Zybilna; The Witchlight Carnival; Snail Races

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☕ Start of session

The party has come upon Floryck’s house. Floryck is known to them as the person who commissioned them to find Runara in the first place, and Runara suggested they visit him for suggestions about what to do next.

In the cottage

Floryck greets the party warmly and invites everyone in. The farmhouse is toasty; the fire in the central kitchen provides plenty of heat for the few surrounding rooms. Tiny faeries and scampering rodents bustle about.

Floryck serves a massive pumpkin paella.

Talking to Floryck

Floryck reveals that he suspected Runara may have been in trouble, but that’s not the only reason he was looking for a group of adventurers:

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.

Every eight years, our world is visited by a traveling extravaganza called the Witchlight Carnival. It recently returned and is camped less than a day’s 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.

Floryck describes Zybilna (when she presents herself to mortals) as “a statuesque woman, with long white hair, and a small tattoo shaped like a chicken’s foot below one eye.”

As Floryck describes this:

• Elmer suddenly remembers sneaking into a carnival as a child, and running into a woman matching that description. She gave Elmer a cupcake that made him feel special.
• Michael suddenly remembers a woman matching Zybilna’s description scaring away a bully who antagonized him as a child.
• Vera suddenly remembers an older family member telling her about a woman with long white hair who helped deliver Vera when she was born.

Well, that’s weird.

Questions for Floryck

The party has a few questions for him:

• Do you know how to get into Prismeer from the carnival?

  • No.

• Who runs the carnival?

  • A pair of shadar-kai (Shadowfell elves) acquired the carnival over a hundred years ago now; Mister Witch and Mister Light. I assume they’re still in charge of things.

• Any good food to watch for at the carnival?

  • I especially like their bubbly drinks.

• Should we avoid Feywine?

  • Personally I’m not a fan, and can’t handle much at all, but it’s a personal choice. Strong stuff.

• Should we, like, go undercover as employees?

  • That’s not necessary; they have limited staff and tickets are easy to come by. Enjoy the carnival while you’re at it!

• How do we prove to Zybilna that you sent us?

  • A great question! *disappears into the kitchen* Offer her this pumpkin pie, from me, saying “a pumpkin pie for the lady.”

• Any ideas where we can get Boulder Butter? The giants said there was a cave nearby?

  • Haven’t heard of such a thing. There’s Puttering Cave a ways away, but not sure if that’s got Boulder Butter.

• Runara had this helmet she said was for a friend

  • This belongs to Rupert, who lives a monastery to the south. I can take the helmet in case he passes by someday, but you may be better off taking it to him yourself.

Before heading out

It’s late at night, so the party decides to rest for the night and head out to the carnival the following evening.

Floryck keeps to himself the rest of the time, so the party gets up to a few things:

• Vera finds a chess piece in a drawer, and takes it but doesn’t want to keep it. She gives it to…Michael? I don’t have a specific note here
• They look for rope-making materials and grab some pumpkin vines
• Elmer finds a map with Rupert’s monastary location marked and copies it down

Additionally, they realize they didn’t ask about any kind of reward. As they discuss this, a pixie flies up and introduces herself as the expenses fairy. They draw up a contract:

reimbsursiments will be provided twixt the partty
  for any & all ticket-related accummilations of costs and exepenses!
AND food as long as there are recieets
AND reesonable transporation if there are boats or hotair baloons
  that incur significant sums of costs
AND payment for zybilna being back due to adventurure acts will be made
   from the General Tresury
   in proporiton to the acts performed
   mezured by how risky the mission is
   so the more risky the more payment
SO BE IT
~signed Minerva on behalf of Floryck

Heading out

The party takes a long rest and leaves early enough in the day to get to the carnival before dusk.

(The carnival starts at 8 PM, and goes until 4 AM)

On the way, they encounter a door, standing on its own, in the middle of the road. They check the door from all around and can sense magic, but get no other information about it.

Elmer casts Mage Hand and opens the door. The door explodes into confetti, and fairies appear, saying that this is the ONE MILLIONTH door opening, congratulations. None of the party accepts the responsibility for opening the door. The fairies shug and poof away.

The rest of the journey is uneventful.

At the carnival

The ticket booth is manned by Nikolas, a wrinkled gobin, who peers at the newcomers with a short spyglass, and often holds up an earhorn when others are speaking.

Elmer and Michael purchase regular tickets, 2 gold each. Tickets have 10 available punches apiece. Punches are used for rides. More tickets can be purchased.

Vera purchases a Witchlight Monarch ticket. Still 2 gold, still 10 punches, but comes with the chance of being crowned the Witchlight Monarch. Also comes with a Ticket Pact. Vera “must greet all trees with reverence”, or lose her ticket.

Everyone is given fake butterfly wings to wear while at the carnival.

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.

Welcome to the Witchlight Carnival.

Carnival map

(Full-size version HERE)

The snack stands

The party sees some small booths, snack stands, and stops at them first thing. Vera uses a punch to acquire a candied apple.

The bubble-pop teapot

The party approach a twenty-foot-tall teapot. Carnivalgoers are entering the teapot and emerging from the spout, floating away in an iridescent bubble.

The goblin manning the booth talks in strange rhymes. The party get the gist that it’s some kind of rhyming slang. Vera and Michael attempt to converse, and the goblin smiles and gives them each a pouch of Scatterleaf tea:

As an action, a creature can scatter these tea leaves on the ground in a 5-foot-radius circle, 
duplicating the effect of a protection from evil and good spell that lasts for 10 minutes.

To gain the spell's protection, a creature must stand in the circle of tea leaves.
In addition, a cup of hot, delicious tea magically appears in the protected creature's hands.

A pouch contains enough leaves for one use.

Elmer generally just nods along.

The three enter the teapot and float away!

Vera and Michael drift along and land back near the snack stands.

Elmer is able to briefly steer his bubble, and floats over the staff area behind the big top. Not much action, just some circled wagons. He does see a bugbear who appears to be keeping watch over the area.

The snail races

The party approaches the snail racetrack, and each use a punch to jockey a massive snail.

• Elmer: #8; “Queen’s Majesty”; Black tack
• Michael: #1; “Shellymoo”; Pink tack
• Vera: #4; “Quickleaf”; Green tack

Elmer wins the race, with Vera coming in second and Michael coming in near last thanks to a poor start. Michael encourages Shellymoo and she is thankful for the kind words.

SNAIL RACES TRACKER

The party takes a quick breather after all the excitement of the snail races.