The Magical Menagerie of Master Marvelous
A traveling zoo that has a huge assortment of creatures from across the lands and planes.
History
The mage, Darrok Tengoats, was always fascinated by beasts and monsters from far off lands. Once he discovered that many of these creatures could be used to enhance spells, or create magical items, he started hiring adventurers to gather the parts of the creatures that he sought. His early experiments informed him that the fresher the material, the more potent the spell or item. So he started having the adventurers capture the creatures and transport them back to him alive. And to keep them alive as long as possible, he also instructed the adventurers to gather the plants and that the creatures consumed.
As other mages learned of his collection of beasts, they started buying components from him, and asking him to acquire even rarer monsters for their practices. Tengoats soon discovered that not only other mages, but many people would pay just to see these creatures up close. So he started charging people to come and see his collection that he kept in cages and pens on his lands. As the collection grew, Tencoats realized that he was making more money displaying the creatures than he was selling them off as components. Additionally, if he did not harvest them for components, he did not have to restock the animals as frequently.
As his own magical powers grew, he discovered that he could create a gateway to a small pocket dimension. In that pocket dimension, he was able to recreate the natural environs of the beasts that he was collecting. It took almost 8 years to get the dimension built out and stocked with his current collection, but then he was able to add more, like aquariums for sea creatures and aviaries for flying things. Once he had this completed, he opened his Magical Menagerie, and renamed himself: Master Marvelous.
The Magical Menagerie does not move from it's pocket dimension, but Master Marvelous can open the gateway to it where ever he is, so he travels the world now with his band of adventurers that he calls the Zookeepers, seeking out new creatures to add, and stopping to open the gate and charge admission wherever he thinks he can earn some coin.
Tourism
Master Marvelous usually sends several of his Zookeepers a few days ahead of him and the rest of the Zookeepers, to scout ou an area, gather rumors about monstrous creatures, and start marketing the arrival of the Magical Menagerie to the local populations. Once the Magical Menagerie arrives, tents are set up and paying customers are allowed to enter the various tents and see the collection for themselves. Passing into a tent, transports the guest to that particular environment where they can see the creatures that live there. Their are tents for Jungles, for the Mountains, for Forests, and Plains. Also for the Air, and the Seas, and his newest tent is for the underground caverns.
The usual cost for visiting a tent ranges from a copper to visit one particular tent, to a silver for a pass to all the tents. There is also a charge for researchers that wish to spend more time in a particular tent. Master Marvelous also, on occasion, when it is most profitable, he will return to his original business and sell parts, or the whole, of the creatures off, although this is very rare.
Type
Dimensional, Pocket
Owner/Ruler
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