After his quick attempt to revitalize poor Ambro failed, Didy begins to panic and sets about furiously trying just to halt the bleeding.
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With combat ending, Kvothe changes his tune.
Where it began, I can't begin to knowing
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along
Hands, touching hands
Reaching out, touching me, touching you
Casting Healing hymn on Ambro, Kvothe hopes he's not too late
Once Ambro is out of the woods he'll approach the cowering figure to make sure he doesn't need any medical attention.
"Hi mister! Are you okay?"
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BumBum will continue to berate the door.
"Listen here door, we undesecrated this place like you asked us and now we need answers. If we's don't get some I's gonna come back here with a pot of Pontypool's extra hot chili and redesecrate this place so bad you'll wish you were a window!" BumBum will cross his arms and begin angrily tapping his tail on the floor. "Now, who killed Myrion Stendhal and why?"
"The man over here seems like he'll be ok, but I'm gonna make sure!"
While Didy takes his time bandaging up the fallen druid, his pet raptor spends all of his time rubbing against Kvothe's legs, emitting a strange clicking purr and looking up at him expectently.
The dinosaur is ecstatic over the head scratching and hops around flapping its little wings and wagging its tail, as it follows Kvothe around the room. He makes it difficult for the bard to refocus for a while, until he eventually settles down and curls up next to him and falls asleep for a quick nap.
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The man begins to groggily and painfully come to his senses as Al searches the room. She spots a staff, leaning against one of the statues here, that identifies as an animal staff. One of the carvings on the staff, which forms a monkey's head, is removable, and is a monkey pin.
The door doesn't respond the BumBum.
The man holds his head and peers painfully at the people around him.
"Ah. Rescued, it seems. I put my trust in the Wind and Waves, and here you are." he nods, satisfied, and holds his hand out for some assistance in rising.
"I am Harlock. I am—or was—the master of this place."
"Hiya Harlock! I'm Didymus the Great! And weeeeee... he elongates the word as he backflips into a pose with the others, "Are the Circus of Wayward Wonders!"
He waits patiently for applause.
"Oh."
"I don't think so, but it's been really confusing who everyone was. There were demons here, ghouls in the basement, and then guards and priests that wore Gozren regalia, but acted like imposters. I was really hoping that you could explain what happened. Possession? An overly ambitious druid who summoned a demon for power that got outta hand? Maybe a violent schism within the church?"
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"Oh Harlock, Mayor Abber tell's us about you. He sent us up here to talk with you's about why a druid and bunches of animals was attacking Abberton. Someone killed our friend Myrion Stendhal too. That's how we got stuck up in this mess. By the way, I think your door is broken. It wont talk to me no more. But this place a bigger mess then Abberton. Don't worry, we cleansed it just like your rude door asked. But we no closer to finding out who killed Myrion. You know's anything bout that? What happened here? Is there more of them bad folks and demons? Is Abberton gonna be safe now?"
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The druid shakes his head sadly.
"I am sorry for your troubles. If your Myron's death is a result of the corruption that has spread here, I am truly sorry. I should have caught on faster, and put a stop to things before they had gotten this far.
"The druids here have been...concerned, about the environmental changes here. I suspect the source of these woes is...well, we'll get to that in time. Needless to say, while I researched my own theories, some of our members blamed the people of Abberton.
"A visiting priest, named Balenni, came to us. After her arrival, things grew...more tense. I tried to convince them that Abberton wasn't to blame—perhaps I was foolish, but I thought my office, and their affection for me, was enough to stay their anger until I had come to a solution.
"Balenni. It must have been Balenni, spreading poison. To Nemia, mostly—she was always the most hostile to the town, but obviously she found willing ears among other of the faithful. Not all, though, I am proud to say—some bravely stood against them, when the turn came. But they were cut down, or imprisoned like me. If none survived..."
"How are things in the town? Is Mayor Abber alright?"
"Barely. We got here just in time to stop some guys from tormenting poor Mr. Mayor."
"So was Nemia a halfling by chance? A halfling lady with a giant rat cloak was the first hint that your temple here was involved. She murdered poor Mr. Thunder, our ringleader! She ranted and raved about how our friendly circus and the Abbers had ravaged the land or something like that." he says with a shake of his head. "We tried to reason with her, but she and the mephits she brought with her only wanted violence."
"So, Balenni, eh? What's this lady look like? Human I suppose? She sounds like the real culprit! I wonder if it was her who summoned all the demons we've come across. Or maybe she was a demon herself! There we these gross vermleks in town. Snaky-demon things that lived inside of a couple of people, using their bodies as disguises. There were outside of Goldenlaws, the Abadar church in town. Inside there was an ALU DEMON" he emphasizes with some vicious sideeye for Kvothe before continuing, "just wreckin' the place with a quasit. And here in your library we found a couple more, again just trashing the place. And did I mention the ghouls? I hate to say it, but you had a real infestation problem here before your door talked us into cleaning up."
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The news makes Harock even gloomier.
"It seems they haven't limited the mischief to just the hermitage. I'm sorry about your friend.
"Balenni is a human, yes." Harlock doesn't seem to know how to respond to the rest of that, so he just gives a bewidered but supportive nod.
"Thank you for driving the evil from this place."
"Don't mention it! We had lots of fun slaying the evildoers and such. I'm just sorry we didn't show up sooner. We know what it's like to lose a member of the family, and you've lost a lot. But you can always rebuild! This is an awful nice place you got here."
"If there's anything you need, just look for the big top. We're on tour all around the Isle of Erran. You can always come to our show for some cheering up, and we're all orphans of a sort, so you're always welcome in our family."
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Strumming a soothing tune while Didy recounts their tale so far, he strikes a jarring note when he mentions the demon in the Church of. Abdar. Returning to the soothing tunes with a look, Kvothe offers condolences to the priest and wishes him well in his rebuild of the order
"Before we head back to check on the mayor, you mentioned that you had a theory of what was causing all of the environmental changes...? Or maybe you wanna come back into town with us? I am sure that Mr. Mayor would be happy to see that you are ok. And we can get you a nice meal while we're at it."
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Harlock sighs wearily. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. The Hermitage of Blessed Lightning was established here to protect and learn from the Erran Tower, an ancient landmark a few miles inland. We hermits know very little about it. It was created by Aroden thousands of years ago. At its summit is what we call the aeon orb, so named because it orbits the summit of the tower the way an aeon stone orbits the head of its owner.
“Lore passed down to me from previous masters of the hermitage suggests more. The aeon orb is a powerful artifact. It enriches life for dozens of miles in all directions, making the land more abundant, the seasons milder, and harvests more bountiful. In just the past few generations, however, this bounty has faded. The soil is drying out. Vegetation is stunted, and some crops won’t grow at all. Birth rates among animals are declining. Some here at the hermitage blamed the townspeople of Abberton for this decline, but I suspect a different cause: I think the aeon orb’s power has begun to fail. The Isle of Erran is dying.
“I’ve tried to the understand the aeon orb and perhaps restore its power, but its nature eludes me. While I’ve made a few trips into the Erran Tower over the years, nothing there provided any clues. On my most recent visit, just a few weeks ago, some foul-smelling creatures hurled spears at me before I could get close. They are xulgaths, I believe—reptilian humanoids you might have heard called troglodytes. I spied on them from a distance. There are at least a dozen, and they are accompanied by large lizards and several demons. It was an unpleasant surprise, but I soon had my hands full dealing with the newcomer Balenni and the resentment she stoked among the hermits and didn’t have a chance to investigate further. It seems obvious in hindsight, but the sudden rise of demon worship here must be connected to the demons accompanying the xulgaths in the Erran Tower. I overheard a few of the most debased priests say they’d planned to visit the Erran Tower and speak to someone named Cavnakash. I believe Cavnakash is the leader of the xulgaths, and he must have some power over demons.
“You have done so much for Abberton and my hermitage already, but there is more to do. Will you cleanse the Erran Tower of the demons and xulgath infesting it, so that we can perhaps work together to restore life to this land?”
As Harlock begins his tale, Didy instinctively plops on the ground and sits cross-legged, elbows on his knees, and chin in his hands, gazing upward at the storyteller. He gets especially excited at the mention of Aroden.
After an excess of oohs and ahhs, he eventually realizes that the story has come to an end, and the question is not rhetorical.
"Oh. You betcha we will!"
"So, xulgaths, huh? I think we heard about them before. Oh yeah in your journal! Here, you probably want that back." he says handing over the journal recovered earlier.
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"We... we will? We just simple circus artists and this big hero stuff." BumBum's wide eyes shine with moisture. "We's not gonna have to leave the show, is we? I don't wanna leave the show now, they need's us more than ever. But we's can't be dragging them into danger either. I bet's them xulgaths got no appeciations for the performing arts." BumBum's lower lip begins trembling "I knows this gotta be fixed but I'm afraid I gots no idea what to do for some old artifacty orb." The goblin visibly collects himself. "But I guess the show must go on, and so will I. But we should tell the Professor what we's doing first."
"Of course! Yes, sorry about that, I got carried away with all of this adventuring we've been doing lately! BumBum is right. We gotta check with the Professor. He's the boss." he says with an apologetic lick of the goblin's face.
Turning back to Harlock he shakes his had vigorously, saying, "Thanks for letting us keep all of the stuff we found in here. That's mighty kind of you!"
"So, team, shall we go check on the mayor and then head home? I don't know about you, but I could do with a good night's rest!"
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The circus is much how you left, although it is full dark when you finally arrive. Groups of carnies sit around fires, eating and talking, but your reappearance causes a stir.
"Hey, they're back!" Angrava shouts.
"Hey, they're still alive!" Poffo shouts in response.
A cheer goes up among the circus workers, as a small group approach.
"ץ๏ย ђคשє гєՇยгภє๔ คɭเשє, เՇ รєє๓ร." Madame Eugenia says in her oddly hollow voice. She pulls a coin from a pouch at her belt to hand to Pagliacci, who attempts to shove her hand away surreptitiously.
"Hahaha", Pagliacci says with a nervous, mirthess laugh. "Welcome back. We heard the mayor returned to town safely. A little bruised."
The Professor nods. "The townsfolk were ready for the torch and pitchfork at that point, but he asked them to hold off, give you a chance to take care of things." he says hoarsely. "Welcome back. Come, eat, we'd love to hear your tale."
Didy skips into camp bounding with energy, especially as Kvothe starts up their theme music.
"Hi everybody! We're back!"
"Of course we're alive, brother!" he says leaping up into the air to high five the strongman who did not intentionally leave his palm up.
He laughs uproariously at the clowns' latest act, "That's a good one!"
But all the while he makes a beeline for the Professor whose lap he immediately jumps into and then excitedly bombards him, "Oh man, Professor, have we got a tale for you! It was like something right out of your adventure stories! There were demons and ghoulies, ancient temples and long forgotten towers, rescued damsels... ooo! and a cache of pick" he stops with a quick look to the goblin, worried that he'd revealed a secret, "--umm, I'll let BumBum tell that part."
He begins again, having squirmed back out of the Professor's lap to run around regaling each of the carnies one by one as he continues the tale, counting on his fingers so he doesn't lose his place, "So anyway, the first damsel was Mr. Mayor, I'm glad to hear he's okay! He was so brave insisting that he travel back to town alone after those jerks were beating him up and poking him with their devil-forks when we got there. The other one was a nice druid named Mr. Warlock. He says he's super sorry that Nemia--that was her name--killed Mr. Thunder." he pauses for a somber moment that lasts all of a second and a half "He says it has something to do with a wicked witch named Mrs. BadLenny who bamboozled the other druids into thinking the bad weather and stuff was cuz of the town--and us even! But the truth is that it's cuz of the errant tower--it's missing it's A1 orb or something? Hey! Hey! Hey! Guess who made it? Guess! ...Oh you'll never guess, Aroden!! Anyway he said Aroden Tower isn't rotating right cuz of smelly lizard people. That's a whole other adventure we could do!"
"Oh boy! Another show! You can't count us in too!" he says as he hugs Amrosius tightly around the neck.
After spending some time catching up with everyone and filling his belly with Pontypool's finest, as the night sky fills with stars, the shoony makes his routine trip to the Professor's trailer.
After a soft knock, he stands outside the door with his bedroll tucked under one arm, and a book under the other, looking up with giant saucer eyes.
"Oh boy! Adventure time again!" Didy loudly announces the moment his eyes snap open in the early morning, probably startling the poor professor.
He is quickly up and packing up all of his gear.
He rounds up the others motormouthing at them excitedly about all of the upcoming adventures.
Didy trots up to Goldenlaws Church doors and gives a quick knock.
"Helloooo! Mr. Nellyn? We're baaaack!" he calls out in a cheerful sing-song voice.
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Nellyn is hard at work when you arrive, cleaning the damage left by the demons. Seeing the books, he smiles broadly.
"Ah, thank you. I'm lucky they were just stolen, and not destroyed outright."
He returns to the altar before coming back with a couple of potions.
"I'm afraid I don't have much more to reward you with, but perhaps these could be of use to you." he says, handing you a pair of minor healing potions.
"Aw, shucks! You can always reward us with extra applause! We're doing an encore performance! Turns out those demons were sent here by some nefarious villain and we are hot on her trail! Professor gave us permission to finish our adventure, so the circus is gonna do an extra show for the town. After all the unpleasantness, we figure you folks could use some fun and good cheer!"
"Tell the whole congregation!" Didy says with a big grin and a wave as he trots out the door.