OUT ABYSS" or THE CREDITS FOREWORD This book was acollaborationbetweenWizardscftheCoast Togel myselfin themindset oftellingan Underdark— andcreenRorilri Publishing, MernoersofthecreenRorilri themed storysrtIn the ForgottenRealms.1wentback creative teamare markedwith an asterisk. andreadExile byRA. Salvatore,one ofmyfavorite StovyCreators:ChristopherPerkins, Adam Lee, Richard Drizztnovels. ll tellslllc‘ storyofthcdarkelf‘: initial Whittevs ascent to the surtaee world. Along theway.Drizzt storyconsultants: R.A. Salvatore, TroyDefining encounters weirdUnderdarkcharacters. includinga deepgnomewithhamniers {orhands,npech(asmall LeadAdventureDesigner:steve l<ensori—- Designers:Cam sanksr waitercieehannwsmAlex Melchot,* earthcreature)polyinorplietlinto ahookhorror,anda ChristopherPerkins, chris Framas,’~“ wolrertl.sehwallryt CrazywizardwithaDaernsinstant furrrr '5. Matt serriett, iiodneyrhonipson, Raywlnnlngef‘ After reading the bookagain,I wasreminded ManagingEdit lererny Crawford ufAliCc'5AdVe1ltures in Vi/mlderlatldand Through Editors: ScottFitzgeraldGray.ChristopherPerkins, Tom the Looking Glass.That'swhenI decidedthatour Cadorette* Underdarktalewasgoing todraw inspiration from Additional Proofreading:PeterLee,sean K Reynolds LewisCarroll‘sworks.Wewould paintthe Untlcrdark Producer:cregBilslarld 2: tin insanelywondrousdomaininto\’\Iili(7l'l ourheroes D&DLead Designers:MikeMearls, iererriycrawtord mustdescend. ArtDirectors:Hal Marigold." Katelrwin, shauria Narciso First,weneededavillainas derangedas theQueenor Carver illustrator:Tylerlacobson Hearts. Lolth wasan obviouschoice,aswas Zuggttnoy. Interior Illustrate : Empty Room studios, Sam Eutley, Olga In rese rchingthr- latter, 1wasreminded ofthe Demon Drebas, wayrie England, lllch Henrtquez,David Hueso, QueenorFungts ongoing{endwithJuiblex.That's William O'Connor,Claudio Pozas,lasper sandrier,Craig whenit nrturredto mt:thatwe couldbe bold andtellall spearing, Bryan syrrie,Carlos NunezdeCastroTorres, underdark storyfeaturingnotjustonedemonlord, but Francis Tsai,Anthony waters, Richard whitters, Bert severalofthem.Maybe CVCJ1allofthem. Wootten,KleranYznnev Weknewthatourdcmoninfcstod talewouldhave Canographers:iared alando, MikeSchley twoDrizzlnovels asbookcndsrsowe asked R.A. GraphicDesigner:Em! Tani. Salvatore tohelp us ltreakthestory. wealsoasked Troy Pruiczt Managerne Neilshinlde,iohn Hay Denning,another oneofourtulttntcdauthors. tojoiti us, Productionserviees:Cyndz callaway, iettersen Dunlap, sincehewaswritinganovel aboutOrcus.Outofthose Davidcershrnan discussions came the RageofDemonsstoryline,which grandandMarketing; Nathanstewart, LlzSchuh, we presented to the folk I GreenRonin.Calloofl, chris Lindsay,shelly Mazzarloble, Hilary Ross, iohri Fell. Galley!Theyagreed tot. llahuratewith USon aD811) LauraTommelvtk, Greg Tito, Kim tundstrom, Trevor Kidd advcnture—thisbookyou now hold inyourhands, playtesters:RobertAlariie,layAnderson,sill Benham, staey Have fun withit. and may thestories ofyourplayers‘ eerrries,Anthony Caroselll, Krupzl Desal, FrankFoulis, harrowing exploitsbe aswontlerfulandunforgettableas jason Fuller,cregory L. Harris, lustin Hicks. Yzrl Lzchzrlté, anygrcat novel! ionathan tongstah, Matt Maranda.Shawn Merwiri. Lou Chri:.tt)pl'Ier Perkins Mlchelll, MikeMlhalzs, l<arl Reseh, KyleTurner, Arthur June 2015 wright, Keokl vourig prrrlarrner E:/uvtyuulakzondvmanlorlisrorisulraphyslclarr Dario!arirtll/l.l1hrllwhl‘lIaklrlganiiemarllarar ratirigairahaiara ll:/rrllrllnrmrvlny iricrutrylzlzrrlskajflzathoihrrrraeeyruira/aernanlararmayinrluaehaliunnalianr,rnirdleorugegiuttanv,greed pnmrlula mylltlusluvlaonul wgzt riihiiitrn hedariitrri rvlegalamnma lzrrlttxllzlimrrlplu lnrvilhnllvrl llrilalxlp/Ipzrtarlulllltt rlridhtirvllaldnlflxythlltlt ON THE COVER TylerJacobsonillustratesDemogorgorr, theFrinae otoernons,rampagingthrough Menzoberranxanafterbeing rippedfrom the Abyss by thedrow archmageCvomph aaenre. 52032439000001 EN CE ISBN 978—0—7865-658l-6 FirstPrinting septemherzuls 987654321 DUN(rEONS&DRAC0NS,D&D,\|«lz:rasc'tll2CoastForgotteniiealrnsthedragorarrioersaria outotihrtayss, niayers Handbook MuHstelMAllual Dlmgl‘nnMiiS:USClAlde zllotherWizard»uillittfunlptndlltlMme; andttteirrespeetivelogn.ari»~iinern.irtsatwirardsartheraastirirneusit indatrerrauritrier Allthzrittsvsavldlhclrriltlmrtlvc llltznessexalzpvopzvlyDV\A/izatdxoltllt-Curr’ rni.material iiprareetedtmderthcraayiighilawseltheunitedstatesn‘AmeY:LA nriyiiniodiierianarurianthai-zedusaarthe materialmwvtwavkzontainedhereinlspwhibltedwrllloullhrrxpvesswvluervpsrmlssionu7Wluld»u1't0lt*CnAt Clrtll Wunm rteiishingandme(.'!:'' rtania Puhlislllllglugoarrxrdderviarks atoreeriiiariirivuhlishir, i>.i.ittdiriir..USA Z)?Ul5v‘/>1avdsaftl’!CDi5LlL(,POE0x7Di7teriion WA9X05/mm usA MAml1'AtlurrdbyHasbinSA iiuerniileBuechnll zsooDolemoiit (M mr<ssnud u» . CONTENTS ch. 1:PrisonersonheDraw. ThePuddingcnim Ch.15:Theciiyorsniders Escape’ . tinuin iuriahngdensmne . Gua TheAdienhireBegin Leaving Bhngdrnsmne (iinng InMrn7nbrrrm1mi1.. in me Slavere: .\/len1uber1':mzan . TheDraw Ch. 7: Escape {mmtheUnderdark_.. us C11yLu«:.'m0ns. . . Velkynw-‘Ive. Thewa, am. 116 L1IL‘\p1.4|1‘1I.-\l||e*.\ Means ofEscape riiddmg Fart»/1 11 .117 |’n\.a|eVleenngs Leaving \.’elkynvz1vc.. cnnrminingIheDruw 118 XPAwarrk Fmlhcr/\dvL:111ures... H9 ch.2:IntoDarkness Ch.8:Audience inGauntlgrym W11:-re|uG0? snmmnnenby Brucnur Ch. 16:The FclidWedding Underdark Tr v Cvaunllgrym wedrhnglmi1.i1in. Equipm nt. EvenrsIn (:aI1r|(1g1'y1u MyconidMarch Forgingan Alliance -Kr.1111n\/cos. The\’Vay Ahead Enior1111 U01! rung:iiitheiinderdnrk Inznrheum, nremn.... .. Nz\rr<\|1ng|he¢jm1rm=y Ch.9:Mamol-Derith Lev Tm-m Speak New .... DruwPumuil Fraz:Urh'l11u'sCx(‘m. . Fighling [htlulculussLord Random Emtuuntrr RearhmgMantel Dc:nh snnnnnnzingTrave Mant<>I—[)emh SCI E111.uu1I|e LeawngM.1nIo|rlJer11I\ . Ihu snhen Paths. Ch.17:Against the Demon Lurds. Hookllormrmin CIT.10:Descentintothe Depths RuzulyiiigfihrPlan , TheUoziugTuinple 34 FellowTravels Enarlmg:h.—mm: .. Lost Ibmbdixiiaun. .37 inCumnland . Rugr umeninne Random Even . Againsi nemnenrno ch.3:TheDarklake Undenhnhnurnoscs Lime Threads Traversing theDarklake Rmracing Slaps Random Emouxlmra. App.A:MndifyingBackgrounds 221 ...... Sloobludup. Ch. 11:Grnven1io11ow.. subsmuneFr::«1Iure~ xF’Awards. Using [(1Gravenhullnw Subsmune Bund<. TheSlum.’L1brar_\.. ch.4:Gracklstugh ThehntlnyufUurEnemy App.3-Magicnenis. Going‘toCurarklsmgli Stonespcakcrtr,suds Grar,k1sx11zh.. Rehirnznglo\nennn. App.c:crenmres Darklake District |.r,:aVingGra\'1:1|I1o1luvw Dcrru. .. 1_ndnener'sFurro Imxnelml . V1/es!Cleft& EasrCl::f1Dis1ricLs . . 12:TheTowcrufVangeance Crcalurc\/.1ria1iuns. Z26 HallsofSabrcd Spells RearhlngtheTuvwer. Ml5CCl1aXIEUu:(:r11aIu7€< Z30 . . Calrngnrm Cavcn Ar craneTuwer Nm1p|.1_1.urCh.Irr111e.‘r>. Themhr=,rrh:u1d'< Lair. Wh1)1'ISrI)nPTunnels Ch.13:The Wnrmwrithings. App. Demon Lords , . Leavingernekxsrnnli TheWormTunnels Banhnmcr . . Huh! unhe neenking. TmglnrlyreI.a1r Denmgorpzon .. Vine In me Dar Fm .1rhhn: , Ch. 5:Neverligh!Grove.. Worm Nur<Pvy Grain. , Crmng to Nevmznh: Grnve TheDarkHnnrers juihlex Arriving ai meGrove TheVa.~:IOh11v111m arms, , . . Ncverl1ghtGruv Yeennghu Ygguiurgu . , . , Ch.14:TheLabyrimh Zugglmov Ltzuving New nhrcrnve Ln 'r1nlhEncounters. .. AdamannneTower sn aldime Horned King l'il1lxnr.ldL-n Bl|11gdcn:10nc0u1skir|.~ March toNowhere oiner Bliugd<:nsLune.. Vccm;g!1u's Hunt lunarBlxlxgduxlstunm. GallerydrAnge1.. Rockbligm... nnMmEngine. Goldwhraker Warrrn: CHAPTER 1: PRISONERS OF THE DROW Deepbeneath (hr s'|H’[£I(‘,€ ofthe world liesthe ’Prisoners of[hr 1'7r-.,\\" _t tt~ tht rhtnrmlersstart U!I(1Pl”(l£H'k. 2| l'L‘£lhn nfrnrllesslab_ ifiihlnb tunnels and at1~t1r\'e1.andth;ttihr}\tt1i:1(]’ttr\'rlnrltmeltitttot L’£|¥C\'I\S\vhct'c [hr allll newt’ shtncs. Thr Underdark 3rd) h_\ the endnt'tht~ .|ld)Vlt! rt tht .'~ld\tHtufr‘. (jiten ts fillet!wtxh T£!I’t‘stttttt L‘I‘t‘a(ln”ES[00 rtumrtmua to the AItztltettgcsofthr ;n1\»:tttttrt zmrtrhvttftllgrfb 01 the countor tisr. andfurctttustamrtng the :: ‘L‘re: the dark LntJet'darkytttt t .m -tun the cltztntt tenat a higherlcvcl el\.Cs—tht- «lmw.Ilzxtcd and fcttrrdmen Ln thett‘ICHOVL (2nd or3rd)in Hlakt‘ thtnqstt but rastertut’ the players fl\.\‘C]1L‘1'5tHLhirklk‘, the drmx rtttdtulle settlrmcnrs ESCAPE! in the Urttlrrrlttrk Ll»well as rht‘ S|lf[;l(tE wnr1d.taktng ])1”lSOI1t‘l'Shu\t1\\\ilhlhEInRvnduredunconsCiou< The t-ttnnn let‘: goal H1 um ( hauter01 mt» ;tr\\':'rtturr with <lt'ov\ p<:t.sutt.thtn collared?U|da1l1iL’kl8d.[hCSf‘ ls %tr;«tIg1It1ut‘»\at‘d Psmtpr tnnn the dram 0\tt[)n>tnt tpnrt[shorndtrarrskareelvPe\s‘9fls[ttl|bfltUt)rrasottlrdatt rsttliaevse.sor Efl[C1'[Eul'Hnt'llt \U'«I|(t1kPt!tft1tLnHt\'ke..li\U~t\\('h(I\a'(n’t’<.H‘_\I.tl‘§ltmgoaatlttisrsc0cnatppthn«fl'2tnf‘r:oIrntnthtehe I Thr ttrlmttturershfl\.'!‘ .11] hurl the ntisfortuneM u zttlvHtturer:'lack 0ff;tmt]t:trtt_\‘with thctrsltrmulttlings. pfaritlsirnrgtlmtnw.natt;ottnaelaattem. pC£d\parrukrt'e,Klvlebsy‘tohuetpdoI'OsWts., tuhweygtt.»ti.nt~tg E\’vtttr|1nlhtEr»t‘hgeDpat‘ntsd0nhLt‘mrs nruttnt tgheetyus\n'\ta-\vtx[ttosam Iht‘ dmvt. vtlu-:t‘e 1I (r;ttt~t)nrl:ttiOn toxtmtznttmntmtt.the Cu}. otsnntens. V\'l-mtltc-rlhe=_\'<‘am(‘ mm the L"ttdet'darksrrktng RESTRAINTS kIIU\.\It‘dQLorrnnnne. ur vtcrejust in (ht:urung place at the- wrong:(‘m:‘\ flue},werertpeprcy for(I rlnm rand ,\tt Ih(‘,L]rU\\ 5 pt‘ts0nI3rs inrhuling {hrcltar:tctr'r.\. ThesetupofOut UH/tr3.4b' 5is ‘nth that the \\.('£H'¥l’UHa1LU.ECD“8l‘§alongnntt tl\dI‘tat‘1csC0t1t1(‘L'tr*tl rlttttmtersncvd h£|\.FnoLt)fll]E2LllO\1S wtth rwttt.sin the (0iron twtt. by nshort1rrtg1I?tu!'t*}tutItThu: team [fttderc|a|'k. nrwtflt HID]! other,priorIn the start ofthe [hr prI\‘mIt‘,r:st'e5trainL‘d.but «tn.-,.~nI meet thctr zttlventttre. 't‘tn;\«um meetandgel to knowcztch other mnwrmettt tn‘speed. as prisonc Jthe tlrow. Hay ‘who vmultl Itke lhctr tn atlthlluntobeingn1;\rI;H‘|e(Lspetlcztstcrsrimft have cttnracm-sn»lune n strtmger Lntlcrtlttrkttntltteclton can nnyspell cntnpnnenn or hwuxrs. tnittatly Itmtttng lhetr choosefrom the bztckgmuttd opnuns. tn appendixA. spt‘,]|4‘:I~sltI\g abtltu (\\t7urtJ1|tdI‘tu;tet‘s dotfr FI<‘t‘(1UlHh’ .~]J€1“3UUkS!0cast spntt. Imt wtll he Itnztblt‘ n» rhzmge menptepa|‘r?(lS1JCHs‘wtthttulttmn A:sttch, gtvr‘,vttzard £‘hLir:1Clet'> sontr 1rt'vt'Lty nt (letermintngV\'htA'h ~pe|1s thryhadpttviousl} pmpttrrtl l1(1I)I‘Lbctt1gr,ztplttretJ.) MUfED\‘€r.SpCH(’}I~|lIIg|\HlpOSSi|J1(‘tl't<t(h‘Vh.Ptnte pen bectxuse urn;rt1£Igtt’i!|WL\r4I:(xEt‘arert 11) Slipping: out of m2tn:4L'1r‘s r€qtItrr‘Sn mmmnt DC 20 Dexteritychtitk. \\ht|eebreaking them rrttutres uttuuuutuntunu asuccessful DC20Strength check.A character IN THE SLAVE PEN canunlockthemanacles usingthieves‘ toolswitha successful DC 15Dexteritycheck. Themanaclcs have \'clk_vnvclv s-slave penI.‘ - )$€‘d with aheavy irongate 15hitpoints.Theironcollarscanbebrokenwitha boltedinto the stone. eeurea 11 formoreinformation successful DC 20Strength check.Thecollarshave aboutthe . ave pen.includingoptitnisforopeningor 12hitpoints.Acharacter who fails a checkto break a breaking throughthegat collar. break£1 setofrnanacles.orescape from aset of The prisoners areprovidedwith clay chamber pots, manacloscan’: attemptchecksofthatltinrlagainuntil andone ofthe duties ofslavesis toemptythemintothe he or shefinishesalong rest.A character canstill use pool duringtheirshift.There are noothercomfortsin the Help actiontoaid another char ,r, however, theslave pen.Prisoners mustsitorlie onthestonefloor. andare let] only once eachdny—athinmushroom hroth THE ADVENTURE BEGINS servedin smallclaybowlspassed throughgapsin the bars ofthegate. Thecharacters beginthe adventurein theslave pensoiVelkynvelve. Stripped ofeverythingbuttheir S_(}Vé\/r_!_ZNGED PossEss1oNs_ underclothing,they are at themercyofthcdarkelves Theplayertthziraclers have not been irile during their andin the companyofotherprisoners, manyofwho captivity, Hztve eeicli playerroll (I r|ZO,andaddthe aren'twhattheyseem. nurnhcrrlftlnys (M10) thatplayer'scharacter has been irnprisonetlinVelkynvelve. Theresult determines What, Capturedbythedrow!You wouldn'twish thisrateupon itanything.the ttliaracterhasin his orherpossession anyone.yethereyou are—lockedin adarkcave. the whenthe adventurebegins. cold, heavy weightofmetaltightaroundyour throat and SCAVENGED POSSESSIONS wrists,You arenotalone.other prisoners are trapped in Result Item here with you, in an undergroundoutpost farfrom the 2-9 light ofthesun. — lo—l2 Agold coin Yourcaptors includea crueldrowpriestess who calls 1345 Alivingspiderthesize ofa tarantula harsclfmstressllvara ofHouseMtzzrym. over the 1543 AScfootclorigstrandotsrltrope past several days, you'vemetherseveral times, robed 19.21 Aflawed carneliangemstoneworthingp in silken garments andflankedbytwomaledrew. one 2244 A rustediron oarthatcan he usedasaclub ofwhorrihasamass orscarsalongonesideorivs 2547 Aflint shardthatcan be usedasa dagger faceandneck. 2840 A hand crossbowbolt coatedwith drow potsori Mistressllvara likesto impressherwillwith scourgein (see “F'otsoris" in chapter3otthe Dungeon handandremindyouthatyour lifenow belongstoher. Master's Guide) “Accept yourtatu, learn toobey, andyou may survive." FELLOW PRISONERS Herwords echoin your memory,even asyou plot yourEscape. Thcchant ers are held with ten otherprisoners, cnpturtzrl duringvzlrlous raids andlikewiseawaiting transportation to lttcnzoticrronzan.Some canexpectto Assumethateachplayercharacter hasbeen aprisoner besoldas slat ' whileothers awaitdeath at thehands inVelkynvelve for 1d10 clays.(Roll separatelyforeach ofthedrawortheirpets. Regardless ofwhatthey might character.)Thecharacters spend mostofthistime thinkortheztdventurers andcactiothcr—outsidcthe locltedin theslave pcn.crncrgingoccasionallyundcr slave pens,all theNrcr. have good reason tocooperate heavy guard toperform rncnialchores fortheircaptors’ inorder toescape andsurvive. amusement (sac “HardLabor"). Feel freetoplay outany interactionbetween the dmvv. PRISDNERS or THE Dnow the playercharacters, andtheotherprisoners. Thisis auppido Talkzttveandcunningderro an opportunityto reveal who therhurattters are andto Prince Derendil Quaggotllwho claimsto be a fleshout theirtrackgrotnitlsand personalities through cursedeltpnnre roleplaying.even asyou introtluccsomeoftheirfellow Eldelli Feldrun Shield dwarfsmut prisoners, llvura’s new CUIISOYI,Shoor,wantsto from cauntlgryrn impress his mistress, whileJorlan.herrnrmcrconsort. sullenlydoeshisduty butcasts a curious eyeover jimjar Deep gnomewith a theprisoners. Anyhostilemove is metwithpoisoned gamblingproblem crossbow bolts[mm thedraw.andpossiblyastrike itont orc hully from llvar-ans scourgeor arayofsickness spell. The saritl-tKxekarit Drowaccusedotrnurder giantspidersattacltandpoisonanyoncwho attacks shuushartheAwakened Kutrtoahermitand mystic thedraw.Thedraw don'tkill anyoftheprisoners stool Myconid sprout (leavingthem unconsciousat 0hitpoints)but have no Topsy andTurvy Deepgnomewererattwins cnmpuncuon aboutbeating them. tn wit it: l‘l(l~(1I\EltS«'lF‘llll>_ nitoit Dtmnlua DkRENDlL Bul>l>tDo slowly but surelylosinghirnseltto thcsuvageryoihis Amalederro,Buppidois surprisinglygregarious and quaggothform. talkative,demonstrating akeenmindandadisarming In fact. Derendilissimply mad,touchedbythe manner. Thispleasant facadeconceals the soulofan delusionsofthcdemonlurdFraz—Urb'luu.Thekingdom insane killer. Buppidosccrctlybelieveshe istheliving ofNelrindenvancdoesn'texist.andall in"Derendil's" incarnation ofthetlerrogod Diinkal-azan—an avatar recollectionsandpersonality are an illusion created by ofmurder offeringbloody sacrifices tocreate apath the DemonPrince ofDeception.Theouaggnthrefuses ofcarnage throughthe Underdarkforhispeopleto tobelieve thetruth, andanyincontrovertibleevidenceas followto glory. He rationalizt-:5 any setbacks (including tohisrealnature sends himintoa murderous rage. hiscapture andimprisonment)aspart ofhis"divine ELDETHFELDRUN plan." Hiskillingsarecarefullyritualizcd.following A ictnaleshiclddwart scanttrontGauntlgrym,Eldcth anexactingprocess ofcuttingopenthevictimsand is highspiritedandproud othothherheritageandher arranging theirorgans. people'sachicvemenlin reclaimingthe ancientdwarvcn Althoughntad.Buppido is cunningandcapableof hidinghistrue nature toservehisown ends.Because kingdom;shesuggests Gauntlgrymasadestination hebelievesheis a gotl.heisconvincedthat he cant toescape from the Underdark.Eldetltis stubborn and hates the drowandall other"corrupttlarkdwellers" hekilled(oratleastthat thedeath ofhismortal form Hmeeaansssunmotehsinegvetoryhthimin)g, sios phaertisocfohmispdleivteinlyefpelaarnle,sasn.d suEchldaesththweadnctsrrlol)agnedt bdaucekrghaorm. e.butsheis alsodefiant enthusiasticallyparticipates inanyplot toescape from and selfsacrificing —and thereforeamongthemost thhaeppdyrotwo csoonhseidcearnhicsofnetlilnouwephriissthiortleyrswaolrlki.esBuunptpilidsuocish liitktehlyatphraispopneer. tEolpdeerthisahsbkesfaotrcehgaerattcintegrtshheeotprupostrstutnoity. timeashe nolongerneeds them.orbecomesconvinced pGraoumnltslgcrtyomc,aarlroynwgowridthofhhecrrsfhaiteeldhaacnkdtwoahrehrafmamniielyr in i thattheomens pointtowardthe needforone ormoreof themto besacrificedtohisgreater glory. ifthey are recovered.Thismightwin the characters thcapprovalorEldeths kin whenthey latcrv . 't PRINCEDEREND)L Ctanntlgryin. l Thishulkingquaggothis the mostmenacingrlooking _]lMJAR prisoner inthe slave pens, andtheotherprisoners ghiivme,hhiomweavweri.dethbeeqrtuha.gigioatnhyraetpltiheescinhaurrabcatenresEslpveisahk.to wAimthaaleddccvcilp-rnganyormcaerespayt.tiJtitmtdjca,raisfoElnrdencekslsesfsorrocgouine, He explainsthathe is not, in ft t,rtquaggoth.but a andano .t- ionwith bettingon virtuallyanything andeverything.onceheknowsthecharacter jimjar gold elfprincepolymorphedinto quaggothform byit curse. Heclaimsto bePrince Derendilofthekingdom regularlyOffersthembets onthings from theirown ofNelrindenvanein theHighForest. Hiscrownwas cfforts("I betyou tengoldyou can'tget past thatsentry usurped hytheevilwizard Tcrrcstor.whotrapped him withoutbeingseen")to thcoutcomesofrandom events in thisform andexilcdhimfromhispeople. ("I betyou twentygold thistunnel istherightway"). He AlthoughDerendilht-haves like the highbornprince sometimes uses bettingtogoatl others intodoingthings. hebt ‘eves himselfto be, he responds to stress and butcharacters caneasilyturn the tablesknowingthat parti .ularly tlireats—liltrii quaggoth:violently tearing jimjar finds itdifficult to refuseawager. Hisbehavior foeslilnbfrom limbandrendingtheirfleshwith sharp is unusualforthedourdeepgnomes.andothers ofhis kind(includingTopsy uutl Turvy) find_]imjarannoyingat clawsandteeth. Hecomes backto himselfonly alter battle,orwhensomeonereinforceshis“true identity" best. andunstablc andpotentiallymadatworst. tosnap himoutofit. Derendillaments that he is jimjar isalwaystrue to hisword. andhe manages to keepexacttrack olhisdebitsandcrcdits in his head. ril\i‘ll-kl l’Rl.\0.\Llt: or lHl rmmt Snfilvu Klii-‘lrtil payinguponhis bets(ordemanding payment)assoon SHUUSHARTHEAWAKENED aspo. ible. liesnotabove pocketingalittle extra coin Akuo—loa. Shuushar is likely tobeLineofthe more whetinooneis watching.andhe hasanarnazingability unusualcreaturesany oftheatlwntiirt-rs have met. to scrretsignificantwealth onhisperson. Theaquatichermitis acairn andpeat-eiolpresence. jiinjar leelsasthoughthcrcs something odd about Heis awareofhispeople-'5well-de ervedreputation thetwinsTopsy andTurvy. but he keepshisopinionto formadness. andClaims tohave spenta lifetime in himselfunless asked. Hedoeshisbest togetalongwith contemplationandsolitarymt-ditatioii toovercomethat everyone.althoughsomefind his gregariousness and legacy. Heappears tohave beensuccessful exudingan ranstantwagersgrating. auraofenlightenedhalanrr.Sliuushar iscven calmand acceptingofhiscurrent iitiprisonment.merelysa iig RONT thatitiswhatit is and who cansay whatendit ni ght A maleore from the lceshielcltribe. Rtmt [ledfrom the eventuallyleadttiwartl? slaughter oia bandoforcs at thehands ofthe dwarves. AlthoughSlluusltarisby far the mostsane. stable.and falling downashaft aridwandering in the Underdark honest oftheadventurers’fellowprisoners, he isalso beiorebeingcaptured bythe druw. He'sashanieclorhis themostu~el - to theirimmediategoals.Thekuo-ma cowardlyactandknowsthatGruutnsh. the god ofthe hermit is t-otripletepacilist.Hedoesn'tfight on‘ .~ orcs.ispunishing him.But he also doesn'twanttodie. harm to artyothercreature. even refusingtotleterid orat leastnotin draw captivity. Rtmt is mean.stupid. hirriselror others.He gladly acconipariiesthe partyit andhateful.huthe alsoknucklesunder toauthorityand perrniuerltodoso. however. helpingthem in any wayhe threats. He especiallyharesEldetli. ashistribeisatwar canother thanViolatinghismosts:.i<:retlvow. withherpeople. Shuushar is familiarwith Slntilzludop. thekuo—toa Rontengagesin threatening behaviorandbullying town nearthe Darklake.andhas navigatedthetwisting towardthe otherprisoners unless someonestands routesoftheDarklake formany years. He hopes uptohim. toshare his enlightenmentwithhisfrzllnw kuti—toa. SARITH l(ZEKARIT althoughheisn'taware ofrecenteventsin Sluobltldop (seechapter 3fordetails). A maledraw, Sarith is ullen andkeeps tohimself. rebuffingattempts totalkto him. He isdisgraced byhis STOOL imprisoiimcntbutis resigned tohisfate. sincethere Stoolisarnyconicl sproutCapttlrrd by SaritllKzekarir. doesn'tappear tobeanythinghecandoaboutit. Sarith stool islonely andfrightened.namingonly to return isaccused ofmurdering onenfhlsfellow drowwarriors to its hornsin NcvcrllghtGrove. lfllefrielitled bythe in afitofmadnr but he hasnomemoryofit. Hevari characters. Stoolgladly offers toguidethemto its home. betwccnbelievingthe whole thingisasetupto dis -retlii promisingthemsanctuary withits folk.althoughit isn't anddestroyhitn.andtearing thatitisall truc‘—which. awareofthedangers posed byZuggttnuys influenceon in fact. it is. He beinghelduntil he canhe sent bark to thernyconids (seechapter _ . Menzobcrrallzaitasa sacrificeto Lolth andan exaniple Stooluses rapport spores toestablish telepathic toothers. communicationwith othercreatures. anditdoesso Unknowneven totheotherdrow. Sarith isinfected tocommunicatewith t‘l'lLtraClet'swho are kind and with tainted spores ti-om niycorudsCorrupted by friendly towardit. Theniyconid willalso help establisli Zuggtmoy. theDemonQueenofFungi.The initial COI'l"l|T|U|'1If£I!lt)l1with Underdarkdenizenswith wlinni infestationofthespores caused S:trith'sbout of thetzharattters dnri't share alanguage.Onceit l)Ct'.0llleS madne .andhis health andsanityContinue to attached to one ortiioreoi‘the adicntur~rs. Stool deteriorate asthe spores grow withinhis brain. hchat. . otnewhatlike an €I‘lKhuSI<’18itl(’.'~llIIJ curious youngersibling.stickingclosu tothe t:lmrLtL‘tet’5 and askingall kindsofquestions. imii ll’.l.\vl\lll*l7l l ti lllla-Vt 5v4uuS>4AR rue Aw/u<Ei~lEu TOPSYAND TURVY WHAT THE _P1;l_so_NERs KNOW Twin dccpgnomes.Topsy andherbrother Turvy Allowthe characters tofreely mingleandinteractwith are originallyrroni Blingdeustonein the Underdark. their lellow prisoners oreven thedrowguards, although Theywere apturedbythe drclwwhileoutgathering the guards rarelytalkto the"surfatterdwellerscum."or mushrooms in the tunnels neartheirhome.Like most all theprisoners, only Eldethandjlinjar speak fluent other svirlneblin,Topsy hasastringyrnop ofhairwhile Common.Theothers speak Undercommon(orat least Turvy only hasafewtuftsofhairatophisotherwise understand it). RentknowssomeCommon.while bald head.Topsy is byfarthe moresocialoithetwo. Derendilspeaks Elvish. Stool'srapport spores can Turvy constantlymumblesandmutters darkly, with establishtelepathiccorntnunicationtoalloweveryone Topsy repeating ortranslating whatherbrother says. tospeak freely. Theguards aren‘tobservant enough Topsy andTurvy hidethcfactthat theyarewererats. tnnotice. Infectedwiththe curse oflycanthropy,neitherdeep Youmightwishtoconsultthesocialinteractionrules gnomehas entirelyembracedityet, andtheystruggle in the DungeonMaster's Guide, inwhichcasethe other tocontroltheirwererat instincts andurges. Theyare prisoners areinitiallyindifferenttowardthe characters. fearfulofwhat potcntlalalliesmightdoiftheylearn Handletheinteractions usingroleplaylng,charisma thetruth, andare lookingout foreachotherandtheir checks,orabalance ofthe twoas bestsuitsyourgroup ownsurvival.Withtheirtransformations controlledby and the way theadventureunfolds. theunseen cycle nfthemoon. youcanusethetwins‘ Thecharacters canlearn the following things from impendingchangeas awild card in theadventure. talkingwiththeir fellowprisoners. someofwho have They'vebeen prisoners forless thana month,meaning beencaptivesofthe drowforatendayortwo: thefull moon is coming. There are nineteen drawatthe outpost,including A Monsy CREW Ilvara, shoor. andjorlnn, aswell asanother priestess namedAsha.Thereare alsoadozenquaggothsanda The otherprisonerswho managetoescapewith theplayer number orgiantspiders. charactersarelikelyto heroinetheircompanionstora substantialpartottheadventure,soitis goodtolaythe Three drowguards watchtheslavepenfromthe 4groundworkiorthosarelationshipsearlyon. Some of hangingguardtoweracross the ropebridge,visible the NPCS might notsurvive theinitialescapeattempt. throughthelockedgate. othersmight be losttothedangersoftlie Uriderd2rkAor Thecellhassomesort ofantimagiceffect onit(see might reveal theirtruecolors andbetray theparty,Afew area 11 fordetails). could becometruecompanions.Keepin mind theother jorlanthe drowwarrior suffereddisfiguringinjuries prisonershavetheirown personalitiesand goals, butare recently.Beforethen,heseemed morein llvara's generally willingtocooperatefnrtheir own benefit. Their favor. Now Shoorseems to have displaced him. knowledge ofthe Underdzrkshouldencouragetheplayer jorlan used tohaveawandthat shotglobsofsticky charactersto keepthem aroundatleastinitially. Sincemanagingsuch alargeeastofNPcscan bequite material abletotrap targets. Now Shoot carries it, as involved,crilisttheaid ofthe playersiryouwish, haying another signoftheirchange in status. each oltherritakeontheroleofmanagingoneormore of It mightbe amatter ofdaysortentlaysbefore2contin- the party‘:companions.Theplayergenerallydecides what gentfrom lVlCl'lZ()l.)N‘l‘anZt'-In arrives totake prisoners thatNPCis doing,withtheknowledgethatyou,asDungeon backtothe drawcity. Master,canoverrulethemasneeded bythestory.Notonly Additionally, thetlrowSaritliKzekaritknows doesthismakethesecondary characterseasiertomanage, thefollowing: ithelpstheplayersgettoknowthemand strengthensthe bondsbetween theNPCsandtheadventurers. . Agray oozelives in thepool. itsharmless, leadingoff wasteunless disturbed. . AsupplypatroliromMenznberranzan isalevydays overdue,whichisunusual. r l‘llAl>l‘LR l l PRISONLRSor ll-ll: 1ll(0‘r\i E£I’_1-A£9},_, from afight, threatening themwith hand rrosshows from outsidethe gate. ifnecessary. they shootprisoners Thedrowdivide theirprisoners intothree roughly with poisonedcrossbowboltsto lnrapa tatethem. equalsizedgroupsandputthemto workforathird (seechapter8oitheDungeonMaster's Guide tor atthe day.supervised bythequaggoths.Thcirmenial informationondmw poison.) Theguards let any tasks includefillingandhaulingwatcrbarrels. operating fight play out fortheirown amusement aslong as the thelift,cleaninganyorall parts oftheoutpost(whether prisoners don'tseemlikely toactuallykill oneanother. they needitornot),emptyingchamber pots,food preparation andservice,washing dishe. anti latmrlry. E.EDII.~rG_T1ME Theprisoners are alsogiven cruelorpointl asks to occupy them,andforthedarkclves'amu. merit. Such Ifaprisoner becomestoo muchtrouble,orifthc drow laanbdoorsrginancliuzidnegmsouvpipnlgieos,rwstiatholtpirnigsornoerrs_.focrocielidngtororepdeos. ntheeeydmtoakmeeategoruutesaolmesesosnpeocntatchlceporficfeeeodfindgisaohineadlite-unncleiii workthat doesn't meet the rlrow's arbitrary staiirlartls. tothegiantspidersin thewebsbcncath V ynvelve. Chzir-actorsmight ormightnot worktogether, Drowguards orquaggothservants thmw the bound dcpending on how the (lmwsplit themup. Prisoners prisoner overtheedgeinttithewells wherethe spiders knownto be friendly toeachotherare usuallykept quickly convergetobite the victim, inyecting their ;1'h aapllaorwt.etalntdonwoomrkoarteathsianngltweotasokr tahtroenecper.isoners are vtheeniormm.eOalnuceptihnewveicbtbimingi.s paralyzed.thespiderswrap Thedraw andouaggothsare cruelandcapricious. Thiseventis aconvenientopportunitytoget ridofone butalsosomewhat lmred and lookingforamusement. ormoreoitheotherprisoners helnretheescape attempt Thequaggciths are poorconversationalists. hatefuland iiyoudon'twantthem around.Aswell,you candrive homethe uelty andthreat orthe drowbyeliminating mistrustlul towardthe prisoners. Thedrowaremore inttllnt-:tl to talk.ifonly to boastoftheirsuperiority. an NPCwith whomthecharacters have formedabond. Characters mighttrickthem into droppinguseful THE DROW bitsolinlormation. suchashowlong thejottrneyto Meiizoberranzan is expectedto take,orthatthe outpost Thegarrison atVtrlkynvelveconsists oltwelve di-ow, isrelativelycloseto the Darklake. fivedrawelitewarriors,ajunior dmw priestess named Asha(usetheprieststat block in the MonsterManual, BAD DREA S butadd the FeyAncestry,lnnato Spellrasting. and Thecharacters’ sleepin theslavepen trtiubled and SunlightSensitivityleatures ofthe drawstatblock). and iitlul. filled with strange tlroainsandtlisturliiiigimages. theoutpostsCommander.is seniordrawpriestessof Darkshzltlowsseem to move andreachouttowardthem Lolth named llvara.Thedrowhave theassistance ofa asthecharactt wander lostthroughendless mazesot packortwelve qtiaggoths andSIXtrained giantspiders. tunnels. Oilytentacles slidetobrush upagainst theln. whilea greatbuzzingandhowlingrises inthe distance. PROMINENT DROW Suppurating woundsliurstopenin cloudsofspores OI‘ IllnraMizzvym otow priestess andcommander crawlingmasses ofmaggotsorinsects.Atleastoneor oftlie outpost moreofthe aracters shouldwakein acold sweatfrom AsliaVarldvee luntot priestess these nightmares afterevery rest. feelingasthough shootvandtae Draw elite warrior. llvai.-rslieutenant something isout there in the darkl:lepths—somcthing andlover,andAsha’s distantcousin farworse, thanthetlrow. lnrlanDusltryvl Malmed drow elite warrior llvara's You neednotexplainthe causeofthese dreams and Former lieutenantandlover imagesat this time. Characters canchalkthemupto the conditionsin theslave pen. orto tho aftcreffectsof ILVARAMIZZRYM drowpoison,but they are omensofwhatis happening inthe Underdark.Spellcastcrs. particularlyrlt-,r sand Thecommander ofVclkynvcltcisanambitiousdrow warlocks,mightbe mostpronetothose dreams. but priestess lookingto rise in the esteem ofLollli andher they canvisit anyor all ofthecharacters. house.She considers command ofarnerr‘.outposta steppingstoneinher ascension.Theposting isheiieatli FIGHT‘ her, andshetreats both itandherpr _ nets with contempt.But shealsoknowsthe iiostiiigis temporary, Most oftheotherprisoners arciitlookingfortrouble. andsheintendsto wringevery advantagefrom itin andeven killerssuchas Buppido are carelul to hide themeantimt‘, theirtime.Still,huthDerendiland Renthave quick A memberola drow house with along historyas tempers andSarith the drowis proneto boutsof slavers.Ilvarais acruelmistress who enjoys taunting violence asZuggtmoy'sspores takeover his mind.it's andtormentingenemies andunderlingsalike. In El possiblethe characters couldprovokea fight. Iftheydo. additiontoascourge.shewieldsatentaclerad. someoftheprisoners (includingthe deepgnomes)egg Althoughshehas takenShoorVandreeasher lovcrt on the lighterswhileothers keeptheirdistance or even llvaracares no moreabouthimthanshedid about trytobreak up the brawl. jorlan Duskryn,thelover shediscarded ditc tohis Anyviolentconflict draws theattentionofthe drtiw (‘rippling injuries. guards. who initiallyorderanyprisoners tostand down tH\\"TFRl PitiS0\[Ft>'or rllt DRUM