Ni'ico Freiya

Character Art by Kiyoshuki

## Character Biography

### Early Years (pre-campaign)

Ni'ico grew up in the Feywild with their brother Lorien, their impulsive personality complementing his more studious nature. When they were young, they came across a fairy ring and activated it by uttering a well-known rhyme out loud, even though they had been expressly warned against doing so. The fairy ring transported the two to Ylos, where the Witchlight Carnival had touched down. Ni'ico and Lorien, fascinated by all the lights and sounds, snuck in without purchasing a ticket. Unfortunately, after a night of revelry and petty theft, their brother was abducted. Furthermore, they found themselves trapped on Ylos with no way to return home. Ni'ico spent the next thirty years searching Ylos for their brother.

At some point after that incident, they had an encounter with a fey creature and made a warlock pact.

### Witchlight Carnival

When the Witchlight Carnival returned to Ylos, Ni'ico was able to acquire a ticket, thanks to an anonymous benefactor who also bought tickets for Sarcyra Novis, Gwendolwyne Shafra and Lúthienne Aeradel. Issac Ronaldi, an employee at the Carnival, also received a ticket to signify an unexpected night off.

While touring the Carnival, they met an aged displacer beast named Dirlagraun, whose cub, Star, had vanished many years ago. When the party agreed to look for Star, Dirlagraun gave them Star's favourite toy, a small mirrored ball. Lúthienne kept it for safe keeping.

They also assisted the mime Candlefoot gain his voice back. In gratitude, he gave the party an impromptu acting lesson.

As they got to know each other, they determined that each of them had visited the Witchlight Carnival previously without purchasing a ticket, that they had each lost something during that visit, and that they were not the first ones to have something stolen from them. These thefts were linked back to the Hourglass Coven, a group of hags (Skabatha Nightshade, Bavlorna Blightstraw and Endelyn Moongrave) who had overthrown the archfey Zybilna and claimed the Feywild domain of Prismeer for their own. The party vowed to enter Prismeer, retrieve what had been stolen from them and set things right.

The party orchestrated a series of events to ensure one of them would be crowned the Witchlight Monarch and use the ceremony to steal Mister Witch's watch, without which the Carnival could not stay on schedule. The intent was to return the watch in exchange for information from the owners, Mister Witch and Mister Light, and access to Prismeer. Their efforts were successful, as Wyne was crowned the Witchlight Monarch, the watch was stolen and the party was able to negotiate access to Prismeer through the Carnival's Hall of Mirrors. (episode 3).

### Hither

The party began their Feywild adventure in the splinter realm of Hither. At some point, the party rested in The Inn at the End of the Road. It was there that they adopted the name Taisteal for their adventuring group.

While in Hither, Ni'ico kissed Sarcyra twice. The first was forgotten, as part of a deal made with the merchants of Wondrous Wares and Fair Fares. The second was so effective (natural 20), it caused Sarcyra to develop potential feelings for her. It is unknown whether Ni'ico returns these affections (episode 7).

Ni'ico and Issac discovered Sarcyra's artistic creativity and Isaac's missing height in Bavlorna's cottage, transformed into a Pipe of Smoke Monsters and Pole of Collapsing, respectively, and successfully stole them. Upon touching them, Issac and Sarcyra regained what had been lost, though the items remained intact. The party made a hasty escape from Hither by balloon (episode 9).

### Hither to Thither

En route from Hither to the splinter realm of Thither, Ni'ico's patron visited them in a dream, appearing in the form of a handsome, fey Kits'Adria man with an auburn moustache and goatee. He stated that his choice to adopt a fox-eared form of a humanoid Kits'Adria was intended to make Ni'ico more comfortable. After some conversation, he offered additional power in exchange for future favours.

Meanwhile, Wyne volunteered to pilot the balloon for part of the journey to Thither. All went well until she misinterpreted Clapperclaw's instructions and sent the balloon down too fast, knocking the party out into the branches of a nearby tree (episode 10).

### Thither

Shortly after they extracted themselves, they learned that Granny Nightshade was known to abduct children and put them to work in her toy shop. They were advised to seek out the human Nib, find Will of the Feywild and the Getaway Gang at Little Oak, and seek out the unicorn Lamorna at Wayward Pool (episode 11). Along their travels, they found and befriended a domesticated owlbear named Juniper, who was yoked to a dilapidated elven chariot, and appropriated them for their travels (episode 12).

They found Nib inside a cave, and learned he had been cursed by Granny Nightshade to spin the gold he earned from exploiting his many tenants' misery into magical items for anyone he met. Upon their request, he spun a Bag of Holding for Ni'ico (episode 12).

Later on, they came across a gnarled, sick oak that housed a band of pixies. The pixies revealed that redcaps had begun to appear in Thither after Granny Nightshade took over (three of whom had recently attacked until the pixies polymorphed them into goats), courtesy of the hag's garden, and that their oak would likely recover if Granny Nightshade was removed from the splinter realm one way or other. They also met a tavern-sized spider named Yarnspinner who told them (and various forest animals) a series of stories that revealed Will of the Feywild was not what he seemed, how the Hourglass Coven defeated Zybilna and locked her in her castle, and how the Hourglass Coven turned Mr. Witch and Mr. Light into their vassals and used the Witchlight Carnival to target visitors who did not buy a ticket. Yarnspinner created a bridge to help the party reach Little Oak in exchange for a story, which Ni'ico provided by telling how they lost their brother.

Before long, the party arrived at Little Oak and and met Will, who appeared to be a human boy. Between Yarnspinner's tale and Ni'ico's Truesight, they realized he was actually an oni. Seeing the jig was up, Will admitted he was an oni but insisted the party keep quiet so as not to scare the children. He explained he used to kidnap children for Granny Nightshade before a curse warmed his heart (and changes his alignment). Under the guise of Will, he'd been trying to rescue all the children enslaved by the hag ever since, with enough success to prompt her to post wanted posters for his capture.

To the party's surprise, Will also had a pet displacer beast kitten, who they immediately recognized as Dirlagraun's cub Star. After some discussion, Will agreed to provide information on Granny Nightshade and her lair Loomlurch, return Star to his parent, and provide a guide (Squirt, an animated oilcan) to lead them from Thither to Yon. In return, Will wanted them to help rescue the children. Squirt also requested some boggle oil for lubrication.

Once they agreed, Will introduced them to the rest of the Getaway Gang. They discussed Granny Nightshade's weaknesses, the defences around Loomlurch and began forming a plan. The Getaway Gang also advised the party to seek out Lamorna, adding that the Hourglass Coven had killed her mate, Elidon, and used his horn to seal Zybilna away. Lamorna could be summoned by lighting an iron bowl on an island in the centre of Wayward Pool. Unfortunately, a protective enchantment around the pool prevented anyone who wasn't a unicorn from approaching its shores. Fortunately, the enchantment could not distinguish between real unicorns and facsimiles.

Wyne and Issac dressed up in a (very) basic unicorn costume, with Ni'ico hiding underneath. Lúthienne attached a replica unicorn horn filled with candy (acquired at the Witchlight Carnival) to her head. Sarcyra did the same with the unicorn horn she bought in Hither (with the memory of her first kiss), which a surprised Will identified as Elidon's. These measures proved sufficient to grant them access to Wayward Pool, where they successfully summoned Lamorna. After explaining their goals, the unicorn agreed to help them... just before they were all ambushed by a small orc (episode 13).

The orc landed several surprise attacks, forcing Lamorna to vanish. However, the party quickly retaliated and immediately gained the upper hand, killing him when he tried to retreat. While Wyne healed Sarcyra (with her fists), Lúthienne and Ni'ico examined the orc. They found a fake unicorn horn (explaining how he'd reached the pool), some money and a pewter coin with a skull and pair of horns. Recalling some warnings from Mr. Witch and Mr. Light, Issac recognized it as a guild token from the League of Malevolence, a group of evil adventurers who travelled the multiverse.

A bloody Lamorna reappeared, repeating her pleas to save Prismeer and granting them leave to rest. She also advised them to seek out Amador the Dandelion, who could guide them from Yon to the Palace of Heart's Desire, where Zybilna lay captive. Lamorna also confirmed how the Hourglass Coven overthrew Zybilna and imprisoned her using the horn of her mate, Elidon... only to be astonished when Sarcyra revealed she had it in her possession. Once Wyne finished her meditations and healed Lamorna, the unicorn told them that Elidon's horn would be needed to free Zybilna and that she believed Elidon was still alive as a captive. The party promised to free him if their paths ever crossed.

A grateful Lamorna provided more information. While Zybilna was in power, a magical barrier prevented anyone from entering the Palace without permission, but the Hourglass Coven were not powerful enough to maintain such protect. A library on the second floor might have valuable arcane knowledge, including potential clues on how exactly to free Zybilna. Finally, they were warned to avoid a fierce and relentless dragon-like creature called the Jabberwock, who roamed Prismeer and had a lair inside the Palace.

At that point, Will and the Getaway Gang arrived. While Will were eager to rescue the children, the party persuaded him to let them rest for the night.

As she rested, Ni'ico began reading her tome, only to be interrupted by the dwarf Bobi. Before long, she found herself giving a spelling lesson to the dwarf and Wyne, who later joined them. In return, Bobi braided their tail.

The next day, before the sun rose, the party made their way to Loomlurch. Once they arrived, Issac, Ni'ico and Wyne scouted around while Lúthienne and Sarcyra went to the goblin market, noting a garden patch that appeared to be growing redcaps. Reconnaissance complete, they went around the redcap patch, over to the market and wound up visiting the Skyfire Coffee outlet. Ni'ico bought a triple espresso (gaining Advantage on Initiative checks and Disadvantage on Sleight of Hand checks for the next hour).

With their coffee needs sated, the party reconvened. Issac, Ni'ico and Wyne were surprised to see the transformations Lúthienne and Sarcyra experienced. Ni'ico elected to try a strawberry covered in ladybugs and Enlarged to a Large size (Medium in fox form).

The party elected to visit another tent, attracted by the arcane mutterings heard within. They were greeted by the proprietor, who seemed to know their names and various things about them. An irritated Sarcyra stormed in, followed by the rest of the party, who found the tent was larger on the inside and filled with a variety of mismatched chairs and stools. The proprietor introduced herself as Razili, a fortune teller by trade, and offered her services. After Wyne recognized and outed her as a red hag, a being not known for forming covens with other hags, she admitted a desire to see Skabatha suffer (either by making her less valuable to the Hourglass Coven or by death) and offered to make a deal. She drew a glyph with her blood, which Sarcyra identified as a binding contract in Infernal.

Of the party members, Ni'ico was the most tempted, especially when Razili promised to send them directly to their brother if they fulfilled their end of the bargain. Issac reminded Ni'ico that the offer was not the only option available, but chose to respect whatever decision they made. Ultimately, Ni'ico agreed to the deal and signed the contract with her own blood. In a flash of blinding light, Razili and the tent vanished. The Skyfire Coffee barista then called out a coffee order for Taisteal. When they approached, they found a coffee cup with a rough drawing of the inner workings of Loomlurch, signed by the hag.

Sarcyra sought out Chucklehead and asked if he could arrange a meeting with Skabatha. He agreed, but only if someone else had a candy. Wyne quickly ate an ant lollipop and soon found her footsteps made musical notes. With that settled, Chucklehead led them to Loomlurch, through the front door and into a waiting room. He advised them to wait until Skabatha woke up and offered to leave a note saying that she had guests. The party provided false names, though Issac had to intervene before Wyne blurted out her real name.

While waiting, Issac investigated an ornate jack-in-the-box with smoke billowing out. Opening it, he woke a green dragon wyrmling who immediately attacked (episode 14). The party quickly gained the upper hand during the combat that ensued, but not before Issac went down from a blast of noxious gas to the face. Sarcyra and Wyne were able to convince the wyrmling they meant him no harm. After Sarcyra stabilized Issac (with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) and Wyne healed him (with her fists), Lúthienne (still Polymorphed into a butterfly) intimidated the wyrmling into giving information on Skabatha. He revealed that the hag slept inside a tiny dollhouse within Loomlurch and that they would not be able to enter without a magic word (Rumbleclump).

Ni'ico proposed catching Skabatha while she was still tiny and suffocating her to death in the Bag of Holding. However, when Sarcyra asked the wyrmling where their lost items might be, the wyrmling admitted that, while they were most likely in the dollhouse, they could very well be anywhere. The party was thus forced to consider keeping Skabatha alive so they could interrogate her. After some exploring, they entered a workshop, where three children were playing. Issac stole a doll-sized guillotine (natural 20 on a Sleight of Hand) before doing some card tricks for the children... only to be interrupted by a ball that almost hit him. The party saw a creature that the children identified as a boggle. Wyne tried to catch the creature, who slipped out of her hands due to its oily, slippery nature. That action prompted some more boggles to emerge from hiding and attack. In the end, Wyne managed to catch one in a bucket, Sarcyra put one to Sleep and Issac killed the third (due to Lúthienne's butterfly distractions). Ni'ico slipped the surviving boggles in their Bag of Holding. Unfortunately, the commotion drew attention from the goblin market, whose employees quickly attacked. As the children ran, the party hurriedly left the workshop, passing through a room into a nearby hallway. There was some momentary concern when a troop of tin soldiers marched out but, thanks to the stealthy actions of the party, the troop mistook the goblin market employees as invaders and engaged them instead.

Opening one of the doors, they found a room full of cupboards along with a little girl wearing a ragged dress and a pig mask, lying in a silk cocoon. Lúthienne had a flashback to her first visit to the Witchlight Carnival, realized she was Skabatha's agent and demanded she return her sense of direction. The girl, who was later identified as Sowpig, was deceived into believing Skabatha misplaced Lúthienne's lost item and wanted the party brought to it. Meanwhile, Issac and Sarcyra investigated the cupboards and found some items including a cold iron fingernail. As Sarcyra attached it to her middle finger, Ni'ico recalled the will o' the wisps they'd met earlier and their tale of someone coming to trade for an iron nail.

Sowpig led the party into a circular chamber with three doors and a staircase. What drew the party's attention were a series of animated portraits nestled in a tangle of tree roots and brambles. The portraits displayed four hags, including the hags of the Hourglass Coven, and a svelte, dark-haired woman with a commanding presence. While most of the party felt the woman looked just like the mannequin outside the Hall of Illusions in the Witchlight Carnival, Lúthienne recognized her as the infamous demonologist Tasha. The party followed Sowpig to the northernmost door. Sowpig was momentarily puzzled to find it was locked, but Sarcyra was able to distract her while Issac picked the lock under the pretense of having the key. Somewhat mollified, Sowpig and the party entered a squalid kitchen where a shackled girl was talking to a man locked underneath a floor grate. After Sowpig intimidated the girl and spat on the man, Issac offered her a comforting wink. Sarcyra sent a Message to her warning of what was coming. In return, the girl indicated a key was needed to unlock her shackle and they should free the man if at all possible.

The group then entered a study, where they found Chucklehead still working on the note he'd promised. The party tricked him into leaving by telling him his underlings were revolting, then fooled Sowpig into thinking the goblins needed her (thanks to Issac's uncanny mimicry of Chucklehead's voice). After Issac locked the door and Ni'ico barricaded it, Wyne and Lúthienne snuck up the stairwell and found a tidy room with a bell jar of moths and a dollhouse. Having found Skabatha's resting place, Wyne and Lúthienne retrieved the party. Issac took care to take out the doll-sized guillotine before following. As Ni'ico prepared to open the Bag of Holding, Lúthienne realized that the moths would likely be the first thing Skabatha saw after waking. Recalling that Skabatha forgot the first thing she saw each morning, and not wanting that potential advantage to go to waste, she advised Ni'ico to put the jar in her Bag of Holding. Sarcyra and Wyne pulled out some rope and fishing tackle, respectively.

Lúthienne tried to peer into the dollhouse but got herself stuck, waking the hag. Issac tried to convince her they were Chucklehead, but ultimately failed. Ni'ico used Disguise Self to turn into Lúthienne (as an elf) just before Skabatha emerged from the dollhouse, only to be foiled by Skabatha's Truesight.

Sarcyra cast Sword Burst and used her tattoo to lasso Skabatha, triggering combat.  Issac then gagged the hag with the end of the rope.  Unfortunately, Skabatha shrunk to Tiny size, slipped out of the rope and Polymorphed Issac into a tiny white kitten before bolting for the stairs, though she took Sneak Attack damage from Issac the kitten.  Rushing forward, Wyne grappled Skabatha and began wrapping her in fishing tackle.  Lúthienne headbutted the dollhouse, inflicting enough damage to return her to her elven form and prepared to fire her gun.  Ni’ico tried to get her in the Bag of Holding, missed and summoned a Shadow Blade.  Sarcyra held a Chromatic Orb if Skabatha went big.  Issac tried to frighten Skabatha with a Daunting Roar, failed and pounced on her—making it easier for Ni’ico to get her into the Bag of Holding. Skabatha then grew back to her normal size, inadvertently enlarging the fishing tackle as well, prompting Lúthienne to shoot (and deliberately miss). Sarcyra hit her with a Chromatic Orb, causing her to lose concentration and freeing Issac from her Polymorph spell. At that point, the key in her back stopped turning, her eyes lit up with rage and she began struggling furiously to free herself. In response, Wyne punched her twice.

Lúthienne asked Skabatha where she could find her Lost item. In return, Skabatha demanded they free her first. Not trusting her that much, Lúthienne allowed Ni'ico to scoop the hag up into her Bag of Holding. Suddenly, Lúthienne began to sense something. The tip of her gun began moving like a dowsing rod towards the dollhouse. Lúthienne walked towards the dollhouse and said the word Rumpleclump. In response, the dollhouse opened. Looking in the attic, she saw several items, including an ornate lantern displaying a butterfly in silver filigree. As soon as Lúthienne touched the lantern, her sense of direction was restored.

As Sarcyra began keeping track of how long Skabatha was in the bag (and how long she'd have before running out of air), Ni'ico returned to their normal size. Wyne opened one of the adjoining doors, entering a room filled with cages of clockwork sparrows, a writing desk with letters, paper and quills and a pair of windows marked 'Hither' and 'Yon'. She surmised that this was how Skabatha communicated with her sisters. Reading the letters, she made enough noises of interest to attract the attention of the party.

Apparently, the Jabberwock was a friend of Zybilna, rather than an ally of the Hourglass Coven. In fact, the hags had sought a unicorn horn to kill the creature, even going so far as to suggest killing Lamorna for her horns if they could not retrieve Elidon's. More importantly, Wyne discovered the reason they needed the unicorn horn to free Zybilna: it would defeat the time-freezing properties of a cauldron holding her captive.

At that moment, they heard a crackling noise. Looking around, they saw thorny vines growing to form the framework of a door between Ni'ico and the others. Through the door, they could see an opulent palace that they recognized as the Palace of Heart's Desire.

Ni'ico realized that Skabatha must have died in the Bag of Holding and Razili was honouring their contract. Tearfully, they told their friends that this gate must lead them to their brother, who they had been searching for over the last thirty years. While they did not want to leave their friends when there was still much to be done, they desperately wanted to be reunited with Lorien again. The party understood her desire and wished them all the best. As they said their goodbyes, Razili's voice echoed through the air, pronouncing the completion of the contract. As the others watched, Ni'ico dissolved into rose petals, which floated through the gate and recombined into Ni'ico: frozen in time, standing next to a younger Kits'Adria male, reunited at last (episode 15).

### Palace of Heart's Desire

Ni'ico would only know that they were reunited with their brother, overcome by his familiar scent that they had not smelled for over three decades. They briefly got a momentary sense of their surroundings. The next thing they knew, they were being poked with something and batted it away, only to discover it was a unicorn horn being held by Sarcyra. They were surprised when Sarcyra pulled them into a hug, and even more so when she said she was saving them.

The party explained to Ni'ico that they'd been frozen in time since completing their deal with Razili and reversing the stasis required contact with a unicorn horn while the wielder uttered their True Name. Sarcyra offered to let Ni'ico use the horn to unfreeze their brother. After a moment's shock, Ni'ico did so. There was a flash of light and a plume of pink smoke before a small doll fell to the ground where Lorien once stood. Ni'ico recognized it as a fox-tailed doll that they and Lorien fought over, one they hadn't seen since their first visit to the Witchlight Carnival as Lorien had wandered off with the doll.

To the party's surprise, the doll looked at them and blinked. A moment later, they heard a man walk through the kitchen, passing Elkhorn and entering the room behind them. He wore a three-piece suit and bore an opulent, brownish-red mustache. Ni'ico immediately recognized him as their patron, Renard. He explained that he was once Ni'ico's brother, Lorien, before being abducted by the Hourglass Coven thirty years ago. When he was brought to Prismeer, Zybilna intervened and freed him due to her fondness of children. Lorien/Renard spent what for him was the next three hundred years studying magic. Unfortunately, he was still prone to mischief and, during that time, agreed to help the Hourglass Coven surprise Zybilna. After that surprise led to Zybilna being overthrown and frozen, Lorien/Renard continued studying, eventually gaining enough power to become an archfey in his own right. At some point, he would meet Ni'ico again as Renard, forming a warlock pact with them and leaving a little piece of himself in the doll so they would eventually come to him. Feeling responsible for the role he played in Zybilna's, and Prismeer's, current state, he asked Ni'ico to help fix his mistake. Ni'ico agreed, with the two recognizing they drew their strength from each other. In a moment of levity, Renard also admitted that he found Issac attractive. Renard told Ni'ico that he needed to rest and begged them to fix things before dissolving into motes of golden light. All but one of the motes flowed into Ni'ico, with the remaining light entering the doll and transforming it into a talking animate doll (that could give them advantage on Fear checks). Ni'ico scolded, laughed and hugged the doll, who bore the essence of Lorien/Renard.

The party quickly introduced Elkhorn and gave Ni'ico a cursory summary of what they'd missed. Elkhorn mentioned the multi-layered cake and asked if anyone wanted some, only to retreat in shame to the kitchen when Ni'ico remembered seeing him captive and in a state of undress in Loomlurch. They decided their next course of action was to free Zybilna's owl, who was the only being the jabberwock feared, before finding Zybilna. At that point, Elkhorn returned with plates of cake for everyone (revealing it was a sponge cake with fruit and white icing). After eating it, Ni'ico was surprised to find that Wyne's hair was free of cotton candy. Wyne blithely explained that it had been washed off in Yon, where she'd found her lost luck. Issac reiterated that they needed to find the owl and firmly prodded the party into action.

As they left the room, Sarcyra told Ni'ico she'd Polymorphed into a dragon, much to Ni'ico's delight. Issac pulled Ni'ico aside briefly to express regret for not saying goodbye, telling them how pleased he was to have them return and claiming he did not cry after they'd left. Wyne quickly put the lie to that claim.

Taisteal then entered a banquet hall, whose walls were lined with paintings of fey creatures and mounted heads of majestic elk with golden horns. Their attention was drawn to a deformed giant who was squatting at the head of a table and alternating between slobbering mouthfuls of food and gulps from a barrel of beer. Seeing them, the giant demanded they bring her the cake she'd been promised before devouring an enormous ham hock. As he started chomping on the bone, the stunned party quickly agreed to her demand and retreated to the kitchen, where they realized the cake was the one they'd just taken slices from. Issac, with help from Ni'ico, filled in the gaps with icing and rock sugar while Wyne hacked up enough vines to clear a path from the kitchen to the hall. They carefully rolled the cake to the giant, who Ni'ico and Sarcyra eventually recognized as a fomorian. The giant declared that it was just as Kelek promised her before questioning why the candles were unlit. Sarcyra quickly lit them with multiple Fire Bolts. Satisfied, the fomorian began eating. The party took advantage of her distraction to leave.

Following the hallways northward, the party came to the aviary. An enormous owl stood perfectly still in the room, wings partially outstretched. A wall of iron bars stood between the party and the owl. On the other side of the room, they saw a twenty-foot-wide, circular opening in the wall, sealed with hinged, semicircular windows in wrought-iron frames. They also could not help but notice that the marble floor was littered with the bones of giant rats and enormous owl pellets. After consulting with each other to remember the owl's name, they began brainstorming ways to get past the iron bars and touch the frozen owl with the unicorn horn. Ni'ico and their fox form was considered, but rejected due to the logistics of having their items drop to the ground or be incorporated into them during the transformation (not to mention the awkwardness of their brother becoming such an intimate part of them). Ultimately, Ni'ico would use their fox form to slip through the bars and their Kits'Adria form to reach the window, only to realize it was stuck. Sarcyra solved the problem with a Knock spell. Meanwhile, Wyne tied the unicorn horn to her quarterstaff as a makeshift spear and used it to touch the owl. Uttering the name 'Bloodybeak' successfully revived the owl, who looked around in confusion as Wyne offered a greeting. At that point, they heard the jabberwock and belatedly realized how much noise the Knock spell made. Bloodybeak also heard the jabberwock and flew through the window in pursuit.

Realizing that the League of Malevolence would have heard the Knock spell as well, the party was even more determined to find Zybilna. After discussing the most likely places to find her, they went down a hallway and through an ornate door with a stag's head. They found themselves in a room lined with compartments containing scrolls. An elderly dwarf sat still in the middle of the room, quill dipped into a nearby inkpot and eyes fixed on a sheet of parchment in front of him. Sarcyra read the parchment and saw it was a reply to 'Rotten Ethel' and her coven denying them access to rituals that could fulfill bargains. Sarcyra mistook the end of the letter to mean the dwarf was a dark wizard named Mort. Ni'ico, however, realized the dwarf had been interrupted before finishing the word 'mortals'.

Looking around, Lúthienne saw several parchments in a language she could not understand. Sarcyra recognized the script as Infernal, and quickly determined they were contracts with warlocks, transcripts of conversations and letters. Reading the latter, she found:

* a post-by-post game of three-dimensional chess between Iggwilv and Mordenkainen
* a thank-you note from Iggwilv to an emissary of the Nine Hells named Lysithian Callisto, thanking them for the gift of a fruit basket from Asmodeus himself
* a replacement hellhound from Iggwilv to a Mister Wick, along with the request that he stop invoking her mother's name

The party also gathered that Zybilna was on good terms with many people, which lent urgency to the need to free her. Lúthienne, however, had concerns over how so many people seemed to know the name Iggwilv and wondered if that was, in fact, her True Name. After some discussion, which was confirmed by Lorien, they decided that the unicorn horn could be used an infinite number of times, and thus they could simply try all the names they knew.

Following Lorien's directions, they passed through a demolished open-air room to the ballroom. Their eyes passed over the various motionless courtiers and settled on two similarly frozen figures standing near a black iron cauldron atop a dais. One was a young woman clad in armour, wearing a white cape and clutching a quarterstaff. The other was an imperious, middle-aged woman with long white hair and white robes who reached desperately for the cauldron. Looking at the older woman and her fey beauty, the party had no doubt that they had found Zybilna.

Wyne immediately went to the couple, only to be stopped by Issac, who asked Lúthienne to pull out her lantern. Lúthienne complied and quickly determined that Zybilna was a fey, but not a hag. Elkhorn recognized the younger woman as Mercion, prompting Sarcyra to ask if he would like to free her before Zybilna freed everyone else. A grateful Elkhorn thanked Sarcyra and gladly used the unicorn horn to revive his comrade. The party gave a confused Mercion a brief summary of events before Wyne tried to free Zybilna with the name 'Iggwilv'. However, nothing happened. Wyne tried again with 'Zybilna', with similar results. Issac asked Mercion what was the last thing she remembered. Mercion replied that Zybilna had tried to reach the cauldron and reverse the effects of whatever the Hourglass Coven had put in. Wyne tried a third time with the name 'Baba Yaga', but failed to bring her out of stasis.

Recalling all the things she'd seen since the Witchlight Carnival, Lúthienne asked Wyne to hand over the unicorn horn. Once she had it in her hands, Lúthienne touched Zybilna's heart and said the name 'Tasha'. When nothing happened, she realized that True Names were typically complete names and tried one last time with the name 'Natasha'. Purple-pink light flooded the room as Zybilna came to life. She lurched forward, regained her balance and realized the target of her wrath had fled. It was at that point, she saw the party and asked if they'd met before. The party explained what had transpired since she had been frozen in time.

When Zybilna noted that Ni'ico looked like a friend of hers, Ni'ico wordlessly held up the doll. Zybilna recognized Lorien's essence within the doll and commented that he'd let himself go. Sarcyra reminded Ni'ico that she'd lent them her watch. When Ni'ico returned it, Sarcyra tried to kiss her. A surprised Ni'ico was forced to explain they were not one for committed relationships. Sarcyra began to realize she might be asexual. The two agreed to consider exploring a more casual relationship.

Zybilna admitted that it would take a long time to repair the damage done to Prismeer. She offered to deputize the party and send them after the hags. While the party considered the offer, Zybilna turned to the cauldron and used it to free everyone in the Palace. In the distance, the party could hear the League of Malevolence making their escape. Zybilna then expressed her gratitude to the party for saving her and all of Prismeer. Given that they had done so without damaging the cauldron, she had more options to properly thank them: including a free casting of the Wish spell. She asked them what they desired. Ni'ico asked Lorien if he wanted to be a Kits'Adria again, acknowledging that she might lose her warlock powers but he might have a chance with Issac. They eventually decided that they had everything they wanted.

After the party spoke, Zybilna voiced her recognition that the Hourglass Coven had robbed them of their childhood and all they could have been. She offered a deal to use all her power to make a Wish for them if they trusted her as their fairy godmother. One by one, they agreed. Zybilna thrust her hands into the cauldron and bade the party to close their eyes. As they did so, they felt the world shift around them. When the world settled and the sounds of a calliope prompted them to open their eyes, they found themselves outside the Witchlight Carnival on a cool autumn evening. Wyne, Issac, Sarcyra, Lúthienne and Ni'ico looked at each other and realized Zybilna had returned them all to the same age they had been when they first entered the Witchlight Carnival, while allowing them to retain the memories and experiences of their previous lives. Ni'ico was also thrilled to discover that Lorien had been returned to join them at his original young age as well, allowing them to experience a lifetime with their brother, free of the hags' interference.

Seeing that they all had a golden ticket, one final gift from Zybilna, they decided to enter the Witchlight Carnival. Wyne eagerly climbed onto Issac, who obligingly gave her a piggyback ride. Sarcyra summoned a few sparks in her hand. Ni'ico and Lorien argued over which ride to try first before Lúthienne intervened, the latter bemused by the realization that she was now the 'adult' of the party. Together, the six ran into the carnival... and would ultimately live happily ever after (episode 25).
THE END

## Appearance

* 5'7" in height
* Sandy-blonde hair tied back in ponytail
* Grey eyes
* Purple markings along cheeks, shoulders, fingers and thighs

## Character Build

* Pact Boon: Pact of the Tome
* Known ASIs/Feats: Eldritch Adept, +2 Cha
* Known Spells:
	+ Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Fire Bolt
	+ 2nd Level: Shadow Blade

## Trivia

* Apples are their favourite food of all time (episode 5).
* Temporarily gained Truesight during Episode 12. In Episode 13, they used that ability to recognize Issac was under an illusory glamour and Will of the Feywild was actually an oni.
* Ate one of a pair of three-leaf clovers and gave the other to Lúthienne to eat. In addition to providing sustenance, the clovers established a temporary (8 hour) telepathic connection between them (episode 13).
* Ni'ico's (temporary) fate in episode 15 was arranged so Hayden Daviau could step away from Wild Beyond the Witchlight, as her career progressed to the point that they needed more time to handle the many opportunities that came their way. They would return as a surprise reveal in episode 25, which ultimately became the final episode of the campaign.
* Ni'ico and their brother made an appearance in episode 9 of Dreams of Arkos, where they tried to steal from a orange-haired human woman named Gwylan.