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

[Celtavian]

Journey to Neverlight Grove

You leave behind Gracklstugh. The sounds of its destruction echoing in your minds. You wonder if this is what awaits all the Underdark.

A drow has joined you at the behest of Tytus and Jharzzle. His name is Apothicas and he appears to be a warrior of some kind.


Here is a summary of travel to Neverlight Grove and what you see when you first arrive.

Travel to Neverlight Grove

Day 1: No encounter.

Day 2: No encounter:

Gas Leak: Jharzzle finds a natural gas vent that is easily avoided.

Day 3: No encounter.

Day 4: No encounter.

Jharzzle and the forward scouts come upon a group of human bandits starving and lost. The bandits join the group for a short while, then try to rob the group and are dispatched.

Day 5: No encounter

You find another drow warning sign and fresh drow corpses being fed on by a carrion crawler. You determine that the drow were slain by demons.

Day 6: Jharzzle avoid violet fungi and you are slowed crossing a gorge.

Day 7: No encounter.

Day 8: You find a cliff and a hidden ladder nearby. The ladder allows you to get up the cliff to the tunnel that continues into the passageway you need to take.

Four days from Neverlight Grove...

Rumpadump and Stool excitedly inform you that you are entering the surrounding area of Neverlight Grove. It is only days away. Rumpadump rapports, “Beware of strange spores. Do not accept any ‘offered gifts.’”

Day 9: No encounter.

Day 10: Jharzzle spots a chasme demon (a giant fly with a humanoid head) crawling along the cavern ceiling. You dispatch it.

Day 11: During the day you fight two groups of three nothics, strange one-eyed creatures whose gaze rots flesh.

Day 12: You find some waterorbs near a freshwater spring. They provide water for a few days.

You come upon another group of three nothics. They seem to be infesting the area.

Entering Neverlight Grove...

Rumpadump and Stool lead you down a tunnel into Neverlight Grove. They explain that it is the only passage people of their size can use to enter the grove. It is formed by a drying underground stream and dimly lit by glowing lichen.

You enter the grove. It is an an alien, but serenely beautiful place. The access tunnel opens above the grove’s main floor, providing the characters a panoramic view of a mushroom forest that covers every surface-including the ceiling-and illuminates the darkness with brilliantly colorful bioluminescent patterns.

On the other side of this exotic forest, the cavern narrows into a ravine. In a cavern beyond the ravine, a glimpse of a majestic mushroom tower can be seen, although the poor light and a rising mist makes it impossible to discern its details.


DM Notes: I've taken to narrating travel and accounting for experience as a bookkeeping exercise because I believe travel xp was meant to provide a good portion of the xp in the early levels. I want to make sure the PCs are the appropriate level or higher at the right points in the adventure.

 

[Celtavian]

Yestabrod the Gardener

Set up in The Fungal Garden: The Fungal Garden should consist of creatures in rows planted with their heads sticking out like cabbage heads. The fight should consist of fighting Yestabrod and destroying rotting buried creatures (a merciful death) that he uses for Legendary Actions like healing himself or exploding. Any damage generally destroys the corpses. Don't skimp, make the whole area corpses. I used a red X to designate squares where the rotting creatures had been destroyed or used. I assumed every space had a buried, rotting living creature. Yestabrod would burrow into the ground to escape attack moving to a new area to feed on corpses to heal itself. It should be easy for the PCs to figure out that defeating Yestabrod requires a combination of destroying the garden and damaging Yestabrod.

This particular version was designed for six PCs with powerful magic items and feats. I would modify Yestabrod to fit your group's power level. I think any DM can take this encounter and turn it into a fun, challenging fight with a goal other than simply hacking down Yestabrod.

No longer recognizable as a myconid, Yestabrod looks like a fungal larva with flailing tendrils slithering along the ground. Mold and lichen grow in hypnotic patterns along its ringed stalk, and it puffs clouds of spores from a slit resembling a lamprey-like mouth. It can use this orifice to actually speak, rather than depending on rapport spores. It no longer attends melds with the other leaders, instead sending its representative.

Its voice is strangely melodious.

YESTABROD THE GARDENER Large monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class 24 (natural armor); Hit Points 300 (20d10 + 140)
Speed 30ft., Burrowing 40 ft.
STR 24 (+7) DEX 10 (+0) CON 24 (+7) INT 14 (+2) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 14 (+2)
Saving Throws: Str +12, Con +12, Wis +8, Cha +7
Damage Immunities poison.
Condition Immunities poisoned, prone
Senses darkvision 120ft., Tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal, telepathy 60ft.
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)

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

Burrower: Yestrabod burrows through stone at half his normal speed.

Poisonous Blood: When Yestrabod takes slashing or piercing damage, the target dealing the damage takes 1d8 poison damage that burns and necrotizes the flesh if within 5 feet of Yestrabod. If the piercing or slashing damage was dealt by a ranged weapon, a random target within 5 feet suffers the poison damage.

ACTIONS: Yestrabod can make up to six tendril attacks a round. Each tendril can either make a Fungal Tendril attack or shoot a Poisonous Glob at a target.

Fungal Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 3d4 + 7 piercing damage plus 3d4 poison damage. The target must make a DC 20 Con save or become poisoned. If it misses the save by more than 5, it is paralyzed. At the start of a paralyzed player’s turn, it may make another save to overcome the paralysis.

Visual: The tendril burrows into the flesh injecting poison into the wound.



Poisonous Glob: +5 ranged attack, ranged 80/200 feet. Damage: 6d6 poison damage. The target must make a DC 20 Con save or become poisoned. If it misses the save by more than 5, it is paralyzed. At the start of a paralyzed player’s turn, it may make another save to overcome the paralysis.

Visual: A glob of greenish-yellow poison smacks into you permeating your skin. The vapors smell like a pus-filled wound. Your skin starts to suppurate as your flesh bubbles and pops.

Bury: Yestrabod may bury a paralyzed target as an action, usually leaving only its head above the ground. Though it may choose to completely bury the target causing suffocation. A buried target must make a DC 20 strength check to push its way out or another player can pull them out with a DC 20 strength check.

Visual: Yestrabod wraps the bundle in tendrils and burrows into the ground burying the target up to its neck.

Caustic Spores (Recharge 5 or 6). Yestabrod releases spores in a 30-foot cube cloud. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 acid damage at the start of each of Yestabrod's turns. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Yestabrod is immune to his own spores as are others affected by Zuggtymoy’s Gift.

Visual: Yestrabod expels them from its lamprey-like mouth.

Infestation Spores (recharge on a 6). Yestabrod releases spores that burst out in a cloud that fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on it, and the cloud lingers for 1 minute. Any flesh-and-blood creature in the cloud when it appears, or that enters it later, must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the creature can't be infected by these spores for 24 hours. On a failed save, the creature is infected with a disease called the Spores ofZuggtmoy and also gains a random form of indefinite madness (determined by rolling on the Madness of Zuggtmoy table in appendix D) that lasts until the creature is cured of the disease or dies. While infected in this way, the creature can't be reinfected, and it must repeat the saving throw at the end of every 24 hours, ending the infection on a success. On a failure, the infected creature's body is slowly taken over by fungal growth, and after three such failed saves, the creature dies and is reanimated as a spore servant if it's a type of creature that can be (see the "Myconids" entry in the Monster Manual).

Visual: Yellowish spores erupt from its mouth forming a cloud. The spores smell musky and coat your skin like pollen.




REACTION
Foul Absorption. Yestabrod’s tentacles shoot out up to 15 feet into a corpse planted in the soil of its garden. It absorbs putrescence from a corpse within 15 feet of it, regaining 6d8 +7 hit points from a medium corpse, twice that amount from a large corpse, increasing one time for each size larger than medium.

Visual: One of its tendrils shoots into the corpse sucking up the putrefying flesh into it destroying the corpse in the process.

LEGENDARY A CTIONS
Yestabrod 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. Yestabrod regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Corpse Burst. Gore, offal, and acid erupt from a corpse within 20 feet of Yestabrod. Creatures within 10 feet of the corpse must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 acid damage.

Foul Absorption. Yestabrod’s tentacles shoot out up to 15 feet into a corpse planted in the soil of its garden. It absorbs putrescence from a corpse within 15 feet of it, regaining 6d8 +7 hit points from a medium corpse, twice that amount from a large corpse, increasing one time for each size larger than medium.

Release Spores: It can release spores if they are recharged.

Move: Yestrabod can move.

Attack: Yestrabod can make an attack.

 

[Celtavian]

The Dark Maiden's decree and a new friend...

Jharrzzle fills his waterskin at pool with blind albino fish swimming within it. He is tired and unsure. His brother is filled with a hatred he has not been able to attenuate. A demon lord walks the Underdark bringing with it death, chaos, and corruption. He travels with others with unknown agendas. What of his people? Will they be destroyed before they can be redeemed? Can he stop his brother from murdering them as the Spider Queen desires? This thirst for vengeance on behalf of House DeVir is the weaving of a web from the strands the Spider Queen weaves, pitting drow versus drow so that she no drow will ever escape her web.

Jharzzle prays to the Dark Maiden as he does his daily task to assure the survival of his companions. When he opens his eyes again, he sees her as a reflection in the pool bathed in radiant moon light. Her lithe dark form enswirled in her long silvery hair. Her deep blue eyes gazing upon him with grave concern. “Jharzzle, I see my mother’s hand at work within the Underdark. Her scheme I cannot discern for I am not spider and do not understand fully the web she weaves. Yet I cannot allow the Lords of the Abyss to walk the Underdark ravaging with reckless hate the home of our people that we would redeem.”

She raises her hand causing moonlight to envelop Jharzzle’s bow where it lies on the ground in easy reach should he need it, “They can be slain in their current forms. I sense that at least a few of your companions are already tasked with their destruction. Now you are tasked with their destruction. Slay the Lords of the Abyss. Protect our people so that my mother’s machinations do not lead to their demise and damnation in the Demon Web Pits. Sassindra, one of my faithful priestesses, will aid you. Know that I love you and shall never forsake you.”

The Dark Maiden’s image fades. The pool is clear water again, blind white fish dart back and forth within. The wood of your bow is no longer the same color as it was. It is a silvery color, as though the wood is infused moon light.

“Well met, Jharzzle”, a kindly, youthful feminine voice speaks aloud from the bow. “I am Sassindra, Sword of Dancer of Eilistraee.”



Sassindra’s Spirit: The bow is a +3 Oathbow.

Sassindra: The bow is inhabited by the spirt of a Sword Dancer of Eilistraee named Sassindra. In life she was an 11th level Sword Dancer of Eilstraee with the Light Domain.

Sentience: Int: 12 (+1) Wis: 18 (+4) Cha: 18 (+4)

Communication: The item can speak and read Elvish, Common, Undercommon, Abyssal, and Sylvan. It can communicate telepathically with anyone that carries or wields it.

Senses: Hearing and Darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. Her Perception (Wis) is +8 and her Passive Perception is 18.

Alignment: Sassindra is neutral good.

Special Purpose: Slay the Demon Lords of the Abyss.

Sassindra: Sassindra grants the full spellcasting ability of an 11th level cleric with light domain spells and an 18 Wisdom. The wielder can choose the spell list. Sassindra generally does not take any evil spells that deal with raising the dead. She casts spells on her initiative which is rolled with a +1 modifier (uses her Intelligence modifier). Any spells she cast use her concentration slots which includes the 5th level ability to concentrate on a second spell per our usual house rules including limitations. The only way to break her concentration is to destroy the bow which can be done by another god level being.

Sassindra also has all the abilities of the Light Domain up to 11th level. She can use them as needed per the normal limitations. Cantrips: Light, Sacred Flame, Resistance, Guidance, Spare the Dying, Mending.

Note: Moonbeam replaces flaming sphere as a 2nd level spell on the Light Domain bonus spell list.

Skills: Sassindra has Knowledge (Religion) +5, Perception (Wisdom) +8, Perform (Cha) +8, Medicine (Wisdom) +8, Survival (Wisdom) +8, and Insight (Wisdom) +8.

Personality: Sassindra Do’urden was a priestess of Lolth from Menzoberranzan that was captured by Eilstraeeans that defeated her surface raiding party. She had come to slay elves and take slaves. When they were defeated, she was shown mercy, something she had never experienced. It took years to redeem her. But after witnessing daily drow elves frolicking, singing, and loving on the surface world under the light the moon, she wept and her heart opened to the Dark Maiden’s redemption. After that she learned the teachings of Eilistraee becoming a powerful and faithful Sword Maiden.

Sassindra made many trips into the Underdark trying to redeem other dark elves from Menzoberranzan. She was captured by the drow and sacrificed to Lolth after enduring years of torture. She never forsook the Dark Maiden. When on the altar of Lolth being consumed slowly by spiders, she forgave those that had placed her there.

Sassindra is kind, patient, and forgiving. She wishes to protect and redeem dark elves and any that would turn from evil. She is dedicated and faithful to the Dark Maiden. She often sings having learned many songs of different peoples while on the surface. She has crafted more than a few songs that speak of her redemption, her love of the moon, her faith in the Dark Maiden, and her desire to redeem her people.

Sassindra will oppose evil wherever it resides. She will not tolerate evil in her presence. She is fearless in the fight against those that do evil. She will never give up hope no matter the circumstances.

Sassindra feels guilty for taking part in the destruction of House DeVir. She has temporarily given up her life in the Dark Maiden’s paradise to lend aid to Jharzzle DeVir in his time of need. She feels bound to him. Jharzzle can often feel her protective feelings towards him.

DM Notes: I'm handing out powerful magic items, since I plan to make the demon lords extremely powerful. I want this quest to be once in a lifetime epic. It's rare an adventure sends the very Lords of the Abyss against your PCs. I want them to be heroes of Legend on a level above and beyond the average greatness of D&D PCs. This event occurs on the way to Neverlight Grove while Jharzzle is foraging.

 

[Celtavian]

Session 10

Neverlight Grove

The party arrived at Neverlight Grove returning Rumpadump and Stool to their people. The Myconid Sprouts were grateful, Stool wished Eraxis a good, fertile life in the manner of myconids. The Myconid Sovereigns welcomed them and thanked the party for returning them.

The party spoke with Sovereign Phylo and Sovereign Basidia. Phylo informe the PCs they arrived at a time of "great celebration" as "The Lady was to marry and bring her joyous dream to the world." Phylo said all living beings could join the dream. He offered the PCs the chance to join. Destrian of Kelemvor wished to see this dream, so he let the Sovereign release Zuggtymoy's Gift upon him. He resisted, but felt the infection trying to take hold of him. The rest of the party refused to the offer join. Apothicas asked about The Lady and Phylo offered to take him to meet her. Phylo said many living beings of many kind had been to meet her. After seeing Demogorgon, Apothicas surmised using (Knowledge: Religion with a natural 20) that The Lady is likely Zuggtymoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi. He refused an audience because he felt the PCs did not have the power to fight her. Destrian of Kelemvor wished to push through to see her, for he was commanded to confirm and destroy the evil in the Underdark. Having no more to speak of with the outsiders, Phylo returned to his business.

Sovereign Basidia remained keeping Stool and Rumpadump with him. Stool told Eraxis and Jharzzle that he knew nothing of this dream. He did not have this dream. He emphasized that Phylo's behavior was unusual. He spoke with Basidia of the PCs deeds.

Sovereign Basidia informed the PCs they were wise to refuse to meet the Lady, for everyone that has gone to meet her including some Myconids, has not returned. Even Myconids do not return unchanged after the meeting. Basidia took the PCs about to meet some of the other mad Myconids including Gasbide, the leader of the Circle of Builders. The PCs witnessed the Myconid Builders growing fungus into strange, otherworldly, grotesquely beautiful shapes that made them feel as though fungus was seeking to grow over the entire world causing everything beneath it to join it or be consumed. The party pushed by Destrian and Jharzzle decided to pursue seeing the Lady and entering her garden. Basidia would not allow open war within Neverlight Grove unless the PCs proved their mettle. He brought them to meet Loobamub, the leader of the Circle of Hunters. He reported a shambling mound and grick alpha hiding in the Fungal Wilds (a fungus forest). Basidia asked the PCs to slay them to prove their worth. They had little trouble destroying both creatures. Basidia gave them leave to enter The Garden of Welcome.

The Garden of Welcome

The PCs forcibly entered the Garden of Welcome by slaying Yrberop, the leader of the Circle of Sporers and two Chull Spore Servants guarding the path up. All the Myconid Sprouts born with Zuggtymoy's Gift fled. Basidia held back his people and the Animted Zurkhwood defenders defying Phylo. He could not stop Distress Spores of Yrberop from alerting Yestabrod and the other Mychonid Adults that were part of the Circle of Masters.

The party found a horror beyond their imagining. Living creatures of every kind were planted with their heads above ground like rotting cabbages in every square foot of soil in the Garden of Welcome. A larval horror that only vestigially resembled a myconid slid across the ground towards them greeting them in a melodious voice, "Welcome, travelers." The aberrant myconid's voice gurgles and spits as it speaks both aloud and in your minds at once. "Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen, the Great Body!" A drow woman planted in the ground with her face rotting begged for death while warning the PCs Zuggtymoy was indeed in the garden. They granted her mercy.

Yestabrod proved a creature of poison. It's tendrils seeking to infest their flesh and paralyze them for planting. Its blood was acidic poison with every blow or arrow causing blood to splash burning those close to it. When it was hurt, it consumed the rotting creatures in the garden to drinking poison like the PCs consumed healing potions. Its tendrils could inject or spit poison at range. It nearly killed Apothicas, Tytus, and Eraxis. The fight became a combination of striking at the fiend and eliminating its nutrients. Eraxis (fireball) and Apothicas (flaming sphere) used fire to grant mercy to the rotting creatures planted in the ground. Everyone else focused on slaying the creature. It was a lengthy battle with the creature burrowing into the ground to escape attack and moving to new areas of the garden to heal.

Surprisingly, Apothicas dealt the killing blow on Yestabrod. It was an interesting tactical combination with the Bladesinger/Paladin. He has the War Caster feat allowing him to use cantrips in place of Attacks of Opportunity. Yestabrod intended to burrow into the ground provoking an AoO from Tytus and Apothicas. Apothicas hit the creature with natural 20 with Booming Blade as an AoO. We looked at Divine Smite, it can be used with any melee attack. Booming Blade grants a melee attack as part of its casting, so Apothicas was able to hit with Booming Blade, a 2nd level divine smite, and the melee attack which added up to quite a bit of damage (41 points I believe). It was quite a potent combination. I'm finding the Bladesinger is more potent than I originally presumed. It's not at the high end of damage like an archer using Sharpshooter or Eldritch Blasting warlock for consistent damage, but a paladin/bladesinger does some potent burst damage. Booming Blade is better than I thought as a cantrip for general use with the additional benefit of some battlefield control.

After Yestabrod blew apart as the thunderous blade combined with the divine energy of a god finished it, Destrian immediately set to putting the dying to rest. He was grievously offended by the Garden of Welcome. It was a garden of sin to a Kelemvorite, desecration of the dying, prolonging their suffering and corrupting their souls all at the same time. He was righteously offended and set forth to end the suffering of the dying in the only manner he could: a quick death. The party together was able to destroy the garden.

They found the dark elf maiden's items: +2 studded leather armor, +2 shortsword, bag of holding containing 2 scrolls (remove curse and spider climb), 40 days rations, and 320 silver pieces.

DM Notes
1. Yestabrod hit the mark closer than Droki for what I want in an epic fight. I feel I'm getting better at designing solo creatures to challenge an entire party in 5E. Droki was a little too strong and I had to hold back a bit as far as focus firing on a PC. I was able to let Yestabrod unload on the party and truly try to kill them. That's more where I want to be with creature design. I want the PCs to be able to defeat an extremely powerful solo creature that pushes them to brink of death without me being able to pull punches.

2. I'm not using the drow magic item rules. I've never liked those rules and I'll never use them. Drow items are every bit as well crafted as surface items. I refuse to make them seem less so by having them lose power in sunlight as a means to balance their ubiquitous presence.

 

[Celtavian]

Further into the Garden of Welcome

This is a section of narrative DMing with some Madness Checks for the characters. I did not feel the fights would have been challenging enough to run and the fight with Demon Queen of Fungi at this level in her home would have been death. I chose to handle this with a hopefully interesting narrative combining what is in the module and adapting some of it to my particular set of PCs. Feel free to use it in your campaign adapting it to your group of PCs.

____________________

You destroy the Garden of Welcome with spell and weapon progressing deeper into the place beyond driven forward by Destrian’s rage at the blasphemy of a place that would cause the dead to suffer so before dying and still not allow them a proper burial.

Near where the drow woman died, you find her belongings: +2 studded leather armor, +2 shortsword, bag of holding containing 2 scrolls (remove curse and spider climb), 40 days rations, and 320 silver pieces. You retrieve them and press on.
Just past the garden you come upon the following sight.

Echoes spill from the misty cavern beyond, a cacophony of wheezing voices that wrap together like some kind of discordant music. The remaining heads planted in the Garden of Welcome begin to croak and groan, joining the horrible song.
Through the mist that shrouds the smaller cavern, you see the parade of creatures responsible for the melody. Their bodies are only vaguely humanoid, with clusters of luminescent lichen and tumescent growths forming chaotic patterns on their decaying flesh, their voices stabbing into your minds, both insane and gleeful in equal parts:

From rocky bed the toadstool rose,
From chaos dark, her love She shows.
Wish! Yearn! Laugh!
The Lady will be wed!
Crave! Hunger! Dance!
Her joyous spores will spread!
Youth is gone, beauty rots,
Araumycos and Zuggtmoy!
joined together, heart to heart,
Becoming one 'til death do part!
Hail! Haifl Hail!

You watch rapt as the thralls enact a mock wedding, with a chamberlain and a bridesmaid standing in for Araumycos and Zuggtmoy. Spore servants go into the burning garden taking up the pieces of f Yestabrod and carry its corpse, moving it like a puppet to play out the part of priest. At this point of the ceremony, you experience a vision.

The tableau of the mock wedding is replaced by a vision of the inside of a great tower. Spiraling stairs and balconies are carved into its walls, with the interior lit by phosphorescent patches of mold growing in whorls. In the center of the open space floats a humanoid figure, womanlike in form, but made entirely of fungi and mold. She is easily three times the height of the fungal bridesmaids that move up and down the spiraling stairs, tending to their giant mistress. They croon a strange, soothing song as they weave the substance of the giant figure into delicate lichen veils and a long, mycelium train like a bridal gown.

The vision ends when the ceremony does. After which the creatures file solemnly back to Yggmorgus.

Madness Check: DC 10 Wisdom save.

You follow them to Yggmorgus, a mushroom of titanic proportions.

The cavern around Yggmorgus is huge. and the giant mushroom nearly fills it from floor to ceiling. You have no clear reference to judge the towering mushroom's size at this distance. Thousands of smaller fungi cling to the main stalk, which itself splits into several lesser stalks, each long enough with a cap big enough to be the top of a great tower. The cavern floor surrounding the stalk is covered by a carpet of fungi.

An eerie luminescence pours through slitted windows carved into the trunk, with the same cacophony of atonal music heard earlier echoing within. A stench of rot and decay wraps around you, seemmgly threatening to penetrate your flesh and pervade your soul.

Yestabrod's Garden of Welcome is a pale reflection of the true horrors surrounding Yggmorgus. A 20-foothigh crescent-shaped ledge hugs the cavern wall and gradually slopes down to the lower basin. The ledge is covered with a carpet of moss and fungi, scores of variously sized lumps, and pockmarks where pools of vile fluids suppurate and ooze, some drying out and scabbing over.

Madness Check: DC 10 Wisdom save.

Characters can discern the shapes of writhing creatures inside each lump. Most of these are humanoids, though a few of the lumps are occupied by what appear to be gricks, nothics, and giant spiders.

This is the Great Garden of Rot, nourished both by the creatures subsumed within it and the faerzress pervading this cavern.

As if on cue, one of the lumps closest to the characters bubbles up and bursts. A dense cloud of spores and dark, reeking fluid explodes outward. Even as the characters hear a piercing scream of agony and terror. Inside the pockmark left behind by the burst is a drow scouts or at least what's left of him. Other than a face, long white hair, and a breastplate, it is impossible to distinguish where the drow ends and the rot and fungi consuming him begins. The drow feebly thrashes, his screams rising ever higher in pitch, until he locks eyes with Destrian and abruptly stops screaming. A brief moment of lucidity replaces his terror, even as his eyes roll back into his head in some kind of bizarre euphoria as he goes limp and slowly sinks back down into the fungal muck.

Madness Check: Characters witnessing this must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or gain one level of madness.

Throughout the entire cavern. loud moans and cries of agony answer the drow's screams in a terrifying and deafening chorus, drowning out all other sounds until eventually winding down into a low susurration of groans and burbles. The entire stalk of the giant Mushroom seems to shudder, almost as if in delight.

Destrian and Tytus enraged by the spectacle rush forward slaying the sickening creatures. The rest of you follow descending into the lower basin down the squishy, foul ground that slopes into the huge cavern that houses Yggmorgus.
Scores of deformed creatures dance around the base of the giant fungal tower. The revelers are a motley collection of humanoids and various other creatures, all sporting tumors, cankers, and putrid patches of flesh over their bodies. They are joined by dancing fungi vaguely shaped and twisted into forms resembling humanoids. Some of these creatures are spore servants enthralled to the Demon Queen of Fungi. Others are myconids and other fungal life forms infested with Zuggtmoy's spores.

The dancing creatures pay no attention to you until you join Destrian and Tytus as they slaughter them. They are no match for your burning rage.

Voices can be heard cackling and chatting amiably about Sovereign Phylo's success at "bringing so many new guests to attend the party!" You see drow dancing as if their bones were melting, duergar roaring with mock merriment and vomiting slime, and even nothics laughing madly as they leap and caper.

You observe the mad dance seeing a form rising up out of the fungal muck. It is the drow scout whose terrible end they just witnessed, wading out to join the other revelers in their mad dance.

Madness Check: DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain one level of madness.

You’ve come too far to halt now. You must see what is in the tower, at least some of you must.

You enter Yggmorgus, the home that Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, has carved for herself inside the great mushroom. The general layout is simple enough, with the hollowed stalk of the mushroom making a towering central hall.
Zuggtmoy floats within its center, surrounded by spiraling balconies where her growing number of bridesmaids attend her, singing as they weave her bridal gown to prepare for the fateful wedding day.

You come face to face with Zuggtmoy attended by twelve bridesmaids o fZuggtmoy She seems deep in meditation as her gown and veil are being prepared. She doesn't move.

Her bridesmaids shoo you off using spores for rapport, “Go, go, you mustn’t see the bride before the wedding.” They wail and scold about how it is unlucky for them to see the bride before it is time.

Dar, Apothicas, and Jharzzle have seen enough. Even Destrian and Tytus are momentarily stunned by the immense person of Zuggtymoy floating out of reach of weapons as though she is not bound by the gravity that binds all living things. The wiser of you know that challenging such a being in her home is akin to suicide and a failure of your quest. You know not what she can do and her allies appear limitless in her home.

Jharzzle pulls his brother back, “Tytus we cannot challenge such power in its home. We must flee.”

Dar grabs Destrian, “Priest, now you know what evil walks under the world. Let us not fight it in its home. We are not yet ready. We must leave. It is enough that you have allowed your god to see the evil afoot in the Underdark. That is likely why your god sent you because it could not see this evil without a follower or some aspect of his domain within sight of it. Let Kelemvor decide your next course of action rather than let you suffer this end.” He points to the surroundings.

You leave this place without awakening the Demon Queen of Fungi. You bring news of the horror to Basidia. He responds, “We cannot stay. The Grove is lost to us.”

You and the Myconids loyal to Basidia including Stool and Rumpadump depart from Neverlight Grove. You travel together for a time until your paths dissect. Basidia says, “We Myconids have not much power to withstand the evils you face. I am sorry we cannot be of more aid. I will give you what I can to help you.” He gives you each a mushroom gourd filled with a potion of greater healing and a moldy scroll of protection against fiends. “It is not much. These draughts heal living creatures. This scroll has words upon it that will protect you from fiends from the otherworld. If ever we meet again, know that you will be welcome with our people should any of us survive the infestation. We thank you again.”

Before the Myconid depart, Stool gives Eraxis as human-like a hug as he is capable of. The Myconids depart into the darkness.

Now you know you must find Gravenhollow. There if the giants are right and Apothicas speaks true, you will find knowledge that will reveal the fullness of the events you have witnessed and perhaps give you insight how to fight against it.

 

[Celtavian]

Vizeran and Apothicas...

This provides a look at the relationship between Vizeran and Apothicas, so you can see some of the choices I've made for relating the NPCs and PCs. I usually conduct these role-playing exchanges over email to allow for more robust and interesting role-playing. I usually get a few good responses. This helps flesh out the PCs and NPCs personalities.

_________

Vizeran calls his son to a meeting in his study, “My son, I believe vengeance against our enemies is but steps away. An opportunity presents itself that we can take advantage of. Two of our house live. They walk in the dark, but their steps are as the footsteps of doom for Menzoberranzan. You will guide their steps, so that our final vengeance is exacted. And the city that the Spider Queen holds so dear is no more. We will prove that the treacherous Spider Queen has betrayed our people. From the ashes Menzoberranzan, we will build a new order. One ruled by the masters of the Art.”

Vizeran is one of the most powerful mages Menzoberranzan has produced, rivaling Gromph Baenre. He was banished long ago, sent to die in the Underdark. He used his arcane skill to survive. He lives in a concealed tower. He likely had you at some time during his isolation in the Underdark. He does not worship Lolth and intends to pursue undeath should his magic be unable to achieve immortality.

Apothicas nods his head, almost as if bowing to Vizeran.
"Two of our house live? How have they survived. Are they hear in the Northdark? How can I find them?"

He half sneers, “I have found them.” He forms an illusion calling up an image of a drow with a hard and cruel face dressed in mail, “This is Tytus DeVir.” With his other hand he forms an image of a drow with less of the hardness and cruelty, but alike in appearance to the other drow, “This is Jharzzle, his brother.”

“They are in the gray dwarf city of Gracklstugh. I will send you there. You will find them at the Ghorlborn, wait there until they return. Then you will approach them, especially this Tytus. You will tell him that you are of his House and you have the means to revenge House DeVir and destroy the Spider Queen’s enslavement of our people.”

“We will need not only he and his brother, but the entire group he travels with. If you obtain his assistance, as I expect you to do, then you will lead them to Mantol-Derith to obtain a ring from a human named Ghazrim. That ring will lead you to Gravenhollow. There I shall meet you and truths shall be revealed.”

Apothicas knows Gravenhollow to be a legendary library where one can read the past, present, and future. Vizeran has visited the library many times, but he has not yet taken Apothicas. This will be a first.

"Ghorlborn. Manto Derith. Ghazrim. Gravehollow. It will be done." Apothicas states matter of factly.

 

[Celtavian]

Madness of Zuggtymoy

MADNESS OF ZUGGTMOY d100 Flaw (madness level determines duration)

01-20 "I see visions in the world around me that others do not." (Make Wisdom save when stressed or react to vison as though it is real. Player has Disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks and saving throws when attempting to discern the real from the false such as Perception Checks, Investigation Checks, Checks to discern Illusions, or the like. DM should determine if effect causes Disadvantage.)

21 - 40 "I periodically slip into a catatonic state, staring off into the distance for long stretches at a time." (Make Wisdom save or do nothing but stare off into space. You are incapacitated and have 0 movement.)

41-60 "I see an altered version of reality, with my mind convincing itself that things are true even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.'' (Make a Wisdom save or suffer effect of phantasmal killer (1-3) or phantasmal force (4-6). Must make save every round to shrug off the effect. If Madness level is longer than an hour, you must make a new save or suffer the effect again after you complete a short or long rest.)

61 - 80 "My mind is slipping away, and my intelligence seems to wax and wane." (Make Wisdom save or lose point of intelligence. If madness longer than an hour make save after completing short or long rest or lose 1 point of intelligence. Intelligence loss can be cured with greater restoration or 1 point of intelligence cured per long rest after madness is cured.)

81 - 00 "I am constantly scratching at unseen fungal infections." (Make Wisdom save every hour or scratch self for 1 point of necrotic or slashing damage per hour.)Save DCs: The DCs for madness effects vary.

DM Notes: I wanted madness to have a more tangible effect on the PCs if they became afflicted. I'm only using the madness of individual demon lords rather than the generic DMG madness options. I want everything tied to the demon lords. I feel the demon lords driving PCs mad further drives home the chaos they will bring upon the land should they not be stopped. I'll be adding a table like this for every demon lord the PCs encounter.

________

Apothicas suffered one level of madness (result was 89 and lasted 9 minutes) during the encounter in Zuggtymoy's garden.

Apothicas starts to scratch and examine his skin. He is sure for a short time that the spores have infected him (about 9 minutes). He scratches a few spots raw before regaining his senses noting that he is clear of infection.

 

[Celtavian]

Destrian is empowered

When you have retreated from the mushroom tower after witnessing the horrors within, you make your way back across the burnt fungal garden that was but a pale shadow of the horror Zuggtymoy intends for the world. As Dar drags an enraged Destrian from the offense he has witnessed, Destrian hears a powerful voice call, “Doomguide Destrian, come forward from your companions. We must speak.” Destrian sees a ghostly skull the size of a titan’s head enfolded in a tattered dark grey hood floating in the center of the burnt garden. Its features concealed in tattered grey hood. Kelemvor wishes to speak. When Destrian comes forward, Kelemvor says in a language all seem to understand, “This abomination cannot be allowed. You are commanded to drive these demon lords by whatever means necessary back into The Abyss. Their presence is unnatural. The death they bring is sinful, evil, and cruel. It cannot be abided.”

“Though your companions I cannot command, hear me all,...those that aid my priest shall have my gratitude. I will remember it when it is your time to stand before me. The gratitude of Kelemvor may be of worth to the living as well as the dead should you prove yourself worthy.”

A skeletal arm extends from the skull and a single skeletal finger touches Destrian’s holy symbol, “You will be in darkness often on this quest. Few friends and little commerce will you be able to conduct. I give you the power to sustain yourself and any that aid you in the darkness. I grant you wisdom beyond that of a mortal to do battle with these otherworldly foes. Cast them back into the Abyss and grant peace to the living so they may die as fate decides.”

The skull fades.

Character boons:

Blessing of Understanding: Destrian gained 2 points of wisdom and a maximum wisdom score of 22.

Blessed Symbol of Destrian: [sblock]Blessed Symbol of Destrian (artifact, requires attunement): Kelemvor blessed the symbol of Doomguide Destrian commanding him to drive from the world the Demon Lords of the Abyss that had been summoned to the material plane to ravage the world. Destrian found himself deep under the earth far from the support of the Church of Kelemvor and surrounded by enemies in a land where men from the surface had few allies. Kelemvor knowing he would be unable to call upon the resources necessary to a priest for combat against such a potent enemy, he blessed Destrian’s holy symbol with power that would allow the Doomguide to fight the Demon Lords in the abyss known as the Underdark without entering the dark and often evil cities inhabited by the drow, duergar, and the other dangerous inhabitants that lived below.
The holy symbol has the following qualities:
1. The wielder adds +3 to spell attack rolls and the DC of spells that banish fiends or undead, do necrotic damage, or that damage or harm undead including the Turn Undead ability.
2. The wearer adds +2 to AC and saving throws.
3. As long as the wielder has the symbol visibly displayed on his person, he can cast any spell requiring a 100 gold or less material component without the component, even if the component is consumed during casting.
4. The symbol has 4 charges. The wielder can expend a charge to cast a spell with a component cost of 1000 gold or less without requiring the material component, even if the component is consumed during casting. The symbol recovers 1d4 charges per long rest.
5. The wearer is always under the effect of a protection from evil and good.
6. The wearer does not need to eat, drink, or sleep, but must still take long and short rests to recover spells, hit points, abilities, and the like.
7. The holy symbol will resurrect the wearer with a resurrection spell once per long rest as long as they remain committed to the quest Kelemvor assigned them and desire to be resurrected.
8. The holy symbol can transform into a +3 longsword as a bonus action. It still functions as a holy symbol in sword form and retains all its powers as long as the attuned owner wields the blade.
9. The wearer has resistance to necrotic damage and cannot have their hit point maximum reduced by any means. The wearer has advantage on saving throws against spells and abilities that do necrotic damage.
10. The item will only attune to a follower of Kelemvor that swears to fulfill the quest Kelemvor assigned the wearer. If the follower abandons his quest, the wearer loses attunemet and cannot attune to the item until he returns to the quest. This holy symbol is only given to Doomguides on quests of significant important to Kelemvor where the balance between life and death is heavily swayed towards unnatural death and needless suffering.[/sblock]


DM Notes: I contemplated whether this would occur after Gravenhollow, but decided that Zuggtymoy's "garden" would be an affront to Kelemvor that the god of the dead could not abide. After his servant found the fungal garden allowing Kelemvor to finally lay eyes on the nature of the corruption the Demon Lords are visiting upon the Underdark, he felt compelled to act through his servant. He has given him sufficient power to accomplish the task at hand in the environment Destrian finds himself in.

I prefer to have the gods take a more active role in the affairs of mankind similar to Greek or Norse mythology. I feel in many D&D adventures the gods are too often inconsequential in the affairs of men other than in historical excerpts in campaign books, so I like to incorporate active gods in play to illustrate to the players that the gods of the ancient world were actors in the world of men and not just myth and books.

 

[Celtavian]

Travel to Mantol-Derith

The journey to Mantol-Derith took 16 days. The encounters at this point in the campaign are trivial. I generate the encounters and compute the experience to maintain the necessary experience point progression for leveling.

Apothicas was given the passwords and locations of secret entrances to enter Mantol-Derith by his father Vizeran. Vizeran has divined there is an item in Mantol-Derith held by a human named Ghazrim Du Loc that will allow Apothicas to lead the party to Gravenhollow. It is Vizeran's hope that the assistance Apothicas provides locating Gravenhollow will build trust with the PCs, specifically Jharzzle and Tytus. He has given Apothicas the layout of Mantol-Derith and information on the drow leadership within. He stated flatly to Apothicas, "I care not how you acquire the ring from Ghazrim Du Loc", the veiled meaning that he could kill everyone within the outpost if Apothicas felt it necessary.

 

[Celtavian]

Session 11 Mantol-Derith

The party decided to enter Mantol-Derith with Apothicas acting as the leader with Jharzzle and Tytus acting as his personal guard and the non-drow posing as slaves. He would claim to be a mage from House Xorlarrin stopping at Mantol-Derith while on a mission to determine the extent of the demonic excursion in the Underdark. Given the status of House Xorlarrin as an outside ally of House Baenre and also not coming directly from Menzoberranzan, this seemed like a wise idea.

The party entered Mantol-Derith bypassing the wards with the passwords from Vizeran. They passed through the trench bisecting Mantol-Derith and used the lifts to reach the main market area. Jharzzle cast pass without trace and they scouted the area. They found duergar chasing svirfneblin engaged in some kind of murderous dispute. Apothicas led them to the Zhentarim Enclave. They encountered the drow leader Sirak Mazelor and her entourage in the pavilion outside the Zhentarim Enclave. Kinyel spotted the party and informed Sirak. Sirak and Apothicas spoke using the pretense they had concocted as to why they were in Mantol-Derith. Sirak ordered them to return to the drow enclave for further discussion once she had completed negotiations with the humans. Apothicas agreed to do as she wished not wanting to start an unnecessary conflict.

The party arrived at the enclave. They convinced the drow elite warriors guarding the doors to let them in to wait for Sirak Mazelor's return. Inside they ran into some friends: the slave hunting party led by Asha Vandree. Asha, Shoor, and her cohorts and slaves attacked. The PCs defeated them easily due to Eraxis's timely use of his necklace of fireballs and the tight quarters. He tossed seven beads at the group taking out most of the quaggoth slaves, quite a few giant spiders, and most of the weaker drow as well as nearly killing Asha's mage cousin she had recruited to help find the escaped slaves. After the fireball, it was a quick battle as Apothicas misty stepped to the mage and killed him with a whip smite.

Most of the drow merchants restrained their slaves and the elite warriors absent their leader surrendered. Tytus killed Shoor for the beatings he received and he other elite warriors fled in the chaos. The drow elite warriors stationed outside saw no reason to throw their lives away in a battle in which they were overmatched. So they left the newcomers a wide berth.

Sirak Mazelor returned with Kinyel and two more drow elite warriors. The negotiations failed due tot the presence of a beholder supporting the Zhentarim Household. She took no action versus Apothicas and his cohorts, even though she knew his story was a ruse. She invited Apothicas to dinner. During dinner, she asked Apothicas to kill the beholder and the remaining duergar and svirfneblin. This would allow the drow to control all trade with the surface in Mantol-Derith and negotiate with the Zhentarim from a position of strength. She offered to cast the blame for killing the priestess of Lolth on Apothicas's cohorts conveniently leaving out his involvement in the events, so as not to involve House Xorlarrin in a scandal.

This is where the session ended.

DM Notes: I modified the events in Mantol-Derith to suit a party with drow members and turn the encounter into a more interesting encounter. I thought this would be a good place to have the PCs run into the drow slave hunting party given they had no intention of traveling to the surface. It felt natural. I did not include Ilvara because I want to use her later.