Palace of Heart's Desire

The Palace of Heart's Desire, also known as Lavoglia, was the personal palace of Zybilna, the archfey that ruled over the domain of Prismeer in the Feywild. It was situated in the center of Zybilna's realm, connected to the adjacent lands of Hither, Thither, and Yon.

"Now if you seek to defeat Skabatha Nightshade, to truly achieve such a feat, you must restore Zybilna. The Hourglass Coven has imprisoned her within her castle, the Palace of Heart's Desire."

- Lamorna the unicorn.

Description
The marble palace was otherworldly in nature, appearing behind a fog of clouds and lit as if in perpetual twilight. It was both eerie and beautiful by all outward appearances.

Structure
The palace comprised two floors, each of which had ceilings, along with numerous towers that jutted towards the sky above. It was built largely from marble, in a style of regal stateliness accented by supernatural beauty. After Zybilna's imprisonment, the palace fell into great disrepair. Its façade became overrun with massive vines that extended upwards from a monstrously overgrown garden. The garden itself was the home to peculiar creatures, such as ettercaps that migrated from the forests of Thither and a family of awakened badgers.

Atmosphere
Many chambers within the Palace of Heart's Desire were inaccessible to those unfamiliar with its secrets. It held locked doors that were marked with the symbol of either a lion or a stag. These door could only be opened by placing a unique crown of silver needles atop the head of one an animated metal lion or deer respectively. The pair of magical guardians dwelled within one of the two towers that overlooked the palace's garden, and each hated the other with profound intensity.

Like the rest of Prismeer, the Palace of Heart's Desire existed a reflection of Zybilna's incongruous nature. It was just as wondrous and beautiful as it was perilous and at times horrifying. Despite the fact the palace was built a refuge for lost and wayward souls, its construction required the unwitting bondage of several fey creatures. It even housed physical manifestations of Zybilna's greatest dreams and the darkest aspects of her character. The chambers and hallways found within mirrored the conflicting aspects of the archfey's persona, with all of its strengths and flaws.

Ground Level
The palace's entrance opened to a hallway painted to resemble the night's sky, which itself led into the grand central courtyard known as the 'Court of Storms'. The courtyard had no physical ground, but rather the Zybilna's floating throne and several encircling platforms that hovered above. At the depths of the court was a swirling vortex of storm clouds and lightning. It was from here that the ruler of Prismeer hosted her courtiers from throughout the Feywild and beyond.

Beyond the courtyard were eight spiral staircases that led to the palace's towers, along smaller rooms common to most castles, albeit with a twist: the palace's servants' quarters were staffed by goblins, its kitchens boasted goods made by pixie bakers, and its dining terrace featured animated crockery, dishes, and utensils.

Beyond these more mundane rooms were Zybilna's personal records room, which held accounts of every deal she made with mortals, the aviary that housed her giant owl Bloodybeak, a room containing a vat of demonic sludge from the Abyss, and the palace library. Within the center of these rooms, just beyond the Zybilna's throne in the Court of Stars, was a grand ballroom that held her personal cauldron. It was there that her body remained in stasis, frozen in time and space.

Upper Level
High above the Court of Storms was Zybilna's personal study, which itself was encircled by seven turrets that linked to the palace's central tower. Five of these turrets held valuable gems that each held within it a crystallized manifestation of that which Zybilna desired most. Bound to each gem was a specific fey creature whose soul was culled and imprisoned in order to create Prismeer itself.

Surrounding the study and adjacent turrets were other chambers arranged in a layout similar to the palace's ground level. Notable among these was a great hall housing 40 glass statues that performed an elaborate dance when commanded, a nursery for juvenile lesser tanar'ri that represented the darkest emotions Zyblina carried with her, the archfey's personal laboratory and library (which housed many esoteric tomes), and spaces that stored her jars of time and the mirror of heart's desire. Along the northern end of the floor was Zybilna's personal bedchamber, within which resided her two pet lamias.

Towers
Ascending from the palace's garden was a marble tower stat stood precariously atop an enormous beanstalk. Massive vines wound through the tower's walls and across its interior. Its unique arrangement was caused by Zybilna's quasit familiar Iggrik, who took the form of a toad while within.

The tallest tower of the palace house Zybilna's secure vault, which contained her most valued treasures. Notable among these was the enchanted vorpal greatsword Snicker-Snack.

History
The palace was erected by Zybilna shortly after she created Prismeer, as a refuge for mortals that had been stranded across the planes of existence. In the subsequent, Zybilna came to trust and rely upon the council of her three step-sisters, Bavlorna, Endelyn, and Skabatha, hags of the Hourglass Coven. Eventually Zybilna was betrayed by her sisters, when they manipulated two rival adventuring companies called Valor's Call and the League of Malevolence into battling within the palace's throne room. As Zybilna was distracted by the melee, the hags used the archfey's own cauldron to place everyone else in the palace in temporal stasis.

Some time later, a farmer by the name of Sumai visited the palace, carrying a meat-eating awakened pumpkin named Yamzu. He hoped to beckon the hags of the Hourglass Coven to save his animals from Yamzu, without harming the intelligent gourd.

Inhabitants

 * Iggrik, Zybilna's loyal familiar.
 * A jabberwock, which Zybilna kept as a means of protection for her palace.
 * Xinipax, a petrified satyr whose body decorated the palace's garden.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms