The booth where visitors buy their tickets is located at the main entrance.
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!”
Visitors are expected to buy tickets at this booth. An adult’s ticket costs 8 sp, and a child’s ticket costs 3 sp. Instead of paying money, a visitor can try to barter with the ticketer, Nikolas Midnight, a wrinkled goblin (see “Bartering for a Ticket” below). For more information on Nikolas Midnight, see “Roleplaying Nikolas” below.
Under the ticket counter is an ornate wooden box with a silver clasp and the monogram N.M. It contains one prepaid ticket for each visiting character. These tickets were purchased by Ellywick Tumblestrum, but Tumblestrum has asked Nikolas not to divulge this information. Instead, Nikolas claims that these tickets were paid for by “an anonymous benefactor.”
After giving the characters their tickets, Nikolas hands the group a map of the carnival and gives each character a pair of colorful cloth butterfly wings to wear. Nikolas explains that the butterfly wings must be worn to show the staff that the characters are paid attendees. They are now free to explore the carnival at their leisure.
Nikolas explains that each ticket is good for eight attractions; characters who want to sample more of the carnival’s offerings must buy another ticket. Most attractions in the carnival have a cost of 1 ticket punch. After the eighth punch, a ticket becomes a worthless keepsake.
The carnival issues fake butterfly wings to every visitor who receives a ticket. Visitors are expected to wear their wings, or at least carry them around, while inside the carnival. The tickets and fake wings are theirs to keep.
Any character who tries to sneak into the carnival without a set of fake butterfly wings must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check or be spotted and approached by 1d3 Witchlight hands of any alignment. The hands ask to see the character’s ticket; any character without a ticket is escorted to the main entrance and directed to the ticket booth. If the character runs away from the Witchlight hands, the hands don’t bother giving chase, but the carnival’s mood lowers by one step (see “Tracking Mood” in Chapter 1: Witchlight Carnival). A character without butterfly wings who successfully sneaks into the carnival must repeat the check at the end of each hour.
Any visitor who can’t afford the price of a ticket or who doesn’t want to pay for a ticket can make a fey pact with Nikolas instead. Each pact is a one-night-only deal that ends when the Witchlight Monarch is crowned (see “Timed Events” later in the chapter). If a character chooses to enter into such a pact, roll on the Ticket Pacts table to determine the conditions. A character who barters for multiple tickets can have more than one pact in effect; if any table result comes up twice, choose a different result.
Any character who fulfills the conditions of a pact should be a strong contender for the title of Witchlight Monarch. A character who doesn’t abide by the pact loses their ticket, which transforms into an ordinary bat and flaps away. In addition, the carnival’s mood lowers by 1 step (see “Tracking Mood”).
d8 Pact1You must not tell a lie knowingly.2You must wear a crown of flowers and water it every hour without taking it off.3You must perform a short dance whenever you hear someone say your name.4You can’t talk about your favorite subject.5You must carry around a small pumpkin as though it were a precious egg.6You must greet all trees with reverence.7You must compliment everyone you meet.8You must declare your love for unicorns at every opportunity.
Nikolas (lawful neutral) carries a spyglass and an ear horn, which he uses when talking to patrons. Nikolas plays on the fact that he is old when using these items, but it’s all a ruse; he is as sharp as a thorn, and his instruments allow him to get the true measure of guests. In his hands, the spyglass and ear horn grant Nikolas advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks to discern lies and determine true intent. Characters who attempt to deceive Nikolas must succeed on a Charisma (Deception) check contested by the goblin’s Wisdom (Insight) check.
If one or more characters seem intent on disrupting the carnival, Nikolas scribbles a brief note to that effect and hands it to an invisible pixie that lurks under the ticket counter. The pixie delivers Nikolas’s message to Mister Witch, who informs the carnival staff to keep a close eye on the group, and the carnival’s mood lowers by 1 step (see “Tracking Mood” in Chapter 1: Witchlight Carnival).