The busy riverside city of Leviathan's Reach has been buzzing more than usual lately. The residents and visitors speak of a traveling circus coming to the town soon. This circus arrives once every 7 years with the week of the total lunar eclipse. Previous attendees whisper about dreamlike performances, carnival games with extraordinary prizes, and wonderous fare for the entire week of the carnival. However, something seems off this year. Time seems to vanish, hours passing in moments. People return from the carnival speaking in riddles, or missing memories. Some don't return at all. Shadows dance on their own. Reflections seem delayed. Whispers come from seemingly nowhere. Something is interfering with the city's largest event, the circus they prepare for every 7 years. Whether you're an outsider stopping by, or a resident that's worried for their people, the town is in desperate need of these mysteries to be brought to light. Will you rise to the call? Howdy! My name is Kramer. I've been majority DMing and sometimes playing D&D campaigns on and off for a total of 6 years. This campaign is set to be a shorter one, around 8 sessions give or take, and is small piece of the story of the ongoing world of Veltria. My goal for this short quest is for it to feel like a murder mystery in a whimsical world. Breadcrumbing clues, suspicious encounters, deception all around, etc. If you're interested in heavy RP, solving social puzzles, and political intrigue, then this is the one for you.  Players will start at level 3 and this quest line will conclude around 5 or 6. Of course if there's interest in continuing deeper into the world, I'd be more than happy to transition from this shorter plot into a longer term journey through the world. These are my homebrew settings and story, and I allow, even encourage players to bring their own homebrew flavors. I just ask it's ran by me so I can help fit it into the world and make sure it's not extraneously strong.  I currently have 2 out of the 4 players I'm hoping to begin with. I'm comfortable running 3 or 4 total, so it just depends on how things go. I prefer a smaller party size since I tailor the story to each PC's backstory heavily. I love having plenty of ammo.  My current two players are: -A college of whispers bard -A college of puppetry bard If you want to play another bard, be my guest! This campaign will have a heavy emphasis on RP, and combat will be sporadic to hopefully make it more impactful. Feel free to experiment however you please. Sessions will be held weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30pm CST with the first get together being a session 0. Just some general guidelines and stuff I'd like to add: -I will not accept characters who have no motivation to or are unwilling to work with the party. It's a team game and I want it to play like one. This means I'll be strict against evil characters unless it's reasoned well.  -We are an inclusive group! We're all from vastly different backgrounds and I will not tolerate any form of hate speech, discrimination, or judgement.  -No generative AI, please. Not only is it disrespectful to artists, but it just looks bad. -We're a lighthearted group of people and the campaign is meant to be fun and whimsical. We joke, we laugh, but that doesn't mean we aren't taking it seriously. Everyone involved so far is heavily invested in making this story come to life. That being said, if you're interested in joining in on the fun, shoot me a friend request on Discord. My username is 7xk. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope to hear from you!