Brazen Wolfe Tabletop

The Cursed Carnival

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Title: The Cursed Carnival

Adventure Hook: Brightwood is known for being vibrant and joyful where minstrels sing proudly in the street while various craftsmen sell their wares at the local market. However last week a traveling carnival arrived and set up shop on the outskirts of the fun loving village. Since its arrival the village has experienced strange occurrences, voices in the alleys and things moving around their houses at night. The carnival has an eerie atmosphere bit the Carnival’s ringmaster, Farren the Fantastical, is so charismatic that people cant help but spend their coin at the carnival as he brings a new type of joy to the village.

However a villager has now disappeared and the circumstances around the disappearance are mysterious. The Mayor of Brightwood has requested adventurers to come and uncover the truth behind the disappearance to reassure the town that everything is indeed bright, in Brightwood.

Notable NPC: Farren the Fantastical – The ringmaster of the Fantastical Carnival, the man himself exudes charm more prolifically than the best bards and minstrels. Clad in a dazzling outfit littered with small glittering gemstones and discs of polished metal he doesn’t just demand attention he commands it.

He is tall and slender with piercing lavender eyes with a smile that reveals his mischievous nature. He has demonstrated his affinity with illusion magic and slight of hands tricks but that is the limit of his spell casting abilities, or so he makes people think. He hides a darker side which he uses to take control over the carnival and its original residents so he can continue with his dark plans.

Location: The Cursed Carnival – It’s still a place of joy and laughter but there is a ominous feeling to the tents, stalls and attractions. A presence that only seem to abate when Farren is near as if he brings the joy to this place. The hall of mirrors is a particularly haunting place where people have reported seeing other faces staring back at them as if but for a moment.

The Big top is Farren’s main place of residence where the sound of laughter, applause and jubilation can be heard nearly day-round. Despite the flashy nature of Farren the shadows dance in the tent without a change to the lighting and people always lose something while in the tent. The other entertainers that perform with Farren include a man that can breathe fire, a man that can lift weight that a normal man could not and a man who’s accuracy with this throwing knives would be legendary in any other setting.

The fortune seer’s tent has been out of order for some time now but it is still set up with a sign saying ‘Be back soon’. A strong feeling of sadness can be felt by people who stand near the tent for too long.

Hidden Plot Twist: The Carnival is powered by an artefact, the Dusk Amulet, which hangs from the top of the big top casting a scattering of colours down on the performance below. Farren uses this amulet to target those particularly weak to his magical ministrations. When they come back, hearing the call of his magic, he feeds their soul to the amulet to bolster the carnivals dak magic which guarantees his ticket to free meals and fame.

The adventures quickly sense something wrong with the Carnvial despite the Mayor dismissing its involvement as he has been influenced by Farren and the amulet too much. As they explore the carnival more their interest does not go unnoticed and soon they realise the hall of mirrors reveals the trapped souls that the carnival has claimed.

Social Encounter: They are led to the Big Top after one of the souls in the Mirrors connects with them, pleading for the adventurers to save her big brother who Farren had trapped in the Big Top. As they rush to the big top they notice the Amulet shining brightly as they enter before it immediately goes dull. The Firebreather, Strongman and Knife-thrower all appear and soon the sound of a single hand clapping builds.

Combat Encounter: Farren and his henchmen attack the party after a brief attempt at bringing them onboard with the corrupting amulets light. The battle is tense as the three work as if guided by a single mind, which is not far from the truth as Farren and the amulets influence guide their attacks acting as a fifth participant in the battle with a eagle-eye view of the battlefield. This revelation happens after too many lucky breaks happen for the opponents at the same time the Amulet emits a beam of light which touches the adventurers.

Conclusion: If the adventurers manage to destroy the Eclipse Amulet and defeat Farren, the curse is lifted, and the carnival’s dark magic dissipates. Farren and his troupe lose their power and are brought to justice. The villagers are freed from the curse and those trapped in the hall of mirrors are released, worse for wear but alive, and Brightwood can finally return to its joyful self. The mayor rewards the adventurers with gold and a rare magical trinket from the village’s treasury.