"The acrobat is waiting at the top, the cackling carousel spins and never stops! The audience must clap along to the never ending circus hop!" Are the words spoken to activate this spell. Upon activation, the ground splits and glows a sinister green, and a broken carousel rises, spinning endlessly. The lights flicker, and a high, shrill cackling fills the air around the surrounding space. The ground stitches itself back together, and malicious intent rolls off the broken machine in waves.
The casting period takes days, draining 15 hp from the caster for every 24 hours until the carousel is summoned. Once summoned, a sickening cackle will the the surrounding area, and can be heard from 50 feet away. Anything closer than 30 feet, (other than the caster), must roll a wisdom save higher than 16 or risk insanity. On a fail, any creatures afflicted with the circus hop syndrome (a deadly disease caused by the carousel), will be instantly drawn to the structure. The caster gains direct control over any creatures affected, effectively building a brainwashed hoard of minions. The range increases by 5 feet everyday until the carousel is cleansed of evil by a holy paladin or cleric. The maximum range is 150 feet, with the laugh pulling in creatures at 100 feet, and the laugh can still be heard from 150 feet away from the structure. Every 10 minutes, if being pulled in, make a wisdom save exceeding 15 to break it's hold. Anything higher than 35, you gain control over the carousel. This does not work on constructs, deaf creatures, beholders, lich, and the undead, anything godly, and the caster.
Circus hop syndrome causes rapid mutations. On the first day of the summoning and being brainwashed, those controlled undergo minor changes such as sores, rashes and immune system failure, leaving the walking corpse open to more disease (such as plague guard). On the second day, cancerous growths, tumors and loss of sight occur. On the 3rd day, any surrounding landscape becomes overgrown and twisted. The creatures are so mutated beyond recognition that they are simply now called cacklers, shadows of there former selves. The knick name comes from the stretched face covered in tumors, and the wheezing laughter they constantly emit. Sometimes multiple cacklers can melt together, forming massive shambling piles of rotting flesh.
All cacklers are extremely vulnerable to fire, as the disease is spread by airborne spores, which are very flammable. A simple firebolt will instantly ignite them, killing it instantly. Cacklers boil in sunlight, losing 30 hp for every 5 minutes spent in sunlight.
They are hostile to all sources, but after 2 days of mutations they are rendered blind, relying on enhanced hearing and smell. They will prey on anything, including themselves and the caster. The average lifespan for a cackler is about 3 months after being brainwashed by the carousel, regardless of animal or race.
The carousel itself is incredibly vulnerable, with several weaknesses. There are 3 switches in a power box on the right side, always glowing a soft ethereal green. If all three are pulled, the carousel will collapse in on itself before being swallowed by the ground, eventually dusting away. Also, there is always a lone skeleton in the booth at the center of the contraption, if given sufficient coin, the carousel will descend back into pandemonium. The metal of the structure is incredibly brittle, one good strike with a warhammer (pass a 10 strength check whilst wielding a heavy object to break it), should collapse it.
Upon disappearance, all cacklers spawned or turned by the carousel die, before turning into dust. This dust is essentially very flammable powder. If collected into a big enough pile and lit on fire, it will form a very sizeable explosion.
Take care, brave adventurers, because once you start the circus hop, you can't stop till you drop.
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