Bulvarius' face darkens at the story behind the cathedral;
"Egads, how horrific! Would seem monsters are men also..."
At Kemras' words he rubs his broad chin;
"I know little of the ways of faith... save a cursory service as a child, to which I paid little heed! How so is this new cathedral unusual Master Iuvescanu?"
Across the festival square, there are many similar groups hugging, or holding hands, or just standing close. Sharing memories of that terrible time and it's affect on everyone in Sandpoint.
Father Zantus separates himself from his conversation with the other dignitaries and steps to the fore of the stage, taking a moment to look out at the crowd allowing them time to remember and hopefully heal.
Smiling he raises his hand and a sharp retort , like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as the sun's setting rays paint the western sky. Lowering the thunderstone he triggered, Father Zantus calls for silence, signaling the beginning of a blessing to honor Desna. The crowd hushes, the festive atmosphere shifting momentarily to one of reverence. Father Zantus raises his arms and begins to speak, his voice carrying a warmth that seems to touch everyone present. "Thank you all, today is a day of hope for the future...."
Then, chaos erupts.
A piercing shriek splits the air—a sound both guttural and shrill. Gasps ripple through the crowd as small, hunched figures scurry into the square,
brandishing crude weapons. Goblins. Dozens of them. Their high-pitched laughter and manic singing mix with the screams of the startled townsfolk,
creating a cacophony of terror.
The goblins waste no time sowing mayhem. One leaps onto a merchant's cart, sending apples and wares scattering as it lights the stall ablaze. Another swings a jagged blade wildly at a fleeing villager, missing narrowly but forcing the man to stumble. A brave town guard tries to intervene, but he is quickly overwhelmed by three goblins, their crude weapons raining down in a frenzied assault.
Amid the chaos, a guttural chant begins—a mocking, sing-song rhyme in the goblins' native tongue:
Goblins Chew and Goblins Bite
Goblins Cut and Goblins Fight
Stab the Dog and Cut the Horse
Goblins Eat and Take by Force
Goblins Race adn Goblins Jump
Goblins Slash and Goblins Bump
Burn the Skin and Mash the Head
Goblins Here and You be Dead
Chase the Baby, Catch the Pup
Bonk the Head to Shut it Up!
Bones be Cracked , Flesh be Stewed
We the Goblins! You be Food!
Fires begin to spread as torches are thrown onto rooftops and into stalls.
The acrid scent of smoke mixes with the festival's once-pleasant aromas,
turning the atmosphere oppressive and choking.
In the midst of the attack, Father Zantus calls out, urging people to take shelter within the cathedral's sturdy walls. Meanwhile, a few brave souls—adventurers, perhaps, or locals with more courage than sense—step forward to defend the town. With weapons drawn, they confront the goblins, who screech with delight at the prospect of more "fun".
Four goblins approach the group, one flicking it's crude blade free of the blood of an unfortunate dog it just finished gutting.
Round 1
The goblins approach, jumping and skipping about chaotically. Only one seems to be on a mission running ahead of the other three. One of the others, stops and decides to set fire to a nearby stall, another slows to a stop it's gaze lost for the moment in the spitting fire at the end of it's torch. The third , for some reason, decides to body slam the just killed dog's corpse!
The one goblin runs screaming at Bulvarious, it's blade forgotten in one hand, and it notices how interesting the torch in it's other hand looks as it's running. It's so enamoured by the hypnotic flames that when it arrives in front of Bulvarius, it's swing merely pummels the ground between his feet, sending up a shower of sparks.
All may act!
As the goblins swarm around the assembled revellers, Bulvarius' scowls as one of the wretched creatures sends sparks flying.
"Foul creature! I am a servant of the Order of the Pike! How dare the likes of you challenge one such as I!"
The warrior calmly shifts backward , giving himself space to bring his pike to bear, then mirthlessly impales the creature!
"What is family for if not being there when you need them most," Joanna says before resting her cheek against Sara's head and smiling a little. With her free hand she pulls on the weave of reality as she softly sings a cheery little tune. When she finishes, there's a puff of colorful sparks and smoke, revealing a glittering and glowing, cartoonishly-proportioned dog with feathery little wings. It toddles up to Sara before giving a tiny little woof and licking her on cheek with a comically oversized tongue that tickles like feathers.
Sara can't help but give a small chuckle as the magical dog tickles her cheek. "Thanks, Joanna... You always know how to cheer me up. I'm... Fine." She gives her cousin a weak smile. "Look to the future and not the past, right?" She gestures towards the stage and the cathedral. "It's what she'd would..." She stops as the piercing shriek fills the air.
Her eyes go wide with panic as she sees the chaos engulf the town and the fires starting.
It's... It's happening... All over... All over again.
The goblin screaming at Bulvarius makes her snap back to reality, however. She lets go of Joanna, and looks to her, worriedly. "Joanna, just... Just stand back, okay? I'll... I'll keep you safe." The nervousness in her voice is evident, but so is the determination in her eyes. She then glances over the others as well, before focusing on the other goblins, and stepping forward while drawing one of her starknifes. "I'll protect you all."
With a swift and graceful movement, more akin to a dance than a combat stance, Sara throws her starknife towards the approaching goblin.
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Joanna's smile and the illusory winged canine disappear as her response to her cousin dies before even reaching her tongue. For one sickening and horrifying moment she's not in Sandpoint, but back in her family's estate manor in the Alabaster District of Magnimar six years ago as men intent on kidnapping her and her younger siblings break into her home. That was the first time she'd seen violence, seen men die in pools of their own blood as her uncles cut down and chased off the would-be kidnappers. Her heart stops as fear threatens to paralyze her. She stares wide-eyed at Sara as her cousin tells her to keep back and promises to keep her safe. The blood drains from the young noblewoman's face as panic threatens to take hold.
Never freeze in a fight, she hears Darius shout over the rising din as Bulvarius runs the goblin that had failed to do anything to him through. If you freeze you die. Joanna will never know if what she hears was all in her head or if Darius had shouted at her to get her to act as chaos erupted in the square. It hardly matters which it was. All that matters in this moment is that those words break the spell of the welling terror and forces her into action. She pulls her short sword free, not trusting her skill with a bow in a crowd and raises it up to catch the light of the fires and setting sun as her voice cuts through the clangor of battle.
"Snicker-snack went the gleaming blade in the twilit, elven glade.
Whicker-whack! Cut down the red-eyed weeds, the singing wind bade.
Cut them down! Cut them down!
The singing wind bade.
Snicker-snack! Whicker-whack!
Went the gleaming blade."
As she sings, her words twist in the weave of fate, inspiring those fighting against the goblins and filling them with courage.
Kemras starts at the sudden arrival of the goblins. "I know I said that there were lots of goblins around here, but I didn't think it was in the town!" Where did they come from? How did they get in? He grimaces. Not the time now. Focus. Survive. Save the people you can.
Taking a quick step back, he draws his shortbow, aiming at the goblin. Taking inspiration from the nearby woman's song, he looses an arrow at the creature.
Audra, not particularly trained in fighting, still tries stabbing the goblin.
After which she steps 5ft away.
"There is a goblin settlement near this town??"