The Tale of Olvir Boarcatcher, Caelan and Song of Falling Rain

The circus had just left the city of Brightwater and we were on our way to our next stop, Summer's Folly, a few days distant with a couple of smaller stops in between.  It was winter, in the month of Resplendent Air, and we'd stopped to make camp for the night.

Selene was the first to spot the traveller on the road as he approached.  She greeted the stranger, who introduced himself as Caelan and who told us he's been travelling to catch up with the circus since we'd left the city – some three days ago – and was hoping he could join us.  He said his bandits had attacked his family, killed his father and he had fled, not knowing what happened to his sister – but evidently didn't want to go into details.  Olvir ambled up to look over the newcomer, and set him to work pegging out tents.

The camp finally made, it was time for food.  Song of Falling Rain had been overseeing the preparations and was ladling out large bowlfuls of hearty stew to everyone who handed her a bowl.

Caelan was subjected to the same rituals everyone new to the circus had to undergo and thus, after he had been scrutinised, was set to work brushing the Yeddim, armed with the smallest brush that could be found.  Nevertheless he didn't shirk at the task, even when one of the kids brought him shoes “to climb up and do the top”.    He even staged a magnificent balancing act as the Yeddim rose to its feet, and completed the brush down (with larger brushes this time, handed up to him).

The following day before we left Caelan hunted and brought down a deer, proving his hunting prowess.  He and Song got it prepared in the back of one of the wagons as she asked him about his past, and where he'd come from; but he was reluctant to say anything and took the first opportunity to leave and jump amongst the wagons as they rolled.

Song kept the circus children busy by playing a game of finding and identifying plants by the side of the tracks – a way to teach them which ones were safe to eat and which to avoid, and which the children loved for the sweets she awarded when they brought her rare specimens.  Meanwhile Olvir and Caelan talked, but Caelan remained guarded: evidently there was much he refused to be drawn on.  Instead Olvir suggested some things he could attempt for his act, and the general banter continued till nightfall, with Caelan impressing people with his talents with a bow.

The following morning he garnered the applause of the whole camp when he brought down a bison – though he endured a few jeers when he appeared at first with a rabbit and announced he'd caught dinner.  It took all Olvir's strength to haul the carcass back to camp and cut it into manageable sized meat.

There was more apple-shooting practice that night, with Caelan impressing Celene by shooting an apple from horseback as she juggled them.   Olvir suggested he'd need a costume for performing and Song found a bolt of bright yellow cloth which they took to a couple who made most of the outfits for the performers... explaining it was for the new recruit.  They understood.

Over a dinner of bison and apple they worried Caelan some more with talks of his performance the following night – before laughing and reassuring him he’d not be expected to perform in the ring until he'd had plenty of time to practice.

The circus moved into town the following afternoon and began to set up.  Olvir and a few of the other more senior members of the circus took rooms at the inn, and he and Song, along with some of the other performers went out to incite interest in the big performance the following night.  Song handed out fortune cookies to the children while Olvir entertained them by lifting one on each arm.  Teela made her presence known and delighted the locals by peeling and devouring a still-hot boiled egg.

As evening fell, Song sold a few alchemical preparations to the townsfolk who sought her out at her wagon, and Olvir enjoyed the hospitality of the town.  The show was the following night and it went without a hitch – the folk of Selene's Flurry being well used to what they were doing.  Caelan watched in awe from atop a wagon until the show was over, the townsfolk departed and the clear-up begun.

An argument broke out amongst the acrobats over some part of the routine – a familiar argument to those used to them, so most people didn't pay a lot of attention and gave them space.  Everyone knew what needed to be done and the arena was soon dismantled and the performers sought their beds.

It wasn't long before Caelan was woken by Nedil who needed his help with the horses – something had spooked them.  As he climbed from the wagon, one of the acrobats who'd been arguing with his family earlier took his sleeping space. 

After making sure the horses were safe and wondering what had spooked the horses, Caelan climbed on top of one of the wagons and looked around. His keen eyes noticed a pair of individuals dressed in dark clothes and sticking to the shadows retreating from the area.  Dropping to the ground he sent one of the circus children to take a message to Selene and mentioned it to the person on lookout.  The horses took a while to calm and Caelan decided to stay with them for the night, especially as his own steed seemed unusually skittish.

In the morning, a scream woke the camp, and rushing to the scene we found the dead body of Osuk, the acrobat, a gaping smile across his throat.  Song investigated: he also bore a vicious gut wound and it looked like the killer not only raided the items around the body but searched his body cavity via the slit in the stomach.

Knowing the few items next to the body belonged to Caelan, Olvir went to find him and discovered him hastily packing saddlebags – ignoring what he was doing he hastily explained the situation, trying to recruit him to hunt down those responsible.  Caelan then admitted to having seen two people fleeing camp the previous night, which only fired Olvir's enthusiasm.

  Song joined them, after briefly stopping by her wagon, drawing her dagger and holding it to Caelan's throat with a simple statement; that were he responsible for the death of their friend his life would be forfeit.  Demanding the truth from him, Caelan eventually stumbled over words, revealing the story of his flight from his home.  There were no bandits that attacked his family and killed his father: his father was in fact the chief of militia for the baron and still alive (he thought) but he’d been warned by a friend who overheard a conversation <somewhere> that he ought to flee – and had done so.

He said he didn’t know why anyone would have been after him, or what they’d want – but the dead body of Osuk made it quite plain that there was at least one reason someone’d go to such extremes.  Olvir and Song wanted to know what that was.

Haltingly, he revealed a stone he wore about his neck: an egg-sized lump of dull rock, almost like lava.  It didn't look significant but Song examined it and recognised it for what it was, a hearthstone, with the lingering taint of acid about it.  She passed it to Selene to have a look before giving it back to Caelan, fairly certain it was at least in part what he was being hunted for.

Olvir brought their attention back to the present situation and quickly organised a group to go and track down those responsible...