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I decided to make a harvest festival at about the halfway point in part 2 of Scion Songbird Saboteur for a few reasons:
1) The party absolutely loved the Tanager Jubilee and I wanted to give them something similar.
2) It feels thematically appropriate for there to be a harvest festival right after the harvest and tax collecting portion, as it is what feudal and medieval systems did to appease the peasantry after the taxman came around to levy the harvests.
3) It gives an opportunity to sprinkle in the nobility again, as while there were plenty of opportunities during the Tanager Jubilee, my party at least has tended to visit one noble until they got their attitude to friendly, and then ignore them afterward. This means in our specific case, my party made fast friends with Baron Okerra and haven't seen him again, and meanwhile, they haven't even spoken to Bartleby Lotheed and only spoke with Baroness Voinum once.
4) It creates an opportunity for further foreshadowing by introducing nobles and gossip from future content.
For simplicity, I’m bracketing these within spoiler tags.
The week of the harvest, if the PC's help with the harvest, their persona phase that week is forgone, story wise as their agents are forced to help with the harvest also, and mechanics wise so I can sprinkle in personal-development opportunities into the harvest festival without excessively unbalancing the festival rewards. Also, I changed helping with the harvest from taking three days with the tax levy at the end, to the levy taking up the most of the fourth day and the fifth day being spent helping ready for the harvest festival.
The festival covers two days (the remaining two days of the week) and the people of Stachys, Pensaris, Voinaris, and New Towne walk/caravan to Lotheedar during the first day, swelling the countryside with a carnival market and atmosphere. The first afternoon there are opportunities to play carnival games, mingle with a few nobles, watch performances, register for the open competitions, and go shopping. That evening there's the main event including the harvest pageant and the bonfire. The nobles get to spend the night in the guest cottages (just like during the tanager jubilee) while the peasants traveling from outside of Lotheedar will stay in a mix between inns, boarding houses, and staying under the stars or in their caravans with bedrolls they brought with them. The following day is more games and the competitions themselves, with the harvest festival wrapping up that evening for the peasants while the nobility have a dinner party together and a final evening in the guest cottages before breakfast delivered to their rooms in the morning, leaving the nobles to get themselves home (sending them home at the beginning of the week, just as with the Tanager Jubilee).
While it is assumed the party will take a carriage to Lotheedar, the roads are so choked with travelers that while it's safe and free from encounters, the PC's don't arrive in Lotheedar until the late afternoon despite any best efforts to the contrary. This gives them all four hours to enjoy the festivities before the Harvest Pageant, and while they may choose to stay together, they will likely want to split up to cover more ground. Each major activity takes 1 hour, while each minor activity takes 10 minutes (consisting of waiting in line for their turn as well as attempting the activity). In addition to registering for the competitions, playing games, and shopping the markets (details for all of these below), they can also watch performers juggle and jape, attend (or get married at) a Shelyn Wedding at Lauchlein's Lakeside stone circle, watch plays being performed at various half-stages around the festival such as "Three Pennies for Wishing" or "Deonica", or see a puppet show of "The Half-orc of Aroden's View."
They may run into Baroness Voinum watching a performance of "Taldaris and the Grogrissant" filling in the party a little about Taldaris, or they may be ambushed by Dame Crabbe in the market while she escorts Sepsina around the various stalls while buying one of every type of foodie treat she can find, while Lucretzia Marthane can be found perusing poetry and for sale by throughout the festival, each of these providing one influence opportunity. Finally, they can also take part in an age-old tradition of leaving offerings at Lauchlein lake in hand-carved wooden swan boats (and hearing all about the legend of the Swan Maiden and how Count Bartleby stopped leaving offerings) which they can carve themselves over the course of an hour or buy for 10gp (does not include offering). While leaving the offering, they'll run into Baron Okerra staring wistfully over the lake and gain 3 automatic successes if they leave an offering, and they'll also get a DC20 perception check to notice the polluted mess at the northern hook of the lake left behind by the Ocher Jelly while also realizing its out of place.
Throughout the afternoon, Shelyn is represented as one of the pillars of Taldan Faith in the many art performances and the lakeside wedding.
The harvest pageant is put on by the townsfolk and some of the Druids of the Wildwood Lodge, with Marquess Tanasha Starborne in attendance with the druids while Grand Duke Panivar Lotheed overseas the pageant with the Duchess Valeto Lotheed at his arm. Beer kegs are opened, and hard apple cider is poured, and drink is passed around for free to all in attendance while various drinking songs are sung and competitions made. The peasantry participates in barley pulls and apple bobs and build various small firepits near the giant central bonfire. The druids coax various fey creatures and animals from the nearby wood (many of whom they brought from the Verduran Forest) to whom the villagers give offerings of goodberry's to eat (which the druids sell for 5gp each), after which some Atomies put on a duel performance for the children while the fey "bless" the harvest and the land, before burning a wooden effigy of a witch at the stake kicking off the bonfire and dance (accompanied by satyr pipers, making it difficult to resist dancing). Finally, a fireworks display is part of the bonfire celebration, consisting of a combination of prestidigitation and pyrotechnics spells. During this time, the PC's get 3 Influence rounds with any of the NPC's, though they get a -2 penalty socializing with Baroness Voinum or any of the Lotheeds if they're caught dancing, while they get a +2 bonus socializing with the Marquess, Baron Okkera, Onora Piscum, or Dame Crabbe if they choose to dance.
Throughout the Pageant, Cayden Cailen is represented heavily in the non-druidic festivities and the free beer passed around the bonfires along with the jubilant singing of the peasantry.
The bulk of the day consists of competing in the competitions or watching the competitions, as detailed below. With non-participants permitted to either watch the competitions (and get a social round with an available NPC), leave an offering at Lauchlein Lake (or investigate it without the crowds), scout out the Palace of Songbird, or participate in any of the carnival games, though most of the performances have been packed up by now. The spirit of justice, honor, and competition are representative of Aroden and Taldor's history.
While Abbadar is represented in this portion of the festivities, it was mostly covered in the earlier tax levy. Instead, the church of Abbadar puts on lengthy presentations on the blessings of Abaddar and civilization, the virtues of hard work and the blessings of building up society. These are put on in the streets while the festival is packed up and coin earned are tallied and then a formal church service is given at the Grand Bank in Lotheedar. Instead of attending these, the nobles go to a dinner party at the Palace of Birdsong while the final total profit from the levies and the festival are tallied. This also gives the PC's an opportunity to meet the accountant and moneychanger, Zenobius Caal, whom can extend a loan of up to 5000gp to Stachys in exchange for 25% interest every month until the principal is paid off entirely. This party is a mascarade with food paraded before the attendees and card games of "coppers from heaven" during the meal (like at the end of the Tanager Jubilee). Instead of social rounds, the Grand Duke Panivar Lotheed IV organizes a light and lively debate amongst the nobility, with each participant given an assigned position to defend in a verbal duel (offering the chance to teach players how verbal duels work). The debate is detailed below in the competition section. Following dinner and the debate, the Grand Duke retires to bed, leaving the Duchess Veleto Lotheed to behind to join the rest of the nobility in dancing (or playing cards) with a single social round before the Count returns Veleto Lotheed to Panivar's room and announces the Dance of the Phalanx as the finale to the evening. The following morning, breakfast is delivered to the noble's rooms so they may get themselves ready and leave on their own.
The market has a base value of 1,700gp, purchase limit of 8,000gp, spellcasting 5th, 3d6 minor magic items, and 2d4 medium magic items. Due to the visit of Wildwood Lodge and Wispil merchants, a wide variety of Darkwood, Darkleaf Cloth, and Greenwood items are for sale (including armor, shields, and weapons) are easily available along with 5 sets of rosewood and leaf armor. They also have a +1 living steel heavy shield, a +1 living steel chain shirt, and a +1 living steel chainmail set. Finally, they're also selling (divine) scrolls of: (1st level) detect magic, purify food and drink, alter winds, ant haul, calm animals, detect animals or plants, dream feast, endure elements, entangle, faerie fire, feather step, goodberry, longstrider, magic fang, obscuring mist, (2nd level) barkskin, campfire wall, fog cloud, resist energy, wood shape, (3rd level) burrow, cloak of winds, hide campsite, plant growth, remove disease, and stone shape.
Several other merchants have capitalized on the druidic and fey presence, selling cold iron weapons to the populace, with normal cold iron weapons and ammunition being readily available, and 2 daggers, 3 shortswords, 5 longswords, 1 scythe, and 3 random other weapons (GM's choice) of masterwork quality made from cold iron.
The Church of Abadar capitalizes on the market by selling a nearly limitless amount of holy water and cure light wounds potions and any scroll with the healing subtype of 5th level or lower along with (divine) scrolls of aligning weapon (lawful), detect chaos, magic circle against chaos, order's wrath, and dispel chaos.
If New Towne has been returned to Jambis, they are selling spider-silk items for half-price, including rope, hammocks, and nets. They also have 2 spider silk bodysuits for sale.
There are various poets, art sales, food stands of various carnival kinds, souvenirs, handmade jewelry, and other kinds of carnival-style vendors, filling the entire market with the smells of roasted nuts, fried fish, and candied apples.
Festival Games - Each game costs 1gp per attempt, max one prize per person, CR1 for grand prize:
Contests - Must register during the first day, each attempt is 1gp (except the joust, which is nobles only and 25gp). In all contests, magic of any kind is prohibited and will result in disqualification. The champions also gain a cumulative +1 on influence checks for the rest of the festival for each victory. If a player wins at least one contest, they also gain one point of heroism for their persona. The contests themselves take place during day 2 in the following order:
Registration is done by shooting a target with a bow or crossbow bolt (can use own equipment, borrowed equipment is a normal shortbow). The target is 50 feet away and has an AC of 15. If they hit the target successfully, they get a token to the archery contest.
The contest itself consists of three rounds: a running target, a speed round, and a kings round. The participants are expected to bring their own equipment. In the first round, they get three shots shooting at a target being pulled by a rope by a halfling, and they must hit the moving target at least twice. The target has an AC of 15, 17, and 19 for each shot respectively (as it picks up speed and distance). If a contestant rolls a natural 1, they accidentally shoot the hafling and are disqualified. On the second round, an armored soldier rides at the contestant who needs to shoot the wooden shield (and not the knight) at least three times within three rounds taking as many shots as they can in the time limit. The shield only has an AC of 15, but to get the arrow or bolt to stick in the shield it must deal at least 5 damage. If a contestant rolls a natural 1, they accidentally shoot the soldier and are disqualified.
During the kings round, all remaining contestants shoot at targets, getting one shot to hit the target as it is moved to further ranges until only one archer remains. The targets have an AC of 20 and start at 50 feet and are moved back 50 feet each round. The best NPC (surprisingly) is Selli, Baron Okerra’s 10yo daughter who hits the target at every range until it’s brought to 200ft. and wins unless beaten by a PC. The prize is a set of 20 masterwork durable silver arrows (or 10 bolts if won via crossbow) with a cold iron tip decorated as a fanged lion’s with swan-feather stylized fletching’s. These arrows count as both silver and cold iron for the purpose of overcoming DR and the set is worth 1,000gp.
During the archery contest, Baron Okerra, Selli Okerra, Onora Piscum, Lucretzia Marthane, and Tanasha Starborne are all busy competing.
Registration consists of successfully coaxing a falcon to attack a wooden mouse, requiring a DC15 handle animal check.
Contestants can use their own falcons (or other avian familiars/animal companions of small size or smaller) or they can borrow one for the competition. In the first round, archers fire “doves” into the air, which are really bird-shaped weights on the end of a crossbow bolt. The contestants then need to have their falcons grab the doves out of the air. This requires a DC15 handle animal check to get the falcon in the air followed by an AC15 attack roll by the falcon. For every 5 points the contestant beats the handle animal DC, the falcon gets a +2 on their attack roll. Finally, to grab the dove instead of just hitting it, the falcon must deal at least one point of damage. After five doves, those whose falcons caught at least 3 move on to the finals.
During the finals, the contestants all race to have their falcons grab the single dove fired into the air, adding competing initiative checks to the existing handle animal and attack rolls. There are five rounds, with each round firing a single dove worth one point (most points wins), and a tie being settled with a first-to-a-point-wins sudden death round. The best NPC present is, Count Bartelby using his owl, who rolls an initiative of 18 each round and catches the dove every round his owl gets there first (except round three and the second sudden death round, if it happens, when his owl fails to grab it). The prize is a silver owl trophy, worth 500gp.
During the falconry contest, Baroness Voinum, Titus Lotheed-Casava, and Count Bartelby are all competing.
Registration consists of using a longsword (cannot use your own) to “cut the head off an opponent in one swing” which is really knocking a bucket off the head of a dummy. This is only an AC15, but also requires the contestant dealing at least 5 points of damage.
Contestants must use the longsword provided and cannot use armor of any kind, fighting in plain cloth only. They can use the provided heavy wooden shield, but it is not required. In order to make the contest more exciting and protect the contestants from accidental serious injury, the longswords are blunted, dealing no bonus damage on a critical hit, being unable to deal precision damage of any kind, and dealing 2 damage less on a hit (minimum 0 with 0 nonlethal). The contestants are randomly drawn into competing brackets (total of 8 competitors if 4 or less PC’s, and 16 competitors is more than 4 PC’s are competing). If playing with 16 competitors, each PC faces off against an unnamed NPC in the first round and then the brackets resume as normal. During each bracket, each competitor rolls opposing initiative checks and then alternate attacking and defending. Contestants are advised to fight defensively to boost their AC. During the Homlgang, if a contestant is fighting defensively, they can also choose to attempt to parry as an immediate action. This decision must be made before the attacker rolls their attack roll. If they attempt to parry, they take a -2 penalty to their AC but they can attempt to block an incoming attack by making an attack roll. If they roll higher than their attacker, the attack is blocked. The first contestant to deal damage to their opponent wins and moves up the bracket.
Both Baron Okerra and Titus Lotheed-Casava are participating in the holmgang, with the rest of the unnamed NPC’s using a shield and fighting defensively each round with an initiative bonus of +2, an AC of 16, and an attack bonus of +3. To determine the brackets, have each PC contending roll 1d6 and rerolling until no one has the same number. These are their numbers in the bracket, with Okerra being number 7 and Titus being number 8. In the first round, 1v5, 2v6, 3v7, and 4v8. The winner of 1v5 faces the winner of 4v8, and the same goes for the remaining two. The final two face off in the championship. If a PC doesn’t make it to the finals, Titus defeats Baron Okerra in a surprising upset. The winner receives a ring of protection +1 decorated with owl images in silver filigree.
Registration consists of making a DC15 P: Fisherman check which can be attempted untrained to successfully “hook” a wooden “fish” from a “pond”.
Contestants get to make a total of 5 DC15 P: Fisherman checks which can be attempted untrained. If they beat the DC, they hook a fish that is as long in inches as the total number rolled on the check. After hooking a fish, they can choose to keep the fish (and forgoing future rolls) or throw the fish back. For every fish they throw back, they gain a +2 on subsequent rolls during the contest. Unless beaten, the winner is Baron Okerra with a 23-inch trout. The trophy is a lesser replenishing aquarium ball decorated with a gold leaf stand and containing a rare rainbow trout that changes color with its mood.
During the fishing contest, Baron Okerra, Baroness Voinum, and Onora Piscum are all competing.
Registration consists of throwing a 50-pound sack of flour over and behind the head of the contestant and over a bar 10 feet away. This requires a DC15 strength check followed by an AC15 ranged attack with an improvised weapon.
The contest itself is done in competition clothing only, no magical items, armor, or weapons may be worn or carried, though they would mostly just get in the way in this case. The contest is a series of skill checks as the contestants run an obstacle course, with the first to cross the finish line winning. When a contestant meets the DC they move forward, while if they miss the DC they get one point, with one additional point for every 5 by which they miss the DC. The course takes 30 minutes to run, with 1 minute being added for every point each contestant gets. Unless beaten, Lucretzia Marthane’s competitive spirit betrays her and she wins by crossing the finish line in 37 minutes 20 seconds. Any competitor with a natural land movement speed other than 30 gains a 5-point bonus/penalty for every ten feet faster/slower than 30.
The contest begins with a sprint through the sand (DC15 acrobatics) followed by a swim across Lake Stavian (3 DC15 swim). There they must drag a length of iron weights 1 mile (DC20 strength check and DC18 fortitude save) to the main competition area. Once there, they must toss the iron weights into a bucket by throwing them over the top of a barrier (AC15 ranged attack roll with improvised weapons, re-attempting until they succeed). They must then climb the barrier (DC20 climb) and carry the bucket of weights to the next station (DC20 strength check) where the must clamber through a series of tight crawlspaces and tubes (a DC15 and DC20 acrobatics check) before a sprint to the finish line (DC25 initiative check). The champion wins a pair of gloves of climbing and swimming. These gloves work just like the normal pair but only provide a +2 bonus to climbing and swimming instead of the normal +5 and is worth 625gp.
The winner receives a jewel-encrusted chalice During the strength and skill contest, Lucretzia Marthane, Titus Lotheed-Casava, Selli Okerra, Marquess Tanasha Starborne (doing surprisingly well at 40 minutes 42 seconds), and Onora Piscum all participate.
Registration consists of standing on top of a wooden barrel next to a mud pit, drinking a shot of Kellid vodka, and spinning in a circle ten times without falling into the mud pit, requiring a DC12 fortitude save followed by a DC15 acrobatics check.
During the Kellid Wrestle, contestants compete in brackets (like in the Holmgang) attempting to knock their opponents down while standing in the mud pit. Each competitor must drink a shot of kellid vodka and make a DC 12 fortitude save, tripping if they fail, and then make a trip or bull rush combat maneuver against their opponent. If they beat their opponents CMD, their opponent then makes an acrobatic check with a DC equal to the combat maneuver attempting to knock them over or they fall. If they don’t fall, or both contestants fall, they drink another shot and repeat. With every shot, the fortitude saves increase by 2 and they take a cumulative -2 on acrobatics checks. After the match, they have a break to wash and sober up, removing the penalties before the next match.
The NPC’s in the bracket are Onora Piscum and Lucretzia Marthane, with Onora Piscum winning if she makes it to the finals against another NPC. The unnamed NPC’s have a fort bonus of +4, acrobatics of +3, and a CMD of 16. The champion receives a brass victory cup decorated in the kellid style with the kelish inscriptions “To the victor goes the spoils” written along the bottom. This cup is enchanted with the powers of both the Neverspill Goblet and the Goblet of Quenching (on command, without spilling the stored liquid), weighs 1lb and is worth 1,360gp.
Registration is a 25gp entry fee and is restricted to those of noble birth. It is conducted exactly as the joust at the tanager jubilee, and even has a side Trucco game with Dame Crabbe for the noble’s watching and not participating. The trucco game has a prize put up by Dame Crabbe: An old trucco belt to anyone that beats her. The Trucco belt counts as a belt of incredible dexterity +2 that also provides a +2-competence bonus to Trucco games. The Jousting second place trophy is a brass leaf (coated with gold leaf as a pun) worth 100gp, while the first place and tournament champion receives a +1 agile breastplate of jousting in Taldan green and blue with a lion embossed on the front and shoulders in gold leaf with space for military ranking (in case its won by a military commander). Like before, Baron Okerra wins unless defeated, with Titus taking second place. The same nobles are unavailable as during the tanager jubilee.
The dinner debate is meant to be light and lively, so the Grand Duke assigned what he thought would be an easy topic: defend the merits of your town while showing why your town is superior. In the event of PC’s being assigned against each other, they’re specifically defending their own actions within the community. Brackets are assigned like in the Holmgang, except every noble (except Count Bartelby, Duke Panivar, and Duchess Veleto) participates using the rules for verbal duels as found within Ultimate Intrigue. The audience is the other nobles in the room, which have a strong bias towards baiting, a bias for flattery, bias against presence, and a strong bias against red herring. Anyone defeated in a verbal duel by a PC is impressed with their tenacity, granting one influence success. If their stats are not included within the text, assume they have a determination of 8 and a +4 on each tactic used. The winner of the debate wins a scroll of raise dead and the option to face him in a debate. This debate is about the value of taxes, with Count Bartelby arguing taxes should be raised. If they defeat Bartelby, he replaces the scroll of raise dead with a scroll of resurrection, and the winner has the option to face the Grand Duke (se book 6 for stats). Facing him, they must argue about the virtues of life and death, with the duke arguing in favor of life and the PC’s arguing in favor of nihilism. If they (somehow) manage to beat him, he replaces the scroll of resurrection with a scroll of true resurrection, though this encounter is meant more to foreshadow the grand duke better and show off how impressive and dangerous an opponent he is.
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1) The party absolutely loved the Tanager Jubilee and I wanted to give them something similar.
2) It feels thematically appropriate for there to be a harvest festival right after the harvest and tax collecting portion, as it is what feudal and medieval systems did to appease the peasantry after the taxman came around to levy the harvests.
3) It gives an opportunity to sprinkle in the nobility again, as while there were plenty of opportunities during the Tanager Jubilee, my party at least has tended to visit one noble until they got their attitude to friendly, and then ignore them afterward. This means in our specific case, my party made fast friends with Baron Okerra and haven't seen him again, and meanwhile, they haven't even spoken to Bartleby Lotheed and only spoke with Baroness Voinum once.
4) It creates an opportunity for further foreshadowing by introducing nobles and gossip from future content.
This is amusingly similar to what I've done - except the PCs have been the ones to organize their "Stachys Summer Festival." They've gotten heavily invested in event planning and deciding which of their neighbors to invite - and it has all the benefits you describe.
Furthermore, I ran Birthright Betrayed as a "Session Zero" before we began Crownfall, and Earl Vernisant has been established as an enemy of the party all along. He has had them followed, placing a spy in Stachys to watch them. I've written in some attempts by this spy to sabotage events at the festival, in the spirit of the beehive attack in the Senate Gala and the crossbow assassination attempt in the Jubilee.
This is amusingly similar to what I've done - except the PCs have been the ones to organize their "Stachys Summer Festival." They've gotten heavily invested in event planning and deciding which of their neighbors to invite - and it has all the benefits you describe.
Furthermore, I ran Birthright Betrayed as a "Session Zero" before we began Crownfall, and Earl Vernisant has been established as an enemy of the party all along. He has had them followed, placing a spy in Stachys to watch them. I've written in some attempts by this spy to sabotage events at the festival, in the spirit of the beehive attack in the Senate Gala and the crossbow assassination attempt in the Jubilee.
I used Honor's Echo as our session zero, helping the party to get to know the world and lore and to seed other characters. This helped with Vernisant, but has done nothing to fill them in on Duke Panivar Lotheed, which I'm trying to sprinkle in slightly earlier than just finding his stuff around the palace in part three. In the festival, I'm also including several other NPC's both from Faces of the Senate and from Honor's Echo that have been throughout the campaign (Like Ramaio Alcasti, who in my universe, was made a baron as a result of the PC's actions in Honors Echo and he moved into Ralthorn Manor, attempting to take over the Telus Barony since Araig's disappearance and transmutation, though he's been an antagonistic force allying with the four hoods and demanding taxation and assistance from the "Betony Heirs" he knows to be imposters). I did not include notes on these NPC's (Other than Marquess Tanasha Starborne, since her presence is relatively dominant in the harvest festival), as I don't know how other GM's might be utilizing these characters currently.
These are some side activity ideas to help flesh out the festival, scattered throughout the event at various locations:
Art Gallery – Open air showcase of local talent. Best painting is worth a display trophy costing 30gp, will be worth 1200gp at the start of book 3 when the artist makes it big. Spot with appraise DC22. Can attempt to sell art here at full value (50% chance of purchase).
Climbing Wall – A fun climbing wall made from timber with DC’s of 10, 15, 20, and 25. 1sp to climb, carve name on top of wall if you make it.
Craft Fair – Open air showcase of local talent. Best craft here is a fine homespun dress died blue and decorated with swan motifs costing 30gp, counts as a noble’s outfit without the jewelry. Spot with appraise DC22. Can attempt to sell crafts here at full value (50% chance of purchase).
Cup Game – Gamble up to 10gp per game, with a perception DC15+2xgp of bet vs the con artist’s sleight of hand.
Dancing – Dance to the live music alone or with a partner. Perform dance opportunity.
Drinking Game – Drink another under the table, bet on constitution, drink when someone says something grammatically incorrect, incoherent rules explanations.
Druid Companion – An old druid (flanked by a pair of acolytes) offers to help people bond more with their animal companions. For 10gp, they cast a specialized speak with animals on the customer and one animal to allow five minutes of conversation. They also offer Awaken to be cast on one animal (no one’s stepped up for that yet) if seen during the first day or night. Finally, They sell druid scrolls of: 1st Shield Companion, Speak with Animals; 2nd Animal Purpose Training, Carry Companion, Harmless Form, Reduce Animal, Scamper; 3rd Apport Animal, Companion Mind Link, Pup Shape; 5th Raise Animal
Drunken Arguments – Verbal duel with a drunkard (own audience), win or engage in bar fight.
Escape Room – Pay 1gp to try, get ten minutes to attempt escape the cage (pass 3 2-minute long DC20 Escape Artist Checks)! Escape within the time to win an “escape box” (metal 1ft3 box, dc15 disable device to “open from inside” weight 1lb worth 2gp) containing 3d4gp.
Face Painting – Get your face painted! Decorate with swans, tanagers, owls, falcons, eagles, or dragons. 1sp for per animal. Can also paint arms or legs. Disguise skill opportunity.
Firework Show – Be mesmerized by the fireworks. Can join in with pyrotechnics or similar spells.
Galluvix Game – Can spot the Galluvix in the crowd of Hens? 1gp to play, 1d8 chance or Sense Motive DC30. Win a wooden egg as a trophy with the name and date carved in. Kids play free.
Guess the Weight – Several buckets of grain seed, a sealed keg of mead the size of a man, a jar of tiny wrapped chocolates (count), and a horse-and-cart. Bid 1, 2, 5, and 15 gp per entry. Highest appraise at end wins the item (NPC’s get 22, 24, 26, and 28 respectively).
Harrowing – Have your fortune read for 1gp. For 150gp have control over your fortune for the next week. Deal out harrow cards.
Hedge Maze – Try to navigate the maze. 1sp or 1gp to play. Make two successive DC18 survival checks to get to the maze’s center or accidentally find a way out. GP players can exchange their pay token for a potted lily “from among the thorns.”
Hide in the Haystack – Game for children, though sometimes adults play. Hide in the haystacks and try not to be spotted. Last to be found (highest stealth) wins.
Juggling and Japes – Performers juggle and jape. Perform juggle opportunity.
Live Music – Free live music performances, though tips are nice. Perform wind/string/sing/percussion opportunity.
Mage-Off – Defeat another mage in a battle of wits. Bet up to 25gp. Use mirrors and mage hand to solve your puzzle first (spellcraft and disable device DC20s, 5 successes). NPC wins in 5 turns + 1 for every 5gp under 25 (loses on tie).
Magic Aura Game – Can you spot the real one? 1gp to attempt, spot the correct magical shoe, belt, gloves, hat, and coat to win a magically attuned magnifying glass (50gp, 1lb, +2 circumstance to spellcraft to identify magical items). Requires successive DC15, 18, 20, 22, and 25 spellcraft or correct lucky guess (1/2-1/6 chance).
Petting Zoo – Come pet a wide variety of herd animals. Feed cost 1sp per handful. For 1gp can meet a galluvix, atomie, and baby treant (not even 15 years old, still medium sized).
Pottery Barn - Open air showcase of local talent. Best craft here is an excellent glass carafe which acts as half the components for making a decanter of endless water and costs 30gp. Spot with appraise DC22. Can attempt to sell crafts here at full value (50% chance of purchase).
Poetry Contest – Listen to or receipt your own poetry. Perform oratory opportunity.
Puzzle’s – Pay 1gp to try to solve a complex puzzle with a DC 15 Disable Device check. If successful, the stimulation grants the ability to roll twice and take the better result on one disable device, knowledge, or sense motive skill check in the next 24 hours. Only 1 bonus at a time. Also selling Books of Puzzles.
Rap Battle – Competitive verbal duel with a crowd (bias towards baiting and against rhetoric). 1gp to play. Beat 3 opponents to win a black champion disk trophy with the competitor's name on the label.
Silent Auction – The silent auction has is divided intro three sections, animals in pens, seeds and foods in stalls, and luxury goods indoors. The outside auctions are primarily for the common folk and are filled with various assorted goods (that players can bid on optionally), while the luxury goods are for the wealthy and nobles and will be listed specifically. Players can use appraise to try and figure out the actual value of the item, while bidding blindly into a box on a slip of paper. Should bid highest, at the end of the festival their winnings will be delivered, and money collected. Contents are titled and described, with an appraise DC for actual value, and the highest bid placed upon it by NPC’s. For the luxury goods, an attendant guards the box and keeps track of the highest bid, checking every hour, and can inform returning bidders if they do or do not have the highest bid.
• “A small portable library for referencing the empire’s wonders.” Bundle of 10 adventurer’s chronicles (one for each major knowledge), along with a footprints book, and a heritage book (Taldan), in a carrying handbag. DC18 (600gp), bid (144gp), weight 17lbs.
• “This castors glove has five empty slots, with one slot containing a pearl.” A decorative glove with one pearl of power (1st level). DC21 (1,050gp), bid (536gp), weight 1lb.
• “An old bureaucrats’ referendum on counties and cities of Taldor.” A large set of file folders acting as a Book of Letters for every county and major city in Taldor. DC21 (1,500gp), bid (405gp), weight 90lbs.
• “This spellbook is for teaching beginner illusionists.” A single spellbook containing every PFS legal 0-2nd level wizard illusion spells unencoded. DC22 (1,650gp) bid (858gp), weight 3lbs.
• “This silver compass was used in the Shinning Crusade.” A Shinning Wayfinder with a single Ioun slot with static assignment. Currently holds a cracked dusty rose prism ioun stone. DC22 (2,500gp), bid (450gp), weight 1lb.
• “This fashionable five-piece outfit is perfect for living rough or living in style.” Contains a wig (hat) of disguise, a pair of sleeves of many garments, a nobles outfit (base cloth), a 225gp amethyst neckless, and a cloak of resistance +1. DC24 (3,300gp), bid (2,013gp) weight 14lbs.
• “This lions-head helm has a golden mane and is fearsome to look upon.” Act’s as a Stag’s Helm, attuned to Aroden. DC24 (3,500gp) bid (2,800gp), weight 3lbs.
• “A book of knowledge supposedly written by the hand of an Aeon, this book is filled with complex pictures and diagrams.” Occult ritual book containing information to learn and acts as focus for the Multiversal Knowledge Occult Ritual. DC28 (5,000gp), bid (4,500gp), weight 3lbs.
• “This former-champions armor is emblazoned with lions and made from fine mithril.” This is a +1 mithril agile breastplate. DC26 (5,400gp) bid (4,968gp) weight 12.5lbs
• “This set, called ‘The Floating Champion’ is demoed with a dummy wearing swan-decorated armor, lance, and shield atop a wooden horse floating above the ground. Dummy and horse not included.” A set of horseshoes of the Zephyr, darkleaf studded leather armor, a heavy darkwood shield, and a darkwood lance. DC (7,417gp), bid (4,896gp), weight 24lbs.
Stable Showcase – Open air showcase of local animals for sale. Best in show here is a heavy horse being sold as a farm horse but with the soul and training of a warhorse (belonged to a soldier turned farmer, now passed away). Spot with handle animal DC22. Can attempt to sell animals here at full value (50% chance of purchase).
Strong Man Bell – Ring the bell to win a prize! 1gp to play, 3 attempts, DC Strength 24. Prize is an engraved “Victory” bell, counts as masterwork bell instrument.
Tattoo Station – Get tattoos professionally applied.
Toss Games – Play fun games of cornhole, horseshoes, racquetball, and basketball against teammates or competitors. Free to play, bets optional, courts available to the public but requiring waiting in lines (x2 time).
Treasure Hunt – Buy a map for 1gp. Linguistics DC15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 to solve the clues pointing to the next station (requires completing the previous station to attempt). Must visit the correct station with the map and the coded answer to receive the stamp and clue-word for next station. Stations to visit are: Strong Man Bell, Dryad Kissing Booth, Harrowing, Silent Auction, and Lauchlein Lakeside stone circle. Present map with final codeword at the last station to receive a commemorative shambleman straw doll for the festival (worth 5gp).
Trivia Corner – 10gp to play, competitive trivia against all present in a random knowledge category (DC20) asking questions until one player gets 3 right and wins an Adventurer’s Chronicle to the associated knowledge. Assume an NPC gets it in 5 rounds, losing on a tie.