Part XVII: Yon (Motherhorn)

~ IndieRex

Welcome to Part 17 of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight: Reimagined, an expansion and alternative take on the The Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign.

Please check out the previous entries in the series before diving in here.

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Introduction

This trip through the mountains is certainly quite a hike! Luckily Motherhorn is just over the distance, and from there –
Arctis Tor, the Winter Palace. Hopefully you’ve packed your costume jewelry and memorized your lines, because today we’ll be taking a tour through Endelyn’s amphitheater of horrors.

The Path to Motherhorn

Art by tzlynart

When the players exit the Brigganock mine they will be back outside in the Shimmerstorm Mountains – now not far from Motherhorn. This is a good time to read the description from the book, though hold the staircase and balloon pieces for now until the party actually reaches it later. This will position Motherhorn as the way in to the palace.Ā 

Looming in the distance is an ominous gray citadel hewn out of the mountaintop. The path leading to it is winding and precipitous. Wind swirls around its towers, and ravens cluster and caw in its granite nooks. A crooked finger of lightning strikes a metal rod protruding from the topmost spire, and the sound of applause drifts over the citadelā€™s battlements.Ā 

Awakened Giant GoatsĀ 

While Motherhorn is just over the ridge it’s about an hour’s trek still. On this path is the perfect time for some furry friends to make their appearance. You can play out this event as written in the book though I have an alternative description to set-up the scene below.

As you make your way up the cold, snowy mountain trail, you suddenly sense that you are being watched. You turn to see three giant goats standing a few yards away, their silvery-gray fur ruffled by the mountain wind. Their wizened faces are fixed on you, their golden, hourglass-shaped pupils observing you closely.Ā 

Lightning Rods

The path to the amphitheater is also a good time for the party to pass by some of the lightning rods of Yon.

In the distance you see a towering structure glimmer in the dark as it’s struck by a bolt of lightning and then seemingly absorbs its energies. The tower stands 30 feet high and is topped with a 10-foot-diameter crescent moon made of gleaming copper. You wonder what kind of electricity this rod must harness in order to function given the storms that rage through these mountains.Ā 

If a player chooses to climb one of the rods I feel as if it’s more fun to ask for a check. Some options include:
– DC 14 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (your choice) to climb
– DC 14 Wisdom saving throw as a thunder cracks overhead to not lose balance

If your players have a Lightning-Catching Bottle they can use the rod to fill the bottle in the same manner that they could charge their weapons.

Motherhorn

When the players arrive read the following and the balloon description from the book. If the party defeated Charm in The Fields of Spring then the balloon will not be here and you can skip that portion.

The mountain path ends at a spiral staircase that climbs sixty feet to a balcony made of weathered gray stone. You have reached Motherhorn. 

As described, if Gleam is with the characters, she will warn them of Endelyn. As mentioned last time as well, I highly recommend taking the party through the play though of course this depends on your table!

In this section I will only call out changes (otherwise run the book as is). Unlike the book, if Bavlorna or Skabatha fled they did not escape here. One general change I would recommend is to replace about half of the darklings in Motherhorn to use the greater darkling stat block from Part XI.

A Tragedy in the Making

I’m going to cover the play at the outset as having this info will help inform how you run Motherhorn (and also might mean a bit of a railroad at the beginning for your players if you move them right into the play). As mentioned before, the play is a ton of fun so definitely would suggest pushing your players this way if you think they’d be open to it.

As per the book the party will be expected to put on a play if they want to have an audience with Endelyn in area M18. No invitations or fliers should be needed here. Unlike the book though, Endelyn doesn’t have their Lost Things, but does have a way to get them to Arctis Tor, The Winter Palace, which is where their Lost Things are.

Also like the book, if the characters decline to perform a play for her, Endelyn demands that they leave at once, ordering her darklings to attack characters who refuse to do so.

Preparing for the Play

The party should meet with Stagefright as written to get prepared for the play, but after the initial introduction we will be adjusting things significantly. In terms of how to run the play though there are a lot of options. I’ve laid out my own suggestion below (with inspiration from the outline by u/DearEdison)Ā , but some others to consider are:

Ready? Let’s break a leg!

No Love Lost, The Tragic Love Affair of Iggwilv and Graz’ztĀ 

For my take on the play, the characters will be running a script called No Love Lost, The Tragic Love Affair of Iggwilv and Graz’zt, which is intended to better tie into the overall story. You may remember Graz’zt from Nib’s Cave in Part XIII, and of course Iggwilv needs no introduction.

After the intro with Stagefright it’s time to assign players their roles – either through rolling or choice, but there should be no doubles. As I had 5 players there are 6 roles (one for each of them and one for Charmay) – feel free to adjust depending on your number of players. Charmay also doesn’t need to participate though.

d6ā€Æā€Æ Performer Roles
1 Zagig Yragerne, an archmage and Iggwilv’s first master.  
2 Iggwilv, a powerful raven-haired archmage from OerthĀ 
Note: Iggwilv is, of course, another name for Tasha the Witch Queen – a fact that is not known by anyone in Motherhorn so do not reveal thisĀ 
3 Graz’zt, a powerful demon lord sometimes known as the The Dark Prince or Prince of Pleasure for hisā€¦ erotic tastes 
4 Raxivort, a Xvart and Graz’zt’s treasurer
5 Tenser The Blue Archmage, a member of the Circle of Eight 
6 Mordenkainen the Mage, one of the most powerful wizards that has ever lived and founder of the Circle of Eight 

Once role selection is done, Stagefright should guide the players to M4a to choose their costumes, props, and/or request reasonable ones, and then M11 to meet with Charmay. If Charmay will have a role, Stagefright will explain as much. Otherwise she will just handle the play intro and outro. Before departing he will give the characters 30 minutes until curtains up (this feels better than 10 minutes so they have a chance to talk with Charmay, though I recommend a 5 minute warning).

d6Costumes
1 Intricate noble’s attire  
2 Black robes and a witch’s hat 
3 Dark leather armor adorned with spikes and skulls 
4 Simple leather armor with a scarlet kilt 
5 Grey, high-collared robes 
6 A blue patterned vest 
d6Props
1 An elven amulet 
2 A heavy black and gold tome with a claw shaped lock mechanism 
3 A set of demon horns 
4 A long ledger of accounts 
5 A brass goblet 
6 A stick on mustache and goatee; a bald cap 
Our version of the play covers the rough and tumble relationship between Iggwilv and Graz’zt

Performing the Play

Once time is up, Stagefright will return to bring the players to the stage and inquire if their troupe has a name, while Endelyn, the darklings, and the goblins watch. I had the play take place on the Grand Opera House map (Romeo Juliet version) by Czepuku, but anything will work.

Charmay will open the play with a monologue to set the scene, and then it will operate as follows:

Many bards consider it the greatest love story the multiverse has ever known, for it reveals the unsettling foundations of desire.Ā It speaks to the dark origins of love and our desire to possess that which is beyond possession.Ā As we relate to you the tale of Iggwilv and Grazā€™zt, let your mind wander. Reflect on the love that possesses you and ponder what your future holds.Ā 

I present to you “No Love Lost – The Tragic Love Affair of Iggwilv and Graz’zt” by the [insert troupe name given to Stagefright].

  • The characters should act one at a time, as if in initiative order (but instead use the order from the Roles table above). If a role has no lines for a specific round they simply wait in the wingsĀ 
    • At the beginning of each “round”, change the backdrop scene on stage as per the table below. The play takes place over 6 rounds
  • On each player’s turn:
    • Stagefright feeds the player a line they must use (see the lines below), and then they can add any additional lines or flavor they’d like
      • If online you can use Roll20 macro to make this easier
    • As with a normal turn a player can use an action, bonus action, etc. but don’t have to
      • Dialogue is considered a free action 
      • Common actions will likely be a performance check, skill check, etc.Ā 
      • As per the book, characters can freely move around the stage, use props, and enter and exit scenes as they wish
    • Other players can join in but can’t interrupt lines 
    • Scoring: As Endelyn watches she will be mentally scoring them for their performance
      • Positive point for a character using their lineĀ correctly
      • Positive point for a successful check or use of a spell/ability to enhance their performance 
      • Negative point for loiteringĀ (make liberal use of the fool’s scepter!)
      • Negative point for interruptionsĀ 
      • Negative point for flubbing their line or not using it
  • Once all the lines are complete, Charmay will give a final outro as well: “In the end Grazā€™zt and Iggwilv had come to understand that they loved nothing more than hating each other, and they hated nothing more than loving each other”
  • At the end the actors should gather for a bow
    • Tally the points. As long as the group has more positive points then negative then the play will be followed by cheers, and as per book the party will be invited to M18 for negotiationsĀ with Endelyn
Round BackdropsĀ 
1 Castle Greyhawk: A large, imposing fortress of stone built on a rocky outcropping in the middle of a vast forest 
2 Zagig’s Library: A dimly lit library filled with shelves ancient tomes and arcane texts 
3 The Dungeon: A dungeon of rough-hewn stone with magical runes inscribed into the floor 
4 The Argent Palace: A palace of ivory towers set within the dark abyss 
5 Iggwilv’s Tower: A grand chamber adorned with fine silk tapestries fit for a queen 
6 No backdrop 

Stage Lines

Round Zagig Yragerne
1 My dear, you must join my Company of Seven, I have much I can teach youĀ 
2 No magical wards are of sufficient strength to defend my heart from loving youĀ Ā 
3 How is it possible – the Tome of Zyx is gone!Ā 
4 They warned me about you, but I did not listenĀ 
5 Any who wag their tongues about this “scandal” will face my wrathĀ 
6 With you gone, my life is nothing but a descent into the abyss of madness
Round Iggwilv
1 I would be honored – there is so much to learn from youĀ Ā 
2 I am no mere apprentice, Zagig’s underestimation of me will be his downfall
3 Graz’zt – I summon and bind you to obey!Ā 
4 You alone are worthy of my attentionĀ 
5 My love, I am with child
6 Graz’zt was my consort, my thrall – a tool and nothing more
RoundGraz’zt
1–
2–
3Who calls on The Dark Prince?
4How dare Fraz-Urb’luu lay eyes on you – I will destroy him
5Traitors, all of them! I will hunt them all down
6There is nothing unusual about a man searching for his lost loveĀ 
RoundRaxivort
1–
2–
3My lord is bound, this could be my opportunity
4At last – the Infinity Spindle!
5He will not forgive me for this – I must flee his wrath
6Oh great hag, I beg of you, protect and hide me
RoundTenser
1–
2–
3Who is the villain responsible for the fall of Perrenland?
4The Circle of Eight must act to stop her and restore balanceĀ 
5Rumor has it she bested you at chessĀ 
6After all this time I had thought her dead
RoundMordekainenĀ 
1–
2–
3Her names are many – Hura, Iggwilv, Witch-QueenĀ 
4We have freed Perrenland, but the Crook of Rao has been bewitchedĀ Ā 
5I must admit – she is an intriguing figureĀ 
6How could I let myself be taken in by her? We must locate her at onceĀ 
Even the great Mordekainen is befuddled by Tasha

M2. Amphitheater

Rather than roll on the tragedies table I would select #7. This directly ties into the notes we left at Loomlurch where Tasha has tricked Endelyn into believing Bavlorna is plotting against her.

M7. Oracular LibraryĀ 

In the black book you need to remove the portion of text below as no such treachery has taken place in the reimagining and it’s also a bit too on the nose on revealing Zybilna’s identity.

The sweet treachery we three have wroughtā€”Ā 
Would Iggwilv help us? Ha! I think not.Ā 

M11. Stage Workshop

Two immediate changes to make in the workshop are that there is no unicorn horn here as usual, and Golmo is also not here (he is instead imprisoned in Arctis Tor for your reference).

We will also be changing almost everything that Skylla shares with the characters (though the description itself of her and her background is all still accurate). In particular we’re removing all of the mentions of Iggwilv (a bit too early for the big reveal!), and of course the piece about the cauldron is not true in the reimagining.

She will boastfully share the following information:

  • After the carnival the group of them – Kelek, Mell, Zarak, Zargash, and herself were transported to the Feywild. They’ve been here for about 20 years, though some – like Kelek, their leader, have had some aftereffects and aged more rapidly (not to mention time is strange in the Feywild). To survive they took on odd jobs and eventually became full on mercenaries for hire and renamed themselves The League of Malevolence after their old name at school
  • While they’ve worked together for their mutual benefit, they’re each rather selfish and often pursue their own interests
  • The League was most recently employed by Zybilna, a powerful sorceress and advisor to Queen Mab. She tasked them with hunting down Valorā€™s Call, some sort of adventuring party, whom they defeated about a month back but the group ran away by some sort of teleportation magic.Ā Ā 
  • While the rest of the league is still in Zybilna’s employ hunting down the escaped members of Valor’s Call, she decided to stay in Yon and take up her passionĀ – acting!

M13. Worker CellsĀ 

If the party freed Harry from the Green Keep he is here to rescue his sister Kizz, who traveled to Yon before the barrier came up.Ā 

M16. Darkling Balloon DockĀ 

This room will be empty and no balloon present if the players killed Charm, Trinket, and Bauble in the Fields of Spring. You may choose to have different darklings here though if you want to offer their wares still.

If they are here, the darklings will know all of the knowledge from the Wayward Pool article (Part XI). If the party is still on friendly terms with Charm then the darklings will still offer their wares for sales (see the Traveling Wagons in Vale Crossing for details – Part X).

If the party knew of Charm’s plot to kill Lamorna and did nothing to stop it you may potentially want to have Charm be in possession of Lamorna’s horn, with a plan to give it to Endelyn (who would like it as a present for Queen Mab).Ā 

M17. PrisonĀ 

When speaking with Glister, make the following changes:

  • When referring to the belfry, she instead references it as the fastest way to the Winter Palace (as opposed to the Palace of Heart’s Desire)
  • Ignore the portion about the Fey Beacons. To make things simple, the sisters just need to escape and then they can track down the carnival on their own.Ā 
  • When discussing plans, an alternative option can be raised. It is known that Endelyn grants audiences with performers she likes. The party may be able to convince her to let Glister go in such a circumstance

M18. Audience ChamberĀ 

When the party is granted an audience with Endelyn (such as after performing a play), we will make some adjustments to the exchange.

  • When bargaining, the key thing Endelyn has to offer is an invitation for the party to a ball happening at the Winter Palace, as well as transportation there using the cranes in the belfry. While Motherhorn and the palace are technically connected – there is no direct passageway between them.
    • As per the book she will accept shadows or gloam in exchange (though there’s no way to get back to Downfall so the party will have needed to have snatched Gloam already)
    • Other options to potentially include: Ridding her of Charmay or the play performance being enough on its own if it was impressiveĀ 
    • If Endelyn is defeated in battle, she will also offer to provide the party invitations and travel to the palace in exchange for her life
      • If it does come down to that, I highly recommend the alternative stat block developed by Phaerlax. She would also never fight alone if she can help it and would ensure she has shadows and/or darklings to aid her
      • If she’s defeated she will flee like in the book, but not to the palace
  • If the party’s performance at the play was at least somewhat good, she will also likely offer for them to stay in Motherhorn as long as they like – especially if they will continue to perform for her
  • If the party has their fates told (highly recommend!), then add the following tidbit below after the description in the book. This is a great opportunity for you to foreshadow any plot lines you might have going on for individual party members in your group and then you can throw the “unhappy ending” ones in as humorous potential alternative futures if you want. I’ll include some below as examples.

The hag cackles gleefully as she begins to chant, gusts of wind raging fiercely around her. The scent of brimstone and burning herbs fills the air, mixing with the sound of thunder that rolls overhead.Ā  Her eyes fix themselves on you as a strike of lightning illuminates her grotesque form and the puppets move.

“I see many pathsā€¦both past and present.”

Fates

The following are general ones that will apply given upcoming events so feel free to use them! More details to come in the articles on the Winter Palace.

  • I see a murder laid at your feet (A reference to the future murder of Lord Albert Frostwood of the Winter Court)
  • I see a dire threat looming over the Winter CourtĀ (A reference to Zybilna’s plot against the court)
  • I see a wizard lost in time who can give you answersĀ (A reference to Luca Oxley)

And these are just some examples from my group that likely don’t apply to yours – just as inspiration:

  • I see a man in black armor – as long as you are near him your life is in dangerĀ 
  • I see illness in your past – those closest to you consumed by malady 
  • I see a boy and a bear, cold and lonely. To rescue him you must face giantsĀ 
  • I see an arrow that struck true, a broken man bent on revengeĀ 
  • I see a difficult choice – between a mask and many eyesĀ 
  • I see you swimming in a court of stars, I see a vortex of wind behind a pair of crossed scimitarsĀ 
An invitation to the ball at the Winter’s Palace is exactly what the party needs to continue their quest for their Lost Things

M20. Paper Birds and Hidden Belfry

The Letters

We will be changing the letters here to the following:

Dearest Skab,Ā 

Mummyā€™s little spies continue to reveal that Bavlorna is conspiring to betray us. But fear not. Her plots will not succeed. Whatā€™s important is that the Orrery remain safe. Let me know how you wish to proceed.Ā 

Your beloved sister,Ā 
EndĀ 

As a result of Tasha’s machinations – Endelyn is still of the belief that Bavlorna is plotting against her, not realizing Tasha has played the same trick on every sister.Ā 

Lord Kelek,Ā 

I have written a new play titled The Cassalanter Catastrophe. Itā€™s a tragic tale inspired by real-life misfortune that I think you might enjoy. You and the other members of the League of Malevolence are invited to Motherhorn to watch a live performance. Your colleague, Skylla, has been my guest for some time, but Iā€™m afraid she has worn out her welcome. In exchange for my generosity, Iā€™m hoping you can take her off my hands.Ā 

Until our next meeting,Ā 
EndelynĀ 

Endelyn has tired of Skylla but can’t kill her or otherwise get rid of her like her other actors given Skylla’s strength and not wanting to anger the Winter Court in any way. While I removed Alagarthas I think it’s fine to keep the title or perhaps even change it to something relevant to a player of yours (as I did above)?

Bottled Lightning

I would up the damage here to 4d6.

Hidden Belfry

Instead of traveling to the Palace of Heart’s Desire, these cranes will take the players to the entrance of Arctis Tor which we will cover in our next article. You may want to avoid allowing players to use this without an invitation from Endelyn (either freely given or forced) as it likely means they’re skipping (fun) content and won’t have a good way to make their way through Arctis Tor.

M21. Ornithopter Pad

As a reminder, the other sisters (and thus their flying mounts) are not here.

M22. Endelynā€™s Room

Also a reminder, no Lost Things are here (they are at the Winter Palace). The title of the play here should match what you use in area M20.

Resources

I have highlighted some of the resources I used for this portion of the campaign below.

Art

Music

ā€”

Whatā€™s Next?

After taking a bow from Motherhorn our adventurers will be flying off to Arctis Tor, the Winter Palace and seat of Queen Mab. A grand castle of scheming eladrin nobles, the elusive Zybilna, and of course the party’s Lost Things awaits. As always, please donā€™t hesitate to reach out with any comments, questions, or suggestions andā€¦ see you in the Feywild!

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Published by IndieRex