Having lost Bartolo the Extorter, the men were fortunate enough to pick up a veteran of His Majesty's Third Expeditionary Force to replace him. Caleb was a hot-tempered warrior, who promised to have a fast horse by the time they were ready to leave Watersedge. Late that night, under cover of darkness, they departed the city and set out on the High King's Highway in pursuit of a shipment of furniture (sent by Strathurst) to be delivered to Peakshadow.
The road was nearly empty for except for Attalah and Shael's company (which included Abadini the Firebender and Caleb.) A long day's travel took them from Watersedge out beyond Plodden. On their second day, they were forced to camp on the open road and were met by a parcel-rider going the opposite direction. Two days after that, they caught up to the furniture shipment on a stretch of open road between Plodden and Menea.
Approaching the wagons in the dead of night, a brief and silent discussion was had with each of those tasked to protect the shipment. No survivors remained. The furniture shipment was piled high in the middle of the highway and set aflame. The party then beat a hasty retreat, making sure to cover its tracks. Riding hard through the night, they camped back where they had met the parcel rider and hoped to establish some alibi, should it be needed.
It was four days before anyone found them. A troupe calling itself the Great Lundini's Flying Acrobatics and Traveling Sideshow approached warily. As the troupe was coming from the direction of where the ambuscade had been laid, their reticence to meet others on the road was plain. By light of day, the sideshow sent forth the troupe's strongman and its "elven" princess to negotiate. Attalah and company claimed to have a lame horse which had thrown a shoe, and offered their camp to the travelers.
The troupe consisted of a loud man in a top hat, the Great Lundini himself, along with aforementioned strongman and "elven princess;" plus four acrobats, a "Southruner" fortune-teller, a bearded lady (who appeared to be a dwarf in drag) and a curious creature, they called the Songbird.
The Songbird was a man, with stumps for arms and legs, who nevertheless had a gift for inspiring and emotional orations. The troupe carried him about as "the suitcase" between shows and saw to his physical needs, but paid him the least wages and seemed to have some ill will toward him when he wasn't earning.
Moved by pity, the party agreed to hear the Songbird's performance. Three of four of them were immediately entranced and kept spellbound by the Songbird's tales. Before the night was over, they would come to see him as a trusted friend and an ally of the dearest kind. Shael alone would later testify that he found the orations clever and stirring (at first), but no more so than any tavern minstrel or common bard.
Nevertheless, by break of day the party agreed to put themsleves onto the troupe's payroll until the Flying Acrobatics and Traveling Sideshow was safely in Plodden. And the road was not long, but it was soon filled with intrigue.
After spending a day with the Songbird, Shael came to see the unfortunate man as the other's had -- a dearest friend and the deepest confidant. He, too, found himself disturbed by the Great Lundini's treatment of "the suitcase," and almost without having to conspire at all, agreed to attack and kill Lundini and leave him in a shallow ditch.
The fell deed done, it suddenly seemed to Attalah, that his lifelong ambition was to assume the top hat of a traveling sideshow's Master of Ceremonies. Shael, Abadini and Caleb all agreed that the idea had merit and without a moment's reflection joined the troupe.
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