@Slanty Tower
Characters might travel to @Slanty Tower because they headed in that direction after one of them saw the balloon crash shortly after their arrival. Otherwise, they stumble across this location while exploring. The tower tilts severely to one side, kept from falling over by magic. When the characters arrive, read:
A crumbling stone tower rises out of the swamp, leaning at such an angle that it threatens to keel over. Black brambles surround the base of the tower and cling to its lower half. Hanging from the crenellations on the lower side of the tower’s peak is a large woven basket at the end of a tangle of ropes and tattered fabric. The basket dangles thirty feet above the surface of the swamp.
The leaning tower is 50 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter, with an open door at the bottom on the side opposite where the basket is hanging. The interior of the tower is empty except for a flight of stairs that spirals up the inside wall to an opening in the ceiling that leads to the crenellated roof.
Black brambles cover the ground within 30 feet of the tower, clustering in a dense patch around the open doorway. These brambles are difficult terrain. Each 5-foot-square section has AC 11, 15 hit points, immunity to psychic damage, and vulnerability to fire damage.
As the characters approach the edge of the bramble patch, they hear a whispered voice say in Common, “Psst. You there, I need your help.” The whisper comes from the basket that dangles from the top of the tower. If a character responds with anything louder than a whisper, a quick “Shush!” cuts them off. The voice belongs to Sir Talavar, who quietly explains his predicament:
“I’m in a bit of a bind, as you can observe. I, Sir Talavar, as one of the Summer Queen’s loyal servants, ask that you free me. You see, I was in the midst of a daring escape from the vile Bavlorna Blightstraw when our balloon was set upon by an ill wind and sent plummeting to its current unfortunate location. My pilot, the honorable Wigglewog, did not survive. I’ve been trapped up here for a while now. Help me. I must tell my queen of the fall of Prismeer!”
If the characters speak in raised voices, Sir Talavar shushes them again. If asked why it’s important to remain quiet, he says:
“Two serpents are asleep in the brambles, just outside the tower door. If you awaken them, they might put the squeeze on you, or worse, devour me.”
See “Snakes” below for more information about the two serpents.
The characters can’t see Sir Talavar from the ground, because he is locked in a birdcage inside the basket that dangles from the tower’s peak. Characters on the roof of the tower can look down into the basket and see the corpse of Wigglewog, the balloon’s bullywug pilot, who died in the crash. At the bottom of the basket, a silver birdcage lies on its side with Sir Talavar inside. He is a violet faerie dragon who speaks Common, Draconic, Elvish, and Sylvan. Sir Talavar carries a magic sword and has the following additional action option:
+1 Tiny Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage.
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of abjuration magic around the birdcage. While Sir Talavar is in it, he can’t cast spells, but he can use his Euphoria Breath. The cage is locked and can’t be destroyed, and its lock can’t be picked. A knock spell or similar magic opens it, however.
Roleplaying Sir Talavar
Sir Talavar is a knight-errant of the Seelie Court and a loyal vassal of the Summer Queen. Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bio for Sir Talavar.
The faerie dragon has an upbeat demeanor and is a strict observer of noble etiquette and courtesies. He knows the way to Downfall and can point characters in the right direction. He can also impart the following useful information:
Bavlorna Blightstraw lives in a spooky cottage on stilts at the heart of Downfall, a bullywug settlement. The bullywugs of Downfall are quite courteous and welcoming, provided one does not offend them.
Bavlorna has the ability to conjure minions that look like tiny versions of herself.
Bavlorna has two sisters whom she loathes. Together, the three hags form the Hourglass Coven. Using an artifact called Iggwilv’s Cauldron, the coven has frozen time in Zybilna’s palace, trapping the archfey inside.
A goblin named Jingle Jangle has the key to Sir Talavar’s birdcage. She lives atop Telemy Hill, not too far from Slanty Tower.
Sir Talavar explains that he must be set free so that he can return to his queen and report the news that Zybilna has been overthrown by the Hourglass Coven.
If the characters are unable to open the birdcage on their own, Sir Talavar asks them to get the key from Jingle Jangle, offering them his magic sword in return for his release (see “Development” below).
Snakes
Outside the tower, about 10 feet from the door, two giant constrictor snakes lie together, asleep. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher spot the snakes, which can move through the brambles with no reduction to their speed.
Characters can converse with the snakes using a speak with animals spell or similar magic. In the course of any such conversation, a character can try to change the snakes’ attitude from hostile to indifferent, doing so with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the snakes are made to feel indifferent, they give up their mission and slither away.
Development
If the characters free him from his cage, Sir Talavar gifts them with his tiny sword, which functions as a +1 dagger in the hands of a Small or Medium creature. He then bids them a fond farewell, adding, “Your valor will not be forgotten!” He then flies away. As a show of her favor, after hearing Sir Talavar’s story, the Summer Queen leaves a gift for the characters on the threshold of the Palace of Heart’s Desire (see chapter 5). Note this gift on the Story Tracker.
If the characters don’t save Sir Talavar, one of the frayed ropes suspending the basket snaps after a few hours, causing it to tip enough that Sir Talavar’s birdcage tumbles out and falls to the ground, where it is either swallowed by one of Bavlorna’s snakes or found by harengon brigands. In either event, Sir Talavar is returned to Downfall and handed over to Bavlorna, in which case the characters can find him in area B5, still locked in the silver birdcage.
The Calamitous Flight of Sir Talavar and Wigglewog
Prior to the events of this adventure, Sir Talavar, a noble faerie dragon and emissary of Titania the Summer Queen, traveled to Prismeer to persuade Zybilna to ally with the Seelie Court against its hated enemies, the fomorians. Sir Talavar soon discovered that Prismeer had been seized by the hags of the Hourglass Coven. Before he could return with news of their treachery, Bavlorna trapped him in an enchanted silver birdcage that inhibits his magic.
A sympathetic bullywug named Wigglewog stole Sir Talavar’s cage and fled with it in one of Bavlorna’s balloons. Soon after, the balloon was attacked by a malicious wind (air elemental) that sent it careening into an ancient, crumbling tower in the middle of Hither’s swamp. The bullywug died in the crash, and Sir Talavar (still in his cage) has been stranded since then in the dangling wreckage of the balloon.
A pair of serpents in Bavlorna’s service caught up to the balloon, but they are too lazy to climb up the tower to reach it. They have since fallen asleep near the base of the tower.