The History of the Aygomenian Circus+ Condensed roster
The Featherby & Barnes Travelling Circus
(1792- present)
Began as a two wagon circus in 1792 under the name "Cloak and Featherby Minagerie and Circus." It included a "live Eboniaan--the only one in captivity in all of Aygomenia--and a three act performance." The circumstances of their acquiring an Eboniaan woman were never fully explained, but she was their star attraction. At first she was marketted as "a being from another world, far beyond the sea," but as Aygomenia became gripped with a fascination for tickling, her display gradually became more interactive...
The traditions of the circus were based upon the coliseums of ancient Aygomenia. A fencing match, here; a song or theatrical performance there; the children were chaperoned for horse rides and feedings, along with a viewing of the various animals and exotic wares from lands far away; and finally the display of some new and fascinating oddity. The Eboniaan people are incredibly limber, and Sheeva initially performed as their first acrobat and contortionist, acting as a one-woman sideshow for many years. But as the public began to re-embrace tickling with almost morbid curiosity, public scenes of torture were enacted on their captive for the entertainment of the masses. This began to draw larger and larger crowds of fascinated spectators until around 1800, when the Era of Great Enlightenment cast a cruel shadow on the treatment of their "pet". To regain public favor, they made Sheeva a partner and explained that she was only playing the role of a captive. To show the audience that there were no hard feelings, Featherby and his wife submitted themselves to their own stockades and allowed themselves to become a public spectacle at the hands of Sheeva. However, over these 8 years she'd been traveling with them, she'd managed to acquire an education in bits and pieces; and while they were helpless to their own devices, she displayed her knowledge to them as she extricated a renegotiating of her partnership contract to more than a symbolic position, and in front of an entire city of onlookers became the majority shareholder in the Featherby circus. With her newly acquired wealth, she proved an invaluable resource in expanding the Circus's revenue and in 1810 married a local merchant to become "Mrs. Sheeva Barnes."
Her husband's freight routes allowed the Featherby and Barnes circus to become the first in Aygomenia to travel by rail, permitting them greater access to smaller venues, and more frequent shows. With their additional revenue, Barnes was able to purchase a lion, an elephant, and acquire the talents of a Phauxnorse strong-man. She employed trainers, and expanded the worth of her menagerie by teaching them to perform. She would outlive James and Elanor Featherby by another 50 years--though they'd been able to comfortably retire only 20 years into their partnership-- and go into business with their son Alexander in 1860. Her own husband died in 1863, and she was remarried to Alexander Featherby in 1865, after which the "Cloak and Featherby Menagerie and Circus" was officially renamed "Featherby and Barnes Traveling Circus."
All throughout her career, however, she never forgot the public display which earned her her reputation. From 1810 through 1863, she hosted a series of public performances in which men, women, and anyone who claimed they could withstand thirty minutes of her gentle destruction were put to the rack, or the stockades, or the pillory as hundreds of audience members looked on. She even arranged for the immigration of other exotic persons to test her skills on, all the time advertising them as champions who dared accept her challenge. "Will the Phauxnorseman be able to resist succumbing to helpless laughter?" "Will the discipline of the Labrynthian son be enough to steel his nerves against my cold touch?" When her staff would feign sickness to avoid another tickling, she would find the most obnoxious audience member to torment instead. She finally retired, leaving the circus to the care and management of her husband Alexander in 1867, who still presently operates the company from an office in the Aygomenian capital. He's recently been scouting more orthodox talent in addition to their specialization, taking in whatever street performers and sideshow acts he can: he was the first in the world to feature a Nymphaqueous high diving and water acrobatics show. To sate the masses until a new Torturer is found to replace his retired wife, he hosts various tickle-themed events such as the "Last Laugh" contest, the "Iron Lung Laughter Marathon", and the "Break a Giant Challenge." In these events, he's invented a way to either allow patrons to torture members of his staff, or vice versa for less than the cost of paying someone day to day to be tethered and tortured for hours on end, though there's usually a cash prize. Still, these gimmicks will only hold over his patrons for another season or so, and Mr. Featherby has put hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources into scouring the Globe for the next "Sheeva Barnes."
(decided to post all the profiles somewhere near the front of the thread for more accessible reference)
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CONDENSED ROSTER
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Name: Isis Blackside
Ethnicity: Eboniaan
Nationality: Islander
Age: 59 (early-mid twenties in "tree years")
Sex: Female
Height: 6'6" (2m)
Weight: 200 lbs (I'm not sure how much a tall, proportional woman made out of wood would weigh… so I'll just say 200 lbs.)
Occupation: Confectioner, seller of sweets and strange treats
Description: Isis is young and very curious about the other races, and not ashamed of being as forward with them as they are with an exotic creature like her. Her clothing is minimal but makes up for it in its garish coloring: intense yellows, reds, and violets adorn clothing fit for warmer climes: typically short skirts or wraps tied loosely around her waist, as well as tops that do little more than what Aygomen would consider a full, alluring bosom. Whether aware of it or not, she makes herself a temptation to the eye and hand of all around her.
Distinguishing Features: Pumpkin orange eyes always seen to form a sultry look within those jet black features, below a cotton puff of hair, a smallish afro in creamy white, in stark contrast to the darkness below. Somewhat delicate features offset her tall but attractive frame, not out of place for a tree, but standing head and shoulders above most of the Aygomen majority, especially their women. Her midnight skin is soft and supple, meticulously cared for to prevent the 'barking affliction' of her folk. No blemishes nor tattoos profane what constant attention keeps young and near perfect.
Name: Marciaen "Marcy" Ethers
Ethnicity: Eboniaan
Nationality: Colonial Immigrant (Dark Continent)
Age: 54 (late teens to early 20s in "tree years")
Sex: male (despite appearances)
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 110lbs
Occupation: acrobatic performer/ apprentice
Description: One of the more androgynous varieties of eboniaan males, he has a narrow build, dark complexion and sinewy muscle. These features
suit him well in his profession, but not when endeavoring to buy things such as clothing. Unable to afford tailoring, and custom fitted garments, he's had little choice but to mix and match whatever garments will stay on his shoulders and around his waist; ranging from children's apparel, to small mens, to womens. This hodge-podge mode of dressing often leaves strangers regarding him as either a mad man (or woman, as many will mistake) but being young, idealistic, and autonomous he does not take stock in their opinions. The latter of which often gets him into trouble.
As an apprentice in the circus, he has been trained in several manners of arial performance, controtion and balance. He has little mastery of any of these however, and has not yet been employed as little more than an understudy, and gopher. His training is often rigorous, and in his quiet hours he tends to keep to himself; but he has maintained a certain social presence with his co-workers necessary to make a few friends. Typically very soft spoken, with difficulty expressing thoughts and feelings with words. He often seems to be daydreaming.
Appearance: Marcy has taken favor of corsets as a means of resting his back while not performing or training, but otherwise has no distinctive mode of dress. Nothing fits him particularly well, and so he usually has at least one shoulder of a garment hanging loosely from his bicep, and he uses the garter belts of his corsets to hold up his pants. Given the option, he usually cavourts around the ground in his tights and slippers, rather than bothering with trousers at all, which he's been told makes him look "Elizabethan". His hair is cropped to the neck and unrestrained, but is pushed neatly back with only a stray curl hear or there despite his best efforts.
Distinguishing features: He has purple irises, and a silver Labrynthian piercing in either ear, and on the left side of his lip.
Name: Alex Willoughbee aka "Alexander the Great"
Ethnicity:Labrynthian
Nationality: Agyomian Mainland, lower class
Age: 39
Sex: Male
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 150
Occupation: Street Magician
Description: A self proclaimed professionally trained illusionist, his parlour tricks and illussions still fumble from time to time, which flusters the statuesque male and has prevented him from landing a full time performing act. His loud performing personna is quite the contradiction to his behind the scenes quiet nature. From colourful capes and outlandish pants to proper coat and tails, his wardrobe is usually depicted by his mood and age of his audience. To add to the illussion, he legally changed his name when he turned 18 to hide his true ethnic background from his audience. Having no desire to work hard laboured jobs, Alex has taken to the streets of Aygomen to perform for anyone willing to stop and watch. Wanting nothing more then to perform for a living and embrace whatever fame comes with it, Alex will let nothing stop him from achieving his career goals....even if it means doing things he wouldn't normally want to do.
Appearance: He will often wear hats to hide his ears from the audience, so they won't accuse him of using his abilities to perform his tricks. Although it is a well known fact that Labryn can communicate with higher frequencies with the average human, he tries his best not to use his hidden ability and would rather impress the crowd honestly, instead of planting thoughts into their minds. Night black shoulder length hair and dark eyes give a mysterious, sinister look to the performer, but his good nature shines through, dismissing any suspisions of hidden agendas.
Distinguished Features: Pentagram type pigmentations are found just below the neckline of his back. Often mistaken for tattoos, Alex was sometimes accused of being involved in Satanic rites. His clothing helps conceal the markings, however some of the loser apparal will sometimes reveal part of the markings just below his hairline.
Name: Katarina
Ethnicity: Phauxnorse
Nationality: emigrant worker from the Phauxnorse homeland
Age: 24
Height: 12'3''
Weight: 420lbs
Occupation: General construction, cargo management
Description: a buxom, but wirey girl who often dresses in the scant garb characteristic of her people. She wears a shirt made of some sort of draping fabric attached to a leather strap around her neck, which does a sufficient job of covering her chest, but leaves her arms, back, midriff and flanks bare. To facilitate her free movement about the grounds while working, she'd had a pair of trousers tailored from sail canvas, but usually wears a knitted skirt or kilt in her leisurely hours. Her shoes are more often than not sandals, but if asked she'll say that a cobbler somewhere in the Glenn has been in the process of making her a pair of boots for some number of months now (making a pair of shoes to fit a 30in foot can be somewhat difficult). In terms of personality, she can be rather obnoxious, if not quarrelsome, but this is probably due to her actual shyness as a person.
Distinguishing features: despite her large size, she has domicile, soft features. Relative to her ethnicity, she's actually considered rather petite, though something of average height. Her skin is uncommonly pale, her eyes uncommonly light in hue (green) and her hair comparably dark (auburn/brown). She might even be described as sickly, but her vitality shows no sign of ailment. It may simply be that the air in Aygomenia is just a bit to thin for her liking.
Name: Erimosi Apavéva
Ethnicity: Labrynthian
Nationality: Aygomenian mainland
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 162
Occupation: Scam Artist, Charmer, and occasionally Prostitute, mostly for information.
Description: Deeply manipulative and obsessive by nature. She is thoroughly attractive but very strong-featured: a very tall frame, night-black hair, high cheek bones, and dark, intense, blue eyes. She's accustomed to being the tall, daunting woman. She is typically quiet and collected, thoughtful and calculating. Her mind does not rest. She constantly ponders how to use her fellow human being as an instrument. She seeks power because, as long as she's been alive, life has been a devastating question for one so compulsively curious, and the exhilaration of overcoming and having another at her mercy has been the greatest pleasure she has known. Thus, she is overwhelmingly competitive, a perfectionist, sneaky/evasive, and often devious, and she views most situations as a manifestation of a game.
Tickling has had no less of an impact in her life than in others' in Aygomenia. She has tickled and been tickled at every turn of life, and it is perhaps the most fascinating form of power and submission to her.
Name: Evanya Onyotili
Ethnicity: Pureblood Labyrinthian
Nationality: Aygomenian Mainland
Age: 19
Sex: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 105 pounds
Occupation: Aspiring Escape Artist
Appearance: She has a slim attractive build. Not bony, but there isn't much meat to her. Taut midriff, small bust, and slinky lanky limbs gives her a slightly mousy, awkward appearance. She has dark brown eyes and tan skin with typical Labyrinthian markings. She has dyed her hair a solid blue in order to make herself more noticeable. Who she manages to get noticed by in doing this is yet to be determined.
She wears an odd garment with particularly long sleeves which can either be rolled up upon itself or loosened, making the perfect straight jacket. The garment is a brilliant blue, and aside from its restraining features accentuates her slim frame, as well as reveal the entirety of her midriff, only coming down to the lowest ribs. She wears a pair of tight, otherwise nondescript pants she finds easy to move in.
Personality: Extremely intelligent when it comes to learning new tricks or mathematics, but not as good at figuring out other people. Young and eager but perhaps naïve, she tends to stick her foot in her mouth. Recently her mind has set itself on mastering traps and restraints, maneuvering herself out of the most restricting traps. Most of the time, at least.
She has sometimes gotten herself in the nasty habit of being tickled whilst restrained, something which makes it much harder for her to make a dramatic escape, but somehow seems to be just as entertaining. On a few rare occasions, she has convinced a few of the more curious to try out the various bondages for themselves, something which stirs a surprisingly darker, more aggressive part of her to come out...
Name: Minh Nguyen (prounounced "Min Win")
Ethnicity: Asian
Nationality: French Indochina
Age: 35-40
Sex: F
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 120 lb.
Occupation: ringmistress
Description: This former high-wire artist practices Buddhist meditation, has a dark and mysterious personality, and sometimes can be domineering. She usually wears traditional Asian clothing (ao dai).
Distinguishing Features: She occasionally carries a gold-plated pistol ("pimp gun"), perhaps having been a madam in Asia. She likes spicy food, strong coffee, and weak men
