Swallowtail Festival

The group has been gathered together to perform in the far-away town of Sandpoint, for the Swallowtail Festival.  Sandpoint is located up the coast from Magnimar in Varisia.  The band employer is a grey haired, fantastically mustached, gentleman Philler Tolo of Absalom.  He has sent along his trusted aide Crukdon Thadosh, a not-so-half-orc warrior from Tian Xia.

The band consists of:  Seamus (dwarf brawler) on bagpipes, Droka (fetchling skald) on pan pipes, Senoy (aasimar magician-bard) dancer, Nim (gnome bard) on glockenspiel, Amana (vishkanya archaeologist-bard) on percussion, and Bahram (human flame dancer-bard) dancer.

The ship transporting the group, The Squidmarked, was delayed by weather, leaving the inner sea, so the group arrived in Sandpoint just in time to get set up to perform.  While rushing along, Grukdon stayed behind to finish unloading the ship and watch over the gear to the Rusty Dragon Inn.

Up on stage, the band opened up the festival with some avant-garde material to warm the crowd for the speakers.  Seamus lead in with a bag pipe solo, and the rest of the ensemble following after a moment.  The number was well received, and the crowd was enjoying the show.

When it came time for the speakers, it was the usual town festival spiel, except when the priest set off the thunderstone and released the swallowtails...  havoc.  Goblins were assaulting the town, setting fires, looting, killing, and singing.  Two groups of goblins attacked the village square, and irritated at being upstaged by goblin-glee, the party responds to the open hostility in kind.  Amana engaged the goblin warchanter in a duel of whips, which he lost to the vicious little green skinned goblin bard.

After clearing the square, the band follows the next largest commotion to the north.  A gang of goblins were attacking a nobleman and his dog.  Arriving too late to save the dog, the band starts distracting the goblins from their quarry and slowly (very slowly) dispatching them.  The rescued nobleman, Aldern Foxglove, is grateful and offers an invitation to the Rusty Dragon Inn so he can more properly thank you.

The town quickly calms, mayor Deverin, Sherrif Hemlock, and Father Zantus thank the band for their bravery and heroics in such a horrible tragedy.  Returning to the docks to find Crukdon sitting on the groups crates surrounded by a handful of dead goblins.  The party gathers their stuff up on a wagon and heads to the Rusty Dragon Inn, where they were offered free rooms for the week in thanks for helping repel the goblin menace.

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Session XP:  500  (375 at 75%)
Session Loot:  50 gp payment from Philler Tolo for performing plus travel.
Session Characters:  Seamus, Droka, Senoy, Nim, Amana, Bahram.

Character Creation Guidelines

Back to the beginning with Rise of the Runelords!

The PCs will be 25-point buys, no PFS restrictions. Non-standard races subject to GM approval. 

However, I do enjoy parties with a theme. This time each PC is required to spend one (1) skill point in either Perform(sing) or Perform([instrument]). Yes, the party is a band. Players that select bard, skald, or one of the bard archetypes: animal speaker, archaeologist, arcane healer, archivist, celebrity, court bard, daredevil, detective, diva, duettist, flame dancer, geisha, juggler, magician, songhealer, or street performer will get a bonus magic item. No two bards should be the same archetype.

 There will be the usual bonuses for character backgrounds, sketches, and things that enhance the party theme. There is a 20 GP award for haiku featuring kobolds, loss/sadness, and roast beef sandwiches. 150 GP will be awarded for three stanza songs featuring the same topics. Yes, I expect Caruthers and Timmy to make guest appearances.

-Waldo