Yeah
@Glen the color choice, the way the top edges of the graphic curve inward, even the font choice/scaling are definitely reminiscent of some of the Endless Quest books. Actually, the 4e
Heroes of the Feywild had a mini-choose your own adventure section for creating your character's unique background (instead of choosing a background). Maybe just coincidence.
Some things that pop out to me as I'm looking at the
cover spread further...
The displacer beast's tentacles are upright and outstretched like the "bent" of a bird's wing and giant monarch butterfly wings have been attached with some kind of straps. That kind of inventiveness makes it seem like the "child" following the beast might be a gnome. Maybe Ellywick Tumblestrum?
It's possible there's a constellation being displayed, but I'm not enough of a FR lore buff to know what that might be. Then again, the star relationship and their varying colors may just be artistic flourish... or they might be there to evoke the Court of Stars, a sort of parliament between Seelie and Unseelie hosted by the Summer Queen Titania.
The top hat wearing figure is interesting in a couple ways:
- His attire and pocket watch are anachronistic for typical D&D. Combined with the motion ghosts / light streaks below the tents, maybe there's a subtle hint at time travel in the sense that the carnival wanders...and possibly through time as well. When talking about the Feywild, the DMG calls out that sometimes many years may pass on the Material Plane while someone is on the Feywild, so maybe they're bringing that into the adventure.
- He defies easy race/ancestry categorization. Shadar-kai? Well, he is bulky, has piercing blue pupils, is dusky skinned, and is sporting some sweet 19th century attire whereas shadar-kai are depicted as thin/normal build, dark eyes lacking sclera or pupils, pale skinned, and with a Gothic vibe. Hobgoblin? Well, he lacks the hobgoblin bestial nose, outward flaring ears, deep down sloping brows, and sideburns that have been intrinsic to 5e's hobgoblin art. Ogre? Yeah, his ears match 5e ogre ears, but his nose deviates from ogres.
- He is lifting up what appears to be the Big Top Tent, but could also be a cut onion or shattered Christmas tree ornament.
A vague or invisible bird (raven?) shape appears to be flying on the far right beneath the moon, either revealed momentarily by the parting of the mists or its wingbeats causing the mists to part. Maybe this is meant to evoke the Raven Queen's involvement? (seeing as if this carnival is tied to Isolde from VRGtR, she left two shadar-kai in control of the carnival)
Lastly, the "two carnivals" appears to be the same carnival under different conditions/planes/times/moods. You can tell by looking at the highest point in the carnival art which is a sort of "streamer" tent without full tent flaps. Both the brighter/warmer art and the dimmer/cooler art have that same element.
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