Beggar's Byway

Two displaced twins who were forced from their home village due to an attack from their fair-skinned neighbors to the north find refuge in a traveling circus where they expand their family to include an albino tiger and a barefoot, exuberant trapeze artist. The twins, Jae and Caete, rise in the rank of the most valuable performers with their determination, hard work, and grit bestowed upon them by their deceased parents and their necessity to survive. 

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After a botched attempt at an expert maneuver in the air during a performance, Caete corrects herself with an unnatural burst of speed and power, gripping her partner’s hands while they dangle from the trapeze high above the crowd. The multitude below erupts in delirious cheers, yet one figure in all black remains still amongst the ecstatic crowd.

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Unbeknownst to Caete, the trick in the air was accomplished through magic. Elves with magic are condemned in Astertalla if they are too poor to receive proper training to serve in roles of power and influence in the government and among the prophets. Fearful of the discrimination to come and the whispers of those reported missing at the hand of shadow elves east of the river, Jae resolves to keep his sister’s surfacing magic a secret.

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The twins’ attempt at a normal life within their circus family is disrupted when the figure in black, a fair-skinned elf from north of their home village, hands them a letter and a swatch of multi-colored fabric from their long-lost aunt, revealing they belong to a surviving royal family and their continent is on the brink of war with the growing darkness among the shadow elves in the east.

 

The twins can choose to repress Caete’s growing magical power and seek to cover their tracks, or they can follow the figure in black to the human kingdom and embark on the journey of a lifetime.