The whimsical sound of a calliope's notes drift in from the distant north, sounding a haunting melody.

Rumors whisper about the cities of the sighting of a great caravan of colorful wagons traveling through the mountains.

Lightning strikes as the wagons descend down the windy mountain pass.

Between the calliope's notes, the sound of beasts fierce and unfamiliar bellow in the breeze.

The wagons level off into the plains, rolling slowly as the music becomes audible to more and more people.

Some wagons are green with yellow stripes.

Some are blue with yellow suns, moons, and stars.

Some are plain wood, with iron bars to keep whatever dangerous beasts reside within restrained.

A motley crew of vagabonds roam near the wagons, the few who do not ride within.

When suddenly, there is a blood-curdling scream.

A magician dressed in stage attire bursts from one of the wagons, his head clasped in his hands.

From another wagon, an elf emerges, a flurry of tarot cards scattering in her wake as she flees.

The magician screams and falls to his knees, losing consciousness on the ground.

And then, suddenly, with a massive vibration that is like thunder without sound...

The wagons of the Menagerie vanish in a small wisp of violet smoke.

Left behind are only the wagon tracks in the mud and small bits of debris, rolling through the sodden earth.

The scattered vagamonds that remain stand a moment, eyes wide in disbelief.

With nothing else to do, they scatter in separate directions, leaving their former lives behind.


So here we have it. Over the next days, you should see the emergence of approximately 20 characters affiliated with this challenge, all of whom have interesting stories to tell. Reviewing all the assigned material for this challenge, I have written nearly 90 manuscript-length pages of story and character development content associated with this challenge.

And while it probably won't last forever, for a few months at least, Herald will have its time in the sun. If you weren't able to participate in the challenge, playing a character that is either a Herald or has reason to associate with the Heralds may prove quite fun in the coming months.

Unless you are Sphere Murder, in which case you may ignore this post and return to your regularly scheduled bash.