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OOC:
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Sorry for the weeklong delay everyone. I knew this would be a big post and it has been difficult for me to sit at a chair for long periods of time without my back pain flaring up. But I had some good rest last night and am feeling much better today. I'll do my best to keep my posting up, but please forgive any delays while I am still healing from my auto accident.
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Father Abner
Deivon introduces himself to Father Abner. "Well met Father,I am brother Deivon, servant of the Dawnflower." Then with a blush"I simply must pay more attention to my studies, but what is the significance of these stones?"
"Been there since time immemorial, I think," the priest says as he departs.
"Come speak with me after the festival if you wish to learn more. I really must go now."
The Sack Race
Devion is the only member of the party who participates in the sack race. But many townsfolk, visitors and farmers do. In the end, Naffer Vosk, a deformed man who is the groundskeeper at the Boneyard surprises all and leaps across the finish line first, followed closely by Arika Avertin, the young daughter of the town baker and the late Sheriff Avertin. Everyone cheers for the groundskeeper, and the man with the hideous face smiles as good a smile as he can manage while several townsfolk offer to buy him a drink, by which of course they mean "fetch," as all the taverns in town have brought many casks of ale and wine free to all. Devion is one of the last to finish, but the man who came in last and reeks of fish named Turch slaps him on the back afterwards and says,
"Aye, mate, 'tis all in good fun after all, eh?" For Naffer's speed and noble performance, he is named Abadar's Champion for the day.
Hide and Seek
A very merry game of Hide and Seek ensues. The players are limited to the housings of the new cathedral, and several referees ensure no participant cheats by leaving the cathedral grounds. In this event, Devion redeems himself, finding almost all the participants when it is his turn and finding one of the best hiding spots. Marcus participates too and comes in second, but even he can't find everyone and although he spies a decent hiding spot, Devion finds him none the same. In third place is Arika's twin sister, Anika, who sulks a bit at losing to out-of-towners, but her mother pushes her to go congratulate Devion none the same. Vandalin does well, but not well enough to win; he manages 5th place and Felsi shows up to kiss him on the cheek and say he made a good effort. Turch participates in this event as well, his overwhelming fish odor making him the first found in by virtually every seeker and cuing others when he goes seeking himself to find better hiding spots before he can locate them. But he chuckles and laughs, again saying how it's all in good fun. Anika brings Devion a mug and a skewered chicken leg when she congratulates him. The whole crowd is very impressed with Devion's performance and many toasts are raised, saying the Varisian gods have certainly smiled upon him. For his clever seeking and ability to see in dark places, he is named Seranrae's Champion for the day.
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OOC:
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For the next 24 hours, Devion receives a +2 sacred bonus to Perception checks as a sign of Seranrae's favor.
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Weight-Lifting
The dwarven carpenter Aesrick Battlehorn is unmatched in this competition, lifting a mighty 360 lbs. above his head a good five seconds longer than his closest competitor, veins on his neck throbbing as he does so. Duko manages to heft a great amount of weight, but cannot lift it quite over his head, and is disqualified early. Vhir does slightly better, but eventually his muscles give out and he, too, is disqualified. Devion manages to last surprisingly longer than anyone else had suspected (and many townsfolk grumble after having apparently lost bets on his early disqualification; but he does manage to outlast the hulking Duko and Vhir, which surprises everyone. But in the end, drinks are lifted to Aesrick, and he is named Gozreh's Champion for the day.
Balance Beam
There are several nimble competitors, and the Avertin sisters both do well. Turch falls off the platform barely as soon as he begins. The crowd gives a hearty laugh and Turch laughs along with them.
"Aye, gave it a good try, I did," he says as he downs another cup of wine. Devion gives it a try, but is barely better than Turch, and quickly falls off. Vandalin lasts longer than Devion, but cannot compete with the other nimble competitors. Marcus outlasts all of his fellow party members, but ultimately, he too cannot outlast the many talented townsfolk. In the end, a very nimble and agile man named Jubrayl surprises the whole crowd and outlasts the crowd favorite, Arika. Whispered among the crowd to be a heavy drinker at the Feedbag, the crowd murmurs how surprisingly sober he seems this day. He bows gracefully before the crowd after doing a quick pirouette and hopping off; he humbly accepts the title of Shelyn's Champion for his artful performance.
Tug-of-War
The tug-of-war is a fierce competion. Team A and B are the first to pair off. At first it seems to be a close match, but it quickly becomes apparent that the strong Belven Valdemar and Das Korvout are holding back to make it more fun for the girls. Team B begins pulling Team A towards the mud, and within 2 minutes, Turch, Felsi, Savah, Jormy, and Vandalin are pulled into the muddy pool and trip all over themselves. The girls of Team A are laughing merrily while they splash mud on each other and Felsi smears a bit of mud on Vandalin's face before wiping it off and saying brown is a good color on him. The mud actually masks Turch's fishy odor and the townsfolk cry that he shouldn't wash it off, which he happily admits might be a fine idea. He walks around muddy from head to toe the rest of the festival.
The next competition sees Team C and D facing off. This time the teams are much more closely matched, and it looks like things could go either way for almost four minutes until Duko gives a mighty tug and hurls Team C into the mud. Cracktooth is brown and red with embarrassment, as he had put up a great deal of overconfidence before the match, but eventually he and the other members of his team get up, clean themselves off, and congratulate the Team D.
The final match is the closest of all as the winners of the previous two matches face off. The competitors tug back and forth for well over five minutes. The crowd cheers on and on as the teams each seem to gain a second wind and swing the contest one way and then the other. Vhir even starts to slide for a moment, before he regains his footing and Lord Valdemar rallies the team to give one last mighty tug. The contest ends as Team D is hurled into the mud, though a few in the back avoid getting more than their boots caked. What everyone expected to be a rout turned out to be quite a match. While the rest of Team B congratulates Team D on a good competition, the noble Lord Belven Valdemar merely gives himself a slight dusting off before bragging that he knew all along that his team would succeed, especially once the mighty Shoanti barbarian had joined them.
Belven and Aritha Valdemar, Arika Avertin, Das Korvout, and Vhir are all named Erastil's Champions for their exceptional teamwork and community spirit.
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OOC:
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For the next 24 hours, Vhir grants a +4 bonus on any aid another checks (instead of +2) as a sign of Erastil's favor.
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Swallowtail Release
At noon, Father Abner 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 whom 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 swallowtail butterflies that swarm into the air in a spiraling riot of color to a great cheer from the crowd. After the release, Father Abner names everyone in the festival Desna's Champions. Throughout the rest of the day, children futilely chase butterflies, never quite quick enough to catch them.
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For the next 24 hours, all PCs receive a single use of a +1 luck bonus which may be applied to any d20 roll as a sign of Desna's favor.
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Lunch
Lunch is provided free, at the expense of Sandpoint's taverns. Each brings its best dishes--this event is as much a marketing push by the taverns 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 Abner 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...
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I will take a take a day or two (hopefully) and prepare the next encounter. Feel free to RP events between the games and the Consecration in the meantime. Also, Talashia runs into her family relation who had sent her the locket. This can happen at any time before the Consecration. [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] may choose which member of her family it is and roleplay this out however she likes, up to the part about the locket. I'll fill in that detail myself.
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