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Overgrown Tunnel

The Overgrown Tunnel is an optional dungeon beneath the Riverside Teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands, the region that reveals itself as the Putrid Bog when Auntie Ethel’s illusion is broken.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Enter through the illusory fireplace in the Riverside Teahouse If Ethel has not already exposed the passage, an Investigation check can reveal it.
  • The Gnarled Door in the Entrance Gallery is another of Ethel’s victims It is an illusion and can be passed without opening it.
  • The tunnel contains four masked thralls Mask of Regret, later identified as Hydrangea Wubb, can be saved if she is knocked unconscious and Ethel is killed.
  • The descent is filled with Ruptured Stones that emit noxious fumes and Peculiar Flowers that explode. Masks, thrown objects, jumping and movement spells can all help.
  • The Ancient Abode contains Mayrina’s cage and the boss encounter with Ethel Put out the cage’s fire immediately if you want Mayrina to survive.
  • The Acrid Workshop contains Bitter Divorce, The Ever-Seeing Eye, Staff of Crones, special hag potions and a Mushroom Circle back to the Putrid Bog.

About this guide

Base game, Act One Major spoilers for Auntie Ethel, Mayrina and the Save Mayrina quest

Overview

The Overgrown Tunnel is an optional dungeon beneath the Riverside Teahouse in the Sunlit Wetlands, the region that reveals itself as the Putrid Bog when Auntie Ethel’s illusion is broken. It is the lair of the green hag Auntie Ethel, and the main setting for the climax of the Save Mayrina quest.

The location is larger than the first room often called “Ethel’s lair”. Its recognised subareas are the Entrance Gallery, the unnamed middle section commonly referred to simply as the Overgrown Tunnel, the trapped descent, the Ancient Abode, and the Acrid Workshop. It also contains a route into the Underdark, although that route is a connection through the tunnel rather than a separate Overgrown Tunnel subarea.

Scope and boundaries

The Overgrown Tunnel is not the same location as the Underground Passage beneath the Emerald Grove, nor is it the same as the Whispering Depths beneath the Blighted Village. The name describes Ethel’s dungeon beneath the teahouse.

The dungeon begins at the passage behind the teahouse fireplace and ends at the workshop and its Mushroom Circle. The Ancient Abode is part of the Overgrown Tunnel, not a separate dungeon. The trapped section between the masked victims and the Ancient Abode has no independent map label, but it is still part of the same connected location.

The Mushroom Circle near the Underdark is best treated as a connection from the tunnel, not as an additional subarea. It leads to a cave in the Underdark, where an illusionary wall opens into the wider region.

The Overgrown Tunnel is reached through Auntie Ethel’s Riverside Teahouse in the southwestern part of the Sunlit Wetlands.

Route from the Riverside Teahouse

If the party has not yet forced Ethel to reveal her true nature, entering or investigating the fireplace exposes the truth of the wetlands. The bright, pleasant landscape outside is revealed as the Putrid Bog.

Route from the Riverside Teahouse: steps

  1. 01
    Enter the Riverside Teahouse and progress through the conversation with Ethel and Mayrina.
  2. 02
    If Ethel becomes hostile or flees, follow her towards the fireplace.
  3. 03
    The fireplace is an illusion. If it has not already been dispelled, an Investigation check can reveal the hidden passage.
  4. 04
    Walk through the fireplace or use the stairs behind it to enter the Entrance Gallery.
  5. 05
    Proceed through the Gnarled Door and into the masked-thrall section.

Restrictions inside the lair

While pursuing Ethel, the party cannot return to camp. Fast travel is also unavailable while Ethel remains alive and present in the dungeon. Short rests are still possible, so prepare your spells, consumables and party formation before committing to the descent.

Entrance Gallery

The Entrance Gallery is the first large chamber. Tree roots form alcoves around the room, and a cauldron of boiling slumgullion sits near the centre. The chamber displays several of Ethel’s previous victims, each presented as part of the hag’s collection of curses and punishments.

If the party enters openly, or has already confronted Ethel, she may appear in the gallery to issue a final warning. This encounter does not begin the main boss fight. Ethel disappears regardless of the party’s response and retreats deeper into the lair.

Victims and exhibits

The gallery’s victims are not ordinary residents or a faction. They are former victims of Ethel, most of whom have been transformed, mutilated or driven insane.

The Gnarled Door does not need to be opened conventionally. An Arcana check can reveal that it is an illusion, while Persuasion or Intimidation can also lead to the same discovery. The party can then simply walk through it.

Masked-thrall chamber

Beyond the Gnarled Door is a section covered with mud and occupied by four of Ethel’s masked victims. They become hostile when they detect the party.

Their names are represented by the masks they wear:

Each thrall makes a Wisdom saving throw at the start of its turn. On a failed save it receives the Hag’s Pawn condition for that turn and attacks. On a successful save it loses the opportunity to act normally and passes the turn.

The safest combat approach is usually to focus on one victim at a time and avoid killing Mask of Regret. If she is knocked unconscious rather than killed, and Ethel is later killed, she can be saved. After a long rest she removes the mask, becomes sane and identifies herself as Hydrangea Wubb. She can later appear again in Act Three. Saving her grants the Unmasking the Truth inspiration for Folk Heroes.

Using the Whispering Masks

Four Whispering Masks are placed on a table near the door. Wearing one allows the wearer to pass the masked victims without making them hostile. However, a wearer receives Ephemeral Whispers and must make repeated Wisdom saving throws. Failure can cause the wearer to become a Hag’s Pawn and attack the rest of the party.

Only one party member needs to wear a mask for the group to pass. Protection from Evil and Good can prevent the mask’s harmful control effect. A masked character can also reveal certain hazards in the descent.

This route has a cost. If the thralls are bypassed rather than defeated, Ethel may summon them during the later boss fight. Passing the waterfall while wearing a mask can also grant the One of Us inspiration to a Charlatan.

The descent

After the masked-thrall section, jump through the waterfall to reach the descent. This area consists of roots, cliffs, boulders, climbable vines and ladders leading down towards the Ancient Abode.

The route is deliberately designed as a hazard course rather than a conventional combat area. There are two notable trap types.

Ruptured Stones

Ruptured Stones resemble piles of rocks and emit clouds of Noxious Fumes.

Throwing spare equipment, masks or other objects onto the vents is usually safer than attempting the high disarm check.

Peculiar Flowers

Peculiar Flowers are concealed explosive traps along the walkways.

Eldritch Blast, other Force-damage attacks, careful ranged attacks and movement spells are useful here. Misty Step, Enhance Leap, Feather Fall and flight can also bypass sections of the route.

Ancient Abode

The Ancient Abode is the final major section of the dungeon. It is a circular stone chamber built around a deep pit, with paths and ledges at several levels.

Mayrina is suspended in a cage above the pit. Ethel begins invisible and reveals herself when the party approaches the central area. On her first turn she sets the cage on fire.

Saving Mayrina during the fight

Put out the cage fire immediately. The following methods can extinguish it:

If the cage is destroyed by the flames or another damaging effect, Mayrina dies. Ethel may later teleport Mayrina out of the cage and disguise herself as the young woman. The real Mayrina is visibly pregnant, while Ethel’s disguise is not. Initiative order also remains unchanged, which can help identify the real positions of the characters.

Ethel’s duplicates

At the start of the fight Ethel can create illusory copies of herself. The copies mimic her spells and abilities but disappear after taking damage. The real Ethel remains in the initiative order, so initiative tracking is more reliable than trying to identify her by appearance alone.

If the masked thralls are still alive and conscious, Ethel can summon them into the fight. If they are unavailable, she eventually uses her own abilities to manipulate Mayrina and the battlefield.

Ethel’s bargain

When reduced below roughly 20% of her hit points, Ethel may offer Auntie Ethel’s Hair in exchange for her life. The item permanently increases one selected ability score by 1.

The bargain can be missed if Ethel is killed too quickly. If the party wants the hair, it may be necessary to stop attacking and allow her opportunity to initiate the dialogue. Accepting the bargain is also an oathbreaking action for the paladin oaths listed in the location’s quest interactions.

If Ethel is killed, loot her body for the Tarnished Charm and proceed with the consequences of the Save Mayrina quest.

Acrid Workshop

The Acrid Workshop lies behind a wooden door beyond the Ancient Abode. It is the most overtly practical part of the lair, functioning as Ethel’s storage room, potion laboratory and collection of magical curiosities.

Shelves hold roughly a dozen of Ethel’s special potions. These are not a conventional shop inventory. Their effects vary widely, and many are harmful or situational. Consuming one grants the An Acquired Taste inspiration for Guild Artisans.

The workshop’s Mushroom Circle returns to the teahouse’s rear area, near Connor Vinderblad’s coffin. The route is especially useful after the boss fight because it provides a quick exit without retracing the trapped descent.

The room also contains

Riverside Teahouse

The Riverside Teahouse is the surface entrance and the location where Ethel’s deception is first established. The fireplace provides access to the dungeon, while the workshop’s Mushroom Circle returns to the teahouse’s rear exterior rather than to the main entrance.

The teahouse is therefore both the Overgrown Tunnel’s entrance route and part of the surrounding quest space, but it is not itself a subarea of the tunnel.

Putrid Bog

The workshop portal exits into the Putrid Bog near the teahouse. This is a separate surface area in the Sunlit Wetlands. The bog’s name reflects the removal of Ethel’s illusion, whereas “Sunlit Wetlands” is the broader regional name.

Underdark

A hidden route in the descent leads to a Gnarled Door and a Mushroom Circle. Reaching it requires a jump up a rocky cliff and access to the relevant mask interaction. The Mushroom Circle connects to a cave in the Underdark, where another illusionary wall leads into the wider region.

This route is useful as an alternative Underdark entrance, but the Underdark itself is not part of the Overgrown Tunnel’s boundaries.

Associated but not resident

The four masked names are enemy identities used in the tunnel. Only Mask of Regret has a confirmed survivable outcome if the party handles the encounter correctly. Ethel must be killed, and the victim must be knocked unconscious rather than killed.

Fixed or quest-relevant items

Consumables and containers

The precise contents of some containers can vary in quantity, but the location’s principal named rewards and quest items are fixed. Bitter Divorce is particularly important to the later Mayrina outcome. The special potions are part of Ethel’s workshop collection rather than a functional shop with a buy-and-sell service.

Ethel’s special potions

Do not assume that a potion’s name describes a beneficial effect. Read each item before consuming it, and consider using the workshop bottles as combat tools or quest curiosities rather than ordinary healing supplies.

Recommended exploration order

  1. 01
    Prepare before entering. Bring a character with good Perception, Sleight of Hand and ranged damage. Water, ice effects, Force damage, Misty Step and Feather Fall are all useful.
  2. 02
    Search the Entrance Gallery. Inspect the victims, mirrors and containers before continuing.
  3. 03
    Pass the Gnarled Door. Walk through it after recognising the illusion. Do not waste actions trying to open it normally.
  4. 04
    Decide how to handle the masks. Either fight the four thralls, or use one Whispering Mask with Protection from Evil and Good to pass them.
  5. 05
    Protect Mask of Regret. If saving Hydrangea Wubb, use non-lethal attacks on her and avoid damaging her after she falls unconscious.
  6. 06
    Jump through the waterfall. Spread the party out so one trap does not catch everyone.
  7. 07
    Cross the descent. Cover vents, destroy flowers at range, or bypass hazards with jumps and movement spells.
  8. 08
    Find the Underdark connection if desired. The Mushroom Circle route is optional and can be explored before or after Ethel.
  9. 09
    Reach the Ancient Abode. Position the party around the chamber if possible, but ensure someone can reach Mayrina’s cage immediately.
  10. 10
    Extinguish the cage. Use water or ice before concentrating on Ethel.
  11. 11
    Track the real Ethel. Use initiative order and damage the duplicates to remove them.
  12. 12
    Choose the bargain carefully. If you want Auntie Ethel’s Hair, do not kill her before the bargain dialogue can occur.
  13. 13
    Kill Ethel if saving the thralls. Accepting her escape prevents the full rescue outcome for the masked victims.
  14. 14
    Search the Ancient Abode and workshop. Collect the named loot, read the letters and take Bitter Divorce if continuing Mayrina’s story.
  15. 15
    Leave through the workshop Mushroom Circle. This returns the party to the Putrid Bog and avoids the trapped route.

Do not equip every mask

One character wearing a mask can allow the group to pass, but equipping masks on the whole party is dangerous. Each wearer is subject to Ethel’s influence, and equipping all of them can result in a game-over state. Protection from Evil and Good is the safest way to use the mask route.

Do not destroy the Gnarled Door

The door is not a normal obstacle. It is an illusion and can be passed by walking through it. The conversation is valuable for atmosphere and lore, but combat or destructive solutions are unnecessary.

Do not rush past the trapped descent

A character who succeeds on Perception can reveal the traps, but the party still needs a plan for crossing them. Covering vents is often more reliable than disarming them. Peculiar Flowers can be targeted from range, although they need to be hit accurately.

Keep Mayrina in view

During the boss fight, Ethel can create copies and disguise herself as Mayrina. Watch initiative order, compare character models and avoid area attacks near Mayrina unless the cage has already been secured.

The Overgrown Tunnel presents Ethel’s lair as a collection of broken identities. Her victims are not simply imprisoned: they have been turned into objects, warnings or extensions of the dungeon itself. The Gnarled Door is the clearest example, retaining enough memory to beg future victims not to continue.

The Entrance Gallery is therefore a catalogue of Ethel’s past bargains, while the masked-thrall chamber shows the process still operating. The descent turns the natural world into a weapon, with roots, fumes and flowers arranged as traps. The Ancient Abode then reveals the core of Ethel’s current scheme: Mayrina is not merely captive, but part of a bargain intended to create a new hag.

The workshop completes the picture. Its potions and letters show Ethel as a collector and experimenter, while the named objects tie her surface deception to the wider quest around Mayrina and Connor.

Before leaving the Overgrown Tunnel, check that you have:

Sources