The Big Goblin Feast

“The Big Goblin Feast”
Rise of the Runelords episode
Episode no.	Episode 69
Date	2009
Game Master	Abbe
Characters	Honeypot Nathaniel Nell Velicia
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Building a Life" "The Giant Attack"
Rise of the Runelords chapter list

In this chapter a feast is held in Sandpoint to celebrate the defeat of the goblins a year ago.

The Big Goblin Feast

Honeypot, Nathaniel, Velicia and I had all gathered in Sandpoint for the celebration of the new feast of goblins. I had gotten a room at the Rusty Dragon. All the rooms in all taverns were filled and farmers from all around had gathered for the feast.

It was a warm beautiful day. There was a slight breeze from the east. I walked around town and saw the expectations in the people's eyes. Especially the children was excited. Even more so than last year. The last of the food were brought out of the kitchens and put on the tables.
"The food is really the greatest thing with this whole feast." I stated.
"No. It's the wine that's the best." Honeypot disagreed.
"If you keep to the wine, there will be more food for me." I answered and added "Not that there's any lack of it.".
We were offered seats at the same table as the mayor, the sheriff and other important people. We were still the heroes of the goblin attack.

The feast was starting and food was brought to us. After a while I was tired of waiting for the waiters to bring more food and excused myself and headed over to the food tables. I called out for Kaven and we walked between the tables tasting everything. Somehow I thought that the food had been better last year, but I hid my slight disappointment. Still there were some good courses. I told Kaven to remember those and see if he could try to make them. I think he has improved a lot as a cook lately.

Mayor Kendra Deverin rose from the table and stood in the middle. She raised her voice and the murmur settled down. As she started her speech I returned to my seat. I listened to her talking to everyone that had gathered and thought of all the people I've spoken to lately. Somehow I knew I had to hold a speech of my own. I started preparing what to say. Velicia, who was sitting by my side, helped. While Father Zantus replaced the mayor I was writing down some words for my speech. When Zantus fell silent and stepped down, I rose and took his place. Suddenly it felt weird. I was used to many people looking at me, but I was always surprising, never filling expectations. I spoke the words of the speech we had written, as if every sentence was the most important thing I had ever said.
"This day is call'd the feast of goblins.
He that outlived that day, that passed a year ago,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of the goblin feast.
He that have lived that day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is the feast of goblins.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Goblin's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Nathaniel the Brave, Dorothea the Starstruck,
Velicia the Mage, Honeypot the Alluring, Nell the Nimble
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And the Goblin Feast shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we people of Sandpoint
For we to-day celebrating this feast together
Are the people of Sandpoint; be he ne'er so vile,
This day should gentle his condition;
And folk of Perrenland now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their stories cheap whiles any speaks
That celebrated with us upon the Feast of Goblin's day."
Everybody cheered so much I was almost embarrassed. That ended the speeches and as I sat down the waiters came with more food and drink. I enjoyed the food but as usual kept to water.

As the afternoon turned into evening we heard a scream.
"The goblins are coming!"
I jumped up from the table, but the laughter that followed stilled my mind. Children in the age of maybe five to ten came pouring down Church Street from the northern gate. They were all dressed up as goblins. They had flapping green wool ears, silly hats and painted big smiling mouths over their own. The older ones were carrying candles and they sang funny songs and giggled. The procession walked up to a pile of wood and lit the traditional bonfire. Then the little goblins walked among the tables demanding sweets.

Ven Vinder approached Nathaniel and started talking about how he set his only remaining daughter astray. She used to be a prosperous good girl but now she was a serving wench in the harbor and wanted to become an actress. He blamed that and most of all his misfortune on Nathaniel, who instead of getting angry from pride felt pity for the man and offered wine to him instead. Soon Ven passed out from all the drink and several of the people around, heaved a sigh of relief. His wife excused her husband and brought him home.

The guests was starting to feel satisfied and were singing and enjoying themselves when Mayor Deverin hushed them and announced that there would be entertainment. She left and was replaced by two men in strange clothes that came somersaulting in, followed by a man walking on stilts and juggling knives and a woman juggling torches. They put on an impressive show of acrobatics, juggling and fire-breathing. The acrobats were very funny and it was all in a strange way reminding of the goblin attack, but never really telling the story. The audience screamed with laughter and when they finished the cheering seemed to never end.

They were a hard act to follow, but Honeypot took up the challenge. She sang a song about heroism and then told the tale of our deeds that started a year ago. Her story was much appreciated and all the listeners cheered whenever a hero of the story defeated a goblin. The tale continued with our attack on Thistletop. Velicia enhanced the play with her magic, while Honeypot played both heroes and villains. I thought that she needed help so I borrowed a hat with goblin ears left by one of the younger children who had left for bed and joined Honeypot on stage. She immediately included me in the story. I ran around crouched over and somersaulted off stage when hit. But when her story left the areas around Sandpoint the audience was loosing interest. I thought that they should hear the whole story and I tried to find a way to regain their interest. I quickly took the stilts a jester had used earlier and Kavens cloak. Putting those on, smearing some jam on my cheeks, putting half an onion in one cheek and the point of a carrot as a big tooth in the other corner of my mouth, I got up on the stilts and charged at Honeypot swinging a crooked cucumber as my ogre hook. The children still watching screamed at the onslaught of this tall hideous creature. Honeypot heroically stopped the evil ogres trying to eat her or break a dam to destroy her village, always defeating me, making me stumble away. When she did an exceptionally inspired strike I made a back flip on the stilts and staggered back to die, all surrounded by Velicia's illusionary magic. The audience not only got their interest back. They laughed and cheered for all of her story.

Afterwards everyone wanted to talk to Honeypot and I hardly saw her anymore that evening. I went for a last tour of the food tables. There were mostly empty plates, but there were a few courses that had been hidden behind bigger ones that were well worth tasting even this late. Even though the feast was still very much going on I went to bed early. When I left there were drunk singing and some couples getting intimate. I noted though that Nathaniel had already left.