Chapter 1: Witchlight Carnival

RorytheRomulan · Post by **RorytheRomulan** » Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:42 am

Welcome twitches in Trixi's direction at the sweet-smelling aroma and chitters at Trixi, which Quill understands to be begging. Quill reaches up with practiced familiarity and cradles him with a hand to keep him steady, and then gives Jack a confused look.

"No? I hear music." She shrugs, and indeed she does not seem stirred by the performance.

Muskrat · Post by **Muskrat** » Thu Feb 03, 2022 10:25 pm

Shiloh looks quizzically at Mariana, but then nods, "It's good to find someone to play music with." She pauses, then says, "How I about I lead and you follow?" She switchers her fiddle for her lute and begins playing a song about the great deeds of a pair of halfling adventurers--notably, one of them has the same last name as she does, Briarroam. She is in fact singing of her mother and father, as she often does, hoping someone has heard of them and she might be able to find her way home. And what better place to do so than the Witchlight Fair, since this is where she became lost?

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Sat Feb 05, 2022 6:51 pm

The Fairy and the Harengon are Witchlight Hands, the backbone of the Witchlight Carnival. A motley collection of always exactly 124 individuals who operate many of the booths, make repairs, feed and exercise the animals, keep an eye out for thieves and other miscreants, and perform other miscellaneous tasks as Mister Witch dictates. A few also work part-time as performers and attractions. Although they travel to many worlds throughout the Material Plane, Witchlight hands rarely leave the Carnival grounds. For many, the Carnival is the only world they know and care about.

All Hands enter into an agreement when they join the Carnival: they must never harm another staff member, and they can't leave the Carnival for more than one day at a time. Longer leaves are effectively resignations, and the Carnival will move on without them. They have no set uniform, the wildness of their dress part of the chaotic fun of the place, but those who are fully On-Duty are required to wear magical fake butterfly wings strapped to their backs. These spontaneously change color and size at odd times, and flutter when small children are near. When off-duty such as with Trixi and Jack, they take them off. Known only to some, Mister Witch and Mister Light also furnish them with small amounts of pixie dust, to be used as they deem fit to provide joy to the guests.

The group has gathered around the Ticket Booth, the natural entry-point for the Carnival. A silver statue of a dancing faerie is mounted on the roof of this ticket booth, and surrounded by fluttering magenta 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 has an overly large, ornate hearing horn hanging off his neck by a leather thong, like a strange amulet. He lowers the spyglass and calls out to you: "Greetings, fair fairgoers! Welcome to the Witchlight Carnival. Come to buy tickets, have you?"

Muskrat · Post by **Muskrat** » Mon Feb 07, 2022 6:07 pm

Shiloh approached the goblin and said, "Yes, I've come to purchase a ticket." She pays for it, then says, "Once, when I was a child, I didn't pay for a ticket--and paid in another way. Is there any way to make up for that and get back what I lost? As you've just seen, I'm a skilled bard and I'd be happy to perform. Or I am open to other tasks, as long as I don't have to do anyone any harm."

RorytheRomulan · Post by **RorytheRomulan** » Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:17 pm

"Oh, excuse me, I need to get a ticket," says Quill. "See you inside." She joins the queue at the booth with handful of silver. Welcome keeps sniffing after the smell of sweets from Trixi.

PrideofSkirata · Post by **PrideofSkirata** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 2:46 am

Marania looks at the ticket goblin and places her gold onto the counter her breast bouncing off the table as she looks and waits for her ticket to enter the fair patiently her blond hair blowing in the wind while her tail horns and wings were hidden, and her fishnet stockings showed off as her grandma would have said too much of her thighs

Bohemond · Post by **Bohemond** » Sun Feb 13, 2022 7:49 pm

Jack shakes his head. "Must just be me, then." The Harengon follows the group inside in bounding steps, being able to get in for free as a result of his work as a Witchlight hand. "So, which way and what adventures first?"

Othniel · Post by **Othniel** » Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:50 pm

While waiting for those she's just been introduced to to pay for their tickets, Trixie amuses herself by inspecting (from a distance) those in line for shiny trinkets she might "borrow."

"Clockwise is always fun, but you could also go counter-clockwise," Trixie suggests. "Or if you want the full experience, pick a direction at random and go where the mood takes you!"

Post by **ManWithDoor** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:45 am

Responding to Shiloh first, the goblin sniffs in a rather judge-y way. "There is no lost-and-found basket behind the ticket counter, if that's what you're wondering. If you lost something by disobeying the rules then you best move on with your life and get used to being without. The Witchlight Carnival is a place of dreams and wonder, and the price has been paid." He looks the bard over with a penetrating eye. "But as you are a person who brings wonderment to others, then the Carnival welcomes you with open arms!" He smiles toothily, and rummages around some papers on the counter. He consults some sort of list, considers it for a moment, and then nods. "Excellent, we haven't had someone do this one in a while. Always a crowd favorite."

He slides over a Ticket, with Shiloh's name inscribed upon it. "Your Pact is to perform a short dance whenever you hear someone say your name." He removes his hand from the Ticket, giving Shiloh the opportunity to pick it up or not, sealing the deal. "The Pact expires at the end of the evening once the Witchlight Monarch is named, at which point you will have fulfilled your end of the bargain. Do we have a deal?" At this point it comes to your attention that you never actually told him your name ...

For the others that offered Gold, the elderly goblin swiftly and efficiently exchanges coin for Tickets, with your names inscribed upon them whether or not you introduced yourselves. Even the Witchlight Hands get Tickets, as they are off duty and enjoying themselves on their personal time. Nothing comes for free at the Carnival.

PrideofSkirata · Post by **PrideofSkirata** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:46 pm

Marania grabs the hand of her new halfling friend and runs for the dragonfly rides looking as if unlike everyone else in the festive Shes never seen a festival her wings and tails and horns all hiding from everyone what she truly is as she just looks like a beautiful young woman looking at the lights and carnivals with childlike wonder as she sniffs the air smelling what these humans must call Cotton candy and popcorn as her heart smiles in genuine childlike wonder she breathe a sigh of happiness as she does her eyes glowing in the lights

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