The Swallowtail Festival, part 1

Player Characters

Important NPCs

• Mayor Kendra Deverin, leader of Borderpoint.
• Iron Spine the Sheriff of Bordrpoint, sheriff of Borderpoint.
• Brother Absalar Zantus, Cleric of Diamond and head cleric of the Borderpoint Temple.
• Cydrak Dorado, owner of the Borderpoint Theater.
• Kaijitsu Lonjiku, member of the town council and head of the Kaijitsu family.
• Kaijitsu Ameiko, owner of the Rusty Wyvern.
• Hannah Isha Velerin, healer and Cleric of Emerald.
• Jargie Quinn, owner of the Hagfish.
• Kigeni Makumbusho Uhamishoni, obsidanu owner of the Feathered Serpent.

Locations

• Borderpoint, a town on Battle Coast between the Onyx Cryptocracy and the Scapolite Theocracy.

Enemies

• Goblins, tribe unknown.

Adventurer's Log

3rd day of Diamond, year 54 of the Age of the Great Invasion

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A swallowtail butterfly

• Excitement is in the air as the town of Borderpoint prepares to hold their annual Swallowtail Festival, a celebration of community. This year, the town will be dedicating a brand new Temple so there is a special excitement in the air. Lucius, the Onyxish swashbuckler, Zyindra, the halfling-raised human witch/healer and Shiphrah, the elven "procurer of antiquities" are all already in Borderpoint. Maayan, the elven hunter, arrives in Borderpoint that morning in search of her errant sister, Shiphrah.
• Zyindra and her familiar fox, Sabbath, walk with town healer Hannah to the festival grounds. Lucius and Shiphrah both make their way to the festival grounds on their own. Maayan and her leopard companion, Kaza, searching for Shiphrah, makes their way to the festival grounds as well.
• From different vantage points in the crowd, the four listen to Mayor Kendra Deverin's speech welcoming everyone to Borderpoint. Sheriff Iron Spine, a Thulite tribesman, addresses the crowd next and reminds everyone to be careful - no one wants a repeat of the "Recent Unpleasantness". He ends with a moment of silence for those who lost their lives during the large fire that occurred during the end of the Recent Unpleasantness. The mayor announces that Councilman Kaijitsu Lonjiku was supposed to address the crowd but has taken ill and cannot. Cydrak Dorado goes next, his speech devolving into an amusing story about securing funding for the Temple before he's gently reminded to wrap up. He ends by reminding everyone to come see a production of the Harpy Queen at the Borderpoint Theater. Finally, Brother Absalar Zantus says a prayer asking the Totems to bless the temple and the day. He reminds everyone that the release of the Swallowtails will be later and the consecration will happen shortly after lunch.
• Zyindra decides to go visit Kaijitsu Lonjiku and offer her healing services since he is ill. Hannah convinces her to stay at the festival instead, noting that "grumpy old Lonjiku" has his own staff to look after him. Hannah pushes Zyindra into the crowd, telling her to go have some fun.
• While jugglers, acrobatics, minstrels and mimes perform, citizens and visitors to Borderpoint play carnival games and try the free food offered by the inns and taverns of the town. Of special note is the lobster chowder of the Hagfish, the White Deer's peppercorn venison and the Rusty Wyvern's curry-spiced salmon. Lucius and Maayan meet while standing in line to get lobster chowder. Jargie Quinn, a friend of Lucius' father and the man serving the chowder, suggests Lucius should offer his arm to Maayan for walking around the festival.
• Over near the merchants, Shiphrah refuses a number of offers of magical items from Kigeni Uhamishoni, owner of the Feathered Serpent. In the end, she walks away with nothing but the coins she came in with.
• Zyindra meets Lucius and Maayan when her fox familiar, Sabbath, leaps from her arms and walks over to sniff at Maayan's leopard companion, Kaza. As they talk, the hundreds of swallowtail butterflies are released into the air - to the delight of the children.

A goblin!

• Not long after the swallowtail release, Brother Zantus cracks a thunderstone in order to get everyone's attention. As if this was a signal, goblins leap out from hidden places and attack while chanting their awful (yet strangely catchy) battle chant.
• Lucius, Zyindra, Maayan and Shiphrah, who hadn't yet moved with the crowd from the food and vendors area to the stage area, engage in battle with three of the goblins. They are assisted by Ameiko of the Rusty Wyvern who hadn't yet left her food booth. The battle ends with one goblin dead, one asleep due to magic and the third having surrendered. To the south and east, they can hear the sounds of still more battle as the sheriff and the town militia fight off goblins near the stage area. Before they can go to help, however, a wagon in the south part of the food and vendors area explodes...

TO BE CONTINUED