Mist-shrouded Darkmoon Island is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. It’s a place of mystery and wonder, and you wouldn’t believe the deals we made to get it … or who we made ‘em with.
Darkmoon Island is a small, roughly circular land-mass that is situated upon the roiling grey waves of some uncharted stretch of ocean. Night seems eternal here, Azeroth’s twin moons forever obscured behind overcast clouds that never seem to wane. A dense forest dominates the landscape and protects the carnival at its heart, an unyielding wall of oak that threatens to swallow up those that stray too far into the brush. Whilst Darkmoon’s approximate location is unknown, the climate is tropical, with lows in the winter reaching just above freezing temperatures.
This island is home to none other than the Darkmoon Faire, Azeroth’s premiere entertainment venue that stands as a beacon for unity among the Horde and Alliance’s tumultuous political landscapes. Their sole loyalty lies in one another, and the Darkmoon Faire family will stop at nothing to protect themselves from the horrors of the mainland. The Faire itself serves as the island’s hub, as much of a home as it is a place of work.
Mainland ships have never reported sailing into Darkmoon’s waters, and those that draw too close crash to splinters on its shores. Strewn in the shallows are a great many ships, laying rotten and half-forgotten in the sands. All hands are assumed to have perished, though the locals state that bodies have never been found.
The only way outsiders have set foot on the island is through external portals that appear seasonally in Alliance and Horde settlements, always accompanied by a magically inclined carnie. Spell vellums scribed by the natives allow passage between the island and mainland during the off-season, though such portable spellwork is offered in sparing amounts by Darkmoon magi.
The Darkmoon Faire is an exceedingly private bunch, distrustful of mainlanders and their presence on the island past the Faire’s typical weeks of operation. While their island has only recently began accepting visitors, their settlement and society has existed and maintained itself for centuries.
DARKMOON PATH
An ounce of presentation is worth a pound of performance, and the Darkmoon Path sets the stage for a night full of intrigue and showmanship! The port of entry for all guests, Darkmoon Path is a winding trail that snakes from the northernmost point of the island towards the fairegrounds. Bramble and pine flanks either side of the trail, ensuring that guests do not get lost in the underbrush. This natural tunnel is bedecked with all manner of posters, banners, fairy lights, and signage, building all manner of anticipation before the foliage thins to reveal the faire in all its glory.
The portal located in this portion of the island is enchanted in such a way that it can only allow mainlanders in, and not out. This is so that guests are discouraged from turning back, forcing them to walk all the way towards the boardwalk in order to teleport back.
THE MIDWAY
Step right up, step right up! The Midway dominates the bulk of the faire, defined as the entire stretch of trail that spans from the gates towards the boardwalk. As the heart and soul of Darkmoon, the midway is alive with the sights and sounds that only the faire can provide. Barkers cry from the sidelines, souvenir vendors hawk their wares, and the tantalizing smell of fried cuisine wafts from the stalls to tempt guests. A feast for the senses, the midway embodies all the Darkmoon Faire is about.
Attractions of note include: the Darkmoon Carousel, the Darkmoon Coaster, Test Your Strength, Whack-a-Gnoll, Ring Toss, and other sideshow fare.
EXPOSITION & SOUTH PAVILIONS
As the largest building on Darkmoon the Exposition Pavilion serves as the carnie's base of operations, storing an array of all sorts of props, costumes, banners, and other assorted supplies. Rehearsals take place in this massive space, providing performers a feel for a stage under their feet and their face in lights. The exposition pavilion also serves as a gathering space for meetings and announcements regarding Darkmoon's state of affairs.
The South Pavilion hosts the faire's lodgings and amenities. Darkmoon's carnies operate in a communal space, free to make a portion of the pavilion all their own in exchange for their hard work. Behind the pavilion is a communal campfire and several standalone tents. This area is a popular spot for fireside stories and injured carnies looking to spend their time healing among good company.
THE DARKMOON ZOO BIZARRE
Operating as the Faire's menagerie, the Darkmoon Zoo Bizarre hosts all manner of spectacular and strange beasts captured from the world over. Owned by zookeeper Yebb Nebblegear, the gnome regularly contracts adventurers to wrangle nuisance beasts so that they may be relocated to the fairegrounds for a life of enthralling crowds.
The Faire's petting zoo is located at the easternmost point of the menagerie, allowing guests an up-close-and-personal look at imported livestock animals such as rams, chickens, and ponies.
CURTAIN CALL RIDGE
Located south-east of Darkmoon Path, Curtain-Call Ridge is a long narrow hilltop situated at the highest point of Darkmoon Island. It is here where The Darkmoon Faire buries their dead. A thick fog of black smoke covers this area at all times, a phenomenon which the animals of Darkmoon have adapted to in the form of bio-luminescence. Darkmoon eyes and glowflys make their home amongst headstones, said to be the origin of myths and legends regarding phantoms seen within the woods. The grass here blossoms a deep, rich red, peppered with thorny roses that flourish amongst the graves.
Guests are not permitted in this part of the island.
RONA GREENTEETH'S CARAVAN
Nestled deep within Darkmoon's woods, the caravan of Rona Greenteeth hawks homemade foods and peculiar potions. It is not quite known why the forsaken woman was ostracized from the fairegrounds, nor why Silas allowed her to stay on her island, but rumors abound of her livestock thievery and propensity to hex mainlanders that turn their noses up at her wares.
Try as she might to ensorcell wanderers into her vicinity, the faire has made it known that on no uncertain terms are guests to interact with her. A reason for this is never provided in full.
DARKMOON WOODS
Flanking the faire on either side, Darkmoon's woods are a sprawling swath of oak and shade that threatens to encroach on the fairegrounds with each passing season. Uneven ground and a thick underbrush make the forest increasingly complicated to navigate even for experienced bushwhackers, though such a reality does little to deter guests from wandering too far from the faire's marked trails.
The forest is a site of superstition even for Darkmoon locals. Between abandoned campsites, discarded cages, and unexplained lights flickering in the trees, the wolves in these woods are the least of your worries.
More to be added as our story grows!