Reevan the Jester, center, Katya the Acrobat to the right, and Jordan the Goblin to the left as heralds for the Andlielle Brothers' Circus
The Andlielle Brothers Circus was a travelling circus of the early 25th Century A.a.H. in the Five Kingdoms of the Northwest. It is best known as the inspiration of Reevan the Jester.
Description[]
Andlielle Brothers[]
Reevan the Jester juggling as a circus performer for the Andlielle Brothers' circus
The circus was, as the name would suggest, the business of the Andlielle Brothers, a collection of at least four known Grey elf brothers. The circus seemed to be based in Huncle, but it was also known to travel to the southern reaches of Degoland, and the brothers knew their way around the city of Alfdreim, so precisely where the Andlielle family originated isn't definitively known. As travelling entertainers, they would have made their way into many communities and were adept at multiple languages, including more uncommon ones such as low Polforian for speaking to various Orcs.
There were four known brothers, which alone makes for a fair number of children for an elven family. It is not known if there were any sisters or parents involved in the business or wives or children. Nor is it necessarily sure if the brothers were literally all brothers, or cousins. The brothers were:
- Vauquelin Vauquelin seemed to be responsible for personnel relations, training and discipline in the circus
- Jean Jean seemed to be the business minded brother who made the barters and deals for the circus
- Marcus Marcus seemed to be the planner for logistics for supplying the circus and reaching its destinations on schedule
- Jan Jan seemed to be focused on defense on the road
Naturally, all of the brothers may have done all of these functions and more.
The wagon train of the Andlielle Brothers' Circus hitting a roadblock set by Ozcura Orcs. The circus often had to travel narrow or poor roads in wilderness settings.
Scale[]
The circus had some twenty wagons, some carrying performers and crew, others equipment, and several loaded with food for the people and animals as well as for trade. Various cheap beads, baubles and other 'goods' were carried as carnival prizes or else for trade with the unsophisticated or orcs.
Often, a herd of animals accompanied the circus, spare oxen for hauling the wagons, some of the trained animals, or animals for 'meat on the hoof'. The circus had the ability to butcher and prepare meat, and often did for carnivals for sale of hand-food to patrons as well as the performers and crew.
Impressed Performers[]
The circus travelled from the northern marches of Huncle, in Huncle, down through Degoland. They did some business in Roccasone as well, whether they travelled to the city directly is not known, but wouldn't be unreasonable for their willingness to travel to the northern marches of Huncle. Roccasone was not often friendly to non-humans, but liked having non-humans to laugh at. The city was an independent kingdom and a slaver society, the Andlielle brothers often dealt with Roccasone and bought unusual slaves from the kingdom into the circus.
While slavery per se was illegal in the Five Kingdoms, performers seemed to have been subject to some form of 'indentured servitude' to the circus for their room, board, and training. They had means of keeping performers from leaving their circus should any try, presumably by force or their contacts to track escapees down? In any case, with few higher options in life available to most demihumans, the circus was a viable option to remain at, so few performers saw much reason to leave.
The Andlielle Brothers' Circus performers and crew were not above some petty theft in the towns they travelled through. The Andielle Brothers exploitive nature might have played a role in causing this
Doubtlessly, for being Grey elves, the Andlielle brothers experienced life and time differently than most of their performers and crew. It might be that they saw training of their performers as an effort that would never be repaid?
The circus would not be spared prejudice and other difficulties in their travels, mostly related to goblins and the various orcs in the circus being seen as monsters by humans. The elves, too, not always being accepted in many quarters, the Five Kingdoms often having elves live in an 'elf quarter' of the city, and orcs and goblins nowhere at all. But, the circus folk were not above petty theft of livestock and other food and goods so as to keep fed or make ends meet, which, of course, damaged future relations and tended to prove suspicions against the travelling folk.
Known Acts[]
- Freakshows, particularly one Jan the Troll, and werewolf siblings. Others also served the role if of an unusual demihuman race.
- Clowns, many of the goblins and other races as part of the circus played the role of juggling jesters, such as Jordan the Goblin and the aforementioned Reevan.
- Acrobats, there were multiple trained acrobats, such as Katya the Loranor. It is unknown if there was an actual high wire act.
- Magicians, even Reevan was skilled at sleight of hand tricks, doubtlessly there were more skilled magicians specializing in these tricks. It's not unreasonable that there might have been an elf magic user as well.
Doubtlessly, there were many others. Probably trained animals and skilled horse riding among them.
History[]
Reevan the Jester as a toddler being sold by her supposed caretaker to the circus, being bought by Jean Andlielle
Early[]
Largely unknown. As grey elves, the brothers might well have ran the business for a great number of years. It is known that some of the orcish personnel had been there for most of their lives, so the circus might well have been formed sometime in the 24th Century.
Reevan the Jester[]
Obtaining a Performer[]
All which has been revealed about the circus has come from the story of Reevan the Jester. The circus dealt with a small band of Ozcura Orcs circa 2430 A.a.H., as is often wont to do, they were able to distract the ozcuras from thoughts of stealing from them, and even fleeced the 'pretty orcs' of some of their valued goods. Indeed, one ozcura 'mother' sold her young 'daughter' Reevan to Jean Andielle. The ozcuras have an expansive concept of motherhood, with a village or band of ozcuras sharing the responsibility of raising the children.
Or ducking the responsibility, as the case might be. From this experience, the circus was seen in trading goods for a future performer in their service. Reevan would be dressed in a fool's motley and gradually trained so as to juggle, dance and perform many other tricks with her hands such as 'magic'. In part by the fellow child Katya, a half-loranor, who had been purchased by the circus from the slaver city of Roccasone. Performers clearly trained other performers on the go.
Circus performers learn from others how to perform their acts. Here, Reevan learns from her friend Katya how to juggle, performers are often obtained as small children and learn and perform for the circus while still young kids
Reevan's Formative Years[]
In the time that Reevan was a member of the travelling circus, the Andlielle Brothers would travel most of the length of the Five Kingdoms of the Northwest. It's not known if they spent much time in the lucrative, but often intolerant Sargos, or the large, but often poor country of Tardos, or the west coast. But, the poor and potentially dangerous Northern Marches of Huncle remained enough of a draw that they would regularly return there as it was a developing frontier.
Reevan would become an accomplished circus performer, seeming exotic enough to serve as a 'herald' of the circus, to wander the streets and drum up interest for upcoming shows. Reevan was taught certain slight of hand 'street magic' tricks so as to help with inspiring interest, along with creating a spectacle through song, dance, jangling bells, bright clothes and acrobatics. Despite having a happy youth with the circus, Reevan became gradually increasingly dissatisfied as she quickly grew into an adult. Mostly because she was dismayed by the intolerance of humans and the exploitive nature of her grey elf employers. Ultimately, circa, 2437, she decided to be quit of the circus when the travel circuit returned to the Northern Marches of Huncle for the harvest festivals which had become an important endpoint.
Ozcura Raid![]
Reevan got her wish to leave the circus, in a 'full circle' manner, just as she had been sold to the circus by her fellow Ozcuras, now she was reclaimed by them. For various reasons, the ozcuras had become much more militant, very likely due to the return of the demon lords after they had been released in 2434, and Dark Legion agitators? In any case, many young ozcuras went on their ritual 'first raid' at this time, but the size and organization made it far more serious than many typical 'first raids'. The Andlielle Brothers faced a serious threat which might have been their destruction of some seventy ozcura raiders which had clearly ambushed them as opposed to having just run across them. While the situation was defused and the circus was left alive, it was indeed robbed. Reevan went with the raiders as both she wanted to go, but also in that the ozcuras decided to 'recruit' her.
What happened to the Andlielle Brothers' Circus after that has not been shown. Very likely it might be surmised that they did not soon return to the Northern Marches! Indeed, the coming Second War of the Power would have turned their lives upside down regardless of where they were in the Five Kingdoms.