The arrival of the fall merchants' caravan heralds the start of the Festival of Songs and the beginning of the harvest season. New Hellknights recruits relieve guards from Fort Inevitable, while seasoned soldiers take a few days of rest before heading north to the Mendev crusades.
The Festival of Songs celebrates both the musical talent (good and bad) of the inhabitants of Fort Inevitable and their drunken propensities. This is the one festival where the taps flow freely and public drunkenness is allowed, and it ranks as the most preferred holiday by the residents of the area.
Having spend a few days resting, the Coopers are looking forward to this festival, of which they have heard much praise. Along with the vast numbers of stands serving everything from foods to spices, clothes, weapons, and other exotic services, there are ale stations at just about every street corner, and four main events highlight this day: Hell's Race, which takes place around the training fields and on Juliver Way; the Dueling Song Blades, where opponents fight with musical reed swords and attempt to make the best song while delivering blows on each other; the Drunken Daggers feat, where opponents throw daggers at a target; and the main event, the Songs of Fools, where participants are encouraged to pen and perform an original bawdy song in as bad a manner as possible. The worst performance, as judged by the crowd, wins the grand prize.
The quarterly mustering of the Hellknights takes place in the morning, along with the usual execution of criminals. One of the executed individuals was caught smuggling, and he forfeited both his life and his house, which will be used as tonight's prize for the Songs of Fools.
Darelle decides she will participates in Hell's Race. Starting on the mustering field, participants will first drink a tankard, then run down the road to the corner, where they must clear a ditch. After the ditch they drink a tankard, then head to a wall made up of odd wagons and furniture. They must climb the wall, then drink a tankard before coming down. At the second corner they must spin around six times, before drinking another tankard. A mad dash to the statue in the main square, where participants must jump the ledge, land on the status, kiss it, and then make the other ledge and spring to the third corner, where they drink another tankard. Participants must then walk on a thirty feet beam to the fourth corner, have one more tankard, and make a mad dash to the finish line. The winner of this event receives a golden tankard worth about 150 crowns. The field of participants is large, but Darelle manages to sprint ahead of the crowd. After a few fumbles along the way and much drinking. Thankfully, however, she is not as inebriated as the rest of the field by the end and manages to cross the finish line first.
Later on in the afternoon, both Thorne and Darelle decide to enter the Dueling Song Blades event, taking place on the mustering field. Armed with reed swords shaped like flutes, participants in this event attempt to hit each other by swinging the sword, creating music. The harder the hit, the better the music. Participants play against an opponent, and winners advance to the next round. For every three consecutive misses, a participant must drink a tankard. Thorne wins his first bout but must drink a few tankards. Darelle wins her first bout as well. Eventually both Coopers meet in the final round, and Darelle wins against Thorne. She receives a golden flute about 150 crowns.
Before the evening meal, the crowd gathers back on the field for the Drunken Daggers. In this event, one participant stands in front of a target while another throws daggers at the target. If the target is hit, the thrower moves back, increasing the difficulty. If the person standing in front of the target is hit, the thrower is eliminated. If the target is missed the thrower must drink a tankard. If the person standing in front of the target moves out of the way of the knife, he must also drink a tankard. Daryle decides to enter this event, and though she is hit once she eventually triumphs over a crowded field, and she wins a golden dagger worth about 150 crowns.
Finally, the main event takes place after a communal meal on the mustering field. Everyone can participate in The Songs of Fools, either individually or as a group. This is the event that is most appreciated by the crowd, and the music and lyrics are so bad but the free ale makes it all better. Gerald decides to participate in this event, and he pens and sings Hooray, it was inevitable! at the Songs of Fools, to much applause. At the end of the night it is deemed the worst performance, and this earns him the top prize, a house formerly owned by a smuggler who was executed in the morning. Gerald can pick up the keys the following day.
It's been so lonesome since my horse died
Hooray, it was inevitable!
The goblins killed my favorite ride
Hooray, it was inevitable!
And I barely got away with my hide
Hooray, it was inevitable!
I almost never got back home today.
Hooray, it was inevitable!
Because my horse being slightly smarter
Hooray, it was inevitable!
Than me in every way.
Hooray, it was inevitable!
For he was the only one who knew the way
Hooray, it was inevitable!
Back home
After the festivities, the Coopers head out to see their new house. On the way there Gerald notices movement in the back of the house. The Coopers capture a teenage girl, who professes to being chased by thugs. A nearby Hellknight patrol is alerted, and the captain announces he will take the girl in custody and question her. At that exact moment, a drunken group of men comes through and assaults the patrol. In the fray the girl manages to escape, but Gerald catches up with her. She tells Gerald that she has a tuning key, and the Black Circle must not get their hands on the key. She entrusts the key to Gerald, and then disappears in the night. Meanwhile, Daryle and Darelle assist the patrol and manage to slay all of the assailants. Darelle uses her healing skills to save the life of the Hellknight captain
The Key of Micharmus is wrapped in a green silk pouch. When revealed, the tuning key appears to have been made of the purest silver, and shines brightly even in darkness. When struck, a single pure C note spreads and can be heard up to a mile away. As the sound fades, a silvery image begins to glow above the key. A set of stairs being to unfurl downwards, leading to a ghostly library. Large wooden bookcases are heavy with books and maps
Gerald wraps the tuning key snuggly into a black pouch, and will go talk to the silversmith to find out how much it would cost to make a tuning key and then place it in the original pouch.
Rova 3, 4711
In the morning, Gerald visits Goldfoot's Mercantile, where he purchases a silver tuning key of roughly the same shape as the Key of Micharmus. He takes the new tuning key to Abernard and asks him about putting some enchantments on the tuning key. Abernard tells him that it will not be a problem, and by the time all is done the fake tuning key looks fairly close to the original.
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