Academy. But, as she looks around at the familiar faces and buildings all seemingly unchanged from the last time she's laid eyes on them, it feels as though little time has gone by at all. Despite this feeling, her steely grey eyes take in the goings-on with no small amount of wonder, as the festivities lend a surreal quality to her homecoming.
Dressed as she is in the flowing scarlet robes of her college--held fast at the waist by a chainmail-lined short corset--Bela no doubt looks like the outsider she's thought herself to be for many years. Yet as the notion crosses her mind, she realizes it holds none of the bitterness it used to before leaving Sandpoint, only a humorous sense of irony. Her moment of introspection comes to an end when she has to sidestep a child for the third or so time in a half-hour. She watches the youngling with a smile as he runs by, heedless in his pursuit of a butterfly. Looking up to find that, in her own heedless wandering, her feet have brought her to where the games are being held, Bela remains apart from the general crowd, but observes the different contests and revelry in her own quietly joyful way.
Kadrian Deverin slowly enters Sandpoint, asleep on his father's delivery cart in the early morn. One of his father's horseman, Torbin, nudges the young man awake. "Oh..we're here I see, wonderful!" yawns Kadrian.
After the deliveries to Cracktooth's, The Rusty Dragon, The Hagfish and other stops in Sandpoint, Kadrian, still a little sleepy, goes up to Deverin Manor, asking to use a couch for a couple hours until the Festival begins.
Waking up rested, Kadrian walks up Festival Street to High Street, and join the festival proper, politely greeting all he meets.
After the release of the butterflies, Kadrian shakes hands with Father Zanthus and Sheriff Hemlock, and join the throngs of people for the lunch feast, making sure to firmly secure his coinpurse tightly under his belt.
Walking up and down the tables looking for a place to sit, Kadrian turns to hear a dwarf talking about his god, Caydean Cailean.
"Ahh. A fellow adherent to The Drunken God? May The Accidental God bless us and all of Sandpoint this day, my good dwarf. May I perhaps join you and your fellows?"
The dwarf turns with a smile. "Indeed you may! Any friend of Cayden's is a friend of mine, or something like that. Well met friend." He turns to Ameiko and gets another mead, then hands it to the well-dressed human. "This mead is fantastic. I've never tried to make it myself, but I might have to learn the recipe! I'm Rak, just got in town for the festival. This little man is my new friend, too." He indicates Bendoc. "Are you also a traveler, or are you local?" He offers his tankard for 'cheers' then guzzles away at it.
"I am local. Thank you, Ameiko", says Kadrian in passing to his tian friend. "I'm Kadrian Deverin. And..", the human stops and smells the cup, "Yes..this ale is mine, or more to the point, I along with my family made this ale. I'm glad you like it."
"And what is your name, Master Halfing?"
"I don't recall the food being this good the last time I was through Sandpoint, but I suppose it's been a while." He looks around for something to wipe his hand with, gives up, and wipes it on his jerkin. Extending his hand to the halfling, he introduces himself. "I'm Rak, an Opal of the Five Kings Mountains. I travel for Cayden Cailean now, though. Pleased to meet you. Are you local?"
Bendoc extends his hand and shakes Raks hand vigorously, "I'm Bendoc and I'm from one of the outlying farms so I get to enjoy Ameiko's food yer round. Though I usually have to pay for it."
looking the dwarf up and down he adds, "I never would have placed you as a vicar with all that weaponry hanging off ya."
"And what is your name, Master Halfing?"
"It me Bendoc, dont you recognize me or have had too much to drink. I'll admit my new goatee makes me look older but I'd didn't think it was that big o change," he says with a wink.
"I never would have placed you as a vicar with all that weaponry hanging off ya."
"Ha, yeah." The dwarf moves to adjust the weapons, nearly sending a spear falling into the crowd before he regains control and gets it back into place. "Not all of those called to serve speak nice like your Father up there." He gestures towards the stage. "We all contribute in different ways. I serve Cayden's interests in keeping the roads safe. At least I try to, anyway. Different skills from a vicar." This gets another smile on Rak's face.
Looking from Bendoc to Kadrian, Rak makes a proposal. "I see the festival has some games of 'skill' (more like chance, methinks). Shall we try our hand?"
"It me Bendoc, dont you recognize me or have had too much to drink. I'll admit my new goatee makes me look older but I'd didn't think it was that big o change," he says with a wink.
"Ahh, yes, Mr. Bena--", mumbles Kadrian into his mug of ale.
What's his family name? Padfoot? Proudfeet? Bah, all halfings have such similiar last names and tops of heads."Not all of those called to serve speak nice like your Father up there." He gestures towards the stage. "We all contribute in different ways. I serve Cayden's interests in keeping the roads safe.
"Good sir", says Kadrian, misty-eyed. "You guard the followers of Cayden Cailean..so they may drink and party in the Drunken God's name? You, dear Mr. Opal, do good job!" And with that Kadrian toasts the dwarf, emptying his mug.
Standing up abruptly, the swashbuckler continues, "My good sir, I would consider it an honor to beat your without mercy in games of skill and chance. Shall we?"
"Ha, yeah." The dwarf moves to adjust the weapons, nearly sending a spear falling into the crowd before he regains control and gets it back into place. "Not all of those called to serve speak nice like your Father up there." He gestures towards the stage. "We all contribute in different ways. I serve Cayden's interests in keeping the roads safe. At least I try to, anyway. Different skills from a vicar." This gets another smile on Rak's face.Looking from Bendoc to Kadrian, Rak makes a proposal. "I see the festival has some games of 'skill' (more like chance, methinks). Shall we try our hand?"
Bendoc smiles at Kadrian as he seams to remember him and looks at the dwarf skeptically, "Ah but you all pass the collection plate around on holy days me thinks" He nods his head victoriously at the suggestion of joining in on the festivities agreeing with Kadrian, "Sounds like fun"
As Akuleh addresses the guard and receives nothing but silence in response, he wonders if the man heard him. He reaches out to tap the man on the shoulder, but the guard simply slumps forward into his plate, apparently having consumed too much of the delicious mead Akuleh had sampled earlier.
With a heavy sigh the Shoanti rises from his seat and moves back into the crowd. The press of people around him feels unfamiliar after the relative calm of his clan, and it isn't long before he bumps into a trio of festival-goers who appear to be enjoying one another's company. The dwarf, man, and halfling stand before him, each with a mug of mead in their hands.
"Pardon me," he says to the group, "I hope I didn't make you spill any of your drinks. There's just so many people, I didn't see you and... Again, I am sorry."
"...don't imagine they've got that kind of..." Waxing poetic about the festival games and his skills at them, Rak is unable to complete his thought as an oddly-dressed human bumps into the group. A splash of mead rises out of his mug, spilling onto his jerkin.
"I hope I didn't make you spill any of your drinks. There's just so many people, I didn't see you and... Again, I am sorry."
Rak looks at the man. "Don't let it worry you; it's a badge of honor for me." He drains the remaining mead in the mug. "Now that I've been marked, I know the festival has really started! We were just about to hit up some of the games on offer today. Care to join? Kadrian here seems to think he's going to win them all."
The dwarf mutters a brief prayer to Cayden Cailean as he motions his hands over the now empty mug, before it fills with what looks like ale.
Create alcohol (ale or wine): variant of Create Water offered by Cayden Cailean
"Kadrian here seems to think he's going to win them all."
"What do you mean thinks?" The young swaskbuckler chortles at the dwarf. "As I'm sure you know, Cayden Cailean favors a man..or dwarf or halfling..who has good amount of confidence."
Looking to the wild man in front of him, Kadrian continues, "Well met, Shoanti. Good to see you come down from the mountains.""Yes! Join us!" exclaims the young varisian, filled with ale and comradery.
The dwarf mutters a brief prayer to Cayden Cailean as he motions his hands over the now empty mug, before it fills with what looks like ale.
"Hey. You keep that little trick under wraps", nodding Kadrian. "I got a profession to maintain."
" We were just about to hit up some of the games on offer today. Care to join?"
Akuleh smiles at the boisterous dwarf and his kind invitation. "Thank you, I would be glad to join you. I have never been to such a large festival."
"Well met, Shoanti. Good to see you come down from the mountains."
"Well, technically I've come from the plateau, but I suppose I understand what you mean. And you may call me Akuleh, if you like. You are Kadrian, yes? I believe that is what our gifted dwarven friend here called you." He joins the others as they continue toward the games, "Tell me, Master Kadrian, is the festival this crowded every year? I gathered over the past few days that today was of particular importance due to the opening of the new Cathedral, but I wondered if people always gathered in these numbers. I only came at the time of the festival...by accident, I suppose." His expression darkens briefly, but returns to friendly openness just as quickly.
"No, Akuleh", spoke Kadrian to the outsider. "This festival is special. It commemorates the building of the Catherdral to Desna, but it'a also a celebration, a form of communial release of tension, concerning the Late Unpleasantness. The Catherdral marks the hopes that stability will return to the region."
"I'll drink to that ... stability I mean not Kadrian winning," Bendoc adds as he raises his mug in salute to the Shoanti. He subtly takes a whiff of the air, Doen't smell as bad as I thought, he tries to balance his mug on his plate of fish and extends his hand to the barbarian, "Bendoc at your service."
"I am pleased to meet you, Bendoc, and I join you in praying for stability in the town. I had not heard of this Unpleasantness. If you do not mind, could you tell me more about what has been happening?" he asks, curious about what has been taking place in the community to build up such a release of tension.
Despite his best efforts to appear casually interested, Akuleh's voice has an edge of foreboding to it, as if he already had some vague and terrible awareness of the Unpleasantness, despite coming from such a long way away.
"Best not talk about it on a day of celebration. Perhaps later over drinks," Bendoc offers. Nervous fellow. Probably could use a drink, Bendoc concludes.
"What do you all want to try first? I say start big and try the Hagfish challenge," he asks.
"Fair enough, Bendoc. We shall discuss it another time." Akuleh breathes a sigh of relief, ready to move on from the topic. "I've never been one to run from a challenge, but tell me, what is the Hagfish Challenge? Do you know, Kadrian?"
"It doesn't ring a bell", thought Kadrian. "It might be a drinking challenge, seeing how we have a tavern in town called The Hagfish."
Separated as she is from the din of the crowd, Bela is able to overhear the conversation of an approaching group easily enough. She turns her head just enough to get a glimpse of the party making their way over, and in doing so notices two familiar looking faces. Though she doesn't know the halfling's name, she recognizes him just as anyone would recognize a stranger they've seen in town dozens of times over the years. Kadrian, on the other hand, is a stranger to no one in Sandpoint; least of all the women. Bela takes a moment to let her grey eyes roam appreciatively over the man's form--but only a moment. It won't do to stroke his ego any further, she thinks, certain the man is much unchanged from the tales she heard of him years ago. A small smile curves her lips as she turns back to face the crowd, though her attention is very much still on the men drawing closer.
She barely manages to hold back her laughter as the group considers taking the Hagfish Challenge, despite not knowing what it entails. She isn't entirely surprised that Kadrian is innocent of what the challenge means; proper nobleman that he seems, she finds it hard to picture him visiting one of Sandpoint's seedier establishments in his free time. The men in her family, lowborn as they are, fit in well with the other dregs that frequent The Hagfish. She remembers well the time her father dragged home her two fool brothers after they had convinced themselves they could be the ones to win the challenge. They paid for their boasting--an entire day spent sick to their stomachs and hardly able to keep down anything, and a month more of being unable to hear the word "hagfish" without retching. The fun she had using that to her amusement whenever they irritated her...
She doesn't bother holding back her laughter this time, and the high, musical sound rings out just as the group is about to pass. A pale hand moves to settle on her chest as Bela tries to regain composure. Feeling that she can't very well let the group unwittingly inflict such an awful thing on themselves, she turns to meet them before they head into the crowd. "Forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear you were considering The Hagfish Challenge?" she questions, still a little breathless from laughter. Though the alabaster skin tone, dark black hair and steely grey eyes might all suggest Chelaxian, the warm, dulcet accent she speaks with leaves little doubt of her Varisian background. She looks over the entire group more closely, taking in the mugs of ale most carry and the plate of fish one holds and gathering that they have just come from the lunch tables. "If you aren't keen to the idea of seeing your lunch again so soon, I would steer well away from that contest. Consider it a friendly word of advice for the newcomers."
Bendoc looks up at his two companions with a knowing grin, "It's a drinking game alright, where anyone who wants can pay some coin to attempt to drink a mug of water from Nora's tank over at he Hagfish Tavern." He grimaces, turns his head to the side and spits, "Nora she's a Hagfish and her tank it a might slimy. Now those that can stomach the slime can carve their name into the ceiling beam above old Nora's tank and claim a bag of coins filled with the fees paid by those who tried to drink the stuff but couldn't." As they walk he continues, "Sounds like fun heh."
"Eh..maybe not. Doesn't sound like an accolade worth pursuing", said a sobering Kadrian, who looks slightly distracted by the appearance of the pale maiden before him.
"Many thanks, dear lady, for saving me from a fate worse than Death", smiled the swashbuckler. Quickly placing the upside-down mug on the handle of his rapier to free his hand, Kadrian bend his head slightly and offered his hand to the beautiful woman before him, looking deeply into her grey eyes.
"My name is Kadrian Deverin, pleased to make your aquaintance, Miss..?"
As the young Varisian woman warns them about the Challenge and Bendoc explains what it entails, Akuleh turns his head in disgust at the thought. "Hmm... I must agree with you, Kadrian. That sounds like no kind of glory that any dignified person would hope to claim. Perhaps we could find some other amusement amongst all the revelry of this festival."
Akuleh recognizes the beauty of the young woman, but feels no need to flirt as Kadrian appears to do. Back home, in the safety of his Quah, his wife and children wait for his return. With any luck, he hopes to see them again when all of this...Unpleasantness...is over.
Though she is wary of Kadrian after hearing a number of tales of his exploits, Bela places her hand in his seemingly without hesitation. His gaze is a heavy thing, and, for once, she is glad to not have met him years ago. She doubts that the silly girl she was then would have been able to maintain poise in this situation, much less leave an impression on the man. But she is no longer the blushing maiden she once was, and if one of Sandpoint's favored sons wishes to pit his charm against hers, she is all too happy to oblige. At last, the festival offers a game more suited to my tastes.
"Izbela Vauni," the young woman supplies when prompted, unflinchingly meeting Kadrian's own blue eyes as she does so. "Although you may call me Bela if it pleases you." Feeling rather emboldened by the turn of events, she continues, "If you truly wish to thank me, perhaps you would indulge me by escorting me for the remainder of the Festival? I often find that the celebrations are best appreciated with good company."
Upon hearing the Shoanti man's words, Bela returns her attention to the others traveling with Kadrian. "A wise choice, my friend. You seem like could best a good number of our townsmen at the arm wrestling competition. Or perhaps, paired well enough, you four might prove an even match for each other at tug-of-war." She gives a small shrug afterwards, to convey that her suggestions are only that, and they are more than welcome to pursue whichever contest piques their interest.
"Izbela Vauni," the young woman supplies when prompted, unflinchingly meeting Kadrian's own blue eyes as she does so. "Although you may call me Bela if it pleases you." Feeling rather emboldened by the turn of events, she continues, "If you truly wish to thank me, perhaps you would indulge me by escorting me for the remainder of the Festival? I often find that the celebrations are best appreciated with good company."
"Mmm. Bela Vauni. Melodic", replies Kadrian, as he kisses Bela's outstretched hand.
"You are more than welcome to accompany us throughout the Festival."Although some celebrations are best experienced ..intimately.
Darn, that could of been fun, Bendoc thinks to himself. As he listens to Kadrian he shakes his wearily and sighs, "Hello Bela, I'm Bendoc some folks call me Ben. I think I've seen you around town once in a while." He thinks about extending his hand but can't seem to juggle his plate and his mug so he just nods at her and raises his mug, "If you can put up the silver tongued Kadrian welcome aboard."
"Yes", Kadrian smiled politely. "Our Bendoc here is quite famous in these parts. He's been known to kill 'the mood' at 30 feet, 60 feet if the wind goes his way", as the human swashbuckler looks down to his halfing associate with mild disdain.
"Hi, name's Rak. I need to scrounge up a place to stay, and maybe some work if you've got it. You've definitely got the best food in town, so you're my pick if you've got a room."
"Why hello there Rak. I'm Ameiko, Ameiko Kaijitsu, and I'm sure we can find such a fine dwarf a room at the Rusty Dragon. Thank you for the compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed the salmon."
"You've got that right, the food part I mean, Master Dwarf. Ameiko's food is second to none."
"And thank you too Master Bendoc."
She turns and looks back at Rak.
"As far as work goes, you'll have to check with our mayor, or some of the militia perhaps. Oh, and here comes our mayor's nephew right now" she says as she waves to Kadrian. She giggles and blushes at garnering Kadrian's attention and quickly moves away, presumably to fetch more salmon.
"Hmm." The young woman gives a small, pleased sound in response to Kadrian's compliment, a soft hum of satisfaction which seems to mirror his own. She watches as he bends to press a kiss to her hand, her own gaze just slightly too heated to be considered polite for making someone's acquaintance. Bela inclines her head in a show of modest deference as the man rises--he is a nobleman after all, and, in her mind, undoubtedly used to a certain amount of courtesy from the common folk. "Thank you. You are very kind, my lord." Though the words would ordinarily sound overly formal, the devious, subtle smile she shares with Kadrian suggests that, if anything, she's being quite familiar.
The contrast between the open warmth Bela shows him and the polite, yet cool demeanor she takes with the rest of the group is clear even in her body language. Bela turns to acknowledge the other men present, folding her hands in front of her where they promptly disappear into the billowing bell sleeves of her robes. A smile still graces her features, though it less sly and more kindly now. She nods her thanks to the halfling--Bendoc--for his words of welcome, and gives a short, yet sweet laugh to the verbal jabs he and Kadrian trade.
"I hope I didn't spoil your fun too much, Ben. It would have been such a shame to see you all taken ill when the festivities have only just begun."
The halfling looks up to Kadrian, smiles and gives a mock bow, "We all have our talents."
Returning his gaze to Bela, "Of course not m'lady, the day is just beginning and holds promise of more fun to come. Draining the last of his mug he continues, What games do suggest we try Bela?"
Akuleh wanders alongside his new companions, examining the various games and contests the festival offers. He finally pauses when they come upon a stand where a rather broad-shouldered farmer is lifting a large weight. The farmer raises the weight a few inches off the ground before his legs begin to shudder and he eventually drops the weight.
"A contest of strength? Now this is something with which even we Shoanti are familiar." He steps toward the person officiating the contest and presents himself as a contender. As he moves toward the weight, he strips off his outer fur cloak and adjusts a few straps on his armor. He hands his cloak and small pack of gear to one of his new friends, then positions himself by the weight.
Bela smiles when Bendoc waves off her concern, but remains quiet as the group makes their way through the crowd, although the look on her face indicates that she is at least contemplating the halfling's question. She pauses with the rest as their Shoanti companion steps up to take the weightlifting challenge.
"A contest of strength? Now this is something with which even we Shoanti are familiar."
Clearly, she thinks in response to the Shoanti man's claim, smiling briefly at her own playfulness. As is her wont, she takes advantage of the opportunity to get a better look at the man when she thinks he is otherwise distracted, having always been curious about the tribal people that lived near Sandpoint. But, before the contest has ended, her attention has already flitted back to her previous concern, and she continues making her way down the crowded street in search of her own bit of entertainment.
Now that she is considering joining the games herself, it doesn't escape her notice that there seems to be very few options available to her. Hide-and-seek she finds a bit too childish for her tastes, as well as sack racing--not to mention my robes would have me at a marked disadvantage there. The other games don't strike her as any fit contests for a lady either--not even a lady of low birth. At last she spies a booth a bit further from the others set up for knife throwing.
"Tell me, Ben, how good is your aim?"
As the Shoanti suggests a contest of strength Bendoc thinks, Wouldn't be my first choice. He smiles when Bela suggests something more to his liking, "Well, if I take me time I usually hit what I'm aiming at."
Politely offering his arm to Ms. Vauni, Kadrian and his fellow festival-goers walk the games section of the Festival.
The swashbuckler offers to hold Alukeh's cloak as he performing his weight-lifting feat.
Hmm. Excellent quality. Smells a bit earthy, though.
When the shoati performs his feat of strength, Kadrian claps loudly, along with the crowd.
As the Shoanti suggests a contest of strength Bendoc thinks, Wouldn't be my first choice. He smiles when Bela suggests something more to his liking, "Well, if I take me time I usually hit what I'm aiming at."
"Knife throwing? Questions Kadrian. "Let's compete together, Bendoc."
The assembled group walk over to the Knife Throwing tent. Selecting three knives, Kadrian makes his throws.Miss.
5 pts.
5 pts. for a total of 10.
Bela flashes a smile down to Bendoc at his response, unsure whether he is being modest or truthful but finding the statement amusing all the same. "Luckily for you, the targets won't be moving," she replies in a light, teasing tone. At Kadrian's first, unfortunate attempt, Bela leans down toward her halfling friend and whispers conspiratorially.
The young woman straightens with a barely restrained giggle and takes her mind off the need to laugh by pretending to smooth the skirts of her robes. Once the urge passes, she watches the rest of the nobleman's attempts, clapping dutifully when the remaining two knives find home in the target. Once Kadrian finishes, Bela once more threads her arm through his. "10 points! A very admirable start, Kadrian." Turning to Bendoc, she gives the halfling an expectant look with a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Will you be needing a stool to stand on?"
Bendoc's ears turn red at at Bella's remark and he hurrid up to the line. He grimaces as he rushes his first throw ruining his aim off. He quickly recovers hitting a bullseye he totals his score and realizes he has tied Hadrian, "A ten it's a tie."
he quickly picks up the three more knives and says "Let's give it another go" without waiting for a response he hurls the knives at the target. "Thirteen, anyone else want to give it a try? " He offers.
"Nicely done, Bendoc", congratulates Kadrian. "Let's see if I can beat your thirteen." Taking another three knives in hand, Kadrian throws.
0 Complete miss...
9 ..folowed by a bullseye
0 ..followed by a miss.
"Darn! Only a 9". Looking down to the halfling, Kadrian remarks, "The round is yours."
Rak walks with his new companions, enjoying the sights and sounds of the festival atmosphere. They don’t know it, but they all celebrate with the lucky drunk today. He listens to the banter between the woman and the noble fop, enjoying the interplay. When the Shoanti man approaches the weight lifting contest, Rak joins him. He looks up at the man after watching his attempt. "Well done; you do your tribe proud." He then steps up to make his own attempt.
"You and I might do well at that tug-of-war contest. Kad, Ben, which of you is the stronger do you think?" Halflings can be stronger than many think; I won’t rule him out over that.
He then moves on with the group to a knife throwing contest, which he bows out of but enjoys watching Ben and Kadrian develop a little competition. I hope that stays friendly though.
Rak smiles at Izbela's secretive comment, but says nothing else to indicate that he'd overheard.
Akuleh steps back to watch Rak's attempt at the weights. His first lift makes the weight appear to be made of feathers, and his second attempts puts Akuleh's own to shame as well. The dwarf appears to lose wind on his third lift, but it was undeniable that he had won the day. As the dwarf steps away from he weights, Akuleh claps him on the back, smiling kindly, "Today, I am truly lucky to be from one of the less savage clans. Otherwise, they might have flogged me for suffering such a sound defeat! You are a mighty fellow, Master Rak, and I sincerely hope to remain on the same side of the battlefield as you, should such an occasion arise."
Ray's suggestion the tug-of-war intrigues Akuleh, and he grins approvingly at the thought. "Perhaps we will have a chance to see the result of our strengths combined sooner than I had thought, and in a less somber circumstance as well! Do tell us, Kadrian, do you think you could pull a rope better than a halfling? Or are those noble hands too soft for such rough labor?"
He follows the others to the knife throwing contest, where he stands back and observes alongside Rak.
He notices Bela whispering something to Ben, but is unable to catch the words as Kadrian curses loudly at his score.
Not content to let the men have all the fun, Bela wordlessly drops her hold of Kadrian's arm before moving up to the booth. Taking up the first knife, she hefts it a few times to get a feel for the weight. Apparently satisfied with what she finds, she grips the knife by the tip of the blade before throwing it at the target.
9
The knife sinks into the target's center, and Bela throws an entirely too satisfied smirk over her shoulder to the group.
Miss
Miss
But her confidence precedes her downfall, as the next two knives strike the target with their hafts before clattering harmlessly to the ground. Well, no use trying to save face now. Bela's smile is bashful as she rejoins the group, but she's quick to laugh off her embarrassment. "Yes, well done, Ben. If your grip is half as good as your aim, I daresay you'll prove quite a challenge at the next contest."
"Perhaps we will have a chance to see the result of our strengths combined sooner than I had thought, and in a less somber circumstance as well! Do tell us, Kadrian, do you think you could pull a rope better than a halfling? Or are those noble hands too soft for such rough labor?"
"Ha", laughs Kadrian. "Spoken like a man who have never brewed ale before. Lifting sacks of hops and barley, moving heavy barrels into cooling larders. It takes more than fighting to keep me in fighting shape."
Looking to Bela, Kadrian continues, "Ask Ms. Vauni, surely she must have felt the muscles underneath my sleeve by now?"
Bela arches an eyebrow inquiringly at Kadrian's rather bold suggestion. She has, in fact, noticed the man's physique, much to her delight, but was not so inclined to share that fact with her companions. But the coy look on her face betrays the fact that she is far from scandalized by his remark. "He speaks the truth, my friend," she addresses the Shoanti with a mischievous little smile. For added measure, she takes Kadrian's hand between hers and studies his palm with an air of mock seriousness. "These are not the soft hands of an idle lord." The air of faux seriousness around Bela slips to reveal her usual playful nature as she taunts the Shoanti, "I hope you have an appetite; you may be eating your words very soon."
Akuleh laughs deeply at the replies. "It was only a jest. Perhaps a poor one, but a jest nonetheless."[b] He steps over and slaps Kadrian on his broad, well-defined shoulders and smiles. [b]"I have no doubt that you are no weakling nobleman. You put on the air of a indolent lord's son, but you wear a sword like a true warrior."
He looks over to Bela, who still wears her taunting grin, "And you, my lady, have something of the warrior about you as well. That first knife toss was no fluke." He gives her a wink, "But perhaps tossing knives and wielding swords is something you would consider too vulgar if someone made the mistake of challenging you."
"Spoken like a man who have never brewed ale before. Lifting sacks of hops and barley, moving heavy barrels into cooling larders. It takes more than fighting to keep me in fighting shape."
Rak laughs. "I have to back the 'lord' up. As one who's participated in the craft many times, I can attest that the making of Cayden's salve is no feat of fancy. However, as long as the brewer follows the first rule, he never feels the pain of the labor." The dwarf takes a hearty drink, then continues. "So Ben, will you contend for a spot on our team, or are the three decided?"
"I'll watch good dwarf," Bendoc decides as he takes a seat on the ground to watch his companions compete. With a sly smile he adds, "No worries Kadrian I'll keep Bella company." he takes the last of his fish off his plate and begins to eat.