We passed the school where children played,

Their lessons scarcely done;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun.

-Emily Dickinson, Because I could not stop for Death, stanza 3

Act Two:

The Living Doll

"See the figure sitting there on the stage. The two foot tall figure wearing the Victorian's Gentleman's clothing with the top hat. That is Knick Knack. He looks like a child playing dress up, does he not? Well as you get closer, you will notice the hard lines under his mouth and the red circles on his cheeks, and the brown wood grain of his skin, actually it isn't really skin, it's wood.

"Yes, my noble friend, he is made of wood. In fact, he is a ventriloquist's dummy. A number of years ago, before this unworthy one came to sail these shores, Knick Knack was just a simple doll. But when he came to Carnival all that changed. He became alive. There is only one person here that truly knows anything of his existence before coming here to Carnival, but he will never say. So the troupers mostly speculate.

"His act starts out like a normal ventriloquist's act. Another of the troupers will hold Knick Knack on their lap and they will talk to each other. Then the trouper will get up and put Knick Knack on the chair and leave. Then Knick Knack will continue talking, quite to the amazement of all. He especially likes children. Knick Knack spins elaborate, wonderful tales of his travels with his owner to entertain the children who come to visit him. The stories change with every crowd so, we're not sure if there is any truth to any of them.."

Knick Knack traveled throughout the Core as part of his owners act. His owner was a cruel and selfish man. But an act of treachery cost his owner his life. His owner hired a Half-Vistani as a guide, but once they reached their destination, the ventriloquist tried to kill him by slitting his throat. The two struggled and the ventriloquist died in the struggle. The half-Vistani was lucky that it was not a fatal wound, but it left him without voice. For whatever reason the half-Vistani took Knick Knack with him. Then he happened upon the Carnival. The moment the pair crossed the threshold, Knick Knack became alive. The half-Vistani joined the Skurra as the Pistoleer, and Knick Knack became a Trouper.

Knick Knack was born the moment he crossed over the Carnival threshold. So the only things he knows, he's learned from the other troupers. Knick Knack is very observant, and picks up information quickly. He can speak four of the troupers languages and Orcish. He is an excellent story teller and is very good at working the crowd. He enjoys throwing darts with the other troupers, which he keeps in a bandoleer beneath his waistcoat. He's trying to broaden his act by throwing the darts blindfolded. At the moment he is practicing this by throwing them at the trouper Wood'n'head. Being a child, unfortunately, he is prone to temper tantrums, especially when he doesn't get his way. Only the Pistoleer, whom he thinks of as a father, and Isolde, the mistress of the Carnival, whom he believes gave him life.

"And now for something strange…

The Rock

"See there, that small statue of a dwarf standing by that pile of rocks. That is Gon Stonesplitter. He's not really made of stone, although you couldn't tell except by close inspection. But if you try to get that close, you'll find out exactly how stone-like his fists feel on your face. He was found in a field when we arrived to grace a town in Nova Vaasa with our presence. He had been the victim of a wizard's attack. Some say he was actually turned to stone by a spell called flesh to stone, I've never heard of such a spell, but then I'm not a wizard. Others say he was just paralyzed. Whatever it was, he was standing there like a statue. Our esteemed mistress, Isolde, walked right up to him and returned him to his natural state. He doesn't know how long he had been standing there, but he sure was glad we arrived. He had only planned on staying long enough to repay Mistress Isolde for helping him out. That was three years ago and as you can see, he's still here.

"His act is quite simple. He stands there motionless like a statue, for hours sometimes, until someone walks up to him, then he moves, proving he's not a statue. He can also break rocks with his bare hands, hence the pile of them. He'll even invite a strong gilly to use a sledgehammer, which usually sits near the pile of rocks, to break him. It never works. You see, he's strong as stone. Gilly? I'm sorry that's anyone not connected with the carnival, an outsider. Sometimes, he and the Brute, who's on the other side of the midway, get into a strength competition. That's usually a good show. It usually comes out in a draw."

Gon Stonesplitter, like most dwarves in the Demiplane of Dread, is from the city of Tempe Falls in Necropolis. While traveling in Nova Vaasa with his friends they encountered an evil wizard who cast a spell on him that turned him stone. When the carnival arrived, Isolde dispelled the spell, returning him to normal.

The twisting caused by Isolde, took hold of him immediately. His skin can become as hard as stone and is unharmed by a number of edged weapon attacks. When in his stone form, he also has added strength. He can also blend in with any stone surface.

He is an expert stone mason and creates great works of art in stone, which he sells to the public. Gon can wield any hammer, although he in an expert with the maul.

"I see you've noticed the beautiful woman dancing there and the handsome man with the wheellock belt pistols on his hips, playing the lute, both with painted faces like the harlequins. They are the Crimson Rose and the Pistoleer. They are two of our Skurra. They are Vistani. I know very little about the Skurra. But then, all us humble troupers know little about them. That is another's department."

The sun began to dip below the tree line. Najib bowed low as a woman approached. The young man with the newly-lit eyes turned to see an attractive dark-haired woman stride past them, oblivious to all but her own thoughts. She smiled when she saw Najib bow to her, then continued past him. The woman wore dark blue trousers and high black boots. Her hair flowing behind her. She walked over to the Pistoleer playing the lute. He stopped playing and left the stage he and the Crimson Rose danced on. The Crimson Rose also left the stage. All the Skurra began hustling about.

"Now, if you'll look over there to the violet vardo. That is Madame Fortuna's vardo. She is Vistani. If you are to travel with us, then that is the place to go. You'll notice the Skurra are beginning to pack up. It's called a Tear Down. We're moving on now."