[Table Shieldwall] Realm of the Fellnight Queen (Inactive)

Game Master Nathan Hartshorn

Preparations underway.

A week ago you were ordered into Kreighton Shaine's office for another assignment. "There's a wedding that you need to attend as representatives of the Pathfinder Society. The groom is a member of an order of rangers that have helped us in the past, Elyin Ursage. You'll be delivering a gift and enjoying yourselves at the party. I'm too busy with my research so I pass my great-great-nephew's wedding on to you. Prepare for travel to Bellis, near the Verduran forest. Any questions?"

"A wedding? That's a different sort of mission. So we should brush up on etiquette and not anticipate needing to kill anything, I suppose."
He looks a bit critical of the Master of Scrolls' disinterest in a relative's wedding, but then reminds himself Kreighton Shane is an elf... their ways are different.

While not extremely polished, Anthys has at least passable social graces did not dump Cha to 7.

"Still, there can be dangers on the road. I wouldn't normally attend a wedding armed and armored, but I do plan to have my armor with me on the journey, and I will keep Requiem at my side if that would not be considered rude."
Anthys isn't a nobleman, but he's basically middle-class in Lastwall, with his mother being a legal scholar for the Church of Iomedae and his father a veteran soldier. So if it is considered appropriate for him to have his sword at his side at such an event, he will.

"Can you tell us more about Elyin Ursage?"

While Anthys asks about the groom, Vindler tries to think if he knows anything about customs near the Verduran Forest (that's in Taldor right?) for coming armed or armored to a celebration like a wedding.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

"Gents, don't worry about etiquette. Fork in the left hand, knife in the right hand. No elbows on the table. Let me handle the rest."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I can be a bit... awkward... in social situations."

He looks at all the armor his comrades are wearing and grins to himself. No such problems for me

Shaine shrugs, "What's to say? He was the leader of a party of rangers keeping the nearby countryside safe. Recently retired, now a beekeeper, if you can believe that, and marrying the love of his life, Kailah Winmede. I imagine if something crazy starts happening he'll be able to help you in a pinch."

When questioned about the armor and weaponry he looks the team up and down. Then he shrugs again, "Bellis is in Andoran, they're all about freedom and fighting tyranny and all that high brow nonsense. I'm sure if you keep it polished you'll fit right in. Or get some magic to help protect you. You're a resourceful lot, you'll find an answer I know. As to how you'll be arriving, I'll teleport you just outside the city limits and you'll have to walk in from there. When the wedding is over send a message to Venture-Captain Brackett in the Almas Lodge, he'll arrange transport back here."

When no more questions come forth Kreighton sends you on your way.

The frontier town of Bellis stands within the quiet shade of the Verduran Forest, nestled along the western banks of the slow-moving Sellen River. Flower gardens color every homestead, painting a vibrant scene under the summer sun. Common folk go about their business, tilling the land, tying of keelboats, and hobnobbing over cups of mead. In the distance, a dog barks, children laugh, and the bees hum while gathering pollen.

Festivities for the wedding stretch from the stone chapel and rose gardens of Shelyn, past a large open-air tent, and down to the sun-drenched, tree-lined banks of Stillwater Creek. Music and laughter fill the air, with partygoers calling out for attendees to join their games and merrymaking.

Map has been updated with areas of interest.

"Friends! I suggest we take a walking tour of this village, in the exact order proposed by the map at the back of this wedding schedule I just picked up. What say you? to the bridge!"

Berato anoints Vindler's armor before departing. His own shield and resplendent new mithral breastplates are already enhanced. He then enables a magic circle around the group to protect everyone from evil's influence.

Magic vestvent on Vindler's armor (incl. Lesser Extend Rod (LER) = 16 hours) and Berato's armor (LER, 16 hours) and shield (8 hours); Magic Circle vs. Evil + LER = 160 min

Berato finally uses his Sleeves of Many Garment to change the appearance of his clothes to a ceremonial holy long coat over his armor. The fur-lined priest vestment is adorned with embroidered symbols of Torag, quality boots and finely wrought silver chains.

Fine, Anthys will keep his armor on.

He makes a point to keep it clean and polished, and is agile enough in it to not be too awkward.

Anthys follows Berato to the bridge.

Marcus will shine his Mithral chain shirt and iron his clothes for the occasion. He'll wear his silver shortsword as it is somewhat ornamental, but leave the rest of his pleathora of daggers and shield in his backpack.

Once at the event, he will nod, smile and follow Berato.

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea Berato. I'm looking forward to a peaceful, happy event as a change of pace. This should be quite enjoyable."

Is it ok if Marcus' ring starts out imbued with a feat, or does he have to have an evening in the current mission to do so?

"A peaceful, happy event? yes, I suppose that would be nice. Still, I'm happy we're in Andoran and not Taldor. No restriction on armor during social events here, with two thirds of their population seemingly part of the Eagle Knights... see? I even bought Golden Epaulets before the show. It's practically part of daily fashion here, if you're even remotely associated with anything that fights for a living..."

Elaril bobs along happily following the rest of the team absentmindedly trying to straighten his clothes into some semblance of tidiness.

You're fine starting out with a feat. Assume it was put in place in downtime.

Your group makes it to the bridge where several small, fidgety children sit. Fishing poles dangle from their hands, but judging by the empty buckets next to them, they haven't caught anything yet.

"No luck today huh? did you try corn niblets?"

Vindler grunts his thanks to Berato for enhancing his armor. Even in a peaceful setting like this, Vindler is constantly on his guard. His years serving as a watchman in Vigil has taught him there's no event that isn't served by a watchful pair of eyes.

That said, he does his best to maintain a low profile, covering his shining armor with a light cloak and minimizing his enchanted shield to the size of a buckler for easier stowage. He also leaves his warhammer and battleaxe in his pack, so he only wears his morningstar and crossbow, though they are hopefully somewhat concealed by his cloak as well.

Coming upon the children fishing in the creek, Vindler looks down into the water, trying to judge how good of a fishing hole they have selected.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

"No luck [i]yet[i] mister," says a gap-toothed youth. "We'll get fish and sell 'em to Mr. Benwold for the fish fry!" He and the rest of the children pause to examine your group. "So...you all together, or just waiting for your companions?"

There are fish swimming around in the river, they just haven't taken an interest in the children's hooks.

Anthys looks on. He has his sword at his side, his shield on his back, and the rest of his gear in his pack.

Just wearing his armor keeps him on guard. He is noticeably not relaxed, armed for war as he is. If you wear armor during social events, then the place you live is a war zone. That's the thing about Lastwall, always ready for the orcs or the undead. It saddens me that Andoran has to be similar. I suppose it is Cheliax that they are worried about.

Anthys has no particular skill at fishing but takes a look to see if he has any ideas.
If fishing is Profession (Fisherman), he can't do it untrained, but if it is Survival he can try. Certainly a lot of people fish who are not trained professionals.

Elaril takes a look at the fish swimming in the stream before giving the kids some quick pointers on the best baits & methods.

Kn: Nature: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35

You can join the children in half hour increments using some Profession or Survival to determine your catches. Advice is good to as has been given by most.

Survival, Scion, Taking 10: 10 + 6 + 2 = 18

"There you go kids. You stick a couple niblets on the hook. Easier than worms. They usually bite. If that doesn't work then you go find a few worms."

Anthys will join Berato in fishing.
Remember Berato, both Anthys and Marcus have Rings of Tactical Precision, so if you are relying on either one for a teamwork bonus like Scion, increase it by 1.

Survival, Take 10, Scion: 10 + 7 + 3 = 20

Anthys had some basic wilderness survival training in Lastwall, and he seems to do everything better with the confidence of being near his trusted allies.

"And if you get a fish that is too small to be worth eating, you can use that as bait to catch bigger fish."

With everyone pointing out the best spots to find hiding fish, proper bait and waiting techniques, and general encouragement the children are soon catching fish. Excited squeals come from all of them, prompting multiple calls of "Thanks mister!" as each one catches more and more.

Moving on...

Delicious smells emanate from this large canvas tent. Partygoers requently come and go, carrying wooden plates of fried fish and barbecued pork with cups of honeymead. Around the back, smoke rises from several cookfires.

Anthys will not say no to barbecued pork. He goes into the tent to get some.

Berato joins Anthys in the pulled pork line and grabs some honeymead.

Marcus inhales deeply at the smell of the delicious foods. "Ah, fried fish. Always a delight." He'll go inside get fried fish and honeymead while sticking with his companions to look for a place to sit and eat.

Elaril is perfectly happy to sample the local cuisine and follows in the rest of his companions footsteps.

Vindler enjoys the meat along with the others. He accepts the honeymead, though he quietly wishes he could have a nice tankard of ale instead.

While everyone is picking up their food and drink you notice a series of boxes with desserts inside. Picking up on the conversation you realize they are fora local tradition called a box social. The bridesmaids all prepare a dessert and place them in the decorative boxes. Guests will then bid on the boxes to earn the chosen dessert and time in the company of the lovely bridesmaid who made it. These will help provide a dowry for Kailah.

Right now each box has a smattering of silver coins.

Honeyed Pumpkin Bread - Lumi Reasonknot 4 sp
Sweet Apple Pie - Anafa Fallfellow 2 sp
Honeyed Almond Cake - Mazon Shieldsplitter 3 sp
Raspberry Tart - Surri Smith 4 sp
Cheesecake - Kining Blondebeard 1 sp
Strawberry Pancakes - Tia Howl 2 sp
Marzipan Cake - Mev Den 1 sp

Coming back later may be interesting to see how much each dessert earns.

"Honeyed almond cake! I haven't tasted that in decades. My mother used to make us honeyed almond cake before we moved to Lastwall. Perhaps I'll put a bid down on it." Vindler moves over and lays a handful of silver pieces in the box.

Bidding 8 sp on the honeyed almond cake

Kining Blondebeard? that's an NPC in Ironfang Invasion... is this the same character?

Berato heads straight for the dwarf lady's cheesecake and puts down a gold piece on that!

"Keep this cheesecake cool... make sure it stays in the shade..."

Anthys is an apple pie kind of guy. He puts down 8 sp on that. He looks around, wondering who Anafa Fallfellow might be...

I have a list of names of characters from various campaigns. Whenever I need random names I pull from there, so yes, this is that Kining.

It looks like each of the bridesmaids are out and about enjoying the rest of the party with the promise to return later in the afternoon.

On to A3

A well-worn path strewn with flower petals leads between plain wooden benches to a decorative gazebo at the bottom of this amphitheater. More flowers adorn the structure itself, and a line of well-wishers extends to a seated couple dressed in finery beneath its roof.

Anthys will get in line to offer his greetings to Elyin Ursage and his bride. "May you be blessed all the days of your lives," or something like that.

Elyin has a winning smile and greets you warmly, "I'm glad some Pathfinders were able to make it up here alright. The Foresthawks," at this he gestures to three other folk standing nearby, "and I are sure glad one of your teams was around when we were in a pinch six or so years ago. I'm just glad we were able to return the favor when those Worgs showed up unannounced." He and the other Foresthawks laugh and reminisce for a short while, describing what sounds like one crazy adventure.

Marcus will stand in line and politely wish Elyin a long and happy marriage. "The life of a pathfinder can be interesting at times. It sounds like that's been no less true for you."

Moving on to A4

Within the shade of these massive oak trees, musicians perform a variety of quickstep tunes. Several partygoers have already oined the dance, whirling beneath colored streamers and lanterns hung between the trees.

Anthys will try to join in the dance. As long as he is dancing with someone of Taldan or Chelish ancestry (which is probably the vast majority of Andorans) he moves with a bit more confidence.

The teamwork feat is worded such that you have to be adjacent not just to an ally with the feat, but specifically an ethnically Taldan or Chelish ally with the feat, which would seem to limit its use for things like Tactician or Solo Tactics. Given Paizo's restrictions on word counts, I imagine they added that clause for a reason.

His armor impairs him not at all, oddly.

Perform (Dance), Scion: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Marcus will also join the dance, losing a bit of his normal solemnity as he twirls about with the other guests.

Perform (Dance): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Elaril maintains his distance from the dance floor - he's not willing to showcase his two left feet for everyone to see.

The music is lively and the dancers are keen to accept more into their ranks. Along the side, directing the musicians, is a rather harried looking half-elf. He rushes between the musicians in the dance and the nearby horseshoe pit.

Anthys and Marcus draw attention due to their dancing, though for different reasons it seems. Anthys soon has a line of people hoping to cut a rug with him, while Marcus is cheered for his enthusiasm if not his actual skill.

Vindler remains beside Elaril, as his particular dwarven upbringing didn't include much in the way of dancing. He spies the harried half-elf, though, and wonders at the man's strange behavior.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (6) + 19 = 25

Spend more time here, or move along?

Vindler moves over to the director, "Pardon me friend! You seem rather busy. Is there anything my friends and I could help you with so you could focus on entertaining these good people?"

The man stops his rushing around to introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Parmis Salsby, friend of the groom. Yes, I find I've taken on a bit more than I can chew. I'm trying to help Halak get a horseshoe tournament started while keeping the music going. If there's any way you could help Halak get the tournament going I can focus on making sure the musicians and dancers have time for breaks. That would cut down my work significantly."

”If Abadar teaches us anything, it’s how to get things organized! I would be glad to help friend! See to your musicians. My friends and I will assist Halak!” Vindler gives Parmis a clap on the shoulder, then moves toward the horseshoe pit.

After some searching, he finds the one called Halak and offers his aid in starting the horseshoe tournament. ”How can I be of service my friend? Do you need a judge to preside over the matches? Or perhaps you need someone to help cordon off the area to make sure no one is harmed passing through the playing field? Do let me know what you need!”

A5 the horseshoe pit

The clang of horseshoes against iron stobs announces an unmistabkable game of skill hidden by the treeline. A handful of bystanders mill about, watching the throws of a massive half-orc wearing the face paint of his orc ancestors. A nearby board keeps score with wooden pegs, but the half-orc doesn't appear to have an opponent yet.

"More than anything, I need players. Everyone seems a bit too shy to play today, though I'm not sure why. Once I manage to gather 8 players we can hold a tournament. Perhaps if we start playing others might take interest."

"Gladly! I can't say I'm much of a performer to drum up a crowd, but perhaps displaying some skill at the game will entice a few guests to try their hands at it!"

"Ill enter as well - perhaps my missing every throw will encourage others to join and show me how it's done!!"

Marcus notes Vindler heading off, and follows once his dance is done.
"A throwing game? How delightful. I will enjoy giving this my best toss."