Witchlight Carnival
T
he Witchlight Carnival is a chaotic
canopy of amusing experiences. While
it is sure to bring a lot of entertainment
to the table, keeping track of everything
and everyone can be a daunting task! This
download aims to help the DM by providing:
• 2 Carnival Maps. Full-color VTT-ready maps
for the Witchlight Carnival.
• Overview. A breakdown of the characters’
goals at the carnival and how to achieve them.
• The Heist. Advice on when and how to run the
heist featured in the chapter.
• Sample Structure. A sample structure for the
chapter the DM can loosely follow.
• Locations in the Carnival. Troubleshooting of
various locations within the carnival.
Chapter 1 Overview
Whether or not they realize it, the characters are
at the Witchlight Carnival to find a fey crossing
that can take them to Prismeer. This fey
crossing is within the “Hall of Illusions” and can
be opened with a specific incantation known to
the carnival’s owners Witch and Light (and the
planeswalker Ellywick Tumblestrum).
The intention is that the characters will realize
that they need more information from Mister
Witch and Mister Light. This realization comes
from speaking with either Burly or Kettlesteam,
who also lets them know that to get the carnival
owners talking, the characters must first steal
either the Witchlight vane or the Witchlight
watch, and use it to blackmail Witch and Light.
Extreme Big Top Lost
Mood Extravaganza Property
Meeting Mister Witch Staff
and Mister Light Area
Burly’s
Plan
Stealing the Fey Crossing
Watch or Vane to Prismeer
Most Likely Scenarios
Information about the various ways the
characters can acquire this goal (use the fey
crossing) is scattered throughout the chapter.
Here’s a brief summary of three likely scenarios:
• Burly’s Plan. When the mood in the carnival
becomes extreme or the characters perform
well at the “Big Top Extravaganza”, they are
invited to meet with Mister Witch and Mister
Light. After the meeting, the bugbear Burly
asks them to steal the Witchlight watch and
use it to blackmail his bosses. If the characters
succeed, Witch and Light show the characters
how to use the fey crossing to get to Prismeer.
• Kettlesteam’s Plan. The characters become
aware of Kettlesteam, either because they’ve
spied on Witch and Light in the “Staff Area”, or
because they see her or hear about her at the
“Dragonfly Rides”, “Hall of Illusions”, “Pixie
Kingdom”, or “Silversong Lake”. Kettlesteam
informs the characters about Prismeer and
urges the characters to steal the Witchlight
vane and use it to blackmail the carnival
owners. If the characters succeed, Mister
Witch and Mister Light show the characters
how to use the fey crossing to get to Prismeer.
• Tumblestrum’s Intervention. The characters
fail to find the fey crossing on their own and
are instead lead to it by the planeswalker
Ellywick Tumblestrum. This is more of
a backup plan and should only be used if
necessary to get the adventure moving.
Pixie
Kingdom
Hall of Silversong
Illusions Lake
Catching Dragonfly
Kettlesteam Rides
Tumblestrum’s
Intervention
CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW | 3
 Guiding the Characters
It doesn’t matter overly much which of the
many paths the characters take to the feywild
crossing, just that they get there. A potential
issue with following Burly’s and Kettlesteam’s
plans are that the characters may not know that
they want to go to Prismeer at all (if they are
using the Lost Things hook) or be interested in
things or people going missing (if they have the
Warlock’s Quest hook). If that’s the case, they
may not know to ask the right questions at the
right times and thus fail to realize what they
need to do or where they need to go. To remedy
this, you can have various NPCs at the carnival
be a bit more helpful with information:
• Carousel. You can change one of the unicorn’s
secrets to: “The carnival holds a fey crossing
to Prismeer. Mister Witch and Mister Light
know how to use it.”
• Dragonfly Rides. The treant sapling
Northwind “is terrible at keeping secrets” but
unfortunately for the characters, its secrets
aren’t very useful. You can have him sprinkle
in secrets such as “some things that are lost
at the carnival seem to find their way to the
Feywild” or “there’s a fey crossing in the
carnival somewhere, but only Mister Witch
and Mister Light know how to use it!”
• Gondola Swans. Feathereen has some gossip
to share, but nothing truly groundbreaking.
You can have her whisper gossip such as “stuff
has been going missing from the carnival, and
it seems only Mister Witch and Mister Light
know where, but they aren’t telling!” or “there’s
supposedly a crossing to the Feywild here at
the carnival – isn’t that exciting?”
• Lost Property. As they are looking for stuff
they have lost at the carnival, it is likely the
characters will head to “Lost Property” to
look for it. In addition to having Dirlagraun
inform them that its bosses are on edge and
suggest the characters spy on them, you can
also have it tell them that “some things that
are lost at the carnival never find their way to
Lost Property – if anyone knows where these
things go, it is Mister Witch and Mister Light!”
• Burly’s Plan. If the characters don’t have
the Lost Things hook, they may not care
overly much about stuff going missing from
the carnival. In this case, you can have Burly
inform them that “if anyone knows where
there’s a fey crossing here at the carnival, it
has to be Mister Witch and Mister Light” to
provide some added incentive.
4 | CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW
The Backup Plan
Tumblestrum’s Intervention is, bluntly put, a
backup plan. It’s not a great one, however, as
it basically robs the players of any sense of
achievement, and should thus only be used if
necessary (such as if the characters are caught
trying to steal from Witch and Light or somehow
turn the carnival against them in another way).
If the players are struggling to realize what
they’re supposed to do or follow the clues they
have, consider doing one of the following instead
of getting Tumblestrum involved right away:
• Have Burly seek out the characters on his
own – perhaps they did something worthy of
recognition, even if they didn’t earn a meeting
with Mister Witch or Mister Light quite yet –
and explain his suspicions and plans to them.
• Have Kettlesteam seek out the characters on
her own – perhaps she noticed that they also
seemed to inquire with various folk around the
carnival – and tell them about her plans.
Note: Splitting the Party
There’s a decent chance that the characters could
become split up while at the carnival. Handling
a split party can be difficult for you and boring
for the players, as they have to take turns in the
spotlight. If you want to avoid the party splitting
up, the simplest solution is to tell your players
that you’d prefer if their characters stick together
to make things easier and more fun for everyone.
If the party does split up, a good tip is to
jump quickly between characters (or group of
characters), giving each a minute or two of play,
before quickly jumping to the next (“alright,
so while that happens, what is the Sorcerer
doing?”). This way, there’s not too long between
each player’s turn to be part of the action and
players are less likely to grow restless.
The Heist
The Heist – detailed under “Burly’s Plan”
– describes how the characters can get
their hands on either the Witchlight vane or
Witchlight watch.
When and Where
Burly “proposes that the best time to swipe
the watch is during the Big Top Extravaganza,
since it’s the only time when Witch and Light
are separated”. A bit further down under
“Burly’s Plan”, however, we’re told that the
DM should “see ‘Timed Events’ later in the
chapter for details of the coronation”, which
seems to indicate that “Crowning the Witchlight
Monarch” is the ideal time for the heist.
This is also indicated under “Catching
Kettlesteam” where we are told that Palasha
and Candlefoot can become the characters’
allies if they recover Candlefoot’s voice, “which
could prove useful during the crowning of the
Witchlight Monarch, as they both have roles to
play in the coronation”.
This also makes sense as we are told that
Mister Witch is in his wagon during the “Big Top
Extravaganza” and thus not an easy target for
a heist. During the coronation, however, we are
told specifically where he is (and that Dirlagraun
and Candlefoot, both of whom would be willing
to assist the characters, are near him).
Finally, the coronation also takes place
near the end of the carnival, which gives the
characters more time to experience the various
events and locations – which is just more fun!
So, whether it is Burly or Kettlesteam who
proposes the heist, it makes sense for them to
suggest the crowning of the Witchlight Monarch
as the ideal time for the heist.
Witch and Light’s R eaction
The text isn’t altogether clear on how Witch
and Light react to the theft, only that “they’d
prefer not to cause a scene in front of the guests
and promise to show the characters the way
to Prismeer once the watch is returned.” This
makes sense if the characters steal the watch
or vane without anyone noticing and then later
confronts them with the theft (perhaps with the
stolen item safely stowed away somewhere).
If the characters are caught during the act, it
makes more sense that Mister Witch or Mister
Light would simply take back whatever was
stolen right away (which is where Ellywick
Tumblestruck or one of the party’s allies at the
carnival could provide aid).
Note: Theft and Violence
We’re told that characters who are caught
stealing or fighting are escorted to the gates –
and then not much more. We do learn under
“Staff Area” that characters who snoop around
the staff area are evicted and “must find a way
to sneak or barter their way back in”. This is
certainly one way to handle such a scenario – the
characters can either sneak back in or barter for a
ticket with the goblin Nikolas Midnight.
There is a chance, however, that the characters
are unwilling to sneak back in or don’t realize
that it is an option to do so. There are a few ways
you can avoid this becoming an issue:
• You can decide that characters who are caught
stealing are allowed to stay inside the carnival
if they agree to wear a jingling jester’s hat (see
below) for the remainder of their stay. This
cursed hat will make any theft or sneaking
around nearly impossible!
• If a character would be thrown out for
fighting, you could have Burly step in to tell
the Witchlight hands that he’ll escort the
characters, and use this as an opportunity to
have him tell the characters his plan.
• If the characters are evicted, Kettlesteam may
take notice and use this as an opportunity to
speak with the characters. She can tell them
her plan, and also help them get back into the
carnival either by distracting Nikolas Midnight
and the Witchlight hands at the entrance so
the characters can sneak in or by giving them a
handful of butterfly wings she has stolen.
Jingling Jester's Hat
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
When you put on this magical jester’s hat you
instantly attune to it. Attuning to the hat curses
you for 8 hours or until you are targeted by the
remove curse spell or similar magic. While cursed
this way, the hat sits tight on your head and can’t
be removed.
While wearing the hat, you automatically fail
Dexterity (Stealth) checks that rely on moving
silently as the hat’s bells jingle constantly.
THE HEIST | 5
 Sample Structure
The carnival has a lot of moving parts, fun
locations, and events – in other words, it is
not necessarily easy to run. Below is a loose
structure you can follow as the characters go
through the carnival. If the characters stray
from the structure (and it’s very likely they will),
don’t worry, this isn’t a structure you have to
follow strictly, just a helpful tool you can use to
guide the action if it stalls.
Entering the Carnival
The characters arrive at the carnival and meet
each other if they haven’t already. After getting
their tickets, they receive a map of the carnival
from Nikolas Midnight, which they can use to
navigate. You can also give brief descriptions
of the “Big Top”, “Bubble-Pop Teapot”, and
“Calliope” to the characters, all of which are
near the entrance:
The first thing you notice is a big, colorful
tent directly ahead of the entrance. Near it
is a brightly painted wagon where a monkey
wearing a cloak seems to be playing music
with a mechanical contraption. To your left, an
enormous teapot sends huge bubbles into the
air with what looks like people inside.
None of these three locations have any
connection to the plot, so they will give the
characters a soft introduction to the carnival.
Hour 1: Welcome Gifts
After the characters have entered a location (or
if they seem hesitant and don’t know what to do),
run the “Hour 1: Welcome Gifts” event to get
things moving along.
Let Them Wander
Armed with a map of the carnival, the players
should be able to decide for themselves where
they want to go. If they choose a location that
requires them to walk a bit, you can give a brief
description of each location they pass on the
way. Also describe one carnival scene (pg. 28)
they witness on the way, to bring the carnival to
life. Remember, the “Small Stalls” (pg. 43) aren’t
on the map, so if you want the characters to try
some of these, you can describe a stall to them
each time they go from one location to another.
If the characters go to the “Staff Area” to
snoop around or go looking for Kettlesteam,
events should unfold as described in the book.
Otherwise, the characters can roam free until its
time for the “Big Top Extravaganza”.
6 | SAMPLE STRUCTURE
Hour 4: Big Top Extravaganza
When the characters have visited 3-5 locations
(which would roughly equate to 3-4 hours), it is
time for the Big Top Extravaganza. Make sure
you urge the characters to perform as that will
help set up the meeting with Witch and Light.
Meeting Witch and Light
Whether it is because the carnival’s mood has
become extreme, the characters impressed at
the “Big Top Extravaganza”, or they confronted
Witch and Light after sneaking into the “Staff
Area”, the characters are likely to meet Witch
and Light shortly before or after the “Big Top
Extravaganza”. Run the meeting as described
in the book, but when Burly explains his plan
to the characters afterward, he suggests they
perform the heist during the “Crowning of the
Witchlight Monarch” event. Explaining that
there are several hours until then, he suggests
the characters enjoy themselves, or that they
seek out Dirlagraun, Candlefoot, and Palasha, to
get their aid if they haven’t done so already.
If the characters have already talked with
Kettlesteam, it may work better to skip the
meeting with Witch and Light, so the players
don’t think that this means they should try to
use this opportunity to steal from them.
Let them Wander
While they kill time before the coronation
the characters can visit more locations at the
carnival. If the players seem to be getting
restless or have tried all the fun stuff, don’t be
afraid to fast forward to the coronation.
Hour 8: The Witchlight Monarch
During the crowning, the characters can attempt
to steal the Witchlight watch from Witch, who’s
standing on the sideline with Dirlagraun and
Candlefoot. If the characters have helped
Dirlagraun, it may distract Witch with a feigned
seizure or similar outburst while a character
steals the watch. If the characters have helped
Candlefoot, he can use his proficiency with
Sleight of Hand to steal the watch for them.
Using the Fey Crossing
After securing the watch, the characters
blackmail Witch and Light to tell them what’s
going on, which in turn lets them know about
the fey crossing if they don’t know about it
already. Witch and Light then lead the party
there and help them through. If the plan fails,
or the characters’ theft is noticed, Ellywick
Tumblestrum shows up to get them through.
Locations in the Carnival
Below are suggestions and advice for various
locations at the carnival.
Ticket Booth
The option to barter for a ticket is really fun but
is only put forward if the characters can’t or
won’t pay for a ticket. Since the characters have
been given free tickets by Ellywick Tumblestrum
and additional tickets are only 8 sp, it isn’t likely
that they will ask to barter for tickets.
To make it more likely the characters use this
fun option, you can decide that the characters
aren’t given any free tickets. In addition, you
can have Nikolas put it forward as an option:
“The price is 8 silver pieces for an adult, but if
you can’t pay, don’t worry, we can come to an
arrangement!” and then explain the fey pact.
Carousel
The unicorns have some useful information
they can give the characters about Prismeer
and Zybilna if they paint them correctly. The
characters will only get the chance to do so,
however, if “Diana discovers that the characters
are investigating the carnival for their own
reasons”. To make it more likely the characters
get the chance to pain the unicorns and receive
the hints, you can have Diana realize the
characters’ potential and simply give them the
opportunity even if they don’t ask.
As mentioned previously, you may also want
to change one of the unicorns’ secrets to: “The
carnival holds a fey crossing to Prismeer. Mister
Witch and Mister Light know how to use it.”
Additional Proverbs. The puzzle here relies
on you picking proverbs you think your players
would know. Below are some additional options:
• A picture is worth a thousand words
(Picture/W___S)
• You reap what you sow (Reap/S__)
• Blood is thicker than water (Blood/W___R)
• Don’t judge a book by its cover (Book/C____)
• Early bird catches the worm (Bird/W___)
• No gain without pain (Gain/P___)
• Out of sight, out of mind (Sight/M___)
• People who live in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones (Glass/S___S)
• Practice makes perfect (Practice/P_____T)
Dragonfly R ides
As mentioned previously, you may want to have
Northwind divulge secrets such as “some things
that are lost at the carnival seem to find their
way to the Feywild” or “there’s a fey crossing
in the carnival somewhere – Mister Witch and
Mister Light know how to use it!”
Feasting Orchard
The pie-eating contest is a fun addition, just
make sure that the players know that the
custard damage they take isn’t permanent, if
they suddenly don’t feel like participating in the
contest after the first hit.
In addition, consider using Ellywick – who’s
present here – to give the characters clues or
hints if they speak with her. She knows a lot
about the carnival and what’s going on, so she
could easily provide any information you want to
the characters (such as letting them know that
only Witch and Light know where lost things
end up or where the fey crossing is).
G ondola Swans
As mentioned previously, you can make
Feathereen’s rumors a bit more enticing by
adding in “stuff has been going missing from
the carnival, and it seems only Witch and Light
know where, but they aren’t telling!” or “there’s
supposedly a crossing to the Feywild here at the
carnival – isn’t that exciting?”
In addition, if you change the events
surrounding Candlefoot and Palasha (see “Hall
of Illusions” below) make sure that Feathereen
doesn’t mention a proposal, but instead explains
how Palasha is upset because Candlefoot
refuses to speak with her.
H all of Illusions
There are two main things happening at the
“Hall of Illusions”. First, it’s where we find
Candlefoot, a Witchlight hand who’s depressed
because he lost his voice in the middle of
a proposal, upsetting his beloved Palasha.
Second, a stray Tasha’s hideous laughter spell
interrupts a proposal outside, causing the
halfling Rubin Sugarwood to run into the “Hall
of Illusions” and encounter a Thief of the Coven.
It seems a bit too coincidental, and perhaps
also confusing, that the characters should run
into two marriage proposals gone wrong at the
same location. To more clearly distinguish these
events, you can change it so that Palasha isn’t
angry because of a proposal gone wrong, but
because she believes Candlefoot doesn’t want to
speak with her anymore.
LOCATIONS IN THE CARNIVAL | 7
 Lost Property
It is likely that the characters will go to “Lost
Property” and meet Dirlagraun if they’re looking
for things they have lost at the carnival. As
mentioned previously, it may make sense to
have Dirlagraun suggest that Witch and Light
would know where the missing stuff is (because
it isn’t with her). If you think it fits, you can
also have Dirlagraun take Burly’s role and be
the one who suggests stealing the Witchlight
watch to blackmail the carnival owners as she is
desperate to find out what has happened to her
cub Star.
Mystery Mine
The mystery mine is a fun little ride, but it can
have dire consequences. Though it’s not likely
that a character would fail three saving throws,
it could happen, which would result in the
character having debilitating nightmares for
up to 8 days. Not only could this easily be fatal
(a few unlucky rolls in a row and the character
would die from exhaustion), but it will certainly
make the character a lot less fun to play in a
campaign that could – theoretically – last less
than 8 days of in-game time.
The simplest way to avoid this is to decide that
the nightmares last for three days, during which
the character must make a DC 12 Wisdom
saving throw after each long rest. On a success,
they lose one level of exhaustion (as a character
normally would after a long rest), but on a
failure, they instead gain one level of exhaustion.
This way, the nightmares won’t last the whole
adventure and won’t ever become lethal.
8 | LOCATIONS IN THE CARNIVAL
Snail R acing
The snail race is a fun event, but the rules can
feel a bit convoluted. For ease of play, here is a
summary of the rules:
• A snail moves 80 feet per round.
• The race ends when one or more snails have
traveled 480 feet.
• Each round, a jockey can make a Wisdom
(Animal Handling) check.
17 or more: the snail moves +20 feet;
12–16: the snail moves +10 feet;
7–11: the snail moves -10 feet;
6 or less: the snail moves -20 feet.
• If multiple snails cross the finish line in the
same round, their jockeys roll a d20 each to
determine the winner.
• Each round, roll a d8 to determine a surprise
and a d8 to determine the affected snail.
d8 Surprise
1–3 No surprise.
4 One random snail gets a stitch, reducing
its speed by 40 feet this round.
5 A spectator throws a head of lettuce at one
random snail. The snail stops to eat the
lettuce and doesn’t move at all this round.
6–7 One random snail is bolstered by the
cheering crowd and moves an extra 20 feet
this round.
8 The saddle on one random snail comes
loose and falls off. The snail’s jockey must
succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw
to remain atop the snail. On a failed save,
the jockey falls off, and the snail continues
the race on its own.
Staff A rea
Instead of having the characters be escorted
back to the gate if they are caught snooping
around here, you can have Burly take the
opportunity to explain his plan to them – it’d
make sense that he’d figure the characters to
be daring and resourceful enough to help him
if he catches them snooping around. You can
also make Burly’s motivations more clear to the
characters by having him mention his missing
brother as the reason why he’s willing to go
against his masters.