The sleepy port town of Darrowshore was brimming with life and bustle as the sun rose on the first day of the Harvest Close Festival. People hurrying to and fro in preparation for the crowds, and the Five Fine Fish was packed full to bursting with happy, celebrating people as an announcement went out about the grand prize of gold and magic item for any group who could manage to clear the various challenges scattered throughout the town.
This caught the attention of several individuals currently whiling away with free time in the tavern:
- Torevar, a dwarf with a bright shock of red hair and a greataxe to match his stature
- Tallow, a human sorcerer apprenticed to the local mage Numos Goldleaf
- Aetherik, a haughty and private mage willing to seize the presented opportunity
- Vaelora, an optimistic and friendly elven druid new to the town and far from home
- Rhysis, an elven fighter missing an arm, her memory, and more than a few brain cells
The promise of gold quickly brought the group together as they set out to tackle each of the day's challenges one by one. A short stop to do some sight-seeing brough them to Serterian's magnificent tent of mechanical constructs, though there was some disapointment the mechanical marvels were not living creatures. However, the disapointment was short-lived as they arrived at the Test of Magic and Vaelora, Aetherik, and Tallow all worked together to... eventually create a magical performance that impressed Knight Captain Arlan earning their first ribbon, followed by an encore performance by Torevar while Rhysis was distracted by the young elven girl who'd been attempting the challenge before them.
The Test of Archery took them back through town, and Rhysis stepped up to the challenge despite her handicap and sank three clean shots into the furthest target with little difficulty, despite her claim that she'd never used such a weapon before. This earned her some disbelief from the challenge keeper, though they obtained the second ribbon without much issue.
The Knave's Test nearly landed the group in trouble, as they were apathetically greeted by Tallow's mentor, Numos Goldleaf who presented the group with a riddle to find three colored feathers and return them to him so he could be done with the whole bothersome ordeal. A locked box, trapped woodpile, and mild assault of the town's mayor by Torevar later, mthe group found themselves in posession of the third and final ribbon with just the Harvest Brawl and the half-orc Scrug Brothers left between them and a complete victory.
Torevar and Rhysis climbed into the ring with the two eldest brothers and the showdown began with both sides exchanging some savage blows as the newcommers attemted to unseat the previous champions from their throne. Not that the brothers made it easy, but eventually both lay unconcious with the rag-tag group standing triumphant as the new Harvest Close Champions, and returned to the tavern to drink and celebrate their victory!
As the little group talked to one another in casual small talk to learn a bit more about one another's plans for the future, they found themselves suddenly alone in the tavern and surrounded by an ominous miasma. Before they could properly understand what was happening, a figure in a fathered cloak and porcilain mask appeared out of the shadows and forwarned the group that they'd been chosen as people who would have the chance to save Iria, before disapearing as quickly as they'd come and leaving them behind back in the busy tavern as if no time at all had passed.
The five of them all tried to make sense of it all, before eventually deciding that perhaps they day had been long enough and a combination of fatigue, injury, and copious amounts of ale was more to blame for the odd visitor and sleep would do them all some good. However, the night had yet more planned, and as the evening stretched on into the wee hours, an earth shattering roar and gout of dragon fire set Darrowshore ablaze, while a haunting laugh and frantic screams echo throughout the streets of the once peaceful town...
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