Mukluk crumples on the ground, dying to due to forced pollen inhalation.
Rova realizes this isn't going well, and that she needs to help her friends. "Prism, can you take care of the last plant?" she asks, rushing to Niksi's side to help her.
Niksi's body manages to finally fight back and begin to stabilize her.
Prism bounds over Mukluk's prone form and swats the other plant out the door of the wagon.
Her foot taps Mukluk. "Youokay?"
HP 3/18
AC 18
Hero Points 0/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Prism darts over and neatly slices the pod from the last plant. The air is still full of pollen, but it's starting to clear slightly.
Niksi starts to look a little better as Rova fusses over her.
Myron’s wagon is filled with many personal belongings gathered from his travels. There’s no indication that Myron was expecting any kind of violence. Among Myron’s mementos are a lesser bravo’s brew in a crystal vial, an everburning torch engraved with the phrase “See what you want to see,” a bearskin hat marked with a golden leaf worth 7 gp, and a cape once worn by a skilled animal trainer named the Great Fortunato worth 5 gp.
vs. DC 11
"Youokay?"
Mukluk has probably gone completely deaf, and ignores Prism's question. A yellow pollen gurgle escapes his lips.
"There you are, all better until The End," Rova offers them with a pat.
She looks out the door.
"It's OK, Thkrull. Everyone's fine!"
Turning her attention back inside, she sighs heavily.
"Nothing here that can help us understand more that crazy woman. I think we're going to have to check the other spots on her map. After the funeral."
Prism helps prop the pair up so that Rova can help them. Her hands shake from her own injuries. She sighs in relief as Rova explains they will be fine. Slumping, her back hits the wall of the wagon. She looks tired, beaten and covered in a greenish yellow pollen. "Thatwas..unexpected."
She could certainly use a bit of rest before the funeral. "After the funeral sounds good to me."
HP 3/18
AC 18
Hero Points 0/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Mukluk sits up, spitting out yellow colored drool and spewing a yellow cloud dust from his nose.
"Ah, I hate me my vegetables," Mukluk rolls over and slowly gets to his feet. He's wrecked, but not quite dead yet. He rolls over and coughs up more yellow phlegm, then shakes the pollen out of his face.
"Ah man, I hate them plants. I hate them. I just don't want to fight no more. And to get attacked by plants, man, plants? I mean, c'mon. Can't we all get along?"
Mukluk sits against the wall, licking his wounds. He doesn't feel like tending himself just yet. He wants to sit for a minute while others do what they do.
"I'm gunna be peeing and pooping yellow for a week."
Niksi rises, slow to gather her senses. She jumps to looking over her body to make sure her costume is untouched and her stage persona is maintained.
”Thank you, all. I am sorry. I should have held back.”
The Flamboni Sisters comes out to meet you as you emerge. "We're going to have the funeral soon, and we everyone wants to know if you'll say a few words. Are you okay? What did you find in there?"
"Plants...wefound plants.." Prism is caked in pollen. She gets up, patting her clothes as a yellow-green dust billows off of her. Limping she follows the Flamboni Sisters off to the funeral.
Mukluk does eventually roll himself to sitting, then to toss the damn plants out of the damn door, roughly. He's a bit angrier about it than usual, as it isn't violence if the target is already dead.
He does take a good look around the wagon.
"What milieu find thin pears?"
"WHAT? No, those are aren't pear trees. Just watch out for them," Mukluk warns the Sisters. "Give me a minute to get cleaned up, and we should probably go to the funeral. Someone will want to say a few words."
Rova nods.
"Yes, I can say something," she says, mind racing as she tries to think of the right tone to strike.
She leaves the Thunder's wagon as she found it, other than the plants.
Once you're ready, everyone has gathered around to celebrate the life of the Thunder. People share stories of how he led the group away from the Celestial Menagerie, how he "liberated" Bardolph the bear, how he helped train nearly everyone, and how he always kept the show moving.
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Prism wipes rainbow colored tears from her face. "Thunder helped bring me in, when I was lost> He gave me a home, a purpose." She sniffles. "For that I will always remember him. Thunder will become a part of me. Part of my name." She stands and declares a new middle name as she sets flowers down on his site.
"Corkas Thunder Warfiz, though most call me Prism." She sits back down.
Mukluk keeps quiet as others express their words of sorrow and loss. He bows and weeps softly, wiping his nose on the long ears of Moose, the Mule, next to whom he stands.
Thunder had been good to him and Moose, and both would miss him greatly.
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Rova sighs as she begins to speak, drawing on her entire childhood of preaching and warning others of what's to come to draw in the crowd and try to make it feel her pain. She knows she's not as good a performer as Niksi, but talking has always come naturally to her.
She begins quietly, trying to draw her fellow performers close, forcing them to lean in to hear her talk about the Thunder, about how she wanted to see what the world had to provide, and how he offered that opportunity. Instead of the cruelty of the Celestial Menagerie, his Circus of Wayward Wonders offered offered joy.
"And we should hold to that joy," she says, voice rising as she climbs to her feet. "We should be happy to the Thunder. He has gone to Pharasma's breast, and gone without too much pain, without seeing what's coming. The woman who killed him spoke of things dying, and she's right! Groetus draws ever closer, ready to free Rovagug from his prison and unleash him on all of us.
"And we're probably all going to die -- soon -- when the world ends, and it probably will hurt a lot. But the Thunder went ahead to help prepare the way, went ahead before it gets really bad. He was spared what's coming, so we should feel joy for him. And take a message from his death, that every day could be our last one here on Golarion, and to live it to our fullest, so that when Groetus comes, we will be ready to greet him!"
She looks around, panting slightly, to make sure everyone else understands they need to appreciate what they have in the moment, then takes her seat again, satisfied that she offered a eulogy the former ringmaster would have been happy with.
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Niksi stands when it comes her turn to speak.
”I could say something strange, obscure, and jarring. Such is my first instinct whenever life begins to fit too neatly into a narrative. Anti-climax and subversion are how I operate. So as you can imagine, I found the idea of eulogizing someone quite confounding. I crafted and discarded 26 versions before arriving at what I should have realized from the start: it’s not about me. He is the master at the center of the ring, and all eyes should be on him. Our Thunder has already been stolen; I do not need to compound this crime with a second.”
”What can I say of Thunder? Of who he was and what little pieces of memory he left within me. He placed his trust in me, and I know I do not make it easy to do so. It took me time to return it in kind. You all have no idea how closely I watched him, how much I deliberated over every tiniest interaction. After the Menagerie, I could not...I wanted to make sure we would all be safe. So I can say with great confidence that yes, we were. He was a good one. I would have happily followed him a couple hundred years longer.”
She pauses, considering whether she has more to say, then sits. That was enough.
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The gathered people applaud loudly at Prism's speech, applaud in a more confused manner for Rova's speech, and then applaud more loudly again at the end of Niksi's speech. More stories are shared, and soon several bottles start going around, and the funeral gradually turns into a wake.
After a while, the Dwarven Throwers: Nuthri, Suthri, Estri, and Westri, approach you. "We all think you've been doing good work making sure that the Thunder's murderer was caught and that all the animals she made act funny aren't hurting anybody else. So, we took up kinda a collection to say thank you." They offer you 30 silver pieces, as well as a set of splint mail and a low-grade cold iron pick that belonged to the previous Suthri. Some of the other members nearby, a bit in their cups, cheer loudly.
Mukluk, after the funeral, mourns in the way of his people. He doesn't drink too often, but there are times when he will let loose. And tonight is one of those nights.
He does drink and offer toasts in honor of Thunder. He knows that it might not be Thunder's custom to have a wake, or to even drink, but Mukluk needs his own brand of suffering and expression of loss. And to him, that meant getting s#$#faced drunk until he ended up sleeping in the stable with Moose, his good mule friend.
[b]"Hey Rova! One more round for Thunder! Prism, we're tossing one more back for Thunder! Niksi, sing us a sad song! I like me a sad song tonight!"
Prism grabs a mug in both hands. It is nearly the size of her head as she sips it. A bit of foam clings to her upper lip and nose. "Mmmm,good." She raises her cup in the air, waving it to the tune of Niksi's song throughout most of the night.
Everyone drinks late into the night and wakes up late the next morning, some with splitting headaches. The Kanbali family is in charge of breakfast, which is rice porridge with dried fruits and lots of tea and coffee.
The Professor approaches you. "Well, they all joined in the fun last night when they got back, but some of the sideshow folks did some reconnaissance yesterday. I'll let them tell you what they found."
But before they can, a man enters the camp area. You think you might have seen him at the show the night before last. He asks Elizia something and she points at your group. The man walks over and takes off his hat and holds it before him with both hands. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see me. My name is Jae Abber, and I’m the mayor of this town. I saw your show the night before last, and it was spectacular! But then, this morning, I learned that you and your people were attacked by someone from Abberton, or perhaps from the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning? Our little town, it’s been terrorized for weeks, since long before you showed up. I’m so sorry that you got caught up in this.
“I can’t see how anyone from our town would be involved in such villainy, but I can’t believe anyone at the hermitage would do so, either. The hermits are kind, humble, and pious folk, devoted to Gozreh. Their master is a man named Harlock Hamdeel. He’s a fine person, loves animals and nature and such. Honestly, it’s impossible to imagine him countenancing anything like what happened last night.
“But that doesn’t mean the town and the hermitage always agree. Abberton has had some challenges lately. There’s been little rain, and the fields are dry. The heat has withered plants, and then we got a cold snap that froze what survived. The wind has pulled what’s left of the topsoil into dust storms. Many of our wells have dried up, and the streams... I’ve never seen them so low. Some have vanished completely. Now, it’s nature, and it goes in cycles, I know. Many of us figure we just need to be patient. The rains’ll come back. But some of the hermits have blamed us... for what, I don’t know. It’s like they think we’ve done something wrong. But we’re just farmers!
“Over the last month, things have gotten really bad. Hemmema got attacked by a wild boar in the street. Abberton’s miller, Seirah Hawfton, and her family have gone missing. No one would blame them if they left town, but maybe they were driven off. Normally, I’d go to the sheriff with this; she’s always kept us safe, but no one’s seen her, either! And I... I... I heard how you protected innocent people here, and I thought, maybe, maybe you could do for us, what you did for them? If you could, I’d gladly speak to Harlock about the woman who attacked you last night, perhaps even get you admission to the hermitage so you could talk to him and see for yourself they’re harmless.”
Niksi bows deeply, taking off her top hat as she does, her movements elegant and flourishing until she mimes the "gears" in her stomach getting caught and being unable to pull herself back up, an unfortunate state that she remedies with a swift fist to her side to knock the offending "gears" into place.
"Niksi Drugova." She holds her hat in her hands just as Mayor Abber does. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. J. Abber. May I call you Jabber?"
Niksi listens politely to "Jabber" as he discusses the various problems affecting the town and their background, swapping her faceplates as the mood demands. As he finishes, she is on her "neutral" face, a simple flat line mouth with two detailed eyes of enigmatic emotion. "Thank you for the detailed account. This situation expands beyond the grand pavillion of our tent to unexpected places. I do so love unexpected places." She looks to her friends for their reactions.
Mukluk moves up to shake hands bump elbows with Jae Abber. "Nice to meet you. I think I've heard everything you've said," Mukluk iterates as he tried to listen real good.
After his help is requested, Mukluk rubs the back of his neck. Getting involved will just lead to more fightin'. I don't want more fightin'. But I'm probably better than most to help out here.
Mukluk doesn't jump right in, hoping that he can get a better feel for the situation from reactions from Niksi, Rova, and Prism.
"Sure thing. We probably can explore the Heritage for you, I think," Mukluk grunts after Niksi exposes her opinion.
Prism shakes his hand enthusiastically. "Wow, the Mayor cameall..theway..outhere..forus?" her hair brightens a deep crimson color that matches her face in embarrassment. "That boar maybe..leftover fromthe..halfling woman. She gota..lot ofanimals..riled up."
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Rova sniffs at the beer and makes a face.
"No, thank you," she says, pushing the mug away. "You need to have your head clear for The End. You don't want to miss it!"
Rova's stomach roils at the mayor's information. She'd always been led to believe The End would be quick, a sudden cataclysm with probably some pain before everyone died and wasn't in pain anymore. But what if it was different? What if it was some slow-motion event, a pandemic that swept across the land, catching people unsuspecting as it killed them; a changing climate that destroyed the crops and seasons and everything. What if The End were a long, slow series of deaths that no one would even realize was happening. Maybe they'd been wrong this whole time, their preaching and warning ignored because they had the details wrong?
She swallows the rising panic, and nods. She wants to know, and maybe if she can do something to slow Great Groetus' arrival, just for a little bit while she sees a little bit more.
"Do you know her, then? Nemmia? And what about Balenni?"
She gasps for a moment, patting her pockets as she looks for the map they found the previous day.
"You said the miller was missing? Did she work at Hawfton Mill? Because Nemmia had that circled on her map. And a place called Oldlin’s Orchard! Do you know who lives there?
"I, uh, suppose so..." he stammers to Niksi. "I don't know either of those people," he answers Rova, "But I will talk to the Hermitage and find out. Seirah Hawfton ran the Hawfton Mill, yes. No one lives at the orchard; it's tended to by the community. Though Filsterine the gnome does the most work there, and come to think of it, I haven't seen him in a while."
"I'm so grateful to you all for helping out our community."
If there are no more questions, he takes his leave.
The folks from the Sideshow let you know what they found out in their investigations.
Hesper and Meitas, the Unjoined Twins, can confirm that Hemmema, a polite grandmother who recently sold her farm and moved into town, was attacked by a wild boar in the street. The twins provide their report together, alternating sentences as they talk. “She ran, of course. Who wouldn’t! And she’s unhurt, thank goodness. As for the boar, it’s been spotted in an orchard on the east side of town, and it’s not alone. Apparently there’s a whole brood of smaller boars that are just as nasty and ill-tempered as their mother!”
Tahala, the Tattooed Woman, investigated the mill this morning and found the region infested with wasps. She notes that their behavior seemed unusual, and she suspects outside influence. There was no evidence of the miller or her family, although everything about the mill seemed to be in working order from a distance. She finds it very unlikely the owner simply abandoned the mill.
Gidarron the Bearded Man learned that there’s a small crime gang in Abberton called the Muggers, although they don’t call themselves by that name for the reasons the heroes might suspect. Rather, they hang out at a roadhouse outside of town called the Mad Mug. According to town rumors, the Muggers drink all day and cause trouble at night. The sheriff has been trying to break up the gang for a while now, and the Muggers might have gotten brave or reckless enough to do something about the sheriff.
Cubby the Dog-Faced Dog learned that, although the hermitage itself is isolated and remote, there’s a church here in Abberton. He thought there might be a connection, but when he went to look he saw that the church is dedicated to Abadar, not Gozreh. Nevertheless, he nosed around the church’s back fence and detected something different and unpleasant: the scent of rotting flesh. Cubby believes something unnatural lurks in the church’s graveyard. "You can't fool this nose!"
Mukluk rubs his hand through his hairless hair, rubbing at his bald spot and giving it a good nervous scritch.
"What is it with the animals around here? Boars? More of them? Huh!" Mukluk grumbles as it seems that nature itself has turned against them. "Should we get some good boar-charging spears? Or do you think we can coax them away with some honeyed apples? I dunno. Not much of a animal person, save for Moose, my mule of course."
"And wasps, huh? Well, isn't there gear to deal with wasps? Armored netting or some such thing? Might be we pick up some of that in town. I dunno, I'd like to avoid a fight, that's for sure," Mukluk grumbles. "Especially against wasps. Who wants to fight a wasp? Not me, that's for sure."
Mukluk, when pressed, will agree to suit up and go out there come the morning, starting in town to buy supplies and radiating out where it makes sense.
"What is it with the animals around here?
Prism looks up at Mukluk. "The boarsand..wasps wereprobably..stirred upby..that crazedhalfling" She smiles, "We cantake..careof..them, but theguards..can't handlesome thugsin..their owntown?"
From the exterior, the mill is easily identified by its large mill wheel. The west half of the building, sits upon the same level of the upper stream, higher than the rest of the mill. The other side of the building features a well‑tended, fenced garden.
You see a single door in the southern wall and a double door on the eastern wall next to the garden.
There are some very large spider webs in the garden, and you can definitely confirm Tahala's report of wasps by the buzzing sounds inside.
"I guess we need to go in," Rova says, "to make sure the miller and his family are OK."
She pulls out her sling staff and a stone, just in case.
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Mukkluk sighs, realizing it's time to protect his friends, even if that means hitting things and getting hit again. He so had wished to leave that kind of life behind, but knows that while he cannot always choose the his circumstances, he *can* choose his attitude.
That morning he had prepared differently. Since he had come to the circus, he never worried about carrying weapons, just his trusty hammer and dagger. Both are tools useful in daily life in the circus. In the past he had fought with all manner of gladiator weapons: the cestus, most swords, the staves, everything he could fight with, he fought with.
When he walked away from the arenas, he walked away with just 4 things: some money (20 years of pension), his 2 favorite weapons: a pair of picks named The Poker and The Gouger, and a skin crossmarked with scars to remind him to never want to fight again.
In preparation for today's uncertainty, he retrieved his trusty gladiator picks from Moose, taking one in each hand. "I will fight to protect my friends", he gruffly announces to one in particular, but probably to Moose. He vows to avoid violence whenever possible, but not to hesitate to defend himself and others in danger. And, added to that, he made sure the gifted splint mail was put to good use. He had strapped and fit the mail thrice before getting the fit right.
On his back, he put his steel shield in case it was needed. And he carried the low grade cold iron pick as well.
* * *
"So this is the mill, huh? They do there uhm, milling, here? And the wasps, huh?" Mukluk moves to look over the garden on the right. He leans onto the garden railing, sniffing the garden air.
Perception
Prism's hands shakes. "You said there were weapons out there that are good if there are too many wasps?" Her voice quivers as she doesn't look forward to getting stung. "Should we pick up some in town?"
Mukluk notices that the webs in the garden look extremely new, and he thinks he might be able to see a few large and very hairy legs. They seem to notice him, too, and their legs start twitching.
Initiative
Prism
Niksi
Mukluk
Red Spider
Yellow Spider
Rova
Round 1
Action 1: Stride.
Action 2: Interact.
Action 3: Interact.
"Bah! Spiders! Big 'uns! Get behind me!" Mukluk roars as he moves to a defensive position, not wishing to start a fight.
He draws his twin gladiatorial picks, the Gouger (the big one) and the Poker (the smaller).
[ dice=Gouger]1d20+10[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d6+4[/dice] damage
AC: 20 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 8/8/6
HP: 34/34
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 1
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
Prism shifts behind Mukluk drawing her sickle as the spiders appear. "Spiders...Ihate..spiders" A magical shield shimmers into view in her other hand. The colors of the rainbow shimmer across the surface that matches her hair's own colors.
HP 28/28
AC 19 (AC 20 w/ Shield)
Hero Points 0/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Niksi takes a few steps to spread out more, figuing that stacking on top of each other is probably the worst idea possible at the moment. She soothingly runs her dagger across the tines of her waterphone as she begins her song.
The red spider waggles at Mukluk and shoots a web!
Mukluk is immobilized from the perfectly placed web! It then moves forward, easily climbing over the fence, and tries to bite its trapped prey.
But it can't quite grab hold of the dwarf.
The yellow spider shoots a web at Prism!
It tries again.
It then climbs up on the fence.
Initiative
Prism
Niksi
Mukluk
Red Spider
Yellow Spider
Rova
Everyone is up!
Prism moves in to help Mukluk. "Hang on, Igot..you." She slashes her sickle at the spider.
... ◆⃟ Move
... ◆⃟ Deception
... ◆⃟ Attack
HP 28/28
AC 19 (AC 20 w/ Shield)
Hero Points 0/3
Vibrant Display 1/10 minutes
Round 1
Action 1: Strike.
Action 2: Strike.
Action 3: Strike.
"Gah!" Mukluk grunts as he is webbed, but he’s been netted before in the arenas, and simply decides not to move and lashes out with his picks.
He first swings with the Gouger in his right hand, the heavier of the two picks, then two quick slashes with the Poker in his left hand.
to hit;
damage
to hit;
damage
to hit;
damage
[ dice=Gouger]1d20+10[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d6+4[/dice] damage
[ dice=Poker]1d20+10-4[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d4+4[/dice] damage
[ dice=Poker]1d20+10-8[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d4+4[/dice] damage
AC: 20 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 8/8/6
HP: 34/34
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 1
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
HP 30
AC 19
Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +5
Effects: Inspired
Rova gasps as the spider scurries over the Mukluk and fires her stone to try to knock it off. "Thkrull, go help!" she calls out.
Thkrull trumpets his dominance, annoyed that something else is trying to claim his sharp-smelling little thing, and moves close, kicking at the spider.
Rova's perfectly lobbed slingstaff knocks the spider out in one go.
Niksi slams the spider’s mind with her magic in order to slow it down.
She continues playing her song as her friends prove to be making short work of the creatures.
Round 1
Action 1: Escape.
Action 2: Stride.
Action 3: Grunt.
"Gah!" Mukluk grunts as he is webbed, and tries to break himself free.
Athletics
Athletics
Athletics
Mukluk will move over a bit to put his body between himself and the spider. He grunts loudly, totally not thinking about Rova just stole his kill and how rude that is. No, not grunting about that at all.
[ dice=Gouger]1d20+10[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d6+4[/dice] damage
[ dice=Poker]1d20+10-4[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d4+4[/dice] damage
[ dice=Poker]1d20+10-8[/dice] to hit;
[ dice=P]1d4+4[/dice] damage
AC: 20 +2 with shield action.
Fort/Ref/Will: 8/8/6
HP: 34/34
Focus: 1/3
Hero Points: 1
Speed: 20'
Luck? 0/1 used
Thkrull moves over to smelly short thing and takes up a guard position.