From: [s--g--h] at [iinet.net.au] (Seng Mah)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: [NPCs] Circus - Part 2
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 1995 14:58:42 GMT


NOTE: This is the second part of a very irregular "series" of NPC
postings describing the personalities from a fantasy circus. The
first part (posted sometime in early Oct.) described the
Ringmaster (Zarfax the Magnibulent) and the resident
Strongman/Tattooed Man (Ragh the Painted Man). Here are 2
more NPCs:

Eela the Contortionist
Human female; rogue

Eela is the resident contortionist in the Circus -- she possesses
remakable flexibility and agility, which she uses for purposes
beyond simple entertainment. In truth, Eela is both a burglar and
a con-woman. An exceptionally charismatic individual, Eela has
no problems charming her way into the company of the nouveau
riche of the towns the Circus visits. She is an adept socialite and
seductress with an ebullient, alluring personality. She learns,
from her potential victims, of their fortunes and the placement of
these fortunes; she then organises nightly forays and, with the
aid of her close friend, Sluggo the tumbler, she breaks into their
counting houses and strongholds and makes away with their
precious possessions. Her skills at contortion aid her a great deal
in such "forays" - essentially, she is flexible and lithe enough to
make her way through openings which seem even too small for a
woman of her stature.  Eela prefers to steal jewellery and
ornaments, leaving family heirlooms alone as it is nigh impossible
to fence or sell unique items.
This is a racket known only to Eela and Sluggo. An ex-rogue, the
Sluggo has a number of fence contacts in a few towns along the
coast and inland which they use to sell the stolen items.

Eela is a small young woman in her mid-20s. Standing no more
than 5' tall, she possesses a slim, willowy build. She has
shoulder-long reddish brown hair which she keeps tied in a tight
bun when she is performing within or without the circus. Her
features are petite, her hazel eyes large and alert. She is fond of
form-fitting clothing; dull, pastel colours when she is performing
in the ring, basic black when she is "working" outside the circus.

Currently, Eela is trying to convince the Ringmaster, Zarfax the
Magnibulent, to teach her some of the "nifty" spells he knows.
Zarfax is beginning to fall for Eela's charms, despite his self-
centred, pompous attitude. As far as Eela is concerned, the
Ringmaster possesses a skill which can come in very useful for
an enterprising burglar: if she were to possesses such skills, her
"work" would be so much easier, not to mention more profitable.

When first meeting strangers, Eela is all charm and wit. An
intelligent woman, she is fond of verbal repartee, beguilling
strangers with her words as much as her beauty. She is an
accomplished flatterer and a good judge of characters: she tends
to target gullible or shallow characters; those who are easily
drawn in by her natural charm.


Ordon, Boy of Stone
Race unknown (possibly a type of goblin); male; fighter (?)

Ordon is a strange being. Obviously born malformed, he must
have been abandoned by his people. The Circus purchased him
at a remote village from simple, close-minded  folk who had found
the babe in the nearby foothills which were reputed to be infested
by a small tribe of goblins. They naturally assumed that the
strange humanoid child was a type of goblin and had kept it as a
curiousity: chained and encaged. He has been with the circus for
13 years.

Physically, Ordon is short and squat (3' tall, 200 pounds), with a
broad head which is small in proportion to the rest of his body.
His body seems to be composed of extra-tough skin and dense
musculature, giving him exceptional strength and endurance. His
limbs are incredibly thick and stumpy; his skin is a granite grey
colour and he is completely hairless. Two dark eyes peer from
beneath beetle-brows and a sloped forehead, and a heavy jaw
juts out beneath a squashed nose. Ordon is, to put it simply,
quite hideous. His movements are calculated and slow and he
speaks slowly too in a low, hoarse voice. This has led to folks
thinking him stupid; Ordon is anything but: he is remarkably
canny for a "boy" his age, and his strength and durability has
earned him the respect of those who had tussled with him in the
past.

Thus far, Ordon's skin has been proof against mundane weapons
of all kind; at times, weaker blades and points have known to
break upon impact with his skin. He has thus earned the name
Boy of Stone. Part of Ordon's act includes having a circus aide
stab him with a number of knives, daggers and spear-points only
to have his skin deflect these blows.

Ordon knows of no life outside the Circus. Within the troupe, he
is regarded an individual; elsewhere, it is likely that he will be
seen as nothing more than a freak or monster. Because of this,
he is content to remain at the circus where his friends are.
Ordon enjoys the company of other circus children who do not
seem to mind his ugliness and shape.

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