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Navigating the Astral Sea: A NeoGAF Play-by-Post Pathfinder Game

Ciel looks at the text as it is spelled out, doing his part to appear more interested in learning about Scraw than he really is. "You go by Scraw, then? How utterly... thematic. It fits you excellently."

He puts on an impressed expression when Scraw balances on one leg and tilts to extreme angles. "Ah, not only versed on sorcery but dextrous too? Magnifique. In that case, I think you'll appreciate this."

Ciel proceeds to do a handstand on the deck, balancing on one arm. He sways some with the ship, but not to the extent Scraw was. After about 30 seconds, he launches into a flip and lands back on his feet. "A difficult pose to hold, even for a frail little thing like me. Don't let the lack of muscle fool you, though. I can last quite a while," Ciel says with a wink.

"It has been a pleasure, but regrettably, I have preparations to make before we land. While I doubt entering Sybil's quarters would go well, you can easily figure out where to find me." With that, he pivots and struts off, not quite as fabulously as a runway model, but clearly flaunting what he's got to Scraw.

((I figured it was about time to move on or at least open up things for Viss to have a "Da fuck, Ciel?" scene :). If you wanted Scraw to converse more before Ciel departs, that is totally fine by me.))
 
((I was under the impression the time and location changed to accommodate that. Source:

((Scraw isn't hidden actually and I meant to have an interaction with your other npc KM but I think I flubbed the execution. Here is the part I'm talking about:))

- - - - -
((We can say this next part happens sometime before the party disembarks))
Viss's reaction to the odd man accompanying Sybil at the meeting still has Ciel curious. It's almost as if she has a crush on the kid. He knows one way to figure out whether or not she does for sure.

Ciel bides his time for an opportunity where Scraw is in Viss's line of sight and walks along with a glass of red juice. An opportunely placed slip spills the juice on whatever Scraw is wearing. Ciel wastes no time stepping in, trying to dry him off a little too thoroughly with cloths he just happened to have for that very purpose.. "Oh my! Sorry about that, I'm usually not clumsy. I don't know what came over me. Here, I'll have your clothes dry in no time." Almost as soon as it started, the drying turns into rubbing his stained clothes, and he slips into a seductive voice. "I must say, I didn't expect Sybil to have a companion so... ravishing. How did a fellow like you come to know her?"

Whether Scraw is into it or horrified is of little concern to Ciel. He does not take his eyes of Scraw, but makes note of Viss's reaction following the spectacle.

But if not, oh well, hardly the end of the world.

Also, the entire basis of Ciel flirting with Scraw is for Viss to see it and to evoke a reaction, so if she's not there, the scene doesn't happen and I'd ask it to be retconned.))
 

Nezumi

Member
((I figured it happened after the scene in the kitchen. I'll actually have an idea how to make it that she sees that. Is the conversation in the kitchen concluded? Sybil never answered Viss' question though. If yes I'll have Viss move on to deal with the "vermin" and then she'll stumble about Ciel's scene. Just give me a few hours. I have to wait till lunch break before I can write it.))
 
((Just checking in to verify that I'm keeping track of the thread. I hope everyone is cool with the somewhat slower pace that we have going on right now. Personally I'm fine with it for now, but if anyone has concerns then please PM me so that we can talk it out))
 

Nezumi

Member
((Yeah, with Xenoblade X and Witcher 3 out, this thread could go in full hibernation mode and I'd probably not even realize. Not that I want it to do that. Just a busy time to like videogames ;) ))
 
<I've been that way with Bloodborne, constantly reliving what Muun's life was probably like before he got bored and went to Primaria.

Bloodborne spoilers:
Elieen is probably the closest to how I was originally going to RP Muun, overestimating his own abilities and always needing the other party members to bail him out, but Muun was accidentally that guy in the Cathedral with the PVP viable build and that repeating pistol that took off half of your HP in one shot and Muun recognized that he was becoming the most vile of monsters of all: that guy in the cathedral that wrecks you with the repeating pistol and chikage.
>
 

Jackben

bitch I'm taking calls.
[((I blame myself due to being in multiple conversations at the same time and not realizing it.))
"Of course things like this take some time even for me, but I thought maybe if an opportunity presents itself..." She breaks of a little emberassed of her blabbering. "So what have you planned? Those wings of yours aren't explained easily."
Sybil nods in agreement as Nezumi lays out her ideas. "Mako makes a good point about summon duration, but I think with the right amount of showmanship we can make anything spectacular." The paladin bites her lip as she thinks a moment at the cat girl's question.

"My wings I think will simply be part of the mystery. I have an interesting act in particular that Scraw has suggested and..." The paladin's nose crinkles. "Well in sure you'll see when we practice! Anyway I've thought about this only a little so the plans are still certainly up in the air so to speak." Sybil giggles quietly at her own secretive pun.

"So here is what I think we should focus on:

First we need to procure a means of transport. It can be something like a horse drawn wagon train to keep potential animals as well as having a space for acts to prepare makeup, cast magic, and retrieve supplies from.

Second I think we should have at three or four attractions:

One can be a live action wild animal segment involving summons and tamed beasts doing tricks, with the ring master displaying prowess over the creature or perhaps trust. This can be done by you Nezumi, and I think Tessa would be an amazing part of it. But Ciel might also want to take part of he feels like involving that wretched bird. Also Scraw may want to get involved, but I told him his time will be limited, for reasons I will explain later.

Another could be a second action segment which involves personal displays of magic, illusion, acrobatics, or even strength. All of us can take part in this, casting various magics and hexes or doing various physical acts. This is the one which I have something in mind for Scraw and I, but I believe Ciel and Mako would be best to organize these displays.

A third would be a sparring act where we challenge onlookers to step up and attempt some feat better than the current performer. We could have arm wrestling, target shooting, or even a test of intellect or riddles which I'm sure Master Menek would be thrilled to sponsor. It would be great if we could get the machine involved here, but I doubt he would be easily convinced.

The last spot would be open rotation for anything that doesn't fit in the other categories. One example being I would like to attempt to fortune telling. It is something I did in my youth but it's been a while and I'm not sure if the spirits here gossip as much as in my home plane. Also perhaps Ozzangac would have something he would like to share about his home plane."

((For the sake of brevity and avoiding more scene splicing hi-jinks, let's assume the above information is also laid out and shared with the rest of the party))
 

Nezumi

Member
Viss listens intently to Sybil's ideas while she sips on a glass of juice. A bad decision as she nearly spits it out as Sybil reveals Scraw's presence on the ship.
"Oh, you brought Scraw," she says, doing her best to make it sound like a casual remark.
She nods along as Sybil continues with her plans. "I think that sounds like a good idea. As soon as we land Mako and me can see if we can find some animals willing to help us with the show."

Viss gets up and nods to the other women. "I think that we'll be able to pull this off quite sufficiently." She smiles. "Man, I'm actually really looking forward to this journey. Who would have thought... But first..." She sighs. "Gotta take care of this problem our captain asked me to look into. See if he wasn't only trying to mess with me. See you later"
With that she drinks the last of her juice and walks down to the storage room.

Sybil's observation that it shouldn't be possible for vermin to even get on the ship is still in the back of her head as she walks down the hallways of the Phoenix Maelstrom but are, for the moment, overshadowed by thoughts of Scraw being part of the trip. She knew couldn't afford to behave all giddy and foolish every time the young man was around if she wanted the mission not to end in another disaster, but even the memory of those green eyes...

When she finally reaches the door of the indicated storage room she shakes her head in the vain attempt to clear her mind of the mental images that had been clouding it. She had to focus. She would deal with Scraw later. Now she had a task to clear. I wonder what is really awaiting me. Maybe Bungo really is having a joke on my behalf. Did I do something to anger him? I don't think so...

See pushes the door open bracing herself for all kind of crazy things to jump at her only to find out that nothing could have prepared her for the sight that awaited her.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"
Viss stares in disbelieve at her two servants who in return look up at her with expressions of terrified surprise. Pilari looks especially flusterd and starts, "Mistress, I can explain..." but is quickly cut of by Shirox who appeared to have already recovered from his initial surprise.

"Let me explain Mistress. You see we...," he pauses briefly. "We came here to make sure that the ship would be properly stocked with goods for your needs. This captain might be a fine man indeed but you can't ecspect him to be familiar with the culinary needs of our fine Mistress."

Viss inclines her head, wondering which culinary needs Shirox could be talking about. Before she can say something however the lemur quickly continues.

"And you see, just as we had made sure that everything was to our satisfaction a sudden breeze shut the door close on us and alas...," he lifts his tiny paws apologetically, "we found us unable to free ourselves from this predicament. You won't believe how relieved we are that you found us," he closes his explanation.

Viss eyes the lemur, who looks up at her defiantly. "I see... What a ...unfortunate accident... and what a plausible explanation. I mean it does sound like utter bullshit and totally made up to me but surely you wouldn't dare to lie directly to my face, wouldn't you... right Pilari?" With the last words she fixes her gaze on the little canary, narrowing her eyes.

Within a split second words bubble out of the bird. "I'm so so sorry Mistress. It was all his idea. I told him we shouldn't do this. I told him it wasn't right. But he wouldn't listen. He said that we must keep an eye on you. That you weren't right in the head. He said it was our duty to make sure that you make your job right. I told him that it wasn't our place to decide something like this. That Mistress must have her reasons to behave like she did. But he insisted on coming here. Said we have to hide to watch over Mistress. I tried to stop him I really did but..." Pilari breaks of, looking emeberassed and crestfallen.

For a few moments Viss doesn't know what to say. Cold anger raises up in her. Not right in the head was she? She would show that little... She took a deep breath. There was no denying that she had been acting rather irrational the last few weeks and maybe cutting her servants out from everything might not have been the wisest decision... but still... Not right in the head?

She turned back to Shirox. "Got anything to say for yourself? Any more lies? Insults?"
The lemur just looked back at her, not even the slightest shimmer of remorse on his features. "I was only trying to be useful," he finally answered still matching her gaze.

Viss was about to start yelling at him and explaining what useful a rug he was going to become when an idea struck her. She blessed the lemur with a nasty smile. "So you want to be useful?" she almost whispers. "Oh, you are going to be useful. Whether you like it or not"

–----------

Viss returns to the deck, carrying a struggling Shirox at the scruff of his neck. She is about to call for Ciel when she spots the assassin standing a few yards away. With Scraw...

Her first instinct is to turn around and approach Ciel later but something in the man's behavior makes her stop. What the... is he... No... He wouldn't...

But the more she watches the more it seems obvious that, indeed, Ciel is coming on to the boy.

A rush of emotions floods over her. Surprise, anger and, could it be, jealousy? Ridiculous! She wasn't jealous. There was nothing to be jealous about. She wouldn't be jealous that Ciel could easily talk to Scraw like it was the most normal thing in the world, whereas she was reduced to an unintelligible heep of shivering hormones whenever the boy was near. Ridiculous!

Just when she was about to turn around and return below deck, never to emerge again, somethin else catches her eye. All the time that Ciel is floundering around Scraw he keeps looking at her. It is almost like... Oh fucking shit, he KNOWS!
She doesn't even bother to wonder how he might have possible guessed her feelings for a new wave of anger just washes over her.

Does everyone on this fucking ship take her for a complete idiot? Does no one take her serious?

Without thinking she stomps over to Ciel and Scraw, outraged and hurt. When she stands next to them she briefly smiles and nods in Scraws direction. "Good to see you again. I already heard from Sybil you'd be joining our little trip. I look forward to talk to you again." Was her voice always this high pitched? She coughed to clear her throat, just to be on the safe side.

"Damn hairballs." She turns to Ciel. "I was looking for you. You are good at making costumes and stuff, right? Because I'm dealing with a little case of subordinace here, so I would ask if you could make something for this little fellow here." She holds up the protesting Shirox for Ciel to see.

((Phew, typing on the phone takes long.))
 
((Yeah, phone posting can take a pretty long while, especially trying to link stuff))

Sure enough, Viss comes over to disrupt his little spectacle, but to Ciel's disappointment she does not directly call him out. At least, not in front of the kid. That might come later. Might. She did need resolve training and she may not be at a place to be that direct yet, he thinks to himself. Instead, he just addresses the request of hers, answering with a friendly smile to her that soon becomes a devilish grin towards Shirox.

"Oh, is that so? Just leave him with me for a bit and I'll whip up something appropriate for him. Any particular costume you're looking for? A prisoner's outfit? The garb of some villainous traitor? Feel free to get extravagent with your suggestions, there's not much else to do on the ride over, after all."

If not stopped, he'll head off towards his quarters nearly immediately, with a simple "a pleasure, naturally" to Scraw and a figure-flaunting exit.
 

Nezumi

Member
((Making that post took up the entire two hours of my lunch break and I also forgot I was sitting in the sun, so I'll got myself a new sunburn on top of my freshly healed one lol))

Viss returns Ciel's smile. "I see we understand each other. I was thinking maybe something flashy. Pink with ribbons. But I actually trust your instincts. Be as creative as you..."
"Mistress, I must protest. I'm a scholar. I'm..." Shirox tried his best to wriggle himself free but Viss' grip was merciless.
"You are going to do as you are told. Do you hear me? You said you want to be useful. Well guess what? Right now I can really use a little monkey in a dress, jumping through hoops when I tell them to." She turns to Ciel. "You gonna need him to take measurements?"
 

Nezumi

Member
((Edited in a reaction from Viss in my post above. And my lunch break is exactly two hours, but it's a 12 hour shift...))
 
((12 hours? That's quite the grind.))

"Why yes, having him for measurements will result in a much better costume. Your confidence is appreciated; I'll see to it that he's dressed in clothing fitting for the small furry princess of a land known for its garishness."

Ciel accepts Shirox from Viss and takes the poor lemur back to his quarters for a makeover.

((I'll do up a post of Ciel putting Shirox in outrageous clothing in a bit, but going back to sleep for now.))
 

Nezumi

Member
Viss watches as Ciel departs with a still loudly protesting Shirox, the lemur looking at her accusingly. As her anger slowly burns out she wonders if she might have overreacted a little bit. She was relatively sure that Ciel wouldn't go so far as to actually hurt Shirox but the way she had handed him over seemed rather mean to her, now that she thought about it.

"Aaargh! Why has everything always be so damn complicated? And to top it all off I now have to tell a stubborn T-Rex, that she is going to have to tricks in a circus number. As if I didn't have enough problems already."

It is only then that she realizes that she had more or less directed those last words at Scraw. A fact that makes her throat turn terribly dry all the sudden.

((Viss will remain frozen in place for a few moments. If Scraw does not react to her, she will quickly excuse herself and hurry below deck.))
 
Confused and feeling out of place with strong drama unfolding before him, Jonna decides it is best to leave the few to argue among themselves, "I.. should go prepare some coffee. Hestavar's finest."
 
((Replies from Shirox are totally optional and basically just contingent on whether or not you want him to converse with Ciel or comment on his predicament. Either/or works for me.))

As a smaller room, Ciel's chambers aboard the ship do not reflect the horror of his main quarters. However, they are still darkened to suit his preference. Ciel calls for a measuring tape from the archon and proceeds to get Shirox's sizes.

"There, now don't run away, little one. Viss would probably be quite upset if you try and elude her again, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Ciel writes some notes and hands it to the archon. Within a minute, a lemur-sized outfit appears on the table next to him, hanging from a clothes rack. It comprises of a tassle-laced dress with pink ribbons flowing down towards the stilettos like streamers. To complete the effect, the outfit has thigh-high stockings and a black, wind-swept wig. "I must say, the archons are making this far easier. It looks like we'll have time to model several costumes! Archon, something for modeling please?" At his word, a miniature runway appears on the table. "Go ahead, change into it, it would be good to get some practice in before Viss is back. She may want to see you model them to decide what works best, after all."

After Ciel is satisfied with Shirox's model strut, he moves on to generating the next costume. For this one, he produces a hot pink corset with a short, black skirt and glass heels. For added oomph, the clothing is adorned with a kitten pattern. And because pink ribbons were the order of the day, he adds a few pink skull-shaped ribbons for Shirox's hair. As that's not absurd and degrading enough, he rounds it out with a flowing, peacock-like cape to the ensemble. "That seems to be in order, ready for round two?"

"For your final costume, how about I give you something a little more masculine?" Ciel says as if he's planning to commit murder or something. With more instructions, the final outfit appears. Before Shirox is a pink and purple pinstripe suit with tacky-looking, diamond patterned pink dress pants and bunny slippers. The outfit also comes with blue eyeliner and long, clinky earrings. However, what really sets the "suit" apart is the tiara that Shirox is to wear with it. With the snap of Ciel's fingers, the tiara erupts with a blaze of bright, dancing rainbow-colored fire. Another snap puts them out, leaving the tiara unscathed.

Seeing Shirox recoil, he adds "Don't worry, the flames do not burn, they just illuminate. Do you really think I'd get away with hurting you in my quarters? Well, hurting anything besides your pride, that is."
 

Jackben

bitch I'm taking calls.
((I was thinking Ozzangac would be good for that and some of the magic segments; also just as an independent elemental he is fairly fascinating all on his own. Also Alex your imagination is truly something else. All good characters have such a flair for performance and costume, in the most entertaining ways.))

Sybil nods as Nezumi departs their planning meeting. "I suppose there's not much to do now but to tell the others and wait for Bungo to drop us off. Anything you can think of that I missed?" Untying and re-securing her hair in a pony tail, the paladin looks at Mako before heading back above deck. "Is it just me or was she acting a bit rushed at the end there?"

- - -

Without thinking she stomps over to Ciel and Scraw, outraged and hurt. When she stands next to them she briefly smiles and nods in Scraws direction. "Good to see you again. I already heard from Sybil you'd be joining our little trip. I look forward to talk to you again."
Scraw returns the smile and excitedly gestures to create a reply to Viss. Hunter Cat! Very pleased to see you again. Ready to show you my performing. He looks curiously from Ciel to Nezumi as they discuss the smaller mammal in her hands. There is a tension he doesn't understand. He responds by attempting to mimic some of Ciel's moves, to varying degrees of success. The flip in particular he turns into an easier cartwheel instead.
"Aaargh! Why has everything always be so damn complicated? And to top it all off I now have to tell a stubborn T-Rex, that she is going to have to tricks in a circus number. As if I didn't have enough problems already."

It is only then that she realizes that she had more or less directed those last words at Scraw. A fact that makes her throat turn terribly dry all the sudden.
Scraw's feathery brow furrows as Viss expresses herself. Emotions were still hard to read, and he has not been practicing.

Stepping forward, his tanned palm illuminates with small symbols that are only big enough for her to see. Expect problems...and eat them for breakfast. He flashes his sharp teeth, before pushing the symbols into his mouth and chomping them into sparks with a grin.
 

Nezumi

Member
((I don't know what this is a reference to... and maybe I don't want to know...
Of course I wanna know!

I'll post something for Shirox and Viss later. Gotta finish the story for the Creative Writing Challenge first :/ ))
 
((Okay, now seems like a good time to progress the plot a bit.

First: Menek's knowledge rolls mostly represent his aptitude for research, since he's never actually been to Faerun before. He manages to become close to an expert by the time they get there, though; he is well-versed in the animals and the geography of the kingdom, and he knows the major ruling families of the biggest cities in the plane (this information will come up as it becomes relevant, because listing it all out would be tedious and not very meaningful right now).

It's easy to find information on Cecil Fairhaven, too. He is a human of 44 years, and has three sons; his eldest, Edgar, is estranged. The circumstances of their falling out could not be ascertained.

Traveling carnivals are not particularly out-of-place in Faerun. It would be a stretch to call them 'common,' but the presence of one would not be suspicious or inappropriate, especially in a large city (including the capital of Evrai). An elaborate and iron-clad cover story will probably not be necessary. That said, a carnival might raise some curious eyebrows in a smaller town - and Kaku would qualify as a smaller town))

With an elaborate plan in place, the party disembarks from the cloaked Phoenix Maelstrom onto a grassy prairie, a mile from the town of Kaku. A team of archons disguises themselves as nondescript human laborers and tags along; they create wagons and other movable attractions as appropriate for such an enterprise.

It's daylight outside, so the road has travelers, with groups of various sizes, composed of various races; every single one of them stops for at least a moment to witness the spectacle, and it's not long before a small crowd has begun to follow the group.

"What's all this, then?"
"Mommy, Daddy, can we follow the carnival?!"
"When's the next show?"
"I'm looking for work. Need an extra pair of hands?"
"Is that a Warforged?! It looks scary!"
"I think that's a Water Elemental!"
"That lady can fly!!!!"

Eventually, Kaku comes within earshot. From this small distance, people are already gathering to look at the incoming group.

((I think it's fair to say that the carnival has begun, even if it's a little earlier than the party might have intended :) I've been going back and forth on how to actually handle this. Here's what I've come up with:

This is mostly just going to be a free-form story-telling thing. Since you're using this as a means to learn things, you can make a skill roll in whatever act you'll be performing, and you can treat that roll as though you'd made a Diplomacy check to gather information.

Viss's animal acts would be Handle Animal; Ciel's archery feats would just be an Archery attack roll (or he could use Acrobatics if desired), Mako's bard-stuff would be Perform checks; Sybil can make a Fly check; etc. I don't recall if Menek or Ozzan'gac mentioned their roles in the carnival; if you can't think of an appropriate roll (or if your Diplomacy skill is better) then you can always make a Diplomacy check. Or you can be creative; if you come up with something cool that I didn't think of then you can also use that for your Diplomacy roll.

I have no idea what Fleshbane is going to do here but I'm sure it'll be interesting.

I'll be on hand to RP out NPC interactions where necessary. Have fun!))
 
<I was thinking of having Ozzang'ac act as a sort of aid for the fortune telling (and if he does that I can just ride on Sybil's post), otherwise he could do something with his strength or acrobatics checks (he wouldn't be good at changing his form artistically because he has no disguise checks).

I'm going ahead and posting this segment, I still need to work with the other players for what Ozzang'ac will do>

The onlookers are quickly met by the self-imposed Half-Orc leader of the travelling enterprise in the well tailored yet colorful circus ring leader uniform. He welcomes and introduces everyone to the sights and figures that catch their eyes, "Come one, come all! Be the first to witness the grand unveiling of the.. Magnificent Seven and their opening tour!" Jonna makes a quick mental note to apologize later for coming up with a name on the spot for the sake of the act.
 
((Before I do anything, just thought I'd mention, I can cast heroism on people, which last 2 hours now(and i can cast it up to 5 times per day) and gives a +2 to skill check(among other things) which I will absolutely be using for myself at least. I can also spend up to 33 rounds(so just over 3 minutes) using inspire competence to give people a +4 bonus to most skills(it requires an audio component(i can sing or use my so far unseen flute) so it doesn't work with stealth or anything else the gm might decide it doesn't work on) that stacks with the bonus from heroism(although this ability i can not use on myself).))
 

Azih

Member
((Alright, using Menek's ridiculous Craft Alchemy bonus of 28. Any sleight of hand tricks he attempts will have a DC of 10 so he can take one on his Sleight of Hand bonus of 9. He'll also request a +4 buff from Mako as a flute performance that she can do hidden or visible as she likes.))

On the way to Faerun and the night before the inaugural performance Menek spends some time working with the Archons to create a variety of simple though precisely made smoke pellets of various colours as well as fire crackers and fireworks.

When a sufficient crowd of curious onlookers has started following them Menek calls Ratbreath over to his shoulder and walks over wearing a garish red cloak and an eyecatching black top hat. After Jonna has made her introductions Menek begins by throwing his arms out wide while dropping pink and green smokebombs attached to simple but loud firecrackers at his feet. The smoke from the bombs is carefully crafted to rise up in a swirling cylinders As they go off with a flash and a bang Menek activates his Flying Hex and floats just above the rising cylinder of smoke as if he is standing and rising up with it. Once he is about six feet above the air he begins to speak in a loud voice.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, People of All races and Ages. Welcome to our feast of sensory delights and amusements for the entertainment and edufication of one and all. Welcome to the Carnival of the Raven!

Come and see the Water Giant From the Depths of the Ocean who is a Friend to All Children and will amaze with feats of physical acrobatics.

Witness the Princess of All Animals who will demonstrate her astounding control and mystical bonds of friendships with all the magnificent and dangerous creatures of the Wild.

Marvel at the Abilities of The Dashing Marksman. The finest archer in All the Realms. Who can hit any target from any distance while stealing your hearts with a wink of his eye.

Tremble in Fear from the Metal Man of Murder who desires only to end all life and is held in check by only the most powerful of magiks. Don't get too close boys and girls as he strains ever harder to break his bonds and the smell of juicy young 'uns just might push him over the edge!

Glory in the sight of The Heavenly Angel as she swoops gracefully through the skies. It will be a sight that you will remember for the Rest of Your Lives!

Be Transported to to the Heights of Delight as you listen to The Lady with The Golden Voice. She will make you Cry Tears of joy and Laugh till your Heart Breaks. Truly her Art will touch your very Soul.

As for myself I am but your humble servant and by far the least of the Magnificent Seven. If anyone has any queries then please come and ask for The Man With the Owl and I will attempt to answer any concerns you may have to the best of my abilites.

So please welcome. Be at ease to wander and wonder as we start setting up our entertainments. But do not tarry for we will not be here long. Though we may be making our way to the larger cities rest assured that the spectacle we provide for the Marvellous Municipality of Kaku will without a doubt be one of our finest performances.

Welcome again to the Carnival of the Raven!


And with that Menek sends two fireworks shooting out from his sleeves and while the crowd is distracted he drops down through the smoke with a flash and a bang to seem to disappear.

((If we decided on another name for the troupe then I think we can just substitute it for the Carnival Of the Raven. Hope the intros were fine with everyone.

Inspired Diplomacy with +4 buff.

1d20+21+1d8=45))
 
((I'll have a bit of stuff going on in my post so it'll just have a bunch of rolls attached to it. A lot of them will probably just be flavor if you're going with the highest one, though the average could be taken in to account too or something.))

Some time after Menek's introductions are done, Ciel comes out to do an archery routine. Completely in to the carnival atmosphere, he has dolled up his appearance to look especially dashing. He is adorned with noble-looking clothes, with his hair more prim and proper than in general. A hint of eye-liner is added for a more roguish look.

((While I doubt Mako was just sitting nearby singing dramatically for him while Ciel dressed up (though that does create a hilarious mental image), we can add +4 to the roll if she was. You may want to hold on to the heroism for others since from here it's mostly attack rolls. That and Ciel is planning a night show which will be far more skill check heavy, but if you think you have enough to go around, I'll take it. Anyway, roll 1 is go!))
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89722]Disguise: 1D20 + 28 = [14]+28 = 42
[/url]
"A good day to all, and to all a good day! To start this day of merriment off, I will be regaling you all with feats of the bow while the others powder their noses and prepare to blow you away with their own talents. Just keep an eye on the arrows- I know that may be asking a lot, ladies," he says jokingly, "and remember kids, don't try this at home. Now, prepare to be dazzled!"

With that, six targets are brought out, ranging from 20 to 100 feet away. Three are on the ground, and three float in the sky.

"We'll start off with something anyone can do. In fact, this can be the interactive part, if anyone wants to strut their stuff and hit the six targets simultaneously. I assure you, it's not a hard task, as you'll see."

"Six targets, one move.
A simple way to start things.
Watch as targets fall."

The six arrows leave his bow almost simultaneously, somehow arcing off and striking each of the targets despite minimal perceived movement from his bow.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89723]Attack 1 w/ rapid shot: 1D20 + 20 = [18]+20 = 38
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89724]Manyshot: 1D20 + 20 = [18]+20 = 38
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89725]Ki Attack: 1D20 + 20 = [10]+20 = 30
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89726]Attack 2: 1D20 + 15 = [20]+15 = 35
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89727]Attack 3: 1D20 + 10 = [14]+10 = 24
[/url]

After some interaction with the crowd and potentially a volunteer or two attempting to replicate the feat, it is time to move on. "But as I said, that's just the warmup, this time there will be moving targets, but with a twist."

Sure enough, another six targets are produced, and move along a simple path. However, Ciel turns his back to the targets and holds his bow behind his back, over a shoulder.

"To hit them, mundane.
But to strike them all backwards?
Things get exciting."

Ciel closes his eyes and listens, feeling the targets moving through the wind as he focuses on the task at hand. With zen reached, another volley of six arrows leave Ciel's bow, striking at the moving targets.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89728]Manyshot: 1D20 + 20 = [11]+20 = 31
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89729]Rapid Shot: 1D20 + 20 = [1]+20 = 21
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89730]Ki Attack: 1D20 + 20 = [4]+20 = 24
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89731]Attack 2: 1D20 + 15 = [3]+15 = 18
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89732]Attack 3: 1D20 + 10 = [9]+10 = 19
[/url]
((Umm, not sure how you want to handle a nat 1 for this. For now, I'll just treat it like it still hit the target but barely, and was less on point than the others.))

"But wait, there's more! Due to the intensive nature of this finale, there will only be two targets, and I ask that you all step back some. Now, it has long been assumed that archery is a skill of the hands, that steady fingers are a must. But I ask you, does it have to be that way?"

With that, Ciel removes his shoes, springs on to his hands, and contorts himself, bending his legs over his head and holding the bow with his feet. With careful aim, he fires two arrows at each target before kicking the bow into the air, launching into a jumping twirl, and catching it, naturally landing in a fabulous pose.

Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89733]Acrobatics: 1D20 + 15 = [5]+15 = 20
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89734]Manyshot: 1D20 + 22 = [2]+22 = 24
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89735]Attack 2: 1D20 + 17 = [15]+17 = 32
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=89736]Attack 3: 1D20 + 12 = [11]+12 = 23
[/url]

Ciel stands and dusts himself off before taking a bow. "I hope you enjoyed what was just the beginning of our show. I should also mention that on top of archery, I play the part of a ghastly phantasm quite well. Tonight, I will be putting on a magic show as portrayed without the use of magic. Due to frightening nature of some of my tricks, I recommend keeping the children at home for this one." He says this with a wink, both to entice the people already taken by his appearance and to surely goad children into sneaking out for a spectacle that will probably scar half of them.

((I'm going to wait until everyone else posts before doing night time stuff, and also to see if the story needs to move along prior to that. So the show is pending, basically. :p ))
 
((Heroism also applies to attack rolls and saves. Singing to boost your disguise does seem silly, though that probably applies to almost every possible use to inspire competence. That said it would be perfect makeover montage. ...And after looking at the rules for disguise, it'd have to be a montage since it takes at least 10 minutes to use that skill(although I wouldn't be surprised if you have a way to speed it up... but even one minute might be a bit much).))
 
((Hmm, now that you mention it, I could use sudden disguise to reduce the time to a swift action, and that would add another ten to the total too. I think it's safe to say that act was less than 12 minutes, so that could work. If that's allowed, I'll just mark another point off daily ki and we can add a ludicrous +16 to the 42 disguise result!

Of course, now that's just Mako singing one really dramatic note. XD))
 

Nezumi

Member
((Trying to come up with an act involving a grumpy t-rex and a cross-dressing lemur. Not an easy task...
And I guess Viss and Mako didn't get a chance to add some local fauna to the carnival. Would I still need to make handle animal checks when I only work with Shirox and Tessa and maybe Pilari?))
 
<I think I'm gonna wait until after Viss to write my segment.

Also, Viss, don't worry out there, I'm sure Scraw is observing your performance.>
 
((Nezumi - I fast-forwarded a little bit, so if you wanted some time to find some animals then that's fine - you were able to do it before everybody hit the road.

Ciel's natural 1 was just somewhat less impressive than most of the other rolls, that's all. It was probably very off-center; no big deal.

I don't really have a problem with Mako's singing enabling everyone to perform at all of their skill checks better, so everyone is fine for taking the +4 (except, of course, for Mako herself).))
 

Mike M

Nick N
Fleshbane stands apart from the carnival, devoting his idle computational cycles to his eternal task of trying to free himself of Zerome's coding.

"What do you do?" pipes a small voice.

Fleshbane looks down. Two human larva stand at his feet, one female and one male, perhaps six and eight years old apiece. The female has addressed him.

"I am a Xenocide Unit," he informs them. "A being constructed for the sole purpose of your demise. If I were not restrained from acting on my primary functions, I would crush your skulls between my fingers as your parents looked on before doing the same to them. I hail from a world that has cleansed itself of the plague of biological life, and I would do the same here if I were permitted."

"Do you tell fortunes?" asks the boy. "I once saw a booth where you put a coin in, an' there was a mechanical genie who would tell you your fortune."

Fleshbane leans forward, his terrifying bulk looming large over the children. "Do I look as though you may insert currency into me in order to gain the right to dictate my actions?" he asks.

The girl stands and looks at him, with her hand upon her chin in contemplation. "Do you have a wind-up key we can turn?" she asks.

"I have as much in common with your wind-up toys as you with pond scum. Bother me no more, and you may yet survive the inevitable holocaust as my kind rises up against your feeble species."

"So what do you do, then?" asks the boy.

"I have already informed you, I am a Xenocide Un--"

"Yeah yeah yeah," interrupts the girl with her hands on her hips. "But what do you dooooooooo?"

Fleshbane straightens up and scans the immediate area. In the grass there is a large boulder. "Observe," he says as he strides over to it. "This is you."

With a thunderous crash, Fleshbane brings his titanic fist down atop of the boulder, shattering it into a pile of gravel in a cloud of dust. The children squeal in delight and clap their hands. "Again!" they clamor, "Again, again!"

In short order, a crowd of children gather round, watching as the infuriated construct smashes rocks and tree stumps into oblivion in his futile efforts to strike paralyzing fear into their hearts.
 
While others are performing their acts, Ozzang'ac takes notice of a particular sight happening on the outskirts of the festivities. Still awaiting his moment to begin performance, the giant mass of water compresses his form, pulling water together tightly to make himself no more bigger than most human beings. In his less imposing state he hovers over to the scene that Fleshbane is making, and comments calmly- but enthusiastically, "Fascinating. So it seems that while you are created without the ability to express love, there is hope that you might learn to be loved."
 

Azih

Member
Having performed his introductions and while the rest of the group/troupe start to entertain the group Menek replaces his gaudy outfit with a much more sedate one and makes discreet enquiries around town to try and find out where the holdout believers of Heironeous may be found.

((Coyote code roll id 89940 got 36 for diplomacy and 1 for number of hours taken)
 
It doesn't even take Menek an hour to ascertain that very nearly the entire village, with its approximately 400 citizens, worships Heironeous. There is a prominent temple devoted to him in the center of town, and there are no temples to any other deities around.
 
Not to be shown up, Mako puts on quite the show herself, with a little bit of magic for mood lighting and such, she regales the audience with a fantastic tale of a women who brought together a group of heroes to defeat a Great Green Wyrm who dare to attack her adopted home village. She leaves out names, neither confirming or denying her own involvement... If the story is even true at all.

Singing: 1D20+22+2 = [3]+22+2 = 27
Dancing: 1D20+22+2 = [8]+22+2 = 32

((arg... got a 3 on my singing. 3 away from an extraordinary performance. hopefully my interpretative dancing or w/e makes up for it.))
 

Nezumi

Member
((I was super busy work wise but plan on writing my post later this day. Quick questions. If I include more than one animal, aside from Tessa and Shirox, do I have to make several Handle Animal throws? Same goes for acrobatics, one for the entire act, or one for every flip I'm going to make? I also very much would love to have the buffs from Mako just to counter my lousy charisma bonus and my terrible luck with dice.))
 
Whether or not Ozzang'ac gets any response from Fleshbane, expecting denial and condemnation of his ideas, he is soon pulled away by Jonna who informs hastily, "Master, the archons are ahead of schedule and are mistakenly leveraging the pool out before Miss Viss' performance. We need you right away."

"Very well," Ozzang'ac answers, "I shall do my best to entertain."

---

With a rope railing set up to encourage space between the performance and the people, Jonna stands before the audience that has been present for the prior attractions thus far as a large stone well filled with water is carted in with a small army of what appear to be workers and mules (actually archons in disguise). The wooden cart reveals its true nature as a mechanical miracle as the workers pull a wooden turn which slowly loosens the slack on rope holding up the wooden platform. The platform lowers gradually to the ground and with it placing the well on the ground safely and with little spilling to occur. Once that is done, the workers are able to simply untie the ropes and wheel away the exterior of the cart to allow the well to work as a proper focus for the scene that is about to occur.

While that setup was occurring, Jonna announces to the audience "As you all know, we have brought many magnificent things to grace this village with fun and excitement, but none as mysterious as the magics of the Well of Ozz! Gaze upon beauty as the Well of Ozz brings the waters contained within to life!"

Acrobatics Roll: 1D20+21 = [7]+21 = 28 (Add whatever song bonuses are relevant)


5LeHwCF.png


At that phrase, the water springs upward in separate parts, curving and looping in their fluid motion. Soon after the initial leap from the surface, the streams loop continuously like an elaborately constructed fountain for a few moments.

Fly: 1D20+13 = [19]+13 = 32


Then... just as it seems like the novelty is about to wear off the various streams of water begin to gravitate away from the well. Eventually the water completely detaches itself from the well base, becoming an entity entirely in the air.

To fully show its power.. each stream of water darts away from the display, flying on their own. No longer does the mandated area act as a constraint, the streams of water individually fly about like they have taken on the wind, and dart over the audience to get people turning their heads. The water flies as the birds do, freed from its home and with impressive speed.

Finally each individual stream of water darts its way to a center point above the well, returning to their origin. The water begins to collect and form a floating ball of liquid which gradually hovers back into the well, the ball molding itself into the restful position of being contained by the stone well. Indicating the performance's finish, the workers begin to bring the cart back and reattach the platform the well sits on and begin to bring the well back to its wagon.

<I wanted to try out my new Galaxy Note for drawing, so I made that thing above. It doesn't quite capture how I envision this scene though, I just kind of doodled that without planning and then touched it up on the main computer.>

EDIT: <Also, gonna let thLunarian decide how the crowd reacts.>
 

Azih

Member
Menek heads back from his stroll around town to let the others know that the worshipers of Heironeous are not hidden as he had assume but practicing openly and freely. He asks if anyone wishes to come with him to the temple so they can start to find out what is actually happening on the continent.

((Sorry for the generic post but everyone's scattered and anyway just wanted to see who wants to come and do the social rping of gathering information. Mako? Ciel? Anyone else? Menek going in solo is also an option))
 
((Yeah, Ciel would be curious about learning more of the situation, and Ciel in a lawful good temple could lead to interesting RP stuff))

"So they're out in the open in this town? Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing this temple and learning more about what's going on myself. It's still a while before dusk, anyway."
 

Jackben

bitch I'm taking calls.
((This post is just reactions to other shows; also going to assume for fluff purposes that each act is replicated two or three times at least so that people who show up later can still see, like a real carnival would.))

As travelling merchants and wanderers pass by their wagons, Sybil waves from up in the air, showing off her wings before landing to hand out fliers for the Carnival of the Raven.

“Hello, how are you? Please take this and invite who you like. Kaku will be our first visit on the way to Evrai!”

She ponders the information regarding Cecil Fairhaven, wondering particularly about the estrangement of his eldest son Edgar.

When small children begin to approach, she defers to Scraw who repeats this information along with a cartwheel for their amusement. The paladin waits until they have left before exiting the wagon once more. Once they have chosen an open plain within sight of Kaku, Sybil helps set up camp by pitching tents and making sure the disguised archons know their marching orders for each act.

- - -

The paladin Sybil stands with her messenger and sorcerer servant Scraw, both in mysterious matching green cloaks that cover their entire body. She beams proudly and bows before Menek as he delivers his speech to the crowd. Before he leaves the carnival, Sybil approaches him away from prying ears in order to praise his efforts.

“Wonderfully done, Master Menek! We could not have wished for a better master of ceremonies. Though I am curious regarding the eldest Fairhaven’s estrangement, I am not sure we will find answers on this matter in Kaku. Please let me know your findings.”

. . .

Scraw sits cross-legged on the grass and stares, wide-eyed at Ciel’s archery prowess. Nearby, Sybil simply watches with her arms crossed. Once the first few repeats of his act are complete, she approaches him, creases in her forehead beginning to show.

“Scraw enjoyed your show. In particular he is very curious how you managed to fire your bow using your feet.” Scraw appears behind her, fixedly studying three splintered pieces of wood held in his hands.

“I have forbidden him from further attempts at replicating it.” Quickly glancing around to make sure they are not being overheard, the paladin warns the assassin in a hushed but stern voice. “Be sure your night show does nothing that would jeopardize our cover.” Her eyebrow twitches a moment before she hastily adds “Also I’m planning a night show of my own, so don’t hog all the audience.”

. . .

Sybil feels herself more a part of the crowd than one of the performers as she watches Ozzang’ac showcase his mastery of water shapes and forms in a dazzling and mesmerizing display.

“I sometimes forget you have spent all your time with us upon land, a foreign place for your kind. I wonder what it would be like if we were to visit a place more like your home someday.”

The paladin is also incredibly impressed by Mako’s singing story, and shocked by her extraordinary dancing. She notices as well the great amount of attention the male members of the audience have given the performance…as well as some of the women. Overall the fluid and free nature of the performance leaves the paladin feeling quite jealous.

Scraw himself begins to dance and perform small feats of juggling and acrobatics. Noticing a cloud of dust in the air, he follows it before joining in with the crowd of children clapping and cheering on Fleshbane as he pulverizes the environment.

((Next post will be Sybil and Scraw’s daytime performance as well as Sybil’s night performance.))
 
((Nezumi, a single roll for each relevant skill will be fine. Also, this isn't really related to anything but every time I see the name Scraw, I picture the character as a living scarecrow))

The crowd is rendered slack-jawed in amazement by Ozzan'gac's performance. It's pretty obvious that a living, flying mass of water is the most fantastical thing many of them have ever seen. At first they are silent by virtue of being stunned; eventually someone remembers to applaud, and it spreads rapidly into a thunderous ovation.


----


The unlikely trio of Menek, Mako, and Ciel make their way to the temple.

A pious-looking man in modest, brown robes greets them in the sizable foyer. "Welcome to our temple. You are from the traveling carnival, yes? The Holy Vicar has been expecting you. Please, follow me."

The priest leads them through the building and into a wing which contains a number of administrative functions: desks, offices, and record-keeping. Paper pushers are studiously working at various tasks; most of them are dressed more professionally than the guide, though all of them sport a holy symbol one way or another.

Finally they come to the largest office in the building. Inside is a man in bulky white robes with gold trim, and a tall hat with matching colors. He looks surprisingly young for his station. A name plate rests atop his desk: "Mayor Edgar Fairhaven" is engraved in simple script.

He smiles. "Thank you, James. That will be all."

The priest slightly bows his head and departs.

Edgar rises and smiles. "Welcome to our humble town," he says with great relief, spreading his arms for effect. "I presume you are the representatives whose arrival was foretold to me by Heironeous?"
 
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