2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD..................................................................3 L4: THE TWISTED CAVERNS.................................4 Areas of Note ..............................................................5 Epilogue ....................................................................11 L5: WYLLOWWOOD...............................................12 Areas of Note ............................................................15 Epilogue ................................................................... 23 L6: THE LOST LEVEL........................................... 24 Areas of Note ........................................................... 25 Epilogue ................................................................... 31 L7: MADDGOTH'S CASTLE ................................. 32 Areas of Note ........................................................... 35 Salvaged Spellbooks................................................ 39 Epilogue ................................................................... 44 L8: SLITHERSWAMP.............................................. 45 Areas of Note ........................................................... 50 Epilogue ................................................................... 56 APPENDIX A: MAGIC ITEMS .............................. 57 APPENDIX B: NPCS & MONSTERS ................. 60 ART CREDITS All hail our glorious artist: Cover: Stone Arch by Dean Spencer, hallowed be his name LEGAL STUFF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057- 0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
3 FOREWORD Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a tough nut to crack. Even after digesting its twenty-three chapters, you're left wanting, wondering. What, exactly, is this campaign's story? What aims are there beyond gold or glory or power—beyond just delving into the deeps? The Dungeon of the Mad Mage Companion is aimed at fleshing out what would be an otherwise skeletal module. Through narration blocks, variants, and actual narrative, the Companion should make running DotMM easier for you and more satisfying for your players. No adventure is perfect, but DotMM's lack of a narrative is glaring—hence the founding reason for the Companion. SHORTHAND With even just five chapters per document, this supplement is massive. The following shorthand must be implemented to reduce the strain on your printer or the scroll wheel of your poor, poor mouse: DoTMM refers to this module, Dungeon of the Mad Mage. LX refers to a level of Undermountain (e.g. "L1"). Appx refers to an Appendix, either of the of the Companion or Dungeon of the Mad Mage itself. Ch. refers to a chapter. Intuitive, right? HG refers to Halaster's Game, the overview chapter of the Companion & DotMM. STRUCTURE OF THE COMPANION Each chapter of the Companion follows this structure: PREAMBLE OR "RUNNING LEVEL X" The Companion opens with notes on how to best run that level of Undermountain. It always includes quick notes for the DM but might also break down the story of that level, outline its factions, detail additional loot you can add, or criticize how that chapter was written, providing you with alternative ideas to running it. Halaster's Game. The Companion depicts the Mad Mage as a deranged gameshow host whose program, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, is broadcasted across the multiverse. In specific chapters of the Companion, however, this also includes wide-reaching variants that you can utilize to flesh out or improve that level. AREAS OF NOTE The Companion fleshes out areas of a particular level that need it. Sometimes this is simply a narration block to read to your players. Sometimes it includes tactics used by NPCs there or additional loot. Often it includes tips to better run that area, even if it alters DotMM. Special Events. Many levels have special events written that can occur in a multitude of areas. These serve as narrative devices to shake things up. Use them at your own discretion. EPILOGUE The epilogue details any possible paths that might occur after finishing a level, as well as reminding you of what level the party should reach. Send-Offs. Each chapter of the Companion is written with a narration you can use to cap-off your session. Every send-off includes one in which the Mad Mage telepathically speaks to the adventurers and the audience. These messages may include quips, a moral to the story, warnings, jests, foreshadowing, or even an announcement of the next dungeon level. APPENDIX A: MAGIC ITEMS Magic items—and sometimes mundane items—are detailed in Appendix A. The location thereof is also included. Some chapters of the Companion add additional loot to the mix since Undermountain often seems deprived of any useful items. Spell scrolls, however, aren't ever described in Appendix A. APPENDIX B: NPCS & MONSTERS The statistics of the NPCs and monsters that inhabit a level are provided for you in Appendix B. Additionally, some chapters of the Companion include new or different monsters you can add to the level; these statistics are also provided for you. Exceptions. Over 230 unique creatures are in Dungeon of the Mad Mage. To avoid bloating these supplements, CR 0 creatures such as cats aren't included. So too are spellcasters with different spells prepared than their original statblock, as well as creatures whose variants are just too trivial to detail—such as a wood elf bandit who merely gains an additional 5 feet of movement or the additional hit points an enlarged mimic might have. Additionally, the many petrified creatures of Level 2, Area 26 are not included. ROLEPLAYING THE MAD MAGE As always, the Halaster Blackcloak has been rewritten as a deranged gameshow host whose program, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, is broadcasted across the multiverse. Countless souls watch—apparently—as Halaster hurls challenge after challenge at an adventuring party in Undermountain, filming their every struggle and victory. It's this insidious game that the player characters have found themselves trapped in. See Halaster's Game of the Companion for more details on roleplaying the Mad Mage in this manner.
4 LEVEL IV: THE TWISTED CAVERNS "See, this is the part of the story where I experimented with religion. Namely, creating one. Alas, somewhere between worship and ritual sacrifice, my disciples got it wrong. I said, 'love thy labors,' not 'thy neighbor.' And they welcomed that new neighbor with open arms—right up until it shattered their minds and made them slaves." – the Mad Mage on being a god QUICK NOTES • The atmosphere you're looking to cultivate for the Twisted Caverns is one of madness, desperation, and hopelessness, using the themes of horror to hone this level into a demented arcane in which foul things lurk below the water and sweet nothings are whispered into the characters' minds. • Per the rules of horror, the aboleth should be heard, not seen, for as long as possible. Explaining it too early destroys the suspense; it tears apart that cloud of the unknown—and the unknown is what terrifies men. None of the drow or kuo-toa know for certain what Illuun is, for those that have actually seen it are now slaves to its will. • Aboleths glean a creature's greatest desire when they use their Probing Telepathy feature. Make sure to find out well before running this chapter what those are for the adventurers so Illuun can promise it to them. • Your players decide their path, but the optimal order for the narrative is to steer them towards the drow first in Area 12 who, in exchange for their lives, lead them to Area 11 to parley with Melith Auvryndar. Afterwards, the party ought to visit the kuo-toa (Areas 20 & 21), and finally the Grotto of Madness (A16) by means of A17. • Rafts are found in A14; the party can use them to skip this level for the next by sailing down the river. The aboleth sends its forces to ambush the party. See Special Events for more information. • Your adventurers will encounter their first navigable Gate, which they can take to Level 2, Area 5. It’s found at the Drow Outpost, Area 11. However, at your discretion, the Mad Mage has shut it down so as to strand the drow (see Halaster's Game below). PREVIOUSLY ON DUNGEON OF THE MAD MAGE In Chapter 3 of the DotMM Companion, a quaal's feather token (swan) was handed out on the Sargauth Level, allowing the adventurers to ply the river. Thwart it on this level with the "Ambushed!" Special Event. ILLUUN: THE LOVER IN THE DARK So seldom do we get to play with aboleths that you need to make the most of Illuun. Use it to its full potential. Make this place hell. Make it a den of madness from which the adventurers may never escape. Variant. Illuun, as written in DotMM has a healthy fear of adventurers and is fine with the adventurers passing straight to Wyllowwood (Level 5) so long as they don't cause any trouble to its plans. Yawn. Given the roleplaying suggestion below, consider forcing the adventurers into a conflict with the aboleth as it covets them as trophies and disciples. If the adventurers try to sail on by, it sends its slaves to apprehend the adventurers (see Special Events in Areas of Note below). This supplement is written with this new personality in mind. Roleplaying Illuun. Illuun has been thwarted countless times by mortals over the eons and has grown obsessed with its own flawed concept of love. It's deluded itself into equating tyranny to love; obedience to love; and worship to love. It seeks to unite all creatures under its command ("love") and, armed with that power, overthrow the gods themselves one day. Illuun has the following traits: Ideal. "All will know my love. All will love me." Bond. "Together we will be invincible." Flaw. "No god may rival me." WHISPERS FROM THE DARK Illuun can whisper into the mind of any sentient creature in the Twisted Caverns. Deliver these messages secretly to your players, either through index cards or instant messaging. A few examples are provided below. Most whispers are heard while near the River of the Depths. • "You… will be… mine." • "Together… we will be invincible." • "They'll all betray you in the end. But not I… Never, I." • "I will be your sun, your stars. I will be your everything." • "All will love me. One day. One day soon." • "My love will wash over you, body and soul." • "This place is His prison. I will free him. I will make it mine. All will be mine." (Illuun is referring to Halaster Blackcloak.) • "I was old when the gods were young." • "The end… is cold. Yours will be warm with love. My love." HALASTER'S GAME Halaster takes a backseat on this level, for it's not the adventurers playing his game for once, but the kuo-toa and drow. The former have been rewritten as worshippers of the Mad Mage; the latter are trapped in the Twisted Caverns, for Halaster has shut off the arcane gate (see A11) that the drow rely on to leave this wretched place.
5 THE KUO-TOA: SERVANTS OF HALNGALOON The kuo-toa instead worship the Mad Mage, not a mere petrified otyugh. However, they don't know his identity as anything but "Halngaloon the Mad God." The tribe's collective worship empowers Halaster, but the aboleth's conquest has dealt quite a blow to both the kuo-toa's faith and morale. The Mad Mage doesn't need nor care for the extra power afforded by the tribe, but their worship amuses him nonetheless. Creation Myth. If asked of their god, the kuo-toa can describe "the Ascension." Once but mundane fish "Halngaloon" tore them from the River of the Depths and imbued them with power, giving them the power to speak and walk. Yes, that's right. During one particularly boring period of his near-immortality, Halaster created this tribe by reshaping them through wish spells. Promised Salvation. The Mad Mage yet whispers to Noogaloop, his most devoted disciple, promising the kuotoa archpriest salvation for his people if they can complete but one task: bring an effigy of the Mad God to the Grotto of Madness and perform a ritual therein. The ritual actually has no magic to it whatsoever; it's a hilarious mundane dance that amuses Halaster and involves the kuo-toa unknowingly debasing themselves before a statue. Changes to DotMM. Halaster's Game changes the following details regarding the kuo-toa of this level: • The petrified otyugh statue of A16 is instead a perfect statue of Halaster, albeit with some strange deformities that better represent Halngaloon, the Mad God. • Noogaloop is instead creating an effigy of Halaster in Area 21. The kuo-toa does not decide on a whim that an adventurer's head must adorn the effigy. Instead, it expects the adventurers to escort him and his warriors to the Grotto of Madness. HOUSE AUVRYNDAR: SICK, STRANDED, MAD Our familiar heels have come 'round again: the drow of House Auvryndar. They occupy an outpost, watching the conflict between the kuo-toa and aboleth. Vlonwelv, the matriarch of House Auvryndar, has sent a force to occupy the upper reaches of Undermountain. Melith, daughter of Vlonwelv, commands the drow on this level. Sick. The drow could never have foreseen the aboleth's arrival and far too many drank from the poisoned River of the Depths. Countless elves have languished in their newfound sickness; even more died to it. Stranded. The drow had, at first, encountered few losses and planned to attack the victor of the kuo-toa's desperate war. Now, however, they find themselves stranded while Illuun whispers from the dark. These caverns have since become the drow's personal hell. Halaster deactivated the arcane gate that brought the drow here in the first place. Mad. Without reinforcements, without a means of escape, the drow have had no choice but to hunker down and wait for salvation—all while supplies dwindle and the aboleth whispers from the dark. In short, the elves are going mad. They're desperate for anything or anyone that can deliver them from this hell. Changes to DotMM. Halaster's Game changes the following details regarding the drow of this level: • The arcane gate of A11 has been shut off by the Mad Mage so as to strand the drow here. • Magical communication fails to leave the Twisted Caverns. Spells of sending and the like can only be transmitted to creatures within Level 4. • An exodus occurred, but ended in ruin. Dozens of drow deserted the Auvryndar outpost but only made it to Area 1, the Fungus Forest, before succumbing to the poisoned water or the aboleth's foul disease. Those that survived have already fled to the Sargauth Level above and were cut down by the hobgoblins. AREAS OF NOTE The following areas are of note: THE RIVER OF THE DEPTHS The river—the mythic River of the Depths—sings in the darkness, sparsely lit by iridescent fungi. In the eerie pallor you can make out dead fish that cloud the river and a thin sheen of slime that coats every inch and stone of this place. The current is too slow to pose a threat—and yet some distant part of your mind shudders at the sight of the water. To get through this wretched place, all the adventurers must do is follow the River of the Depths' current. It will spirit them away to Level 5, Wyllowwood. While the chapter assumes that the adventurers have no means of rafting (and they can secure it by aiding the drow), your players may already have something of the sort, say a magical item like a quaal’s swan feather token, that allows them to navigate the river. Depth. Assume that a portion of the river is as deep as it is wide. Areas adjacent to the river may be at water level or tower above as ledges a few feet up. Special Event. The aboleth's forces slither beneath the waters and can ambush creatures plying the river. See Ambushed! in Special Events below. 1. FUNGUS FOREST There’s but one way to go and its forward. The passage spirals down into the bowels of the earth, terminating at a forest of fungi. Zurkhwood mushrooms tower over mossy paths that meander through patches of trillimac fungi. A river’s song roars in the distance, echoing throughout the caverns.
6 HALASTER'S GAME The first area of the Twisted Caverns must be wholly committed to suspense. Thus, add the following: Drow Corpses. Dead elves litter the forest, most clutching at their bellies or drowned in both bile and blood. A foul stench clings to their corpses. No wounds can be found. Before the elves knew of the aboleth, many drank from the River of the Depths and were poisoned by its influence. Others succumbed to the aboleth’s foul touch: their skin is translucent and slimy and corroded. These elves literally dried to death, for without moisture their skin could only burn. See the “Tentacle” action in the aboleth statblock for details on this foul disease. Read the following as the adventurers explore more of the Fungus Forest: The forest is littered with dead elves, all drow, all clutching at their bellies or drowned in a soup of bile and blood. Those that did not succumb to this… this sickness instead fell to something far worse. Their flesh, you see, is translucent, slick with slime, and mottled with burn marks. What a helluvah way to die. Lone Survivor. One drow yet lives, but she's doomed to succumb to the aboleth’s drying disease. Sarka's her name and she sputters out, “It listens from the tide,” before fatally convulsing. Only a heal spell or the like of 6thlevel or higher can save the elf—and while she’ll show her gratitude, once returned to her brethren in Area 11, any loyalty she has to these outsiders dissolves. 2. JIBBER-JABBER Sometimes true beauty is found only within. JibberJabber is proof of that. While most ettins are foulmannered, murderous giants, this one is what few folk ever are: content. That being said, Jibber-Jabber has but one desire and it's treasure to ogle. The ettin is friendly and curious, as it rarely gets visitors. Roleplaying the Ettin. Each of an ettin’s two heads has its own personality and mind, so utilize that for JibberJabber. Jibber is quiet and clever (for an ettin) and Jabber is loud and gregarious. If you’re capable of accents or voices, assign one to each head. Special Event. Jibber-Jabber doesn't know what danger lurks below the tide. After the adventurers leave, the ettin approaches the river one too many times and Illuun enslaves Jibber-Jabber. See the Special Event "Jabbering Madness" below for more information. HALASTER'S GAME Dead drow are found here as well. Jibber-Jabber, ever sympathetic, did his best to save the elves but was powerless. Their deaths have reduced the giant into a blubbering mess and, when the party arrives, he demands their help, even though it’s too late to save the two survivors who are in the grips of a fatal seizure. Jibber-Jabber does not understand how or why they’re dying but mentions the “many little people from the river.” He suggests they speak to the Alchemist in Area 4. 3. DEATH FROM ABOVE The passage is fanged with stalactites. As you crane your neck to view them, a bit of water drips from above, landing on your face. It's thick and cloudy and reeks like a barracks—spittle. Not water, but spittle. The stones rattle above as something squirms—a stalactite comes crashing down and a single eye opens up on its side! C'mon, you're gonna let only one piercer drop? You want an action montage of the party rushing through a passage that's crashing down upon them. Roll initiative for two groups of piercers, four apiece so that one bad initiative roll doesn't render all the piercers impotent. Tactics. The piercers have already taken the Ready action, preparing to use their Drop attack and continue do so until a creature passes underneath. 4. THE ALCHEMIST A stone block sits at the center of the cavern, stocked with vials, bottles, alembics, distillers, and other alchemical equipment. Out from a small, makeshift hut comes a robed young man cradling wooden gourds that rattle against his breast. His surprise breaks into a warm smile. "Well, hello there!" Players are quick to distrust those they meet, and nothing is more suspicious than a friendly young man living peacefully in Undermountain. Fortunately, these aren't the first adventurers to happen across the Alchemist, and it's more than equipped to quash their suspicions. Hut. Halaster was kind enough to give the Slaad a hut to reinforce the Alchemist's disguise. A detect magic spell reveals that the entire hut reeks of conjuration magic, since Halaster snatched the entire thing from a halfling village a week's ride from Waterdeep. The hut is likewise decorated in typical strongheart halfling taste; a halfling character can identify it as such. The hut contains a bedroll, a small stove, and cabinets stocked with untouched rations. Mottled drapes cover the windows— and a smart character might wonder what use those are in a subterranean cavern. Lost in Translation. Slaad, only speak Slaad. To communicate with other creatures, they rely on telepathy. Alas, the Alchemist can't resort to that, lest its true nature be known. Why else would it brew potions of comprehension? It's heavily implied that not only is it under the effects of one when visitors arrive, but it also relies wholly on them to communicate with humanoids.
7 Thus, whenever the adventurers use slang or colloquialisms, the Alchemist expresses confusion as comprehend languages only allows it to understand the literal meanings of words it hears. If the party ever returns unannounced to Area 4, it's possible the Slaad has not drank one of these potions, trapping him in a precarious situation. 11. DROW OUTPOST The drow that inhabit this outpost had no idea what they'd sign themselves up for. None, not even Melith or Thirza know for certain what lurks beneath the water, but they "hope like hell it isn't an aboleth." Sick Drow. You can keep the number of forces described in DotMM and add dozens of other drow, all too sick to fight. Poisoned by the river or afflicted by Illuun's touch, they rant and rave as death approaches. The drow have some supplies to treat their sick, but Melith has already written these soldiers off. On sweat-drenched bedrolls the elves lie while the survivors watch with grim resignation. Halaster's Game. The Mad Mage has trapped the drow here by shutting off the gate to Level 2. The surviving drow are desperate to escape but are held in check by Melith, who suspects "the Lover in the Dark" is waiting for them to take to the water. MELITH AUVRYNDAR Melith commands an air of confidence and strides out to meet the adventurers at the gate. Thirza is at her side, clinging close enough to suggest the two's intimacy. The other drow look to these two with a tangle of hope and resentment. Melith can mention any of the following: • "Something lurks out there. Something that hungers not for flesh but… obedience. Those of mine that have already succumbed to its tyranny call it 'Illuun.' Even more called it, 'the Lover in the Dark.' • "Listen to me, and listen to me well, adventurers: we're both trapped here. You're a fool if you don't think that thing is waiting out there for us, even now. Once you see its jaws or feel its touch, that's it. You won't be dead, but you will be done. So, if you want to escape this wretched place, we're your only hope." • "I've turned to Lolth, but my goddess demands independence. That I prove myself worthy of her love. My sorceress here has turned to our brethren, but the Mad Mage has silenced all magical communication. I've turned to lore and found only the barest hints on what this 'Lover' might be, and I hope like hell it isn't an aboleth." THIRZA: LOVER AND BETRAYER Thirza is feared by all. She alone can whisper into Melith's ear, thwarting those that would oppose her and crushing those that try to usurp or surpass her. Though she loves Melith, there's a darkness in the mage's heart, one that her lover would never suspect. Halaster's Game. Using this variant, Thirza is unable to cast spells of sending. Thus, she cannot inform House Auvryndar's matriarch, Vlonwelv, of the adventurers until after the aboleth is defeated, after which the Mad Mage grows bored and lifts the ban on the spell. Ancient Lore. Thirza has spent more of her life studying lore than deploying magic on a battlefield, but even she cannot be certain what Illuun is. All signs point toward an aboleth, but gods know that there are other horrors from the depths, many unknown to both drow or man. She can describe the aboleth in the following ways, provided Melith orders her to. • Aboleths are tentacled horrors of the depths that predate even the gods arrival to this earth. They enslave other creatures' minds with just a glance. • The presence of an aboleth poisons natural bodies of water, killing off fish and sickening those that drink from the tainted sources. • An aboleth's touch begets a foul disease that proves fatal if the individual doesn't remain submerged in water. 11C. ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 2 The gate here leads back to Level 2, Area 5—just outside the Goblin Bazaar. You'll need to refresh yourself on the actions your players took while there and consider the aftermath of the level. Consider the following: • The Rustbone goblins are (or were) led by Yek, who was transformed into a human by a magic circlet. Other goblins may have asked the party to steal the circlet so their beloved brother would return to his true form. • Two Xanathar Guild outposts pock the Arcane Chambers. If the Guild was crippled or eradicated, the goblins have claimed the territory for their own. As their territory expands, the goblins might lose sight of their mercantilist focus and return to their warlike roots. Or, a golden age has begun—your choice. • A wererat gang is led by a drow agent of House Auvryndar and Zhentarim named Rizzeryl. If the Xanathar Guild was defeated, he may have seized control of the Rustbone tribe. If the Guild was defeated in Skullport, he plans to expand the Zhentarim's influence therein. Halaster's Game. The Mad Mage has no love for the drow and has stranded them in this weeping hell by shutting down the gate. Every time a character feeds a gold coin into the keystone’s slot, the gate shudders and produces Halaster’s voice. It says, “Undermountain belongs to but one master. Pride goeth before the fall, elf. And you’ve got a helluvah fall left to go.” Once Illuun has been defeated, Halaster reactivates the gate. There’s little point left to his game with it dead.
8 12. BAT CAVE The two drow elite warriors stationed here apparently welcome the opportunity to practice melee combat—why, though, would they give up their advantage, especially when outnumbered? Your goal in this area is to provide a challenging environment for combat: the bridge, the ledges, the crevasse all blended together. Make it cinematic. Drow Tactics. The drow wait for the adventurers to be split across the zurkhwood bridge. Ryld is on a ledge 10 feet from the cavern floor; Llauzdrar is on one 30 feet up. Once some adventurers start across the bridge, they fire. Quaggoth Tactics. The noise is enough to draw the attention of the eight quaggoths lurking below in the crevasse who cling to the underbelly of the bridge and the chasm's walls. They nimbly throw themselves across gaps and through the air, strafing the adventurers (and providing opportunity attacks against them). Rule of Cool is prevalent here, as the quaggoths need no ability checks to leap and hurl themselves—consider even bumping up their jump distance to achieve this. Falling. If a creature falls into the crevasse, they take 4d6 bludgeoning damage. Any remaining quaggoths might leap down from above to maul that hapless hero. 13. ZURKWHOOD GROVE What’s the point of throwing in awakened trees if they can’t speak? At your discretion, allow them to speak Gnomish. Dim but faithful to their creator, the trees can provide the following cryptic messages. Perhaps, however, they only treat with druids, rangers, and other characters with a magical or exceptional bond to nature itself—up to you. • "The water has been fouled and the fish suffer under a dirge. Our father has fled, his work unfinished. The End Times have certainly come." • "The gray dwarf came armed for murder, and so we gave it to him." (This refers to the duergar lumberman that the awakened trees murdered). • "The Maiden calls us to Wyllowwood. Alas, we cannot reach it… and she yet beckons." (The tree is referring to Wyllow, the primary antagonist of Level 5). • "A tyrant slithers below the surface, in the blackest depths of the river. In its grotto it lies, coveting all." 15. SLIPPERY SLOPE Illuun is aware of the adventurers and projects an image of itself in an effort to intimidate them. However, keeping with the "hear, don't see" rule of horror, it's suggested that Illuun merely whisper to the adventurers rather than project itself. Ultimately, there are three options at your disposal, described below. These descriptions are written to be in line with Illuun's "loving tyrant" personality. Seen. The projection crawls out from the water and confronts them. Read: Water crashes upon the shore and out from the brine crawls a three-eyed horror with flesh as pale as moonlight. Its fanged maw seems to smile as a voice blooms in your skulls: "Our love will be a beacon that rivals even the brightest stars. Come. The grotto awaits. I await." Glimpsed. The projection plays out so that the adventurers only catch a glimpse of a tail as the aboleth dives below the waves. Read: Wet flesh slithers against stone—and as you cast your eyes down the flooded tunnel to the west, you glimpse a finned tail that dips below the waterline. Heard. Illuun projects itself close enough so as to telepathically whisper to the adventurers, gleaning their greatest desires. It keeps the projection below the water, hidden below the surface. Read: The waters lap gently against the shore of a tunnel to the west… and out from it drifts a whisper so sweet it makes you shudder with a tangle of fear and need: "Embrace me and live forever." 16. GROTTO OF MADNESS The waters lap gently against some far-off shore at the heart of this lightless grotto. All's quiet. All's still. Dread chokes your heart while your mind shudders beneath some looming shadow—a psychic presence you can't shake, a gaze you can't escape. That velvet voice slithers through your eyes to deep into your skull once again: "We will be one." The adventurers have come to Illuun's waiting arms at long last, and together, with the aboleth's three chuuls, Illuun shall usher in a new age, a golden age. Halaster's Game. The otyugh statue on the island instead depicts the Mad Mage perfectly. TACTICS You owe it to yourself and your players to make this fight as vicious as possible. Hold nothing back. Illuun's Tactics. A legendary creature, keep in mind the following for the aboleth's tactics: • Don't forget legendary and lair actions! • Illuun and its minions prefer to fight in the water. • Despite coveting the adventurers as its newest disciples, Illuun is ready to kill those necessary and enslave any survivors once they're weakened. • Illuun attacks well before the adventurers reach the island, knowing that once they're on land, it will be disadvantaged. • Illuun thwarts characters on land by using a lair action to cause the tide to pull them into the lake. • All the aboleth's attacks have a reach of 10 ft., forcing it to come close to the water's surface and to beach itself if the adventurers are on the heart of the island. Thus, it's imperative that Illuun uses his Enslave ability early to split the adventurers.
9 • If it seems that an enslaved creature is about to be freed or killed, Illuun targets it with Psychic Drain legendary action so as to regain hit points. • With a +5 to Strength (Athletics), a reach of 10 ft., and three Tentacle attacks, Illuun makes amble use of grappling weak creatures and pulling them into the water if its chuuls haven't already. • Illuun wants a character to touch or attack it while in melee range underwater, so as to infect them with its Mucous Cloud feature. If infected, that character can only breathe underwater—thus limiting them to Illuun's home turf. • Using a lair action, Illuun creates illusory boats or islands that the adventurers might make for, only to find out the hard way how wrong they were. Alas, those that fall prey to phantasmal force always rationalize why things didn't pan out… Chuuls' Tactics. The chuuls are completely in sync with their master's stratagem. Keep these in mind: • The chuuls attack the weakest targets (already determined by Illuun), hauling grappled characters into the water and paralyzing them with a Tentacles attack. • Invisible or hidden (if it has a magic item) characters can't hide from a chuul, per its Sense Magic feature. • The two chuuls from Area 17, if alive, reach the Grotto of Madness on the third round of combat. Additional Forces. If you find that your adventurers are wiping the floor with Illuun and its chuuls, add 1d4 creatures randomly composed of drow, kuo-toa, or trologdytes (all enslaved with a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw on taking damage to break free). HALASTER'S GAME If you use the variant described in this supplement, Noogaloop, the kuo-toa archpriest, a kuo-toa whip, and three kuo-toa tag along with the adventurers as they invade the Grotto of Madness. They're effectively noncombatants, for their entire turns are consumed by performing a ritual to regain their god's favor. Noogaloop leads the three kuo-toa in the ritual while the whip stands guard. Noogaloop must perform the ritual for three consecutive rounds; if he becomes incapacitated, the ritual is interrupted and must be started anew. The Ritual. The ritual is completely mundane and requires no magic at all, but Noogaloop adds his own flair anyway. A character that observes the kuo-toa realize that this dance is just an abasem*nt: the fishfolk debase themselves before their god with gestures that would otherwise be mistaken as a jest. Salvation. If Noogaloop successfully performs his ritual, the Mad Mage's theme song plays: the kuo-toa has "won" Halaster's Game. Read the following: Music thunders throughout the cavern; Illuun's conscious, a constant presence you can sense like a looming shadow, shudders, dwindles. Halaster Blackcloak's voice booms: "Well done! Well done, Noogaloop! My man, my star! You've gone and won my game! Never shall your great people forget your name, for paradise is theirs at last! Your faith has been rewarded, your devotion rewarded, your foolishness—rewarded!" A wind ripples throughout the cavern, a violet tempest that encircles the kuo-toa, spiriting them into the air. With the crash of thunder, a rift materializes above: you catch sight of some angelic grotto lit by a swollen moon. That violet tempest hurls the kuo-toa through the rift and into that watery paradise yonder—and just as quickly as it came, the portal snaps shut and winks out of existence. The music comes to a shuddering halt and the Mad Mage's voice evaporates. Halaster teleports Noogaloop and any other kuo-toa out of the Grotto of Madness to a pocket dimension. If the adventurers return to Area 20, they find all the kuo-toa gone, also spirited away to that realm. 17. PICK AND CHUULS Assuming the adventurers approach this area by raft or boat and have a light source, read the following: A thin film of slime on the surface gleams in your lamplight as you make your way through the flooded passage. Stalagmites jut out like fangs and a rusty miner's pick lies buried in the wall, just above the water line. The two chuuls lurking here have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to remain undetected. When they attack, read the following: A whisper crawls up your spine and into your mind: "They love me. So shall you." The waters ripple, churn—and some foul crustacean bursts from the depths, its pincers reaching out for prey all while its tentacled maw clacks amusedly! ILLUUN'S PROJECTION Once the chuuls are slain, Illuun projects itself into the passage. However, unlike in DotMM, Illuun, as the archetypal loving tyrant, instead invites them further on into its lair. Read the following: Just as the last monster falls below the tide, the waters are consumed by a viscous ichor. An eye gleams just above the waterline, followed by two more as this thing rises above the surface. Rows of fangs line its gaping maw and its tentacles gently caress your vessel. Its voice blooms deep within your skulls, a velvet whisper timed perfectly with your heartbeat: "Come. Deeper on, I await. We'll be together at last— and never will we part."
10 Having seen the adventurers, the aboleth gleans their greatest desires and uses it to its advantage. This can take the form of additional dialogue, visions implanted in a character's mind, or a sudden urge or yearning that chips away at the heart. Go nuts. 20. KUO-TOA REFUGE The cavern reeks with sickness and shines with slime, that ubiquitous slime coating every surface. Caltrops made of sharpened bones litter the beachhead while the few kuotoa fighters left sway like drunkards after a hard night. There's a chorus here, a chuffing chorus. Fishfolk breathe in ragged breaths, their gills swollen and red, languishing on wooden pallets. You can inflate the number of kuo-toa here (from thirtytwo) to impress your players. Additional kuo-toa are too sick to fight and are effectively noncombatants. 21. ARCHPRIEST'S CHAMBERS Chanting echoes across the cave as a corpse-stench assails your senses. Rotting in piles are the mutilated remains of monsters: troglodytes, darkmantles, a bugbear, hook horrors, and carrion crawlers swarming with maggots. At the center of this morgue is a robed kuo-toa working on a macabre effigy made of corpses. Noogaloop, the kuo-toa archpriest, labors over his effigy. He can explain any of the following to the adventurers: • The "tyrant of the deeps" came from upstream a few weeks ago. It started out slow and cautious, only whispering to a few kuo-toa and picking off lone stragglers. Once these few were enslaved, it sent them to "proselytize [it's] heresy" to the tribe. • After its initial messengers were imprisoned or banished, the "tyrant" began to whisper directly to Noogaloop and other prominent members of the tribe, promising its "love." Some obliged. Some were kidnapped by its thralls and thrown into its arms. • The drow arrived three weeks ago. After an initial assault against the kuo-toa, the "tyrant" arrived, ushering in an unofficial armistice. • Noogaloop's dreams are haunted by the tyrant. It can be described as a three-eyed horror with moonlit flesh and poisonous tentacles. HALASTER'S GAME The kuo-toa instead worship Halaster Blackcloak himself. This "god" has told Noogaloop that, if an effigy of him is brought to the Grotto of Madness, and a ritual is performed, the Mad Mage will deliver the fishfolk from this hell. If you use this variant, the following changes have been made to this area: God Statue. The statue is made of zurkhwood planks glued to a bugbear's spine with the limbs of a troglodyte. A beard of moss hangs below the rusty lantern, in which the Slaad control gem rattles. Sacrifice. Unlike what's written in DotMM, the archpriest doesn't seek to decapitate one of the adventurers to replace the effigy's head. He instead fully expects the adventurers to escort him to the Grotto of Madness to perform the ritual. Once the adventurers see the makeshift effigy, or the archpriest explains the situation, the Mad Mage speaks telepathically to the adventurers. Read: That voice again. The voice of the Mad Mage, this time… with a hint of embarrassment: "See, this is the part of the story where I experimented with religion. Namely, creating one. Alas, somewhere between worship and ritual sacrifice, my disciples got it wrong. I said, 'love thy labors,' not 'thy neighbor.' And they welcomed that new neighbor with open arms—right up until it shattered their minds and made them slaves." 22. HOOK HORROR HOMESTEAD Claws scrape against stone and strange clicking noises echo off the cavern's walls, blending together into some eerie concert to which you're the only invitees. While the seven hook horrors know better than to attack large groups of individuals, if the party is wounded up the beasts might abandon caution. SPECIAL EVENTS You can run any of these events for Level 4: AMBUSHED! From nowhere but the depths of your mind comes a whisper: "You would leave me? You would forsake my love?" If your party prematurely attempts to leave—or whenever they’re on the water—you can ambush them, ensuring the destruction of their raft. While Illuun is written in DotMM to prefer the adventurers leaving its domain, that wouldn't be in line with the loving tyrant we've written it to be. First come the aboleth’s whispers then its forces. Inevitably a force of six enslaved kuo-toa, an enslaved kuo-toa whip, and a chuul ambush the adventurers. They make good use of their spears to punch through the vessel's hull and their nets to haul characters into the water. Every time an enslaved kuo-toa takes damage, it makes a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, breaking free from Illuun's control on a success. They swim towards Area 20. If their vessel is mundane, the creatures first breach the hull. If the vessel is magic, the chuul snatches at its keel with its pincer and smashes the vessel into a rock outcropping, arresting its movement. Creatures aboard must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw or fall into the water. Poisoned Waters. Characters that swallow the river water must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 10 minutes. This sudden illness is followed by vomiting after six minutes.
11 JABBERING MADNESS Jibber-Jabber roamed near the river one too many times and has now paid for that mistake with its will—but only Jabber's mind has been enslaved. Jibber, the timid head that always took a backseat in sharing the same body, now must witness Jabber's blooming madness. The ettin now rampages through the Twisted Caverns, smashing or capturing itinerant drow all while searching for the adventurers—whom Illuun wants brought to the Grotto of Madness. When. This event occurs at least eight hours after the adventurers first arrive to the Twisted Caverns. Should they leave and return, it becomes inevitable. Where. This event can occur in several areas. The most cinematic area is Area 12, the Bat Cave—Jibber-Jabber leaps across the crevasse and brings his morningstar down on the closest creature. Additional areas include his lair (A2); the Mad Wizard's Retreat (A7) wherein he attempts to capture Darribeth Meltimer the mage; and the Crossroads (A8). Freeing Jibber-Jabber. Every time the ettin takes damage, it can repeat a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw to shake off the aboleth's chains. Otherwise a spell that removes the charmed condition such as greater restoration also frees Jibber-Jabber. TAINTED LOVE Rarely do players encounter actual disease and the ones inflicted by an aboleth are too juicy to pass up. While the adventurers are near or on the River of the Depths, Illuun passes unseen in the dark waters below. It makes a few tentacle attacks from below the surface. It aims not to kill or maim, but only infect characters with its disease (see "Tentacle" attack in its statblock), so negate any bludgeoning damage on a hit. EPILOGUE Once the adventurers have cleared this level, they should progress halfway to 9th-level. Use the narration below to cap-off your final session in the Twisted Caverns, before the adventurers descend to Wyllowwood. Unlike in other "episodes" of Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Halaster has no send-off for the adventurers, for it was not them playing his game but the kuo-toa instead. THE STANDARD SEND-OFF This send-off assumes Halaster's Game was run. Despite all attempts to steel yourselves, the Mad Mage has once again crept up to your shoulder and surprised you with yet another twisted secret of his. To think those fools would worship him. To think that he would abandon them to such an insatiable tyrant. Did it amuse him? you wonder. Had to. Of course, it had to. All of Undermountain is a series of failed experiments made only to entertain the Mad Mage. You're just the latest one.
12 LEVEL V: WYLLOWWOOD "Walk lightly, my contestants—for Wyllowwood is not part of my game but hers," – the Mad Mage QUICK NOTES • This level is an exercise in restraint. The adventurers will find themselves facing a druidess whose power dwarfs theirs in a terrain that happily bends itself to her will. They must navigate this Woodland Queen's draconian laws or face her wrath. You as the DM want them embroiled in this conflict, as it offers a unique foe capable of unchecked guerrilla warfare, an antagonist deluded by her own sense of "justice." • Wyllowwood is a narrative chapter, not an exploratory or combat-oriented one. It's divided into several acts, described below. • It's autumn when the party arrives. Day is darkening into dusk and a full moon is due to rise. • Your adventurers are likely wounded from Level 4. You want to steer them towards taking a long rest once they reach Wyllowwood, but only after meeting Wyllow, as many of the Special Events written in this supplement should occur at night or while the adventurers are resting. Steer them into waiting until Act III: Omens by Second Light. • Tunnels on this level lead to Levels 6 & 7, and the adventurers are free to use them. If you don't want them skipping this level, force them to require Wyllow's permission to leave, lest they incur her wrath. See Act II under "A Web of Dread." Alternatively, cause rocks to fall, blocking the way. • Three of Halaster's gates are on this level: one to Level 2, one to Level 3, and one to Level 6. As for the latter, the party is too low level to open. • There are cloakers in Area 4. They can speak in both Deep Speech and Undercommon, so prepare some dialogue if the party can speak either those two languages or use what's provided in this supplement. HALASTER'S GAME As described in the previous edition of DotMM Companion, the Mad Mage has been written in the spirit of a deranged gameshow host. On this level of Undermountain, however, Halaster takes a backseat. At most, he appears only to share the backstory of Wyllow—preferably as the adventurers are resting at night. See Halaster's Visit in "Special Events" under Areas of Note for more details. WYLLOW: A HIDDEN EVIL Wyllow is a fantastic villain for but one reason: no one ever suspects druids being capable of evil. And make no mistake: that elf has great evil in her. Her alignment may officially be chaotic neutral, but hunting down adventurers, promising genocide, and eradicating a cult for the lowly mistake of hunting too many boars does not make for a good-hearted person. Alas, Wyllow believes herself to be just and right—and that's what makes her evil, what makes facing her so daunting. ROLEPLAYING WYLLOW Wyllow is a creature of unparalleled kindness—for wildlife. People, however, stoke the coals of her paranoia and remind her of all she's lost. She nurses two fears: growing attached to another person; and realizing that the awakened sycophants she's surrounded herself with aren't enough to satisfy. On the Dragon. The party might be shocked to learn that the druidess considers the dragon a valued member of the forest. Wyllow demands that visitors show "Tearulai" due respect and warns them from trying to steal its treasure. On the Werebats. Wyllow describes the werebat goblins as insatiable vermin. They have no "natural" place in her woods but were tolerated until recently. Gluttony will prove to be their undoing, and though they banished Vool, the most voracious of all werebats, Wyllow sees it as only a matter of time when the werebats overfeed again, especially when their young grow up. Wyllow now wants them gone. Permanently. On Her Crimes. That's the thing. Other than the death of her late husband, Yinark, Wyllow sees none of her deeds as wrong. Killing Crissann was a necessity, as his mind had been bent by Halaster. Slaughtering the Cult of Malar was justified, for they abused the forest's wildlife. And the adventurers? They all had it coming. Wyllow doesn't lie or cover up her deeds but instead owns them— with pride. On Druids & Rangers. Despite her vow—sworn after Crissann's death—to never let a mortal touch her heart again, Wyllow still yearns for companionship. The trouble, she rationalizes, was being with men of the blade or the Arcane. If any of the adventurers are druids, rangers, or even Nature clerics, she may seek them out as a consort, offering them a place in her sanctum.
13 A WEB OF DREAD Wyllow will not be met just once by the adventurers, nor should her evil be immediately known. So, how do we weave a web in which the party will find themselves trapped? First, we play upon the stereotype of a druid and the party's assumptions (druids are all peaceloving hippies, right?). Then we paint an innocent body as a foe: the werebats. The goal is to push the party into always siding with Wyllow, to never suspect her of evil, to accuse others of whatever heinous crimes they find evidence of. Consider the entirety of Wyllowwood and this level's story to be divided into the following acts: I. ARRIVAL TO WYLLOWWOOD The adventurers reach the splendor of Wyllowwood. The shock of its beauty will be thawed soon enough when they realize this isn't the idyllic wonderland it's painted as. They first find Wyllow's sign in Area 2, then the discarded objects in Area 5. This is necessary foreshadowing of Wyllow's evil—but to foil it, Tearulai, the young green dragon is seen soaring above the canopy to his platform (Area 9). II. AUDIENCE WITH THE WOODLAND QUEEN The adventurers find themselves face-to-face with Wyllow in any of the following ways: • The party sights the tower (Area 6) and may press on towards it. Or, a sparrow under the effect of an animal messenger spell invites them to visit. Sky's the limit, right? • While traveling along the river or through the woods, they find Wyllow bathing. Ever confident, she emerges from the water to greet the party, inviting them to her tower for a "more formal audience than this." She takes her leave by shapeshifting into a raven and making for Area 6. • The adventurers come across a glade in the woods. Napping at its center or in the boughs of a tree is Wyllow. If woken, she smiles and greets the adventurers, inviting them to her tower. She takes her leave by shapeshifting into a raven. Once the adventurers meet Wyllow at her tower, she introduces herself and explains just how a forest has thrived so deep underground. So long as the adventurers don't harm the forest or its wildlife, she guarantees them safe harbor. Leaving Wyllowwood. While all those that enter Wyllow's demesne can find peace and can peacefully leave, this supplement has twisted that. Entering Wyllowwood is easy; leaving requires the druidess's permission, which she only grants if the adventurers wipe out the werebat colony in Areas 12-16. Wyllow describes them as parasites that have fed too gluttonously and as "criminals" that disobey her laws. See Area 6A in Areas of Note for dialogue and details on this quest. All werebats, Wyllow insists must be put to the sword—and little do the adventurers know now that that includes the children too. If the adventurers refuse to cut down the babes and return to her, they incur Wyllow's wrath. See Wyllow's Hunt below. III. OMENS AT SECOND LIGHT After meeting with Wyllow and accepting her quest, the remaining omens must be broadcasted to the adventurers. They serve to sow doubt in the players' minds and to push them into questioning Wyllow's morality—or side with their preconceived notions on druids. See, every time they're confronted by the evidence of Wyllow's dark deeds, they should wonder: was it the druidess or the dragon or some other outside force? Surely sweet little Wyllow couldn't be capable of this. The following omens are left to be seen: Alcoves of the Dead. In Area 7 lie the skeletal remains of sixty humans. Alas, no burn or weapon marks mar the corpses, suggesting they died from something toxic. Didn't the party already catch sight of a green dragon nearby? Malar's Haven. The abandoned complex (Areas 18-20) once housed by the cult of Malar should force the characters to wonder what tragedy befell them. After all, all possessions lie untouched. It's as if the people never knew what hit them. Vool the Outcast. Having seen the visitors enter this domain, the werebat pariah seeks them out. The most optimal time is if the adventurers camp out for the night, but the werebat is desperate enough to enter during the daytime, shielding its sensitive eyes from the sunlight above. See A Desperate Vool in Special Events under Areas of Note below for details and dialogue on this occurrence. IV. VALDEMAR'S LAST-DITCH EFFORT Sensing visitors to this realm, Valdemar, the young green dragon, uses the last of its will to send secret messages to the adventurers by reshaping twigs and leaves or by leaving whispers on the wind. All say, "Free me. Please." Pepper them in as you see fit. Should they free Valdemar by pulling Tearulai from its skull, the dragon promises its wrath if the party confronts Wyllow. This is a lie—unless the battle overwhelmingly turns in the party's favor. With Wyllow dead, the dragon will rule this land. If Wyllow learns that the adventurers have freed Valdemar, she sets out to destroy them. V. WYLLOW'S WRATH At last, the climax of this level. The adventurers incur Wyllow's wrath—or confront her over her many crimes— and must face a guerrilla fighter armed with the entirety of the forest. See Wyllow's Hunt for the play-by-play of how this turns out.
14 WYLLOW'S HUNT When the adventurers incur Wyllow’s wrath, her “justice” is swift and brutal. A sad*st deluded by her own lies, this predator hunts down the party in a myriad of ways. Facing her is a lesson in guerrilla warfare, for this one-woman army is a nightmare to behold. Never will they face her in a stuffy room or enclosed environment and never will she offer them a fair fight. Wyllow stages a series of ambushes, mainly determined by location or your own whimsy. The adventurers will lack for an easy battle, for the druidess strikes surgically from afar, armed with potent magic, loyal servants, and a terrain she knows better than anyone. This confrontation is not so much a battle but a desperate escape from the druidess's wrath, punctuated by motes of fire and fanged beasts. Calendar Stone. When Wyllow begins her hunt, she visits her tower (Area 6) and sets the Calendar Stone to night (if any of the adventurers lack darkvision) and winter to sap their energy, turning all of Wyllowwood into an area of extreme cold. It will take a day or two for snow to fall, but she doesn't need it to. She herself is immune to the cold, anyway. Extreme Cold. Every hour a creature exposed to the cold must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates. Tactics. Wyllow is a seasoned veteran of a harsh world and has defeated countless foes in her time. She's no stranger to combat and abides by the tactics below. She also has shapeshifting (with up to CR 6 elementals and beasts) at her disposal and favors a few forms, the statblocks of which have been provided in Appendix B. • Before ever fighting, Wyllow casts foresight on herself and collects the crystal bulb from Area 6G that summons Halaster. If she has an hour to kill before attacking the party, she also attunes to the hide armor of lightning resistance in 6B. • If near death, Wyllow plants the bulb that summons Halaster Blackcloak, begging him to save her. • Wyllow never fights fairly. She utilizes her darkened demesne and sends her loyal beasts to fight in melee range for her. • Wyllow can cast spells while in her Wild Shape! • Druids are masters of guerrilla warfare. Wyllow hits and runs—constantly. If things turn south, she retreats, knowing she will outlast and outsmart her foes. • Armed with shapeshifting, Wyllow has three separate pools of hit points—more than any boss would have. • Wild Shape. In the form of an earth elemental, Wyllow ambushes prey with the Earth Glide feature. • Wild Shape. In the form of a giant eagle, Wyllow swoops down and scoops up weak prey, then flies up to 100 feet where she then drops it. • Wild Shape. In the form of a giant shark, Wyllow attacks prey that are on the water, aiming to at first destroy whatever vessel they have. • Wild Shape. Wyllow, in the form of a white panther (using the stats of an allosaurus), her displacer beast, and a pack of blink dogs ambush prey. • Wild Shape. If her prey flee or if she's cornered, Wyllow assumes the form of a white stag (using the stats of a triceratops but with a size of Large, not Huge). AMBUSHES Wyllow prefers to stage a series of ambushes against the party, rather than face them in a single titanic fight. Whenever an ambush turns south, Wyllow retreats only to attack a few minutes later. By Fire Be Purged! Wyllow entraps the adventurers with a wall of fire spell, cast from 120 feet away: 50 feet up in a tree, 100 feet away. Creatures that enter the ring take no fire damage, and so, Wyllow sends four awakened brown bears and an awakened elk through the wall to attack the adventurers. On her second turn, she unleashes a firestorm spell, choosing that local plant life is unaffected. Future turns are spent casting produce flame and maintaining concentration on wall of fire. Ride of the Valkyries. While in the form of a giant eagle, Wyllow is accompanied by eight giant bats. She swoops down and attempts to grapple the weakest character, then flies up to 100 feet up and drops her prey. Just for added flavor, Halaster chooses this moment to drown Wyllowwood under Ride of the Valkyries. Play the song at your tabletop during this encounter. She’s in the Trees! Using the tree stride spell, Wyllow rains hell on the adventurers from afar while a pack of five blink dogs strafe the party. Every round of combat, Wyllow teleports to a new tree, appearing 50 feet up amongst the boughs and branches and uses the produce flame cantrip (dealing 4d8 fire damage on a hit). The Trees Have Eyes—and Fists. The adventurers enter a grove secretly composed of eight awakened shrubs and three awakened trees which attack. Wyllow appears, using her actions on a sunbeam spell, aiming to capture as many of the adventurers as possible.
15 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Consider the following, as both phenomena can impact your campaign: WEREBAT LYCANTHROPY If they face the werebat colony, one or more of the adventurers may become cursed with lycanthropy. It is, however, your game—just because a werebat lands a bite doesn't mean a character has to or gets to roll to become cursed. If you do call for it, do so sparingly as nothing causes a game to jump the rails more than giving immunity to nonsilvered, nonmagical attacks to a player character. If, however, an adventurer is cursed, you can play with it in several ways: Wyllow's Wrath. Sour over their past behavior, Wyllow will not tolerate any more lycanthropes in her domain. She demands the cursed character submit to a cleansing ritual in her tower or be banished from her demesne. An Excuse for Bloodshed! Hey, if one character is virtually immune to most attacks, that just means you can amp up combat from here on out, right? Halaster telepathically tells them, "Now that you're cursed, I have no excuse to hold back. Enjoy!" You, as the DM, now have carte blanche to add all sorts of baddies to future encounters. Halaster's Prank. Halaster can cause a ray of sunlight to always shine above the lycanthrope, disadvantaging it per the Sunlight Sensitivity trait. TEARULAI: THE EMERALD BLADE Your campaign might be drastically altered if the adventurers take Tearulai, the sentient sword of sharpness lodged in the green dragon's skull (see A9). Not only is it an incredibly powerful weapon, it also has the will and drive to return to the place of its creation—with its wielder forced to come along for the ride. If the adventurers claim this sword, you must be prepared for the campaign to take a sudden detour as Tearulai attempts to return to Myth Drannor by means of its wielder—or just scrap that entirely. It would be far less disruptive to your game to give Tearulai patience, but then there's no danger or drawback to using the sword. Assuming you keep this danger in play, if its wielder's goals run counter to its own, Tearulai attempts to take control of its wielder (subjecting it to a DC 17 Charisma saving throw). On a failure, the wielder is charmed for 1d12 hours, during which Tearulai attempts to reach the surface, using transport via plants to Myth Drannor. Personality. Tearulai admires great beauty, music, fine art, and poetry. Vain, the weapon strives to improve its appearance. It craves gemstones and seeks out better ones with which to adorn itself. Most of all, it longs to return to the forests around Myth Drannor, where it was created. AREAS OF NOTE The following areas are of note: 1. THE RIVER OF THE DEPTHS The River of the Depths twists below the mountain, sometimes lit by iridescent fungi but more often cloaked in darkness. The farther on you go, the quicker it grows until the waters swell into rapids and its roar into thunder. SKILL CHALLENGE. If the party arrives to Wyllowwood by means of a boat, you can kick off this level with a skill challenge. The river hits nasty rough water before spilling out into this idyllic wonderland. The party must navigate the rapids. What's This Then? Skill challenges are a relic of 4th Edition that recently made an unofficial comeback in 5E. Rather than fight, players must navigate a danger through their skills (making ability checks) Many prominent figures in the D&D community, such as Matt Collville, have discussed implementing skill challenges in 5E. Check them out if you have further questions. Rules. The party must succeed on four ability checks before failing three. Once a character has used a specific skill, they personally cannot use it again for the remainder of the challenge. This is to spur creativity and not let the rogue repeatedly use his +9 Acrobatics skill. Players suggest skills to overcome obstacles, such as Perception to sight the stalactites ahead before hitting them. At your discretion, a player can only use a skill they're proficient with, so as to lend importance to it. Conducting the Challenge. The challenge is divided into obstacles, described below. Roll initiative simply to have an order for the players to go in. They don't need to adhere to the order, but it does help critical thinking. On their turn, each player suggests a skill or tool to overcome an obstacle. Not coming up with a solution carries no penalty, unless no one can, in which case the party accumulates one failure—the price of indecision. Failure. Failing an ability check merely means the vessel takes damage. On the third failure, the vessel is destroyed, and the characters are overcome by the rapids. Eventually, they spill out into Wyllowwood after suffering 4d8 bludgeoning damage. SUGGESTED OBSTACLES. The following obstacles have been written for you; replace them as you see fit. The DCs of all ability checks are left up to you, though they ought to be high considering the party is 8th level. 1. Rough Water. The party encounters rough waters that soon swell into rapids. Suggestions include vehicle (water) checks or Survival to navigate the channel without crashing into rocks.
16 2. Grimlocks! A band of grimlocks are spearing fish along the river. Suggestions include Stealth to remain undetected (as grimlocks are blind); Performance to sound like a predator; Perception to detect them long before they can; or Sleight of Hand to toss an object so as to distract them. On a failure, the grimlocks hurl four spears (+5 to hit, 1d6 + 3 piercing damage) at the characters or their boat. 3. Breached! The hull is breached by stones below the surface and water fills the vessel. With a successful Sleight of Hand check, one could be quick enough to bail water, while carpenter's tools could patch up the hole, provided there's adequate material. 4. Stalactites! Stalactites hang from the ceiling and are avoided—but where there are stalactites so too are there stalagmites, likely under the water's surface. Characters proficient in Nature or Survival are likely to know that, and you can call a check for it, rather than the players suggesting it. 5. Capsized! The river takes a sudden turn and the vessel crashes into rocks—not enough to arrest their movement but to overturn the boat. Suggestions include Athletics to overpower the momentum or snatch a falling comrade; or Insight to predict it. 6. Illusory Hydra. Halaster manifests an illusion of a hydra, whose many heads rise up from the waters. The beast opens its maws and acid boils up from its legion throats—but true hydras don't spit acid, and a discerning character can make an Arcana or Nature check to know that; or an Investigation check to see through the Illusion (DC 16). All these checks can be called for by you, rather than be suggested by the players. If characters bail from the boat or attack the hydra, they accumulate a failure— for it was all a ruse to distract them from a waterfall that Halaster has cloaked and silenced under an illusion. A waterfall that was otherwise easily navigable given time and effort. 2. FOREST The river spills out into a vast cavern—no, not a cavern but a valley green with life: trees dyed in the autumnal shades of yellow and orange, and brush as thick as a vagrant's hair. You hear birds singing on the wind—yes, that's right, actual wind. You cast your eyes skyward, and lo' and behold there shines the sun. The actual sun. A breeze kisses your clammy skin and promises well-needed respite. Can this be real? As if it to answer your question, there on the pebbled banks of the river stands a wooden sign upon which a warning has been written in three languages: BEHOLD WYLLOW'S WOOD. HARM NOT, LEST YE BE HARM'D. Once your players express their skepticism about this place, on whether it's real, add this in for atmosphere: Your surprise is immutable, the splendor of this place titanic. Your very heart shudders. Is this paradise? A pocket of paradise shelved between the oppressive shadows of Undermountain? Surely it must be a trick. Surely. And yet it still draws a tear to your eye to see even a shadow of the world above you left behind. 2A. RIVERSIDE FOREST The pebbled beaches rise from the River of the Depths to towering pines and great oaks whose tangled canopies block out the sun. Down the river, bears fish in the shallows while the birds above sing together. Green Dragon. While the adventurers are here, they glimpse the dragon flying out from the west, until finally settling on the platform of Area 9 to the south. 2B. ETTERCAP FOREST Deeper through the woods you delve until all around you are webs. Webs as thick as a mother's love. Webs festooned with desiccated beasts cocooned in silk. Fighting the giant spiders is a Catch-22, for Wyllow "considers these creatures to be part of Wyllowwood's natural ecosystem," as written in DotMM. It can be assumed that that means killing even one provokes Wyllow's wrath. It's up to you to enforce that, however. 2C. MOANING FOREST Wind ripples through these woods, and on it rides an odd sound. A moan. An incessant and eerie moan that drifts far from the northwest. Curious and cautious, you continue through the brush. There it is again … But as you scan the woods, your eyes fall west where a stone tower stands before the setting sun. Stony boughs made to resemble branches protrude from its walls and darkened figures hang from these crumbling limbs like ornaments. Bats? Birds? 2D. OLD GRAVE Thin rays of light penetrate this ancient grove. The trees above are bearded with moss but those closer to the ground are burned and long-since dead. Between them lies a gravestone carved in the likeness of a rose. It reads: "HERE LIES CRISSANN, HUMAN FRIEND AND COMPANION." Your adventurers might find this place naturally or be led by the will-o'-wisp that haunts this place. See Special Events below for more details. Roleplaying the Will-o'-Wisp. Remember that these malevolent spirits are intelligent undead and speak the languages they knew in life. This one, however, is obsessed with revenge, not suffering. It has a shard of Crissann's personality and is not one for lengthy conversation. Rather than attack the party for refusing to kill Wyllow, it's recommended that it instead turns invisible and continues to rant and rave about how "the elven witch" must be put down.
17 2E. WESTERN FOREST The forest gives way to silence. Your feet crunch beneath twigs and autumnal leaves. Amidst the brush you find an elk carved from stone. Its hind leg is missing, and the years have worn down much of its antlers, but other than that, the detail is remarkable. The basilisk lies buried nearby under mud and leaves, with all but its eyes and snout uncovered and can only be detected by characters with passive Perception scores of 20 or higher (although noticing its eyes leaves one vulnerable to the Petrifying Gaze, as they might find). The basilisk doesn't just jump out at the adventurers. In fact, it never moves or betrays its location until harmed. It just matches eyes with a character and uses its Petrifying Gaze feature to force the character to roll a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. Do not tell your players anything, just force the roll. On a failure, read: Your body seizes, tightens. You try to flex your fingers and find them stiff instead. You hear… a sort of crackling. Your eyes dart down to your hands and with mounting horror you realize your body is turning to stone. Turning to the Queen. If a character falls prey to the basilisk's petrification and the party lacks the greater restoration spell, they can turn to Wyllow for aid. Alas, this favor is anything but free and the druidess has the party agree to wiping out the werebat colony in Areas 12- 14 first before casting greater restoration on the petrified character. As added insurance, she leaves a portion of the character's body as stone, such as an arm or hand until their "debt" is paid—to the tee. AUDIENCE WITH THE WOODLAND QUEEN While the adventurers are traveling through the woods, they may come face-to-face with Wyllow. Choose either of the two options written below. Nymphic Meeting. The party finds Wyllow as she bathes in a nearby spring. Once seen, she confidently introduces herself and invites the party to her tower to the west for "a more formal audience." Read the following: As you comb through the woods you hear a seraphic voice humming on the wind. You break through the brush and find a spring dazzling under the sunlight. Bathing in its waters is an elven maiden of such unimaginable beauty you find yourself thinking it must be a glamour. The water itself bends to her will, snaking up to wash the dirt from her pale flesh and sweep through her raven-black hair. A Brief Respite. The party finds Wyllow napping in an idyllic glade. She invites them to her tower after a brief introduction. Read the following: The woods give way to a glade serenaded by two blue jays. Their duet, however, falls short once you emerge from the brush. The silence swells, interrupted only by the snoring of a young elven lass laying amongst the branches of a great oak. 3. GUARDHOUSES On higher ground squat two stone guardhouses braided with moss and vines. Marble walkways at least twenty feet from the forest flower converge on this knoll, snaking out in all cardinal directions. To where they go, you don't yet know but clearly someone, or many someones, have brought a shred of civilization to these strange woods. 3B. SOUTH GUARDHOUSE Arch Gate to Level 2. Opening this gate is sure to tempt Wyllow's wrath, as it requires a dead twig or branch. Perhaps the druidess won't notice? The gateway leads to Level 2, Area 12, a dwarven smithy just outside the Goblin Bazaar. Refresh yourself on the past antics of your players while they were there, and consider the following: • The Rustbone goblins are (or were) led by Yek, who was transformed into a human by a magic circlet. • Two Xanathar Guild outposts pock the Arcane Chambers. If the Guild was crippled or eradicated, the goblins have claimed the territory for their own. As their territory expands, the goblins might lose sight of their mercantilist focus and return to their warlike roots. Or, a golden age has begun—your choice. • A wererat gang is led by a drow agent of House Auvryndar and Zhentarim named Rizzeryl. If the Guild was defeated, he may have seized control of the goblins. If the Guild was defeated in Skullport, he plans to expand the Zhentarim's influence therein. 4. CLOAKER DEN As written in DotMM, Wyllow may ask the party to eradicate the cloakers that dwell here. Cloakers, however, are intelligent creatures capable of Deep Speech and Undercommon. Don't waste the opportunity for these creatures to communicate with the party if any characters are fluent in those languages. The cloakers have rasping voices that undulate with moans and can say any of the following, although some are lies: • "We're but humble folk and refugees of war, eking out our meager existence in these woods." • "These lands are ours! Always, ours! The elf has slaughtered our people and stolen our home. Not even our dead are honored. She's cursed with madness and must be put down for the good of these woods." • "The elf has sold her body and soul to the dragon; she is but a puppet of its will and wrath." • "The goblins to the southeast clamor for aid, for respite, from the druid's wrath."
18 5. INNER FOREST You break from the brush and onto a glade, but there can be no serenity found here. At the glade's center are piled rusty weapons, burnt torch stubs, greasy glass bottles, armor of all shades and material, and other paraphernalia left behind by adventurers. Your players will express suspicion and curiosity. Then they'll ask you if they notice anything suspicious or curious, as they're wont to do. That's why you tie the druidic totems Wyllow's made to passive Perception—to give your players a sense of achievement that they found a "secret." Read the following to the character with the highest passive Perception score, no matter how low it is: You scan the trees and find no danger—but amongst the branches you notice them. Totems. Totems fashioned from twigs, feathers, tattered cloth… and, crudely, always crudely, they resemble dolls. You look about and find dozens of them. Dozens, all peering at you with their sightless eyes. 6. WYLLOW'S TOWER Amidst the splendor of Wyllowwood stands this tower, squat and stone and carved in the likeness of a tree. Its twisted boughs reach from its walls for the sky and massive bats hang from these limbs like holiday ornaments. At the tower's base is a twelve-foot-high arch framing stone double doors. A rope hangs by the door, just begging to be tugged. If the adventurers ring the bell, add: A bell echoes across the tower, across the woods. After a brief moment of uncertainty, the doors open. A tree whose trunk is carved suspiciously in the likeness of the Mad Mage greets you: "Ah, visitors! My fair lady will be pleased to receive you. In! In, I beg ye, in!" 6A. WYLLOW'S THRONE ROOM Stone pillars carved into trees frame an audience hall at the heart of which sits a crystal throne. There she sits, an elven maiden with emerald eyes and jet-black hair. At her side is a tentacled panther, purring at her touch, one eye closed in ecstasy, the other staring warily at you. The elf smiles at you. Already you've seen the sun today and not even it can compare to her smile. "Welcome to my domain. You may call me Wyllow. Of Wyllow's Woods. Harm not these lands, lest you too be harmed." Unless the adventurers have already pissed her off, Wyllow is kind and open to the adventurers, relaying any information about her domain except Yinark and Crissann's fates. She does not offer the party rest in her tower but invites them to enjoy camping in Wyllowwood—and assures them that tonight's full moon will be all the light they need. The Rule of Law. Wyllow wastes no time outlining her laws: logging, firestarting, killing an animal, or any similar act of destruction will not be tolerated. She pats her throne and insists that so long as she sits upon it, she'll catch wind of their crimes (in truth, she has animal spies that will watch the party). Combat. If attacked, Halastree and Crissann cover Wyllow's retreat. She wild shapes into a bird (or earth elemental) and flees from the tower. She then readies for her hunt (see Wyllow's Hunt above). Crime and Punishment. Wyllow offers the adventurers her permission to leave and the knowledge on how if they complete a quest: slaughtering the werebat colony in Areas 12-16. Read the following text: The elf straightens. Her voice sharpens into a blade all its own. "Vermin infest my demesne, threatening the delicate balance of these woods. Goblins cursed with lycanthropy. They wield the Curse of the Bat as a cudgel with which they decide who amongst my children die. They've worn out their welcome, and though it pains me to order this, they must be put to the sword. All of them. Let none live to spread their foul disease." Wyllow provides directions to the werebat colony but not the tunnels to Levels 6 or 7, nor Halaster's gates, until they complete her quest. If the adventurers return and inform her of their success, she relies on the crystal throne to help determine if they're lying. 6I. ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 3 The gate here leads to Area 15B on Level 3. The cave they arrive to deposits them in the no man's land between the Legion of Azrok and House Auvryndar. Refresh yourself on your party's history, particularly which side, if any, emerged triumphant. If the Legion triumphed, their victory is short-lived as Xanathar's mind flayer, Ulquess, implants more intellect devourers in goblinoid skulls. 6J. OSSUARY Bones line the walls of this ghastly chamber, some gnawed, others scorched black, many yellowed with age, but all sick testimonies to the druidess's crimes. To count even all the skulls would take you the better part of the hour. And never mind the elf's artful arrangements of the bones. Speaking with the Dead. A character that casts speak with dead on a skull will be told in the plainest terms possible that Wyllow fell upon them with all the mercy of a storm at sea.
19 6K. CALENDAR STONE A mechanism dominates this chamber. Two concentric rings of stone are decorated with carven images. The stone at the mechanism's heart is engraved with Wyllow's smiling image as birds and beasts celebrate her presence. The inner ring is carved with plants and animals all weathering the change of seasons. The outer ring depicts the sun at varying heights and the moon in all its phases. Beneath the din, you can hear the mechanism at work. The outer ring turns ever so slightly as day darkens into night. A small arrowhead on the outer edge points to dusk, a full moon, and autumn. Clearly, manually changing the calendar stone's setting would alert Wyllow. However, if this change is swiftly corrected, it's sure to provoke nothing more than admonishment, if the party has done nothing else to anger the druidess. 7. ALCOVES OF THE DEAD As you traipse through this woodland realm you cross an alcove roughly-hewn into a cavern wall—and in the din you catch sight of it, them. Your heart lurches. Skeletons. All picked clean, all unceremoniously dumped into this alcove and left to let the wind of this place wear bone into dust—however long that might take. The skeletons here are picked clean and so ancient that no Medicine check can discern the cause of death, only an absence of symptoms: no broken bones, save what scavengers may have broken off; no burn marks, et cetera. Speaking with the Dead. If a character casts speak with dead on any of the corpses and ask what befell them, read the following: Bones begin to move beneath your gaze. Jaws test themselves out, measuring themselves against their ancient purpose and summarily decide one last act is in order: "The mist… Emerald. Ephemeral. The winds pounded under the drake's wings. The sword sang and its chorus was but one word: 'justice.' But what crimes were we guilty of but devotion to our lord? Bildrath shot the boar. That gods-damned boar. The boar that would spell our doom. She wrought our doom. Ordered it. Forged it. Brought it. Rejoiced in it." The skeleton's eyeless sockets regards you, and for a moment, you can see the ghost of its pupils, peering out from its empty sockets. Its jaws flex one last time, and its spectral voice whispers, "It's the right of the strong to cull the weak. We were strong. Or so we thought." 8. UMBER HULK TUNNEL A tunnel gapes before you, spiraling down into the depths of the earth. You don't need to be a mason or a dwarf to know that it was made fairly recently—and without a steady hand or any craftsmanship whatsoever. No, a creature made this tunnel, a hulking creature capable of burrowing through earth and stone with ease. Should the adventurers press on, they'll descend hundreds of feet to Level 6, the Lost Level: a complex devoted to the dwarven god Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets. Duergar raiders have scoured the complex in search of riches. Retrieve Azrok's Dagger. The quest offered by Lurkana, on Level 3, to retrieve her husband's magical dagger can be completed on this level. BLOCKING THE PATH If you don't want your players skipping Level 5, you can stymie their progress through one of three methods, described below. Egress Denied. Wyllow has placed a ward here that triggers a cave-in or a sudden wall of thorns spell when a creature approaches the tunnel without saying the command word, which she only gives to those that earn her permission to leave. Only by completing her quest (see Act II) will she give it. Rockfall. As the adventurers delve deeper, the tunnel collapses. All characters must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be pelted by debris for 3d10 bludgeoning damage, or half as much on a success. The way forward is conveniently buried. Armed with shovels, four characters could clear the tunnel in twelve hours. Wyllow, however, can use an action to clear it with a flick of a wrist. Umber Hulk. An umber hulk stumbles upon the party in its eternal quest for food, bursting from the wall in a shower of earth and dust. Creatures within 10 feet of the blast must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be pelted by debris, dealing 2d6 bludgeoning damage. Creatures within 5 feet must also make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be blinded by the sudden dust until the end of their next turn. The ceiling groans under the sudden destruction and collapses in two rounds, conveniently blocking the path to forward. See "Rockfall" above for more details. 9. DRAGON'S PLATFORM Two marble walkways terminate at a stone platform upon which a tower stands with a commanding view of the river. The battlements are crumbling, and a dragon's snores dominate the sour air. Behind the platform spans a bridge across the River of the Depths, leading to a yawning cave's mouth.
20 VALDEMAR'S LAST-DITCH EFFORT You catch a whisper on the wind pleading, "Free me. Pull the sword from my skull, for its evil cannot be contained much longer…" Whenever the dragon sleeps, Tearulai goes dormant— allowing a shadow of Valdemar to emerge and subtly affect the world around it. When the adventurers approach Area 9, they hear a whisper on the wind, pleading them to remove Tearulai from its skull. The dragon is, of course, lying when it describes the sword as a source of evil. Freeing Valdemar. To pry Tearulai from Valdemar's skull requires a DC 13 Strength check, using an action, while the dragon is incapacitated. The characters only get one chance to do it while the dragon is asleep, otherwise Tearulai awakens and attacks. As in DotMM, Wyllow comes to the dragon's aid, having heard its roar— however, it will take at least two minutes for her to arrive from Area 6. By then Valdemar may be in control of itself again. If so, when Wyllow arrives it unleashes its Poison Breath on Wyllow. Shocked, the archdruid immediately retreats and follows the events and tactics lain out in "Wyllow's Hunt" at the start of this supplement. Aftermath. The dragon is grateful to those that restore its freedom and promises its wrath against Wyllow "when the time comes." Truthfully, it intends to use the adventurers to soften up the archdruid. If their fight goes badly, Valdemar hangs back and bides its time. If the adventurers win, with or without Valdemar's aid, the drake turns on the adventurers, attacking while they're weakened. It seeks not only to add their loot (and Tearulai) to its hoard but to also claim Wyllowwood as its lair. 10. MOSSY STONE BRIDGE A rough-hewn tunnel gapes before you, promising only darkness. You cast a glance to the sky above. Real or not, you're loath to give up this sunlight so easily, to surrender the breeze caressing your skin and the warmth of vibrant life singing so vivaciously all around you. The tunnel spirals deep down into the earth until arriving at Level 7, Maddgoth's Castle. There the adventurers find a family of stone giants tormented by amnesia and one jackass of a faerie dragon. BLOCKING THE PATH If you don't want your players skipping Level 5, you can stymie their progress through one of three methods described in "Blocking the Path" of Area 8. 11. WE ALL FLOAT DOWN HERE If any of your players have seen or read Stephen King's It, you'll be loath to pass this opportunity up. Throw it at your players just when they arrive to Wyllowwood, especially if their vessel was destroyed in the Skill Challenge described in Area 1. The disguised mimic wastes no time in escaping with its prey. Once one character boards it, the mimic untethers itself, drifts 15 feet away, and sprouts a tangle of pseudopods—and that's when you roll initiative. With its False Appearance feature, the mimic inherently surprises the entire party. It Speaks. Mimics, by default, can't speak but this one can, at your discretion. If so, it whispers to its prey, "We all float down here. You'll float too." 14. WEREBAT BOSS Precious little light touches this rank cave. A grotesque creature hangs from the ceiling, using a knife to whittle wood. The shavings fall like autumnal leaves. Its left eye is milky with an untreated cataract and a shock of white hair contrasts his piss-yellow fur. Mobar is smitten with Wyllow and worries that merely banishing Vool was not enough. To prove his love to her, he wants the werebat killed and presented to her as a trophy—an overture he himself will personally conduct, if given Vool's body. Even if the adventurers agree to and complete this task, Mobar doesn't act in good faith. He tries to rob and strand them so as to take complete credit for the kill. 16. WEREBAT CAVES Like Areas 12-15, this area has been written with the assumption Wyllow has given a quest to the party to eradicate the werebats. 16B. WEREBATS IN GOBLIN FORM This area serves as a contrast to Wyllow's murderous desires: the werebat raconteur spins a tale of triumphant negotiations with the archdruid, none the wiser that she's sent the adventurers to kill them all. When the party approaches, read the following: The cave echoes under a storyteller's powerful voice. It's bombastic, it's intriguing, it's honed to perfection, all to the harsh tunes of Goblin. If any characters can understand Goblin, go on ahead and read the following: The storyteller's moving voice continues: "And so, faced with destruction, we cast out that glutton, the Fool-named-Vool. Hardly the first pariah to be exiled for the greater good!" The goblins in attendance echo, "The greater good." "And with the Fool-named-Vool gone, peace has been assured. The archdruid welcomes us again with open arms, promises us sanctuary—and believe me, brothers, sisters, this is sanctuary. This is as good as it'll get. The dragon is tamed, the druid appeased, and all will be well so long as our people continue to act in the greater good." Once again, the goblins echo, "The greater good."
21 16C. WEREBAT NURSERY The cave lies in dank quiet. Two goblins rest in a corner under heaps of moldering blankets. By happenstance, a stone finds the audacity to stand before your foot and careens across the floor—and that's when the first goblin babe begins to cry from under the blankets, sparking a thunderous chorus as the other infants wake. It was nap-time. The matrons here cradled the young under their blankets and also fell asleep. They scream with terror when they wake, if the adventurers seem threatening (which, let's be honest, they likely will). If Wyllow issued the quest to slaughter the werebats in return for her permission to leave Wyllowwood, or the knowledge how, then read: With a shudder, you look about at the babes all while Wyllow's words come back to haunt you: "They must be put to the sword. All of them. Let none live to spread their foul disease." 17. VOOL'S REFUGE If the adventurers find themselves in Vool's Refuge, the werebat takes the opportunity to try and turn the adventurers to his cause: overthrowing Wyllow. However, it's unlikely that the party actually ventures to this secluded spot. It's more likely that Vool seeks them out. See Special Events below for this occurrence and borrow the dialogue and details written there if the party instead comes to this area. SPECIAL EVENTS You can run any of the following events for this level of Undermountain, preferably in this order: A LIGHT BETWEEN THE TRESS As described in Area 2D, the will-'o-wisp that is Crissann's disembodied spirit attempts to lead the adventurers to his grave. It's assumed that dusk has fallen, and the adventurers have yet to strike up camp. As day darkens into dusk, you catch a whisper on the wind, but its message is lost. Alert now, you scan the tree line—and flitting between the trees is a wisp of ivory light. It seems to dance amongst the brush and that wordless whisper once again hounds your ear, imploring you to follow it. The wisp leads the party to Area 2D. Run the area as written in DotMM, with the exception of one detail: the spirit doesn't attack them for refusing to destroy Wyllow—these are hardly the first visitors to Wyllowwood the spirit has turned to. A DESPERATE VOOL Vool, the werebat pariah, seeks out the adventurers and warns them of Wyllow's "evil." This event preferably occurs at night, but the werebat can also approach under the cover of a thick canopy. Vool knows he cannot return to his people so long as the threat of Wyllow hangs over their heads. For his part, he earnestly believes her to be a tyrant that must be deposed. Never mind that his own people would feed unchecked if given half the chance. Desperate to return to the fold, and nursing fantasies of leadership, Vool turns to the adventurers for aid. When he arrives, read the following: "Psst. Hey!" calls a voice in broken Common. You look about and find nothing on the forest floor and search the trees instead. Perched upon a branch is a grotesque, goblin-esque creature with the wings of a bat and needlelike fangs. "You're fools to brave these woods," the creature tells you. "Alas, so am I." Once the party strikes up a rapport, Vool cuts to the chase. Read the following: Vool preens his wings and when he shows his teeth again, they're messy with squashed grubs. "The Woodland Queen is a tyrant," Vool tells you. "She offers nothing but genocide for those that don't live happily under her draconian laws—and my people cannot survive much longer. We need the scarlet. We need blood. My people are no gluttons, but she's condemned us already. We cannot run and we cannot hide. We cannot pick up and leave nor can we stand and fight. My people need a hero. Many heroes. We need you." If the adventurers refuse to overthrow Wyllow, Vool takes his leave. If he senses that they need something more than the satisfaction of saving a colony from genocide, he offers the curse of lycanthropy as a reward to one character—but without describing the insatiable need to feed. If that's not enough, his last ditch effort is offering a "magic boot" of his (one of the two boots of elvenkind, without the pair of which is useless).
22 HALASTER'S VISIT While the adventurers are resting, Halaster pays them a visit to share the backstory of Wyllow and her late husband Yinark. The most cinematic experience would be at nighttime as the adventurers are camped out for the night with only the faux stars above as light. When Halaster's ready to spin his yarn, read: "Gather round, fools, and listen to an old man's tale," says the Mad Mage. With a wave of a hand, he conjures a highbacked leather chair and a pipe full of tobacco. As he reclines and gathers his thoughts, the pipe blazes. "Wyllow… Sweet Wyllow. I tried to make her happy, you know. Tried so very, very hard. All this. This entire forest—my work. I willed the trees to grow, I birthed the sun- and starlight that fills this domain, I stocked it with birds and beasts galore, all to make my dear Wyllow happy, for you see, there was a time when she wasn't. "After her and Yinark, her husband—her late husband, mind you—came to live and work with me two centuries ago, Wyllow fell to blue clutches. After living her life in the woods, Undermountain could feel like nothing more than a prison. So, I shaped this place to her liking. And she liked it for a time—but even this wasn't enough for my dearest Wyllow. Her husband, that damned fool, forbade her to return to the surface—forbade, can you believe it? And she obeyed! "Well, time sours all things and their marriage fell apart. Soon violence was the only solution our dearest Wyllow could grasp, like all prisoners. Alas, she was a druidess and Yinark a wizard. Should've seen the destruction, phew. Miles long. At the deepest crater lay Yinark's shattered body, and at his side, his wife, her fury abated, and her heart broken. She's remained here ever since, a prisoner of her own guilt." The Mad Mage shares the look of a bewildered father that's tried everything but talk to his daughter. "I've tried everything," he tells you, "but I'm afraid Wyllow's too fargone. Walk lightly, my contestants—for Wyllowwood is not part of my game but hers." Halaster neglects to mention that Wyllow later fell in love with a mercenary by the name of Crissann, whose mind Halaster bent to turn him against Wyllow. He has the barest recollection of the experience and avoids taking responsibility for it whenever he can actually recall the incident. After spinning this yarn, Halaster winks out of existence without any fanfare. One moment he's there in his chair, another there's nothing but the barren chair. Given a few days, the werebats pinch it. Thereafter it can be found in Area 14. MAD INTERVENTION As noted in her tactics under "Wyllow's Hunt," the archdruid collects the crystal bulb from Area 6G that, when planted in soil, summons Halaster Blackcloak. She resorts to this if she's at the brink of death with no possible escape. Read the following: Bloodied and desperate, the druidess pulls from her robes a small crystalline bulb, leaving red smears across its glass. A figure dances within the orb, animated by some strange magic. With her free hand, the elf digs a small hole in the ground and goes to plant the orb—it slips from her hand! Wyllow cries out in panic—and the wind itself twists to deliver the orb back to her! "Halaster!" the elf screams as she scoops dirt over the planted orb. "Halaster!" The Deathblow. At your discretion, have the closest character to Wyllow reroll their initiative in a contest with Wyllow's. If they succeed, they can take one turn before the druid plants the orb to summon the Mad Mage. If they kill her, Halaster is never summoned. If the character in question loses this initiative contest, or fails to strike Wyllow down then and there, read the following: Before you can deliver that deathblow, time itself halts. Your blood stops. A sparrow above is frozen in midflight. Only the orb moves. Only the orb maintains its temporal autonomy as it spins and cracks and shatters— and the tiny figure that danced inside grows into a form you're well acquainted with: the Mad Mage. Halaster Blackcloak, arriving not in a storm of fire but in a chill, throws his arms around the druid. You catch his words just before a rift opens beneath his feet: "Shh. Shh, it's all right. They can't hurt you anymore. Halaster's here. Halaster will always be here." The rift widens below the Mad Mage's feet, consuming both the two. In a single flash, they're gone. Time thaws. Only the shattered orb remains, a testament to your sanity. Halaster teleports himself and Wyllow to his lair on Level 23 of Undermountain where she remains in critical condition for a week. See Aftermath below for more details.
23 EPILOGUE Once the adventurers have cleared this level, they should ascend to 9th-level. Beware: this is a major power spike for spellcasters as they acquire 5th-level spells. If the adventurers defeated Wyllow only for her to be saved by Halaster (see Mad Intervention above) then then you should award them the 8,400 experience they would have earned had they killed her. AFTERMATH The aftermath of the adventures' conflict with Wyllow, if they have one at all, depends on whether they felled the archdruid, if she escaped, or if Halaster saved her. WYLLOW SURVIVES After saving Wyllow, the Mad Mage returns her to Wyllowwood. Her pride bruised, and her fear stoked, she readies herself for vengeance on the party if they ever cross into her domain again. To avoid her, they'll have to carefully navigate Halaster's gates. While she's resting in Halaster's Lair, treat Wyllowwood to the same fate detailed in "Aftermath" of Level 5 of DotMM. WYLLOW FALLS If Wyllow falls, the spirit of Wyllowwood itself rushes to save her corpse. Vines sprout immediately to protect her body while a horde of awakened beasts and plants emerge from the brush. They guard Wyllow's corpse at all costs. After the elf's death, Wyllowwood suffers under the events described in DotMM's "Aftermath" of Level 5. TEARULAI ON THE MOVE Finding Tearulai is the culmination of one of Undermountain's secrets (see The Emerald Blade in Appendix C, DotMM). If the adventurers take the sword as their own, however, prepare for the campaign to take a sharp turn. Either the sword is cowed into submission (temporarily, always temporarily), or it seizes control of its wielder and makes for the forests of Myth Drannor to return whence it came. THE SEND-OFF You can cap-off your session with either of the two narrations: one by you, or telepathically spoken by the Mad Mage himself. THE STANDARD SEND-OFF Read the following to your players when they take their leave of Wyllowwood: With great disappointment, you turn once again from the sun—faux as this one may be—to the blackened depths of Undermountain. Certainly, you've learned that not all that glitters is gold, and though life might thrive, it is no less cruel than the darkest of dungeons. You only hope that where next you go, light truly shines with all the radiance and hope of a wintry dawn. THE HOST'S SEND-OFF Halaster telepathically communicates a message to the adventurers. It assumes they learned of Wyllow's tragic backstory. It can be adapted for whether the druid died, escaped, or was rescued by Halaster (see Mad Intervention in Special Events). Read the following: The Mad Mage's voice worms its way into your mind: "'Never look a gift horse in the mouth,' they say. Sometimes though… You ought to. I carved this place. Grew every tree. Furnished these woods with river and rock, beast and bird. I made this place for my dearest Wyllow. But it was no gift. Only a prison. Do not pity her, though, my contestants, do not indeed—for, truly, if the druid wanted to leave, she would have found the will to defy mine. "But you? You have that will, that drive, that foolishness. That's why she'll spend her life frolicking in these gloomy woods and you'll rest amongst the graves of failed champions. The worst, I promise you, has yet to come."
24 LEVEL VI: THE LOST LEVEL "I always felt this level lacked… Pizazz. But after a few brief experiments in conjuration, I'm confident that this arc of the season will impress," – the Mad Mage on the Lost Level QUICK NOTES • To paint an otherwise dull and barren level as something worthwhile, the themes of horror must be invoked via Halaster's Game, described below. • This level is, well, humongous—and empty. Sixteen of forty-eight rooms have no content whatsoever and that's fine. Just don't let your game grind to a halt as the players comb through each room. See Areas of Note for a list of which rooms have actual content. • With dozens of paths they can take in this nonlinearbut-barren level, there's no way to anticipate the players progression. Just know that the central story revolves around Areas 15, 16, and 29. • Given how nonlinear this level is, you may be tempted to screw with the map, at least in the beginning—the mere possibility of the party taking a right in Area 1, instead of a left, dramatically changes their path, making it difficult for you to plan ahead. • To liven up this level, use the invisible stalkers to your advantage (described in Halaster's Game below). They can be hurled at your players no matter the path they take or the content of the current room. Establish this theme of horror early in the level by attacking the players or having random duergar die in the most gruesome fashion before their very eyes. • There is no central villain on this level. There's actually no villain—unless you run Halaster's Game. Thus, the Mad Mage himself indirectly antagonizes the adventurers. • Cloakers are allied with duergar on this level. Don't forget that they can speak Deep Speech and Undercommon! • A whopping ten of the Mad Mage's gates are on this level. The party is of a level to open four of them, leading to Levels 2, 4, 3, and 5. Refresh yourself on the party's antics while they rampaged through those levels and consider the aftermath. • It's a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot hidden doors. This level has a lot! PREVIOUSLY ON DUNGEON OF THE MAD MAGE Keep in mind the following: Retrieve Azrok's Dagger. The quest offered by Lurkana of Azrok's Legion on Level 3 reaches its culmination here. Skella Ironeye considers it her property by conquest— stolen fair and square—but she's more than willing to trade it for the party's assistance in opening the Heart of the Mountain. HALASTER'S GAME As always, the Mad Mage has been written as a deranged gameshow host whose program is apparently broadcasted across the multiverse. On this level of Undermountain, Halaster has trapped several contestants in a quest to open the "Heart of the Mountain" (Area 16). To open it, however, requires the hand of a dwarven king, living or dead. Thus, the adventurers must find the true tomb of Melair, ancient dwarven king of Undermountain. Hunted by invisible stalkers, the duergar here are desperate to open the Heart. It's this hunt the party find themselves embroiled in. No Escape. All exits from this level have been sealed: when characters approach, a steel gate materializes to block their path. Only until they open the Heart will these obstacles disappear. Halaster's arcane gates, however, work normally. The Impenetrable Dark. To screw with the duergar, Halaster has lain a spell upon this level which nullifies the darkvision of mortal humanoids. Monsters and constructs such as the invisible stalkers and gray slaad are unaffected. When in doubt, assume it only affects the adventurers and the duergar. If none of the adventurers have light sources, they find four lanterns with adequate oil seemingly left for them by the Mad Mage—which he has. The quartz pillars described in DotMM continue to shed light. INVISIBLE STALKERS. These malicious entities summoned by Halaster have been cutting down duergar left and right—unlike in DotMM wherein they remain indefinitely in Area 47. Rather than attacking indiscriminately, they each select a specific target to hunt down. After a successful kill, the stalkers retreat. A duergar might just simply drop dead amidst its fellows, hurling the survivors in a mad dash to escape an unseen threat, lest they be next. The dwarves, in short, are terrified and desperately searching for Melair's tomb so as to win the Game before it's too late. You, My Darling. It's inevitable that the stalkers target the adventurers. Use them at your discretion to constantly hound the party. Although only two lurk on this level, you can include as many as you want, but they only ever attack one at a time and retreat when wounded. Combat should be lightning-fast. It Follows. Patient and sad*stic, the stalkers walk after prey; if the entire party spends its turns running away, they can easily outrun the stalkers—but if they ever pause, the stalker will catch up. When it first attacks a target, the stalker whispers in Auran, "You, my darling." Don't expect or stage a straight-up fight with the party; use hitand-run tactics or just an unstoppable force that will follow its prey. If you've ever seen the film It Follows, it should be reminiscent of that.
25 DUERGAR The raiders of Clan Ironeye came here to loot and pillage but found themselves trapped instead and hunted down by unseen entities capable of wanton slaughter. If the duergar can find Melair's secret tomb and use the king's hand to open the basalt doors to the Heart of the Mountain, Halaster promised, they can leave alive this place alive. So desperate they are to escape, they see the adventurers as potential saviors, not adversaries. ADVENTURERS Once the adventurers arrive to Level 6, they too become embroiled in Halaster's Game. Only by opening the basalt doors to Area 15 will they be able to leave Halaster's domain by foot. The gates scattered across this level are still operable, but the Mad Mage seals the tunnels to Levels 5 and 7 respectively with his magic, described in Areas of Note below. ADDITIONAL LOOT The Lost Level is rich with artifacts, gemstones, and the like—but not magic items. One has been added to Area 29F: a belt of dwarvenkind belonging to King Melair's corpse—alas, Dumathoin, the dwarven god of secrets, is sure to be angered by those with the audacity to steal it. See Area 29F for details. ON DWARF CHARACTERS This level should have a special place in the heart of dwarf characters. The exploits of King Melair are the stuff of legends. Dwarves all across the Sword Coast were raised on these fables, most of which have more than a grain of truth in them. Additionally, the Heart of the Mountain (Area 16) is an excellent roleplay opportunity. Any dwarf attuned to the Heart can cast the divination spell, and while the spell only concerns the future, you can broaden it to include the past. A dwarf character could finally learn the truth of his brother's death, his father's infidelity, or any other great mystery of their lives. If any the player characters are dwarves, you'll want to refresh yourself on the character's history, or encourage the player to expand on it. AREAS OF NOTE The following areas are of note: AN ABUNDANCE OF EMPTINESS With nearly fifty rooms to this level, you can't be expected to remember which have actual content in them. Sixteen rooms (a whopping third of the level) are empty or otherwise uninteresting. Rooms of actual note are listed below, their contents described. AREAS OF ACTUAL CONTENT Area Contents Area Contents 1 Entrance to Level 6 26 Umber Hulks 5 Treasure (450 gp) 27 Gate to L4 7 Duergar, Cloaker 28 Story/Secret Door 8 Gate to L9 29 Story/Treasure/NPCs 9 Trap 31 Rest Area 10 Gate to L5 32 Gray Slaad 11 Story/Treasure 33 Undead Bulette 12 Duergar, Xorn 34 Gate to L8/NPCs 13 Treasure (spell scroll) 35 Halaster Regional Eff. 14 Secret Door 36 Gate to L3 15 Story/Duergar 37 Fire Elemental 16 Story/Gate to L10 39 Treasure (Jade Staff) 18 Helmed Horrors 40 Gate to L11 20 Treasure (600 gp) 41 Gray Slaad 22 Xorn 42 Trap 24 Gate to L2 43 Way to Level 7 25 Key to Area 10 47 Gate to L13 & 18/NPC You, My Darling. So, how do we liven up these otherwise empty rooms? We can't be expected to flesh out every single one of them, nor do we want to. So, instead we throw in the invisible stalkers described in Halaster's Game. Your goal is to have the adventurers rush through rooms as this malicious, invisible entity slowly chases them down. As the party encounters other mortals, such as duergar, the stalker pauses to cut them down. In short, you want a frenzied, desperate montage. If you've seen the film It Follows, it should be reminiscent of that. THE PATHS AHEAD (IN SHORT) This level is nonlinear and that exacerbates your ability to plan ahead. We can divide the paths ahead from Area 1 into three separate routes. Ultimately, you want to steer the party towards Area 15. Right. Going right leads to Areas 22-29. Left. Going left leads to Areas 4-10. This is the preferred route if you use Halaster's Game. Straight. Going through Area 2 leads directly to Area 15, putting them in contact with Skella Ironeye, perhaps a bit too early. 1. UMBER HULK TUNNEL The air is cloudy with darkness and dust. Beneath your boots crunch rubble and debris left by whatever creature dug this tunnel. For so very, very long all you hear is the sound of your own footfalls until finally the tunnel evens out and breaks through the smooth-stone walls of what might be a tomb or stronghold. HALASTER'S GAME Using the variant described above, Halaster has used his magic to nullify the darkvision of mortal humanoids (see "The Impenetrable Dark"). He also seals the tunnel behind the adventurers, pitting them in his insidious game.
26 The Impenetrable Dark. Once the party leaves the tunnel, read the following. The script assumes characters with darkvision are present, and it's aimed at them. Adjust accordingly if, somehow in 5th Edition, the entire party lacks darkvision. The air here is stale… but clean. Something's amiss, though. Something's strange. You blink about and find nothing but darkness. An impenetrable darkness. Have… Have you gone blind? With a start, you realize that your eyes cannot pierce this night. You feel… naked. Like a singer without their voice or a warrior without his arms. Halaster's Game. Read the following when Halaster lays out the terms of the game: You look behind you—and without any noise or flash, without any fanfare at all, now stands a steel gate in the tunnel, tall and impenetrable. A voice slips in not through your eyes but up your spine and into your brain: the ragged voice of Halaster Blackcloak: "Behold: the Lost Level. The tomb of Melair, king of the ancient dwarves of this mountain. Never has his tomb been found—and so, none have ever escaped this place alive. See, I've always felt this level lacked… Pizazz. But after a few brief experiments in conjuration, I'm confident that this arc of the season will impress. "At the heart of this place lies the Temple of Dumathoin—and behind its black basalt doors, a place of power. The Heart of the Mountain. Behold it and you may leave this place. Fail and this too shall be your tomb. "Ah… but opening the Heart is no easy task. And beware: others lurk on this level. Others hunt for the tomb. And others hunt the hunters." The gate, they find, is impenetrable and impervious to damage. Any time a character attacks a gate or attempts to circumvent it, they take 1 point of psychic damage and hear Halaster chiding them for cheating. 5. LOOTED RELIQUARY The reliquary lies in ruin. Shadows teem amongst the wreckage and the smell of blood is fresh on the air. HALASTER'S GAME Before the adventurers reach this room, they hear a crash and a scream: a duergar has just been slain by an invisible stalker in the most horrific way possible. When they enter, read the following: A dwarf lies dead amongst the wreckage: a duergar wearing his torn-out esophagus as a bloody tie. The invisible stalker reached deep inside the screaming dwarf and pulled hard. It yet remains in the room and makes no attempt to hide as it leaves; its amorphous shape outlined by the disturbed dust. 7. LIBRARY & SCRIPTORIUM Rarely do dwarves commit words to paper—and so now, as you walk in upon this library, you cannot help but gawk. To gaze. To wonder what secrets could lurk on these countless shelves. So high do those shelves climb, sliding iron ladders are necessary to reach them. Several stand scattered about the room. And so do duergar. HALASTER'S GAME Assuming the adventurers approach from Area 8 to the west, you can use this variant: the duergar here don't attack the adventurers but try to help them. Loose an invisible stalker behind the party and motivate them into flight. When they approach this area, the duergar shout, "Hurry! Hurry, before it cuts you down!" They then slam the door shut, denying the invisible stalker entry— hopefully. How, after all, can they tell? The duergar here are in a frenzied search for "the tomb of King Melair." Going off a hunch that a secret mechanism that unlocks the tomb is hidden behind the scrolls on the shelves, they're wantonly sweeping off the texts. They only recently arrived and have quite a bit of area to sweep, considering the shelves are up to 15 feet tall and require a ladder to reach. The duergar hurriedly share any of the information below as they desperately comb through the library in search for this believed-mechanism. • The Mad Mage has trapped them in "some infernal game" and only if they find the lost tomb of King Melair will the attacks from "the unseen stalkers" stop. Over a dozen Ironeye duergar have been bludgeoned, strangled, or eviscerated by these invisible entities. • The Ironeye leader, Skella, can be found in the Temple of Dumathoin (Area 15). They can provide directions. Skella's a "woman of her word," they promise, and trust her to offer the party peace. • Melair was the king of the mythic Melairkyn dwarves of Undermountain. They found great veins of mithral here and carved out an entire kingdom—until the ancient duergar (these duergars' probable ancestors) laid waste to the kingdom. • Relics and treasure of unimaginable worth can surely be found in King Melair's tomb. • While here earlier, a fifth duergar was bludgeoned to death by an invisible stalker. His skull is caved in and his brain matter is smeared across the floor. 10. ROYAL ARMORY Dwarf-sized mannequins are awash in an ivory light emitted by glowing quartz pillars. Battleaxes and war picks, strangely without rust, are mounted on the walls… and set into the back of a deep alcove is one of the Mad Mage's infamous gates, engraved with the image of dancing dwarves.
27 ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 5 This gate leads to Area 9 on Level 5, Wyllowwood. The safety of using this gate relies heavily on the party's history on Level 5, for not only does this gate open upon the lair of the green dragon Valdemar (perhaps freed from Tearulai's dominance), but Wyllow's realm is stocked with spies. Whether the druidess is alive or dead, her awakened beasts are sure to accost the adventurers out of vengeance. 11. KING'S WALK The following descriptions are written assuming the party goes through Areas 11A-11E sequentially. To dwarven characters, these chambers should hold great value—if not for them, then for their people. 11A. TRAINING YEARS Frescoes on the wall chronicle the birth of a dwarven lord. Beside his crib are gathered weatherworn parents and unimpressed visitors—but below the earth a divine figure watches with great interest. As the years progress, the dwarf enters into a great struggle: first as a brewer, then as a metalsmith, and last as a stonecarver. The Dwarvish reads, "The Birth of Melair. Neither Time nor Gods can turn his glory into dust." 11B. PROSPECTING YEARS The frescoes are here too as well to chronicle this mighty dwarf's life. In one image he works to build a bridge over raging waters. In another, he and a sun elf share tea and mead together. Others show him prospecting for ore and gems in the hills and hiding from rampaging orcs. The last shows him locked in a deadly battle with a wyvern, his war pick about to pierce the beast's skull. 11C. CORONATION The frescoes here depict the same dwarf discovering veins of mithral beneath the mountain—and in droves other dwarves flock to these Underhalls to crown him king. There in that hall they offered him gifts and honor. The Dwarvish reads, "With mithral found, Melair called for kith and kin to share this wealth, to come to these halls, to Melairbode. They called him 'King' and he called them 'family.'" 11D. CRADLE AND CROWN Here the frescoes show the dwarven lord with his lady wife and children—and their children's children, all with the blood of a king. The Dwarvish reads, "Might they carry the torch with pride, long after Great King Melair has become one with the Mountain." 11E. LIFE IN UNDERMOUNTAIN Alas now the frescoes depict what may not be glory but regret. The dwarven lord seems to chase mithral through the depths, obsessed and determined to purge all infestations from Undermountain: drow, duergar, beholders. His end, curiously enough, is not depicted. 15. TEMPLE OF DUMATHOIN What this place is can only be described as a temple to the gods—to one god, in particular. Quartz pillars shed their queer, ivory light. Duergar lean against these pillars, nursing their wounds while one dwarfess, notably tanner than her brethren, paces about the room. Her Dwarvish cussing floats out like sheet music. The nave of this temple leads to a dais of golden marble. Behind it stand black basalt doors, flanked by glowing pillars of ivory light. Its lintel bears a bas-relief carving of a mountain with a gem at its heart. For all its beauty, death is still here. The stench of blood and brain matter stains the very air… and you can make out four corpses on the dais, beaten to bloody pulps. It's been about two days since the Ironeye Raiders came to this place, and it shows—many are shell-shocked and broken. All are desperate. Well over a dozen of their dear comrades have been murdered by those invisible entities. Skella, for her part, feels emboldened, for during that doomed foray towards the dais, she quickly read the Dwarvish inscriptions upon the basalt doors. Armed with the knowledge that she needs the hand of a dwarf king, she's sent her agents scouring the Lost Level for King Melair's tomb. She wastes no time enlisting the adventurers in this search, promising peace and safe passage until even after the Heart of the Mountain is opened. Roleplaying Skella. Other half-duergar may feel the need to prove themselves to their kin, but not Skella. While she's as dour as most, she does not hide her obsession for artistry and beauty. Despite the onslaught facing her men, she's done a remarkable job of holding them, and herself, together. Being lawful, she's a woman of her word and keeps up her end of all bargains. HALASTER'S GAME Shortly after the adventurers arrive to this area, an invisible stalker murders a duergar. Read: A dwarf's shriek pierces the quiet—but it's soon cut short as its esophagus is ripped out through its mouth by an invisible hand. The duergar takes two steps before falling dead, vomiting up blood and entrails. His brethren swear, cuss, scream, appeal to the gods. One dwarf, you notice, even rocks in a fetal position, quietly crying to himself. Fear. Fear does awful things to a man.
28 16. HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN The basalt doors open upon a carved chamber veined with glittering mithral. A tapestry depicting a dwarven kingdom under a mountain hangs from the ceiling. This very place is suffused with power, almost tangible to the hand and sharp to the soul. Not oppression but... grandeur. HALASTER'S GAME Reaching this sacred place represents the crux of Skella's desperate mission—but there's one last twist, imposed by the Mad Mage. Read the following: The Mad Mage's voice thunders across the temple, shaking every stone: "Secrets lost have been found again and here at the heart of Undermountain, you have but one last trial. Attune to the Heart, Ironeye. Attune and ask of your people's future in this realm—my realm." Skella instinctively knows she can cast divination in this room; attunement, however, takes an hour, and during that time, invisible stalkers and a gray slaad attack the duergar, pitting the dwarves into a desperate last stand until Skella can divine this answer. The players can lend their strength to the last stand— this is especially preferable if none of the adventurers are dwarves. If they don't and leave the area, then off-camera, Skella succeeds but at the cost of nearly three quarters of her men. If the adventurers do stick around, then a total of three waves assail these forces over the course of an hour: two invisible stalkers at a time with a gray slaad at the rear (using fireball and fear spells). The stalkers fight without concern for their survival, but the slaad retreats whenever it takes half its hit points. It relies on its Regeneration feature to heal. In between waves, an invisible stalker picks off a duergar here or there before vanishing. The gray slaad is the one described in A32 and appears in the form of the Mad Mage. If it was already slain, use either of the two gray slaads from A36C. A Vision of the Future. The question Skella asks upon casting divination is, "What fate awaits my people?" What Skella sees is up to you, but suggestions include: the party's betrayal, forcing her to attack them; or incoming destruction wrought upon the Ironeye demesne by the Mad Mage as punishment for not killing the adventurers. If the party has been exceptionally loyal or kind to her and her men, and she made a deal with them, she warns them to go now before she changes her mind. 17. HEMISPHERE OF HORRORS The helmed horrors here understand Dwarvish but can't speak—but let's just change that, shall we? When they attack the party, one shouts in a hollow, ringing voice, "You dare seek the secrets of Dumathoin? Then take them!" in Dwarvish. Reward the player that recognizes that reference with Inspiration. 27. ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 4 The adventurers may be loath to return to the Twisted Caverns if Illuun, the aboleth, yet lives. This gate in particular delivers travelers to the web-enshrouded Drider Lair (Area 10) on Level 4. Opening the Gate. Skella holds the elf figurine necessary to open this gate and is loath to part with it— but will use it as leverage in a possible deal. Aftermath. The Twisted Caverns may be in an even worst predicament than when the party first arrived. If Illuun emerged victorious, House Auvryndar is sure to fall prey to its influence. Even if the kuo-toa emerged victorious, they stand little chance against the drow forces—and House Auvryndar's agents would crawl across the caverns, accosting the adventurers. Any deals made between them and the party back then are sure to be null and void by now. 28. FALSE TOMB The tomb is lit with the light of heaven itself—and filled with the rusted trophies of conquered foes, all glaring in the light emitted by those quiet, quartz pillars. Helms, shields, armor fragments, weapons—all lie before a shattered stone sarcophagus. HALASTER'S GAME When the party investigates the room, add: You've done it. Hunted by unseen entities, you found the tomb of Melair. The ancient king and lord of Undermountain… Now what? Halaster is strangely quiet when the adventurers arrive. Shouldn't he announce some… culmination of his game? His silence should confound the party. Helmed Horrors. You can add two helmed horrors that knit themselves together from the rusted arms and armor on the floor. They hurl themselves at the adventurers, dwarves or not, and shout in Dwarvish, "You seek the secrets of King Melair? Then take them!" This is the only thing they can say. 29. KING MELAIR'S LOST TOMB Halaster's Game is nearly at an end, so long as the party or duergar can brave Melair's tomb and commit themselves to desecrating the corpse of a good king. 29D. GODS AND DEMONS Four stone, imperious dwarves keep an eternal vigil over this chamber. On the far side hangs a great tapestry depicting King Melair, his war pick bloodied and gleaming as he leads his men against a gargantuan purple worm whose mandibles have torn the very stone to shreds. Trapped Demons. The glabrezu makes telepathic contact with the adventurers as they enter the room. It poses as "Ghorn," one of King Melair's elite bodyguards who volunteered to keep eternal vigil over this place. In the eons since, Ghorn has come to regret his decision and
29 wishes to be free. He pleads with the party. Dwarven characters know that "Ghorn" is a typical male shield dwarf name. True to its nature, the demon is sly and cunning. It can mimic a dwarven accent and has a +7 to any Charisma (Deception) checks it makes. It does not, however, know anything but the basics of dwarven history. It can relate superficial knowledge of the Melairkyn dwarves, but outside that, knows nothing special that might convince wary characters. When the demon reaches out, read the following: A voice slithers into your mind—and for once, it isn't the Mad Mage of Undermountain. No, this voice is… weak. Haggard. Desperate. "Please," the voice pleads, "Our king is with the gods. There is no need to watch over this tomb any longer. Our spirits languish under the duty we swore to so long ago." After being freed, the glabrezu casts dispel magic on the tapestry, granting access to Areas 29E and 29F. While the adventurers desecrate the tomb of Melair, the demon frees its brethren from the statues. The sounds of shattering stone can be easily heard, but the barlgura casts invisibility on itself. Tactics. On its very first turn, the glabrezu attempts to free its brethren if they aren't free already: using its Multiattack, it casts confusion on the party, and makes two pincer attacks against nearby statues. If a single statue takes 10 or more damage, it releases its occupant demon—who should already have its initiative rolled. The demons focus on remaining their brethren. If you need a visual, imagine the barlgura leaping across the room to smash a statue. 29F. TRUE TOMB The DC to spot the secret door in Area 29E is 20, as described in DotMM's "Undermountain Overview." The adventurers are sure to find it. Once they do, read the following: Not in ivory light but blackness is this place painted. A stone dais supports the dwarven lord's sarcophagus—a perfectly cut slab of white marble, etched with silvered, Dwarvish lettering. No treasure glitters here. No glory is sung on fresco or tapestry. Just as his beginnings were humble, so too it seems was Melair's end. Fitting. Additional Loot. A belt of dwarvenkind has been added to this location. It's clasped about King Melair's waist. Dumathoin's Curse. Wresting the belt of dwarvenkind from Melair's body incurs the enmity of Dumathoin, dwarven god of secrets. Only characters with the blood of Melair himself running through their veins avoids this enmity. This character must make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or be cursed with the following flaw, "I can't keep a secret, no matter how trivial or dire." A spell of remove curse or the like rids the character of the flaw. Every day at dawn, there is a 50% chance that the character wearing the belt must repeat the saving throw or be cursed again with the same flaw. 31. REST AREA This chamber lies empty—and for once it feels that that's an invitation, not a trap. HALASTER'S GAME Despite what's in DotMM, do not let this place be an area of rest. If the adventurers try, an invisible stalker picks one of them as its quarry and attacks, interrupting the rest. If wounded, the stalker retreats to attack an hour later— repeat ad nauseum. 33. GHOHLBRORN'S GRAVE Perhaps it's a printing error in DotMM, but the module mentions, " Once all four exits are blocked by the statues, the undead bulette erupts from the floor and attacks all creatures in the room," without ever mentioning that the statues move. Assume that an enchantment on the room triggers when the first half of the party enters the room, the statues dissolve into mud and then instantly reform to block each exit (with the eastern one appearing right behind Area 33B, the hidden spiked pit. That's when the undead bulette attacks. The statues have an AC of 15, 50 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage and resistance to piercing or slashing damage. The adventurers will have to bust them down to get in or out of the chamber. 36C. ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 3 This gate is the most convenient means to complete the Retrieve Azrok's Dagger quest as it deposits them right in the heart of Azrok's Hold (Area 21P). Much may have changed during the party's absence, so refresh yourself on your party's history, particularly which side, if any, emerged triumphant: the Legion of Azrok or House Auvryndar. If the Legion triumphed, their victory is shortlived as Xanathar's mind flayer, Ulquess, implants more intellect devourers in goblinoid skulls. 43. UMBER HULK TUNNELS Peerless dwarven masonry has once again been smashed into rubble. A roughhewn tunnel leads to darkness, twisting down towards the bowels of the earth. This tunnel leads down to Level 7, Maddgoth's Castle, wherein the adventurers will find a family of stone giants cursed with amnesia and tormented by one jackass of a faerie dragon.
30 HALASTER'S GAME Using this variant, Halaster has sealed off the tunnel leading down to Level 7. Only after they find the tomb of King Melair will they be able to progress. When the adventurers approach, read the following: Bricks and broken stone clutter this area. You find another roughhewn tunnel of an identical nature to the one that delivered you to this level of Undermountain originally… And as you approach that yawning dark, reality shimmers. A sterling steel gate materializes before you, accompanied by the Mad Mage's grating voice: "Indeed, the depths await you—but not yet. My game is not yet won, fools." 47. HALLS OF THE FAITHFUL As mentioned before in "Halaster's Game," the invisible stalkers that were stationed here by the Mad Mage are now hunting down mortals throughout the entire level. They can still attack when the adventurers enter this chamber, however. SPECIAL EVENTS You can run any of these events regardless of the current location of the adventurers. It's preferable that It Follows precedes A Single Glimpse so as to take advantage of desperate characters. IT FOLLOWS As described countless times already, invisible stalkers have been loosed as part of Halaster's Game. They can be thrown at the party at any time or place. This special event can occur multiple times. When in doubt, rely on this event. Aim for it to occur at least twice in the level. IT FOLLOWS d6 Event 1 A stalker fills the corpse of a duergar, causing it to shamble towards other living creatures. 2 A stalker is already waiting when they enter the room and wraps its intangible arms around a character. 3 A stalker tries to force glass or rubble down a character's throat. Use the Slam attack, dealing slashing damage on a hit. 4 A stalker enters the fray mid-combat with other monsters, attacking a single target. 5 As the party flees from one stalker, they see it clearly in the dust, putting distance between them and it. Upon entering the next room, a new stalker attacks. Halaster telepathically whispers, "No escape. No hope. No chance," to the party. 6 A duergar sprints down the hall, screaming—but crashes to his knees. The closest character can make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to snatch his hand before the stalker hauls him off into the darkness to have his neck snapped. Loudly. A SINGLE GLIMPSE Under this special event, the glabrezu trapped in Area 29 is endowed with greater omniscience and telepathy—a boon from Halaster. While the adventurers search for the tomb of Melair, the demon psychically reaches out to one character, offering them the location and its secrets in return for "one glimpse through your eyes." The demon masquerades as a trapped guardian spirit— one of Melair's elite bodyguards who volunteered to watch over their beloved king's tomb for all eternity. Alas, in the millennia since that oath, "Ghorn" has come to regret his choice and dreams of seeing the real world one more time—for his world is nothing but darkness. If the character declines the offer, the demon backs off, hoping to contact one of the duergar instead or any other character it believes can be influenced. If the character accepts, they feel a presence invade their mind. Then or later, the demon attempts to possess the character, subjecting them to a DC 17 Charisma saving throw. On a success, the character shunts out the demon. On a failure, they are charmed by it for 1d6 hours and the glabrezu can see through their eyes and cast the suggestion spell on the character at will, no matter the range. Pass or fail, the character is unaware of this outside influence. The glabrezu's immediate goal is to have its statue destroyed in Area 29. It will pursue this goal through its host at all costs but is coy enough to not arouse suspicion in others. RAMPAGE! Throughout their time in the Lost Level, the adventurers can hear umber hulks busting through walls or breaking down stone doors far, far in the distance. Thus, when it grows quiet, they should find cause for alarm. As the party explores, remark time and again about that distant thunder and then, eventually, seed in a few comments on how "it's quiet." Then, at your leisure, an umber hulk attacks through either of the two (or both) methods: Down the Hall! The umber hulk comes barreling down a long hall way, thundering throughout the darkness. Until it reaches the party, it takes the Dash action. If you happen to be a sad*st, this is all just a distraction for the event below: In the Walls! An umber hulk crashes through the wall in a spray of rubble. Creatures within 10 feet of the impact must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be pelted with debris, taking 2d10 bludgeoning damage. It immediately tries to snatch up the weakest prey and devour them.
31 EPILOGUE Using Halaster's Game, it's actually encouraged that the party does not kill the duergar. If they instead work together and pull off opening the Heart of the Mountain, award them 200 XP per each duergar they saved from a cruel death in Area 15, as well as the 3,900 XP per each cloaker. Once the adventurers finish this level, they should be half way to 10th-level, gods help the fools. A PREMATURE DEPARTURE The gates scattered about this level are still accessible to the party, while all paths by foot are sealed off (per Halaster's Game). If the party departs by one of these gates and is not back within the hour, they return to find all the duergar dead, their entrails draped throughout the Temple of Dumathoin and the halls smeared red with their blood. The invisible stalkers yet remain and continue to attack until the Heart of the Mountain is opened. Perhaps, if the party takes too long to return to the Lost Level, other adventuring parties make their way to this place and find themselves also trapped in the Mad Mage's infernal game. THE END OF HALASTER'S GAME Upon prevailing in their attempt to open the Heart of the Mountain, the adventurers, and the duergar (if any live) hear all steel gates being raised. The sound is like thunder, thunder so fierce it rattles the stones of the Temple of Dumathoin. While in transit to these exits, the invisible stalkers cease their attacks, though other dangers yet remain. THE SEND-OFF You can cap-off your session with either of the two narrations: one by you, or telepathically spoken by the Mad Mage himself. THE STANDARD SEND-OFF No good king rules forever, much to the lament of the Melairkyn dwarves. Their king, their hero, father, leader… He too, despite being larger than life, could only hope to lead one. Could they ever predict their fall? you wonder. Could they have ever foreseen Halaster Blackcloak laying claim to this mountain and turning what was once a beloved nation into a trove of monstrosities? THE HOST'S SEND-OFF The Mad Mage telepathically communicates this to the party. It's written to assume that they survived his game and opened the Heart of the Mountain. The Mad Mage whispers to you, his voice slick with sadism: "Fear does awful things to a man, and the worst venom of all is the fear of the unknown. More's to come. More of my games—but you know that. Half the multiverse knows that. To them, I say 'tune in next week to see The Castle of Maddgoth,' but to you, all I say is 'good luck.'"
32 LEVEL VII: MADDGOTH'S CASTLE "A while back, I crafted this castle for guests. Spared no expense, either. Stained glass, adamantine hinges—the works. Then… Then I found out guests are overrated. Whatever vagrants huddling here now have my blessing." – the Mad Mage QUICK NOTES • This level is entirely optional and quite a let-down. The variant Maddgoth's Dance has been written to bring life to an empty chapter of DotMM. • Maddgoth's Castle has no bearing on the party's advancement unless you contrive a reason to prove otherwise. You can contrive it that Otto the faerie dragon has hidden the tunnel to Level 8 with illusion magic, thus forcing the party to investigate the castle. • The stone giants have nothing to do with the castle's inhabitants, except other than being a target of Otto's tomfoolery. • Neither Otto the faerie dragon or Maddgoth's homunculus can speak. The giants only speak Giant. • Stone giants value artistry and graceful athleticism over violence and treasure. The endeavors of this family are to carve out both a breathtaking home and a prosperous life. Unfortunately for them, they chose to dwell in Undermountain. • Maddgoth's castle is a source of great wealth for wizard characters: spellbooks galore can be found in Area 25, which the character can copy. • The themes of this supplement are tragedy (concerning the stone giants) and dread (concerning the arrival of Maddgoth and all that follows). Use them to color an otherwise lifeless level. • A character that falls from Maddgoth's castle takes 20d6 bludgeoning damage! MADDGOTH'S DANCE Without the infamous serial killer, Level 7 is just a disjointed level of amnesiac giants and one jackass of a faerie dragon. Where's the pop? The excitement? To liven up this level, this supplement has written in Maddgoth himself, whose return to the castle occurs half-way through the adventurers' time there. Unlike in the "Aftermath" section of DotMM, Maddgoth arrives while the party is here in their first foray to the castle—and not without ample foreshadowing to leave the players shaking. When Maddgoth arrives (as an NE archmage), it's with a human mage by the named of Khodnar in tow. Little does Khodnar know that Maddgoth will teach him the lesson of death rather than the secrets of lichdom. The adventurers' presence confounds Maddgoth, who, despite his great intellect and greater power, is incredibly fixated in his methodology. He isn't used to bystanders and is now struggling to go through his usual song-and-dance. To merely fireball the adventurers lacks tact, however, and so Maddgoth resorts to the role of a gracious host—and plans to eliminate each of his guests, preferably in one sweeping stroke. Maddgoth's first order of business is to reclaim his helm from the magic mirror in Area 25B, rendering him impervious to damage while in the castle. If another character already possesses the helm, the archmage stops at nothing to reclaim it: first trying subtlety, then relying on the nycaloths of Area 44. Areas denoted with Maddgoth's Dance are written as variants you can use at your discretion. Otherwise ignore them. ROLEPLAYING MADDGOTH Serial killers fall into one of two categories: disorganized and organized. Maddgoth absolutely belongs to the archetypal charming, cunning organized killer. He plans to such detail it can well be considered a fault; if he has the slightest inkling something is wrong, he abandons his current plot. Maddgoth balances his ambition and bloodlust with a healthy degree of caution, always falling back and falling back until the game is one swift ploy from being won. You'll want to play Maddgoth off as charming, if not a little strange. His gaze lingers just a little too long. His curiosity seems a little too piqued. If there's one feeling the adventurers should get, it's "eerie." On the Mad Mage. If asked, Maddgoth claims to have great respect for Halaster Blackcloak. This is a lie; not only does Maddgoth despise Halaster, he intends to one day grow powerful enough to kill the Mad Mage. Repeatedly—for Maddgoth knows that Halaster cannot die but will be reborn again and again. To kill the greatest mage of this world over and over again—that is Maddgoth's sweetest dream. On the Players. Maddgoth is less repulsed at the adventurers' intrusion and giddier at the prospect of having either an audience or new victims. If one or more of the arcane spellcasters are one the "promising" targets of his, he takes great interest in them. See Area 36 for more details; Maddgoth may have a dossier detailing one of these characters.
33 On Khodnar. On his guest, Maddgoth claims to be an admirer of his work. If he feels that the party won't attack him over it, he'll reveal that he and Khodnar plan to research the secrets to lichdom together. This is, of course, a lie. Khodnar's soul is due for the Nine Hells by first light. On Undermountain. "This place is as good as any," Maddgoth will admit, with a shrug. He readily tells anyone who asks that he commandeered this castle years ago (many, many years ago). He considers the Mad Mage's silence consent to his presence, though the two have never crossed paths. Perhaps the party will wonder, "why?" MADDGOTH'S TACTICS Wizards aren't into direct combat. The best battle for a wizard is one where he's two miles away with a vial of his target's blood. Alas, Maddgoth will be surprised to find guests in his humble abode, robbing him of the advantage of preparation. Facing Maddgoth, an archmage, is still no trivial fight. Maddgoth's Helm. Removing Maddgoth's helm (see Appendix A) is paramount to fighting the archmage, for so long as he wears it, he is immune to harm. While Maddgoth is grappled, a character can attempt a DC 16 Strength saving throw to remove the helm. During the struggle, they feel Maddgoth's immense will bearing down on them, a force of pure rage and ego. Maddgoth's Backup. Maddgoth never goes anywhere without his homunculus as muscle. If necessary, he'll release the gray slaad from Area 33, order it to remain invisible, and guard him from harm. Likewise, he can release the nycaloths from Area 44, ordering them to remain invisible as well. Tactics. A veteran of magical combat, Maddgoth seamlessly relies on the following tactics in a scrape: • Before ever entering combat, Maddgoth casts mage armor and mind blank upon himself. • When faced with a powerful, single target, Maddgoth casts banishment. Due to his horned ring, he can bypass Undermountain's restrictions on magic, defenestrating a foe's dumb ass from this plane of existence. • When below half health or when he fears his life is in danger, Maddgoth casts teleport to escape. ROLEPLAYING KHODNAR Khodnar, a LN mage, is surprisingly friendly. He's in a good mood, since Maddgoth has promised to research the secrets of lichdom with him. He never suspects Maddgoth's true intention until it's too late. Khodnar's Will to Live. Once the mage realizes that his host intends to murder the guests, Khodnar sides with the party and does his best to escape with them. He isn't prepared to give up his life for strangers, however, and can be deluded by Maddgoth into believing he'll be safe— that it was only these "trespassers" that are to be "punished." THE DANCE Maddgoth's Dance unfolds across three acts: I. A JOURNEY WELL-FINISHED Half-way through their venture into the castle (assuming the party goes at all), Maddgoth returns with Khodnar, his guest, in tow. This should occur after the party finds Area 25, discovering the countless spellbooks the serial killer has taken from his victims. This is to breed tension and fear amongst the adventurers. Maddgoth arrives in the courtyard (Area 23), teleporting in with Khodnar. His priority, especially after learning that there are intruders, is to recover his helm from Area 25B, so as to be impervious to all damage while in the castle. If Otto the faerie dragon is yet alive, it tries to flee from Maddgoth and may assist the party later. Alternatively, if it catches Maddgoth's attention, the archmage brutally murders Otto with a magic missile straight through the drake's eyeball. II. THE GRACIOUS HOST Even if the party hides from Maddgoth, his homunculus betrays their presence by its telepathy. Upon facing the party, Maddgoth cracks a grin and insists they stay for dinner—and refuses to take "no" as an answer. "Dinner" quickly becomes "stay the night" as the serial killer tries to eliminate all targets, including Khodnar, by midnight. Before the Meal. After inviting them to dinner, Maddgoth gives the party an hour to "freshen up" while he prepares his insidious plot. He casts mind blank and mage armor upon himself and frees the gray slaad from Area 33 and goes to Area 45 to retrieve Midnight Tears poison. Thereafter, he can be found in Area 27B, the kitchen, guiding his living unseen servants as they prepare tonight's meal. While there, he poisons the wine with Midnight Tears, a terrible poison that takes effect at the stroke of midnight. See Area 27B, "Maddgoth's Dance." Dinner is Served. Once the meal is ready, Maddgoth brings his guests to the dining room, using his homunculus as muscle if necessary. During dinner, he plays with his food (the adventurers) by asking probing questions or suggesting feats of daring and high-stakes wagers. If he couldn't poison their food earlier, Maddgoth casts time stop to drop a dose into their meals. See Area 27, "Maddgoth's Dance" for more details. After-Dinner Entertainment. Assuming his guests consume the poison, Maddgoth suggests watching an "operatic illusion." It's the highlights reel of his scarlet career. See Area 46 for details.
34 III. ETERNAL SLEEP After dinner, Maddgoth invites the party to stay the night in the castle. He sends his living unseen servants to prepare the guest rooms (Areas 29-32). If the party refuses, he pretends to not be bothered—but immediately excuses himself to Area 37, the Console, wherein he locks down the castle. See Area 37, "Button 4" for details on the lockdown. If they do agree to stay, Maddgoth bides his time until midnight. The Midnight Tears poison is actually a sort of insurance and precaution. The serial killer would much rather murder any arcane spellcasters in a duel and leave the mundane adventurers to die to the poison. He'll even go so far as to wake any sleeping spellcasters before midnight. No one else is worth his time nor attention. Midnight Tears. If the poison is gone, Maddgoth relies on splitting the party, and using his minions (see "Maddgoth's Backup above) to distract them. THE STONE GIANTS This level's factions suffer from a disconnect. What occurs in Maddgoth's Castle has nothing to do with the stone giants and vice versa. Assuming the adventurers don't murder the giants on sight, their only contribution to Dungeon of the Mad Mage is to once again demonstrate how screwed up Halaster is. Without any tie-in to the castle, their only value to the players are as passerby— and that assumes that the adventurers actually speak Giant. The Language Barrier. It's really astounding that this entire level is stocked by creatures that don't speak Common or can't speak at all. If you'd like to hand-wave this language barrier, Halaster may have placed a spell on these caverns that converts all spoken speech into Giant. Characters speak aloud and hear that the words they intended are being instantly changed; therefore, they're aware that a spell is at work. When these characters hear Giant, it's mentally translated into the character's native tongue. This magic does not extend to Maddgoth's castle. MEET THE FAMILY The stone giant family numbers six in all, but we can add a seventh (see below) for the sake of narrative. Gravillok. The patriarch of the family can be parleyed with, but his first instinct is to treat the small folk as vermin and the second as invaders. See 6A. Speleosa. The mother of the family, the giantess tolerates no intruders. She offers violence at the first sight of the party. See Area 13B. Rhodos. Rhodos is curious and tolerates small folk. He doesn't initially mistake the adventurers as invaders. See Area 13A. Qurrok. His body like a temple, Qurrok spends his time training in Area 15 or searching the cavern floor of Area 16. He never shies away from a fight and has a boisterous, aggressive personality. Obsidia. Like her brother Rhodos, Obsidia is more inclined to listen to the party and only resorts to violence if attacked. See Area 13A. Xorta. This timid giantess longs to explore Undermountain but has been forbidden to by her parents. Music is her only refuge. See Area 10 for more details. THE SHADOW OF GHNORSH Under this supplement, a third son has been added to Level 7: Ghnorsh, who died to an adventuring party approximately a month ago. None of the giants can remember his existence but their hearts cry out in inexplicable pain. The family is trapped in this turmoil, doomed to relive it every 8 hours: the heartbreak, the confusion, the longing for something or someone they just can't name or put a face to. The adventurers can find Ghnorsh's rotting corpse in a caved-in cavern between Areas 9 and 13. Beside him are two crushed adventurer corpses. The cave-in has made the entrance too small for the giants and they've never cared enough to clear the rubble. If proof of his demise is shown to Speleosa, she makes a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, she breaks free from Halaster's magic and has her memories restored. She then promptly falls to despair over the death of her son and the magical amnesia forced on her family. Despite Halaster's magic, fragmented memories of Ghnorsh haunt the family. This shadow persists through every memory wipe and colors the giants' personalities, behavior, and desires. Gravillok. The patriarch of the stone giant family finds himself searching for something every day: a small, handheld mosaic carved by Ghnorsh for Gravillok when the giant was young. When the party finds him in Area 6, he isn't chiseling at the ceiling but turning over every stone in search for the mosaic. Speleosa. An image of another giant chases Speleosa no matter where she goes, but with no name to attach to him. Some days, she receives flashes from Ghnorsh's childhood or images of all her children together: five, not the four here. Alas, these memories are fleeting. While her mind forgets, her heart does not. Rhodos. Amongst the carvings on the ceiling of Area 13A lies one message, written in Giant: "Ghnorsh." Its presence torments Rhodos, who can't bring himself to chisel it away. Every day, he encounters the name and squirms under the turmoil it wreaks upon his guts and mind. Every so often, he's convinced it's a spell carved into the stone and that to erase it would invite great doom upon his family. Qurrok. Qurrok cannot erase "the pale man" from his mind: Maddgoth. On one return to the castle, the archmage lit up the castle via the Console (see Area 37) and took a walk amongst the Central Cavern. Qurrok believes (wrongly) that the "pale man" is the key to undoing the amnesia afflicting his family.
35 Additionally, his pet cave bears (Area 14) are struck with sorrow—for they alone remember Ghnorsh, and were his bears originally, in fact. Obsidia. Whenever Obsidia wakes, it's from the dream of her childhood: a childhood spent with a younger brother: Ghnorsh. She can never remember her dream, but it guides her fingers when clutching a chisel. Area 13 is decorated with carvings of this giant, often upon mountain peaks or below the earth. Xorta. Someone taught Xorta how to play her first chords. A novice she may be, but someone showed her the ropes: her older brother, Ghnorsh. Though Xorta knows not why, whenever she plays her flute, she weeps silently as some inexplicable sorrow washes over her. BREAKING THE AMNESIA If you or your players care at all about the stone giants' plight, you'll want to convince them that there's a way to break Halaster's spell. A character can make a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check to ascertain a solution: casting mind blank on the giants. The spell, however, belongs to the "eighth circle of magic" and only a powerful mage can cast the spell. Under this supplement, spell scrolls of mind blank have been added to Otto's Den (see Area 43). Yet not even an hour later, after the adventurers have freed the giants, they come across Halaster Blackcloak himself on foot, on his way to undo their efforts. He makes no effort to hide his intentions. If left unchallenged, the Mad Mage afflicts the giants with amnesia again. AREAS OF NOTE The following areas are of note: 1. UMBER SHELLS The air grows thick here, so far below the earth. There's a sour taste to it and a harsh pressure. You swallow, popping your ears. The cave floor is littered with molted carapaces, some larger than a suit of plate armor. In the distance, you hear the dull crash of thunder, echoing throughout the caverns… And even more dimly is the sound of upbeat, jubilant music. The "thunder" is the distant comings-and-goings of the stone giants. Foreshadowing! MADDGOTH'S DANCE When the party arrives, Halaster Blackcloak sends a cryptic, telepathic message. The Mad Mage has divined several of the possible futures and has foreseen Maddgoth's attempt to poison the party with Midnight Tears: an ingested poison that claims its victims at the stroke of midnight. Read the following: That loathsome voice squirms its way into your mind, the voice of the Mad Mage: "Do you hear it? The distant thunder? The footfalls? And that music… Slow, insidious. Venom wrapped in velvet. Go to it, my contestants. Go, and quickly, for night falls even here below the earth and when midnight tolls… It tolls for thee." The music Halaster refers to is the wand of conducting in Area 8 (which, per this supplement, is playing on its own). It's an intentional red herring that Halaster throws at the party. 3. STONE THRONE From a large jutting of jagged rock, a throne has been carved. Blue quartz crystals glitter from its sides. It's utterly massive. Just the idea of sitting upon that throne brings back old memories of you trying on your father's clothes as a young child. Upon the throne lies a tablet bearing a mosaic of a mountain split in twain beneath a blue sky. The mosaic on the tablet lying on the throne was carved by Ghnorsh (see The Shadow of Ghnorsh) long, long ago for Greatfather's Day, a giant holiday honoring one's father. It's a size of Small, weighs 50 lbs. and is worth 250 gp. A giant can hold it in its palm. Gravillok is grateful to any creature that brings him the mosaic or points out its location to him. Otto's Game. Whenever he gets the chance, the faerie dragon often hides the mosaic through illusion magic to screw with Gravillok. 4. SILT PIT You know, we just don't get enough environmental hazards in our dungeon delving these days. Quicksand. When a creature enters the area, it sinks 1d4+1 feet into the quicksand and becomes restrained. At the start of each of the creature's turns, it sinks another 1d4 feet. As long as the creature isn't completely submerged in quicksand, it can escape by using its action and succeeding on a Strength check. The DC is 10 plus the number of feet the creature has sunk into the quicksand. A creature that is completely submerged in quicksand can't breathe (see the suffocation rules in the Player's Handbook). A creature can pull another creature within its reach out of a quicksand pit by using its action and succeeding on a Strength check. The DC is 5 plus the number of feet the target creature has sunk into the quicksand.
36 6. CRAFT HALL Unfinished carvings, all abstract and all hauntingly beautiful, litter the cavern walls. The rap-rap-rap of a chisel echoes from deeper in the dark. If you're using The Shadow of Ghnorsh variant described in the "Stone Giants" section of this supplement, replace the chiseling with the heavy footfalls of Gravillok and the occasional clattering of stone. The giant is searching every nook and cranny for Ghnorsh's mosaic (see Area 3). He leaves, literally, no stone unturned. Roleplaying Gravillok. The giant's revulsion to small folk is blunted by his desperate search for "the mosaic." He's grateful to any creature that helps him find it, even vouching for them to the rest of the family, and thus allowing them safe transit through this realm… for now. In less than eight hours, he'll forget both the mosaic's location and his gratitude, making for a nasty surprise for the party that takes a long rest in these caverns. 7. SILT PIT See Area 4 for information on the quicksand. If a giant is nearby, they might rescue the sinking character out of pity, like how a human might save a dog from traffic. 8. STRANGE ROCK FORMATION The wand of conducting's cool. It's just cool. Have it already playing orchestral music when the adventurers arrive to Level 7. Until it's removed from the petrified basilisk, it continues on a loop. Your song of choice could be the theme song, if any, for Dungeon of the Mad Mage: Halaster's extraplanar program apparently broadcasted across the multi-verse for millions to enjoy. Choose whatever fits your campaign. Once removed, the music halts but the same song can be replicated. Halaster can also remotely activate it whenever he wishes, often using it to play music at the most inopportune of moments, namely if the party is attempting to hide from a foe. 10. XORTA'S FLUTE Halting music haunts the caverns, sometimes talented, but more often made by an obvious novice. As you approach, you see bats the size of dogs squirm up above. Guano occasionally falls like disparate rain. Lairing here is a giantess wielding a massive flute carved from stone. A character with a passive Perception of 14 or higher can hear sobbing as well as the music. Roleplaying Xorta. When the small folk arrive, Xorta treats them as a welcome distraction from her music. On any given day, she would be delighted to meet outsiders, for her heart yearns to explore Undermountain. While she would vouch for the party if her siblings confronted them, she's too timid to stand alone against her parents. The Shadow of Ghnorsh. While Xorta believes she wishes to explore Undermountain, truly her heart wishes to leave this place, to escape the shadow of Ghnorsh's death. Ghnorsh taught Xorta how to play music (though those lessons fell short with his untimely death). Her mind cannot remember Ghnorsh, but her heart does, and playing the flute only gets her weeping. 11. DISPOSAL CAVE The air is awash with the stink of filth and rot and death. 11A. FACES OF HALASTER The likeness of the Mad Mage is carved across the cavern walls. To count would be a waste of your time: they're innumerable. Is this just another manifestation of Halaster's ego, the blind devotion of a sycophant, or something… Something new? You're reminded of the old tales. Of primitive men that would put a face to their gods. 11B. SILT PIT See Area 4 for details on quicksand. If any character falls in, Xorta (see Area 10) may investigate their screams and can pluck the character out. 13. GIANTS' LIVING QUARTERS Here the adventurers meet the family's matriarch. 13A. OBSIDIA AND RHODOS You come across a most curious sight: two giants together, one standing on the other's shoulder. The giantess wields a chisel and is carving an abstract design into the ceiling. As you look about, you find dozens just like it, all across the cave. When the giants notice their visitors, they loudly ponder the adventurers' existence aloud and together. Assuming the adventurers can understand Giant (such as if you use the "Language Barrier" variant described in "The Stone Giants"), read the following: The giantess regards you with a puzzled look. "What by Stonebones' beard are these… tiny things?" The male giant, still bearing the other on his shoulders, says, "Why I've read about these creatures—" "You don't read," the giantess interrupts. "I read sometimes." "With what? We've no books." "I've… I've my means." "You mean you've got means to lie. Look at that fat tongue o' yours, bloated and all." The giantess squints at you again. "You there! Small folk! Doesn't my brother— Rhodos, stick out your tongue—doesn't my brother have a liar's tongue? Is it not bloated and silvery and all?"
37 If the adventurers don't understand or reply in Giant, the giants consider them to be of the same intelligence a human would assign to a dog. They then act accordingly, treating the adventurers as innocent animals to protect— until ordered by their parents to dispose of the "little mongrels." Roleplaying Obsidia. The shadow of Ghnorsh darkens Obsidia's dreams. Her mornings are spent absentmindedly carving images of this mysterious giant amongst her other designs in the area. They're often unfinished and overlooked by Rhodos. If confronted over it, she mumbles confusedly as the dreams come back to her. Tears then follow as she almost comprehends who and what the giant is. Roleplaying Rhodos. Each day, Rhodos looks over his previous work and finds "Ghnorsh" carved into the wall by his own hand. The name confuses him but seems familiar. He swishes it around his mouth like a piece of hard candy, often muttering it aloud as if it will one day become clear. 13B. GIANTS' HOME This cavern is furnished with the furs of slain beasts. Shallow pools of water are fed by the disparate rain filtered through the limestone above. A giantess sits cross-legged at the center of the cavern, polishing gemstones with a patch of bat fur. This is where the party should most expect violence, for Speleosa tolerates no intruders in her home. Any giant but Xorta is willing to defy her orders, however, possibly protecting the adventurers from harm—especially if the giants view them as pets. Roleplaying Speleosa. Somber and distant since the death of her son Ghnorsh, Speleosa has found herself in an inexplicable depression. Memories float out from the darkness, memories of better days she can't quite wholly grasp. Always is there a feeling of longing. When a particularly sharp memory thrusts itself into the foreground, she sometimes mumbles to herself things like "Put down the boulder!" and "No, no, mother's here." Sometimes Speleosa even hums lullabies. Whenever their memories reset, the other giants find themselves avoiding Speleosa, fearing that she may be mad. Otto's Game. Once the faerie dragon arrives to create mischief, read the following: A soft gust of wind flows throughout the cavern bringing with it the scent of freshly cut grass and lilacs—and on it rides a mischievous giggle. A few short words in a barbed language are then uttered, and where there was once stone, a forest now flourishes. The "barbed language" is Draconic, Otto's chosen language for verbal components of spells. The giants panic under the sudden change. Speleosa demands blood, whereas Obsidia or Rhodos may warn the characters to flee. 13. TREASURE ALCOVE The elemental gem of air found here summons an air elemental, the statistics of which are provided in Appendix B of this supplement. 14. CAVE BEAR DEN The air is foul with the sharp odor of scat and rotting flesh. In the distance something heavy and pawed makes its way across the cavern floor. Speaking with the Beasts. If speak with animals is cast, the bears here explain that a seventh giant, Ghnorsh, was slain some time ago (without a moon to guide them, the bears have no frame of reference for the passing of time). The "small men" came with iron and fire and cut him down, they say. They've since gravitated to Qurrok as their new master. 16. CENTRAL CAVERN The cavern spans far into the dark, far beyond what even the sharpest eye can see, or the brightest torch can reveal. Ledges hug the walls, giving way to a bowl-shaped canyon. Heavy steps fall like thunder in the distance. Roleplaying Qurrok. A memory of Maddgoth haunts Qurrok. As the giant searches the cavern floor for valuables, he finds himself sometimes muttering about the "pale man" (such as "Come out, come out pale man" and the like). His muttering echoes across the cavern. When he meets the party, he asks if they've met the pale man, and, if they say yes, Qurrok asks if he's brought back "the cure to this madness." Like every foray here, Qurrok has tried to scale the mithral spindle at the center of the cavern and been repulsed. Hoping the party knows anything about it, he quickly brings it up. He then spits in the spindle's general direction, condemning it. REACHING THE CASTLE As written, the front door to the castle (Area 17) is 80 feet off the ground. There's no ledge or step outside the door; it opens upon the empty air. Given the mithral spindle's repulsion field, flight is ostensibly necessary to reach the castle. Conventional methods like scaling, erecting a ladder, or throwing down a rope doesn't work—though it would be comedic to watch the adventurers try. Other methods may include: Teleportation. Spells like dimension door are now available to the party. A creature only shrinks when it enters or is inside the field of magic, so the distance of a teleportation spell remains unaffected. Hurled. Ever curious to what lies above the mithral spindle, Qurrok can be persuaded to hurl a character upwards. The creature begins to shrink, but the relative momentum is enough to carry them towards the door. If you want to leave this up to chance, a hurled character must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw to snatch at
38 the door's handle. On a failure, a creature hurtles back down to the cavern floor; Qurrok can make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to catch the falling character. "Pretty Please." The adventurers can appeal to Halaster who, of course, is watching. His arcane eye can be seen floating around the cavern. If they turn to him for aid, each character is spirited towards Area 17, and they watch with horror as the world grows in size around them. 17. MAIN ENTRANCE The entrance to this castle hangs on empty air. No stoop or ledge is there for a visitor to step foot upon. Nay, the fool that rushes out through this door will surely fall to his doom. What, you can't help but wonder, happens to the fool that rushes in? After a character opens the door, which is unlocked, an alarm spell is triggered; it's audible and sounds like a rung handbell. It lasts for 10 seconds and alerts both Otto and the homunculus that visitors are here. Read the following once the spell is triggered: You turn the knob, finding it unlocked. It opens upon a darkened hall made of—an alarm rings! A shrill bell rings throughout the halls—an alarm set off by your intrusion! Yet as it fades, and you crane your ear, you hear nothing. No movement, no guards. Nothing and no one at all... Once the adventurers enter the castle, Halaster Blackcloak speaks telepathically to them, shedding some light on the history of this castle: The voice of the Mad Mage worms its way into your mind, paying no heed to whatever barriers you've tried to erect against his various intrusions. "A while back, I crafted this castle for guests. Spared no expense, either. Stained glass, adamantine hinges—the works. Then… Then I found out guests are overrated. Whatever vagrants huddling here now have my blessing." 23. COURTYARD The courtyard yawns to the distant cavern ceiling above, furnished with gardens of glittering crystal. Commanding the center is a statue of a wizard. A wizard wearing a helm with blade-like fins. His spellbook lies open, arcane sigils engraved into stone. The plaque reads: MADDGOTH. MADDGOTH'S DANCE If you run Maddgoth's Dance, it's to this area that the NE archmage teleports to with Khodnar (LN mage) in tow. See "Master's Home" in "Special Events" for more details. 25. MADDGOTH'S STUDY Maddgoth's study represents, perhaps, the greatest source of wealth for a wizard character. If that wizard can harvest the tomes here, expect a trip to Skullport or the surface to purchase enough materials to copy over the spells found in these spellbooks. This location is also important to find before Maddgoth's return, for it evokes a sense of dread that will be capitalized on in Maddgoth's Dance. 25A. HOMUNCULUS LAIR Roleplaying the Homunculus. Roleplaying a character that can't speak can be challenging for your table, especially if it's virtual. You'll need to rely on hand gestures, crude drawings, body language, and narration ("the homunculus gives you a pensive stare") and the like. The homunculus is a ticking time bomb full of pent-up rage; rage that seeps into every interaction it has, every gesture, every glare. 25B. MADDGOTH'S STUDY The walls are decorated in hard-won trophies: wands, staves, rods carved in arcane runes and orbs that undoubtedly once held tremendous power. A lacquered desk sits nearby, and on closer inspection, you can see that it's made entirely of books engraved with sigils and other symbols of arcane study: spellbooks. This… This monument, for it can be called nothing else, radiates an air of malice. Of ego. Pride, and obsession. The trophies are beyond number and the magi that once owned them unknowable. Unknowable, except for by the scorch marks and acid burns and blood stains. If the desk and chair in Area 25B are smashed, twelve spellbooks can be recovered. Their contents have been predetermined for you below. Some spellbooks have a theme (such as "Conjurer" or "Necromancer") while others have little rhyme or reason to its spells, suggesting the wizard was scatterbrained or took the time to copy any spell they happened across. They're described below: A Guide to Amateur Illusionism. A retired adventurer published this guide, selling it to gullible apprentices around the world. Conjurer's Tome. An up-and-coming conjurer had been traversing the planes—and irritated Halaster in the process. The Mad Mage used his inscrutable ways to put the mage on Maddgoth's radar. The Diplomat's Best Friend. A young half-elf wizard by the name of Theodren belonged to the diplomatic corps of Silverymoon. Fancying himself an up-and-comer, he etched the tome's title into his spellbook. Poor bastard had great ambition. Epitaph of the Apparent Diviner. A court wizard that caught Maddgoth's attention is immortalized in the serial killer's note, written on the first page: "He never saw it comin,' poor bastard." Flintrinser's Tome. Belonging to a deep gnome traveler, Flintrinser was never an intended target of Maddgoth. It was only by happenstance that the serial killer found the gnome. Maddgoth shrugged and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
39 SALVAGED SPELLBOOKS Some spells found in these tomes cannot be found in the Player's Handbook but instead Xanathar's Guide to Everything and are therefore marked with "XGE" . A GUIDE TO AMATEUR ILLUSIONISM Level Spells 1st detect magic, disguise self, illusory script, magic missile CONJURER'S TOME Level Spells 1st find familiar, fog cloud, mage armor, shield 2nd cloud of daggers, dust devilXGE, misty step, web 3rd gaseous form, glyph of warding, summon lesser demonsXGE, tidal wave 4th banishment, conjure minor elementals, dimension door, Leomund's secret chest 5th dominate person, infernal callingXGE, planar binding, teleportation circle 6th arcane gate, Drawmij's instant summons, scatterXGE , wall of ice THE DIPLOMAT'S BEST FRIEND Level Spells 1st comprehend languages, disguise self, grease, shield 2nd gentle repose, invisibility, misty step, Nystul's magic aura FLINTRINSER'S TOME Level Spells 1st catapultXGE, color spray, feather fall, ice knifeXGE 2nd gust of wind, knock, see invisibility, shatter "HOW TO CHARM FOLKS AND INFLUENCE FOES" Level Spells 1st charm person, expeditious retreat, thunderwave, unseen servant 2nd crown of madness, hold person, magic mouth, mirror image 3rd clairvoyance, counterspell, dispel magic, slow 4th charm monster, confusion, fire shield, phantasmal killer 5th geas, hold monster, mislead, scrying 6th flesh to stone, mass suggestion, move earth, programmed illusion JALEN'S SPARE SPELLBOOK Level Spells 1st identify, sleep, shield, thunderwave 2nd alter self, darkvision, detect thoughts, knock 3rd flame arrowsXGE, major image, nondetection, sending 4th confusion, control water, ice storm, polymorph "IF FOUND PLEASE TELEPORT TO…" Level Spells 1st burning hands, mage armor, snareXGE, Tenser's floating disk 2nd enlarge/reduce, flaming sphere, hold person, levitate MEMOIR OF THE APPARENT DIVINER Level Spells 1st detect magic, identify, magic missile, sleep 2nd blur, detect thoughts, locate object, mind spikeXGE 3rd clairvoyance, dispel magic, fly, tongues 4th arcane eye, locate creature, polymorph, wall of fire NOVICES NOTES Level Spells 1st mage armor, sleep, silent image, ray of sickness PAGES OF ANGUISH Level Spells 1st color spray, false life, find familiar, fog cloud 2nd misty step, rope trick, ray of enfeeblement, skywriteXGE 3rd gaseous form, remove curse, sending, tongues 4th Evard's black tentacles, fabricate, Mordenkainen's faithful hound, polymorph 5th control winds, dream, geas, hold monster TOME OF FLESH Level Spells 1st false life, protection from evil and good, ray of sickness, witch bolt 2nd arcane lock, blindness/deafness, hold person, magic mouth 3rd animate dead, fear, feign death, hypnotic pattern 4th arcane eye, blight, locate creature, stone shape 5th cloudkill, danse macabreXGE, modify memory, scrying 6th create undead, circle of death, eyebite, guards and wards VISTANA'S SPELL TOME Level Spells 1st disguise self, jump, mage armor, protection from evil and good 2nd darkness, gust of wind, invisibility, see invisibility 3rd bestow curse, dispel magic, protection from energy, remove curse 4th charm monster, control water, hallucinatory terrain, stoneskin
40 "How to Charm Folks & Influence Foes." This incomplete guide was started by a mage by the name of Felix Brittle. He fancied himself to be a powerful enchanter—until Maddgoth snuffed his flame out. The first half of the spellbook are actual tips on influencing others with and without magic: everything from body language to "tricks" to help produce more powerful spells. "If Found Please Teleport to…" This spellbook has no name in it and its cover has been torn off but can be identified as a standard blank tome handed out to the students of a local mage's university. Careful analysis of the sigils and a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that the teleportation address is to somewhere in Waterdeep, likely one of the lesser known mage colleges. Jalen's Spare Spellbook. This spellbook, written by a halfling wizard, has traveled the world, being passed from individual to individual. At one time a half-orc used it to block a crossbow bolt, leaving a gaping hole in its cover and the first third of its pages. By incredible serendipity, it found its way back to Jalen (a tale scrawled in the back of the tome) just in time for Maddgoth to find and murder him. Novice's Notes. These scorched notes belonged to Maddgoth's earliest victim: an elven maiden by the name of Salandre. Maddgoth lectured at her university long, long ago and, after months of careful planning and rehearsal, Maddgoth finally made his first true kill. Pages of Anguish. This spellbook belonged to a tiefling by the name of Anguish. By the end of it all, the poor fool truly earned that name—at the hands of Maddgoth himself. The pages are water-stained, suggesting Maddgoth froze the fool to death. Tome of Flesh. This tome, made of stitched-together flesh, belonged to a necromancer by the name of Andal the Sideswept. It details his ambitions for lichdom, the names of his victims, many of whom were raised into minions afterward or whose souls were consumed in Sideswept's dark magic. Vistana's Spell Tome. A Vistana, one of the traveling gypsy folk, emerged from fabled Barovia long ago before falling to Maddgoth's cloud of daggers spell. The tome is nicked, and its cover is slashed, rendering the first third of the tome illegible. 27. DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN This area represents Act II of Maddgoth's Dance. MADDGOTH'S DANCE: BEFORE THE MEAL After acquainting himself with his guests, Maddgoth retrieves the Midnight Tears from Area 45. He then instructs his living unseen servants to begin dinner: roast pork with lemon gremolata, paired with wine brewed from cave fisher blood (see Volo's Guide to Monsters for cave fisher lore; a DC 14 Intelligence (History) check reveals that the creature's blood is highly alcoholic and is used for spirits; dwarves know this automatically). In Area 27B, Maddgoth poisons the wine in an unconventional method. Rather than uncorking a vial and dripping it into the meal like some sort of two-bit villain, Maddgoth instead teleports the contents of the vial into the wine bottle. He later makes a big show of uncorking the wine in front of the adventurers during dinner to put to rest any suspicion. This magic costs him a 2nd-level spell slot. Thereafter, the wine bottle reeks of conjuration magic if scrutinized under a spell of detect magic. If the adventurers enter the kitchen while he's there, Maddgoth holds back from poisoning the wine. Characters can sense that the archmage is frustrated with a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Insight) check. As a lastditch effort, especially if he's under observation, Maddgoth casts time stop to poison the wine without the characters' awareness—after leaving the kitchen so they don't see him using the somatic and verbal components of the spell. Plan B. If the wine can't be poisoned, Maddgoth's plan continues without the assurance of an easy kill at midnight. He settles for tackling the adventurers with his minions and magic instead. MADDGOTH'S DANCE: DINNER IS SERVED With his guests convened for dinner, Maddgoth begins to revel in this newfound opportunity. So rarely has he ever been presented with such a delicious challenge—and with a priggish air, he's stepping up to the plate. With living unseen servants acting as waiters, Maddgoth stations his homunculus in the room as a precaution. If the gray slaad from Area 33 is still alive, it's here either invisible or in the form of Zartem, the old man. If Maddgoth does not have his magical helm (see Area 25B), he also stations the two nycaloths from Area 44 in here as well. The fiends remain invisible until a conflict breaks out, but the adventurers might detect their presence before that. The killer wants to wine and dine his guests, to see what makes them tick, to persuade them into acts or admissions they'd never consider before. He's effectively playing with his food. A Toast! As described above, Maddgoth has attempted to poison the wine by teleporting the Midnight Tears poison into it. He then makes a big show of uncorking the wine (brewed from cave fisher blood) so as to quash any suspicion. After all glasses are filled, he proposes a toast ("To the serendipity of our crossing! Might this night bloom into eternal friendship forevermore!"). Any creature that drinks their wine ingests the poison, the effects of which are described below. Maddgoth relies on either his magical helm or the antidote to avoid the poison's effects. Creatures notice no immediate effects.
41 Midnight Tears. A creature that ingests this poison suffers no effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 9d6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. 29-32. GUEST ROOMS Each room's bed can comfortably fit two guests. Ship in a Bottle. Found in Area 30, this knick-knack was once a fully manned longship. Halaster, determined to furnish the castle, answered the prayers of the crew when they were lost at sea. He offered to "bottle" them up and bring them "home." They never could've guessed what the Mad Mage actually meant. A legend lore spell cast on the bottle reveals this. A DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check is necessary for a character to realize that there are tiny bones littering the ship; the crew starved to death. Charred Victim. If a spell of speak with dead is cast upon the charred skeleton found in Area 31, he reveals himself to be a mage and poet by the name of Robert Hellfrost who was lured to this castle by Maddgoth. Maddgoth promised to take him on as an apprentice, mighty as Robert already was. He awoke to Maddgoth splashing oil on him and his bed and then setting it aflame with a burning hands spell. Brass Hookah. The brass hookah found in Area 32 is treasured by Maddgoth; he likes to smoke with a guest the night before he murders them. He often then sleeps in the bed they were going to take, bringing the hookah there. Sufficient pipeweed can be found in a case next to the hookah. A DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the spots on the brass are scorch marks. MADDGOTH'S DANCE If the adventurers stay the night, they find themselves split across the four guest rooms (Area 31's corpse has been removed by then and the room cleaned). Fearing that his first victim will be a screamer or alert their fellows by magic, Maddgoth stations his minions outside the other rooms (the gray slaad and the two nycaloths). His homunculus roams around the hall, ready to lend its strength where its necessary. It can communicate with Maddgoth via its Telepathic Bond feature. Once all forces are ready, he attacks. Maddgoth has the antidote on his person. 33. SLAAD IN THE OCTOBASS A massive octobass dominates this chamber—and in it squirms something. A small hole has been made in the instrument, and from it peers the face of an old man. "You there! Help me, for the love of all gods, help me!" the old man shouts, "Free me, before Maddgoth wakes!" MADDGOTH'S DANCE You have a few options on how to run this encounter. It would be more beneficial to Maddgoth's Dance if "Zartem" didn't attack the adventurers, thus preserving his life until the slaad is needed as extra muscle for the archmage. Alternatively, it attacks the adventurers and flees when wounded, relying on its Regeneration trait to heal its wounds. The slaad hits-and-runs until Maddgoth arrives. Civility. If "Zartem" holds back, it instead tries to score sympathy with the adventurers. It's forbidden to leave the castle by Maddgoth (who has its control gem). It'll make a show of reaching the main entrance of the castle and casting fly on itself and leaving the party's field of view before going to the roof (A47). Another Guest. If "Zartem" doesn't leave the castle, Maddgoth returns in time to invite the adventurers to stay for dinner. Zartem then becomes yet another guest but is ready to aid Maddgoth in a moment's notice. When it makes its first attack, the disguise sheds, revealing its true appearance and nature. The adventurers will learn again why they ought not trust anyone. Adjust Maddgoth's Dance accordingly to account for this additional guest. However, as the creature lacks immunity or even resistance to poison damage, it's loathe to drink the poisoned wine (see Area 27). Unfortunately, it must obey Maddgoth's command and roll the dice later. Characters can notice that "Zartem" is troubled or upset with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check after the wine is poured and during Maddgoth's toast. 34. MADDGOTH'S SUITE From behind this door, emblazoned with a stained glass "M," floats heavy snoring. Perhaps the lord of this castle? 34A. MASTER BEDROOM No dust can be found in this room. Not on the massive Dragonchess set nearby. Not on any of the six portraits of a portly, smiling wizard. Not on the four-poster bed—the one in which a hefty figure lies snoring. Wands. Statistics for the flying swords have been prepared (see "flying wands of magic missile" in Appendix B). If they're activated, read the following: The portraits suddenly change: smiles turn to scowls as the wands clutched by that wizard spring into existence, floating through the bedchamber. With a flick of its wrist, each portrait causes the wands to unleash a barrage of magic missiles! 36. RECORDS If you have any arcane spellcasters in your party, or your players have retired any from previous campaigns, you can take the time to flatter them by having a detailed dossier, written by Maddgoth, marking that spellcaster as a "promising" target.
42 37. CONSOLE This otherwise unremarkable chamber sports a strange console. Three brass levers protrude from its side, the outer two in the up-position, and the middle lies down. Five brass buttons set into the dash just beg to be pushed. MADDGOTH'S DANCE The console can be utilized in various ways: The Gracious Host. If the adventurers accept his dinner proposal, Maddgoth turns on the interior lights (middle lever) and plays music (Button 1). Choose your favored orchestral music, playing it for your table. Eternal Sleep. If the adventurers try to escape Maddgoth's castle, such as by refusing his invitation to stay or by sneaking out in the middle of the night, Maddgoth or one of his minions locks down the castle (via Button 4). He then floods the castle with fog (Button 3). If he needs to confront the party head on, he has Button 2 pressed, teleporting all creatures (including his minions) to the roof, Area 47. The Stone Giants. This level suffers from a disconnect between its factions. What occurs in the castle has little effect on the giants and vice versa. Here's a simple fix to bring them into the climax: with the interior lights on, the giants can now see the castle. Qurrok in particular wants to investigate it but finds himself repulsed by the mithral spindle. He then resorts to the traditional stone giant solution: hurling rocks. Qurrok hurls boulders at the castle; even with the shrinking magic, the momentum is not lost, and the boulder deals its usual damage (see Area 47 for more details). While the castle is impervious to damage, this siege has the added benefit of distracting the residents, including Maddgoth if you run Maddgoth's Dance. The adventurers may be able to seize on this opportunity to escape or snatch the antidote. 43. OTTO'S DEN See Area 25A for roleplaying the homunculus. BREAKING THE AMNESIA As described under "The Stone Giants" above, there may exist a solution to their amnesia. If you decide one exists, it's here in the form of five spell scrolls of mind blank. Bards and wizards can use these scrolls to break Halaster's magic. If the character cannot normally cast 8th-level spells, then they must make a DC 18 ability check using their spellcasting ability, otherwise the spell fails. Alas, there are only five scrolls and six giants. Which one will they choose to live a life cursed with amnesia? Which other five will be condemned to caring for that fool for the rest of their lives? 44. WIZARD'S ARMORY A window to this chamber has been made: one of the door's glass panes have been punched through, allowing you a peek inside. Two bats flutter about in the gloom. A framed scroll sits behind a pane of glass, the plaque of which reads "Break glass in case of emergency." If released, these fiends can turn the castle into a nightmare. Nycaloths are infamous for striking from the shadows then teleporting away before their foes have a chance to retaliate. A pair can wreak havoc on the party, engaging in a deadly hit-and-run. Roleplaying the Nycaloths. Nycaloths are the most loyal of their kind, and these two are no different. Yzig and Gorzog not only respect Maddgoth, but enjoy his employment. They especially enjoy his operatic illusions whenever he visits, each detailing his newest kill. As ageless creatures, the nycaloths have an overabundance of patience and can weather the monotony of this room for eons to come. MADDGOTH'S DANCE Maddgoth relies on the fiends for various purposes: Retrieving the Helm. If his helm has been taken, he releases the fiends to steal it back, who utilize their teleportation magic to come in, rip off the helm, and teleport away. Eternal Sleep. If Maddgoth's Dance progresses to Act III, the archmage releases the nycaloths and positions them outside the guest rooms to attack intervening characters. Rooftop Battle. If necessary, Maddgoth uses the Console in Area 37 to teleport all creatures to the rooftop, which includes the nycaloths. 45. ALCHEMIST'S LABORATORY The laboratory is a scattered mess. Alchemical equipment teeters atop their tables, threatening to crash and fall. The slightest wind could turn this place into a glass orchestra. MADDGOTH'S DANCE: BEFORE THE MEAL Amongst the cluttered equipment, a small, velvet-lined wooden case holds a vial of Midnight Tears, a powerful poison whose effects are described below. The antidote is included as well in the form of a smaller vial. Maddgoth intends to use this poison to eliminate the adventurers during dinner. Both vials are enough to poison and cure five creatures. Maddgoth uses locate object to find the case. A character that spends ten minutes searching through the cluttered library can make a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the box, which is underneath the refuse strewn across the floor. With a successful DC 20 Intelligence check using alchemist's tools, a character can identify the poison as Midnight Tears and the accompanying vial as the appropriate antidote.
43 Midnight Tears. A creature that ingests this poison suffers no effect until the stroke of midnight. If the poison has not been neutralized before then, the creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 9d6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Plan B. If the poison is gone, Maddgoth's plan continues without the assurance of an easy kill at midnight. He settles for tackling the adventurers with his minions and magic instead. 46. MADDGOTH'S THRONE A monstrous throne of iron and stained glass commands this chamber, its clawed armrests groping out for some unseen prize. Laid before that throne is a rug—fifteen feet in diameter—bearing the image of a large gaping maw. MADDGOTH'S DANCE: AFTER DINNER The killer wants his cake and to eat it too. It's not enough to just strike at midnight; Maddgoth wants to send his guests off to bed drenched in dread. So, after dinner is served, Maddgoth invites the party to join him for some after-dinner entertainment. Khodnar conveniently retires for the evening, exhausted from travel, and thus sparing him from the knowledge that his host is a serial killer. Assuming the party joins him, Maddgoth sits atop his throne and weaves an operatic illusion—a highlights reel of his career as a killer of magi. After every image fades, Halaster Blackcloak's visage flashes across the illusion, so fast to be almost imperceptible, suggesting that Maddgoth's ultimate target is the Mad Mage. Maddgoth's Backup. Maddgoth enters the room with his homunculus in-tow. The gray slaad stands invisibly in a corner, ready to defend its master. If attacked without his helm on, Maddgoth casts misty step to escape while his minions guard his retreat. He then goes to Area 44 to free the nycaloths. Confrontation. If confronted on these kills, Maddgoth assures the party that they all had it coming—he paints himself as the victim faced with countless adversaries. Read the following: Smiling from his throne, Maddgoth tells you, "Power, you see, is a ladder. Every rung can only be climbed over the corpse of a rival. I never sought out conflict. Conflict sought me out. My rivals and I… came to an impasse. They grew without my consent. And like a gardener encountering weeds, I laid my shears to the green and…" Maddgoth makes a cutting gesture. If the adventurers remain passive, Maddgoth finishes his operatic illusion and invites the party to stay the night. If they refuse, he acquiesces—but secretly goes to Area 37 to shut down the castle (see the Console sidebar). 47. ROOF AND BATTLEMENTS The cavern ceiling yawns above, an impenetrable darkness that, seemingly, stretches on forever—like the ocean on a moonless night. MADDGOTH'S DANCE If necessary, Maddgoth himself or a minion presses the button on the Console (see Area 37) to teleport all creaturesto the roof. This includes his minions. Maddgoth makes this the stage of his last attempt to kill the adventurers. The Stone Giants. As described in Area 37, turning the castle's interior lights on allows the giants to see the castle. Qurrok, after failing to scale the mithral spindle, resorts to his favored solution: hurling rocks. He throws boulders at the castle, which are shrunk by the spindle's magic. The momentum, however, is not lost, and the boulder deals its normal damage (using the stone giant's Rock attack). The attack, however, is made with disadvantage. While wearing his helm, if Maddgoth is struck and fails his Strength saving throw, he's impervious to the damage but is pinned underneath the boulder until the start of his next turn. This gives the adventurers an opportunity to rip off his helm or snatch the antidote. SPECIAL EVENTS You can run any of the following events on this level, and should, for otherwise, the level is quite bereft of content. MASTER'S HOME The castle shudders with an unseen force. Soft thunder echoes out from the heart of the courtyard and a pale brilliance lights up the halls for just a moment. Someone's come to the castle. Its master, perhaps? The timing of this event is up to your discretion. Ideally, it occurs as the party is either cornered by Otto or vice versa; or after a short or long rest, and only after they've discovered the following areas Areas 25B, 31 and 46, for each foreshadow Maddgoth and his murderous ways: Maddgoth's return instantly turns on all the interior lights in the castle, if they aren't on already, as if the middle lever of the Console (Area 37) was pulled. The homunculus cracks a grin and literally jumps with joy; Otto cowers in fear like a child whose mother is about to discover the mess he made. Maddgoth and Khodnar loudly discuss their evening plans. If he sees signs of intruders, Maddgoth does not let his surprise show and acts with an air of confidence. The archmage's first order of business is retrieving his helm from Area 25B (see Maddgoth's helm in Appendix A) and then gets his house in order.
44 THE GENTLEMEN BASTARDS PASS THROUGH An adventuring party passes through Level 7 by means of the tunnels leading to the Expanded Dungeon. This encounter foreshadows an event written into the next chapter of the Companion, in which the very same party has been captured by the Ssethian Scourges and the Blacktongue bullywug tribe of Level 8. The adventurers call themselves "The Gentlemen Bastards." They've braved many parts of Undermountain, encountering strange and perilous places outside the players' usual route. They have no interest in exploring Maddgoth's castle or taking on additional members (out of a well-earned fear of theft or betrayal). They likewise have no interest in fighting the stone giants, lest they be flattened like pancakes. Their only goal is to reach the next level of Undermountain, hoping for more riches. Despite their wishes, the Gentlemen Bastards run afoul of the stone giants. The players might intervene, otherwise they're forced to kill Gravillok. When they encounter the players, they treat them cordially all while trying to find their exit. The Bastards have been burned before by other adventurers and try to avoid them. Eventually, the Bastards conveniently find a path while "off-screen" by using the Expanded Dungeon tunnels. Thus, the players can't piggyback off their success. The Gentlemen Bastards are detailed below; their statistics are included in Appendix B. Ultimately, they are a cautious folk that never enter into a fight they aren't sure of winning. They're largely neutral and self-serving. They aren't without compassion or civility, however. Grel Momesk. A LN human champion, Grel seeks the riches necessary to lift his family out of poverty. He leads the Bastards, often to his own peril. The Bastards, for their part, tolerate his occasional mistakes and fragile temperament. Jocelyn of Daggerford. A NE human warlock of the archfey, Jocelyn serves the Queen of Air and Darkness. Hers is a quest to discover "the secrets" of Undermountain (namely, the Knot in the Weave, described in DotMM's Overview chapter). She was once a member of the Fine Fellows of Daggerford (see L2) but was kicked out for being too "unsettling." Perlos. A NE halfling assassin, Perlos is a wanted man in Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and Neverwinter. The name attached to his various crimes varies. He joined up with the Bastards to escape his life of contract killing in the hope of retiring to the countryside a rich man. At night, he's haunted by those he's slain for coin. Ilinar. Devoted to the elven god of war, Shevarash, this NG moon elf war priest is a veteran of several conflicts. After years of serving in the Waterdeep City Guard, he found employment as a mercenary. He eventually gave that up too before finally setting out as an adventurer. Ilinar is crass and impatient. His holy symbol bears a broken arrow over a single teardrop. EPILOGUE Once the adventurers finish this level, they should ascend to 10th-level, gods help your campaign. Use either of the two narrations to cap-off your session; both assume Maddgoth's Dance was run and that the archmage survived. Maddgoth's Dance. If you ran Maddgoth's Dance and the archmage survived, he finds himself not filled with rage or slighted by the adventurers' audacity but instead curious. More curious than he's ever been—especially if one of the surviving characters was an arcane spellcaster. Once the intruders leave his castle, Maddgoth returns to his records room (Area 36) to write or update the dossier detailing this up-and-coming spellcaster. The serial killer resolves to keep a close eye on his new target, determined to meet them again one day without the protection of their peers. STANDARD SEND-OFF Truth can be stranger than fiction and the tale you could tell would be regarded as fantasy. A castle well-below the earth, cocooned in shrinking magic. A hefty wizard who has stalked and slain countless magi. Giants cursed with amnesia and tortured by one jackass of a faerie dragon. Gods above, there's no tavern on this earth you can tell this tale in and still earn a coin. No bard would ever share this tale, and no listener would ever believe it. All in all, it's just another day in the dungeon of the Mad Mage. THE HOST'S SEND-OFF The Mad Mage again, his voice dancing inside your heads. You can hear the sneer on his lips: "Guests, as I said, are overrated. Only a fool deigns to play host, just as only a fool dares to enter a lord's sanctum of power. Our contestants tonight were hardly the first to find themselves facing Maddgoth. Maddgoth, whose kills are innumerable, whose hunger can never be satisfied. They were hardly the first but are surely one of the first to leave this castle alive. How often now have they danced away from the brink of death? How many more times can they prevail in the face of adversity? "Find out next week on Dungeon of the Mad Mage as these poor fools plod through the squalor and muck and brine of Slitherswamp." Additionally, after Halaster ends tonight's "show" he then contacts the adventurers once more to admit to the adventurers that he too is a target of Maddgoth. Read the following: After a brief moment, the Mad Mage's voice comes to you again. "Yeah, that guy's been trying to get me into that castle for years. Thinks I don't know what he does with other wizards. Sheesh. Some folks, right?"
45 LEVEL VIII: SLITHERSWAMP Slitherswamp is an exploratory level with immense potential as a narrative-driven chapter if we can achieve one, if not both, of the following events, described below. Do everything short of railroading your players to set these events in motion because, otherwise, the adventurers might as well pass through this level for the next, albeit without its experience or loot. Out from Under the Rod involves the adventurers falling prey to the nagas' rod of rulership. If they all succeed on their saving throw and escape, the event ceases unless the naga succeed on the next attempt. The Blacktongue Breakout involves the party being rounded up by the bullywugs. Kuketh, the death slaad overlord is joined by a blue slaad servant which will infect prisoners with chaos phage, potentially turning the adventurers into red slaadi. Kuketh hopes to use these new brethren to defeat the Ssethian Scourges. QUICK NOTES • Something's amiss with the rod of rulership. If it can only be used each dawn and its effects are magically increased to 12 hours (up from 8) when in the hands of the nagas, then the only possible explanation is that both must be alive to increase the duration to 24 hours. Thus, if one is slain, the remaining naga struggles to hold onto its thralls at least until its brother is reborn 1d6 days later. • The northern half of Slitherswamp is bullywug territory; the west lies unclaimed; and the south is dominated by the Ssethian Scourges. • A gate back to L6 can be found in A3. This is noteworthy because the party can take a gate on L6 to L2 and quickly get out of the dungeon—giving them a fighting chance of curing their chaos phage if infected in The Blacktongue Breakout event. • Kuketh's seat of power is Area 19, the Yuan-ti Temple. He can be placed there or his private sanctum of Area 21. • You can run both Out from Under the Rod and The Blacktongue Breakout simply by changing gears. If the party is captured by bullywugs while charmed by the rod of rulership, the enchantment wears off in Act II of BB. If the party completes BB, they may still be enthralled by the nagas. THE GENTLEMEN BASTARDS Added by the Companion in both Halaster's Game and Level 7: Maddgoth's Castle, the Bastards are an adventuring party that the players may already be familiar with. They're utilized for both events of this chapter. If they were already slain for some reason in your campaign, adjust accordingly. The Bastards' leader, Grel Momesk, is featured in the Out from Under the Rod event. The remaining three are captives of the bullywugs and are met during The Blacktongue Breakout event. The Bastards. The Gentlemen Bastards are cautious opportunists who only enter fights they're sure they'll win. While Grel Momesk and Ilinar are alive, the Bastards tend to lean towards NG. However, without Grel, Jocelyn of Daggerford quickly pushes the remaining Bastards towards evil. See The Gentlemen Bastards Pass Through of Level 7's Special Events above for descriptions of the Bastards. Fate of the Bastards. When they reached Slitherswamp, the Bastards fell prey to the Blacktongue bullywugs. Three—Jocelyn, Perlos, and Ilinar—were paralyzed and dragged off. While plotting their rescue, Grel Momesk was ambushed by the Ssethian Scourges and subjected to the rod of rulership. Out from Under the Rod. Grel Momesk is utilized in this event, serving as a mouthpiece the adventurers will hopefully trust, thus luring them into the Ssethian Scourges' trap. Like other thralls, Grel refers to the nagas as "thine lords." If freed from the spell, Grel aids the adventurers in their endeavors. He will not, however, leave Slitherswamp without the remaining Bastards. The Blacktongue Breakout. The remaining Bastards are being subjected to Kuketh's plot to turn them into slaadi. Once freed, it's highly likely that the Bastards turn on the adventurers in an event reminiscent of the Zul'Farrak ziggurat encounter of World of Warcraft. See Act III of The Blacktongue Breakout below. OUT FROM UNDER THE ROD Out from Under the Rod (hereafter "OUR") sets the adventurers up to be enslaved by the Ssethian Scourges. The deceitful serpents lure the party to their lair when— surprise, surprise—the rod of rulership recharges. In one fell swoop, the nagas refresh the duration of their spell on existing thralls and attempt to loop in these adventurers as well. The Ssethian Scourges inevitably intend to sic the adventurers and their forces on the bullywugs. Here's the kicker, though: each player must roll their DC 15 Wisdom saving throw in secret. They're not meant to know which of their comrades fell prey to the rod's influence. Three outcomes are possible: All Fall. If all players fail their Wisdom save, you can inform them of this fact. Split Sympathies. This is the most desirable outcome, narratively. Half or more of the party is charmed by the nagas and those that weren't must pretend to be under that spell too, lest they be imprisoned by the Ssethian Scourges' thralls.
46 Strong of Mind. All players succeed on their save. They might pretend to be enslaved up until they can escape, but they'll find few opportunities, for the nagas intend to send all their forces to wipe out the Blacktongue bullywug tribe. THE PASSAGE OF TIME OUR can last several days, even weeks, if the adventurers continue to be charmed by the rod of rulership. You don't need to spend too much time at the table devoted to this. Simply describe the day's task, give characters that aren't charmed a chance to escape or force their allies to abandon their post, and then skip to the next dawn where all thralls are subjected to the rod once again. There is immense roleplay opportunity here as characters watch their comrades fall prey to the rod's influence. The characters are fed while in the nagas' grip. Their rations (along with any other useful gear) however, are taken and added to the collective supplies. Thus, even if they escape, they'll have to recover their stolen possessions or find replacements. ACT I: KNEEL OR DIE All thralls of the Ssethian Scourges have orders to bring new potential thralls to their lair in A15. Thus, if the thralls discover the party, such as in A11, they first attempt diplomacy and resort to violence only if the invitation to the naga lair is refused. What better way to lure new, unsuspecting slaves than by simply inviting them in? If the adventurers agree, a thrall escorts them through the south towards A15. Foreshadowing. Like all great stories, this one needs foreshadowing. The party can discover the nagas' intent by scrutinizing any thrall while under a spell of detect magic (charmed characters radiate enchantment magic); or by visiting A13, wherein they find the drow Xirk Dezepti'il in chains. He's more than willing to shed light on what's going on in return for his freedom. Fool Me Once… Characters that ostensibly resist the rod of rulership are imprisoned in A13 alongside Xirk Dezepti'il until the next dawn, when the nagas try again to influence them with the rod. 1. STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED The adventurers come across thralls of the Ssethian Scourges who offer refuge in "the homestead." They can be encountered at Area 11, otherwise it’s a patrol that the party finds. This patrol consists of two drow elite warriors, a duergar named Spraigen, and—if you include the Gentlemen Bastards—a human champion named Grel Momesk, whom the party might recognize from Level 7 or past dealings in Undermountain. You catch more flies with honey—and so the thralls aren't hostile. They use a variation of the following language to invite outsiders to their masters' lair, which they describe as a "homestead" where travelers can find safe harbor from the "frogfolk aggressors." "Halt! If you understand this tongue, then declare yourselves! Our lords offer safe harbor to men of peace— and death to all others!" Grel Momesk. The leader of the Gentlemen Bastards has fallen prey to the rod of rulership. He might recognize the adventurers from the upper levels of Undermountain or perhaps from days in The Yawning Portal of Waterdeep. Grel assuages any concerns the adventurers might have. If asked about his compatriots, he informs them they've been captured by the Blacktongue bullywug tribe. "We're working tirelessly to save them," Grel assures the adventurers. "Our lords are devising a plan to save them from Blacktongue Isle. We must simply be patient and holdfast." 2. FROGFOLK NOT WANTED Along the way to Area 15, the party and their escort are attacked by a force of 2d4 + 2 bullywugs; two are astride giant toads. The escort, if they survive, explains the dire war between the bullywugs and the Ssethian Scourges— thus perhaps convincing the party that they're on the side of righteousness. The escort uses a variation of this language: "Damned frogmen. Their overlord has launched a crusade to claim these caverns as his and his alone. 'The Lord of Fetid Obliteration' the frogfolk, call him—'Yurk Y'blorkflug' in their primitive tongue. Our lords are determined to hold fast against these raiders. Quickly! Before more come, let us get to the homestead." 3. PRESENT THYSELVES IN THIS GILDED HALL The adventurers are brought to Area 15 either by invitation or by force. Therein, the nagas run out the clock until the rod of rulership is ready again. As the adventurers converse with (or battle) the serpents, the remaining thralls all enter the cavern—the nagas' then immediately use the rod, subjecting all creatures to a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. See Area 15 in Areas of Note for details on this event. If all or some of the party falls prey to the rod of rulership, they progress into Act II. ACT II: UNDER THE ROD If any adventurers fall prey to the rod of rulership's influence, they progress into this Act. The party, like other thralls, are assigned various tasks for the day, which you can determine with the table above. Their first task, however, is to apprehend a Dweomercore mage (see Oh, Sweet, Sweet Karstis below). Ultimately, this act should be handled with various episodes of roleplaying and intermittent attacks by or on the Blacktongue bullywugs (which could even just be narrated to save time at your table).
47 UNDER THE ROD: DAILY ASSIGNMENTS d6 Task 1 Watch duty in A11 (25% chance newcomers arrive) 2 Fishing in A12 (25% chance of a crocodile attack) 3 Wrest A9 back from 3d4+2 bullywugs 4 Scrub the bone naga of A16 5 Gardening in A14 6 Patrol A17 (25% chance of a skirmish with 2d8+3 bullywugs; 10% chance of facing Kuketh's hydra) Splitting the Party. Fearing that the adventurers may have resisted the rod, the nagas never allow the entire party to remain together and split them up across different tasks each day. Breaking Free. Even if you fast forward through this act, have the players roll every dawn to resist the rod of rulership, abiding by the same concept the first time: all players roll in secret. Free characters may also try to convince or force a charmed character to abandon their post. Newcomers. The adventurers have orders to send all newcomers of Slitherswamp to Area 15 to experience the same fate as they did—and would it not be interesting for the players to condemn these other characters to their own fate? 1. OH, SWEET, SWEET KARSTIS Shortly before the adventurers arrived, the nagas became aware of a Dweomercore mage's presence in Slitherswamp. Now, with the adventurers in tow, the nagas send them, along with Grel Momesk, to apprehend Karstis in Area 8. The Ssethian Scourges want him alive and in one piece, so as to add his firepower to theirs. See Area 8 for details. If Karstis is slain or escapes, the nagas have a thrall scourge the adventurers with a whip as punishment (three lashes, each dealing 1d4+2 slashing damage; the hits automatically succeed). This corporal punishment does not end the adventurers' charmed condition, however—as they "deserve" it. 2. GREL BREAKS FREE On the third day of the party's capture, Grel Momesk resists the rod of rulership. Now equipped with his full faculties, he knows it's now-or-never to escape. Unfortunately, he knows he cannot hope to save his comrades from the Blacktongue tribe without reinforcements. He tries in vain to snap any of the adventurers out of their condition. The time and place of this confrontation is up to you, but can be determined by the party members' assigned tasks for the day. It's random whether Grel is placed with a charmed character or a character masquerading as a thrall. Any charmed adventurer finds themselves compelled to report Grel's free will to the Ssethian Scourges. ACT III: THY LORDS' WILL BE DONE Determined to wipe out the Blacktongue bullywug tribe, the Ssethian Scourges send most of their thralls to assault Blacktongue Isle, A20. This force includes the adventurers and is led by Grel Momesk, if he yet fell prey to the rod again; the nagas have capitalized on Grel's burning need to rescue his comrades. If some or all of the adventurers are free from the rod's influence, now's an ample time to slip away and abandon Slitherswamp or return to attack the Ssethian Scourges while their main force is away. If the adventurers return to the spirit nagas' lairs, assume that they're guarded by two trolls and 1d4+3 duergar, including Agorra Duskaxe, if she's alive. The nagas' orders are brutally simple: all must die. It's not enough to simply massacre the fighting men or assassinate the bullywugs' king. Nay, the Ssethian Scourges demand that the hovels be torched, the young slain—yes, even the tadpoles and the eggs too—and Kuketh's head be brought back. Unbeknownst to the nagas, Kuketh has a hydra that obeys its beck and call. When the Ssethian Scourges' forces storm Blacktongue Isle, run your choice of Mass Combat rules or simply have these forces entangle most of the bullywugs while the adventurers slip by. The forces sent along with the adventurers are listed below; the nagas do not accompany these forces. • Grel Momesk, a human champion • 2d8+2 drow along with three drow elite warriors. Once the mission is accomplished, the adventurers are still beholden to the Ssethian Scourges until at last they can free themselves from the rod of rulership. When that day comes, they'll have to fight through the nagas' thralls. THE BLACKTONGUE BREAKOUT The Blacktongue Breakout (hereafter "BB") spans two days, if not more. It involves Kuketh, the death slaad overlord taking the adventurers hostage and infecting them with chaos phage by its blue slaad servant's claws. This servant, Hyin, is added by this supplement. Hyin's Touch. As described in the Slaad entry of the Monster Manual, slaad reproduce through horrific means: either by insertion of a slaad tadpole or by an otherworldly disease called chaos phage. As a blue slaad, Hyin can create more slaad through the latter method. Chaos Phage. As described in the blue slaad statblock of Appendix B, a humanoid hit by a blue slaad's Claw attack must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected with chaos phage. While diseased, the humanoid can't regain hit points and its hit point maximum is reduced by 10 (3d6) every 24 hours. If the disease reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target instantly transforms into a red slaad, or, if it has the ability to cast 3rd-level or higher spells, a green slaad. Only a wish spell can reverse the transformation.
48 ACT I. AMBUSHED! The adventurers are ambushed by a staggering force of bullywugs, likely while taking a long rest in Area 5 or triggering a trap (which can be placed anywhere; see A17 in Areas of Note for details on these traps). A force of 1d8+4 bullywugs quickly appear to surround the adventurers, relying on carrion crawler mucus to incapacitate characters that are still able. Once the adventurers are captured, the bullywugs lead them to Area 19, leaving them in the Apse of the Temple, under the watchful gaze of Torbit, the bullywug assassin. The Gentlemen Bastards. The adventurers might be surprised to learn that they're not the only captives of the frogfolk. Jocelyn, Perlos, and Ilinar of the Bastards are imprisoned here as well. They each have two levels of exhaustion. They can be spoken to and have limited information of Slitherswamp. Two days ago, they too were ambushed by the bullywugs, but Grel Momesk ("that titan of a man," Ilinar says) resisted the poison, burst from his bonds, and swore to rescue them). Both Perlos and Ilinar have faith in Grel, but not Jocelyn; she's fallen to poisonous doubt. ACT II. KUKETH'S GAMBIT Act II oversees the adventurers' imprisonment in Area 19 and their eventual escape. Given that the party are 10th level adventurers, some drastic measures are necessary to actually detain them. Thus, this act is divided into scenes, detailed below. During a scene, characters can attempt to break free of their bonds or resist effects; otherwise, handwave and narrate the passing hours and days, giving them the opportunity to speak with each other. To keep the adventurers imprisoned, the bullywugs employ the following precautions: Paralysis. The adventurers are fed a constant supply of carrion crawler mucus, applied directly to their cuts or deposited on their tongues. During a scene, a character can attempt a DC 13 Constitution saving throw to end their paralysis. Manacles. The bullywugs scoured manacles from Area 13, the Detention Cave. To break free or slip out of the manacles requires a DC 20 Strength or Dexterity check, respectively. To unlock them requires a DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Additionally, the manacles have 15 hit points. Gagged. If it becomes apparent that some characters are spellcasters, the bullywugs stuff grimy rags, muddy flora or even dead frogs in those characters' mouths so as to rob them of Verbal components. Disarmed. In case the adventurers do manage to escape, their gear has been moved to Area 19C, hidden behind the statues in the corners. Remember, allow checks and escape attempts only during scenes for the sake of narrative. The adventurers are drained from beatings, paralysis, and a long march through Slitherswamp (even if their hit points remain unchanged). 1. AN AUDIENCE WITH THE KING After the adventurers are captured by the bullywugs, Kuketh, the death slaad overlord arrives to Area 19 with Hyin, its blue slaad servant (who appears in the form of a blue-colored bullywug). Once alone, the slaadi drop their guises and speak telepathically to the prisoners to inform them of what's to come. As the scene unfolds, first have each prisoner repeat their DC 13 Constitution saving throw against carrion crawler mucus. Then allow other checks to break free from their bonds. When the slaadi first enter the temple, read: There's a commotion outside—you can hear the frogfolk chattering. They sound worried, frightened. What, you wonder, could throw them into such a frenzy? The moments pass slowly, lapsing into silence—until all at once, a dozen creatures shout, "Yurk Y'blorkflug! Y'borkflug! Y'borkflug!" Frogfolk wade through water, approaching your chamber. Two bullywugs flanked by guards enter, one mottled in grey spots, the other dark blue. You can quickly ascertain that this grey bullywug is respected, or feared, by its disciples. Perhaps it's their chieftain. Kuketh, with Hyin in tow, have come to inspect the newest prisoners. It quickly dismisses its guards and turns its telepathy on the adventurers. Read: A voice slithers into your mind—not the Mad Mage, for once, but something much fouler, something reeking with savagery, and wet with rage: "You will be mine. My sons, my daughters, my kith and kin. Pain first, centuries-worth of pain, but at the end… Liberation. Transcendence. Together we shall conquer as slaadi are meant to; I will teach you the legacy of my people. Your people." The grey bullywug grins, its face stretching impossibly far. With a hand, it dismisses its guards—and as soon as they're gone, the illusion disguising it shimmers away to reveal its true form: a froglike behemoth of black, mottled skin with a rash of stony spikes across its wet flesh. The adventurers may attempt to escape then and there, following the same guidelines as above. Kuketh, however, can quickly subdue the prisoners with a fear spell (or, failing that, using its greatsword). The slaad values its life well over its plan to create more slaadi and isn't afraid of murdering this batch of prisoners and starting over. It's confident that it can hold out until more men are captured by the bullywugs.
49 Infection. While chained, Hyin scratches each of the characters. See the blue slaad Claw attack for details; each character must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be infected with chaos phage. Have the players all roll in secret and don't inform them of the DC. Preserve the suspense—you don't even want them knowing if chaos phage is a disease or curse. The slaadi, likewise, have no idea if their prisoners resisted infection and leave satisfied. Aftermath. Kuketh and Hyin leave the temple under the watchful gaze of Torbit, the bullywug assassin described in Area 19 of DotMM. The prisoners are free to plot their escape or theorize what creatures they're dealing with. A DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check is enough to identify them as slaadi, and to recall the foul means of reproduction the creatures employ. 2. ESCAPE FROM THE TEMPLE OF SSETH This event begins the next day, giving characters the chance to finish a long rest—though those infected with chaos phage cannot regain hit points. By now, a character can sense the disease raging within them. As the chaos phage festers within its prisoners, Kuketh prepares for a grand parade of sorts that it hopes will galvanize the tribe. The Yuan-ti Temple (Area 19) is staffed by dozens of bullywugs in anticipation of the death slaad's arrival. The most opportune moment to escape occurs during a changing of the guard. The adventurers, alongside the Gentlemen Bastards, must survive wave assaults until the opportunity to escape presents itself. Ultimately, however, Kuketh and its hydra arrive, serving as the final encounter. See A19 in Areas of Note for details on this event. This event can be a deadly encounter. It features four waves of combatants, including several bullywugs, a blue slaad, an assassin, and finally facing Kuketh and its hydra. It is vital that the Gentlemen Bastards are not forgotten in combat, as their firepower is necessary to survive. Additionally, characters must seek a cure to their chaos phage immediately, lest healing magic fail to aid them. ACT III. BETRAYAL! After winning their freedom from the Blacktongue bullywugs, the Gentlemen Bastards are pushed into turning on the adventurers for one of the reasons outlined below. The location this Act occurs in is not exactly important, as its merely a brawl between two parties. RISE OF JOCELYN If Jocelyn lived through this ordeal and Grel Momesk is absent or dead, she quickly seizes control of the Bastards and shows her true colors. Out of a greasy tangle of paranoia and greed, Jocelyn orders her comrades to attack the party; her brethren, long since intimidated by this warlock, obey without question. TONIGHT'S SPECIAL Halaster's disembodied voice delivers an ultimatum: one group must die for the other to live. The Bastards— survivors to the core—hold nothing back and immediately attack. INFECTION If the characters were infected with chaos phage by Kuketh's blue slaad servant, then their only hope is either a spell of lesser- or greater restoration. Unfortunately, they may be low on spell slots, as is Ilinar of the Bastards. It quickly becomes clear that not everyone can be cured— and no one knows for sure how soon until the disease will take them. Violence. If the adventurers have the means to cure the disease, the Bastards demand it, be it a spell or an item. They will resort to violence if refused, especially if Jocelyn is still alive. The Bastards spare any character they suspect can cure them and attack the others, hoping to either trade the players' freedom and lives in return for the cure. There is no line they aren't willing to cross to get cured. Peace. The Bastards can be quelled without violence. Solutions include: • A spell of calm emotions or similar enchantment spells is cast upon the Bastards. • The adventurers can provide quick transport to the surface. They might know the location of any of Halaster's gates (such as the one in A3, which leads to L6, which in turn has a gate to L2). The Bastards will require proof and the first gate to be opened before them, otherwise they resort to violence. AFTERMATH: SLAAD LIFE So, what if the adventurers fail to free themselves, or can’t find a means to cure their disease? Much like when a character is cursed with lycanthropy, their alignment changes and the DM has the right to seize control of that character, effectively killing it. This is a valid option, but you may want to consider allowing your players to continue playing as slaad, at least for a little while—since, as we’ll see, the effects need not be permanent. You have two options to implement this system: ABERRANT MODEL Under this model, the character becomes a slaad wholesale. It loses its racial bonuses, class features, including spellcasting, and any other abilities not granted to it by feats or magic items. Their character sheet is effectively replaced with a red slaad's or green slaad's statblock. Chaos phage has wiped away all but the character’s personality and memories, replacing their Ability Scores and other proficiencies. They find themselves in a new, alien body.
50 The player might wish to play this slaad for a time but— if the transformation is not reversed by Halaster or a wish spell—Limbo's chaotic influence inevitably consumes them, causing the character to become a creature permanently under your control. If you need to specify a time limit, assume that this process takes seven days. As the days drag on, the character finds themselves becoming more and more unhinged. RACE MODEL This model is "slaad lite." It omits three abilities you don't want in the hands of a player: the Regeneration trait, damage resistances, and the ability to produce more slaad. Under this model, the character’s racial traits (with exception to their Ability Score Increase trait) are replaced with the ones below. Humanoids that can cast 3rd-level spells or higher become green slaads instead of red. See the Green Slaad sidebar. Racial Traits. As a red slaad, the character's racial traits, with exception to the Ability Score Increase trait, are replaced with the following: Ability Score. Your Strength score becomes 16 if it's not already higher. Alignment. Your alignment becomes chaotic neutral. Size. Your Size is Large. Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Perceptive. You have proficiency in the Perception skill. Magic Resistance. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Natural Weapons. Your teeth and nails make natural weapons with which you can make unarmed strikes. On a hit with your claws, you deal 2d6 + your Strength modifier as slashing damage. On a hit with your bite, you deal 2d6 + your Strength modifier as piercing damage. Languages. You learn to speak Slaad, a guttural and rolling language without rhyme or reason. There is no writing system in place for this language. Additionally, you gain telepathy out to a range of 60 feet; the contacted creature does not need to share a language with you to understand you, but it must already understand at least one language. HALASTER'S GAME The Mad Mage would be delighted if an adventurer fell prey to chaos phage. Thereafter, Halaster would offer a deal: complete a certain task, while in the slaad form, in return for a wish spell cast to reverse their transformation. The challenges offered by Halaster include any of the following; choose the ones you prefer. A challenge can only be completed by one character, causing Halaster to restore that character to their original form. • Winning a kiss from either of the Horned Sisters of Dweomercore, L9. • Slay the bone devil in Area 47 of L9. • Strike a foul deal with Wormriddle the night hag of Dweomercore, L9. • Slay Vlonwelv Auvryndar of Muiral's Gauntlet, L10. Halaster has long since sought her death. • Force Muiral the Misshapen of L10 to look at himself in a mirror. • Be swallowed by the behir of L11, after which the character will pass through the creature's digestive system alive and in their original form. Halaster remarks it will be a "transformative experience, to say the least." • Venture to Skullport and topple the Xanathar Guild (if it hasn't already) and oversee the reconstruction of the retaining wall's hoist so as to restore Skullport's trade route to the outside world. The Mad Mage hungers for more fools to pluck and plant into his foul games. AREAS OF NOTE The following areas are of note. Headings pertaining to the events that can be run are listed here. 1. PRECIPICE The air grows humid, thick. Sweat clings to you like a desperate child. Insects buzz in the distance, growing louder by the minute. Finally, the tunnel ends at a precipice overlooking an entire marsh. You're not even surprised at this point. Mucus Ladder. When characters clamber down the ladder, secretly roll their Constitution save for them, so as to keep the surprise intact. When a character fails its DC 13 Constitution saving throw, read: Some sort of noxious mucus coats the rope. Your stomach turns and your fingers freeze. All your nerves fire off in one great cataclysm before falling silent. You go crashing into the muck below! GREEN SLAAD Characters that can cast spells of 3rd-level or higher that are infected with chaos phage become green slaad instead of red. They gain the following racial traits, in addition to those outlined in Slaad traits: Innate Spellcasting. You can innately cast several spells, using your Charisma as your spellcasting ability modifier. These spells are: At will: detect magic, detect thoughts, mage hand 2/day each: fear, invisibility (self only) 1/day: fireball Hurl Flame. You gain a special ranged spell attack using your Charisma as your spellcasting ability. It has a range of 60 ft., & deals 3d6 fire damage on a hit. The fire ignites flammable objects that aren’t being worn or carried. Natural Weapons. Your Claw attack, described in the Red Slaad racial traits, deals 1d6 damage (down from 2d6).
