Sephora, The Enchantress of Sylaire
by Mike HarveyTHE HOOK
While travelling through the woods, the party sees a lovely maiden bathing in a pool. As they watch, she arises and steps out of the pool, completely nude. The male PC should notice by this point that she is drop-dead gorgeous.
As she moves to get her clothes, the character notices a huge wolf hidden in the bushes, watching her.
If the character intercedes to warn her or protect her, she introduces herself. She seems unconcerned about the wolf (her pet) or her nakedness, and when she dresses, dresses like a noblewoman, though the style is archaic. She invites the character to accompany her to her home. If he hesitates, she hints at something that will entice the character: knowledge, wealth, magic... If a character refuses, she will not force him, but will send a vampire after him that night.
At this point, Detect Evil will show her to be evil, but the wolf is not.
THE ENCHANTED REALM
If the character accompanies her, she leads him to a magic portal formed of two upright stones with a third stone over the top. The stones are ancient, mossy, and carved with strange glyphs. She takes him through a magic portal into a beautiful faerie realm, where a small castle is built on a hill. She explains that she is an enchantress, and she lives alone in this otherworld, the last of her family. The character can leave anytime he wants, but she is lonely in her enchanted realm, and wouldn't he like to stay for a while?
The enchanted realm has her castle in its centre, surrounded by meadows in perpetual springtime bloom. Beyond this is a delightful forest. About two miles beyond the castle (in any direction), the land ends abruptly at a sheer cliff. There are butterflies, dragonflies, and birds, but no large game, no people, and no wild monsters.
The faerie realm is a pocket dimension. Detect magic is useless, as everything here is magical (except what the characters brought in with them). The following spells do not work here: - Teleport, Dimension Door, and Gate will not function - Clairvoyance cannot see outside
- Detect Evil will not function
- Contact Higher Plane will not function
LEAVING THE ENCHANTED REALM
In order to leave, the character must make a saving throw vs Spells. This save is not actually made until the moment the character tries to step out of the portal (so as not to tip him off that he is falling under an enchantment).
The GM should be careful to note each time the character gives consideration to leaving. Each time he thinks about it and does not do so, the enchantment grows stronger (-2 penalty to save). Each night the character stays in the castle, the enchantment also grows stronger (-2 penalty to save). These penalties are cumulative, though a 20 will always succeed.
Failing a save means the character loses an experience level to the Enchantress, who is really a Whispering Fiend (Succubus). Time passes in a pleasant magical haze in the otherworld; for every failed save, consult the following table to determine how much time has passed.
(Roll 1d6 + Wisdom modifier):
1. 1-3 years pass
2. 7-12 months pass
3. 2-12 months pass
4. 1-6 months pass
5. 2-7 weeks pass
6. 1-4 weeks pass
7. 2-7 days pass
8. one day passes
9. no time passes
A character reduced to level zero becomes a vampire under the control of the Enchantress.
Every night the enchantress enjoys an exquisite feast, served by her beautiful servants (vampires). She indulges character's every desire, and there is absolutely no hint of danger or menace. If character talk of leaving, she mentions some wonders in her little realm that they might like to see:
(1) Clairvoyant Pool: She claims this pool is clairvoyant, but in reality it only shows characters what they want to see, so as to convince them to stay in the enchanted realm. It is very convincing.
(2) Healing Fruit: Certain trees in the wood bear fruit which is equivalent to a Heal spell. The healing is only temporary and is lost upon leaving the enchanted realm, and the fruit loses its efficacy as well.
(3) The Unicorn: She takes the characters into the wood to see her unicorn, in reality a powerful illusion.
(4) The Ancient Shrine: An old shrine in the wood, overgrown with flowering vines. It contains no image or symbol, and she tells the characters it is a shrine to whatever god they worship. In reality it is an evil fane, dedicated to Entropy.
PROBING FURTHER
A wolf prowls the wood and castle. This is a Lawful magic-user who she cursed. He can become human for 1 turn by chewing a certain hard-to-find root. If he can catch a character alone he will do so and reveal himself, telling the characters they must flee to save themselves. If the enchantress hears of this, she explains that he is an ex-lover who drank from a magical pool and become a werewolf, and that she was unable to reverse the curse but cares for him out of pity, but that he has become deranged in his jealousy. She later sends her servants out to destroy the wolf.
The enchantress lives in the topmost tower of her castle. The door is Wizard Locked. Here she has magical books and assorted lab equipment, including a Wand of Polymorph. (She polymorphed the wolf and then used Charm Monster to control it)
The crypts below the castle are the lair of her servants, nine vampires. These vampires appear as beautiful male and female humans.
Climbing down the cliffs at the edge of the realm will reveal caves.
(Note that a fall leaves the character in a misty limbo!) Exploring these caves reveal dry human bones. The sorceress explains that long ago a fiend lived there, but it is dead. This is where she leaves the bodies of her victims.