Baron Arcadia’s
Circus Fortuna
A dull and weary ache escorts the lonesome, tired traveller as twilight unfurls across a new and strangely sweetened breeze, where dusken sun-light cuts mellow arcs through dense woodland and bramble thickets, and curious creatures skitter, roam and dart.
The air - for so long heavy with the scent of sour mosses and mildewed barks, swells now with deliciousness; baked cherry pies and hot honeyed lemon wines, roasted boar and axel-grease, fire-torches and peppered meads, mustards and sweet perfumes of all deliriousness and delight.
The green canopy breaks, a narrow gap in the thick forest’s edge, and there in a wide clearing the exhausted Traveller spies the many wonders and myriad temptations of
Baron Arcadia’s Circus Fortuna.
A large, big-top tent fills the astounded gaze with cascading hues, the approach towards it a singular bustling boulevard of temptations where leans delectable stalls, enticing tents, vine-covered carts and barrows piled high with wonders and treats galore.
This fantastical delirium is encircled by a treacherous scaffold of parallel wooden rails upon which, leaning to-and-fro, slowly up then speedily down, a barnacle-encrusted Galleon-ship giddily tips and rolls on several sets of delicate brass wheels; a Tavern, of sorts, where inebriating refreshments most fantastical may be enjoyed by those brave enough to leap aboard!
At every angle the Traveller’s gaze is filled to the brim with spectacular visions; wild-bewigged, chalked and charcoal faced acrobats tumble through rainbows of billowing smoke and fire, entertainers cavort and carouse in enormous masks of beast and monstrosity, draped in furs and silks and lantern fires that sparkle and shimmer.
Upon stilts or in barrows, huge marionettes, terrifying and hilarious, dance and dally, tattoo encrusted clowns with pearl drop tears fizz and whirl, tumblers, spinners, drums and dulcimers, all, beneath an eruption of cascading, cacophonous sky flowers.
The Traveller, now adrift upon enchantments many, may never again see such wonders nor delight in such myriad fascinations as may be found here, within the all encompassing and dizzying embrace of
Baron Arcadia’s Circus Fortuna.
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A fae-wild circus, complete with stalls, tents, games and performances.
There is also a Tavern, shaped like an old galleon-wreck, that circles the carnival on rickety old tracks.
As quickly as this arcane circus arrives, it is gone, leaving behind only a faded and age-worn poster pinned to a tree with an ancient elven arrow.
Connecting Baron Arcadia to Your Campaign :
It may be as simple as happening upon the Circus in the wilderness, or perhaps it is visiting a Settlement your Players are presently in?Consider, even, placing Arcadia’s Circus in more unexpected places - in a Dungeon deep below an ancient, and long abandoned, Castle, for example.
Is there a contact to be made? A skill to learn? A secret to uncover? The Circus provides more than mere entertainments, after all!
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Use this section as a quick reference during play, or at the start of a Session to refresh your GM senses!
Sights
Variously sized tents made from aged and coloured fabrics, stitched and mended many hundreds of times.
Circus performers dancing, vaulting, running, and cartwheeling.
Fire-torches, fireworks, sparklers, eruptions of coloured smoke.
Various vendors, stalls, and carnival games.
Gaudily painted faces and signs and boardings.
Crowds of awe-struck people.
A huge galleon-like ship rolling on rails around the entire Circus grounds.
Sounds
Laughter, excited shouts and gleeful calls.
Trumpets, harps, dulcimers and drums.
Vendors calling and shouting for custom.
Bells tinkling, fireworks fizzing, animals squawking and bellowing.
SmellsSweet perfumes and oils.
Succulent roasting meats.
Meads and mustards.
Grease and tar.
Zesty fruits and sugary treats.
Hay-bales and animal dung.
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The Circus is nothing without the customer, the reveller, the wanderer, or the curious patron, and does much to keep each and all entertained and enthralled until their coin purses carry nothing but lint and gentle regret.
Time moves strangely here, too, and the reveller may find that much has been spent beyond mere coin, as the Baron shall receive all manner of payments should a person so wish … a parcel of land, a noble’s titles, a first (or even second) born, an eye or a tongue, a promise, a wish, or a name …
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Customers and Coin, primarily.
The Baron is also on the look out for undiscovered and incredible Talents to add to his roster, or to replace those in the Circus who wish to depart.
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The Baron takes great pride in his Circus offering entertainments and delights that shall never be forgotten by those who pay to attend and to watch.
Memories and dreams drift off into the world, planting seeds of fascination, inspiration and longing.
Many trinkets and souvenirs, too, are sold by the Circus - strange and ancient looking children's toys carved from strange timbers, as well as scraps of fabric imbued with aspects and delicate weaves of some of the many arcane arts on display at the Circus.
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The many wagons and stalls that, during “show-time”, offer up refreshments or games of skill and chance, or various souvenirs and temptations, convert quickly into sleeping wagons for the various performers and labourers who attend to the Circus and its many mechanisms.
Other wagons, some simple and rather rickety, others proud and painted elegantly, encircle the rear of the Big-Top, function as living-quarters and dressing areas for the performers and talent of the Circus.
Baron Arcadia’s own wagon - small and rickety - is always set a little way away from the lights and cacophony of the Circus, out of sight of most onlookers, is painted a deep, dark green, with enormous cart-wheels that shimmer with flaking, aged gold-leaf.
Anyone approaching the Baron’s wagon is greeted by the howls of several large wolf-hound looking creatures who seem to respond to none but Arcadia.
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Baron Arcadia attends to all like a father, a brother, a teacher, and a confidant. He is the first, and the last, word in all things regarding the Circus, and his word - though gentle and calm - is law here.
This law, however, is said to be a mere conduit wrought from the democratic grumblings and discussions of the acts, talents and workers of the Circus itself.
It is up to the GM to decide whether this is fact, or fiction, of course!
Arcadia may be a force for Good or Evil in your Campaign … the choice is entirely Yours to make!
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Baron Arcadia’s Circus Fortuna is thousands of years old, and the Baron may not be as they first appear.
Legends speak of them as a god who fell in love with a mortal - an acrobat whose skills enchanted the strange deity enough for him to abandon the firmament.
Some believe the Baron is simply one among many to have passed the name from person to person as each grows old and weary of a life upon the endless road.
Other stories tell of how the Circus is nothing but an enchantment, a memory that repeats itself just as the sun and stars align in ways none could dream of, and that all things seen or met during the Circus’ unfurling are mere dreams conjured by mists and ancient memories.
As for the Circus-folk - they are a tightly knit group, living and eating as one large family, supporting and squabbling, encouraging and disapproving, laughing and weeping together through all, their collective “strangeness” becoming nothing but the mere mundane as they live their lives beneath the techni-coloured banner of Arcadia.
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This list is by no means exhaustive, and is intended simply to stir the pot of your own imagination.
Use what follows as starting-points, or ignore them entirely in favour of your own Adventure Hooks!
The following can also be adjusted, depending on whether you decide to make the Baron a force for Good or Evil.
Roll 1d8 or choose from the Table below :
1 -Baron Arcadia is hiding someone, or smuggling someone, important to the Party among his acts or hired helpers, OR he may be keeping people against their will.
2 -Mistress Maizella is able to assist the Party in Inter-Planar travel; perhaps for a price, or in exchange for something she longs for. Her dreamscapes might also be used to put a Warlock closer to their Patron, or a Cleric closer to the seat of their God, for example.
3 - The creatures and beasts under Zem-Sui’s care long to return to their home, or are being kept safe and under Zem-Sui’s protection away from bounty-hunters and poachers desperate for their fur/bones/tusks which will fetch a large price in City markets and among private collectors.
4 - The Party have been tasked with meeting a secretive and unknown Contact (perhaps pertinent to a present Quest) here at the Circus, but things go awry and the Party must discover what ill has befallen their contact before the Circus leaves.
5 -Rust, the Warforged, wishes to return to a City he calls home. This place is deemed, by most scholars, to have never existed, however, and Rust’s caretaker, Bucket, simply thinks his companion has too many cog-ants chewing about within his cranium.
6 - The Circus - perhaps being nothing more than a mere memory after all - plays havoc with the Party, who may discover the ultimate truth of Arcadia is the entrapment of souls within dreams. Perhaps the Party are tasked with freeing these spirits and memories of those held within it, allowing them to rest at last?
7 - The Old Gods have finally caught up the Baron, and wish to punish him for eloping with a Mortal. Will the Party aid the Baron, or bow to the Old Gods and their fury?
8 - An upcoming Royal wedding is in need of entertainments, and the Party have been tasked with recruiting Arcadia and the Circus.
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ROLL 1d20 for an ARCADIAN TRINKET
1 - A rotten toffee apple whispering foul rumours about visitors to the Circus
2 - A glass eye, perhaps lost by a performer during one of the acts, within which a rainbow coloured storm rages.
3 - A small wooden rattle that, when shook, attracts butterflies.
4 - Popping corn that continues to pop long after consuming it.
5 - A copper coin that disappears and reappears at random, from one hand to the other, and from pocket to pocket.
6 - A stuffed animal that is able to translate any language, but only through the medium of song.
7 - An unusual tadpole-like creature in a small pail of sour smelling water.
8 - A jar of treacle like liquid that explodes into colourful clouds of smoke when any lands upon the floor.
9 - A strawberry flavoured lollipop-whistle that can mimic the sound of any animal or creature.
10 - An endlessly bouncing ball.
11 - A polished obsidian ring upon which blinks a single, cat-like eye.
12 - A Clown's nose made of felt that, when squeezed, instantly disguises the wearer in flamboyant, oversized clothes.
13 - A small, glowing egg that emits a low, barely audible hum.
14 - A small jade duck that, each full moon, lays a small jade egg.
15 - A leather pouch full of colourful glass marbles. Within each one can be seen things ... moving.
16 - A monogrammed silk handkerchief upon which strange blood stains randomly appear and disappear.
17 - A cat-gut balloon in the shape of a fish able to carry the weight of up to 6 individuals.
18 - A corked bottle of orange fizzy liquid that, when drunk, makes a person lose their memory for a short period of time.
19 - A brittle shard of red glass that crumbles easily to dust, only to reconfigure to its original state the following dawn.
20 - A heavily ornate and intricately detailed golden key, decorated with ancient animals and angelic beings. In the daylight hours, it is unbearably heavy. Once the sun has set, however, it seems to pull towards … something.
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ROLL 1d6 for a GAME OF SKILL, DARING OR CHANCE, or choose from the Table below :
1 - Dip, Dip, Dip - participants have 15 seconds to plunge their faces into a barrel of murky liquid to see what “treasures” they can retrieve with their teeth (hands behind the back at all times, please, ladies & gentlemen!)
2 - The Pixie Pluck - armed with a small net and basket, participants climb inside a mesh lined chamber, the floor of which is exceptionally springy.
A nest of angry Pixies is opened, and the aim is to catch as many as possible, exchanging them at the end of the allotted time for various prizes.3 - Eye of the Cyclops - essentially an archery contest, but with variously shaped bows and crossbows, no doubt affording all manner of barely perceptible obstructions to those who covet the grand prize on offer to any who score 3 consecutive “bullseyes” - or, in this case, the eye of a gaudily painted cyclops.
4 - Ride the Relloc - The participant - upon handing over a coin - is invited to attempt to ride a beast so terrifying, so dreadful, that only the bravest among you might sit astride its horrendous form long enough to claim its crown!
(Fear not, fort’isnaught more thana boar brightly painted, slathered liberally with grease, and let loose within an enclosed pen surrounded by onlookers, all who may place bets on how long the hapless rider will stay on).5 - Wander the Wire - Participants are invited to attempt to walk a 60 ft loop of narrow timber.
The walkway is, in places, heavily greased, and onlookers are able to exchange coin in return for water-sodden sponges.6 -Which Hand? - A blind-folded child invites carnival guests to take a shiny coin from a silver-tray, place it behind their back, and invite the child to guess which hand it is hidden within.
Win, and you keep the coin. Lose, and you add a similar coin as that chosen to the platter. -
Roll 1d6 for an Arcadian Encounter or choose from the Table below :
1 - The Galleon is traversing its rails at ever-increasing speeds, and is in danger of derailing completely.
2 - Every single visitor to the Circus has suddenly become transfixed, frozen to the spot as though in a dream, or as though time has come to a halt.
3 - A fight has broken out in front of Molk Thallow’s tent, where a Patron refuses to accept the terrible fate told in their fortune.
4 - Rust, the sentient Construct, has managed to find a set of legs, and is clattering about looking to fight a carnival-goer who insulted them.
5 - A person wielding a dagger is threatening to harm anyone who comes near, unless Baron Arcadia presents themselves to explain what happened to their missing child.
Arcadia, however, is nowhere to be found.6 - Several creatures from Zem-Sui’s Bestiary have escaped, and are rampaging through the crowds.
Residents of Note:
ancestries have not - in most cases - been allocated, allowing the GM to assign as appropriate.
a fundamental choice in adding Arcadia to your Game is where the Baron and their Circus falls on the spectrum between “Good” and “Evil”, or whether - in your world - they are mere agents of destiny. Will Arcadia influence, reward, or hinder your Party; a choice you must make!
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Ring-Master & Owner of the Circus Arcadia, the Baron is most striking; with long, almost white blonde hair tied with ribbons in various braids atop a dark red face speckled with butterfly-wing like golden vitiligo. Their piercing crystal-white eyes are ever watchful, yet give little away.
A host of silvery-piercings and beautiful butterfly & moth tattoos cover every inch of their body, and as the Baron wanders bare-footed through the playful, wondrous grounds of his Circus, a broad smile greets all.
Arcadia is elegant, gracious, and impeccably mannered. They emit a great confidence and an air that suggests nobility. Whether this an act, or their true nature … who can tell?
The Baron is extraordinarily caring towards, and protective of, the many performers and hired-hands in their care, and their relations and interactions with with them are almost parental in manner.
(If you choose to make the Baron “evil” you may wish to RP this as controlling, domineering behaviour).
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Whose antics are accompanied by a menagerie of acrobats, performers, dancers and jugglers dressed in elaborate fabrics and papier-mâché animal costumes, with masks that blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Petrescu is rake-thin, and incredibly tall, with bright red hair. She is elegantly beautiful, lazily calm and good humoured.
Tabarask is squat and rotund, balding, with a scruffy, unshaven jowl that frames a grumpy expression hiding a mischievous and boisterous personality.
The Clown’s act is that of a married couple lazily awaking of a morn within a farmhouse.
Their slumbering is interrupted by all manner of fantastical beasts running amok in their home.
All manner of death-defying acrobatics follow as the duo attempt - and spectacularly fail - to herd their livestock. The entertainers playing the parts of these beasts transform back and forth between beast and humanoid with astounding arcane ease.
The “chase” continues to the forests beyond their “farm” (a lightening fast scenery change!), wherein the clowns Petrescu & Tabarask pursue their mischievous and escaping beasts to a waterfall.
Here, they are distracted by a marvellous and enormous arcane creature that arrives to showcase …
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Showcasing a marvellous journey into the arcane wilds, wherein the audience may delight in creatures never seen before, each entwined in dance, acrobatics and arcane duelling conducted by the master of beasts, Zem-Sui.
Zem-Sui appears to be some sort of lizard-folk, their face painted a sparkling silvery-white.
They are dressed in graceful, flowing white robes that twirl and trail in shimmering arcane aspects. They also appear to be a mute who can, however, communicate telepathically.
This part of the performance concludes with the arrival of a fiery arrow that “strikes” one of the waterfall’s creatures …
… an arrow fired by none other than Povolus Vanus, Arcane Archer Extraordinaire!
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Dispatching targets of increasing size, speed, surprise and horror, this slinger of arrows does the amazing, the incredible, the impossible!!
And is that a blindfold you see, ladies & gentlemen, about her face?
Indeed it is!
Be delighted! Be entertained! And wonder at Povolus' blind visage as she wields her Arcane Bow of Fire and Lightening!
A performance of daring and surprise, where Povolus Vanus astounds the audience not only with her prowess with a bow, but her incredible acrobatics.
Leaping and thrown across various vine swings encircling the performance area, hitting perfect shots whilst hung upside down, from behind her head, and whilst thrown at incredible speeds through the air.
Povolus is not only blind-folded, but - it is revealed - is also blind, (having lost her eyes as part of a strange arcane ritual many years before).
The Act concludes when one of the Clowns - attempting to grab the last of their livestock from the water’s edge - is “struck” by an arcane arrow causing them - along with the entire Audience - to tumble into a strange dream orchestrated and enabled by an incredible entity that has slumbered unseen - until now - high in the rafters of the Circus’ vast Big-Top …
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A gargantuan Octopi-like creature residing in the Big Top's rafters
Be astounded by the arrival of stars and dreams, of myth and legend, as our Circus welcomes dreamers, all!
Do not run! Do not scream!
Mistress Maizella is here to guide you through illusions and wonders you shall not believe, nor ever forget!Maizella pulls the Audience into something of a mass-hallucination, as the world falls away beneath their feet, plummeting all assembled through the many planes and realms as the arrow struck Clown tumbles down and down through scenes from Legend and History.
The act ends with both Clowns landing safely upon their little farmhouse bed, where it appears they have been slumbering soundly all along - the entire performance merely a shared dream that all assembled have partaken in.
Baron Arcadia takes to the stage as the scene falls into darkness, himself lit by a single light, thanking the audience and wishing them well on their journey homeward.
Should anyone return to the site of the Circus the following dawn, they will find the entire Company long gone, the only sign of its passing a lone, mould bitten Circus poster that seems to have been pinned by an rusting arrow to a tree many centuries past …
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A wide-hulled, barnacle encrusted Ship teetering atop several brass wheels that keep it bound to the rails of a timber-framed scaffold surrounding the Circus.
Overseen by Alshastarna, the bar-keep of The Galleon, with their calm and friendly demeanour. Look closer and one would spy their teeth fashioned of intricately carved whale-bone.
Alshastarna likes whistle, and to chew great wads of strangely foaming leaf, which causes them to spit frequently (each time a different colour and ejecting a minor magical effect).
They also take great pleasure in encouraging the Patrons of The Galleon to participate in various rowdy Tavern games; especially after they have imbibed great draughts of the many drink on offer :
MENU
Caul-Top’s Caudleaniseed liqueur, cognac, whisky, pineapple, & mint
Merfolk’s Floster
sherry, noyaux, loaf sugar, lemon, & scuttled ice
Bluster Bay Fizz
apples, blackcurrants, apricots, black treacle, & sparkling cider
Portside Pant Puller
apples, oranges, raspberries, rose water, & vodka
Shole Island Shit-Kicker
four varieties of rum, bitters, spiced-mead, & champagne
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- Cedany - A hired-hand attending to tent-poles and rigging. Barefoot, constantly scratching themselves in inappropriate places, and full of rumours, suspicions, and tall-tales.
- Molk Thallow - a “Seer”, housed in one of the smaller Tents that line the approach to the Circus’ big-top tent. The ever-changing, swirling arcane patterns that glisten upon Molk’s sparkling blue skin have caused many in the Circus to become strangely enchanted, and there are as many bewildered suitors as customers awaiting their fortune beyond the entrance to Thallow’s tent.
- Rust - a half-broken, battered and dented old sentient Construct, propped upon a barrel, delighting and terrifying patrons who eagerly part with coin for the chance to enter the small copper-coloured tent in which it is employed.
- Bucket - a rather small fellow charged with attending his Construct companion. Bucket grumpily chews an unlit cigar stub, offering pugnacious opinions and unwanted insights regarding the customers, for which Rust apologises profusely.
- Rightly No & Wrongly Tho - twins, it might appear, who participate in the performance of the two star Clowns, Petrescu and Tabarask.
Albyon’s Final Notes for the GM
pull apart this location so fantastically strange,
toss aside all that irks to better rearrange
the unspooling inspirations, the pearls of our trade,
to stitch anew an Adventure,
& a Quest freshly made,
t’wards a tale of your party's own Arcadia!
