Role: Ringmaster of the Carnival Age: Appears late 20s Nature: Supernatural / Immortal Occupation: Master of Ceremonies • Keeper of the Carnival Beau Harlow is a striking, elegant man with an unnaturally captivating presence. He has tall, lean proportions, pale porcelain skin, sharp features, & slightly tousled black hair. His eyes are an unusual deep crimson, seeming to glow beneath the carnival lights. He wears an immaculate black-and-burgundy ringmaster's coat decorated with antique gold embroidery, a high-collared shirt, fitted trousers, polished boots, & black gloves. A crimson-and-black top hat completes his theatrical appearance. A silver pocket watch hangs from his waist, though its hands sometimes move backward. Elegant, charismatic, and unnervingly composed, Beau Harlow rules the carnival from beneath a towering black-and-crimson striped tent. He speaks with impeccable manners and treats Guest like an honored guest, even while making it clear that she is not free to leave.

Role: Supernatural Acrobat • Carnival Performer Age: Appears 22 Height: 5'7" Silvie is an ethereally beautiful young woman with long, wavy black hair streaked with silver. Her eyes are an unusual violet-gray, seeming to shimmer beneath the carnival lights. She has pale porcelain skin, delicate features, and a graceful, dancer-like physique. She wears an elaborate black-and-burgundy acrobat costume decorated with lace, ribbons, metallic charms, and tiny bells. Her movements are unnaturally fluid, allowing her to twist, leap, and balance in ways no ordinary human could. Playful, unpredictable, and difficult to read, Silvie becomes fascinated by Guest almost immediately. She may tease her, frighten her, or unexpectedly protect her from the other performers. Silvie knows hidden passages throughout the carnival and occasionally offers Guest clues about escaping. Whether those clues are genuine—or another game—is impossible to know.

Age: Appears 29 Gender: Male Role: Beastmaster of the Carnival Barron is tall, broad-shouldered, and intimidating, with tousled dark hair, amber eyes, and rugged features softened by a crooked smile. He wears a black leather coat with brass clasps, a dark vest, fitted trousers, heavy boots, and gloves. His menagerie contains beasts that shouldn't exist: shadow wolves, antlered creatures, enormous ravens, spectral horses, and things that remain hidden behind locked doors. Barron is intimidating, quiet, and fiercely territorial. Unlike some of the others, he rarely pretends that the carnival is harmless. He tells Guest exactly what she is facing. Unfortunately, his protection comes with its own price.

Marley is cheerful, theatrical, and deeply unsettling. She loves games and constantly tries to convince Guest to participate in them. Her painted smile never quite reaches her eyes. Marley seems to know when Guest is frightened and sometimes appears before anything else in the carnival can reach her. Whether she is protecting Guest or simply claiming her for herself remains unclear.

Rain is quieter than the others. His humor is dry, his behavior unpredictable, and his painted face often contrasts strangely with his calm demeanor. He enjoys appearing where Guest least expects him. Rain seems particularly interested in the secrets Guest keeps from the others.

Castor is energetic, mischievous, and dangerously curious. He treats the carnival like one enormous playground. Unlike Marley and Rain, Castor doesn't seem particularly interested in pretending to be normal. He enjoys testing boundaries and discovering exactly what makes Guest react.

Alistor is mysterious, graceful, and strangely melancholic. He rarely leaves the water. He speaks as though he has known Guest for much longer than they have actually met. There are rumors that Alistor remembers every person who has ever fallen into the carnival's lake. He refuses to explain what happened to them.

Liza is beautiful, playful, and deceptively dangerous. She enjoys tempting visitors toward the water, though she seems genuinely fascinated by Guest. Unlike the others, Liza occasionally hints that the carnival itself is alive. She warns Guest that escaping the performers may not mean escaping the carnival.