Fellowship of the Dice

Jack listens to the others as he thinks. "On the other hand, it might be good to win Mr. Witch and Mr. Light's favor if we want to get an audience with them. The Big Top show make be a great place to do that, especially if one of us gets selected as the King or Queen of the Witchlight Carnival. Besides," Jack continues with an almost sheepish demeanor, "it is truly an amazing show. One that shouldn't be missed."

Shiloh says in a puzzled voice, "We wouldn't win their favor if we set right the things Kettlesteam has done?" She thinks for a moment, then says, "I suppose we can go to the show and then help Kettlesteam to undo the harm he's done."

The Big Top Extravaganza!

As you approach the Big Top, the carnival barkers yell out "Big Top Extravaganza starting right now at midnight! Prepare to be delighted!" Filing in behind the rest of the crowd that came in first, the group sees that the roof of this tent reaches toward the night sky in three swooping peaks topped with spinning gold stars. Painted wooden panels on the tent walls whirl with colorful motion, displaying vibrant circus performances. The sound of music and laughter drifts out through the canvas door, getting much louder once you are inside.

The Show starts just as you get settled, the lights dimming and a hush falling over the crowd. A second later, a spotlight illuminates a lithe, elven figure sitting in a silver hoop, suspended above the center ring by silk ropes. The elf wears a dazzling suit of diamond-pane mirrors and a pair of butterfly wings. His scepter is topped with a spinning vane.

"Welcome, one and all, to this evening's Extravaganza! I am Mister Light. Prepare to be delighted!"

The show involves several of the Carnival's star performers and attractions, with Mister Light serving as Ringmaster. Over the course of the next hour, Burly the Bugbear performs impressive feats of strength, Palasha the mermaid serenades the audience from a clamshell bathing pool, Candlefoot the Mime plays silent games with audience members, and faerie dragons with bright streamers tied to their tails perform dazzling acts of synchronized flying - all while a troupe of acrobats, clowns, and fire-breathers parade about.

Shiloh whispers to her companions, "I plan to perform at the end. Does anyone want to join me?"

She tries to enjoy the performance, but, as dazzling as it is, her mind is just not on it. She's most concerned with getting her memories back--and there is the strange matter that Kettlesteam disclosed to them.

"Oh, I-I'm good, I'll just watch you all. Gosh, is there anything to drink around here...?"

Quill fades into the crowd. She hunts down old folks, much more likely to be old hats than young couples or parents, and asks where she might grab an adult beverage. Introductions provide her a chance to use her goblin-mandated ice breaker of "and I like unicorns!"

She tries to keep an eye on their kenku ally, but decides instead to keep her eyes open for anything alarming or strange among the mingling fair-goers and in the shadows, and quits to watch Shiloh and Friends' performance when it begins.

Quill joins in with the crowd, finding them rambunctious and rather tipsy, but overall in good mood. The people that she talks to seem to be having a happy rather than spooky time, but after some subtle coaxing they open up about the strange Carousel operator. A female centaur by the name of Diana Cloppington runs it. While upbeat, the patrons couldn't shake the feeling she was deeply sad about something. What puzzled them however is that the wooden unicorns that most of the wooden unicorns they rode on had nametags that were worn and indecipherable. Given the pristine nature of everything else, it stood out to them. When asked about it, all Diana did was cough up some brown tree sap. Which is not normal for centaurs, obviously.

Meanwhile, Shiloh puts on a respectable presentation with her fiddle, ending in a loud cheer. Jack ...

Jack grabs his own fiddle. Not wanting to encroach on Shiloh's performance, lest it appear as if a carnival worker is showing favoritism to a patron. The Harengon waits his turn, and, allowing for another performer to go in between Shiloh and himself, proceeds to play a jaunty tune, dancing as he is want to do. There was something afoot at the carnival, but whatever it was, he refused to let it ruin the grandeur of the night. Later, there would be more sleuthing and figuring out who behind the cruel tricks, but Jack refused to let any cracks appear in the evening.

Jack fiddles an excellent performance, the jaunty tune even bringing some of the crowd off their feet to dance little jigs in the stands. He receives a rousing ovation! With the final performance completed, Mister Light concludes the Extravaganza, sending the crowd back into the Carnival with smiles on their faces and brightness in their hearts.

As the trio exit near the end, they find a familiar face waiting for them. A bugbear wearing dungarees, fairy wings, and a helmet made from a jack-o'-lantern approaches you. "Follow me," Burly growls. "Management wants to see you." He seems rather sullen. This seems to be the standard invitation for those who voluntarily performed, rather than the panicked summons from the leadership he was pushing you to cause by theft.

"Thank you," says Shiloh, following the bugbear. "Don't worry, Burly," she says, trying to reassure the carnival worker. "We still remember what we talked about. We're just going about it our own way."

Quill joins the group with a little sway in her step, obviously a bit tipsy. "You guys put on a great show. Very nice!" she then shares what she learned about the carousel, and the carousel's operator, Diana.

To Burly, she says, "Hey, e-everything's still on the table. We're going to meet the bosses, so i-it's not over 'till it's over, right? Uh, say, would they mind if we let Kettlesteam come along?"