Background
For nearly half of the year, Maximolo Ricco's Carnival of Wonders is in motion, like all the other wagon trains from Trentare, the land of the Free Folk. Before First Snow though, Max likes to make sure that his beloved Carnival is safely ensconced in his winter camp, about a day's ride from the Khovars, a small monastery devoted to the HighFather. Here, he and his kin and clan can let their hair (and their guard) down a bit. They no longer have to perform for the masses. They can simply relax and celebrate another successful year.
The Basics
A not insignificant minority of the Free Folk prefer a more settled life. These remain in Trentare for the most, tending the fields in the southern portions of the province and around the lakes that dot their homeland. For the rest, there are the Travel Wagons.
Vast caravans of men and material that roam the Basin, stopping at first one town, and then another, bringing news, song, and merriment wherever they go.
The common folk love the arrival of a traveling caravan for it breaks up the monotony of day to day life and living. Often, the Lords of the Realm are less enthusiastic, but tolerate the temporarily presence of the Free Folk as they do have their value, bringing news from the far corners of the Realm and trade goods that might otherwise be difficult to acquire in some places.
A few of these traveling caravans are carnivals, and of these, Maximolo Ricco’s Carnival of Wonders is the largest and most famous.
He has a route that sees him departing from Trentare in mid summer for a slow trip through the Holy Lands, stopping at every town along the way before heading to the Holy City for a two week engagement in Suth, and then slowly crawling eastward to Calimba for another extended engagement before making way to IronPort, then north and around the Loch for a brief stop in the Vales, onto North Shores, and then to the Sister Cities before returning to Trentare for additional supplies and to hunker down for the winter months.
The arrival of the Carnival of Wonders is always a cause for celebration and many cities and towns have built their entire summer or harvest festivals around the expected presence of the carnival. Maximolo (‘Max’ to his innumerable friends) never disappoints.
Political Situation
The carnival is, as much as possible, apolitical. The Free care little for the political machinations of the rest of the Basin and mostly travel because it’s in their blood. They enjoy magic, wine, music and entertainment and they tend to spread these things wherever they go. In many ways, they are the soul of the Basin. Having said that, Max is a complicated man and he has an agenda beyond simply bringing smiles to children’s faces.
It would be fair to describe him as one of the “good guys” but, he is a criminal, or at least, he keeps company with criminals and lives in what most would call the underbelly of the world.
Some of his dealings are shady, others outright illegal. The man is certainly no saint, but again, one of the good guys, just a complicated one. He was instrumental in forming the College of Lore in Calimba, and over the years, he has presented countless numbers of rare books and priceless historic artifacts to add to the College of Lore’s impressive collection, always with the admonition, “don’t ask where this came from.”
And the College does not. They know full well that without Max, their collection of rare books and relics would be a fraction of the size that it is today. While some may disagree with his methods and his lifestyle, all are pleased to have such a capable Patron of the Arts.
Prominent People & Places
Although sparsely populated, everyone in Max's employ has a story, and would be fascinating to sit down and share an ale with. Here though, we'll just touch briefly on the most prominent folk.
Maximolo Ricco (The Owner and Master of the Carnival)
Despite the fact that Max must be approaching sixty now, he looks not a day older thirty. His eyes, however, tell a different tale. They appear the eyes of a much older, grizzled, experienced man.
Max lives simply and enjoys the simple life, but has quietly amassed a huge fortune over the years. While the carnival does generate a reliable profit, Max uses it as cover to conduct a number of other illicit activities, and his main source of income is information. The Carnival of Wonders could easily be described as a massive, well-organized information gathering machine disguised as a carnival.
The best way to describe Max himself is to say that he's a bit like a Carney Robinhood. He is completely unopposed to stealing from the rich then giving back to the poor (keeping a cut for himself, of course – again, he’s not a Saint).
Aside from dealing in information, his biggest illegal enterprise is the sale of back market Moon Lilly extract, although that is getting increasingly more difficult to come by as the known supplies dry up.
He has been known to engage in smuggling and maintains three brothel wagons under the watchful eye of the carnival’s Soothsayer, Madame Tarsha
Ariana Ricco (Max’s Daughter)
A dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty and the Heiress Apparent to her father’s enterprise. Ariana plays the role of “The Mermaid of Loch Laern” in the Tent of Freaks and Abominations, aided in that role by some illusion magic, courtesy of Madame Tarsha. She also manages the books (both sets) for her father.
She’s as gregarious as any of the Free Folk, but a ruthless businesswoman, and has considerable (but not complete) knowledge of her father’s more “questionable” business dealings. She’s none too fond of the prostitution, but is resigned to it, being of the mind that if they didn’t provide the service, someone else would and she has taken steps to ensure that “the girls” are well cared for.
Madame Tarsha (Soothsayer)
A witch of middling power who enjoys living amongst the carnival folk and lending her magicks to enhance the carnival experience for those in attendance.
Mordecai Jones - Head of Security
Mordecai is a massive, bald man who looks a bit like a black version of “Mister Clean.” He ran away from home at an early age, joining the carnival when it passed through the province of Widow’s Way many years ago. Not someone to be trifled with. He has direct command over the 40 warriors charged with camp security.
All carnies have to wear multiple hats, however, and his “duty station” is the Strongman Game or High Striker, which is a platform containing a pressure plate.
Carnivalgoers pay tickets to take a whack at the pressure plate with a large hammer in an attempt to send a puck up the length of the high strike to make it ring a bell. Few people ever succeed in doing this (DC20 Strength feat).
Sister Abigail Rhee (Carnival Medic)
A Life Priestess in the service of J’honsa. Sister Abigail runs the carnival’s aid station with a small support staff, rendering medical aid to those who find themselves in need of it. She suspects (but has no proof) that Madame Tarsha is a Mystic, so has two reasons take a dim view of her (Peace agreement or no). That, and the fact that Tarsha runs the prostitues.
Rhee is a deeply conflicted woman who’d doesn’t enjoy carnival life and doesn’t want to be here but being a servant of the God of Hardships, considers it to be one of her trials and thus, a badge of honor. Besides, it does give her the opportunity to spread the wisdom contained in the “Book of Works and Deeds” to those who clearly need it the most.
These five keep the carnival running more or less smoothly.
Attractions
Carnival attractions include:
- The High Striker (strong man attraction)
- A Fortune Telling booth
- Horseback riding (for kids) - the carnival has 4 large, good-natured Clydesdales. They sell tickets, allowing children a short ride on the backs of these giant beasts.
- And “Adult Entertainment” (the aforementioned prostitution ring)
Additionally, Max keeps a small Zoo (several animal cages kept in a big top tent - tickets to get inside to see the creatures, which include):
- A Cairn Cat
- A Rock Badger
- A (very old) giant Grizzly Bear
- A Dire Wolf
- A pair of unusually large (trained) wild boars. These are used in the Big Top act and trained to jump through flaming hoops, perform various “tricks” and even play catch with the animal handler.
- A small enclosure kept in darkness contains a pen with half a dozen giant cave crickets (big suckers!)
- And a mutated two-headed Giant Python (14′ in length)
Then, of course, there is the infamous House of Horrors (this is one of the most popular draws the carnival has). It’s a collection of grim torture devices that use dummies to demonstrate how they work. Among other things, you’ll find:
- An Iron Maiden
- A toe-crusher
- The Pear of Anguish
- A Brazen Bull
- Impaling Spikes
- Heretic Forks
- A Judas Cradle
- Molten Lead Sprinkler
- Thumbscrews
- A Rack
- And a Guillotine
Capping all of this off is a large crystal coffin filled with preserving fluid that supposedly contains the remains of a Nilroggi. Few people alive have ever seen one, however, and they’re known for collecting their dead, so no one can verify the veracity of this claim.
Nearly as popular as the House of Horrors is the “The Tent of Freaks And Abominations” which houses a number of people with physical deformities who find acceptance here. They put themselves on display for a small share of the carnival’s profits and a safe place to call home. “The Freaks” include:
- The “Mermaid” of Loch Laern (this is the only fake among the population. The role of the Mermaid is actually played by Ariana Ricco, the carnival owner’s daughter, who gets a boost from illusion magicks, courtesy of Madame Tarsha).
- The Dog Faced Boy and his Father (a father and son duo who both have tails (!) and are incredibly hirsute).
- The Human Torch (a fire eater)
- A Sword Swallower
- The Alligator Man (afflicted with a horrible skin condition that makes it appear as though he’s got an alligator hide) - he has a secondary talent besides. He can eat ANYTHING without apparent harm to himself.
- Five “Dwarves” (midgets) - and yep, there’s Dwarf Tossing. The leader of the “Dwarves” is a man named Rollo. He’s probably stronger than Mordecai Jones and is the best fighter in the carnival.
- A lovely, Rubenesque woman who also happens to have a beard. The “Dwarves” are highly protective of her.
Beyond that, you’ll find a number of carnival games, including:
- Games of Chance (dice and cards)
- Ring the bottle
- Three Card Monte
- An archery Range
- And jousting for Ringlets
- Then there’s the Funhouse (hall of mirrors)
In this last attraction, all of the mirrors are enhanced by magic, courtesy of Madame Tarsha. Some of them have fantastical backgrounds, others are designed to show the person looking in the mirror being accompanied by a gorgeous member of the opposite sex, and others show ghosts and other phantoms.
Then, of course, there are rides and other attractions, which include:
- The Haunted House (eight chambers displaying a variety of horrors, including one truly terrifying chamber that contains the most disturbing clowns you've ever laid eyes on)
- A Ferris Wheel (30′ high!)
- A primitive Roller Coaster (using wooden scaffolding and a mining cart) - no loops or whorls, but the track does consist of two large hills which provide quite a thrill - capacity is two at a time on the cart, which is hauled back to the top via rope and pulley system by some of the strongmen.
- A Giant Slide (children’s attraction)
- Boat Ride - another kid’s attraction - pretty basic. I huge wooden tub, about 30′ diameter, containing four brightly painted small boats sitting on about 3′ of water. Kids get place in the boat and can paddle on the water. They get to paddle and splash around a bit to the delight of their parents.
Plus a Food Station and a First Aid station.
You’ll also find minstrels who wander the carnival grounds playing music to entertain guests (who are covertly keeping a watchful eye, and are actually part of Mordecai’s security apparatus), with more musicians hosting a concert in the Big Top every night.
At any given time, there are about ten clowns that wander through the carnival delighting and entertaining. All of these are also members of Mordecai Jones’ security staff and can instantly spring into action if the need arises.
Again, it must be stressed that these are not evil, or even wicked folk. Yes, they sometimes steal. Yes, they engage in “questionable” activities, but they’re generally a good-hearted bunch, and a more accepting, non-judgmental group, you’ll never find.
They live in the underbelly of the world and do what they can to bring a bit of joy and laughter to it. They also do what they must in order to survive. It’s a gritty existence, but not without its charms.
Plot Threads
I designed the carnival to serve as a kind of mobile base for my next campaign. By all means, if it captures your imagination, feel free to do the same! Since the carnival goes just about everywhere in the Basin, hitting most of the major cities, the sky’s the limit in terms of what you can do with it and what direction you can take your campaign, and I mean, c’mon? An adventuring party based out of a carnival? What’s not to love about that?
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