The Price of Beauty - PCs
Introduction
After a quick stop back in Beregost to recharge and give Moxie the good news regarding their latest mission in Vermeillon and several members of the party being engaged in some temporally confusing, but ultimately rewarding, character development/adventures, our heroes, the Agents of Candlekeep, are once again called to action! Yet another one of the perpetually under duress Avowed has disappeared amongst the labyrinthine stacks in the library fortress. They are clearly not paid enough for this kind of repetitive hazard!
The party arrives promptly and are greeted by the ever dutiful Fembris, who directs them to the Pillars and one really bummed out half-elf named Loriss Niss. Lorris, faithful friend that she is, is super sad about the disappearance of Falthrax Loderr. Falthrax, a follower of Sune, has apparently been down in the dumps of late, worried that his lengthy dwarven life was "passing him by." He had recently found comfort in one of Candlekeep's many books, The Price of Beauty, a tome providing advice on self-care and meditations on cultivating self-worth. It was written by another devotee of Sune's, Sylvarie Silversong. How whimsical! Most strikingly, the cover of the book sports a mirror framed with gold in a fashion replicating the appearance of locks of hair.
When Creed looks into the mirror, he finds that it speaks to him! "Well met, dearest one. How do you feel today?" The party will hear that several more times as they attempt to figure out what to do with the inquisitive tome. While they seem quite pleased with themselves and reluctant to engage in any banter with the book, eventually one of the party members (Celeste?) assents to a deeper evaluation of their appearance and/or physical prowess, evoking the following phrase from the book: "If rest, relaxation, or transformation is what you need, then follow the lilies, dearest one. I am sure Sylvarie will see to your needs." Following this pronouncement, yet another portal appears and the party sees a trail through the woods. They make their way safely to the other side, thus ensuring that the adventure would continue.
The Temple of the Restful Lily
Following the lily-shaped trail markers, after a short walk the party reaches a lovely and large structure, the Temple of the Restful Lily. It appears to be some sort of resort spa, replete with marble and stained glass, and all manner of luxurious finishes and white fluffy robes. Upon entering the temple, our heroes are greeted by a dapper fellow named Saeth. He encourages the party to relax and enjoy themselves, listing a bevy of delightful services of which they might avail themselves. Saeth seems to prefer that they stow their adventuring gear in the private changing rooms or in the guest rooms, but he tries to be accommodating. Our stalwart companions inquire about the missing Falthrax, but Saeth doesn't seem to recall that particular dwarf. There are some tense moments as the party attempts to sneak a look at the guestbook, unsure if Saeth's attention to its state of openness is simple habit or an attempt to conceal malicious intent. Unclear if he works on commission, but it's a good day for Saeth as Cornelius, Clint, and Celeste check out the bathhouse, Bunk and Clint book some pampering with care concierge Ilmar, and Clint and Celeste engage in a powerful fitness regimen with Azirssa. Creed elects to get a room, while Vanyel emos his way out the door to survey the grounds.
Prior to taking to the skies in his usual fashion, Vanyel is quickly intercepted by Saeth, who seems somewhat put out by the owlin's insistence on having a look around. Saeth informs him of the rather shabby, abandoned shrine and asks that Vanyel stay out, as it isn't in a very safe condition. He also mentions that the tower behind the temple is the residence of the three proprietresses of the temple and is off limits to guests.
Self-Care and Surveillance
In the bathhouse, Clint finds that after spending some time in the water, he is both super relaxed and surprised to see that his myriad scars seem to be diminishing! Cornelius has an even more surprising discovery, for after sinking to the bottom of the hot spring in his vedalken way, he finds himself face to face with a naiad. She speaks to him, revealing herself as Cyrena, and asking for his help in finding her friend, Sylvarie, who built the temple long ago. In a totally related event, Creed receives a vision from Titania of a beautiful fey figure in the hot spring, crying, with those tears turning the steaming, restorative water into a pool of burning acid.
Speaking of Creed, while making his way to/from (?) his room, he passes through the lounge and is greeted by Morganna, a slender moon elf, pale with long, black hair and striking sapphire eyes. Morganna is pleasant as can be, introducing herself as one of the owners of the spa. She also mysteriously hints at additional services available, not previously mentioned by Saeth, that go well beyond what is typically offered by a spa. Does Creed wish to be stronger, perhaps? Like, actually, permanently, not having to go through a ton of working out and protein shakes, stronger? Creed, ever the skeptic, doesn't seem too interested.
Meanwhile, Clint and Celeste go about the dirty business of getting in shape, after Saeth sheepishly admits to not having mentioned these services to the obviously highly vigourous pair for fear of insulting them. Rather than be offended, they jump at the opportunity! A sun elf, with flowing copper hair, armour, and an outlandish red fur mantle awaits them in the garden. They find this woman, Azirssa, grinding a knight of Cormyr into metaphorical dust, unable to keep pace with her decidedly unmotivational demands. Undaunted, Clint and Celeste agree to undergo Azirssa's physical challenges in an attempt to both better themselves and to win a fabulous prize. Despite magnificent first efforts, they both burned too hot, too fast, and failed to make it through the first challenge of HIIT by way of continuous squats. You'll get 'em next time, peloton!
An Aesthetician and an Ally?
Bunk scoots off to meet with Ilmar, a drow and the head purveyor of pampering at the temple. While providing an expert haircut and shave, it appears that Ilmar hasn't properly tucked away his more practical supplies. Bunk notices what appears to be a jar containing oil of slipperiness amongst the various balms and ointments on the shelves. Our dapper detective strikes up a conversation, during which Ilmar indicates that while the current owners acquired the temple about ten years back, it was built over 100 years ago by Sylvarie Silversong. Ilmar, however, has only been working there for a few months. When Bunk inquires about the missing dwarf acolyte, Falthrax, Ilmar isn't sure if he's around or not, although I believe the DM told the party that a dwarf matching that description has been at the temple recently. Ilmar then makes an odd request of Bunk: that if he is offered any "special treatments", could Bunk return to Ilmar and let him know?
Clint is up next with Ilmar, although it takes a while for him to arrive, given that Clint gets into everything! Bunk gives him the lowdown on his conversation with Ilmar prior to Clint entering the room. In his typically direct fashion, Clint gets to the point with Ilmar, observing the oil. Ilmar attempts to gain further assurances from Clint of the party's credentials and good intentions. He offers further information, namely that Ilmar received visions of his friend Sylvarie in some distress. That is why he came to seek employment at the temple and to investigate. He hasn't made much headway, given that he seems to be under constant surveillance by the three owners and the creepy staff members.
The Planning Stage
As day passes to evening, the party members slowly gather in the lounge, where Morganna and a few of the staff members are mingling with the guests. Through their various encounters throughout the day, our heroes have noticed that there is a mildly creepy uniformity to the appearance of the staff. More unsettling though, is that not a single one of them has uttered a word in the course of any of their interactions. That little obstacle doesn't prevent Vanyel from getting into multiple glasses of wine. Seriously, is that guy okay? Should we have a frank, but compassionate, discussion with him? Anyway, while at the bar, Morganna approaches Bunk and after some admiring words, gently inquires about his potential interest in a little "fountain of youth" treatment. Something special ... the cost is merely a small favour, a trifle really, and it doesn't even have to be granted today! Don't call us, we'll call you, sometime in the next year. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Bunk cautiously demurs and the party goes into high alert mode.
Clint creates a distraction by playing some lovely tunes on his dulcimer, sufficiently loud to drown out a stealthy conversation. Vanyel volunteers to disguise himself as one of the staff and retrieve some gear, there may or may not have been some echo knight shenanigans (it got a little confusing there, folks), but ultimately, what transpires is that Bunk, Vanyel, and Celeste sneak out the back door under cover of darkness. Their reconnoiter starts off well, cloaking device fully engaged, as they make their way to the abandoned shrine. Finding the door not exactly locked, but more sealed shut with a bizarre resin, they're forced to take a less conventional approach. Vanyel recalls the hole in the roof, so he flies on up and drops on in, while Celeste is able to execute her high precision "monk shit" to flip her way up, then slow fall down into the shrine. The two of them find a whole lot of broken glass and a statue of Sune in distressed condition, but not the fashionable distressed thing that those people on HGTV talk about. The party also ominously hears the sound of sobbing from within the shrine.
Meanwhile, outside, Bunk continues to attempt to find a way into the shrine using more roguish means. What he does not immediately realize is that his crew's efforts have been detected. With his excellent senses, he does eventually detect the approach of a gargoyle. Ruh-roh, Raggy!
Party Checkpoint: 2022-05-22
A Donnybrook, a Fracas, a Tilly, a Real Hootenanny
Okay folks, this is not going to be wholly thorough or chronologically accurate, but I'll try to translate my notes into a semblance of what occurred during the Agents of Candlekeep's most righteously epic throwdown to date. The only thing that really matters is that you managed to, just barely, survive and defeat one gargoyle, five scarecrows, one cambion, one hell hound, and three hags! Sure, it took four hours, but you did it all by yourselves. I'm so proud.
EDIT: The first, first thing that happened was that it turned out that Karras had actually been at the temple all along, having visited to spend some time working over the guests, who are notoriously easy marks. Good thing he was there for the fight, as those extra HPs and spells definitely helped.
The first thing that happened that I remember was basically that Clint, using his echo-relocation, entered the fray and used (almost) every last one of his abilities and most of his hit points in the tussle with the gargoyle. At some point, he grappled the gargoyle and they tumbled off the roof together. Cornelius was nearly able to finish off the stoney beast while Clint bravely held onto it, but it was finally felled by one of Bunk's classic rays of frost, which he deployed liberally throughout the conflict. Many tragedies befell Clint in this brawl, including nearly dying, as he served his role as a front-liner to the fullest.
Speaking of Bunk, let's get his exploits out of the way next. This will be short, because he barely broke a sweat, alternating between hiding, jumping out to throw the aforementioned rays of frost, hiding again, sipping some cucumber water, and delivering some taunts while wearing a robe. I did note that he delivered some heavy damage to old hag Greensong and also finished off one of the scarecrows, so that helped. He somehow managed to avoid being paralyzed, slowed, or taking any damage at all, I think! Of course, he did it all with panache. What a guy!
Creed was similarly dodgy during the battle, with Gizmo also laying low for much of it. Creed did make some injurious contributions, including the killing blow on Morganna and a well-timed hex on Greensong, and also was able to receive information on how to diminish the hags from Titania, and used his infernal background to conjure up the details on Saeth's cambion-ic nature. Interestingly enough, Creed's hands also have started to turn green, as he relies more frequently on Titania for aid in his heroic exploits.
Now that we've completed those fun diversions, back to the main story, which heavily featured the mute wait staff. After some hacks and slashes, they were revealed to be magically disguised scarecrows! While that doesn't sound too scary, these scarecrows have the ability to frighten, paralyze, and incapacitate someone if they fail their Wisdom saving throw. And fail they did! At various points, four of the five scarecrows were able to paralyze our valiant heroes, including Clint, Karras, Cornelius, and Vanyel. I'm not sure what scarecrow #3 was doing, but they didn't pull their weight. Based on my notes, which I did point out during the session I would likely find only marginally intelligible, I can decipher that a few blasts of dragon's breath were delivered effectively, Vanyel hit with some arrows, Bunk froze #2 to death, Clint offed #1 via his echo, and Celeste baked #5 with some monk-y flames. Oh, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention scarecrow #6, who howled ineffectively from behind the glass windows of the bathhouse until the demise of the hags. Thanks for being a dumbass, #6!
While the gargoyle and scarecrows were panic-inducing, when Saeth entered the battlefield, the party wasn't initially sure what to think. Then, his face turned red and leathery, fiendish wings burst from his back. He took to the sky and blasted fire rays at the party, but even with all of his glowering and braggadocio, he eventually succumbed to an onslaught of damage. I wrote that at some point the eldritch cannon got a good shot in and I believe Clint must have done some damage to the guy, but I remember precious little of what happened to Saeth, just as I suspect you will remember little of him as an NPC. Unfortunately for the party, his hag's eye charm did not shatter as he crashed to the ground when he perished, else the hags would have suffered greatly.
Last, but certainly not least, the three "elven" proprietresses of the temple chanted and sashayed their way into the fracas. Greensong, who the party had not yet met because they never bothered to venture into the kitchen, was accompanied by her constant companion, Morty, a large mastiff, who moonlights as a hell hound and I think nearly killed Clint with its vicious bite and fire breath. If that fire breath had ever recharged, it's quite possible the battle would have turned out differently. Dogs, what can you do? Well, let me tell you quickly. You can blast them to hell with your eldritch cannon, like Cornelius.
Anyway, with their wicked coven magic, the hags got right to work. Blight was cast to great effect and followed up with a fun dose of Otto's irresistible dance to keep Celeste's toes tapping. On the other hand, Vanyel and Clint were slowed to a crawl, which prevented Vanyel from reviving Clint for a full round. Cornelius got lit up with a witch bolt, but he ultimately got the last laugh, since not only did he finish the job on Morty, but he delivered kill shots to Greensong with a fire bolt and Azirssa with a thunderwave. Karras chipped in some crafty spells, including dragon's breath and catapult, while Celeste used her breath weapon.
I'm sure a lot of other exciting things happened. After all, the fight took four freakin' hours! I think all but two of the PCs were down or in the single digits for HP by the end of the battle. If you're so inclined, please help me fill in the details. Details like that Celeste barely managed to get back out of the abandoned shrine to join the fight. Or that the DM surely forgot to ask for saving throws when you might have been just frightened by the scarecrows. Anyway, great job by all in perservering and I hope I finally offered a challenging fight, with the help of Mark Hulmes.
Ilmar to the Rescue!
Well, not exactly. Our well-meaning informant finally enters the scene, only to find that he's missed the action. He fills the party in on some more details regarding what he knows, or at least I think he did. We'll get it sorted out in the next session. Gizmo leads the charge in looting a few useful master keys from the bodies littering the "backyard". After re-entering the temple and spreading out to their respective rooms for the night and a well-deserved long rest, Creed runs into another NPC while contemplating pilfering a few items, a kobold named Glitter. Glitter reports that he is, in fact, a tiefling and representative of the Jewelers Guild of Waterdeep, along with being an informant of one of the Masked Lords of that fine city. He promises that if the party can help reverse the curse he is under, he will reward them with 500 gp in gems. Creed goes to sleep with visions of fabulous wealth swirling through his infernal dreams.
Party Checkpoint: 2022-06-05
Unravelling the Mystery
The next morning, the party elects to return to the abandoned shrine, where Celeste and Vanyel once again make their way inside. They're joined by Clint via his usual echo knight antics. After examining the still-sealed doors and windows, the trio on the inside elect to go with brute force and are able to successfully blast open the doors from the inside. The rest of the party get their introduction to the shattered mirrors and dilapidated statue of Sune gracing the interior. Behind the statue, our heroes observe a staircase descending into near darkness. With no hesitation and no plan, they make their way to the lower level.
Vanyel Gets Stoned
In this lower level, the party find a pile of wood, a makeshift, wretched bed, and a pool of water giving off a soft glow. They also find a full-blown medusa! She exclaims that our valiant party must have been sent by the hags to further her torment and initially refuses any attempts to persuade her otherwise. Creed leads the pleading and was able to avoid the medusa's cursed glare. Vanyel, however, was not so lucky and spectacularly fails his Wisdom save, resulting in immediate petrification. Eventually, the medusa relents with the news that the hags have been vanquished. She reveals that she is the very Sylvarie they've been looking for, author of The Price of Beauty and founder of the Temple of the Restful Lily. Continuing the conversation, the party learns that when the hags arrived with promises of supernatural enhancements to Sylvarie's esteem, especially in the eyes of Sune, Sylvarie's self-doubt led her into the hags' trap and resulted in her eventual transformation into the medusa she is today. Sylvarie, like Glitter, is baffled by the fact that the hags' curse remains in effect despite their demise. As for Vanyel, Sylvarie points out that his condition can probably be reversed by a dip in the sacred springs of the temple's bathhouse.
Storming the Tower!
After a stop in the bathhouse to let Vanyel soften up, the party heads to the final unexplored portion of the temple complex. Using their master key, their passage is more or less unchecked. On the first floor, they immediately encounter a rather pitiful, and extremely self-pitying dragonborn named Gorba. She, like Sylvarie, is initially skeptical of the news that the hags and the rest of the lot have all been slain, but rejoices when she is convinced. Gorba was once a powerful warrior who travelled to the temple seeking even greater strength, but by now, we all know how that goes once hags get involved. Gorba describes having her portrait painted by the hags and directs the party to an adjacent room used by the hags as a studio.
In the studio, Creed and Bunk are able to pick the lock of a highly secure chest, where they discover some ghastly art supplies: paint infused with demon blood and canvases made of humanoid skin. While certainly valuable to the right person, these items might be difficult to sell. Creed snags a few vials of the fiendish paint anyway. Before heading up to the next level of the tower, Clint and the crew investigate the remaining room, which turns out to be the personal chambers of one very dead cambion and a helluva concierge, Saeth. Aside from the remains of his highly tasteful wardrobe, the party retrieves yet another set of high-quality, but not magical, short swords, this time adorned with infernal glyphs.
Heading up the stairs, the party finds themselves in a kitchen, where an elderly and also pitiable dwarf is preparing food. (He swears the apples are safe to eat!) Yes, of course it's Falthrax, the long sought after objective of the adventure. He gives a similar sob story as the other victims and points the heroes to their disgusting living quarters on this floor as the location of the portraits. Entering that room, our heroes immediately recognize the four depictions of Glitter, Gorba, Falthrax, and Sylvarie gracing the walls. A lively debate on what to do with them ensues, with some sentiment toward taking them back to Candlekeep for evaluation. The DM encourages a more direct approach, although the seeming immunity to physical damage in their current state poses an obstacle. With necromantic, transmutation, and enchantment magic emanating strongly from the paintings (one type for each hag), it seems likely that the magical bond woven into them is quite strong and needs to be disrupted to break the curse. Clint bundles them up after Falthrax futilely attempts to rip his portrait apart.
The Danger's Not Quite Passed
The party returns to the kitchen and is about to make their way upstairs when a heretofore benign elven statue suddenly roars to life and attacks! Another gargoyle, but this one falls to last on the initiative order and our large party is able to grind him to dust. A hefty portion of that damage is done by Creed's Shatter spell, but it also takes a heavy toll on the party as well. (You all can make some saving throws, right? - Creed) Clint contributes with his usual echo-y chicanery, while Vanyel delivers the killing blow with his planar combat training.
Having dealt with one last foe, the party yet again brazenly charges up the stairs and sets off one last trap laid by the hags, a Glyph of Warding, which sprays acid across the party and takes out poor Cornelius. Vanyel is in quick with some healing magic to set things right. Once in the vile hags' personal chambers, our heroes find yet another disgusting living quarters, full of soiled trinkets and mementos of victims past. Apparently hags care little for treasure, other than the fond memories of the torment of their victims. Cornelius is able to discover a useful spell scroll, but that is all.
Destruction of Fine Art Can Be So Liberating!
After making their way back down to the backyard, the party rejoins Ilmar and Sylvarie. Ilmar reveals that he, unlike anyone in the party, can cast Dispel Magic, and offers to do so in the hopes that it might assist the party in destroying the paintings. Shockingly and very dramatically, it works! Portrait by dark portrait, the party is able to smash, blast, slash, and burn the paintings while Ilmar struggles to unravel the horrible magics keeping them intact. As each portrait is destroyed, its subject and victim is freed from the hags' curse and rejoices. Glitter reasserts his promise of jeweled riches from Waterdeep, while Falthrax is ready to resume his scholarly service at Candlekeep. Sylvarie is particularly moved by her transformation back to the beautiful moon elf that is her natural form. She and Ilmar share a sweet moment reminiscing, but Sylvarie seems unsure of her path forward, both with the Temple and in life. She offers the party her fabulous wand as a reward for their service, along with lifetime memberships and full-service privileges at the temple for all members of the party.
All loose ends now neatly tied up, our stalwart companions are able to safely return to Candlekeep, Falthrax in tow, where a surprise awaits them ...
An adventure for 5th-Level characters. Written by Mark Hulmes.
2022-06-19
References
Treasure
- Lifetime memberships for all party members to the Temple of the Restful Lily
- Spending some duration of time in the hot spring will provide the effects of the spell Greater Restoration
- 500 gp of jewels, courtesy of Glitter and the Waterdeep Jewelers Guild
- Oil of Slipperiness
- 2x shortswords ornately scribed with Infernal glyphs (50 gp each)
- 50 gp worth of paints infused with demon blood
- Spell Scroll of Clairvoyance
- Radiance (Wand of the War Mage +1, casts Enhance Ability, and uh, glows, of course)
- How you like them apples?!
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