We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
-Emily Dickinson, Because I could not stop for Death, stanza 4
Act: Three: The Pistoleer
"Greetings, giorgio. Sit here, before me. Najib directed you here because you needed somewhere to stay while we travel. The Carnival is departing your former home. And you had some questions only I can answer. About the Pistoleer. Very well, I will tell you his tale while we travel to our next location.
"The Troupers gave him his name, the Pistoleer, for the wheellock belt pistols he carries so visibly. It is the only name he will answer to. He is also giomorgo, half-Vistani. But then, only a Vistana can see that.
"He came to us about three years ago, with the one called Knick Knack. Things have not changed much since he crossed the threshold of the Carnival. He had no voice then, and he has no voice now. If you get close enough, you will notice his face paint extends down covering his neck, unlike the other Skurra. For on his neck is a scar, painted with the Skurra-vera. It covers the real scar he has across his neck. Someone tried to take his life, unsuccessfully. No one truly knows how he got it. For he did not, and can not tell us how it happened. But one of the tales that little wooden man, Knick Knack tells, is that his former owner gave it to him.
"From the moment he came to us, he was not very social. There are only three he associates with, with any regularity. The first is the Organ Grinder, whom the Troupers believe is his uncle or father. That is more speculation on their part. The second he associates with is the Crimson Rose, whom he plays the lute for and even dances with sometimes. And Isolde.
"Most of the time, you will see him sitting in a quiet corner of the Carnival, feeding the little creatures the Troupers call Creeplings. He is good with the animals, like the Organ Grinder. And prefers their company to that of most people.
"The Troupers do a great deal of speculating about him. Him and our mistress Isolde. He is the only one who has seen the inside of her vardo. The Troupers like to believe they are having a romance. He certainly did bring her out of her shell. She associates much more with the Troupers than she use to. And she spends a great deal of time with him. They even walk about the Carnival together. And he always seems to know where she is. But if there is a romance between them, it is no ones business but theirs.
"He has also tried several times to create a brew that could cure our Hideous Man-Beast of his lycanthropy. But something has happened each time which has prevented him from finishing the brew.
"Well, as you can feel. The vardo has stopped. We have arrived at our destination, and I'm sure Najib will return for you presently."
The Pistoleer is an attractive half-Vistani man who once belonged to the Equaar tribe. Like most half-Vistani, he grew up shunned by the Vistani for his tainted blood. The animals had nothing against his parentage. He enjoys a rapport with the animals traveling with the Carnival similar to that of the Organ Grinder. Like the Organ Grinder, no animal natural or twisted will ever harm him. He seems to care more for the Creeplings. He treats them like his children. Similar to the Organ Grinder, the Pistoleer can summon a swarm of Creeplings to him, by shaking a box of food, like nuts or popcorn. He has also developed a certain rapport with the Hideous Man-Beast, who will not attack him in beast form.
