Oh, of course...good day, Mr. Toshi Kyra digs in to the doughy treat, then looks for a drink to wash it down with, preferably a coffee or tea. She feels ready to take on the world.
A2. Sack Races
The cobblestones here are marked with four lanes drawn in chalk. Two men and two women hop like mad in separate lanes, their legs covered with heavy burlap sacks. The crowd waves scarves and paper flowers in the air as they cheer the competitors toward the finish line. The onlookers offer a respectful berth to a well-dressed dwarven woman standing confidently at the finish, her hands on hips as if she’s overseeing the race.
The well-dressed dwarven woman standing at the end of the race looks at Kageryu.
"I would very much like to enter the race and test myself against others."
She shakes her head.
“Sorry, but I’m taking a break … and my apprentice Tolwin is around today. Come back in half an hour please!“ she says and starts to close down the sack race after the current competition has ended.
Teloish is standing next to the statue watching a group of children play is a cheerful-looking woman with white hair and ruddy cheeks.
Teloish sees that a female dwarf approaches the woman. Kageryu knows that this is the dwarf from the races.
The two women greet each other they start chatting and you are perceptive and overhear parts of the conversation.
”Well ... but Richelle and Tolwin cheated!" the white haired woman says silently. You cannot hear the dwarf's response but you see the the woman reacts harshly and says a little louder than she she should: "You know that they rigged the bloomgivers election and therefore are not allowed to attend the festival. This discussion is over!"
The female dwarf looks disappointed and retreats in the direction of the sack race.
Kyra heads over to where some of the others are, seeing Teloish chatting to a woman. She stands by, sipping her coffee after finishing off the fried treat.
Heading to the female dwarf, Teloish introduced himself. "Excuse me, it looks like you might have been offended by someones actions. Do you want to grab a bite to eat and discuss the matter. My treat." he said.
The dwarven woman looks at you and is clearly not in the mood for discussion.
"If this is now of these jokes then it is not funny. Tolwin has suffered enough and now you target me? Please, let me go back to my duties." she says and moves away from the festivities.
The puppeteer is an elegant man wearing fine jewelery- Hello friend! When are you going to continue? I love stories!!
"You are kind to still linger here young man! I am Carth. You enjoyed it?" he asks but does not give much time to answer, as he just continues with, "Oh dear gods. I gave the responsibility for the puppets to my apprentice, Richelle, but ... well, if she would have spent her time learning from my years of experience but no ... and she's not at the festival today as she’s been disinvited from the jubilee this year. I hope she returns tomorrow."
You notice that he's trying to sound optimistic about his apprentice, but something is worrying him.
[dice=sense]1d20+3
You seems bothered...what is worrying you so? Kyra says as she gets closer.
You seems bothered...what is worrying you so? Kyra says as she gets closer.
The man waves his hand when Kyra arrives.
"Richelle? I am sorry but that one is lost in my opinion ... I tried everything ... but I do not have children of my own. Discipline and trust is hard to teach ... she and her brother have to learn that. Otherwise it will be a hard road for them!" the puppet master says.
Torgen happily eats his delicious fried dough while strolling over to the Barrel-Go-Round ride.
The Bloomgivers return
Murmurs of alarm from the western end of Protectress Square soon become shrieks of shock. Two people stumble into the square-a young dark-haired man and a light-haired woman, half walking and half relying on the shoulders of friends. Winces of pain cross their bloodied faces.
Somewhere, someone shouts, "The Bloomgivers have been attacked' Someone get Aurelliax!"
The crowd around the Bloomgivers hushes and parts, and the mayor strides purposefully toward the injured youths. A grim look on her face, she reaches a hand lovingly toward the Bloomgivers.
Mayor Qarl addresses the crowd in a commanding voice. "Silence! Aurelliax left minutes ago due to an urgent matter. She did not trust me with the details."
She turns toward the Bloomgivers. "Kameer. Kara. Young ones, what has happened here?"
The Bloomgivers pause to catch their breath before answering. " We' re so sorry, Mayor Qarl ," Kara says.
"We were picking the brightblooms when those bullies set upon us. They took us completely by surprise, and they stole the Golden Pendant right from Kameer's neck! We barely got out with our lives!” Kameer nods. "It was Richelle and Tolwin! They're up on Dendra's Slope, and they've still got Aurelliax's amulet!”
At this news, several individuals, including the proprietors of the jubilee's events- emerge from the crowd.
The town's mayor visibly bristles with anger. "I've had enough of those two! Clearly we should have punished them more harshly!" she says. "We have to retrieve these misbehaving kids? We have to get Aurelliax's amulet back, and those two will get the justice they deserve in our stocks."
Torgen steps forward.
"Madam Mayor, may we have a word? We might be able to assist you in this endeavor..."
The mayor is about to speak to Kageryu and Torgen when a man in the crowd shouts "We have to get Aurelliax to help!"
The mayor looks at the man ruefully. "These bullies are two of our own!"
The people in the crowd give a regretful nod.
"You all know the rules! I'm terribly sorry," Mayor Qarl continues, "but I'm afraid that Aurelliax can't directly help. You see, Aurelliax promised our forebears that she would never interfere in the town's interpersonal matters. She cannot turn her wrath against any of our town-not even if they might deserve it."
She turns to the crowd and specifically Torgen and Kageryu who spoke earlier. "Are there any among you who are willing to be heroes for Highdelve? Could you retrieve these bullies and Aurelliax's amulet? I assure you all that I will award those successful most generously!”
I'll do it...and my friends will help me, I'm sure...
The mayor nods.
”Thank you, visitors! Please, travel up Dendra’s slope, directly west of town about 3 miles," the mayor says gently.
"It sounds like the bullies are still there. The brightbloom patch is just past an old abandoned shack-that's where you'll want to start looking."
”Find these wayward youths, and return them along with Aurelliax's amulet to the people. We'll bring back the brightblooms to the square, and Kameer and Kara here can hand them out as planned. We'll commence the Brightbloom Ball and put all of this unpleasantness behind us!"
Torgen proudly accepts. "Will do so!"
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The mayor nods.
”Thank you, visitors! Please, travel up Dendra’s slope, directly west of town about 3 miles," the mayor says gently.
"It sounds like the bullies are still there. The brightbloom patch is just past an old abandoned shack-that's where you'll want to start looking."
”Find these wayward youths, and return them along with Aurelliax's amulet to the people. We'll bring back the brightblooms to the square, and Kameer and Kara here can hand them out as planned. We'll commence the Brightbloom Ball and put all of this unpleasantness behind us!"
Kageryu will approach the Mayor and retrieve his journal, ink, and pen from his backpack and take down notes and perhaps draw a rough map with the Mayor's assistance.
"Rest assured we will do our best to resolve the situation as peacefully as possible."
He bows slightly to the Mayor.
Turning to the assembled townsfolk, the mayor asks "Do any of you have things you might loan to this heroic group?"
Yarla, the dwarf from the sack races, steps forward with a smile. "I just so happen to have a crate of items in my inventory right now, bound for a bodyguard firm in Port Ice. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little quality control testing on one or two."
Looking at you, she adds "I might even have some blunt arrows, too."
Thank you..we'll put them to good use...if we have to, that is. I'm hoping for a non-violent resolution. Kyra says, her innocence peeking through.
"Thank you for offering these saps, they will certainly come in handy. May I take two? You see, I fight with two weapons at the same time... Also, you wouldn’t by chance have some blunt crossbow bolts, too?"
You are starting your journey to Dendra's Slope
After a quick trip to Yarla's warehouse, you head toward Dendra's Slope, about three miles away.
As you approach the slope, you see a wagon full of already-picked brightblooms, and remember the mayor saying they would come pick it up once you've dealt with the bullies.
You see the brightblooms in more detail and know these flowers under a different name. But you know that crushed brightblooms confer a +2 bonus when used as part of any Heal check.
You can see a dilapidated hut, a nearby slope covered in flowers, and a cave entrance a little ways away.
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You are starting your journey to Dendra's Slope
After a quick trip to Yarla's warehouse, you head toward Dendra's Slope, about three miles away.
As you approach the slope, you see a wagon full of already-picked brightblooms, and remember the mayor saying they would come pick it up once you've dealt with the bullies.
** spoiler omitted **
You can see a dilapidated hut, a nearby slope covered in flowers, and a cave entrance a little ways away.
Torgen draws his sap(s). "I agree, Kiliuk. Let's go!"
I thought I recognized them from somewhere. I must spend more time studying herbs and such...they all look alike to my untrained eye... she says as she looks around.
Holding his saps, Torgen moves forward into the campsite, looking around.
As you approach the hut, you begin to get your bearings.
You quickly scan the surroundings for potential threats or things that seem out of place.
They look like they were made within the last 24 hours.
You see no other movement around the valley.
The outside of this dilapidated shack is moldy and has walls full of holes. Its rotted doors hang open on broken hinges. You cannot hear any movement from within.
Kiliuk moves to the campsite.
[dice=Perc(Kiliuk)]1d20+4
Makeshift Campsite
A rusty metal pot sits over an extinguished campfire in this hastily prepared resting stop. Three logs are pulled near the fire, and in between are several marks scrawled in the dirt.
The marks scrawled in the dirt are crude drawings of a two-headed stick figure that’s shown emerging from a cave and running toward some houses.
The rock formations surrounding the cave are identical to the rock at the west end of the map (area C4).
The drawing’s meaning: This drawing is part of some sort of plan involving a monster in the cave to the west and Highdelve.
[dice=Perception]d20+1
Teolish looked towards the wagon.
"Kyra, if we go down, you may wish to grab some of the blossoms as they are handy for healing poultices when crushed" he said, making sure to see if he can get a sample later.
Brightbloom Patch
This patch of white and gold flowers presents a lovely scene marred by two jarring elements. Beside the flowers is a lopsided wooden cart with one wheel broken and no cargo. Near the cart are deep scuffle marks as well as a few drops of a dark liquid.
Torgen cannot make sense of the crude drawings and therefore dismisses them as irrelevant.
He moves further towards the hut.
"Hey, there's some footprints over here - and they are less than 24 hours old..."
Umm...I think there is something amiss here...that's fresh blood...I know what it looks like, unfortunately. And i think this is a crude plan...a,,,creature in a cave? What do you guys think? she muses as she points out her findings.