D&D 5e Beyond The Witchlight

though s he knows nothing about the secret brig- If the characters decline to perform a play for he r,
ganock tunnel that leads to area Ml2. Endelyn demands that they leave at once, ordering
her darklings to attack c haracte rs who refuse to
WHERE'S ENDELYN? do so. In the ensuing fracas, characters who are
reduced to O hit points are knocked unconscious,
When she's not granting audiences, Endelyn keeps stripped of their gear, and locked in the prison (area
to the following routine: Ml7) until Endelyn decides what to do with them.
(Stagefright leads the way to the prison, since his
• Twice per day, Endelyn watches plays from one fool's scepter is needed to open the prison's front
of the balconies (a rea M21). Occasionally, when door.) lf Endelyn finds no other use for imprisoned
the mood strikes her, she swoops down to the characters, she turns them into masks using the ar-
stage (area M2) on her ornithopter offlying (see cane device in area MB.
appendix A) in the closing minutes of a play to
steal the s how. Characters who come to Motherhorn bearing
invitations from a pageant wagon (see "Random
• While plays are being rehearsed in the amphithe- Encounters in Yon" earlie r in the chapter) can
ater, s he spends her time in area Ml9, peering skip the performance and jump straight to the pri-
down at the Orrery of Tragedies in area M14 and vate audience.
using a quill pen to transcribe its prophecies into a
tiny black book. Assuming that the characters' performance or
the presentation of their invitations puts Endelyn
• During the eight hours when no plays are being in a bargaining mood, she agrees to part with one
rehearsed or performed, she sleeps standing up creature or object in her possession, but only if
inside a glass-paneled wardrobe in area M22. the characters give her one of the following items
in exchange:
BARGAINING WITH ENDELYN
Shadow. If a character agrees to give up their
When the characters come to Motherhorn, Endelyn shadow, Endelyn uses her scissors ofshadow
has foreseen their arrival and is expecting them. snipping (see appendix A) to snip it off.
If you used the "Lost Things" adventure hook and
the Story Tracker indicates that Endelyn has one or Gloam the Cat. Endelyn accuses her sister, Bav-
more things that the characters need, she is willing lorna Blightstraw, of stealing her cat, Gloam. En-
to trade away these possessions one by one, but only delyn wants the characters to travel to Bavlorna's
a fter the characters agree to pe rform on her stage. cottage in Downfall (see chapter 2), find he r cat,
and return it to her. (Endelyn doesn't know that
Regardless of what the characters want from he r, Bavlorna killed and stuffed the cat, but she wants
Endelyn typically requires them to perform for her it back regardless of its condition.)
before she will bargain with them. If she deems
the characters' performance satisfactory (see "A Unicorn Horn. Endelyn claims that her sister Ska-
Tragedy in the Making" below). s he leads the party batha recently lost a unicorn horn, and Endelyn
to her audience chamber (area M18) and conducts wants the character to find the horn and bring it
negotiations there. If the dee ms their performance to he r. (Refer to the Story Tracker for the unicorn
unsatisfactory, s he doesn't feel bound by the rule of horn's location, though any unicorn's horn will
reciprocity (see "Rules of Conduct" in chapter 2) to do.) Endelyn mentions in passing that the unicorn
grant them an audience. whose horn was lost is s till alive, although trans-
formed into a rocking horse that Skabatha Night-
F EY TO TH E RESCUE! shade uses as a flying mount.

If the characters helped the korreds and brigganocks IfEndelyn has more things in her possession that
settle their differences earlier in the chapter, they offer the characters want, she is willing to ente r into a
to help the characters in return. Twelve brigganocks separate bargain for each one. Magic ite ms fash-
hanging from the beards ofthree korreds arrive on the ioned from los t t hings are kept in area M22.
outskirts of Motherhorn at an agreed-upon time, ready
to spring into action if the characters call for aid (see ENDELYN'S ESCAPE
appendix C for their stat blocks).
Endelyn is loath to leave Motherhorn, but if her sur-
If one or more characters cry out for assistance in vival depends o n it, s he moves to area M21 and uses
Motherhorn, the brigganocks and korreds hear the call her ornithopter offlying to retreat to the Palace of
for help and react quickly. The korreds barrel out of the Heart's Desire. Her sisters. if present, fl ee to the pal-
secret tunnel in area Ml2 or scale the theater's walls ace as well (Bavlorna on he r lily pad and Skabatha
using ropes made of korred hair, and the brigganocks on her rocking horse).
use their darkness.faerie fire, silence, and sleep spells to
confound and neutralize Endelyn's minions. The Fey
try not to steal the show; their goal is to distract En-
delyn's minions so the characters can wriggle out of a
tight spot or confront the hag without her lackeys.

C HAPTER 4 I YON

A TRAGEDY IN THE MAKING A goblin in a jester's costume taps his clownish
scepter on the floor to get your attention and says.
Motherhorn's amphitheater is where tragic plays are "To impress the Dame of Unhappy Endings, you will
performed da ily for Endelyn Moongrave to e njoy. need to perform a tragedy-something gruesome,
The charac te rs might choose to perform on s tage de pressing, and darkly humorous. I have JUS! the
for one or more of the following reasons: play!" A rolled-up script suddenly appears in his hand.
" Norma lly we would have several hours to prepare,
, In order to acquire some thing or someone in but alas, time is of the essence. Since you don't have
Endelyn's possession, the c haracters might need time to memorize all the lines. we'll need to impro-
to pe rform a play to put the hag in a ba rgaining vise." Tossing the script over one shoulder. he says.
mood (see "Bargaining with Endelyn" above). "Worry not! I'll feed you lines from the wings if you
The characters might intend to uphold a bargain
made with Skabatha Nightshade (see ··Bargaining get s tuck!"
with Skabatha" in ch apte r 3).
The characters might want to create a distraction, Have each player roll once on the Pe rformers· Roles
and performing a play is the best way to keep En- table 10 dete rmine what role Stagefright assigns to
delyo a nd he r minions preoccupied. that player's characte r. If two players get the same
result, S1agefright lets them decide which one of
While the play is going on, one or more characte rs them takes that role before suggesting another role
might try to s neak off and explore other areas o f for the other eharacrer (choose a table ent ry tha t
Motherhorn on their own, splitting the party. If that hasn't a lready been assigned). Allow characters to
occurs, resolve what happe ns to these wande ring invent new roles for the mselves if they don't like the
characters after the play has run its course. ones they're assigned. If a charac te r wa nts 10 play a
talking pumpkin or a bored trea nt . le t it happen!
PREPARING FOR THE PLAY

Characte rs who choose to perform a play are met
by Motherhorn's master of ceremonies, Stagefright.
who is a goblin boss (chaotic ne utral). Describe this

meeting as follows:

CHAPTER 4 I YON 15 1

PERFORMERS' ROLES expected to re turn and take a final bow once the
play has concluded. Antics performed by offstage
d8 Role characters (including but not limited to the explo-
ration of other a reas in Motherhorn) s hould be
Drunken satyr resolved after the play concludes.

2 Failed magician Endelyn is the play's sole judge . Use the Story
Tracke r to keep track of how well the performance
3 High-and-mighty princess is going, in Endelyn's estimation:

4 Mean-spirited servant • Tally one s uccess every time a handout line is de-
livered in a way that comple ments the narrative.
S Nervous apothecary
• Tally one success if a particularly gruesome,
6 Cowa rdly noble tragic, or darkly humorous scene is enacted.

7 Foolish minstrel • Tally one failure each time a character loiters in
the wings or rem a ins on s tage for too long with-
8 Honorable knight risen from the dead out speaking.

Once a ll the characters have roles, Stagefright • Tally one failure if too much time goes by with-
leads them to a prop storeroom (area M4a) and out a handout line being spoken, prompting
says, '' Find whatever you can make use of in this Stagefright to ratt le his fool's scepter at the per-
mess!" The characters are a llowed 20 minutes to formers. (If you have a one-minute egg timer,
don costumes and select props appropriate for their you ca n use it as a control. Every time a ha ndout
assigned roles. When they're ready, Stagefright line is spoken. flip the egg timer. If the timer
leads them through the dressing room (area MS) runs out. too much time has gone by, warranting
to the performers· quarters (area M6), whereupon one failure.)
he says, "The play begins in ten minutes!" Charac-
ters can spend that time doing whatever they want. ENDELYN'S VERDICT
When the 10 minutes are up, Stagefright reappears
and escorts the party to the stage (area M2). When al l the handout lines have been delivered or
when all the play's characters have met tragic ends,
Endelyn Moongrave (see appendix B) pee rs down Stagefright signals the characters to wrap it up a nd
at the stage from a 40-foot-high stone balcony (area take their bows. Then he joins them on stage to
M21) while a gloomy audience of darklings watches await Endelyn's verdict.
from the a mphitheater seats and masked goblins
perch atop the stage rigging (see the boxed text Success. If the characters earned more successes
in area M2 for details). Stagefright introduces the than failures, Endelyn is pleased to strike bargains
characters' troupe and their play, the n ducks behind with them. ln addition, she invites them to stay in
a curtain. Appendix D has additional roleplaying the theater as long as they like and make them-
notes for Stagefright. selves at home; those who accept a re assigned quar-
ters in area M6.
PERFORMING THE PLAY
Failure. lf the characters netted more failures
Appendix E contains lines of dialogue for you to than successes, Endelyn is not e ntertained by their
photocopy and cut out. Place the slips of paper in play and won't bargain with the m. She orders the
a pape r bag or other opaque container, then give it characters to leave her theater at once; if one or
to your players . At the start of the play, each player more of them refuse, she orders the darklings in the
draws a slip of pape r from the containe r, as Stage- audience to attack. Characters who are reduced to
fright hisses a line to that player's character from 0 hit points in the ensuing fracas are knocked un-
the wings. The rules of the play are as follows: conscious, then stripped of their gear and locked in
the prison (area M17) until Endelyn decides how to
• The players must ad-lib a tragedy. What their char- punish them for wasting her precious time.
acters say and do is up to them for the most part,
but they mus t find a way to incorporate Stage- MOTHERHORN LOCATIONS
fright's lines into the play's dialogue. Each time a
character delivers one of Stagefright's lines, that The following locations are keyed to the map of
characte r's player draws a new line from the bag. Motherhorn.

• Characters can freely move a round the stage, use Ml. MAIN ENTRANCE
props, and enter and exit scenes as they wish, but
every character who has a role must contribute to Recessed into the inner wall of the balcony is a
the performance. 12-foot-high, s tone double door with fancy scroll-
work along its edges but no visible handles, hfoges.
• If one of the play's characters dies or meets some or seams. If someone touches the door, read:
other tragic end, that character's player no longer
draws lines of dialogue. A character who exits
the story in this fashion can leave the s tage but is

C H APTER 4 I YON

OTHERHORN

CHAPTER 4 I YON L53

The surface of the door assumes the likeness of a Plays and rehearsals take place he re during the
sixteen hours of every day when Endelyn is awake.
skull-faced hag. "The moon-twin is not welcome A play is usually rehearsed for 6 hours and then
performed for 2 hours. The first time the characters
here," it says in a raspy voice. "All others may step for- a rrive here, a re hearsal is underway; roll on the
Motherhorn Tragedies table to determine which
ward and pass through the black curtain at the end of play is being rehearsed.

the entrance hall." MoTHERHORN TRAGEDIES

The visage splits down the m iddle as the double d8 Summary
door swings open, revealing a decorated hallway in
A Tragedy at Twilight. A bright light appears in
which discordant chamber music plays. the evening sky during a royal wedding. The light
grows bigger and causes lively discussion be-
The visage can see and hear whatever's on the bal- tween the revelers. It turns out to be a comet that
cony, and it waits expectantly for creatures to pass crashes into the wedding, killing everyone.
through the open doorway. When no authorized
creatures are left on the balcony in front of it, the 2 Lament ofa Suckling Boor. A young boar with
door closes until its outer surface is touched again. silvered tusks vows to slay the werewolf who mur-
Creatures that wa nt to leave Motherhorn by this dered his parents. He carries his parents' remains
route need only touch the inside of the double door, (a string of sausages) around in a basket.
which causes it to swing ope n; it re mains open until
10 seconds pass without a creature passing through 3 Only Fools Knock Twice. In this dark comedy, three
it. The door can't be opened otherwise- not by using sailors, shipwrecked in the ocean, cling to a coffin.
magic, thieves· tools, or brute force.
4 The Lich King's Revel. A lich king cannot decide
If Gleam (the "moon-twin" mentioned by the door) which of his three living sons should rule his king-
tries to enter without having a convincing disguise, dom, so he throws a party during which his sons
a n invisible force pushes her back onto the balcony. are grafted into a single flesh golem.
Any disguise of a magical nature is sufficient to fool
the door. A conventional disguise works as well, pro- 5 Love Unsoiled. A maiden, unable to find the
vided whoever created the disguise fools the door by perfect suitor, chooses a beau from beyond the
succeeding on DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check. grave, much to her father's consternation.
If she is unable to enter Motherhorn, Gleam waits
outside for the characte rs and urges them to find her 6 A Village No More. A long-brokered peace be-
sister as quickly as possible. Amidor, Pollenella, and tween a green dragon and a nearby village is
any other guides accompanying the party stay with shattered when the village idiot steals a handful of
Gleam, keeping her company while she waits. coins from the dragon's hoard.

Entrance Hall. The discordant music that fills 7 Blightstraw's Fall. Goblins dressed as bullywugs
the ha llway beyond the stone door is magical. At the cavort around a wicker effigy of Bavlorna Blight-
north end of the corridor hangs a thick, black cur- straw. Adventurers stumble upon the scene and
ta in. No sound passes through this c urta in while it trick the "bullywugs" into betraying and killing the
is closed. toadish hag.

M2. AMPHITHEATER 8 An Island ofDeath in an Ocean ofTears. Explorers
arrive on an island littered with bones. It takes
An open-air amphitheater is carved from the slope of them years to realize they're all dead.

the mountaintop. Short, cloaked figures sit on tiered Endelyn Moongrave (see appendix B for her stat
block) is not usually present during rehearsals, but
stone benches, facing the stage. Enclosing the stage on this occasion she has foreseen the characters'
arrival and is watching them through a pair of opera
are ten-foot-high stone walls, above which you can see glasses from a 40-foot-high balcony (area M21). The
characters are welcomed to Motherhorn by Stage-
the s tormy sky. A team of masked goblins is preparing fright, the theater's goblin maste r of ceremonies.
After introductions are made, Stagefright invites the
the stage for a play while costumed actors huddle in characters to join him on the stage, whereupon he
bows before Endelyn a nd says to her, "Your guests
the wings and recite lines. Lighting is provided by an have arrived." The hag doesn't waste time with
pleasantries (see "Bargaining with Endelyn" earlie r
.. intricate overhead contraption upon which several in the chapter) and prefers to remain on her balcony.
more maske d goblins are perched . The sounds of
chains clanking and gears turning can be heard com-

ing from somewhere under the mountaintop.

154 CHAPTER 4 I YO

If a ttacked without provocation, s he withdraws into use the s hutters on the cylinders to adjus t the lights·
her s tronghold and m akes her way to a rea M22, brightness.
leaving her darkling minions (see below) to deal
with the threat. The cra nes and the lighting rig were cons tructed
by brigganocks and a re manipulated by iron ropes
Actors. Three actors are huddled togethe r on made of korred ha ir. Any character who knows the
s tage, ne rvous ly rehears ing their lines from pages korreds' s pecia l jig (see "Korred Da nce·• earlier in
of a script. All three a re commoners (neutral) w ith the chapter) can comma nd the ha ir to opera te these
proficiency in the Performa nce skill a nd darkvis ion contraptions: otherwise. a device can be ma nua lly
out to a ra nge of 60 feet. In a pinch, they can fight operated by a cha racter w ho ma kes a s uccessful DC
with prop weapons that function as clubs. The 15 Intelligence (Arca na) check.
actors are working off de bts to Endelyn and aren't
looking for trouble. They are as follows: M3 . STAGE LEFT

• Ela nys , a fema le Silvaoesti (high elf) from a world lA wooden platfo rm is embedded in the stone Aoor at
the end of this co rridor. An iron leve r is fixed to the
called Krynn wall nearby.
• Gra na m, a ma le goblin from the world of Eberron Stageha nds use this elevator to carry s ma lle r props
• Helgelar Sunlos t, a nonbina ry mounta in dwa rf from the works hop (area M11) to the s tage. T he el-
evator can ca rry up to 750 pounds a nd is raised or
from a world called Oerth lowered using the iron lever.

Audience. S eated on the s tone benches and fac- M4. PROP STORAGE I
ing the stage are twenty-five dark.lings (see appen-
dix C) wearing cloaks and hoods. Ende lyn forces Whe n the cha racters firs t explore either of these
them to watch rehearsals as well as performa nces, two s torerooms (area M4a or M4b), read:
not only to torment the darklings but als o to make
sure the actors and the goblin s tagehands behave IThis room is choked with a variety of props and cos-
themselves. Despite the poor tre atment they receive tu mes. There seems to be no o rder to the place.
from her, the darklings defend Ende lyn a nd obey
her commands without question. Endelyn has amassed a great hoard of props a nd
costumes, w hich a re piled haphaza rdly in these
Stage. The sta ge is hewn from solid rock, w ith rooms by goblin s tage ha nds. Each s toreroom has a
patches of moss or lichen growing he re a nd few oddities as well, as decribed below.
there. It's a 10,000-foot drop from the top of the
outer walls that s urround the s tage to the base of M4a. This room's contents include the follow-
the mountain. ing oddities:

Two wooden cranes that extend from the rear of , A chest full of powdered wigs, each one craw ling
the stage a re used to hois t la rge props a nd back- with harmless spiders
drops from the works hop (area M11) to the s tage.
One unarmed goblin (neutral noncombata nt) op- , A mousetrap 3 feet w ide a nd 8 feet long
erates each crane. These crane operators, na med • A pa rasol topped w ith a copper weathe r va ne
Specklenose and Zolt, are also Feenia's pa rents (see
the "Evil Kite" ra ndom encounte r). Afte r Feenia was M4b. This room's contents include the follow-
caught stealing props, her pa rents were forced to ing oddities:
s urre nder their s hadows to Endelyn as punis hment
for being "bad pa rents." Eve r since the n, they have A 3-foot-high plaste r pedestal on which perches a
been s hunned by the ir peers (s ee the "Shadowless" s ma ll, leering gargoyle
sidebar earlier in the chapte r). The cha racte rs might A gilded throne w ith a s mall iron key hidden un-
have encounte red the goblins' detached s hadows in der its velvet seat cus hion (the key, which can be
the "Goblin Shadows" ra ndom e ncounter; if those felt by a nyone who sits on the throne and can be
s hadows were destroyed, Specklenose a nd Zolt found by a nyone who lifts the cus hion, unlocks the
have their norma l s hadows back a nd a re no longer wooden chest in a rea M22)
A s ma ll wooden cradle with a baby goblin doll in it
being shunned. (the doll cries fo r 1 mi nute whe n a key s ticking out
The lighting rig built over the s tage is a n intricate of its neck is turned)

wooden device ope ra ted by four una rmed goblins
(neutral noncomba ta nts) in theater masks . Mounted
to the rig are a dozen s huttered cylinders, each
one with a continual flam e s pell cast ins ide it. The
fla mes come in diffe re nt colors, but they give off no
heat. The gobl ins can swivel these cylinde rs to focus
the lights on differe nt pa rts of the stage, a nd they

CHAPTER 4 I YON 15 5

M5. DRESSING ROOM Magic Mirrors. Each dressi ng table mirror is
lit by magic orbs of light affixed to its fra me a nd
Resting against the walls of this circular chamber are e nchanted to display an image that corresponds to
three dressing tables, each o ne with a m irror atop it. a performer's standi ng with Endelyn. What a crea-
The mirrors are bordered by tiny balls of bright golden ture sees in a mirror depends on how Endelyn feels
light. An ornate, high-backed chair on clawed feet about that creature:
sits before each table. Slumped in one of the chairs is
a bugbear dressed as a green dragon from the neck • If Endelyn is tolerant or unaware of the onlooker,
down. O n the floor nearby are the fake d ragon head the image is the performer's norma l appea rance.
and tail that complete the costume.
• If the on looker is out of favor with E ndelyn, the im-
If the bugbear's detached shadow in area Ml2 has age is a sickly and haggard version of the creature.

not been defeated, add: I • If Endelyn is plotting the onlooker's dem ise,
the image is a skeleton wearing the onlook-
IThis bugbear looks all the more unusual because he er's clothes.
casts no shadow.
Each of the three mirrors is a Small object with AC
Performers prepare themselves fo r the stage he re; 13, 3 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic
the tables a re strewn with gaudy ma keup, dus ting damage. If a mirror is destroyed, poison gas billows
powde rs. and perfume bottles that give off pun- up from its shards, filling the room. Each creature
in the room must make a DC 11 Constitution saving
gent odors. throw, taking 22 (4-dlO) poison damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Hurly the Bugbear. The bugbear, named Hurly The gas doesn't spread beyond this room and dissi-
(chaotic good), slouches in his chair a nd gazes into pates quickly.
a mirror. Reflected back at him is a sickly, hagga rd
version of himself (see "Magic Mirrors" below). H e M6. PERFORMERS' QUARTERS
is dressed to portray the green dragon in the trag-
edy titled A Village No More, but he has given up The walls of this gloomy chamber are lined with

trying to remember his lines. black-veiled compartments that contain makeshift

Hurly used to work at the Witchlight Carniva l, beds. The furniture is sparse: a few wooden tables
but his short temper and blustery nature made
him unpopular. One of Endelyn's spies lured him and c hairs, a box of junk in one corner, a n d flickering
to Motherhorn, where the hag promised to make
Hurly more likable before sending him back to the lanterns resting here and there. Five performers oc-
carnival- but only after he agreed to relinquish his
shadow and work in Endelyn's theater for three cupy the room. Two of them pace nervously while the
years. Hurly recently learned from a nothe r actor
that three years in the Feywild doesn't necessarily ot hers weep.
equate to three years w here he came from, so he's
no longer certa in how long Endelyn expects him to The actors here perform their roles reluctantly
re main at the theater. The hag assures Hurly that and are eager to leave, but cannot do so yet; each
his ta lent is becoming more refined a nd respected either has an unfulfilled bargain with the hag or
with every performance-but rhe magic mirrors in has displeased her somehow and is working to win
this room tell him a different story. It's clear to Hurly back her favor. All five performers a re unarmed
tha t his dreadful performances are not endea ring commoners (neutral), a nd the nonhuman ones
him to anyone, Endelyn most of a ll. have darkvision out to a ra nge of 60 feet. They are
as follows:
Hurly expects to be demoted to stagehand and
wishes he had never left the Witchlight Carnival. • Elemic the Excellent (a male human from the
His failure to win over a udiences is due in part to world of Tori!) sobs in his bunk.
his missi ng shadow, as explained in the "Shadow-
less" sidebar earlier in the chapter. If Hurly regains • Diamanda Mistriddle (a female forest gnome from
his s hadow, his performa nces wi ll garner a better a world whose name is unknown to her) buries
reception, a lthough he doesn't know that yet. he r face in a cush ion on the floor to hide her tears.

Append ix D contains additiona l roleplaying notes • P uff Rivernoggin-Lemonseed (a male lightfoot
for Hurly. halfling from what he terms "the Known World")
cries while studying script pages that have be-
come wrinkled from his tears.

• Elegy (a female tiefling w ho claims to hail from
Sigil) paces while talking to a tiefling skull.

• Klee Westerly (a nonbinary hu man from the
world of Tal'dorei) paces angrily while muttering
his lines.

156 CHAPTER 4 I YON

All five actors urge the characters to leave Mothe r- 3 of an eleven-book series titled Tales from the
horn before the hag, whom they refe r to as Creeping Gloaming Court.
Lyn or Biller End, snares the m in he r traps. Give n
a cha nce, one or more of the actors also s hare the Endelyn s tole this book a nd its companion (in a rea
following information: Ml7) from her sister Skabatha's private libra ry (see
area L14 in chapter 3). The hag has tucked a thin.
• "Even if Creeping Lyn hales you, it's still poss ible wax-stoppered vial inside the s pine of the book. A
to win he r favor by telling a gruesome or depress- character who examines the book before opening
ing s tory on he r s tage-that's what we're all try- it s pots the vial with a s uccessful DC 12 Wisdom
ing to do." (Perception) check and can use an action to try to
"Storms provide the lightning that Bitte r End re move it. doi ng so with a successful DC 10 Dex-
needs to power he r contraptions. Without the m, te rity check.
the s how can't go on."
On a check that fails by 5 or more or if a character
• "The hag's greatest contraption is the Orre ry of opens the book without first removing the vial, the
Tragedies, which a llows her to glimpse many pos- containe r s hatte rs, releasing a cloud o f mummy dus t
sible futures. Time a nd again, she has foreseen that fills a IO-foot-radius sphe re centered on the
her own de mise a nd ta ke n measures to delay it for book. The dust s preads around corners and settles
as long as possible." quickly. Any c reature in the dust clo ud must succeed
on a DC 12 Cons titution saving throw or be cursed
Treasure. The box in the corner contains the with mummy rot. A creature cursed in this way can't
belongi ngs of actors who have pe ris hed in Mother- regain hit points, a nd its hit point maximum de-
horn. (Some died of natural causes; others s uc- c reases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours tha t elapse.
cumbed at the ha nds of Endelyn, her minions, or If the curse reduces the target's hit point maximum
jealous rivals.) Among the junk can be found the to 0, the target dies, a nd its body turns to dust. The
following treasures: c urse lasts until re moved by a remove curse spell or
similar magic.
, A powder brush with a painted handle sculpted to
resemble a bunch of roses (25 gp) Endelyn's Black Books. The rema ining books,
of which there a re hundreds, are of similar ma nu-
• A gold ha nd mirror that re moves wrinkles, facture. Each one is 8 inches tall, 3 inches wide,
ble mis hes, a nd scars from the onlooker's re flec- and s pineless, its black woode n covers a nd yellow
tion (250 gp) pages held togethe r with copper wire. The image of
A fully charged wand ofweb a n hourglass is burned into the front cover of each
book, and carved into the wood above it is a smaller
M7. ORACULAR LIBRARY symbol that resembles a chicken's foot.

This magnificent hall is lined with s tone books helves These thin books contain ha ndwritte n accounts
of every te rrible future that Endelyn has g limpsed
housing a library of leathe r-bound tomes. Three el- us ing the Orre ry of Tragedies in a rea Ml4 . These
accounts a re written by Endelyn he rself as rhymes
derly, bes pectacled goblins climb ladders to fetch in the Elvish script. T hroughout these records,
E ndelyn acknowledges that not every future s he
books for three s lender, cloaked figures who are read- glimpses comes to pass, for a ny possible future
can be negated by a no the r. The black books a re a r-
ing while seated in overstuffed armchai rs. ranged on the s helves in the order in which Endelyn
has w ritte n the m. No book mentions the characte rs
The three goblins (ne utral) a re unarmed noncom- or a nyone closely associated with the m; mos t of the
batants who keep this library clea n a nd organized. accounts speak of individuals who are lo ng dead,
The cloaked figures seated in the armcha irs a re many of them victims of tragedies of the ir own mak-
three darkliog elders (see appendix C) w ho read ing. Endelyn foreshadows he r own doom quite often,
to pass the time. Endelyn recently informed the m noting that it will occur during an eclipse.
that s he's expecting visitors, so the elde rs a re n't s ur-
prised to see the cha racters a nd are initially indiffer- Characters who s pend at least I hour pe rusing
ent towa rd them. That indiffe re nce turns to hostility these texts find the following three verses that pe r-
if the characte rs attack the elders. ta in to Endelyn, lggwilv, a nd the Hourglass Coven:

Tales from the Gloaming Court, Vol. 3. Cha r- A ll I've wrought s hall come undone
acters who examine the bookshelves s pot one When the moon blots out the s un.
book tha t looks out of place a mong the others. It is
a hefty, green-cove red tome with a withe red frog The sweet treache ry we three have wrought-
stitched into its s pine. Kissing the frog or s troking Would lggwilv forgive us? Ha! I think not.
it with a moiste ned fin ger causes the frog to croak
the book's title in Elvish. This book is volume

CHAPTER 4 I YON 157

Time was our ally, standing beside us. charges after 8 hours. Pulling the lever expends 1
Giving us that which Mummy denied us. charge and causes a line of golden lightning. 10 feet
But nour, 1 fee/ its hands turn cold long and 5 feet wide, to flash between the t\vo cop-
And see its second sight unfold: per spheres. Any creature in this line must succeed
The hourglass broken, the sisters three on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be magically
Meeting our hellish destiny. transformed into an inanimate wooden mask, a long
Bav and Skab will never know with whatever it is wearing or carrying. The mask
That Time has always been our foe. bears a striking resemblance to the creature's vis-
age, and the transformation lasts until the mask is
Skabatha's Secret. Endelyn knows that her sister, targeted by a successful dispel magic spell (DC 19).
Skabatha, is cursed to forget the first creature she Every mask created in this fashion is a Tiny wooden
sees when s he wakes each morning. In the event of object with AC 15, 5 hit points, and immunity to
Endelyn's death, she wants this secret to be known, poison and psychic damage. A mask that is reduced
so Endelyn wrote it on a scrap of invisible paper and to O hit points is destroyed and can't be transformed
placed it atop the highest shelf in the library. The pa- back into the creature it once was.
per becomes visible and blows off the shelf if Ende-
lyn die s, which can happen only during an eclipse. Each copper rod is a Medium object with AC 15,
If the characters enter this room after Endelyn has 18 hit points, and immunity to lightning, poison, and
died, the paper is lying on the floor in plain view. psychic damage. The leve r is a Small object with
Written in the Elvish script, it reads: AC 15, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison a nd
psychic damage. Destroying the lever or either rod
Every morn when Skabatha rises, renders the device inoperable until it is repaired.
The one first seen by her waking eyeses
ls swiftly forgotten like some fleeting swain The creature holding the lever is a darkling el-
And shan't be remembered 'ti/ she sleeps again. der (see appendix C) who takes sadistic pleasure
in turning other creatures into masks. A female
M8. ENDELYN1S MASK COLLECTION goblin (neutral) named Vig is locked in one of the
cages and is doomed to s uffer the same fate as her
The walls of this room are adorned with wooden friend, Binky, unless the characters intervene on her
masks, most of which look like shocked goblin faces . behalf. Both goblins worked the cranes in area M2
Dozens of masks hang neatly from hooks on the until they accidentally dropped a backdrop in the
walls, and several more are stowed haphazardly on middle of a performance, ruining the s how and an-
the shelves of an old bookcase. gering Endelyn. lf the characters attack the darkling
elde r, it fights back. At the same time, Vig shouts in
Two padlocked cages stand in a far corner; one Common, "Leave me to my fate! Bitter End can do
is occupied by a panic-stricken goblin, and the worse than turn me into a mask!"
other is empty.
As an action, a character using thieves' tools can
In the middle of the room, two copper poles ten try to pick the lock on either cage or the shackles on
feet apart descend from the eight-foot ceiling. Each the chair, doing so with a successful DC 12 Dexter-
pole has a one-foot-diameter copper sphere at the ity check. The darkling carries a ring of three keys,
end of it, three feet off the Aoor. Between the poles, two of which open the padlocks on the cages; the
a struggling goblin is shackled to a thin, tall chair, so third key unlocks the chair's shackles.
that the spheres are level with the goblin's head.
Endelyn's poor treatme nt of her notwiths tanding,
A tall, thin, cloaked figure stands in the shadows. A Vig wants to please the hag. The goblin enjoys work-
rictus grin forms beneath the cowl as the figure pulls ing at Motherhorn, though she dislikes Stagefright,
a lever that juts from a wall. An instant later, golden the gobl in master of ce remonies. Vig knows her way
lightning leaps between the spheres , catching the around Mothe rhorn and shares the following infor-
shackled goblin in its path. Before you can react, the mation with her rescuers:
goblin transforms into a wooden mask that falls to the
Aoor. "Binky!" shrieks the caged goblin. • Bitter End has a pair of magic scissors that she
uses to snip off other creatures' shadows. These
Endelyn uses the lightning-powered arcane device de tached s hadows congregate in the shadow the-
in this room to punish those who irritate her. The ater (are a M10).
device has 3 charges and regains all expe nded
• To e nte r the prison (area Ml 7), one needs the
fool's sce pter that belongs to Ende lyn's master of
ce re monies, Stagefright.
The hag has a s pecial guest- a hateful woma n
named Cha rmay, who cla ims to get her magic
from a pact s he made with Baba Yaga. Charmay
has powe rful friends and be longs to a group called

r 58 C H APTER 4- I YON

the League of Something-or-Othe r. She doesn't tha n the othe rs, once be longed to Hurly Lhe bugbear
like goblins and mistreats the m every chance she (see a rea MS).
gets. (Vig can't remember the name of the League
of Malevolence. but she can lead characters to If the cha racters disturb the woode n s ilhoue tles
"Charmay'' in area Mll.) enough to ma ke the ir shadows c hange position.
the de tached s hadows a re revealed a nd begin
M9. BACKDROP HALLWAY prancing around sile ntly like mimes. lf Gleam's
shadow is among them. it leaps onto the tra peze a nd
This shadowy hallway is blocked by a wooden back- swings from it.
drop ten feet from the entrance. The backdrop is
painted to look like a library bookshelf. The shadows ac t as Endelyn's spies a nd attack
only if they fee l threatened. Sha dows tha t a re re-
Three backdrops space d 10 feet apart block this duced to Ohit points a re destroyed a nd reattach to
hall. The second one is painted to look like a raging their origina l owne rs as norma.l s hadows .
sea, and the third looks like a moonlit graveyard.
When a creature moves within 5 feet of a backdrop, A creature whose Strength is reduced to O by a
it swings back against the wall, revealing more of shadow's Strength Drain a ttack does not die but
the corridor. The backdrops re main locked in thes e falls unconscious instead. The creature regains con-
positions for 1 minute be fore swinging out to block sciousnes s, and the reduction to its Stre ng th score
the hallway again. disa ppears, afte r it finis hes a s hort or long rest.

Pit Trap. Beyond the third backdrop, directly Moon Sphere. This da ngling, 3-foot-dia mete r
in front of the doorway to area MIO, is a hidde n sphere of white glass she ds bright light out to a
pit. The lid of the pit is easily mistaken for a dusty range of 20 feet and dim light for an additiona l 20
flagstone and opens when a weight of 50 pounds or feet. Casting dispel magic on the s phere a utomati-
more is placed on it. Any creature standing on the ca lly causes its light to go out.
lid when it opens must succee d on a DC 12 Dexte r-
ity saving throw or fall into the pit, which is 20 feet Treasure. Cha racters who search the s hadow the-
deep but filled to a depth of 10 feet with grave dirt. ate r find a pa ir of opera glasses (250 gp) resting on
After falling 10 feet, a creature lands prone in the one seat.
dirt but takes no damage. Leaning against one wall
of the pit is a tombstone prop made of wood painte d Mll. STAGE WORKSHOP
to look like stone. It is engraved with the name of
the first creature that has just fall en into the pit. This workshop is access ible from a rea M2 by a
This engraving is a harmless illusion that fades af- staircase and from area M3 by an elevator. The cur-
ter 1 minute. tain to area M2 is drawn. A pair of sliding woode n
doors ope ns to reveal the undercarriages o f the
MIO. SHADOW THEATER cranes that hang below the amphitheater.

Rows of tiered seating fill the back half of th is theater, The cavernous u nderbelly of the s tage is noisy a nd
and motes of dust float and dance above the ancient
upholstery. The seats face a stone stage flan ked by hot. Goblins work a forge , saw wood. and da u b pain t
wooden silhouettes of fir trees, lit from behind and
above by a white, moon-like sphere of glass that onto wooden backd rops. A woma n In a tight-fitting
hangs from the ceiling by a short chain and cas ts long
shadows on the walls. Suspended above the stage is dress ba rks orders at the workers while a gobli n
a trapeze.
frantica lly m akes adjus tmen ts to her cos t u me usi ng
Eleven shadows occupy the theate r. These shad-
ows are Fey, not Undead , and they we re created by needles, pins , and thread. A tiny c reatu re chained
Endelyn using her scissors ofshadow snipping (s ee
appendix A). If Gleam's detached shadow wasn't de- to a hooded lantern on a ta bleto p is using a stick of
stroyed in chapte r 1, it is one of the e leve n shadows
here. all of which are invisible while they re main charcoal to sketch som e th ing o n a piece of parch men t
hidden in the norma l shadows be ing cas t by the
wooden silhouettes. One of the shadows. larger at unbelieva ble s peed. A wis py bulb of light flu tters

next to him .

Stage props a nd backdrops are cra ft ed her e. Over-
sized items a re moved th rough the double doors in
the eas tern wa ll , affixed to the cra nes. and hoisted
to the s tage above. Sma lle r items a re ferried up
us ing the elevator to a rea M3, wh ich is ope rnted by
us ing a lever on the adjacent wal l.

Eighteen unarmed goblin no ncombata nts (twelve
neut ra l adults a nd s ix una ligned ch ildren) work
he re, oversee n by a n evil wa rlock na med Skylla (see
appe ndix 8). The creature chained to the hooded
la ntern is Golmo, an unar med brigganock (see

C HAPTER 4 I YON

append ix C), accompanied by the ball of light that with dressmaking pins as they both move around
contains his sou l. Endelyn forces Golmo to draw
diagra ms for various contraptions, and his s ketches the room.
can be found on scores of loose sheets of pa rch- Skylla becomes enraged whenever the goblins
me nt. He uses his Time Lapse action as often as
possible to produce his designs quickly. forget to address he r as "Charmay," and s he keeps
a close eye on Golmo, locking him in the la nte rn
Sky/la. Skylla was treated to a puppet show when he's not working.
during which Endelyn revealed a "likely future" in
which Skylla is fata lly betrayed by the other mem- If she meets inlruders in the workshop, Skylla
bers of the League of Malevolence. This revelation utters a command word taught to her by Endelyn
prompted Skylla to de fect from the group a nd take ("nocturli"), which bestows a semblance of life upon
refuge at Motherhorn. Skylla carries the key to Gol- eight inanimate props scattered throughout the
mo's cha ins a nd willingly parts with it on ly if doing workshop. Each of these props uses the animated
so might save her life. armor stat block (with Armor Class modifications
as noted below) and tries to re pel intruders while
Even though she is costumed, Skylla is ins tantly the goblins cower behind backdrops. The animated
recognizable to a ny member of Valor's Ca ll. She is props a re as follows:
looking forward to making her onstage debut as her
a lter ego, Charmay, in a one-woman play she wrote • A 4-foot-long, crooked stove pipe (AC 19)
he rself titled Lamentations of a Warlock. Skylla is A wrought-iro n gate (AC 19)
currently being outfilled for her role by a flustered
goblin ta ilor, who keeps accidenta lly s ticking her • A pla in, empty wooden coffin (AC 15)
• A plaste r statue of a n elf king clutching a scep-

ter (AC 13)
• A plas te r wedding cake stuck to a small ta-

ble (AC 13)
• A stuffed boar ma nnequin (AC 11)
• A 6-foot-tall, stuffed canvas flesh golem (AC 11)
• A 7-foot-tall, painted wooden statue of an owlbear

on its hind legs (AC 15)

While the animated props serve as a distraction,
Skylla stuffs Golmo in the lantern a nd makes her
way upstairs to area M2, where she can trust the
darklings to defend her, with the hapless goblin tai-
lor dogging Skylla's heels. If Skylla is pinned down
a nd forced to surrender to avoid certain death, she
can cause the animated props to revert to their ina n-
imate forms by uttering the word "alfaria n."

Skylla feels no loyalty to the League of Malevo-
lence. If characters mention the league, she boast-
fully reveals the following information about her
former crew:

• The leader of the League of Malevolence is Kelek,
whose driving ambition is to s teal the magic staff
from his archene my, Ringlerun.

• Kelek came to Pris meer to blackma il Zybilna into
taking Ringlerun's staff. Skylla doesn't know what
leverage Kelek has over Zybilna, but it must be
c o n s i de r a ble.

• Skylla betrayed the League of Malevole nce by
leaking Kelek's plans to the Hourglass Coven.
When the league's members arrived at the pa lace,
the hags used them to create a diversion while the
sisters rebelled agai nst Zybi lna. The League of
Malevolence now works for the hags, a lbeit unwill-
ingly. Skylla is proud of the trouble s he has caused
her former comrades.

The following information mus t be pried from
Skylla us ing magic or force:

160 CHAPTER 4 I YON

• Zybilna is an alias us ed by the archmage Iggwilv. Whe n the characte rs peer into this room, e ithe r
who hails from a world called Oerth. from the workshop (are a M11) or the brigganock
Iggwilv is the adopted daughte r of Baba Yaga, un- tunnel. read:
like the hags of the Hourglass Cove n, who are true
daughters of the Mother of Witches. Crates of props are stacked in this chamber along·

• The hags used lggwilv's Cauldron, a powerful side wooden backdrops draped in cobwebs. An
a rtifact crafte d with help from Baba Yaga, to trap
Iggwilv in time. The cauldron can be destroyed by eight-foot-diameter, circular wooden d is k painted to
a flame tongue sword, just like the one wielded by
Kelek's evil bodyguard, Warduke. look like a smiling moon leans against one wall.

Go/mo the Architect. Golmo is timid and weary, From a cluttered corner, a raspy voice says, " Psst!
and his workload is relentless. When he gets a mo-
me nt's rest, he slumps down inside the lante rn and Over here!" Glancing in that direction, you see a
quickly falls asleep. He would like ve ry much to be
allowed to re turn to Brigganock Mine. wooden marionette carved and painted to look like a

As an action, a character using thie ves' tools can human skeleton. It appears to be tangled in its own
try to pick the lock on Golmo's c hain, doing so with
a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. A character strings. " I seem to have gotten myself in a wee fix.'"
can instead use an action to try to break the chain
by making a successful DC 12 Stre ngth check. If The woode n ma rionette is Break-a-leg (use the
freed, Golmo takes refuge in the pocke t or pouch living doll stat block in appe ndix C). It lies in a
of one of the characte rs. Given a chance, he throws heap. its strings in disarray a nd its limbs jumbled.
his diagrams in the fire, ensuring that Endelyn can Until its s trings a re untangled a nd its limbs prop-
never use them. e rly orie nted. Break-a-leg is res tra ined and can't
use its Crabby Hands action or ta ke reactions. A
Treasure. Skylla has an eldritch staff(see appen- characte r who spe nds 1 minute trying to untangle
dix A), which she keeps within easy reach. its strings can make a DC 14 Dexte rity (Sleight of
Hand) check, freeing the ma rione tte on a s uccessful
A search of the workshop uncovers the following check. If freed, Break-a-leg springs to its feet a nd
treasures: shakes each character by the finger. Its jaw moves
up and down as it talks. and its head ca n rotate 360
• A hammer with a gold handle (25 gp) degrees. The skeleton marione tte a lways turns its
• A two-person saw made from a wyve rn's head to face whomever it is s peaking to.

jaw (75 gp) Break-a-leg was Endelyn's firs t expe rime nt with
• A set of mason's tools embossed with the seal of living puppe try. A flaw in its creation process ke pt it
from having the sadistic streak that the hag wa nted.
Moradin's own forge (250 gp) so she discarded it. It knows Mothe rho rn's layout
and the na ture of its inhabitants. though no t thei r
Unicorn Horn. If the Story Tracke r indicates that exact whe reabouts. It doesn't like Endelyn a nd wi ll-
the unicorn horn is he re, it is in Skylla's posses - ingly sha res the following secrets:
sion. The warlock either stole it from the Hourglass
Coven or acquired it from the darkling merchants • Endelyn is terrified of eclipses (this is Mothe r-
in area M16; regardless, she keeps it on her pe r- horn's wors t ke pt secre t, Break-a-leg admits).
son at all times. She doesn't want it falling into
Kelek's hands but willingly parts with it to s ave • Endelyn wrote a secre t a bout he r s is te r, Ska batha,
her own skin. on a piece of invisible pa rchme nt tha t s he keeps in
the oracula r libra ry (area M7).
Ml2.PARTSSTORAGE
The secret tunnel from Brigga nock Mine leads he re. • If the lightning rods atop Mothe rhorn a re
If the characte rs e nte r Mothe rhorn this way, read: destroyed or s tole n, Ende lyn ca n't ope ra te he r
arcane contra ptions.
The tunnel ends at a wall of loose-fitting stones. Red
Break-a-leg wa nts to escape Mothe rho rn. If the
light shines through the cracks, and you hear the c ha racters e nte red from Brigga nock Mine, the ma r-
io nette s trikes off that way on its own; othe rwise, it
sounds of shouting and hammering coming from as ks the c haracte rs to le t it tag a lo ng with the m.

somewhere beyond the wall. Fake Moon. The woode n dis k pa inted to look like
a moon weighs 50 po unds. It has a s ma ll iron ring
The stones blocking the end of the tunnel can be screwed into its to p so that it can be hung from a
easily moved to cre ate a 3-foot-squa re ope ning. hook a bove the s tage. ff Glis ter (see a rea M17) hides
behind the moon while wearing her s un mask, the
two images create a symbolic eclipse tha t ca n help
seal Endelyn's fa te.

CHAPTER 4 I YON l 6J

Ml3. WORKER CELLS opposite where Endelyn stands. trying to make
sense of their sister's wicked contraption. See ap-
Six dingy cells strung with hammocks line both s ides pendix B for the hags' stat blocks.
or this corridor. Loud snoring comes from one cell,
and the noise or a rumbl ing stomach from another. Creatures on the balcony have three-quarters
cover against attacks made by creatures on the
Two unarmed noncombata nts occupy the cells. floor be low and vice versa, due to the mechanism's
Wart, a ma le goblin (neutral), is sound asleep: Kizz, many moving parts . Membe rs of the Hourglass Co-
a female goblin (neutral good), is too hungry to sleep ven who find themselves at risk of being captured
and sits in her cell, nibbling he r toenails. If the char- or kille d flee to the P a lace of Heart's Desire (see
acters offer food to Kizz. s he gratefully accepts and chapter 5) using their vehicles or mou nts, which are
te lls them three secrets by way of compensation: parked in area M21.

She found a key and hid it under the seat cushion Contraption. The Orrery of Tragedies is 20 feet
of a throne in one of the prop rooms (area M4b). tall and 60 feet in diameter. It uses magic a nd math-
Kizz doesn't know what the key unlocks. e matics to produce its prognostications, a nd it can
• Goblins who anger Creeping Lyn are turned into s ift through possible futures to identify the most
wooden masks. A few guests have been treated likely ones. As the contra ption turns, it emits smoke
the same way. in the form of letters that spell out predictions,
• There's a belfry in one of Motherhorn's turrets which Endelyn transcribes in a black book like the
(a rea M20), but Creeping Lyn boarded it up. ones s helved in the oracular libra ry (area M7). The
orrery magically predicts the future of creatures
Ml4. ORRERY OF TRAGEDIES whose paths are destined to become entwined with
the Hourglass Coven and who are doomed to meet a
This cyl indrical chamber houses a whirring contrap- tragic end. It serves no other purpose.
tion bolted to a revolving metal disk that serves as its
base. Metal spheres and sickles are attached to the The device is powered by e lectricity transmitted
ends or long metal arms that sweep back and forth, through its centra l elem ent: an SO-foot-tall light-
clicking loudly a nd rhythmically like the hands of a ning rod that forms its vertical axis. A creature that
giant metronome. The apparatus is inlaid with charac- touches any part of the Lightning rod, enters the
ters from strange a lphabets, and s moky wisps in the contraption's s pace for the first time on a turn, or
shapes or these letters rise from the contraption as starts its turn in the contraption's space must make
it revolves. The whole device hums and crackles with a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (8d10)
lightning. lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a s uccessful one. A creature in meta l a r-
Rising from the m iddle of the mechanism is an mor makes the saving throw with disadvantage.
eighty-foot-tali copper pole made of eight ten-foot-
long lightning rods attached e nd to end. It extends The Orrery of Tragedies isn't one object, but doz-
upward past a ring-shaped gallery that forms the ens of smaller objects joined together. To destroy
chamber's upper level, through a hole in the fifty-foot- the whole thing, at least eight of its compone nts (not
high domed ceiling. including the Hghtning rod) must be reduced to 0 hit
points . Each compone nt is a Large object w ith AC
Three goblins wearing overalls and tinted goggles 19, 27 hit points. and immunity to lig htning, poison,
use brooms to sweep the floor, seemingly untro ubled and psychic damage.
by the noise.
The centra l lightning rod is e ight 10-foot-long
W hen s he's not watching plays from her ornithopter lightning rods a ttached e nd to end. Each smaller
pad (a rea M21) or asleep in her room (area M22), rod weighs 100 pounds a nd has AC 17, 25 hit points,
Endelyn Moongrave is on the balcony (area M19) and immunity to lightning, poison, a nd psychic dam-
that ha ngs 20 feet above this chamber, where she age. Reducing one of these rods to 0 hit points de-
ca n be seen by cha racters who look up. She is stroys it a nd causes the rods above it to fa ll , making
positioned in front of tJ1e door to area M22. If the the lowest rod the most obvious target. If tJ1ree or
other hags were forced to fl ee their la irs in Hither mo re of these rods fall or are destroyed, the assem-
a nd Thither, Bavlorna Blightstraw and Skabatha bly is no longer tall enough to conduct lightning; the
Nightshade are o n the side of the viewing gallery contraption shuts dow n after l minute and remains
powerless until the lightning rod assembly is rebuilt.

Contact with a n a ntimagic field s huts down the
contraption for the field's duration. A successful
dispel magic s pell (DC 19) causes the contraption to
shut down for 1 minute, though it remains charged
with lightning during this time.

162 CHAPTER4IYON

Goblins. The goblins sweeping the floor are un- bludgeoning da mage, and immunity to poison and
armed noncombatants (neutra l evil) named Dungus, psychic da mage. Hidde n be hind the two-way mirror
Kak, and Spoorx. They wear Linted goggles to pro- is a semicircula r room contai ning a pair of padded
tect their eyes from the Rashes of light that Lhe con- a rmcha irs that face the mirror, a llowing those in
trapLion gives off. They are tight-lipped a nd would the chamber to observe the theater boxes v ithout
never willingly betray Ende lyn. lf combat breaks out being seen.
he re between Endelyn and the characte rs, the gob-
lins Ree down the nearby spiral s taircase. M16 . DARKLlNG BALLOON DOCK

M15. THEATER BOXES The door to a rea M14 is closed but not locked.

Two 20-foot-high balconies overlook the stage (area This tower contains a sparsely furn ished guest room
M2), with s tone s te ps leadi ng up to chem. Use the attached to a stone balcony. The door connecting
following boxed text to describe the ba lconies if the them swings back and forth in the wind.
characters approach the m fro m the amphitheater:
If Trinket, Bauble. a nd Charm's ra in cloud ba l- l
Two stone balconies are fringed w ith thick drapes of loon (see chapter 2) is tethe red to the balcony
musty velvet trimmed with black lace, and the black a nd the cha racte rs have not a lready s ee n it or de-
marble ra ili ngs are decorated with leering alabaster stroyed it, add:
masks. A large, square mirror set in the wall behind
each balcony is Ranked by wooden panels painted lAn enormous Oymg balloon made from a bulging rain
with thunderclouds and lightning bolts. An uphol- cloud 1s tethered to the balcony's batt lements.
ste red bench on each balcony faces a grand view of
the stage and the stormy sky. If Cha rm the darkling e lder a nd her l wo cohorts.
the darklings Trinket and Bauble, fled Hither in
Each mirror is an 8 -foot-square pane of two-way
glass wilh AC 13, 4 hit poinLS, vulnerability to their rain cloud ba lloon, a ll three are lurking in the
gues1 room (see appendix C for their stat blocks).

C HAPTE R -1- I YON 163

Charm's de tached shadow is also present unless door; as the visage speaks, characters who peer into
the characters destroyed it earlie r in the adventure. the mouth can catch a glimpse of an empty room
Like other detached shadows found in Motherhorn, beyond (see "Inside the Prison" below).
Charm's s hadow is a Fey, not an Undead. A creature
whose Strength is reduced lo O by the shadow's 1f the door sees Endelyn within 5 feet of it, or
Strength Drain attack does not die but falls uncon- if someone taps the door using the fool's scepter
scious instead. The creature regains consciousness, that belongs to Stagefright, it opens its mouth wide
and the reduction lo its Strength score disappears, enough to create an 8-foot-high, 3-foot-wide archway
a fter it finish es a short or long rest. that remains open until 1 minute elapses without a
creature passing through it.
1f Charm's shadow stole the magic spool of thread
from Bavlorna's cottage in chapter 2, it gave the ite m If neither of the above options applies, a charac-
to Charm at the earliest opportunity. The darkling ter can trick the door into opening its mouth long
elder is patiently awaiting an audience with Endelyn enough for one creature to pass through it before
and plans to offer up the spool of thread as a gift to the mouth snaps shut. Each of the following tricks
gain the hag's favor. Charm won't give up the spool works once:
of thread without a fight.
• A character who yawns within 10 fee t of the door
The darklings are merchants and thieves, not causes the door to yawn as well, enabling one
cold-blooded killers. They take no offense at the creature to slip through its mouth.
characters' intrusion and are willing to do business,
provided the cha racters do not threaten them. • A character who spends at least I minute reciting
a dull monologue, soliloquy, or poem within 10
If the darklings are not here , the room is unoccu- feet of the door causes the door to yawn out of
pied, and no treasure can be found among the tow- boredom, enabling one creature to slip through
er's furnishings. its mouth.

Unicorn Horn. If the Story Tracker indicates that • A character who stands within 10 feet of the
the darklings have the unicorn horn, that fact no door and recites a funny joke or limerick causes
longer applies if the characters encounter the dark- the door to laugh, enabling one creature to slip
lings here. When she saw that the darklings had the through its open mouth.
horn , Skylla the warlock (see area M11) convinced
them to give it to her, rather than risk other mem- Inventive characters can use the halberds from the
be rs of the League of Malevolence taking it from suits of armor (or weapons of their own) to wedge
them by force. open the mouth, preventing it from closing until
these obstructions are removed. No ability check is
Ml7. PRISON needed to accomplish this. Ifthe characters come
up with a different creative solution, you can reward
Access to this area is blocked by a featureless stone their creativity with automatic success.
door that can't be opened magically, with thieves'
tools, or by force. Inside the Prison. Four cells sealed by stone
doors branch off from the walls of this empty cham-
ITwo rusty suits of armor sized for goblins and ber. Stone levers jutting from the walls next to the
equipped with halberds flank a large stone door bereft doorways are used to raise and lower the cell doors,
which can't be opened from the inside except by
of handles, hinges, or decoration. the use of a knock spell or similar magic. Each one
has a small window through which its contents
Characters who examine the rusty suits of armor can be seen.
discover that each one has the ina nimate skeleton of
a goblin propped up inside it. Lifting the rusty visor Unless the characters have been detained here,
on either suit's helme t reveals its grinning skull, and three of the cells are open and unoccupied. The
removing the helme t entirely causes the goblin's fourth cell is closed and holds Gleam's twin, Glister
skull to tumble onto the floor. The s uits topple over (use the Selenelion twin stat block in appendix C).
easily, producing a loud clatter as the armor a nd Describe the cell and its occupant as follows:
skeletons brea k apart on the floor.
An elf, her face partially hidden under a sun mask, is
Disturbing either s uit of armor or touching the
surface of the door causes a large, skeletal version curled up on a divan, reading a book while sipping
of Endelyn's gaunt visage lo appear on the door.
open its mouth. and say, "You shall not passl Back, wine from a thin crystal goblet. Other items in the cell
I comma nd you!" The face on the door can see and
hear whatever's in front of il, a nd its open mouth include a crystal decanter of wine and a bowl of figs
forms a I-foot-high, 3-foot-wide hole through the
on a small table, a gold-embroidered wall tapestry de-

picting a wooded elven realm, and a porcelain cham-

ber pot decorated with gold filigree.

164 CHAPTER 4 I YON

Glister is comfortable-if not happy- in her cell. Endelyn s tole this book a nd its companion in area
Endelyn has urged Glister, for the sake of he r tw in M7 from her sister Skabatha's private libra ry (see
sibling, to be a good, quiet houseguest. If Gleam is area Ll4 in chapter 3). Stagefright lent the book
with the characte rs , she and Glister are re united. to Glister without Endelyn's knowledge when the
The twins try not to get separated again; their goal elf complai ned that she was bored. Glister doesn't
is to reach the Fey Beacons (d escribed ea rlie r in take the book with her when s he leaves her cell. be-
the chapte r) a nd use them to get back home to the cause s he finds the intrigues of the Gloaming Court
Witchlight Carniva l, with or without the cha rac- quite dull.
ters' he lp.
Treasure. Glister's cell contains the following
Glis ter knows the following useful information, items of value:
which she shares with her rescuers:
• A porce lai n chambe r pot with gold filigree (50 gp)
• "I overheard some goblins talking about a be lfry • A crystal wine decante r (125 gp) and goblet (25 gp)
in one of the turre ts. Endelyn boarded up the • An embroidered tapestry depicting a woodland
belfry to prevent othe rs from ringing the be ll.
Apparently, it's the safest, fastest way to reach the realm of the elves (250 gp)
Palace of Heart's Desire."
Ml8. AUDIENCE CHAMBER
• "Endelyn los t a key and is upse t about it. Her min-
ions have been searching for it, to no avai l." (Glis- The walls of this chamber are jet black, with gold-
ter doesn't know that one of the goblins found the
key and hid it in a rea M4.) painted scrollwork where the walls meet the ceiling

• "If my sister and l can reach the Fey Beacons, we and each other. Ornate, high-backed armchairs face
can use them to return to the Witch light Carnival."
(This is Glis ter's ultimate goal.) a ra ised da is. An alcove at the back of the da is is half

Glister's Plan. If the characters need some direc- hidden by a black curtain.
tion on how to dea l with Endelyn, Glister has plotte d
her revenge agai nst the hag and suggests the follow- This cha mber is unoccupied until Endelyn Moon-
ing course of action: grave (see appendix 8) has need of it. The hag uses
the room for private meetings with vis itors. partic-
"Endelyn can be destroyed for good, but only during ularly those who want to know their futures or who
want to strike bargains with her. Endelyn stands in
an eclipse. I say we create one! There is a moon prop the otherwise empty a lcove when performing her
auguries (described below).
in storage. If I were to stand behind it while wearing
A detect magic spell cast on the alcove reveals an
my sun mask, the moon would eclipse the sun. Were aura of conjuration magic emanating from it. While
s tanding in the a lcove, Endelyn can use a bonus
this configuration to occur in Endelyn's presence, she action to speak a com ma nd word ("imprek") a nd
teleport to her wardrobe in a rea M22, a long with
would know her doom is at hand." a nything s he is wearing or carrying. provided the
wardrobe's ma in compartme nt is empty and the
The moon prop ca n be found in a rea Ml2. wardrobe hasn't been destroye d.
Glister and Gleam are willing to go along with any
Endelyn's Auguries. The Orrery of Tragedies in
other pla n the characters conceive, but the sisters a rea Ml4 a llows Ende lyn to fo resee the arriva l of
always have each other's safety uppermost in their vis itors and glimpse the ir fates, which s he commu-
minds. Appendix D has additional roleplaying notes nicates to them th rough grim performances that s he
for Glister. calls her "auguries." Endelyn claims to be the sole
source of these prognostications while failing to
Tales from the Gloaming Court, Vol. 8. The book mention that the orrery shows possible futures, not
Glister is reading is a hefty, green-cove re d to me necessarily the future.
with a withered frog stitched into its spine. Kissing
the frog or s troking it with a moiste ned finger Endelyn performs auguries for characters who
causes the frog to croak the book's title in Elvish. want to know their futures a nd who strike a proper
This book is volume 8 of a n e leven-book series titled bargain with he r (as described in ''Bargain ing with
Tales from the Gloaming Court. Endelyn" earlie r in the chapter).

•

C HAPT ER 4 I YO N t65

If the characters ask her to conduct auguries for burned into the front cover. Currently, one-third of
them, read: the book's pages are filled w ith Endelyn's spidery
Elvish script.
Draped in black ro bes , the hag peers down at you
fro m her curtained a lcove. He r long finge rs twi tc h, M20. PAPER BIRDS AND HIDDEN BELFRY
and extra ha nds appea r from wi th in the folds of her
g hastly dress. She gazes upo n each ofyou in turn Bottles filled with crackling lightning line wooden
befo re saying, " See ke rs of fate, you have come be- bookcases along the walls of this chamber.
fore t he Da me o f Unhappy Endings to glimpse your
d oom. Be hold!" An open archway leads to a stone balcony that over-
looks the amphitheater forty fe et below. On the oppo-
The hag unve ils a p uppet the ate r that was hidden site side of the room from the a rch is a large wooden
in her cloth ing. It includes stringed ma rione ttes tha t desk, atop which a stack of parchment flutters under
resemble yo u and your companions . Wi th e ach tug of a stone paperweight shaped like a toad. Scattered on
the s tri ngs, the pup pe ts bob a round the stage, s peak- the desk are ink pots and in k-stained qu ills. Dangling
ing in the hag's scratchy voice. from a rafter nea r the desk is a rusty cage that holds
three fol ded pa p e r b irds flitting a bo ut like moths.

Drawing on information fed Lo her by the Orrery Endelyn writes her correspondence on s heets of
of Tragedies, Endelyn pe rforms a macabre puppet enchanted parchme nt, which she then folds into the
s how that reveals how each character is fated to de- shape of paper birds that fly to their intended recip-
pa rt the multiverse. Have each player roll a dB and ie nts. If a m ess age's recipie nt is on another plane
cons ult the Unhappy Endings table to find out how of existence or is otherwise unreachable, the paper
Endelyn predicts that player's cha racte r might die. bird bursts into fl a m es on takeoff and is instantly
(You ca n devise other unhappy e ndings, if desired.) d e s t r oy ed.

UNHAPPY ENDINGS The paper birds are hos tile toward all creatures
except the hags of the Hourglass Cove n. They use
d8 Cause of Death the hawk s tat block, w ith these cha nges:
Eaten a live by a dragon
• The pape r birds are Cons truc ts.
2 Stabbed th rough the heart by an invisible assassin • They have vulnerability to fi re damage, immu-
3 Disso lved in a pool of acid
nity to poison a nd psychic da mage , immunity to
4 Pulled down into dark wate r and drowne d exhaustion, and immunity to the charmed, fright-
S Hanged by the neck ened, and poisoned conditions.
6 Impale d o n a s ta lagmite • They deal damage by slicing creatures with their
7 Poisone d by a frie nd sharp edges (the attack is otherwise identica l to
the hawk's Ta lons attack).
8 Crus hed by a fa lling castle
The cage conta ins three folded birds that Endelyn
Ml9. VIEWING GALLERY has prepared but hasn't released. The door to the
cage is held s hut by a simple latch. To catch a paper
This 20-foot-high ba lcony looks down onto the Or- bird, a creature mus t reach into the cage a nd use a n
rery of Tragedies (area Ml4). action to try to grapple it; if the gra pple check s uc-
ceeds, the magic on the parchme nt ends, rendering
IThe stone railing that e ncloses this ring-s ha ped bal- I the bird ina nimate a nd easy to unfold. If the cage
cony has balusters shape d like ho urglasses. door is left open, the pape r birds fly out a fte r a few
seconds a nd try to deliver their messages .
Endelyn Moongrave (see appendix 8) s pends much
of her time on the side of the ba lcony closest to her The bi rds in the cage have the following messages
qua rters (a rea M22), tra nscribing prophecies of wri tten on the m in the E lvis h script:
doom foretold by the Orrery of Tragedies. While
s he's working, s he doesn't like to be disturbed. My darling Bav,
Skab had the horn but either los t it or forgot where
Endely n records these prophecies in a s pineless
book 8 inches ta ll a nd 3 inches w ide. Its black she hid it. Her head is so full of cobwebs. Imagine
woode n covers a nd yellow pages a re held together what s he'll be like when she's senile.
by copper wire. The image of a n hourglass is
Your favorite s is ter,
End

, 66 CHAPTER 4 I YON

Dearest Skab, The belfry contains a SO-pound silver bell a t-
Mummy's little warlock spy was happy to betray tached to a 25-foot-long rope that ha ngs down to the
floor once the false ceiling is no longer a n obstacle.
her companions and reveal that Kelek, Zargash, and A verse engraved on the bell in Elvish reads:
the others are conspiring to betray us. But fear not.
Their plots will not succeed. Even now, an outside Toll the bell within chis spire
force promises to rid us ofthe whole stinking lot. To journey to your hearts desire.
What'.s important is that the Cauldron remain safe.
Let me know how you wish to proceed. Ringing the bell summons a flock of giant cranes
(use the pteranodon stat block), one for each char-
Your beloved sister, acter or NPC in the party. from the direction of the
Palace of Heart's Desire. These birds appear on the
End horizon immediately and take 20 minutes to reach
the tower. where they alight on the balcony. Each
Lord Kelek, bird waits patiently for a rider to climb on its back.
/ have written a new play titled The Agonies of The giant cranes deliver the characters safely to
the Palace of Heart's Desire, refusing to alter their
Alagarthas. It's a tragic tale inspired by real-life course, and fly away afterward. The birds' plumage
misfortune that I think you might enjoy. You and the is soft and comforting. and each passenger gains
other members ofthe League ofMalevolence are the benefit of a long rest at the end of the journey.
invited to Motherhorn to watch a live performance.
Your missing colleague, Skyl/a, has been my guest Check the Story Tracker; characters who skillfully
for some time, but I'm afraid s he has worn out her rode giant dragonflies in the Witchlight Carnival
welcome. In exchange for mygenerosity, I'm hoping handle their cranes with s uch flair that they each re-
you can take her offmy hands. ceive a feather at the end of the journey. (The giant
crane plucks the feather from itself using its beak
Until our next meeting, and places it on the ground within the character's
Endelyn reach.) A fe ather a llows the rewarded character
(and no one else) to cast the feather fa ll spell with
Bottled Lightning. The hag drinks a bottle of no components required. Once its spell is cast, the
lightning before sitting at her desk to write, granting feather becomes nonmagical.
her flashes of inspiration. The shelves hold thirty
bottles of lightning. Any creature other than Ende- Development. If the characters make use of the
lyn that tries to drink the lightning in a bottle takes giant c ranes, s kip ahead to the "Leavi ng Yon" sec-
7 (2d6) lightning damage, emptying the bottle in tion at the end of the chapter. If the characters don't
the process. leave right away. the birds take flight back to the pal-
ace after a few minutes. Ringing the bell summons
As an action, a creature can hurl a bottle of light- them again.
ning up to 30 feet, where it shatters on impact.
A creature that hurls a bottle at a specific target M21. 0RNITHOPTER PAD
in range must make a ranged attack against that
target. On a hit, the target takes 7 (2d6) light- This castle turret has a forty-foot-high balcony over-
ning damage.
loo king Motherhorn's amphitheater. A wooden orni-
Desk. The toad-shaped paperweight on the desk
is an actual toad that was turned to stone. The thopter sits on the balcony. It has a round bird's head
sheets of parchment under it are waiting to be
written on and folded into birds. If the stone toad is with beady eyes a nd a metal beak, and leathery wings
picked up and nothing e lse holds the pages down,
they flutter about until someone grabs them and a re folded agains t its chassis.
starts writing on the m. As an action, a characte r can
try to snatch a shee t out of the a ir, doing so with a If Ende lyn's s is ters we re forced to fle e to Mothe r-
successful DC 10 Dexte rity check. Folding a sheet horn, he re is where they park the ir flying mounts
of parchment into a paper bird that can fly (as de- (Bavlorna's lily pad and Skabatha's rocking horse).
scribed above) requires 1 minute and a s uccessful Ende lyn keeps he r ornithopter of flying (see ap-
DC 10 Dexterity (Sle ight of Hand) check. pe ndix A) on the sa me balcony whe re she watches
pe rformances, so she can fly down to the s tage
The inks and quills on the desk are unre markable. whe neve r s he wa nts to s tea l the lime light.
Hidden Belfry. The room's 10-foot-high ceiling is
made of loose wooden boards laid ac ross rafte rs .
Above these boards, hidden in the top of the turre t,
is a belfry. The charac ters can reach the boards by
stacking furniture found in the turret and climbing
to the top of the s tack. Once they do that, the boards
can be lifted away or pus hed as ide with ease.

CH A PTER 4 I YON I67

Scores of wooden marionette s hang from the ceil-
ing of this oddly shaped room, the Aoor of which is
strewn with old play scripts. Near the entrance are
two alcoves, one containing a bare table, the other
holding a wooden chest with tiny, clawed feet. Deeper
in the room, you see a wicker basket surrou nded by
miniature toy birds.

Scores of hourglasses are fixed to the walls. When-
ever the sand of an hourglass runs out, the mecha-
nism that attaches the hourglass to the wall causes it
to Aip over. The steady h iss of all those falling grains
of sand can be heard throughout the room.

A large, glass-doored wardrobe with a jade eye
embedded in its cornice stands on the far side of the
room in a wide alcove.

[ NOELYN 'S Eodelyn Mooograve (see appendix B) sleeps in the
O RN I TH O P TER O F" F LYI N G glass wardrobe w hen s he's not transcribing proph-
ecies or watching plays. The rigid framework of
M22. £NOELYN'S ROOM he r theatrical costume a llows her to sleep standing
up, w hich she must do to fit inside the wardrobe.
A detect magic s pell reveals an aura of abjuration Endelyn is a deep sleeper, so characters can sneak
magic on the door to this room. If a creature othe r around while she slumbers, though she has several
than Endelyn touches the door, a ha nd of force s im- magical alarms in place.
ila r to tha t created by the Bigby's hand s pell tries to
s hove the creature away fro m the door. The c reature Dangling Marionettes. To move quietly about the
mus t succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or room, a character must succeed on a DC 12 Dex-
be pushed off the balcony, fallin g onto the Orrery of terity (Stealth) check. On a failed check, the mario-
Traged ies a nd then tumbling 20 feet to the floor in ne ttes hanging from the ceiling scream "Intruders!"
area M14. The treacherous fall deals 14 (4d6) blud- over a nd over until Endelyn commands them to stop
geon ing damage, a nd if the orrery is operatio na l, the or until they a re all destroyed. Each marionette has
creature takes lightning da mage as well (see a rea AC 15, 1 hit point, a nd immunity to poison a nd psy-
M14 for deta ils). chic damage. Any character who has interacted with
korreds can tell that the marionettes are strung with
The magic trap on the door can be dis pelled (DC iron wi res made from korred hair, and a ny charac-
15). A character who examines the door a nd s uc- te r who knows the korreds' special jig (see "Korred
ceeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check Da nce" earlier in the chapter) can command the
s pots a fain t glyph etched into the doorknob. If th is ha ir to w ind itself around the ma rionettes' jaws , pre-
glyph is defaced using the point of a dagger o r some venting them from screaming.
othe r tool, the magic is negated, a nd the door ca n be
opened sa fely. Glass-Doored Wardrobe. The jade eye adorning
the wardrobe's corn ice is closed, but it opens if the
Whe n the cha racters can see into the room, read wa rdrobe is ta mpered with. If Endelyn is asleep in
the followin g boxed text a loud, modifying it accord- the wardrobe when the eye opens, she awakens.
ingly if Endelyn is present:
ff you used the "Lost T hings" adventure hook and
the Sto ry Tracker indicates that Endelyn turned
one o r more of the characters ' lost possessions into
magic items , these objects a re conta ined in drawers
at the base of the wardrobe. (Othe r treasures or
items might be here as we ll, a t your d iscretion.)

Ha nging on the back interior wa ll of the wa rdrobe
is a mirror in a n oval wooden frame . This mirror is
s imila r to the magic mirror in a rea Dl of Bavlorna's
cottage (see chapter 2).

Hourglasses. The o ne hundre d hourglasses in
Ende lyn's collection are wo rth 25 g p each. No two

168 CHAPT'ER 4 I YON

are exactly a like. The s ma llest o nes a re 3 inches a re strewn arou nd the basket. A creat ure can use
ta ll, and the la rgest ones s tand 3 feet tall. When a n action to wind the key on one of the clockwork
a n hourglass runs out, the device pivots around its birds, causing it to chirp softly and shuffle its feet. If
center, allowing the sand to trickle down again. A placed on the floor, the wound-up bird walks coun-
characte r w ho uses thieves' tools or tinke r's tools te rclockwise in a 5-foot-diamele r circle, comple ting
ca n remove a n hourglass fro m its wa ll fixture with 1 one circle every 10 seconds. Afte r walking for 30
minute of work. seconds, the bird s tops movi ng a nd ch irping until it
is wound up again.
Treasure Chest. T his chest has a s turdy, built-in
lock. Endelyn lost the key, but one of he r goblin LEAVING YON
worke rs recently found a nd hid it (see area M4). The
chest weighs 25 pounds and ho lds the follow ing: If Amidor is s till with the characters when thei r
business in Yon is concluded. the dandelion can
• A black sack containing four gold bedpost knobs lead the m back to Hither, or it can guide the m a long
(25 gp each) a mea ndering route through the mountains of Yon
to the foot of a bridge that arches across a misty
• Eight bottles of exquis ite elve n w ine (100 gp each) expanse and ends at the front gate of the Palace of
The s hriveled hand of a n elf wearing a ring of Heart's Desire. Amidor is willing to make this jour-
shooting stars on its third finge r a nd clutching ney only afte r Gleam and Gliste r a re reunited and
seve ra l rolled-up sheets of blank parchme nt, borne sa fe ly LO the Fey Beacons (a nd from there 10
along with a title page that reads, "The Agon ies the Witchlight Carnival).
of Alagarthas: A Three-Ac t Tragedy by Endelyn
Moongrave" in s pidery Elvis h script. (Endelyn If the cha racters ring the s ilve r bell in area M20,
hasn't writte n the script yet, but s he has a title.) they can travel to the palace on the backs of Zybi l-
na's giant cranes, whic h s woop gracefully over the
Wicker Basket and Toys. The wicker basket be- pinnacles of Yon a nd gently deposit the cha racters
in the palace garde n. Again. Amidor won't travel to
longed to Endely n's missing cat, Gloam, which the the pa lace until his commitment to Glea m a nd Glis-
ter is fu lfilled.
characte rs might have found in chapter 2. Ha rmless
CHAPTER+ I YON
;; cat toys (three tiny, s tuffed birds from Bavlorna and
three tiny, wind-up clockwork birds from Skabatha)

169

I
.., ZvnlLNI\ IS ~NOWN TO GRI\Nl WISH

• TO Vl5'1T M(q A&OOC THf PAll\C.f or

CHAPTER 5

PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

YBILNA1S FAIRYTALE PALACE SITS AT THE Ove r time, lggwilv made the mistake of placing
too much trust in the hags of the Hourglass Coven,
heart of Prismeer. On some worlds, the who served in he r court as advisors. The hags
arch fey is see n as a fairy godmothe r of waited patie ntly for the opportunity to overthrow
sorts, casting wish spells for the be ne fit Iggwilv. That day came whe n the League of Malevo-
of the lost, the forsaken, or the betrayed. lence arrived at the pa lace.
Sometimes her wishes would bring happiness,
other times despair. He r palace was a destination For years, the evil sorcerer Kelek had coveted
for anyone seeking the ir heart's desire. the staffofpower wie lded by his arche ne my. a
Zybilna no longer grants wishes, for she is trapped good-aligned wizard named Ringlerun. Whe n
in temporal stasis-frozen in time by the magic of Ke le k uncovered clues to Zybilna's true ide ntity, he
her cau ldron, which the hags of the Hourglass Co- hatched a foolish plan to blackmail her into bringing
ven have turned against he r. Freeing Zybilna is the him the staff. Ke lek was be trayed at the eleventh
on ly way to repair the damage the hags have done hour by his own companion, the warlock Skylla,
to Prismeer, but doing so ca rries certain risks, for who secretly swore loyalty to Baba Yaga, Iggwilv's
Zybilna has a dark side that she has hidden away for adoptive mother. Whe n the League of Ma levole nce
arrived at the palace, the Hourglass Coven e ns ure d
many years. tha t Kelek's riva ls from Valor's Call were close be-
hind. The two factions clashed inside the palace.
RUNNING THIS CHAPTER
IGGWILV THE WITCH QUEEN
In this chapter, the characters explore the halls of
Lavoglia, bette r known as the Palace of Heart's lggwilv has a long and storied history throughout the
Desire. Most like ly, they've learned of Zybilna's be- multiverse. This adventure presents the legendary fig-
trayal at the hands of the Hourglass Coven and are ure in her current form . Her stat block appears at the
searching for a way to free her. The characters can
undo the spell that froze Zybilna in time and learn end of the chapter.
that she is, in fact, Iggwilv the Witch Queen. If all Baba Yaga's Daughter. lggwilv's path to greatness
goes well, they can free Zybilna and count on her
help in return- pe rhaps even gaining a wish spell began when she was adopted by the mother of all
witches, Baba Yaga, who named her Natasha. On the
for their lrouble. worlds of the Material Plane, she was better known as
Before your first game session in this chapter, fol- Tasha, the inventor of Tasha's hideous laughter. Tasha's
magic-fueled ambitions brought her into contact with
low these steps to help make the players' expe rience demons and demon lords, which she subjugated and
as entertaining as possible: used against her enemies. Tasha became known on
the world of Oerth as lggwilv the Witch Queen, a peer-
• Read the description of Iggwilv's Cauldron in less wizard and conqueror. It was she who wrote the
appendix A. Demonomicon oflggwilv-the greatest of all treatises
on the Abyss and its demonic inhabitants. (The book,
• Read this chapter in its entire ty, and reacquaint w hich plays no part in this adventure, is described in
yourself with the " Rules of Conduct" and "Death Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.)
in Prismeer" sections of chapte r 2.
lggwilv's Transformation. lggwilv learned several
• Check the Story Tracker for any achieve ments that dark secrets whi le studying the Abyss, including the
could help the characters inside the palace. ability to summon demons and demon ic spirits. But
in her quest for absolute power, she made too many
FALL OF THE WITCH QUEEN enemies and underestimated their determ ination to
destroy her, so she fled to other worlds and across
lggwilv the Witch Queen created the persona of planes to escape the worst of them. She eventually
Zybilna to hide from her most hated e nemies. Tn the took a page from her mother's book and sequestered
Feywild, s he raised a magnificent palace and set herself in the Feywild, where she assumed the guise
about establishing he rse lf as the benevolent arch fey of an archfey and carved out a spectacular domain
Zybilna of Prismeer, avatar of me rcy for destitute for herself. Gradually, lggwilv transformed into a Fey
mortals. Her closest allies saw the cracks in he r creature, though she outwardly appears human. Her
facade, flashes of arrogance and cruelty that con- d isposition changed over time as well, as she became
flicted with he r kindly persona, but they ascribed less interested 1n personal power and more interested
this behavior to the mercurial nature of arch fey. in exploring her fey existence.

C HAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

WHERE SHALL WE THREE MEET AGAIN? • Me rcion , a huma n cleric, was frozen in the ba ll-
room (area P22) alongside Zybilna. Mercion was
If the characters forced the hags of the Hourglass Co- in sight of the cauldron, so she witnessed the
ven to flee thei r lairs in chapters 2, 3, and 4, the hags Hourglass Cove n's betrayal.
retreat to area P47. When the hags are in the palace,
members of the League of Malevolence act as their • Ringlerun, a huma n wizard, was frozen in a rea
underlings while steering clear of the hags when- P23 while casting a cone ofcold spell.
ever possible.
• Strongheart was froz en just as Warduke blas ted
While Zybilna was distracted, lhe hags used Jgg- him through the wall of Zybilna's study (area
wilv's Cauldron to freeze everyone bul themselves in P47). He now hovers in the air above the Court of
temporal stasis. Storms (area Pl3).

Unable to agree on who should keep the cauldron, Two more m embers of Valor's Call are found else-
the three hags freed the members of the League where in Prismeer:
of Malevolence from temporal stasis by touching
each of them with a unicorn horn. then hired lhem • Elkhorn, a dwarf fighter, was released from tem-
to watch over the cauldron. Not long afterward, the poral stasis so that Skabatha Nightshade could in-
unicorn horn was lost. terrogate him. The characters encounter Elkhorn
in Thither (see area L13 in chapter 3).
THE LEAGUE OF MALEVOLENCE
• Mollive r. a human rogue, was not in the palace
The League of Malevolence is led by a human sor- when the time-freezing e ffect took hold. The cha r-
cerer named Kelek, who intends to free Ringlerun acte rs e ncounter Molliver in Yon (see "Brigganock
from tempora l stasis a nd claim the wizard's staffof Mine" in chapter 4).
power. To this e nd, he a nd the othe r members of the
league are sea rching Prismeer for a unicorn horn See appendix B for more information on
to break the s pell on Ringlerun. S ee appendix B for these heroes.
more information on these villains.
ARRIVAL AT THE PALACE
When the characters a rrive at the palace, the
followin g members of the League of Malevole nce The means by which the characters travel to the pal-
are present: ace determines where they a rrive:

• Kelek holds cou rt in the throne room (area P31), • Characters who ma ke the ove rland journey from
where he is protected by a helmed swordsman Yon with Amidor cross a bridge that leads straight
named Warduke. to the palace's front gate (area Pl).

• Zargash, a human priest of Orcus who hopes to • Characters who ride on the backs of giant c ranes
suppla nt Kelek as leader of the league, is us ua lly from Motherhorn are deposited in the garden
e ncounte red in area P30. (area P2).

Two other me mbers of the League of Malevolence No m atter how the characters a rrive at the palace,
ca n be found elsewhere in Pris meer: describe it as follows:

Zarak, a n assassin, was sent to Thither to s lay a A twilit palace emerges drea mlike from the clouds.
unicorn na med Lamorna a nd acquire her horn A great m arble tower ringed by delicate spires casts
(see ·'Wayward Pool" in chapter 3). its shadow ove r the rooftops below. Another tower
• Skylla, the warlock who forged a secret pact with teeters nearby, torn from its foundations and held
Baba Yaga, has sequestered herself in Mother- aloft by a coiled beanstalk. Monstrous vines cling to
horn , where s he has adopted the s tage name of the palace walls a nd choke the p romontory of rock on
Cha rmay (see a rea M12 in chapter 4).
which it perches.
VALOR'S CALL
From the palace, the characte rs can gaze across the
Led by the human paladin S trongheart, the heroes whole of Prismeer. You can now s how your players
of Va lor's Call tracked the League of Ma levolence the poster map of the domain . Once the characters
to Prismeer. Dete rmine d to bring the league's view Pris meer from the palace, they can travel be-
me mbe rs to justice for crimes committed on ma ny tween Hither, Thither, or Yon w ithout guides and
worlds, Valor's Call me t with Zybilna and tried to can find lheir way to any location marke d on the
forge a n a llia nce with the a rchfey. When the hags poster ma p.
of the Hourglass Coven used Jggwilv's Cauldron to
freeze Zybilna in time, severa l members of Va lor's
Ca ll were frozen in time as well:

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

As the characters survey their surroundings, the EXPLORING THE PALACE
jabberwock (see appendix C) returns from a hunt
in Thither: The palace has more than a few recurring phys ica l
features, not the least of which are creatures and
Hundreds of birds burst from the canopy of the an- objects frozen in time by the Hourglass Coven and
cient forest below you and scatter in all directions. lggwilv's Cauldron.

Moments later, a much more fearsome creature PALACE FEATURES
erupts from the woods: a sinewy, pale-green dragon
that takes to the sky and flies toward the palace. Its The sky above the pa lace is a lways filled with the
mighty wings carry it to great heights. Once above the orange and purple hues of twilight. The walls,
palace, it drops like a stone and vanishes from sight ceilings, and floors inside the palace are made of
dressed marble unless the text states othe rwise.
behind the palace's high walls. The ceilings throughout the pa lace are 30 feet high
and arched. Climbing gear or magic is needed to
Thejabberwock has fed and is tired. It returns to its scale the pa lace wa lls, inside or out.
lair in the ballroom (area P22), e nte ring the palace
through a hole in the wall of the bathing room (area Magical wards on a ll the windows and ma ny of
P25) and ignoring the characters. the doors render them immune to all damage a nd
their locks impossible to pick, although a knock
FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS spell or similar magic opens a locked window or
door. Assume a door is unlocked a nd a window is
In their travels through Hither, Thithe r, and Yon, the locked unless the text states otherwise.
characters might have gained a follower or three.
Likely companions include the three guides (Clap- CROWN LOCKS
perclaw the scarecrow, Squirt the oilcan, and Ami-
dor the dandelion), but others are possible. Running Most of the locked doors in the pa lace can be un-
this chapter will be much easier if you encourage locked by placing the crown from the maide n's pond
the player characters to explore the palace on the ir (area PB) on the head of e ither the iron lion in area
own, leaving any friends and followers outside the P9 or the iron hart in area PIO. It is assumed that
front gate or in the palace garde n. These friends and the characters will revisit areas P9 and PIO from
followers. justifiably afraid that the palace will make time to time so that they ca n toggle the locks to
mincemeat out of them, encourage the characters to provide entry where they want to go. Once opened.
explore the palace without them . a crown-locked door ca n be propped open to keep it
from locking aga in when the crown is removed from
By the time the characters reach the palace, they the head of the lio n or the ha rt. A crown-locked door
might have learned one or more of the following can also be opened with a knock s pell.
facts, which you can gently reite rate to discourage
the characters from allowing others to follow them The maps of the palace use the following symbols
into the palace: to de note these locked doo rs:

• Zybilna's dragon {thejabberwock) haunts the pal- This symbol de notes a lion crown lock,
ace. Only the bravest a nd hardiest adventurers which can be unlocked by placing the crown
stand a chance of surviving an enco unter with it. on the head of the iron lion in area P9.

• There are likely to be magical wards throughout This symbol denotes a ha rt crown lock.
the palace-some placed by Zybilna, othe rs by the which can be unlocked by placing the crown
Hourglass Coven. on the head of the iro n hart in a rea PIO.

• The League of Ma levolence occupies the pa lace, A marble ca meo depicting a lion or a ha r1 wearing
and three of its members are still unaccounted for. a crown is mounted above each magically locked
door, identifying which iron guardian mus t wear the
Two members of Valor's Call a re noteworthy excep- crown for it to be unlocked.
tions. If Elkhorn a nd Molliver a re with the party,
they insist on accompanying the characters into the Creatures whose names have been penned inside
palace to make s ure the othe r me mbers of Valor's Zybilna's ritua l book (see area P49) ca n open locked
Call are all right. doors in the palace without usi ng the crown. This is
how the members of the Ho urglass Coven and the
League of Malevolence are able to move thro ugh the
palace unhindered.

C H APTER 5 I PA LA C E O F HEART'S DESIRE 173

creatures in temporal stasis, unallended objects that
are frozen in time can be manipulated, moved, dam-
aged, a nd destroyed; a time-frozen apple is jus t as
juicy as it was before being frozen, a nd time-frozen
fire s till dea ls damage a nd ca n be s nu ffed out by
pouring wale r over it.

PALACE LOCATIONS

The following locations a re keyed to the maps of
the pa lace. If the cha racters explore one or more of
these locations a fter ending the time-freezing effect
on the palace, mod ify the descriptions of these loca-
tions as needed to account for this cha nge.

Pl. F RONT G ATE

Ivy clings to a set of silvery gates embedded in the
pa lace's o uter wall. A luxuria nt garden can be seen
beyond the bars of the gates.

TEMPORAL STASIS The double gate is 20 feet tall a nd pus hes open with
ease. Its s ilver-plated iron bars a re s paced wide
Many creatures and objects th roughout the palace enough for S ma ll huma noids to s queeze through.
are trapped in tempora l stasis- frozen in time , in The wall encircling the garden is 40 feet high and is
other words. easily cli mbed due to the vegetation clinging to it.

Creatures in te mpora l stasis, as well as a nything Concealed Inscription. Cha racters who search
they a re carrying or wearing, can't be harmed or the gate for traps don't find any, but they do notice a
moved until the magic on them is ended . Various un- s ma ll bronze plaque embedded in a flagstone at the
attended objects , magical effects, a nd other na tura l base of the gate. The plaque bears a n inscription
phenome na th roughout the palace a re a lso frozen in Elvis h that provides a hint about unlocking the
in time; for exa mple, motes of dus t ha ng motionless crown locks inside the pa lace (see "Crown Locks"
in the air. Aa mes sta nd perfectly s till, a nd food re- a bove). The inscription reads:
ma ins uns poiled.
The lion or the hart mus t wear the crown.
ENDING THE EFFECT ON C REATURES But which one should it weigh down?

One ca n use a n action to e nd the time-freezing P 2. PA L ACE GARD EN
magic o n a creature by touching it with a unicorn
horn while speaki ng the creature's true na me. The scents of roses, cowslips, and hyacinths suffuse
(N ickna mes a nd a liases won't work.) Zybilna's this vast garden. Ahead, a ring of standing stones
fa ithful butle r. Thinnings (see a rea Pl S), lea rned rises from the flower beds. Glittering streams divide
this fact a fter s pying on the hags, a nd he s hares this the garden and connect with a large pond shaded by
knowledge with cha racte rs who be fri end him. willows. The garden is silent save for the sou nds of
music and voices coming from a colorful pavilion by
UNATTEN D ED O BJ ECTS FRO ZEN l N TIME
the front gate.
A unicorn ho rn has no e ffect on objects frozen
in tim e that a re n't bei ng worn or ca rried. Unlike T his ga rden e ncompasses seve ra l other locations
(areas P3 through PB) a nd is lus h with Aower beds,
trees, a nd topiaries. The s treams a re 2 feet deep
a nd easily fo rded .

Minor damage to the garden is tolerated, but wide-
spread destruction causes the iron lion in a rea P9
a nd the iron ha r t in a rea PIO to burs t out of their
towers a nd a ttack those respons ible.

r74 CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF H EART'S D ESIRE

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE 175

Frozen Features. Characters who explore the but have been told to wait in the garden un_ti l meet-
garden notice that its features a nd most of its occu- ings can be arranged with her representatives (the
pa nts (except for some of the guests in the pavilion sisters of the Hourglass Coven). The guests are
and the e ttercaps in the rose garden) a re froze n in unawa re of Zybilna's current predicament and have
time. Pi xies are suspended in midflight or frozen
mid-frolic in the stream . the waters of which are lost track of time.
perfectly s till. Forest gnome gardeners stand rigidly The guests include these individua ls:
in flower beds, time-frozen water issuing from their
tipped wooden watering cans, or atop small ladders, • Sumai, a farme r (lawful good, male, human com-
taking s hears to topia ri es in need of trimming. Bees moner) from the world of Tori!, carries a carnivo-
and polle n ha ng motionless in the a ir. rous pumpkin named Yamzu (a n awakened shrub
that speaks Common, with a Bite attack ide ntical
Fruit Trees. Many of the trees in the garden bear to the shrub's Rake attack except it deals pie rc-
glittering gold and s ilve r fruit. A detect magic spell ing da mage instead of s lashing damage). Suma i
reveals auras of divination magic around the gold wants Yamzu to stop devouring his livestock, but
fruit and auras of abjuration magic a round the s il- he doesn't want to harm the pumpkin.
ver fruit.
• Lord Eld, a faultlessly polite aristocrat (chaotic
A creature that eats more than ha lf of a gold- good, male, high elf noble) from the world of
s kinned fruit gains advantage on Wisdom saving Oe r th, was transformed into a living s tatue by wild
throws for 24 hours, but this benefit ends on the magic e m a nating from a fam ily crypt. He wants
creature if it eats a silve r-skinned fruit. A creature the effect to be undone a nd to be restored to his
that eats more than half of a silver-skinned fruit true form. While in this form, he has resistance to
gains 10 temporary hit points, which go away if the a ll damage, but his s peed is halved.
creature eats a gold-skinned fruit. Once it is plucked
from the branch, a golden or silver fruit s poils a fter • Oba! Obb, a headless dwarf (lawful good, male,
10 minutes a nd loses its magical property. mountain dwarf commoner) hailing from the
world of Oerth, is searching for his missing head,
Streams. Two stream s flow into the pool a t a rea which was stolen. The magi c that de prived Obal of
P8- or, rather, they used to flow be fore they were his bead left him blinded but, miraculously, he can
frozen in time. The streams emerge from culverts in hear just fine. He stomps h is foot once to commu-
the garden walls, but where the water comes from nicate "yes," a nd twice for "no."
is anyone's guess. (It is created magically a nd disap-
pea rs magically be fore it can cause the pool to over- • Bodger, a brown bear from a world of your
flow.) The time-frozen water, which has the cons is- choice, hopes to undo a curse put on him by a
te ncy of soft dough. ta kes on the qua lities of norma l cruel river spirit who resented him eating its fish.
water if removed from e ithe r s tream or the pool. Thanks to the awaken s pell that was cast on him
by a friend ly druid, Bodger has a n Intelligence of
P3. PAVILION 10 and speaks Common.

The e ntra nce to the pavilion is open, a nd mus ic and • Majera d'Valzey (neutral, fem a le, human noble)
voices come from ins ide the place. ff one or more from the world of Eberron, h as a magic quill
characte rs look inside , read: na med Dictado. T he quill scrawls out a nything
Majera says, a nd her place at the ta ble is piled
Seven guests-one of them a talki ng bear- lounge with s heets of parchment. Majera is hoping to
break the terms of an a rra nged marriage.
around a picnic table covered with an emera ld-green
Two other guests were present when the Hourglass
cloth and laden with cakes, teapots, teacups, and Coven froze the pa lace in time: Hogus P insworth
(lawful good, male, s trongheart halfling commoner)
cutlery. Two of the guests are motionless and silent. from the world of Tal'dorei, who needs help paying
off his debts, a nd Zurrash (chaotic good , female
but the others are engaged in spirited conversation. ore war chief) from the world of Eberron, who was
ous ted by one of her riva ls . Both are trapped in tem-
At the back of the pavilion, a s tring quartet of badge r poral stasis, a nd none of the other pavilion guests
know who they a re.
minstrels plays delicate chamber mus ic.
When the cha racters a rrive, the five guests who
The guests gathered he re a re denizens of the aren't frozen in time a re havin g a n a nima ted con-
Mate ria l Plane who rega rd Zybi lna as a fa iry god- versation about whether clotted cream should
mother-like figure. After us ing various fey crossings be applied to a scone before or after jam. They
10 e nte r the Feywild, they petitioned spellcasters to are so e ngrossed in this debate that they fa il to
tra nsport them to the pa lace, arriving in the ring acknowledge the presence of newcomers unless a
of s ta nding stones (area P4). They had hoped to character enters the discussion or ta ps on a teacup
receive audie nces with Zybilna upon their arrival

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART"S DESI RE

loudly with a spoon (which the guests sometimes do P5 . FOUNTA1N OF AWAKEN I NG
when seeking attention).
A marble founta in rises from a plinth on the bank of
If questioned, the guests reveal that they arrived the stream , overflowing with time-frozen water that
at the palace separately a nd each of the m is waiting spills from the mouths of sculpted animals. The fro-
to speak to one or more of Zybilna's representatives. zen spray surrounding the fountain creates rainbows
They've been he re a lo ng time (how long they aren't in the air a round it.
sure exactly), yet they re mai n patient and well fed.
The guests have wandered the garde n but ca n offe r A detect magic spell reveals an au ra of trans-
no information a bout the palace. They know be tte r mutation magic around the fountain. The magic of
tha n to ente r the palace without a n invitation. this fountain s till functions even though its waters
a re froze n in time. The water can be hand led and
Badger Minstrels. Each of these four badgers re- made to hold new forms as if it were soft do ug h. but
ceived one of Skabatha Nightshade's awaken spells, any wate r removed from the foun tain ta kes on the
which granted it an Intelligence of 10 and the ability consistency of norma l water. Any Beast that bathes
to speak Common. Bavlorna Blightstraw crafted in- in the fountain's s till waters is awake ned, as if by the
strume nts for the badgers, a nd Endelyn Moongrave awaken spell, provided it meets the spell's require-
taught them how to play their instruments. They me nts. The effect e nds if the awake ned Beast leaves
now have proficiency in the Performance skill.
the pa lace ga rde n.
The hags have instruc ted the badge rs to entertain Any Humanoid that drinks from the fountain or
visitors and discourage them from entering the
palace unti l the Hourglass Cove n gets around to bathes in its wate rs must make a DC 15 Intelligence
striking bargains with them. The badgers proudly saving throw. On a fa iled save, its Intelligence score
declare their a llegiance to the hags, saying, "What drops to 3 for 24 hou rs, and it gains the followi ng
fine ladies they are. T heir names should be Sweet- flaw, which supersedes any conflicting tra it: "I
ness, Ki ndness, and Charity, for all the good they have the disposition of a wi ld animal." Any magic
do!" (The badgers aren't evil, just misguided.) that ends a curse ends the effect on the creature

Tea and Calces. The pavilion's supply of tea and immedia tely.
cakes magically reple nishes every hour. The cakes
are delicious. Any cakes removed from the pavilion P6. WOODCUTTER'S AXE I
instantly become moldy.
IA gleaming greataxe is embedded in a withered tree
Treasure. Characters who freed Sir Talavar in stump near a bend in the stream.
chapter 2 find a wrapped present o n the table, with Treasure. The greataxe is a woodcuuer's axe (see
their names written on the tag. None of the guests appendix A). Only a creature tha t has a Stre ngth
has been rude e nough to open it. inside, the charac- score of 18 or highe r ca n remove it from the stump.
ters find a chim e ofopening, a long with a note that
reads in Draconic, "Many thanks! May fortune s mile P7. ROSE GARDEN
on you. Yours, Sir Talavar."
This fragran t rose garden is bordered by a bronze
P4. STANDING STONES fen ce. The roses come in a variety of colors, with a few
white and black specimens a mong them. Glistening
Twelve moss-covered standing stones form a ring in spiderwebs cover the rosebushes.

the middle of a small clearing. An arcane sigil is in- The webs belong to three ettercaps tha t recently
crawled up fro m the forest of Thithe r. T hey lurk un-
scribed on the inward-facing side of each stone, and de r the soil, waiting patie ntly for tasty fairies to ge t
s tuck in their webs. If one or more cha racters e nte r
the space between the stones is free ofvegetation . the rose garde n, the ettercaps rise from their ea rthy
cysts a nd assume threatening postures, hoping to
A detect magic s pe ll reveals a n aura of conjuration
magic around the standing stones. Any character scare off the c ha racte rs. The e ttercaps lack the cour-
who examines the sigils on t he stones a nd succeeds age to fight a nything bigger than a pi xie. but they
on a DC 15 Inte lligence (Arcana) c heck can de te r- defend the mselves if attacked. An e ttercap reduced
mine that they combine into a sequence that a llows
the ring of standing stones to function as a tele por-
tation circle. A characte r who has this seque nce
writte n down or committed to memory can use it
in conjunction with the teleportation circle spell
to arrive ins ide the ring. provided the spell is cast
somewhere in the Feywild.

C HA PTE R 5 I PA LACE OF II EA RT 'S D ESIR E

to 22 hit points or fewe r tries to flee by cra\.vling up A fey spirit is bound to the la ke. Underwater, its
a nd over the nearby pa lace wall. body has the s hape of a school of fish . Its watery
hand holds the crown aloft until a character takes
Chromatic Roses. Any cha racter who explores il or the party moves away, a t which point the hand
the rose garde n s pots a magic rosebush growing slips back unde r the water. If the crown isn't ta ken
nea r its center: from the hand, it can be re trieved from the bottom
of the lake, which is 10 feet deep.
In the heart of the rose garden , coiled around a statue
of a prancing satyr holding a set of pipes to his lips, Taking the Crown. Its s harp needles ma ke the
is a thorny vine with five roses growing out of It , crown difficult to handle without gloves or gauntlets.
each one a d ifferent color: black, blue, green, red , The pricking of the need les isn't s evere enough to
and white. deal damage, but a character can't grasp the crown
with bare hands for longer tha n 1 minute before the
The vine has five chromatic roses (see appendi x A). discomfort becomes unbearable.
If a ll five roses a re picked, the vine withers and dies.
A cha racter who holds the crown hears a gentle
Statue. The statue is a petrified satyr named voice on the wind. In a la nguage the character un-
Xinipax. If the petrified condition is e nded on him, derstands, the voice says:
Xinipax plays a whimsical tune on his pipes and
offers his rescuers a gift in return. He gallops to the The beginning of Whenever
nearby stream, pulls a wineskin from its shallow The end ofE ver A fter
depths , guzzles down its contents, a nd ha nds the The start ofan Age
empty wineskin to his rescuers. Xinipax believes The finale ofevery Moment
the wineskin can turn water into the finest elven The first in History
wine, but he is mistaken. The satyr is cursed with
the inability to tell wate r from wine , and the wine- Arranging the indicated letters of the key words on
skin is nonmagical. Even if his claim is proven fa lse, each line in seque nce spells out the word "Wrath"
Xinipax s till regards the wineskin as a worthy gift. (for example, the first letter of "Whenever" is W,
the last lette r of "Ever" a nd "Afte r" is R, a nd so
Xinipax doesn't know what turned him lo stone forth) . The riddle hints that the crown should firs t
or how long he was petrified. After bestowing his be placed on the brow of Wrath, the iron ha rt (see
gift, he gallops around the garden, playing his pipes a rea PlO).
and making a general nuisance of himself. He has
no useful information about the pa lace or its other P9. ENVY'S TOWER
inhabitants.
The base of th is tower is 10 feet higher than the
P8. MAIDEN'S POND garden floor. Stairs hugging the tower's outer wall
climb 10 feet to a n unlocked double door. A bronze
Willow trees encircle this sheltered pond. Lily pads plaque above the door reads "Envy" in Common.
dot the mirror-like surface of the water, and hungry The tower is 30 feet tall and has no roof, enabling
dragonflies dart about, feeding on motionless fireflies characters to enter it from above if they have the
that form an unmoving cloud above the still water. means to do so.

The la ke, the trees, a nd the fireflies are froze n Oak trees fill much of the interior of th is tower. Rays
in time, but the dragonflies are not. The pool's of light cut through the canopy, illuminating a ma rble
time-frozen wate r can be handled a nd made to hold
new forms as if it we re soft dough, but any water pedestal that stands at ground level, swathed in tree
re moved from the pool takes on the cons istency of roots. A hulking lion seemingly made of iron stands
norma l wate r.
on the pedestal, flicking its tail in irritation. "You can
If one or more characte rs touch the pool, read:
call us Envy," it says.
A delicate hand m ade of water, black as winter's night ,
silently breaks the water's surface. The hand clutches The iron lion, Envy, is one of two gua rdians that
a crown made of s ilver needles. Below the hand, Zybilna created to watch ove r he r garden in her
under the surface, a school of shimmering black fish absence. Whe n Zybilna became frozen in time. her
takes on a vaguely humanoid form. guardians appeared from the ir respective dem i-
planes to perform their duty. E nvy uses the gorgon
stat block, with these changes:

• The iron lion speaks Common and Sylvan, refer-
ring to itself us ing the pronouns ''we" and "us."

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIR E

• It has a Bite attack instead of a Gore a ttack, and Characters on good te rms with Envy can ask it
it has a Claws attack tha t deals s lash ing damage a bout the crown of needles fro m a rea PS. It knows
ins tead of a Hooves attack that deals bludgeoning the followin g informatio n a bout the crown:
damage. (The attacks a re functionally the same
otherwise.) • "Zybilna c reated the crown as a key that guests
can use to reach certa in a reas of the pa lace in he r
Envy dislikes its counte rpa rt, Wrath (see a rea absence. The crown has two forms: o ne made of
PIO), but the two are prevented by Zybilna's magic s ilver needles, the othe r of golden roses."
from harming one another. Whe n the characters
first grace the iron lion with their presence, it • "To transform the crown of needles into its gold
dema nds their obeisance a nd commands them form, it mus t be placed o n the brow of the correct
to kneel before it. If the cha racte rs do as Envy iron gua rdian. Which of us, Envy or Wrath, is the
com mands. the lio n is pleased a nd allows them to correct guardian? We cannot say. Placing the
remain in its presence. C haracters who fail to s how crown on the incorrect gua rdian ba nis hes the
it defe re nce are ins tructed to leave the tower at guardia n to its demiplane, a long with the crown."
once, and the lio n a ttacks those who refuse.
• "Once the c rown is tra nsformed into its gold
The lion shares the following informatio n with form, eithe r gua rdia n can wear it without being
cha racte rs who show it prope r respect: ba nis hed. Certa in doors ins ide the pa lace become
unlocked or locked, de pe nding on which guardia n
"We and our counte rpa rt we re created as a pair wears the golde n c rown." (Neithe r Envy nor Wrath
to protect the garde ns from intrude rs in Zybil- knows which doors in the palace each of the m is
na's absence." connected to.)
• "Our presence he re means that our mis tress is
gone. Where? We do not know." To trans form the crown of s ilve r needles into the
• "The palace receives visitors e ve n in Zybilna's a b- crown of golde n roses, it must be placed on Wra th's
sence. Guests are to re main in the garde n pavilion brow, but Envy doesn't know that. If the crown of
until Zybilna deig ns to grant the m an a udie nce. It s ilver needles is placed on Envy's head. Envy is ba n-
is not our responsibility to protect vis itors." is hed to its de mipla ne a long with the c rown until

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE 179

Zybilna wills the m both to return (which can't hap- To transform Lhe crown of si lver needles from
pe n while she's trapped in temporal stasis). area PB into the c rown of golden roses, it must be
placed on Wrath's brow, but Wrath doesn't know
ln its gold form, the crown can be safely placed that. While Wrath wears the gold crown, a ll hart-
on Envy's head. e ven if the iron lion is dead. While marked doors in the palace are unlocked (see
Envy wears the crown. all lion-marked doors "Crown Locks" earlier in the chapter). This holds
throughout the palace become unlocked (see true even if the iron hart is dead.
"Crown Locks" earlie r in the chapter).
Wrath is willing to let the characters take the
Envy is willing to let tbe characters take the crown from it te mporarily, but it wa nts something in
crown from it temporarily, but it wants something in exchange each time it relinquishes the crown: a bas-
exchange each time it relinquishes the crown: a lei ket of berries picked from the palace garden (area
made from flowers found in the palace garden (area P2). If they so desire, the characte rs can take one of
P2). A single character needs 1 hour to pick the the baskets from the tower and use it to collect the
flowers and fashion the lei, but multiple characters berries. A single character needs 1 hour to pick the
working together can reduce the time proportion- berries, but multiple characters working together
ately. The lei must be pres ented to Envy as a gift and can reduce the time proportionately. The berries
draped over its s houlders. To dete rmine whether must be presented to Wrath as a gift, whereupon
Envy is satisfied, each character who contributed the iron hart devours them. To dete rmine whether
to the necklace's creation can make a DC 15 Intel- Wrath is satisfied, each character wbo picked a ny
ligence (Nature) check. On a successful check, the of them can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature)
lei is deemed acceptable, a nd Envy relinquishes the check. On a successful check, the berry selection
crown. lf any character's check total is 25 or higher, is deemed acceptable, and Wrath relinquishes the
the lei is deeme d extraordinary, and from that point crown. ff any character's check total is 25 or higher,
on, Envy relinquishes the crown whenever the char- tbe berry s election is deemed extraordinary, and
acters ask for it. from that point on, Wrath relinquishes the crown
whenever the characters ask for it.
PlO. WRATH'S TOWER
The base of this tower is 10 feet higher than the gar- Pll. CARRIAGE HOUSE
de n floor. The double door to this tower is accessible
from a 10-foot-high stone catwalk that connects it When the characters open one of the doors leading
with the servants' quarters (area PIS). A bronze to this chamber and peer inside, read:
plaque above the door bears the word "Wrath" in
Common. The tower is 30 feet tall and has no roof, The doors swing open to reveal a crystal carriage
enabling characters to enter it from above if they
have the means to do so. hitched to a pair of glass statues shaped like pegasi.

This tower is filled with hawthorns. At the heart of the Folded silk butterfly wings are attached to the roof o f

thicket, a hart seemingly made from iron stands atop the carriage.

a marble pedestal, pawing the ground angrily. Strewn Zybilna used this flying carriage to travel to other
locations in the Feywild. The carriage's doors are
around the pedestal are a dozen empty baskets. sealed shut, with no handles, hinges, or keyholes.
Zybilna kept the carriage's magic key inside the
"We are Wrath," says the iron hart. vehicle and used misty step spells to retrieve it as
needed. The carriage's crys tal structure is mostly
The iron hart, Wrath, is the cou nterpart to tbe iron opaque except for its windows. Anyone who looks
lion named Envy in area P9. Wra th uses the gorgon through a carriage window spots an ornate glass
stat block. 1t can speak Common and S ylvan, and it key resting on the seat inside. To reach the key, a
refers to itself using the pronouns "we" and ''us." character must smash a window or use magic. Char-
acters who s mash their way into the carriage a lert
Wrath dislikes Envy, but the two are prevented by Zargash (see area P30), who investigates the noise.
Zybilna's magic from harming one a nother. When
the characters first appear before the iron hart, The carriage is a Huge object with AC 13, 50 hit
it demands their obeisance and commands them points, vulnerability to bludgeoning dam age, a nd
to kneel before it. If the characters do as Wrath immunity to pois on and psychic da mage. Its win-
comma nds, the hart is pleased and allows them dows and wheels a re separate objects, each with AC
to re main in its presence. Characters who fail to 13, 10 hit points, and the same vulnerability and im-
s how it de fere nce are ins tructed to leave the tower munities as the rest of the carriage. Five Medium or
at once, and Wrath attacks those who re fuse. Wrath smaller creatures ca n fit comfortably ins ide the cab,
knows the same information that Envy knows with an a dditiona l seat up front for the driver.
(see area P9).

180 CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART' S DESI RE

If the key is held within 3 inches of the door on Pl3. COURT OF STORMS
either side of the carriage. a keyhole magica lly a p-
pears on the door's surface. Turning the key clock- The double door on the stone balcony between this
wise in the keyhole unlocks bot h carriage doors a nd area and area P22 is sealed with a lion c rown lock
animates the glass pegasi, causing the m to stamp (see "Crown Locks" ea rlier in the chapter). The
their hooves impatie ntly. They use the pegasus stat balcony doors that adjoin areas Pll , P12, PlS, and
block, with these changes: P 29 a re not locked.

• The glass pegasi are Constructs with immunity This rectangular courtyard is open to the tw ilit sky. It
to exhaustio n and the charmed , frighte ned, para- has no visible floor; instead, a vortex ofdark clouds
lyzed, and pe trified conditions. churns below. A marble tower rising from the mael-
They have AC 15 while animated and AC 13 strom is encircled by seven turrets. Four stone stair-
otherwise. cases extend from the outer areas of the palace to the
tower, each one part of a buttress that s pans the void
While the glass pegasi are a nimated, reins made
of starlight appear in the hands of anyone who s its and stabilizes the tower.
on the drive r's seat, allowing that individual to steer
the carriage. The pegasi can pull the carriage at a If the characters are in a location whe re they can
speed of 40 feet on land or 80 feet while flying. see the hole in the wall of area P47 on the tower's
second floor, add:
Turning the key counterclockwise in either door's
lock can be done only while the ca rriage is on Part of the tower wall has exploded outward , and its
the ground and not moving; doing so locks both stony fragments are hanging in the air as though time
doors and causes the pegasi to reve rt to inanimate around them has stopped. Among the debris, sus-
glass statues. pended above the stormy vortex, is an armored kn ight
with a sword in one hand and a shield on his other
Development. Characte rs can use the carriage to arm. He looks like he was thrown backward through
travel beyond Prismeer to other locations in the Fey- the exploding wall before being frozen in place.
wild, but the carriage and its glass pegas i shatter if
the vehicle leaves the Feywild. The knight suspended in the air is Strongheart
(see area P47), the leader of Valor's Call. It's obvi-
Pl2. HALL OF STARS ous to anyone who can see him that the knight will
plunge into the vortex if the time-freezing e ffect on
The double door on the south side of this a rea is him is ended.
sealed with a hart crown lock (see "Crown Locks"
earlier in the chapter). Storm Vortex. The vortex that churns below the
central s pire is not pa rt o f the pa lace a nd wasn't
The walls of this hall are illustrated with painted pan- frozen in time. Although the s torm is magica l, it
els depicting a starry sky. The paintings show what a can't be dispelled , a nd the area it occupies is heav-
ily obscured.
viewer would see while looking out through a set of
Any creature tha t fa lls into the vortex takes 18
windows into a clear, moonless night. (4d8) force damage. In addition, its speed becomes
0 feet, it can't be nefit from any bonus to its speed,
There is nothing peculiar about the pa nels. a nd it can't be seen by others. The c reature takes
The two doors on the north wa ll ope n onto stone the damage again at the start of each of its turns
until it escapes the vortex. Any creature that ends
balconies that overlook a s tormy void (area P13) and its turn in the vortex with 0 hit points is ripped to
offer clear views of the towe r a nd the s ta ircases s us- s hreds, a nd its re mai ns a re scattered across the
pended above it. planes of ex istence a long with a nything it was wear-
ing o r carrying.

Any creature that fa lls into the vortex has little
cha nce of s urviving. If someone throws one e nd of
a rope inlO its space, the creature ca n grab ho ld of it
a nd be pulled out.

C IIAPT ER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

Pl4. SPIRAL STAIRCASES Pl5. SERVANTS' QUARTERS

Areas Pl4a through Pl4d are on the pa lace's lower This candlelit workroom contains tables, dressers,
level, while areas Pl4e through Pl4h are on the up-
per level. All eight rooms have si milar decor: and bunks for the palace staff. Five goblins are frozen

The walls of this circular chamber are decorated with in place like statues, caught in the mundane chores of

sculpted reliefs depicting humans and demons par- ironing clothes, darning socks, and folding sheets. A

taking in grotesque revels. A spiral staircase with a row of brass bells is mounted on one wall.

golden handrail is in the m iddle of the room. The five goblins (unarmed, chaotic good noncomba-
tants loyal to Zybilna) are frozen in time. The bells
The reliefs hint at Zybilna's fondness for demons. on the wall ring whenever occupants of the guest
Specifics about each room are provided below: wing (areas P40a through P40e) tug on the bell
pulls in their rooms.
Pl4a. The s piral s taircase ascends 30 feet to area
Pl4e. To the northeast, an elevated staircase ex- Butler. Zybilna's butler, Thinnings (neutral), lurks
tends over part of the Court of Storms (area Pl3) in this room. Thinnings was away on a n errand
and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower when the palace was frozen in time. Since his re-
(area P48g on the upper level). turn, he has been spying on the members of the
League of Malevolence.
Pl4b. The spira l s taircase ascends 30 feet to area
Pl4f. To the northwest, an elevated staircase ex- Thinnings can be encountered anywhere inside
tends over part of the Court of Storms (area P13) the palace but returns to this room to rest. He has
and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower the statistics of a spy, except he is a Fey who speaks
(area P48b on the uppe r level). Common, Elvish, and Sylvan. He appears as a stick-
thin man dressed in a brown dress coat, stockings,
Pl4c. The s piral s ta ircase ascends 30 feet to area and buckled shoes. As an action, Thinnings can
Pl4g. The double door leading to the ballroom make himself as flat as a piece of parchment or re-
(area P22) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see vert to his normal thickness. In his flattened form,
''Crown Locks" earlier in the chapter). he can s lide unde r doors, roll himself up, or even
fold himself into the pages of a book.
Pl4d. The spira l staircase ascends 30 feet to area
P14h. The double door leading to the ballroom The butler knows the palace's layout and de-
(area P22) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see fenses, but he's not inclined to share information
"Crown Locks" earlier in the chapter). with strangers. As soon as he hears a door to this
room being opened, Thinnings ducks into the nar-
Pl4e. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area row space under or behind one of the dressers.
Pl4a. A double door leads to a stone balcony that Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Percep-
overlooks the palace garden (area P2). tion) score of 14 or higher notice Thinnings as they
casually survey the room; a thorough search of the
Pl4f. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area room finds him automatically. Thinnings, who has
Pl4b. A double door leads to a s tone balcony that no reason to trust the characters, refuses to emerge
overlooks the palace garden (a rea P2). from his hiding place. A character can earn the but-
ler's trust and coax him out by reciting De mitasse's
Pl4g. The spira l sta ircase descends 30 feet to area rhyme (see area Pl9) and then s haring a secret
Pl4c. A double door leads to a stone balcony that with him. (Any 9ld fact will do, as long as he doesn't
overlooks the Court of Storms (area Pl3). know ii already.) If his trust is earned or the char-
acters capture him, Thinnings shares the following
Pl4h. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area information:
Pl4d. A double door leads to a s tone balcony tha t
overlooks the Court of Storms (area Pl3). Float- • After using Zybilna's cauldron to neutralize the
ing 10 feet above the top of the staircase is a ban- a rchfey and mos t of her court, the hags of the
shee trapped in te mporal stasis. The banshee is Hourglass Coven left the League of Malevolence
all that remains of a vainglorious elf queen named in the palace to guard the cauldron. Only three
Pari Astarabad, who challe nged Zybilna for con- me mbers of the league- Kelek, Warduke, a nd
trol of Prismeer and paid the ultimate price. The Zargash- are in the palace presently.
banshee is condemned to haunt this towe r a nd Years ago, Zybilna befrie nded a jabberwoc k
thanks to Zybilna·s magic, can't leave it. If freed a nd trai ned it to drink from her cauldron. It still
from temporal stasis, the bans hee can move be- frequents the pa lace a nd loite rs around the caul-
tween this area and a rea Pl4d, but nowhere else. dron, ma king it impossible for Kele k and the

r82 C HAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

others to guard the cauldron e ffectively. The only

creature in the palace that stands a cha nce in a

fight against the jabberwock is Zybilna's great •.

owl, Bloodybeak, which is ke pt in the aviary

(area P20).

To free a creature frozen in time, one must touch it

with a unicorn horn while speaki ng the creature's

true name. (Th innings knows tha t "Zybilna" is not

Zybilna's true name. He thinks her true name is

Jggwi lv, but it's not.) The League of Malevolence

is searchin g Prismeer for a unicorn horn so that

Kelek can free Ringlerun, his archenemy, from

temporal stasis and steal his staff ofpower.

Appendix D has additional role playing notes for

Thinnings.
Treasure. The bottom drawer ofThinnings's

dresser contains the butler's collection of rings.
Many of the rings a re rewards from Zybilna for
faithful service , and others were gifted to him by
guests who learned about his obsession. The collec-
tion includes the following:

Sixty-one ornate s ilver rings (10 gp each)
, Thirty ornate gold rings (25 gp each)

• An onyx ring (SO gp) that radiates an au ra of illu-
sion magic under the scrutiny of a detect magic
spell (when worn, the ring creates illusory butter-
flies that flutter around the wearer)

Pl6. PALACE KITCHEN Cake. This perfectly preser ved cake was made
for Zybilna's birthday. Made of crea m, sponge, fruit,
An eight-foot-tall, three-foot-diame ter, multitiered and white icing, the cake has eight tiers and weighs
cake rests on a large round table in this kitchen, 100 pounds. If the characters wa nt to move the cake
which also contains a stove and an assortment of safely, they can transfer it to the wheele d table.
mismatched cupboards and worktables. Eight pixies
are suspended in midair around the cake, each wear- Wheeled Table. Three giant rats. frozen in time,
ing a chef's hat and a flour-stained apron. Six of the lie atop the small ta ble. The rats are meant to be fed
pixies squeeze cloth tubes that have icing coming to Bloodybeak, the great owl in a rea P20.
out of them. The other two hold armfuls of tiny crim-
son candles. Pl7. BASE OF THE BEANSTALK

Thick creepers with broad leaves encroach on the An ope n doorway leading from the kitchen (a rea
kitchen through a partially open door in the middle of P16) has thick creepers s preading through it.
a concave wall. The roots stretch across the floor and
coil around the large table, but not around a smaller, Here, the palace has been torn asunder by the growth
rectangular wheeled table that has three trussed-up of an enormous beanstalk that has lifte d one of its
giant rats on it. towers high into the air. The s pace beyo nd the open
doorway is cho ked with rubble and the thick roots that
form the beansta lk's base.

The eight pixies work for Zybilna as bakers, a nd The tower above is a rea PSl. Zybilna's quasit,
they are frozen in time. In addition to the la rge lggrik, used a potion from his mis tress's laboratory
cake described below, characters can see plat- (area P42) to grow the bea ns ta lk a nd cause the
ters of blue-frosted cupcakes a nd candied apples tower to be lifted to its present height.
on s ticks, bowls of s uga r-glazed button mus h-
rooms, and bottles of eveningberry wine (a sweet, The beans talk is 80 feet high, elevating the fl oor of
nonalcoholic drink). the towe r 20 feet above the palace roof. A creature
that ca n fly can reach the tower easily e no ug h. A
creature can climb the bea nstal k without needing

C IIAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

magic or cl imbing gear, but doing s o requires a The ba lcony extends out over the wes tern part of
s uccessful DC 15 Stren gth (Ath letics) check. On a this cha m ber, as indicated by the dashed line on
check that fails by 5 or more, the cre ature fa lls. the m ap. S ee a rea P32 fo r more infor m ation a bo ut

The beans ta lk has AC 15 a nd is impervious to the balcony.
most forms of da mage. If it is struck with the wood- Dubh forgai l, the gluttonous fomorian, intends to
cutter's axe (see a rea P6), the beansta lk s hrinks 5
feet for every h it point of da mage the weapon deals. conquer P rismeer. Th ree days ago, s he scaled the
If the beanstalk ta kes e nough damage to red uce its column of rock atop w hich the palace is perched
height lo 50 feet, the tower drops to its origina l po- a nd entered through a hole in the wa ll (see a rea
s ition (so tha t the fl oor o f area PSI is level w ith the P 25). Kelek used every ounce of his charisma to
second fl oor of the pa lace), a nd the bea ns ta lk dies. lure Dubh fo rga il into the ba nquet ha ll, ho ping to
keep her out of his way until the Hourglass Coven
Pl8 . BANQUET HALL ca n dea l with her. Dubh forgail has eaten nearly a ll
the pa lace's food, yet her appe tite re mains insatia-
Pai ntings of fey crea tures and the m o unted he ads of ble . She has no regard for the rules of cond uct (see
"Rules of Conduct" in chapter 2).
maje stic elk with golde n horns decorate the walls of
th is dining hall. In the middle of the hall , a d eformed Dubh forga il assumes the cha racters a re Kelek's
gia nt squa ts at t he head of a ta ble p ile d with food. The minions and demands that they bring her the cake
gre a se-stai ned table clo th is tucke d unde r the giant 's tha t Kelek promised her ("Eight tiers high, lit with
chin, a nd s he was hes dow n each s lobbe ring mouthful blood-red candles, and icing w hile as snow"). S he
of food wi th a gulp from a barre l of beer. warns the m tha t if they leave a nd return witho ut
it, s he'll gobble them up ins tead "to see if you taste
A tea cart in one co rner o f the ba nque t hall has an as sweet as you look." Dubhforgai l is wicked and
iron ket t le and a tureen of s tea m ing soup resting on violent; if the characters a nger her now or later, s he
s natches up her club a nd attacks. If treated to the
doilies a to p it. cake from a rea P1 6, Dubhforgail settles down to eat
it over the next 3 hours. During th is ti me, charac-
ters ca n move freely through the ba nquet hall with-
out a ngering the fomoria n.

184 CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

Tea Cart. The te a cart's drawe rs conta in ute ns ils, De mitasse, the only a nima ted o bject on the cart
candlesticks, teacups, saucers , bowls , a nd nap- that can s peak. is impeccably polite a nd treats
kins . The cart and its contents a nimate whenever guests with respect. As tea is ser ved. it complime nts
someone sits a t a table on the te rrace (see area P19 the cha racters on their appeara nce, their ma nne rs,
for details). or whatever else it thinks might m a ke the m ha ppy.
Cha racte rs who s peak to De mitasse about Zybilna
Pl9. DINING TERRACE learn the foll owing in formation:

Bathed in twilight, this m a rb le terrace offers a stun- • Zybilna is a powe rful a rch fey who acts as a fa iry
ning view of the mountains, forests, swamps, and godmothe r to destitute mortals. Those whom
shimmering horizons of Prismeer. Spaced about the Zybilna aids a re immortalized as glass statues in
balcony are tables draped in white tablecloths with a roo m above the ba nque t hall.
chairs set around each one.
• A bearded ma n with a nasty dispos ition (Ke le k)
If one or more characte rs take seats at a table, read: watches over the pa lace. H e has been feeding
the fomorian in the banquet ha ll e ve r s ince s he
The tea cart from the banquet hall rolls onto the ter- invade d the pa lace three days ago.
race and careens over to your table. Cups, saucers,
bowls, utens ils, and nap kins fly out of the cart's • Although it doesn't know how Zybilna a nd he r pa l-
drawers and arrange themselves before you. They are ace came to be frozen in time, De mitasse re ports
joined by a waddling cauldron of soup, a p iping-hot tha t Zybilna's butle r, Thinnings, was not a ffecte d
tea kettle, and a pair of lit candles in candlesticks. A a nd cla ims that he knows mor,e a bout the pa lace
serving spoon hops onto the cart, bows, and says in than anyone. De mitasse a lso knows that Thin-
Comm on, " I am Demitasse, your head wa iter. I believe nings is like ly to be found in the serva nts' qua rte rs
a light s upper of tea and soup is in orde r." (area PlS), and tha t he's slow to trus t o the rs.

Magic similar to an animate objects spell makes the If the characte rs haven't a lready earne d Thin-
nings's trus t, Demitasse advises the m to s hare one
cart and its collection of objects ac t as described. or more secrets with the timid butle r a fter luring
The kettle and the cauldron never run out of tea him o ut of hiding with the following rhym e:
and hot s oup, provided they remain ins ide the pa l-
ace grounds . Slip underneath the doorway,
Then fold and dis appear.
A creature that drinks both the tea a nd the soup That's where y ou'll be hiding
gains 10 te mporary hit po ints - a be nefit each crea- Wh enever I am near.
ture can gain only once every 24 hours. But I have som ething for you,
A thing y ou don't yet know.
I'll tell you my great s ecret
If only you will s how.

D EMIT/\SSE T HE /\N IMIITED SPOON
LE/IDS h TE h · /\ N O·S OUP P/\R/\OE.

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEA RT 'S DES I RE

P20. AVIARY P21 . RECORDS ROOM

An enormous owl stands perfectly still in the m iddle The door to this area is sealed with a hart crown
lock (see "Crown Locks" earlier in the chapter).
of this room, its wings partially outstretched. A wall of
The walls ofthis room are lined with square compart-
iron bars stretching from floor to ceiling forms a pro•
ments holding bundles of rolled paper scrolls. In the
tective barrier around the chamber's entrance, keep- middle of the room, an elderly dwarf in gray robes,

ing visitors separated from the owl. The wall across with spectacles resting on the tip of his bulbous
nose, sits perfectly still behind a writing desk facing
from the double door has a twenty-foot-wide, circular
the door. The dwarf's quill is d ipped halfway into an
opening sealed with hinged, semicircular windows in
inkpot, and his bloodshot eyes are fixed on a sheet of
wrought-iron frames . The marble floor is littered with parchment in front of him.

the bones of giant rats. This room contains records of Zybilna's dealings
with mortals, including contracts, pacts made with
The bars that surround the double door can't be warlocks, and transcripts of conversations, all
bent or damaged, but characters can use misty written in the Infernal script. The dwarf in te mpo-
seep spells and similar magic to bypass them. The ral stasis is Kalimanzaros, Zybilna's clerk. If his
bars are 1 foot apart, leaving gaps wide enough for statistics become necessary, Kalimanzaros uses the
a Small character or a thin Medium character to mage stat block, with these changes:
squeeze through.
• Kalimanzaros speaks Abyssal, Common, Dwar-
Bloodybeak. The owl uses the roe s tat block, has vish, Elvish, and Infernal, a nd he has darkvision
da rkvis ion out to a range of 120 feet, a nd is pres- out to a range of 60 feet.
ently frozen in time. It takes up most of the room,
a nd one of its wings brushes up agains t the wall of • He has advantage on saving throws against poison
bars. Thinnings the butler (see area PIS) knows the and resistance to poison damage.
owl's true name: Bloodybeak. With this knowledge,
characters can use the unicorn horn to free the owl Kalimanzaros has served lggwilv for hundreds of
from its temporal stasis, if they want to do so. years and still calls her by that name in private. He
would never betray her or divulge information that
Bloodybeak is friendly toward Zybilna and hos- could be used against her.
tile toward all other creatures. When the owl is no
longer frozen in time, any creature within the owl's Unfinished Letter. The letter in front of Kaliman-
reach that Bloodybeak can see can use an action to zaros reads as follows:
make a DC 17 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check.
On a successful check, the owl becomes indiffere nt Dear Rotten Ethel,
toward that creature for 1 minute or until the owl You have requested access to ancient rituals handed
takes damage from any source. A character can use down by Baba Yaga herself- rituals that can be used
a n action to repeat the check as often as desired . A to fulfil/ bargains. I regret to inform you that lggwilv
creature toward which Bloodybeak is indifferent can is unwilling to share her knowledge ofthese rituals
move through the aviary and try to open the big win- with you at this time. Your coven has much work to
dows without being attacked by the owl. do to earn her favor. Until then, she wishes you well
in your dark dealings with mort
Bloodybeak is a natural enemy of the jabberwock
in area P22. If the owl is released from te mpora l Kalimanzaros's quill ra n dry before he could finish
s tasis, it a ttacks the jabberwock on sight. writing the word "mortals."

Windows. Bloodybeak is too big to enter the pal- Treasure. Kalimanzaros keeps a spellbook on his
ace's hallways, so it comes and goes through the avi- person. This spellbook can't be remove d from the
ary's great windows, which at present are magically dwarf while he's froze n in time, and it contains a ll
sealed s hut. A knock spell or similar magic opens the spells Kalimanzaros has prepared.
the windows, as does speaking the command word
"canzus" within 10 feet of them. Only Zybilna and P22. BALLROOM
her quasit, lggrik, know the command word.
The doors to areas Pl 3, Pl4c, and P14d are sealed
with lion crown locks (see "Crown Locks" earlier in
the chapter).

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART"S DESIRE

A grand ballroom lies before you, the northern part of the room without waking it. Loud noises cause it
its Aoor littered with the splintered remains of three to awaken, as do attacks made against it a nd any
doors that have been knocked from their hinges, attempts to use or disturb the cauldron. Crafty char-
leaving openings through which you can see ad- acte rs who don't want to e ngage the ja bberwock in
joining rooms. battle can try to lure it elsewhe re. either by using
themselves as bait or by playing music (see the
Throughout the ballroom, royal courtiers stand mo- "Beware the jabberwock!" sidebar).
tionless, their eyes fixed on a black iron cauldron atop
a dais in the middle of the chamber. Dark vapors rise Iggwilv the Witch Queen (see her stat block a t the
from the cauldron, and a huge, dragon-like monster is end of the chapter). known in Prismeer as Zybilna.
coiled around it. The dragon's body twitches slightly, s ta nds near the cauldron a longside a human cleric
and its closed eyelids flutter as it dreams. named Mercion (see appe ndi x B).

Two figures are frozen, statue-like, off to one side Cauldron. Jggwi/v's Cauldron (see appendix A) is
of the cauldron: an imperious, middle-aged woman currently in its iron form. The characters can break
with long white hair and white robes, and a younger the time-freezing spe ll on every creature and object
woman clad in armor and wearing a white cape. The in the palace by destroying the cauldron with a
older woman is reaching desperately toward the caul- flam e tongue or fros t brand weapon, or by touching
dron, while the armored woman at her side is grasp- the cauldro n with a unicorn horn while reciting a
ing a fine-looking quarterstaff. poe m called ·'The Witch Queen's Cau ld ron." Only
Zybilna and the hags of the Hourglass Coven know
Ajabberwock (see appendix C) is coiled around the the words to this poem, but a legend lore s pe ll o r
cauldron. Zybilna treated the ja bbe rwock like a pe t, s imila r magic can a lso revea l the m:
regula rly inviting it into her palace to feed from her
Eight cats perch acop eight dead attending
cauldron. It continues to visit the palace even now Eight lizards flee from eight rats scavenging
Eight toads climbing meet eight dead and fa lling
:: that Zybilna is froze n in time , has fed recently. and Eight snakes sneak under eight bats screaming
is sound asleep. Characte rs can move quietly a bout Eight eyes open, always dreaming
A ll on the cauldron that is ever seeming.

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

BEWARE THE JABBERWOC K! • Two drow mages (chaotic good) named Ke lchrin
a nd Valtis, who counsel Zybilna on matters con-
Overcoming the jabberwock in area P22 is one of the cerning demons and the Abyss
main challenges of this chapter and, indeed, the whole
adventure. The characters are unl ikely to survive a • Snitcher, a goblin boss (neutra l) with dragonny
head-on fight with the creature, but there are things wings that grant a flying speed of 40 feet and the
they can do to increase their chances of survival: ability to hove r, who brings news from other fey
courts a nd is attended by four sim ila rly winged
• Free the great owl from the aviary (area P20) and goblins (neutral bodyguards)
set it against the jabberwock. Characters toward
whom the owl is indifferent can easily put the owl in • Seven pixies named Bix, He nny, Honeybright.
a Jabberwock-hunting mood if they have the means Nightglitte r, Sta rpetal, Trick, a nd Winterfl a ke
lo speak with it. If the jabberwock and the owl ever
make eye contact, the jabberwock Aees the palace • Two quick.lings (see appendi x C) who serve
with the owl in pursuit. Zybilna as messengers and spies

• Bait the jabberwock into leaving the palace. The jab- Treasure. Jggwilv's Cauldron is an artifact, a lbeit
berwock will follow prey or the sound of music. Once one that its rightful owner wou ld never part with.
lured outside, assuming it's not set upon by the While she is trapped in s tasis, Iggwilv ca n't stop
great owl immediately, the jabberwock goes hunting thieves from taking the cauldron or hiding it. If they
and does not return for ld6 + 2 hours. so desire, the characters can use Warduke's flame
tongue sword to shatte r the cauldron, the n do what-
• Obtain Snicker-Snock, the vorpal sword in area PSO. ever they want with the fragments.
The jabberwock is vulnerable to its slashing damage,
and the sword's attacks can neutralize the jabber- Between them , Iggwilv and Mercion have a r obe
wock's Regeneration trait. of the archmagi, an amulet ofthe planes, and a +l
quarterstaff. lggwilv also keeps a gray stone (the
The jabberwock is frie ndly toward Zybilna and hostile control gem for the gray s laad in area P33) in the
toward everything else, though it thinks twice about pocket of her robe. These items are not likely to fall
attacking anything bigger than itself. Throwing food at into the characters' hands.
the jabberwock might distract it long enough to allow
characters to Aee its presence without risk of pursuit. P23. ROUND TABLE
Befriending the jabberwock isn't an option.
The doors leading into this room have been knocked
Freeing Zybilna. A character can use an action from their hinges, a nd the doorways are wide open.
to touch Zybilna with a unicorn horn while s peak- Creatures Lhat ma ke too much noise here wake the
ing her true name (Natasha). Doing so ends the jabberwock (see appendix C) in area P22, which
time-freezing effect on her. Speaking the name promptly investigates.
Tas ha , Zybilna, or Iggwilv doesn't work, s ince none
of those is her true name. This chamber contains a round, marble-topped table

Destroying the cauldron frees not only Zybilna but ringed by high-backed chairs . Between the tab le and
a ls o every other creature in the palace that is fro-
a curved wall of tall, slender windows stands a mo-
zen in time.
Wh en Zybilna is freed from temporal stasis, tionless , white-haired wiza rd wielding a staff that has

skip a head to "Ending the Story" at the end of glittering frost erupting from its tip.

the chapter. Ringlerun (see a ppendix B) was ambushed in here
Freeing Mercion. Any member of Valor's Call can by two members of the League of Malevolence,
Zarak and Zargas h. The w izard was using his staff
ide ntify Mercion. the armored cleric at Zybilna's ofpower to cast a cone ofcold s pelI when he be-
side. Once the characters know who s he is, one of came frozen in time. Freeing Ringle run from his
the m ca n use an act ion to touch Mercion with a temporal s tasis unleashes the magic of the spell, the
unicorn horn while speaking her na me, ending the e ffect of wh ich erupts out to fill most of the room.
time-freezing e fTect o n her.
Once he is no longer frozen in time, Ringle run
1f s he is questioned. Mercion s hares the story of is determined to defeat the League of Malevolence
Valor's Ca ll (see "Fall of the Witch Queen" ea rlier in before it ca n cause any more mischief. He volun-
the cha pter). She willingly joins a ny group commit- teers an explanatio n of how Valor's Call came to
ted to overcoming the League of Malevolence. the palace (see "Fall of the Witch Queen" earlier in
the chapter).
Courtiers. In addition to Zybilna, Me rcio n,
a nd the jabberwock, this room conta ins the High-Backed Chairs. One of the cha irs has a
fo llowi ng courtie rs. a ll dressed in fancy garb a nd s miling quasi! ca rved into its back, near the top.
Jf a nyone othe r tha n Zybilna sits in this chair. the
frozen in time:

• A pompous bullywug knight (see a ppendix C) a nd
an e missa ry of the Soggy Court (see chapter 2)
na med Lord Slubb, the Marquis of Brackis hbog

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S DESIRE

quasit magically shouts "This is not your chair!" in One wall of this chamber ,s lined with wooden cubi-
Abyssal, repeating the line every minute until the cles, each containing a small bench and a hook for
creature gets out of the cha ir. hanging clothes. Underfoot. a mosaic floor depicts
images ofdemons.
Round Table. Zybilna uses the round table for
meetings with her counselors. Characters who Any creature that hangs an article of its clothing
examine its marble surface find the following on one of the cubicle hooks receives the benefit of
inscription engraved on it in the Elvish script: "I rule an invisibility spell that lasts for 1 hour or until the
by the verdict of my heart and the slam of my fist." creature ends the effect on itself by attacking or
casting a spell. After receiving this benefit, a crea-
Striking the table with a clenched fist causes it to ture cannot receive it again for 24 hours.
emit a thunderous boom that can be heard up to IO
miles away. Zybilna used this power of the table to P27. ARMORY
emphasize her verdicts; she also exploited it to sum-
mon the jabberwock for its dinne r. If the jabberwock The door to this room is sealed with a hart crown
is still alive, it comes running if it hears th is sound. lock (see "Crown Locks" earlie r in the chapter).

Treasure. Ringlerun carries a staffofpower with The room contains glass cabinets filled with a wide
15 charges remaining. (The staff has 20 charges variety of weaponry. The weapons are so well con-
when fully charged. Five charges were expended structed that it is d ifficult to tell if this display is an
when Ringlerun used it to cast cone ofcold. The armory or a museum.
staff can't recharge until Ringlerun is released from
temporal stasis.) The glass cabinets are unlocked, and the weapons
in them are spectacular in appearance. The cabi-
P24. RUINED STATEROOMS nets contain one of each weapon listed on the Mar-
tial Melee Weapons and Martial Ranged Weapons
Thejabberwock destroyed the furnishings in tables in the Player's Handbook. Be ing of partic-
these two rooms a nd smashed through the doors ularly fine manufacture, they are worth twice the
leading to areas P22, P23, and P25. Nothing of listed price. Each weapon is enchanted to shower
value remains. its wielder with compliments. If complimented on
its own form in return, a weapon glumly whispers,
P25. BATHING ROOM "Ah, but I'm not as fine as Snicker-Snack." and then
never speaks again.
Steam rises from a murky bathing pool. The tiled floor
P28. LIBRARY
around the bath is cracked and ruined, as though
The doors to the adjoining hallway are sealed with
something huge had stomped across it. Whatever lion crown locks (see "Crown Locks" earlier in
the chapter).
caused this damage also left a gaping hole in one
Leather-bound tomes fill the tall shelves of this
wall, through which you can see open air and the twi- grand library. Rolling ladders anchored to rails
above the topmost shelves allow easy access to the
light sky. higher books.

If the characters make any loud noises here and Appearing from behind a bookshelf is an elderly
have not yet encountered thejabberwock (see hunchbacked man carrying an open book. "This li-
appendix C) in area P22, it awakens and investi- brary is closed to visitors!" he says, snapping the book
gates. The jabberwock enters and leaves the palace closed and making no effort to hide his surprise and
through the hole in the wall. It occasionally bathes his annoyance.
in the murky pool and also hides its treasure the re.
Zybilna keeps her most esoteric tomes in a sepa-
Treasure. The water in the pool is 8 feet dee p and rate library upstairs (area P38), but this room sti ll
opaque. At the bottom of the pool, amid the bones contains a vast collection of books on a ll manne r
of fairies and goblins that the jabberwock has de- of s ubjects. Lt exists in a de miplanc. Because of the
voured, are Lhe following treasures:
CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART 'S DESIRE
• A pair of si lver a rmle ts (25 gp each)
• An ornate steel dagger that whispers "soon" when-

ever its wielder falls asleep (SO gp)
• A silver helmet adorned with a black

feather (125 gp)

P26. CHANGING ROOM

The door to the adjoining hallway is sealed with
a hart crown lock (see "Crown Locks" earlier in
the chapter).

SHON ANO GClAV nature. He ventured forth to discover the League of
Malevolence in charge. Shon is afraid of the league
libra ry's demiplana r nature, its occupants and con- but has come to an agreement with its leader, Kelek:
tents were not frozen in time by lggwilv's Cauldron. the l~ague will allow Shon to remain at his post,
and m excha nge, Shon (and his spider) will use the
Shon and Gray. The libraria n is a hunchbacked Library to research time-freezing magic, with the
human mage (neutral) na med Shon. He s peaks goal of help~ng the league break the spell on Ring-
Abyssal, Common, Elvish, a nd Sylvan, and he has lerun the wizard so that Kelek can obtain the wiz-
a secret known only to himself, Zybilna, and her ard's staffofpower (in area P23). So far, Shon a nd
quasit, lggrik: his "hump" is a giant wolf spider Gray have found nothing he lpful. Each of them can
name d Gray, which Shon hides under thick shawls. describe all five members of the league and knows
An awaken s pell was cast on the spider, giving it an that three of them-Kelek, Warduke, and Zargash-
Intelligence of 10 and the a bility to speak Elvish. Of are in the pa lace.
the two, the s pider knows the library better and is
more adept at locating ra re tomes. The spider de- Kelek has told Shon that Zybilna was betrayed
fends Shon if the mage is attacked. by the Hourglass Coven, and that the hags have en-
trust:d the League of Malevolence with protecting
Shon confronts intruders and orders them to leave lggwrlv1s Cauldron. The conversations that Shon
the libra ry at once, claiming that no one may peruse bas had with Kelek suggest that the alliance be-
the books without Zybilna's consent. Zybilna has tween the league and the Hourglass Coven isn't as
made no such decla ration, but Shon doesn't trust strong as Kelek pretends it is. Gray overheard these
visitors no t to steal the books. If necessary, he uses conversations and knows this information as well.
s uggestion s pells Lo force intruders Lo "get out a nd
stay out!" If the cha racters s tubbornly refuse to If the characters tell Shon that they intend to free
leave, Shon tells them that Zybilna keeps her most Zybilna and defeat the League of Malevolence, he
prized books in a smalle r ups tai rs library a nd urges shares the following information while showing
the m to explore it instead. He even takes the time to them the door, determined to keep them from dis-
write down a lis t of eight book titles found there that turbing the books:
might interest them (see area P38).
• Ajabberwock has made its lair in the ballroom.
When Zybilna and her court were frozen in time Kelek, the leader of the League of Malevolence, is
Shon was s hielded by the library's de mipla na r ' terrified of it ("as he should be," Shon adds).

• Warduke, a helmed warrior with a flaming sword,
acts as Kelek's bodyguard, but not out of loyalty.
He's a cold-hearted mercenary who works for
coin. The characters might be able to buy him off.

• Shon can describe all the properties of a staffof
power, having researched the subject recently.

Appendix D has additional roleplaying
notes for Shon.

Shon's Spe/Jbook. Shon carries his spellbook,
which is a leather-bound tome with a charcoal
sketch of a wolf spider on the title page. This book
contains the following spells: charm person, cone of
cold, counterspe/1, darkvision, detect magic, fireball,
fly, greater invisibility, ice storm, knock, mage armor,
magic missile, mis ty step, polymorph, remove curse,
shield, suggestion, a nd Tasha's hideous laughter.

Unicorn Horn. If the Story Tracker indicates that
the unicorn horn is here, Shon has it. He doesn't
want Kelek to get his hands on the staffofpower,
realizing the ha rm he would cause with it. Conse-
quently, Shon has no intention of handing the staff
over to the League of Malevolence. If, through good
roleplaying, the cha racters convince Shon that they
have Prismeer's best inte rests at heart, he gives
the m the horn a nd tells them where to find Zybilna
(ar ea P22), warning them about the ja bber wock if
he hasn't a lready done so.

190 C HAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART' S DESIR E

P29. RUG OF WHITE ROSES Cha racte rs who observe Za rgash can. with a
s uccessful DC 16 Wis dom (Pe rception) check,
The door to a rea P30 is seale d with a lion crown determine that he is not frozen in time. Because
lock (see "Crown Locks" earlie r in the c ha pter). The he"s pretending to be frozen. the first a tlack made
door on the opposite wa ll ope ns onlo a balcony tha t agai nst him has adva ntage. Jf his ruse is exposed o r
overlooks the Court of Storms (a rea Pl3). if he's a u acked , Zargash uses his next action to cast
gaseous form o n himself. the n flies up to a rea P39
Running the length of this oblong room is a rug wo- and heads to a rea P3 l lo warn Kelek a nd Wa rduke
ven with images of thorny white roses. Each of the that intruders have entered the palace.
doors on the north and south walls has an alabaster
pedestal standing inside the room beside it. Atop Cages and Pixiejailers . The floors of the fi ve
each pedestal is an alabaster vase that hold s several cages a re curre ntly suspended above the sludge at
long-stemmed white roses . Carved into the vase are heig hts of 10 feet. 20 feet, 30 feet. 40 feet, a nd 50
the words "Take one" in Common. feet, respectively. Each cage's height is controlle d by
o ne of the levers o n the far s ide of the na rrow le d ge.
A creature holding or ca rrying a while rose ca n Normally. moving a leve r up or down causes its cage
pas s through this ha ll sa fe ly. The rug is a 40-foot- to ascend or descend a t a rate of l foot pe r second ;
long, 8 -foot-wide rug of smothering with 60 hit at present, howeve r, the mecha nis ms that ra ise a nd
points. If a creature not carrying a w hite rose ends lower the cages a re frozen in time. and until the
its turn in the hall, the rug a ttacks it. The ru g a lso time-freezing e ffect e nds, nothing happens whe n
attacks creatures that deaJ da mage to it. Because of a ny of the levers are moved.
its length, the rug can smothe r up to four Medium or
smalle r creatures a t once. Each cage can hold one Medium or s ma lle r crea-
ture. The cages have no doors or locks: creatures
P30. SLUDGE-F ILLED TOWER a re tele ported into a nd out of the cages us ing the
tiny, gilded wands carried by the five pixies. a ll of
The door to this towe r is s ea led with a lion crow n which a re frozen in time. Only pixies ca n attune
lock (s ee "Crown Locks" earlie r in the cha pte r). to these tiny wa nds . As a n actio n, a pixie released
from tempora l s tasis ca n use its wa nd to ta rget a
Everything in this tower appears to be frozen in place. Medium or sm a ller creature it ca n see with in 20
A five-foot-wide ledge at floor level circles the room, feet of it. The ta rget mus t ma ke a DC 12 Wisdom
and a row of five iron levers protrudes from the wall saving throw ; o n a fa iled save, it is telepor ted into
above the ledge on the far side of the room. Five feet the gilde d cage corresponding to tha t pi xie, a nd
below the ledge is the surface of a pool of reeking a ny creature a lready occupying tha t cage tele po rts
sludge. Five slender, gilded cages dangle from chains to the space vacated by the ta rget. A pixie released
that hang down from holes in the sixty-foot-high from tempora l s tasis ca n use a n action to touc h its
ceiling. Three of the cages are occupied. Suspended wand to its corresponding cage. which telepo rts a ny
in midair outside each cage is a pixie holding a tiny, creature ins ide tha t cage to a n unoccupied s pace of
gilded wand. the pixie's cho ice on the led ge.

Zargash (see a ppe ndi x B) is he re if he hasn't been A cha racte r ca n use a n action to try to be nd a
lured elsewhe re. If Zargash is present. add: cage's ba rs, do ing so w ith a s uccessful DC 22
Stre ng th (Athle tics) check a nd c reati ng a n ope ning
Standing motionless next to the levers is a m an wide e nough for a Sma ll or Medium cha racter to
garbed in black whose face is half-hidden by a hood. s queeze into or out of the cage.
A bat-shaped amule t h a n gs around h is nec k, and he
tightly grips a quarterstaff. Demonic Sludge. A detect magic s pell reveals a n
aura of transmutation magic e ma nati ng from the
Za rgash has been ta king samples of the s ludge in sludge, which comes from the Abyss. Any Huma n-
the pool, hoping to lea rn more a bout ils prope rties. oid that s ta r ts its turn wholly or partly im mersed
He s ta nds motionless, pre te nding to be frozen in in the s ludge m us t ma ke a DC 13 Wisdo m saving
time like the othe r creatures he re. If left a lo ne, he throw. On a successful save, the creatu re takes
waits fo r the c haracters to leave the area. then re- 7 {2d6) psychic da mage as its mind is ravaged by
ports to Kele k in a rea P31. nighlmaris h visions too hor rible to descr ibe. On a
fai led save, the c reature is magica lly tra nsforme d
into a manes u nder your control. T his tra ns form a-
tion can be reversed by any magic tha t e nds a curse.
If the transformation is not reve rsed within three
days, it becomes pe rmanent a nd can be reve rse d
only by a wish spell or divine inte rvention.

CHAPTER 5 I PA LACE OF 1-lEART"S D ES IRE

Prisoners. Three of the cages hold prisoners in The gray-bearded man is Kelek, and he keeps three
temporal stasis: cockatrices on short leashes. Warduke stands be-
side him. s hield and fl aming sword at the ready. If
• The cage suspended 10 feel a bove the sludge con- the characters encountered Zargash previously and
tains a manes. allowed him to get away, the evil priest of Orcus is
c rouched behind the throne. (Statistics for all three
• The cage suspended 20 feet above the s ludge con- villains appear in append ix B.) While seated on
tains an incubus in the guise of a male high eLf the throne, Kelek can use a bonus action to speak
named Nizran (not his true name). The inc ubus, a rhyme taught to him by the Hourglass Coven
whose Etherealness trait does not fun ction in the ("Knights of glass, protect my ass!"). The rhyme
Feywild , infiltrated Zybilna·s court by pretending causes the four stained-glass knights in the turrets
to be an emissary of the Summer Queen. Zybilna marked X on the map to leap from their wi ndow
saw through the deception, ascertained the incu- frames, becoming four glasswork golems (see the
bus's true a llegiance to the de mon lord Graz'zt accompanying stat block). These golems defend
(her former love r), and incarcerated the incubus Kele k, returning to their windows after 10 minutes
before he could return to his true master. if they haven't been destroyed by the n.

• The cage s us pe nded 40 fee t above the s ludge If the charac te rs pa rley with Kelek, he sneers that
holds a nameless, unshaven man with a the palace is now his to rule, though any mention
crescent-shaped scar under his right eye. A re tired of the Hourglass Coven or the jabberwock causes a
human spy (neutral) from Oerth, he is unarmed. flush of dread to pass over Kelek's face. Throughout
He begged Zybilna to rid him of the guilt he feels any conversation, Warduke remains silent, eyeing
for several murders he committed. She obliged by the party mirthlessly. Zargash, if present, does as
locking him up and promising to transform him little as possible to help Kelek without revealing
into a manes-a c reature incapable of feeling guilt. his treasonous heart. He wants to replace Kelek
as leade r of the League of Ma levolence, but he
Eve n if they are freed from temporal stasis, the pris- is certain Warduke will slay him if he ope nly be-
oners remain trapped in their cages until the pixies
release the m, which they can't do while froze n in trays Kelek.
time a nd which they're not inclined lo do unless the If the characte rs me ntion Ringle run, Kelek ex-
order comes from Zybilna. Nizran and the nameless
man wa nt nothing more than to flee the palace and plains that he wants the staffofpower that belongs
never return. to the wizard, but he can't take it whi le Ringlerun is
frozen in time. To free Ringlerun, Kelek needs a uni-
P31. THRONE ROOM corn horn. (He won't explain how the horn works.)
In exchange for a unicorn horn, Kelek promises to
This chamber can be reached by descending a stair- help the characters achieve their goals, provided
case from a rea P47. A double door in the north wall their stated goals have nothing to do with freeing
pulls open to reveal a stone balcony that overlooks Zybilna. Kele k has no intention of fulfill ing his part
the Court of Storms (area P13).
of any bargain.
A ring of marble pillars sculpted with images of fairies If conflict e rupts, Kelek relies on Warduke, the

and demons supports the arched ceiling of this cir- cockatrices, and Zargash to defend him. Zargash

cular chamber. Seven archways spaced evenly around flees if the battle is going poorly for his side.
Warduke's loyalty can be bought for a reasonable
the room's perimeter lead to empty turrets with tall ,
price (treasure worth 2,500 gp or more). If the char-
stained-glass windows set in their walls. Each window acters recruit him. Wa rduke stays with the pa r ty for
the re mainde r of the adventure, the n goes his own
bears the image of a knight in armor. way. While in the party's e mploy, Warduke stoically
follows the characters a round, defending them when
Near the m idd le of the room , a short, gray-bearded needed, a nd can easily be persuaded to use his
flame tongue sword to destroy Iggwilv's Cauldron.
man in black robes reclines on a gilded wooden
Neither Kele k no r Za rgash will threaten o r harm
throne with clawed feet. The man grips the leashes the cha racte rs while Warduke is o n Lhe party's side.
In the face of certain defeat, Kele k begs for me rcy
of three small, scaly, b irdlike creatures. A muscular, and offers 10 reveal a secre t about Zybilna in ex-
cha nge for his life a nd freedom. If the party agrees,
armored man stands next to the throne. He wears a Kelek reveals tha t Zybilna is lggwilv the Witch
Queen a nd explains how he plotte d to blackma il her.
helm that conceals his face exce pt for his red, glowing

eyes, and his sword he holds is wreathed in Aames.

A statue of an unarmored elf stands in front of the

throne. The statue is posed as if ready for battle, with

a shortsword gripped tightly in each of its hands.

CHAPTRR 5 I PALACE OF HRART' S DESIRE

PetrifiedElf. The statue is a petrified high elf
named Raezil Uthemar (neutral). Raezil served
as Zybilna's spy in other fey courts. She returned
from a mission to find nearly everyone in the
palace trappe d in temporal stasis. When she con-
fronted Kelek and accused him of conspiring to
overthrow Zybilna, his cockatrices petrified he r.
1f magic is used to end the petrified condition on
Raezil, use the spy stat block to represent her, with
these changes:

• Raezil speaks Common and Elvis h.
• She has darkvision out to a ra nge of 60 feet.

She has advantage on saving throws against being
charmed, and magic can't put her to s leep.

The name "Iggwilv" means nothing to Raezil,

who started working for Zybilna s hortly afte r the

archfey carved out her doma in in the Feywild. Rae-

zil spends most of her time abroad, in the courts

of other archfey, and has n't ke pt up on the politics

of Prismeer.

Once she is no longer petrified, Raezil is bound

by the rule of reciprocity (see "Rules of Conduct" in

chapter 2) to help the characters comple te a ny out-

standing quests they might have. R aezil comes from

a highborn elf family with influe nce in the Summer

Court, making her a useful retaine r if the characters

choose to remain in the Feywild a fte r their adven-

tures in Prismeer have ended.

Treasure. Kelek carries a staffofstriking and

wears bracers ofdefense. Warduke wields a

flame tongue longsword. Zargash wears a ba t-

shaped amu let that has the prope rties of a ring of

feather falling. /'JI

.•'I 'IA

GLASSWORK GOLEM Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect
that would alter its fo rm .
Medium Construc t, Unaligned
Regeneration. The golem regains 10 hit points at the start of its
Armor Class 13 (natura l armor) turn. If the golem takes bludgeoning or thunder damage, th is
Hit Points 36 (8d8) trait doesn't func ti on at the start of the golem's next turn. The
Speed 30 ft. golem is destroyed only ifit starts its turn with Ohit points and
doesn't regenerate.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) l (- 5) 10 (+0) l (- 5) Unusual Nature. The golem doesn't requ ire air, food ,
drink, or sleep.
Saving Throws Dex +2, Con +2, Wis +2
ACTIONS
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Multiattack. The golem ma kes two Glass Sword attac ks.
Condition Immunities blinded , charmed, deafened, exhaustion,
Glass Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
frightened , paralyzed, petrified, poiso ne d target. Hit: 5 (ld8 + l) slashing damage.

Senses b lindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), BONUS ACTIONS

passive Perception 10 Dazzling Light (Recharge 5- 6). Magical, colo re d li ght springs
from the golem In a 15-foo t cone. Each crea tu re in the co ne
Languages - mus t succee d on a DC 10 Cons titution s aving throw or be
blinded for l minute. A creature can repeat the s aving throw
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 at the e nd of each of its turn s, e nd ing the e ffect on itself o n
a s uccess .
False Appearance. If th e golem is e mbedde d in a window and
motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its ini·
tiative roll. More ~ if a c reature has n't observe d the golem
move or act, th at creature mus t s ucceed o n a DC 18 Intellige nce
(Inves tigation) c heck to discern that the gole m is anima te.

C II APTER 5 I PALACE OF H EA RT'S DESIR E 193

P32. MINSTRELS' GALLERY 13, 4 hit points , vulne rability to bludgeoning and
This ba lcony extends out over the ba nquet ha ll thunder da mage, a nd immunity lo poison and psy-
(area P1 8). The door on the west wall is sealed w ith chic da mage.
a lion crow n lock (see "Crown Locks" earlie r in
the cha pter). While the s tatue s a re danci ng, a ny creature that
e nters the room or s ta rts its turn there mus t s uc-
This t hirty-foot-high balcony overlooks the banquet ceed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid
hall. A harpsichord decora ted with painte d panels is colliding with a sta tue. Reduce the DC by 1 for every
situa ted at one end of the balcony near a double door. three da ncing statues tha t have been destroyed. A
collision w ith a creature causes a statue to s ha tter
The ha rps ichord is a Medium object with AC 15. 12 and deals 14 (4d6) psychic da mage to the creature
hit points, a nd immunity to poison and psychic dam- that struck it. The da ncing s ta tues avoid the dais
age. A detect m agic spe ll reveals an a ura of tra ns- and can't collide with c reatures on it, nor ca n they
muta tion magic a round it. If it loses half or more collide with creatures they can't reach (creatu res
of its hit points, the ha rps ichord is too da maged to flyin g above the m, for exa mple).
play mus ic. Reduci ng the harpsichord to O hit points
destroys it and causes e ight pieces of w reckage to This s ta tue on the da is doesn't move, a nd the tiny
magically s pring to life and attack the ha rpsichord's s phe re floatin g next to its head is frozen in time
assaila nts . Each piece of w reckage is treated as a and magical (see "Treas ure" be low). It re ma ins sus-
Tiny object unde r the effect of an animate objects pe nde d in the a ir above the da is even if the s tatue on
s pell that las ts for 1 minute. the da is is destroyed.

P33. GLASS STATUES Slaad Guardian. An invis ible gray slaad in its
true form a ppears near the da is whe n one of the
The floor of this marble hall is polished to a mirror-like following conditions is me t:
finish. The exte rior walls are lined with stained-glass
windows depicting fa iries and butterflies in flight. A • Three or more da ncing statues a re des troyed.
glas s stat ue of a long-haired woman in robes stands • The s tatue on the dais is destroyed.
ato p a dais, her arms outstretched in a welcoming • Someone grabs the tiny s phere.
gestu re. A tiny, incandescent bl ue sphere is s us-
pe nded in t he air next to the statue's head. Dozens The slaad normally resides in a de miplane a nd was
of o ther st atues made of s pa rkling glas s are arra nged not affected by the time-freezing magic of Jggwilv's
abo ut the room. Cauldron. It a ttacks a ny creature that has the tiny
sphe re in its possession, turning vis ible as it does
This room conta ins forty glass sta tues, including the so. lf it obta ins the s phere, the slaad keeps it, turns
one on the da is. The statues s tand motionless until invisible, re mains in this room, a nd defends itself if
someone plays the ha rpsichord in a rea P32, the attacked. It can be harme d by the da ncing statues.
magic of w hich causes the s tatues to da nce:
Zybilna pressed the slaad into service, a nd it does
All of the statues except the one on the dais waltz and her bidding if s he's a round to give it comma nds.
twi rl about the roo m , their steps keeping time with
the music from the harpsicho rd. Treasure. The blue s phe re is a n Joun s tone (in-
sight) that belongs to Iggwilv. Any other creature
When the music from the ha rps ichord s tops playing, that attunes to the Joun s tone is cursed. While
the statues freeze in place until the music resumes. curse d in this way, the creature is magica lly tran s-
formed into a n a nimated , doll-like effigy of itself
Cha racte rs w ho have seen Zybilna recognize he r made of wood. The c reature's s tatistics a re the
likeness in the s tatue on the da is . The re ma ining s a me, except that it is a Cons truct with vulnerability
thirty-nine s tatues represent morta ls whom Zybilna to fire da mage, a nd it doesn't require ai r, food, or
a id~d in he r rol~ as fa iry godmother. A glass scullery water. Items worn or carried by the creature a re un-
ma id dances with a glass princess, a glass farmer a ffected. A wish s pell can e nd the curse. The crea-
ca rries a glass pot filled with glass coins, a nd so on. ture can e nd the c urse on itself by givi ng a bouquet
Each s tatue (including the one on the da is) has AC of eight black roses to lggwilv, but only Iggwilv a nd
lggrik (the quas it in area P 51) know that the curse
can be e nded in this way. The black roses can be
harvested from the rose ga rde n (area P7).

P34. HALL OF HATCHES

Four three -foot- squa re oak pa nels are mounted on the

wall a long the eas t s ide of this short ha ll. Each panel

has a hinged hatch attached to a woode n ha ndle.

r94 C H APT E: R 5 I PALACE OF HE:ART' S DE:S JR E:

GmmAt Towm.
TKa

CI-IAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART'S D ES IR E 195

When the cha racters first e nter, all four panels are P36. COSTUME ROOM I
closed. Opening a hatch reveals a square cavity
conta ining the head of a decapitated creature. When IThis room contains eight wooden mannequins in tall
a hatch is opened. the head inside that cavity barks glass cases. Each mannequin wears a different outfit.
one of the following uttera nces:
These outfits have been worn by Zybilna in he r
Bugbear head: "Yah!'" ma ny guises-a child's witchy dress for young Nata-
Harpy head: "Bah!" sha; a flamboyant, off-the-shoulder dress for Tasha;
Hobgoblin head: "Gah!" a dark, alluring gown for lggwilv; and more.
Ogre head: "Bah!"
The follow ing clues can he lp the characters iden-
Each repeats its one-word utterance every time its tify some of Zybilna's forme r personas:
hatch is opened, then falls silent until the hatch is
closed a nd opened again. To use this area as it was • The name "Natasha" is s titched into the collar of a
intended, the pa nels must all be closed and then cape sized for a child.
opened in either of the following sequences:
• Characters who examined the mannequin of
Ha rpy. ogre, bugbear, hobgoblin Tasha in the glass cabine t outside the Hall of
Ogre, harpy, bugbear, hobgoblin Illusions in the Witchlight Carnival can recognize
Tasha's costume from the way the ma nnequin
When the decapitated heads speak the syllables of was dressed.
UBaba Yaga" in their proper order, all creatures in
the hall a re teleported to unoccupied spaces in the • Characters w ho succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence
study (area P47). (History) check can recognize one of Iggwilv's cos-
tumes from a woodcut of her that they saw once in
P35. F LOODED HALL a book, where she was ide ntified as "Iggwilv, the
Witch Queen of Perrenla nd."
This hallway has a sunken floor filled to a depth of
three feet with dark water. Lanterns lit with flickering P37. DRET CH NURSERY
blue flames hang from the ceiling thirty feet above
by short chains, spaced roughly ten feet apart. They Flies buzz throughout this chamber, and the grimy
produce eerie, ghostlike reflections off the water. As marble floor is crawling with maggots. Eight wicker
you take in the scene, an empty sailboat drifts into cradles stand upright in the filth . Lashed to each cra-
view from farther down the hall and makes its way dle is a three-foot-long, curved wooden pole with a
toward you. mobile consisting of three ornaments dangling at the
top of it. Each ornament appears to be a triangular
The sailboat glides closer until it is near e nough to piece ofwhite wood with an Elvish letter carved into
boa rd safely. The boat can carry up to eight Medium it. Small, misshapen creatures nesting in the cradles
creatures. One creature ca n steer the boat using the reach toward the symbols with their claws but can't
tiller, a nd the boat has a speed of 20 feet. quite grab them.

Dark Water. Peering into the water's depths re- The cradles contain eight dretches- manifesta-
veals thin, pale faces staring back, dark monsters tions of Zybilna's da rkest emotions: annoyance,
swimming past, a nd glimpses of dis tant rea lms. loathing, rage, disgust, dis da in, malicious ness,
A creature can wade through the water safely, but envy, and jealousy. The stunted, baby-like fi ends act
a ny creature that completely submerges itself must according to the ir nature; for example, the a nnoyed
s ucceed on a DC 15 Stre ngth savi ng throw or be- dretch frowns in irritation at everything it sees, the
come trapped unde r the water's s urface. Unless malicious dretch tries to pinch anyone who comes
the creature can breathe underwater, it begins to too close to it, a nd s o forth .
s uffocate when it runs out of ai r (see the suffocation
rules in the Player's Handbook). As a n action, a A cha racter can make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight)
creature trapped under the water's s urface or an- check to ascerta in why the dretches are here a nd
other creature within reach of it can make a DC 20 what they represent. On a failed check, the cha rac-
Strength (Athletics) check. On a successful check, ter ascerta ins nothing. On a s uccessful check, the
the trapped creature breaks through the s urface character realizes that the dretches are manifesta-
a nd is no longer submerged. tions of s uppressed negative emo tions belonging to
whoever confined the m to this wretched nursery.

CHAPTER 5 I PALAC E OF H EART'S DES I RE

Characters who can read the Elvis h script ca n The City That Waits (one explorer's treatise
identify seven diffe rent lette rs carved into the trian- about Moil, a demiplane that houses a city of
gula r orname nts suspended above the cradles. The haunted spires)
letters. each of which appear several times, are A, B,
The Faceless Lord (lggwilv's private accou nt of her
r, L, N, Y, and Z. Rearranged, they spell ZYBlLNA. many dealings withjuiblex, the Demon Prince of
Oozes and Slimes- which s he later updated and
Zybilna needed the le tte red orna ments as materia l incorporated into her magnum opus. the Demon-
components for the ritual that created the dretches, omicon oflggwilv)
but now they are merely decorative distractions for
the baby-like dretches. The letters are attached to I, Lyzandred (a lich's meandering autobiography.
the mobiles at random; for example, one cradle's which dri fts into a lengthy, plodding dissertation
mobile might have the letters A, I, and L, while an- about demiplanes and how to construct them)
other might have the letters B, L, a nd Y.
Kingdom o f the Ghouls (one adventuring party's ex-
Each dretch is bound by Zybilna's magic and ploration of a subterranean kingdom of ghouls on
has a speed of O feet while in its cradle. If a dretch the world of Oerth)
is removed from its cradle, its dis pos ition doesn't
cha nge, but it is free to go where it pleases. It shuns The Many Masques ofMith (a bizarre account of life
combat and fights only in self-defense. Killing one or as a s ervant to an archwizard named Mith, who
more dretches causes an upswe ll of dark emotions hosted mas ques for honored guests from across
in Jggwilv, which can have consequences for the the multiverse)
characters in their climactic encounter with he r (as
described at the end of the chapter). Nadir ofNessus (all about the politics of the Nine
Hells, writte n by a tiefli ng named Nadi r, who
P38 . SECRET LIBRARY claimed to be the daughter of Asmodeus)

A dozen floating candles cast dim, flickering lights Prophecies of Explictica Deli/us (a transcription of
various prophecies told by a powerful spirit naga
over this sepulchral, windowless library. Ebony book- from the world of Oerth)

shelves are filled w ith volumes bound in jet-black Thingizzard's Night Balloon (instructions for build-
ing a magic vessel that can float safely through the
fabric . The books have no titles on their spines. In the layers of the Abyss)

middle of the room, a black quill pen rests on a writ- P39. ROOST

ing desk next to a jar of black ink. This 20-foot-square room has a n 8-foot-wide.
8-foot-tall archway in the middle of the west wall.
Magic causes each candle to float ld4 + 3 feet above beyond which a tower chamber conta ins five cages
the floor. Casting dispel magic on a candle or remov- dangling from chains above a pool of sludge 30 feet
ing a candle from the library automatically ends the below. Characters who position themselves near the
levitation e ffect on it. archway can see the ceiling of the tower chamber
30 feet above them. as well as the othe r features
If the characters re move a book from the shelves, of area P30.
they see that the cover, like the spine, has no title.
Opening any of the books reveals that its pages are Floor-to-ceiling iron bars spaced 6 inches apart
bla nk apart from the first page, on which a thin line s pa n the eastern side of this room. Through this
has been scribed. If a c reature uses the quill pen on wall of bars. one can see the palace's central tower
the desk to write the title of a book above the line, suspended above a s tormy void (area P13). The bars
the remaining pages of the book fill with writing can be bent with a s uccessful DC 20 Strength (Ath-
that matches the book of the same title, provided letics) check, creating a n opening through which
that book is part of this room's collection. Writing a Sma ll and Medium characters ca n s queeze.
title in a blank book that does not match the title of a
book in the collection causes the ink to swiftly evap- P40. GUEST WING
orate from the page. If a book is removed from this
library, all writing in it fades after 30 days, leaving This wing of the palace is reserved for Zybilna's
the book blank. guests, including e nvoys from other archfey a nd
petitioners from the Material Plane.
Among the titles found here are the following,
which the characters can learn about from Shon Each room holds a four-poster bed , a wardrobe
in area P28: conta ining outfits that magica lly tailor themselves
to their wearers, a nd a dressing table. A bell pu ll
mounted on the wall by the door e nables guests to
summon servants from their quarters (a rea PlS).
If the characters ring any of these bells, the butle r
Thi nn ings creeps up to investigate 5 minutes la ter.

CHAPTER 5 I PALACE OF HEART' S DESIRE

Each room's occupants a re frozen in time. Individ- P4 1. TALKI NG DOOR
ua l rooms have their own color schemes and nota-
ble reatures, as indicated below: This door is closed a nd magically locked.

P40a. Red Room. A high elr noble (ne utra l) with The s urface of this double door is sculpted to loo k like
long hair s ta nds in the middle or the room. The elr, the head of a cat. As you approach, it purrs, "Why,
Carissa, is holding a crysta l goblet or wa ter. Tied hello there."
to his belt is a glass-ha ndled ra pier (actua lly a +J
rapier). A goblin (noncombatant) stands next to This door was meant to require a password to be
him , holding a tray with a decanter or water on it. opened, but the door grew bo red of asking for the
same wo rd a ll the time a nd now seeks answers lo
P40b. Blue Room. This chambe r has a line or blue- more meaningful , philosophica l questions. T he door
birds perched motionless on the sill or a n o pen explains this pleasantly, then pos es o ne of the fol-
w indow. The room is otherwise unoccupied. lowing questions:

P40c. Green Room. A well-dressed forest gnome • Which is more important, intelligence o r wisdom?
(noncombata nt) s ta nds on a stool in front or a van- • Are we at the me rcy of fate. o r do we create our
ity. looking into a mirror as s he combs her green
ha ir. The vanity has various cosmetics and via ls of own destiny?
perfome on it. • Which has more powe r, the sword or the quill?

P40d. White Room. A ha ndsome young ma le hu- The door enthus iastically de ba tes eithe r side of each
ma n (noncombata nt) in a white nights hirt s leeps point. There a re no right or wrong a nswers ; to open
in the bed. the door, a cha racter must a rg ue their case a nd s uc-
ceed on a DC 15 Cha ris ma (Pers uasion) check. A
P40e. Black Room. S ix goblins (noncombata nts) character who impressed Feathe reen, the gondola
a re in the mids t of cleaning the room. One of swa n in the Witchlight Carnival, is filled with con-
the m perches precariously on a stack of cha irs fide nce in this de bate a nd gains adva ntage on the
w hile reaching out to dust the top of a ta ll check. On a successful check, the door sw ings open.
black wa rd robe.

C H A PTER 5 I PALACE OF H l! ART ' S DES I RE

P42. LABORATORY P44. jARS OF TIME

The door to this laboratory is sealed with a The door to this room is sealed with a ha rt crown
ha rt crown lock (see "Crown Locks" earlier in lock (see "Crown Locks'· earlie r in the chapter).
the chapte r).
A three-level mahogany table stands in the m iddle of
Broke n oil burners, grimy glassware, and jars of p ick- th is otherwise empty chamber. Three gleaming bell
jars rest on the table's separate tiers, each one con-
led fungus clutter th is ruined laboratory. A beanstalk taining a visage wreathed in mist.

as long and thick as a constrictor snake sprouts from Any creature that touches one of the ja rs on the ta-
ble causes a ll three ja rs to dis play illusory images
an unstoppered potion bottle. Bulging bean pods of that creature from different time periods. The ja r
closest to the floor shows the creature in its youth.
hang from its stem. The ja r on the middle tier shows the creature as it is
now. The highest jar shows what the creature might
Zybilna used this laboratory to brew potions, includ- look like in its later years. Zybilna was the last one
ing a n experimenta l oil that s timula ted the growth to touch the ja rs. so they curre ntly show images of
of plants. The beans ta lk in here is one result of this her past, present, a nd future self:
s tudy; Zybilna's quas it, Iggrik, pilfered a nd used a
more potent variant of this potion to create the enor- The lowest ja r de picts a young woman with
mous beanstalk in area Pl7. raven-black hair.
• The middle ja r displays a middle-aged woman
Treasure. Characters who search the laboratory with long white ha ir.
find a potion ofgrowth, three potions ofhealing, and • The highest jar shows a white-haired crone or hag.
two potions ofgiant strength (hill).
T H E SE ..J I\ RS O F' T IM£" SHOW
Twelve bea n pods hang on the bea ns talk and a re ZVB ILN J\ 1 S P/\ST, PRESENT,
easily detached . A detac hed bean pod can be hurled l\NO F UTURE FORMS
up to 120 feet as an action. When it is tossed on the
ground, it disappea rs and produces an effect iden-
tical to that of the plant growth spell (the version of
the spell tha t takes 1 action to cast).

P43. MIRROR OF HEART'S DESIRE

The door to this room is sealed with a lion crown
lock (see "Crown Locks" earlier in the cha pter).

This marble hall is empty except for a tall mirror
mounted in an alcove on the north wall. Cold, spectral
mist hangs motionless in front of the mirror's reAec-

tive surface and covers the Aoor beneath it.

Zybilna brought morta ls before this mirror, where
they could see the objects of their heart's desire re-
flected in it. Any creature that stares into the mirror
for 1 minute sees its own reflection fade away, to be
replaced by an image of the thing it wants most. The
mirror is a La rge object with AC 13, 5 hit points,
and immunity to poison and psych ic da mage.

If a character looks into the mirror long enough
to trigger its property, work with that characte r's
player to determine what the character sees: it might
be something or someone the cha racter lost, a goal
the character has yet to attain, or a momentous
event that has not yet come to pass. ff you are usi ng
the "Lost Things'' adventure hook and the character
hasn't yet found what they're looking for, the mirror
might show the character its location and a route
the character can ta ke to get there.

CHAPTER 5 I PAL\ CE OF H EART ' S D ES I RE 199