We discuss what to do next. We decide to hang out for the festival, and then potential try to take advantage of a long rest situation.
We’re in the hall, which people are still preparing.
Storr talks to a villager.
We’re giving thanks to G & G for the harvest. The harvest always happens regardless of the result, the tone just changes.
Is there a particular crop?
No, just a bunch of different stuff
Who organizes?
Nobody specifically, we all do. The town just does it.
Balz: Is there a wise woman or an alchemist involved? Someone that you go to when your sick? Or give someone bad luck? (an apothecary)
We’re directed towards Rhian who lives in a cottage on the side of town and has a little kitchen garden, she’s an herbalist.
K asks around about a blacksmith, there is one, Gov.
Could also ask around about a cartogrpaher, they woudln’t know what tat means, but they are a stationary people. Know the local geography, but not too much beyond that. One or two have gone to the city.
Silas would like to ask around about the entertainment for tonight. Two crotchety guys with fiddles who were stomping around, Abner and Cobern. Silas asks about the open mic situation. It’s sort of an open door. Join in the music. Silas isn’t having it. He wants his party and the flute chorus. Branwen actively hates what Silas is saying, and successfully intimidates him into submission. He now needs to seek her approval for the next couple hours.
Balz does have his hood down. Folks though are just kind of going about their business. B is getting looks, but they’re hard to categorize. He’s getting noticed, but doesn’t know what they’re thinking. Balz puts his hood back up for now.
Have we notice any presence of force? We don’t notice any sign of arms. Some folks have a knife on them, but it’s mostly farm implements.
Anything unusual? Small village with a bunch of cottage, A couple of paths leading out of town. Nothing remarkably strange. (Balz rolls perc, 26) He’s really noticing a lot of nervous energy, would guess it’s associated with the excitement of the festival, the anticipation. But it’s really rampant, more so than we would expected. Undercurrents of something big happening.
Anyone they’re expecting? Just folks from the local farms. Don’t get a lot of travellers.
They heard about the movements of the SK’s roving bands, but nobody that has entered into the town.
Do they know about the Sun King?
They know that an army appeared off of the lake of voices and surrounded the city. They’ve had spoke knowledge of this roving band, but they’rve avoided the village so far. There has been some looting of farms. Has been some requisitioning of food from the surrounding countryside presumably to support the siege but for the \most part they have been left alone and have been going about they;re business.
Know anything about SK the person?
They don’t know who he is. He is someone that has arrived from somewhere. “May the lord bless and keep the czar far away from us” As long as he stays away, it’s fine
They find his choice of name a little presumptuous. They would associate G & G with the golden sun shining on the wheat and the fields. What they’ve heard of his martial qualities don’t aling with they’re nuturaing understanding of the sun. We just want to keep living and avoid the politics.
What’s their explanation for the changes in the sun? DO seaSONS change here?
Not in the power of G&G to change the seasons, but now they think about it, they remember other seasons, but it’s been a while since it wasn’t harvest time.
So your crops just always have food on them?
Yes, we’re super thankful.
Anything special about tonight’s feast?
It’s always excited to crown the king and queen. We haven’t had someone with actual horns show up before.
We move onto the blacksmith. Storr stays at the hall to hobknob.
We see a well appointed shop, he knows from his own father’s trade. Hasd a shop up int he valley by Taweasek. His dad’s was more haphazard. This shop is well put together. He;s fixing some farm implements.
Balz would love to get Bill’s shows looked at. He looks at Balz. “Oh, I’ve heard of you lot. I could take a look.”
He takes a look at the shoes. “Where they he;ll ahevyou been taking this poor animal? These things are well past. Should be able to get to this in the next few days. Bring him by.
K strikes up a conversation, compliments him on the shop, asks about any people that have come by, strange requests, sharing stories, anything unique pop out of his head.
By and large, it’s not super exciting. You hear stories about people forging swords and putting strange things in the items, but I’m always just pounding iron. He’s heard the same stories about the great ones who can take things other than iron to add to the mix. It’s interesting but not hid sort of thing. I shoe horses and fix plow shares,and we mostly try to stay out of the flow of conflict. I’ve meed knives.
K takes out the hammer and shows it him.
Can I try it out?
Sure.
He takes it and flips it around. ZThe balance is really nice.
He asks if he can strike with it. He tries it out. This is a good one. This pone has some creations in it. It’s well used. Where’d you get it?
K shares his story. K is curious about it. Wanted to let him experiment with it.
If you don’t mind…
I want it back
Of course, of course.
I’d love to try it. I’ll shoe the hosrse for free if you’ll let me play around with it. We offer up some other materials. He’s getting overwhelmed a little
We offer to leave some obsidian shards.
This is some dark stuff, are you sure?
He’s heard stories of great forgers that could use other materials. We’ve walked in here with a stunning dark haired woman offering multiple materials. He may be getting some visions of grandeur here.
Koweth is back and perches on the roof to oversee the forging.
Balz will take Bill back with us and bring him in a few days
We head back to the hall. Storr is buzzed. People have left to go get ready. Food is cooking. Folks from before are outside in the shed beside the tankards with Storr, laughing and nodding at Storr’s references to Tom Yorke.
K gets up on stage and performs admirably.
Silas goes up and invites the party. .
Silas is wasted. The others are not in much better shape. They stumble through the walking song Silas composed at their last yule. K adds flourishes. It’s not terrible. Silas is clearly wasted but gets through the song and its adorable. We gain a fellowship point for the effort (7)
People start coming back into the hall after our performance, it’s filling up. We notice that there’s an opening up high at the end of the hall and we can see the sky off to the west. The sun is low, golden light coming in at a low angle up on the rafters. There’s a mass of people outside.
We head outside and people are walking to the south. We follow.
We come through the screen of trees and come to a big opening with a large stone in the center. Townsfolk are standing around looking at teh stone and the sky. A little bit of a rise where the stone is.
We hang back respectfully and let them do their thign.
We se a middle aged woman around 50, brown hair, red cheeked. She stands at the bottom of the bottom of the stone. “Here we are, at the festival. It’s time for us to crown our harvest king and queen. In a change of events, we’ usualyly crown with these (she pulls out two crowns, one made of wheat with two goat horns woven together, one made with grape vines.) Mowen would you come out?”
A young girl walks out. “We ask you to be our harvest queen: shes excited but nervous. Her friends push her forward. “But inna late breaking event, we have a visitor who does not need to be crowned and we would liek to bring him forward because he already has horns of his own, and we honor G&G. I think he’s here?”
Balz isa nervous but steps forward good naturedly, he puts his hood down. She beckons him forward. Takes his hand and Mowens and puts them together. “I present to you the harvest king and queen! Now to the feast!”
The townsfolk get in close to the king and queen. They lift them up. Mowen seems scared and happy. The part moves in closer. There’s excitement, nervousness. B gets picked up, sort of crowd surfing.
Storr puts her hand to K. K is uncertain and would like to know more. There’s a lot of energy, it’s not totally clear what directions he energy is pointing.
The sun sets. The townsflok lift them aloft and walk back with the two of them to the village hall.
Balz and Mowen are seated in a place of honor on a special table up high. Everyone else enjoys the feast.
Silas drinks. Branwen switches to water. Balz has a lot of thing being brought to him. Folks are excited to hang with him. Do a shot! Initially Balz is a little wary, but as time went on, he’s getting to be more and more into it. Mowen is trepidatious but also intrigued. She’s trying to be friendly, but there’s an age difference, he’s not from the town. Storr’s ears are smoking meanwhile.
Silas and Balz do a shot out of Silas’ helmet and Balz horn respectively.
Store brings up a drink to the k & q. What does this all mean?
She takes the mead, says thank you. I’ve never really done this before. It’s so important to the town. We’ll need to go back out to the clearing and make sure the harvest next year is bountiful.
How do you do that?
I just hope that he can get me with child.
Balz stands up. Everyone starts drinking again.
Silas nods like Jack Nicholson - the creepy, excited nod.
B interjects. I thought this was just pageantry.
M: Well yes, but we’re representatives for the town. It’s up to us to ensure the next good harvest.
B excuses himself to speak with the elder woman. He tries to reason with her and say that he’s not willing to go through with this, which we will FRONTBAR for next time.