The very next morning, Foxglove's barking can be heard loudly before you even awake. His voice breaks the dark before dawn, and you can tell the teamsters are already hitching their wagons and preparing to move. Many of the mercenaries are moving more slowly, having drunk their fair share of spirits the night before. However, a few fastidious ones have beaten you to the caravan and are standing ready to march, among them, the dark-skinned woman, Sinkitah. She is mounted atop a horse and fully armored, helmed with a lavender-plumed hounskull, visor raised. The more lecherous mercenaries who had picked on Danya the night before are among the last to don their armor and make their way to the caravan. Foxglove chastises them brutally for their tardiness, calling them louts and drunks, and even going so far as to order one to dunk his head in the horse trough before beginning down the road. When the mercenary refuses blearily, Foxglove orders two of his personal guard to oblige the man, and he ends up soaked down to his lower torso. The drunkard coughs and spurts afterwards, and many of the more lazy men quickly sober up.
You make good time along the road, clear skies and no barriers block your way, save a single tree which has fallen yet is quickly moved aside by teamsters and their porters. As you near the town of Sandpoint, the footprint of civilization upon the Lost Coast grows more clear. Farmlands in the outlying moors and river valleys grow more numerous, and the blue-green waters of the Varisian Gulf bear more and more fishing vessels upon the waves. Passage over creeks and rivers is more often accomplished by wooden bridge than ford, and the Lost Coast Road itself grows wider and better kept.
By the early part of the second day out from the Rushing Boar, you find yourself in the rocky tors on the outskirts of Sandpoint. The town is invisible from the road, but Foxglove insists you are very close, and those among you who have lived in Sandpoint recognize many familiar landmarks. A few hours after dawn, Foxglove calls for the final halt.
"Across that next hill is Sandpoint, men and women," he addresses the caravan as the horses are watered and everyone stops for a quick bite and swig from their waterskins.
"We will be upon the town in an hour. You'll receive your pay once we are inside the gates and the cargo is unloaded. I thank you all for your contribution to yet another successful journey. I know the going has been a little slow, especially with the breaking of so many wagon wheels early along the way, but those of you who have persevered and not slowed us down will be rewarded. I've already instructed Paymaster Passang thusly. I hope you all enjoy the Swallowtail Festival, may Desna bless us all!"
With that, a general cheer arises from the caravan teamsters, porters, and guards. The last leg of your journey is almost complete.
After the final halt, you come across the large upthrust limestone pavements known as the Devil's Platter and the arc of the rocky outcroppings and lightly forested hilltops that rise up just east of town, and as promised, as the final bend in the road is rounded, Sandpoint's smoking chimneys and bustling streets greet your caravan with open arms and the promise of warm beds, a welcome sight indeed after having spent the last few days on the Lost Coast Road.
In under an hour, you find yourself inside the gates of Sandpoint. The porters begin unloading their goods at a nearby warehouse while other wagons make their way to taverns, inns, and shops, all carrying supplies for the coming festival. The half-orc paymaster, Passang gives each of you a single gold coin as a bonus for your fastidiousness along the road. You are now free to wander the town, see its sights, and enjoy the festival mood which is already buzzing around the townsfolk. It is the 20th of Rova. The festival is two days away, yet all around you folks are wishing you blessings of Desna, draping you with wreaths of mache' butterflies, and acting sincerely cheerful. It is as if the Late Unpleasantness about which you heard is completely forgotten to them.
One of your first sights upon crossing the Sandpoint Bridge and entering the gates is the Rusty Dragon. This large structure is Sandpoint's oldest inn, notable for the impressive (and quite rusty) iron dragon that looms on the building's roof, doubling as a lightning rod and decoration. You also note that nearby are the Goblin Squash Stables, the sign above it's door perpetuating the greatest fears of the lowly goblin-being trampled underfoot by a horse, the Two Knight Brewery, from which delicious smells of mead, ale and rum greet your senses, the Sandpoint Boutique, a shop selling all manner of clothing, weapons, toys, artwork, books, and tools imported from throughout the world, and the Feathered Serpent, a cramped and cluttered shop smelling of a strange mixture of incense, spice, and dust.
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OOC:
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We have now moved to Sandpoint for future encounters from this point onward, as there was nothing of interest happening between the Rushing Boar Inn and Sandpoint. For the next two days in-character, I encourage you all to explore the town of Sandpoint, meet the local NPCs, get familiar with the town's locales, and generally familiarize yourself with the place. This is an open-ended sandbox style roleplay at this point. The purpose is for you, the players, and your characters, to get to know the town which will be a centerpiece of the campaign. You will note I have updated the wiki with a map and key for the town of Sandpoint. I have provided brief hooks for what I consider to be the most important locations for adventurers. Refer to the map and check out the locations of interest to your character.
I would prefer we run this without your characters splitting up, as experience has taught me that PBP can be difficult for everyone to know what is going on when the group is divided and at separate locations. If you like, I can open up separate threads for individual actions you would prefer to do solo, but I would much prefer to keep as much of the interaction here in this thread. So I offer this as an option only if you are starting to feel bored following other characters around. Please don't be shy. I want to keep everyone interested in what is going on.
Consider your daily wages for travel along the road spent on incidentals and part of your upkeep. However, the gold piece bonus coin is yours to keep and may be added to your inventory.
[MENTION=11520]Scotley[/MENTION], would you mind switching to a different, brighter or paler color with more contrast against the dark background of the Legacy style I use to view EN World? My eyes have difficulty seeing what Vandalin is saying.
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