The Carriage of Marvelous Wonders

For the townsfolk and villagers along the roads that traverse the Feywood, there are few events less anticipated than the twice-yearly arrival of the Traveling Troupe. When the brightly colored carriage rolls into town, the folk know they are in for three days of entertainment, song, performance, and - most importantly - news of the world beyond the Feywood.

From the viewpoint of the villagers and townsfolk that attend them, the performances put on by the Troupe are never the same from visit to visit. For as the Troupe travels, its members not only tell tales of adventure, but gather them up as well. Stories worthy of retelling are added to the repertoire, and the older, staler tales are retired. The Illusionist that performs with the bards also updates his displays of wonder - sometimes augmenting a tale with carefully crafted visions and sounds, and sometimes simply producing images of creatures from far off lands or ancient legends and myths.

The Carriage

The Carriage of Marvelous Wonders is a closed-cabin coach pulled by four draft horses. It is large enough to accomodate the five members of the Traveling Troupe in reasonable comfort, and can even carry a few additional passengers if the need arises. The Carriage can stow enough provisions to keep the Troupe well sustained for at least three weeks on the road. Since no leg of their journey is longer than about ten to twelve days, this gives them a safety cushion should problems arise on the road.

The carriage is painted in brilliant hues of red, yellow, green and blue, but each year, the decoration scheme is changed. One year, It was painted with oversized flowers all over it; another year a great dragon festooned the sides of the coach. One of the things that villagers look forward to is seeing whether or not the new year's decorations are more outlandish than the last.

But no matter what it looks like, the appearance of the wagon on the road into a village or town is a cause for celebration. Its arrival means several days of unique entertainment for all ages. For many, it also means news of relatives in other towns and villages, and often even the delivery of letters and packages. For the folk of the Feywood settlements, the Carriage of Marvelous Wonders is the only reliable postal service available.

The Traveling Troupe

The troupe consists of 5 performers. Three are musicians that will sing the latest popular songs from the far-off cities and kingdoms while accomanying themselves on flute, lute, and harp. A hurdy-gurdy may even make an appearance from time to time. There is also an illusionist member of the troupe whose magical sights and sounds often astound the villagers, and an accomplished puppeteer.