# [[The Palace of Heart's Desire]]
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%%[dnd-vault](obsidian://open?vault=dnd-vault&file=inspiration%2FWild%20Beyond%20the%20Witchlight%2FExploring%20the%20Palace)%%
## Locations
### Maps
#### Lower Level
```leaflet
id: palace-of-hearts-desire-lower
image: wbtw-palace-of-hearts-desire.png
height: 450px
minZoom: 6
maxZoom: 10
defaultZoom: 6
zoomDelta: 1
unit: feet
scale: 1
```
#### Upper Level
```leaflet
id: wbtw-palace-of-hearts-desire-upper
image: wbtw-palace-of-hearts-desire-upper.png
height: 450px
minZoom: 6
maxZoom: 10
defaultZoom: 6
zoomDelta: 1
unit: feet
scale: 1
```
### Lower Level
#### P1. Front Gate
- Greenery between the bars of the gate
- A garden beyond
- 20-foot tall double gate, can be opened with ease.
- Walls here are 40 feet high and easily climbed by using the vines.
- Inscription in Elvish about the crown locks on the flagstone at the base of the gate.
#### P2. Palace Garden
- Many varieties of flowers, trees, some stones, streams, a large pond. Vegetation is overgrown.
- Frozen: Pixies midflight, still waters of the stream, gardeners with watering cans held aloft
- Gold and silver fruit trees
#### P3. Pavilion
- 7 guests, two of them frozen:
- Farmer [[Sumai]] from [[Bisaft Isle]] with a carnivorous pumpkin who is eating his livestock
- [[Lord Eld]], noble from [[ttrpgs/The Slayers Five/Zadash|Zadash]], is a living statue because of a spell in his family crypt. He wants it reversed.
- [[Obal Obb]], headless dwarf from [[Pride's Call]], lost his head to the [[Arkenox]], but can miraculously still hear. He is [[Topplepot|Diesa]]'s family's rival family. He wanted [[The Secret in the Silk]] but failed.
- [[Bodger]], awakened brown bear from [[Rumblecusp]]. He was pawing at the water for fish when omething in the water underneath [[Shipwreck Beach|Shipwreck Caves]] cursed him and awakened him. He's pretty content!
- [[Majera d’Valzey]], young female human noble from [[ttrpgs/The Slayers Five/Rexxentrum|Rexxentrum]]. Her father, [[Zivan Margolin]], is part of [[ttrpgs/The Slayers Five/The Cerberus Assembly]] and she has a magic quill, Dictado. Majera wants to break the terms of an arranged marriage.
- (Frozen) [[Hogus Pinsworth]], male strongheart halfling from [[Bwualli]]. He is a [[The Revelry|Revelry]] pirate looking to escape his debts.
- (Frozen) [[Zurrash]], female half-orc from [[Asarius]]. She used to be in [[The Many Hosts of Igrathad]]. She was a war chief but was ousted when [[Hardrak|Othrog the Titan-Knuckled]] united the orc clans.
#### P4. Standing Stones
- 12 moss-covered stones forming a ring: this is a teleportation circle.
#### P5. Fountain of Awakening
- Water is frozen, but if it's taken from the fountain, it will become normal water.
- Beasts that bathe in the fountain become awakened, but humanoids that drink from it have their intelligence drop to 3 for 24 hours.
#### P6. Woodcutter's Axe
- [Woodcutter's axe](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/3895581-woodcutters-axe) is embedded into a tree stump.
- Only a creature with a Strength score higher than 18 can remove it from the stump.
#### P7. Rose Garden
- Different-coloured roses, with glistening spiderwebs covering the rosebushes.
- [[Xinipax]], a petrified satyr, holds a vine with five [chromatic roses](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/3895564-chromatic-rose).
- He will give characters an [amulet of the drunkard](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/1434251-amulet-of-the-drunkard) if they un-petrify him.
#### P8. Maiden's Pond
- Willow trees encircle the pond
- A watery hand is frozen as it rises from the water, carrying a crown of silver needles. Black, shimmering fish in a humanoid shape underneath.
- Anyone who holds the crown gets a clue that the crown should first be put on [[Wrath]]
#### P9. Envy's Tower
- 30-foot-tall tower with no roof
- Filled with oak trees
- An iron lion stands on a marble pedestal and comes to life when anyone comes in. They are Envy and are a [qwyllion](obsidian://open?vault=dnd-vault&file=monsters%2FQwyllion).
- Envy dislikes Wrath but they can't harm each other.
#### P10. Wrath's Tower
- Matching 30-foot-tall tower filled with hawthorn trees (small, red berries)
- Placing the crown on Wrath's head turns it into a crown of golden roses.
#### P11. Carriage House
- A crystal carriage is drawn by crystal pegasi. Zybilna uses it to go to different parts of [[Prismeer]] and other parts of [[ttrpgs/The Slayers Five/The Feywild]] as well
- Zybilna keeps the ornate glass key inside the crystal carriage.
#### P12. Hall of Stars
- Starry sky wall mural showing the real last night sky on [[Hither]].
- Stone balconies to the north that overlook a stormy void.
#### P13. Court of Storms
- Rectangular courtyard with no floor; it's all storm and dark clouds roiling, with a marble tower in the centre with seven turrets.
- [[Sereas]], a knight, is suspended in air.
- The vortex is not frozen in time. `dice: 4d8` force damage every turn for creatures that fall in or stay in.
#### P14. Spiral Staircases
Areas P14a through P14d are on the palace’s lower level, while areas P14e through P14h are on the upper level. All eight rooms have similar decor:
The walls of this circular chamber are decorated with sculpted reliefs depicting humans and demons partaking in grotesque revels. A spiral staircase with a golden handrail is in the middle of the room.
The reliefs hint at Zybilna’s fondness for demons. Specifics about each room are provided below:
##### P14a
The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14e. To the northeast, an elevated staircase extends over part of the Court of Storms ([area P13](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P13CourtofStorms "area P13")) and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower ([area P48g](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P48Turrets "area P48g") on the upper level).
##### P14b
The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14f. To the northwest, an elevated staircase extends over part of the Court of Storms ([area P13](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P13CourtofStorms "area P13")) and leads to one of the turrets of the central tower ([area P48b](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P48Turrets "area P48b") on the upper level).
##### P14c
The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14g. The double door leading to the ballroom ([area P22](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P22Ballroom "area P22")) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see “[Crown Locks](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#CrownLocks "Crown Locks")” earlier in the chapter).
##### P14d
The spiral staircase ascends 30 feet to area P14h. The double door leading to the ballroom ([area P22](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P22Ballroom "area P22")) is sealed with a lion crown lock (see “[Crown Locks](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#CrownLocks "Crown Locks")” earlier in the chapter).
##### P14e
The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14a. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the palace garden ([area P2](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P2PalaceGarden "area P2")).
##### P14f
The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14b. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the palace garden ([area P2](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P2PalaceGarden "area P2")).
##### P14g
The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14c. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms ([area P13](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P13CourtofStorms "area P13")).
##### P14h
The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area P14d. A double door leads to a stone balcony that overlooks the Court of Storms ([area P13](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P13CourtofStorms "area P13")). Floating 10 feet above the top of the staircase is a [banshee](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/banshee) trapped in temporal stasis. The banshee is all that remains of a vainglorious elf queen named Pari Astarabad, who challenged Zybilna for control of Prismeer and paid the ultimate price. The banshee is condemned to haunt this tower and, thanks to Zybilna’s magic, can’t leave it. If freed from temporal stasis, the banshee can move between this area and area P14d, but nowhere else.
#### P15. Servants' Quarters
- 5 goblins loyal to Zybilna are frozen as they are dining.
- [[Thinnings]], Zybilna's personal butler, is hiding here and _not_ frozen. He's spying on [[Endelyn Moongrave]] and can tell the party a few things if they convince him they're here to save Zybilna.
#### P16. Palace Kitchen
> [!info]+ Description
> An eight-foot-tall, three-foot-diameter, multitiered cake rests on a large round table in this kitchen, which also contains a stove and an assortment of mismatched cupboards and worktables. Eight pixies are suspended in midair around the cake, each wearing a chef’s hat and a flour-stained apron. Six of the pixies squeeze cloth tubes that have icing coming out of them. The other two hold armfuls of tiny crimson candles.
>
> Thick creepers with broad leaves encroach on the kitchen through a partially open door in the middle of a concave wall. The roots stretch across the floor and coil around the large table, but not around a smaller, rectangular wheeled table that has three trussed-up giant rats on it.
>
> The eight [pixies](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/pixie) work for Zybilna as bakers, and they are frozen in time. In addition to the large cake described below, characters can see platters of blue-frosted cupcakes and candied apples on sticks, bowls of sugar-glazed button mushrooms, and bottles of eveningberry wine (a sweet, nonalcoholic drink).
>
> **_Cake._** This perfectly preserved cake was made for Zybilna’s birthday. Made of cream, sponge, fruit, and white icing, the cake has eight tiers and weighs 100 pounds. If the characters want to move the cake safely, they can transfer it to the wheeled table.
>
> **_Wheeled Table._** Three [giant rats](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/giant-rat), frozen in time, lie atop the small table. The rats are meant to be fed to Bloodybeak, the great owl in [area P20](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P20Aviary "area P20").
#### P17. Base of the Beanstalk
An open doorway leading from the kitchen (area P16) has thick creepers spreading through it.
> [!info]+ Description
> Here, the palace has been torn asunder by the growth of an enormous beanstalk that has lifted one of its towers high into the air. The space beyond the open doorway is choked with rubble and the thick roots that form the beanstalk’s base.
>
The tower above is [area P51](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P51BeanstalkTower "area P51"). Zybilna’s quasit, Iggrik, used a potion from his mistress’s laboratory ([area P42](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P42Laboratory "area P42")) to grow the beanstalk and cause the tower to be lifted to its present height.
The beanstalk is 80 feet high, elevating the floor of the tower 20 feet above the palace roof. A creature that can fly can reach the tower easily enough. A creature can climb the beanstalk without needing magic or climbing gear, but doing so requires a successful DC 15 Strength ([Athletics](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Athletics)) check. On a check that fails by 5 or more, the creature falls.
The beanstalk has AC 15 and is impervious to most forms of damage. If it is struck with the [woodcutter’s axe](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/woodcutters-axe) (see [area P6](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P6WoodcuttersAxe "area P6")), the beanstalk shrinks 5 feet for every hit point of damage the weapon deals. If the beanstalk takes enough damage to reduce its height to 50 feet, the tower drops to its original position (so that the floor of area P51 is level with the second floor of the palace), and the beanstalk dies.
#### P18. Banquet Hall
> [!info] Description
> Paintings of fey creatures and the mounted heads of majestic elk with golden horns decorate the walls of this dining hall. In the middle of the hall, a deformed giant squats at the head of a table piled with food. The grease-stained tablecloth is tucked under the giant’s chin, and she washes down each slobbering mouthful of food with a gulp from a barrel of beer.
>
> A tea cart in one corner of the banquet hall has an iron kettle and a tureen of steaming soup resting on doilies atop it.
The balcony extends out over the western part of this chamber, as indicated by the dashed line on the map. See [area P32](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P32MinstrelsGallery "area P32") for more information about the balcony.
![[wbtw-dubhforgail.png]]
Dubhforgail, the gluttonous [fomorian](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17146-fomorian), intends to conquer Prismeer. Three days ago, she scaled the column of rock atop which the palace is perched and entered through a hole in the wall (see [area P25](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P25BathingRoom "area P25")). Kelek used every ounce of his charisma to lure Dubhforgail into the banquet hall, hoping to keep her out of his way until the Hourglass Coven can deal with her. Dubhforgail has eaten nearly all the palace’s food, yet her appetite remains insatiable. She has no regard for the rules of conduct (see “[Rules of Conduct](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/hither#RulesofConduct "Rules of Conduct")” in [chapter 2](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/hither "chapter 2")).
Dubhforgail assumes the characters are Kelek’s minions and demands that they bring her the cake that Kelek promised her (“Eight tiers high, lit with blood-red candles, and icing white as snow”). She warns them that if they leave and return without it, she’ll gobble them up instead “to see if you taste as sweet as you look.” Dubhforgail is wicked and violent; if the characters anger her now or later, she snatches up her club and attacks. If treated to the cake from [area P16](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/P32MinstrelsGallery "area P16"), Dubhforgail settles down to eat it over the next 3 hours. During this time, characters can move freely through the banquet hall without angering the fomorian.
**_Tea Cart._** The tea cart’s drawers contain utensils, candlesticks, teacups, saucers, bowls, and napkins. The cart and its contents animate whenever someone sits at a table on the terrace (see area P19 for details).
#### P19. Dining Terrace
> [!info] Description
> Bathed in twilight, this marble terrace offers a stunning view of the mountains, forests, swamps, and shimmering horizons of Prismeer. Spaced about the balcony are tables draped in white tablecloths with chairs set around each one.
If one or more of them sit down at the table:
> [!info] Description
> The tea cart from the banquet hall rolls onto the terrace and careens over to your table. Cups, saucers, bowls, utensils, and napkins fly out of the cart’s drawers and arrange themselves before you. They are joined by a waddling cauldron of soup, a piping-hot tea kettle, and a pair of lit candles in candlesticks. A serving spoon hops onto the cart, bows, and says in Common, “I am Demitasse, your head waiter. I believe a light supper of tea and soup is in order.”
- A *animate objects* spell has been placed on the cart and the other objects.
- The kettle and cauldron never run out of tea and hot soup. Anyone who drinks both gets 10 temp HP (once every 24 hours).
- The cauldron knows about the larger, more magical cauldron that [[Zybilna]] uses to wield her power over [[Prismeer]]. It's also the same cauldron that [[The Hourglass Coven]] used to imprison her.
Things Demitasse knows:
- The people Zybilna aids have been immortalized as glass statues in a room above the banquet hall.
- [[Thinnings]], Zybilna's butler, was not affected by the freezing for some reason. He knows more about the palace than anyone. If the party do find him, they should lure him out by telling him some of their secrets.
#### P20. Aviary
- [[Arkenox]] was once kept here in an elaborate cage, but it is now empty and open.
- Giant rat carcasses litter the floor. Some of them are uneaten.
#### P21. Records Room
The door to get into this room is sealed with a hart lock.
> [!info] Description
> The walls of this room are lined with square compartments holding bundles of rolled paper scrolls. In the middle of the room, an elderly dwarf in gray robes, with spectacles resting on the tip of his bulbous nose, sits perfectly still behind a writing desk facing the door. The dwarf’s quill is dipped halfway into an inkpot, and his bloodshot eyes are fixed on a sheet of parchment in front of him.
- This room has contracts that Zybilna made with mortals, pacts with warlocks, (all written in Infernal) including:
- Pact with [[Topplepot]] to give her power
- Contract with an ancestor of [[Dain Torunn]] from [[Pride's Call]], to provide them silk in thanks for one of them saving Zybilna once upon a time, but only if their descendants pass a test of bravery by going into the unknown (the Feywild). They are forbidden from talking about their experiences.
- [[Kalimanzaros]] is the frozen dwarf. In front of him is an unfinished letter:
> [!info] The Letter
> _Dear Rotten End,_
>
_You have requested access to ancient rituals handed down by Baba Yaga herself—rituals that can be used to fulfill bargains. I regret to inform you that Natasha is unwilling to share her knowledge of these rituals with you at this time. Your coven has much work to do to earn her favor. Until then, she wishes you well in your dark dealings with mort_
#### P22. Ballroom
> [!info] Description
> A grand ballroom lies before you, the northern part of its floor littered with the splintered remains of three doors that have been knocked from their hinges, leaving openings through which you can see adjoining rooms.
>
> Throughout the ballroom, royal courtiers stand motionless. Some are frozen mid-dance; others are sitting and talking while sipping liquid.
Courtiers:
- A pompous [bullywug knight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/1979773-bullywug-knight) (see [appendix C](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/creatures#BullywugKnight "appendix C")) and an emissary of the Soggy Court (see [chapter 2](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/downfall#TheSoggyCourt "chapter 2")) named Lord Slubb, the Marquis of Brackishbog
- Two [drow mages](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17135-drow-mage) (chaotic good) named Kelchrin and Valtis, who counsel Zybilna on matters concerning demons and the Abyss
- Snitcher, a [goblin boss](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17155-goblin-boss) (neutral) with dragonfly wings that grant a flying speed of 40 feet and the ability to hover, who brings news from other fey courts and is attended by four similarly winged [goblins](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16907-goblin) (neutral bodyguards)
- Seven [pixies](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17192-pixie) named Bix, Henny, Honeybright, Nightglitter, Starpetal, Trick, and Winterflake
- Two [quicklings](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2556176-quickling) (see [appendix C](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/creatures#Quickling "appendix C")) who serve Zybilna as messengers and spies
#### P23. Round Table
The doors leading into this room have been knocked from their hinges, and the doorways are wide open.
> [!info] Description
> This chamber contains a round, marble-topped table ringed by high-backed chairs. Between the table and a curved wall of tall, slender windows stands a motionless, white-haired wizard wielding a staff that has glittering frost erupting from its tip.
- The wizard is [[Ringlerun]], who was here when the Hourglass Coven froze everything.
- Zybilna used this room for her council meetings. The table has the following phrase engraved in Elvish: *I rule by the verdict of my heart and the slam of my fist.*
#### P24. Ruined Staterooms
- These used to be grandly furnished rooms, but something ([[Arkenox]]) smashed through these in a terror to get to Zybilna, and they are currently in ruins. Nothing of value remains.
#### P25. Bathing Room
> [!info] Description
> Steam rises from a murky bathing pool. The tiled floor around the bath is cracked and ruined, as though something huge had stomped across it. Whatever caused this damage also left a gaping hole in one wall, through which you can see open air and the twilight sky.
- [[Arkenox]] likes to bathe here and doesn't always leave the right way.
- The water is 8 feet deep, and at the bottom are bones of fairies and goblins and giant rats that Arkenox has devoured.
- Treasure:
- A pair of silver armlets (25 gp)
- An ornate steel dagger that whispers "soon" when its owner falls asleep (50 gp)
- Silver helmet with a black feather (125 gp)
#### P26. Changing Room
> [!info] Description
> One wall of this chamber is lined with wooden cubicles, each containing a small bench and a hook for hanging clothes. Underfoot, a mosaic floor depicts images of demons.
#### P27. Armory
> [!info] Description
> The room contains glass cabinets filled with a wide variety of weaponry. The weapons are so well constructed that it is difficult to tell if this display is an armory or a museum.
- Glass cabinets are unlocked and contain weapons of particularly fine manufacture.
#### P28. Library
> [!info] Description
> Leather-bound tomes fill the tall shelves of this grand library. Rolling ladders anchored to rails above the topmost shelves allow easy access to the higher books.
>
> Appearing from behind a bookshelf is an elderly hunchbacked man carrying an open book. “This library is closed to visitors!” he says, snapping the book closed and making no effort to hide his surprise and his annoyance.
- Zybilna's best books are in [[The Palace of Heart's Desire#P38 Secret Library|her secret library]], but there are still lots of books here.
- The hunchbacked man is a librarian named [[Shon]]. He speaks Abyssal, Common, Elvish, and Sylvan. His hump is actually [[Gray]], a giant wolf spider that Shon disguises as his hump (only Zybilna knows this). Gray has been *awakened* and has an intelligence of 10. Gray is actually better at locating books than Shon is.
- Shon will cast *suggestion* to get the party out-- he doesn't trust strangers and is loyal to Zybilna.
#### P29. Rug of White Roses
> [!info] Description
> Running the length of this oblong room is a rug woven with images of thorny white roses. Each of the doors on the north and south walls has an alabaster pedestal standing inside the room beside it. Atop each pedestal is an alabaster vase that holds several long-stemmed white roses. Carved into the vase are the words “Take one” in Common.
- This hall opens up onto a balcony that overlooks [[The Palace of Heart's Desire#P13 Court of Storms]].
- The rug is a Rug of Smothering. Anyone who crosses it without carrying a white rose loses `dice: 4d8` HP.
#### P30. Sludge-Filled Tower
> [!info] Description
> Everything in this tower appears to be frozen in place. A five-foot-wide ledge at floor level circles the room, and a row of five iron levers protrudes from the wall above the ledge on the far side of the room. Five feet below the ledge is the surface of a pool of reeking sludge. Five slender, gilded cages dangle from chains that hang down from holes in the sixty-foot-high ceiling. Three of the cages are occupied. Suspended in midair outside each cage is a pixie holding a tiny, gilded wand.
[[Zargash]] is also here, spying for [[Endelyn Moongrave]]:
> [!info] Zargash
> Standing motionless next to the levers is a man garbed in black whose face is half-hidden by a hood. A bat-shaped amulet hangs around his neck, and he tightly grips a quarterstaff.
- Zargash is pretending to be frozen, but is actually a spy. DC 18 Insight to realize this. If he is found out, Zargash casts [gaseous form](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/gaseous-form) and goes to warn Endelyn.
- The five cages are at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet above the floor. The height of the cages are controlled by levers on the wall but are also frozen.
- Pixies transport prisoners to and from the cages, but they're frozen too.
- The Demonic Sludge is from [[The Shadowfell]] and causes `dice: 2d6` psychic damage to anyone who starts its turn wholly or partially submerged in it.
Prisoners:
- The cage suspended 10 feet above the sludge contains a [manes](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17213-manes).
- The cage suspended 20 feet above the sludge contains an [incubus](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/257235-incubus) in the guise of a male high elf named Nizran (not his true name). The incubus, whose Etherealness trait does not function in the Feywild, infiltrated Zybilna’s court by pretending to be an emissary of the Summer Queen. Zybilna saw through the deception, ascertained the incubus’s true allegiance to the demon lord Graz’zt (her former lover), and incarcerated the incubus before he could return to his true master.
- The cage suspended 40 feet above the sludge holds a nameless, unshaven man with a crescent-shaped scar under his right eye. A retired human [spy](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17021-spy) (neutral) from Oerth, he is unarmed. He begged Zybilna to rid him of the guilt he feels for several murders he committed. She obliged by locking him up and promising to transform him into a manes—a creature incapable of feeling guilt.
#### P31. Throne Room
This room can be reached by descending the staircase from [[The Palace of Heart's Desire#P47 Destroyed Study]].
> [!info] Description
> A ring of marble pillars sculpted with images of fairies and demons supports the arched ceiling of this circular chamber. Seven archways spaced evenly around the room’s perimeter lead to empty turrets with tall, stained-glass windows set in their walls. Each window bears the image of a knight in armor.
>
> In the middle of the room is a black iron cauldron atop a dais. Dark vapors rise from it as one figure with a shock of white hair moves around it. Another figure lies slumped on the floor, not too far away, her eyes wide but unmoving. You recognize her as Endelyn Moongrave.
>
> A look of desperation is on Endelyn Moongrave's face, and she's mouthing something, her lips agape, and she looks like she's been frozen before she could hold up her hand. She's facing the cauldron.
>
> The younger woman who is standing by the cauldron is not frozen, and is pacing back and forth in front of the cauldron. She is chanting, a long string of elven words most of you don't recognize. At your approach, she whirls around and eyes you suspiciously. "Well, and who are you?"
- Endelyn is posing as Zybilna. She has polymorphed both herself and Zybilna. She claims she found a way out of the stasis and surprised "Endelyn".
- She actually wants the party to give her the unicorn horn so that she can use it and the cauldron to give herself power over Prismeer by calling IT by its true name: _Makaar_.
There are only a few clues that she's not Zybilna:
- Zybilna's treasured shadow drake, [[Arkenox]], is under a *Dominate Beast* spell nearby, and he's not happy.
- She wears the jewel that imprisons [[Aro]].
When the party realize who she is:
- She tells the characters that she foresaw the dissolution of the coven. She claims to be the true hero of the situation, since she trapped Natasha in time to save Prismeer from her tyranny and debauchery.
- She tries to turn the party against Zybilna:
- Natasha was a demented archmage who peered into the Shadowfell, studied it intently to learn how to summon and control demons, and used them to ravage kingdoms on the Material Plane.
- Natasha is in cahoots with Uk'otoa.
- She promises to use the power of Iggwilv’s Cauldron for the characters’ benefit, further tempting them by describing the cauldron’s many beneficial properties (see appendix A). She hopes to buy time until they can turn the tables on the characters and make them suffer for their insolence.
Endelyn wears the two artifacts that [[The Grim Accord]] want:
- [[The Kiss of the Changebringer]], a necklace belonging to [[Skabatha Nightshade]], currently in [[Endelyn Moongrave]]'s possession, consecrated to [[ttrpgs/The Slayers Five/Avandra]]. Aro is imprisoned within.
- [[The Deathwalker's Ward]], a cloak belonging to [[Endelyn Moongrave]] and consecrated to [[The Raven Queen]].
**_Treasure._**
- [Iggwilv’s Cauldron](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/3895570-iggwilvs-cauldron)
- Zybilna:
- [robe of the archmagi](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4742-robe-of-the-archmagi)
- [amulet of the planes](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4570-amulet-of-the-planes)
- [+1 quarterstaff](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/5251-quarterstaff-1)
### Upper Level
#### P32. Minstrels' Gallery
> [!info] Description
> This thirty-foot-high balcony overlooks the banquet hall. A harpsichord decorated with painted panels is situated at one end of the balcony near a double door.
- The harpsichord is an Instrument of the Bards
#### P33. Glass Statues
> [!info] Description
> The floor of this marble hall is polished to a mirror-like finish. The exterior walls are lined with stained-glass windows depicting fairies and butterflies in flight. A glass statue of a long-haired woman in robes stands atop a dais, her arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture. A tiny, incandescent blue sphere is suspended in the air next to the statue’s head. Dozens of other statues made of sparkling glass are arranged about the room.
- There are 40 glass statues, all of which represent people Zybilna has helped.
- When the harpsichord in [[The Palace of Heart's Desire#P32 Minstrels' Gallery]] is played, all the figures except for the woman on the dais start dancing.
- The statue on the dais is in the likeness of Zybilna.
- If one of the following things happen, a [gray slaad](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17114-gray-slaad) appears and attacks the party:
- 3 or more statues are destroyed
- The Zybilna statue is destroyed
- Someone grabs the tiny sphere
**_Treasure._** The blue sphere is an [Ioun stone (insight)](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4935-ioun-stone-of-insight) that belongs to Iggwilv. Any other creature that attunes to the [Ioun stone](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4935-ioun-stone-of-insight) is cursed. While cursed in this way, the creature is magically transformed into an animated, doll-like effigy of itself made of wood. The creature’s statistics are the same, except that it is a Construct with vulnerability to fire damage, and it doesn’t require air, food, or water. Items worn or carried by the creature are unaffected. A [wish](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/wish) spell can end the curse. The creature can end the curse on itself by giving a bouquet of eight black roses to Iggwilv, but only Iggwilv and Iggrik (the quasit in [area P51](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P51BeanstalkTower "area P51")) know that the curse can be ended in this way. The black roses can be harvested from the rose garden ([area P7](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P7RoseGarden "area P7")).
#### P34. Hall of Hatches
Four three-foot-square oak panels are mounted on the wall along the east side of this short hall. Each panel has a hinged hatch attached to a wooden handle.
When the characters first enter, all four panels are closed. Opening a hatch reveals a square cavity containing the head of a decapitated creature. When a hatch is opened, the head inside that cavity barks one of the following utterances:
> [!info] The heads in the hatches
> Bugbear head: “Yah!”
>
> Harpy head: “Bah!”
>
> Hobgoblin head: “Gah!”
>
> Ogre head: “Bah!”
Each repeats its one-word utterance every time its hatch is opened, then falls silent until the hatch is closed and opened again. To use this area as it was intended, the panels must all be closed and then opened in either of the following sequences:
> Harpy, ogre, bugbear, hobgoblin
>
> Ogre, harpy, bugbear, hobgoblin
When the decapitated heads speak the syllables of “Baba Yaga” in their proper order, all creatures in the hall are teleported to unoccupied spaces in the study ([area P47](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P47DestroyedStudy "area P47")).
#### P35. Flooded Hall
This hallway has a sunken floor filled to a depth of three feet with dark water. Lanterns lit with flickering blue flames hang from the ceiling thirty feet above by short chains, spaced roughly ten feet apart. They produce eerie, ghostlike reflections off the water. As you take in the scene, an empty sailboat drifts into view from farther down the hall and makes its way toward you.
The sailboat glides closer until it is near enough to board safely. The boat can carry up to eight Medium creatures. One creature can steer the boat using the tiller, and the boat has a speed of 20 feet.
**_Dark Water._** Peering into the water’s depths reveals thin, pale faces staring back, dark monsters swimming past, and glimpses of distant realms. A creature can wade through the water safely, but any creature that completely submerges itself must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or become trapped under the water’s surface. Unless the creature can breathe underwater, it begins to [suffocate](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/adventuring#Suffocating) when it runs out of air (see the [suffocation](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb/adventuring#Suffocating "suffocation") rules in the [Player’s Handbook](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/phb "Player’s Handbook")). As an action, a creature trapped under the water’s surface or another creature within reach of it can make a DC 20 Strength ([Athletics](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Athletics)) check. On a successful check, the trapped creature breaks through the surface and is no longer submerged.
#### P36. Costume Room
This room contains eight wooden mannequins in tall glass cases. Each mannequin wears a different outfit.
These outfits have been worn by Zybilna in her many guises—a child’s witchy dress for young Natasha; a flamboyant, off-the-shoulder dress for Tasha; a dark, alluring gown for Iggwilv; and more.
The following clues can help the characters identify some of Zybilna’s former personas:
- The name “Natasha” is stitched into the collar of a cape sized for a child.
- Characters who examined the mannequin of Tasha in the glass cabinet outside the Hall of Illusions in the Witchlight Carnival can recognize Tasha’s costume from the way the mannequin was dressed.
- Characters who succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence ([History](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#History)) check can recognize one of Iggwilv’s costumes from a woodcut of her that they saw once in a book, where she was identified as “Iggwilv, the Witch Queen of Perrenland.”
#### P37. Dretch Nursery
Flies buzz throughout this chamber, and the grimy marble floor is crawling with maggots. Eight wicker cradles stand upright in the filth. Lashed to each cradle is a three-foot-long, curved wooden pole with a mobile consisting of three ornaments dangling at the top of it. Each ornament appears to be a triangular piece of white wood with an Elvish letter carved into it. Small, misshapen creatures nesting in the cradles reach toward the symbols with their claws but can’t quite grab them.
The cradles contain eight [dretches](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/dretch)—manifestations of Zybilna’s darkest emotions: annoyance, loathing, rage, disgust, disdain, maliciousness, envy, and jealousy. The stunted, baby-like fiends act according to their nature; for example, the annoyed dretch frowns in irritation at everything it sees, the malicious dretch tries to pinch anyone who comes too close to it, and so forth.
A character can make a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check to ascertain why the dretches are here and what they represent. On a failed check, the character ascertains nothing. On a successful check, the character realizes that the dretches are manifestations of suppressed negative emotions belonging to whoever confined them to this wretched nursery.
Characters who can read the Elvish script can identify seven different letters carved into the triangular ornaments suspended above the cradles. The letters, each of which appear several times, are A, B, I, L, N, Y, and Z. Rearranged, they spell ZYBILNA. Zybilna needed the lettered ornaments as material components for the ritual that created the dretches, but now they are merely decorative distractions for the baby-like dretches. The letters are attached to the mobiles at random; for example, one cradle’s mobile might have the letters A, I, and L, while another might have the letters B, L, and Y.
Each dretch is bound by Zybilna’s magic and has a speed of 0 feet while in its cradle. If a dretch is removed from its cradle, its disposition doesn’t change, but it is free to go where it pleases. It shuns combat and fights only in self-defense. Killing one or more dretches causes an upswell of dark emotions in Iggwilv, which can have consequences for the characters in their climactic encounter with her (as described at the end of the chapter).
#### P38. Secret Library
A dozen floating candles cast dim, flickering lights over this sepulchral, windowless library. Ebony bookshelves are filled with volumes bound in jet-black fabric. The books have no titles on their spines. In the middle of the room, a black quill pen rests on a writing desk next to a jar of black ink.
Magic causes each candle to float 1d4 + 3 feet above the floor. Casting [dispel magic](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/dispel-magic) on a candle or removing a candle from the library automatically ends the levitation effect on it.
If the characters remove a book from the shelves, they see that the cover, like the spine, has no title. Opening any of the books reveals that its pages are blank apart from the first page, on which a thin line has been scribed. If a creature uses the quill pen on the desk to write the title of a book above the line, the remaining pages of the book fill with writing that matches the book of the same title, provided that book is part of this room’s collection. Writing a title in a blank book that does not match the title of a book in the collection causes the ink to swiftly evaporate from the page. If a book is removed from this library, all writing in it fades after 30 days, leaving the book blank.
Among the titles found here are the following, which the characters can learn about from Shon in [area P28](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P28Library "area P28"):
_The City That Waits_ (one explorer’s treatise about Moil, a demiplane that houses a city of haunted spires)
_The Faceless Lord_ (Iggwilv’s private account of her many dealings with Juiblex, the Demon Prince of Oozes and Slimes—which she later updated and incorporated into her magnum opus, the [Demonomicon of Iggwilv](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/demonomicon-of-iggwilv))
_I, Lyzandred_ (a lich’s meandering autobiography, which drifts into a lengthy, plodding dissertation about demiplanes and how to construct them)
_Kingdom of the Ghouls_ (one adventuring party’s exploration of a subterranean kingdom of ghouls on the world of Oerth)
_The Many Masques of Mith_ (a bizarre account of life as a servant to an archwizard named Mith, who hosted masques for honored guests from across the multiverse)
_Nadir of Nessus_ (all about the politics of the Nine Hells, written by a tiefling named Nadir, who claimed to be the daughter of Asmodeus)
_Prophecies of Explictica Defilus_ (a transcription of various prophecies told by a powerful spirit naga from the world of Oerth)
_Thingizzard’s Night Balloon_ (instructions for building a magic vessel that can float safely through the layers of the Abyss)
#### P39. Roost
This 20-foot-square room has an 8-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall archway in the middle of the west wall, beyond which a tower chamber contains five cages dangling from chains above a pool of sludge 30 feet below. Characters who position themselves near the archway can see the ceiling of the tower chamber 30 feet above them, as well as the other features of [area P30](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P30SludgeFilledTower "area P30").
Floor-to-ceiling iron bars spaced 6 inches apart span the eastern side of this room. Through this wall of bars, one can see the palace’s central tower suspended above a stormy void ([area P13](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P13CourtofStorms "area P13")). The bars can be bent with a successful DC 20 Strength ([Athletics](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Athletics)) check, creating an opening through which Small and Medium characters can squeeze.
#### P40. Guest Wing
This wing of the palace is reserved for Zybilna’s guests, including envoys from other archfey and petitioners from the Material Plane.
[](https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/twbtw/JtUXxjur9QWtb7E3/05-009.frozen-in-time.png)
MOST OF THE PALACE’S INHABITANTS ARE FROZEN IN TIME
Each room holds a four-poster bed, a wardrobe containing outfits that magically tailor themselves to their wearers, and a dressing table. A bell pull mounted on the wall by the door enables guests to summon servants from their quarters ([area P15](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P15ServantsQuarters "area P15")). If the characters ring any of these bells, the butler Thinnings creeps up to investigate 5 minutes later.
Each room’s occupants are frozen in time. Individual rooms have their own color schemes and notable features, as indicated below:
##### P40a. Red Room.
A high elf [noble](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/noble) (neutral) with long hair stands in the middle of the room. The elf, Carisso, is holding a crystal goblet of water. Tied to his belt is a glass-handled rapier (actually a [+1 rapier](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/rapier-1)). A goblin (noncombatant) stands next to him, holding a tray with a decanter of water on it.
##### P40b. Blue Room
This chamber has a line of bluebirds perched motionless on the sill of an open window. The room is otherwise unoccupied.
##### P40c. Green Room.
A well-dressed forest gnome (noncombatant) stands on a stool in front of a vanity, looking into a mirror as she combs her green hair. The vanity has various cosmetics and vials of perfume on it.
##### P40d. White Room
A handsome young male human (noncombatant) in a white nightshirt sleeps in the bed.
##### P40e. Black Room.
Six goblins (noncombatants) are in the midst of cleaning the room. One of them perches precariously on a stack of chairs while reaching out to dust the top of a tall black wardrobe.
### Upper Palace Locations (P41-P51)
#### P41. Talking Door
This door is closed and magically locked.
The surface of this double door is sculpted to look like the head of a cat. As you approach, it purrs, “Why, hello there.”
This door was meant to require a password to be opened, but the door grew bored of asking for the same word all the time and now seeks answers to more meaningful, philosophical questions. The door explains this pleasantly, then poses one of the following questions:
- Which is more important, intelligence or wisdom?
- Are we at the mercy of fate, or do we create our own destiny?
- Which has more power, the sword or the quill?
The door enthusiastically debates either side of each point. There are no right or wrong answers; to open the door, a character must argue their case and succeed on a DC 15 Charisma ([Persuasion](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Persuasion)) check. A character who impressed Feathereen, the gondola swan in the Witchlight Carnival, is filled with confidence in this debate and gains advantage on the check. On a successful check, the door swings open.
#### P42. Laboratory
The door to this laboratory is sealed with a hart crown lock (see “[Crown Locks](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#CrownLocks "Crown Locks")” earlier in the chapter).
Broken oil burners, grimy glassware, and jars of pickled fungus clutter this ruined laboratory. A beanstalk as long and thick as a constrictor snake sprouts from an unstoppered potion bottle. Bulging bean pods hang from its stem.
Zybilna used this laboratory to brew potions, including an experimental oil that stimulated the growth of plants. The beanstalk in here is one result of this study; Zybilna’s quasit, Iggrik, pilfered and used a more potent variant of this potion to create the enormous beanstalk in [area P17](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P17BaseoftheBeanstalk "area P17").
**_Treasure._** Characters who search the laboratory find a [potion of growth](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/potion-of-growth), three [potions of healing](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/potion-of-healing), and two [potions of giant strength (hill)](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/potion-of-hill-giant-strength).
Twelve bean pods hang on the beanstalk and are easily detached. A detached bean pod can be hurled up to 120 feet as an action. When it is tossed on the ground, it disappears and produces an effect identical to that of the [plant growth](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/plant-growth) spell (the version of the spell that takes 1 action to cast).
#### P43. Mirror of Heart’s Desire
The door to this room is sealed with a lion crown lock (see “Crown Locks” earlier in the chapter).
This marble hall is empty except for a tall mirror mounted in an alcove on the north wall. Cold, spectral mist hangs motionless in front of the mirror’s reflective surface and covers the floor beneath it.
Zybilna brought mortals before this mirror, where they could see the objects of their heart’s desire reflected in it. Any creature that stares into the mirror for 1 minute sees its own reflection fade away, to be replaced by an image of the thing it wants most. The mirror is a Large object with AC 13, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
If a character looks into the mirror long enough to trigger its property, work with that character’s player to determine what the character sees: it might be something or someone the character lost, a goal the character has yet to attain, or a momentous event that has not yet come to pass. If you are using the “Lost Things” adventure hook and the character hasn’t yet found what they’re looking for, the mirror might show the character its location and a route the character can take to get there.
#### P44. Jars of Time
The door to this room is sealed with a hart crown lock (see “[Crown Locks](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#CrownLocks "Crown Locks")” earlier in the chapter).
A three-level mahogany table stands in the middle of this otherwise empty chamber. Three gleaming bell jars rest on the table’s separate tiers, each one containing a visage wreathed in mist.
Any creature that touches one of the jars on the table causes all three jars to display illusory images of that creature from different time periods. The jar closest to the floor shows the creature in its youth. The jar on the middle tier shows the creature as it is now. The highest jar shows what the creature might look like in its later years. Zybilna was the last one to touch the jars, so they currently show images of her past, present, and future self:
- The lowest jar depicts a young woman with raven-black hair.
- The middle jar displays a middle-aged woman with long white hair.
- The highest jar shows a white-haired crone or hag.
The jars are stuck to the table with [sovereign glue](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/sovereign-glue). Each jar is a Small object with AC 13, 3 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. For each jar that breaks, an [invisible stalker](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/invisible-stalker) is released, appearing in the air above the table. A stalker attacks whoever is responsible for breaking its jar, ignoring all other targets. The stalker returns to the Elemental Plane of Air when it or its target dies.
[](https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/twbtw/JtUXxjur9QWtb7E3/05-010.jars-of-time.png)
THESE “JARS OF TIME” SHOW ZYBILNA’S
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE FORMS.
#### P45. Zybilna’s Bedroom
This spacious bedchamber is lightly furnished. An oval mirror in a black wood frame is mounted on the east wall, and a chess set with jet and bloodstone playing pieces rests atop an octagonal table in the southwest corner, flanked by two comfortable, high-backed chairs. A four-poster bed with black silk sheets and drapes stands in the middle of this room. Lounging on the bed are two creatures, each with the lower body of a lion. One has the head and upper torso of a woman, the other the head and upper torso of a man.
The creatures on the bed are two [lamias](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/lamia) named Nemesatra and Trizzian. The demon prince Graz’zt sent them to parley with Zybilna, because he is convinced that the archfey knows the whereabouts of Iggwilv the Witch Queen (with whom Graz’zt has unfinished business). Nemesatra and Trizzian suspect that Zybilna and Iggwilv are the same person, but the lamias need proof before they return to their master.
Graz’zt has bestowed on each lamia the ability to touch the surface of any mirror (as an action), disappear inside it, and reappear on another plane of existence of their choice, as though the lamia had cast a [plane shift](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/plane-shift) spell that affects only one creature. Nemesatra and Trizzian used this ability to travel from Azzagrat (Graz’zt’s home in the Abyss) to the Feywild, and they plan to use it again to return to Azzagrat once they get the proof they desire. The costumes in area P36 are not proof enough on their own, but any or all of the following constitute proof:
- The sworn testimony of Thinnings the butler (see [area P15](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P15ServantsQuarters "area P15")), Kalimanzaros the dwarf (see [area P21](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P21RecordsRoom "area P21")), or one of the hags in [area P47](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P47DestroyedStudy "area P47"), which the lamias must obtain using a [suggestion](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/suggestion) or [geas](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/geas) spell
- A copy of _The Faceless Lord_ (one of Iggwilv’s known unpublished works) from [area P38](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P38SecretLibrary "area P38")
- The jars of time in area P44, provided and the jars still show three faces of Iggwilv (including her younger self, which the lamias recognize)
When one or more characters appear before the lamias, Nemesatra fixes them with a steely gaze and asks, “Are you important?” She expects an affirmative reply, for neither she nor her companion have time for wastrels. Nemesatra and Trizzian won’t reveal the purpose of their mission. They view the characters as pawns, ordering them to share any information they uncover about Zybilna’s past. Once the lamias obtain proof that Zybilna is Iggwilv (or cleverly fabricated evidence to the contrary), they use the nearest mirror to return to Azzagrat.
The lamias’ access to the palace is limited because they can’t bypass its locked doors or fly. They entered the palace through the coach house ([area P11](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P11CarriageHouse "area P11")) and have visited areas [P29](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P29RugofWhiteRoses "P29"), [P14c](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P14SpiralStaircases "P14c"), P14g, [P41](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P41TalkingDoor "P41") (where they debated the magical door), and P46.
If the lamias are attacked, they defend themselves until at least one of them loses half of their hit points or more, whereupon they touch the mirror in this chamber and return to the Abyss. If the mirror has been destroyed and they have no clear route of escape, the lamias use [charm person](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/charm-person), [suggestion](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/suggestion), or [geas](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/geas) spells to persuade the characters to leave them alone.
**_Treasure._** The chessboard was a gift to Iggwilv from the archmage Mordenkainen and is worth 2,500 gp. Its pieces mutter under their breath when they are taken off the board. The chessboard is one reason why Nemesatra and Trizzian suspect that Zybilna and Iggwilv might be one and the same, since Iggwilv’s passion for the game is well known to Graz’zt and his underlings.
#### P46. Dressing Room
This chamber is a walk-in wardrobe. Hinged panels along the walls swing outward to display a variety of exquisitely crafted robes, gowns, scarves, headdresses, stockings, gloves, shoes, boots, and other clothing. Items remove themselves from hooks and hangers and float in the air seemingly of their own accord, allowing you to see them more closely.
Permanent [unseen servant](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/unseen-servant) spells make trying on clothes in this room easy and fun.
#### P47. Destroyed Study
> [!info] Description
> Splinters of wood, along with some loose papers and two halves of a shattered blowing horn, are suspended in the air. Whatever caused this unfortunate scene also punched a hole in the north wall on the landing between two staircases, one leading up and the other leading down. The stony debris from the blast is frozen in midair outside the tower.
Characters who peer through the hole in the wall see the following scene:
> [!info] Description
> A human knight with a thick mustache and a look of surprise on his face was apparently thrown backward through the jagged hole and now hangs in the air amid the debris. The knight wears a helm adorned with feathery wings, and he is holding a longsword and a shield.
Nothing of value remains in the study.
**_Stairs Up and Down._** Stairs to either side of the hole in the wall lead down to [area P31](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P31ThroneRoom "area P31") and up to [area P49](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P49BlackBook "area P49").
**_Treasure._** Strongheart wields [Steel](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/steel), a magic longsword (see [appendix A](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/magic-items#Steel "appendix A")). The sentient blade can’t be removed from the knight’s hand while he’s frozen in time, and it can’t communicate or be used to cast [revivify](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/revivify) until it is released from temporal stasis.
#### P48. Turrets
These seven turrets, areas P48a through P48g, are attached to the palace’s central tower. None of these areas have windows. The contents of the seven turrets are as follows:
##### P48a
An enameled blue coffer rests on an alabaster pedestal in the middle of this room, which is connected by an open archway to a staircase that leads down to area P31 and up to areas P47 and P49. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of transparent blue crystal with a tiny, Z-shaped crack in its core (see “Treasure” below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna’s crystallized desire to be treated as a queen and rule over lesser beings.
##### P48b
Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a staircase from area P14b on the palace’s lower level. An enameled white coffer rests on a black basalt pedestal in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of translucent white crystal. The jewel is warm to the touch (see “Treasure” below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna’s crystallized desire to show kindness to the destitute and unfortunate.
##### P48c
Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a short staircase from area P48d. An enameled red coffer rests on a pedestal of rotting wood in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of red crystal that hums faintly (see “Treasure” below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna’s crystallized desire to punish those who have wronged or defied her.
##### P48d
This chamber is empty. A short staircase leads up to area P48c. A longer staircase leads down to a hallway on the palace’s lower level that connects with areas P14d and P16.
##### P48e
Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a staircase from a hallway on the palace’s lower level that stretches north of area P29. An enameled green coffer rests on a wrought-iron pedestal in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a faintly glowing, plum-sized jewel of green crystal (see “Treasure” below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna’s crystallized desire to remain hidden from her enemies.
##### P48f
Characters can reach this chamber by climbing a short staircase from area P48g. An enameled black coffer rests on a pedestal of living vines in the middle of the room. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of lustrous black crystal (see “Treasure” below). Any character who grasps the jewel and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ([Insight](https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Insight)) check intuits that the jewel is Zybilna’s crystallized desire to know what her enemies are plotting.
##### P48g
This chamber is empty. A short staircase leads up to area P48f. A longer staircase leads down to area P14a on the palace’s lower level.
**_Treasure._** The five jewels stored in the turrets are Zybilna’s crystallized desires. They appeared to her shortly after the domain of Prismeer was formed, and she placed them in the turrets for safekeeping. A [detect magic](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/detect-magic) spell reveals an aura of conjuration magic around each jewel.
An [identify](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/identify) spell or similar magic reveals that each jewel has a single [conjure fey](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/conjure-fey) spell embedded in it, and that the spell can be cast as an action by knocking the jewel three times against a hard object or surface. No other components are required to cast the spell, and there’s no way for the user to know what creature will appear. The creature summoned by a jewel depends on the jewel’s color, as noted in the Conjured Fey table. The jewel vanishes when the creature appears, and the creature disappears after 1 hour. See the [conjure fey](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/conjure-fey) spell description for the creature’s behavior.
These conjured Fey are magically created duplicates of creatures whose life essence Zybilna harvested to twist part of the Feywild into what would become her Domain of Delight. Being mere echoes, they are oblivious to this fact and unaware of what they truly are. Each one acts as though it has been imprisoned in its jewel for an unknown period of time (by whom, it can’t say). It doesn’t realize that it will cease to exist when the spell that brought it forth ends.
##### Conjured Fey
Jewel
Creature
Black
Spymaster Hushknife, a [darkling elder](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/darkling-elder) (see [appendix C](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/creatures#DarklingElder "appendix C"))
Blue
Allegra, a [quickling](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/quickling) (see [appendix C](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/creatures#Quickling "appendix C"))
Green
Frogspittle, a [green hag](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/green-hag)
Red
Sinch the Ruthless, a [redcap](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/redcap) (see [appendix C](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/creatures#Redcap "appendix C"))
White
Winky, a one-eyed [blink dog](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/blink-dog)
#### P49. Black Book
The door to this chamber is sealed with a hart crown lock (see “[Crown Locks](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#CrownLocks "Crown Locks")” earlier in the chapter).
The walls, floor, and ceiling of this room are made of white marble tiles. In the middle of the room, a quill with a feather sheathed in flame and a black-covered book rest on an iron lectern.
The book and the quill radiate auras of abjuration magic if scrutinized using a [detect magic](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/detect-magic) spell or similar magic. The flame coming off the feather is illusory and harmless.
The front cover of the book is embossed with images of a lion and a hart, the two animals rearing up on their hind legs and facing each other. Any creature whose name is written in the book using the quill can open any of the palace’s crown locks. If a creature’s name is crossed out using the quill, or the page bearing its name is torn from the book, the creature’s ability to open these locks is rescinded.
A long list of names fills the book’s pages, many of them belonging to fairies, judging by their colorfulness. The hags of the Hourglass Coven are listed near the middle of the book. Other names in the book include Thinnings (Zybilna’s butler), Shon (Zybilna’s librarian), Kalimanzaros (Zybilna’s clerk), and Raezil Uthemar (Zybilna’s elf spy in [area P31](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P31ThroneRoom "area P31")). The final few names are written in Endelyn Moongrave’s handwriting. These last entries are the members of the League of Malevolence: Kelek, Zarak, Zargash, Warduke, and Skylla.
#### P50. Vault
An ornate iron door stands at the top of the staircase. Its surface is covered with a complex array of cogs, latches, and tumblers. The round doorknob is engraved with the image of a nightingale.
Zybilna stores her greatest treasures inside this vault, which is shielded against divination magic. The door is impervious to damage and has eight built-in locking mechanisms, any one of which can be affected by a [knock](https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/knock) spell or similar magic. A character can also spend 1 minute trying to pick one of the locks by using thieves’ tools, doing so with a successful DC 18 Dexterity check. Opening a single lock, however, causes any previously opened locks to close. To enter the vault, all eight locks must be opened at the same time.
Characters who examine the doorknob discover an inscription around its base that reads, “Speak My Name.” A creature that speaks the password “Natasha” while grasping the doorknob can open all of the locks simultaneously. The door, once opened, locks automatically when it is closed again. A similar doorknob, but without the inscription, is inside the vault.
The jars of time ([area P44](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P44JarsofTime "area P44")) and the costume room ([area P36](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P36CostumeRoom "area P36")) can provide hints about Zybilna’s earliest identity. The solution to this riddle is also hidden in the border of the Witchlight Carnival poster map, which incorporates drawings of creatures and objects pointing at one another: a nilbog (goblin jester) points its scepter at an almiraj (a horned rabbit), which points its horn at a treant, which points to an arrow that points toward a swan, whose beak points to a hippogriff pointing at an axe. By taking the first letters of these creatures and objects, the name NATASHA is spelled out. Reward any player who figures this out by having that player’s character whisper the name as if conjuring it from some half-forgotten childhood dream.
When the door opens, read:
The door swings open to reveal a circular chamber illuminated by drifting balls of colored light. In the middle of the room, a finely forged greatsword floats, point upward, three feet above a treasure chest. The magic that holds the sword aloft also rotates it slowly, so that the blade catches and reflects the multicolored lights.
The chest is not locked. The drifting balls of light are harmless magical effects confined to this room.
**_Treasure._** The greatsword is [Snicker-Snack](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/snicker-snack) (see [appendix A](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/magic-items#SnickerSnack "appendix A")). The levitation effect that keeps it aloft ends when the sword is held or moved.
The chest contains the following items:
- [Snicker-Snack](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/snicker-snack)’s ornate scabbard, adorned with phoenix feathers (100 gp)
- A gold helmet decorated with hart antlers (250 gp)
- A shimmering silver cloak, with a unicorn embroidered on it in platinum thread (750 gp)
#### P51. Beanstalk Tower
To enter this tower, the characters must use flight or climb the beanstalk that supports it (see [area P17](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P17BaseoftheBeanstalk "area P17")).
The interior of the tower is a mess of broken furniture and grasping vines. Amid the ruins, a toad wearing a tiny wizard’s cape perches on the lid of a treasure chest that has slid into a wall and become surrounded by junk.
The toad is Iggrik, a shapechanged [quasit](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/quasit) and Iggwilv’s longtime companion. It addresses the characters in Common and claims to be Zybilna’s toad familiar. If attacked, it assumes the form of a bat and flies away, taking refuge in the garden (area P2).
When the palace was frozen in time, Iggrik was in the library ([area P28](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P28Library "area P28")). It spied on the Hourglass Coven until the hags left the palace, then used a potion from Zybilna’s laboratory to cause the beanstalk to lift this tower into the air, creating a haven for itself. The quasit has been hiding ever since. It knows that the League of Malevolence has sided with the hags against Zybilna, but it lacks the courage to venture forth and remain abreast of the league’s activities in the palace. Warduke, in particular, terrifies the quasit.
If the characters mention Iggwilv or Natasha, Iggrik tries to redirect the conversation. If the characters are otherwise fishing for information, Iggrik reveals the following helpful tidbits:
- The vault (area P50) contains a vorpal sword that can slay the jabberwock. Zybilna acquired the sword as a precaution, in case the jabberwock turned against her. (If the characters ask about the vault’s defenses, Iggrik describes a locked door that requires a password, which he knows but won’t automatically divulge.)
- The jabberwock is not the biggest creature living in the palace. That would be Zybilna’s enormous owl, Bloodybeak. It hates the jabberwock but is confined to the aviary ([area P20](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P20Aviary "area P20")) and frozen in time. The password to open the aviary’s windows is “canzus.”
- Guests can bypass the crown locks on the palace doors by writing their names into Zybilna’s black book (in [area P49](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P49BlackBook "area P49")).
Iggrik also knows how to end the curse that Iggwilv placed on the [Ioun stone](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/ioun-stone-of-insight) in [area P33](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/palace-of-hearts-desire#P33GlassStatues "area P33"). If the characters need help ending the curse, Iggrik tells them how if they correctly answer the following riddle: “Yesterday comes after tomorrow, but where’s my proof?” The answer is “in a dictionary.”
If the characters tell Iggrik that Zybilna can be freed from temporal stasis by speaking her true name while touching her with a unicorn horn, the quasit reveals that Zybilna’s true name is Natasha (see also “Unicorn Horn” below).
If Iggrik learns that everyone in the palace can be released from temporal stasis by destroying [Iggwilv’s Cauldron](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/iggwilvs-cauldron), the quasit shares the following information:
- A [flame tongue](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/flame-tongue) weapon can destroy the cauldron, and Warduke happens to wield such a weapon.
- The jabberwock likes to coil around the cauldron when it sleeps and is attracted to music. The best chance of defeating it is to use [Snicker-Snack](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/snicker-snack), the vorpal sword in Iggwilv’s vault (area P50). The password to unlock the vault is “Natasha.”
- Destroying the cauldron is no great loss, since Iggwilv has the power to repair it. (That’s not to say that the Witch Queen will be pleased to see her cauldron destroyed.)
**_Treasure._** The treasure chest contains a pair of [winged boots](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/winged-boots), which Iggrik offers to the characters if they promise to free Zybilna.
**_Unicorn Horn._** If the [Story Tracker](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/story-tracker "Story Tracker") indicates that the unicorn horn is here, Iggrik found the horn and placed it in the chest with the [winged boots](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/winged-boots). Once Iggrik learns that the horn has the power to release creatures trapped in temporal stasis, the quasit offers the horn to characters who promise to use it to free its mistress.