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Shalani Caravan

Page history last edited by Gillian 13 years, 8 months ago

Several times each year (usually late spring and early fall) the Shalani pass through Brindenford. A number of bands come through each year, but one or two are common every year.

One such band consists of:

A pair of horsetrading brothers named Abelard and Fabiano. They usually have light riding horses, cart horse, an occasional sable or vor. Usually 3-5 animals at a time. They will buy only the cheapest animals. Their sale prices are a bit over standard, but their animals always look (and are) of very good quality. They claim that they have an encampment in Greenvale where they raise, break, and train their animals. Both brothers are in their 20's, are married, and have young children. Each has his own caravan. Fabiano is a very good looking young man.

Faustine is their beautiful sister. She is a dancer, who will entertain in the evenings while her brothers accompany her on balalaika and drums. Faustine is unmarried, although she has a sweetheart who travels in another caravan. They hope to wed next winter. She is about 18-20, quite pretty and very clever. Her dancing is wild and sensuous, but she does not flirt or carry on with outsiders. Her dancing companion is a trained bear named Ophelie (although the bear wears "masculine" dancing clothes).

Ormand is the group's blacksmith and strong-man. During times they camp in town, while Faustine and Ophelie dance, and the brothers show off their horses, Ormand plays the roles of strong man, fat lady and other oddities (by use of his magical hat of disguise). He performs in a small two-roomed tent, and steps in and out of the back room, does a quick-change disguise alteration, and emerges in his next role.

Gabrielle and Vincente are Faustine, Fabiano and Abelard's parents. They have no public roles, but are always present in the background, cooking, working and minding the camp. Vincente is slightly lame from an accident years ago, when he broke his leg.

Gabrielle's mother Mirielle is the group's true leader. She's a very elderly woman, small and bent and worn, almost ageless. She is a drabardi (fortune teller), and will tell anyone's fortune for a silver penny or two. However, she is actually quite good at what she does, and if given sufficient time, or if she is sufficiently drawn to a particular person, she can give a very telling fortune. However, if she feels insulted or takes a dislike to someone, her fortune can be equally true, but may turn quite bitter.

Yannic is another Shalani, a cousin of Gabrielle's, who acts as Ormand's announcer and stage-manager for Faustine. In some ways, he is taken by outsiders to be the leader of the group, since he often arranges the group's performances, and collects money for them. However, he's actually disliked by Vincente and Abelard, viewed by them as an encroacher. Yannic is interested in Faustine, but she already has a sweetheart, and tries to avoid his advances.

Other members of the group: Yannic's crippled sister Cecile, who is Faustine's friend, Amily and Evana who are her brother's wives, etc… a couple aunts and uncles, and probably 10-12 children.

Yannic and Ormand have a secondary activity; while the caravan is encamped near town, they often sneak out of camp at night and go thieving. They don't always raid the town itself, but nearby farms and other travelers as well. Indeed, they will sometimes try to arrive a day or two ahead of the caravan, so as to avoid marking their refuge out as the source of the thefts.

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