Jaw-Break Shore (0706)

A Hex for Prismatic Wasteland's
 Merry Hexmas Blog Bandwagon 

Warning: This Post is a WIP, and will be updated as surrounding Hexes are filled in by other participants in this project! 

    A stony, barren shoreline at the edge of the Swirly Twirly Sea. The weather is permanently somber and overcast; slightly too cold to be enjoyable, slightly too warm for any snowfall to stick. The sugar that washes ashore crystalizes into delicious balls of candy, coated in a rocky shell. It's difficult to determine what's a jawbreaker and what's just gravel. 

Adjacent Hexes 

North: 0705 - The Rime Ridge

North-East : 0805 - Eostre Fields

South-East: 0806 - TBD

South: 0707 - TBD

South-West: 0606 - Swirly Twirly Sea

North-West: 0605 - Swirly Twirly Sea 

Encounters

 1d6

 1 : A Giant Ant-Lion (Stat as Bear) rests at the center of a 30 foot wide gravel pit, waiting to consume any creature that falls down into it's maw. Each turn a PC spends inside the pit, they must make a DEX saving throw or be moved 10 ft closer to the center against their will. Any use of magical fire will begin to melt the hidden jawbreakers amongst the stone, sealing the creature inside a cooling shell of candy.

2 : A beached gumdrop ice-berg. 2d6 Seagulls, dyed vibrant colors from their diet, swarm to carve sustenance from the gloop. If approached, they will become violent and attempt to chase the party away from their prize. (1 in 6 chance it's hallucenigenic and the birds are high as balls)

3 : 1d2 Defectors, Rabbitfolk (Stat as Soldiers) attempting to escape the civil war to the east. 50% chance of being either from Irontail or Cottontail forces. Are traveling with documents that detail potential secret tunnels into their respective side's primary fortress, in the hopes they can barter for their safety should they be found by the enemy. They will give the clothes off their backs if the party can grant them safe passage on a vessel out into the Swirly-Twirly sea.

4 : 2d4+1 Feathered Fiends (Stat as Wolves) Vulture-like creatures, with bare necks and heads and oily black feathers. Aggressive if eye contact is made. There is a 1 in 10 chance of the ringleader being capable of speech, who will share that they're really here because they like the shores' dreary vibes more than actually wanting anything. 

5 : A trio of Elves, Toddy, Toady, and Ted, scheme methods of convincing the Molefolk miners away from their Quarry, intent on taking it for themselves. Their plans range from silly (disguising themselves as leprechauns looking to sell their gold mine) to the outright loony (pretending to be a band of roving Donkey Polishers.) Toady is the smart one. Ted is the dumb one. Toddy is the greedy one, and the only reason the other two are doing any of this. They are just as likely to try to swindle the party as they are to ask for help swindling the Moles. They don't want to sell the Motherload as the Moles do, instead wishing to eat it once it's uncovered.

6 : A gnarled tree with a knot like a screaming face, and one branch outstretched like a grasping hand. If encountered twice, the tree is clearly not in the same place the party last enountered it, but otherwise immobile. Any magic Item placed into it's grip will be drained and rendered inert, but return the Winter Wizard to human form. He was once the Witch-King in Blue, eons before Santa arrived, and seeks to reclaim his throne. He despises Christmas and anything Jolly. Stat as Arch-Mage and give a bunch of Ice spells.

Locations

Sugar Geode "Mine"

    More a hole in the ground than a proper mine. A Quarry, at best. Worked by a trio of Molefolk who toil all day to fill their minecarts with delectable chunks of stone that, when cracked open, reveal layers of colorful candy, the flavor of which changes as you suck. Unfortunately it's a toss up determining what's candy and what's just rock, (3 in 6 chance of it being edible) 

    The Molefolk firmly believe that there is a large deposit of sugar at the bottom of this hole, compressed over years into a single, massive Sugar Geode. This Motherlode is their primary reason for digging, though the loose gravel around them seems to refill the hole as quickly as they can dig. Any attempt to streamline the efficiency of their production will win the party a promise of shared profits once the chunk is obtained and sold. (After one in-game week, notice will be sent out that 1-2: The new system has actually made things worse, and the Molefolk are demanding the party return to try something else, 3-5: Their productivity is up, and they'll surely find the Motherlode any day now; they'll send another letter in a week, 6: They've successfully extracted a large sugar chunk, and have enclosed 1,225 gold pieces for the party.)

Dream Circus 

    A large, green and red striped tent surrounded by festive balloons and covered in tinsel. A large crowd of folk from across the Pole have gathered to watch the show in the three rings below the stands. The performances in the rings feature exotic creatures and stunts unlike anything the party has ever seen, and each act claims to be performing for "One Night Only." The party can locate any previously met NPC from any other Hex within the crowd, though they can never seem to reach them, should they try. 

    The Ringmaster is an androgynous child dressed in deep purple furs and an oversized, twin tailed jester hat, accompanied by a swarm of twinkling sugarplum fairies. Gravity appears to be a mere suggestion to them, and they flit about the tent while juggling a collection of round ornaments in festive colors. They will call for members of the audience to join in the performance; should the party do so, encourage the players to come up with an act, and ask for a few skill checks. Regardless of the results, the audience will cheer, and the Ringmaster will award them one of the baubles they juggle. 

    ITEM: Christmas Memoria - A glass bauble of red, gold, or white, decorated in gold. Once a day, a memory or dream of the night previous may be inscribed inside, appearing as a faint glowing light if inspected closely. The memory can be replayed to an individual holding the bauble and closing their eyes, as if it were their own, or to a large group by destroying the bauble. Once destroyed, the Memoria cannot be fixed. 

    Should the players incite violence against the performers or audience, complete a performance and gain a bauble, or entertain the notion that this circus is a dream, the party will wake up unharmed in the middle of a jawbreaker gravel pit, with the circus nowhere to be seen. 

    Ways to Reach the Circus

    After encountering it once in this hex, the Dreamscape of the circus is accessible by any who slumber in the Pole, though the method of doing so purposefully is unknown. Should the party wish to return, either for another Memoria, or to speak with the Ringmaster, they will need magical help of one form or another. Perhaps a strong enough wish would do?