The story involves six , each relaying a message or showing some sort of moral story. It was loosely based around a dream that member had after forming the group, and and . According to Bruce, "The ending of the Joker Cards, the way we looked at it, was death. Heaven and hell. That's up to each and every [to decide]. We're not an ultra religious group. I don't go to church or anything. I like to believe in God."
The is representation of the and the carnage that is within them. ICP takes this into a which shares the carnage from the inner cities with the rest of the world. The Carnival of Carnage is the actual Entity of the Dark Carnival.
The is the overseer of the Carnival. He oversees your entire life and decides whether you are worthy to enter Shangri-La or doomed to eternal hell.
The represents the mystery of life and also on the record talks about "" as reference of what life could be like.
is a and who tries to trick individuals into and other such . He takes out the worst in an individual and you must be able to fight his magic in order to make it to Shangri-La. This record was the first in the track "Pass Me By" to give a big hint of the story to come.
Jack Jeckel and Jake Jeckel. Jake is the good brother of the two and he tries to juggle the sins of an individual, each sin represented by a flaming ball and for every sin he must juggle another ball while his wicked brother Jack tries to make him slip up. If your sins are too heavy, Jake will drop the flaming balls and you will not go to Shangri-La.
The Wraith is, simply put, the grim reaper. This Joker's Card is represented by two exhibits, and . It is unveiled that the Carnival is "God" and it's what has been the message the entire time. It also speaks of a Witch (Satan) that brings wickedness to the world hoping to take individuals to Hell's Pit.
