The party does their best to ignore the pleading look of the caged animals and acts as they stay focused on Dusklight.
Adrivallo gives one more cryptic line as the party heads north, "The wheel on the way can bring weal or woe. You may want to press your luck..."
The booth behind him contains a large prize wheel decorated with eight wedges, each with a different rune. Several prizes, such as angel dolls and crystal goblets, rest on shelves in the booth.
Chark takes a look at the runes.
Arcana +12 [E], Diplomacy +13, Intimidation +13, Lore (Circus) +10, Lore (Varisia) +10, Medicine +15 [E], Performance +13, Religion +17 [M], Society +10
Chark concludes that the runes are meaningless. The party concludes that the wheel is magical, as is a pinwheel on the counter of the tent.
"Find something Chark?" Charlie glances over, staying defensive. "We aren't here to s..s..steal though. Just bring Dusklight to justice. "
Chark absently spins the wheel as she turns away.
Chark looks at both magic items and gives the wheel a spin before turning to the main mission.
After the wheel stops, Chark feels funny for a moment, but the moment passes.
Dendillion moves up to Chark. "You okay?"
Haldan will attempt to identify what the spinning wheel did.
It definitely leveled a spell at her, but Haldan can't figure out what.
Dendillion moves up to Chark. "You okay?"
Quite, she says, but I should know better than to play games of chance within the Celestial Menagerie. One might rather trust Stygia more.
Unless someone else opts to take a spin, Chark will lead the group toward the building to the east.
Tiny looks at the sheel and shakes his head.
Certainty not. he thinks.
Continuing to stay hyper-focused, the party moves east. This white plywood building has a sign on it labeled "SANCTUM OF SUBLIME SPECTACLES"
Charlie glances at the sign as he passes through inot the building. "Is sh.sh..she hiding?"
Into the sideshow the party goes. Within it's a sad sight, and it doesn't look like the alert from outside made it here.
Within all the acts just... stare at you. There's a pair of legless halfling twins, a muscular tattooed woman, a half-orc batboy,a small and underfed boggard, and a tielfling. The tiefling is the only one who stares with any form of eagerness.
"We... need to help these folks. This is not right. We can do so much better by them."
Tiny tries his best to gold back tears, but lets one fall from his right eye.
Chark wordlessly moves to the first exhibit, looking for a mechanism to release them.
If she doesn't find one, she'll move to the aware tiefling and ask.
”Hello fellow circus folks. Some of us were once one of you, some of you may even recognize us. We are here to confront the lady in charge, but we’d like to free you from these ridiculous conditions. I would recommend you regroup at our circus camp where you can be fed and stay safe until you have a plan or even join our circus if you’d like. If you get there before us, tell them Dendillion sent you and promised food. Dendillion is the dandy in the hat over there. If you tell them that Haldan sent you, they likely won’t believe you.”
Haldan then explains the best way to get to their camp.
Their stage cages are easily opened. Their tales are sad, and only serve to fuel your hatred of Dusklight. Flynn acts as their spokes person, filling in when the others can't, or won't.
When he was a child, the tiefling Flynn survived a fire that destroyed his orphanage. He took advantage of his innate fire resistance to earn coin on the streets of Absalom with fire swallowing and torch juggling, which he practiced until Mistress Dusklight recruited him to the Celestial Menagerie. Now, Flynn’s act involves setting his entire body on fire, to the horror and delight of crowds. Although his resistance protects him somewhat, the process is nonetheless extremely painful and has resulted in extensive scarring. Flynn is the most eager to flee the Celestial Menagerie, but he’s developed protective feelings for the other sideshow members and won’t leave unless they’re also freed.
The halfling twins Hylda and Hera Potterstone were each born without legs, yet mastered a variety show involving coordinated gymnastics and singing. Mistress Dusklight lured the teenagers away from their family by promising the glamor of circus life. Forced to work long hours and denied “a proper social life,” as Hylda puts it, the sisters want to leave the Celestial Menagerie but constantly argue about how to escape. Hylda angrily rants about Mistress Dusklight’s wrongdoings, but timid Hera is hesitant to cause trouble. Whenever one of the twins upsets Mistress Dusklight, she beats the other one—and Hera has been punished for Hylda’s tirades before. Hera won’t leave as long as Mistress Dusklight is still at large, you'll have to come back with proof for them.
The Living Atlas: “Carmine” Iolara is a Varisian woman with the location of her family’s fabled treasure tattooed on her thigh. She befriended Mistress Dusklight in a tavern and, under the influence of drink, confided her secret. Mistress Dusklight’s agents found the treasure, which turned out to be a buried cache of family heirlooms of little monetary value. She blackmailed Iolara into working for her in exchange for the items’ return. Over the next 3 years, the artistic Iolara added to her own inkwork at Mistress Dusklight’s urging, and her skin is now covered from head to toe in detailed maps of Golarion. Iolara wants to use her maps to explore Golarion and resents Mistress Dusklight for her blackmail. But the Mistress's abuse has worked its wonders here too. She'll leave, but only after she gets her heirlooms.
The half‑orc Arzo was born with a cleft palate and clawlike hands. After he joined the Celestial Menagerie, Dusklight pressured Arzo to undergo surgeries and alchemical transformations to make his appearance more bat‑like, including the grafting of membranous “wings” stretching along his forearms. For his performance, he simply hangs upside down from a bar suspended over his stage. Arzo seems to be in a drug‑addled haze...
A small and underfed boggard , “Sump Sadie” has been abused since she was a tadpole by Mistress Dusklight and is subservient to the ringmaster. She wears a pink chiffon dress, and her stage is decorated to look like a wealthy child’s bedroom. Mistress Dusklight has Sadie’s tongue surgically removed each time it grows back, so Sadie lacks a tongue attack and speaks only deliberately and with difficulty. She can still emit her terrifying croak, which she does to thrill crowds as part of her performance. Sadie fears Mistress Dusklight’s reprisals and won’t leave the sideshow as long as the catfolk is in charge.
Flynn looks at you, and then back to Haldan, "If you free them, I'd love to come work for you, but they matter more."
Chark listens (and in some cases, remembers), her face set in stone. To Flynn she says simply, Look after them. We will return when Dusklight has fallen.
Upon leaving the building, Chark moves across the field to the opposite side. She has no intention of being surprised from behind by those still loyal to the catfolk ringmaster.
Making a promise, Chark leads the party past the caged creatures in the southeast, past the large magical wheel and the ignored pinwheel and to the first of the tents on the western side.
This wide room is filled with thick banks of clouds. Faint, slow harp music echoes around the chamber, and a smooth, white glow illuminates the area. A strong, feminine voice echoes throughout the room. “Come to vanquish a rival, have you? Consider whether you’re on the wrong side of this confrontation. I have the forces of good at my service!”
"That's ironic. We're the ones with both good and law on our side. We bear a writ from the Chief Constable."
"Explain on how we aren't on the s..s..side of good?" Charlie stammers nervously, mentally second guessing himself.
Tiny cracks his knucklesand lets Dendillion work his verbal magic, knowing his own words couldn't possibly express the scars this place left on him.
"Ah, you misunderstand."
A pair of heavenly looking creatures emerge from the clouds. "We are lillends, creatures of good, bound by the mistress. We can offer you our help if you're seeking to end her terrible reign."
Chark knows of lillends, and these two both match the description... though the books never show them beat up and haggard
Chark nods slowly. Sad to see you, too, have been abused by the Mistress. Her cruelty knows no end.
Chark eyes the area around them, looking for binding circles or the like.
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"Freedom is paramount. It's the most important thing, or so the songs of Tulia the Lyakien Azata go. She has ever been my muse," Dendillion says, also studying the lillends with a degree of wariness. "Have you heard of the stories of her and her companion Vael? They're quite famous in Belkzen and the places near the Mindspin Mountains."
Dendillion uses the chatter to discretely read the two.
Their wings are artificial...
They're lamia matriarchs in disguise! Evil to the core, they must be deeply on Dusklight's side. This conversation couldn't possibly end peacefully.
As realization washes over Chark, she catches Den's eye and notices he, too, sees it.
Yet I see no circle binding you here to Mistress Dusklight, she says. And entreating with us would break terms of servitude, no? So we must conclude that you are not bound to her as you claim, nor are you what you pretend to be.
"Tiny, you did not crack those knuckles in vain. They, I think, are stalling us. But they also won't let us leave."
"Indeed not. I see that talk is now a waste of everyone's time. Have at thee!"
Charlie is Scouting
(Scout)
(Search)
(Detect Magic)
(Seek, Keen Eyes)
(Search)
Both creatures cast spells that leave them moving supernaturally fast!
ROUND 1:
Enemies: Magic!
Charlie (99/99): Go
---Goliath (48/71): Go
Haldan (76/76): Go
Dendillion (?78/78): Go
Chark: (71/71): Go
Tiny (92/108): Go
---Þóðᛞrekkr (48/71): Go
-----------------------------
Location: Celestial Menagerie
red:
Black:
Charlie gets nervous as the veil collapses on the creatures true nature. "Dusklight bound such good creatures to her side?" He raises his bow back up as he scoots back as quickly as his legs will carry him.
HP 99/99
AC 24 (26 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 25/71
AC 23
Charlie is quick to move, but maybe too quick as neither his nor Goliath's attacks land.
ROUND 1:
Enemies: Magic!
Charlie (99/99): Miss
---Goliath (48/71): Miss
Haldan (76/76): Go
Dendillion (?78/78): Go
Chark: (71/71): Go
Tiny (92/108): Go
---Þóðᛞrekkr (48/71): Go
-----------------------------
Location: Celestial Menagerie
Chark scowls as she moves away from the lamia matriarchs and sends a roaring blast of ruby-red fire washing over the two .
As the smoke from Chark's fireball clears Tiny tends his animal around to back to take a bite.
Meanwhile Tiny drops into his stance and claws twice.
Dendillion strums his lute. Magic coalesces around his words, which he directs at that nearby lamia matriarch. "This whole situation is something of a joke, wouldn't you say?"
He then moves back to allow someone else to get close and stay them.
There's no sound like the roar of a fireball!
CRIT
Pass
Even flanking, Tiny and Þóðᛞrekkr both miss.
Dendillion's spell takes hold, and the creature slows down just a bit.
ROUND 1:
Enemies: Magic!
Charlie (99/99): Miss
---Goliath (48/71): Miss
Haldan (76/76): Go
Dendillion (78/78): Spell
Chark: (71/71): Fireball!
Tiny (92/108): Miss
---Þóðᛞrekkr (48/71): Miss
-----------------------------
Location: Celestial Menagerie
Double up on the fireball, but avoid the bear.
Haldan goes for a little fireball of his own. The walls of the tent distend for a moment.
CRIT
FAIL
One of the enemies is incredible good at dodging fireballs apparently. The spell is more potent than the glare though as the enemy doesn't even blink.
Both foes move a bit closer to the party, ignoring the animals for some reason:
Red: Step, Step, Strike, Quickened strike
for
for
Black: Step, Strike, Quickened strike
for
MISS
ROUND 2:
Enemies: Fight!
Charlie (99/99): Go
---Goliath (48/71): Go
Haldan (76/76): Go
Dendillion (78/78): Go
Chark: (37/71): Go
Tiny (76/108): Go
---Þóðᛞrekkr (48/71): Go
-----------------------------
Location: Celestial Menagerie
Tiny grimaces as he gets cut.
He whistles for Þóðᛞrekkr to return and take a bite out of black.
Tiny then raises his shield. and takes a pair of swings.
Chark reels from Red's strike, but is still standing. She moves back quickly, sending out a pair of rays of white-hot flame, one at each of the lamia matriarchs.
Charlie and Goliath put all of their strength and resolve into taking the pair down. I just sure hope they are right about these two.
HP 99/99
AC 24 (26 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 25/71
AC 23
Þóðᛞrekkr can't connect, but Tiny more than makes up for it with a pair of hits. He leaves a freely bleeding wound too!
One of Chark's bolts hits too, on the bleeding foe no less.
Goliath and Charlie each strike true, though the foe stands.
ROUND 2:
Enemies: Fight!
Charlie (99/99): Hit
---Goliath (48/71): Hit
Haldan (76/76): Go
Dendillion (78/78): Go
Chark: (37/71): Hit
Tiny (76/108): Crit
---Þóðᛞrekkr (48/71): Miss
-----------------------------
Location: Celestial Menagerie