Merribane – The Masked Reveler: A Fae creature to bring more dangerous enchantment to Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures.
“He danced with me beneath the elder tree. I laughed, I cried, I forgot my name. And I would do it again.”
— Melodie, bard of Mosshollow
In the forgotten glades where moonlight pools like spilled silver, Merribane dances. Cloaked in tattered finery and crowned with a mask that grins too wide, this enigmatic Fae hosts midnight revels for those who wander too far from the village path. Their gestures are graceful, their voice a whisper of wind through autumn leaves—and their intentions, utterly unknowable.
Merribane does not speak in words, but in movement. A tilt of the head, a beckoning hand, a slow turn beneath the stars. Those who accept the invitation find themselves swept into a dance that lasts until dawn. When the music fades, they may awaken changed—names forgotten, memories rewritten, or dreams replaced with someone else’s.
Though Merribane is not cruel, their presence is unsettling. They do not lie, but they do not explain. Their revels are rituals, their masks a language only the Fae understand. To join them is to risk losing something you didn’t know you were holding.
Drawn to places where joy and sorrow mingle-abandoned festival grounds, overgrown gardens or the ruins of old theaters. Merribane wears a different mask for each revel, each on carved from wood or bone.
Hit Dice: 2d6 (7HP)
AC: 13
Attack: Special (Touch or Charm Spell)
Alignment: Chaotic
XP: 25
Notes: Compelling Dance: (Merribane may charm a target with a masked gesture or whispered invitation. The target must make a Saving Throw vs. Spells or be compelled to dance until dawn, forgetting their name and suffering –1 to Intelligence until it is recovered).
Masquerade Memory: (Those who dance with Merribane may awaken with fragmented memories of other lives, dreams, or identities. This effect is harmless unless the character fails a Saving Throw vs. Magic, in which case they gain a false memory that may influence future decisions)
True Name (Merribane has a true name which gives his foes power over him), Vulnerable to Iron (Merribane takes double damage from weapons made of iron)
Adventure Hook: The Masked Invitation.
One morning, every child in the village wakes to find a folded parchment beneath their pillow. It’s blank—until held to candlelight, where a masked figure appears mid-dance, beckoning. That night, laughter echoes from the old glade, long abandoned since the revelry turned sour a generation ago.
The villagers whisper: Merribane has returned.
Adventure Seeds:
- A child goes missing, drawn to the glade’s enchantment.
- The mask begins appearing in dreams, offering riddles and bargains.
- Elders recall a pact once made with Merribane—one that was never fulfilled.
Will the party follow the music and face the masked reveler? Or will they discover who truly placed the invitations… and why?
