Before they head into the town, Hylensia walks down the line of wagons, and back, checking on things.  Phileas has gone ahead, to let the town know they have arrived and make sure their set up location has been prepared.  Some towns have entertainment venues left over from the Roman days, from small to large (amphitheaters) to the very large (hippodromes and circuses).  When those are available, the Traveling Show's place is very obvious and simple.  But Cambete is relatively small, and their theater did not survive- it was deconstructed to build the wall.  Phileas sent them advance notice, and of course this production is sponsored by Burgundian nobility, so they really ought to have a place ready, but Phileas wants to make sure.

The Traveling Show's matron looks at Alayna and sighs.  To be that young and dress like that... well, it's what people want to see, don't they?  But she'd feel better when the girl has a few more years behind her.

"Esher... goodness, save the comedy for the show, we aren't even in the town yet," she says as she passes.

Even out here beyond the wall the troupe attracts attention- farmers and shepherds stop working.  Those that stop too long are often scolded by older farmers and shepherds.  The cast hears one shout of "lazy sluggards, if you'd done that when the Orcs were running this town they'd whip you back to work.  See the performers later!"

But that one voice of sober work ethic is outnumbered, and soon gives up.  People begin to show up and stare.  The reality is, no one in Cambete has seen anything like this before.  No one in Cambete has seen anything like Nwofia before.  It draws attention... but it's supposed to draw attention.

Phileas returns, walking back from the gate to the waiting troupe.  Several Orc warriors appear at the town gate.

When he reaches the wagon caravan, Phileas announces that the main market square has been cleared for use by the Traveling Show.  It has no stage- not a problem, the Traveling Show carries a portable one, which is created by shoving a few of the wagons end to end, and having a plank stage unfold along their sides.

"It does mean we'll be right smack in the middle of things," he says. "We'll go in and set up the portable stage as we rehearsed, and then... well if it looks safe you'll have the rest of the day to yourselves, our shows will start tomorrow afternoon.  Five shows over four days, then we move on.  Let's make everyone happy!"

Alayna is supposed to lead, of course, but that's entertainment magic.  She doesn't know where to go.  Phileas will really be in front, but well in front, wearing a tall hat.  All she has to do is follow his hat, and the troupe follows her.

The people of Cambete have already turned out to watch the Traveling Show enter their town.  It's been a year of hard work for them, rebuilding after a war.  Cambete changed.  Many of the people here weren't even here then- many of the survivors fled into Burgundy to the west, and Germanic people- many, like Og, Thuringian- who were living on the east side of the river in primitive little villages moved in to the vacated town.  Before the war, 500 Orcs lived here, now less than a tenth that number, but they are very visible among the humans.

Nwofia gathers the gazes of those watching the wagons and, once she feels she has sufficient attention, she performs a somersault.  It's not a difficult somersault designed to show off her skill.  No, this somersault is designed to show off her body, the dark softness where visible, and the curves where fabric covers.

This somersault is Nwofia's version of an aerial curtsey, a way of saying to those eyes she has gathered, "Hello, pleased to meet you, aren't I exquisite?"

Somehow, while her body was in mid-air, and quite frankly, all eyes were on her ass, flowers, which were most definitely not there before, have appeared in her hands and she throws them among the audience, filling the square with their floral sweetness....

...She finishes off the little exhibition for all eyes she has gathered, including those who for whatever reason dislike flowers, by throwing a knife in the air and when it comes down catching it in her teeth.

Unaware of her patron's dislike of her costume (and somewhat naive about why), Alayna enjoys her job of leading, and all the attention she gets.  She does a few more simple tricks, showing off a little to drum up support for the actual show the next day (and to show off for the attention),

It is as they are approaching the center of town that she finally notices the orcs.  She falters a bit in her waving, a chill of fear going through her.  The orcs are staring at her like she was going to be their lunch, and she doesn't like it.  She visibly has to regain her poise and finish her grandstanding.  After a few moments, she back to waving and winking and giggling.

Once they arrive at their destination, she removes the 'horn' from Angel and quickly changes.  Her job is to work with the horses, getting them unhitched, removing saddles, then making sure they are all brushed down and properly led to a place to get water and be fed.  It is a little amusing to see the petite girl among the big draft horses, but they all seem to obey her, and she clearly forgets her earlier misgivings among the large beasts she loves so much.

Cambete still shows its scars.  Not everything damaged in the fighting a year ago was rebuilt, and even then not everything damaged in the battle two years ago had been rebuilt.  Even within its shrunken borders, four thousand people could live in a town of this size, but it has about a third of that.  Part of the town, in the southeast corner, was the hardest hit and is just ruin.

The bright spot is the main street, now known as the Via Burgundium.  With the bridge available, and the riverside docks as well, traffic to and through Cambete has increased tremendously, and it is all along the road.  Here, it doesn't look like a town that has struggled to rebuild.

For the people of the town, this is an extraordinary event. A parade!  Many have never seen anything like this- horses with colorful plumes on their heads and bells on their collars!  Brightly painted wagons with the most amazing characters driving them in!

For the Orcs of the town, well, they have never even imagined such a thing.  They all look utterly befuddled by the spectacle, as if everything they have ever believed about the world has just been upset.  It is completely outside their mental comfort zones.  A few flee, having no idea what they should be doing.

The market area is a stone paved plaza, surrounded by a columned arcade in front of low buildings on three sides.  There are shops in the buildings, and they will stay open of course- the plaza will belong to the traveling show but the arcade walkways and the shops are still very public.  They include about half of the town's taverns, the spice market, the cloth market, an armorer, a couple of shoe makers and a large jewelry store.  The taverns are already gearing up for what is likely going to be the best few days of the year.   These are the town's "good" stores, the ones that can afford plaza rent.

People are already gathering.  Phileas gets up on top of a wagon to address the crowd, and tell them the schedule- he really sells it, describing everything in the most over the top superlative ways, and stretching a few truths.

Alayna might be surprised to learn that her birth was attended by Unicorns, and she could ride before she could walk, and that she has a mystic bond with horses enabling her to accomplish dangerous stunts that no lesser rider could dream of.

A typical marketplace of this style:

Before the group gets released for "free time" in the town, which will be by late afternoon at best, Phileas has a particular instruction for Ssasha, which will become a standard protocol.

"Other shows have more in the way of exotic beasts than we do," he says.  "If you think you can handle it, and you should find some interesting creature, be it bird, beast or monster, that you think ought to be in the show, let me know and we might be able to buy it.  Or... errr.. catch it.. considering how it is presently situated.  Not just here, but anywhere along the route.  You shall be our Master of Beasts, Charmer of Creatures, Tamer of the Wild... something like that."

It does not look like Cambete has an exotic pet store, though.

OOC:
as long as none of the villagers heard Ben say that... we can have one... (preform acting)

I have major illusion (visual, thermal, auditory, smell) as long as everyone hits their marks and move on cue ...and the villagers don't want to touch any of the animals...it can be as real as it needs to be.

illusion...just because it is not...does not mean that it does not seem to be.

When the Traveling Show stopped and the wagons were arranged, it was a small village all by itself.  Generally they arranged the wagons in a tight box, the horses being either inside or outside depending on the room available and the level of danger.  Here, the horses had to be inside.  Three wagons were in front and supported the stage, and the other nine were the other three walls of the box.

Ssasha’s wagon, Escher’s wagon, and the main cargo wagon were in front, because this gave them quick and easy access to exotic reptiles (Sasha) and various puppets and props (Escher) during the show.  The cargo wagon was a big wooden box on wheels with a strong roof, and a frame could be set up atop the roof to allow it support the trapeze and other items.  All three wagons doubled as parts of scenery- roll down the cottage front over Ssasha’s wagon and it became a rustic forest cottage.

Most of the cast do not have their own wagons, they share.  Ssasha, Escher, and Tahra are exceptions.  In Sasha’s case, no one else has yet offered to live in the mobile zoo with its poisonous snakes sleeping in their enclosures.  For Escher, his wagon is also a workshop, and the available space is taken up by workspace and materials, and storage.  Tahra’s wagon is also a workshop, though of a different kind.  Og and Lindon live in “Wagon Six” with the three other male performers, “Wagon Seven” belongs to the drovers and handlers, and Eight, Nine and Ten belong to the female cast.

One of the first and most important wagons to set up is naturally the kitchen wagon.  During “travel days” food is generally of the kind that can be prepared quickly.   Tonight is sausage rolls in pastry dough, mixed grilled vegetables, oat bread and butter.  Dessert is cheesecake.  (This was invented in the 1st century BC, when it was called Savillum.)  The cast is not required to get their dinner here… but it’s free.

Assisting with the horses, Alayna had put aside her fears of the orcs and had embraced the excitement of getting to see a new place.  Worn it might be, it was still a new place, with new people and things to see.  However, the horses (and her Angel) came first, and she made very sure they were all taken care of before going to change and decide where to go.

She changed (yet again) to a slightly more modest outfit, at least when compared to her greeting outfit (or her more daring performance outfit).  She wore a pale green dress, with length to her knees and covering her shoulders but leaving her arms bare (and not too low cut!).  She left her hair as it had been, with the flowers and leaves.  Delicate brown slippers finished the outfit.

She made herself ready, touched up her makeup and then went to see if anyone was going to eat first or dare to eat out.

Lindon helped arrange and link wagons, playing to the watching crowd by adding an unnecessary flip wherever possible.

Nwofia did the same as Lyndon, keeping an eye on him so that when he flipped North, she slipped south, always in the opposite direction, always simultaneously as if they were a pair of Escher's puppets.

Most of the "non stars" are happy to stay around the wagon enclosure this first day.  After all, they get paid less, the shops and taverns are therefore less fun for them.

Phileas Argentos has a private meeting with a few Important People who come to visit- and one of them is an Orc.  The others are an elderly woman, who is referred to as "Magistrate" and a much younger man who Phileas calls "Prefect".  Initially he invites them into the small office in the back of his own wagon, which acts as Troupe Headquarters, but it quickly becomes obvious that the Magistrate, who uses a cane, will have great difficulty climbing up into it.  They decide on the nearby Municipal Hall, the old Roman Basilica which is close to the market, towards the bridge.  It's a short walk, Phileas promises to be back soon.

No one else is invited... but of course some of the cast have skills that make them very adept spies, if anyone wants to try and listen in.

In preparation, for the upcoming show, Esher gathers some of the non-performers to assist him and performs a close inspection of all the carts/wagons/scenery/etc.

He ensures that all pieces of the wagons, moving backdrops, and scenery pieces are in working order. After a few applications of mending and repair light damage cast from self scribed scrolls. the wagons are in good repair and ready to do what is required of them.

following the maintenance Esher unpacks one of his larger boxes. first out of the box is a collapsible 10 ft pole, after assembling the pole he casts greater mage hand and "hangs" the 10 ft pole horizontally a few feet off the ground. He then begins pulling various pullies, and oddly colored and shaped objects from the box and hangs each piece from specific places on the 10 ft pole. those that are paying attention begin to see a 9ft long dragon puppet slowly take shape. Once it is complete he proceeds to attach a complicated series of threads to the underside of the puppet.

using his greater mage hand he lifts 10 ft pole and by extension the puppet 20 ft in the air and begins to test the puppets strings are moving the correct parts he begins to mingle with the locals while "flying" his prize puppet.

this particular puppet is designed to be a solo puppet because unlike the rest of his puppets this one requires a great deal of focus (concentrate skill) to operate.

---

OOC: performing varying levels of preventative maintenance on all the wagons is something Esher will do on a regular basis whenever is appropriate and often done as part of the setup and teardown process, and spot repairs when necessary.

Alayna had finished her chores, spoiled Angel, cleaned up... and only now realized that she had few chores than anyone.  Yes, she was still a girl, but it still seemed she didn't do much.  Of course, she loved the horses, and so maybe she was the best one for them.  But as she watched the others work and practice and such... it made her feel as if she was not doing enough.

Or perhaps... she was bored.  Typical teenager bored.

She knew she needed to practice her tumbling and balancing, but she did that in the morning anyway.  And she worked Angel in the morning too.  So here she was, in a town that had seen better days, everyone else busy but her.  And bored.

With a sniff and a sigh, she forced herself to smile, and decided she would go out and see the town.  It wasn't dark yet and maybe she could see something different.  Or buy something.  She paused to let one of the men know that she was going out, and that her patrons should know that she was going. After all, she was old enough to wander alone, not truly being a child anymore.  And maybe the others would join her when they were done with what they were doing.

When Nwofia runs out of chores she can reasonably do, she wanders over to Ssasha's wagon to see how she's doing with the snakes.  Nwofia does not, of course, enter the wagon.  This is not herpetophobia though as she explains to Ssasha, but the fact that Nwofia does not know how to handle animals, whether kittens, horses or poisonous snakes.

The cast is making even the unloading and preparation into a show, and Hylensia notes that it will have a positive effect- it will further excite the locals, get them into that "anticipation mood" for tomorrow's shows.  Two, she reminds everyone- the first is the afternoon show, which is shorter and has more of a Child Friendly style, and then the main show later on, which is certain to be the biggest entertainment event seen in Cambete in... who knows?  It won't bring extra income as the people here don't have to pay, that has already been arranged, but the more popular the show is, the better the reputation, and that cannot hurt.

With her horses taken care of, and in "civilian" attire, Alayna decides to check out the town.  She doesn't have far to go, as they are in the middle of the market square. It has shops, which are still open  (generally they wouldn't be, but the shopkeepers are keeping them open because curious people are drawn by the wagons, and can then be lured into the shops) (See msg 13 above for details) and several inns.

Is anyone joining her?

Agenner Alehouse and All Night Grill is the largest here in the market square and actually never closes.  It is known for the fact that the kitchen keeps working all day, all night.  Popular with insomniacs, guards, and people having illicit affairs.  Nearby is Big Barrel Tavern and Guest House, named for the sign, which is actually a big barrel.  It is also a very large place, and has lots of room for travelers.   Dog and Bunny is small and according to locals, kind of a weird, eclectic place with a cook who likes to experiment.

The other shops of the town are already closed.  They have the opposite situation to the market square shops- their streets are quieter.  Taverns are still open- towards the river, not far from the market square, along the main road is the biggest, the Red Court Tavern.

Alayna probably has little to worry about if she stays within the market square- the entire Troupe is within easy shouting distance.

Alayna starts to leave the relative safety of the wagons, then pauses to look at Tahra's wagon.  Should she ask her to come?  She shakes her head, still convinced she is old enough to take care of herself alone.

She walks along, glancing in the shops, smiling at the owners waving her to come in.  She almost entered the jewelry shop, what girl doesn't love jewelry?  But she sighed, being more interested in finding a place to go.

She looked at the big place, the other big place.  But the Dog and Bunny seemed to catch her eye.  Small, with different sorts of people going in.  To the half-breed girl, that looks like what she might like.  She paused to check her dress and makeup, then made her way to the tavern.

OOC: Anyone interested could probably catch up to her as she goes in, she's taking her time.

By the time Lindon completed setup and preparations for his act, he'd decided that sleep was the wisest course of action.  He'd found that it was easier to perform with a hangover the second night than the first.  Though there were still times where he failed to follow his own wisdom, this was not one of them and he sought out first the kitchen wagon for dinner and then his own for the night.

The Dog and Bunny is small and fairly new, having been established by a Germanic family settling in Cambete after the war.   They took over the space left by others who had fled, and in the chaos, the Magistrate made such “squatters rights” claims official.

Erbold and Dielda are the owners and handle the cooking while also taking care of their children, and Ufo, the large dog that spends much of its time sleeping and snoring contentedly in the corner.  They are, like many people of their background, semi-literate at best, so the menu is shown in pictures Dielda puts up, with prices attached.

Being small, their stock is limited.  The beverages are limited to water, Dog and Bunny Weak Ale, Perry (Like apple cider but using pears) and non-alcoholic hot spiced apple cider.  They try to be as creative as they can with their dishes, given the circumstances, and often buy things from hunters or passing traders.  The menu today is:

Boiled Artichoke with ham and cheese
Pickled Pork and Watercress salad
Quail Egg Salad on dark bread with Burgundian Mustard
Goose Sausage with mashed turnip, vinegar reduction
Hazelnut-Berry Bread or Rye Biscuits

Like the other places along the market square they are doing well today, and it is busy.  One advantage the little place has:  being small and having only one front door, entry and exit is fairly controlled and there is little fear of pickpocketing.  The clientele is a very mixed bag, although there are no Orcs- this kind of food is something they consider silly.  They want cooked meat, and lots of it.  But by rough guess, it would be evenly split here between local and traveler.  The travelers include a pair of Elves- from the look of it, Black Forest Elves.  Also, a few Burgundian soldiers, here on temporary assignment.

Og, still trying to figure out if they were working together or this was one big improvisation routine, kept to himself doing most of the heavy lifting of setting up camp, the stage, and so on. Amongst orc his strongman routine would have to be cranked up even higher, some of these folk were even bigger than he, but he did have a trick up his sleeve. A normal iron barbell for lifting weights was two inches in diameter, but Og used a three and half inch bar, it always worked against any other strongman because it required nearly three times as much grip strength since you couldn't place your thumb over your fist. Would it hold up against orc though? He may need to speak with some of the other magic performers to see if maybe they could work something out, or maybe nix the strength routine altogether.

In summary, Og was feeling insecure.

Seeing Phileous with important people, Og begins making his way toward them to eavesdrop, but doesn't want to get into trouble if he's not welcome to, so instead he veers off and follows Alayna closely, a quiet bodyguard. As she looks at the menu Og finally catches up and grunts, "Ah, a menu I can read." It's a joke. "The quail salad please." Another laaaame joke.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:34, Mon 24 Sept 2018.

Alayna visibly jumped, then she giggled.  "Oh, its you!  I am most sorry, t'was startled, that's all."

She looked at the menu, figuring out what it meant.  "The Artichoke, if you please.  And a glass of the Perry."</pink>

She looked around.  "More people than I thought.  And elves!  I wonder... Nay, wouldn't be."  She was finding a place to sit, then she giggle.  "Some are looking at us.  We make an interesting pair, I'm thinking."

After failing to get the waitress to sense his sarcasm, Og got her to smile by explaining the joke and then ordering two of the sausages, then joined Alayna.

"Never apologize for jumping at the sight of me, beautiful. I'm used to it, and if anything it makes me feel good to know I still got my good looks." He bounced each pectoral separately to firm up the self-deprecating comment of his own looks. Though he could stare at Alayna all day if he could get away with it. But not now, he can be half a gentleman when he tries, and he successfully keeps his eyes above her neck instead of ogling her young and perfect body.

He looks around the room and the others looking at them. "Yes, an interesting pair we are indeed. You let me know when you want me to put my hands on you and I'm sure they won't take their eyes off ya as you soar..." He himself was no acrobat, but throwing, catching and being a solid mass to climb all over he was excellent at. "But I say we save the show for the show." He nodded to the onlookers as if to say, "Yes, hello, I'm off duty."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Mon 24 Sept 2018.

Og’s people are Germanic, specifically, Thuringian.  They are poised at a crossroads in destiny and history, for the first time truly becoming a people.  As a people they are young.   Many are ex-slaves- as the Huns withdrew, many people who had lived under their yoke all their lives decided they were now Thuringian.  Erbold and Dielda are among them, having lived a little further north along the Rhine, and finding themselves free when the Huns were forced to abandon Brisiacus.  Because of this recent origin, Thuringian culture runs the range from “adapting the civilized ways of the West” to “basically iron-age hunter gatherers in the forest”.  Erbold and Dielda are of the former extreme, Og of the latter, but even so they recognize him as kindred, hearing his accent.

Erbold and Dielda both happily welcome him to their shop, and highly recommend the goose sausage.  They are very excited to see that one of their people has found his way to such a famous organization- everyone has been waiting for this for a long time, though for the most part they have no idea what it is they are waiting for.

They talk while making up Alayna's plate, telling Og how they have high hopes for life in this town, even though there are...

...you know...

Orcs.

"We've learned a thing or two, though," Dielda says.  "Did you know, Orcs have their problems too?  They don't all agree with each other over things, and... well as I understand it, when the Orcs are in charge that's not a problem, because everyone agrees with the strongest, or else.  When the Orcs are not in charge it's very different, because now they have to disagree over things without killing each other.  They're new to that.  Still figuring it out.  You can see a lot of them are quite confused by it all."

"I am so glad to meet you both. Please, if you need anything at all I am at your service!" Og smiles widely, half of it covered by the mask. "Do you know any of the Wormans? My father was next in line to become chief when most of our clan was murdered by orcs, so f- them and their problems I say." Og mentions that a bit too loudly for comfort, but there are no orc in the room at the moment.

"They treat you fairly?" Og asks Erbold and Dielda, cracking each knuckle on his left hand, suddenly seeking a reason to pick a fight with any orc who's messing with a Thuringian.

Alayna had laughed at the comment about him making her soar.  "Aye, we'd best not have us giving the show away.  I totally forgot about you being good as a lifter!  I could certainly do that.  Maybe we could practice with you throwing me up onto Angel or catching me jumping as he gallops by."

Having had her laugh, she listened with interest as the others talked.  She too looked around, her eyes drawn to the Elves.  They fascinated her.  After all, one could be her father.  Or mother.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:41, Mon 24 Sept 2018.

Og nods and says so only Alayna can hear, "Yes, practice, I was wondering when all of us would decide to do something of that nature. Although I'm sure you would do fine, your horse will probably take awhile to get to like me." Eyeing her eyeing the elves, "Wanna talk to 'em?" Og hated talking to people, so he was naturally very good at it and pretended he didn't care what they thought of him.