"Well if we be plannin' t'advertise our show at this festival, we should learn more about it, no?" Unset suggests.
The fleshforged man heads to the festival. Mindful that his appearance may be off-putting, he urges the others to drum up support for the upcoming circus performance as he takes in the sights and sounds of the festival.
Kennari happily wanders around the festival, happy to be experiencing another town on Kortos.
Rova, alert to doppelgangers, asks about any odd behavior from the locals.
"None of the distillery folks have come into town for the Stump Festival, which is strange. Normally it shuts down for at least a few days of the festival for its workers to join the celebration."
Prism gets a little too distracted by the goings-on, particularly when a handsome lumberjack named Dingo Dray enters the tavern and is immediately mobbed by fans. He seems to be a favorite to win.
Unset notices that there is a public notice board, which seems like the perfect place to advertise the circus. It also seems like this crowd loves dangerous acts performed as public spectacles.
Kennari tries to find out about the local aeon tower, but only hears that it is "cursed."
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"More doppelgangers!" Rova whispers to her companions. "It sounds like they may have taken over the distillery! But fortunately, they seem to be content to stay there for the moment!"
The Aeon Tower is northeast of town. You won't get in trouble for going, but it is a bit of a trip.
You catch some of the Stump Festival.
Several tree trunks stand upright for a climbing competition at the edge town, near a wide stream. In the stream itself, logs float for a competition where two loggers stand on a log to spin it and topple each other. Townspeople gather around the area as loggers move into place. At the sound of a horn, the log-rolling begins and loggers begin climbing the tree trunks using a hatchet in each hand. One particularly lean fellow with a head of shocking red hair considerably outpaces his fellows. Once at the top, he gives a deep bow to the cheering crowd before doing a backflip off the log. He lands on one of the logs in the stream below, spinning it with his landing and sending the two competitors on the log flying. The red-haired logger than begins running in place while spinning his log, only to be met with laughs and raucous applause from the crowd.
Prism recognizes the winner as Dingo Dray from town.
"Wow!" Rova exclaims. "If that's their festival, we're going to have to put on our best show to match that!"
She continues to enjoy the festivities, spreading word of the circus when she can (but not Groetus -- she'll wait until the show tonight, since it seems like everyone's already taking advantage of their time to enjoy themselves).
Prism nods eagerly. "Think we can? We put on a pretty good show but that will be hard to top." She giggles at her little pun.
"Hey that's Dingo Dray. I recognize him." Prism points in his direction and begins eagerly waving.
Dingo is surrounded by a big crowd of fans and isn't able to see Prism's wave.
Prism shrugs. "Dingo is busy. Should we go to the Tower while the team sets up?" She bounces up and down.
"Oh! Or, since everyone's over there, maybe we should go warn him about Groetus! That could let so many people know!"
Prism shrugs. "Okay, though people always give us a funny look when you bring up Groetus." She follows Rova on over to the crowd.
"That's because they only know the lies about him that the Pharasmians tell!"
You push your way through the crowd to Dingo, who greets you pleasantly.
"Hello, you must be out-of-towners. Did you come for the Stump Festival?"
"Oh, no, we have a circus! You should come! You can learn all about Groetus! Maybe you can perform too if you want?"
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Realizing that Prism recognizes the winner of the recent competition, Unset has an idea. He whispers to the gnomes, "Maybe we be performin' in one of these contests, we do. Drive up interest in the circus, perhaps? Bet either one of us could take this 'Dingo' in a competition, we could."
Prism makes a strange face as she tries to whisper back. "But the nice man earlier said we shouldn't drive attention towards ourselves and the circus away from the Stump Festival." She flashes a smile back at the clear winner holding her arms out wide. "Dingo. How are you?! You did very well. How's the baby doing?" She gives him a hug.
"A circus! That sounds like a lot of fun. My da and I used to go to the circus sometimes. I live out of town too, I just come to Turpin Rowe for the Stump Festival. I lost my da last winter, bad pneumonia. I'm afraid I don't have a baby," he adds to Prism. "I haven't found the right gal yet."
Prism's smile slowly turns to a frown as the initital conversation with Dingp opens up some very dour conversation. "Sorry to hear about you Da. You should check out our circus. We may be able to give you an act even as a part of the community."
"Be in the circus? Say, that's pretty interesting! There's not much holding me down here. I don't know though, I always figured I'd live the life of a logger..."
"Oh, the circus is so much fun! And I bet we could find some trees for you to log if you want to do both! We need big poles to hold up the big top!"
"Well, sure! That sounds great! As soon as the Stump Festival is over, I'm joining the circus!"
"The Distillery does sound odd, but we are here for the..." Prism cups her hands over to shield her mouth. "...the tower."
Rova nods, in complete agreement with Prism.
"I wonder how unusual it is for the distillery folks not to show. Do you think there could be trouble?"
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You set off for the Old Forest Tower.
A bright light pierces the foliage of the Immenwood Forest, its source slowly orbiting the top of a tower 300 feet high. Beneath the thick overgrowth, the tower is a steep-sided structure with three tiers at the heights of roughly 180 feet, 240 feet, and 280 feet, with its slender peak rising another 20 feet above that to the gleaming orb that crowns its height. Two squat, 30-foot-high platforms jut from the tower’s southern base, beneath a terrace halfway up the tower’s south side. This terrace is so overgrown with vines and small plants that it resembles a waterfall of greenery. The platforms are also overgrown, but sharp stakes pointing upward from the perimeter of each make them appear more like defensive encampments. A wooden stair rises along the side of the western platform, and a swaying rope bridge extends between it and the one to the east. Trails of smoke rise from each platform.
As you travel through the forest toward the tower, you quickly realize that there are many, many xulgaths based here, as you start to spot multiple camps.
You can tell that these xulgaths are no match for your skills. Do you dispatch them as you come across them, try to avoid them, or something else?
"Maybe we should tell them about Groetus?" Rova asks.
"Or scare them out in some way?" Prism suggests a smile on her face. "Any ideas Kennari?" She looks arund for ideas or answers. "Either that or we just set large bits of the area on fire."
"Let's...try the scaring idea first, and we'll keep the arson idea in our back pocket in case we need it."
Rova tries to tell them all about Groetus, but unfortunately, her excited sermonizing makes them want to hear more instead.
As Rova recites all about Groetus Prism tries to scare the rest off that Groetus does not by launching a smaller pair of fireballs to explode high into the air. She raises her arms up high and twin jets of flames crawl 100' into the sky sending their brilliant and blinding light out wide.
Unset takes to one of the nearby trees, trying to appear larger than he is--or at the very least suggesting that he and his allies have the high ground.
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Kennari crafts a terrifying disguise, using a large black cloak soaked in a cold-burning substance, to really enhance Unset's frightening demeaner.
You frighten off the various xulgath camps easily. While most disperse into the forest, a couple run back to the tower to tell the tale.
You get closer to the tower. A crude stair constructed of wooden scaffolding leans against the western slope of this platform, while a narrow bridge of rope and wooden planks extends from its east side to the opposite platform. The sides of the platform just below its lip have been set with downward-pointing wooden stakes embedded between the mudbricks of its surface to discourage climbers. A copper cauldron near the platform’s center glows red hot and gives off a thin streamer of smoke.
The undergrowth around this defensive platform has been cut back to 100 feet from the south side, except for a narrow strip of brush right at the base of the platform.
"Should we try to sneak over there?" Rova asks in a whisper. "It might be hard. Maybe Thkrull could make a distraction, though? Or do you have a spell, Kennari?"
"I have a spell that could make the path safe , but I don't think I have any magic to hide us from notice."
"I can turn two of you invisible if that helps?" Prism holds out a single small opaque potion."[/b]
"If it's just two of us, I think our best bet is to just sneak," Rova says, "while Thkrull makes a distraction."
The elephant grumbles, even though he's certain he can be more distracting than anyone else in his halfling's care.
Unset waits for the proposed distraction, then prepares to sneak.
Kennari weaves a protective spell, trying to make the way safe so the party can focus on stealth.
Thkrull stomps away, trumpeting loudly to draw attention to him. He knows he can kill anything that attempts to challenge him, but his halfling isn't as strong as he is!
Sadly, he's naturally stealthy, of course -- he's naturally gifted at everything -- and doesn't attract as much attention as he deserves.
Rova sneaks forward, using all the skills she learned as the hands of her cult family. Unfortunately, she's so busy glancing back to see why Thkrull isn't making more noise that she slips out of the shadows.
Prism uses the same steps as Rova so as not to step on anything too loud. "Don't worry. Thkrull will make enough noise by himself."
Thkrull makes a fair bit of noise, but not quite enough to distract from the rest of you. However, thanks to the xulgaths' fear and Kennari's spell, the javelins tossed at you go awry. Coming up to the platform, you see five xulgaths, one of whom is doing something at the fire.
Two of them draw javelins, toss them at Thkrull, and then draw more javelins.
They both miss!
Initiative!
Purple, frightened 1
Green, frightened 1
Niksi
Prism
Stoneliege, frightened 2
Yellow, frightened 2
Rova
Kennari
Unset
Red, frightened 2
Niksi and Prism are up!