D&D 5E [CAMPAIGN] Out of the Abyss [SPOILERS]

Duergar Soulblade (Empty-Scabbard Killer)

Duergar SoulBlade: CR 8 (3900 xp) Medium humanoid (dwarf), neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (studded leather); Hit Points 80 (12d8+24); Speed 30’
STR 12 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0)
Skills Acrobatics +6, Deception +3, Perception +8, Stealth +9.
Damage Resistance: Poison
Senses darkvision 120’, passive Perception 18
Languages Dwarvish, Undercommon
Assassinate: During its first turn, the assassin has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn. Any hit the assassin scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit.

Cunning Action: Bonus action Dash, Hide, or Disengage.
Duergar Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against poison, spells, and illusion, as well as to resist being charmed or paralyzed.
Sunlight Sensitivity: Disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when in sunlight.
Sneak Attack: 4d6.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The duergar’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: true strike, vicious mockery (like a psychic pain, 2d4 psychic damage).
3/day: hunter’s mark, mirror image, charm person, hold person, phantasmal killer.
Actions: Makes two attacks with its weapons.
Enlarge (Recharge after short or long rest): For 1 minute, the duergar magically increases in size along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks, and makes Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. If the duergar lacks the room to become Large, it attains the maximum size possible in the space available.
Invisibility (Recharges after short or long rest): The duergar magically turns invisible for up to 1 hour or until it attacks, it casts a spell, it uses Enlarge, or its concentration is broken (as if concentrating on a spell). Any carried or worn equipment turns invisible as well.
Create Soulblade: The duergar creates a visible shortsword-sized blade of psionic energy. The weapon appears in the duergar’s hands and vanishes if it leaves the duergar’s grip, or if the duergar dies or incapacitated. The soulblade acts as +1 magical weapon.
Flay Memory: In lieu of damage, the duergar can attack the target erasing 1 minute of the target’s memory per d6 of damage. If the target is incapacitated, the duergar can implant 1 minute worth of memories per d6 of damage.
Soulblade: Melee weapon attack. +7 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 1d6+3 force damage or Enlarged 2d6+3. This attack works with Sneak Attack.

Tactics: The soulblades work in teams of two. They choose a target and work together to kill that target as fast as possible. They continue choosing targets from strongest to weakest according to their intelligence or judgment.

DM Note: I wanted to make the Soulblades (legendary assassins in Gracklstugh) more interesting and involve them in the narrative more than the module did. I rebuilt them using the Assassin as a model.

Session 6

The party came upon a man praying in a nimbus of light. He told them his name was Destrian and that he was sent by Kelemvor to seek and defeat a great evil that threatened the world. Once they learned he was a cleric, they deemed him useful and allowed him to join.

Day 16: The first half of the day was quiet. During the second half of the day, they were assaulted by Umber Hulk marauders. Four of them burrowed through the passage walls attacking the party. A hard fought battle ensued that left Karzak and Tytus nearly dead.

Day 18 to 20: The only notable event was Jharzzle spotting a drow scout among some glowing crystal clusters. He killed the scout with an arrow, looted a piwafwi off the body, and disposed of it. They were certain the scout was looking for them.

Day 21: The party found an ancient Netherese tomb while foraging for food a few days after finding the ruins of an ancient Netherese city long buried in the earth. Likely one of their flying cities that fell from the sky into some deep chasm in ages past. The tomb was home to a powerful wraith and her servants (4 mummies with items and 8 specters). They found five powerful magic items from ancient Netheril: a greataxe, a mandolin, a rod, a wand, and a sword made of sunlight (listed under the PCs in first post). They also found some jewelry and valuables with a few potions.

Day 22 to Day 25: Mostly uneventful. At the end of the 22nd day, stealthy invisible scouts started following them. Buppido warned them that they were likely duergar and to do no violence to them if they wanted to be allowed in Gracklstugh. They found an underground stream and a cavern of useful fungus. This made food and water easy to come by the last four days.

Day 26: They arrived at the gates of Gracklstugh.

DM Notes:
1.: As usually happens with this type of travel, the checks became tedious. I imagine that mirrors overland travel well as almost any type of travel is tedious after a while. I don't relish running it as a DM, though it does increase verisimilitude.

2.: I forgot about wild surges in the Tomb of Khaem. They might have made the fight more difficult. Just a note to remember for any other DMs running The Tomb: remember those wild surges.

3.: I figured the ancient Netherese tomb was a good place to deliver some potent magic items given the history of Netheril.

4.: I think I'm going to try boosting ACs in the future. High AC seems a much better means to create challenging fights than boosting hit points. PCs do so much damage that increased hit points doesn't do much to extend fights. The PCs need to miss more often for a monster to stand up to them. Every PC hit seems to be about 1.5 to 2 hit dice worth of hit points. For example, the warlock does 1d10+1d6+5 damage for an average of 14 damage. An average medium monster with an 18 Con gets 19 hit points. So the PC is doing about 1.5 hit dice per hit with average rolls. So a party of PCs is doing about 9 hit dice worth of damage per round or more. Very hard to create monsters that can withstand that level of damage on a round by round basis. Some of the PCs are doing even more when they get to use Sharpshooter or GWM or Smiting. I think boosting AC will do more to increase the ability of creatures to survive contact for longer periods of time giving them time to do damage and cause resource expenditure.

Session 7: Gracklstugh Arrival

After a long and harrowing journey, the escaped prisoners arrived at the gates to Gracklstugh. They decided the best way to enter was to have Cinshariel use her noble daughter status to gain entry since Menzoberranzan and Gracklstugh conduct trade often and it would not be uncommon for a noble drow female to arrive at their gates with guards and slaves. Tytus and Jharzzle acted as her guards. Eraxis, Destrian, and Dar were listed as her slaves and property. Tytus announced Cinshariel easily convincing the guards of their sincerity. They gained entrance with little hassle.

Karzak refused to be a slave in the deception. Buppido led Karzak to an area connecting the Darklake and Gracklstugh. Karzak and Buppido snuck into the city by way of the Darklake Docks.

Jimjar entered due to the trade agreement between Blingdenstone and Gracklstugh. He offered to take Eraxis, Destrian, Dar, and Stool in with him. They refused and decided to stay with the drow and orc. Jimjar passed the word to the other deep gnomes in Gracklstugh to be wary of dealing with the half-orc Karzak. He reported the murder of Eldeth Feldrun to the deep gnomes in Gracklstugh to be passed back to Blingdenstone and the Shield Dwarves of Gauntlgrym. He is branded a murderer and the deep gnomes will not do business with him. He passed on that Jharzzle the Drow may be trustworthy because he protected Jimjar from Karzak the Murderer during travel, but be wary of his merciless, uncaring brother Tytus.

The party bought room and meals at The Ghorlborn and spent time conducting commerce. They bought and sold the goods they found on the road amassing around five hundred gold each to spend on equipment. Tytus was able to purchase +1 splint mail by borrowing gold from his brother and selling the philter of love for a healthy price to the duergar smith who happened to have a lady in mind to use it on.

Karzak purchased a strong, young human slave boy at the market to act as his porter and squire. The boy begged Karzak to take him home, but Karzak told the boy he would have to earn his freedom. Jharzzle plans to take the boy to the surface and free him. We'll see how that goes between Karzak and Jharzzle.

Jharzzle stocked up on arrows and bought a male steeder as a pack animal.

Dar bought some splint mail.

Around the third day after their arrival, a two-headed stone giant attacked them while they were wandering The Blade Bazaar. The giant was driven to kill them because he was the brother of Thibar, the two-headed giant they slew on the road to Gracklstugh. They slew the two-headed giant with ease showing the extent of their power and drawing a great deal of attention to themselves. After the giant was felled, the stone guard tried to arrest them. Dorhun the Stone Giant from the Cairngorm Caverns spoke on their behalf informing the stone guard that Rihuud was afflicted with madness and the PCs had no choice but to defend themselves. Jharzzle inquired as to this evil, offering to assist the stone giants if they required it. Dorhun listened and said he would bring word of Jharzzle's offer to his people. The stone guard did not arrest the PCs due to the intervention of Dorhun.

Their Arrest...

The PCs were arrested by the duergar while they rested much later. They chose not to fight. They were taken to Overlake Hold to stand trial before Errde Blackskull, Gartokkar Xundorn, and Xalith the Drow Emissary. Xalith put in a claim on them as property on behalf of Ilvara. Errde told the PCs he was inclined to honor the drow property rights given their trade agreements with Menzoberranzan. The party denied Xalith's claim with the argument they had invalidated any property claims because they escaped. The duergar did not listen. The duergar claimed Destrian as a slave since he was not on the list with the legal argument that he had violated the law by associating with escaped slaves and prisoners. Once the legal reasons for their imprisonment were discussed, the duergar moved to business dismissing Xalith from the room much to her chagrin.

Errde offered to dissolve the property claim in Gracklstugh if the PCs would help the duergar discover the cause of the city's disorder and strange behavior. The party had seen much odd behavior in The Blade Bazaar from merchants that insulted them without cause, changed prices from moment to moment claiming that it was not so, talking to imaginary friends, and of course the two-headed giant. Errde had reports of such events himself. They appear tied to the presence of a derro named Droki wandering the markets. Ever since the strange derro appeared, the city's problems had increased. Errde believes Droki is part of a plan by The Council of Savants to cause problems in Gracklstugh. He says, "The derro are mad. They want the whole city to share their madness. That I will not allow to happen." He tells the party if they can determine what Droki is up to and who he is serving, he will make them free in Gracklstugh. The PCs agreed to the terms.

Gartokkar added that The Gray Ghost thieves are likely involved. They want vengeance against Gracklstugh's rulers because they ordered all of them executed for their criminal activities after they stole a red dragon egg from The Keepers of the Flame. Gartokkar offered to pay handsomely for return of the dragon egg and any information on the remaining Gray Ghosts. If they do this for The Keepers of the Flame, he will second Errde's dissolution of the claim on them as property.

The PCs agreed.

Finding Droki...

Jharzzle and Karzak followed Droki from the market to the West Cleft. They found the entrance to the Whorlstone Tunnels. They ran into a flumph that reported the tunnels were infested with demon worshippers. It wanted the PCs to clear them out, so its home was safe because it is not welcome in the city. Jharzzle listened, but Karzak paid little heed to the creature. Karzak witnessed Droki eating a mushroom and shrinking. He harvested a few of the pygmyworts. They returned to the party and planned an ambush. They ambushed Droki the next day when he was making deliveries, capturing the derro using the special paralysis ability of Karzak's axe. They searched Droki finding the lump of black metal and the stone giant list of names and toenail clippings. They returned Droki to Overlake Hold for interrogation. Errde interrogated Droki learning that he makes deliveries to folk in The Whorlstone Tunnels. Droki knew very little about the folk in the tunnel save that they pay well for deliveries.

As part of the deal, Errde wants the Whorlestone Tunnels cleared of the derro and cultist filth. Once the tunnels are cleared and any rebellion or savants engaged in rebellion are destroyed, he wants to be informed. Errde plans to take control of the tunnels and seal them from derro use. He's unhappy that a secret place such as these tunnels has been hidden for so long by the derro. He won't tolerate the derro using the tunnels as a means to sow rebellion in the city.

The PCs agreed to enter the tunnels. That is where the sessions ended.

Dark Dreams plagued the sleep of some...

Tytus dreams of being murdered by Karzak, his brother, Jimjar, Cinshariel, and everyone else. They are all out to kill him. He has no friends. He has no one he can trust. He is surrounded by enemies and those that hate him. Only his blade is his friend.

Karzak dreams of going on a murderous rampage in the inn killing everyone in sight until he is bathing in their blood. Once he had killed to his hearts content, he feeds on their flesh until he grows a second, blood-soaked head.

Eraxis dreams of growing an extra head and eating Stool slowly and torturously.


DM Notes:
1: I tried to keep the narrative focused while in Gracklstugh. The entire section is written in a very disconnected manner. The encounters and xp values are plentiful. There are lots of hooks to use. This is definitely a time for the DM to take the narrative elements offered and form them into something enjoyable for your group.

2.: I allowed the purchase of magical weapons and armor for a price on the low end of the item availability prices. Gracklstugh seemed like a place where obtaining magic weapons and armor would be fairly easy. They have dragonfire forges. They spend most of their time forging weapons and armor. Given the high magic nature of The Realms, I felt it appropriate to allow the PCs to spend money on quality magic armor and weapons.

3.: I wanted to reduce the number of characters to six. I was running the NPC bard as a healer because no one wanted to play a healer. The new cleric player enjoys playing a healing and buffing character. The bard was an additional headache for me to keep track of, so I had her depart. Should be easier to focus on running monsters and encounters rather than a fairly complex NPC like a lore bard.

DROKI THE CORRUPTOR

DROKI: Droki is a legendary Glabrezu servant of Demogorgon known for corrupting tribes, towns, and cities. He infiltrates under the guise of a citizen and starts working to build cults worshipping his lord, fomenting dissent, stoking grudges, and murdering any he feels can resist him.

Droki has two-heads in its natural form.

GLABREZU
Large fiend (demon), chaotic evil
Armor Class 22 (natural armor); Hit Points 300 (20d10 +140); Speed 40ft.
STR 20 (+5) DEX 16 (+3) CON 24 (+7) INT 20 (+5) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 24 (+7)
Saving Throws Str +11, Con +13, Wis +10, Cha +13
Skills: Deception +19, Persuasion +19, Stealth +15, Acrobatics +9, Athletics +11, Perception +16, Insight +16
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned.
Senses truesight 120ft., passive Perception 26, passive insight 26
Languages All, telepathy 120ft.
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)

Shapechanger. Droki can use a bonus action to polymorph into a form that resembles a small or medium humanoid, or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Innate Spellcasting. The glabrezu's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 21, spell attack +11, ability modifier +5). The glabrezu can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: darkness, detect magic, dispel magic, charm person, scorching ray, mirror image.
1/day each: confusion, fly, power word stun, charm monster, plane shift (only between Abyss and Prime Material Planes)
1/month: wish (used).

Magic Resistance. The glabrezu has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Demonic Weaponry. Droki’s natural weapons are the equivalent of +1 magical weapons.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Droki fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Two Heads: Droki has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The glabrezu makes six attacks: two with its pincers, two with its fists, and two bites. It can replace a pincer attack with a throw grappled target attack. Alternatively, it makes two attacks with its pincers and casts one spell.

Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 2d10 + 5 bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 21). The glabrezu has two pincers, each of which can grapple only one target. Droki can maintain the grapple by making a grapple check in place of an attack. Any successive grapple checks do pincer damage to the target as Droki crushes it. If the creature is medium or smaller, Droki is unaffected by the grappled condition while he is grappling.

Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d4 + 5 bludgeoning damage.

Bite. Melee weapon attack. +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+5 piercing.

Throw Grappled Target. Droki can choose to throw a grappled target that does not escape by its next turn in place of a pincer attack. A medium target does 2d6 damage and a small target does 1d8 plus Droki’s strength bonus. Ranged Weapon Attack. +11 to hit, ranged 10/30 feet, one target. Hit: target size +5 bludgeoning damage. The thrown target takes the same damage as the target struck. The target struck must make a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The thrown target is automatically prone.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS Droki can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Droki regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Traitorous Delusion: Droki can telepathically create the illusion that a nearby ally is an enemy. The target must make a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or strike an ally of Droki’s choice when it is next able to do so including AoOs. This effect lasts until the end of the turn the target uses to attack the enemy Droki designates. Targets immune to Charm are immune to this effect. This is a magical charm effect. Only one target at a time can suffer this effect. It occurs only in the mind of the affected target, so no one has any idea who is the target of the attack.
Note: Make small cards with the PCs names to hand to the affected PC so that no one knows who is being attacked.

Cast a Spell (2 actions): Droki can cast a spell.

Attack. Droki can make an attack or throw a grappled target.

DM Notes
1. I wanted Droki to be a more substantial character in Gracklstugh. The way he is built in the module, he would have been an easily killed nuisance. The duergar would not have needed the PCs to track and kill the Droki in the module. So I made a Droki that really would have been a serious concern to the duergar. A Droki that was a dangerous enemy seeking to corrupt and destroy the entire city. This version of Droki is going against six level 5 PCs with magic items and feats.

Session 8

The party infiltrated the Whorlestone Tunnels. Jharzzle used pass without trace to conceal the party as they snuck through the West Cleft through avoiding the insane derro to the hidden entrance to The Tunnels.

The searched the initial rooms finding Droki's insane shrine to himself. They came upon Buppido busy butchering a deep gnome corpse. Buppido showed his power by raising a group of five skeletons from the bones of the dead. He called upon Karzak to assist him. They questioned Buppido learning that he thought of himself as a god and that Droki had passed through the tunnels not long ago, meaning he had escaped duergar prison. Jharzzle had seen enough and put an arrow into Buppido's eye. Destrian destroyed the skeletons with Turn Undead. The deep gnome ghost Pelak approached the party after Buppido's death. He requested they take a part of his body back to Blingdenstone to lay his spirit to rest. Destrian agreed to do this as this is one of his duty's a priest of Kelemvor.

The party continued out of the east passage into a fungi thicket. They were attacked by swarms of centipedes and spiders. They squashed, sliced, pierced, and burnt their way through them. Jharzzle led them through the fungus thicket using his Natural Explorer ability. They came to a passage leading east and west. They chose west. They reached a southwest and northeast passage. They explored southeast finding the a pool of fetid water that lead back to the original caves where they discovered Buppido's shrine. Then backtracked and took the northeast passage. They passed two small tunnels and ended at a small tunnel they could not pass through at their size. Jharzzle hustled back to the fungi thicket and harvested some pygmywort and bigwig mushrooms. The party ate the pygmyworts and passed through the narrow tunnel into a room with derro cultists with tamed cave bears in cages. They ambushed them and slew them all in a one-sided battle. Tytus learned his blade was capable of severing heads in one stroke when he took the head off a cave bear with one perfectly placed stroke (Tytus's sword is a vorpal weapon).

The party continued to explore the tunnels as tiny-sized adventurers. They wandered east, passed through a narrow tunnel north and then northeast until they passed into another fungi thicket. They went backtracked passing through a narrow tunnel south. They went south and then west until they found an entrance to a room with chanting emanating from it. They snuck into the room. Jharzzle noticed a lack of foot traffic on part of the floor near the entrance. He investigated finding a pit trap. He told the rest of the party allowing them to bypass. Deeper in the room a Death Dog spotted the party and started barking. Jharzzle silenced it and the derro guard nearby, but not before it alerted the other derro.

The party moved deeper into the room finding a group of derro on a platform with a magical circle on it conducting a ritual involving a stone statue with two heads. Droki was with the derro. The derro peppered the group with crossbow bolts. The savant launched a lightning bolt at the party. The party dispatched them fairly easily with Eraxis unleashing a lightning bolt on Droki and the Derro Savant.

Droki laughed transforming into a two-headed demon with four arms and dog-like heads filled with fangs. An intense battle started that will continue into the next session.

DM Notes:
1. Swarms are not as dangerous as they were in 3E/Pathfinder. You can dispatch them quite easily. A swarm's attack roll is a joke. Pretty much a waste of time to use swarms. If I want a swarm to be a frightening encounter, I'll have to design them myself using some 3E/Pathfinder design principles like making them immune to physical damage and making their attack automatic in the area they occupy.

Cut Scene: Droki revealed

Droki watched events unfold from the darkness. As he had surmised, the derro were as leaves in a windstorm, swept away in the wrath of the interlopers. One of the humans with blonde-hair accoutered in mail shouted, “Follow the line of my rod. That is where the derro hides with Droki. There Eraxis.”

The dark-haired, dark-eyed boy named Eraxis hustled to a point diagonal from him and Narrak. The boy set himself, his hands weaving mystical gestures with a black bone wand and his mouth forming arcane words. From that bone wand lightning crackled through him and Narrak. The derro howled as the lightning cooked his skin and set his body to spasms, but Droki laughed as the lightning felt as little more than the sting of a dretch claw.
“Nuisances,” the voice of Droki the Derro yelled from the darkness.

Droki’s form grew, his clothes ripping, the hat with tentacles falling from his head, and his features expanding as two-demonic dog heads sprouted from a muscled torso with four arm-like appendages, two ending in pincers and two in human-like hands. His skin changed from the inky grey of a derro to the the color of black steel.

The hoarse, unearthly voice of an abyssal fiend replaced the derro voice from the darkness, “NUISANCES! How I loathe you interlopers. Your bones I shall break, your flesh I shall rend. Marrow I will drink from your broken bones. I will use your skulls as my cup into which I will poor your blood. For I am Droki, Corruptor of Cities. Servant of the Demon Prince Demogorgon. I will teach you fear and despair before I serve your souls to my master.”

Player Responses

Tytus
With the demons claws viciously latched into Tytus’s (shredding flesh and muscle) he continues to lash out smite after smite with his blade as Fangs screaming out in vengeful hatred. The paladin feels an odd sense of euphoria that bathes his body and mind while numbing the pain of his wounds. Tytus screams out violent vows against the netherworlder hoping that his brothers deadly arrows and half-orcs mighty swings find their mark true. "Call upon the favors of your God and keep me alive priest!!! ... Eraxis!!!! … don’t hold back!!! … unleash oblivion upon this wretch!!!"

Karzak
The half-orc (Karzak) slows for a moment, blood, perhaps from biting his own lip, drips from his fangs. His eyes, singularly focused on the demon. He screams "Death to you!" as he charges the demon.

Session 9

The fight with Droki continued. The powerful demon felled Eraxis with scorching ray. He concealed himself in darkness to protect himself from attacks. The party continued to fight desperately. The paladin smote the demon causing his concentration to break ending the darkness. The half-orc followed up with a critical axe hit. That was enough to cause Droki to fight another day. He plane shifted to The Abyss.

DM Discussion: The fight with Droki was closer to what I want epic battles against powerful solo creatures to be like. Droki's darkness combined with his high AC managed to slow party damage enough that he was able to deal substantial damage to the party. His traitorous delusion ability wasn't quite as effective as I would have liked. Perhaps I used it in a less strategic manner than I should have. It did slow attacks on Droki some, but did not do substantial damage. Droki's high number of hit points made him durable enough to take hits from a six person party, while dealing substantial damage on his behalf. This is the fine line a DM walks when designing encounters. You want the monster to last long enough to deal enough damage to make the players feel threatened. You have a variety of tools to accomplish this task and you vary them so battles do not become monotonous.

I've found the hardest battle to gauge is the solo monster. Sometimes you want a powerful creature to be able to fight an entire party alone. Minions and environment are often used to enhance a powerful monster to make an encounter difficult, but I don't like to add such factors to battles all the time. I made Droki a demon capable of fighting several powerful heroes alone. The kind of creature that shakes entire cities with his presence. A creature that has slain countless heroes that dared to challenge him alone or with insufficient power. It wasn't a bad first attempt. I was worried a few times that I had designed a TPK. But as usually happens, a few lucky rolls by the players and a few unlucky rolls by Droki shifted the battle. A DM can never account for luck in a game adjudicated by dice rolls. Experience tends to side with the probability that six players rolling multiple attacks are going to have more than a few lucky rolls per battle. I tend to design monsters with that in mind.

1. When using traitorous delusion, I suggest using small pieces of paper with the name of the PC Droki has them attack. It's more interesting if the players don't know who is being attacked. It's unfortunate that my players did not get in the spirit of what I was trying to accomplish often revealing who they were attacking. I had to let them know that I didn't want them revealing who they were attacking. Pretty annoying when players don't get into the spirit of a monster ability. I'm not the type of DM that likes to punish that type of behavior. I'll have to make sure to emphasize that I don't want the target revealed if I use a similar power in the future.

Continuation Session 9

The remainder of the Whorlstone Tunnels posed only one challenge to the party. Within the final room was 50 foot tall black metal obelisk 15 feet on each side. A female derro savant with a spectator guardian and four duergar soulblades tried to kill the party to prevent them from revealing the existence of the obelisk. They dealt some vicious opening damage, but fell quickly to the PCs. The rest of the inhabitants of the tunnels were easily dispatched.

During the raid, the PCs collected several books and items as evidence of the existence of a cult worshiping a two-headed demon god. They found a letter exposing Gorglak the Stoneguard as a collaborator with Gray Ghost thieves running a poison lab in the tunnels. They found the Red Dragon Egg in the area where the black obelisk resided guarded by the duergar soulblades. They picked up some potions, coin, and other minoro treasure items.

The PCs chose to return the evidence to Errde Blackskull and the egg to Gartokkar. Both the duergar leaders were pleased, especially Gartokkar at the return of the dragon egg. Each PC was granted a writ granting them freedom from any property claims by the drow. The duergar took control of the Whorlstone Tunnels from the derro and punished the derro with the execution of large numbers of derro believed to be associated with the demonic activity in the tunnels, even with the least shred of evidence. The duergar were ruthless with the derro wanting to set an example that would deter any further activities of a similar nature. The derro savant council remained unusually quiet during the pogroms, even when two of their members were executed for association with the cultist activities, specifically hiding the existence of the obelisk.

DM Notes
1. I found Gracklstugh an interesting encounter to run. Lots of political intrigue. Interesting environmental encounters. The Tunnels provided an opportunity for a series of battles that tested the PC's mettle. I highly suggest developing the relationships in the tunnels so that they are interconnected. I would encourage any DM to incorporate Droki more fully into the cult plans. I felt turning Droki into a disguised demon corrupting the city made him a more interesting challenge for the PCs.

Apothicas joins

A drow bladesinger named Apothicas DeVir joins the group after making contact with distant cousins Tytus and Jharzzle. They meet in The Ghorlborn's Lair sharing a meal and some drinks as Apothicas makes them an offer.

The PCs returned from the Whorlstone Tunnels with another Myconid Sprout named Rumpadump. The sprout knew Stool. The two sprouts feel there is something unusual going on. They begged Eraxis to return them home. After using rapport spores to speak with Jharzzle, Eraxis, and Destrian, they convinced the PCs to take them home to Neverlight Grove. That is the PC's next destination.

Player Responses[/bi]: This didn't get role-played as thoroughly as I would have liked.

Apothicas is taking a meal in the dining area of the Ghorlborn, when he notes the arrival of the group he is looking for, in particular the two drow he seeks. They enter with a group of six and a small myconid with a young human.

Tytus, weary from battle, walks into the dining area with the rest of the party. He gives the room a quick once over for any sign of anyone looking out of the ordinary, suspicious or threatening. If there is anything that his escape from prison, this city and district has taught him in the last several days and weeks, it is to be constantly vigilant to the eyes of a stranger.

The paladin takes a mental note: A well dressed, lone male drow eating comfortably here in THIS inn and city? … even merchants of our kind aren’t foolish enough to travel here and dine alone. Perhaps a follower of that whore bitch looking to detain us!

Tytus, rests his hand on the pommel of “Fangs” looking directly into the eyes of the lone drow from across the room. He then speaks in drow loud enough for him to hear …

“Do you take issue with any of us stranger??”

"Issue?" Apothicas asks with a curious smile.
"No, Tytus. I do not take issue with you. I have been looking for you. Please, you and your brother, join me for dinner and drink so that we may speak. We have much to discuss. You will find that our goals align. I apologize that I have you at a disadvantage, as I know more about you and your brother than you do of I. Let us start with introductions. I am Apothicas. Please, sit."

Apothicas stands and motions his palm upward hand towards the chairs. He is tall, and well dressed wearing studded leather armor, under a set of fine, clean travel clothing. He carries traditional weapons of the drow, a rapier, hand crossbow, and a whip. He moves with grace, but you detect his moves are calculated. A noble perhaps, or well trained in etiquette.

He turns towards the bartender, "Barkeep. Three meals and your best ale."

DM Notes: The role-playing ended there. I try to do some of this over email as it gives the players a chance to express themselves more thoroughly with the written word, yet no one seems to take the time do so as thoroughly as I would like. Life is busy and doesn't provide as much time for written role-playing.

The Destruction of Gracklstugh

Shouts from the city interrupt your activities. Bells clang with fearful intensity.

You push your way out of the inn. Screams pierce the air. Madness has taken the city. You see merchants, customers, and guards clawing their eyes out, staring blankly towards the water, striking down fleeing folk, eating their own flesh, and other such mad acts.

Something between a roar and a howl rents the air. You gaze towards the water.

At first you see only two sets of burning eyes in the darkness of the huge cavern in which Gracklstugh is housed. Soon the darkness abates, two monstrous heads resembling hideous, angry baboons with wickedly curved tusks emerge from the shadows. Both of them attached to a scaly torso half-submerged in the Darklake. You surmise it must stand thirty feet tall at least. Split tentacles on each arm writhe as though searching for something to crush and tear. Its heads emit a howling roar again as it advances towards the city.

Demons beyond count flock about it. Some vulture-like, some like giant flies, some like the dog-headed creature you fought in the Tunnels. Kuo-toan fish men swarm out of the water in a mad fury spearing, biting, and clawing, taking the time to feast upon any creature that falls. They chant “Leeomoogoogon” in their gurgling fish tongue.

The Abyss has come to Gracklstugh.

Madness Check: When you see Demogorgon, must make DC 19 wisdom save or gain a level of Madness.

Cairngorm Giants…

Jharzzle sees a group of stone giants pushing their way through the fleeing crowds. One of the giants he met named Dorhun waves to him and points. The largest giant follows the line of his finger. He locks eyes with Jharzzle and the giants make their way to him.

The giant wastes no time, “Jharzzle, Dorhun has told me of your words. I have talked to the stones. They say your heart is not as that of your people. I have no time to learn what is in your heart for my people have a sworn oath to defend Gracklstugh with the Gray Dwarves. We will die fulfilling our oath.”

“Yet it is our wish that the evil that has come not destroy the world. I say to you this. Find Gravenhollow. It is a place of ancient knowledge. There you may find a way to cast this evil back from whence it came. Take this crystal.” He hands you a polished crystal the length of a forearm, “My people use this to speak to the stones at Gravenhollow. I hope you are worthy, for only the worthy may find Gravenhollow. If you find Gravenhollow, it will be of great use there. Take it and bring salvation to the stone. Now follow us and we will see you out.”

The giants push through the crowds ordering duergar guards trying to keep order and form up for battle out of the way. They order the gates open, so you may pass, “Jharzzle of the drow, rise up and save the Underdark. Be the hero your people have never had. Save them from themselves and while doing so, save all that we people of the Underdark call home. Now Go.”

The Stone Giants turn as Demogorgon’s massive heads appear above the city and the demons and fish men swarm forth like a mass of hate and rage. They raise their stone clubs, a battle cry in Giant they roar, and they charge fulfilling their oath to the clan of the Deepking.


DM Note: I felt the destruction of a city the size of Gracklstugh was a more impressive display of the threat Demogorgon poses to the world. This will also strengthen a part of the adventure that occurs later. When you witness an Abyssal lord with a demon army destroy a city, priorities change.