Ephie flings his axe int he wolf's face, then steps into a flank with Rulean and raises his arcane shield.
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Finding the wolf-thing right next to him, Rulean raises his shield and then his pick. The pick is brought back down, trying to injure the wolf.
Fatal d10
crit, die increase, extra die for fatal
Then he causes the Spirtual Javelin to come in and strike.
“Boo is a strange name. Was that another of Mistress Dusklight’s nasty little tricks?”
Leaf moves over to the heavily injured Nabi and attempts to fix up the worst of her injuries.
He then uses the Healer’s Glovers to soothe more of the injuries.
Finally he sends a flurry of arrows at the wolf-thing.
"Oh no you don't-!"
Clover extends the haft of her fork before moving up behind Rulean and trying once more to stick the pesky teleporting monster!
She continues to bleed...
______________
Ephraim wards himself but then makes a tactical error as he gestures to propel his antique axe into the wolf demon. The demon takes advantage of the opportunity and lunges in for a bite . The translucent shield shatters as the lopsided jaws break through and tear a cut--far less fearsome than it would have been--across his arm. The wound does not keep bleeding like the others. The attack seems to have disrupted Ephie's aim, and it circles back to him bloodless .
While the demon is distracted with Ephie, Rulean plants his pick deep in the beast's back. The wolf demon howls in pain, though his flickering in and out of reality saves him from some of the blow's damage. The pain brings his attention back in time to avoid the spiritual javelin.
Leaf-on-Wind moves to Nabi's aid, tending to what he can by mundane and magical means. He then fires a pair of arrows at the demon. The first is on target but passes through the demon's space as he shifts into the ethereal plane at that precise moment .
Clover's fork extends to keep her at least a bit farther from the demon. She jabs him with the enchanted weapon, but shortly after the tines pierce his skin he fades again .
Nabi tries to stem the blood flowing out of her arm, but it quickly bleeds through the bandages and between her fingers. She sheathes her sword in preparation for taking out her bow.
That’s Not a Wolf. Round 5.Bold may act.
Bold may act.
Demon Wolf (-82 hp) (reaction used)
Nabi (47/53 hp) (persistent bleed d6) (sword stowed)
Leaf-on-Wind (50/50 hp) (archer stance)
Clover (40/66 hp [drained 2]) (protection, magic weapon) (persistent bleed d6)
>Snowy (33/48)
Rulean (48/48 hp [drained 2])
Ephraim (46/53)
Song-of-Air (51/51 hp)
"Tricky. I can see this will be a long fight."
◈◈ Telekinetic Projectile
◈ Shield
The demon wolf knocks the projected rock aside . The other wolves scatter out of the den with the appearance of their tyrannical leader. He disappears and reappears further away from Ephriam and Rulean. There he speaks in an arcane abyssal tongue, causing the air to warp around him, before gesturing at the iruxi.
A trickle of random thoughts begins to push their way into Rulean's mind.
Still bleeding, Nabi moves over to gain an eye on the demon before firing her bow at the beast. The first arrow bounces off of his hide. The second passes through his tail while it is ephemeral.
That’s Not a Wolf. Round 6.Bold may act.
Bold may act.
Demon Wolf (-82 hp)
Nabi (41/53 hp) (persistent bleed d6)
Leaf-on-Wind (50/50 hp) (archer stance)
Clover (40/66 hp [drained 2]) (protection, magic weapon) (persistent bleed d6)
>Snowy (33/48)
Rulean (48/48 hp [drained 2])
Ephraim (46/53)
Song-of-Air (51/51 hp)
Need to slow him down!
Taking advantage of the creature's distraction, Clover steels herself and advances toward him. As she does, she shifts her fork to a single hand and attempts to trip the thing...
...but finds the monster immovable. Hoping to keep it from focusing on Ephie, she calls for backup.
"Snowy! Get him!"
______________
Snowy comes barreling towards the monster, snarling and growling, and manages to make it to Clover's side once more.
______________
Clover tries to pull the demon's leg out from under him, but he proves too strong. When the beast yanks his leg back, the force topples the halfling onto her face.
That’s Not a Wolf. Round 6.Bold may act.
Bold may act.
Demon Wolf (-82 hp)
Nabi (41/53 hp) (persistent bleed d6)
Leaf-on-Wind (50/50 hp) (archer stance)
Clover (35/66 hp [drained 2]) (protection, magic weapon) (prone, persistent bleed d6)
>Snowy (33/48)
Rulean (48/48 hp [drained 2])
Ephraim (46/53)
Song-of-Air (51/51 hp)
Leaf moves through the demon's threatened area, trying to trigger an attack of opportunity so that Clover can get up safely, then shoots.
Unfortunately, being that near an enemy unnerves him and messes with his shot.
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◈
Song calls out the ancient rallying cry of the circus.
"We are the circus,
You are the clown,
You think you're on top?
We'll cut your ass down!"
Then she casts Hideous Laughter in a vain attempt to slow this creature down and stop all of its reactions.
“Let’s see if your fur is flammable.”
Rulean casts Searing Light at the creature and then follows up with his Spiritual Javelin.
The wolf demon snaps at Leaf-on-Wind as he moves past, catching him near the neck and leaving a ragged, bleeding wound . A moment too late for her brother, Song-of-Air irritates the beast so much that he starts laughing .
"I hate you!" he growls. "You and your brother so pompous!"
Then he is engulfed in white and gold flame. When the flames die down, he is left standing there soot covered and coughing between wheezing laughs .
That’s Not a Wolf. Round 6.Bold may act.
Bold may act.
Demon Wolf (-106 hp) (no reactions) (frightened 1)
Nabi (41/53 hp) (persistent bleed d6)
Leaf-on-Wind (29/50 hp) (archer stance) (persistent bleed d6)
Clover (35/66 hp [drained 2]) (protection, magic weapon) (prone, persistent bleed d6)
>Snowy (33/48)
Rulean (48/48 hp [drained 2])
Ephraim (46/53)
Song-of-Air (51/51 hp)
“Ephraim, any idea what is protecting that thing from damage?”
Does it matter?
Ephie will roll arcana to try and id the effect (or whatever school yo think)
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As the not-a-wolf goes down to Ephie’s rock, Rulean admits “Not any more…”
Since Clover seems to be in the worst shape, he moves over to her and tries to stop the bleeding.
"Gah..."
Clover climbs to her feet and does her best to try and stop herself from bleeding, with Rulean's help.
Leaf on Wind then applies medical care to himself. "Can we go back to the circus now?"
"The baby dragon's got fl--Erk!" the demon wolf begins--spitting out his words between wheezing laughs and coughs--before getting cut short by a rock to his skull that puts him out of his misery.
Between you, the bleeding wounds are dressed and stabilized. The demon has no treasure of value (unless you consider rotting carcasses as treasure).
Once there is no one bleeding, Rulean uses his last healing spell to heal the group before leaving. He does check that the not-a-wolf is fully dead before using it.
“Clover, can you tell the regular wolves that as long as they don’t attack our pack we will not disturb them?”
You tend to your wounds, and Clover ensures that the circus and its future patrons will remain safe from wolf attacks. While none of you from Mistress Dusklight's Celestial Menagerie recognize the demon wolf, Rulean knows quite well that the brand on the beast's arm is one used by Mistress Dusklight. Some of his comments also suggested a familiarity with the tengu siblings and the iruxi. There's something about his lopsided maw that tickles your memories, but nothing comes of it. However, that mystery may be at an end with no satisfying resolution with his death. Whoever he was, he was a demon.
Reasonably safe from the wolves, you are now free to return to the circus. There is the reference of hidden treasure in the journal, though, and several other areas of the swamp not yet explored. However, you still have several days before you need to put on your first show thanks to your good impression upon Chief Constable Paldreen and your fine negotiating skills.
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"...and so that's that," Clover finishes, after explaining that the wolf pack should no longer be a threat to the group or the rest of the circus. "I'll definitely sleep a lot better knowing that thing isn't running around out here anymore."
Which was mostly true. The brand on the creature disturbed her; Mistress Dusklight had been and surely still was a cruel and conniving taskmaster but Clover hadn't known her to truck with actual monsters. Until now.
Maybe she got in over her head a bit with that thing and decided it'd just be easier to turn it loose.
"We should probably head back for now. I think we've had enough excitement for one day..."
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"Yeah, we should head back." Song walks ahead a bit with Clover, Ephraim and Rulean. "Does Leaf look peaky to you? I think we should put him in charge of the circus when we go again, and just let him rest."
Song sighs. "Speaking of Leaf... How did that demon know who we were? I don't recognize him, but he said that Leaf and I were pompous?" She looks to the others, dancing around in her shimmery red cloak. "Now I could see it if he said I was pompous, because I know I look good. I mean... who else can pull of this look?"
"But Leaf is really self-effacing. What did he do to get called pompous, especially by an annoying demon?"
Confident in Clover's abilities and assured that the wolf pack will not bother the circus or its patrons now that the demon wolf has been slain, you hurry back to the campsite to rest your weary bones. Song-of-Air takes her brother to their tent to lie down. Nabi begs off to take a bath.
However, your plans for resting are interrupted by some commotion at the technical entrance to your camp. Several of the older members of the Circus, including the Professor and Cubby, the enlightened beagle, are gathered around a figure. Joining the semicircle of onlookers, you see a catfolk has presented themselves while you were clearing out the caves.
Is this more trouble like Jellico and Danika?
"I'm sorry, I don't have an entrance ticket. I just need some supplies and maybe something warm to eat. I can work for what it will cost. I have lost nearly everything I had, and I have been blowing like a butterfly on the breeze for ... probably a couple of months now."
"I was once quite an entertainer myself. I do fortune readings. I do still have my cards," he says as he pulls out a small deck of cards. Then his ears droop a bit. "But I no longer have a booth to set up."
▸ Athletics (untrained to expert)
▸ Survival (trained to expert)
Rulean looks the fortune teller up and down. “We aren’t open for business yet.” Gesturing behind him, he says “We have to clear this land first.”
“When performing, what name do you use? We might have use for a fortune teller.”
After getting a name, he says “Would you mind doing a reading for us? As you said, you have your cards.”
Once Chani agrees, he turns to one of the roustabouts and says “Get something that will work as a table.”
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Chani's ears droop even further when the Iruxi mentions that the carnival is not ready for performances. But that is short-lived as he continues speaking and mentions doing a reading for the people here.
"Oh certainly. My name is Chani." He bows deeply. "Chani Loasa. I haven't really considered using a fancier name during performances, but it isn't a bad idea."
Chani quickly shuffles the cards, then holds them out to Rulean - the cards sitting in a neat stack atop his open palm. "This isn't actually a Harrow deck, though I have at times seen it give me Harrow cards. Cut the deck please." After Rulean does so, Chani takes the first card, looks at it and shows it to those watching. "A glass sword. Sharp, but fragile - and still intact. You have been nearly broken in your past. But not broken. Still strong, still sharp." He slides that card under the deck and draws another card. "The number eight - made out of a pile of the number 5." He looks at the card curiously, then puts that card away and draws a third card. His eyes widen a bit. "Death - suffering from sickness." He pauses for a moment. "But is that the past or the future? You have recently suffered a dire illness - or you will shortly." Chani pulls one more card. This one is nearly blank - a rather drab an uniform grey. "Rrrrmph. The Age of Lost Omens. It makes the future nearly impossible to foretell."
"Would anyone else like a reading?" he asks the group.
Ephie is excited. How precise! There is nothing more thrilling than opening dooways to knowledge! You never know what'll come out the other side.
Here is a challenge for you, Chani, though you can decline if you choose. Ephie places his ventriloquist dummy, Mr. Splinters, on the card table. The doll has Ephie's face but something is subtly wrong about it. I present to you my knotty-pine performance partner, Mr. Splinters. I never quite understood where he came from as I was forced to hastily abandon my thesis on Harnessing Dark Tapestry Emanations from Transdimensional Structures to Synthesize Sentient Matter at University. That was because of the incident… but never mind that. Ha ha ha.
Ephie awkwardly chuckles and nervously pats the poppet on the head. He keeps his hands well clear of the grinning mouth.
Mr. Splinters stares at Chani with dead glassy eyes. He remains perfectly motionless.
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Chani's eyes widen and his ears focus intently on the wooden ventriloquism assistant as it is brought out. "My what an interesting doll."
He shuffles his cards again and warily holds them out to Mr. Splinters to cut. "Now, when I say 'cut the deck' that means separate the cards into two piles. No slicing of cards."
Chani turns over the first card. "A thunder storm. Anger... or fear." He draws another card. "A strong silver chain, with a weakening link. Do you wish the chain broken? Or to use it for your own purposes?" A third card. "A rabbit and a fox curled up aside each other. Perhaps peace. Perhaps impending doom." The fourth card is once again blank - this time a dark blue.
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The dummy's eyes snap left, right, then he reaches over with a jerking motion to cut the deck.
After the reading, his wooden mouth hinges open and he speaks in Ephie's voice.
THE CHAINS TWIST TIGHTER DAY BY DAY. THE RABBIT WEARS FOX'S FACE.
HA. HA. HA.
Ephie laughs; it sounds like a small, high-pitched voice that isn't his.
He coughs. AHEM! Don't be a dummy Mr. Splinters! Chani's the expert here; if he says there are chains, I'm sure they'll be broken. And there's no impending doom in your future… unless you try to bite another patron!
The doll remains silent, staring at Chani with those glassy eyes.
Song grabs a circus special, a hot rice bowl loaded with lots of vegetables and rabbit meat, and brings it to Chani. "I would love to have my fortune told, but before that, please eat something! You've already performed for your supper!"
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THE CHAINS TWIST TIGHTER DAY BY DAY. THE RABBIT WEARS FOX'S FACE.
Chani watches the reaction of the poppet carefully. "Perhaps. And what face does the fox wear? And how certain are you of that?"
His musings are interrupted by Song handing him a bowl of hot food. "Oh, you are wonderful. Thank you." He puts his cards away and eats happily. "Yes, I will continue with these in a bit."
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THE CHAINS TWIST TIGHTER DAY BY DAY. THE RABBIT WEARS FOX'S FACE.
"Now, what the heck is that supposed to mean? Don't pay attention to Mr. Splinters. He's a blockhead. Now me, I'm the gorgeous familiar. Can I have some of your rice?"
Oolong perches right on Chani's shoulder.
With a chuckle, Rulean says “Looks like you have won over this crowd. Welcome to our circus.”
Oolong continues to preen and gobble down way too much of Chani's rice.
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"Now me, I'm the gorgeous familiar. Can I have some of your rice?"
"Hah. I guess I can't complain about losing something that wasn't mine to begin with." Chani holds the bowl close enough for the crow to grab a couple beakfulls of rice.
“Looks like you have won over this crowd. Welcome to our circus.”
"I... Well... Mrr. Thank you. This is certainly more than I was hoping for."
He finishes his rice quickly - what he can successfully get before Song's companion does, then beckons Song back. He pulls out his cards again and shuffles them a couple of times. "I'm actually not sure how important this is. I have only rarely seen it produce the same card twice - ever. And if I fan through them, they are all blank. I gave up trying to get a consistent count. But," he continues while setting the cards on the table in front of Song-of-Air, "it seems right somehow. And it makes for a better show."
When he gets the cards back, he turns over the first one. "Imbalanced scales. You cause that - or correct that. Perhaps both." He replaces that card and draws the next. "A dagger wrapped in ribbon. You are more dangerous than you appear. Someone has died at your hand." He looks at the third card and sets it on the table. "A felt tiara. You have an influence over those around you, but one that they often appreciate." He turns over a fourth card, expecting it to be blank once again. But he is rather surprised to find that it instead has the imbalanced scales again. "Again?" He takes a second look at the card. "Ah, imbalanced in the opposite direction. Either a warning to keep your natural power over others in balance - or an indication that notable changes are coming. Either to you or someone close to you." Chani replaces that card and draws another. This one is blank though.
"A blank card? Perhaps I can write my own fortune here." Song nods to the fortune-telling. "What an excellent job. We could certainly use a fortune teller in the circus. Would you like a job and a home?"
Song sits next to Chani. "Now... tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Any interesting stories?"
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"A blank card? Perhaps I can write my own fortune here."
"We all write our own fortune. But not on these cards," Chani says as he flips the deck over and splays them in a line on the table. All of them are blank and each one in a different color or shade. He gathers the cards back together again.
"Now... tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Any interesting stories?"
Chani looks up at the sky for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I have been a wanderer for most of my life. Never really settled down anywhere. Never really wanted to. I like finding and learning new things. Meeting new people. Smelling new smells. Hearing new sounds. And I usually did pretty well for myself while doing it."
"A while ago - I don't often pay much attention to time - I came to this island to see what was on it. From the moment I stepped off the pier, I saw notices for the carnival in town. The Celestial Menagerie. A most amazing name for a most interesting collection of sights and entertainments. I spent a while at the carnival - the better part of the day. I liked it so well that I ... well, actually, much like I did here today ... I approached the organizers of the circus and offered to set up my booth. They accepted and I began working there." He gets a bit of a distant look for more than a few seconds. "But you asked for interesting stories. And the stories I could tell from that time are neither interesting nor pleasant. It is enough to say that I left there with little more than the fur on my back - and I felt fortunate to be leaving with that. I kept my cards and my amulet. I lost everything else - either siezed by circus officials in lieu of payment, or was forced to abandon it when I left because I could not carry it."
Chani sighs a bit heavily. Then brightens up noticeably. "But that is in the distant past. A great many days before last week. Though I don't remember wintering in the wilderness, so likely less than a year ago. Though it may just be that winters on this island are very mild. Anyway, since that day I have been traveling this island. Seeing new sights. Smelling new smells. Hearing new sounds. Meeting new people. It has been most grand. Though it would be nice to be able to afford passage off the island at some point in the future."
He looks around the small group again and holds up his cards. "Anyone else? Don't be shy."
What the fates provide, the fates also take away.
The Circus of Wayward Wonders becomes one performer greater as the tengu siblings warmly welcome the fortune teller, Chani Loasa, into their fold. The rest of the crew follows their lead and provides a warm welcome to the catfolk, shaking off their initial trepidation. The crew goes back to clearing the land of rocks and brambles, while the heroes seek much needed rest and baths.
When Clover and Rulean wake the next morning, they feel better but not at their full strength . The morning also brings another revelation: Nabi has absconded in the night. The circus coffer feels a little lighter as well. So the Circus of Wayward Wonders also becomes one performer weaker.
There is plenty of land to clear, and there is more of the swamp to explore, including the grove where Juniper Winzel's journal indicates that she stashed more of her loot in case she needed to run.
Fed and comforted and feeling hopeful for the future, Chani finds a place to bed down for the night.
The next morning he wakes with the sun and walks around the circus grounds - such as they are. As soon as he finds any of the circus leadership, he approaches them and asks, "What would you have me do today? I would help with the setup in any way that I can."
"Well, don't suppose you could use those cards to tell us where Nabi ran off to, could you?" Clover remarks sourly. "It's been hard enough to earn coin without having one of...well, without having someone run off with what we do have." While there's anger in her tone, there's also an undercurrent of hurt there as well.
I thought we were friends, Nabi. You were one of us.
The halfling sighs but then does her best to smile. "Sorry. Situation's frustrating but I guess there's nothing to be done about it except to move on. At any rate, how are you this morning? Did you sleep okay?"
"I slept better than I have in many days. Regarding my cards and tracking -- Mrrrhr. Probably not. I rarely get specific information of the future or distant events from my cards or other divinations. Everything has become vague and subject to interpretation. My understanding is that this happened at the time of the Fall of Aroden, but that was long before my time. Knowledge of the past and present are more reliable."
Chani bows his head respectfully. "I am sorry that your friend has left."
"Thank you. I am too, but I guess maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. Nabi was always...um, free-spirited, even compared to the rest of us. And a little erratic."
Even though it certainly wasn't Chani's fault, Clover found his sentiment comforting just the same and as she smiles again, it's more genuine and warm.
"I'm glad you were able to get some good sleep for a change. Being out under the stars by yourself can be nice sometimes but it's hard to sleep well when you don't have anyone around to watch your back."
She glances around; the others would surely be stirring soon if they weren't already up and about. "You asked about helping out. We're working on cleaning up this spot so we can get set up all proper for our show. It's coming along but there's still a lot of land to clear and swamp to explore. Yesterday we took care of one really big problem in the form of a wolf...demon...thing...that was living in a cave nearby. That's honestly a big load off my mind but there could still be other trouble lurking somewhere nearby. So I guess what I'm asking is if you can do some fighting, if push comes to shove - weapon of choice doesn't matter, steel or spell either one is always handy."
Good job, Clover. 'Nice to meet you, grab a weapon and come risk life and limb with a bunch of strangers.' You'll be lucky if you don't scare him off!
"Um, not that we expect to be doing more fighting anytime soon," Clover hurriedly adds. "And it's not a condition for staying here or traveling with us or anything like that! More that most of the others don't really know how to fight or defend themselves and, well, sometimes life on the road can get dangerous. Like with the thing out in the swamp or folks who think you're just a bunch of tramps and thieves looking to rob them blind. You know?"
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Chani nods at Clover's words. "It is quite nice to not be alone. And I will certainly help you clear the area - of both rocks and monsters. I have been beset by bandits a few times, and I have spent some time in Ustalav." Chani pulls a card from the deck in his pocket.
"A wolf blazon for a coat of arms." He shakes his head and puts his card away. "From your description, perhaps a lycanthrope or barghest." He pulls out a leaf from one of his pockets. "I expect wolfsbane would help." He puts it away again. "But since you have already beaten it, I don't think I need this now. I do have a mace that I found after leaving the Celestial Menagerie, as well as some light armor. I would appreciate other equipment though. Perhaps a small crossbow, and the healing supplies I originally came here for. I can also use scrolls, though I don't cast magic on my own."
"Perhaps you or one of your friends could introduce me to the others in the circus and we can find out what equipment is available?"
You spend the day working on clearing the valley while Clover and Rulean rest. The next morning, the two of them are breathing much easier and feel back to their hale selves. With your health renewed, you decide to at least explore the glade marked as Juniper's stash.
The smell of death and rot grows stronger as you approach through the path. Within the sunny glade is the mauled and mangled corpse of a bear half in the water of a crystal clear pool. This would be a good source of water for the circus if someone hauls away the rotting bear carcass.
Searching around, you find a tree with "JW" carved into the bark. Inside a bole on the trunk is a dusty sack with several platinum coins, an inky black elixir, and a hollow mithril tube about a foot long engraved with iconography of broken locks and chains.
You spend the day working on clearing the valley while Clover and Rulean rest. The next morning, the two of them are breathing much easier and feel back to their hale selves. With your health renewed, you decide to at least explore the glade marked as Juniper's stash.
Chani spends the first day hard at work. Clearing brambles, moving large stones, and generally trying to be of use to those who took him in. He does spend some time that evening looking around and talking to people.
The next morning when he sees people getting ready to head into the swamp, he hurries and grabs his own gear and meets up with them before they leave.
"I have spent many days living in the wilderness. Please allow me to keep an ear out for your safety here. It is the least I can do after what you have offered to me."
▸ Athletics (untrained to expert)
▸ Survival (trained to expert)
□ Chani
□ Clover
□ Snowball
□ Ephriam
□ Rulean
□ Song-of-Air
□ Oolong
At seeing the bear carcass, Rulean ponders if there is any danger of disease or other risks in handling it. While he forms his own opinions, he asks others if they have ideas. “Anyone want to speculate on dangers that dead bear corpse may pose if we try to move it?”
Ephie crafts a simple pulley system to help get the bear corpse out.
He tries to ID the potion: