** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[Chris1234]

Karlene tells Narn, "I'm happy to do both things, but, to be honest, it's to try and increase your standing in your community that I'm doing it. Sortof live a thank you for your friendship. I'm sure you'll understand. By the way, if a knife thrower does me significant damage, it wouldn't sit well with my brother. He's quite protective, you know."

At appropriate times, unless anything else pressing crops up, Karlene will enter both contests. Her keen ears will be absorbing gossip and information throughout.

She spends a minute or so focusing her mind and visualizing the cloaker, ~Well, was it you that want my help? If so, tell me something that I will find useful that I don't already know.~

[spike]

Narn looked flabbergasted, 'What?! You really are something else! That is a very sweet gesture, really. I'm...I'm just a nobody really. Stuck here in this damnable marsh, trying to eek out an honest existence. Anyway, come by my hut tonight, I'm having a gathering with some friends, all your friends are invited of course.'

Then a new man appeared on the stage, clad in the fanciful garb of a magic user, 'Allow me to introduce myself, I am Myiron the mage most magnificent. I require a subject who does not fear venturing to other strange dimensions other than our own! You there, you seem like a brave girl. do you have the courage to be transported to realms beyond?!"

After concentrating you receive a response: 'DHAMPIR KNOWS FAR TOO LITTLE, everything cloaker know is too much. Cloaker only know underdarks, not this bad places. Cloaker give you power, if you free me. Be nice to cloaker, and cloaker be nice to you"

[Chris1234]

"Thanks Narn, I'll invite them later. Or you can if you want," she replies.

"Myrion, I sometimes do what I have to whether I am fearful or not. Now, I'm Karlene, and the pleasure is mine and if time permits I'm sure we can try to do business. I'm not a soft touch, and I want you to not bullshit me. Now look me in the eye and tell me exactly what you have in mind, where to and the method transport and the method of return."

After receiving the cloaker's message she returns in kind, "Cloaker, I don't want everything you know. I want one thing now; a demonstration that you're not lying and trying to get what you want for nothing in return. Now, I asked you to demonstrate that you can probably do what you say you can. So, I'll ask you once more, tell me one thing that I don't already know that will be useful to me."

[Nocturno]

Delilah will be standing at the edge of the excitement. She had seen fairs before of course. But things of this large and loud scale would never be permitted.

A crown, he mentioned a crown....

Delilah will find out how to enter all the contests to earn this crown.

[spike]

'Fiery one here folks' Myrion smiled revealing unusually white teeth, 'well hells bells darling, I think I'll send you to the Seven Heavens clearly that's where you must have fallen from!' he grinned gaining cheers from the crowd. 'Easy nuff, get in the box and be bourne to the great beyond, my dear!" he cried out with theatrical energy.

Cloaker's voice came to you: ' close eyes' and then a delirium washed over you briefly, feeling as if your brain was burning with fire. A minute later it faded, you were on stage. Cloaker commanded you to concentrate on levitating something. You lifted Myrion off the stage and into the air. Myrion looked enraged for a moment, 'whispering 'just get in the blasted box, half-elf!'

[Chris1234]

Jerry curtsies to the crowd, gives the 'magician' an old fashioned look, smiles broadly to the crowd again. doing her damnedest to upstage the magician. She catches her brother's eye in the crowd and then casts a meaningful book at the box, back at the magician and then to Idrys, trying to convey 'if anything happens to me, make sure he's buried before nightfall'.

It occurs to Jerry that it's really, really nice to have a brother. One who cares and someone to care for. This broadens her smile and animates her eyes as looks looks out at the crowd, makes a showy curtsy again and then goes over to the box via the 'magician', trying to stamp on his foot and elbow him in the ribs en route.
(If the magician magician actually falls over, she holds out her hand to help him up, then tries to intimidate him with a very hard hand squeeze while pulling him up.)

With a flamboyant wave to the crowd she get into the box.

She focuses her mind again on the cloaker, ~OK cloaker, I'll try for you. But I won't die for you.~

[TristenC]

Idrys nods and moves close to the stage to get a better look and position himself to spring into action if necessary. He almost laughs aloud when his sister 'bumps' intp the entertainment.

[spike]

*ack!* Myrion groaned as you stepped on his foot. Then he began casting his magic 'Alagoth nyriokolmar ombray!'
The mage revealed an empty box, 'she's gone to another plane of existence people! Okay, she's had enough. These powers are far too chaotic, I might have sent her someplace strange'

Moments later Karlene materialized in a puff of smoke, smiling and bowing to the crowd. Her eyes met Idrys and she strode up to her brother in a warm embrace 'I'm afraid I'm weary, I've no head for wine this night dear brother. I'll retire for the evening, good night' she heads back up toward the hut.

[TristenC]

Idrys watches her to make certain she is acting herself.

[spike]

She looks exactly as herself, a little tipsy and worn but the same Karlene.

Delilah: Narn enlists you into the beauty pageant, the second round of archery contest, test of agility obstacle course, strength, courage, and the drinking contest.

Beauty contest: you win! The other hopefuls scowl and look angry but some are happy for you.

agility contest: you have to walk a tightrope where sandbags suspended by rope swerve to and fro, designed to knock you down. Below you are fake plastic spikes to give the illusion of danger and to make the course seem more exciting. You make it past the half-way mark, toward the end you're knocked off and you loose your footing then fall off, loosing the contest.

'she was doing so good too!' someone in the crowd murmured.

Strength: you come in, lock arms with a muscle bound meathead, who is grinning 'this is going to be too easy' a moment later you bring his arm crashing down. The crowd is silent then roars in cheer, throwing orchids upon you.

courage: you have to walk barefoot across a path full of burning hot coals. Mind over matter is key here. Closing your eyes you dare the burning coals, and to your own chagrin you managed across the path without so much as a singe or burn mark on your bare feet.

drinking contest:: the same guy you beat in the strength contest is here. There are five cups of fire wine before the both of you. Both of you are tied, so the contest is no winner.

Narn comes to fetch you, leading you by the hand he takes you on the center stage and decries 'The judges have declared a winner, the princess of the salt marshes is Delilah of House Stillwater! She dazzled us with her archery skills, mesmerized us with her beauty and talents, demonstrated her courage ON fire, and galvanized us with her profound strength and countenance. Is there anything she cannot do!?' Narn places a crown on your head, made of wood and studded with bright colored glass immitation gems.

He also presents you with a box, opening it to reveal a token with the symbol of a tree icon engraved in its center. 'The gift this year from the druid of the Black Wood, Trunks. And a precious gift it is, please enjoy!'

[Nocturno]

Delilah will be embarrassingly proud of earning the crown.

To Narn: "I'm sorry for judging your folk earlier. I find it hard not to having grown up where I did."

[spike]

Narn: 'no need for that, let bygones be bygones. However, you will soon discover the world outside of the Elvish realms are far fuller of evil than good, and as I told you before now, those you misjudge may turn out to be your greatest allies in years to come. There is talk in the land about the rise of Dezloz in the Black Kingdoms, and of dark times ahead. He dethroned the Emperor Uriel III just four months ago! I fear for the worst for our small village here. All we need are the black cloaks to discover us and we're doomed'

[spike]

Idrys: as you're moving through the crowd you spot the same Dwarf and Elf you saw back in the Boarshead Inn. The Elf is muttering something beneath his breath and he unleashes a spell at one of the force cages, when the bars holding the owl bear collapses, the monster leaps out and lands atop of a doomed woman, eviscerating her into bloody ribbons. The Elf is laughing maniacally at this all the while.

Everybody begins fleeing from the village square in a panic, and you get caught in a sea of people trying to stampede over you. Three terrified people trample over you trying to save themselves. But then you feel hands lifting you up as several young men and women lift you off the ground.

John came next to you, 'By Moradin's beard' he took out his axe, 'damned thing is huge!'

Several bog men and women with spears advance toward the owlbear, but two of the circus troupe shouts 'don't kill it! don't slay it it'll cost us dearly! We can tame it!'

[Nocturno]

Delilah will try to pin one of the creatures arms.

Ini, Pin attack: [1d10] = 9 [1d20] = 5 [1d8] = 1

[spike]

Delilah's missile thudded into the side of the wagon, missing her intended target.

'OMPHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!' Delilah goes flying backward as a hammer struck her square in the chest (-6 hp damage) flying back to a nearby Dwarf with iron gray hair and beard whose face looked to be a permanent scowl.

Meanwhile, the Owlbear grabbed a soldier brave (foolish) enough to charge it hoping to impale the monster with his spear. The sound of cracked ribs and back is heard as the beast crushed the man in its huge arms.