Act 3 - Carnival on Ice

[Vardaen]

OOC

mack, Wil would know Kreed is the head of the Lumber Consortium, bascially he runs the town and has a reputation of being ruthless. You can read his profile in the OOC thread

Kreed nods, "Yes yes, we will see what happens."

Thuldrin then snaps his finger and Pay Day, the man with the broken nose, steps to. "Make sure no one bothers these trees other than our friends here when they have the cure for it."

"Aye boss, you got it." Pay Day sucks his cheek and spits into the snow.

Baleson motions, "I think we are done here. I'm going to check on Laurel, come see me when you are done with Namdrin." He heads off.

That leaves you with a need to now see the Carnival Master. So you head to his tent. This one area of the carnival is where the carnies have their tents set up. A few are ripped down and open, but others remain. It seems Kreed's lumberjack mob didn't make too much of a mess of it, but made their point clear enough.

You see a few carnies, licking their wounds, but most of them died quickly when the Dark Fey took over, they were the first to go. The largest of the tents is Namdrin's. As you near you can hear a woman's voice, it must be Tessa his wife. "Just leave me be Namdrin. I want to be alone."

Namdrin comes out of the tent pushing the flap to the side upset. His jaw is clenched, and his eyes are red. He spots you and straightens up letting out a long sigh he was holding in. "Returned are you? Any luck with the trees?" He gulps down and forces a smile.

[Muskrat]

"Yes," says Dreams, "We spoke with fey queen Syntira who warned us about the Eye of Rapture, and she will be sending us someone who will have a cure that can turn the trees back to their human form."

She studies Namdrin, for a moment, her gaze both pitying and hard at the same time. She guess that Tessa did not approve of the steps Namdrin took to recover her from the Cold Rider. Namdrin is probably feeling pretty low right now. Nonetheless, Dreams wants to call him to account now, in case he decides to slip away. "Cam we go into your tent? I think we should speak privately."

[Trogdor]

"Maybe we could borrow one of the other tents," Celevan says diplomatically. "I think Tessa needs her rest after that trying ordeal." The summoner suspects that, for the moment, it would be a good idea to keep Tessa and Namdrin apart.

OOC

I hate to kick a man when he's down.

[Muskrat]

OOC

Oh, oops, I didn't read that closely enough--I though Tessa had left the tent, not thrown Namdrin out. Yes, Dreams would definitely want to talk to him in a separate tent. And, much as she hates to kick someone when he's down, her sense of duty will compel her to.

[Vardaen]

Namdrin looks pleased to hear that the group has away to save the tree-folk. "I am, as the whole town is, in your debt. Thank you." He looks at one of the other tents, "This one is empty now..." he clams up as to why but you know why the carny that used to live here is dead now.

So the group heads into an other tent. "Again, you have my thanks. I just feel terrible about this whole thing, but Tessa is back and..." he sighs and looks tired.

[mackaber]

Wilfried wonders what bothers the man about his wife being back and tilts his head. "So?" the large Half Orc enquires.

[Trogdor]

"So, there's a lot to clean up in Falcon's Hollow," Celevan replies, sparing Namdrin the need to comment more on Tessa. "I imagine the carnival won't be going anywhere anytime soon," he adds. "I hope that means that we'll have you as a neighbor for a while, Namdrin." He does his best to keep the man's spirits up in a situation that must feel crushingly bad to him. For having the carnival leader fall into a black mood will help no one at this point.

[Muskrat]

"I do not know if I would linger here for long if I were you," says Dreams. Her voice is soft and gentle, but her words are anything but. She clearly feels pity for the man, but he is also responsible for great evil. "If your role in the evil is found out here, I do not doubt Kreed would send his men to lynch you. And I would speak to you about that. I know you acted under duress and I know all too well the loss of a loved one--my betrothed was killed by frostling raiders--but you are still responsible for ill deeds for which you must make amends. And I think those deeds will haunt you as well until you find some means to make up for them. You began that when you helped us fight the evil fey and the Cold Rider, but I suggest there is more you could do." She looks back at the ruins of the carnival and beyond it to the town of Falcon's Hollow. "Ideally, I would suggest you carry out some penance assigned to you by the town magistrate to help the people you most harmed, but you will find no fair trial here. I would have you swear a solemn oath to travel to the Elohim Haven of Graceful Oaks and consult with the Elders there, submitting yourself to whatever penance they suggest."

[Vardaen]

Namdrin at first is open when Celevan wishes him well and invites him as a neighbor but the Dreams speaks. The Paladin is idealistic, and perhaps she has some truth in her words but she hardly knows the whole story.

"You pompus egotistical Elohim!" He steps up to Dreams, getting right in her face, his hands balled into fists. "You have no idea what has happened here do you? You think this was my fault?! Idiot!" He snarls in her face, his hot breath washing over her, "I would gut you now if I didn't think there was enough death already brought to Falcon's Hollow today." He manages to keep himself from drawing his blades on Dreams. "I suppose it was my fault that last year Tess and I and a company of adventurers were traveling through the Darkmoon Wood slaying worgs when we were attacked by dark fey and Tessa's very soul was taken by the fey? Yes, that must have been my fault!" He spins on Dreams, his back to the group as he stalks to the other side of the tent. "Shortly after that I found the carnival, nothing more than a small side show, and they took me in, nursed my pain at loosing my wife." He glances at Celevan and Wilifried, both are locals to Falcon's Hollow and can remember that the carnival used to be much smaller and not nearly as exciting before Namdrin took over. "Eventually I came to own this calamity, in a few short month we were what you saw this morning. How was I to know that if I returned to Falcon's Hollow that all this would happen? I suppose it was my fault that the Cold Rider came here to torment me and my people as much as those of the Hollow? As far as I knew my wife was dead and gone when I rolled into town. I suppose you can blame me for all that's happened if you are a heartless bitch." He spits on the ground at Dream's foot, "Say it again, tell me the death of my wife was my fault, and that I caused all of this to happen."

The hissing of his blade begin drawn can be heard in the tent, his voice becomes as cold at the iron in his hand, "Say it again woman. Go ahead, I dare you."

[Trogdor]

"Please," Celevan implores the carnival master, taking a step forward, but not getting between him and Dreams. "You're right, there's been too much bloodshed already." He holds up a hand, hoping to stay Namdrin from doing anything rash. "I know it's been incredibly difficult for you to see what happened to your wife, what happened to your carnival, and what happened to Falcon's Hollow. And then to have some newcomer rashly accuse you of being responsible for it all, ... it really is too much to expect you to take, especially since I'm not sure we could have defeated the Cold Rider without your help." A pained look crosses the aasimar's face, reflecting the empathy he has for Namdrin's pain.

"You deserve an apology from Dreams," he says at last. "An abject apology. She spoke without thinking and assumed the worst about you. There's no excuse for that." He flashes a disapproving look at Dreams. Fellow elohim she might be. But Celevan had made Falcon's Hollow his home. That gave him a feeling of protectiveness over it's inhabitants - even part-time inhabitants like Namdrin.

"Right now is a very difficult time for the town and the carnival. Both have suffered greatly, and the only positive thing they have to look to is the band of heroes who saved the day. If they see bitter infighting between two of those heroes, it'll shatter whatever hope they might have left. So I beg you, Namdrin, please don't let your anger - justified though it may be - show outside of this tent. I know I have no right to ask this. But for the sake of Falcon's Hollow, I must. Don't do it for Dreams; don't do it for me; do it for the people of Falcon's Hollow and the people of the carnival. I'm not asking you to forgive Dreams, or to be friendly to her, or even speak to her. Just be polite when you see her in public and let the people have their heroes. Gods know they need something cheerful to distract them from what just happened."

OOC

Diplomacy to try and calm him down, if I can.