TRAIL READER
The Listener
Hears root-song beneath false paths and reveals where shy wisps have disturbed the moss.
Gift · Echo through barkA cooperative woodland adventure
The forest lost its little lights.
Gather your circle of Wardens, read the living woods, and coax every wayward spirit back into a lantern—without extinguishing what makes it wild.
- 1–4Wardens
- 12+Years
- ≈18hStory
- 0Spirits harmed
Plate I · Lanternwood after moonrise
A lantern is not a cage. It is a promise that there will always be a path home.
I
Choose your calling
Four gifts. One shared flame.
No Warden can read the whole forest alone. Combine distinct talents, pass tools freely, and turn every mistake into a new route through the night.
LANTERN KEEPER
The Tender
Brews gentle lantern hues that match a spirit’s mood and invite it closer without force.
Gift · Kindled coloursGROVE MENDER
The Mender
Coaxes thorn gates open, repairs moonbridges, and asks old trees to shelter the whole circle.
Gift · Patient growthNIGHT CALLER
The Caller
Answers spirit riddles with flute phrases and turns unruly swarms into playful processions.
Gift · A borrowed melodyChange callings at every campfire. Progress belongs to the circle, never to one hero.
II
Every path listens.
A forest that remembers
Every path listens.
Every kindness returns.
Lanternwood reshapes itself around the choices your circle makes. Calm a quarrel of sprites and mushrooms may light tomorrow’s shortcut. Rush a sleeping grove and its paths curl away.
- 01Whispering MireReeds repeat secrets in the wrong order.
- 02Moon-Apple OrchardFruit floats upward when someone tells the truth.
- 03The Rootbound HollowAncient doors open only for a shared song.
01Whispering Mire
02Moon-Apple Orchard
03The Rootbound Hollow
Field map · redrawn by every circle
III
Meet the mischief
Not monsters. Just marvellously lost.
Each wisp has a temperament, a favourite sound, and a reason for wandering. Observe first. Experiment together. The brightest solution is rarely a trap.
Puffernook
Hides inside seed heads and sneezes glowing pollen when surprised. Approach backwards, humming low.
- Mood
- Timid
- Lure
- Rain hum
Tattertuft
Collects buttons, dew and important keys. Will trade everything for one perfectly polished acorn cap.
- Mood
- Curious
- Lure
- Bright trinket
Gloamkin
Borrows a Warden’s shadow and makes it dance ahead. Follow the wrong feet to find the right den.
- Mood
- Playful
- Lure
- Footstep rhyme
Mossbelly
Falls asleep across paths and dreams new weather. Wake gently with warm light—or bring an umbrella.
- Mood
- Drowsy
- Lure
- Amber warmth
IV
The lantern rite
Cooperate by paying attention.
Every encounter is a small woodland puzzle with many gentle answers. Talk, trade observations, and let the forest show you what changed.
-
FIRST GLOW
Notice the disturbance
Bent clover, backwards birdsong, and wandering moonbeams reveal a spirit’s trail.
-
SHARED LIGHT
Combine your gifts
One Warden opens the route while another tunes the lantern and a third answers the wisp.
-
HOMEWARD
Earn its trust
Guide, never destroy. A contented spirit returns freely and leaves a new forest gift behind.
A different kind of adventure
No blades. No vanquished creatures. No chosen-one hero.
Wisp Warden is built around curiosity, comic mishaps and collective care. The circle succeeds together—or returns with a better story.
V
Bring your friends.
The gate opens soon
Bring your friends.
We’ll keep a lantern lit.
Register your circle for playtest invitations, forest letters, and the first chance to step into Lanternwood.
Cooperative playtest · Windows, macOS & console · No payment required
VI
Notes from the field guide
Questions beneath the canopy.
Everything a new circle usually asks before setting out at moonrise.
Ask the keepersYes. A solo circle can swap between two callings at each campfire. The story remains complete, while two to four players create more improvisational solutions.
There is danger, chase and slapstick chaos, but no combat that destroys creatures. Encounters resolve through observation, timing, tools and cooperation.
Online circles use a friend-pass system: one full copy opens the forest for up to three invited Wardens. Local shared-screen play needs only one copy.
This demonstration validates the request and returns a simulated response. It does not persist your email, circle name, or any personal information.