The Ringmaster
Chandler Bartleby Crypt
Adventurer, explorer, mesmerist, and professional thief are just some of the ways to describe the Ringmaster, otherwise known as Chandler Bartleby Crypt. Yet, those terms might only scratch the surface of a man with hidden, if not dangerous depths.
History
Early in life, Chandler Crypt held an honest job as an insurance investigator working for the firm of Titanium Security and Insurance Corporation until he was ordered to sweep a particular investigation "under the rug". While he had the evidence to show that the customer had committed insurance fraud, the company's board of directors ordered him to lose the evidence since the client was a major shareholder. Disillusioned, burned out, he traveled the world to clear his head. This brought him to the doorsteps of the Kesang Jinpa temple.
There, Chandler learned the mysterious arts of the mind, gaining the power to "Cloud Minds". Yet, he was still bitter over what he had been forced to do by his former employers. The bitterness grew until he no longer felt at peace at the temple. So one night, he left the mountain and returned to the states.
To distract himself, he took a radically different career path: running an acrobat and aerialist circus.
The circus was a success but only marginally. Struggling for engagements, he was approached by Oswald Cobblepot, aka "The Penguin", who wanted to hire the group for a private performance. As the pay was excellent, he accepted. It was a decision that changed his life and the lives of his crew.
The performance was a setup for the Penguin to use the circus as cover for a crime. This crime, the theft of a jeweled raven statue, was successful. At first, the circus was held to blame but was quickly cleared. Despite that, it tarnished their reputation.
Most performers left to find other work, leaving a small group of twelve with Chandler. One evening, burning with rage - and some whiskey - he lamented over what the Penguin did. One of his crew suggested that why should the likes of Penguin reap the rewards?
From there the seed was planted. Chandler began teaching the most adept of the crew how to Cloud Minds to a limited degree. And so, the Crypt Carnival gang of thieves was born.
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