Jariek the Entertainer

> "Eugh, the Entertainer. A loathsome figure of charlatan magic and boisterous inclement. Still, in terms of his mysterious past, quite fascinating. The tale of his origin has a ring of truth to it in my view; just absurd enough to be true. Besides this, the existence of the Entertainer and his realm of Spectacle cannot be disputed." --Bet, *Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure*
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The Entertainer wasn’t always known by his moniker. Jariek Fed was once an acceptably mediocre bard, plying his trade across the Sundran coast with bawdy tales that could turn a sailor’s cheeks the color of a setting sun. This talent, crass though it may be, was sufficient for a meager wage and a stipend for travel.

Jariek’s ego often outstripped his abilities, and after one particularly ridiculous boast, he found himself on the receiving end of an impossible wager with a notorious local outlaw in Coldstall Harbor.

“To play in the queen’s court, I’ll have my audience by third moon’s turn!”

Words spoken in haste, and to the wrong type of people. Even then, Jariek had a knack for dramatics. The problem was he didn’t have the skill to back it up. With moon’s turn just four days away, the bard tried to skip town and renege on his deal. Being the sort to take umbrage atthis, the local criminal elements tied him to a mast and set his boat floating in the Midrian Sea. It is said when Jariek awoke, he was so muddled by dehydration and a severe lack of a swooning audience, he screamed for half a day. The truth is that he screamed, but this was more to do with his sailboat encroaching on the Midrian Whirlpool rather than any personal deprivation.

Jariek only stopped screaming when his boat sailed straight through the churning sea as though floating in a still harbor. Eventually, he ran aground on a small island and freed himself from his bonds. He found a pendant made of a curious blue artifact, one that seemed to shimmer in and out of existence in pearlescent waves. Rather more disturbing, it changed its appearance at the slightest provocation, now a serrated dagger, now a bowl of noodle soup. This might have dissuaded most people from wearing it, but Jariek is not most people.

On his triumphant return to Coldstall, Jariek was unrecognizable. He now wore a cloak of sapphire blue that shrouded his face with a heavy hood. He appeared two feet taller, broader at the shoulder, and slimmer at the hip. His fingers danced across a lute in the way sunlight dances on the waves, light and majestic and full of dazzling beauty. After that, it didn’t take long to earn his courtly appearance. Some say he repaid the outlaw a hundred-fold, attaching separate pieces of her to several different boats and sending them into the Midrian Sea. Some say he wasn’t one for revenge, and besides, he was too busy building Coldstall – now known as “Spectacle” – into an artistic mecca that draws talent from across Andovan.

But travelers to Spectacle should beware. The Entertainer has plans of his own, and he loves nothing more than a good show. The beating heart of Spectacle is the Ardent Arena, a silver colosseum which hosts the most wonderful – and awful – displays in the world. Royalty and merchants, demi-gods and fey, all are welcome in the Ardent, so long as they can pay. It would be wise for any who travel there to ensure they do not become an act themselves…