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ICon Pathfinder Kingmaker Stolen Land - Page 260

Game Master says...

Diarmadhim

Mallius Vand responds with his usual hurried pomp, "Oh, why thank you so much! I'll be sure to enjoy it over the next week. So let's get down to business."

He takes some time copying your map, adding to a copy of your previous progress while he discusses the aquatic features. "We have the Shrike River just south of Restov flowing into the Tuskwater Lake. Around the lake, going counterclockwise from north the old names for the rivers are Thorn, Skunk, Murque, Shrike again, Little Sellen, and Gudrin. The Gudrin flows into the famous Lake Silverstep where myths say a great wyrm silver dragon once left his footprint. But I refuse to believe in any creature with a 10-mile wide foot."

"Archerfeast, absolutely! I must make time for it just to unwind. The archery contests involve light crossbow, shortbow and, most prestigious, longbow shooting at targets or clout. There is also stone throwing for both small and normal races. And, of course, the boys and girls chasing each other and the mammoth feast in the town square."

"These are just the government offices, the Swordlord's castle is at the southwest of town. Cut across the town square before it starts getting busy, take the street south and at the next intersection you should have direct view to the castle gate."

"You and the party have done very well mapping so far. Excellent detail! Not much left before you finish your task!"

Party

The tavern/temple fills up almost instantly the next morning. A day off work lets everybody start their drunken shenanigans early. The first woman that literally falls into Zork's lap is not only a lightweight but also reveals herself to only be interested in money. However, a short while later, a dwarf woman with red hair tied into a braid tries to strike up conversation, asking what you think about dwarven culture and the race in general.

Dart boards are brought out for entertainment - the priests of Cayden host an Archerfeast contest of their own, trying to rival the official competitions held by Erastil's priests. The winning prize is a set of magical darts and the runner up gets masterwork darts.

Out of Character: I just realised something and have to retcon. At the very beginning when Theaton took a barge to Restov he would have stopped at two waterfalls blocking the way. So the wizard on board would have levitated the entire boat, with help from his assistant. Meanwhile the horses pulling the barge would have gone the long way around.

About the day's contests: two categories for archery, short and longbow. One contest is shooting at 3 targets at 70', 140' and 210'. The other contest is clout, involving shooting upwards and hitting a target on the ground 100' away.
Stone throwing is a test of strength, basically shotput - throwing a weight furthest.

When it comes to actually recording the names of the bodies of water and the regions, how do you want it recorded? Numbers and a legend like all the current points, or instead writing names directly on the map? Are there any names you want to replace with your own?

Lastly, a lot of work seems to be piling up for me. If you think it's taking me too long to respond to your requests, you can take the game into your own hands for Archers Day. I don't mind if you take a little liberty with (Sensibly) controlling the actions of NPCs unless they're major players in the city.

Edited: iCon on 8th Oct, 2016 - 10:56am

Land Stolen Kingmaker Pathfinder ICon

The Second says...

Zork likes to entertain the wannabe girl friends wanting to be at the side of Zork because of his stash. He hears about contests but has nothing to prove so he instead chooses to drink some mead and eat whatever hot plate they can bring for him.

ICon Pathfinder Kingmaker Stolen Land Archive Pathfinder / D&D

The next day Theaton will go out and watch some of the contests sitting along the edge of the tourney fields watching while leaning back against White Fang as they both drink some water and munch on some food that Theaton has bought.

Page 260 Land Stolen Kingmaker Pathfinder ICon

I take the time to copy the names of the various bodies of water on my map. Afterwards I bid farewell to Mallius, "It was such a pleasure to see you again. I will heed your advice and go instantly to the Swordlord's castle so I do not find myself arriving late."

Out of Character: I vote for keeping the current names. It would make it easier for you too, so you don't have to refer back to what the actual name was when you describe something to us. Using numbers and a legend will probably be best so the map doesn't get cluttered, but that's ultimately your call - whatever is easiest for you!

From the sounds of the contests, I don't think Archival will compete. He doesn't like to be made to feel incompetent, something he drastically is with mundane weapons.

Land Stolen Kingmaker Pathfinder ICon

Ignoble says...

Mykael returns to Hegin at the Temple of Iomedae where he spends a few minutes in prayer and then he wanders about the various contests mostly observing, occasionally clapping or cheering when a contestant accomplishes something noteworthy but he has no interest in participating directly in any of the contests. Rather he tries to use the contests as a context to evangelize and spread the faith of Iomedae. He wears his polished and shined breastplate that bears the symbol of his goddess boldly and talks to anyone that expresses any interest or curiosity about it.

ICon Pathfinder Kingmaker Stolen Land

The Second says...

In between ale, women and loud talk, Zork will check with his friends to see if they have come up with something worthwhile for him to do. He counts the days until he gets his treasure… already dreaming of what he could do with it.

ICon Pathfinder Kingmaker Stolen Land - Page 260

As the day get longer Theaton and Whitefang start heading towards the area where they will be honored. He is ready to get this over with and then head back to finish the assignment they were hired to do. Plus get back and see what improvements have been done at the lake fort.

ICon Pathfinder Kingmaker Stolen Land D&D / Pathfinder Archive - Page 260

Game Master says...

Archival has no problem getting to the castle. Located at the southwest corner of the city, by the river, it rises up 50' into the sky. The structure is mostly stone with an oaken fourth storey and wooden hoardings jutting out of the surrounding walls. It emerges from the wall at the rear and is comprised of three sections. The northern circular building merges with the square keep and a tower rises just a bit higher to the south. The uniformed guards are complaining to each other about working today, but snap to attention at your approach.

When you state your business, another guard is called over and he escorts you past the gradually sloping front garden full of decorations and training dummies but devoid of people. A shallow flight of stairs leads up to a drawbridge, currently lowered, which you cross. The large double doors in the front open into an entrance chamber with a counterweight mechanism for the drawbridge and on the walls hang trophies overlooking ornate benches.

The castle seems much more sensible in design than the keep of the government offices. All corridors open to the courtyard on the inner side and rooms on the other. The circular north building is obviously designed more defensibly, with narrower corridors and no outer entrances, and it serves as the quarters for the most powerful. Archival's escort leads up the square building instead. A brass plaque above each door denotes each room's function.

Reaching the Tariffs Office, Eyva Zhirin is at the very first desk, dressed much more simply at work. She explains her position of food quality control; all imported and exported grain, and other ingredients have to be healthy and pest free. At first it sounds quite mundane but she reveals that it involves travel to other cities, towns and villages - nipping the problem in the bud. As a new settler nearby she wants to build rapport and asks if you have a partner for Archerfeast? Her husband is in the military and out of town.

You also head over to the Tax Agency - for some reason separate to the Tariffs - having passed it before. Lismoir has the documentation on Davik Nettles' taxes and hands them over also clocking off to join the festivities.

---

At the temple of Cayden and Torag, it seems the owner tries hard to keep his regulars from leaving to see the contests. And he is pretty successful at it, lowering the prices of alcohol and bringing in ladies - some of whom are quite obviously only there for money and others just to add appearance but having no interest in talking to anyone.

As Zork stays inside all day, the folk around him listen to his stories of exploration, gasping at brave action, laughing at jokes and the women swoon. Your ale mug in never empty, the bartenders partly enjoying the story and partly making sure the day's entertainment is adequately paid in booze.

On the other side of the tavern some of the men and dwarves cheer when someone scores a good dart throw. As their unofficial contest comes to its final round, a terribly drunk dwarf, a severe woman dressed in tight leathers and a holy symbol of three daggers, and a scarred man with suspicious eyes compete against each other. The man wins the magical darts - proper weapon-sized ones - and the woman gets the runner-up masterwork set.

The three girls that were more interested in Zork than the contest continue to make small talk and tell you about themselves. They continue to be thankful for helping against the Stag Lord and ensuring their poor families don't have to suffer. As day becomes night one of them gets very close to you while the other two get distracted by other men. Lenena is blond half-elf from a farming village who used to come into town just for the celebrations, but now goes to explore the rest of the city. She suggests going upstairs and spending the night together. Of course, this will prevent you from finding the others.

---

Hegin and Isa pray with Mykael asking for guidance, strength and, rarely requested in this faith, a night filled with fun and meeting new people. As such the prayer is off-the-cuff, but Hegin manages to make it sound as though it's read straight from a holy book. They head out with Mykael to the contests and Isa even asks for support when she competes.

---

The rest of you, outside for the festivities, see the folk emerge from their houses at 11, all dressed in their finest garbs - which makes it easy to differentiate the well-off from the poor. Archerfeast begins with everyone filing into the town square where multi-storey bleachers were constructed just the day before and this morning. Flags and banners of Erastil's green and brown hang from the wooden structures and as the folk in their garments of many colours begin to take their seats they create a lively and expectant atmosphere.

Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius stands on stage, dressed in standard aristocratic attire that blends in rather than stands out, and appropriately nobody seems to pay much attention to him. He makes an announcement that is drowned out by the ruckus and takes a seat.

All goes quiet when the doors to Erastil's wooden cathedral open to reveal High Priest Ezvanki Keegh, an old human man dressed very simply in greens and browns but still displaying status by the choice of material and care of his clothes. Surrounded by priests beating their drums he advances to a temporary altar and addresses those gathered with a supernaturally loud voice. He leads a prayer and orates a homily about sustainable practices, helping the poor, honouring parents and leading a simple life. He condemns those who go adventuring without a plan, the miserly rich and children who run away for no good reason, noting that only in a few extreme cases he has helped kids escape dangerous homes. He ends with a reminder that life is a struggle and test of faith in Erastil every day, but the needs of the community should be held above all.

Mykael attempts to evangelise, and the man seated to his right listens half-attentively, but the lady to your left tuts in annoyance. "I can't believe you'd use a day like today to peddle your own faith. Leave me in peace."

Then the elimination contests begin. The crowd applauds bulls-eyes and far throws and laughs when a bow breaks or string comes loose. Only one man gets disqualified for using magic. Isa Moreno, an Iomedaen clad in white robes, does very well but loses by one point to a half-elf forest ranger and is eliminated even though she would have beaten contestants in other brackets. A selection of the best target and clout archers and strongest stone throwers advance to the semi-finals. The competition is close, with small mistakes costing some archers' chance at victory and the stone throwers with the best technique outperforming those who look stronger.

In the final round, while some accurate shots strip the feathers, none actually split their arrows. The stone throwers are doing slightly worse as they are tired, but one man gets a record throw which lands and rolls all the way to the cathedral steps!

When the cheers have died down and contestants leave the field, High Priest Keegh takes the stage again. After another prayer he congratulates all who participated and thanking them for their sportsmanship, inviting the more esteemed guests to the formal awards ceremony at the castle tomorrow.

Then he hands the stage over to the figurehead of the Swordlords, Jamandi Aldori, a female half-elf dressed in resplendent jewel-studded leather vest and puffy, slashed white sleeves with black highlights. Her violet tights outline her lithe muscles and knee-high black-polished boots shine in the fading sunlight. The Priest waves his arms ritually and shakes her hand as he heads back inside. She takes a powerful stance, looks around at the full town square and in an equally loud voice simply shouts, "Let the Mammoth Feast begin! Parade, fall in!"

A near-perfect military parade is held to dazzle the crowd and build anticipation. At the very end, troops with stained uniforms - clearly in the field earlier today - bring in their trophies. At first a large, furry leg is carried in on a stretcher to cheers from the crowd. This is followed by the other limbs and body parts of a brown, woolly elephantine creature. Theaton, as a student of nature, recognises the mistake; this beast would have been more accurately classified as a Mastodon, not a Mammoth, and it would have been an adequate challenge even for 30 veteran soldiers.

All in all 6 tonnes of meat are brought in, all parts of the animal, and the butchering and cooking begins. A long-standing tradition, huge spit roasts are started and the meat is cut as the next layer cooks. Everybody in the stadium begins shuffling out to receive their meal. Every person gets over 300 grams, but not always their preferred cut. The streets fill with revelers and the night goes on. People from all walks of life mingle without prejudice.

This is probably Mykael's best opportunity to evangelise, the people seem much more open to suggestion and the Erastilian overtones have mostly faded from the fore, but the drab green-brown decorations still hang above your head.

Out of Character: Very sorry about that delay and equally sorry that I didn't get you right into the award ceremony! Would you kindly detail your characters' actions for the day and the rest of the night as well as the next morning in preparation for the midday awards. Please mention how much mingling and drinking you're doing and what time you retire, and include a roll for Constitution (+ Endurance) and Diplomacy. I'll let you elect what bonus you take on either, which becomes a penalty to the other.