From the Ledger of Journeys, transcribed by Bralynn Hearthsong Varristel
The Autumn Road has a way of leading us into strange company.
This season, it carries the Wandering Cart down from the Stonefang peaks, past the last of the summer markets, and along the slow, brown sweep of the Mississippi River. Hannibal lies ahead—a city already dressed in brass and velvet, where the hiss of steam tangles with the scent of oak barrels, river fog, and adventure.
It is Labor Day weekend, and the Big River Steampunk Festival has awoken the streets. Since 2014, it has grown into the largest outdoor gathering of steamwrights, gadgeteers, and curious souls in all the realms. Victorian elegance keeps pace here with the audacity of invention—airship captains stride past brass-goggled inventors, parasol duelists take their marks in the square, and music spills from every corner loud enough to rattle the rivets from your boots.
This year, the clatter of gears will be joined by the clash of steel—the Renaissance Faire returns to South Main Street. Knights drill in the shadow of shopfronts, pirates swagger between stalls, the SCA and Legion of Honor test their mettle before roaring crowds, and Clan Hannon stirs the air with ancient song.
Preparations in the Stronghold
In the Embervault Forge, Kadyan Andarag hammers brass plates until they catch the light like sunrise over the river, each one bound for a terrain set unlike any we’ve carried before. Asilinn "the Stoneheart" Andarag walks the rows of crates, marking her ledger with the steady hand of one who knows exactly how much the Cart can bear before the axles groan. Korrund Andarag, never content with the ordinary, fits hidden gearwork into rune-marked stones—turn the right wheel and you may unlock a secret.
In the banner hall, Bralynn Hearthsong stitches copper thread into deep green cloth, the colors meant to match the Mississippi’s banks in autumn light. Outside, Thalgrína Stonebloom crouches by the Cart’s wheels, tapping each spoke to hear the true, clear note of readiness. Vaerthurin Keshaldrak works quietly at the undercarriage, blending dwarven runes with clockwork sigils—no one asks their meaning, but all feel the Cart hum when he’s done.
Somewhere underfoot, Nimblin “Sugarstep” Glimtwick tucks parcels into corners no one else can reach—parcels that, curiously, smell of cinnamon. Hrogar the Pale hauls chest after chest to the loading ramp, reciting the histories of each piece as if the wood needs reminding. Uilliam of the Flame and String polishes steel mounts and tunes his bodhrán, the steady beat keeping pace with the breath of the forge.
When the River Meets the Road
When we arrive, the Wandering Cart will stand among wonders:
Crowds gathering to hear the ScallyWags sing sea shanties; parasol duels fought in the square; tea poured in parlors where brass chandeliers sway above. Those who wander past our table may leave with a rune-marked relic, a hand-forged miniature, or simply a tale worth carrying home—before plunging back into the festival’s tide of contests, music, and night revels.
For those who crave more, the festival offers adventures within the adventure:
- A Murder Mystery Dinner where every guest plays their part.
- A Wild West riverboat cruise under the stars.
- CanCan and Soft Shoe dance classes fit to make a dwarf forget the anvil.
- The Victorian Spirit Connection, with whispers from beyond.
- An evening of music and fashion at the RenFaire, where silk and steel meet under the lanterns.
Why We Go
“This will be our maiden stall in the open streets,” Kadyan said, arms crossed, apron dusted in forge ash. “If the river-folk are bringing their finest curiosities, then so shall we.”
Uilliam calls it “part diplomacy, part trade, part excuse to wear my good goggles in public.”
Bralynn sees it as a chance to weave new ballads—songs of steam and stone, of the Big River and the bright, brass-bound marvels it calls to its shores.
The Autumn Road will pause in Hannibal for four days, and then it will turn again.
But while it rests, you will find us there—by the river’s edge, where stone meets steel, and song rises with the hiss of steam.
📅 August 29 – September 1, 2025
📍 Hannibal, Missouri – Big River Steampunk Festival & Renaissance Faire