A bored and irritated looking man sat in one of the cages. He had smeared white makeup on his face and red rosy cheeks. He wore an ill-fitting, outlandish multi-colored getup over the top of what looked like a warrior's armor.
Next to his cage was a cartoon lion, curled up asleep on the ground.
A run-down stage next to them bore an arch with the words Be amazed! Watch the savage beast be tamed!
The man in the cage did a double-take when he saw real people and moved to grab the bars and peer out for a closer look. He seemed about to call out, but then looked at the sleeping lion and closed his mouth.
Instad of speaking, he waved frantically.
"Who are you all? Last I knew, I was alone in a tent with a fortune teller and was suddenly here... where did you come from?" Arim gazed at the group with suspicion.
There's the man in the cage, which they can see, now a strange caster creeping up behind them ... and the fight continuing a carnival aisle away. The cawing over there sounds a lot like laughter.
Seeing two more incongruous figures in this cartoony landscape, Dareon does a quick double-take between the two of them before putting one hand up to the clown man, waving a bit, and stepping closer to the lizard man.
Softly, he says, "I gotta tell you that I have no idea. The four of us were just in a tent, as you say, and now we're here. We might want to be cautious, however. See that man, there? I think he's being held captive, with that lion as his captor."
Yeah i see him, but what about the sind of fighting over there Terra says pointing towards the battle sounds not even looking at the cage.
then when the newcomer speaks she turns to face him her fists ready in case of ambush.
She tries to step closer to Sydney
Sydney steps between Terra and the newcomer, puffing up his already-broad chest and jutting out his chin.
"Who are you? he asks, glancing behind him at Terra to make sure there isn't ANOTHER creepy lizard-guy on the other side.
Dareon feels something strange in his pocket. Something square shaped.
He reaches into it, and pulls out an exquisite cards case. Opening it reveals a set of battered and used Harrow cards.
Strange...teleport combined with plane shift? Whatever triggered this is complex and magical
Flipping through the cards, he stops when he gets to The Carnival. Looking from between the image on the card to his surroundings, Dareon's eyes narrow.
Arim puts his hands up in an attempt to convey non-violence to the woman. My name is Arim Inva, and it seems we should work together to escape this place... Unless e want to end up like him." He says and points a finger towards the man in the cage.
When he sees Dareon drawing a card, Arim attempts to reach his arm with no success. "Are you trying to get us killed?! That's how I got here in the first place!"
"I have a feeling that the deck isn't going to kill us...if fussing with the deck was going to do that the first time, it would have. Right? And besides...speaking of that man there...shouldn't we do something?"
"Hmm... I suppose we probably should. Got anything to tame a lion in that deck of yours? The Deck of 'It-Didn't-Kill-Us-But-Dropped-Us-In-A-Strange-Carnival-So-I'll-Draw-Cards- From-It'? Arim says with heavy sarcasm.
Dareon holds up The Carnival card with a wan look on his face.
"This looks like a likely candidate. If that fails, I've got a few magic tricks up my sleeve that I bet this carnival hasn't seen."
You all feel a bit more comfortable in the area, as if using the card has made you a little more familiar with it - looking at the picture makes you feel a little less lost and confused.
In his mind, Dareon makes a sudden decision. He wasn't going to stand to see real people locked away when he could free them, even if they were still trapped after, at least they could stretch their legs.
Looking towards the man and his ridiculous-looking lion guard, Dareon holds one hand up while the other holds his cane. "Have no fear, I'll have you out of there in a few moments.", he whispers, and the sound carries all the way into the clown-warrior's ear.
"Alright everyone, shh." Dareon raises an index finger to his mouth before casting silence on himself.
He begins creeping towards the man.
with Daeron looking to free the caged man Terra slips around to see about the fighting sounds. thre could be someone in more trouble than the caged person.
Dareon manages to open the cage - less quiet are the sounds of the nearby scuffle, the cawing of the birds and whimpering of whatever victim it is carrying eerily through the lanes of otherwise deserted tents.
The Lion does't wake up, its tail just twitching in its sleep.
Terra bumbles right towards the sounds, not stealthy at all. She comes to what looks like a bunch more sloppily made up clowns - these are jaggedly drawn and grotesque mockeries of your standard carnival entertainers. They are oversized crows (Tengus), but their beaks and feathers are decorated with unlikely patterns and garish makeup that simply doesn't work on feathers instead of skin. There are four of them around a weak looking little ... guy ... kicking him and cawing their rough laughter. The man is curled up into a little ball under their assault, wearing drawn in chef's clothes, including a ridiculously tall hat that is now crumpled thanks to the beating.
Dareon motions silently (not that he has a choice) to the clown-y man to move away and out of the cage and towards his compatriots.
That's just plain mean, poor guy
Terra sets a firm footing feeling the ground beneath her feet. she then makes a motion with her hands like opening a curtain and with a twirl she sinks into the ground.
The clown in the cage nods at the sound of the voice, waiting, pointing to the lion's collar, where a key hung like a necklace.
The cawing of the birds turns to confusion, and the chef storykin squirms in Valterra's grip, startled. When they pop out of the ground, he is gasping, a little blue faced.
Vash is free! Though the squeaking and gasping of the chef is loud, and the crows are quite grouchy now, screeching and blundering about in the tents. A low growl starts to emanate from the lion, its ears twitching.
The cawing of the birds turns to confusion, and the chef storykin squirms in Valterra's grip, startled. When they pop out of the ground, he is gasping, a little blue faced.
your safe now, I'm sorry I had to do that but I needed to get you away from those mean birdmen
Terra tries to comfort him and calm him down.
Sydney can barely react to Terra's quick actions, but he approves of them nonetheless.
Sydney faces the birdmen, daring them with his look to challenge them.
Dareon eyes the growling lion nervously, and doesn't turn his back to it, but trusts in his spell and quietly tries to guide the clown warrior back to the relative safety of the group.
Arim looks towards the lion and readies himself to cast a Deep Slumber spell should the beast wake up.
So:
Tengus
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Dert
Arim
Vash
Terra
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Lion
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Dareon & Syndey
Seeing the birdmen charge him and Terra, Sydney's voice takes on the tenor of righteous anger. "Fall to your knees before the might of the Master of the First Vault!" he cries, as he casts command on the lead one.
Seeing the lion roar and leap to its feet, Dareon rapidly makes the motions and gestures, and then takes on a nearly seductive tone. "Lion. Why don't you just leave? I'll bet you can't make it far enough away.", Casting suggestion
So Dareon and Sydney and Arim can use their readied actions first.
The Tengu that runs at Syndey falls prone upon his command.
The Lion snorts at Dareon, either not understanding, or not caring ...
But then falls back asleep in its tracks with a sleepy mumble, falling heavily onto its side.
The rest of the Tengus surge forward at the group.
The Tengu on the ground tries to get up, meaning Vash gets an AOO.
Two of the tengus launch at Sydney.
The remaining Tengu hops around in the background with its shortsword, cawing, "Tell us! Tell us the news from the outside, of the master!"
terra adjusts her position so she is no longer adjacent to anyone then makes a circular arc line in the ground with he foot then with a few hand moves like she is scooping up dirt
Then with a rumble sound the ground beneath her rises up, giving her elevation (rise up 5' height) to give her a better view of the Tengus and prevent her companions from getting in her way of ranged attacks.
Vash came out of his cage like a man possessed. He was clearly angry at the birds.
As they attempted to strike out at the barrel chested man, Vash stepped into the path of the strikes, taking the cuts across his own upper arm.
When one of them fell to the ground in front of him he lashed out with a brutal kick...
Then, as it tried to rise, his leg lashed out again...
"Little feathered bastards! I don't know where the hell you took him, but I'm gonna love beating it outta ya..."
Vash promptly kicks the s!&& out of that one bird-brain. Well, some of the s+#% anyway. Its still alive, just considerably ... stomped.
The three tengus in a line do a funny kind of three-stooges stagger backwards from Vash's vicious onslaught.
And Arim, you can see the tengus!
Vash stepped into the breach opened by the tengu he'd just kicked out of his way.
"Pal, you're gonna want to get behind me." he said to the man who he'd just saved from a couple of sword-blows.
The odd gauntlet on his right arm extended a long coil with a pair of vicious fang-spikes on the end. He lashed out with it, wrapping it around the bird man in front of him's legs.
Then he lashes out at the bird-man on his left with a brutal kick to the legs.
"Normally, I'd tell you bird-brains to stay down, but I really want you to get back up. Really."
The serpent coil retracted and the gauntlet flared out like a cobra's hood as Vash set himself into a defensive posture.
STOMP STOMP STOMP. Vash squashes the first Tengu flat in a splatter of feathers and feeble cawing, and trips and kicks the second one pretty good too.
Mijndert moves up and around the line of tents to face the lone Tengu. Brudder, yous jus' havin' a bad day. He draws back his fist and lets the swing fly.
Oh that's okay, that's a Tengu down. Also, OMG. >.>
Arim casts Haste on the group.
4 level 3 spells/day left.
"Thanks, um..pal. I hope you don't mind if I sit this one out."
Sydney will kneel to check on the cook-man while bathing himself in healing light.
The slashes melt away under the light of Abadar.
"Are you okay?" he asks the gasping cook.
Dareon sees his accomplice take hits, and his new compatriots leap into action.
In a clear, commanding voice honed by years in a lecture hall, he begins a joke.
"Hey birdman, what do lilypads do?"
He waits for a response, but only a moment, before saying "Floatosynthesis."
Dareon sighs in relief as he sees his friend's wounds melt away, and that he is safe.