The Mad Mug is a one-story structure with a broad front porch. A sign outside depicts a cartoonish beer mug bearing a furiously angry expression, its frothy contents steaming.
A quartet of uncouth looking men linger on the porch. As you arrive they immediately begin to heckle, "Ain’t nothin’ hereabouts that
merits a visit from the likes’a you."
"S..s..seems Circus Folk really don't belong anywhere?" Charlie looks around a bit disappointed. "Jest c..c..came for a drink." Goliath comes up behind him., letting out a small growl.
Chark shakes her head. Is this what passes for a friendly greeting here? she says, showing incredulity. Surely you're not suggesting our coin isn't as good as anyone else's. She smiles slightly as Goliath growls behind her. Now you've gone and made our friend mad. That seems to fit in at a place called the Mad Mug, doesn't it? But I'll bet you won't much like him when he's mad.
Tiny thinks to himself Ugh, I really don't want to get my knuckles scraped up again if I can't help it, or heaven forbid get this tooth knocked out...
”Everywhere is brightened by the Circus of Wayward Wanderers. You’ll see!”
”Way to read the room, mate.”
Hermann nudges the closest member of our group...
”He gets stuff.” He says with a wink.
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"Wha... whaa.... what's amatter boy, you you you st st st stupid?"
Charlie's attempt falls on deaf ears, and despite Chark's solid attempt, these guys seem predisposed and hell bent on teaching you a lesson.
"The pretty one makes a nice speech, so I'll tell you what. We'll let you leave without kicking your asses. Sound like a nice compromise?"
They're obviously ready for a fight. Despite the early hour, they're all drinking. They've got daggers on their hips, but not much more....
Tiny internally sighs as he takes a deep breath in and takes a step up. "What, you're gonna say I'm too short next? I didn't know they served milk here for you little boys, run along home before ya get hurt."
"Easy there, friends! No need to be so adversarial. I'm sure we can let bygones be bygones, right? No harm if we just go inside, right?" Here, let me just play a quick song, Dendillion says, raising his instrument. "Let me just amplify the sound," he adds innocuously, weaving magic into his words to charm the ringleader.
Charlie reflexively loosens his whip on his side, leaving it well coiled but the handle in his hand as he gives Dendillion a chance.
Dendillion works his way into the mind of one of the men, though "ringleader" is a bit of a strong term.
"Hey guys, this lot isn't so bad. Look I know this guy. He's good. You remember him at the circus? Good show. He you... dude guy friend. Sorry about the mix up."
The others are flummoxed by their comrade's reaction. "What in Cayden's Codpiece are you blathering about ya fool‽"
The others get up and look like they're going to attack! "What the hell did you do to him?"
(T, LLV)
(T)
(E)
(T)
(T)
Round 1:
Chark: Go
Ruffians: TBD
Tiny: TBD
Haldan: TBD
Dendillion: TBD
Charlie: TBD
We helped him see reason, Chark says simply. We could end your miserable lives right now, but we're not much in the mood to stain the ground here with your blood, she says, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness. Well, not yet, anyway. Keep talking, though.
She directs a ray of black, heatless flame at Black.
She then summons a magical shield of force.
The ruffian gets lucky and shakes off Chark's spell. Three of them hurl bottles at the party then drawing daggers, the fourth seems confused, "Guys! What the hell?"
Two throw their bottles at Tiny:
for
MISS
And one at Chark:
for
Round 1:
Chark: Ray
Ruffians: ATK
Tiny: Go
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Charlie: Go
Chark will use Shield Block to deflect the bottle. With a flourish, of course.
Wrong answer, children.
Charlie releases Goliath as the bear pounds across the dirt swiping at the thugs coming out of the doorway.
HP 11/30
AC 19 (21 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield [AC Bonus +2] [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 14/24; -2 CHA
AC 16
"Ow! exclaims Tiny as he wipes the blood from his cheek where the bottle scratched him.
Rusuhing up to support the bear Tiny drops low into his tiger stance before attempting to subdue the young ruffian.
Tiny's two quick hits knock the man clean out! The others stare a bit in awe. Goliath nearly mauls another . The men shout "HELP! HELP! Pruana get out here!"
Round 1:
Chark: Ray
Ruffians: ATK
Tiny: KO!
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Go
Charlie: Grrrrr
Red: KO
Blue: 6
Action 1: Reach Spell
Action 2-3: Ghost Sound
Hoping to keep reinforcements elsewhere, Dendillion plays his lute. But instead of a normal lick or chord progression to generate sounds he plays a single note with a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs to make it ring out. He then hits a single B minor chord.
The sound of loud muttering, footsteps, and a repetitive banging sound can be heard from the north side of the building! He seems to be near a window on the face of the building.
Dendillion distracts the ruffians, "Oh crap! There are more?" The man in the black shirt looks like he's going to check it out.
ound 1:
Chark: Ray
Ruffians: ATK
Tiny: KO!
Haldan: Go
Dendillion: Illusion
Charlie: Grrrrr
Red: KO
Blue: 6
1d4 ⇒ 4
Stride and produce flame.
Haldan's card is the wrong suit for the occasion!
Round 2:
Chark: Go
Ruffians: TBD
Tiny: TBD
Haldan: TBD
Dendillion: TBD
Charlie: TBD
Red: KO
Blue: 6
White: Charmed
Black: checking out the sound.
1d4 ⇒ 4
Chark tsks as she moves toward the fray. Oh, calling on Mama to help, now that you've picked a fight with the wrong folks? How brave!
She flings an arc of bright white flame at Blue.
Chark's spell is deadly. The man instantly immolates, dropping dead to the ground. The others look on in horror. Unsure of what to do, the decision is made for them when a boom voice interrupts from the front door.
"ENOUGH!" It's followed by a tough looking dwarven woman. Next to her is an equally tough looking billy goat.
"I said ENOUGH! Stop fightin 'fore another one of your dumbasses ends up as fire wood." Somehow she makes the word "fire" into three syllables.
Tiny raises his hands up, hoping to not get rewarded with a punch in the face from an over eagre youth.
Charlie lowers his whip. "Goliath, b..b..back off!" The bear slumps his rump onto the floor and looks back confused. "T..they started it." He waits to hear what the dwarf woman has to say.
"Glad we can all listen to directions, now what in Aroden's B~!@#~@& is going on‽"
"W..w..we came to talk. One of our own was m..m..murdered and seems the Sheriff is nowhere to be found." Charlie's face drops as he looks more sad than threatening.
"Nine bloody Hells, Chark. That was more fire than this warranted," Dendillion says, chastising the Sarenite quietly.
"We're really very sorry about this," he says to the dwarven woman. "I swear we sought peace, and we seek information. I wish I understood why we were met with violence. The circus is a friendly place, but we've had a very tough last few days. Not least of which is the death my friend mentioned. Can we talk, please?"
"He's dead cuz he's an idiot, pay you no mind."
She gives a heavy and frustrated sigh, "Look, I'm glad not to be harassed by the sheriff any longer, but I know other troubles are afoot because the sheriff’s disappearance isn’t MY doing. Here's my deal. You're circus types ad the cute one's a bard, so we'll call you burning my employee to death water under the bridge if you perform here for a brief stint."
She awaits at least a nod, "THEN let's talk information. What is it you want, and don't beat around the bush."
"Fine, I agree to perform. You won't regret that, I assure you." Dendillion says, confident that he'll critically succeed at entertaining the crowd and come away with a boatload of silver. Maybe even 10 silver!
"What I'd hoped to learn is about the sheriff, to be honest. He's missing, and of course I don't assume anyone here at this fine establishment had anything to do with that, I was hoping they someone might be able to share anything they'd heard about his disappearance. I ask because a very dear friend of ours was murdered and, to be honest, having a lawman looking into that could help us."
Chark steps alongside Dendillion in mild defiance, trying desperately not to fold her arms to show it. We tried to play nice. More than once we gave them a chance to stand down. Really. What we did to this one -- inadvertently, I assure you -- we could have done to all of them, but that wasn't what we wanted .
Impoliteness...boorish behavior...even this lot mocking our friend here for a speech difficulty he can't control didn't bring us to blows, Chark continues, watching the surviving help scurry away like rats. Them throwing bottles was the spark.
Now then. Dendillion is always willing to perform -- just ask him. Chark chuckles. And we can certainly arrange it. We'd only ask the opportunity to offer leaflets to your patrons for our next show as well -- sort of whetting their appetite for ours while bringing in some coin to yours. Symbiosis.
"Okay, and I say this not just because you're a tall drink of beer, but because it'd be nice to get some turn around here. I'll tell you what I know. Come inside."
The Mad Mug’s common room has six tables and a long wooden bar. Narrow lattice windows provide natural light and a view of the porch out front. The bar has three staff members: two humans introduced as "Lenky and Beina" who own the place and tend bar, and a male half-orc server named "Rulf Oddfingers". There are about fourteen patrons here who don't seem to care that a man burned to death outside.
Pruana sits down and starts, "I'm not claiming to have cracked the case, but we saw a little halfling witch sneaking around town after dark the other day, the night of your show. We tailed her a bit and tracked her to the Lindell barn outside town. We couldn’t get too close to the barn though because the plants tried to grab my boys. I wasn't there, and didn't see it, but one of my boys claims to have spotted small fire creatures in the barn. I'm guessin' your murder and the bloody sheriff are related."
Tiny somewhat blunders through the social niceties "speaking of beer, I'll take one." Tiny pauses for a moment before remembering "Please."
Well this is a pleasant change from being punched in the face. thinks Tiny to himself. Shame 'bout that boy though...
"W..w..witch?" Charlie looks to his companions. "How do you know she was a w..w..witch? I mean the rest sounds right with the plants and f..f..fire since we have come across much of the same over the l..l..last couple of days." He looks back at the smoldering corpse likely still outside and his stomach turns.
"Ugh plants and fire and weird halflings, what else could it be?"
"Look I ain't the law abidin' type, but fried ruffians and missing sheriffs are a bit... umm.... hot for me. A deal's a deal. Two days of shows. Get on it."
Tiny looks out the window to see the body getting carried off.
After the fight, Haldan will check on the fallen brawler to see if theres anything that can be done.
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"S..s..sounds like we have to fight our way to the barn." Charlie doesn't look pleased by this idea as he didn't much care for fighting anymore. Never did. When the Tyrant's forces came sweeping through his home he fought what he could but mostly hid as they came...
He shakes his head from the memory, that is for another time.
Haldan gets the other ruffian up. He's scared out of his mind to see Haldan first. He gives you no trouble, running away as soon as he can stand.
”I have the same reaction when you wake me up in the morning, you great poof.”
There are some chuckles in the Mad Mug.
"Let's go find this little halfling t..t..troublemaker then?" The moppy looking man nods his appreciation to Pruana and grabs Goliath by the tuft of his fur and nudges him out the door. "C...come big guy."
"Don't forget! Two night engagement! Don't make me punch you!"
---------
The party leaves the Mug to hit up the Lindell barn. According to Pruana, it's at the end of a long road just outside of town. Cutting back through town, the party catches some load noise. Following it is easy, and before long you see the source. A small crowd has gathered along the street to watch three colorfully dressed people shouting and playing tambourines and pipes. “Prepare yourselves and your souls, people of Abberton, for a cavalcade of celestial marvels! For sights so spectacular and so marvelous, that you shall speak of them forever after with awestruck tears in your eyes! Prepare for the show to surpass any you have ever seen, either yesterday or in days before! Prepare for the dawning of... Mistress Dusklight’s Celestial Menagerie!” The speaker is a tall, broad-shouldered woman carrying a whip and accompanied by a magnificent lion. A shirtless man covered in strange tattoos walks to her left, periodically breathing gouts of fire across metal batons he carries in his hands. To the woman’s right is a brilliantly bedecked clown who leaps, rolls, flips, and cavorts in constant feats of acrobatics.
Dendillion, who joined after and never had to be part of Celestial Menagerie, says to the others, "That's not good, is it?"
Tiny shakes his head as he looks down at the scars on his left arm where it had been broken multiple times "Not good at all... We've got to tell the Professor."
"L..l.let's get outta here, we have more pressing matters." Charlie wants to leave the other circus alone and give them a wide birth. He agrees with Tiny. "The P..professor needs to know but we have to find this halfling first."
Chark says nothing, simply standing with her arms folded and staring at the Celestial Menagerie performers.
"Well then, let me see if I can disrupt this just a little bit," the bard says, winking slyly. He places a capo on the first fret of his lute, and breaks into one his new songs,
Tiny and the Flying Cock.
The upbeat song, whose lyrics speak of the group's heroics while simultaneously mixing in lewd innuendo, is distracting at the best of times. But choosing to play it up a half step, plus some of the gyrating theatrics Dendillion throws in, is definitely over the top. He also weaves in a little bit of magic to act as a counter to their performance.
He casually strolls through the crowd, stopping only when he's playing to the crowd directly in front of the Menagerie. The bard puts his back to the rival troupe, and plays LOUD. The effect is obnoxious, but that's clearly the point.