Into the Undermountain - Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Chapter 1

Greetings, Adventurer!

You have been selected as a member of the next 

expedition to enter the Undermountain through 

the Yawning Portal. 

Your first descent shall begin at sundown on the 

eve of the Spring Equinox. 

A fete shall be held in your honor beginning at 

mid-afternoon. Please come equipped with 

everything you need for your expedition. 

The price for your descent is one gold dragon coin. 

Only one expedition is allowed to begin each season. 

Do not squander or underestimate this unique and 

potentially profitable opportunity. 

Yours truly,

Durnan 

CHAPTER 1

"INTO THE UNDERMOUNTAIN"

The Mystics of Trollskull Manor:

• Wintergreen of House Silverspear - Chaotic Good Moon Elf Noble and Fighter. The daughter of elven diplomats, raised among dwarves.
  
• Etlenda, aka "Exile" - Neutral Good Eladrin Outlander and Paladin. Exiled from the Feywild and raised by wolves. While exploring the Feydark he crossed over into the Underdark and emerged into the Mortal World.
• Tempus Vegvisir - Lawful Good Human Trade Sheriff and Cleric of Helm. Husband and Father.
• Push-ta Tok - Neutral Half-Orc Former Smuggler and Rogue, secret member of the Zhentarim.
• Kem Hearthfire - Chaotic Good Half-Orc Former Gladiator Priestess of Gond.

Twelve Weeks of Winter into Spring

After the events of the Dragon Heist, the Mystics of Trollskull Manor spent their time tending to various endeavors.

Etlenda spent much of his time scouring the various shops and sellers of Waterdeep in search of specific magical items - both for himself and on behalf of his companions. In between, he spent his time volunteering for and assisting the Emerald Enclave in various duties. 

Push'ta learned a new language - Undercommon, and did some magic item shopping of his own.

Kem spent her time working at the forge in the House of Hands as well as going a few rounds in the arena. She won all her fights but they were close calls. In one fight, she defeated Hrabbaz, the half-orc bodyguard of Lady Yalah Gralhund. Her victory earned her the enmity of  Lady Gralhund.

Winterfrost - who changed her name to Winterfire when she drank a potion to color her heair red - changed her hair to green for the spring and changed her name to Wintergreen. She spent her time learning a new weapon proficiency. 

Tempus occupied his time with overseeing the completion of work renovating Trollskull Manor as well as learning Undercommon. 

The Yawning Portal

On the evening of the Spring Equinox, the Mystics of Trollskull Manor gathered at the Yawning Portal to begin their expedition into the Undermountain. Dozens of regulars had turned out to wish them good luck and to make wagers on their success. 

Several well-wishers offered words of advice and warning, rumors and legends of Undermountain. 

"Folks have been sayin' there's a vampire out there on the first level o' the dungeon. Expects a toll to be paid, or eternity as her thrall."

"Goblins got some sorta bazaar down there in the depths. It's worth checkin' out. Mayhaps they've got bread."

"Better bring antivenom. Those depths are crawling with them spider-loving drow."

"Watch out for signs of Tunnel Madness, friend. Starts slow, but soon it's flowerin' like a plague. Don't need any monsters down there to doom a party. Worst monster is man, just you watch."

"Far below the surface is Skullport: a subterranean port of thieves and slavers and pirates set on a sunless sea. The night life is insane."

"Trust no one. A friend on the surface would just as soon as cut your throat for lamp oil."

"Beware the wrath of Xanathar—even in the depths the guild has worked its influence."

"Legends say Halaster Blackcloak had seven apprentices, all sharing a shard of his madness. Even now, centuries later, they might still be kicking around in the dark. Watch out."

DM- Plus I drew a Secret card for each player:

"Halaster brought seven apprentices with him to Undermountain. One of them, Nester, became a lich using spells and methods of his own devising. But his process was flawed, and over time Nester’s phylactery and body disintegrated until only his floating skull and skeletal arms remained. Driven mad by his failure to achieve true lichdom, Nester continues to haunt Undermountain in this weakened form."

"Skullport overlooks the Sargauth River, a watery thoroughfare that cuts through the third level of Undermountain. Pirates once used the subterranean settlement as a trade port, but now it’s a monster-infested haunt where spies and assassins hone their craft. Beware the fortress overlooking the river! Its garrison is commanded by an evil knight with a wyvern mount."

DM- and now I can't see what cards the players drew. It does not persist in Roll20 if the players aren't logged in.

Durnin brought forth several envelopes. The party quieted to listen to him speak.

"Every day, brave adventurers submit their names into the box to be selected for Halaster's Challenge. The challenge is simple: Defeat Halaster - get your wish. And every season, only a handful of names are selected. We don't know how they're selected. All I know is, every season, a handful of envelopes are delivered to me, each addressed to one of those applicants. Here we are again. The adventurers have been chosen. Adventurers, your envelopes."

He handed each of the Mystics an envelope with their name written on it and the date of the vernal equinox of this year. They opened the envelope to find a small glass marble.

"Every adventurer chosen for Halaster's Challenge receives this marble. Put it in a pouch or your pocket. Carry it with you at all times. I know not from where they come or what they mean, but they are yours." 

Durnan leaned in close to them to offer some personal advice, "Remember. There are brave adventurers and old adventurers—but no brave, old adventurers. Be smart down there. Know when to run. Know when there's nowhere to run to."

"And now we begin! Ready the winch!"

Etlenda was lowered down into the well first, followed by his giant war-wolf mount - via harness. Etlenda removed the harness from his war-wolf and the winch was once again raised. The rest of the party was then lowered while sitting upon on a large circular ring.

The Pit

The bottom of the well was sandy and littered with debris from above. Shields adorned the wall of the well. 

A message written in Elvish was scrawled upon the wall:

Beyond the pillars the Mad Mage waits

peering from behind those arcane gates

Ever searching for one of worth

and burying all else in the tepid earth

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Knowing that their return trip would require 1 gold piece each, the party took the precaution of burying six gold pieces beneath the sand in the corner of the room.

The Hall

A side passage led to a long corridor stretching west. The walls were covered with bas reliefs of different types of demons which no one could identify. The skeleton of a long-dead kenku bird-man lay nearly two thirds of the way down the hall. 

Etlenda examined the north wall of the corridor and found two small observation holes around shoulder height. He peered within and saw an empty room. 

Tempus prayed for a miracle and shaped the stone of the wall into a flat plane upon which they could walk.

DM- Tempus cast Mold Earth which, at the time, the player thought could re-shape a 5'x5' cube of dirt or stone. However, reading the spell now, I see it only allows him to shape loose dirt, not stone. So- FREE STONE SHAPE I guess.

The Sword in the Post

The room within was bare save for an old wooden post - a stand used for storing armor - with a glowing sword driven through it. An old severed hand, dried and withered, lay motionless on the floor beneath the sword hilt. 

"Magic sword!" exclaimed Wintergreen.

"It's obviously a trap." said Etlenda.

Wintergreen agreed. "Push'ta. Use your caravan guard magic to draw the sword without touching it!"

Push'ta waved his hands towards the sword and it magically withdrew itself from the post, hovering in mid-air. Nothing happened. 

When no trap was triggered, Wintergreen shrugged and took the sword. She tried to place it in an empty loop on her backpack but was unable to let go of the hilt. 

"What's wrong?" inquired Etlenda.

"I- I can't let go. The sword is stuck to my hand!" said Wintergreen, worriedly.

"I TOLD YOU!"

After getting some help stowing her hammer and strapping her shield to her left hand, Wintergreen was ready to go, "I guess I fight with a sword now!"

The Vampire Den

The party exited the room through a regular door on the opposite side and turned right down a corridor. They turned right again and thought for a moment they saw a figure at the end of the corridor. It turned out to be nothing more than a shadow. They turned left and entered into a door.

The room beyond contained three tall statues of ancient lords of Waterdeep. A group of nine figures  with pale faces, dark sunken eyes, fangs, and wearing tattered capes stood across the room - some bore crossbows and some torches.

"Halt! You stand in the dreaded crypts of Countess Harria herself — and our mistress shall have her due, you cattle. Choose now: gold or blood, lest you be damned like us."

"How much?" asked Tempus.

"Ten golden dragons! Pay and you  may pass. Refuse and you shall pay with your blood!"

Etlenda closed his eyes. His divine sense could detect no fiends or undead. "You're faking," he said, "We'll pay you nothing."

"Then blood it is!" and the vampires with crossbows released their quarrels into Wintergreen who stood at the front.

Tempus charged forward and cut one vampire down with a sword stroke. The vampire burst into green flame which spread to the vampire next to him. 

Wintergreen charged a third vampire but swung wildly with her new magic sword.

DM - Two 1s in a row!

"Gah!" she spat, "This thing is useless! I hate it!"

The third vampire fell to Push'ta's crossbow.

Retreat

At the sight of the three vampires dying in such short order, the other vampires fled in panic. Half retreated through the door from whence they emerged, the other half ran to the north - likely in search of reinforcements.

Etlenda, riding his armored war-wolf, ran down the fleeing leader of the vampires. The leader managed to retain his footing and he turned and ran.

DM- Etlenda forgot that the leader was fighting defensively and forgot to roll with disadvantage. I said, to make up for it the leader can flee without an attack of opportunity. Etlenda's player thought that was fair.

With the retreat of the false vampires, the room was cleared.

Kem prayed for healing for Wintergreen's wounds and used a scroll to remove the curse of the glowing sword. The sword fell to the ground and no one wanted to pick it up.

Wintergreen examined the statues. The names were defaced and scrawled with chalk writing in the language of the goblins - which no one knew.

After exploring the area and a few side corridors, the party decides to follow the fleeing "vampires" through the corridors to the north.

The Bargain

The party entered a large room. Before them was an ancient throne made of bones. In the center of the room were the long-dead remains of a dead wyvern and a large crystal sphere that has broken into several pieces. 

Two groups of people cautiously emerged from corridors on the far side of the room. One group stood behind a towering creature that seemed to be composed of various human body parts stitched together - a flesh golem! 

At the golem's side was a woman dressed as a vampire countess - "Who dares enter the domain of Countess Harria?"

The man beside her, the leader of the previous group that had fled, tugged her sleeve and said, "Hey- they know."

Tempus and Etlenda verified, "Yeah. We know you're not vampires."

She turned on the man in anger, "Dammit, Uktarl! Why didn't you tell me? I got all made up and everything!"

The party asked who they were. The woman said they were actors who had previously toured the countryside. They came to the city but soon learned that their style of acting was unappreciated. Without money, they turned to their friend, Agorn Fuoco, for advice. Agorn said they could take shelter in this underground location, pretend to be vampires, and extort naïve adventurers. 

Countess Harria asked the Mystics to not reveal their operation or kill any more of their troupe. The party agreed to a cease fire if they could pass through the room to the far door into the corridor or room beyond. Harria agreed. 

DM- I got feedback from the players that the troupe of bad actors pretending to be vampires was perhaps the greatest encounter ever.

The Hall of Statues

The next chamber was a long hall filled with dozens of statues. The high vaulted ceiling was obscured by thick cobwebs. The dead body of one the vampire actors lay nearby. The dead bodies of three giant spiders lay upside down here and there, their curled legs sticking into the air, their bodies pierced with multiple crossbow bolts. 

The Upside Down Room

Halfway down the hall of statues, a corridor led to the right. Wintergreen reconnoitered ahead of the rest of the party while searching for traps. The corridor was a dead end with a door to the right. She carefully opened the door.

She was surprised to find a comfortable study with burning fireplace, cushioned chair, side table, and a shelf of ancient books - but completely upside down! All the furniture was on the ceiling. The fire burned "downward". 

Floating in mid-air was a bronze facemask. She reached out and took it.

Etlenda shook his head, "For the love of-"

The room disappeared, revealing a bare 10 foot by 10 foot empty closet. 

After some experimentation with the mask that yielded nothing, the abandoned the empty closet and returned to the hall of statues.

The Sloping Tunnel

A little further down the hall of statues but on the north wall was a door. Wintergreen opened the door and saw an empty room. A quick investigation found another corridor on the other end of the room that sloped downward. They retreated from the room.

The Empty Armory

Slightly further down the hall on the south wall was yet another door. Within was a short corridor and an empty armory - the weapons and armor racks bare. A hand axe was embedded, as if thrown,  in the door on the south wall. Beyond the door was a small chamber with a mechanical sharpening wheel operated by foot pedals. The ancient sub-floor mechanisms needed repair. 

Wintergreen and Tempus expressed interest in spending time repairing the wheel but Etlenda saw no benefit and was anxious to keep moving. 

The Rune Doors

At the end of the long hall of statues was a pair of large bronze double-doors. A glowing rune was magically inscribed upon the doors. No one recognized the rune but it was evidently not associated with any known magical ward. 

Etlenda opened the door, breaking the seal and activating the rune.

DM - I rolled randomly to determine the target and got Etlenda. I dealt an Elder Rune card to Etlenda's player. I misread how Elder Runes worked and applied both effects to Etlenda:

Lammath

Elder Rune of Security

Bane Effect: For the next 24 hours, the target can’t gain advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws.

Boon Effect: Once within the next 24 hours, the target can use its reaction to reduce the damage it takes from one source by 10d6.

It was a mistake but I actually kind of like the idea of the Elder Runes having both a Bane AND a Boon.

The Manticore

Beyond the rune doors was a vast chamber that reeked with rot and waste. Its high vaulted ceiling held up by crumbling pillars. A sinuous voice floated out from the dark: "Ah… The newest contestants. Welcome. Welcome to Halaster's Challenge!"

Out from the dark stalked a beast with the face of a man, the body of a lion, and the wings of a drake. Its spiked tail scraped against a nearby pillar. Indistinct shadows moved on the walls and ceiling in the vaulted chamber.

"Yours is a special game," says the beast, flashing a smile far too human for your liking. "A special game indeed. The Mad Mage expects a great performance for his audience."

To be Continued...

For this campaign, I am using the Dungeon of the Mad Mage Companion - Complete Edition by Wyatt Trull. This book was strongly recommended by the DotMM online community and I have to say - they're not wrong. It's excellent.

Finally, Kem's player is an architect and she live-mapped the adventure as we played on her professional drafting software.