The Candy Seller

The Elf Candy-seller

Along the admittedly infrequent roads that pass through the massive woods, one may, some curiously warm night, happen upon a cart. It is enclosed, with a shutter on the side that folds down to provide a sort of service counter. The cart is drawn by two large birds with iridescent feathers, that somewhat resemble ostriches. Several apparently magical lanterns hang from hooks on the corners of the cart roof. Moths flit and fly around the magical lamps. If a player manages to get a closer look at one, they realize that the moths are not exactly moths, but tiny frogs with wings.

The proprietress of the cart is an Elven woman with young features, along the counter she has arranged several small jars. Each jar contains one large piece of sugar-rock candy, the candy comes in various colors, purple, turquoise, green, pink, red, yellow, orange, and blue. Inside of each piece of candy, suspended within the hardened sugar, is a tiny flower, the color of which matches the color of the candy. A jar of candy costs 1 gold piece, and each player may buy only one. She mentions that she travels far and wide across the land, and she loves the little flowers she finds that she finds, she wants to share them with others, so she preserves them in candy and sells them for a modest sum to anybody who wants one. The flowers supposedly impart a slightly floral taste to the candy as well, which is “just delightful”. Should the party choose to make a purchase, they will be given a jar of their choice, and a strange, large silver coin as their change. The coin shows a female face on each side, and a successful DC 20 religion check will inform that each of these women is a representation of an Elven Goddess, Mielikki and Umberlee, though it is odd to see them both depicted on the same piece of currency, they are not typically known to have any interaction with each other.

If asked about the coins, the Elven woman avoids giving specifics, and just tells the players that the coin is part of the purchase they made. If inspected, the coins are indeed somehow magical, though the magic isn’t familiar to the observer, and they cannot identify the purpose of the enchantment. The candy, it would appear, is also magical! If a player eats the candy, they will experience the effects of a 3rd level Cure Wounds spell, as well as gaining inspiration. In addition to these effects, for the next 1d4 days, the character seems to have more acute vision, and gains a temporary +2 to perception and investigation checks made while this effect is active.

''DM Note: The coin is a key that allows passage through the gate to the Feywild, which is hidden in a now abandoned bear den under a massive sequoia tree. From the outside, it looks like a bear den dug under a tree, but strange twinkling sounds can be heard, like chimes, and at night there are large numbers of fireflies in the area, in the day, there are more frogmoths. The candy is supposed to make it easier for the party to locate the portal, and give them perhaps a mildly psychedelic experience. Anyone who has a coin''