Wednesday, May 3, 2017
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The Swallowtail Festival has arrived in Sandpoint! The festival provides a welcome respite from the “late unpleasantness” that has recently plagued the town. A few years ago, Jervis Stoot was apprehended as the “Chopper”, the man responsible for the death of two dozen Sandpoint residents. What’s more, a fire recently destroyed the local cathedral, killing Ezekiel Tobyn, his acolytes, and his daughter.
It is the first day of fall. Our unacquainted heroes include Silas Khan the human barbarian, Krask the kobold rogue, and Niko the cleric. Gathered around a newly constructed cathedral, they are welcomed by Mayor Kendra Deverin. She is joined by Sheriff Belor Hemlock (a Shoanti), the flamboyant Cyrdak, and the pleasant Desna cleric, Father Zantus. The three heroes go their separate ways. Niko wins a pie at a game of Devil Hunt run by Ven Vinder, who is aided by his seductive daughter, Shayliss Vinder. Krask wins two copper pieces in the Dragon Races by successfully coaxing his lizard to the finish line first. Silas finds mixed success in the Goblin Toss, where stuffed goblins must be tossed into holes.
As the festivities wind down, our heroes prepare to listen to Father Zantus speak. Before he can, he is interrupted by a scream. And another. And a third. The throat of a dog laying under a wagon is slit by a shadowy figure. A violent cacophony of shrill voices reverberates through the town, singing a gruesome song about goblins murdering and devouring the townspeople.
Is the town under attack? Are goblins behind the disruption? Whose dog was that?