[Event] The Circus is coming to Town!

[Kalinda]

Timestamp: Spring, Era XV Post Fractum

Spring had finally arrived in the cold, cold city of Vortex, and with the first signs of the new season somebody else had set foot into what many considered the necromantic center of Aelyria. A man had positioned himself in front of Vortex Park. He was a tall man, almost seven feet tall, and he was wearing a large fur hat and a bulky fur coat. He sported an impressive, black beard and had large black eyes, and to everybody that cared for it, he would introduce himself as “Wladimir Wladisyaw, the secret bastard brother of Duke Vigo”.

Next to him stood a bear that was even taller, a large beast with rippling muscles and lots of thick, black fur. It had a thick iron ring around its neck. A chain was attached to the ring the end of which Wladimir was holding in his hand. “The circus is in town! The circus is in town!” Wladimir announced whenever somebody passed him by. “Watch Vasily the dancing bear, the girls from Arakmat, the Eunesian Clowns and Madame Mystery who knows the future! Wondrous beasts, the likes of which you have never seen before! And all for only a few crowns! The circus is in town! The circus is in town! Only this spring, and only on the field in front of the city gates! Come now! You won’t regret it!”

Everytime Wladimir finished his speech, Vasily the bear would do a little pirouette.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~

The circus was indeed situated right outside the city gates. A huge tent in red and yellow and white and blue stood in the very center of the field. Music could be heard from it. A small booth had been constructed in front of the entrance. A woman was sitting in it. She appeared to be middle aged and had tanned skin and long black locks. She wore large golden hoop earrings, a necklace made of golden coins and a very colourful dress. When she smiled, bad, brown teeth became visible.

A small sign was visible in the window of the booth. It said:

Entrance Fee: Adults: 3 Crowns Children: 2 Crowns Faeries: 1 Crown Giants: Not allowed to enter.

To the left of the tent stood several cages filled with exotic animals. There were lions with golden manes that roared loudly and tigers. There were a terrifying warg and a pair of natchkatzes. The largest cage contained a live troll straight from the Great Mountains that looked as if it could snap the bars of its cage in two. Two men that were wearing pieces of mismatched armour stood in front of the cage, holding spears to kill the troll should it try to break out.

To the right of the big tent was a smaller red tent. The sign in front of it said:

Madame Mystery, Fortune Teller. 3 Crowns I’ll know if you try to cheat.

Right beside Madame Mystery’s tent a couple of ywomen were standing. They were young, just out of their teens, with dark skins and luscious black lacks. They wore floor length skirts made of silk and something resembling bikini tops. Those were the famous girls from Arakmat, and they were dancing in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

Behind the big tent there was an old, ugly, black tent. The paint on the sign in front of it was faded:

Freak Show. Whatever you are willing to pay.

A woman in a strapless red dress was standing next to the sign, smoking a cigar. She was stunningly beautiful, shapely, with blonde hair, blue eyes, flawless skin and cherry red lips – or she would have been beautiful if she didn’t have such an impressive moustache.

The Eunesian Clowns were situated in the very middle of the circus. They were a vysstichi and a human, dressed in wide yellow and red clothes, with big, red noses. Why they called themselves ‘The Eunesian Clowns’ was a mystery. Maybe they were making fun of mainlanders, the very mainlanders that paid to see them?

There was also a woman throwing knives and a man with bulging muscles that claimed to be the strongest man in all of Aelyria. There was a booth selling refreshments, and another one selling souvenirs. And finally there was a mysterious man in a black cloak, sneaking around the circus, watching the visitors as if he hated them more than everything else in the world.

[Amber Brightwing]

The Month of Cryxatum in the Season of Spring
Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum

To say Amber was surprised when she received the news of the the circus. Not the circus itself, but rather that its presence was announced by Wladimir Wladisyaw, secret bastard brother of the old Duke. How many bastards did that family count? She surely hoped Dimitri wouldn’t cause any trouble when he received word of it.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~

Two Humans walked up to the entrance boot. They looked identical, both having short black hair, black eyes and skin so pale that they almost looked as if they were dead. They were muscular and the armour underneath their uniform made them look even bulkier. They both wore a uniform in black and purple, the colours of Vortex. In between the two, a Fae was flying: Amber Brightwing, the current Thane of the city. That they weren’t here for official business was soon made clear when they arrived at the entrance boot and one of the two guards simply put seven crowns upon the counter.

[Paareth]

Paareth rolled his neck around, loosening the muscles and taking in the air, as he approached the gathering his senses picked up, curiosity always leading him. Spotting what he assumed to be a predatory bear, his body re-tensed again in readiness. Why wasn’t the creature attacking the tall hunter in the furs? Ah it was chained, he shivered, the thought of captivity itself was enough to give him pause, indeed it had sent him to madness more than once.

He’d seen little in this city that made sense but then cities rarely did, people living on top of rival families, the theft, backstabbing and mistrust in centers where different families, let alone races gathered had always puzzled him.

In his youth, if an adult had stolen from the family, they did so once and were banished. Though he’d never seen it growing up, only from the very young cubs, because when one member of the tribe was injured or suffering, they all suffered, that structure made sense to him. This… chaos was the main reason he resented the empires control over places better left to their own fate, because without the artificial leash the empire placed over them, cities would break down to their true parts. Still it seemed this city was more self sustaining and regulating than most, at least that was the impression he had and it was a welcome feeling.

The Katta paused, still a distance away from the tent, he showed a full set of sharp teeth and a gave soft, low growl as the predatory bear paraded to the mans words. He felt the pangs of guilt in his belly, that any beast from the wild should suffer the fate of being caged was disturbing. There was a time he would of simply attacked this circus for being an affront to nature but the more he’d seen over the years, the more he had realized natures unfortunate fate was to be manipulated by man, at least for now.

Paareth shook off his anger and focused on the main tent, curiosity it seemed had won out over his guilt, he calmed himself and walked to the booth to pay his crowns. The Katta stood in line behind two guards and a small Fae creature, assuming she was part of the gathering he stared for a moment. The Fae reminded him of an adventure in a certain wood, their kind were mischievous at the best of times and so he took out the crowns required and pulled his cloak a bit tighter around his valuables.

No doubt the guards were making sure she didn’t cause any disruption, he sniffed lightly, their skin was an odd color, perhaps they too were on show.

[Kalinda]

Amber

The gypsy that sat in the booth in front of the big tent looked at Amber and her two companions, and her mouth immediately split into a grin, and the look in her dark eyes became softer, less calculating. She was one of those that thought that faeries were cute, playful little things, a curiosity. She didn’t know that Amber was probably one of the most powerful and dangerous people here tonight. She quickly took the seven crowns and put them into a box, and then she handed three tickets to one of Amber’s guards.

“If you want to leave at any point, if you need to use a bathroom or want to get something to eat during the show, present these at the entrance when you return”, she explained. “If you loose the tickets, we have to charge you a second time.” She impatiently waved them forward. There were already a number of people waiting in line behind Amber, humans, elves, dorins, old people, young people, families with children. It didn’t happen often that a circus came to Vortex.

Two men that had the same tanned skin, the same dark hair and slightly wild look in their eyes stood left and right of the entrance to the tent. They wore wide pants like somebody in Arakmat might wear, with brightly colored sashes. Their chests were bare, and they carried sabers. They bowed and pulled the scarlet curtains that marked the entrance of the tent back, revealing the things within. Rows upon rows of chairs stood there in a half circle. The tent was full of people, chatting, eating snacks and impatiently awaiting the beginning of the show.

Paareth

“Mmm … who do we have here?” Paareth could hear a voice just after he had paid his crowns. If he turned around, he would find himself facing another katta, a female with gleaming black fur and large yellow eyes. She was a beautiful creature with a bushy tail. She was at once muscular and utterly feminine.

Her clothes were almost indecent, a bikini top and short pants, both in red. She had only put those on for the sake of those that had not been blessed with fur. Alone, in the forest, she usually didn’t bother with any clothes. There was also a leather belt around her waist. Paareth could see a couple of knives in it.

“It’s been some time since I have seen another katte. There seem to be nothing but dorins in this city.” She made a face, and then she slid an arm around his waist. “It will be another five minutes before the show starts. Will you spend those with me? I’m so lonely sometimes.” She was practically purring, a low sound, deep in her body. This close, he could feel that she was vibrating slightly.

[Paareth]

Paareth spun around at the voices proximity, feeling her arm around his waist, he tensed a moment, making sure she was not removing any of his valuables. He swiftly adjusted his own coin pouch and checked his weapons were there once more before reacting. He didn’t trust people at the best of times, let alone a seductive stranger. There was a time when he might of found the powerful form of a female Katta intoxicating, indeed he did lose his concentration a second at her purring, soon shaking some sense into himself. Since the death of his mate he had thought little on such things and it would take a great deal of effort to change that.

“Dorins…” His hissed softly, showing her a full set of sharp teeth in a grin, a show of strength and posturing as much as anything.

Paareth’s eyes softened and he drunk her figure in again but more to asses her intent than anything. A million signals were sent by the body, long before the time of action and he had many years experience of those tiny betrayals which lead up to malevolent intent or a striking of a blow.

The warrior in him would follow someone into a trap and not overly care if it was on open ground, he was no coward and had never rejected a challenge. The Katta glanced around, his ears peaked for the slightest sound that was out of place.

“I would be honoured to spend those minutes with you but outside in the fresh air, after all five minutes is not enough to fully appreciate a women of such radiance”

His eyes narrowed slightly with a wry grin but his senses were everywhere now, he tilted his head.

“Unless your intent is to relieve me of more than my time, which would be unwise….”

His hands were close enough to reach his weapons in no time at all now but he still remained calm, alert as he tried to gauge her intent, perhaps they wanted to cage him for this circus.

Paareth would follow her anywhere outside, anywhere he had a good view of the surroundings but be ready to mercilessly strike out from the slightest betrayal, failing that he would take his seat in the tent.

[Paareth]

(OOC: Apologies please delete this post, having browser problems)

[Amber Brightwing]

The guard took the three tickets, nodded and moved along. It was true that the twins, well armed and skilled as they may be, were mostly there for show. Their protégé was quite capable of taking care of her own when required. In the end, their main purpose was to discourage people from trying to harm the Thane in the first place as well as take care of minor disturbances. Amber’s true power came from an illegal skill after all, so it was best that it remained hidden from the public.

As she approached the tent, she cast some dark looks in the direction of the cages. She could understand why some people kept life stock as it was but a step in the food chain and pets were generally a form of companions. The caged animals however had been taken their away their freedom for no other reason than to be on display for an audience. In a way, it was a faith worse than being hunted and shot down for sport. She’d surely visit the cages later on to give them a closer look. For now she’d follow the crowds into the tent and see the show though.

[Kalinda]

Paareth

The female katta wasn’t very happy as Paareth adjusted his coin pouch. She had indeed wanted to steal from him and thought he was one of those men that forget everything when they saw a beautiful woman. She didn’t let it show though. The only thing that betrayed that he had been right was a slight twitching of the tip of her tail.

“Dorins, yes”, she confirmed. She was still purring, although it sounded a little fake now. “They even had a dorin prefect a while ago, can you believe it? I don’t know what’s wrong with that city. They should employ katta instead. Katta are more trustworthy.” Of course the fact that she wanted to steal from him added a whole new dimension to that statement.

“Oh, I do not intend to relieve you of anything that you are not willing to give freely”, she assured him. “Apart from your sanity, maybe. What’s your name, handsome stranger?” As she waited for his answer, she led him to a small wooden bench at the side of the circus tent, hoping that he would sit with her for a bit. From that position they had an extraordinarily good view of the warg cage. The warg was a hulking mass of muscles, black fur, red eyes, mean looking. It didn’t seem to be in the least happy that it was here.

Two vysstichi were standing next to the cage, discussing something, looking around every once in a while as if they wanted to make sure that nobody was listening to them. They seemed to be part of the circus as well for they were dressed in the same bright clothes. They were a man and a woman. The man had a bald head that was covered with tattoos, and he had a couple of golden rings in each ear. The woman had silver hair down to almost her knees, and she wore a red top that left her stomach bare and a short skirt that was decorated with lots of golden coins.

Amber

“There are seats especially for the smaller races in the front row and in the very back”, one of the circus guards informed Amber. “We’ve been in Mystique a few cycles back, and the city has a sizeable fae population. Of course you are also free to find a seat anywhere else in the tent.” Regardless of where Amber chose to sit down, the show was about to begin soon. There was what looked like a large wooden box that was painted in bright colors right at the opposite side of the tent. Its entrance was hidden behind curtains as well.

A man stepped out. He cut a very impressive figure. He was tall and dark skinned with a black moustache. On his head he wore a red top hat, and he had suit of velvet with gold and silver on it. In his hand he carried a whip. “Welcome to the circus!” he announced. His voice echoed through the tent. It was rich and pleasant, a voice that commanded attention. “The show is about to begin. We only require a little more of your patience. First we are going to show you a tame warg that will dance for you and do tricks as if it were a harmless lap dog. We’ve also got trolls that will juggle for you, camels, elephants, natchkatzes. We have dancers from Arakmat, so beautiful that you will forget all about your wife – and handsome men from the Eunesian islands. We’ve got everything you heart desires and so much more! We promise you a brightening that you will never forget!”

As he said this, a couple of musicians stepped forward. They were dressed in insanely colourful clothes and carried trumpets. Girls wearing veils as if they came straight from a harem in the depths of the Arakmatan desert joined them, doing somersaults and dancing. They made all those complicated motions seem effortless.

[Paareth]

“In my youth, ever since my tribe slaughtered a dozen Dorin warriors on our land, I have known them to have no honor, they pray on the weak and elderly, like the vulchers they are. I could not abide a Dorin ruling a city I was a part of, ages of their and the empires oppression, has left many of our people without teeth.”

His strange slip about the empire, not a kingdom aside, his face was serious as he spoke, scowling and then just as quickly laughing at her comment on his sanity.

“You are welcome to take what is left, though the pickings are slim these days.”

This instant change of emotion, his volatility and unpredictable nature, had always been a part of Paareth but more so now, when nearly all that had grounded him was no longer a part of his life.

Paareth waited in a polite gesture at the bench, holding her paw as she sat. He was still alert around the female Katta and her movements were foremost on his mind but he took a brief glance about them for anything out of place. Paareth spotted a fellow predator, carefully noting the beast in the cage and glancing at the two darker elf’s by its side. Nothing seemed out of place as he glimpsed about, so his eyes fell back to where his attention was, returning to the sight of his female company. Finally Paareth sat down with her and released her paw gently.

The Jagara bowed his head as she asked for name.

“Paareth son of Dereth, from the western tribes, former arena champion, former mercenary leader, former warrior of… , Well you get the idea.”

He once again tilted his head and grinned, teeth wide and on show, in familiar sign of strength. Although he wouldn’t let himself boast, perhaps there was a sense of playing to her ear, trying to impress, he was a man after all. There was likely a small chance she might have heard of him in one capacity or another, legal or otherwise.

Paareth was from a generation or more removed from the now emerging, more traditional Katta culture. He held to an older view of life mates and less open relationships. The changing Katta culture, slowly reverting back to traditional values, had left him a relic of the past.

His ear twitched as the Dark elves muttered, wondering if his keen hearing could pick out a word or hint of their conversation, an ear leaned in their direction, much sharper than human hearing.

Though never fully shutting out his environment, as it was impossibility having lived in the wild so long, after a time, the Jagara’s senses once again moved back to the pleasing Katta sitting with him. If nothing else he was enjoying the attentions of his companion, as it had been nearly six era’s since he had held a female Kattas’ interest, other than Wilderkatta he had met in passing. Though he wouldn’t let her paws wander unchecked, he was becoming more relaxed with her sharing his space, her close scent was very pleasing to Paareth.

“I would know your name, if you would do me the honour of sharing it.”

The Jagara said softly but directly, his eyes seemingly more intense now, looking inward at the female Katta, wondering about the person underneath this obvious facade.

He gave her a good moment to answer and then he questioned her about the two darker elves nearby.

“They look somewhat agitated; do you know them by any chance?”

[Ilfirin Tyraen Chumomisto]

OOC: *points to circus* One of the factors that convinced me to join Vortex

Cryxatum of Spring, PF XV

Ilfirin crossed his arms, tapping his shoe on the ground of Vortex Park. The idea of going to the circus sounded at first glance...childish to the Elensson and he dismissed the idea of going when it had first arrived, but his curiosity beat the battle and finally, he found himself traveling across the city of Vortex to this...place. It was not only the curiosity that had convinced him to see the circus, but the excitement and thrill about being able to see exotic wonders not normally found elsewhere.

The half elf was also heavily interested in fortune telling and would have been lying if he denied it. His father had been a gypsy himself so he had seen the art, though only once or twice. Though a gypsy, his father refused to show him the many traditions of a gypsy. Instead, his father focused on Ilfirin's elven side to his usual protest and would only do a tarot reading if someone truly needed it that asked for it. Otherwise, those cards remained at the bottom of the trunk in his room. He didn't understand it. Why wouldn't he read his future? Was it that difficult? There was no doubt that the boy was going to die faster than any normal elf. The human side of him decayed faster and thus, there would be no doubt in the boy's heart he was going to die faster than the elven folk. He also knew that his father blamed himself for this, blamed himself for not being an elf. His son was so close to reaching the gift of longevity bestowed to the elves, but he would never reach it because of his dirty human side that had contaminated Ilfirin's blood. Ilfirin did not care. What did it matter how long someone lived? Quality was always better than quantity. So he told him that, but he was never quite sure whether he fully believed his words. Still, his interest in fortune telling never waned.

So when he found the seven foot man standing, blocking his way to the circus, he found annoyance creeping up his skin and had to purse his lips together, least he say demeaning words. He was not stupid enough to go against a seven foot man while he himself was a mere five added with the fact that a beast stood with the man. He froze when the man stated that the circus was outside, at the city gates. He sighed in annoyance.

Okay, it seemed that he made a mistake of traveling to the wrong place. He, without a greeting or farewell, left the tall man and his beast and moved to the front of the city gates. He himself had arrived here a few eras ago, after he made the easy decision of leaving his father in Herozzal. His near-crimson eyes drifted to the melancholy scene of the circus that seemed to have found its way to Vortex overnight just to have made it in spring. He fought back a shudder at the...tacky colors of the tent, but quickly smiled again at the sight of someone that appeared to be manning the entrance. Why, she looked as worn down as the tent itself. His eyes flew to the sign with the prices, glad for once, that he was still deemed in a child in the eyes of others.

"Two crowns right?"

Fishing them out of his pocket, he handed them to the woman.

[Kalinda]

Paareth

„If we slaughtered dorins here, they’d lock us up in the gaol for the rest of our lives“, she said, almost with a hint of regret. “I do not understand how Vortex can accept them and trust them. They need to be educated, don’t you think?” Her hatred for all things dorin was obvious. Such a pity that the government of Aelyria believed their lies …

“A mighty warrior then”, she purred. “I like strong men. Where do you come from? You are not from around here, otherwise you would have known about the dorins.” She hadn’t heard of him, but she was still impressed. She liked powerful men, strong men that could take care of themselves. She had little interest in the city katta and their petty schemes.

“I’m Kaari”, she introduced herself and leaned a bit closer to him. Her tail was not twitching anymore. She seemed very happy and relaxed even though she had not gotten a chance to relieve him of his money so far.

“Oh … them …” she said and made a face as she glanced at the two dark elves that were standing by the warg cage. “They just joined us a couple of brightenings ago. I don’t really know them.” She shrugged. And then Paareth could hear music coming from inside the big tent. The show was about to begin, and people were applauding loudly.

Ilfirin

The field in front of the city gates was crowded, as usual. The circus was an attraction, unheard of in Vortex’ recent history, and people had come to see it from all over the area. Even the barbarians had left their mountains to watch the show and take a look at the many exotic animals – two of which just walked by the half elf. They were monkeys with chocolate brown fur and long tails, their dark eyes full of intelligence. One of them wore a pink dress and a cute little hat with a bow, and the other one had a suit and a monocle. An ageing human with a moustache accompagnied them. Several of the children that were waiting in line to get into the circus tent giggled and tried to pet the monkeys.

A loud roar made them stop immediately and shudder in fear. To the side of the big tent a troll rattled the bars of his cage and screamed. He was a massive beast with leathery grey skin, small black eyes and a mouth full of big, sharp teeth. He was dressed in rough hides. For a moment it almost seemed as if he would snap the bars in two, but then one of the guards came and cracked a whip, and the troll retreated to the back of his cage and stared at the human angrily as if he wanted nothing more than to eat the annoying little creature that kept him imprisoned.

“Two men died capturing this troll”, the gypsy told Ilfirin and grinned, revealing her brown teeth. A most unpleasant smell, a mixture of tobacco and bad breath invaded the half elf’s nostrils. “Two crowns”, she confirmed. “If you are really a child. It’s hard to judge your kind sometimes.” She leaned closer to him and looked into his face – no, stared into it. “What are you?” she wanted to know. She made no attempt to hide her curiosity. She was one of those people that lived to gossip and spread rumours, even if they were completel false. “Half vysstichi or half something else? You have red eyes and the silver hair, but you don’t act like one of them.”

[Amber Brightwing]

She nodded at the guards. “Thanks for the info.” That the special seats and prices for Fae weren’t just for their Vortex visit was no surprise. Once inside, Amber directed her guards to the back of the tent. She would seat herself in one of the Fae sized seats with her guards sitting on each side in front of her. While the view would be a bit worse than at the front, she preferred to keep an overview on the place above of sitting in the middle of things.

The dancing and hopping was indeed quite remarkable. Amber mostly remained curious to the rest that was about to come though, especially when concerning the animals. A tame Warg was already quite a feat, though not necessarily an unimaginable one. Trolls juggling however she had a harder time imagining. If they could do things like that, then these people truly had a remarkable control over animals and semi-sentient beings. It also made her wonder further on how well they treated their ‘artists’.

[Paareth]

“We’ve educated the Dorins often enough but they never seem to learn their place.” Paareth said with a shrug. “Their landholders, the families that took so much from our people, are still protected by the empires law in many places and it sickens me.”

His eyes locked with hers again, the simmering darkness behind their midnight cloud, apparent in a wicked grin.

“We just have to take it one Dorin at a time.”

He moved on to the question of his heritage, taking her paw again in his and attentively kneading her fur, gently cleaning any imperfections or dirt, as much a sign of friendship as any Katta would give another. Though it was subtly clever on his part, because it kept one of her hands further occupied, yet casually as they spoke.

“I come from the western deserts and wandering tribal Katta deep within, one of our peoples last true refuges. There they still resist the shackles of this city life and servitude, fighting for land, what is theirs and our birthright.”

Paareth emphasized the word our, continuing to pay attention to her fur. Though his action should not be mistaken for an overly intimate gesture, it was evident it wasn’t such from his posture, it was however a relaxing contact, which he hadn’t had in almost close on a decade and as she leaned closer to him, he smiled.

“Well Kaari, I am glad to have met someone who doesn’t just accept and do what she is told is right, we cannot deny our natures.”

He looked at her once more and finally released her hand, the noise of the proceedings seemed to be getting under way.

“Would you do me the honour of joining me inside?”

Paareth would take her arm and walk inside, paying for her if she did but if not, remain by her side outside, she was certainly of more interest than any caged beast could be. Thistle was still on his mind even now as he extended the offer, she always would be but it was nice a for a moment to pretend he was someone else, perhaps even that Kaari reminded him of her.

[Ilfirin Tyraen Chumomisto]

Monkeys. Just when he figured that the rabble that claimed to be a circus couldn't possibly be that bizarre and exotic, two monkeys walked by him. He was left with an incredulous look on his face as he stared agape at the two walking figures, leaving himself only seconds to recover from the small shock. He hadn't expected people to come and had certainly hoped that not many would come. He was terribly irritated by large crowds of people and would have most likely decided to stay and mediate at the Temple if he knew that were the case. However, he had dug his grave already, so why not sleep in it? He was here and already took out his two crowns to give to the woman. What was he to do? Stuff back his money, look like a cheapskate, and go back home? No, not home; it was just a building that allowed him to swear his alliance with the God of Death. That place was no home...no place was his home.

He cast his eyes on the brats that just seemed so...excited to meet the monkeys. The frown on his lips deepened as he heard their joyful laughter if the children, who, in his opinion, were better off killed by Jalat. Little slimes were what they were...that was it. He turned away, finally too disgusted to continue his observation. He let out a chuckle at the sound of the bellow, which seemed to put the children in their place. Fear was a lovely tool and it was a pity that not many were fond of using it. He unraveled his pack of tarot cards from hidden pocket of his coat, holdin