When the characters first arrive in Yon, read:
You stand on a path that wends between rocky crags on a mountainside. The sky is dark and full of roiling thunderclouds. You are greeted by a howling wind. For a second, lightning splits the sky, striking nearby mountaintops and illuminating a distant pinnacle of rock that has a foreboding castle carved out of it.
The distant castle is Motherhorn. What direction the characters go is up to them. Whichever way they choose, they don’t get far before they encounter another friendly guide.
Amidor and Gleam
This encounter should take place before the characters have their first random encounter in Yon or reach any of the marked locations on the map of Yon.
You see two figures standing on an outcrop of rock, outlined against the stormy sky. One is a slender female elf wearing a crescent moon mask, and the other is a three-foot-tall dandelion with a small rapier strapped to its stem. A honeybee the size of an orange buzzes around the dandelion’s bright yellow head.
The elf is the first to notice you. As she points in your direction, the dandelion draws its rapier and assumes a defensive pose. The honeybee buzzes more loudly as it flies circles around the two of them.
The creature wielding the rapier is Amidor the dandelion, and its beloved companion is Pollenella the honeybee. The masked figure is Gleam, a high elf acrobat (use the Selenelion twin stat block) from the Witchlight Carnival. Whenever lightning flashes across the dark sky, it’s easy to see that Gleam casts no shadow. While she has no shadow, Gleam is cursed (see the “Shadowless” section).
Characters who met Gleam’s detached shadow in the Witchlight Carnival notice that Gleam’s crescent moon mask has the same shape as the one worn by her shadow.
If the characters seem friendly, Amidor and Gleam beseech them for help. By way of reciprocation, Amidor offers its services as a guide. During the ensuing conversation, Amidor and Gleam freely share the following information:
Amidor is on the run after freeing Pollenella, a queen bee, from a cyclops beekeeper. The two of them crossed paths with Gleam, and, after hearing the elf’s sorry tale, Amidor resolved to help her.
Endelyn Moongrave snipped off Gleam’s shadow using a pair of magic scissors and has imprisoned her twin sister, Glister. The rule of hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” in Prismeer Overview) prevents the hag from harming Glister, but Gleam can sense her sister’s distress. The twins work as an acrobatic duo, and they used to be star performers in the Witchlight Carnival. Gleam wants to free her sister and find a way back to the carnival—perhaps with the help of the Fey Beacons (see “Fey Beacons” later in the chapter).
Endelyn believes her own demise will occur during an eclipse. Because there is no moon in the sky over Yon, the hag assumes the eclipse will be a symbolic display, rather than a literal one. Since the Selenelion twins are the living embodiment of the moon and the sun, the hag decided to separate the elf sisters, releasing one while keeping the other as her “guest.” By keeping the twins apart, the hag hopes to forestall her doom.
While she was a guest in Motherhorn, Gleam learned the following information, which she shares with characters who promise to help her:
The mountains are home to clans of korreds—stout Fey creatures whose hair has the strength of iron. The korreds gather and dance at Lockbury Henge. (If the characters don’t think of it themselves, Gleam suggests they strike up an alliance with the korreds. See “Lockbury Henge” later in the chapter for how they might accomplish that.)
An elf prince named Alagarthas made a bargain with Endelyn and now finds himself trapped in Yon. He’s at the Fey Beacons, searching for a way home (see “Fey Beacons” later in the chapter for more information).
Hurly, a bugbear, made a bargain with Endelyn and is quite unhappy with how things played out. Now he is forced to perform in her morbid theater. Like Gleam, Hurly used to work for Mister Witch and Mister Light, though Gleam and her sibling had already left the carnival by the time Hurly and his brother Burly arrived. (Gleam knows that Hurly is eager to see his brother again, and she’d like to help him if she can.)
Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bios for Amidor and Gleam.
Development
Amidor’s first concern is Pollenella’s safety, but the dandelion also tries to make good on its promises to help Gleam and the characters. Honor dictates that Amidor reunite Gleam with her twin before leading the characters to Hither or the Palace of Heart’s Desire.
In addition to serving as the characters’ guide in Yon, Amidor acts as the de facto leader of their company of guides, which at this point might also include Clapperclaw the scarecrow and Squirt the oilcan.
If you feel burdened by all these nonplayer characters, give them responsibilities that don’t require a lot of your attention. For example, Clapperclaw’s main duty might be to carry Squirt, while Amidor might spend nearly all its time watching over the other guides and whispering sweet nothings to Pollenella. In combat, you can have these supporting characters take the Dodge action or, as circumstances dictate, the Help action. Doing so has the added benefit of making the player characters the centerpiece of the adventure.
Random Encounters in Yon
A random encounter in Yon occurs whenever you want it to. To determine what the characters encounter, roll a d8 and consult the Random Encounters in Yon table. If you get the same result as a previous roll, choose a different encounter that you think would be fun.
Random Encounters in Yon
A random encounter in Yon occurs whenever you want it to. To determine what the characters encounter, roll a d8 and consult the Random Encounters in Yon table. If you get the same result as a previous roll, choose a different encounter that you think would be fun.
Random Encounters in Yon
d8
Encounter
1
Astronomer’s throne
2
Awakened giant goats
3
Cyclops beekeeper
4
Evil kite
5
Goblin procession
6
Goblin shadows
7
Pageant wagon
8
Tornado
Astronomer’s Throne
The characters come across a throne hewn from a boulder and etched with astronomical symbols. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of divination magic around the throne. An inscription in Elvish engraved around the seat of the throne reads:
I am a traveler from a distant land.
My name is Mazikoth, Keeper of Stars.
Sit on my throne, disciple, and unravel.
Any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana or History) check recalls that Mazikoth was an elf and a celebrated astronomer who claimed to hail from a black star at the edge of night.
A creature that sits on the throne begins to feel cold and drowsy. The first creature that remains seated on the throne for at least 1 minute falls into a magical trance that lasts for 1 hour. While in the trance, the creature is unaware of its surroundings as it dreams of hurtling through space toward a faraway, dead star. At the end of the dream, the creature arrives at the star’s cold surface and wakes with a start, having inherited a fragment of Mazikoth’s psyche. The creature gains proficiency in one of the following skills (its choice): Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, or Survival.
Once the throne bestows its gift on a creature, the throne ceases to be magical for one year, during which time nothing happens when a creature sits on it.
Awakened Giant Goats
The characters come upon three giant goats, each of which has received the benefit of an awaken spell, raising its Intelligence score to 10 and granting it the ability to speak Elvish. These goats have silvery-gray fur, wizened faces, and golden, hourglass-shaped pupils that observe the characters closely.
The goats have the ability to hear prophecies and secrets whispered on the wind. Upon seeing the characters, the goats bleat the following:
The first goat says, “When the moon obstructs the sun, Creeping Lyn will come undone.” (This prophecy refers to Endelyn’s weakness.)
The second goat says, “Play to her passions. Stay on script. A cat, a horn, or a shadow ripped.” (This prophecy refers to Endelyn’s desire to have plays performed for her and the three things she’s willing to accept as the result of any bargain made with the characters, as discussed in “Bargaining with Endelyn” section later in the chapter.)
The third goat says, “The fool’s scepter is the key.” (This statement refers to the scepter that belongs to Stagefright the goblin, which can be used to open the stone door to area M17.)
After speaking these words, the goats wait to see if the characters offer them something in return, thereby honoring the rule of reciprocity (see “Rules of Conduct” in Prismeer Overview). The goats are hungry but not picky eaters, though they admit to being fond of root vegetables. If no reciprocation is forthcoming, either in the form of food or other gifts, all three goats bolt away as a galeb duhr erupts from the ground beneath them. This Elemental can’t speak and is a manifestation of the Feywild’s anger toward the characters. It attacks the party and fights until destroyed. There are plenty of boulders in the area that the galeb duhr can animate using its Animate Boulders action.