Ironfang Invasion (IC)

[Ilmarë]

No one tries to claim Phaendar is a large town by Golarion's standards, but at least as far as southern Nirmathas is concerned, it's huge. This quaint little town is relatively safe, but gets raided enough that its citizens don't really bother with fancy stone buildings- wood suits them just fine. Just southwest of the Phaendar Bridge, the main road splits in two as it enters town, then joins back together before leaving. The town square in the middle is normally fairly quiet- only so much happens in a town of 400- but today it's abuzz with activity, as the Market Festival begins again. This two-day festival sees farmers and herders gather from across the Nesmian Plains to meet and trade for supplies and stories. Sometimes even traders from the "big city" of Tamran find their way to the Festival.

About the only four buildings of any actual importance are the Taproot Inn, the only multiple-story building in town, the Riverwood Shrine, Oreld's Fine Shop, and the Phaendar Trading Company, town blacksmiths and proud owners of the only stone wall in town.

The highlight of the evening is going to be one of Aubrin the Green's famous "sermons" at the shrine, but she'll probably be giving a more inebriated "encore" later in the night.


I'll work on getting an actual map up. The two main roads form sort of a D shape. The inn is at the top, where you'll be leaving from. The shrine is at the bottom. Nothing important is between them along the vertical part of the D. And along the curve from top to bottom, it's Inn-Shop-Trading Company-Shrine. You can start at any of the four, but I'd recommend not the shop, just because it's the only one that would strictly require backtracking.

[Aldurin]

While Randy did enjoy the festival, his true place of comfort was working on maintaining the town. The Phaendar Trading Company was on Randy's scheduled rotation for structural maintenance, so he was spending his time slowly inspecting and running his hands along the structure. Whenever he noticed cracks or weak points, he would use the easiest bit of his psionic talent to restore the damage. Of course he didn't want to be a stick in the mud, so he planned to spend the rest of the day taking part in the festival once he finished his work on the building.

[tresson]

"I'll be fine Grandma and I'm not a child anymore. I mean I am old enough to marry as you keep reminding me. And I'll make sure not to go running off on any adventures while out. If that's all I'm off for the fair!" Cailin said before she bent down and kissed her Grandmother's cheek. She had just sat through a good 5 minutes of her Grandmother lecturing on how to behave at the fair and of the dangers that awaited an unobservant girl with the warning of, "no adventures", thrown in whenever her grandmother could.

With that she quickly grabbed her bag and was out the door of the small farm house that her and her grandparents lived. It was little more then a shack but still better then where some of the other refugees were living. It's not that the people of Phaendar weren't welcoming, just the opposite actually, there just wasn't room for more people. Not even the dozen or so people that arrived with her.

But those where the problems of another day. Today was the FAIR! Fun, music and colour everywhere! The first thing to do was to see if her friend Annie was able to get some time off from her job at the inn. Then the two of them would find Xoan. There was always something interesting going on with Xoan. Sometimes cool things, sometime gross thing but always interesting. The fact that he was kinda cute didn't hurt either.

She blushed at that thought before shaking her head to clear it away and carried on into the village.

[Kvard51]

As Xoan entered Phaendar, the last thing on his mind was the Market Fair. Not because he didn't enjoy it every year. He did. But because he had spent most of the night at the Ohmsford farm tending an ox that had a busted leg.

Xoan was more than a little disturbed by how the ox had been injured, truth be told. Wolves in the Fangwood weren't usually so aggressive, avoiding the more settled areas and hunting the deeper parts of the forest. But this pack had come right out of the woods and harried the Ohmsford's ox until he got his leg through the fence. It had broken as he tried to free himself as the pack closed in. The only thing that had saved the ox was the fact that the ruckus woke ol' Sam Ohmsford up out of his pleasant dreams and he fought the wolves off with his woodaxe.

One of the younger Ohmsford boys, Xoan wasn't sure who, had woken him up with the message that Sam needed him for some healing. So Xoan had worked on the ox for three hours. Now, he was on his way to the Phaendar Trading Company to let them know Ol' Sam needed their expertise to shore up his fences to keep the wolves out. And he wanted to talk to Aubrin the Green about what the wolves coming out of the Fangwood in this manner might mean...

[HowNowBrownCow]

Last Saffron Hammer Breathing the Void Scorns Evil, Saffron to his friends (or anyone who has a moderate to low lung capacity), had spent the entire day parked in the common room of the bar in town. Here he was applying the dwindling remnants of his pay to filling himself full of hot food. He'd already put away two bowls of soup and half a roasted chicken and the day was still yet young. After the preamble of a small burp stifled with a calloused hand, the monk lifts an empty bowl to gesture across the wooden counter top of the bar to the proprietor and says with an effervescent enthusiasm," Hey, Jet. This soup is really good! Can I have some more? "

[Ilmarë]

@Aldurin

Randy don't find anything dangerous, although he probably notices the thatch roof that continues to prove a fire hazard to the forge.

@tresson, Kvard, and HowNowBrownCow

Cailín catches Annie on her way out of the kitchen, to serve more soup to the visiting monk. "Sorry, Cailín. Jet has me working all day, as everyone's arriving. But you have to check this out! There are traders from Tamran this year, and they have an actual magic ring. He says it can make you jump as well as the rabbits it's decorated with."

Aubrin scoffs at this, having seen far more impressive feats of magic on her own adventure. She then goes back to telling Xoán the latest news. "It's odd. Molthune has always had its legions of monsters, but nothing like this. There are rumors that this new army can invade a town without any warning... and without any hope for its victims."

Jet interrupts. "Bah. Just another rumor. Probably some town just lost a fight with some hobgoblins. Doesn't need to be some ghost army."

[HowNowBrownCow]

The monk rapidly inhales the latest bowl of soup, spooning it into his mouth while he listens with rapt attention as the others in the inn are talking to each other. With the bowl finished, he sets it aside, his hunger apparently sated (at least, for now).

The monk rumbles in his languid, low bass," Hmmmm. A ghost army. I wonder what it's like, punching a ghost? Maybe it feels cold." Not the sharpest spade in the shed, our Saffron.

[Kvard51]

Xoan pulls himself out of his reverie over the wolves, hearing Aubrin for real. "Hmm. Certainly there are armies that strike so quickly as to render most response ineffective. But there is always hope. And forewarned is forearmed, as they say. We need to get to the Phaendar Trading Company and and get Sam some help."

[Aldurin]

Satisfied with his work, Randy decides it's time to take part in the festival, he heads back towards the center of town, looking to see what activity catches his eye the most.

[tresson]

"That sucks." Cailin said to Annie, "Hopeful she'll let you off some time this weekend. This festival only comes one a year after all."

Cailin said her goodbyes to Annie then scanned the room to see if anyone else she knew was there. Seeing Xoan talking to Aubrin so she walked over and greeted them. "Hi Xoan, hi Aubrin. Whatcha up to?"

[Kvard51]

"On the way to the Trading Company. Wolves attacked Ol' Sam Ohmsford's ox and he needs some help rebuilding the wall. What about yourself?"

Xoan continues walking while talking to Cailin, striding with purpose until his responsibility is discharged.