Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Writing on the Walls

Names and initials are inscribed on the walls. Some are the results of dares or tests of bravery; others were left by those marking their visit to the Cavern of Echoes (x). Older markings left in ink, charcoal, or paint are faded and illegible. A character who leaves their name or initials in the cave sometimes hears their name whispered among the echoes of the cave.

Characters who examine the walls find the initials "C + P" carved into the stone and circumscribed by a heart. A character who studies the wall and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check determines these initials weren't carved by tools, but rather were magically engraved into the stone. Caerwyn and Porphura marked the wall using the Stone Shape spell.

Loud Echoes

Sounds in this area echo loudly. Noises louder than a typical conversation—such as shouting or playing an instrument—reverberate painfully. If this occurs, each creature in the chamber must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 13 (3d8) thunder damage and have the deafened condition for 1 minute. The echo then dissipates and doesn't compound.

Whispers of Fate

The magic of the Feywild whispers into the cavern, offering aid to those in true need and without selfish intent. When such a creature requests help in this area, the cavern can offer answers or intervene by duplicating any spell of 8th level or lower (your choice, not the creature's). The most common assistance provided by the cave comes in the form of the Greater Restoration, Heal, and Plane Shift (to the Eternal Garden only) spells; when duplicating the effect of a spell, the cavern targets the creature that requested its aid.

A creature that asks a question here receives a truthful, albeit cryptic, answer in Common with clues to its goals. Those who can help themselves, such as the characters, receive only this benefit from the cavern. If the characters inquire about the whereabouts of Juliana and Orlando, disembodied voices tell them their quarry is just beyond the crystal cave (x). The cave's oracular power is similar to a Divination spell.

A creature that makes a selfish or destructive request causes thunderous reprimands to reverberate through the chamber, triggering the effects of loud echoes (see the "Loud Echoes" section). Once a creature asks a question here and receives a benefit, no matter how small, the creature can't do so again for 1 year and 1 day.

Stalagmites

The rock formations throughout this cavern are dangerously sharp. A creature pushed into a stalagmite takes 11 (2d10) piercing damage.

Treasure

The skeleton of a decades-dead human knight rests in the south chamber, impaled on a stalagmite by the poltergeists. Most equipment the knight once carried has rusted or rotted away, but a Necklace of Adaptation hangs around the dead warrior's neck. Scattered on the floor beneath the skeleton are 8 pp, 22 gp, and a yellow topaz (250 gp).

Treasure

The mounds encase the desiccated remains of two adventures slain by the mud elementals. The adventurers were sent by the governor to find Juliana and Orlando but never returned. Once the elementals are dead, weapons or tools can easily break away the mud shells covering the remains.

One mound entombs the remains of a human warrior. His chain mail, shield, and longsword are rusted but still functional, and he has 20 gp in a crumbled purse.

The other mound holds the remains of an elf thief with a set of thieves' tools, 50 gp, and 50 pp. Her shriveled hand clutches a +1 Dagger with the name "Madrigal" carved into its ivory handle in Elvish.

Treasure

The pool is 3 feet deep, with a bottom of smooth rocks and pebbles that have washed down the stream. A character who searches the pool and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check realizes that seven of the smooth rocks are uncut gemstones: two garnets (10 gp each), two blue tourmalines (15 gp each), an amber (20 gp), a moonstone (25 gp), and a cloudy diamond (50 gp). A character who spends 10 minutes sifting through the river bottom succeeds on the check automatically.

A character who has proficiency with jeweler's tools can cut the gems with two days of work per gem. Doing so multiplies each gem's value by ten.

Crystals

Any bright light in the room refracts through the crystals and fills the chamber with a soft glow and dazzling rainbow patterns.

Music

The disembodied melody carries the emotional resonance of the Feywild and evokes nostalgia in those who hear it. Characters who listen to the music can feel it tugging at memories from their pasts, whether joyful or otherwise.

The music causes momentary ripples in the seemingly frozen waterfall. A character who studies the waterfall and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices the ripples and their connection to the music.

Pool

The pool is 5 feet deep. At the end the waterfall pours into, it too appears frozen in time, while at the far end, the water perceptibly flows into the stream. Within 10 feet of the waterfall, the pool is solid enough to walk on, though anything stationary on the water's surface slowly sinks to the bottom over the course of 1 minute.

Waterfall

The waterfall blocks passage to the fey crossing in x. Like the pool, the waterfall is nearly solid, and it blocks the tunnel except for a 1-inch gap on either side. The waterfall is 5 feet thick. A creature that looks through it with a light source can make out a passage hidden behind the falls.

Traversing the waterfall is difficult but can be accomplished through the following means:

• Brute Force. As an action, a character can force their way through the falls with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. A character who fails the check still manages to push through but gains 1 level of exhaustion from the exertion.
• Song. A character can create a temporary passage through the water by humming, singing, or playing a song. As an action, a character who performs a song and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check creates a 5-foot-wide opening in the waterfall for 1 minute.
• Spells. Magic offers the following solutions:

• Control Water parts or raises the waterfall for the spell's duration.
• Create or Destroy Water cast to destroy part of the waterfall destroys a 5-foot-cube of water, which fills in after 1 minute.
• Teleportation bypasses the waterfall as normal.
• A creature under the effect of a Slow spell more closely matches the waterfall's altered time and can move through the waterfall as if it were difficult terrain.
• A successful Dispel Magic spell (DC 15) cast on the waterfall causes it to flow normally for 1 minute, during which time creatures can move through the water as if it were 3.

At the DM's discretion, other solutions to bypassing the waterfall might exist.

Alcove

This alcove is a fey crossing, a place of beauty where the Material Plane and the Feywild converge. Its walls are carved with a triptych woodland scene depicting forest animals and reveling satyrs, pixies, and sprites. The alcove radiates an aura of conjuration magic if observed with a Detect Magic spell, and any creature that moves into it vanishes, transported to x of the Eternal Garden (detailed later in this adventure).

Leprechauns

The five creatures are leprechauns named Brunnick, Cellia, Flenas, Layleen, and Nerwyn. They are mischievous but fun loving, and all are genuinely delighted to see new visitors—mostly because they have new people to tease, as the rest of the garden's inhabitants have long grown weary of their antics.

Toadstools

The toadstools form a fairy ring that acts as a permanent teleportation circle, which can serve as the destination of teleportation magic and spells such as Plane Shift. Though the fairy ring once provided an exit from the garden, the fey crossing is now one-way, allowing exit only with a special key (see the "Returning to the Garden" section of this adventure's conclusion for more on exiting through the fairy ring).

What the Leprechauns Know

The leprechauns greet newcomers happily, responding to questions about themselves, the garden, and Juliana and Orlando with one or more of the cryptic rhymes shown in the Limericks table.

If the characters ply the leprechauns with amusements (leveraging the leprechaun's Reluctant Refusal trait), the charmed leprechauns let slip some hints to their riddles or their belief that the young lovers are the incarnations of the garden denizens' beloved friends, Caerwyn and Porphura.

If the leprechauns are attacked, they confuse foes with illusions or turn invisible and flee. They take care to return later to plague the characters with irksome pranks such as the following:

• Steal a weapon or magic item
• Steal a component pouch or spellcasting focus
• Fill armor, clothes, or packs with itching powder

[image: A boisterous gaggle of leprechauns greets entrants to the Eternal Garden with japery and merriment]

Key Leaves

The shamrock leaves that grow in this area function as a key to the teleportation sundial in the maze (x).

Hidden Home

An illusion hides the front door to the tree house at ground level. A character who studies the tree trunk and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check discerns the illusion for what it is.

The first floor of the tree home is a circular kitchen with wooden furnishings and simple flatware for five. It's stocked with nutritious food, water, and wine. A spiral staircase carved into the interior wall of the trunk rises to a bedroom with five crisply made beds arranged radially around the wall. A chest at the foot of each bed holds fashionable clothing—most of it red—and blankets.

Kitchen Pit

Beneath the kitchen table is a secret trapdoor. A character who searches the kitchen and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers the door. It leads to a tunnel that ends in a cave-in with several crushed humanoid skeletons visible at its edge, but this is an illusion concealing a 6-foot-deep pit. A character who searches the tunnel and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check, or who tries to interact with the illusion physically, discerns the illusion for what it is.

Key Leaves

The shamrock and oak leaves that grow in this area function as keys to the teleportation sundial in the maze (x).

Treasure

A character who digs at the bottom of the kitchen pit discovers a pouch with an Ioun Stone (sustenance) and two dull-gray stones that lost their magic long ago. Digging deeper reveals a copper crock filled with 2,500 gp—the leprechauns' collected gold. If the gold is stolen, the leprechauns stop at nothing to retrieve it.

Capricious River

The river ranges from 10 to 20 feet in depth and 10 to 50 feet in width. Its flow is unpredictable, reversing at various points along its ovular length. Roll a die for any 100-foot stretch of river. On an even number, it flows clockwise; on an odd number, it flows counterclockwise.

What Vuuthramis Knows

Vuuthramis watches and listens along the course of the river and knows the surrounding inhabitants. If a character overcomes the dragon's shyness, she tells the characters about a few of the garden's denizens, such as Gnarlroot, the treant in x, who "seems extra grumpy today."

In addition to this general knowledge, Vuuthramis witnessed Juliana and Orlando stop to picnic with a group of pixies and sprites from the fairy forest (x) on the riverbank two days earlier, before the pair continued west.

What the Dryads Know

The dryads correctly suspect Juliana and Orlando are in the x but are hesitant to say anything. They see themselves in the missing lovers and won't risk bringing them to harm. However, if a character beats Sonna and Yvra at myriad, the dryads reluctantly suggest that Gnarlroot, the treant in the south ravine (see x), might know more.

Key Leaves

The oak leaves here are a key to the teleportation sundial in the maze (x).

Treasure

Fluttering in the branches of Sonna's tree is a Cloak of Elvenkind. Yvra's tree has the set's matching Boots of Elvenkind hidden in a hollow. One of the boots holds a leather pouch containing thin ivory plates whose illustrations resemble those of the storied Deck of Many Things. The deck is nonmagical and worth 100 gp. Yvra uses them to play a solitary card game called patience.

Trapped Hollow

The satyrs' treasure is tucked into a hollow formed by the elm's gnarled roots and guarded by a hidden noose snare. A creature that steps close enough to search the root hollow must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be hoisted 20 feet into the air. The creature has the restrained condition until it gets free by cutting the rope or slipping out as an action with a successful DC 16 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. A character who surveys the hollow from a distance and succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers the trap, which can be disarmed by poking it with a stick or tool to set it off.

What the Satyrs Know

If the characters share any juicy tidbits of gossip with the satyrs, such as the name of a secret crush, the satyrs respond with stories about other denizens of the garden, particularly the leprechauns. The satyrs show open annoyance at the leprechauns' pranks and hint that by offering the leprechauns a dance or fine meal, the characters might be able to persuade them to part with more information. The satyrs know of Juliana and Orlando but haven't met them; they eagerly look forward to partying with the "new arrivals."

Treasure

In the tree hollow is a leather sack containing 400 gp and a locked wooden box. As an action, a character can pick the lock with a successful DC 20 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using thieves' tools. The box holds three sapphires (200 gp each), a Potion of Animal Friendship, a Potion of Diminution, a Potion of Healing (greater), and a set of fine reed pipes worth 25 gp.

What Gorguth Knows

Gorguth observed Juliana and Orlando during their travels and knows they've spent a great deal of time talking with the Gardener, who lives in a cave across the lake (see x).

What the Bears Know

The bears' attitudes improve by one step if the characters offer them food or if a character explains the party's presence and succeeds on a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check.

The cub observed Juliana and Orlando two days ago. She followed them to the Fountain All Heal (x), where the pair quenched their thirst. If the characters improved the cub's attitude, she gladly agrees to lead the characters to the fountain.

Curative Water

The fountain's waters are cool, pure, refreshing—and a potent magical elixir. A creature that drinks from the basin gains the benefits of both the Greater Restoration spell (all its benefits) and the Heal spell, and any entities possessing the drinker are forced out.

Any water scooped from the basin must be drunk immediately to benefit from its properties. If bottled or removed from the fountain, the water loses its magic and turns into gravel.

Entrancing Draught

A creature that drinks from the fountain must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or permanently lose all desire to leave the x. Fey and creatures with the Fey Ancestry trait automatically succeed on the saving throw. An affected creature resists any attempt to forcibly remove it from the garden. If the creature is removed from the garden, it is overcome with an irresistible desire to return. This effect can be removed only by a Wish spell (such as those granted in the x, detailed later in this adventure); a carefully worded wish can free multiple creatures from the water's trance.

Key Leaves

The dog-rose leaves here are a key to the teleportation sundial in the maze (x).

Fairy House

The pixies and sprites live in an abandoned badger burrow in the willow hill. Only Tiny creatures can fit through the foot-tall fairy door set into the burrow's entrance. The Fey furnished and decorated the burrow like a tiny house; it has four rooms.

What the Fairies Know

To non-evil beings, the pixies and sprites are perfectly amiable, revealing themselves and welcoming such characters to their home. If the characters inquire about the garden or any of its residents, the Fey huddle up and whisper among themselves before a spokes-pixie cheerfully announces they'll happily help in exchange for a gift. The pixie accepts any magic item, anything shiny or sparkly, or anything with a story imparted by the character who offers it.

After receiving an acceptable gift, the fairies disclose that several of them spent some time at a picnic with Juliana and Orlando on the couple's first day in the garden and eventually led them to the Fountain All Heal (x) to quench their thirst.

Treasure

Hidden in the fairies' burrow are a Potion of Clairvoyance and a gold ring (250 gp) set with a Pearl of Power.

Key Leaves

The oak and mistletoe leaves here are keys to the teleportation sundial in the hedge maze (x).

Treasure

A sheathed +1 Longswordwith a gem-encrusted hilt pokes up from the central oak's roots. The sword sheds light as a torch when drawn. Hanging from the high branches of a smaller oak is a black opal pendant (1,500 gp). A character who searches the grove and succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the pendant.

Hidden Cave

A mossy cave hidden toward the back of the ravine holds a simple table and stool and a rack full of gardening tools. The furniture is for the Gardener's benefit, and both they and Gnarlroot use the tools to tend various plants in the garden. Characters who search the ravine and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check find the cave behind a curtain of ivy.

What Gnarlroot Knows

Gnarlroot often converses with the Gardener when the archfey stops by. He knows about Juliana and Orlando thanks to a recent visit from the archfey. If the characters agree to get off his lawn, Gnarlroot tells them the paramours were seen gathering leaves throughout the garden before entering the hedge maze (x).

Treasure

Hidden in a leather sack under some mossy rocks in the cave is a Potion of Growth. A character searching the cave finds the stash with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Treasure

Wedged into the crack where the stream begins is a +1 Shield emblazoned with the image of a brightly painted frog.

Shelter

The centaurs' home has an open-air common room with a large trestle table, cooking utensils, and fresh fruit and nuts. Three bedrooms behind it house the family, two for the children and one for their parents. The rooms are appointed with straw mattresses and lockers containing brushes and simple upper-body clothing.

What the Centaurs Know

Kari and Vinz saw Juliana and Orlando enter the hedge maze (x) yesterday, but the couple never returned.

Treasure

A character can carefully harvest a single dose of magical honey from the hive without upsetting the bees with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check. The honey collected functions as a Potion of Vitality.

[image: With sharp horns and even sharper wit, the unicorns Stargleam and Silverlily delight in philosophical debates]

What the Unicorns Know

The unicorns are initially standoffish and try to get the measure of anyone pumping them for information with a philosophical debate, such as when it's okay to lie to someone you love. A character who engages the unicorns in their debate and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) or Intelligence (History) check earns the unicorns' grudging respect. Thereafter the unicorns are willing to discuss the garden and its inhabitants, including the entrancing power of the Fountain All Heal (x). The unicorns then reveal Juliana and Orlando are under its sway.

Hedges

The hedge wall is 5 feet thick and immune to all damage. A creature can force its way through the wall, spending 4 feet of movement for each foot traveled. Creatures that push through a hedge wall must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (7d8) piercing damage from its thorns on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Roses

The lovely scent of the roses fills the arbor inside the hedge walls, causing a drowsy euphoria in creatures that inhale it. A creature that breathes the scent must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have the poisoned condition for 24 hours. A creature that succeeds on the save is immune to the roses' perfume for 24 hours.

Boat

A wide rowboat boat is tied to the jetty on the western bank. The boat can comfortably hold up to six Medium creatures and has two oars.

Main Floor

The main room is open and airy, with a long white table in the center surrounded by four padded chairs. A crystal decanter and four matching glasses sit on a silver tray.

Otter Den

The otters have a den in the flooded "basement" of the palace. A hole in the wall under the west side of the docking platform allows them to swim in and out of the den. The floor is covered in gravel, fish bones, and shells. Stairs ascend to a loft with a nest and four playful baby giant otters (weasels with a swimming speed of 30 feet).

What the Gardener Knows

The Gardener is happy to answer general questions about the garden and its creators. If the characters are respectful, the archfey confirms that Juliana and Orlando are present in the domain. If asked either where the lovers are now or how to leave the garden, the Gardener encourages the characters to solve the hedge maze (x) to find what they're looking for.

Key Leaves

The dog-rose leaves here are a key to the teleportation sundial in the maze (x).

Maze

Each time creatures enter the maze, the path through is different. To successfully navigate the maze, a creature must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check or reemerge at its starting point. Groups that enter the maze together make this check as a group check. A creature can create a more direct route by pushing through the walls, but it risks running afoul of the hedges' thorns (see the "Hedges" section below). A straight path between the center of the maze and its starting point has 1d3 + 1 hedge walls in the way.

Residents of the garden and any creatures that have succumbed to the entrancement of the Fountain All Heal (x) instinctively know the correct path through the maze, automatically succeeding on checks to navigate it.

Hedges

The hedge wall is 5 feet thick and immune to all damage. A creature can force its way through the wall, spending 4 feet of movement for each foot traveled. Creatures that push through a hedge wall must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (7d8) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Sundial

In the center of the maze is a rose-quartz sundial with a silver gnomon. The dial always shows noon during the day. Leaf-shaped impressions carved into the four corners of the sundial's face depict plants found throughout the garden: dog rose, mistletoe, oak, and shamrock. A character can identify the leaves with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check.

The leaves act as keys to the sundial. If all the appropriate leaves are placed in their respective impressions, the sundial glows, and every creature in the center of the maze is transported to x of the x (detailed in the following section). The leaves are then consumed.

The Sundial Keys table outlines where each type of key leaf can be found in the garden.

Sundial

The sundial here functions identically to the one in the hedge maze (x), but the leaves required to operate it don't grow within the demiplane. If the characters didn't bring extra leaves with them when they entered, they must find the reusable keys carried by the current occupants of the palace (see x and x) to leave it. Activating this sundial returns the characters to the center of the maze.

Refreshing Rest

A creature that finishes a short rest in the bower instead gains the benefits of finishing a long rest. The creature can't benefit from this property again for 24 hours.

Doors

The words above the door appear written in the preferred language of whoever reads them. The doors open for a creature only if that creature approaches the doors with no weapons bared. A character can force the doors open with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check or with a Knock spell, but doing so prompts the guardians to attack.

Disturbance

Sounds of combat or other loud, alarming noises in this area draw the attention of Juliana and Orlando in x as well as Argus and Hamish, a pair of former adventurers in x. The latter two arm themselves and come quickly to investigate. Argus and Hamish ignore any ruckus that doesn't sound dangerous, attributing it to Juliana and Orlando and leaving the young couple their privacy.

Treasure

The decanters hold sweet wine, and the fruit is fresh and scrumptious. The two decanters are worth 50 gp each, and the ten glasses are worth 10 gp each. As long as they remain in the palace, the decanters and bowls refill every 24 hours.

Breaking the Enchantment

Juliana and Orlando are under the enchantment of the Fountain All Heal and regard the palace as their new home. Until they're freed from the domain's allure—such as by a Wish spell granted in the tomb (see x)—they won't entertain any notion of leaving. If the effect on them is broken, the couple entertains reasonable arguments to return home and speak to their worried families.

Disturbance

Sounds of combat or other loud, alarming noises draw the attention of Argus and Hamish in x, who arm themselves and come quickly to investigate. The two ignore any noise that doesn't sound dangerous, preferring to give Juliana and Orlando their privacy.

Key Leaves

Juliana and Orlando each carry a set of gilt silver keys to the sundials in x and x. The keys are metal replicas of the required leaves in lifelike detail. Unlike normal leaves, these keys aren't consumed by the sundial and travel with the user to the destination.

Treasure

The 20-foot-square tapestry depicts Caerwyn and Porphura, is worth 1,000 gp, and weighs 300 pounds.

Julianna and Orlando's possessions are stored in the secret closet behind the tapestry and include two sets of fine clothes, two rapiers, two breastplates, a purse containing 30 gp and three diamonds worth 300 gp each, and a gold signet ring worth 50 gp bearing Orlando's family crest.

Breaking the Enchantment

If the characters break the fountain's enchantment on Argus and Hamish, the two are grateful but ultimately resolve to remain in the garden together of their own free will.

Key Leaves

Argus and Hamish each carry a set of gilt silver keys to the sundials in x and x. The keys are metal replicas of the required leaves in lifelike detail. Unlike normal leaves, these keys aren't consumed and travel with the user to the destination. The couple also keeps sets of spare key leaves in a secret closet (see the "Treasure" section).

Treasure

The 20-foot-square tapestry depicts Caerwyn and Porphura, is worth 1,000 gp, and weighs 300 pounds.

A secret closet in the southeastern corner of the room holds Argus' spellbook, which contains all his prepared spells; a Wand of Magic Detection; an ivory inlaid box (150 gp) holding five sets of spare key leaves (see the "Key Leaves" section above); two Potions of Healing (greater); and a bag with 10 pp, 20 gp, 15 sp, and a flawed emerald worth 500 gp.

Final Rest

The sarcophagus holds the perfectly preserved remains of Caerwyn and Porphura. The carved figures on the lid are exquisitely lifelike in their rendering. As an action, a creature can open the sarcophagus with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.

Inscription

The gold lettering on the foot of the tomb is written in Common and reads as follows:

Treasure

The true treasure of the tomb is indicated by the inscription. If a creature visits the tomb but leaves its sarcophagus undisturbed, the magic of the palace grants the creature one casting of the Wish spell, fulfilled by the spirits of Caerwyn and Porphura on the creature's behalf. As the creature departs the tomb, a pair of joyful voices whisper to it in unison. The voices thank the creature for its respect and inform the creature that its next wish spoken aloud before it leaves the garden will be granted. A creature can gain only one wish from the tomb, no matter how many times it visits.

The tomb errs toward the spirit of a wish rather than the strict letter and doesn't twist the wisher's intent, especially if the wish is made to free a creature from the x enchanting draught. Feel free to allow wishes to be partially granted, or to simply inform a player their stated wish isn't fulfilled and they can try again.

If a creature opens the sarcophagus, the palace grants no further wishes, and any it has granted within the last 24 hours are immediately undone.

Inside the sarcophagus lie the perfectly preserved bodies of Caerwyn and Porphura in each other's arms as if only sleeping. Dressed in simple, white, linen robes, they wear matching gold rings (100 gp each). The interred lovers have no wish to return to life, and any magic used to resurrect them or speak to their corpses fails.