Dancing Ring

The Dancing Ring was a cult in Turmish in the Vilhon Reach that dated back to the nation's earliest history.

Dogma
Members believed that by holding their dances and celebrating key events they could keep the realm of Turmish strong. It neither followed nor rejected any god or faith.

Organization
There were over forty Dancing Rings active around Turmish in the 1360s DR.

The leaders of the cult were known as the Masked Masters. They were usually anonymous and wore hoods and robes to hide their features, but were necessarily illusionists.

Members
Members came from a number of races and faiths present in Turmish. As well as humans, it was common to see elves, dwarves, halflings, half-orc, pixies, lizardfolk, gnolls, and more. (Oddly, no korreds ever seemed to join, even though they were called the Dancing Folk.)

Rituals
On the final day of every month, if the weather was good, members held a Dancing Night, when they would assemble in fields or atop hills, where they erected an ovoid ring of burning torches. At midnight, they drank hot cider from a cauldron and danced around this ring, moving counter-clockwise. At one end of the oval, drummers kept time for the dancers. At the other end, surrounded by a circle of guards, stood the Masked Masters.

While the followers danced, the Masked Masters would display illusions within the ring depicting various events that they considered important. These could be old or recent, beloved or despised, or moving or feared. The illusions were complex enough that four or more Masked Masters were needed. Many of the Masked Masters reported the images came to them as visions in intense dreams, delivering by "The Gods Who Watch Over Turmish."

The time of the Dancing Night, at least, was no secret in Turmish—all people were aware of it, not only cult members. They would speak of it in casual conversation to mark the date. Moreover, outsiders and young children were allowed to watch and even join it, provided they did not try to interfere with the ring or the images. The Masked Masters could hurl magical bolts at troublemakers.

History
Historically, the Dancing Ring was once quite popular and was a key influence on Turmishan views.

However, by the mid-to-late 14 century DR, this influence had faded somewhat. Members who'd traveled to faraway places and visitors from such places claimed the illusory images were altered from the reality, or were even false. Rumors about the Masked Masters spread, wondering if they were Red Wizards of Thay, Zhentarim agents, or other foreign mages trying to sway Turmishan public opinion. Although many of the Masked Masters had since been unmasked, with some even revealing themselves at the end of the dances and most found to be native or long-term inhabitants of Turmish, questions lingered over how true their images were and where they came from, who if anyone the Masked Masters communicated with, and if magical spying went on in the country. Nevertheless, the Dancing Ring remained active by the 1360s DR.