Scratch turns to his sister as she begins to cry. "No, no, no," he says, putting his huge giant-gloved hands on her shoulders. His mind only minutely complains about their height differences. "Don't cry, big sis," he says. He lowers his voice. "I'm only saying this to let us stay long enough to find Chandler. He has to be around here somewhere." He turns back to look at Mr. Witch and Mr. Light. "Illuwen is a little kid. He can't make that choice. His parents have to make that choice. But we can come back tomorrow and the next until it's time for you to leave again. How many more days will you be here?"

Chase looks at Scratch with watery eyes, staying silent for a moment as she wipes away her tears. Her mind works through the reassuring words he’s spoken, and once they begin to settle, her breathing steadies. A faint smile crosses her face as she says, “These gloves are stupidly big, little bro.” Then she hugs her twin tightly and whispers, “Don’t you ever disappear, okay? Promise you won't get lost like Chandler did.”

After stepping back and clearing her eyes again, the Tabaxi girl turns to Illuwen. She can't quite comprehend the idea that a parent wouldn’t miss their child and struggles to find the right words to convince her friend to stay. In the end, she manages to say. “We tell you what to do because we don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Please, stay. I can’t believe your mom and sister wouldn’t miss you. But we will. We will miss you. Please stay with us.”

Chase the Bird steps back after speaking, unsure what else she can do. A wave of sadness and helplessness washes over her, and she directs these feelings toward Mr. Witch and Mr. Light, sticking her tongue out at them in sheer childish contempt.

Mister Witch looks over at Scratch and says to him, "We may be humble circus folk, but we leave the laws of society unspoke. Only the laws of nature hold the thrown, every man, woman, and child is free to choose thier own."

Mister Light pipes up, "As far as your lost friend is concerned, I can tell you what my magic has discerned. This staff that I carry knows every being that comes into this carnival, it's actually quite remarkable. With this staff I can locate anyone as long as they are within our domain, but I'm sorry my dear children your friend does not remain. You could spend a lifetime traveling the portals of the multiverse to find him, though even his chances of finding his way home are slim."

Lex looks at the two strange elven pair, then at his friends, and shakes his head. "No, I'm not going back in there. I'm going home to my family. Back in there, with those strange figures creeping up on us, weird rules, scary guards." He flicked his eyes to Hurly and Burly. "No thank you."  He looked now at Chase and the others.  "Chandler's not there any more.  He got out ok.  He'll get back home, I'm sure of it."

Scratch's ears are laid back, his tail is limp, and his face is blank. The words of Mister Light repeat in his mind. "You could spend a lifetime traveling the portals of the multiverse to find him, though even his chances of finding his way home are slim."

"We're dead," he says quietly. He looks at Chase and sighs. "I guess we might as well head home." He looks at Lex and nods. Turning, he grabs Illuwen's shoulder with one of his giant-gloved hands. "Come on, Illuwen. Fun's over. It's time to leave the carnival."

Illuwen jerks his arm back, tossing Scratch's hand off his shoulder. "I told you, I'm NOT GOING! WHY DOESN'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!" He quickly scribbles his own name on the employment contract and hands it back to Mr. Witch. "Here, take it!"

Scratch's blank face — his mind is dwelling on what he imagines Chandler's family is going to do when they find out their child is missing — turns to surprise and then horror/anger. "Illuwen, no!" he yells, but his body isn't able to interfere. He stands — stunned — and watches as their friend finishes his name and then hands the scroll over. "What ... what did you do?" he asks, his voice now full of frustration. "Why? What are we going to say to your parents? You idiot! Now we're going to be double dead!" He steps forward and pushes Illuwen with his open giant-gloved hands. His ears are back, and his eyes are starting to sparkle with moisture. His hands fold into fists, aimed at the ground now, but clearly ready to be used.

"Stop it," Chase says faintly as Illuwen pushes Scratch’s hand off. When the elf begins to scream, she covers her ears, unable to bear the yelling. "Stop it!" she pleads, louder now, as Scratch reacts to the signed contract. But no one seems to listen, and the tension between her brother and her friend rises as Scratch’s fists clench. Is he going to fight with Illuwen? Her tail twitches nervously, and her fur puffs up. "STOP IT!" she cries. In a burst of frustration, she pulls her paws from her ears and grabs the hammer she'd taken from her dad’s workshop before coming to the Carnival. With a flash of anger, she throws it toward the nearest breakable object — Candlefoot's wagon window — (ooc:  rolled 10 to hit on a d20. -1 if the STR modifier is applied, or +1 if it is DEX) and she blurts, "Don't fight!! We've already lost Chandler, are we going to stop being friends over a stupid signature on a stupid paper!?"

She turns her back to the group after this, and they can hear a low, desperate "Please, let’s just go home."

At the crash of something not too far away, Scratch's anger shatters as well. He looks around and realizes it was Chase.

"Don't fight!! We've already lost Chandler, are we going to stop being friends over a stupid signature on a stupid paper!?"

Scratch's shoulders slump as he begins to feel ashamed.

"Please, let’s just go home."

The male tabaxi takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as he lets it out. "Come on, Isy. Lex. It's time to go home." He looks at Illuwen, a great amount of pleading and sadness in his pink eyes. Without saying anything further, Scratch on Wood turns and begins walking back toward town, his tail almost dragging on the ground behind him.

Mister Witch and Mister Light escort the children from the fair grounds, minus Illuwen and Chandler. These last moments in the carnival leave a tense memory in everyone's minds. What was once a tight nit group of friends has been fractured. The children return to their families. Chandler remains lost, potentially in the feywild potentially somewhere else entirely. Illuwen begins his career with the carnival traveling across the worlds of the material plane.

Growing up is no fun. But time passes and everyone grows older. Life goes on all around us whether we want it to or not. Before you know it 8 whole years have passed! Where did the time go!? 

[Please take your time and explain what your character has done in the 8 year time jump. You can discuss with the group or go solo, your choice. I will be sending each of your achievement sheets for this intro adventure. Again, these are guides only not law.]

Lex’s mind was racing for weeks after the carnival.  All of the fantastic beings and magical effects he had seen solidified his endless curiousity for Magic. But most of all, one question would not leave him alone - what was the name of that creature?

He tried to focus on his studies, pursuing the path he had laid out with his parents to become a great arcane mage. But try as he might, he could not succeed on his examinations, he continuously got low marks on all of his written work, and his parents received continuous complaints about his atrocious handwriting. His voiced explanations about the Witchlight carnival were dismissed as excuses, and he struggled to gain favor in his arcane classes.

At last he was taken in by a tutor who noticed his passion for fantastical creatures.  Feathered and furred, slithering and scurrying, Professor Samuch had an intimate knowledge of all sorts of beasts and beings. Lex flung himself at his studies, and soon proved himself to be a bright pupil in the care and study of magical creatures.

Now, he has graduated from his schooling and prepares to head out to begin his own field studies, desperate to fill a continuous urge for learning.

Chase the Bird didn’t realize it at the time, but that hammer shattered more than just Candlefoot’s window. As the party left the Carnival, she thought they’d return to normal—to life as it had always been. Just her, her twin, their six siblings, and Mom and Dad watching over them all. And in a way, they did. But Scratch, who had always been her very shadow—just as she had been his—was often quiet and lost in thought. And, more often than not, he wasn’t around. Her twin now spent much of his time helping Chandler’s and Illuwen’s family. Their parents said it was so kind and thoughtful of him, but Chase couldn’t help resenting how much of her twin’s time they took.

Time passed, and the years brought many changes. Chase met new friends but often thought of her childhood companions. She wondered how Isy was faring in her underwater home. And Illuwen—was he still mad at them? At least she saw Lex from time to time, though they no longer spent as much time together as they had when they were younger. There were other changes in her too, as she grew older. Along came her first kiss ... and her first heartbreak. He was a bard in a wandering troupe that visited town for only a few days. Chase had never met an air genasi before, and she was completely captivated. His smile left her breathless, and the way his blue-and-white hair moved with a constant breeze felt magical. He sang to her, and for those fleeting moments, the world seemed to stand still. The troupe moved on, but Chase often thought of him in the years that followed.

There were other first times, too. The first time Frost on Grass got into a fight. The day River Song got lost in the forest, and they all worried themselves sick until they found her fast asleep next to a tree trunk. Or when Dad got so ill that they all thought he… but no, he recovered. The tabaxi twins were there through it all, and even though they were close, it didn't felt quite the same as before the Carnival. Something had changed in him—something deep— and it seemed to be doing him good. Chase liked that her twin had found a sense of meaning, of purpose, even if she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. She wished she could feel like that too. Often, she found herself remembering the thrill she had felt when she cast magic at the Witchlight Carnival.The tingling in her fingers had felt so good! She thought she had felt something similar a couple of times when she played with that trinket—the elven arrow she’d kept. She’d never put it back after they came back from the Carnival, but Mom and Dad didn’t seem to mind. It had belonged to a great-grandfather of theirs. An elf great-grandparent! Wouldn’t it be fun if he were alive, and they could meet him?

Time kept passing, and the twins turned eighteen. It was a beautiful day, and Chase and Scratch had a proper party with their family and friends—cake, presents, everything. Chase was happy, but she didn’t smile. How could she? That damned pig-masked girl had gotten away with it. Chase didn’t often think about that girl, but for some reason, the night they turned eighteen she remembered her. And when she went to bed, she dreamt of chasing her, of wielding magic so powerful that it would make the girl fall to her knees and be forced to give Chase back her smile—and everything else the shadowy figures had taken from Scratch, Isy, Lex, and Illuwen. Even Chandler! But Chase was so angry, so furious at the pig-masked girl, that she raised her hand and a mass of chaotic energy formed, slamming into the girl’s body. Just as it hit, Chase woke up to find she had been clutching the elven arrow tightly in her hand and that the sheets of her bed were burning. Scared, she put out the fire as best as she could and threw the sheets away the very next morning.

Everything changed from that day on. She had magic again! But it felt... too wild. Uncontrolled. Most times she tested it, the spells came with unexpected side effects. It was as though she wasn’t fully in control. How did she have these abilities when no one else in her family seemed to? Chase began investigating her family tree, tracing it all the way back to that elven great-grandfather, whose name was Orym. What if he was the one who had passed magic down to her? Determined to find answers, she made a decision. Without revealing the full truth, she told her family she wanted to travel—and that it would only be for a short time. But that short time stretched into almost two years. During that time, she did odd jobs to make a living, though she often found herself relying on her Tabaxi stealth, and occasionally her magic, to steal or deceive. Yet the more she used her magic, the more unpredictable the consequences became. This only deepened her resolve to find Orym, hoping he could help her understand and control her abilities.

And find him, she did. An older elf, tall and slim, with mismatched blue and golden eyes—just like hers. It seemed she had inherited not only his magic but also this unique feature. Unfortunately, he had little advice to offer the young Tabaxi about her wild magic. He lived alone, ensuring his magic wouldn’t cause trouble. But that wasn’t what Chase wanted. She spent a few months with Orym, and he even gave her a new tame following the Tabaxi tradition — Lindailin, Wild Bird in Elvish. But her longing for her family grew stronger with each passing day. Could she find a way to use her magic without fearing the consequences? Would she have to give it up entirely? Or follow in her great-grandfather’s footsteps and live a solitary life?

With all those questions weighing on her mind, Chase Lindailin left Orym's house and set out on the road once more. Her steps carried her homeward, though her heart felt torn. On one hand, she believed she needed to stay away from her family to protect them; on the other, she missed them deeply. Could she ever find an answer for this?

The carnival left, and with it, Chandler and Illuwen were gone — one taken, the other choosing to stay. Scratch returned to the Feywild with his sister, Chase, and the others, but the weight of what had happened pressed down on him like a storm cloud that refused to clear. He couldn’t stop replaying those moments: Chandler’s disappearance, Illuwen’s refusal to leave, and his own desperation to make things right, which ended with Chase holding him back.

Back home, guilt drove Scratch to action. He threw himself into helping Illuwen’s family first — his mother, Osonia, and his toddler sister, Marellia, who still asked when her brother would return. Marellia’s innocence and Osonia’s quiet strength inspired Scratch to stay. He became a steady presence in their lives, helping however he could, whether by fixing things around their home, carrying supplies, or simply keeping them company.

Chandler’s family, in a nearby settlement, was a different story. Their grief was loud and raw, often spilling into arguments that echoed through their home. Scratch worked to mend what he could there too, becoming a calming presence for two parents who were trying to hold their fractured family together. Over the years, Scratch became like an adopted son to both families, not out of obligation but because he genuinely cared.

Scratch himself changed during this time. Once impulsive and hotheaded, he found solace in discipline and training, channeling his emotions into the controlled art of combat. Each strike, each movement became a meditation, a way to steady his mind and remind himself of his purpose: to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

All the while, a landmark near their community — the Broken Shrine — called to him. It was a familiar sight to everyone in the village, an old stone ruin tucked away in the forest. Its carvings were worn, its meaning long forgotten, and the locals had come to see it as little more than an ancient relic of no particular significance. Scratch himself had passed it many times as a child without a second thought.

But in the years following the carnival, something changed. Scratch began to feel a strange pull toward the shrine, especially during moments of stillness. It started as a whisper in the back of his mind, a sense of warmth and longing that grew stronger each time he neared the crumbling stones.

Two years ago, Chase came to him with an obsession of her own: their family tree. One evening, she told Scratch she was leaving to follow a lead she’d found — something tied to their lineage. She asked him to accompany her, but Scratch hesitated. The shrine’s pull had grown stronger, and he wasn’t ready to leave. But he didn’t tell her that. Instead, he mumbled something about unfinished work and responsibilities at home. Chase looked hurt, but she didn’t argue. She packed her things and left, saying it wouldn’t be for long.

Days turned into months, and months into years. Chase didn’t return, and while she sent the occasional letter, Scratch began to feel the distance growing between them. He wondered if she blamed him for not going with her — or worse, if she no longer cared.

It was around this time that the whisper at the shrine became a voice. One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and painted the forest in gold and shadow, Scratch stood before the shrine and felt its pull like never before. The Starlit Wanderer — the celestial whose presence he had felt for years — called to him directly, reaching across the veil between worlds.

The Starlit Wanderer did not speak in words but through a flood of images and emotions. Scratch saw visions of journeys across endless landscapes, of shields raised against overwhelming darkness, of quiet lights guiding lost souls home. He felt the weight of the Wanderer’s ancient purpose: to guard the forgotten, to protect the vulnerable, to walk paths few dared to tread.

Kneeling at the shrine, Scratch made a vow. He would become a shield and a light, a guardian for those who could not defend themselves. In return, he felt the Wanderer’s power settle within him — a quiet strength, steady as a heartbeat, and the knowledge that he would never walk alone. As part of this transformation, he chose a new name to honor the connection he felt: Scratch Starlight.

Now, eight years after the carnival, Scratch is ready to go wherever he is needed. Carrying the weight of his past, the hope of reuniting with Chase, and the light of the Starlit Wanderer within him, he seeks to protect others from the kinds of losses that haunt him. His journey is only beginning, but his vow is clear: to shield the weak, to walk paths others cannot, and to ensure no one else is left behind.

After returning from the carnival, well, lets just say Isy's parents weren't too happy. Already strict, the fact that she had disobeyed the rules made them put new restrictions on her life as they returned to the deep. But more than that, the fact that the land-peoples would steal children, made them think even less of them, and they never returned to the Heights of the Water-Less, as they called the above-sea ground. Once tolerant and letting Isy have a free childhood, they threw her into training as soon as they returned. Though missing her friends, both those who were lost to the carnival and those with their parents, her training distracted her, and eventually, she almost forgot them entirely. New friends were made, those who would fight with her when it was their turn to defend the seas. Training in weaponry, survival, acrobatics, all took first place to memories of the past.

Private Hargeleth entered battle for the first time when she was 14, as part of a training mission. She worked with her squadron to take down the enemies, and they all survived. Yet, it was also her first glimpse of the death that comes with battle. A more experienced squadron, who they where working with, a common practice to pair inexperienced with experienced, died, to the man. And the battles continued.

At 15, she started her trials. A way for the army to test that they were experienced enough to enter the army as a full member, and for her squadron, as a set of special force fighters working on their own, separate from the rest. The first trial was fairly easy. Combat against others entering the trial, squadron on squadron. Then came combat against the evils that they had always fought. Most trials ended there, but for special forces, they also had to show they could survive in unknown conditions and alone. So they sent the squadron to the surface. A place they were not trained to be. No cities or towns, only wilderness. Survive for a year. 

Towards the end of their survival test, camping in the middle of the woods, enemies attacked. But they didn't seem to attack to kill, but to take. Quickly realizing they were out-matched, the enemies left, but not before taking one of the squadron. Isythin's best friend. The last few weeks of their training they searched, but as the end approached, they realized finding her would not be an easy task. The next trial approached, survival alone, without the squadron. Each would travel a week in a different direction, and after a year, return to the sea. If they found each other, they could work together, but they would start apart, and stay that way for the first month. Isythin's squadron made a deal. Use the time apart to search for their missing member. If she was found too early, well, her isolation started earlier. Otherwise, keep searching. And so Isythin goes, in search of her best friend, Kithlane, faint memories of earlier friends lost forever ringing in her mind.

Illuwen spent the first few years at the carnival working odd jobs. Cleaning the various messes left behind by the guests, ferrying supplies here and there, and generally doing whatever needed done to keep the place running. It was a somewhat lonely existence, but he didn't mind. The other workers at the carnival were friendly enough and always willing to talk with him, but eventually they would start asking questions about his life before joining up and Illuwen just... didn't like talking about that. Didn't even like thinking about it, to be honest. Luckily for him, there were always fresh wonders appearing at the carnival to distract him, and so he didn't have to think about much at all, if he didn't want to.

The first real friend Illuwen made during his time at the carnival was a potbellied old gnome named Mortimer Carp, the singer in a band called the Flopping Fish. Carp was a stage name of course, no one seemed to know Mortimer's actual surname. No one knew much of anything about Mortimer, for that matter. Although the bard was always in high spirits and would talk the ear off anyone willing to listen for as long as the mead kept flowing, he always seemed able to steer the conversation away from anything regarding his life before the carnival. This suited Illuwen just fine, and the two found themselves spending more and more time together.

Mortimer taught Illuwen how to play several instruments, a skill that Illuwen took to easily and naturally. One day, the lutist for the Flopping Fish was sick and unable to perform (said lutist's ill-fated attempt to go toe to toe with Mortimer the previous night at a drinking game called Scallawags may have had something to do with that.) Mortimer asked Illuwen to fill in. Shy and reclusive by nature, Illuwen was terrified at first, but something compelled him to agree anyway. Once on stage, all of his fear seemed to melt away the minute the music started. He found the music's ability to move the audience into a foot-stomping, hand-clapping frenzy almost intoxicating. From that day forward, Illuwen began playing with the Flopping Fish more and more often whenever one of the regulars needed a night off. He grew particularly adept with the fiddle, and the Fish began choosing songs featuring the instrument to allow him to show off his skill. Eventually he joined the band as a full time member, adopting the stage name Illuwen Pickerel.

Eight years passed, and Illuwen knew the carnival would soon be returning to his hometown. Try as he might, he couldn't fully block out the thoughts of what he might find there. Would his former friends and family come to the carnival? Would they be happy to see him? Would they be angry, and confront him for abandoning them? Deep down, he hoped not to see them at all. He didn't know what he would say to them if he did, or how he would explain himself. Most of all, he was afraid they would once again try to convince him to leave this place, because in truth he still didn't think he could bring himself to do that, even after all this time.

The traveling extravaganza known as the Witchlight Carnival visits your world once every eight years. You have a dim memory of sneaking into the carnival as a child without paying for a ticket. That memory has grown foggy over time, though it still conjures a weird admixture of emotions—wonder and awe mixed with loss and regret. During this childhood visit, your character lost something. You tried to find it, but the carnival owners—a pair of elves named Mister Witch and Mister Light—were decidedly unhelpful.

“Silly little screeching cricket,” said Witch. “You forgot to buy a ticket.”

“The carnival goes round and round,” said Light. “The multiverse is our playground. Nothing’s free and nothing’s lost. Every visit has its cost.”

As time passed, your heart became less heavy, and you gave less and less thought to those childhood events. Now, for reasons you can’t explain, the longing to retrieve that which you have lost has resurfaced, as though an old spell has faded away, allowing you to feel the loss as sharply as if it happened yesterday.

...................................................................................

Lex, after all your hard work and dedication, you have finally finished your schooling! A ceremonial graduation takes place in the wilderness. Professor Samuch leads the ceremony while you are surrounded by your loved ones and creatures of the forest. The guests range from the proud stag to the sly fox. Once the ceremony has concluded, you take your time enjoying the company of all those who came support you on your big day. While you carry on conversations and show affection to the creatures around you are approached by a pixie. "Congratulations! Must have been a long road to get to this place. If you're up for it, my patron would love to meet you and may even have some work for a capable young druid like yourself." She gives you directions to the home of her patron and then graciously makes her exit.

...................................................................................

During the long trek home, Chase's mind doesn't stop racing. Conflicted and unsure of what to do next, you just put one foot in front of the other. With all the distractions running through your mind, you don't notice what is happening until it's too late. As if out of nowhere, weeds and vines sprout up from the ground and begin grasping at you until you're completely restrained. Even more confusion settles in as you begin to hear a small high-pitched giggle. Following this laughter to its origin, you spot a pixie floating around grasping her stomach and having a real belly laugh. Once she comes to her senses, she wipes a single tear from her eye and says, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist! You were so wrapped up in your thoughts, it was just too easy! But now down to business. I've been sent here to recruit you. My patron has a job that he thinks you would be perfect for." She gives you the directions to the home of her patron and, with a final giggle, releases you and disappears.

...................................................................................

Kneeling at the shrine, Scratch makes his offering and says his prayers. Like you've done many times before, this ritual has become second nature to you now. Halfway through your routine you feel something is different about this time. As you open your eyes and raise your head, you see a pixie sitting atop the alter. "Oh, don't mind me! Please, continue." You instantly rise and try to catch her as she flies around too high for you to catch, all while you scold her for the disrespect she has shown. "My apologies! I just thought you might want to go find your friend after all these years." With those words you halt your actions and remain in a stunned silence. "My patron has a job he would like to recruit you for, and you may or may not be able to look for clues." She gives you the directions to the home of her patron, drops a coin on the alter, then takes her leave.

...................................................................................

The search has been unfruitful thus far. As Isy sits by the fire, surrounded by wilderness, you go through all of the possibilities of where your friend could be and how you could find her. Suddenly, you once raging fire is instantaneously extinguished. There's no wind, no water, the fire is just... out. Out of the darkness you hear a little voice, "I found them you know. The people who attacked you. They don't have your friend anymore, she escaped. It was pretty heroic too! Unfortunately, she didn't make it too far before she fell into a feycrossing. Poor girl didn't even see it. Sadly, that crossing is closed now. My patron knows where another one is located, if you're interested in his proposal that is." She gives you directions to the home of her patron, and suddenly your fire reignites, and she is nowhere to be seen.

...................................................................................

You have been summoned to the abode of a human warlock named Madryck Roslof. He lives on a giant pumpkin farm, sharing his rustic farmhouse space with rodents and pixies. His adventuring days are behind him, and he looks quite old and frail. Nevertheless, he is delighted to make your acquaintance.

Each of you arrive at your own times and he invites you into his home. As you enter, he leads you to his dining table where you sit only to realize that you are surrounded by familiar faces. Once everyone has arrived, Madryck sits at the head of the table as pixies bring around cups of tea and snacks. "Now that we've all arrived, let's get down to business. I have summoned you all here due to your connections with the location in question. Before I divulge this information, I would like to give you some information." He raises his cup to his mouth and takes a hearty sip.

“I’ve acquired many treasures and made important contacts during my lengthy adventuring career,” says Madryck. “I would like to pass the treasures I possess and the favors I am owed to you. In exchange, I ask that you travel to Prismeer, a domain in the Feywild, and find out what fate has befallen the archfey that rules it. This archfey, Zybilna, is my patron and inspiration—the source of my power."

“I have been unable to contact Zybilna for the better part of a year, and I fear something terrible has happened. My adventuring days are over, but Zybilna has been good to me, and I would like to know she is well before I take my leave."

“This is where you might have some objections, but here goes. Every eight years, our world is visited by a traveling extravaganza called the Witchlight Carnival. It recently returned and is camped three days’ travel from here. I’m asking you now because this carnival might pack up and leave in a week or two, and it contains your only route to Prismeer—a fey crossing, if you will."

“Seek out Zybilna of Prismeer, help her if you can, and return with proof that she is alive and well. Upon your return, all the hard-won earnings of my adventuring career shall be yours.”

The young tabaxi finds herself lost in thought again, and after an hour of walking, she suddenly stops short. “Wait…” She looks left, then right, before slapping her forehead as the realization hits her: she hasn’t been following the way home at all. Instead, she’s heading toward the address she had supposedly decided to ignore. “What the hell is wrong with me? Focus, Chase, focus!” she scolds herself once again.  Turning back, she corrects her direction and starts walking homeward, taking one step, then another. But then stops again, hesitating. The idea of taking a job didn’t seem so bad after all. And really, what difference would adding a couple more days to those two years make?

With that, she ends up reaching the pixie's master's address. Upon entering, she realizes that someone else seems to be there as well. Wait. What. The. Hell. She would recognize that pink fur miles away. But how could this be? She’s nowhere near ready to meet her twin again. What is she supposed to say? "Oh, hey, guess what? I found our great-grandfather! Also, I wield this crazy wild magic like he does! Tah-dah!"  Her mind races, picturing a dozen other possibilities, each less convincing than the last. Finally, she mutters to herself, “Well, what if I break the ice old-school style...”, and decides to sneak up on the seated tabaxi and pounce on him—just like they used to do as kids...

... but, of course, her right boot chooses that exact moment to make a weird noise, just loud enough to catch Scratch’s attention. Chase freezes mid-step, and blurts an awkward “Erm... surprise!! ...or something,” tapping her index fingers together as she struggles to figure out what else to say or do. Then, without a warning, she dashes toward her twin just as he’s standing up from his chair and throws her arms around him in a tight embrace. She holds on for quite a while and it's only when she pulls back slightly that she notices the other two familiar faces and her eyes widen in shock. “Wait a second... Isy!? Is that you? And... Lex?! What on Toril is happening here? Oh, but let me just say, you both look fantastic! Isy, you look like you could kill me with your bare hands—please don’t, okay? And Lex, I take it your schooling has been a complete success. Can you turn into wild creatures already?”

At that precise moment, Madryck Roslof begins briefing them on the situation and Chase, who still trying to deal with the awkwardness of the reunion, is almost relieved to have something else to think about. "Hmmm," she muses aloud, tilting her head. "And how are we supposed to get into the traveling extravaganza? We weren’t exactly welcome when we snuck in as kids." She crosses her arms and smirks, though there’s a trace of exasperation in her tone. "Not that I’m against sneaking into places now and then, but I’m not keen on losing more than we did back then if we can avoid it. You wouldn’t happen to have tickets for the four of us, would you?"

As the pixie vanishes, Scratch closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The heavy beats of his heart slow, and he feels the heat in his face and shoulders cool. Looking back at the shrine, he sends to the Starlit Wanderer a series of images — his way of praying, and the Wanderer's preferred way of communication. 'It seems there might finally be a way,' the images say. 'Guide me, wise one.' With that, Scratch Starlight begins the journey to the pixie's indicated destination.

Scratch arrives at the door of a pumpkin patch's rustic home with a concerned scowl. He struggles to reconcile this rather ordinary location with the pixie's conversely remarkable invitation. But who is he to decide what is what? He, himself, is under the guidance and tutelage of a fallen angel of sorts — a being of light. Scratch knocks on the door and awaits acknowledgement while clearing his mind, and preparing for what might be in store.

Scratch is welcomed in by an aged human who identifies himself as Madryck Roslof. Scratch begins to introduce himself, but finds it unnecessary; Madryck already knows who he is. In fact, he is the one who has invited Scratch. Madryck ushers the purple-furred tabaxi into a warm and comfortable dining room and tells him they are waiting on a few more invitees. Scratch sits and enters a kind of meditation to pass the time. He does not acknowledge the next two who enter the dining room. It isn't until he feels a familiar sensation — someone sneaking up on him from behind — that he turns and is almost tackled by none other than his twin sister who has been gone for two years! Even more amazing, she identifies the other two newcomers in the room as Lex and Isy. He studies them, noting their physical changes since the last time he saw them. But his eyes return to Chase. His dear Chase.

He watches her as she says something about their grandfather and asks the others about themselves, but he's only hearing her as if through a dense fog. She's finally back. Wait, is she the friend the pixie spoke of? He had assumed the creature meant either Illuwen or Chandler.

It is at this point that Madryck interrupts and explains the reason why they've been gathered. The carnival. He should have known. "It seems we were destined," he says calmly. "We have unfinished business there. But I do think we should buy tickets this time. We know firsthand what happens when you sneak into that particular amusement." 'With any luck,' he thinks, 'we'll happen upon Illuwen.'

The fire suddenly extinguished startled Isythin. More so does the voice from nowhere. If it saw Kathine being taken, and where she ended, she had to follow the clue. If it was lying, well, hopefully one of the others found her. It would make sense that she escaped. She was one of the most resourceful of the squadron.  So she follows the directions, passing through a town on the way, where she asks the innkeep to tell any other tritons he sees that she had gotten a clue their friend was in the Feywild, and so went to search.

She arrives at the home, and while not impressed overmuch with the structure, does admire how much it fits in with the surrounding area. She enters the house, seeing two slightly familiar faces inside as she does. She does not concern herself with the familiarity. Until a new person says her name. Well, her old nickname, but still. She looks at each of them again. She vaguely remembers them. But weren't there a few others in their group? Oh yeah, the carnival.

Just as she has the thought, the man starts his explanation. A powerful being, almost at the ranks of the gods, missing? How could that be? Helping her seems right. The carnival is not the best memory, but to help, and for a chance to find Kathine, she would go through it. "We should buy tickets, yes. Is there a specific place within the Carnival that it is easiest to cross over? And can you tell us more about this Patron of yours? Does she have any aspects associated with her, that could help us find her?"

Lex beamed with delight at having completed his tutelage. He looked around at those who had come to see his success, including his parents and older sister, who had turned into quite an adventurer herself as a practitioner of Abjuration.  He felt a little twinge knowing that this had been something of a second choice career - but he put it aside as the pixie appeared in front of him, buttering him up and then tempting him with the prospect of an immediate chance to prove himself.  He wished his family goodbye and set out straight away.

Lex was the first to arrive at the home of the intriguing old man.  He took in the house of the pumpkin farmer, seated himself at the table and watched in amazement as one by one his childhood friends appeared.  He felt awed as each of them came in the room, showing what seemed to be obvious signs of being weathered adventurers, many having grown in strength and stature. He too had grown - though his gnomish growth was somewhat less dramatic, he had filled in, his face had lost much of its boyish quality, and he had the faint shadow of  a beard forming.

He is somewhat taken aback by Chase’s excitement, but he responds in kind gesturing to the small satchel of books by his chair, “My schooling is complete, but learning never stops.  I’m still studying beast forms, but I feel soon I’ll be able to accomplish something meaningful.”

He listens intently to the directions from Madryck, then pauses, pondering the idea of returning to that place. Part of him was intrigued, feeling an urging to go and retrieve…something…and to encounter the strange beings there again. Another small part of him remembers the fear he felt that day, and his heart seems to rise into his throat, pounding, and he swallows hard.

”Tickets are a must.  And Isy’s right - where do we cross over once we’re in there?  And from what I remember - leaving the carnival could mean we can’t get back, or at least not in this age. How do we safely return?”