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.

Before the Show

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. The bear is sleeping peacefully.

• A medicine check on the bear notices wounds on the bear's legs.
• An Arcana check or detect magic spell used to investigate the harness finds it laced with Transmutation magic.
• Detect magic also marks Lionel's whip as having illusion magic. It is silenced.

The bear's act is dancing while enlarged, which Lionel encourages with the whip.

• If the party confronts Lionel about the treatment of the animals immediately, he attempts to intimidate them, ultimately telling them to leave, and threatening to call the guards.
  • If they refuse to leave, the guards are called, and the party is moved out of the tent. If they make a bigger fuss, the guards become violent, and the party is no longer welcome in the carnival.
• If the party mercs Lionel, they need to dispose of the body and make their escape quickly, as Xanumo is coming in to see how the preparations are going. If they leave a mess, he will alert the guards. If he finds them red-handed, he will fight them as a 6th level bard, using spells to contain the party as he calls for the carnival's guards.
  • Xanumo's main goal is self-preservation, if he is physically attacked, he will take to the air to flee the party, exiting through the top of the tent. Unless they ground him somehow, he gets away, and the party has lost the chance to claim the bear peacefully.

Xanumo

Xanumo is a chipper Owlin, welcoming one and all into the carnival. He is friendly to the party, but a busy man making sure all the setup is complete.

The Show

Seeing the carnival proper costs the party 1gp per head. The show has acrobats, fireworks, shows of animals performing tricks, etc. Lionel gets the animals moving, trying to use the whip as subtly as possible. It is silenced, so the audience cannot hear him using it to encourage the animals. The big show, Biscoff, comes in wearing the harness, except both he and the harness are now Huge. A massive ball is brought out as well, as the bear is made to balance on the ball.

• A perception check shows to the party that Lionel is whipping the bear if he attempts to get off the ball or otherwise stop the show. The bear is visibly distressed by this.

After the Show

If they confront Lionel directly, he tells them to get lost. Once the abuse is brought to his attention, Xanumo goes to confront Lionel himself. Lionel tries to convince him that the whip is never used, after all, you'd hear a whip crack, right? The party needs to draw attention to the whip, if Xanumo finds out that it is enchanted to be silent, but just as painful, he ejects Lionel from the group. Lionel becomes hostile, but the fight is ended swiftly by Ayo firing an arrow through his knee.

Xanumo is torn on what to do, after all, Biscoff is a major attraction, but he has enough respect for the animals to not see them put to harm for the show. Xanumo tries to comfort Biscoff but is given a growl. "Hm... maybe it's time I parted ways with this one. The old boy deserves a bit more freedom... but now how am I moving my trailer? Guess I'll be in town a bit longer after all..."