The Wild Beyond the Witchlight brings whimsical and wicked misadventures to those who dare to explore the Witchlight Carnival and beyond. The Dungeon & Dragons adventure is set in the Feywild and offers fans of the game and its community easter eggs and appearances by iconic characters from previous editions.
Here is a list of easter eggs I put together as I browsed the book. Let me know which ones I missed!
*** Warning! Major spoilers ahead for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight! ***
Alice in Wonderland
It's no surprise that this adventure draws inspiration from Alice in Wonderland. The sequel to Lewis Carroll's book, Through the Looking Glass, is referenced in the first chapter of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight when the characters are bound for the Feywild.
Dragon Quest and hags
Early in the adventure, the players can overhear Mister Witch and Mister Light complaining that a catoblepas attraction has been a total failure and that they should replace the creature with a blue-painted giraffe. It's no surprise that a catoblepas attraction would scare off attendees — they are violent and stinky swamp creatures. More importantly, catoblepas are known to be kept by covens of hags, hinting at the adventure's main antagonists. Meanwhile, the blue giraffes could be a reference to the blue giraffes found in the video game Dragon Quest X.
Chult and Zakhara
The Witchlight Carnival features games that players can enjoy, including almiraj ring toss. The presence of almiraj — which appear as rabbits with horns — suggest that the carnival has passed through Chult or Zakhara. Almiraj were brought from the distant lands of Zakhara to Chult, which is featured in the Tomb of Annihilation adventure.
Dumphrey Frogart
A bullywug knight named Dumphrey Frogart serves as a pilot for the balloon that takes characters from Hither to Thither. Their name is a reference to Humphrey Bogart, a classic Hollywood film star.
Elkhorn
Elkhorn has been Strongheart’s most stalwart companion over the years—unflinchingly loyal, tirelessly optimistic, and fiercely devoted to the destruction of evil in all its forms. He’s not especially bright, so he fights with his heart rather than his wits.
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Like Strongheart, the dwarf fighter Elkhorn originally appeared in 1983 as an action figure. He was a member of Valor’s Call, an adventuring party that opposes Kelek and the League of Malevolence. Elkhorn has stood by Strongheart's side for years, no matter the danger. What he lacks in intelligence, he makes up for with brute strength.
Granny Nightshade
Granny Nightshade rules over Thither, but the hag previously appeared in Ghosts of Saltmarsh. In that adventure, she dwells in the Dreadwood.
Jabberwocky, snicker-snack
The jabberwock returns to Dungeons & Dragons in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight. The creature is D&D's version of the Jabberwocky, a strange creature introduced in a Lewis Carroll poem. (You can read more about the connection here.) The adventure also includes the greatsword Snicker-Snack, another term coined by Carroll.
Kelek
Kelek is a greedy, narcissistic sociopath who revels in chaos but is a coward at heart. The fact that he’s highly intelligent makes him even more dangerous. More than anything, he wants the staff of power in the possession of his most hated foe, Ringlerun
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Kelek is the founding member of the League of Malevolence, which pursues power for the sake of it. The sorcerer first appeared in the 1983 Advanced D&D game supplement The Shady Dragon Inn.
Magic: The Gathering
Ellywick Tumblestrum is an ally to the characters and is referred to as a planeswalker. A planeswalker is a powerful creature in the lore of the Magic: The Gathering (MTG) trading card game. They can travel between the different planes of existence. Ellywick also received her own card in the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms card set. Her presence in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight ties D&D and MTG closer together.
Mercion
Mercion strikes the balance of a natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry and beauty, and that those who embrace deceit should be censured and punished. Light is her domain.
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Mercion is another member of Valor's Call. She is a cleric and appeared as an action figure in 1983.
Milo, Chris Perkins' dog
In an interview with D&D Beyond's Amy Dallen, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight principal designer Chris Perkins revealed that his dog, Milo, has an easter egg in the adventure. Milo can be found in the bottom-left corner of the map of Prismeer.
Molliver
Molliver is a thief with a heart of gold. Although likely to pocket a few choice items after a successful heist, Molliver gives away most of what they steal to those in need. Think of them as a kind of Robin Hood character.
Molliver will also use their skill set to protect the common folk, occasionally even facing off against the vilest of threats. The character originally appeared in 1983 as an action figure. They are a member of Valor’s Call.
Ringlerun
Ringlerun became an adventurer to better satisfy his craving for arcane knowledge. One of his adventures took him into an underwater tomb, where he tricked a marid into surrendering a staff of power. This staff greatly increased Ringlerun’s capabilities and made him the envy of many rival spellcasters. Ringlerun has a good heart, but he’s easily distracted by intellectual pursuits. He would rather spend time in quiet contemplation or reading than in frivolous conversation.
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Ringlerun is a powerful wizard who was a mentor of Skylla's. Though Skylla eventually came to serve Kelek, Ringlerun remains a member of the heroic Valor's Call.
The old wizard appears on the cover of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, though you can also find him in the game supplement Quest for the Heartstone. Like other heroes on this list, Ringlerun got his own action figure in 1983.
Rollercoaster from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon
In the map for the Witchlight Carnival, the rollercoaster from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon opening can be found. The iconic roaring dragon is shown below:
Shelly Mazzanoble
Players can enjoy snail racing at the Witchlight Carnival. Among the giant snails is Shellymoo, a reference to Shelly Mazzanoble, the global brand manager at Wizards of the Coast.
Skylla
Skylla, who sometimes goes by the alias Charmay, forged a warlock’s pact with Baba Yaga. It is from this powerful archfey that Skylla draws her magic.
Skylla is spiteful and treacherous, as likely to betray her allies as to help them. She talked Kelek into allowing her to serve as the primary liaison between the League of Malevolence and the Hourglass Coven, claiming her pact with Baba Yaga made her better suited for the role than anyone else.
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Skylla first appeared in the 1983 Advanced D&D game supplement The Shady Dragon Inn and has their own action figure. In The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Skylla has turned away from the League of Malevolence to work for Endelyn Moongrave.
Strongheart
Strongheart is a fearless seeker of justice, risking his life to ensure that good triumphs over evil. He is thoughtful, kind, and seldom rash, yet never hesitant to punish those who spit in the face of law and order.
Source: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Longtime fans of D&D will recognize the human paladin Strongheart. He first appeared as an action figure in the Advanced D&D product line and then in the game supplements Quest for the Heartstone and The Shady Dragon Inn. Strongheart has had a longtime feud with Warduke, an iconic villain who was his former best friend!
Thaco
THAC0 is an abbreviation for To Hit Armor Class Zero and is used as the basis for determining if an attack roll succeeds in Advanced D&D. In The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, players meet Thaco the clown in the Witchlight Carnival. He can typically be found puffing on his bubble pipe, with a painted grin, serving as a Witchlight hand.
Warduke
Warduke very well might be one of the coolest characters on this list. Lore wise, he was once best friends with Strongheart. Along their journey, Warduke traveled down a path of chaos and violence, causing the two of them to become sworn enemies.
The evil human fighter had his own action figure in 1983 and appeared in The Shady Dragon Inn as an ally to Kelek and his League of Malevolence.
The Wizard of Oz
Dorthy Gale's companions in The Wizard of Oz get their own characters in this adventure. Each serve as a guide in Prismeer:
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Clapperclaw the Scarecrow is a reference to The Scarecrow
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Squirt the Oilcan is the Tin Man
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Amidor the Dandelion is the Cowardly Lion
Zarak
Opposite of Molliver, Zarak is an assassin who has no loyalty to anyone but himself. This shady figure is a dangerous foe that loves money and doesn’t mind how he makes it. Despite serving Kelek, he wouldn’t hesitate to betray his allies if it benefitted him in some way.
Zarak first appeared in the 1983 Advanced D&D game supplement The Shady Dragon Inn and has his own action figure. He makes his return in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight as a member of the League of Malevolence.
Zargash
The wicked cleric Zargash worships none other than the Demon Prince of Undeath, Orcus. Zargash uses his immense power to wreak havoc in servitude of Kelek and his League of Malevolence. Zargash first appeared in the 1983 Advanced D&D game supplement The Shady Dragon Inn and has his own action figure.
What easter eggs did we miss?
Have you found other easter eggs in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight? Leave a comment below to let us know what it is!
DeAngelo Murillo (That_DeAngelo) is a fourth-generation Mexican-American who helps bring more representation to the geeky community through storytelling, journalism, interviewing creatives, and more on his Twitch channel. In his free time, he enjoys harassing his peers into participating in TTRPG charity events with him and also dies quite often in video games.
SPOILERS FOR PLAYERS SO TURN BACK NOW UNLESS YOU'RE A DM
The three friendly guides/NPCs are basically reimaginations of/inspired by Dorothy's companions from The Wizard of Oz.
Clapperclaw The Scarecrow = The Scarecrow
Squirt, an animated oilcan = The Tinman
Amidor, a swashbuckling dandelion = The Cowardly Lion
Dumphrey Frogart the bullywug knight, a nice little reference to Humphrey Bogart.
Wow, you guys really milked that league of malevolence/valor's call reference, didn't you? This article would have been a fifth of the size had there been one entry for either.
One of the giant snails at the carnival is named Shellymoo, which is a reference to Shelly Mazzanoble.
I’m still pointing out that the Jabberwock was also used to describe the Jersey Devil
Pretty sure the pup depicted in the lower left corner of the Domain of Prismeer map is Milo!
the greatsword Snicker-Snack is another Lewis Carol reference from the Jabberwocky poem:
"One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back."
Ugh, isn't one of the three witches in the coven Granny Nightshade, who is part of Ghosts of Saltmarsh? Or did you give two hags the exact same name?
HOLY CRAP I FOUND A THING!!!
From TWBtW
When the hags of the Hourglass Coven took control of Prismeer, they gained leverage over Mister Witch and Mister Light. The hags know that Witch and Light are not the carnival’s original owners and have threatened to divest them of their status by orchestrating a reunion between the Witchlight Carnival and its counterpart in the Shadowfell (which would force Witch and Light to give up the former and return to the latter).
Terrified of losing their Feywild fair, the two shadar-kai have agreed to let the coven steal from anyone who sneaks into the carnival without a ticket. Witch and Light have tried to neutralize this situation by diligently checking all visitors for tickets, but some unfortunates inevitably slip through, making them targets for the hags’ thieves
From VRGtR
Isolde was a holy warrior devoted to a pantheon of elven deities called the Seldarine. In this role, she defended the Feywild against dragons, demons, and other threats. In time, her heroics caught the eye of an archfey named Zybilna, who had forged secret pacts with some of the fiends Isolde and her companions had slain. Rather than be angry at Isolde, Zybilna was impressed by her. She enlisted a powerful fiend known only as “the Caller” to corrupt and slay all of Isolde’s companions, leaving Isolde alone, bitter, and vulnerable. The insidious archfey then befriended Isolde and offered to help her forget her terrible losses. Isolde became the master of a traveling fey carnival that served as a gateway to Zybilna’s domain. The carnival did what Zybilna hoped it would do: it brought comfort to Isolde and quelled her thirst for vengeance.
Zybilna and Isolde enjoyed a strong partnership for years, but as time wore on, they grew distant until their relationship finally soured. Eladrin crave change, yet Isolde felt like she was frozen in time. She wished to leave the fey carnival and pursue other dreams, but Zybilna wouldn’t hear of it and secretly used wish spells to make Isolde place her devotion to the carnival above her desire to leave it.
When Isolde’s fey carnival crossed paths with another carnival from the Shadowfell, the eladrin found the escape she longed for. Isolde orchestrated a trade with the other carnival’s owners, a pair of shadar-kai (elves native to the Shadowfell). Isolde would become the master of their carnival, and they would become the masters of hers. To appease Zybilna, this arrangement would remain in place only until the two carnivals crossed paths again.
Zybilna was intrigued enough by the shadar-kai to let Isolde go, but not without casting a spell that made Isolde forget about Zybilna and her Feywild domain, thus preventing the eladrin from divulging the archfey’s secrets. As a further punishment, Zybilna sent malevolent fey creatures to hound Isolde and her Shadowfell carnival. Isolde doesn’t know who is behind this petty torment, nor does she care. Her hunt for the Caller and her thirst for vengeance have become all-consuming.
Ravenloft's Carnival was originally run by Mister Witch and Mister Light, and The Witchlight Carnival was originally run by Isolde!
Edit: I read a little farther and saw that the book explicitly said this. Whoops!
This part references a bunch of proverbs. I haven't read the whole book, so I didn't notice anything else. The Living Doll reminds me of the Carrionettes in VRGtR.
The three flameskulls in Rivenwish Chasm are named Weaugh, Teaugh, and Peaugh, which are the magic words used to activate the Powder of Life in the Oz books. Mombi uses it to bring Jack Pumpkinhead to life in The Marvelous Land of Oz. A version of this occurs in the film Return to Oz (one of the great underrated kids' fantasy movies of the 80s) where the powder is also used to animate the Gump.
That's some pretty impressive research! Love making those kinds of connections.
So, I haven't read the adventure yet, but I see "Iggwilv the Witch Queen" appears in the list of "Monsters." This is an alias of Tasha's, the adopted daughter of Baba Yaga.
NOTE: You ended the tag for Snicker-Snack with a /monster tag instead of a /magicitem one.
Wait, almirajes are common in the Feywild. They weren't taken from Chult, they were probably taken from the Feywild to Chult.
The book I read directly before The Wild Beyond the Witchlight was Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and I remember that Easter Egg pretty well too. I was watching a DnD Beyond Stream with Chris Perkins and a question was asked if the adventure had been teased before it was announced and I immediately thought of Isolde's entry in VGtR too. Very clever tease by Wizards for sure.
The illustration of the Inn at the End of the Road with all of the little legs on the bottom reminds me of The Luggage from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.
Who else thought that there would be Easter eggs from the actual holiday Easter when they read the article's headline?
You made a typo when you were writing the tooltip for snicker-snack. You wrote /monster instead of /magicitem in the closing brackets.
The repeated images of Harts and Lions might be a reference to Three Hearts and Three Lions. Which is often credited as inspiring the alignment system (especially the original Law vs. Chaos alignment system).
Also, one of the books in the secret library is Thingizzard's Night Balloon. Thingizzard the Witch of the Fens is mentioned in White Plume Mountain.