The Erl King

BEAUTIFUL CHILD, COME ALONG NOW WITH ME,
for such wonderful games would I play with thee;
By the banks of the river fine flowers unfold and
I would see you dressed in garments of gold.

—Goethe The Erl King

There have always been stories about creatures like the Erl King because creatures like the Erl King have always existed. Capricious and cruel, he is the reason that parents warn their children against visiting the woods alone, fearful lest they attract the unwanted attentions of the covetous king.

Banished from both the Seelie and the Unseelie Court for his boorish behavior, the Erl King has instead established himself as lord of Auld Anguish – a forlorn place whose halls echo with the constant cries of lost and forgotten children. There the ancient fey lord stalks the corridors and antechambers, marveling at the melancholic beauty of his ever-growing collection.

It is said that children taken by the Erl-King do not age or sicken, but remain perpetually young – frozen in time like flowers pressed beneath glass.
 

Starting at 1st level, you can use your action to exude an aura of abject misery. Each creature within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. Creatures that fail their save take psychic damage equal to your proficiency modifier and are frightened by you until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Starting at 6th level, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion and Intimidation skills if you don’t already have it and you have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Intimidation) checks made against children.

Starting at 10th level, your every step is followed by the near- silent sobbing of forgotten children. You are immune to being frightened and have resistance to psychic damage.

Starting at 14th level, your patron permits you to imprison your enemies within the palace of Auld Anguish.

As an action, you can choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. If the target fails and has 150 hit points or fewer remaining, it is banished to Auld Anguish and imprisoned within your chamber. If the target succeeds, or has more than 150 hit points remaining, the target is not banished but instead takes 5d10 psychic damage as it struggles to maintain place on your current plane of existence.

The chamber can have no more than a single occupant at any given time. If you successfully attempt to seal a creature within the chamber while the chamber is already occupied, then the target is imprisoned and the chamber’s previous inhabitant is released and appears in the target’s place.

You can use your action to release a creature imprisoned in the chamber and summon it to your current location. If you do so, the create is immediately freed and reappears within 60 feet of you in a location of the DM’s choosing.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.