The Swallowtail Festival
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.
Welcoming Speeches
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.
Swallowtail Release
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
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.
Consecration
Finally, as the sun begins to set, Father Zantus takes the central podium, uses a thunderstone to attract everyone’s attention, and clears his throat as he prepares to recite the Prayer of First Dreaming.
Old Redeye, the old Varisian albino dwarf, sits at a small table, offering to tell the fortune of passersby. He hold a staff in one hand, which has a crystal ball at its tip. It is glowing, colors swirling within it in patterns similar to those of a Harrow deck. He looks distinctly unfriendly. He snorts at the speech about Desna and mutters something to himself.
Since Ashbek has only been around Sandpoint for about a week and is still very new to the ways of the 'Tshameks', he is keeping a low profile during the festivities.
He stands in the back of the crowd oberserving the gathering and the interaction between people, not paying attention to the speeches.
Seeing the ritual with the butterflies takes him back to his former life. It reminds him of the name-giving ceremony his quah holds when a child turns six. Seven birds, each representing one of the shoanti quahs, are brought forth to the tribe shaman and the children. Each child says his name aloud, and the shaman whisper it to each of the seven birds. After this the birds are released so they can fly out to the quah they are representing and tell them of the named child.
At lunch he returns to the inn to get something to eat. He is amazed by the amount of the food, not to speak of the standard. Ameikos salmon, spiced with something he has never tasted before, is wonderfull compared to the roasted deer he is used to. After lunch he heads out to the town square to continue his quiet observation.
As he is scanning the crowd he notice a curious old pale dwarf with a huge wide brimmed hat sitting at a table seeming to play with some kind of cards. He recognizes him as another visitor from the Rusty Dragon Inn.
Having never seen such a strange creature he lets his eyes linger on the dwarf for a while.
Redeye sees the stupid Shoanti human staring at him and makes an offensive gesture.
Not thinking it possible that such a weak looking creature would challenge him Ashbek looks over his shoulder, looking for the person the dwarfs gesture was aimed at. Seeing no one behind him, he figures the dwarf really was aiming it at him.
He calmly walks toward the table where the dwarf is sitting. Placing both hand roughly on the dwarfs table he leans over and the dwarf a threatening glare, flexing his arm muscles in an attempt to intimidate the dwarf.
Just one strike and you're dead dwarf he thinks to himself. No. Not this time! I've grown both in muscles and in wisdom.. Besides this one is not even worthy of my wrath.
Suddenly he visibly relax, and looks at the dwarfs cards. ”what are you playing?” he ask him in a gruff voice with a heavy accent.
James Evans wandering around the area, looking for potential pockets to pick; preferably where no one is likely to see him doing so due to diverted attention and the like.
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Sapere watches the proceedings from the back of the crowd, trying to not get too close to any of the people. Filthy masses indeed, and likely more then a few pickpockets among them after his coin.
The man's face is youthful, as is his step, but the grey hair that even holds shades of white speaks of an older man. He wears it short overall, though there is a ponytail that runs long down the back which he keeps curled over his shoulder and looped around his neck as if it were jewelery.
When the speech giver mentions the playhouse, particularly the 'famous magnimarian actress' Sapere snorts derisively. Such a thing would amount to little more then a trip to the zoo, these small town folk had little more culture then animals after all. If only the people here could see a proper Chelish opera. Some of the playhouses in Westcrown rival those of Taldor, and at least to Sapere's mind, beat them.
Still trying to avoid anyone coming too close, he tilts his head a bit with a slight smile at the raised voices coming from nearby. Perhaps this will be a more interesting event after all if there is a bit of bloodsport involved. Seemed unlikely to last too long however, one would expect a dwarf to know better then to rile one of the savages.
Over the course of the day, Aylmora has been dancing and singing throughout the festival area, trying to earn a few extra coins.
Just before the consecration begins, Aylmora notices the interplay between the dwarf fortune-teller and the Shoanti, and prepares to move closer if things get more heated.
Not thinking it possible that such a weak looking creature would challenge him Ashbek looks over his shoulder, looking for the person the dwarfs gesture was aimed at. Seeing no one behind him, he figures the dwarf really was aiming it at him.
He calmly walks toward the table where the dwarf is sitting. Placing both hand roughly on the dwarfs table he leans over and the dwarf a threatening glare, flexing his arm muscles in an attempt to intimidate the dwarf.
Just one strike and you're dead dwarf he thinks to himself. No. Not this time! I've grown both in muscles and in wisdom.. Besides this one is not even worthy of my wrath.
Suddenly he visibly relax, and looks at the dwarfs cards. ”what are you playing?” he ask him in a gruff voice with a heavy accent.
The dwarf seems a bit nervous as he looks the human over. Finally he adopts a painful-looking smile. "I'm not 'playing' anything, my good man. I am consulting the cards, searching the stars for the future. Perhaps you would like a reading?"
The dwarf seems a bit nervous as he looks the human over. Finally he adopts a painful-looking smile. "I'm not 'playing' anything, my good man. I am consulting the cards, searching the stars for the future. Perhaps you would like a reading?"
He looks up and down the dwarf and more state than ask
"So you are the shaman of this city?"'These city people are strange. Why would they allow such a weakling to be their shaman?'
The dwarf seems a bit nervous as he looks the human over. Finally he adopts a painful-looking smile. "I'm not 'playing' anything, my good man. I am consulting the cards, searching the stars for the future. Perhaps you would like a reading?"He looks up and down the dwarf and more state than ask
"So you are the shaman of this city?"'These city people are strange. Why would they allow such a weakling to be their shaman?'
He keeps up the false-looking smile. "No, my lord. I just do my part to reveal the destinies of my fellow citizens."
"No, my lord. I just do my part to reveal the destinies of my fellow citizens."
The olive-skinned, dark haired Varisian woman who has been dancing and singing throughout the festival approaches the dwarf and the Shoanti barbarian. Her flashy blouse, skirt, and scarves do little to hide the light blue tattoos that swirl across her body, nor the rapier strapped to her waist. The two men realize that they have seen the young woman periodically at the Rusty Dragon over the past few days.
She smiles warmly in friendly greeting to both men, and then addresses the dwarf. "Would you do me the honor of revealing my destiny, wise seer?"
Standing among the murmuring crowd (with ample space around him, since people are weary of this half-orc fighter), Cuu impatiently drums his fingers on the scales of his black armor as he waits for the guy on the podium to get on with whatever he's doing. He wishes the speech won't be too long and they would bring out more food after it's over; the half-orc had quite enjoy the venison, favoring the crunchiness of the meat dish over the soft fish. The woman handing out that fish, though...
Cuu looks over at the small commotion. A odd-looking creature (is that a dwarf?) is being hassled by what looks like to be some kind of barbarian. Despite what looks like a confrontation in the making, a dancing girl who he sees often has fallen to charm of the dwarf creature and is asking for a demonstration of his "service". Oh well, might as well join in and do something before dinner...
"I believe in making my own destinies, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt." Says Cuu as he walk up to the trio, in a smooth, silky voice that has often surprise those who do not know him well. "Dwarf creature, what do you see in our destiny for all three of us here?"
A sharp retort, like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as the sun’s setting rays paint the western sky.
A stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, and the buzz of two dozen conversations quickly hushes as all heads turn toward the central podium, where a beaming Father Zantus has taken the stage.
He clears his throat, takes a breath to speak, and suddenly a woman’s scream slices through the air. A few moments later, another scream rises, then another. Beyond them, a sudden surge of strange new voices rises—high-pitched, tittering shrieks that sound not quite human.
The crowd parts and something low to the ground races by, giggling with disturbing glee as the stray dog gives a pained yelp and then collapses with a gurgle, its throat cut open from ear to ear. As blood pools around its head, the raucous sound of a strange song begins, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices.
You all notice that the shape that raced by and killed the dog now hides at the edge of the square — a single goblin, licking the blood from its dogslicer as it looks excitedly at the crowd, seeking out a new target.
It is quickly joined by a partner and on the opposite side of the square, two more goblins appear.
'Lord? Now there is a thing i have never been called' he thinks to himself and almost starts chuckling. Almost.
As the varisian woman comes over he discretely puff out his chest and stands straight, giving her a scan from head to toe.
He nods as a response to the womans smile, watching with silent interest as the woman and the half-orc inquire about a reading.
When the screams break the night he lifts his head and look around like a dog who has caught the scent of something. He quickly understand the source of those screams, as he sees a goblin hiding at the edge of the square.
He gets a serious look on his face, and looks to the half-orc and say ”You are warrior? Come.”
Before he finishes he grab his glaive and starts to move. He crosses half the town square in a couple of impressively long and fast strides, running towards the goblins to the north.
Cuu is slightly impressed by the barbarian's display of athleticism. "Whoever has more goblin heads buy the other dinner!" He yells as he rushes down south, drawing both of his blades.
Redeye looks eexcited at the prospect of so many customers. When the goblins attack, however, he shouts in anger.
"Goblins! Sons of a *****!"
He hurries over and shouts arcane words, making strange gestures. A ghostly Harrow card appears in his hand, in the suit of Strength. It flies at one of the goblins, but vanishes right before it hits him. However, a bruise appears on the goblin's cheek.
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Sapere curses under his breath as the goblins seem to materialize out of the panicking crowd. "Bloody hell! As if there weren't enough foul smelling savages about. Can't you damn backwoods folk even have a party without devolving into your natural state before my eyes?"
As he curses he considers his options. Seems the Shoanti and the dwarf were clearing the path to the north and the half-orc and halfling were running towards the south. The half-orc seems the obvious shield to get behind, his kind were almost as simple as their larger kin after all and tough as trail jerky. Perfect to deal with the dog eating vermin, and their slow wits make them much more predictable then the raging tempers of the plateau folk.
Sapere moves down as quickly as he can to H7 so he can target the goblin to the south that neither the fighter nor the rogue went for(M3). He points at the goblin and calls out in his most demanding voice. "Put down your weapons and surrender or be slain."
"Goblins? Attacking the town? How is this possible?" Aylmora thinks to herself as the festival devolves into chaos.
Seeing the Shoanti charge toward the goblins to the north and half-orc charge toward the goblins to the south, Aylmora tries to reach a central location . In a loud, clear voice she begins to sing a rousing song about the ferocity and battle prowess of the Shoanti people.
Round 1:
1. Cuu rushes towards the goblins at the south of the square. As he runs, he draws two swords.
2. Ashbek strides to the goblins at the north of the square. With his glaive readied, he swings at the goblin that is simultaneously advancing on him. With a sickening thud, the goblin is impaled and lifted physically off the ground before sliding off the blade with a slurping noise.
3. As the closest to the goblins, Jimmy Evans steps into contact with the nearest warrior. He draws a shortsword and strikes the goblin a heavy blow to it's left arm. The goblin staggers but remains upright.
4. Aylmora moves towards the center of the square. The song she starts to sing instills a feeling of bravery and well-being in the rest of the party.
5. The goblin that remains alive next to Ashbek, swings widly at him but misses.
6. The goblin attacked by Jimmy also swings and misses.
7. The remaining goblin swings a dogslicer viciously at Cuu. It appears to miss, but on the down-swing, it wounds his leg with a shallow cut.
8. No sooner has the goblin attacked Cuu when in response to Sapere, he inexplicably drops his weapon.
9. Old Redeye casts a spell and a Harrow card flies at the last remaining goblin at the north of the square. Despite the fact the card does not appear to hit him, his head visibly snaps back and a bruise appears on his cheek.
Primary atk = 1d20 + 3 + 1(BARD) = 18, Offhand atk = 1d20 + 3 + 1(BARD) = 13
If hit:
Primary dmg = 1d8 + 4 + 1(BARD)= 10, Offhand dmg = 1d20 + 3 + 1(BARD) = 9
Cuu's leg wound does not deter him, but instead motivates him to join the fray. One of the goblins is distracted by a halfling, so Cuu kisses his throat with the serrated teeth of his right blade. The other goblin, after wounding Cuu, randomly drops his weapon. "He must crave reincarnation." Thought the half-orc. With his left hand, the fighter aims his other blade at the dumbfounded creature's belly.
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Assuming that no one is much worse for the wear when his turn comes up, Sapere will draw his morningstar and move up to take the fighter's place(J5). He smirks a bit and quips to the half-orc in regards to the dropped weapon. "They are weak minded fools. Speak to them in a stern voice and they loose the will to stand and fight."
As the half orc thrusts at one goblin, the halfling dives past the second, rolls nimbly and rises to his feet, thrusting at the vitals of his goblin foe.
Acrobatics: 1d20+10=23
Attack: 1d20+1=17
Damage: 1d4=3, 1d6=3 (6 total)
When he hear the dancer from the inn sing about his people and their prowess Ashbek is filled with the strength of his tribes totem. As the second goblins manages to slip by his defences, Ashbek drop his glaive, and in a single smooth movement pull out his trident from his back, and with both hands bring it to bear on the goblin, allmost impaling the ugly thing.
Aylmora continues to sing of the brave and noble Shoanti people as she scans the battle ground.
"Only four goblins?" She wonders. "Surely only four goblins would not be brave enough (or crazed enough) to attack an entire town. There must be more around to cause this kind of chaos." As Aylmora looks for more attackers and continues singing, she draws a small jar from her pocketed scarf. "If any more of these little buggers appear, we'll see how they like a whiff of Aunt Niska's 'special perfume.'"
Round 2:
1. Cuu slashes the throat of one goblin in front of him. With his left hand, the fighter sticks his other blade into the stomach of the weaponless goblin. Both sink to the floor, apparently dead.
2. Ashbek drop his glaive, and in a single smooth movement pulls out his trident from his back, and with both hands bring it to bear on the goblin. The weapon cuts into the goblin and it gurgles briefly before falling dead.
3. Jimmy Evans performs some startling acrobatics, but by the time he's back on his feet, both goblins are dead.
4. Aylmora draws a small jar from her pocketed scarf and applies the contents to herself.
5. Sapere draws his morningstar and moves up alongside the fighter, quipping as he does.
6. Old Redeye looks on - sagely.
From your position towards the north of the town, you are all now aware of the chaos that has engulfed Sandpoint.
You can hear Goblins in the distance, running amok and singing their scratchy song. Father Zantus is rooted to the podium. The only saving grace is that, apart from the dog, there are no casualties in the square.
Redeye looks sourly at the goblins. "Already dead, then. Damn it. There have to be more of these, though. Plenty more, to cause all this. No mistake, we aren't finished yet."
Ashbek slides the dead goblin off his trident and strap it across his back again. He pick up his glaive and scan the crowd, looking for more goblins to kill.
James Evans grumbles as he rises to his feet to see the goblin fallen. "Well ****. Ah, the hells with it; there's probably more of them need killing..."
"Hey Barbarian!" Cuu yells across the square, "I got 2!" Seeing the 2 dead goblins lying at Ashbek's feet, Cuu bellows, "We're tied! We need more goblins!"
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Sapere nods his head, nearly clapping Cuu on the back and then seeming to think better of it. "Well done, my savage friend." He glances up towards the halfling. "And you as well. It seems there may be some skill in this town after all."
He turns towards the others who stood up to the goblins in the stairs rather then fleeing like much of the populace, calling out in a voice that is more imperialistic then that of a general. "Form up, fellows. There are certain to be far more of them, the beasts breed like rabbits. Goblins may be stupid, but they can be cunning and will ambush those who move alone. If we move together, it can be we who hunt them."
"Hey Barbarian!" Cuu yells across the square, "I got 2!" Seeing the 2 dead goblins lying at Ashbek's feet, Cuu bellows, "We're tied! We need more goblins!"
Ashbek looks to the half-orc and give him an acknowledging nod.
Hearing the old looking man yelling warnings about cunning goblins he chuckles and think to himself.
'They are only goblins'
and storm off towards the sound of goblins, determined not to pay for his dinner tonight.
James Evans looks to the Half Orc. "If you're going to chase after Goblins, would you mind giving us a lift so's I'm not late to the party?" he asks with a faint smile. "With this many goblins, I'll be damned if I'm not taking at least one of the ******s out..."
Cuu turns toward the leric and gives him a positive appraisal, "Strategy over strength...I always respect a thinking man."
"But we better hurry," says Cuu to both the man and the halfling, pointing to the rapidly-disappearing barbarian, "Ain't no way I am gonna lose my wager!" He pulls the little man to his shoulder and sets off.
The fighter moves at full speed to rendezvous with the barbarian, assuming that cleric will follow. He also gesture to the dancing girl and dwarf-creature, both of whom contributed to the fight, to gather as well.
Aylmora stops singing as the last of the goblins falls. She quickly scans the square to make sure no one is hurt, and glances toward Father Zantus on the podium to make sure he is alright.
She strains to determine the direction of the other raiding goblins, trying to catch snippets of their scratchy song. Memories of the stories that her parents used to tell her as a young girl come floating back to her; about how goblins hated dogs, loved to steal children to eat, and would burn down anything. "They must be stopped before any children are harmed!" she thinks to herself.
Aylmora sees the barbarian, the half-orc, a halfling, and a human hurry toward the sound of the raiding goblins. The half-orc gestures to her and the pale dwarf to join them. She looks down at her flashy and rather revealing outfit with a sigh of resignation. "I'm not really dressed for a goblin hunt, but I guess a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. Oh, well. At least Aunt Niska's 'special perfume' should give me an edge." She glances toward the dwarf, and then hurries to catch up with the others.
"I hope Aunt Niska is alright!" Aylmora suddenly thinks to herself. "She is all alone in that big house!"
Sapere nods his head, nearly clapping Cuu on the back and then seeming to think better of it. "Well done, my savage friend." He glances up towards the halfling. "And you as well. It seems there may be some skill in this town after all."
He turns towards the others who stood up to the goblins in the stairs rather then fleeing like much of the populace, calling out in a voice that is more imperialistic then that of a general. "Form up, fellows. There are certain to be far more of them, the beasts breed like rabbits. Goblins may be stupid, but they can be cunning and will ambush those who move alone. If we move together, it can be we who hunt them."
The dwarf seems annoyed at the holy man giving him orders, but nods grudgingly. "You aren't wrong, human. Goblins are wretched creatures, they got no common sense, but they have some wits about them. We'd best be careful. Them dogslicers hurt."
He snorts at the human woman. "You look more like you're dressed for The Pixie's Kitten than fighting, I agree. Try to remember your outergarments next time, eh?"He runs to his table and picks up the Harrow deck, placing it in his pocket. Then he follows the others, standing behind the orc.
As you decide on your next move, you are acutely aware of the chaos that has engulfed Sandpoint.
The sounds tell you that Goblins race everywhere, running amok and singing and slashing indiscriminately.
Two of the party speak Goblin, and the song they can hear goes something like:
"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 and 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 be goblins! You be food!"
Suddenly, your attention is grabbed by the sound of fire from the west of the square. Looking across, you are aware that the cart of straw and kindling for the later bonfire is now ablaze.
Surrounding the cart and now shreiking and advancing on the party are four goblins and what appears to be a Goblin warchanter.
Your move...
Running the other way AShbek stops suddenly as he hears the goblin pyros. Cursing himself for his lack of patience he change direction. Running towards the goblins, he draw a javeling and throws it across the square.
1d20+3=18, 1d6+4=8
Cuu sprints toward the goblin mob, intending on claiming more kills. He hope the cleric is not far behind...