Auntie Ethel

Overview

Combat

Auntie Ethel is a fussy trader of potions, lotions, quirks, and sundries who can be first encountered in The Hollow of the Emerald Grove. Later, she will return to her home at the Riverside Teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands.

Involvement

Act One

In the Druid Grove

Auntie Ethel can be found in the The Hollow in the Emerald Grove, peddling "Potions and Lotions" to the Tiefling refugees. She's able to spot that something is off with the party and invites them to visit her at her home, the Riverside Teahouse.

• While in the Emerald Grove she is also a trader. If the party reaches the Sunlit Wetlands, Auntie Ethel moves from the Emerald Grove and will appear in the Wetlands, and then eventually at the Teahouse.
• If interacting with Pandirna in the storage house next to the Emerald Grove jail, she will tell the party that Auntie Ethel gave her a potion to make her "strong and brave as a bugbear," but it left her paralyzed instead. Following this interaction, Auntie Ethel will no longer be at her hut in the Emerald Grove.
• If successfully pickpocketed while in the Emerald Grove she will exclaim "Blast it all! I'm going home." and leave the area. This will also happen if she is attacked. She then heads home to the Riverside Teahouse.

In the Sunlit Wetlands

When the player first enters the Sunlit Wetlands from the east, they will find Johl and his brother Demir asking Auntie Ethel where their sister Mayrina is, and accusing Ethel of having taken her.

The player can talk with the group to gain more information about the situation, learning that Mayrina disappeared and the last person to see her was Ethel. Throughout the encounter, Demir is pleading with her while she insists that she's blameless, but willing to help them look for her.

Eventually, the player will be forced to take sides in the conversation. If they decide to side with Auntie Ethel, Demir and Johl will accuse you of working with her and attack. If they don't side with Ethel, she will chastise them and disappear in a burst of magic. The player can then talk to the two brothers and attempt to convince them not to follow her into the swamp.

In the Riverside Teahouse

When the party arrives at this location, Auntie Ethel can be found forcing Mayrina to eat. If the party takes Ethel up on her offer for help, she will attempt to remove the Tadpole before stopping and declaring the Tadpole is modified by ancient Netherese magic. The price for her help is to give up an eye to her, which she refuses to reverse despite failing to cure the party.

Allowing Auntie Ethel to take the eye of the player character changes the appearance of one chosen eye of them and gives them  Paid the Price. It's not possible to take this deal if Volo has already replaced one of the eyes or if Wyll is chosen as origin.

If the party takes her up on her offer, initiates combat, or attempts to infiltrate down into her lair, the Overgrown Tunnel, Auntie Ethel will reveal her true form: that of a Hag.

Act Three

In the Blushing Mermaid

Even if killed in Act One, Auntie Ethel will reappear in her Hag form during the Help the Hag Survivors, Avenge the Hag Survivors, and Save Vanra questlines. She can be found posing as Captain Grisly in The Blushing Mermaid in Lower City. Her lair is located under this tavern and can be infiltrated through the basement.

It is revealed that she is functionally unkillable while her life force is invested in her magic mushrooms, which is how she survived being killed during Act One. If killed previously, she's more hostile with the party, preventing the party from demanding a counter-offer to leave her alone. This does not prevent her from being acquired as an Ally for Gather Your Allies if Lora is killed and Auntie Ethel is left alone, however.

It is recommended to begin the Save Vanra quest by speaking with Lora prior to completing the Hag Survivors questlines and defeating the Hag. Failure to get this quest from Lora directly, even if Vanra is saved, will lock the party out of its quest rewards.

Combat

Main article: Auntie Ethel/Combat

Related Quests

•  Avenge the Hag Survivors
•  Find a Cure
  •  Get Help from Auntie Ethel
•  Help the Hag Survivors
•  Save Mayrina
•  Save Vanra

Shop

Notable Items Sold

• Corellon's Grace

The following items are restocked after a long rest:

• Elixir of Fire Resistance
• Elixir of Hill Giant Strength
• Potion of Healing
• Potion of Invisibility

Auntie Ethel's shop contains the following items:

Standard stock

Auntie Ethel always has these items to sell, sweetcheeks.

Item		Quantity	Chance
Corellon's Grace		1	Always
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength		3	Always
Potion of Greater Healing		1	Always
Potion of Healing		4	Always
Potion of Invisibility		1	Always
Water		5	Always
Gold		200 - 1350	Always

Alchemy table

Auntie Ethel will roll five or six times on this table.

Item		Quantity	Chance
Autumncrocus		1	1/8
Balsam		1	1/8
Belladonna		1	1/8
Daggerroot		1	1/8
Mergrass		1	1/8
Mugwort		1	1/8
Weavemoss		1	1/8
Wispweed		1	1/8

Mushroom table

Rolls 2-5 times on the Rare Mushroom Table. The average roll on the Rare Mushroom Supply Table is 3.4 mushrooms.

Quantity	2	3	4	5
Chance	1/5	2/5	1/5	1/5

Item		Quantity	Chance
Level 1 - 5
Acorn Truffle		1	Always
Level 6+
Acorn Truffle		1	1/4
Nightlight Frond		1	1/4
Swarming Toadstool		1	1/4
Tongue of Madness		1	1/4

Supplies table

Rolls one or two times on the Tiny Trader Table. Worth 5.0 Camp Supplies on average.

Quantity	1	2
Chance	3/5	2/5

Item		Quantity	Chance
Food Supply Table 2		1	1/5
Food Supply Table 3		1	2/5
Food Supply Table 4		1	2/5

Notable loot (Act 1)

• Auntie Ethel's Charm
• Auntie Ethel's Hair (obtained through mid-combat dialogue)
• Tarnished Charm

Notable loot (Act 3)

• Ring of Feywild Sparks

Related literature

• Hag Spy's Note
• I Can Save Your Child
• Letter from 'M'
• Letter from Ethel
• Letter to Ethel
• Loving Note
• Report on Old Garlow's
• Report on Old Garlow's (Mayrina dead)
• You Deserve To Feel Beautiful

Speak with Dead

If killed, Ethel's body can be spoken to using  Speak with Dead. Ethel is quite unique in that her Speak with Dead dialogue changes depending on whether she still has the Tarnished Charm on her corpse when talking to her. Unlike most corpses, she will be willing (if angry) to speak to her killer.

With Tarnished Charm

*A charm on the hag's body flashes a faint glow.*

• Auntie Ethel: ARGH. You knuckle-dragging gobshite.

Auntie Ethel: You will bleed - you will choke on your own guts for this. (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: ARGH. Where is the knuckle-dragging gobshite that killed me? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Party member: You're quite lively for a corpse.

• Auntie Ethel: I'm a hag, you little snot - you think I didn't plan for this? Death and I are old friends.

Auntie Ethel: But I won't be a corpse forever - that I can bloody promise you.

• Party member: Tell me the truth - what did you want with Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: I didn't want the girl, sweetie. I wanted her babe.

Auntie Ethel: I would have gobbled it up and given birth to my very own hag daughter.

Auntie Ethel: From my guts she would've come - my blood, my bile. It would have been glorious.

• Party member: Does being dead bother you? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: You think this is the first time? I've found my way back before, and I will again.

Auntie Ethel: And then I will make the cretin beg, plead, weep for what will always be denied...

Auntie Ethel: ...The sweet release of death.

• Party member: You're dead and I'm not. Deal with it. (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: For now.

• Party member: Why are you so cruel?

• Auntie Ethel: Please. It's you lot who come to me. All you do is want - to be prettier, to be richer, to be loved.

Auntie Ethel: People are their own worst enemies, petal. I just let them see it.

• Party member: What deal did you make with Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: The brat's husband is dead. So sad.

Auntie Ethel: She wanted me to bring him back to life. Little fool thought it would fix everything.

• Party member: Do you have any regrets? (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: Only one.

Auntie Ethel: And you'll never know.

• Party member: Do you have any regrets? (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

• Auntie Ethel: Only that I don't get to see the flesh melt from your bones, your guts dissolve, and your brain liquefy as you turn into a mind flayer.

Auntie Ethel: You'll weep, you'll beg, you'll plead - anything to make it stop. And once you stand tall, proud and tentacled?

Auntie Ethel: You'll butcher your friends and your loved ones LIKE THE ILLITHID SCUM YOU ARE.

Without Tarnished Charm

Auntie Ethel: Bleed... choke on... your guts... (if the caster is Ethel's killer)

Auntie Ethel: Kill them... kill them... all... (if the caster is not Ethel's killer)

• Party member: Why did you want Mayrina?

• Auntie Ethel: Didn't want... the girl... wanted her... babe.

Auntie Ethel: ... was going to... eat it... and make a... hag daughter...

• Party member: Are you the only hag around here?

• Auntie Ethel: Where there's people... there's... hags.

• Party member: Where do you keep your valuables?

• Auntie Ethel: In my... workroom...

• Party member: Why are you so cruel?

• Auntie Ethel: Not me... that's cruel. It's... people.

Auntie Ethel: They want... and want... and want. I merely... give.

Gallery

• 

  Ethel's human model

• 

  Ethel's hag model

• 

  Ethel with child

• 

  Auntie Ethel's true form