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annabelle_duntum

Annabelle Duntum

Member of the royal Duntum family. A Human noble cursed into the form of a pig by Zerith the witch. Sister of Jeremy, son of Claudius and Dorothea. Cousin to Lady Emilia.

You cast the light of the illuminating stone upon the pig. For a moment the creature seems to morph into a young woman with long, black hair. She wears an emerald green dress and a tiara studded with red rubies assembled in such a way that they resemble the petals of blooming flowers. She smiles at you and curtsies before vanishing without a trace. - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7) 
Race: Human
Affiliation/Loyalty:King's Guard/Nalos

Transformation

Annabelle's sickness has caused the Duntum family to turn to unconventional means. Seeking aid from Zerith, multilple potions have been used. None have worked. Payment to Zerith was withheld.

The witch, Zerith, is known to harbor grudges. Three of her healing potions have had no effect on poor, sickly Annabelle, and so my husband has refused to pay her.

I ran into the witch in the marketplace, and she assured me that Annabelle would soon “no longer be sick,“ and would be “completely transformed.” The she laughed and asked me which I would prefer, a sick daugher or a healthy pig!” - Lady Dorothea Duntum's diary - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)
The pig keeps her distance from Zerith, who clicks her tongue at the animal. “Enjoying life, are you? Eaten any good filth lately? This is what happens when your father can’t pay his bills.” - Zerith - Silver Threads of Fate (LC1)

Annabelle's Music Box

You crank the key to the music box and then open the lid. Tiny figurines, a male and female Gnome, spin arm-in-arm in a circle as the melody unfolds. The paint on their bodies is mostly chipped and worn from age. The eyes alone seem untouched and sparkle a vibrant emerald green. They seem to stare at you rather than each other as they dance. Gradually, the song slows to a stop. - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

An item suspicioned by Lady Dorothea Duntum to have been cursed by the witch Zerith;

We met a local witch, Zerith, at the market today. Annabelle had her eye on a music box, and the woman offered it to her free of charge. When I insisted on paying for it, she refused. I protested, but Annabelle became upset with me. Like a fool, I relented. I don’t believe that any gift is truly “free of charge.”
Annabelle has not been feeling well lately. I can buy some potions from Zerith when I am next in town. Perhaps that will free us from the witch’s debt.
Today, we visited three shops in Falandore to find a new music box for Annabelle. She prefers the old one, given to her by Zerith. I fear it is enchanted. A simple charm spell would be enough to make the music irresistible.
Zerith’s motives are not yet clear, but I suspect this “gift” is something more than simple generosity.
It has been three weeks since Annabelle changed. Though I suspect the witch, I do not dare accuse her publicly. If Zerith is the one responsible for turning my daughter into a pig, she alone may hold the power to restore her. And so, I have swallowed my pride and begged her for an audience. If she agrees to a meeting, I will ask her to name her price. She can have the castle for all I care. Annabelle’s life is my only concern.
After some research, I was able to confirm what I already suspected. Zerith is a highranking member of the Starlit Door. It may be on their orders that she gave my daughter her cursed music box, though I do not yet understand their motives.
I thought this was a simple dispute between our family and a local witch, but it is much more. I am unwilling to write my full suspicions even here, but I fear that all of our lives may be in danger. - Lady Dorothea Duntum, Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

It is described as having a haunting melody, with a lullaby to accompany it;

You crank the key of the music box and set it next to the pig. She sniffs at it affectionately and then cozies up next to the box as if it were a pillow, rubbing the edges of the box with her snout. She seems to be soothed by its simple, haunting melody. - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)
The sun withdraws into the sky
And the stars reveal their grandeur
For kings we fight and kings we die
Like sheep slaughtered in their pasture
Sleep now child and through the night
For our minds cannot be chained
And if this be our final fight
In our dreams we shall remain.
It would be an understatement to say that the melody they have chosen for this particular music box is an odd choice. The tune was originally intended as a protest against the last king. The composer, an Elf woman of noble birth, was publicly executed. Perhaps the song itself is a message of some kind? Zerith, the witch who gave poor Annabelle the box, is rumored to have collaborated with the Starlit Door. Perhaps she is not loyal to the crown. - Lady Dorothea Duntum, Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

Personality

Lady Dorothea Duntum, Annabelle's mother, knows her best;

Jeremy is half as clever as his sister but twice as confident. Annabelle has a sharp mind but a soft heart. She agrees with everything Jeremy says, no matter how ridiculous. I fear he will not be wise enough to rule, and she does not have the will or the discipline. But one of them must sit on the throne in Carleval when their father and I are gone.
Annabelle adores her music box. I’ve tried to buy her others, but she’s rejected each in turn. “It isn’t the same,” she tells me. And it’s true: they aren’t the same, they’re better. Made from finer materials with melodies that command attention and respect. But she won’t hear it. In her own way, she’s as stubborn as her brother, Jeremy. - Lady Dorothea Duntum, Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

Annabelle has a soft heart when it comes to others.. She seems to be an excellent judge of character. She is compassionate, wanting others to have a sense of belonging and companionship.

Annabelle is justifiably angry when she is finally able to exchange words with Zerith, the witch who cursed her into a pig;

You set the pig loose and hold up the illuminating stone, allowing its light to shine over the clearing. To your surprise, the pig momentarily disappears. She is replaced by a young woman with long, black hair, who charges toward Zerith.
“You did this!” she shouts.
Zerith appears quite alarmed.
“You did this to me!” the woman claims again. After a few moments, the vision of the woman is gone, leaving only the pig to stare back up at you. - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

When restored to Human form, it does not take long for the sibling rivalry between Annabelle and her brother Jeremy to return;

Annabelle and Jeremy are inseparable at first, each singing each other’s praises, desperate to spend every waking moment with the other.
Before too long, however, you notice signs of an old sibling rivalry resurfacing. Though the youngest, Annabelle is better at just about everything, and Jeremy grows irritated and resentful. The rest of the Duntum family take sides, whispering gossip about one sibling into the other’s ear. - Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

References

Taron's Trophy (RPA-ADV2)

Appearing first in Jolev as a prize pig with a notable spot shaped like a swan, Annabelle requires rescuing from a Giant Scorpion after being stung in a ravine:

You hear a horrible squeal and run to discover a pig lying in a ravine. It must have fallen and broken a leg. It writhes in pain and fear. The pig is pink with dark spots, one of which resembles a black swan. - Tome of Encounters (RPA-ADV7)

Saving her, she runs into the hills.

Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

You next see the pig at the River Trail in the Forgotten Forest fall into the river:

  • Jump in to save the pig and make your way to the Underwater Caverns.
  • Sift through the muck and find some gold.

In the Underwater Caverns, you meet the pig again in the caverns below:

  • If you let Creet feast on its blood in Sabek:
    • You defend yourself and slay the charging pig.
    • You are bit and become infected with vampirism.
  • If you rummaged around the mud the pig was sniffing at the River Trail before coming to its rescue:
    • A spirit girl explains that the pig is upset you did not jump in after it, and is looking for her family.
  • If you jumped immediately into the water to save the pig:
    • A spirit girl explains that the pig is looking for her family;
“She’s not a pig, she’s a girl like me. She misses her family. Especially her brother, Jeremy. Oh, she’s so much fun. I’d rather she stay here, but she wants to find her family.” - Ghost, Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

Return to the Abandoned Watchtower with the pig and Jeremy and his cousin Lady Emilia will attempt to bring her back to Human form:

  • Assist and succeed and the siblings will be reunited.
  • Assist and fail and Annabelle grows to a half-Human, half-animal hybrid, running away into the forest.

In reading the diary of his mother Dorothea, it is revealed how Jeremy found himself in Jolev:

I have asked my son, Jeremy, to take his sister to the Halfling town of Jolev. Several years ago, a witch’s curse turned Annabelle into a pig. She still bears the swan-shaped mark she was born with, but she is otherwise unrecognizable as my daughter. Jolev is rumored to be home to a powerful healer. I pray to Azema that they can help her. - Lady Dorothea Duntum, Ghost-Eaters of the Forgotten Forest (RPA-ADV7)

Silver Threads of Fate (LC1)

While King Taron is frozen in place, having opened multiple rifts in Sabek, you use one to enter into a shadowy cave. You soon discover an unusual pig. She is reluctant at first to come to you, almost as if afraid of the Starlit Door mark above your eye. With sufficient coaxing, she does eventually warm up to you and your companions.

You may use the pig to free Zerith from her frozen prison in time.

If King Taron, Zalic, Rose, or Tarik Nowlin are members of your party, they marvel had how the pig seems “unusual” and not pig-like at all. Zerith, if she has joined you, seems to know otherwise.

Zerith smiles at the timid pig. “Perhaps one day it will be your head on the wall. That would be a fitting end to your story.” When the pig snarls at her, Zerith chuckles. “From Princess to Swine: A Prophecy Undone. I think that will be a wonderful title for your volume of the Duntum family history.” - Silver Threads of Fate (LC1)
annabelle_duntum.txt · Last modified: 2026/01/30 22:08 by mfenrick