So the other day I made mention of the fact that Conyberry is a desolate ruin, but not necessarily haunted. It’s just those forlorn wails echoing from the depths of the nearby Neverwinter Wood that make people feel like Conyberry is haunted.

Agatha’s lair is located “a few miles outside town.” Upon consulting the map, the banshee’s lair is located in the hex adjacent to Conyberry’s, within the range of the banshee’s Detect Life trait. So, if you’re in Conyberry, Agatha knows you’re there.

What if there was more than just the distant wails of a banshee that makes people come away from Conyberry with a story to tell around the campfire? While it’s not noted in Sister Garaele’s side quest in Lost Mine of Phandelver, Agatha is much more than a banshee. In fact, her lore states that she is a formidable wizard (13th level).

What if Agatha soothes herself by using her skill in the arcane arts to terrorize travelers passing through Conyberry? If you’re a cursed spirit who would rather not be troubled by the company of the living, scaring the shit out of anyone who passes through town is a solid option for keeping folks away.

In here incorporeal form, she’d be unable to cast spells with material components or the assistance of an arcane focus. But there are still plenty of powerful spells Agatha could cast using only verbal and somatic components that could make Conyberry feel like the most haunted place on the Sword Coast.

Below are some fun suggestions for the DM who wants to provide Conyberry with an eerie vibe.

Far off in the sky south of the village, an ominous message is written in the clouds for all to see: “LEAVE THIS PLACE. NOW.”

– Agatha making use of the transmutation spell Skywrite.

Or perhaps you’d rather Agatha not be so direct by spelling it out. Maybe you’d rather hit the characters in the feels.

A sense of foreboding hangs over what remains of the ruined village. Conyberry is silent as a graveyard but for the wind, which sweeps through the weathered shells of its long-forgotten homes.

– Agatha spooking the party with a casting of Cause Fear.

This one is a little more nuanced. Anyone who succeeds their DC 14 Wisdom saving throw isn’t affected by the frightened condition, but the hairs on the backs of their necks stand straight up as they experience a feeling of unease.

For character who fail the saving throw, they’re only affected by the second part of the frightened condition (a creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear) – because Agatha casts it while hidden within one of the ruined structures in town (the first part of the condition’s effect relies on sight).

With Agatha casting this spell while concealed within one of the town’s ruined structures, it allows her to remain hidden as the source of the fear, leaving characters affected by the spell to grapple with an unexplained sense of dread that won’t allow them take a step closer to Agatha’s location in town. Which is one way to get imaginations to start running wild at your table.

A few other spells off the top of my head that Agatha might use to spook interlopers without harming them:

• Animate Objects: the party is setting up camp and the ox is unburdened by its yoke to graze when the wagon suddenly goes rolling down the Triboar Trail on its own.
• Blight: the characters watch as trees, shrubs, flowers and tall grass wither and die at their approach.
• Control Flames: the campfire suddenly blazes up, turns different colors, moves 5 feet across the ground as everyone watches, or simply winks out. Or perhaps it shows fiery shapes in the flames which tell the tale of Conyberry’s last days.
• Telekinesis: objects start floating around. Characters are suddenly pulled 10 feet into the air and then dropped unceremoniously into the dirt below, or they rise higher and higher until they find themselves stranded in a tree branch 30 feet off the ground.

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