Come to the Menagerie! - part 1 (Valcos 02)

 

What good is sitting

In a boring inn room?

Come see strnage beasts today!

Life is a Menagerie old friend

Come to the Menagerie!

 

Sgt. Ollo assigned the squad to deal with a reported disturbance at the Menagerie, a zoo that had been set up for the festival.  The team stocked up with supplies from the quartermaster and headed there by way of Sweeter Nothings, the apothecary and honey satellite shop opened by Lirafel, Simi's mother, for the Radiant Festival.  

Murder Chicken

The Menagerie was set up behind a ten-foot tall wooden fence. Outside the entrance gate was a small area with merchants and shops. Several of the escapees were already outside the zoo fence. A "murder chicken" cockatrice had gathered pillows and made a nest, quacking a challenge as the squad came into sight. The squad netted the mean-spirited cockatrice, trussing and bagging it.

Next, an owlbear named "Hoots" had decided to sample the wares of the produce store, and Rusty the Rust Monster was gorging itself in the Blacksmiths. Both creatures were summarily captured.

 

The entrance to the Menargerie had a poster of the rust monster in a top hat. 

The squad locked a pair of hyenas in a concession stand after closing the roll-up door and using Valcos' handcuffs to lock it.

The artificial enclosure for the penguins was a small pond with white rocks. The feathers and blood indicated that the flock had been significantly reduced; there was only a frantic survivor. A giant viper snake had claimed the area as its own, and the other penguins as lunch. The squad fired missiles at it until it came to attack, and then stunned it into submission.

After the snake had been secured, Pumpelly used his bardic ability to amplify a call for the staff to come out of hiding. A pair of assistant zookeepers (Rhia and Tellymand) came out from hiding and spoke to the squad.

• The zoo was owned by a fellow named Mr. Knight.
• Mr. Knight had been having a quiet affair with the veterinarian. While not scandalous, about a week ago they slipped away for a rendezvous (as was their habit), and never returned. Connected to the rash of missing persons, perhaps?
• A patron named Nils reported that his son was missing.
• An Ankheg was free in one of the buildings. 
• Also to be recaptured were an Al-Mirag (unicorn bunny) and a giant beetle of some sort.
• Ria and Tellymand, asst. zookeeper. Mr. Knight is the owner having an affair with the veterinarian, they slipped away for a tryst. A patron named Nils, missing a son. 
• Several of the escaped beasts were reported to behave with unusual aggression.

Simi dispatched someone to fetch Lirafel, in hopes that as a druid and apothecary, she might have some insights and help control the beasts until proper enclosures were available.

The squad took a break to catch their breath, and contemplated:

• Finding the missing son
• Checking the veterinarian's office for clues as to what drove the exhibits to such aggression.
• Checking Mr. Knight's office to see if there was any information about who might want to foment the escape. Business rivals? Frustrated buyer?