“Forget your troubles, lay down your burdens, and enter a world of wonder.”
The sign says “No large packs, no weapons, no non-intelligent animals”. Characters are required to lay down any visible armor and packs before entering the circus. The barker will tell them that their things will be safe. “What do you carry, friend? Gold? Spices? Oils? What care we for the treasures of the mundane world? Ours is a world of merriment and wisdom.”
Their things will be searched, but the barker is basically right: mundane treasures won’t be stolen. If they are crazy enough to leave one of the tablets at the entrance, however, that will be taken, as will recognizable artifacts such as the Dragon Sword of Thracia. More normal magical things will be left alone.
Characters are allowed to bring smaller, personal weapons, such as rapiers and staves, but not daggers, long swords, short swords or certainly anything larger than that. If they refuse and brush past the barker, the barker will mentally call out the guard.
It costs two brass dupondii for each ticket; two copper pennies will also do.
The protectors of the circus
There are thirteen barkers in the circus: one for each major attraction, one for the main entrance, and one for the road. Each is a beetlepede spy. The barkers, being always on duty, can respond to a mental call at d3 per round.
There are twenty-eight workers in the circus, and all of them are beetlepede spies (17) or pupae (11, including all seven of the Most Beautiful Women). The spies can respond to a mental call at 2d6 per minute.
There are thirty-three hangers-on in the circus. Twenty are pupae. If necessary, 2d4 of beetlepedes can emerge within two hours, and an additional 2d4 in two days.
This makes a total of 30 beetlepedes in the circus and thirty-one pupae. Here are a few of the free-range beetlepedes:
Ramón Dee: (Autumnal Swarm: 5. Thief: 8; Survival: 23+26=49; Move: 14; Attack: dagger at +5+4=+9; Damage: d4+1; Defense: +2; Special defense: slo-time 4 yards, Magic Resistance: 3)
Ramón’s bug form (Autumnal Swarm: 5; Survival: 23; Move: 16; Attack: mandible at +5; Damage: d8; Defense: +5; Special Defense: slo-time 4 yards; Magic Resistance: 3)
Ramón should really have a magic dagger with a special power.
Most unlisted beetlepede spies are in 1st level hosts, unless you make them special.
Beetlepede spy: (Autumnal Swarm: 5, Human: 1; Survival: 5d8+1d6; Move: 13; Attack: dagger at +5; Damage: d4+1; Defense: +2; Special defense: slo-time 4 yards, Magic Resistance: 3)
Bug form: (Autumnal Swarm: 5; Survival: 5d8; Move: 16; Attack: +5 Damage: d8+1; Defense: +5; Special defense: slo-time 4 yards, Magic Resistance: 3)
Entering the circus: Lodging
Many folks will simply set up camp in the areas around the circus. If the circus sets up near a city or town, it will try to arrange lodging within that place for a cut; a barn might cost one dupondii per night. Some of the circus-hands and camp-followers will also sell tents, blankets, and serapes. It’s also likely that equipment sellers will set up around the circus to sell things like tents; such items will go for at least 50% of list price, and probably start at double price before haggling.
There are freelance guards offering their services for a denarii each per six hours. Some of the guards are trustworthy, some are not. Some work for the circus and have traveled with it for a while; others were recruited by the circus from among the locals.
Circus-recruited guards are trustworthy in the sense that they won’t just steal something. The circus guards who travel with the circus are pupae (80%) or beetlepedes (20%). Local circus-recruited guards are 20% likely to search whatever they are guarding and report back. Pupae guards are 50% likely to search whatever they are guarding and report back. Beetlepede guards always search what they are guarding, and because they are part of the swarm, they will steal anything that the swarm knows it wants. The circus will disavow knowledge of the guard if the guard steals anything. It will punish a guard that gets caught searching but not stealing.
About eighty-percent of non-circus guards are dishonest and will try to skim easily-missed items, such as coins, from their charges; if they steal something not easily missed, they’ll just leave. Characters can make a Perception roll to attempt to hire a trustworthy guard.
Everyone is Beautiful
Among the circus-workers and camp-followers, nearly everyone is beautiful. There are no sick or old or handicapped, unless that’s what they want, and that’s pretty much limited to old granny and the hot air witches. Everyone is special. That’s because they’re mostly pupae of the Autumnal Swarm. Only a few non-pupae are here, probably following someone who took the scarab and who they’ve now lost. So play up the ruggedly handsome workers and the stunningly beautiful food vendor. If the characters know someone who has taken the scarab, that person is doing amazingly well. They look better, they look stronger, they look younger, they look healthier.
There are intelligent people from a thousand different worlds here: humans of every culture, goblins, saurians, sakmat, oruat, and any other human or semi-human intelligences that the characters have met that you feel like including.
