The Circus of Horrors (IC)

[Lochar]

Gardener's plants quickly grow, twist, and sprout leaves under the command of her spell, and dark purple, poisonous looking vines and leaves quickly catch the eye. Including the eyes of many people in the line, who look very surprised at the plants rapid growth.

As the sun dips below the horizon, the trolls begin letting people into the main tent and they start filling up the benches and bleachers. After ten or so minutes, the flood of people trickles off, and the room is has a fair crowd.

Lacan moves from the entryway to Altair, who has yet to enter the center ring. "A little over four hundred. Not a bad starting night. Have fun with them."

[shaddy_24]

Sith looks over at Altair as Lacan makes his announcement. "Well, it's time for your big start. I'll do a quick walk around with my bears after you've finished, then someone else can take centre stage. I'm going to save the others until a little later."
He begins moving towards his enclosure while keeping an eye on Altair. He didn't want to miss what was sure to be an interesting opening.

[WhiteKnight777]

Altair

The vampire grinned, suddenly appearing center-stage in the middle of the tent. He tapped his cane on the floor, and out of the earth rose twenty skeletons - their bones bleached white by desert sun, their eye sockets hollow. Even as they clawed their way from the sandy earth, the vampire called aloud to the crowd, his voice echoing in the tent.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen... and welcome... to the Circus of Horrors. Don't mind my friends... they may be a little underdressed for the show... but they can keep a beat.

He chuckled slightly, tapping his cane on the floor. In rythm, the skeletons began to move, dancing around in a circular motion, capering and gesturing wildly. Every so often, one would break off from the whirling move towards the stands with slow, jerky movements. In the center, Altair himself danced, pounding out a quick, primal rythm, snapping his fingers in time with the beat. He snapped his fingers, and began to sing, his body moving with serpentine grace to the seductive pulse of the music.

Well come along now
Come down
See the finest
Show in town
Thrills and chills
all around
it's the finest show in town

We've got freaks and creeps
graveyard sneaks
nightmares plucked
from out your head
frightning beasties live and dead

ghouls and goblins
ghosts and ghasts
all the sights to make you gasp

So come on in
sit right down
it's the greatest
show in town
designer darkness
to delight!
stay up late, don't fear the night

come forget your cares awhile
everyone here wears a smile
but don't shocked if you should see
fur, fang or claw
'midst our, jubilee

And now my lively song is done
give a hand, everyone,
time it is our show to start
to shiver your spine and stop - your - heart


As he sang the last lines of the song, he gripped his cane tight, as if holding a sword, using the glowing gem atop it like a mace. Spinning in a quick circle, he struck the head of each skeleton, making a hollow xylophone sound, causing each skull to explode in a gout of colored flame, a different shade for every skeleton. As this happened, the rest of the body turned to dust, sinking into the earth or carried away on the night-wind.

Still grinning, Altair stood up

And so I welcome you to our humble show... please put your hands together for Sith and his ursine friends.

[shaddy_24]

While Altair was making his start, Sith moved quickly to the enclosure. Grabbing the two bears, he readied, then quickly cast his spells just as Altair finished. “Come my pets, talk to me.” (one extended ghost sound to imitate the sound of two bears. If I need one for each bear, let me know. Two minutes where the bears will huff and growl quietly) As the audience turned, he stepped out the gate into the audiences view and announces “Ladies and gentlemen. I offer a taste, a bite, to you, to whet your apatite for the show ahead. Come, see my pets, Dol and Kish. They are just the start of my act, but I endeavor to please you.” He flourishes with his cloak and cane as the two effigies step out into view of the crowd. Dol stands as tall as Sith and is pitch black, while Kish is the smaller of the two, and has much lighter fur.

The two bears snort and look around, following the directions of the man in front of them. Grabbing a large red ball, Sith rolls it in front Kish, saying “Up! On the ball!” Even as the bear complies, he brings Dol up to the audience, leading it around the front row. “Are there any particularly brave children out there? Who would like to go for a ride? Come on, no worries. He’s very calm.” If he receives any volunteers, he puts them onto the bear and leads them back into the middle, having Dol circle Kish balanced on the ball before returning them to their waiting parents.

Two stage hands come out carrying a large table between them, along with three more balls, one larger than the first, two much smaller. Placing the large one on the table, he quickly orders, “Dol! Up,” then turns to Kish. Putting a hand on the bears back, he vaults up and stands on the bears back, bowing to the audience. Leaning down, he pats the bears back and Kish starts moving forwards, rolling the ball towards the table, Sith still balancing on its back. At the edge of the table Kish stops. Dol is now balanced on its hind legs on the ball on top of the table, looking down at Sith below it.

Sith grabs the two smaller balls and tosses one up to Dol, saying “catch ” quietly as he does so. When the bear catches the ball between its front paws, he quietly says “return, catch”, as he tosses the second ball up. Dol pushes the first ball back to Sith, then catches the next ball. Sith grabs the ball Dol threw back, then repeats this a couple times, throwing the ball from on top of one bear, to the other balanced on the ball, on the table.

After this, Sith calls “Dol! Paw out!” As the bear holds one of its front legs out, Sith grabs onto it, and uses the bear’s strength to pull himself up and onto its shoulders. Standing tall, he bows to the audience, still holding his cane in one hand, while Kish stands up under his instructions and bows as well. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention! I will see you later, but for now, turn to your next act!”

As the next act moves to take the stage, Sith jumps down and begins directing the two bears and some of the stage hands back into the enclosure.

[Lochar]

There are many gasps and a decent number of screams when the skeletons rise from the ground, but much applause at the song and dance routine. Down in the front, you can see several children leaning forward, while parents pull them back.

In three of the seats, the skeletons have actually appeared to make the women faint.

As the skeletons burst into dust, Altair receives much applause. And as the dust drifts about the room, you see many children attempting to gather some of it from the air.


At the start of Sith's show, there are a few odd looks, considering the undead they just saw, but enough people seem pleased at the performing animals that it isn't an issue.

At the request for a volunteer, Sith is inundated with boys ranging from five to fifteen and more begging to come out and play with the bears. One of the helpers, a bound ethereal filcher, collects a boy of about nine with dark red hair, and he rides around on the bear.

At the end of the act, Sith receives a loud round of applause, although it isn't the ovation that Altair received with his dancing undead.

[WhiteKnight777]

Altair

With a gesture and a flourish, the vampire stepped back out into the center of the arena. As the applause died, he gave a wicked little chuckle. Raising both hands, he looked around, his face half-shadowed by the wide brim of his hat as he grinned a wicked grin, his voice rolling out a series of arcane words. He gestured, and the traditional five-pointed summoning pentagram appeared in the middle of the arena, towards which he gestured theatrically.

"And now, for your amusement... Luchorpan!"

[Axelgear]

Luchorpan

Suddenly, the lines that appeared on the floor shifted. The circle shifted, changed, pulsed, and glowed, forming arcane diagrams that slithered and swirled in eldritch patterns before suddenly starting to emit a cloud of purple smoke that flooded the centre of the circus ring. Lights and thunderclaps echoed from within the cloud, strange howls and sounds of the Otherworld echoing through the barrier of worlds. Then, after a few flashes, a silhouette was visible through them...

Spoiler

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Turned invisible, cast Major Image, Fog Cloud, Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, turned visible.

As the strange cloud disperses and drifts down to the floor, a small figure stands there, draped in purple robes, eyes aglow, silhouetted by unnatural light that drifts, ebbs, and flows from her like oil in slow-moving water. "Woi 'ave oi been summoned?" Luchorpan asks, her voice filling the tent, loud and commanding. Slowly, she glanced about, eyes bursting into a green glow, the same as the twisting light that flows from her. "Aaah... 'N audience... 'Ave oi been called 'ere to entertain 'em, or to steal their souls?" She asked rhetorically, rubbing her chin as she eyed the audience.

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Cast Ventriloquism and shifted the Dancing Lights to create the glows

Slowly, the ground around her begins to shift. Nightmarish figures drag themselves from the ground as it twists and shifts, her cackling madly as trees with the writhing corpses of bound men hanging from nooses tied to their branches burst forth. Terrible red-capped, green-skinned monsters carrying scythes move from shadow to shadow, appearing and vanishing all the time. "Le's jess see if'n ya all got whar i' takes, mm?" And, with that, Luchorpan begins to chant, creating dark seeds in the air over the audience...

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Nightmare Terrain, then Major Image

Slowly, the seeds mutate, tendrils extending and unholy ligaments form until skeletal avians are flapping their wings over the audience. Suddenly, each bursts into flame and becomes a phoenix, flying in circles in unison with the others, creating a panoply of colours that are so beautiful that they only exist in the most beautiful of wildflower fields, and, even then, they are not as dynamic as this. Soon, the colours get faster and faster, merging together, lighting up the whole tent in a raging, blazing inferno of light. The strange figures in the middle of the room were drawn up into it, vanishing one by one, Luchorpan following. Soon, her silhouette is the only darkness in the stunning light before, finally, the entire illusion is sucked into a single glowing ball of light, all the while, Luchorpan's laughter filling the air. Then, as all goes quiet, there is a bang and a shower of sparks, and the light returns to normal, nothing different from how it was before the act even began. One final haunting laugh echoes through the circus until all is silent. Then, Luchorpan appears in her normal garb, taking a bow before pirouetting and vanishing once more.

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Changing the previous Major Image, flying up, disappearing, Ventriloquism, reappeared, disappeared again

[Tacitus]

Cairn

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Pre-cast: Flicker, Sight Obscured, Quicker Than the Eye, Sight Eclipsed, Bolster for 70 temp HP. Enter with Sickening Shadows, Deadly Shade, and Curtain of Shadows.

Almost as soon as Luchorpan leaves the stage the thunderous applause at her exit is met with a burst of darkness. Streamers of blackness rise from the ground in a curtain that matches the stage but grows ever darker as the eyes fall upon it. From the ground an oily black smoke begins to rise and before it the very shadows seem to reach up and clutch wildly at the air. From within the smoke a lighter hue swirls to reveal a blackened form amongst the darkness. A strange light drips from his fingertips and despite it being composed of the oblivion it stands out against the roiling shades around him.

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Greater Shadow Evocation for an Ice Storm, Perfect Flight

When first motion occurs within the darkness it is not from the bald warrior but the darkness all around him. Shards of black ice burst forth from the curtains and rain around the dark form as he slinks forward with feet a few inches above the rapidly freezing ground. Shards of ice smash against his form but he seems not to mind with the darkness around him consuming the blows. Once the shower of ice fades away his voice echoes not through only the air but seems to worm inside the minds of all those present, "They say people are above all most afraid of the dark." His laughter echoes in the air and the minds of those present while the darkness roils.

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Umbral Hand, Arrow of Dusk, +61 Sleight of Hand

With a mere flick of his wrist his shadow extends out towards the audience and from among them he plucks forth several figurines that had been hidden extremely well in shadowed pockets and under benches. Darkness billows around him as the figurines gather at his feet while he rises higher into the air in a slow spiral. Pinpoints of dark red light pierce the darkness as each of the small toys snap to attention with the soldiers readying their weapons and the birds preparing to fly. With not a sound the birds take to the skies and the soldiers begin to march forward. Cairn's voice echoes once more, "They call me Darkeyes and these mere toys will bring you eternal blackness."

Spoiler

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Feign Life on the toy birds and soldiers. Liquid Night for some ink.

The many pinpoints of light begin to spread as the birds take flight on wings that have been prepared to creak just enough to clearly be lights and clockwork. The soldiers advance on the crowd and with a snap they fire on the crowd with a burst of shadows. A spray of bubbling fluid splashes against the first few rows nearest the soldiers as the billowing darkness carries Cairn ever higher. The birds swoop low over the audience with streamers of darkness trailing behind to settle over those present. It is then that he disappears from where he had been flying to land among the crowd, "A helper is needed, but goes unharmed."

A child is whisked away from the audience into Cairn's arms with a burst of shadow and a rush of wind at his passing. He lands with a flourish among the billowing shadows and for a moment the child is struck with such incredible fear that movement is impossible. Cairn's voice sounds but once more, "A mere wave and the child is gone. And so too am I." The still child flickers with shadow before Cairn makes a flourish and suddenly both are gone. An explosion of light engulfs the center ring and suddenly all is gone, even the birds and soldiers.

Spoiler

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Bolster the Child and shove through the Curtain of Shadows for 12d6 cold damage, use sleight of hand to 'hide' the child behind the curtain.
Flicker out. Dusk and Dawn to create Daylight. Dispel darkness effects.

[thevorpalbunny]

As the darkness (and their light-blindness) clears, the audience notices a very large man appear on the top of the large poles which hold up the tent. Attached to the pole is a rope taking up the length of the tent, ending at another pole like the one he stands on. From the edges of these poles hang heavily decorated silk ropes, and several long silk hangings decorate the rope between them.

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The silk hangings are aerial silk, used in acrobatics. It can hold a great deal of weight.
All times it is stated that a fighter is knocked off, he actually jumps while the performers simulate the hit. Rahul uses his flight to guide his more difficult falls, Szrath merely jumps carefully in his one fall.

The man (Rahul) wears a flamboyant acrobat's costume in bright red, white, blue, and green. In an odd visual discord, his waist carries a pair of sheathed shortswords.

The man starts to walk across the high rope. He starts at a slow walk, then gradually speeds up to a brisk walk. It is unusual, but not particularly impressive to the audience which has seen the last few acts. As he has advanced across a quarter of the rope, he stops with a flourish and draws his swords. He flourishes them flamboyantly, staging a fencing display. As the audience has focused its attention on him, a crossbow bolt flies at him, though it goes far wide. As his gaze follows it to its source, a many-armed fiend dressed in a dark reflection of his garb is seen on the post he started on.

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Rahul and Szrath take 10 on all their Balance checks (thief-acrobat class feature). either takes a penalty for moving at normal speed, and Rahul takes no penalty for fighting or running.
Szrath appears by shifting from the Ethereal Plane.
As it is stage-fighting, they deal only nonlethal damage

This fiend (Szrath) moves quickly toward the man, brandishing his own shortswords and his fearsome claws. The man flees, running along the remainder of the wire with as much ease as his walked before. The fiend follows, but is not nearly as swift. As the man reaches the far edge, he readies to fight at the far edge of the pole. As the fiend closes, they begin to fight on the top of the pole. They circle, and the man is pushed back onto the wire. Far from inhibit his skill, he fights more powerfully from the wire and stops retreating. Just as the fiend seems to regain the upper hand, Rahul attacks with a mighty blow and knocks his opponent of the pole. As he falls, he grabs one of the decorated ropes and swings across the tent, not quite reaching the ground or the opposite side.

As the fiend begins to climb the rope, the man drops off himself and swings on another rope. As they swings past, they continue their aerial duel, climbing higher between passes. As they near the top, the fencing becomes more spectacular, and the fiend seems to gain the upper hand. He jumps to the man's rope and climbs to the top, then fences with one hand while cutting the rope with the other. The man jumps to the other rope just as the fiend succeeds in cutting one rope. The fiend quickly starts to cut the second rope, but the man climbs quickly and almost reaches him. The second rope is cut out from under him, but he jumps to one of the silk hangings. He jumps from hanging to hanging while the fiend follows, cutting them as he jumps to them. The man rises slowly and eventually reaches the line.

They fight for a short time more. Then the fiend strikes, knocking the man off the wire. He falls to the ground, but nothing is seen to hit. By the time attention goes back to the fiend, he has disappeared as well.

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Rahul disappears and hovers just above the ground. While he does, Szrath uses planewalk to disappear into the Ethereal Plane.