Agatha

Agatha is an ancient and enigmatic banshee, known as one of the Sisters of the Moon alongside her sister, Vyldara. Having endured for over a millennium, she remains a figure of great mystery and deep lore within the region of the Sword Coast, haunting the ruins of Conyberry.

Lineage and Origin

Before she was tragically transformed into a banshee, Agatha was the gentler daughter of Archmage Larellion (sometimes spelled Lorelion), the quiet seer, steward of the Hand of Sehanine (also spelled Sehahine), and High Mage who oversaw the luminous tower of elven magic and prophecy. Her father oversaw the five-spire tower, spending most of his time in the Central Finger, which housed the Astrolabe—a divinatory wonder capable of revealing secret truths buried in time.

Within her family, Agatha was known as the “Moonlit Prodigy”—brilliant, talented, serene, and possessing a gentler nature that mirrored her father’s profound thirst for knowledge. Larellion deeply favored Agatha, constantly praising her grace, composure, and promise. Unbeknownst to Agatha, this favoritism cast a long shadow over her sister, Vyldara, who felt like merely the shadow Agatha cast. Vyldara’s ambition curdled into a spiteful quest for power, culminating in her tragic betrayal of the Pact of Phandelver and the fall of Axeholm.

Agatha vanished not long before the Hand of Sehanine fell silent and was lost to the world. In the local folklore of the region, her legend lived on in tales of a “ghostly elven woman” seen near the ruins of Highthorn (the ancient summer seat of the human King of the Pact, known today as Cragmaw Castle), waiting endlessly for her family to return.

Legend and the Pact of Phandelver

According to Deacon, a blind retired adventurer and cleric in Phandalin, Agatha has existed in the world for over 1,000 years. Her fate is deeply intertwined with the historic era of the Pact of Phandelver, a tripartite accord established between King Phandelver II of Highthorn, Queen Kima of Axeholm, and Archmage Larellion of the Hand of Sehanine.

Alongside the ancient dwarf Gotrek, who was petrified for a millennium before being freed by the adventuring party known as the Magnificent Five (or Fantastic Five), Agatha has helped shed light on the past, filling maps with various ancient locations from the days of the Pact. These legendary locations include Gnomengarde, Axeholm, Highthorn, the Hand of Sehanine, and Wave Echo Cave—home to the legendary Spell Forge.

When the Pact of Phandelver collapsed due to rising distrust—dwarves alleging elven aloofness, and elves whispering of dwarven greed—the Hand of Sehanine fell silent. Highthorn was sacked, Axeholm was abandoned, and Agatha’s family was left sundered and cursed.

The Mythal and the Banshee’s Fate

Following Vyldara’s tragic betrayal at Axeholm and her subsequent death, Archmage Larellion fell into deep despair, falsely believing his daughter had been kidnapped by the dwarves. As hordes of orcs, rogue mages, and other monsters descended upon the Hand of Sehanine, Larellion made the desperate, selfish choice to abandon his allies and cast the Mythil of Moonshadow (also called the Mythal of Moonbow) to shift the tower into the Ethereal Plane.

Angered by this abandonment, Sehanine Moonbow (the Moonweaver) and Corellon (the Arch Heart) intervened, twisting the mythal into a divine curse that trapped the inhabitants in repeating loops. Cursed by her goddess and left to wander, Agatha was transformed into a sorrowful banshee, condemned to haunt the ruins of Conyberry while singing a mournful dirge of her family’s betrayal.

Interacting with Agatha

Agatha is reputed to possess vast, ancient knowledge and will occasionally answer questions for travelers who seek her out in the ruins of Conyberry. She does not part with her secrets easily, typically demanding nostalgic mementos or the fulfillment of some kind of favor in exchange for her guidance. Her mournful presence is deeply tied to the land.

Those highly attuned to nature, such as the druid Nalini, have felt her grief and sorrowful dirges echoing through the natural elements from the north. When Nalini concentrated on this northern lament, she was overcome with intense sadness and grief, which was suddenly accompanied by a quick, sharp, red-hot anger that pushed her away, severing her connection to the natural elements.

During their travels, the Magnificent Five rented two horses—a dappled white and brown mare named Trixie and a black stallion named Glory—and traveled to Conyberry to seek her out. Rather than demanding a simple trinket, Agatha sang a sad, sorrowful dirge concerning the fall of her old home, the Hand of Sehanine, which she called the Lament of the Sehahine. She revealed that her family’s souls are sundered and cursed, her father Larellion requires forgiveness, and her sister Vyldara is in desperate need of redemption. Agatha agreed to provide further assistance to the adventurers on the condition that they travel to Axeholm to seek out her sister.

The Sisters of the Moon

The bond and tragic divergence between Agatha and her sister is recorded in the annals of history. Within the spectral Scriptorium of the Hand of Sehanine, the ghostly librarian Gelarith preserved a half-scripted historical tale titled “Sisters of the Moon: Agatha & Vyldara”. This chronicle, left unfinished by the ghost-scribes of the Scriptorium, represents the enduring memory of the two sisters.

Redemption and True Rest

Fulfilling their promise to Agatha, the adventurers traveled to the ancient dwarven fortress of Axeholm accompanied by the freed dwarf Gotrek and the fey sorceress Aja. Upon their arrival, the party breached the fortress and confronted the spirits within.

When the paladin Gilmore called out to Vyldara, announcing that Agatha had sent them, the mention of her sister’s name threw Vyldara into a terrible rage, unleashing a devastating banshee’s wail. Vyldara’s spirit harbored deep resentment for how their father had favored Agatha, the “smart, talented, and serene” sibling, while casting her aside. Yet, despite Vyldara’s past malice, Agatha had remembered her throughout a millennium of wandering sorrow, desperately wishing for her sister’s redemption.

Following a fierce battle, the party reasoned with the spirit. Gilmore finally severed Vyldara’s connection to the material plane, allowing her soul to pass on to Selne’s embrace. Before she departed, Vyldara expressed profound gratitude for Agatha’s enduring love, remarking that even after a millennium of wandering sorrow, her sister still wished for her redemption and sent them as her salvation. She begged the party to tell their father that she was sorry and that she forgave him, asking for his forgiveness in return.

Later, when the adventurers breached the Hand of Sehanine to lift the millennium-old divine curse, they confronted their father, Archmage Larellion, who had been turned into a mad Baelnorn. By presenting proof of both Vyldara’s and Agatha’s peace, they systematically broke Larellion’s madness. With his daughters finally laid to rest, Larellion repented, lifting the curse of the Hand of Sehanine and allowing the trapped spirits—including Agatha’s own lingering echo—to find true rest.