Tasya's Story

Engagement in Sind

The circus ship made it to Jahore Port without incident. No pirates, no local authority boardings, just smooth sailing to port. This is good news because the the troupe has been sailing strait from Ierendi, no stops, no performances. The animals and troupe will appreciate this engagement in Sind, since the show will be on land and not held on the boat and all will get an opportunity to stretch their legs on land for the week. Apparently the festivities have already begun with some port fireworks for the incoming guests.



The Circus is scheduled to perform for a very special event here in Sind. It occurs only once every 10 years, when the Rajadhiraja gathers all the Himaya ruling families to Vidhaya on the Asanda River Delta to celebrate for a week long festival. Different curiosities and wonders are brought in to Sind from many lands to entertain the elite class.

The trek to Vidhaya from Jahore Port is about 30 miles north through the more hospitable Asanda River plain. Your troupe is skilled at traveling by boat as well as by caravan and the next morning load up all the equipment and start out toward Vidhaya. As the caravan gets further from the the port and the sea air, temperatures rise and the soon setting sun becomes a welcome inevitability.



You make it to Vidhaya just at dusk. But there is no immediate rest for your experienced troupe. All snap to work, and the tent is raised in a matter of four hours. The show will commence with the Rajadhiraja himself present at 10 am tomorrow.



While heading to your tent for the night, Jin catches up with you to wish you luck, as this is your first time performing in the Sindhi festival. He tells you that you are the best the troupe has and your aerial rope act is going to completely shock and astonish these princes. You are happy to hear his assurance, but you sense that he's slightly troubled about something. You tell him that he's no good at hiding anything from you and demand he tells you what's on his mind. He reveals to you that his grandfather-Master Ganesh Madagast the ringleader of this operation-has been distant, occupied, even seemingly worried. Jin knows that it is always complicated for his grandfather to come back to Sind, his homeland. But something is different this time and he can't put his finger on it. What's most odd, Jin says, is that Ganesh told him randomly just a few days ago that if anything should ever happen to his grandfather that the circus will be his and he should carry the show on into the future. Jin finally says for you to just keep your eyes and ears open and gives you a hug before bidding you goodnight.

The next day brings the show. It is highly attended by probably all the royal families of Sind. As you twist and spin your upward ascension on your rope to the highest peak of the circus tent you command silence and complete captivation over the enamored audience.



When you suddenly spiral quickly downward, the audience gasps in fear thinking you have lost control but when you gracefully regain control and ascend once again the crowd cheers in astonishment.

As you make it to the top again the crowd's loud cheers continue and you think some things in the shadows on the floor of the circus catch your attention. Trying not to get too distracted from your dangerous routine high above the circus floor, you strain a bit to try to make out what you think you noticed.

It is upon the rope, silk, or trapeze that Tas feels the most alive. She goes through her routine with a racing heart and a genuine joy on her face, as she holds the audience below in rapt mesmerism. Attentive to the most minute of details in her surroundings, she easily notices something out of place in the shadows.

Your senses are most keen when you are focused and engaged in your act. Anything out of place, however slight, cannot go unnoticed. This is one of the reasons you are so good at your art.

With most eyes of the audience directly on you and loud cheers masking any other sounds you notice some out-of-place movement on the outer edges of the seating area. At least four shadowy figures seem to stealthily weave toward the seating moving to flank the area where the Rajadhiraja and his royal family are observing the show, wildly clapping along with the rest of the audience.

The agile black dressed figures progress quickly, moving as skilled assassins might move. You spot occasional reflections of light off their exposed metal blades.

Tas abruptly stops her show, hanging tightly in the coils of the ropes. She screams at the top of her lungs and points directly at the assassins attempting to sneak up on the Rajadhiraja's private box.

You scream, pointing out the intruders. The crowd's roaring cheers take a moment to subside and morph into mummers of puzzlement as some members of the audience seem to look at each other and point in your direction. You notice Jin and two other bulky performers emerge on the circus floor moving quickly out from the far back entrance of the ring, but also looking puzzled as to what may be happening. Royal guards at the circus entrances and near the Rajadhiraja's box seem to stand up strait and put their hands on the hilt of their scimitars.

You are high up above the circus floor on the rope, but you know you could swing yourself over to the trapeze platform where a magic orb of light is present (one of the many under the tent. The circus uses them to add a colorful aura to the show). If you touch it it will increase its luminosity. You may be able to throw it down to an area where it will illuminate the encroaching figures. You also could quickly shimmy down the rope and be on the circus floor.

Swinging over to the trapeze and hooking herself off for stability, Tasya grabs the orb. As its light grows in intensity, she throws it in the general direction of the erstwile assassins to show everyone what has her in such a state.

You hurl the glowing orb trying to illuminate the assassins' approach.

The orb flies from your grasp down toward the circus floor just a moment after you expertly made it to the platform. It lands exactly where you hoped...where the shadow figure closest to the Rajadhiraja is. But even better, it also hits the figure square on its head. The figure falls to ground from the impact.

The crowd's murmurs suddenly turn to panic. The guards run toward the light and the other assassins it reveals. You hear a loud woman's scream almost immediacy followed by a bright blinding flash. After the flash, through the spots that hinder your sight, you realize that the circus floor is covered in a thick red smoke. You can't tell what is goin on down there. You hear a few metal clashes and the sound of the panicking crowd rising.

Hanging up in the rafters on the rope and trapeze bar, Tasya has only her skimpy performance costume. She can only watch and attempt to maneuver in the heights to get a better view of the scene below.

You maneuver to get a better view. Some areas of the red smoke part on the circus floor. In these clearer patches you see panicking crowd trying to scramble toward the tent entrance. An arrow suddenly flies out from the red smoke below and lodges itself along with an attached parchment into a beam not very far from you. The parchment has a painted symbol on it.



Just as the arrow hits its mark, through smoke, you catch a glimpse of a royal guard near the Rajadhiraja's box getting slashed from behind by a shadow figure. The guard falls limp to the floor.

On the other side of the tent a sliver of outside light attracts your attention to a seemingly unconscious woman on the shoulder of shadow figure who slashes the tent and disappears though the makeshift exit with three other shadow figures quickly following.

Tasya flinches as the arrow thunks into the tent pole and swings over to check out the note. She tears it free of the arrow and swings to the nearest rope ladder to begin a cautious descent into the chaos below.

You swing over to the pole and swipe the parchment from it. It's a plain parchment, except for the painted symbol.



Then you agilely swing to the nearest rope ladder and quickly make your way down it. At the bottom Jin emerges through the smoke followed by Caspian and Rosalyra.

"Tas!" he calls out to you. "I'm glad you are alright. I don't know what's going on but we can't find Ganesh! The royal guard seems to be surfacing from every corner of Vidhaya and closing in on the tent. I don't think any of this is going to fare well for us."

He takes off his purple cloak and throws it at you. You reflexively snatch it out of the air.

"Take this. I haven't had the chance to use it today for the show, so it should still be able to make you invisible. Caspian, Rosalyra and I are going to gather the others at the carriages and look for Ganesh. Misha said if we get separated or it it is unsafe she knows we would be welcome at the Resting Dragon Inn. She said don't approach in the Inn in the open and mention you seek the Way of the Keis. Be safe Tasya."


As he says the last words a group of panicking Sindhi nobles appear amidst the red smoke, moving toward your direction. They are flanked by six royal guards, who protectively move them along. One of the nobles recognizes Jin as the magician and shouts, "Seize the circus members! They will have to answer for this madness!"

Three of the guards head in your direction. Jin and your companions scatter back into the red fog.

Tasya swirls the cloak onto her shoulders and nods to Jin. "Be safe as well, my brother." She ducks into the red mist, as the royal guard approach, and vanishes into thin air. Without hesitation, the lithe acrobat slips through the crowd and heads for one of the folds in the big top that the performers use to enter backstage.

Invisible, you lithely slip through a backstage fold without disturbing it. Outside, your eyes take a moment to adjust to the bright day sun. You at once hear clanking armor moving toward the area and a shout, "Mahaser, the princess has been taken!" You recognize the word 'mahaser' as the title for the Rajadhiraja's elite guard commander. As your eyes adjust, you see the circus caravan carriages and troupe's tents still in place to you left (including yours), along with the animal cages to your right. Strait ahead near Ganesh's carriage, Reina, Hellena, some musicians and clowns are being surrounded by the guards you heard.

With your companions surrounded, the Mahaser steps forward, motioning for his men to raise arrows toward the cornered circus members. At least 20 arrows, no further than 10' away from them, point directly at their faces. In a deep booming thick desert accent the captain asserts, "You will come with us for questioning!"




Cloak Time: 1 minute

Darting from cover to cover and trying to stick to the shadows as much as possible, Tasya heads for her tent to gather her things.