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Round Two
Halfling? (-23)
Noatuk (-13)
Didymus (-8)
BumBum
Kvothe
Lady Al (-3)
Horde of Rats (-26)
Grigs
Kvothe's acid splash misses the horde. Didymus hits, but Ambrosius misses. Neither the swarm or the halfling attack as he moves past.
BumBum's arrow flies into the center of the swarm of rats, but it seems to have little effect.
Noatuk heals and moves.
Lady Al's taunt doesn't seem to bother the halfling--she's made of sterner stuff. Unfortunately her, she's also made of flammable stuff, and Lady Al's magical flame scorches her, drawing an outraged yelp.
The rat swarm skitters forward, squeaking and scrabbling over the hard-packed earth of the campsite. The creatures flow over Lady Al and Didymus, biting and tearing at them.
"Why, that's quite rude!" Tarisia says, launching a trio of attacks on the swarm, while Cannono follows suit--unleashing discordant notes from their tegmen, blurring through the air at the rat swarm surrounding Didymus and Lady Alhambra.
Five of the attacks hit the swarm!
Dozens of rats go flying as the dissonant notes strike the swarm, and the rats disperse, squeaking in fear.
Muttering in disappointment, the Halfling launches another attack on Noatuk, judging the iruxi a more pressing concern than the animal beside her.
She's not so lucky this time. After applying a mere singe to Noatuk's hide, she moves away, using the carts here as cover between her and the heroes.
Noatuk strides and makes two attacks.
Al strides alongside Didymus and hurls another mote of flame.
"Huh. I guess it wasn't Mistress Dusklight after all."
Noatuk takes a deep breath and let's it out slowly, ending it in a low slow whistle.
"Well I've ad enough uh Aberton for a while."
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BumBum will approach the dead halfling in order to search it."I stills don't get it. I thought these druid types were beastie besties. Why she get them all killed just to take out circus? What if more critters is attcking these other towns on that map? Somebody should warn them. And how did she knows so much about us in them notes?
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"Well, good riddance to her." The two little cricket-folk fly over and settle on carts near the halfling's body.
"Indeed, Cannono. Terrible thing, to whip up animals into such a frenzy. Their little minds can't hold big people ideas like that so well."
"Yes, yes, quite cruel." Cannono says, rapidly losing interest.
The halfling woman has a few items on her. Kvothe notices her sickle detects as magical. She wears hide armor, and carries a staff. A key in her pocket looks familiar--you're pretty sure this is Myron's key for his personal wagon. There is also an elixer in one of her pockets.
Her hood--made from the head of a dire rat--is startling, but apparently nonmagical.
"Hmm dats a nice sickle. Make a good weapon fer sumbody."
Noatuk relays the information on the sickle.
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Turning to the fae-crickets, so, thanks for your assistance. What were you doing here before we were rudely interrupted?
yeah, seems like this was an isolated incident. Wonder what we did to draw the ire of this crazed druid? Maybe the clue is in Myron's trailer. Wonder how she got his key?
[Ooc]so after searching the body and looking around, I think we should check Myron's trailer next[/b]
Didymus walks over to the fallen halfling and sniffs at her corpse to see if he recognizes her scent in his recent searchings around camp. He makes a mental note to track the scent to try to find all of the places she's been, to catch any other sabotage.
He also take the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity and takes a sniff at the backsides of the cricket-folk. If they take notice he quickly interrupts any objection with a lick to the face and an excited greeting.
"Nice to meet you! Cannono and Tarisia is it? I gotta admit you had me pretty upset when we showed up and you were dancing our friends to death! But boy, were you life savers against the mean druid and her rats! You really should join our circus! It's the best time ever!"
After giving the grigs the saddest of all puppy dog eyes to seal the deal, Didy gets back to the task at hand, "Myron's key!? Yeah we definitely gotta check out his trailer. We don't seem to have all of the clues to this puzzle yet!" and he says while hurrying the others along.
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Around this time the other carnies, who had fled combat, now begin returning.
"What's happening? Who is that?" The professor asks.
Poffo flexes menacingly.
"Let me tell you something, Mean Didymus, that halfling better count her lucky stars that I was too tired to fight from all that dancing, oh yeah. She wouldn't just be pushing up daisies right now, brother, she'd be begging Hell to let her in before she was even dead, oh yeah."
One of the grigs eyes Poffo intently while the other absent-mindedly pats his pockets.
"Oh, right, we never rewarded you for your performances."
Cannono pulls a small crystal from his pocket and tosses it to Kvothe.
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Myron's wagon--not the largest, or the nicest, but certainly the most colorful in the Circus' wagon train--lies sits parked near the pool. Banners on either side advertise the Circus of Wayward Wonders in large capital letters. The banner contains careful, cartoonish drawings of several of the acts, including Eliza, Mordaine, and BumBum. A smaller banner beneath the larger one advertises the Sideshow of Everyday Marvels, along with the other entertainments the circus offers, including a racy drawing of Rache and a tiny Lemonpot handing a massive doll to a child, victorious at one of the games.
Didy doesn't leave Poffo hanging, and quickly replies, "Oh yeah! I can dig it!" punctuated by the scrawny shoony flexing alongside the strongman.
As the group arrives outside Myron's trailer, Didy admires the banners, though blushes and looks away after catching himself looking at the racy drawing too long. He takes the key and slowly unlocks the door, feeling somehow guilty for intruding on the deceased ringmaster's privacy.
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thank you, thank you. it was my pleasure to entertain you. you really didn't need to reward me of the performance. please, thank you he says to the grig? as he accepts the gift.
winking at Poffo and Didy oh YEAH, brother! good thing you were too tired from dancing!
its sad we must do this, but we need answers. would have liked to try to get more info from that crazed druid, but kind hard to speak to a corpse....
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Kvothe detects the presence of magic in the area, likely inside the wagon.
When the door opens, a burst of pollen sprays out of the wagon from a swollen, yellow-purple pod of some kind.
Inside, you find several of these pods, carefully rigged to spray their contents at anyone opening the door to the wagon.
The torch is lit by Myron's everburning torch, which hangs in a sconce near the door. There are many items inside--personal effects of Myrons, mostly, acquired over a lifetime on the road with one circus or another.
There is a crystal vial here containing a dose of lesser bravo's brew. A bearskin hat marked with gold leaf would probably be worth about 7 gold pieces to an interested buyer. A cape on the door was once owned by the Great Fortunato--a former member of the circus who trained Bardolph the Bear, and a close personal friend of Myron's from decades past. The cloak itself is quite nice, and worth 5 gp.
"Hmm, surprisingly there's no sign that any ruckus went down here. Just that wierd trap on the door. I feel kinda bad taking Mr. Thunder's stuff, but I'm sure he'd want it to go to the circus."
"Let's go check on the others. I know we haven't been to visit old Bardolph yet."
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"Let me tell ya Brother! Ya don't know what you're gonna do, when Wayward Wonders -mania runs wild on you! Now snap into a seasoned meat stick! I call them 'Slim Djinns'!"
"Hmmm... crazy druid traps. You're right o'course. Myron wouldn't want us t'leave dese tings t'collect dust. Best t'put'em t'use keep'n da show goin'."
"BumBum is right! We know that Mr. Thunder was killed by vipers. We trapped some of them under the bleachers before they could hurt anybody else. We tracked more vipers to a camp down by the river. There we found several water mephits that had been given this map with super detailed notes about us and our plans. Then we found a scary chicken, but we killed it so it wouldn't make any of you into cow statues. Then we got worried about you guys and--well you know that part. Then we found Mr. Thunder's house key on Karen the Druid, so we checked on his trailer. She'd trapped the door with her gross mold stuff, but didn't seem to take anything from inside." he shrugs. "From what she said she was mad cuz she thought humans were ruining her neighborhood or something. So she tried to use our circus as a scape goat."
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"I...see." The Professor says hesitantly.
"Well, perhaps there is more to this than one angry druid. I wonder what the town of Abberton has to do with all this? Regardless, it has been a long day for us all. Perhaps it would be best if we got some rest, and look at this with fresh eyes in the morning."
"Yessss, resssst would be good."
Before laying down for the night, Noatuk will take some time to pray and lay on hands everyone to full health.
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Most of the carnival settles down for bed, a sense of exhaustion and mourning still hanging in the air.
The following morning, the carnies awake to the smells of coffee, bacon, and bread. Pontypool, Sandestin, Boy and Velvet are hard at work at breakfast, dishing out plates of beans, bacon, black bread, hard-boiled eggs, and sausages to the sleepy crew. Several of the rousties are already at work planning the disassembly of the camp. You can distantly hear Lemonpot's jeers at Grisamentum--over some sort of unpaid debt, apparently.
As you are about to settle in for breakfast, you see a tall, thin man in threadbare but fine clothing enter the camp, hat in hand. He looks a bit lost, but walks over to the central fire uncertainly.
"Um, excuse me. Wonderful show, last night, thank you kindly for the performance. I, uh, heard about your misfortune. My condolences. Oh, ah, sorry. My name is Jae Abber. I'm the mayor of Abberton. Hereditary position, not elected, so its not much of a much."[b]
He rubs his hat in his hands awkwardly. You can see that his presence has been noticed by the Professor, who had previously been in deep conversation with Cubby, the Dog-Faced Dog. Both are staring over at the mayor speaking to you.
[b]"I, uh, got the idea that you lot might be in charge, here." He says, gesturing to BumBum, Lady Al, Didymus, Noatuk, and Kvothe. "Do you think we could have a, uh, private conversation, somewhere. It's, well, it's just that I've got a bit of a problem."
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After bedding down for the night, Kvothe awakens ravenous. Grabbing his lute and heading to the central fire for some food he digs into his plate.
Seeing the approach of the townsman, he listens politely to his story. Waving the Professor over when he finishes, Kvothe looks to his companions.
it was our pleasure to entertain your good folk and give them a short respite from their everyday lives as the Professor approaches and they move to a more separate location please continue, how can we help you food sir
Noatuk rises early and performs his morning ablutions and sacrament. He meets with the roustabouts afterwards and together they set a schedule of breaking down the Circus of Wayward Wonders to hit the road again.
With those plans settled, Noatuk sits with Didy, Lady Al, Kvothe, and Bumbum to share his morning meal before the hard days work.
His curiosity is peaked at the approach of the mayor.
"We're in a period of transsssition right now. But assss my friend ssssaid, if you explain your predicament, perhapssss we can help."
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The Professor gives Kvothe a brief shake of the head, and mouths 'Busy, but keep him talking' at you before he and Cubby return to their conversation.
Abber suggests the Big Top, and the group moves inside.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to see me. Ah, the people of the town were very happy with your show last night. 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 last night, 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.”
Didy's ears perk up at the sound of adventure. He looks to the others with wide eyes, his head vibrating in quick, short nods.
"What more can you tell us about these missing people? What is the sheriff's name? When is the last time each of them was seen?"
Noatuk's brow furrows in concern as he listens to Abber's tale. "Yes, change is inevitable for sure, but the significance of these changes, when viewed as a whole, does make me suspicious of the supernatural. Do you have any practitioners of magic in Abberton? We have encountered one druid who believed someone in Abberton has offended the natural order. Perhaps there is a rogue sect of druids who, misguidedly, believe they are righting some wrong."
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"No one's seen Sheriff Ralhain for more than a week." he says miserably. He shrugs when asked about the other missing people. "Didn't know Seirah Hawfton well, but she was the town miller. Responsible, not like her to pack up and run off, but with everything going on I can't say I'd blame her."
When asked about magic, he responds. "Well, there's the hermitage. I guess priests of Gozreh could be called druids. We've got a church of Abadar as well, but I don't think Nellyn Drend, the banker-priest there, can do any real magic."
"Hmm, well before we set out on this quest, would you mind taking a look at the woman who attacked us? I know it's unpleasant, but you might be able to tell us who she was."
"Also, the Professor wanted to talk to you before you left. He's just been a little tied up talking to Cubby, the two-faced."
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"Now holds on there now Mr. Mayor. We likes to help folks as much as the next folks, but the Circus is our home. Circus is family. We gotta make sure they safe and fed before we runs off on any quests 'round here. If that done, then we can help. What was sheriff doing when they disappeared?"
BumBum will turn to the party. "We knows anyone who is good at drawing? Maybe we make a picture of this druid to show folks at Hermitage. Then maybe we check this millers house for leads and such."
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"She had that honking big rat skull headress and cloak. We can takes that to identify her. Peoples would remember that. If circus is safe and set here for a while we could go check out that miller's place. How fars is it to Hermitage?"
"Here, let me sees that rune" "There you goes Didy, magic bow now"
"Great idea, Bumbum!" Didy says as he packs up the headress and cloak in his backpack.
Then he watches in wonder as the goblin works with the rune.
"Wow! This is great! Thanks, BumBum! I didn't know that you knew magic!"
"Let's head into town. We can see if anyone wants to buy these treasures we found by the angry chicken's lair and stuff."
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The mayor confirms that he does not know her.
Thanking you once again, the mayor leaves. Shortly after, the Professor enters the Big Top, along with several members of the Sideshow of Everday Marvels: Cubby, the Dog-Faced Dog; Gidarron Elbus, "The Bearded Man"; Tahal Roadwatcher, "The Tattooed Woman"; and Hesper and Meitas Jaxis, "the Unjoined Twins".
"I think I can surmise what the mayor spoke to you about," The Professor says in his fractured, quiet voice. "I sent some of our crew into the town last night, after the incident with that strange woman, to get the lay of the land. Here are their reports." He nods, and the twins step forward. They begin to speak, alternating sentences seamlessly.
"A woman, there was, Hemmema. Grandmother, and grandmotherly, yes. Attacked by a wild boar in the street, she was. She ran, of course. Who wouldn't! And she's unhurt, thank goodness. As for the boar, its been spotted in an orchard on the east side of town, and its not alone. A whole brood of boars, just as nasty and foul-tempered as their mother."
The two step back, and Tahala begins to speak.
"I went to the mill, marked on the map of the attacker as it was. Infested with wasps, all over the place. Behaving most strangely--possibly being influenced in some way, I would say. No sign of the miller or her family, and the locals say they've run off. The mill is in perfect condition. No miller would leave a fully functioning mill without a fight, I say."
Giddaron nods.
"Agreed. And there's more. I heard there's a gang in town. No name, but the locals just call 'em the Muggers. Not for the obvious reason, but because they hang out all day at a roadhouse outside town called the Mad Mug. Rumors say they drink all day, and cause a ruckus at night. Sheriff was trying to break 'em up, guess it didn't work."
Cubby sits and nods. "Yep. Folks in town seem to be scared of two things: the Muggers and the Gozrens. The hermitage isn't the only holy place in town, though. There's a church, too. When I popped by to investigate, I saw it was dedicated to Abadar, not Gozreh. I took a peak, anyway, and something is up there. There's something rotting in the back, but I couldn't see it because of the fence. I think there might be something unnatural living in the church's graveyard."
"Thank you, my friends." The Professor says once Cubby has finished. They nod, and file out of the big top.
"A number of leads. Something strange is obviously happening in Abberton, and I think it has some connection to the woman who killed Myron. Perhaps we have not gotten justice for our friend quite yet."
Didymus and the rest of the gang head into town. The first stop is at the merchant shop to trade in some of their recent treasures and make some purchases.
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Given the circumstances, the Professor and the others are in no hurry to break camp just yet--if there's a chance that there's more to Myron's death than you've so far discovered, the Circus of Wayward Wonders would see things brought to a just conclusion.
Abberton is a pretty small community, but there are a handful of shops where buying and selling can be done
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Boy lumbers over to the group silently as they prepare to head toward Abberton, handing them a basket containing pickled cucumbers, boiled eggs, sausages, a ramekin of butter and hunks of fresh bread.
"Pontypool, he say don't eat townie food." The man says in his bizarre and unplaceable accent. He makes a complicated obeisance to the sky above. "May Desna and Nocticula guide you."
The town of Abberton looks much as it did before the show, when Myron and some of the others passed through the town, advertising to the locals of the marvels they'd see at the Circus of Wayward Wonders. In fact, it looks much like any number of towns you've been to along the Inner Sea. But after the mayor's speech, perhaps it does look a bit...parched. Especially for early spring.
Several of the locals--some of whom had enthusiastically enjoyed last nights entertainments--shy away as you enter the town. Noatuk and BumBum in particular get a number of stares, and not all are merely curious.
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BumBum will quickly grab up the pickles singing:
PontyPool Pickles pack the big crunch! Eat them everyday, They the best lunch!
BumBum will share his best smile with the onlookers, and a bigger, toothier smile for the unfriendly ones. What time of day is it currently?
"We's should find the Mad Mug on the way in so we knows where to find it later. Where should we's go after shop, Boars or Wasps? Wonder if we's can find any bug repellent in this town? Also wonder who want to buy fresh boar meat."