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.
The Witchlight Carnival has returned, and you find yourself standing near a ticket booth by the entrance at twilight, just as the carnival is about to open. There you meet others who look as troubled as you. Without knowing how or why, you sense that each of them has lost something as well. Perhaps fate has brought you together.
A silver statue of a dancing faerie is mounted on the roof of this ticket booth and surrounded by fluttering butterflies. the booth is decorated with an animated depiction of the night sky, with shooting stars arcing across it.
An elderly goblin perches behind the ticket counter, peering at you quizzically through a spyglass. He lowers the spyglass and calls out to you: "Greetings, fair fairgoers!"
The goblin will see a small Harengon in blue robes wandering around the area about 50 yards from the ticket booth with his nose buried in a map. He stops, looks up, back at the map, then up again. He shakes his head and rotates the map one way, then the other. He nods and promptly marches confidently into a nearby copse of trees.
A powerfully-built male wearing chain mail and with a glaive he uses as a walking staff, glances to the Harengon as the figure disappears into a copse of trees nearby. With a frown Davis wonders just where that fellow is trying to go, but quickly puts it out of his mind as the elderly goblin calls out. Stepping forward, the human-looking figure comes more into moonlight, allowing his face to be more easily seen. he is missing his left ear, an old scar running down the side of his face, skipping his neck, then continuing down his chest to disappear under his tunic and the chain mail he wears over the tunic. He has calm gray eyes that seem to have no trouble seeing in the darkest shadows.
"Well met sir goblin." Davis says, stepping up to the ticket booth. "I was wanting to purchase a ticket to enter."
A little further down in the line stands a young cute half-elven redhead, wearing a worn olive travelling cloak over a gaudy outfit more suited to a boy, looking curiously at the people around her, giggling as she sees the small harengon getting lost in a copse but flinching as she notices the scar of the glaive-bearer, bringing forth emotions of both compassion and revulsion. She is carrying a simple backpack and is holding a violin and a bow in her left hand, always ready for entertainment it seems. As the line moves forward she moves gracefully with it, like a dance to music no one but she can hear. When she reaches the ticket counter she adressess the elderly goblin in a voice made darker than natural.
"Good evening good Sir, I wonder if I might purchase a ticket to the Carnival of Witchlight."
Standing off to the side is a strange looking elf that is dressed in bright greens that seem to clash with his dark blue skin and a gloomy demeanor. To any that have the knowledge they would see he was an eladrin that is in the winter season. He normally found himself in summer or spring but with the sudden memories of the carnival the loss had made him rather depressed. He moves to adjust the swords at his hips and the bow and arrows on his back.
"I would like to aquire a ticket as well. Not going to make the mistake I made last time..." As he moves he seeks to be trying to stand straighter as if doing his best to look taller.
A few hours later, the blue robed Harengon stumbles out of the woods opposite from where he entered. He stuffs his map into the pack on his back, then pulls small sticks and leaves from his robes. He looks around while absent mindedly fiddling with something in his pocket. The Harengon will then shrug and head over to stand in line behind the blue skinned elven man. He'll look around a bit as he waits, pulling a faintly glowing blue orb from his pocket and tossing it from hand to hand. After moving up a couple of spaces, the Harengon will reach forward and tap the blue elven man on the arm, "Excuse me, sir? Is this Icewind Dale?" He asks politely.
A rosy-skinned Fairy with apricot-pink gossamer wings and a curly mane of lavender-colored hair with pink highlights flits over the heads of those starting to line up at the ticket booth as a harmless magical wisp of light bounces around as it closely trails her flight path. Bramble touched down near to the gloomy blue-skinned Elf upon hearing his words added, "been there done that!"She giggled and gave the Elf an amused look, "don't be so gloomy and blue... boo! It's spring somewhere you know," she smirked as she turned her gaze towards the elderly goblin... "me too. I'm with them... tickets all around if you please! Anything good on the menu? Something my blueberry bohunk here might find appealing?"She asked the goblin.
The goblin sets down his spyglass and holds up an ear horn.
“Eh? You’ve got rickets, you say? Oh, tickets, of course, that’ll be why you’re at the ticket booth!”
“Tickets are normally 8 silver apiece, but for you lot I’ve got pre-paid tickets. Lucky you! It’s gotta be nice to know that, somewhere out there, someone’s looking out for ya!”
“But hold up, I’ve got 5 tickets here, where’s your fifth friend?”
He switches out his ear horn for the spyglass and peers at you all closely through it, presumably making sure he didn’t miscount.
The goblin raises his spyglass just as the fairy zooms into view. He flinches back as though blinded by her bright and colorful presence, and quickly swaps back to the ear horn again.
“Ah, five it is, after all. Just as was expected. Excellent, excellent. Eh, what was that? Menus? Well, yes, there’s food to be had, for sure. First let me explain your tickets.”
He hands each of you a large ticket emblazoned with The Witchlight Carnival across the top. Pictured on the ticket are exotic creatures, pixies, and a mermaid with a speech bubble asking you, “Will you be crowned as the Witchlight Monarch?” Across the bottom of the ticket are 8 hole-punch circles.
The goblin, who introduces himself as Nikolas, explains that each ticket is good for 8 attractions, and shows you the hole punches. He also hands your group a map of the carnival.
The eladrin gives the fairy a dour look before he shakes his head, crossing his arms slowly as he looks about. "Something about this place makes me feel as though something is missing from me... Last time I was here I found it in the feywild so it is strange to see it here...."
"Much thanks Nikolas." Davis says as he accepts his ticket. "Do you know who paid for our entrance?" He asks as the goblin finishes his explanation and hands over a map. "I would llike to thank them personally if the opportunity comes up."
Getting no response from the blue elven man, Pal will approach the woman in the garish clothing with the musical instrument and ask, "Excuse me, Miss? I seem to be lost, could you please tell me where we are?"
Nikolas clutches the ear horn and directs it towards your group. “Eh? Who paid for the ent trance? Well, I don’t know much about treefolk, you’ll have to ask our resident treant fellow, Northwind. Capital fellow. Hard to miss. He’ll probably be along soon, handing out gifts.”
The half-elven redhead accepts the ticket and bows theatrically to the elderly goblin. As she enters the Carnival area the harengon approaches her. "Oh my, a bunny so cute, what a sight, yes where could we be on this beautiful night, as thousands of stars are shining so bright, it must be the Carnival of Witchlight." She says, smiling warmly at the bunny.
She then turns to the others and plays a few notes on her violin to get their attention. "Hrm, a tresure I lost and it's been on my mind, I sense that our fates here are tightly entwined, our purpose for visiting closely aligned, If we seek together these treasures we'll find." She pauses briefly. "My name is Viola and music's my trade, please follow along and I'll give you my aid." She finishes, and starts playing her violin again, dancing into the carnival area.
Pal's eyes light up when the singing woman mentions the Witchlight Carnival, "Wow! The Witchlight Carnival? Here? In Icewind Dale? How interesting! I've been once before in my youth, right before..." His gaze takes on a faraway look and he mumbles, "...right before I lost my way back home..." He shakes off his melancholy and takes a ticket with a smile, "Pre-paid admission? Interesting! Is this a common practice? I don't seem to recall having my admission paid for last time..." He stops abruptly and says to anyone listening, "Ah... Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? I'm excited to see what has changed in the years since my last visit!" Pal then follows the dancing woman into the carnival while trying to get a look at the map.
Bramble'slarge expressive amber eyes widened as she listened to the one who called herself Viola... the wee fairy rather enjoying Viola's song as well as the manner of her introduction. "...please follow along and I'll give you my aid."
Upon hearing the Bard's words... that said... Bramble instantly flew straight towards Viola and hovered in the air near her... as she tittered her own introduction, "and I'm Bramble,"the wee fairy responded melodically, “I’m your huckleberry,"she added as she watched and listened with delight as Viola started to play her violin again... and as the Bard danced into the carnival area the fairy followed close behind... jabbering away in the Sylvan tongue. Her rambling words to some might sound like complete and utter nonsense but with fairies who knows for sure.
"Beware the Witchlight Carnival, one and all... as all stood awhile lost in thought. Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All the mimsy cousins were the pixies, sprites, and fairies and the mome raths outgrabe. Come to my arms, my beamish lads and lassies! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” The little fairy chortled in apparent joy and delight.
The first stars of night twinkle above the apricot sunset. Giant dragonflies whir overhead, trailing streamers, and a low mist curls over the ground. Through a floral archway, you glimpse wondrous and vibrant creatures--elf stilt walkers, dancing faeries, and painted performers. Everywhere there is laughter, pixie dust, bubbles, and the wistful tune of a whistling calliope.
Nearby patrons and carnival workers turn to witness your exuberance, and they smile and clap. You seem to bring into the carnival with you the promise of an enjoyable evening. You feel a reciprocal swelling in your hearts, but then you're reminded of the ache inside of that which was taken from you, and the happy feeling is tempered.
[several of you would have normally earned inspiration at this point for excellent portrayal of your characters, but you are currently blocked from receiving it]
And yet, the mood of the fair seems to respond to you positively. The calliope music gets a little faster, a little more lively and joyous. People around you are grinning and clapping before moving on to the various attractions.
[In the lower right corner of the map is a "carnival mood indicator'. It has gotten happier by one level.]
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.
The Witchlight Carnival has returned, and you find yourself standing near a ticket booth by the entrance at twilight, just as the carnival is about to open. There you meet others who look as troubled as you. Without knowing how or why, you sense that each of them has lost something as well. Perhaps fate has brought you together.
You're all at the ticket booth.
A silver statue of a dancing faerie is mounted on the roof of this ticket booth and surrounded by fluttering butterflies. the booth is decorated with an animated depiction of the night sky, with shooting stars arcing across it.
An elderly goblin perches behind the ticket counter, peering at you quizzically through a spyglass. He lowers the spyglass and calls out to you: "Greetings, fair fairgoers!"
And with that, the floor is now yours.
The goblin will see a small Harengon in blue robes wandering around the area about 50 yards from the ticket booth with his nose buried in a map. He stops, looks up, back at the map, then up again. He shakes his head and rotates the map one way, then the other. He nods and promptly marches confidently into a nearby copse of trees.
A powerfully-built male wearing chain mail and with a glaive he uses as a walking staff, glances to the Harengon as the figure disappears into a copse of trees nearby. With a frown Davis wonders just where that fellow is trying to go, but quickly puts it out of his mind as the elderly goblin calls out. Stepping forward, the human-looking figure comes more into moonlight, allowing his face to be more easily seen. he is missing his left ear, an old scar running down the side of his face, skipping his neck, then continuing down his chest to disappear under his tunic and the chain mail he wears over the tunic. He has calm gray eyes that seem to have no trouble seeing in the darkest shadows.
"Well met sir goblin." Davis says, stepping up to the ticket booth. "I was wanting to purchase a ticket to enter."
A little further down in the line stands a young cute half-elven redhead, wearing a worn olive travelling cloak over a gaudy outfit more suited to a boy, looking curiously at the people around her, giggling as she sees the small harengon getting lost in a copse but flinching as she notices the scar of the glaive-bearer, bringing forth emotions of both compassion and revulsion. She is carrying a simple backpack and is holding a violin and a bow in her left hand, always ready for entertainment it seems. As the line moves forward she moves gracefully with it, like a dance to music no one but she can hear. When she reaches the ticket counter she adressess the elderly goblin in a voice made darker than natural.
"Good evening good Sir, I wonder if I might
purchase a ticket to the Carnival of Witchlight."
Standing off to the side is a strange looking elf that is dressed in bright greens that seem to clash with his dark blue skin and a gloomy demeanor. To any that have the knowledge they would see he was an eladrin that is in the winter season. He normally found himself in summer or spring but with the sudden memories of the carnival the loss had made him rather depressed. He moves to adjust the swords at his hips and the bow and arrows on his back.
"I would like to aquire a ticket as well. Not going to make the mistake I made last time..." As he moves he seeks to be trying to stand straighter as if doing his best to look taller.
A few hours later, the blue robed Harengon stumbles out of the woods opposite from where he entered. He stuffs his map into the pack on his back, then pulls small sticks and leaves from his robes. He looks around while absent mindedly fiddling with something in his pocket. The Harengon will then shrug and head over to stand in line behind the blue skinned elven man. He'll look around a bit as he waits, pulling a faintly glowing blue orb from his pocket and tossing it from hand to hand. After moving up a couple of spaces, the Harengon will reach forward and tap the blue elven man on the arm, "Excuse me, sir? Is this Icewind Dale?" He asks politely.
A rosy-skinned Fairy with apricot-pink gossamer wings and a curly mane of lavender-colored hair with pink highlights flits over the heads of those starting to line up at the ticket booth as a harmless magical wisp of light bounces around as it closely trails her flight path. Bramble touched down near to the gloomy blue-skinned Elf upon hearing his words added, "been there done that!" She giggled and gave the Elf an amused look, "don't be so gloomy and blue... boo! It's spring somewhere you know," she smirked as she turned her gaze towards the elderly goblin... "me too. I'm with them... tickets all around if you please! Anything good on the menu? Something my blueberry bohunk here might find appealing?" She asked the goblin.
The goblin sets down his spyglass and holds up an ear horn.
“Eh? You’ve got rickets, you say? Oh, tickets, of course, that’ll be why you’re at the ticket booth!”
“Tickets are normally 8 silver apiece, but for you lot I’ve got pre-paid tickets. Lucky you! It’s gotta be nice to know that, somewhere out there, someone’s looking out for ya!”
“But hold up, I’ve got 5 tickets here, where’s your fifth friend?”
He switches out his ear horn for the spyglass and peers at you all closely through it, presumably making sure he didn’t miscount.
“Ah, five it is, after all. Just as was expected. Excellent, excellent. Eh, what was that? Menus? Well, yes, there’s food to be had, for sure. First let me explain your tickets.”
He hands each of you a large ticket emblazoned with The Witchlight Carnival across the top. Pictured on the ticket are exotic creatures, pixies, and a mermaid with a speech bubble asking you, “Will you be crowned as the Witchlight Monarch?” Across the bottom of the ticket are 8 hole-punch circles.
The goblin, who introduces himself as Nikolas, explains that each ticket is good for 8 attractions, and shows you the hole punches. He also hands your group a map of the carnival.
The eladrin gives the fairy a dour look before he shakes his head, crossing his arms slowly as he looks about. "Something about this place makes me feel as though something is missing from me... Last time I was here I found it in the feywild so it is strange to see it here...."
"Much thanks Nikolas." Davis says as he accepts his ticket. "Do you know who paid for our entrance?" He asks as the goblin finishes his explanation and hands over a map. "I would llike to thank them personally if the opportunity comes up."
Getting no response from the blue elven man, Pal will approach the woman in the garish clothing with the musical instrument and ask, "Excuse me, Miss? I seem to be lost, could you please tell me where we are?"
Nikolas clutches the ear horn and directs it towards your group. “Eh? Who paid for the ent trance? Well, I don’t know much about treefolk, you’ll have to ask our resident treant fellow, Northwind. Capital fellow. Hard to miss. He’ll probably be along soon, handing out gifts.”
The half-elven redhead accepts the ticket and bows theatrically to the elderly goblin.
As she enters the Carnival area the harengon approaches her.
"Oh my, a bunny so cute, what a sight,
yes where could we be on this beautiful night,
as thousands of stars are shining so bright,
it must be the Carnival of Witchlight."
She says, smiling warmly at the bunny.
She then turns to the others and plays a few notes on her violin to get their attention.
"Hrm, a tresure I lost and it's been on my mind,
I sense that our fates here are tightly entwined,
our purpose for visiting closely aligned,
If we seek together these treasures we'll find."
She pauses briefly.
"My name is Viola and music's my trade,
please follow along and I'll give you my aid."
She finishes, and starts playing her violin again, dancing into the carnival area.
Pal's eyes light up when the singing woman mentions the Witchlight Carnival, "Wow! The Witchlight Carnival? Here? In Icewind Dale? How interesting! I've been once before in my youth, right before..." His gaze takes on a faraway look and he mumbles, "...right before I lost my way back home..." He shakes off his melancholy and takes a ticket with a smile, "Pre-paid admission? Interesting! Is this a common practice? I don't seem to recall having my admission paid for last time..." He stops abruptly and says to anyone listening, "Ah... Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? I'm excited to see what has changed in the years since my last visit!" Pal then follows the dancing woman into the carnival while trying to get a look at the map.
As the lost but found harengon follows Viola he feels inspired by the music of her violin. (Bardic inspiration)
Bramble's large expressive amber eyes widened as she listened to the one who called herself Viola... the wee fairy rather enjoying Viola's song as well as the manner of her introduction. "...please follow along and I'll give you my aid."
Upon hearing the Bard's words... that said... Bramble instantly flew straight towards Viola and hovered in the air near her... as she tittered her own introduction, "and I'm Bramble," the wee fairy responded melodically, “I’m your huckleberry," she added as she watched and listened with delight as Viola started to play her violin again... and as the Bard danced into the carnival area the fairy followed close behind... jabbering away in the Sylvan tongue. Her rambling words to some might sound like complete and utter nonsense but with fairies who knows for sure.
"Beware the Witchlight Carnival, one and all... as all stood awhile lost in thought. Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All the mimsy cousins were the pixies, sprites, and fairies and the mome raths outgrabe. Come to my arms, my beamish lads and lassies! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” The little fairy chortled in apparent joy and delight.
The first stars of night twinkle above the apricot sunset. Giant dragonflies whir overhead, trailing streamers, and a low mist curls over the ground. Through a floral archway, you glimpse wondrous and vibrant creatures--elf stilt walkers, dancing faeries, and painted performers. Everywhere there is laughter, pixie dust, bubbles, and the wistful tune of a whistling calliope.
Nearby patrons and carnival workers turn to witness your exuberance, and they smile and clap. You seem to bring into the carnival with you the promise of an enjoyable evening. You feel a reciprocal swelling in your hearts, but then you're reminded of the ache inside of that which was taken from you, and the happy feeling is tempered.
[several of you would have normally earned inspiration at this point for excellent portrayal of your characters, but you are currently blocked from receiving it]
And yet, the mood of the fair seems to respond to you positively. The calliope music gets a little faster, a little more lively and joyous. People around you are grinning and clapping before moving on to the various attractions.
[In the lower right corner of the map is a "carnival mood indicator'. It has gotten happier by one level.]
Where to now?