(D&D 5e) Out of the Abyss

256 Pages·2015·94.35 MB·English

by  Wizards RPG Team

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
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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
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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