This summer feels like a long, uninterrupted dream. Together, you've slid down haystacks, ran barefoot through dewy meadows, leapt from ropes into rivers, fished with jars, and undertaken dangerous escapades. You're kids united by a single, thrilling secret-Juniper, the orphaned owlbear cublet.
You found her one morning, lost and shivering, with nothing but a wooden tag around her neck to identify her. You looked for her owner (though not for too long!), then adopted her into your gang. You've kept her secret and promised to care for her. Juniper is the tie that binds you together and you'll never, ever let her come to harm...
One time there were two hungry wolves trying to eat juniper and Isy bravely helped fend them off!
Juniper once ate a freshly baked pie from the windowsill of Illuwen’s home and he took the blame so he could keep her secret.
After accidentally traipsing through a rose garden, Lex had to remove a thorn from Juniper's paw.
While chasing squirrels one day, Juniper fell from a branch and Scratch leapt through the air to catch her!
Once, Juniper was chasing a rabbit down a hole and got stuck! Chandler was passing by and helped pull her out.
When Juniper got lost, Chase helped track her through the forest; she was found asleep inside a hollow log.
Weeks wheel by, days turn shorter, and rain forces many of your games indoors. Just when the leaves begin to turn, the Whichlight Carnival visits your town to offer a final breath of summer. Colorful wagons soar down from the sky, pulled by horses wearing butterfly wings. The carnival sets up in a meadow near your homes.
As news of the carnival spreads, so too does a warning: entry without a ticket is strictly forbidden. Before you can ask your parents to purchase tickets for you, something terrible happens! Juniper runs away, scrambling excitedly through the fields in the direction of the carnival! You give chase at once, and before you know it, you’ve darted through the bushes and trespassed into the carnival site… without a ticket!
Juniper must be somewhere nearby, and you must rescue her before the carnival whisks her away on its magical journey!
[OOC: Feel free to roleplay a little bit before going too far into the carnival]
stopping a moment to catch my breath and my bearings, well now, that's perfect. I still say Juni would make a better feather pillow than a pet...his voice trails off as his eyes widen, his nose and ears full of the sites and sounds of the carnival, whooo
As the other kids stop in front of her, forcing her to stop as well, Isy exclaims "Well, we have to go after her don't we? Who will know we don't have a ticket? Let's go! It looks so fun!" She looks around at the other kids, jumping up and down excitably.
Scratch on Wood — Scratch for short — screws up his face as he puts on a burst of speed. The tip of his tongue is sticking out of the side of his mouth, and his pink eyes are narrowed as he concentrates on moving his limbs as quickly as possible. The band of youngsters spotted Juniper heading toward the meadow, and the pre-teen tabaxi was sure he could catch up to the cublet before it was lost forever. Out of the corner of his eye, however, Scratch spots Chase keeping up. He frowns, not wanting to share the spotlight. But then he grins and leaps sideways, trying to tackle his twin. As if she had been reading his mind, Chase twists, and Scratch flies past her and rolls to a stop in the grass. Sitting with his legs splayed, he shakes his head and then frowns up at the others. "Meant to do that," he says, not able to hide his grin. He gets to his feet — not bothering to brush himself off — and decides to stay with the others as they reach and then push through the bushes after he has given Chase a half-hearted shove to the shoulder.
yes, let's see, oh! Sweets! Illuwen didn't Juni eat one of your mom's pies not too long ago?
Illuwen seems to have scarsely heard his companion, as he stands wide-eyed and mouth agape, peering around at the wonders of the carnival. "What? No, that was... oh, right, it was Juni..." He shakes his head briefly, refocusing himself. "Are there more pies here? Do you think Juniper is looking for one?"
Chase the Bird—Chasefor short—is running as fast as she can, but gee, Scratch is so fast! Not that she’d ever admit it. After all, she's the older twin—by exactly two minutes—which clearly makes her the best, even at running. But ugh, she’s definitely getting a bit tired ... wait, what is he doing? Is he trying to tackle her? Again? It might have worked the other day when they were racing from their room to Dad’s workshop, but not today! “Ha! Nice try, Little Scratchy, but Queen Chase won’t be fooled today!”, she says, sticking her tongue out at the other tabaxi.
In her mind, she's relieved to have reached the other kids so she can catch her breath. “Heya!” she waves to the rest. Chaseis only a little shorter than Scratch—though she’ll never admit it. That measuring tape must be broken! Her fur is orange, and she has striking bi-colored eyes, one golden, one blue. She turns to Isy, “Yeah, don't worry about the tickets! Juni is more important, we need to find her!” When Illuwenand Chandlermention sweets, she adds, “Mm! She definitely likes sweets! And chasing rabbits and squirrels! I wonder if there are any at the Carnival? Let’s look for all those things!”She gives a long sniff—any sweet smell around?
The air is filled with the sweet scents of cookies, cakes, fruits and candies. None of these scents are familiar to you though, but the do smell delicious!
Isy stares at the carnival. So many lights and sounds and whirly things and magic. The wonder of this place! And the size! Suddenly she's drawn back to herself at Chase's suggestion. "Yeah, let's go find the sweets! Maybe they're over there." She points towards the left. There are so many lights, it must be where the sweets are.
Sticking to the shadows, you sneak as close to the carnival as you dare. Colorful stalls line a thoroughfare of trampled grass. The brightly colored carnival stalls are made from cloth and timber, and are mounted onto 2-foot-high raised boardwalks. Dozens of patrons mill around, laughing, while stallholders cry out their games. The air is filled with the happy sounds of children’s laughter, tinkling bells, and the drifting music of a calliope. Warm torchlight spills from the stalls and glistening bubbles drift through the air, but there are many shadows for ne’er-do-wells to hide in. A clear, cool night and a sky draped in stars hangs overhead.
You spot that all of the carnival guests wear cloth butterfly wings on their backs and clutch printed tickets in their hands. Fantastical beasts prowl through the crowd: a giant, six-legged feline with barbed tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, pixies riding giant snails, and more. A bugbear wearing a belt of matted hair grumpily patrols the ares, keeping an eye out for troublemakers.
Then you spot Juniper! She dashes over to a caravan on the far side of the thoroughfare and hops onto its windowsill. Before you can stop her, she jumps into the arms of a clown wearing a black-and-white suit. He grins with delight and lifts her inside, drawing the shutters behind him.
A sign hanging from the window of the caravan reads: Knock for Candlefoot’s story hour. Cost: 3 Carnival Prizes.
Chaseelbows Scratch and points to the enormous six-legged cat, mouth agape. “Wooooooo, look at THAT!” When Chandleraddresses them, she snaps out of it and says, “Sorry, what? Oh! Ah! Sure!”She grabs her twin by the arm, drags him towards the caravan window, clasps her hands together and bends down a little, preparing to push him up so he can take a peek. But just as she’s about to do so, she changes her mind. “Wait. I’m...”“less strong than you,” she thinks, but instead says, “better at looking, haha! You push me!”
Isy has already lost interest in the window. He closed the shutters, so how was anyone to look inside? She instead starts rambling about other things around. "Everyone's wearing those pretty fairy wings. Do they have them at the gate? Can I get one? Why was the clown only in black and white? Clowns are supposed to be colorful! Oooh, this sign says to knock for stories! I love story time! Then something about a cost. What do you think that means? I'm going to knock."
Illuwen scrunches his face into a scowl, on the verge of tears but feeling quite silly about it. "Why did the clown take Juni? He shouldn't have done that. I don't think he's a nice clown."
Then, noticing Chase and Scratch clambering up toward the window, runs over to them, pulling on Scratch's shirt. "Lift me too! I want to see!"
Lex stood, mouth agape, staring in wonderment at the fantastical surroundings. His eyes darted around, drinking it all in as fast as he could process, then eyes alighted on the large feline. He flips through the book in his hands, then stops on a particular page, and his finger points excitedly to a picture, "Right here! That thing looks just like a wraith-cat in one of the stories from my book - the story is called, uh..." Flipping a few pages back, Lex reads out, "The Beast of the Black Briar".
He closes the book as he spots Juniper jumping up into the caravan, and looks about nervously as the others scramble towards it. "Guys, entry without a ticket is Strictly. Forbidden. We are not supposed to be...wait why was that clown black and white?!?"
After the clown disappears behind the shutters, Scratch reads the sign and scratches his ear. "Three carnival prizes?" he reads aloud, but more to himself. "Does that mean we have to —" But then Chase is pulling him closer to the building. He chuckles, enjoying the surprise. When she first bends over and then tells him to, he rolls his pink eyes. "Make up your mind, silly." He laces his fingers together and extends his arms to create a step for Chase. Looking over at Isy, the male tabaxi smiles. "Hey," he whispers loudly as if he wasn't just talking at normal volume. "Not yet." Then, to Illuwen, he says with a backward nod, "Climb my back and get on my shoulders."
Scratch manages to hoist Chase up to the window of the clown's stall.
Chase overhears the clown say, through the closed window, "There's a good girl! You came back to Uncle Candlefoot! Don't worry, Daddy will be here soon to take you home!"
Before Chase has a chance to peek through the window, Scratch collapses under the weight as Illuwen tries to climb up. Everyone comes crashing down on top of one another making quite the clatter.
This summer feels like a long, uninterrupted dream. Together, you've slid down haystacks, ran barefoot through dewy meadows, leapt from ropes into rivers, fished with jars, and undertaken dangerous escapades. You're kids united by a single, thrilling secret-Juniper, the orphaned owlbear cublet.
You found her one morning, lost and shivering, with nothing but a wooden tag around her neck to identify her. You looked for her owner (though not for too long!), then adopted her into your gang. You've kept her secret and promised to care for her. Juniper is the tie that binds you together and you'll never, ever let her come to harm...
[Map updated with picture of Juniper.] https://app.roll20.net/join/14265626/7ylC-g
One time there were two hungry wolves trying to eat juniper and Isy bravely helped fend them off!
Juniper once ate a freshly baked pie from the windowsill of Illuwen’s home and he took the blame so he could keep her secret.
After accidentally traipsing through a rose garden, Lex had to remove a thorn from Juniper's paw.
While chasing squirrels one day, Juniper fell from a branch and Scratch leapt through the air to catch her!
Once, Juniper was chasing a rabbit down a hole and got stuck! Chandler was passing by and helped pull her out.
When Juniper got lost, Chase helped track her through the forest; she was found asleep inside a hollow log.
Weeks wheel by, days turn shorter, and rain forces many of your games indoors. Just when the leaves begin to turn, the Whichlight Carnival visits your town to offer a final breath of summer. Colorful wagons soar down from the sky, pulled by horses wearing butterfly wings. The carnival sets up in a meadow near your homes.
As news of the carnival spreads, so too does a warning: entry without a ticket is strictly forbidden. Before you can ask your parents to purchase tickets for you, something terrible happens! Juniper runs away, scrambling excitedly through the fields in the direction of the carnival! You give chase at once, and before you know it, you’ve darted through the bushes and trespassed into the carnival site… without a ticket!
Juniper must be somewhere nearby, and you must rescue her before the carnival whisks her away on its magical journey!
[OOC: Feel free to roleplay a little bit before going too far into the carnival]
stopping a moment to catch my breath and my bearings, well now, that's perfect. I still say Juni would make a better feather pillow than a pet...his voice trails off as his eyes widen, his nose and ears full of the sites and sounds of the carnival, whooo
As the other kids stop in front of her, forcing her to stop as well, Isy exclaims "Well, we have to go after her don't we? Who will know we don't have a ticket? Let's go! It looks so fun!" She looks around at the other kids, jumping up and down excitably.
yes, let's see, oh! Sweets! Illuwen didn't Juni eat one of your mom's pies not too long ago?
Scratch on Wood — Scratch for short — screws up his face as he puts on a burst of speed. The tip of his tongue is sticking out of the side of his mouth, and his pink eyes are narrowed as he concentrates on moving his limbs as quickly as possible. The band of youngsters spotted Juniper heading toward the meadow, and the pre-teen tabaxi was sure he could catch up to the cublet before it was lost forever. Out of the corner of his eye, however, Scratch spots Chase keeping up. He frowns, not wanting to share the spotlight. But then he grins and leaps sideways, trying to tackle his twin. As if she had been reading his mind, Chase twists, and Scratch flies past her and rolls to a stop in the grass. Sitting with his legs splayed, he shakes his head and then frowns up at the others. "Meant to do that," he says, not able to hide his grin. He gets to his feet — not bothering to brush himself off — and decides to stay with the others as they reach and then push through the bushes after he has given Chase a half-hearted shove to the shoulder.
Illuwen seems to have scarsely heard his companion, as he stands wide-eyed and mouth agape, peering around at the wonders of the carnival. "What? No, that was... oh, right, it was Juni..." He shakes his head briefly, refocusing himself. "Are there more pies here? Do you think Juniper is looking for one?"
Chase the Bird—Chase for short—is running as fast as she can, but gee, Scratch is so fast! Not that she’d ever admit it. After all, she's the older twin—by exactly two minutes—which clearly makes her the best, even at running. But ugh, she’s definitely getting a bit tired ... wait, what is he doing? Is he trying to tackle her? Again? It might have worked the other day when they were racing from their room to Dad’s workshop, but not today! “Ha! Nice try, Little Scratchy, but Queen Chase won’t be fooled today!”, she says, sticking her tongue out at the other tabaxi.
In her mind, she's relieved to have reached the other kids so she can catch her breath. “Heya!” she waves to the rest. Chase is only a little shorter than Scratch—though she’ll never admit it. That measuring tape must be broken! Her fur is orange, and she has striking bi-colored eyes, one golden, one blue. She turns to Isy, “Yeah, don't worry about the tickets! Juni is more important, we need to find her!” When Illuwen and Chandler mention sweets, she adds, “Mm! She definitely likes sweets! And chasing rabbits and squirrels! I wonder if there are any at the Carnival? Let’s look for all those things!” She gives a long sniff—any sweet smell around?
It's only forever, not long at all ♫ Nessa | Saxa | Auriel | Chase | Shenua
The air is filled with the sweet scents of cookies, cakes, fruits and candies. None of these scents are familiar to you though, but the do smell delicious!
Isy stares at the carnival. So many lights and sounds and whirly things and magic. The wonder of this place! And the size! Suddenly she's drawn back to herself at Chase's suggestion. "Yeah, let's go find the sweets! Maybe they're over there." She points towards the left. There are so many lights, it must be where the sweets are.
Sticking to the shadows, you sneak as close to the carnival as you dare. Colorful stalls line a thoroughfare of trampled grass. The brightly colored carnival stalls are made from cloth and timber, and are mounted onto 2-foot-high raised boardwalks. Dozens of patrons mill around, laughing, while stallholders cry out their games. The air is filled with the happy sounds of children’s laughter, tinkling bells, and the drifting music of a calliope. Warm torchlight spills from the stalls and glistening bubbles drift through the air, but there are many shadows for ne’er-do-wells to hide in. A clear, cool night and a sky draped in stars hangs overhead.
You spot that all of the carnival guests wear cloth butterfly wings on their backs and clutch printed tickets in their hands. Fantastical beasts prowl through the crowd: a giant, six-legged feline with barbed tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, pixies riding giant snails, and more. A bugbear wearing a belt of matted hair grumpily patrols the ares, keeping an eye out for troublemakers.
Then you spot Juniper! She dashes over to a caravan on the far side of the thoroughfare and hops onto its windowsill. Before you can stop her, she jumps into the arms of a clown wearing a black-and-white suit. He grins with delight and lifts her inside, drawing the shutters behind him.
A sign hanging from the window of the caravan reads: Knock for Candlefoot’s story hour. Cost: 3 Carnival Prizes.
[Map has been updated]
Swamp gas! Now what? Chase, Scratch think one if yous can get up ta that window seal for a looksie?
Chase elbows Scratch and points to the enormous six-legged cat, mouth agape. “Wooooooo, look at THAT!” When Chandler addresses them, she snaps out of it and says, “Sorry, what? Oh! Ah! Sure!” She grabs her twin by the arm, drags him towards the caravan window, clasps her hands together and bends down a little, preparing to push him up so he can take a peek. But just as she’s about to do so, she changes her mind. “Wait. I’m...” “less strong than you,” she thinks, but instead says, “better at looking, haha! You push me!”
It's only forever, not long at all ♫ Nessa | Saxa | Auriel | Chase | Shenua
Isy has already lost interest in the window. He closed the shutters, so how was anyone to look inside? She instead starts rambling about other things around. "Everyone's wearing those pretty fairy wings. Do they have them at the gate? Can I get one? Why was the clown only in black and white? Clowns are supposed to be colorful! Oooh, this sign says to knock for stories! I love story time! Then something about a cost. What do you think that means? I'm going to knock."
Illuwen scrunches his face into a scowl, on the verge of tears but feeling quite silly about it. "Why did the clown take Juni? He shouldn't have done that. I don't think he's a nice clown."
Then, noticing Chase and Scratch clambering up toward the window, runs over to them, pulling on Scratch's shirt. "Lift me too! I want to see!"
Lex stood, mouth agape, staring in wonderment at the fantastical surroundings. His eyes darted around, drinking it all in as fast as he could process, then eyes alighted on the large feline. He flips through the book in his hands, then stops on a particular page, and his finger points excitedly to a picture, "Right here! That thing looks just like a wraith-cat in one of the stories from my book - the story is called, uh..." Flipping a few pages back, Lex reads out, "The Beast of the Black Briar".
He closes the book as he spots Juniper jumping up into the caravan, and looks about nervously as the others scramble towards it. "Guys, entry without a ticket is Strictly. Forbidden. We are not supposed to be...wait why was that clown black and white?!?"
After the clown disappears behind the shutters, Scratch reads the sign and scratches his ear. "Three carnival prizes?" he reads aloud, but more to himself. "Does that mean we have to —" But then Chase is pulling him closer to the building. He chuckles, enjoying the surprise. When she first bends over and then tells him to, he rolls his pink eyes. "Make up your mind, silly." He laces his fingers together and extends his arms to create a step for Chase. Looking over at Isy, the male tabaxi smiles. "Hey," he whispers loudly as if he wasn't just talking at normal volume. "Not yet." Then, to Illuwen, he says with a backward nod, "Climb my back and get on my shoulders."
I need an Athletics check from Scratch to see if he can hold the weight,
Isy, having already started towards the door, reluctantly comes back to the rest of the group.
Athletics: 13 (rolled in game log)
Scratch manages to hoist Chase up to the window of the clown's stall.
Chase overhears the clown say, through the closed window, "There's a good girl! You came back to Uncle Candlefoot! Don't worry, Daddy will be here soon to take you home!"
Before Chase has a chance to peek through the window, Scratch collapses under the weight as Illuwen tries to climb up. Everyone comes crashing down on top of one another making quite the clatter.
Using the commotion as a distraction a slimy, almost frog-like, creature will appear behind Lex, who is seperate from the others. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EVHmO2PSt4WTsEx3Lp2ok4_tYzIRYARc/view?usp=drive_link
[I need a Wisdom saving throw from Lex, with disadvantage]