Even More People of Berador

Amil Greyski

male human rancher
Amil Greyski heads a large family that lives far west of town; the family manor is nearly a full day's ride from Berador. They trade in cattle and vegetables, mostly roots and hay. The Greyski family sends many young people to join the Greywood Wardens for a time. Amil has always felt the family owed it to the greater community to give something back. The majority of the men and many women will spend two to five years with the Wardens before returning to the family lands. The Greywood Wardens count the Greyski family among their greatest supporters and can always expect a warm welcome when ranging near the Greyski lands.

Bull Emmett

male human rancher
Jeremiah, called "Bull" by most people, owns one of the larger cattle ranches in the area. His large family, including his wife and children, two brothers and their immediate family, some uncles, aunts and cousins, tends to the lands and the cattle. The people of Berador have great respect for the Emmett family in general and for Bull Emmett in particular owing to a comination of the family wealth and Bull's penchant for always being there to help when trouble shows up in town. Bull's left arm ends at his elbow which goblins mangled in one of the many battles Bull fought over the years in defending his ranch.

Fenesin Lumiya

male elf watch captain
Fenesin Lumiya leads the "town guard" of Greywatch Hold called the Foresters. He and his comrades spend their days ranging about the Hold and the nearby lands watching for trouble, be it man or beast. Most elves with a martial bent will join up with the Foresters at least for a decade or so before settling down to a more mundane life. The people of Berador and the region admire Fenesin's skill with a bow and his woodland tracking abilities. Fenesin never backs down from any confrontation, and unlike most elves, is quick to anger and prefers violence as a solution to most problems.

Harael Longbeard

female dwarf mercenary
Harael of the Longbeard clan arrived in Berador some twenty years ago. She doesn't speak much about her past, but tales say that she fled some danger to her clan's holdings in the White Mist Mountains. No other Longbeards live in the region, and she typically makes her home on the Stonejaw clan's farmstead east of town. She hires herself out to merchants and other travelers or anyone that feels the need for some extra muscle. Harael has few friends, but many acquaintances and potential customers. Anyone that manages to win her friendship has a loyal and steadfast friend for life.

Relalith Arbordawn

female elf seer
Relalith has lived among the elves of Greywatch Hold since long before they arrived in Berador. Some claim she has lived for over five hundred years, but she will only admit to three hundred fifty. She reads signs, omens and cards and helps prepare the elves and all of the people of Berador for dangers that she sees in the future. She speaks in cryptic riddles and rhymes when telling prophecies, and claims that the words "just come to her" and she often knows less of what they mean than the recipients of her wisdom. Her cloudy gray eyes unnerve even the steeliest who seek her counsel.

Some More People of Berador

Bemkral Sujral

male dragonborn servant of Bahamut
Bemkral arrived in Berador six years ago with a merchant caravan bound for Dalton. The caravan ran into trouble on the road with a gnoll raiding party and the few survivors beat a hasty retreat back to Berador. Gerry Woodcote tended to their hurts, and Bemkral lent his own powers in assistance. Bemkral and Gerry became fast friends. Bemkral works at whatever physical labor he can find and supplements his income by assisting Gerry at need. He is a devout follower of the tenants of Bahamut and spends much of his free time proselytizing on the wellness of being one can find in the teaching of his god.

Chadadarya Lidastar

female eladrin elder
Deep in the Greywood an enclave of eladrin exiles from the Feywild live and toil among the majesty of the darkest part of the forest. Chadadarya sits on the elder council that rules the eladrin. When events require she visits the elves of Greywatch Hold and occassionally even Berador proper. Chadadarya is the face of the eladrin of the area to most of the world.

Chadadarya is an ancient eladrin of a noble family. The elves of Grewywatch Hold and the leaders of Berador know well her patience, perseverance and wisdom and they hold her in high regard.

Ompolo Emrir

male human beekeeper
Ompolo Emrir lives south of Berador near the Blue Wash with his wife Lychira and their several children. With the help of his older children and wife he tends to a large tract of colorful flowers and many hives of bees. Many people attribute his amazing rapport with his bees to some mystical connection or past, but he has never confirmed or denied any such special powers. "They just seem to listen to me," Ompolo will say when pressed. Some people claim that his mother was a faerie from the Feywild. Ompolo trades honey, beeswax and flowers to the Traveling Caravans and the locals to support his family.

Shumkesh Branloth

male tiefling warden
To the everlasting disgrace and disgust of his aunt, Lady Caer Branloth, Skumkesh left the Branloth compound shortly after coming of age and joined the Greywood Wardens. He has served well and honorably for several years and earned high marks and high regard from the commanders of the order. Skumkesh avoids contact with any of the Branloth clan as he wishes to avoid what he believes would surely be an unpleasant confrontation. When not patrolling the region with the Wardens he spends his time swilling cheap ale at the nearest watering hole. He likes the company of people at the Maple House particularly when drinking.

Therore Kaldori

male halfling fishing captain
Therore lives on the Blue Wash in a large flatboat that serves double duty as a fishing barge and a two bedroom house. While the accomodations would not suit a human, Therore and his wife, Irtas, and their three children live quite comfortably. They spend their days traveling up and down the Wash pulling salmon from the water. In the evenings they dock among the halflings on Lake Callie. Therore is a jolly middle-aged halfling of long experience and longer tales. He has seen all of the lands around Berador and even farther afield. He never tires of telling of his adventures from his younger days.

Character Thoughts

So, it's time to start thinking about making up a character for the game. I know we don't have any books or rules yet. "So, what," says I. Let's make up characters, not character sheets. Everything is subject to change when the rules come out, but let's go ahead and think about who your character is and how s/he will fit into the adventuring party, the home base (Berador) and the world.

Where Are You From?

This question should be very easy for everyone: you're from Berador. At least you're from Berador now. If you want to be from elsewhere in the distant past we can talk about it and work something out, but most likely you were born and raised somewhere in the near vicinity of Berador. I'm trying to get everyone settled into a "home" that can be a familiar, safe place from which you start your adventures and to which you return when it's time to rest and recover.

If you really want to be from somewhere else then think about being from one of the nearby towns or villages. Possibly you have come from the large city of Roth far to the southwest, but you better come up with a good reason that you left the hustle and bustle of a large city to come to this near wilderness village a couple of hundred miles away. Regardless of where you come from you will have been in or around Berador for at least the last five years.

What Do You Do?

We'll worry about character class later. It's possible that race/class will play a role in your profession, but not necessarily. Feel free to incorporate what you think you want to play into your profession, but don't think it's necessary.

So, what can you do? Well, most people around here farm, fish or forest. The farming consists of various roots and vegetables with some grains and some cattle. Nearly every farm has some chickens and a few boast a handful of pigs. Fishing is very straightforward: you fish the trout and salmon out of the Blue Wash and Lake Callie. Finally, forestry is a minor industry. People in these parts build their homes and other buildings out of wood. The Fireaxe mill in town handles both grain and lumber. There are a few foresters around town, and the Traveling Carnivals occasionally buy excess lumber.

Other professions include various handicrafts, general labor, farmhand, and tending the stores. There are a handful of people that act as paid security or law enforcement. These people are generally hired by one of the wealthier families to tend to the family needs. A rare few people don't have a particular profession: there are some beggars that wander the village and from farmstead to farmstead, and some of the very wealthy families have a few younger adults who have taken to a life of leisure in preference to work. None of these people is much appreciated by the local townsfolk, but the independently wealthy are at least respected for the cash they can sling around.

Pick a profession that will fit into the makeup of a small farming town and is of interest to you. This is what you will be doing when not adventuring . . . at least to start.

Who Are Your Family and Friends?

Every character that is spotlighted in the 'blog is someone that you know. You may know some of them quite well or even be related to him/her. It is a certainty that all of the PCs will know each other passing well and hopefully you will be good friends from the start of the story. We'll see how it works out. If you want to incorporate any of the NPCs from this 'blog into your background, feel free to do so. In fact, I encourage you to do so.

I would also like for everyone to detail as much as you feel is necessary of your family background. Family members do not have to be fully fleshed-out characters, but at least a name, age and one or two word description will be useful. Berador is your home and is populated by your family and friends. Tell me who they are.

General Ideas

None of the following is set in stone, but it does describe the typical lifestyle for the race in question in and around Berador.

Dragonborn PCs are somewhat limited in their choices regarding family. If born locally you live with one of your parents who raised you from birth (hatching) alone. Your parents came here just before you were born, and the one who is not with you left shortly after you hatched as is customary among Dragonborn. Alternatively, you are full grown and the parent who raised you has also left, and you now live alone in Berador. You may also be a wandering Dragonborn from one of the other villages or towns in the area (or maybe even farther afield) who has taken up residence in Berador some time ago. Regardless, you should have been in Berador for at least five years.

Dwarfs live mostly in town among the Fireaxe clan. Not all of the dwarfs within the compound are of the clan, but most are. There are a few Dwarf farmsteads and a handful of independent Dwarf families in the town as well.

Eladrins are a special case. All Eladrins must live among a single enclave that has taken up residence near the Elf hold to the northwest. The Eladrins arrived in the area en masse ten years ago fleeing a horror in the ancient forest called Silverine far to the north. The Eladrins do not mingle much with the village directly. Most of their commerce and communication is through the Elves of Graywatch Hold. The Eladrins have great magic and crafts at their disposal. They trade their magic and crafted goods to the Elves to supplement their own hunting and gathering as needed. It is rumored that the Eladrin live double lives in both the World and the Feywild and that much of their magic comes from dealings with faeries. If you are an Eladrin you will need to come up with a good reason that you have left the Eladrin hold in the forest and are mingling with the PC adventuring party.

The vast majority of Elves live in one of the three enclaves in the forests around Berador. Graywatch Hold, Elm Grove and Pebbledown are the names of their holdings. All of the Elves live similar hunter/gather lives in the forests. Some few Elves travel beyond the immediate environs on occasion, and a few claim to have ventured into the Feywild. There are some Elves in town proper and even a couple of Elf farmsteads.

Halflings are the most likely to travel regularly. The Halflings of Berador include a hardy bunch that provide escort and guide services on both the Wash and the Road. They do not travel far, usually no more than one week in any direction, but they do travel often.

Half Elves live almost entirely in the town proper. A few have taken up residence among the Elves and there is rumor of a couple that live among the Eladrins. There are a few Half Elf farmsteads as well. Most Half Elves live solitary lives or live with very small families.

Humans run the gamut from farmers, fishers and foresters to crafters and merchants. If you're human you can pretty much fit in any lifestyle that suits the area. It is very likely that you are from one of the many families in the area and you have quite a few relations about. You may even be from one of the few "noble" families. They are not really noble, but they are wealthy and hold large farmlands which makes them pretty close to noble in these parts.

Most Tieflings in the area are of the Branloth line. There are a few dozen Tieflings living in the Branloth manor and on the outbuildings among their hold. There is certainly room for other Tieflings in the area, and you can feel free to be one from some other family. Most Tieflings live in large families that rarely split off into independent farmsteads as they outgrow the current home as is custom among humans. Tieflings simply build another house on the same land and expand the borders of their farm to accommodate their needs. There may be a couple of more independent Tieflings living in town proper that work at some craft or own a store or such.

Anyone could potentially be someone who came to town with the Traveling Carnival and decided to stay. While it's not common, people do occasionally decide to stick around in one place after months or years on the road with the Carnival. Humans and Halflings make up the majority of the Carnival's people, but any race will do.

Some Specific Ideas

Feel free to take these ideas and run with them. You can also combine some of these ideas. They're just "getting started" points:

The Dragonborn child of Jadestar Kaldoran; you accompany Jade on her patrols from time to time, but mainly you work as a common laborer wherever someone will have you.

A Dwarf laborer in the Fireaxe clan compound; you may or may not actually be of the Fireaxe clan and you may or may not live there as you desire. You work at the mill or the smith or at some other labor among the dwarfs who provide so much to the Berador community.

An Eladrin forester who has joined the Greywood Wardens; you live a double life among your relations in the Greywood and traveling at need with the Wardens. You have been to most of the nearby villages and holdfasts in your travels and faced many dangers in the Wild with the Wardens.

An Elf forester and hunter; you live among the trees to the northwest of Berador along with a couple of dozen of your kin. You hunt wild boar in the fall and winter and chop lumber in the spring and summer.

A Halfling fisherman; you ply the Blue Wash and Lake Callie on a fishing barge with your mates pulling in great hauls of fish to help feed the village.

A Half elf cobbler; you live in town and craft fine shoes for everyone from the common laborers to the wealthiest of families.

A Human beggar; you don't have a proper home, but you sometimes manage to scrounge enough coin up to get a room at the Maple House. You often end up sleeping outside or under a hedge. You do whatever work is available and not too demanding. Sometimes your "work" includes acquiring other people's possessions without their knowledge or consent.

A Tiefling scion of the Branloth family; you don't have a profession exactly. You kind of do whatever is necessary to keep you in Lady Caer's good graces. Sometimes that includes looking in on the farmhands and seeing that they do their work. Other times you may need to travel to a nearby village to deliver some message for Lady Caer.

Some More History

Way Back When

No one knows when Berador became a village. It's just always been here. Tales going back for centuries mention Berador, prominently or not depending on the story. The oldest facts known about Berador tie in to tales of the old Oshland Empire and its wars with the kingdom of Palacia. The Oshland Empire of old claimed Berador and all of the region around the Blue Wash as a border province. At the height of their power the kings of Oshland placed troops and border forts in the area. Berador served as a provincial capital of sorts long ago. The crumbling tower fort just outside of town attests to the reach of the kings in the ancient metropolis of Kray City.

During one of the many wars between Palacia and Oshland the lands of the Berador region revolted against the King of Oshland. No one knows the details, but most people believe that the revolt began with an attempted call for conscription. Soldiers of Oshland rode out from the tower fort in Berador and called the people to arms "in defense of the Empire" against the forces of Palacia. Only a few hardy souls offered their services. Palacia and Kray City were far away and of little interest to the simple villagers. The local governor demanded more. He called on each family in the region to send one able-bodied man for the war effort. The call became a demand, the demand became a show of force and the show of force resulted in anarchy. The governor died in the fighting and most of his men fled the region as the people of the villages united behind a band of heroes.

When the war with Palacia settled down the King of Oshland turned his eye to the rebellious province of Berador. Soldiers from Oshland came in numbers too great to oppose. The people of Berador and Dalton and Darshire decided not to fight. They would submit to the yoke of the empire once again. Unfortunately, the soldiers had no interest in surrender or in subjugation. They arrived intent on slaughter and vengeance. Thousands died as mounted soldiers swept over the lands with sword and fire. Whole families were murdered, and the Oshlanders burned villages and farmsteads. Having ground the land to dust and soot, the soldiers left and the Oshland Empire never returned. Not many years later the Great Slaughter of Kray City reduced the empire to ruin and it never recovered its former majesty.

Rebuilding, Rebirth

The destruction of the villages of the Berador region did not last. Most people survived the fighting as they fled into the Greywood or even up into the Silverine Forest for protection. Heroes and saviors shepherded the people through the hard times and the elves of the Silverine provided much needed aid. In time the villages were rebuilt, the farms and gardens replanted, cattle were herded back onto pastures and life resumed.

Dalton took many years to recover. After the village burned the people of Dalton fled to other places where they could find food and shelter. Over time a goblin tribe took up residence in the area and seized the mines. Again heroes of the age stepped in. The goblins fought long and hard, but could not overcome the power of the heroes with the descendents of the people of Dalton supporting them. Even after they moved back to the town site, it was many years before the people could reopen the mines as goblins and kobolds continued to plague the land.

Port Eben, at the mouth of the Blue Wash, became a pirate cove and eventually a pirate town. For nearly a century the buccaneers and cutthroats of Port Eben plagued the lands and the sea around the place. Over time as the port grew in size a general civilizing trend took hold. While pirates could steal and murder at will on the sea they could not live among themselves in great number without some law. Port Eben adopted many customs from the seabound captains that called the place home. Even today the local authority figure is called Admiral of Port Eben as opposed to Mayor or some other title. The Admiral is elected by the ship captains that make Port Eben their home port.

As a crossroads on the main east-west travel route and the north-south passage of the Blue Wash, Berador recovered relatively quickly from the Oshlanders's butchery. The elves of the Silverine Forest and the dwarves of the White Mist Mountains continued to trade with the human lands to the west. In doing so they traveled the Road and the Wash and the convenient intersection made Berador wealthy for a time.

Empires Falling

It has been some three hundred years since the time of the Oshland Empire. While the Slaughter destroyed much of its power two hundred years before, it was the coming of the demons that ended all. Again, no one knows exactly how or what happened, but most accept that the Purge began in Kray City. At least, the first stories of the demons always start there.

While Oshland and Palacia fought a new border war some great evil enveloped Kray City. People who have been there still speak of the great crater and black abyss that the city site has become. But no one won this war. They merely survived.

The demon hordes first marched over the human lands. Oshland, Palacia, Karameikos, and even the Free Cities fell as the spawn of the Abyss swept over the lands. The greatest horror of the time was the inability to tell friend from foe. The demons possessed the bodies of their enemies and traveled from land to land in disguise. That is how the elves and dwarves fell to ruin. In trading with the humans and offering shelter to refugees they invited their enemies into their strongholds. In a matter of only twenty years the demons destroyed all of the great cities and strongholds of the civilized races. Even the orcs and goblins fell to ruin in this time as the demons cared not for any life in the World. Tales of destruction in the Underdark speak to the demons' attacks on the drow and other dwellers in the deep places of the world as well. No one escaped the Purge unscathed.

No one knows what stopped them. Maybe they had accomplished their goals. Maybe they had slaked their thirst for blood. Or maybe the gods took a hand in the troubles. Whatever the cause, something stopped the deomons. On April 12th 273 years ago all of the demons fled the World and returned to the Abyss. No one has since seen or heard tale of demons in the World.

Points of Light

Now, nearly three hundred years after the Purge, the peoples of Greyshad have rebuilt and again society begins to flourish. Gone are the days of wide-sweeping empires and great kingdoms. City-states and small kingdoms stand as bastions of civilization in a sea of wilderness and chaos. The dwarves of the White Mist Mountains hold a few of their ancient fortresses. The human lands of old are mostly a ruin, but the great city-state of Roth, once a jewel of the Oshland Empire, has established a hold on the nearby lands.

The elves scatter across the lands. While they had tried to rebuild their city of Moonspire in the heart of the Silverine, something has driven them from the forest. Rumors speak of their ancient holdings in the far west and the great forest fortresses of Farenloth and a gathering of the elves there. But this land is far away and unknown to most.

The halflings continue as they always have. Their caravans and barges ply the lands and the rivers. Some set up semi-permanent homes as they have in Berador, but most travel throughout their lives. Tieflings and dragonborn live among the human lands in small clans or as solitary families. They have tales of their own ancient glory before the times of the Oshland Empire, but no one can point to any concrete proof of their history.

And so, life goes on.

The People of Berador

This is a brief listing of some people living in and around Berador. All residents of the area (including the PCs) know or know of these people:

Doogan Arwit

male human apprentice smith
Doogan Arwit works at the forge in the Fireaxe compound and has been there for four years. While the dwarves of the Fireaxe clan are friendly enough to the people of Berador, they don't often take non-dwarves as apprentices. Doogan has been a close friend of Bracken Fireaxe for years and won a job at the smithy when he bested Bracken in a wrestling match at the fall harvest festival. Doogan drinks only dark beer, has grown a long, thick beard and swears "by Moradin" often and loudly.

Gemini Starseer

male elf tailor
Gemini Starseer and his wife Elia have lived in the village of Berador for at least thirty years. They have two young children who were born in Berador. Many people of Berador are self-sufficient as to food, shelter and clothing, but there are enough with a bit of wealth to spare to call on Gemini for his services. He makes only the finest of garments. Workman's clothes and traveling cloaks are beneath his interest. At feast days and weddings many of the well-to-do of Berador wear Gemini's work with pride.

Kerry Wakefield

male human farmhand
Kerry Wakefield was born and raised in Berador. His parents moved out of their ancestral home to start a new farmstead when Kerry was eleven. Only a few weeks later goblins from the Greywood assaulted the farm in the dead of night. Kerry's parents and four older siblings died in the attack. Somehow Kerry survived. Kerry lived the next few years with his grandparents and uncles and aunts at the old Wakefield home. He left at age sixteen and now only returns to visit. He hires himself out to farmers in need of an extra hand, and lives semi-permanently in one of the rooms for rent at the Maple House. Kerry has an overwhelming hatred for all goblinkind, and at the first sign of any kind of trouble he blames goblins. When not working out at the Branloth, Vesash or some other well-to-do farm, Kerry spends his time drinking and complaining about anything that comes to mind at the Maple House.

Magaret "Crazy Maggie" Chesam

female human apothecary
Crazy Maggie has lived alone in her tiny cottage on the edge of the Greywood for several years since her husband, Corky Chesam, a woodsman and hunter, passed away. The people of Berador acknowledge and respect her ancient wisdom, but most question her sanity. Even while Corky lived the villagers regarded them as strange for living away from the protection of friends and family. Now Maggie lives alone with only her two massive wolfhounds for companions. Maggie spends her days tending to her small, well-ordered garden and pottering about in the edge of the Greywood.

Warus Mulski

male human tanner
Warus Mulski "retired" to Berador about seven years ago. He served in the army of the great city-state of Roth for over twenty years. When King Marcus Winland IV inherited the throne he forced many of the more seasoned soldiers out of the army. Rather than stew in the city he loved on the meager pension offered by the king, Warus decided to make a new life for himself. He came to Berador with a Traveling Carnival and decided not to leave. The villagers welcomed him as they had need of his skill with hides and leather. He has since married a local widow, Janis of the Greyski family, and settled down quite comforably in his shop in town. Warus knows a great deal about the city of Roth and never tires of telling tales, though some of his information is now a bit dated. He has never returned to Roth and vows never to do so.

The Traveling Carnival (part two)

Through the spring, summer and autumn months the Traveling Carnivals bring news, entertainment and goods, both mundane and exotic, to the towns and villages around Berador. While the trade makes life bearable, enjoyable even, it's the news of far off lands and the entertainment that attracts many to the Maypole each visit.

What Sights You Can't Imagine

"Step right up, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen! For the amazing low cost of a single copper penny you'll see wonders beyond your ken!" The barker calls out as the crowds shuffle from wagon to wagon. Many have come only to purchase a hard to find item or two from the traveling merchants. Many more spend time browsing the goods with no intent of buying anything. They listen to the news and stories and wait for the early evening shows.

The barker knows the look of his mark. That one there; he walks casually from wagon to wagon, but takes no time looking at anything in particular. He spends more time ambling between the wagons than checking out the goods.

"You, sir!" the barker bellows, pointing at the ambler. "Take a moment to look at the wonders I bring from faraway lands: a dragon's tooth as long as your arm, the great horn of a mammoth and even greater mysteries wait inside. Come! Come!"

The man stops in embarrassment as his neighbors stare at him and toss glances at the barker. One or two pat him on the back and mumble encouragement. The barker smiles behind a straight face. The villagers will do his job for him. A moment's cajolery from his friends and the man walks to the barker's booth.

"Excellent, fine sir, excellent! One copper penny and you'll see the hugest dragon tooth this side of the old Oshland Empire." He lowers his voice as the man approaches, and whispers conspiratorially, "And for a silver star you'll see wonders beyond your dreams."

The man fishes in his belt pouch and hands over the copper. He makes his way past the barker and into the wagon beyond. His friends and neighbors look on with grins and winks.

"Come one, come all, don't let your friend here be the only one to see the secrets of foreign lands."

All the News That's Fit to Tell

The crier holds forth in front of a dark gray wagon. He sits high on a half barrel seat with a great table in front of him. He calls loudly to passersby the gist of his stories: "Hear all about the butchery in Darshire! Come have a seat at the Gray Barrel!"

As the townsfolk make their way through the Carnival a great many of them stop at the gray barrel to hear the news. When a sufficient number has gathered he tells the tale. Goblins, gnolls and worse have descended on the farms around Darshire killing and maiming and robbing with abandon. He strays long over the details, especially the gruesome ones that will keep the crowd's attention. All the while the serving ladies of the Gray Barrel deliver beer, ale and mulled wine. Listening to the news is thirsty business. The crier knows his trade and holds the listeners long enough for a round or two before finishing the tale of butchery in Darshire. He dribbles out the last of bloodshed and villainy and vengeance by the Greywood Wardens as the last of the crowd moves on to other pleasures of the Carnival.

Then it's on to the next tale and a new crowd with money to spend on drink and news: "The Queen in Roth is with child, and some say it's not the King's issue!"

Let Me Entertain You

A great red tent some fifteen feet tall and at least thirty in diameter spreads out majestically behind the wagons of the Carnival. Young boys and girls of the Traveling Folk make their way through the crowd calling to Carnival's patrons, "Come see the tumblers and jugglers under the red tent. Only two copper stars for the whole show. It begins at nightfall." The young runners make their way through out the village green and beyond calling out the coming entertainment.

As dusk darkens toward night many in the crowd make their way to the red tent. Most have seen the shows before, but they never stop enjoying the tumblers and jugglers and even the dancing bear. As night falls the crowd grows restless and mutters aloud. The show is not yet begun, but the ringmaster holds the start . . . there are some empty seats and the boys and girls are still out gathering the crowd.

The last handful of seats fills with those who were reluctant to part with their money. They pay only a single copper penny to get in. Alas, the ringmaster will have more of them. The food vendors begin to wind through the crowd with candied apples, roasted corn on the cob and other tasty treats as the first act begins. All the patrons pay. One way or another they pay for the show.