The owners of the Witchlight Carnival are a pair of shadar-kai (elves native to the Shadowfell) named Mister Witch and Mister Light. Witch is matter-of-fact and devoid of pretense, while Light is flamboyant and coy.
How Witch and Light came to possess the carnival is a story worth telling. Under different names, they owned another carnival that prowled the edges of the Shadowfell. The two carnivals crossed paths many years ago, and after much wine was consumed, the owners could not agree on which carnival was the better of the two, so they decided it would be great fun to swap ownership. Isolde, the eladrin who ran the fey-themed carnival, traded places with the two shadar-kai who ran the shadow-themed carnival. This arrangement would last until the two carnivals met again, which has not yet happened.
After trading their sinister carnival for a more lighthearted one, the two shadar-kai took the names Witch and Light. Gradually, these morose, emotionally stunted shadar-kai transformed into fun-loving free spirits who secretly dread the day when the two carnivals cross paths again. They have no desire to return to their gloomy old carnival, which is described in more detail in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
The shadar-kai are aware that the Hourglass Coven has usurped Zybilna’s domain in the Feywild. They don’t know how the coven accomplished this coup, but Witch and Light would like nothing more than to see the hags defeated and Zybilna returned to power. But they dare not play a part in making that dream a reality. If the coven caught a whiff of dissent from Witch and Light, the hags would punish the shadar-kai for their impudence (see “Witch and Light’s Hourglass Pact”). Witch and Light do what they can to appease the hags while secretly rooting for Zybilna’s return. They know Zybilna’s true identity but dare not reveal it.
Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bios for Mister Witch and Mister Light.
Witch, who used to go by the name Naeryx Krumple, spent his youth as a homeless orphan, eking out a meager and dreary existence on the fog-shrouded streets of Gloomwrought, a city in the Shadowfell. He earned a few coppers selling broadsheets as a young boy, then later swept floors until an old clock tower keeper took him on as a helper. The tower’s clock was in such poor condition that it would break down often. Naeryx helped with the repairs and found that the work gave him a sliver of joy. When the old keeper died years later, Naeryx replaced him.
The wealthy family that owned the clock tower didn’t pay Naeryx a lot of money for his work, but they occasionally had him over for dinner. He owned one fine suit that he wore on such occasions, and though he didn’t care for the family’s matriarch or patriarch, he enjoyed the company of their eldest son, Urmius Umbrage—a brooding shadar-kai ne’er-do-well with a cruel sense of humor. Naeryx and Urmius were close in age and got along well in all respects. Years later, without informing the rest of his family, Urmius bought a run-down carnival and persuaded Naeryx to help him operate it. Naeryx and Urmius—now calling themselves Mister Witch and Mister Light—have been partners and collaborators ever since.
Mister Witch looks like a distinguished gentleman, for he is always dressed in fine attire. His favorite accoutrements are a top hat and a cane, and he is never without his Witchlight watch, which was gifted to him by the carnival’s previous owner. This unique magic item is described below.
Light, formerly known as Urmius Umbrage, belonged to a filthy rich shadar-kai family that haunted a crumbling mansion in Gloomwrought. Although he wanted for nothing as a child, Urmius found himself surrounded by family members, caretakers, and teachers who were uniformly cold, callous, and mean-spirited. He grew tired of being seen as nothing more than the inheritor of the Umbrage estate and legacy, and he did everything in his power to make life miserable for everyone around him, especially his parents. He seemed bereft of ambition and spent much of his time playing in his room. He collected costumes and liked nothing more than to parade around Umbrage Mansion in strange garments and outlandish makeup.
Urmius first met Naeryx Krumple at a family dinner and didn’t think much of the clock tower keeper at first. But Urmius found himself taken aback by Naeryx’s ability to find even a small amount of joy in his work. He was eager to get to know Naeryx better, though it took a while for Naeryx to trust him. After getting his hands on some money, Urmius bought a sad little carnival that was camped on the outskirts of Gloomwrought and asked Naeryx to help him run it. For Urmius, the carnival was a chance to emerge from under his family’s shadow and become the master of his own fate, but it also meant forsaking his inheritance in order to embrace the unconventional lifestyle, fashions, and friendships he desired.
Mister Light has a slender frame. He is always dressed in some sort of costume and is rarely seen in public without makeup. He carries around a fancy weather vane given to him by the carnival’s previous owner. He twirls it and waves it around like a fool’s scepter, but its power is far greater than he lets on. With this Witchlight vane, he can affect the mood of everyone in the Witchlight Carnival.