Telemy Hill

Telemy Hill

The characters might come here after their meeting with Sir Talavar, hoping to obtain the key that will free the faerie dragon from his magic birdcage. If the characters ignored Sir Talavar or failed to release him from his cage, Telemy Hill is merely the next stop on their journey.

Telemy Hill is an ancient fey entity, a sentient hill that travels throughout the Feywild and even to the Material Plane at times. The wandering hill interacts with others by way of the ancient willow trees that grow on its slopes.

Some time ago, a key-collecting goblin named @Jingle Jangle took residence atop Telemy Hill. The goblin and the hill became fast friends. Three days ago, while searching the swamp for truffles, Jingle Jangle was ambushed and roughed up by brigands. She suffered no permanent damage but has been convalescing in her den since the attack. Telemy Hill is worried for its friend and hopes the characters can cheer up the goblin, perhaps by bringing her something to eat or drink.

Arrival at Telemy Hill

Telemy Hill is skirted in mist. When the characters pass through the mist and see the hill for the first time, read:

You are greeted by the scent of sweet-smelling fruit. Damp, downy, silvery-green moss blankets a gentle upward slope before giving way to a craggy ridge that marks the top of the hill. Dozens of enormous willow trees dot the hillside, swaying as though in a breeze despite the absence of one.

Telemy Hill is approximately half a square mile wide. A narrow game trail leads to Jingle Jangle’s den at the pinnacle of the hill. The willows that grow on the hill are awakened trees that speak Common in low, rumbling voices. Telemy Hill uses the trees to communicate, rather than speaking itself.

As the characters move up the hill, 1d4 + 1 awakened trees approach them, stopping when the two groups are 10 feet apart. One of them welcomes the characters to Telemy Hill and asks how long they plan to stay.

If asked about Jingle Jangle, the awakened trees share the following information:

Jingle Jangle is friendly. She collects keys and talks about them endlessly.

She wears a coat of keys that jingle and jangle when she walks—hence her name.

Three days ago, while rooting through the swamp for truffles, she was attacked and robbed by brigands. She hasn’t left her hilltop den since returning to the hill and must be pretty hungry by now.

If the characters are hostile, the trees do what they can to drive the invaders off the hill. If the trees are not met with violence, they shepherd the characters up the hill to Jingle Jangle’s den, waving them on with their branches. Characters who stray from the path are met by 1d6 additional awakened trees. These trees don’t attack but join in coaxing the characters up the hill.

At the top of the hill, the characters find Jingle Jangle’s den: a cave with an entryway shaped like a keyhole.

Obtaining the Silver Key

If one or more characters enter @Jingle Jangle’s den on the hilltop, read:

Worn stone steps lead down into what feels like a cellar. It’s chilly in here, and you detect a subtle scent of iron in the air. From a distant spot within the chamber, sputtering candles illuminate a multitude of keys dangling from taut strings that crisscross the walls. Hundreds of other keys lie strewn across the dirt floor.

As you take in the scene, you hear the sound of keys jingling as a goblin emerges from the dimness. She wears a coat lined with metal keys and carries a flail that has padlocks for heads. She manages a faint smile and says, “How might Jingle Jangle unlock a bit of happiness in your lives today?”

The oval-shaped den is 20 feet wide, 30 feet long, and 6 feet tall, with a smaller chamber at the back where Jingle Jangle sleeps.

Jingle Jangle is a goblin (chaotic good) who refers to herself in the third person. Replace her normal weapon attacks with the following action option:

Flail of Locks. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (3d4) bludgeoning damage.

One of the keys in Jingle Jangle’s collection is the silver key that unlocks Sir Talavar’s birdcage. If the characters want this key, Jingle Jangle offers it freely, saying, “Better you should have it than those long-eared brigands. First they stole Jingle Jangle’s truffles. Next, they’ll want Jingle Jangle’s keys. Someone ought to give them a good shaking down so they know what it feels like!”

Jingle Jangle’s obsession with keys serves as a cautionary tale for those who would enter into a bargain with Bavlorna Blightstraw. The goblin once sought the hag’s help in a desperate attempt to undo what she thought was a terrible curse: wherever Jingle Jangle went, she felt a tormenting fear of being caught on the wrong side of a locked door. When she appealed to Bavlorna for aid, the hag removed the goblin’s ability to perceive that fear and replaced it with an insatiable and overwhelming need to collect keys. So great is this obsession that Jingle Jangle has lost her own sense of self and now refers to herself only in the third person.

Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bio for Jingle Jangle.

Jingle Jangle’s Tale of Woe

If the characters seem interested in hearing more about her recent altercation, or if they want to offer reciprocation for her gift of the silver key, Jingle Jangle reveals the following information:

“Jingle Jangle was digging for truffles in the swamp when a bunch of harengons leapt out from behind the reeds and shrubbery. They took Jingle Jangle’s truffles, threw Jingle Jangle down in the mud, and whacked Jingle Jangle with their wooden clubs.”

Jingle Jangle knows that Telemy Hill is well defended, so she’s not concerned about her own well-being at the moment. However, she happily accepts any or all of the following as payment for the key to Sir Talavar’s cage:

A bag of truffles or some other tasty snack

A thirst-quenching beverage

A solemn vow to avenge the abuse Jingle Jangle suffered at the hands of the harengon brigands

If the characters raise her spirits by offering her food, drink, or the promise of revenge, Jingle Jangle imparts the following useful information:

Agdon Longscarf is the leader of the harengon brigands. He wears a bright blue scarf and moves as fast as lightning. Characters who head toward Brigands’ Tollway might encounter him there.

Brigands’ Tollway is a series of old wooden catwalks that circle a giant tree stump. The brigands camp atop the stump because it gives them the advantage of high ground.

The best guide in Hither is a pincer-clawed scarecrow named Clapperclaw. It hangs around Downfall and knows the way to the neighboring realm of Thither, which is ruled by a hag named Granny Nightshade.

Leaving Telemy Hill

The outcome of the characters’ interaction with Jingle Jangle influences how Telemy Hill regards them.

Helping Jingle Jangle. If the characters lift Jingle Jangle’s spirits, Telemy Hill is delighted. The awakened trees dance around the characters in appreciation, and one of them gives the characters an iron key that Jingle Jangle dropped in the dirt. The tree mysteriously claims the key will be useful later on (see area B19 of Bavlorna’s cottage).

Harming Jingle Jangle. If the characters harm Jingle Jangle, Telemy Hill commands 1d4 awakened trees to attack the characters as they emerge from the goblin’s den. Whenever a tree is felled, another arrives to take its place until ten trees are killed, at which point Telemy Hill gives up the fight.