The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Crown Locks

Most of the locked doors in the palace can be unlocked by placing the crown from the maiden's pond (x) on the head of either the iron lion in area P9 or the iron hart in area P10. It is assumed that the characters will revisit areas P9 and P10 from time to time so that they can toggle the locks to provide entry where they want to go. Once opened, a crown-locked door can be propped open to keep it from locking again when the crown is removed from the head of the lion or the hart. A crown-locked door can also be opened with a knock spell.

The maps of the palace use the following symbols to denote these locked doors:

A marble cameo depicting a lion or a hart wearing a crown is mounted above each magically locked door, identifying which iron guardian must wear the crown for it to be unlocked.

Creatures whose names have been penned inside Zybilna's ritual book (see x) can open locked doors in the palace without using the crown. This is how the members of the Hourglass Coven and the League of Malevolence are able to move through the palace unhindered.

Ending the Effect on Creatures

One can use an action to end the time-freezing magic on a creature by touching it with a unicorn horn while speaking the creature's true name. (Nicknames and aliases won't work.) Zybilna's faithful butler, Thinnings (see x), learned this fact after spying on the hags, and he shares this knowledge with characters who befriend him.

Unattended Objects Frozen in Time

A unicorn horn has no effect on objects frozen in time that aren't being worn or carried. Unlike creatures in temporal stasis, unattended objects that are frozen in time can be manipulated, moved, damaged, and destroyed; a time-frozen apple is just as juicy as it was before being frozen, and time-frozen fire still deals damage and can be snuffed out by pouring water over it.

P1. Front Gate

The double gate is 20 feet tall and pushes open with ease. Its silver-plated iron bars are spaced wide enough for Small humanoids to squeeze through. The wall encircling the garden is 40 feet high and is easily climbed due to the vegetation clinging to it.

P2. Palace Garden

This garden encompasses several other locations (x through x) and is lush with flower beds, trees, and topiaries. The streams are 2 feet deep and easily forded.

Minor damage to the garden is tolerated, but widespread destruction causes the iron lion in x and the iron hart in x to burst out of their towers and attack those responsible.

P3. Pavilion

The entrance to the pavilion is open, and music and voices come from inside the place. If one or more characters look inside, read:

The guests gathered here are denizens of the Material Plane who regard Zybilna as a fairy godmother-like figure. After using various fey crossings to enter the Feywild, they petitioned spellcasters to transport them to the palace, arriving in the ring of standing stones (x). They had hoped to receive audiences with Zybilna upon their arrival but have been told to wait in the garden until meetings can be arranged with her representatives (the sisters of the Hourglass Coven). The guests are unaware of Zybilna's current predicament and have lost track of time.

The guests include these individuals:

• Sumai, a farmer (lawful good, male, human commoner) from the world of Toril, carries a carnivorous pumpkin named Yamzu (an awakened shrub that speaks Common, with a Bite attack identical to the shrub's Rake attack except it deals piercing damage instead of slashing damage). Sumai wants Yamzu to stop devouring his livestock, but he doesn't want to harm the pumpkin.
• Lord Eld, a faultlessly polite aristocrat (chaotic good, male, high elf noble) from the world of Oerth, was transformed into a living statue by wild magic emanating from a family crypt. He wants the effect to be undone and to be restored to his true form. While in this form, he has resistance to all damage, but his speed is halved.
• Obal Obb, a headless dwarf (lawful good, male, mountain dwarf commoner) hailing from the world of Oerth, is searching for his missing head, which was stolen. The magic that deprived Obal of his head left him blinded but, miraculously, he can hear just fine. He stomps his foot once to communicate "yes," and twice for "no."
• Bodger, a brown bear from a world of your choice, hopes to undo a curse put on him by a cruel river spirit who resented him eating its fish. Thanks to the awaken spell that was cast on him by a friendly druid, Bodger has an Intelligence of 10 and speaks Common.
• Majera d'Valzey (neutral, female, human noble) from the world of Eberron, has a magic quill named Dictado. The quill scrawls out anything Majera says, and her place at the table is piled with sheets of parchment. Majera is hoping to break the terms of an arranged marriage.

Two other guests were present when the Hourglass Coven froze the palace in time: Hogus Pinsworth (lawful good, male, strongheart halfling commoner) from the world of Tal'Dorei, who needs help paying off his debts, and Zurrash (chaotic good, female orc war chief) from the world of Eberron, who was ousted by one of her rivals. Both are trapped in temporal stasis, and none of the other pavilion guests know who they are.

When the characters arrive, the five guests who aren't frozen in time are having an animated conversation about whether clotted cream should be applied to a scone before or after jam. They are so engrossed in this debate that they fail to acknowledge the presence of newcomers unless a character enters the discussion or taps on a teacup loudly with a spoon (which the guests sometimes do when seeking attention).

If questioned, the guests reveal that they arrived at the palace separately and each of them is waiting to speak to one or more of Zybilna's representatives. They've been here a long time (how long they aren't sure exactly), yet they remain patient and well fed. The guests have wandered the garden but can offer no information about the palace. They know better than to enter the palace without an invitation.

P4. Standing Stones

A detect magic spell reveals an aura of conjuration magic around the standing stones. Any character who examines the sigils on the stones and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check can determine that they combine into a sequence that allows the ring of standing stones to function as a teleportation circle. A character who has this sequence written down or committed to memory can use it in conjunction with the teleportation circle spell to arrive inside the ring, provided the spell is cast somewhere in the Feywild.

P5. Fountain of Awakening

A detect magic spell reveals an aura of transmutation magic around the fountain. The magic of this fountain still functions even though its waters are frozen in time. The water can be handled and made to hold new forms as if it were soft dough, but any water removed from the fountain takes on the consistency of normal water. Any Beast that bathes in the fountain's still waters is awakened, as if by the awaken spell, provided it meets the spell's requirements. The effect ends if the awakened Beast leaves the palace garden.

Any Humanoid that drinks from the fountain or bathes in its waters must make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, its Intelligence score drops to 3 for 24 hours, and it gains the following flaw, which supersedes any conflicting trait: "I have the disposition of a wild animal." Any magic that ends a curse ends the effect on the creature immediately.

P6. Woodcutter's Axe

P7. Rose Garden

The webs belong to three ettercaps that recently crawled up from the forest of Thither. They lurk under the soil, waiting patiently for tasty fairies to get stuck in their webs. If one or more characters enter the rose garden, the ettercaps rise from their earthy cysts and assume threatening postures, hoping to scare off the characters. The ettercaps lack the courage to fight anything bigger than a pixie, but they defend themselves if attacked. An ettercap reduced to 22 hit points or fewer tries to flee by crawling up and over the nearby palace wall.

P8. Maiden's Pond

The lake, the trees, and the fireflies are frozen in time, but the dragonflies are not. The pool's time-frozen water can be handled and made to hold new forms as if it were soft dough, but any water removed from the pool takes on the consistency of normal water.

If one or more characters touch the pool, read:

A fey spirit is bound to the lake. Underwater, its body has the shape of a school of fish. Its watery hand holds the crown aloft until a character takes it or the party moves away, at which point the hand slips back under the water. If the crown isn't taken from the hand, it can be retrieved from the bottom of the lake, which is 10 feet deep.

P9. Envy's Tower

The base of this tower is 10 feet higher than the garden floor. Stairs hugging the tower's outer wall climb 10 feet to an unlocked double door. A bronze plaque above the door reads "Envy" in Common. The tower is 30 feet tall and has no roof, enabling characters to enter it from above if they have the means to do so.

[image: Envy, the Iron Lion]

The iron lion, Envy, is one of two guardians that Zybilna created to watch over her garden in her absence. When Zybilna became frozen in time, her guardians appeared from their respective demiplanes to perform their duty. Envy uses the gorgon stat block, with these changes:

• The iron lion speaks Common and Sylvan, referring to itself using the pronouns "we" and "us."
• It has a Bite attack instead of a Gore attack, and it has a Claws attack that deals slashing damage instead of a Hooves attack that deals bludgeoning damage. (The attacks are functionally the same otherwise.)

Envy dislikes its counterpart, Wrath (see x), but the two are prevented by Zybilna's magic from harming one another. When the characters first grace the iron lion with their presence, it demands their obeisance and commands them to kneel before it. If the characters do as Envy commands, the lion is pleased and allows them to remain in its presence. Characters who fail to show it deference are instructed to leave the tower at once, and the lion attacks those who refuse.

The lion shares the following information with characters who show it proper respect:

• "We and our counterpart were created as a pair to protect the gardens from intruders in Zybilna's absence."
• "Our presence here means that our mistress is gone. Where? We do not know."
• "The palace receives visitors even in Zybilna's absence. Guests are to remain in the garden pavilion until Zybilna deigns to grant them an audience. It is not our responsibility to protect visitors."

Characters on good terms with Envy can ask it about the crown of needles from x. It knows the following information about the crown:

• "Zybilna created the crown as a key that guests can use to reach certain areas of the palace in her absence. The crown has two forms: one made of silver needles, the other of golden roses."
• "To transform the crown of needles into its gold form, it must be placed on the brow of the correct iron guardian. Which of us, Envy or Wrath, is the correct guardian? We cannot say. Placing the crown on the incorrect guardian banishes the guardian to its demiplane, along with the crown."
• "Once the crown is transformed into its gold form, either guardian can wear it without being banished. Certain doors inside the palace become unlocked or locked, depending on which guardian wears the golden crown." (Neither Envy nor Wrath knows which doors in the palace each of them is connected to.)

To transform the crown of silver needles into the crown of golden roses, it must be placed on Wrath's brow, but Envy doesn't know that. If the crown of silver needles is placed on Envy's head, Envy is banished to its demiplane along with the crown until Zybilna wills them both to return (which can't happen while she's trapped in temporal stasis).

In its gold form, the crown can be safely placed on Envy's head, even if the iron lion is dead. While Envy wears the crown, all lion-marked doors throughout the palace become unlocked (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

Envy is willing to let the characters take the crown from it temporarily, but it wants something in exchange each time it relinquishes the crown: a lei made from flowers found in the palace garden (x). A single character needs 1 hour to pick the flowers and fashion the lei, but multiple characters working together can reduce the time proportionately. The lei must be presented to Envy as a gift and draped over its shoulders. To determine whether Envy is satisfied, each character who contributed to the necklace's creation can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check. On a successful check, the lei is deemed acceptable, and Envy relinquishes the crown. If any character's check total is 25 or higher, the lei is deemed extraordinary, and from that point on, Envy relinquishes the crown whenever the characters ask for it.

P10. Wrath's Tower

The base of this tower is 10 feet higher than the garden floor. The double door to this tower is accessible from a 10-foot-high stone catwalk that connects it with the servants' quarters (x). A bronze plaque above the door bears the word "Wrath" in Common. The tower is 30 feet tall and has no roof, enabling characters to enter it from above if they have the means to do so.

The iron hart, Wrath, is the counterpart to the iron lion named Envy in x. Wrath uses the gorgon stat block. It can speak Common and Sylvan, and it refers to itself using the pronouns "we" and "us."

Wrath dislikes Envy, but the two are prevented by Zybilna's magic from harming one another. When the characters first appear before the iron hart, it demands their obeisance and commands them to kneel before it. If the characters do as Wrath commands, the hart is pleased and allows them to remain in its presence. Characters who fail to show it deference are instructed to leave the tower at once, and Wrath attacks those who refuse. Wrath knows the same information that Envy knows (see area P9).

To transform the crown of silver needles from x into the crown of golden roses, it must be placed on Wrath's brow, but Wrath doesn't know that. While Wrath wears the gold crown, all hart-marked doors in the palace are unlocked (see "x" earlier in the chapter). This holds true even if the iron hart is dead.

Wrath is willing to let the characters take the crown from it temporarily, but it wants something in exchange each time it relinquishes the crown: a basket of berries picked from the palace garden (x). If they so desire, the characters can take one of the baskets from the tower and use it to collect the berries. A single character needs 1 hour to pick the berries, but multiple characters working together can reduce the time proportionately. The berries must be presented to Wrath as a gift, whereupon the iron hart devours them. To determine whether Wrath is satisfied, each character who picked any of them can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check. On a successful check, the berry selection is deemed acceptable, and Wrath relinquishes the crown. If any character's check total is 25 or higher, the berry selection is deemed extraordinary, and from that point on, Wrath relinquishes the crown whenever the characters ask for it.

P11. Carriage House

When the characters open one of the doors leading to this chamber and peer inside, read:

Zybilna used this flying carriage to travel to other locations in the Feywild. The carriage's doors are sealed shut, with no handles, hinges, or keyholes. Zybilna kept the carriage's magic key inside the vehicle and used misty step spells to retrieve it as needed. The carriage's crystal structure is mostly opaque except for its windows. Anyone who looks through a carriage window spots an ornate glass key resting on the seat inside. To reach the key, a character must smash a window or use magic. Characters who smash their way into the carriage alert Zargash (see x), who investigates the noise.

The carriage is a Huge object with AC 13, 50 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Its windows and wheels are separate objects, each with AC 13, 10 hit points, and the same vulnerability and immunities as the rest of the carriage. Five Medium or smaller creatures can fit comfortably inside the cab, with an additional seat up front for the driver.

If the key is held within 3 inches of the door on either side of the carriage, a keyhole magically appears on the door's surface. Turning the key clockwise in the keyhole unlocks both carriage doors and animates the glass pegasi, causing them to stamp their hooves impatiently. They use the pegasus stat block, with these changes:

• The glass pegasi are Constructs with immunity to exhaustion and the charmed, frightened, paralyzed, and petrified conditions.
• They have AC 15 while animated and AC 13 otherwise.

While the glass pegasi are animated, reins made of starlight appear in the hands of anyone who sits on the driver's seat, allowing that individual to steer the carriage. The pegasi can pull the carriage at a speed of 40 feet on land or 80 feet while flying.

Turning the key counterclockwise in either door's lock can be done only while the carriage is on the ground and not moving; doing so locks both doors and causes the pegasi to revert to inanimate glass statues.

P12. Hall of Stars

The double door on the south side of this area is sealed with a hart crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

There is nothing peculiar about the panels.

The two doors on the north wall open onto stone balconies that overlook a stormy void (area P13) and offer clear views of the tower and the staircases suspended above it.

P13. Court of Storms

The double door on the stone balcony between this area and x is sealed with a lion crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter). The balcony doors that adjoin areas x, P12, x, and x are not locked.

If the characters are in a location where they can see the hole in the wall of x on the tower's second floor, add:

The knight suspended in the air is Strongheart (see area P47), the leader of Valor's Call. It's obvious to anyone who can see him that the knight will plunge into the vortex if the time-freezing effect on him is ended.

P14. Spiral Staircases

Areas P14a through P14d are on the palace's lower level, while areas P14e through P14h are on the upper level. All eight rooms have similar decor:

The reliefs hint at Zybilna's fondness for demons. Specifics about each room are provided below:

• P14a. The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14e. To the northeast, an elevated staircase extends over part of the Court of Storms (x) and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower (x on the upper level).
• P14b. The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14f. To the northwest, an elevated staircase extends over part of the Court of Storms (x) and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower (x on the upper level).
• P14c. The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14g. The double door leading to the ballroom (x) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).
• P14d. The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14h. The double door leading to the ballroom (x) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).
• P14e. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14a. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the palace garden (x).
• P14f. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14b. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the palace garden (x).
• P14g. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14c. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms (x).
• P14h. The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14d. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms (x). Floating 10 feet above the top of the staircase is a banshee trapped in temporal stasis. The banshee is all that remains of a vainglorious elf queen named Pari Astarabad, who challenged Zybilna for control of Prismeer and paid the ultimate price. The banshee is condemned to haunt this tower and, thanks to Zybilna's magic, can't leave it. If freed from temporal stasis, the banshee can move between this area and area P14d, but nowhere else.

P15. Servants' Quarters

The five goblins (unarmed, chaotic good noncombatants loyal to Zybilna) are frozen in time. The bells on the wall ring whenever occupants of the x (areas P40a through P40e) tug on the bell pulls in their rooms.

P16. Palace Kitchen

The eight pixies work for Zybilna as bakers, and they are frozen in time. In addition to the large cake described below, characters can see platters of blue-frosted cupcakes and candied apples on sticks, bowls of sugar-glazed button mushrooms, and bottles of eveningberry wine (a sweet, nonalcoholic drink).

P17. Base of the Beanstalk

An open doorway leading from the kitchen (area P16) has thick creepers spreading through it.

The tower above is x. Zybilna's quasit, Iggrik, used a potion from his mistress's laboratory (x) to grow the beanstalk and cause the tower to be lifted to its present height.

The beanstalk is 80 feet high, elevating the floor of the tower 20 feet above the palace roof. A creature that can fly can reach the tower easily enough. A creature can climb the beanstalk without needing magic or climbing gear, but doing so requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. On a check that fails by 5 or more, the creature falls.

The beanstalk has AC 15 and is impervious to most forms of damage. If it is struck with the woodcutter's axe (see x), the beanstalk shrinks 5 feet for every hit point of damage the weapon deals. If the beanstalk takes enough damage to reduce its height to 50 feet, the tower drops to its original position (so that the floor of area P51 is level with the second floor of the palace), and the beanstalk dies.

P18. Banquet Hall

The balcony extends out over the western part of this chamber, as indicated by the dashed line on the map. See x for more information about the balcony.

[image: Dubhforgail the fomorian remains in good spirits until the food runs out.]

Dubhforgail, the gluttonous fomorian, intends to conquer Prismeer. Three days ago, she scaled the column of rock atop which the palace is perched and entered through a hole in the wall (see x). Kelek used every ounce of his charisma to lure Dubhforgail into the banquet hall, hoping to keep her out of his way until the Hourglass Coven can deal with her. Dubhforgail has eaten nearly all the palace's food, yet her appetite remains insatiable. She has no regard for the rules of conduct (see "x" in chapter 2).

Dubhforgail assumes the characters are Kelek's minions and demands that they bring her the cake that Kelek promised her ("Eight tiers high, lit with blood-red candles, and icing white as snow"). She warns them that if they leave and return without it, she'll gobble them up instead "to see if you taste as sweet as you look." Dubhforgail is wicked and violent; if the characters anger her now or later, she snatches up her club and attacks. If treated to the cake from x, Dubhforgail settles down to eat it over the next 3 hours. During this time, characters can move freely through the banquet hall without angering the fomorian.

P19. Dining Terrace

If one or more characters take seats at a table, read:

Magic similar to an animate objects spell makes the cart and its collection of objects act as described. The kettle and the cauldron never run out of tea and hot soup, provided they remain inside the palace grounds.

A creature that drinks both the tea and the soup gains 10 temporary hit points—a benefit each creature can gain only once every 24 hours.

Demitasse, the only animated object on the cart that can speak, is impeccably polite and treats guests with respect. As tea is served, it compliments the characters on their appearance, their manners, or whatever else it thinks might make them happy. Characters who speak to Demitasse about Zybilna learn the following information:

• Zybilna is a powerful archfey who acts as a fairy godmother to destitute mortals. Those whom Zybilna aids are immortalized as glass statues in a room above the banquet hall.
• A bearded man with a nasty disposition (Kelek) watches over the palace. He has been feeding the fomorian in the banquet hall ever since she invaded the palace three days ago.
• Although it doesn't know how Zybilna and her palace came to be frozen in time, Demitasse reports that Zybilna's butler, Thinnings, was not affected and claims that he knows more about the palace than anyone. Demitasse also knows that Thinnings is likely to be found in the servants' quarters (x), and that he's slow to trust others.

If the characters haven't already earned Thinnings's trust, Demitasse advises them to share one or more secrets with the timid butler after luring him out of hiding with the following rhyme:

[image: Demitasse the animated spoon leads a tea-and-soup parade]

P20. Aviary

The bars that surround the double door can't be bent or damaged, but characters can use misty step spells and similar magic to bypass them. The bars are 1 foot apart, leaving gaps wide enough for a Small character or a thin Medium character to squeeze through.

P21. Records Room

The door to this area is sealed with a hart crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

This room contains records of Zybilna's dealings with mortals, including contracts, pacts made with warlocks, and transcripts of conversations, all written in the Infernal script. The dwarf in temporal stasis is Kalimanzaros, Zybilna's clerk. If his statistics become necessary, Kalimanzaros uses the mage stat block, with these changes:

• Kalimanzaros speaks Abyssal, Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, and Infernal, and he has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• He has advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage.

Kalimanzaros has served Iggwilv for hundreds of years and still calls her by that name in private. He would never betray her or divulge information that could be used against her.

P22. Ballroom

The doors to areas P13, P14c, and P14d are sealed with lion crown locks (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

A jabberwock (see appendix C) is coiled around the cauldron. Zybilna treated the jabberwock like a pet, regularly inviting it into her palace to feed from her cauldron. It continues to visit the palace even now that Zybilna is frozen in time, has fed recently, and is sound asleep. Characters can move quietly about the room without waking it. Loud noises cause it to awaken, as do attacks made against it and any attempts to use or disturb the cauldron. Crafty characters who don't want to engage the jabberwock in battle can try to lure it elsewhere, either by using themselves as bait or by playing music (see the "Beware the Jabberwock!" sidebar).

Iggwilv the Witch Queen (see her stat block at the end of the chapter), known in Prismeer as Zybilna, stands near the cauldron alongside a human cleric named Mercion (see x).

P23. Round Table

The doors leading into this room have been knocked from their hinges, and the doorways are wide open. Creatures that make too much noise here wake the jabberwock (see appendix C) in area P22, which promptly investigates.

Ringlerun (see x) was ambushed in here by two members of the League of Malevolence, Zarak and Zargash. The wizard was using his staff of power to cast a cone of cold spell when he became frozen in time. Freeing Ringlerun from his temporal stasis unleashes the magic of the spell, the effect of which erupts out to fill most of the room.

Once he is no longer frozen in time, Ringlerun is determined to defeat the League of Malevolence before it can cause any more mischief. He volunteers an explanation of how Valor's Call came to the palace (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

P24. Ruined Staterooms

The jabberwock destroyed the furnishings in these two rooms and smashed through the doors leading to areas P22, P23, and P25. Nothing of value remains.

P25. Bathing Room

If the characters make any loud noises here and have not yet encountered the jabberwock (see appendix C) in x, it awakens and investigates. The jabberwock enters and leaves the palace through the hole in the wall. It occasionally bathes in the murky pool and also hides its treasure there.

P26. Changing Room

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

Any creature that hangs an article of its clothing on one of the cubicle hooks receives the benefit of an invisibility spell that lasts for 1 hour or until the creature ends the effect on itself by attacking or casting a spell. After receiving this benefit, a creature cannot receive it again for 24 hours.

P27. Armory

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

The glass cabinets are unlocked, and the weapons in them are spectacular in appearance. The cabinets contain one of each weapon listed on the Martial Melee Weapons and Martial Ranged Weapons tables in the Player's Handbook. Being of particularly fine manufacture, they are worth twice the listed price. Each weapon is enchanted to shower its wielder with compliments. If complimented on its own form in return, a weapon glumly whispers, "Ah, but I'm not as fine as Snicker-Snack," and then never speaks again.

P28. Library

The doors to the adjoining hallway are sealed with lion crown locks (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

Zybilna keeps her most esoteric tomes in a separate library upstairs (x), but this room still contains a vast collection of books on all manner of subjects. It exists in a demiplane. Because of the library's demiplanar nature, its occupants and contents were not frozen in time by Iggwilv's Cauldron.

[image: Shon and gray]

P29. Rug of White Roses

The door to area P30 is sealed with a lion crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter). The door on the opposite wall opens onto a balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms (x).

A creature holding or carrying a white rose can pass through this hall safely. The rug is a 40-foot-long, 8-foot-wide rug of smothering with 60 hit points. If a creature not carrying a white rose ends its turn in the hall, the rug attacks it. The rug also attacks creatures that deal damage to it. Because of its length, the rug can smother up to four Medium or smaller creatures at once.

P30. Sludge-Filled Tower

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

Zargash (see x) is here if he hasn't been lured elsewhere. If Zargash is present, add:

Zargash has been taking samples of the sludge in the pool, hoping to learn more about its properties. He stands motionless, pretending to be frozen in time like the other creatures here. If left alone, he waits for the characters to leave the area, then reports to Kelek in x.

Characters who observe Zargash can, with a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check, determine that he is not frozen in time. Because he's pretending to be frozen, the first attack made against him has advantage. If his ruse is exposed or if he's attacked, Zargash uses his next action to cast gaseous form on himself, then flies up to x and heads to area P31 to warn Kelek and Warduke that intruders have entered the palace.

P31. Throne Room

This chamber can be reached by descending a staircase from x. A double door in the north wall pulls open to reveal a stone balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms (x).

The gray-bearded man is Kelek, and he keeps three cockatrices on short leashes. Warduke stands beside him, shield and flaming sword at the ready. If the characters encountered Zargash previously and allowed him to get away, the evil priest of Orcus is crouched behind the throne. (Statistics for all three villains appear in x.) While seated on the throne, Kelek can use a bonus action to speak a rhyme taught to him by the Hourglass Coven ("Knights of glass, protect my ass!"). The rhyme causes the four stained-glass knights in the turrets marked X on the map to leap from their window frames, becoming four glasswork golems (see the accompanying stat block). These golems defend Kelek, returning to their windows after 10 minutes if they haven't been destroyed by then.

If the characters parley with Kelek, he sneers that the palace is now his to rule, though any mention of the Hourglass Coven or the jabberwock causes a flush of dread to pass over Kelek's face. Throughout any conversation, Warduke remains silent, eyeing the party mirthlessly. Zargash, if present, does as little as possible to help Kelek without revealing his treasonous heart. He wants to replace Kelek as leader of the League of Malevolence, but he is certain Warduke will slay him if he openly betrays Kelek.

[image: Glasswork Golem]

If the characters mention Ringlerun, Kelek explains that he wants the staff of power that belongs to the wizard, but he can't take it while Ringlerun is frozen in time. To free Ringlerun, Kelek needs a unicorn horn. (He won't explain how the horn works.) In exchange for a unicorn horn, Kelek promises to help the characters achieve their goals, provided their stated goals have nothing to do with freeing Zybilna. Kelek has no intention of fulfilling his part of any bargain.

If conflict erupts, Kelek relies on Warduke, the cockatrices, and Zargash to defend him. Zargash flees if the battle is going poorly for his side.

Warduke's loyalty can be bought for a reasonable price (treasure worth 2,500 gp or more). If the characters recruit him, Warduke stays with the party for the remainder of the adventure, then goes his own way. While in the party's employ, Warduke stoically follows the characters around, defending them when needed, and can easily be persuaded to use his flame tongue sword to destroy Iggwilv's Cauldron.

Neither Kelek nor Zargash will threaten or harm the characters while Warduke is on the party's side. In the face of certain defeat, Kelek begs for mercy and offers to reveal a secret about Zybilna in exchange for his life and freedom. If the party agrees, Kelek reveals that Zybilna is Iggwilv the Witch Queen and explains how he plotted to blackmail her.

P32. Minstrels' Gallery

This balcony extends out over the banquet hall (x). The door on the west wall is sealed with a lion crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

The harpsichord is a Medium object with AC 15, 12 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of transmutation magic around it. If it loses half or more of its hit points, the harpsichord is too damaged to play music. Reducing the harpsichord to 0 hit points destroys it and causes eight pieces of wreckage to magically spring to life and attack the harpsichord's assailants. Each piece of wreckage is treated as a Tiny object under the effect of an animate objects spell that lasts for 1 minute.

P33. Glass Statues

This room contains forty glass statues, including the one on the dais. The statues stand motionless until someone plays the harpsichord in area P32, the magic of which causes the statues to dance:

When the music from the harpsichord stops playing, the statues freeze in place until the music resumes.

Characters who have seen Zybilna recognize her likeness in the statue on the dais. The remaining thirty-nine statues represent mortals whom Zybilna aided in her role as fairy godmother. A glass scullery maid dances with a glass princess, a glass farmer carries a glass pot filled with glass coins, and so on. Each statue (including the one on the dais) has AC 13, 4 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning and thunder damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

While the statues are dancing, any creature that enters the room or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid colliding with a statue. Reduce the DC by 1 for every three dancing statues that have been destroyed. A collision with a creature causes a statue to shatter and deals 14 (4d6) psychic damage to the creature that struck it. The dancing statues avoid the dais and can't collide with creatures on it, nor can they collide with creatures they can't reach (creatures flying above them, for example).

This statue on the dais doesn't move, and the tiny sphere floating next to its head is frozen in time and magical (see "Treasure" below). It remains suspended in the air above the dais even if the statue on the dais is destroyed.

P34. Hall of Hatches

When the characters first enter, all four panels are closed. Opening a hatch reveals a square cavity containing the head of a decapitated creature. When a hatch is opened, the head inside that cavity barks one of the following utterances:

Each repeats its one-word utterance every time its hatch is opened, then falls silent until the hatch is closed and opened again. To use this area as it was intended, the panels must all be closed and then opened in either of the following sequences:

When the decapitated heads speak the syllables of "Baba Yaga" in their proper order, all creatures in the hall are teleported to unoccupied spaces in the study (x).

P35. Flooded Hall

The sailboat glides closer until it is near enough to board safely. The boat can carry up to eight Medium creatures. One creature can steer the boat using the tiller, and the boat has a speed of 20 feet.

P36. Costume Room

These outfits have been worn by Zybilna in her many guises—a child's witchy dress for young Natasha; a flamboyant, off-the-shoulder dress for Tasha; a dark, alluring gown for Iggwilv; and more.

The following clues can help the characters identify some of Zybilna's former personas:

• The name "Natasha" is stitched into the collar of a cape sized for a child.
• Characters who examined the mannequin of Tasha in the glass cabinet outside the Hall of Illusions in the Witchlight Carnival can recognize Tasha's costume from the way the mannequin was dressed.
• Characters who succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence (History) check can recognize one of Iggwilv's costumes from a woodcut of her that they saw once in a book, where she was identified as "Iggwilv, the Witch Queen of Perrenland."

P37. Dretch Nursery

The cradles contain eight dretches—manifestations of Zybilna's darkest emotions: annoyance, loathing, rage, disgust, disdain, maliciousness, envy, and jealousy. The stunted, baby-like fiends act according to their nature; for example, the annoyed dretch frowns in irritation at everything it sees, the malicious dretch tries to pinch anyone who comes too close to it, and so forth.

A character can make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check to ascertain why the dretches are here and what they represent. On a failed check, the character ascertains nothing. On a successful check, the character realizes that the dretches are manifestations of suppressed negative emotions belonging to whoever confined them to this wretched nursery.

Characters who can read the Elvish script can identify seven different letters carved into the triangular ornaments suspended above the cradles. The letters, each of which appear several times, are A, B, I, L, N, Y, and Z. Rearranged, they spell ZYBILNA. Zybilna needed the lettered ornaments as material components for the ritual that created the dretches, but now they are merely decorative distractions for the baby-like dretches. The letters are attached to the mobiles at random; for example, one cradle's mobile might have the letters A, I, and L, while another might have the letters B, L, and Y.

Each dretch is bound by Zybilna's magic and has a speed of 0 feet while in its cradle. If a dretch is removed from its cradle, its disposition doesn't change, but it is free to go where it pleases. It shuns combat and fights only in self-defense. Killing one or more dretches causes an upswell of dark emotions in Iggwilv, which can have consequences for the characters in their climactic encounter with her (as described at the end of the chapter).

P38. Secret Library

Magic causes each candle to float 1d4 + 3 feet above the floor. Casting dispel magic on a candle or removing a candle from the library automatically ends the levitation effect on it.

If the characters remove a book from the shelves, they see that the cover, like the spine, has no title. Opening any of the books reveals that its pages are blank apart from the first page, on which a thin line has been scribed. If a creature uses the quill pen on the desk to write the title of a book above the line, the remaining pages of the book fill with writing that matches the book of the same title, provided that book is part of this room's collection. Writing a title in a blank book that does not match the title of a book in the collection causes the ink to swiftly evaporate from the page. If a book is removed from this library, all writing in it fades after 30 days, leaving the book blank.

Among the titles found here are the following, which the characters can learn about from Shon in x:

The City That Waits (one explorer's treatise about Moil, a demiplane that houses a city of haunted spires)

The Faceless Lord (Iggwilv's private account of her many dealings with Juiblex, the Demon Prince of Oozes and Slimes—which she later updated and incorporated into her magnum opus, the Demonomicon of Iggwilv)

I, Lyzandred (a lich's meandering autobiography, which drifts into a lengthy, plodding dissertation about demiplanes and how to construct them)

Kingdom of the Ghouls (one adventuring party's exploration of a subterranean kingdom of ghouls on the world of Oerth)

The Many Masques of Mith (a bizarre account of life as a servant to an archwizard named Mith, who hosted masques for honored guests from across the multiverse)

Nadir of Nessus (all about the politics of the Nine Hells, written by a tiefling named Nadir, who claimed to be the daughter of Asmodeus)

Prophecies of Explictica Defilus (a transcription of various prophecies told by a powerful spirit naga from the world of Oerth)

Thingizzard's Night Balloon (instructions for building a magic vessel that can float safely through the layers of the Abyss)

P39. Roost

This 20-foot-square room has an 8-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall archway in the middle of the west wall, beyond which a tower chamber contains five cages dangling from chains above a pool of sludge 30 feet below. Characters who position themselves near the archway can see the ceiling of the tower chamber 30 feet above them, as well as the other features of x.

Floor-to-ceiling iron bars spaced 6 inches apart span the eastern side of this room. Through this wall of bars, one can see the palace's central tower suspended above a stormy void (x). The bars can be bent with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, creating an opening through which Small and Medium characters can squeeze.

P40. Guest Wing

This wing of the palace is reserved for Zybilna's guests, including envoys from other archfey and petitioners from the Material Plane.

[image: Most of the palace's inhabitants are frozen in time]

Each room holds a four-poster bed, a wardrobe containing outfits that magically tailor themselves to their wearers, and a dressing table. A bell pull mounted on the wall by the door enables guests to summon servants from their quarters (x). If the characters ring any of these bells, the butler Thinnings creeps up to investigate 5 minutes later.

Each room's occupants are frozen in time. Individual rooms have their own color schemes and notable features, as indicated below:

• P40a. Red Room. A high elf noble (neutral) with long hair stands in the middle of the room. The elf, Carisso, is holding a crystal goblet of water. Tied to his belt is a glass-handled rapier (actually a +1 rapier). A goblin (noncombatant) stands next to him, holding a tray with a decanter of water on it.
• P40b. Blue Room. This chamber has a line of bluebirds perched motionless on the sill of an open window. The room is otherwise unoccupied.
• P40c. Green Room. A well-dressed forest gnome (noncombatant) stands on a stool in front of a vanity, looking into a mirror as she combs her green hair. The vanity has various cosmetics and vials of perfume on it.
• P40d. White Room. A handsome young male human (noncombatant) in a white nightshirt sleeps in the bed.
• P40e. Black Room. Six goblins (noncombatants) are in the midst of cleaning the room. One of them perches precariously on a stack of chairs while reaching out to dust the top of a tall black wardrobe.

P41. Talking Door

This door is closed and magically locked.

This door was meant to require a password to be opened, but the door grew bored of asking for the same word all the time and now seeks answers to more meaningful, philosophical questions. The door explains this pleasantly, then poses one of the following questions:

• Which is more important, intelligence or wisdom?
• Are we at the mercy of fate, or do we create our own destiny?
• Which has more power, the sword or the quill?

The door enthusiastically debates either side of each point. There are no right or wrong answers; to open the door, a character must argue their case and succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. A character who impressed Feathereen, the gondola swan in the Witchlight Carnival, is filled with confidence in this debate and gains advantage on the check. On a successful check, the door swings open.

P42. Laboratory

The door to this laboratory is sealed with a hart crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

Zybilna used this laboratory to brew potions, including an experimental oil that stimulated the growth of plants. The beanstalk in here is one result of this study; Zybilna's quasit, Iggrik, pilfered and used a more potent variant of this potion to create the enormous beanstalk in x.

P43. Mirror of Heart's Desire

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

Zybilna brought mortals before this mirror, where they could see the objects of their heart's desire reflected 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 Large object with AC 13, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

If a character looks into the mirror long enough to trigger its property, work with that character's player to determine what the character sees: it might be something or someone the character lost, a goal the character has yet to attain, or a momentous event that has not yet come to pass. If you are using 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 take to get there.

P44. Jars of Time

The door to this room is sealed with a hart crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

Any creature that touches one of the jars on the table causes all three jars to display illusory images of that creature from different time periods. The jar closest to the floor shows the creature in its youth. The jar on the middle tier shows the creature as it is now. The highest jar shows what the creature might look like in its later years. Zybilna was the last one to touch the jars, so they currently show images of her past, present, and future self:

• The lowest jar depicts a young woman with raven-black hair.
• The middle jar displays a middle-aged woman with long white hair.
• The highest jar shows a white-haired crone or hag.

The jars are stuck to the table with sovereign glue. Each jar is a Small object with AC 13, 3 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. For each jar that breaks, an invisible stalker is released, appearing in the air above the table. A stalker attacks whoever is responsible for breaking its jar, ignoring all other targets. The stalker returns to the Elemental Plane of Air when it or its target dies.

[image: These "jars of time" show Zybilna's past, present, and future forms.]

P45. Zybilna's Bedroom

The creatures on the bed are two lamias named Nemesatra and Trizzian. The demon prince Graz'zt sent them to parley with Zybilna, because he is convinced that the archfey knows the whereabouts of Iggwilv the Witch Queen (with whom Graz'zt has unfinished business). Nemesatra and Trizzian suspect that Zybilna and Iggwilv are the same person, but the lamias need proof before they return to their master.

Graz'zt has bestowed on each lamia the ability to touch the surface of any mirror (as an action), disappear inside it, and reappear on another plane of existence of their choice, as though the lamia had cast a plane shift spell that affects only one creature. Nemesatra and Trizzian used this ability to travel from Azzagrat (Graz'zt's home in the Abyss) to the Feywild, and they plan to use it again to return to Azzagrat once they get the proof they desire. The costumes in area P36 are not proof enough on their own, but any or all of the following constitute proof:

• The sworn testimony of Thinnings the butler (see x), Kalimanzaros the dwarf (see x), or one of the hags in x, which the lamias must obtain using a suggestion or geas spell
• A copy of The Faceless Lord (one of Iggwilv's known unpublished works) from x
• The jars of time in area P44, provided and the jars still show three faces of Iggwilv (including her younger self, which the lamias recognize)

When one or more characters appear before the lamias, Nemesatra fixes them with a steely gaze and asks, "Are you important?" She expects an affirmative reply, for neither she nor her companion have time for wastrels. Nemesatra and Trizzian won't reveal the purpose of their mission. They view the characters as pawns, ordering them to share any information they uncover about Zybilna's past. Once the lamias obtain proof that Zybilna is Iggwilv (or cleverly fabricated evidence to the contrary), they use the nearest mirror to return to Azzagrat.

The lamias' access to the palace is limited because they can't bypass its locked doors or fly. They entered the palace through the coach house (x) and have visited areas x, x, P14g, x (where they debated the magical door), and P46.

If the lamias are attacked, they defend themselves until at least one of them loses half of their hit points or more, whereupon they touch the mirror in this chamber and return to the Abyss. If the mirror has been destroyed and they have no clear route of escape, the lamias use charm person, suggestion, or geas spells to persuade the characters to leave them alone.

P46. Dressing Room

Permanent unseen servant spells make trying on clothes in this room easy and fun.

P47. Destroyed Study

Characters who peer through the hole in the wall see the following scene:

Nothing of value remains in the study.

Any hags of the Hourglass Coven who retreated to the palace are found here, near the hole in the wall (see x for the hags' stat blocks). Parked nearby are their mounts and vehicles:

• Bavlorna's bobbing lily pad (see appendix A)
• Skabatha's flying rocking horse (see x)
• Endelyn's ornithopter of flying (see appendix A)

If only one hag is present, she is muttering to herself. If two hags are here, they are bickering about what to do next. If all three hags are present, they are mocking the helmed knight as they avoid talking about their present troubles. "He seems to be taking his present situation rather lightly," says Skabatha. "Time has been rather cruel to him," gloats Endelyn. "If we still had the unicorn horn, we could make him plunge to his doom," bemoans Bavlorna.

If Endelyn Moongrave is encountered here, she tells the characters that she foresaw the dissolution of the coven. If one or both of her sisters are in earshot when she says this, they accuse Endelyn of orchestrating the coven's breakup. Arguing ensues, ending with each hag using her plane shift spell to flee Prismeer. The hags also use this spell to escape if the characters attack them.

Otherwise, the hags do what they do best: deceive and bargain. They claim to be the true heroes of the situation, since they trapped Iggwilv in time to save Prismeer from her tyranny and debauchery. They relate memories of Iggwilv's past, portraying her as a demented archmage who peered into the Abyss, studied it intently to learn how to summon and control demons, and used them to ravage kingdoms on the Material Plane. The hags suggest that the characters focus their efforts on slaying the jabberwock. In exchange, the hags promise to use the power of Iggwilv's Cauldron for the characters' benefit, further tempting them by describing the cauldron's many beneficial properties (see appendix A). The hags hope to buy time until they can turn the tables on the characters and make them suffer for their insolence.

P48. Turrets

These seven turrets, areas P48a through P48g, are attached to the palace's central tower. None of these areas have windows. The contents of the seven turrets are as follows:

• P48a. An enameled blue coffer rests on an alabaster pedestal in the middle of this room, which is connected by an open archway to a staircase that leads down to area P31 and up to areas P47 and P49. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of transparent blue crystal with a tiny, Z-shaped crack in its core (see "Treasure" below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna's crystallized desire to be treated as a queen and rule over lesser beings.
• P48b. Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a staircase from area Pl4b on the palace's lower level. An enameled white coffer rests on a black basalt pedestal in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of translucent white crystal. The jewel is warm to the touch (see "Treasure" below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna's crystallized desire to show kindness to the destitute and unfortunate.
• P48c. Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a short staircase from area P48d. An enameled red coffer rests on a pedestal of rotting wood in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of red crystal that hums faintly (see "Treasure" below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna's crystallized desire to punish those who have wronged or defied her.
• P48d. This chamber is empty. A short staircase leads up to area P48c. A longer staircase leads down to a hallway on the palace's lower level that connects with areas P14d and P16.
• P48e. Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a staircase from a hallway on the palace's lower level that stretches north of area P29. An enameled green coffer rests on a wrought-iron pedestal in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a faintly glowing, plum-sized jewel of green crystal (see "Treasure" below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna's crystallized desire to remain hidden from her enemies.
• P48f. Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a short staircase from area P48g. An enameled black coffer rests on a pedestal of living vines in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of lustrous black crystal (see "Treasure" below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna's crystallized desire to know what her enemies are plotting.
• P48g. This chamber is empty. A short staircase leads up to area P48f. A longer staircase leads down to area P14a on the palace's lower level.

P49. Black Book

The door to this chamber is sealed with a hart crown lock (see "x" earlier in the chapter).

The book and the quill radiate auras of abjuration magic if scrutinized using a detect magic spell or similar magic. The flame coming off the feather is illusory and harmless.

The front cover of the book is embossed with images of a lion and a hart, the two animals rearing up on their hind legs and facing each other. Any creature whose name is written in the book using the quill can open any of the palace's crown locks. If a creature's name is crossed out using the quill, or the page bearing its name is torn from the book, the creature's ability to open these locks is rescinded.

A long list of names fills the book's pages, many of them belonging to fairies, judging by their colorfulness. The hags of the Hourglass Coven are listed near the middle of the book. Other names in the book include Thinnings (Zybilna's butler), Shon (Zybilna's librarian), Kalimanzaros (Zybilna's clerk), and Raezil Uthemar (Zybilna's elf spy in x). The final few names are written in Endelyn Moongrave's handwriting. These last entries are the members of the League of Malevolence: Kelek, Zarak, Zargash, Warduke, and Skylla.

P50. Vault

Zybilna stores her greatest treasures inside this vault, which is shielded against divination magic. The door is impervious to damage and has eight built-in locking mechanisms, any one of which can be affected by a knock spell or similar magic. A character can also spend 1 minute trying to pick one of the locks by using thieves' tools, doing so with a successful DC 18 Dexterity check. Opening a single lock, however, causes any previously opened locks to close. To enter the vault, all eight locks must be opened at the same time.

Characters who examine the doorknob discover an inscription around its base that reads, "Speak My Name." A creature that speaks the password "Natasha" while grasping the doorknob can open all of the locks simultaneously. The door, once opened, locks automatically when it is closed again. A similar doorknob, but without the inscription, is inside the vault.

The jars of time (x) and the costume room (x) can provide hints about Zybilna's earliest identity. The solution to this riddle is also hidden in the border of the Witchlight Carnival poster map, which incorporates drawings of creatures and objects pointing at one another: a nilbog (goblin jester) points its scepter at an almiraj (a horned rabbit), which points its horn at a treant, which points to an arrow that points toward a swan, whose beak points to a hippogriff pointing at an axe. By taking the first letters of these creatures and objects, the name NATASHA is spelled out. Reward any player who figures this out by having that player's character whisper the name as if conjuring it from some half-forgotten childhood dream.

When the door opens, read:

The chest is not locked. The drifting balls of light are harmless magical effects confined to this room.

P51. Beanstalk Tower

To enter this tower, the characters must use flight or climb the beanstalk that supports it (see x).

The toad is Iggrik, a shapechanged quasit and Iggwilv's longtime companion. It addresses the characters in Common and claims to be Zybilna's toad familiar. If attacked, it assumes the form of a bat and flies away, taking refuge in the garden (area P2).

When the palace was frozen in time, Iggrik was in the library (x). It spied on the Hourglass Coven until the hags left the palace, then used a potion from Zybilna's laboratory to cause the beanstalk to lift this tower into the air, creating a haven for itself. The quasit has been hiding ever since. It knows that the League of Malevolence has sided with the hags against Zybilna, but it lacks the courage to venture forth and remain abreast of the league's activities in the palace. Warduke, in particular, terrifies the quasit.

If the characters mention Iggwilv or Natasha, Iggrik tries to redirect the conversation. If the characters are otherwise fishing for information, Iggrik reveals the following helpful tidbits:

• The vault (area P50) contains a vorpal sword that can slay the jabberwock. Zybilna acquired the sword as a precaution, in case the jabberwock turned against her. (If the characters ask about the vault's defenses, Iggrik describes a locked door that requires a password, which he knows but won't automatically divulge.)
• The jabberwock is not the biggest creature living in the palace. That would be Zybilna's enormous owl, Bloodybeak. It hates the jabberwock but is confined to the aviary (x) and frozen in time. The password to open the aviary's windows is "canzus."
• Guests can bypass the crown locks on the palace doors by writing their names into Zybilna's black book (in x).

Iggrik also knows how to end the curse that Iggwilv placed on the Ioun stone in x. If the characters need help ending the curse, Iggrik tells them how if they correctly answer the following riddle: "Yesterday comes after tomorrow, but where's my proof?" The answer is "in a dictionary."

If the characters tell Iggrik that Zybilna can be freed from temporal stasis by speaking her true name while touching her with a unicorn horn, the quasit reveals that Zybilna's true name is Natasha (see also "Unicorn Horn" below).

If Iggrik learns that everyone in the palace can be released from temporal stasis by destroying Iggwilv's Cauldron, the quasit shares the following information:

• A flame tongue weapon can destroy the cauldron, and Warduke happens to wield such a weapon.
• The jabberwock likes to coil around the cauldron when it sleeps and is attracted to music. The best chance of defeating it is to use Snicker-Snack, the vorpal sword in Iggwilv's vault (area P50). The password to unlock the vault is "Natasha."
• Destroying the cauldron is no great loss, since Iggwilv has the power to repair it. (That's not to say that the Witch Queen will be pleased to see her cauldron destroyed.)

Things Best Left Unsaid

If the characters speak to Zybilna/Iggwilv about her past, her mood suddenly darkens:

Ask the players in turn what, if anything, their characters try to do to quell the archfey's anger, then have the characters make a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) group check. Add 1 to the DC for each dretch in x that the characters killed. Any characters who deliberately stoke her anger, or who say or do nothing, automatically get failures on their checks.

On a successful group check, Zybilna/Iggwilv apologizes for her outburst, and her mood lightens. On a failed group check, the archfey erases all knowledge of Iggwilv and Natasha from the characters' memories before continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened. Inform the players that this effect has occurred—the names Iggwilv and Natasha no longer mean anything to their characters, and their characters are unaware of what Zybilna has just done. As far as the characters are concerned, Zybilna is the archfey who rules Prismeer and has no other past identities. The effect is permanent and irreversible.

Various loose ends are addressed in the sections that follow. Some of the events described in these sections require the characters' involvement, while others can play out in their absence.

Fate of the Hourglass Coven

If all three hags of the Hourglass Coven are dead, there's nothing more to be done with them. This section discusses what happens next if Zybilna is set free and at least one of the hags is still alive.

The surviving hags can sense when Zybilna is released from temporal stasis—or, rather, they can sense when their hold over Prismeer is lost. The instant Zybilna regains control of her domain, the hags use their plane shift spells to flee to Gehenna, where they maintain a cramped tower guarded by yugoloth mercenaries. They don't think that Zybilna is aware of the tower, but her spies learned about it some time ago. She reveals the tower's location to characters who want to conclude their dealings with the hags or perhaps put an end to them. The tower in Gehenna is beyond the scope of this adventure; flesh out its occupants and defenses as you see fit if the characters decide to pay the hags a visit.

Zybilna takes no immediate action against the surviving hags, preferring to let them stew in exile. If all three hags are still alive, the coven stays together even though its members constantly blame one another for their failures. The hags are united by their fear of Zybilna's wrath, and they live in torment, dreading the day when Zybilna seeks them out and inflicts punishment on them for their wickedness.

Valor's Call and the League of Malevolence

The heroes of Valor's Call become distressed if they learn that Zybilna and Iggwilv are one and the same. They know Iggwilv only by her reputation as a villain, but they have allied with Zybilna against the League of Malevolence. That alliance persists, at least until the league is destroyed and its surviving members taken into custody. Zybilna offers to send Valor's Call and their prisoners back to the Material Plane, after which Valor's Call and Iggwilv go their separate ways.

League members who are still at large in the palace try to flee as soon as the time-freezing magic on the palace ends, for they know Zybilna will not forgive them for their treachery. If the characters rescued Strongheart, the merciful knight sets out to track down and capture the remaining members of the league, whereas the other members of Valor's Call would just as soon dispose of them. If you want to use the League of Malevolence in future adventures, allowing one or more of its members to escape means they can show up again later in your campaign. The league might also have other members whom the characters have yet to encounter.

Stolen Treasures

In accordance with the rule of ownership (see "x" in chapter 2), Zybilna won't allow characters to keep Iggwilv's Cauldron or the vorpal sword, Snicker-Snack. The characters can keep any other treasures they acquired in her domain, but only because she chooses to bequeath these items to them.

Lost Children

As beings of unfettered emotion and potential, children are of great importance to Zybilna. The archfey sees to it that any children held captive by the Hourglass Coven are liberated, rid of unhappy memories, and escorted back to their homes by pixie courtiers. The same holds true for any children who were sequestered by Zybilna's protective magic (see "x" in chapter 2).

Madryck's Reward

If you used the "x" adventure hook, the characters might want to contact their employer, Madryck Roslof, and let him know that Zybilna is well. If she is asked, Zybilna is willing to convey a message to Madryck so that the characters don't have to rush home with the news.

Characters who waste no time getting back to Madryck find him safe at home, still clinging to life. Madryck upholds his end of the agreement by giving them the key and the directions to his buried hoard (see "x" in the introduction).

The Cauldron Was Destroyed

If Iggwilv's Cauldron was destroyed but all its pieces are recovered, Zybilna uses a wish spell to repair the artifact. If this turn of events occurs, read:

The archfey commands her pixie courtiers to bring enough water and wine to put the gold cauldron to use; Zybilna uses that time to attune to the cauldron so that she can exercise its magical properties for the characters' benefit. See appendix A for information about what Iggwilv's Cauldron can do in its gold form.

The Cauldron Was Saved

If her cauldron was not destroyed, Zybilna offers her rescuers the use of a wish spell in return for their accomplishments:

Zybilna honors the spirit of the characters' request and doesn't try to twist their words. If the characters want to be returned to their home world, Zybilna uses a wish spell to transport them back to the Witchlight Carnival or wherever else they want to go, wiser and perhaps not a day older than when they entered the Feywild. If they wish for something else, Zybilna satisfies that desire as well as she can, given the limits of the spell.

If Zybilna can provide what the characters desire without casting a wish spell, so much the better. For example, if they want to take her flying coach (in x) and explore more of the Feywild, she gives them the coach and its key before seeing them on their merry way. If they ask for her cauldron, she laughs and says, "Not in this lifetime."

To Be Young Again!

If you used the "x" adventure hook and the characters are granted a wish, Zybilna offers to harness the time-dilating power of the Feywild to send the characters back to their home plane as the children they once were, so that they can live their lives over without having suffered the terrible losses that brought them to Prismeer in the first place. (This use of Zybilna's gift tests the boundary of what a wish spell can do but is nevertheless within the archfey's power.) This choice is a fine option if the players want to "retire" their characters and end the campaign here and now. If all the players accept this option, read:

The adventure ends here, right where it started.