Orhan 5 Day 11 TE 6061

Oathar offers up the temple in sacrifice to Neela and Unstones several supporting walls. He then teleports the whole party, their loot, and the bothans out of town.

We flee.

Orhan 5 Day 12 TE 6061

As we get closer to the capital the roads start getting more crowded and the countryside more developed.

We examine our options:

• Main road: lot's of traffic
• Side roads: less traffic
• Cross country: farms, etc.

Which to choose... Whisper and Nimble spend a half day examining who it is on this road... Nimble determines there's not much military traffic, it's mostly civilian. Pretty much all farmers carrying goods to the capital. Every so often a couple of priests and their entourage head to the captial. Nimble attempts to buy us a cart full of potatoes. He finds old farmer Joe. Old farmer Joe sells them a cart of potatoes, and then almost tricks them into buying adonkey to pull it, but they hold out for a horse named Bitsy. Sumaya approves of the horse. The horse approves of the Sumaya just a bit more than we might think.

Tunaep and Oathar are guards for the little one cart caravan. The rest are farmers.

Orhan 5 Day 13 TE 6061

We set out for the capital to take the Bothans to the Ministry of War. We head to the side roads and proceed towards the capital.

Orhan 5 Day 14 TE 6061

We proceed towards the capital without incident.

Orhan 5 Day 15 TE 6061

We pass some other farmers who want to trade leeks and turnips for potatoes. Whisper, as "farmer Joe's" wife, expresses her disdain for leeks, so we get some turnips for some potatoes. Yum, turnips.

We pull over and are making camp for the evening when suddenly, we hear music coming down the road. Marching music. We try to slip father back off the road. Scouting, it appears to be a circus parade. How strange. We let it head pass while Whisper and Nimble follow it along. They pull up to the nearby crossroads and start preparing to stop for the night. Nimble and Whisper head in to figure out. The Travelling Cavalcade of Wonder has arrived! Yay!

They are heading whereever the road takes them. We point out that the road leads to Kenezon. They indicate they may head that way. We camp for the evening while they set up tents and the like.

Orhan 5 Day 16 TE 6061

Oathar stays in camp to guard the potatoes while the rest of the party heads to the cavalcade. Bitsy the horse refuses to be separated from Sumaya, so the party takes the horse with them. Nimble needs to bribe some guards to let the horse in, but a few bronze later all is well.

There are booths with games, and there is a menagerie. In the menagerie is an elephant, a giraffe, and the MANEATER, PADIRA (a tiger). There are contortionists, a dwarf and a bearded woman. In the big top are death defying performances such a jugglers, acrobats, trapeeze artists, and the knife throwing. There are also clowns and instrument players.

They get news that things are quiet in the capital, and the roads are pretty quiet. Other than the fact that there's not been a circus around these parts in years.

Later the Sublime Xanthippe does tricks with the MANEATER, PADIRA.

Taking to one of the wranglers, we find out that they were in Danarchis, but that place is pretty played out. Then the mainland was kind of dull, so they decided the plan was to cross the mountains and head to this side. They've been pretty lucky dealing with the priests thus far. Their leader is a big red garish guy named The Great Xaon. He's a tall guy, with dark hair, fairly handsome, etc.

Xaon is quite flowery, but doesn't really say too much stuff.

Whisper and Nimble switch disguises and go to talk to the ringmaster. Whisper asks to join the Cavalcade but the ringmaster wants him to demonstrate a skill. Sadly, it seems Whisper has not circus marketable skills. Then he suddenly remembers his Leaping spell, and markets that. The Great Xaon signs him up, but says they won't protect him if his father comes to drag him back.

The party returns to report that Whisper has joined the circus. Oathar sighs, but gives them free rein to form a new plan to get us safely to the capital. Tunaep practices his William Tell routine, Sumaya is convince she can defeat the horse trainer in Animal Handling Combat.

Meanwhile "Jeerry" (Whisper) was presented with the 1-year contract. He signs it.

They decide that everyone (but Oathar is going to go join the circus). The Bothans will be clowns. Nimble is set up with a three card monty table.

Yay, the party (and the Bothans) have joined the Travelling Cavalcade of Wonder! (Oathar is just and old man walking along the road.)

Orhan 5 Day 18 TE 6061

The circus stops in a city en route to the capital. Oathar shows up and discovers that the bearded woman is cursed. (She was cursed by a jealous lover to have a beard.)

People talk about the contracts. If you quit Xaon's circus, you'll never get into another circus again.

Oathar is a mysterious stranger watching over things as they happen.

That night, Nimble is assailed by a mysterious woman who shows up in his bed. He has a great time. (Tallish for a woman, dark haired, fair skinned.)

Orhan 5 Day 19 TE 6061

Now the Cavalcade of Wonder attracts the interest of some priests. Xaon talks to the priests and shows them the holy snake pit. He grabs two handfulls of snakes and wraps them around himself to forestall their discussion of sacrifices. They seem fairly impressed. Then he starts casting mentalism on the priests. "The snake is your friend, nothing to see here." "Yes, the snake is our friend, nothing to see here." "Move along." "Yes, we will move along."

And the priests leave. Whoa.

Xaon gives out some pay.

Nimbles mysterious night visitor shows up again.

Orhan 5 Day 20 TE 6061

Oathar goes to the circus to get reports. That's good. Oathar encourages people to get the cavalcade to head to Kenezon.

That evening, they check with Xaon and confirm that he's heading to Kenazon.

Orhan 5 Day 21 TE 6061

Nimble doesn't seem quite so sunny this morning...

Whisper interrogates Nimble about his recently Sunny disposition. He tells Whisper about his midnight visitor in vague terms at first, but then fills in most of the details, and sets him to figure out who she is?

During one of the breaks, the bearded lady starts striking up a conversation with Sumaya. She finds out that the circus is about three years old. He's always running around with that ugly red suit and yelling at people. She's pretty down on people who take advantage of the circus to hide from folk or just get from place A to place B.

The knife throwers get on real well with Tunaep. Arrows versus knives is a whole fun rivalry but he seems to get their respect. He practices at shooting the target that normally has the woman with the target.

That evening, Nimble stalks around following various figures as he's trying to figure out who his mysterious night time visitor is. He recruits Whisper to help him search the camp.

That evening, the bearded lady complains to Sumaya that Nimble and Whisper are starting to cause talk with all of the pointing at women and whispering with each other.

That night, the mysterious stranger returns again that evening. Only this time, it's the bearded lady!

Orhan 5 Day 22 TE 6061

Circus travel day. Still heading south towards Kenezan.