Marigold's Menagerie

Marigold's Menagerie was a stationary extension of the Jack Mooney & Sons Circus in the Vast in the 14 century DR. Headed by Marigold Mufflefoot, the facility functioned as a sort of combined animal shelter and animal training center.

Location
This building was located in the tent city outside of Ravens Bluff.

Structure
Marigold's was constructed of solid stone and wood with a tiled roof. The rear of the building had a large, fenced-in area, where animals were trained and those housed at the facility were taken out to exercise, graze, or be washed.

Before its front door a brightly painted sign was hung from a sturdy post. It depicted a tiger, the name of the establishment, and listed the cost of admission for children and adults.

Interior
To the left of the entrance were a set of rooms containing the bath, bedroom, and kitchen of Marigold. All the furniture in these rooms had some hair on them and numerous claw marks, as small animals were brought to stay in the rooms when they fell ill and needed to be nursed back to health. Further left of these rooms were the exhibits of Aburu the camel, Artur the brown bear, Rakenda the tiger, and the horses Fancy and Gypsy. Near the end of the hall was a storage room where herbal remedies and meat were kept. The hall then circled back around some of the exhibits and had an exit into the exercise yard.

To the right of the entrance was a long room containing individuals kennels for dogs and cats, situated across from one another. Each dog kennel contained a food and water bowl, a soft bed, ramps and platforms, and chew toys. Each cat kennel contained a food and water bowl, a sleeping area, a post for climbing or scratching, and a few toys.

Further down the hall from the kennels were two more large rooms housing the cages of other resident animals. The first room down from the kennels housed Phredd the giant fire beetle, a pit of over thirty non-poisonous snakes all named Squirmy, and Oliver the osquip. The second room down the hall from the kennels housed Ambitious the porcupine, Fleurette the spider monkey and her child, Genius the owl, Ghost the bat, Locksmith the ferret, Noble the raven, and a family of chipmunks.

Services
Marigold's Menagerie received most of its upkeep from charitable contributions, as the Jack Mooney & Sons Circus could not divert much funding to keep it afloat.

Additionally, to stay afloat Marigold gave guided tours of the facility, explaining to visitors about the animals. He charged an admission fee of 1 copper piece for children and 2 copper pieces for adults. If a children desired to enter but could not afford admission, they would be tasked with cleaning a cage or feeding an animal as payment. Neighborhood children were also often invited inside the facility to help on days where the animals needed to be bathed.

The facility also trained cats, dogs, and other small animals useful skills. If someone who was in need of an animal companion to assist them, such as blind or deaf individuals, could not afford the cost of training an animal the facility would gift them one of its trained strays. This training of animals even extended to wizard familiars, which served as a main source of income at a cost of 10 gold pieces.

Clerics and rangers were allowed in the facility during off hours, in return for occasionally helping feed animals and clean pens, to observe their behavior or practice the animal friendship and speak with animals spells.

History
After spending weeks thinking about a solution to the fate of the tiger Rakenda, after it was declared too old to perform anymore, Marigold Mufflefoot suggested to animal trainer Isbeau Navarne that the circus open a menagerie. A place where their retired animals could live out the last of their days in comfort, but be open to visitation by the people of Ravens Bluff. Intrigued by the idea, the circus constructed the facility and, at Isbeau's suggestion, Marigold was appointed its head.

It wasn't long before Marigold brought many stray cats and dogs he came across to the facility, unwilling to see them starve on the streets. Understanding that he couldn't just keep bringing in more, Marigold began training the animals he already had. He reasoned that well-trained animals were more well respected and valued than ordinary pets, thus ensuring that they were unlikely to be mistreated.

Marigold's Menagerie continued to exist following the Ravens Bluff War, surviving the forced dismantling of the tent city outside of Ravens Bluff that followed in 1370 DR, due to its use by bands of thieves. They went on to work in conjunction with the A.V.O.W. shelter, a facility opened by Marigold's niece.

In the late 14 century DR, the Menagerie partnered with Turning Wheel to occasionally bring animals into the city parks, allowing Ravenian children to pet them and ride ponies.