⇨ New Location: THE MOON

[ringleaders]

PREPARATION↴ On Day 6 of Winter Break (aka B6) the carnival will be... well, mostly staying where it is. Technically speaking, at least. While other times they've left the Ringmaster's realm for vacations, this time they are going to do something a bit differently. They don't have the best personal safety record when it comes to travelling for outside entertainment, so this time the carnival is staying home! Or, at least, it's staying in the same realm. The actual location they are going to is one of the carnival's two moons. As it turns out, the moon is not actually moon sized. Instead of being a moon sized orb very far away, it is actually a much smaller orb unreasonably close to the surface of the earth - surely this would wreak absolutely havoc on the environment if magic wasn't responsible for it. According to Ringmaster, it's actually possible to fly to the moon by wing, if you're prepared to fly straight upwards for over an hour. Weird. Lucky for you, she'll be creating a portal for everyone to go through instead. Workers will be allowed to visit the carnival grounds at any point during the vacation, but are asked to try to spend most of their time on the moon, in order to better encourage the spirit of celebration. What are they celebrating, exactly? Well, it's a bit hard to define, since everyone in the carnival comes from completely different seasons and universes, but according to the Ringmaster they are approximately celebrating the Fae holiday called the Lunar Solstice. However, you're also welcome to see it as Christmas or Hanukkah or New Years or whatever you prefer. It's the Lunar Solstice, though, so they're doing it on the moon. Get it? Like, there are other reasons, but that's the best one. SETTING↴ The Moon apparently has some kind of ski resort built on it now, so that's neat. Apparently it is a relatively new addition, made entirely for the occasion - practically speaking, it is frosty mountains with various cozy looking cabins scattered across them. Towards the center, there is a more densely populated area, with a number of larger buildings and living spaces built together like a little vacation town. The temperatures are just low enough to keep snow on the ground, and never get oppressively cold. Day or night, it always feels like a perfect winter afternoon, good for a stroll as long as you have a coat or heavy sweater on. The small size of the moon is apparent from the horizon by its heavy curve, but thankfully the area the cabins are built in is facing up towards the sky, and not facing the carnival grounds down below, which would probably cause most a fair bit of vertigo. Of course, you can take a hike to the other side of the moon if that's your jam. For most of this vacation, no work will be necessary, besides any voluntary training or practice. Food and cleaning are being temporarily handled by a commissioned group of allies called the World Walker Caravan, a merchant group whom the Ringmaster has helped out on a few different occasions. For once, the party is coming to the carnival, and not vice versa. PATRONS↴ ► THE WORLD WALKERS: A group similar to the carnival, except for the part where they don't have a faerie patron. Instead, it is a group of individuals who travel the multiverse, crossing between worlds for the sake of trade and exploration. They visit new universe, trade goods, and carry on, similar to the carnival's performance patterns. However, as most of them are only mortal, this has sometimes become a dangerous affair without protection. As such, the Ringmaster has stepped in to aid them on a few occasions, which has resulted in stable partnership and plenty of World Walker veterans who are very friendly with her. There are various sellers in the caravan, each of which specialize in particular items, such as armor, or weapons, or magical items. These sellers will be set up in store fronts around the winter village, where the caravan will be staying until the holiday is over. There are about thirty World Walkers, and their demographics are similar to that of the carnival: mostly humanoid, abundantly human, with a few exceptions. Notable exceptions include two escaped Winter Court changelings, one escaped Summer Court changeling, a family of dwarves, a golem, and a couple others that will be mentioned later. Overall, the World Walkers are a gregarious and forthright group. They'll be happy to celebrate along with the carnival members when they aren't on duty, but will also keep to themselves if their patrons prefer it. They've been known to take on lost souls similar to the way that the Ringmaster does, though they notably have never done it by trickery. Of course, the caravan always comes first. DANGERS↴ ► WINTER FUN: Nothing too notable! This holiday is designed to be safe family fun, so most of the danger lies in your own stupid decisions, such as drinking too much or attempting that totally rad snowboard trick you are ill equipped to pull off. The Ringmaster is putting a considerable amount of effort into making this a pleasant experience, and she isn't leaving things up to the chaos of the multiverse. Enjoy yourselves damnit! ► THIEVERY: The Ringmaster will state very explicitly that there is to be no theft or misconduct when it comes to trading with the caravan. Any crimes committed against them she will consider a personal insult, and will punish accordingly. Don't do it! REWARDS↴ Along with catering and other activity, the Caravan brings with it a full fledged market - they're merchants first and foremost, after all! The Ringmaster has traded them a bunch of goods in advance for a significant quantity of credits towards purchases, which she will be giving out to members of the carnival to go shopping with. Each workers will start out with 1250 credits (500 of which must be spent on gifts!) and there will be a couple opportunities to gain more through games or gambling. The market itself will have a diverse inventory, and a more specific shop list will be posted along with the opening log. It's the holiday season, of course, so buying gifts for others is encouraged above simply buying items for yourself, though you can do a mixture of both! Items that are being bought as gifts will receive a discount of 10%, but don't try to game the system. The merchants will see your deception! CHANGES↴ There are no basic changes associated with the plot, though there may be some things available in the market. Only time will tell. Beyond that, this is a PLOTTING POST, which means you can use it to make plans! The game chat is also a great place to discuss plots, so we welcome you to pop on in if you haven't already! The holidays will be starting sometime next week!