It takes some time to catch up but you are able to do so. The colorful wagons and carts you see are just as much of a spectacle as the show within the big top. The worries of the world seem to fall away once you catch up and fall in with the caravan.
It seems that you are not the only one with the idea of traveling dangerous roads with the large caravan. You see bards, gleeman, and performers tailing the caravan. You would know that carnivals bring people from all over the country side and that taverns, inns, and village squares would be packed with people looking for entertainment once the carnivals close for the evening. These men and women are just opportunistic entrepreneurs looking to earn a gold crown or two, its not everyday that you are able to find yourself fortunate enough to have such a large attraction hailing a captivated crowd for you to entertain.
On the second full day of traveling alongside the caravan you realize that there is a great divide between the carnival folk, and those traveling with them. They treat each other well enough, but they don’t fully interact with one another. The carnival folk keep to themselves...
It is also on this day that you find a few familiar faces; Ping, Ting, and Fling. Their gnomish faces are split with a smile as they all see you riding in your cart being pulled by two donkeys. In a blur of words they all chime in at once.
“I told you he was traveling with the caravan!” Ping says as he playfully slaps Fling with the back of his hand on Flings chest. Ting responds as he sees your cart; “Look! We don’t have to walk anymore!!” as they climb into your cart and find what room they can, Fling rubs his lower back and says; “Ooohhhh this is what I’m talkin about.”
All at once, in perfect unison, almost as if they had been practicing it, the Ibbleting triplets say; “Can we ride with you Agnus?”
Without giving a moments pause Fling chimes in; “Ping lost our ponies in a bet!” “I did? I did!! What do you call that move you made back there... you know the drill” Ping says back angrily. Unless stopped the three gnomes go back and forth bickering between one another over a bet. It is hard to really know what is going on because they fluently go from common to gnomish back to common again in their argument.
All you do know is that the people who are traveling along side of you begin to look at the newest traveling spectacle, your cart...
I don’t know why I didn’t see this beforehand but as per the module you cannot be part of the carnival. I am just having you travel with them, like many others would be doing. You wouldn’t have any real connections to the carnival folk.
Uleg has had an interesting journey on his road to reconnecting with the Umbra Carnival. Misconnection after misconnection has left Uleg earning his keep as an entertainer at inns and taverns. Though it is not the same as the songs or ballads most would expect to hear in these locations, the musicians seem to give him a share of the coin as Uleg was the spark to the fire when it came to getting the people up and dancing. Sometimes leaving the town in a hurry on his pony as he danced with a young las that was betrothed to a jealous man.
Today his luck has changed. Uleg has learned that the carnival will be in Ilsurian in a few days as it has just left Korvosa. Fortunately for Uleg, he was already in route from Kaer Maga to Magnimar and just passed through Biston on the shore of Lake Syrantula.
When the Umbra Carnival begins setting up in a town they send a scout, a rider ahead of then to the next city they stop at. Along the way the rider goes into villages and their inns to spread the news. The rider that Uleg met was a half-orc man that looked capable of handling himself.
As Uleg rides towards Ilsurian he pulls out the flyer that the half-orc man was passing out. “Visit the ‘Midway’ and test your abilities with games of skill and chance!” “See the exotic creatures and oddities at the ‘Sideshow.’” and “Are you bold and daring enough to enter ‘The Lair of the Sphinx?’” Are headlines that jump off the pages in their bright bold colors.
Saddened a little, Uleg does not see a headline announcing “Sworos the Swift, the stepdancer of the Umbra Carnival.” Giving himself a reassuring nod and smile Uleg things to himself; They cannot fit all the acts on these flyers.
As he rounds the southern edge of the Ashwood, Uleg catches his first glimpse of Ilsurian. It is a small village, buy beautifully laid out on the hill country side shore on Lake Syrantula. Seeing a bridge to cross the river just to the north of town, Uleg makes his way to enter into the village.
Lethyr finds himself sitting alone at a table. Looking across the room, not exactly at anyone but more through all of the people there. Unaware that he is doing it, Lethyr is tapping his ring against his empty glass mug. He is deep in thought. Slowly, as if waking up from a dream, Lethyr comes to and starts to become aware of his surroundings.
There is knocking on the table he is sitting at; “Hello? I said would you like more to drink?” looking around the woman next to your table begins talking to herself. “Where did Natalie run off to now? I knew that girl was going to be worthless from the start...” Directing her attention back at you, the human female before you gives you a welcoming smile and leans on your table as she takes your mug. “How about this, I will go get this refilled for you while you snap out of that little day dream you were having. The names Noria, give me a shout if you need anything.” with a wink she stands back up and starts off.
From a quick guess you’d believe that Noria is about middle aged and she is attractive. She is wearing tight pants that are tucked into calf high boots. Her loose fitting white top flows freely as she walks that reveals a red form fitting shirt below. As she makes her way behind the bar she sets your mug on the counter and heads off through the double doors behind the bar. “Where did that girl go! I told you that she would be...” her voice trails off as she goes deeper into the room behind and the doors swing closed.
For the first time since entering into the Two Waters Tavern you fully take in the room. It is full of people eating and drinking this evening. There is a man in a cloak made of scarves of every color and pattern that is tuning up a lute next to the fireplace. Across the other side of the room there looks to be a man who is sickly, skin slightly damp looking and has a shiver to him.
Your attention is quickly pulled away from him as the front doors burst open. A half-orc man in traveling clothes quickly enters the room and makes a B line for the counter. He says something to the man behind the counter and he disappears through the double doors. A few moments later he comes back with Noria quickly following behind him. She greats him with a warm smile, but you are unable to hear their conversation. The half-orc man places a large colorful piece of paper on the counter, gives her a nod, and makes his way back through the front doors.
Noria hands the paper to the man and waves her hand towards the entry. He goes and hangs it near the door. From your position you can see it is a colorful flyer, but the only words you can make out on the top are “Umbra Carnival.”
As Noria is watching him hand the flyer, she scans the room. Making eye contact with you she jumps to it, fills your mug and brings it to your table. “Sorry about that, this one is on me...” she slides the mug in front of you and with a smile she continues; “You must be new around here, I haven’t seen you before. So, whats got you so deep in thought?”
Noria is a name you have heard before in the short time you have been in this town. She is Noria Arephion, owner and operator of the Two Waters Tavern.
Selkyon is sitting on the floor, holding a little wooden toy horse, as he watches young Ruby play on the floor with a few toys. She is kneeling and spinning having two horses race in a circle. All the while she is humming a tune that she is currently making up. A smile crosses Selkyon’s face as she stops spinning and starts to loose balance. She stumbles forward and catches herself on Selkyon’s knee, looks up at him and laughs her playful laugh.
Grabbing ahold of Selkyon’s hand, Ruby begins to try to pull him from his chair. “Come and play with me Selkee, come and play.” With her adorable smile and tiny voice, there is no living being in all of Golarion that could resist her request.
Sitting across from Selkyon is Ruby’s mother, Laura. She laughs a little; “Oh honey, don’t pull Selkee.. she adds her daughters pronunciation with a little teasing wrinkle of the nose; “onto the floor. I am sure he doesn’t want to crawl around as you do.” She smiles as she gets up and grabs a broom from the corner.
Beginning to sweep she looks towards Selkyon; “It has been great having you around these past few days. My father doesn’t come around often and it is always a joy to hear stories about him. I was wondering how long you would be staying? Clence brought this home last night.” she sets down her broom in the corner and picks up a piece of paper, she hands it to Selkyon. It is a small flyer that says “Umbra Carnival” across the top and it highlights a few of the attractions. “It should be here and open in a few days. I would love it if you would be able to go with us, it would be our treat. Its not much, but it would be a little thank you for all the help you have been these past couple of days.”
"It's fine, Laura, really," Selkyon smiles back, letting Ruby uselessly tug his hand for a while, before complying with her game. He sits cross-legged next to her, ruffling absently her ginger hair -so unlike Hirschen's, though she inherited his chocolate skin. Sometimes it amazes him, how quickly humans can change, how different two generations can be, and yet how tiny glimpses of the past can stick to them, like a muffled echo of what used to be.
"It's been almost ten years since I last saw him," he admits, picking up a tiny toy house (was it Paprika or Princess?)."I'm surprised to hear that he's still on the road."
As he engages in a race with Ruby, he muses over what pushed Hirschen to return to his mercenary ways after raising Laura. He had never been able to stay at one place for more than a few months, but Selkyon had believed him to be officially retired. Was he too much of a globe-trotter? Did he need the money? Or did he flee, Selkyon wonders, slowing his horse down ever so slightly to let Ruby win. There are times when he can hardly believe that two generations could have been born without him getting a wrinkle. That deep sense of loneliness -he knows it all too well.
Hirschen had always been the optimistic type, much more at ease with human relationships than Selkyon, but did he come to feel it, too? The ranger surely hopes not.
Thankfully, Laura distracts him from his dark thoughts by handing him a piece of paper. An invitation to a Carnival, no less. He thinks of an afternoon watching Ruby play, spoling her with candy, winning her a teddy bear to take back home.
He thinks of the crowd, the side glances he gets when most humans notice his scarred face and knife-cut hair, the way his heart usually sinks and urges him to leave, now.
He desperately wants to go.
He is afraid to go.
"Are you sure it's no bother for Clence?" he finally asks, his eyes roaming over the colourful flyer as if it was withholding information from him.
He somehow doubted that inviting him had been Clence's idea.
For such a small town, Ilsurian is packed with people. Most dwarfs would probably have simply braced themselves against the steady flow of people, forcing the river of people to pass by them.
Uleg, however, danced. Not really, of course, there was no music, and the street had it's own rhythm, but his feet seemed to barely touch the ground as he weaved between the people.
Yet, his eyes were not really on the other visitors swarming around him. He did not notice the multitude of races, from elves to irfits, from gnomes to orcs. Neither did he pay any attention to the stalls making the narrow street even narrower or the numerous ale houses and inns that probably had the best day in years.
Cursing his short, dwarfish heritage, even if he was relatively tall for one of the mountain people, Uleg kept searching for any sign of Sworos. Even if there had been no sign so far, a top act like that would surely be placed on a stage in the town center, so that was where he was headed.
Contrary to the streets, the little square in the town's center was easily navigatable - probably because there was no show going on, right now.
Grabbing on of the humans in brightly colored clothes, that seemed to belong to the carnival, Uleg finally decided to get some answers.
"You there, boy.", for surely the human could be no more than 25, maybe 30 years old, "when is Sworos the Swift coming on." Uleg politely (for a dwarf, at least).
Angus can't help but snicker at the bickering sisters. He has only met them a few times before, but they were a lively bunch and having three pretty women on his cart is hardly the worse thing to happen to him.
"Sure, y'all can ride, but after y'all get done fussin', I'm gonna want the whole story in Taldane if ya don't mind."
"Okay!" The three sisters say sweetly in three-part harmony as they interrupt their argument.
"Just so you know, it's all Ping's fault," Ting tells Angus in his right ear, sotto voce.
"Yeah," Fling agrees from his left, "She can't bluff for turnips."
An indignant "Hey!" and the muttering of a few arcane words were all the warning the two of them got before their hair started to change color.
"Ah well, so much for the peace and quiet," Angus mutters to himself as the argument returns to full burn again with flashes of magic now as the magic pranks started. At least his hair wasn't pink this time.
"Quiet's overrated anyway, right ya Cheeks?"
The donkeys only give a glance back before snorting. The tail of the one on the left flutters for a moment before a noxious smell wafts over the cart and ends the argument in a chorus of complaints.
"Gah! That's it! No more cheap beer for you, Left Cheek!" Angus cried as he waved his hat in a vain effort to clear the air. The offending ass just gives a braying snicker as it bobs its head.
Lethyr smiles. "Pondering the past, portents, and perils. I sometimes lose myself to auguries. The future was occurring at the same time as the present, and I had my attention on the wrong one it seemed. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Noria. I am Lethyr, and I shall invite you to share a drink at my expense then if this one is at yours. Provided your husband does not mind or think me forward, of course."
His eyes take in the words on the flyer, and he smiles, a carnival was a fabulous time, and the word Umbra seemed to suggest a manner of intrigue and mystique. He could perhaps even ply his alternate trade there, should the occasion arise. "And as you do, you could tell me about the visitor, the carnival man? Is that something that has been here before?"
Laura smiles and nods as you speak about her father; “Oh, I am sure you know how it is. Once you’re in that adventuring life, traveling across the world, saving people, recovering lost items, turning tides in wars, or whatever it is that happens, coming back to a small village like this and settling down would be hard to do.” looking at the door but in a way that she appears to be looking through it she continues; “I don’t hold it against him. I still have my memories of him.” shaking her head as she snaps out of her thoughts, she walks up and runs her fingers through Ruby’s hair; “besides, I have a family of my own that I have to take care of. With a second coming so soon,” she rubs her pregnant stomach; “there is a lot to do.”
As you look over the flyer and look back up at Laura, you can see a bit of excitment in her eyes; “Clence... he will be fine. We need this. With has hard as he has been working to help bring home some extra coin this will be a good way to take his mind off of things. Besides, I am sure you two can get to know each other while walking around,” she comes around behind you to read the highlights; “and looking at the ‘Sideshow’ and the ‘Lair of the Sphinx.’” with a slight sigh, “He is a proud and stubborn man, but I know deep down he is happy to have a little extra help around here.”
Giving you a playful slap on the shoulder; “Besides, the carnival is tomorrow! I hear there is going to be a parade that will go through the middle of town that leads to the big top itself. It is going to be fun, don’t you worry!”
Ruby continues to play on the floor with her wooden toys.
You make your way through the town, following the hustle and bustle of commotion that comes with the arrival of a carnival. You do catch a few side ways glances as you flow through the crowd with great ease. You even hear a little boy say as he is pulling on the hand of his mother “Look mommy! He must be with the carnival! Can we go see it, can we!!!” You realize that being this close to Janderhoff, the Dwarven Sky Citadel, that these people have seen dwarves pass through regularly. You, though, are very unique compared to them. Agile, graceful, and soft. You are moving speedily, yet elegantly and effortlessly. All are terms that are typically not used with a dwarf.
As you make your way, you find yourself just to the south west of town to a flat clearing on the hillside where all of the workers preparing the grounds for the carnival. You make your way through brightly colored wagons and find a young man pulling wooden crates out of one of them and ask about Sworos the Swift; “Listen, the carnival is tomorrow. Can’t you see I’ve got unloading to do? This place won’t set itself up on its own ya know. Sworos will be on tomorrow. Check in with the caller at the midway. He can help you out. Unless you want to help with the set up, you should just get outta here. I’ve got work to do.”
It could be that you did not exactly have a clear view of what all was going on around you, but somehow you missed that the carnival was not up and ready to go. All is well, it is a new town! Many places to visit and explore before the carnival tomorrow.
The days go by as you travel on the tail of the caravan. Long days as the train haul on from before sunup and stop just before sundown. Its amazing to see the celebration that goes on at night around the wagons of the carnival. They are a people who love entertainment and a good time. Music, dancing, and ale fill the evenings.
You spend your days and evenings in the company of the lovely company of the three gnomish sisters; Ping, Ting, and Fling. They are a rambunctiously entertaining trio that attracts others to join around your campfires at night. People come and form a little community of sorts over these few days of travel. Sharing stories, meat, and ale.
As you arrive in Ilsurian, you quickly become overwhelmed by the droves of people who come out to see the arrival of the caravan. In the open country side the size of the caravan doesn’t seem to be large, but when you approach the small village of Ilsurian it quickly seems overwhelming. The carnival folk, their wagons and animals break off to the south west of Ilsurian.
From here those who are following the caravan break of in their own direction. Some go west to Magnimar, others go north to Kaer Maga, and the remaining folk make their way into Ilsurian itself to find places to say that will allow their performance skills to pay for their lodging and food.
Noria gives you a smile as she leans in; “Oh hun, my husband wouldn’t mind. I lost him to the sea many years ago. Left me with a pocket full of coin and this place.” she says as she gestures with her hands to show off the place. “But, I’ve learned long ago not to drink while working... it only leads to a rough night. Also, I am short on staff. The new girl I hired seems to have gone off. I thank you for the invite, maybe later this evening.”
She hears some commotion behind her and looks over her shoulder and turns back to you; “Hang on.” she moves away from your table and heads towards a table that has two young man standing in front of the table where you saw the sickly man. You can’t tell exactly what they are saying, but from the look of it they aren’t exactly friendly. As Noria is halfway across the room you hear her shout; “HEY!” and then she lowers her voice as she gets closer.
You see her back hand one of the men on his shoulder as she is clearly giving them a stern talking to followed by her motioning to the door. Watching the two of them leave she pats the sickly man on the arm and heads back to your table.
“Sorry about that, those two have been trouble since the day they were born. Anyway, you were asking about that man with the carnival. Being on a trade route we do get lots of travelers and entertainers, but we don’t have carnivals frequently. From the look of the flyer, it should be a good time. They are supposed to be ready to go tomorrow. He mentioned something about a parade coming through town tomorrow afternoon. It will kill business during the times they are in operation, but once they are closed the taverns and inns will be packed.”
As she says that her head shoots up and looks around; “I better go find some extra help while the carnival is in town. If you need anything else don’t hesitate to flag me down.”
She makes her way off behind the bar and through the doors to the back room.
So far, getting along with Clence, despite efforts on both parts, hasn't been a tremendous success. But Laura seems so happy, and Selkyon doesn't have the heart to be a bother once again.
He gives a faint smile -a smile that looked almost whole enough to make a careless observer overlook all its missing parts.
"Sure. It's going to be fun," he replies calmly, brushing a tiny spider off Ruby's hair out of fear she might get stung.
Lethyr watches the goings-on with detached interest. He sees the scolding, the departure, and notes the sickly man at the other table. "My thanks for your hospitality, Noria."
He leaves a few coins on the table once he is finished, a few coppers of course, he wasn't rolling in the sort of money to be leaving behind silver or gold. He walks over to the table with the sickly individual before he leaves, and inquires if he is well. A palm is placed on the man's back, and from the ring warm energy will suffuse through the other's body.
At the same time, Lethyr evaluates the other's health, using the hand on the back as a test of heartbeat and lungs.
Uleg stopped for a moment, clearly embarrassed that he had missed the missing carnival in his exitement.
Then, the fact that Sworos was still out and performing brought a blossoming smile to his face.
My thanks, boy. Don't let me keep you, then.
With a new spring in his steps, he makes his way deeper into town. Best find place to sleep first, he mumbles to himself, preferebly some place where the innkeeper is in need of a good show and ready to strike a bargin. Then find that Midway.
Angus is more than happy for the company and tells stories while the others eat around his cook fire. He isn't much of a cook, but he is learning and the food's passable. After supper and a couple of rounds, the Ibbleting sisters start to dance and sing. Even with the long days of travel, it's a fine way to spend the evenings.
His first view of Ilsurian lights up his face in boyish glee. Absolom was far larger, but the hillside city on the lake has a beauty all it's own. The three gnomish sisters look on in awe, their heads peeking around his and over his shoulders.
"Beautiful. Maybe one of you should paint this," Angus says as he pulls Left Cheek and Right Cheek to a stop for a moment as he waited for the road below to clear a little.
"Sure," Fling says after a moment. For once, the triplets are stunned silent.
Angus guides the cart into town and once he sees someone that looks local, likely a farmer here for the Carnival and the market, he calls out to them.
"Hello there! You seem to be a knowledgable fellow. Where might a few travelers find some warm beds and maybe a chance to earn some coin helping out or entertaining," Angus asks with a winning smile.