Xanumo's Carnival

A traveling circus has passed by the stronghold at a distance. It is a long train of attractions, sideshows, et cetera. The most readily visible attraction stands at the front of the train, a bear the size of a house, conveniently hefting a colorfully painted small house for comparison on its back.

The date is April 4th. Skywriting advertises "Xanumo's Carnival of Wonders! Dwayna's Field April 7th thru the 14th."

A Canthan character recognizes the name immediately, Xanumo being a popular showman in Cantha, comparable to P.T. Barnum in his day.

If the party goes to Dwayna's Field, it is a 3 day walk/2 day ride from the guildhall. Roll random encounters as they travel.

Upon arrival, the party finds lodging in the town, the show doesn't start until the next day. The party isn't readily welcome to interact with the animals but may approach some of the carnies. If asked about the bear, some say he's fine, others show some concern for its wellbeing, particularly Ayo the half-orc ranger, whose show is essentially William Tell. Oddly, for its size, the bear is nowhere to be seen.

Ayo the Ranger

Ayo is a half-orc Ranger, a sharpshooter unrivaled within the carnival. She is concerned for the animals' well-being but isn't in charge of them. That honor goes to Lionel the tamer, a brutish Leonin barbarian who handles the show-beasts roughly. She says that Biscoff, the massive bear, is handled particularly roughly by the man.

Lionel the Tamer

Lionel assures the party the animals are well taken care of... although it's clear that the animals in the small menagerie they have are afraid of Lionel. Among the cages in the enclosure is an average-sized cave bear, with a jeweled harness on the wall behind him.

An Arcana check or detect magic spell used to investigate the harness finds it laced with Transmutation magic.