Spy Party - Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Chapter 11

A magical silver raven appeared on Winterfrost's window sill at sunset, tapping on the pane. It bore a small package. She opened the window and unwrapped the package. It contained a note and a pendant. The note read:

"Lady Remallia Haventree is hosting a party at her villa on Delzorin Street, located between Vhezoar Street and Brondar's Way in the North Ward. We have reason to suspect that drow spies have infiltrated the guest list. Attend the party and root out the disguised drow. We've put you on the guest-list already, but you'll have to bring your own attire. Dress sharply."

She gave her answer to the silver raven, "We'll be there."

The next evening at sunset, the Mystics of Trollskull Manor stood before the entrance to the Ulbrinter villa. They were dressed in their finest attire, hand selected by Winterfrost, who - despite her skills as a deadly warrior and predilection towards dwarven fighting styles, weapons, and armor - was also the daughter of ambassadors and a member of the elven nobility with a keen fashion sense with many friends in high places among the Waterdhavian elite. 

Push-ta, now going by the goblin name Bearbite, was concerned that his allegiance to certain organized crime factions operating in Waterdeep would cause a distraction, so he wore his magical hat of disguise to change his appearance to that of a tall human man from the north.

The footman opened the door and announced their arrival to the rest of the guests, "Ladies, Gentlemen, and other Guests, I present to you - Lady Winterfrost of House Silverspear and her entourage."

CHAPTER 11

"SPY PARTY"

The Mystics of Trollskull Manor:

• Winterfrost 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 "Bearbite" Tok - Neutral Half-Orc Former Smuggler and Rogue, secret member of the Zhentarim.
• Kem Hearthfire - Chaotic Good Half-Orc Former Gladiator Priestess of Gond. 
• Glom the Wretched - Chaotic Neutral Goblin NPC, former thief and guide to the Arcane Chambers.

DM - This week was entirely role-playing and interactions with Waterdhavian NPCs. It was a lot of fun and a nice little holiday from all the dungeon crawling.

The Guest List

The host, Lady Remalia Haventree, greeted them and made them feel welcome. There were roughly half-a-dozen guests milling around the entrance foyer. The doors to the garden were open and a few more could be seen outside. Servants were wandering around with drinks. She informed the new arrivals that light food was available in the dining hall. 

At the entrance they met Tarkus Forrester, a carpenter who had recently become famous for writing a fiction novel - the Serpent of Salinger. The novel, with its tale of horror deep under the earth, became an instant hit among the elite, making the otherwise common Forrester an instant celebrity. He engaged Kem in conversation, asking if she was good friends with Lady Haventree. When Kem admitted that she was not, Tarkus seemed disappointed and displayed waning interest in the conversation. 

Kem excused herself and went out into the garden where she met a dwarf engineer admiring the fountain. The dwarf, Hannskjald Riverwright, was a hydraulic engineer and was impressed by the workings of the fountains. He and Kem, as a priestess of Gond, god of engineering, hit it off and engaged in interesting and technical conversation.

Tempus

Inside, the party split up and began to mingle. Tempus was drawn in by Volotham Geddarm who began talking about his new book, asking about the house and their adventurers, and generally never shutting up to let anyone get a word in edgewise. 

Tempus managed to extricate himself from Volo and meet some of the other guests. Winterfrost stood by a wall in the corner and used the pendant to read the surface thoughts of everyone with which Tempus spoke. 

He met Levedi Celsa, a boring nobleman with nothing to hide. He then spoke with the foreign merchant named Aizkorri de Challon - who was actually a foreign spy but not interested in Lady Haventree. 

Sven

Bearbite followed a gnome woman named Gwiston Kalliwart to the dining hall to get some food. She was friendly and talkative. Bearbite, wearing his hat of disguise, introduced himself as "Sven". Gwiston did not seem the noble or elite type. When asked how she knew Lady Haventree, Gwiston replied that she was one of Lady Haventree's "good friends" and asked if Sven was one of Lady Haventree's "good friends". Sven said he did not think so. 

A moment later, a tall striking woman wearing a black wide-brimmed hat entered. It was Vevette Blackwater - notorious pirate captain and former associate of Manshoon - the renegade criminal that recently attempted to overthrow the power structure of the Zhentarim. Vevette and Bearbite had a history. He would capture her, she would flirt with him, she would escape, they would fight, she would lose, she would flirt, and he would let her free. It's how it went. 

Vevette pulled Bearbite/Sven aside. Bearbite was certain his disguise had been blown. She looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, "Excuse me. My name is Vevette. I saw you come in with Winterfrost and her goons. They may have told you about me. Did Push-Ta Tok happen to join you tonight? Is he here? Is he with you?" She looked around, searching. 

"No," he said, in his best foreign accent.

She narrowed her eyes, "What's your name?"

"S-Sven," he stuttered, nervously.

He considered this. She smiled, and touched his chin, "Well, if you see him, tell him I was looking for him. See you around - Sven." She left.

Standing the back of the room was a tall shy man. He would smile and look away. He sat down on a chair and avoided the others. Push-ta/Bearbite/Sven introduced himself. The man was named Tethyn Lambros. He was not a nobleman, a merchant, or one of the city elite. He worked for a charitable organization trying to raise funds and resources to help war refugees from the East. He had heard a rumor that - he paused to whisper - that Lady Haventree had helped drow refugees escape the Underdark. He was hoping he could get her or her friends to help his organization as well.

Etlenda

Etlenda avoided mingling. This was not his scene. He went down the side hall, checking the doors to see which were locked. He opened the door to the library and caught a man and woman jump apart, wiping their faces and straightening their attire.

It was Eranthis Van Gaveren  and Alyva Broeckaert, two prominent nobles. They were both married, but not to each other. 

Etlenda apologized and closed the door. They each emerged from the room, separately, a few minutes later.

Etlenda went out into the garden. There he encountered the flamboyant Nicomachos du Quesnai. Yes, "THE" Nicomachos du Quesnai. Nicomachos du Quesnai only ever pronounced every syllable of his full name - Nicomachos du Quesnai. He was well aware that everyone was pleased to meet the mane who was named - Nicomachos du Quesnai.

DM - Nicomachos du Quesnai soon became the group's favorite NPC. They loved butchering his name and they loved every time I said it - for always did I say it with feeling - and emphasis - the name - Nicomachos du Quesnai!

Nicomachos du Quesnai left Etlenda to converse with another couple - a mysterious warlock named Adventure Donoghan and someone Etlenda already knew from the Emerald Enclave - the druidess Ysoria Brenden. Etlenda soon realized that Adventure was attempting to woo the demure Ysoria. Etlenda apologized and prepared to exit when Adventure touched his arm, insinuating that he need not leave. Adventure said, "With you involved, this night might go either terribly terribly wrong or terribly terribly right."

Nevercott

Inside, Tempus introduced himself to J.B. Nevercott. The man was a tailor and haberdasher from the trade quarter. He was working the room, handing out his calling card and trying to make business contacts. His crass marketing at a social function made him a bit of a pariah at the soirée. 

Tempus learned that Nevercott's hats and clothes were made from imported silk - silk that was durable and resistant to tears and abrasions. Nevercott refused to reveal the source of his silks, leading Tempus to deduce that they must come from the drow. This put Nevercott on the list of suspects as the possible spy.  

Tempus also met a halfling named Bill Goodbarrel, a retired adventurer and "good friend" of Lady Haventree. When asked why he no longer adventured, Goodbarrel knocked on his wooden leg and smiled. 

The Rumor

Winterfrost met Tarkus Forrester in the garden. Tarkus seemed very interested in Winterfrost's relationship with Lady Haventree, as well as Winterfrost's expeditions into the Undermountain with the Mystics of Trollskull Manor. Winterfrost, likewise, was very interested in how Tarkus knew so much about the Underdark. He admitted that he did thorough research at the scriptoriums and libraries. His story - a carpenter with no history of writing, doing thorough research at the library about a place few had ever seen, suddenly writing a popular novel - seemed suspicious. 

Tarkus changed the subject and asked Winterfrost if she had heard the rumors that Lady Haventree had smuggled drow into Waterdeep. Shen she said she had not, she smiled and moved on to speak to someone new. 

Trench

Push-ta/Bearbite/Sven found Winterfrost and pulled her aside into the music room. Inside they found famed investigator, Vincent Trench, the "Cat's Eye" himself, playing the harpsichord. Popular musician Giregilo Dolder stood nearby, appreciating the performance. Vincent was smiling and amiable. 

Winterfrost did a double take, "Great, he's probably figured out who the spy is already."

He smiled, "Of course I have, dear!"

"You going to tell us who it is?"

"Oh, heavens no! This is my night off!"

Bearbite and Winterfrost huddled in a corner and shared what they knew about Lady Haventree and the rumors of smuggling drow. They suddenly had their suspicions about their host. They gathered the others together in the garden to share everything they had learned so far.

Etlenda said, "I haven't learned much, but I think I might be in a threesome later."

The Host

The Mystics of  Trollskull Manor sought out Lady Haventree.

Lady Haventree was entertaining some guests by the entrance. A plump human woman, Mirabella Trill , the wife of a prosperous Waterdhavian craftsman, hovered near Lady Haventree's elbow trying desperately to be Lady Remalia's friend. 

The Mystics requested a meeting with Lady Haventree in private. Their host agreed and led them to her office. 

She asked them if they had uncovered the drow spy yet. They said they had two suspects, but they had some questions. They asked her about the rumors that she had smuggled drow into Waterdeep.

She matter of factly explained that she had. She had helped drow refugees escape slavery and torture in the underground city of Menzoberranzan. She had helped find them shelter and safe haven. That was, specifically, why the rulers of Menzoberranzan hired the drow mercenaries and spies known as the Bregan D'aerthe to stop her. She had received intelligence from one of her "good friends" that a high level agent of the Bregan D'aerthe planned to infiltrate the party in order to learn about out her methods, contacts, routes and schedules.

Bearbite/Sven said, "Wait, do we know anything about the Bregan D'aerthe?" 

Winterfrost said, "Yeah, we hunted down one of their members that was a serial killer in the docks. That's how I got the pistol, remember?"

Lady Haventree asked for details about their suspects. The Mystics went through the entire guest list, sharing all the intelligence they had gathered and eliminating the obviously innocent.

They focused their attention on Tarkus Forrester and J.B. Nevercott.

"Well, which one is it? I can't afford to accuse the wrong person." 

Winterfrost said, "I've got a plan."

The Plan

Before exiting Lady Haventree's office, Kem Hearthfire said a prayer. In response, she was granted the ability to sense magic. The team exited the office and surveyed those present in the entry foyer. J. B. Nevercott radiated a slight bit of enchantment magic, likely due to his special silk. 

The team made their way around the house, checking the occupants of each room. Vincent Trench radiated powerful transmutation magic. Likewise did Bearbite radiate an aura of transmutation due to his magic hat. Unexpetedly, Winterfrost's forehead emanated a small aura of transmutation magic

Notably, however, no one could find Tarkus Forrester. They checked every room. They decided to check those off limits to guests.

They found Tarkus Forrester in the kitchen along with the halfling chef Tamora Nessik and Hu-Man  Patty Johnson. Tamora was a guest who happened to be observing the kitchen staff. Hu-Man Patty Johnson had been invited but the team had asked her to stay at home to avoid any awkward social situations. They found her in the kitchen, dressed in her finest new gown, stealing silverware and cutlery and putting them in a sack. 

Tarkus Forrester, however, quickly excused himself and went into the adjoining dining hall. The kitchen staff informed Winterfrost that Tarkus had been asking for details about Lady Haventree's guests.

They followed Tarkus into the dining hall. Tarkus, aware he was being followed, made his exit into the garden. 

Kem reported that she could detect no magic on Tarkus. Winterfrost and Etlenda were both confused by this information.

Winterfrost told the others to back off and meet her in the foyer.  She went into the garden and called to Tarkus, telling him that she had important information about Lady Haventree.

Tarkus, intrigued, pulled her aside to a private nook. Winterfrost asked again why Tarkus wanted to know about Lady Haventree. He told her that he was working as an agent for the Lords of Waterdeep who suspected Lady Haventree of smuggling drow agents into the city. 

Winterfrost told Tarkus that she had found evidence of the smuggling and offered to take him to Lady Haventree's office. Tarkus nodded and followed her into the entrance foyer.

The Reveal

Once in the foyer, Winterfrost called out to Lady Haventree, informing her in front of all the guests that Tarkus was the one she sought. 

Vincent Trench called out, "Finally!"

Tarkus, surrounded by all the other guests and trapped by the other Mystics guarding the exits, stood straight and began a slow congratulatory clap. 

"Well done. Well done, Winterfrost." Tarkus removed his wig, revealing stark white hair and pointed elven ears. As he spoke, he removed a false nose and wiped away the makeup on his face, revealing a skin of dark charcoal. He was a drow - and not just any drow, he was Jarlaxle, the leader of the Breagan D'earthe! His Waterdhavian accent was gone, replaced with the clipped accent of Menzoberranzan, "Well done, I must congratulate you. You found me out and executed your little trap to perfection. Unfortunately, this is where I take my leave of you. Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you good evening!"

The room was plunged into darkness. When light returned a moment later, Jarlaxle was gone. So, too, was J. T. Nevercott.

DM - My players were very impressed that Jarlaxle used make-up instead of magic. They didn't even think of that and thought it was genius.

Reward

Despite the interruption, the party continued for several more hours. Lady Haventree took the Mystics into her office and thanked them. She rewarded each of them with a box filled with 200 golden dragons. Winterfrost returned her reward and asked Lady Haventree to use it to help Tethyn Lambros and his refugees. She agreed. 

Next Week...

Etlenda's player wants to do a faction quest for the Emerald Enclave and the players want to do some downtime book-keeping, language learning, shopping, etc. 

DM - This week was a lot of fun. Great roleplaying and interactions with NPCs. The scenario was adapted from the book Waterdeep: Expanded Faction Missions by Brandon Waldmann. 

When the players heard the name Jarlaxle, they were like "Why is that so familiar?" and I said, "You, as players, met him before at the end of Out of the Abyss." This jogged their memory, "Oh yeah! Council of Spiders!"

"The Tower Sorcere" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 45

Vizerian DeVir

Willow found Vizeran disgusting, debauched, and decadent. She was glad she was nearly finished helping him assemble the Dark Heart.

"I have completed all that you required. May I leave now?" inquired the wizardess impatiently.

"In good time, in good time," said the drow mage, "it will take me several more days while I complete the Dark Heart. Perhaps we should take a break and- well- have you seen my collection of shrunken heads? Many of them were acquired during my tour of the outer planes. They're delicious! Plus they have amazing hallucinatory and prophetic effects!"

Will sighed and rolled her eyes, "No! I'm leaving. I have to rejoin my expedition!"

"Fine," acquiesced the drow, "I'll have Kleve show you the entrance to the secret passage. If you hurry, you might catch up with them."

Willow grabbed her magical flying broom and was outside of the tower in a flash!

OUT OF THE ABYSS, CHAPTER 45

"THE TOWER SORCERE"

Five heroes scour the Underdark
in order to find the ingredients
of an arcane ritual
that will banish the Demon-Lords
back to the Abyss
from which they escaped.

Having finally acquired all the ingredients.
Now they must deliver them to the drow wizard
Vizeran DeVir who must prepare
a talisman known as the Dark Heart...

THE LEADERS OF THE EXPEDITION

Ser Valerius Adeques - (PC, human paladin 11, male) Defender and champion of the old gods of nature, commander of the forces from the Order of the Gauntlet.

Pain Grille' - (PC, halfling rogue 11, male) Wily street urchin from Waterdeep, was turned to stone in Blingdenstone but got better, commander of the Lord's Alliance forces.

Cordon - (PC, human cleric 11, male) Morninglord, Holy Radiant of Lathandor the Sun God, on a holy quest to activate the Maze Engine.
Willow - (PC, human wizard 11, female) "the solution is always fireball!"

THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION

Thora Nabal - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Sylrien Havennor - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Elias Drako - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Tamryn Tharke - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet) Gravelly voiced amazon with the hots for Feral.

Olaf Renghyi - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

The Shield Guardian - (NPC, shield guardian) a contribution from Lord Zelraun Roaringhorn of the Harpers.

Phwee-toop - (NPC, owl) Willow's familiar.

NOT PRESENT THIS WEEK
Ront - (PC, half-orc barbarian 11, male) Savage orc of the Iron-Thews tribe seeking redemption for his failures.

THE TOWER SORCERE

Ront suddenly began coughing, he tottered a moment, then collapsed.

Jarlaxle looked at the orc with concern, "Is he going to be alright?"

Ser Valerius shrugged, "Yes. He'll be fine. It's called 'Crypt Cough'. It's a chronic condition that flared up whenever one of us has a family obligation or isn't feeling well. We'll just leave him here if that's alright with you?"

"I see. Yes, of course."

The exchange was interrupted when a scout appeared at the entrance to the audience hall, "Sir! We captured an Overworld intruder snooping around the edge of the grounds. We think she is affiliated with the other Overworlders."

"Bring her in."

Willow the Not-Witch

The scout produced Willow, bound and gagged.

Ser Valerius confirmed her membership in the party and she was unbound.

Jarlaxle continued, "Where was I? Oh yes. This is as associate of mine from the Council of Spiders. He will give you some assistance and instructions for entering the Tower."

A young male drow approached the party, "I have prepared for each of you a scroll of invisibility." He stepped past Grinn and provided the scrolls to Willow, "It looks like you may now have someone competent to cast them," he said, passively insulting his former colleague Grinn. "Remember, stay between the guardian statues while you're invisible. The tower is protected by spells of alarm and warding. Speak the password I give you as you enter to disable the spell for one hour. How do you plan to move through the city undetected?"

Ser Valerius explained, "We will wear these piwafwi cloaks we acquired to blend in. If asked, we are Grinn's slaves."

"Excellent." The drow then elaborated on the internal layout of the tower and what they should expect.

So equipped, the party waited until the dimming of massive glowing pillar supporting the ceiling of Menzoberranzan known as Narbondel, a time when the city was darkest and when most drow rested. They moved quickly through the gloom to the city Bazaar.

Grinn Ousstyl

Grinn once more offered his assistance, "I can be an invaluable guide within the tower."

Ser Valerius declined, "No thanks. Willow's got this one. We don't need your help. In fact, you should just stay here and keep out of the way."

Grinn, dejected, sat down on a nearby bench while the others disappeared into invisibility.

The expedition moved swiftly through the city. They each held a piece of string to stay together and Willow had previously cast a spell that allowed them to telepathically communicate with each other. They moved up the center of wide stair to the top of Tier Breche. They gave the guardian a wide berth as they circled to the large spike-shaped tower to the left - Tower Sorcere.

The entrance into the tower was an open passage nearly a hundred feet deep that ended in silver doors. They spoke the password before entering the threshold of the passage. The door beyond was unlocked. The tower appeared to be empty, its residents sleeping. They were in a large gathering hall with a long table. They moved carefully, deliberately, and with stealth towards a stairway in the rear of the hall. The stairway took them to the library on the second floor. Willow stared covetously at the many racks of scrolls and books but stuck to the plan and moved with the others to a second central stairway.

The stairway passed the third and fourth floors and ended at the fifth floor. A vestibule was located outside the entrance to the sanctum of the Archmage, their destination.

DM Note- I used the floor plan from Elven Tower's Guide to Out of the Abyss by Derek Von Zarovich.

Tower Sorcere by Derek Von Zarovich

THE OUTER SANCTUM

Pain produced his lock picks and got to work opening the ornate door. He broke a pick on the first attempt but, as his halfling luck would have it, the door opened anyway. Willow sent her owl Phwee-Toop inside to scout ahead. The owl, like the others, was still invisible. The owl flew quickly around the single large office, noting the shelves of scrolls and books, the large table, the smaller desk, and the large statue of a four-armed sword-wielding demon, before it returned to her invisible hand.

There was a flash and a sudden explosion of hot wind as a large bonfire miraculously manifested itself within the room. The fire radiated intense heat and seemed to have a will of its own. The fire elemental had been summoned into existence by the intrusion into the room but now the elemental looked around and saw no immediate cause for its summoning.

Fire Elemental

Pain and Ser Valerius, in spite of the searing heat, took up attack positions around the elemental. Ser Valerius struck! Pain followed up. Cordon, being a priest of the sun god Lathander with a catalog of prayers that generally produced holy fire and blessed radiance, was at a loss for action. Valerius and Pain continued to endure the intense heat as they battled the fiery elemental.

Willow stepped forward and ordered the thing to return to the elemental plane of fire from which it came. The elemental was unable to resist her banishment and it disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only a bit of scorched floor.

Willow concentrated to maintain her banishment while Pain began to search the large table. He had barely moved some papers when the stone statue came to life, swinging its swords with a sandy scraping sound.

Animated Statue

The statue attacked Pain. The party went into action, distracting the statue and preventing it from attacking Willow. The statue was eventually broken apart and crumbled into dust and sand.

Once Willow was certain the banishment had taken hold, she turned her attention to the room. She closed her eyes and concentrated on any magical enchantments. The only source appeared to emanate from a tapestry hung upon the wall behind the statue.

Willow examined the tapestry but found nothing interesting about it. She pondered its meaning.

"Interesting," she mused, "I wonder what it is about this tapestry that radiates magic."

"It's not the tapestry," exclaimed Valerius, "It's whats behind it!" He tore down the tapestry to reveale a silver door! The door was set into the wall that couldn't make sense. Behind the wall was the open space of the stair well.

Pain once again set his skills to the door, but there was no lock to pick.

Willow confidently said, "I got this." and cast a spell of opening upon the door.

The door slowly swung open to reveal a yawning black nothingness like a black velvet drapery hung over the doorway.

Valerius reached out his hand. It disappeared into the darkness.

"See you on the other side," he quipped, and stepped into the void.

Doorway to Darkness

He was soon followed by Cordon, Willow, and Pain.

THE FATE OF PAIN
Pain found himself in a strange room. It appeared to resemble the inside of a crystal, with transparent faceted walls, ceiling, and floor. The room was barely larger than a bedroom. He was alone. He called out but no one answered. He sat down and took a nap.

Pain Grille'

THE MAZE
Ser Valerius was standing in a short corridor. The corridor ended in a three-way intersection on one end and turned right on the other end. Other passages branched off on either side. He began to explore. More turns, branches, and intersections. He was trapped in some kind of labyrinth and he was alone!

Willow was likewise trapped, alone, in a labyrinth. She looked around and quickly spotted a door. She exited the door. Magical glowing crystals provided illumination. She was in a round room with a high ceiling that disappeared in shadow. A female drow was sitting inside a ten-foot wide circle of salt in the center of the room. There were stacks of books piled next to full bookshelves. A podium containing an open book stood near the circle of salt. Thick spider webs were draped over the bookshelves and elsewhere within the room.

A moment later Cordon stepped through the door.

"Maze?" inquired Willow.

"Yup," replied Cordon, "Where's Valerius and Pain?"

Willow shrugged.

The Inner Sanctum

The drow jumped to her feet. She babbled something in drow elvish. Willow and Cordon both shook their heads and shrugged. The drow tried again in broken Undercommon, "You from over! You me help! Me am trapped!"

The drow, using choppy Undercommon, said her name was Y'lara. She was a drow priestess whom Gromph had trapped within the circle. Gromph had planned on providing her as a demonic sacrifice but the ritual went awry and Gromph fled, leaving her here.

She begged to be released and offered to provide assistance. Willow was inclined to help but Cordon was more wary.

A moment later, Valerius entered through the door. Y'lara said something in drow elvish to which Valerius replied, "I can understand elvish."

Y'lara was relieved and continued her plea for release more eloquently using her native tongue.

She explained in more detail how she was a priestess sent by the Matron Mother to investigate Gromph's activities as well as his collusion with the Council of Spiders. She was caught and magically imprisoned within this magic circle, which she correctly pointed out was effective against fey such as drow.

Valerius was highly skeptical of her claim and prayed for guidance. The spirits of nature compelled Y'lara to speak only the truth.

DM Note- I set the timer on my phone for ten minutes, the duration of the Zone of Truth.

Valerius then interrogated Y'lara with a series of questions meant to expose the drow as a demon. She objected to this treatment and became impatient that she had not yet been released. Her avoidance of the question was enough for Valerius to conclude that she was, in fact, not a drow but something else- probably a demon.

The party did their best to ignore the pleas of the trapped prisoner as they began searching the room. Suddenly, six giant spiders descended from the ceiling and attacked! Y'lara begged to be released so that she could help fend off the attackers.

Willow sent a fireball spell into the ceiling, destroying several of the spiders.

DM Note- This was Willow's legit damage rolled on the fireball. Impressive!

That's a lot of sixes!

The spiders were soon dispatched and the webs were pulled away. The search continued, yielding several rare and valuable tomes, a large supply of valuable spell components, the grimoire known as Zhaun'ol'leal - "the Book of the Eight", and a hand mirror in a velvet cover. Valerius also found a large diamond. Trapped within the diamond was a teeny tiny little Pain!

Valerius asked Willow to inspect the diamond. Willow explained that it was a spell of imprisonment. Such a spell represented incredibly powerful magic. Dispelling it was beyond her capability.

Valerius asked Y'lara if she knew how to free Pain from the diamond prison. Y'lara grinned and said that she did. She said that it was, after all, how she was captured when she tried to infiltrate the tower and she had heard Gromph use the password to set her free.

She would share the password if someone from the party would break the magic circle and release her.

Ser Valerius Adeques

Valerius once more declined.

Y'lara became frustrated and finally dropped the pretense. She admitted to being a demon. Her voice became harsh, otherworldly.

Y'lara tried bargaining more directly for her release. Valerius entertained some of the suggestions but ultimately declined all her offers. Willow made the case for her release in order to free Pain. Valerius was adamant in his refusal but did suggest that he wouldn't stand in Willow's way. Valerius' concerns were enough to dissuade Willow from freeing Y'lara.

Y'lara eventually became angry. Her voice became a bestial growl. She began to melt, finally resuming her demonic form. The demon resembled a large viscous yellow mass with one large eye and several reddish tentacles. The demon shuddered in rage and lashed out impotently.

Y'Lara Reveals her True Form

Valerius, Cordon, and Willow took the book, mirror, diamond, and spell components and left the demon. She screamed in outrage as they closed the door behind them.

BETRAYAL IN MENZOBERRANZAN

Willow cast a spell of invisibility upon everyone in the party and they made their way down the stairwell to the exit of Tower Sorcere.

They exited the tower just as the password that protected them from the magical alarm wore off.

The party retrieved Grinn Ousstyl from the bazaar and returned to House Dro'Urden.

They were granted immediate audience with Jarlaxle. Jarlaxle asked for the mirror. They produced it and handed it over. Jarlaxle thanked them.

"And now," he continued, "I must ask you to turn over the grimiore. As much as I dislike the idea of demon lords rampaging across the countryside, I cannot let it fall into the hands of that old lech, Vizerian. That would be even more dangerous! You will find another way to stop the demon-lords!"

"That's not going to happen," said Ser Valerius, "you're going to have to try and take it from us!"

There was a sudden commotion at the entrance to House Dro'Urden. The doors burst open and a group of warriors barged in. They were led by several priestesses and accompanied by hulking draegloth demons. Quenthel Baenre, Matron Mother of Menzoberranzan, stepped forward.

"Brother! I will have words with thee! I know that you currently harbor agents of the Council of Spiders. They are subversive dissidents and are guilty of sedition and treason! Those who harbor them are guilty by association! I demand you turn them over at once so that they may serve as an example to other radicals!"

Jarlaxle refused, "You are wrong, sister! There are none such as you describe here!"

"I will determine that for myself! Search the house and seize that book!"

Jarlaxle drew his sabers, "No!"

In the ensuing battle between the two drow factions, Grinn lead the party out of House Dro'Urden, "Hurry, this way. I know a discreet exit."  They retrieved the nauseated Ront and slipped away while no one was paying attention.

They retreated to the secret tunnel in Westrift and escaped the city of the drow.

TO BE CONTINUED...

"The City of Spiders" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 44

Thora Nabal respectfully approached Ser Valerius Adeques with a problem.

"Boss, we have a problem," she ventured.

"Is it Tamryn?" the paladin replied.

"Yes."

"What is it this time?"

"She's being obnoxious!" exclaimed the exasperated Thora, "Everything reminds her of that assassin with the hare lip. She keeps looking at things and just... sighing! She'll sit there and just repeat his name over and over again! But that's not the main problem. Apparently everything she sees or hears reminds her of his genitals! She saw a broken stalagmite yesterday and called out his name! I mean, it was annoying when he was still alive and pining over him. But now he's dead and she's practically WAILING!"

"Okay. I'll speak with her. But I'm not sure what I..."

"No, sir. I'm sorry. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, sir, lately Tamryn has been taking double rations at every meal."

"Oh, that's not acceptable."

"No, sir, that's not- I mean to say, that is, what I'm trying to tell you, sir, is that, um, well, she's ah, she's apparently eating for two!"

OUT OF THE ABYSS, CHAPTER 44

"THE CITY OF SPIDERS"

Five heroes scour the Underdark
in order to find the ingredients
of an arcane ritual
that will banish the Demon-Lords
back to the Abyss
from which they escaped.

Having finally acquired all the ingredients.
Now they must deliver them to the drow wizard
Vizeran DeVir who must prepare
a talisman known as the Dark Heart...

THE LEADERS OF THE EXPEDITION

Ser Valerius Adeques - (PC, human paladin 11, male) Defender and champion of the old gods of nature, commander of the forces from the Order of the Gauntlet.

Ront - (PC, half-orc barbarian 11, male) Savage orc of the Iron-Thews tribe seeking redemption for his failures.

Pain Grille' - (PC, halfling rogue 11, male) Wily street urchin from Waterdeep, was turned to stone in Blingdenstone but got better, commander of the Lord's Alliance forces.

Cordon - (PC, human cleric 11, male) Morninglord, Holy Radiant of Lathandor the Sun God, on a holy quest to activate the Maze Engine.

THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION

Thora Nabal - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Sylrien Havennor - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Elias Drako - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

Tamryn Tharke - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet) Gravelly voiced amazon with the hots for Feral.

Olaf Renghyi - (NPC, human veteran, Order of the Gauntlet)

The Shield Guardian - (NPC, shield guardian) a contribution from Lord Zelraun Roaringhorn of the Harpers.

Phwee-toop - (NPC, owl) Willow's familiar.

NOT PRESENT THIS WEEK
Willow - (PC, human wizard 11, female) "the solution is always fireball!"

RETURN TO ARAJ
The expedition began their long trek from Araumycos to Araj, the tower of the archmage Vizeran DeVir. They had acquired all of the components necessary to construct the Dark Heart. Now they needed to return them to the archmage so that he could begin constructing the talisman.

The expedition was escorted to the edge of the lands of Araumycos by an army of myconid and animated zurkhwoods.

Their journey took them to Gracklstugh to repair Ser Valerius' armor. There they encountered an exorbitant toll to enter the city of the duergar. They paid for Ront, Pain, Cordon, and Ser Valerius but  told the others to stay outside with the pack lizards.

Gracklstugh seemed deserted. There was little commerce going on in the streets. The duergar seemed to be staying within the safety of their homes and compounds. Valerius found a blacksmith and arranged for the repair of his damaged armor. The armorer estimated six days. Valerius offered double the pay for three days. The blacksmith agreed.

Meanwhile, Ront was examining some weapons when he overheard several orcs talking. He turned and saw a group of three orcs speaking to each other but in an obviously disparaging way about himself.

He called them out and they repeated their insult that Ront smelled like a human. Ront demanded to challenge their leader for supremacy of the tribe. They called out their boss, Scridmak, outside.

Scridmak was the leader of the mercenary band of orcs currently in the employ of a duergar merchant. Scridmak was annoyed by the interruption and checked on the commotion. Scridmak was prepared to reply to Ront's challenge but a sharp rebuke by his employer, as well as the appearance of dozens of duergar city guard, stayed his hand. Scridmak was forced to back down and endure the taunts hurled at him by Ront as well as the disappointment of his soldiers.

Since they were going to be here a few days, Ser Valerius relented and agreed to let Ront pay for the rest of the expedition to enter the city gates and rest at the inn.

Later, the heroes considered their next moves over a mug of Darklake Stout at Ghrolborn's Lair. The dour serving wench exhaled a heavy sigh. Pain asked what was wrong. She said that with the current situation, there were few merchants in town and business was bad. Pain was curious and was about to ask for more information when Valerius grabbed his wrist.

"No! No more side quests! We're here for three days while my armor gets repaired. I don't care what's going on here! I hate this goddamned city! We're not going to leave this inn, got it? We're not going to talk to anyone, we're not going to get involved! When my armor gets fixed, we are leaving! Am I clear?"

Pain meekly nodded.

Three days passed. Valerius picked up his restored armor. The expedition chartered a lake boat to take them to Jewelshine-on-Darklake.

The voyage to the Svirfneblin outpost was unremarkable. There was a narrow passage with another boat coming the other way but that was resolved by the duergar crew. There was also an attack by cloakers but they were easily overcome.

The stay at Jewelshine was brief. The expedition continued on their way to Araj, bypassing a visit to Blingdenstone.

Ser Valerius, Ront, Pain, and Cordon left Willow with the rest of the expedition and the pack lizards as they navigated the narrow defile leading to Araj, the Tower of Vengeance. They entered the dark tower and proceeded to the top floor. There they met the drow wizard Vizeran DeVir.

DM Note - We joke around a lot about Vizeran and his decadent and exotic epicurean desires. So when they arrived in his audience chamber, they found it empty. Cordon used his magic seeing monocle to look around only to see the invisible Vizeran enjoying decadent carnal pleasures with the death slaad Kleeve. The interruption led to an awkward moment and ruined Vizeran's surprise finish.

They dropped off the accumulated ingredients. Vizeran explained that it would now take ten days to prepare the Dark Heart. In the meantime, the expedition was to travel to Menzoberranzan to retrieve the spell-book of Gromph Baenre, archmage of that city. The book was called Zhaun'ol'leal - "the Book of the Eight". It provided incantations necessary to perform the ritual and control the Dark Heart, plus other important notes.

Vizeran told the heroes that he had created a secret route to Menzoberranzan that would bypass patrols and other distractions. He assigned his apprentice, Grinn Ousstyl, to show them the way and act as guide in the subterranean city. He told them that he had allies within the city and that they should seek out the aid of the Council of Spiders, a group of male dissidents who seek equal representation on the all-female city council. They would help them.

MENZOBERRANZAN
The 72-mile journey from the tower of Araj to Menzoberranzan via the secret tunnel of Vizeran DeVir took six days. The tunnel was smooth and square with chambers and beds for long rests. Grinn remained laconic for the entirety of the journey.

Pain, noticing the drow's reticence, attempted to engage him in conversation. Something about Pain's genial grin and honest demeanor got through to the quiet drow. Grinn opened up to Pain.

DM Note- Pain's player asked, "What's the matter, Grin? Is  somthing wrong?"

Natural 20 on the Persuasion skill check.

I replied, "I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you..."

Valerian's player flailed his arms and interjected, "No no no! We don't care! Ah- Dammit!"

Grinn told Pain that he was once a student at the Academy in the Tower Sorcere. Ousstyl was a minor house but noble nonetheless. He was attracted to the Council of Spiders and joined their ranks. He became careless and his membership was discovered. For his crimes he was banished. This would be his first time back to Menzoberranzan. On the one hand he was happy to be returning home, even under covert pretenses. On the other, he was worried that he would be recognized and executed for violating the terms of his exile.

He then explained that he was specifically concerned about Vizeran's plan to summon the demon-lords to Menzoberranzan. He said that Vizeran had withheld some facts. The Dark Heart could be placed anywhere. Vizeran simply wished to destroy Menzoberranzan as an act of vengeful spite.Although he lived in exile, Menzoberranzan was still his home. He had no wish to see it destroyed.

Pain assured Grinn that they would find another location in which to summon the demon-lords. Menzoberranzan would be spared. Grinn was relieved but warned the others not to inform Vizeran of the change in plans. Vizeran would surely change his mind.

The expedition arrived soon afterwards, emerging from a secret door in the wall of a deep canyon known as Westrift. The bottom of the canyon was a dark carpet of spider-webs. Above was the ceiling of Menzoberranzan high above, illuminated in crimson light. Everyone donned drow cloaks called piwafwi to help blend in.

They climbed the canyon and emerged onto a rubble-strewn plain dotted by the ruined remains of once-great stalagmite homes. They started to make their way towards town when they were accosted by a drow patrol.

Grinn froze. He stammered and fought the urge to run away. Cordon grabbed the drow by the elbow to steady him. Pain stepped forward and answered in Undercommon, apologizing for the tresspass. Pain explained that they were slaves accompanying their master back to Tier Breche. He explained that his master's voice had been damaged in the demon attack and that Pain must now speak on his master's behalf. The patrol accepted the story, and moved on.

They moved through the residential district of West Wall and approached Tier Breche. There they saw the great wide stairs that led to the three towers that dominated all three aspects of drow life - devotion to Lloth, martial prowess, and dark sorcery. The top of the stairs were guarded by two giant statues of spider crafted of jade. Grinn explained that no non-drow could ascend the stairs. Though he had never seen it, the spiders defended the towers. Indeed, the spiders, it was said, could see all things, even invisible or ethereal intruders. Other spells prevented flight and teleportation.

A frontal approach was out of the question.

The party asked about slaves. Grinn admitted that he never really paid attention to slaves but he was sure there were some, perhaps serving below the towers. There had to be a slave entrance but Grinn had no idea where.

The party decided to find a way to sneak in as slaves. Grinn suggested they seek out the seedy part of town where many slaves could be found. Perhaps they could make contact with the black market and be smuggled in through the slave entrance.

"Great," said Pain, "Where's that?"

Grinn led them to Duthcloim, a drow word which, according to Grinn, meant "Manyfolk"

Duthcloim turned out to be a location for merchants, traders, inns, lodging for visitors, etc. It was not, as it happened, at all seedy.

Grinn took them to a pleasant establishment that served "tea" made from the "leaves" of something called a "bush" from the Overworld.

Pain held his face in his palm, "A tea house, Grinn?"

"Yes! Isn't it scandalous! They serve a bizarre concoction here made with Lemongrass. LEMON GRASS! I mean, what IS that? Is it a lemon? Is it grass? It's some kind of wizard's twisted chimera! It's like an OWLBEAR!"

"It's a tea house, Grinn! This is your idea of a seedy part of town? This neighborhood is NICE!"

Grinn admitted that because he was of a minor noble house, this was about as seedy as he got when he went slumming with the other young drow from the Academy. There were commoners here and everything!

THE PLOY

The heroes quickly decided on a Plan-B. Since they were in Duthcloim already, they sought out a stonemason.

They found one nearby. Pain asked the stonemason for a pedestal, pointing out that it needed to be delivered to Tower Sorcere, "No questions asked."

"No questions? Oh, is this connected to Council of Spiders?" inquired the mason, conspiratorally.

"Maybe?" replied Pain, hesitantly.

"Well perhaps we could arrange a delivery- no questions asked," added the mason.

Pain's eyes narrowed in guarded confusion, "Yes. We could. That's- what I said."

"Of course," continued the mason, with a long pause.

"Rrrrright," replied Pain.

There was a long awkward silence as the stonemason stared intently at Pain.

The stonemason reluctantly broke the silence and, in a voice of resigned disappointment, said, "Right, well, I supposed I have a nice pedestal made of onyx. It's just the thing. Let me go get that for you."

The stonemason left through an exit in the rear, no doubt to retrieve the pedestal from an adjoining storeroom. He was gone for several minutes. When he finally returned, he was accompanied by two svirfneblin slaves carrying the pedestal which was now wrapped for transport.

"Well, here it is," the mason paused once more, "Are we sure this is- all?"

Pain glanced sideways at the artisan, "I- think so?"

Ser Valerius, growing more and more impatient at the entire exchange, finally interrupted, "Oh for fuck's sake! He's asking for a bribe! Ront! Pay the man 100 gold!"

Ront produced a small pouch with 100 gold coins.

The stonemason picked up the pouch, "Oh, excellent! I'm um- I'm glad we finally came to an arrangement!" The stonemason looked nervously towards the rear exit of his shop.

The svirfneblin slaves looked towards the party for directions. Valerius instructed them to deliver the pedestal to the slave entrance of Tier Breche and that they would accompany them. The svirfneblin shrugged and trotted off.

The party exited the artisan's shop only to encounter a drow patrol.

"Stop! This shopkeeper informed us that you had business with the Council of Spiders! We have orders to take you directly to the Matron Mother for questioning. Come with us!"

THE MATRON MOTHER
The party was taken to the far side of the city and into an imposing castle surrounded by fortifications. They were escorted into an audience chamber and made to wait. They were warned to not speak and to only answer questions when directly addressed.

A herald announced the impending approach of Quenthel Baenre, the Matron Mother of Menzoberranzan. The Matron Mother appeared at the top of a staircase. She descended smoothly as if gliding. She was standing on a carpet of hundreds of large spiders that carried her. She never moved her feet.

The spiders delivered the Matron Mother to a high throne carved from smooth black marble.

Quenthel Baenre told them that they were detained because of their mention of the Council of Spiders. She recognized Grinn and reminded him of his exile. She asked Grinn why he had returned with these Overworlders. Grinn was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Pain and Cordon both sensed Grinn's anxiety but managed to keep him from blurting out everything he knew.

Instead, Pain asked for and received permission to speak on behalf of the group. Pain explained that the group had a plan to destroy the demon lords currently loose in the Underdark. In order to do this, they required a book that belonged to Gromph Baenre. The book was located in the Tower Sorcere. They were simply seeking access to the tower in order to retrieve the book.

The Matron Mother approved of the overall mission but told them they would never be able to approach Tower Sorcere by themselves.

Instead, she offered an exchange. She explained that Gromph Baenre was her brother and that he had gone missing soon after the appearance of Demogorgon in Menzoberranzan. She believed that he had been captured by the Council of Spiders, which is why she brought them here today.

She wished to leverage Grinn's former connection to the Council of Spiders. She commanded them to find out what the Council did with her brother and return that information to her.

In exchange, they could travel freely through Menzoberranzan. In addition, she offered an end to Grinn's exile and she would even grant them access to the Tower Sorcere. The interior of the tower was beyond the reach of her authority. Once they were inside, it was up to them.

"If, the next time I see you, you are not able to tell me where I can find my brother, I will have you all executed as spies! Am I understood?"

They agreed.

DM Note- Our group has a thing they call "the Quest Cart". It's a metaphorical cart where they throw all their quests and objectives. Sometimes, during the course of this campaign, the Quest Cart can fill up as new quests get piled on. 

Valerius' player, in his continuing effort to keep things simple as we head into the endgame of this campaign, ordered that the Quest Cart be covered with a heavy tarp. 

When they were first led to the Matron Mother, Valerius' player asked, "Alright, who lifted the tarp off the quest cart? There's a corner exposed!"

Later, after their audience, Valerius' player said, "Dammit! The entire tarp is gone! Did it just blow completely away?"

Pain's player said, "No, look! Ront's wearing the tarp like a superhero cape!"

Ront's player mimed a heroic pose.

"Dammit, Ront!"

BREGAN D'AERTHE
Grinn led them to a safe house he used to frequent when he was affiliated with the Council of Spiders. The safe house was decorated like a hangout for bohemian radicals. It was well stocked with comfortable seating, books and scrolls of forbidden philosophies, games to pass the time, and exotic mind-altering beverages. Grinn made contact with a former friend of his and requested to meet with the Council of Spiders. They were told to wait there.

Eventually, a drow warrior came and asked the party to follow him. The messenger  led them to the moldering ruins of House Dro'Urden. They were led into a large hollow stalagmite and into a dark parlor. There they met a dashing drow with a wide-brimmed hat and an eye-patch. He introduced himself as Jarlaxle, leader of the Bregan D'Aaerthe mercenary company.

"We want to speak with the Council of Spiders," said Valerius.

"Yes, well, I am not they," replied Jarlaxle, "But they ARE clients of mine and they have asked me to represent them. I understand that you are trying to infiltrate the Tower Sorcere. Why is that?"

Grinn couldn't take it anymore. Cordon tried to step on Grinn's foot but he was too late to stop the drow from blurting out, "We need to speak with the Council of Spiders! I have to find out what they've done with Gromph Baenre! OUCH!"

Pain and Valerius hid their faces in their palms and sighed.

Jarlaxle was taken aback, "My brother? What does he have to do with this?"

Since the cat was out of the bag, Pain spelled it out plainly, explaining that they were working with Vizeran DeVir on a plan to banish the demon-lords to the Abyss and that the Matron Mother had tasked them with finding where the Council of Spiders had hidden Gromph.

Jarlaxle chuckled, "Vizeran? I thought that old jackal was dead! I would not trust him if I were you. In any case, I could not tell you where Gromph is currently located. It's a mystery! As for the demon-lords, I can tell you, they have already reached the surface. Even now, they ravage the countryside and gather their demonic armies. It is only a matter of time before they assault the cities and reclaim all of Faerun. I enjoy the surface. I have no desire to see it ruined so. That is why I wish to assist you."

Jarlaxle said that the Council of Spiders would provide them with spell scrolls that would allow them to pass invisibly between the jade spider guardians for they could not sense the presence of invisible intruders within a sixty-foot span directly between them. In addition, they would be told a secret password that would allow them to enter into the tower without activating the magical wards that protect it.

All they had to do was find a hand mirror located somewhere in Gromph's chambers. The mirror would be covered by a cloth. It was imperative they not look into the mirror.

"Will you do this?"

The party agreed to return to Jarlaxle the crystal he described.

DM Note- and another quest was added to the Quest Cart.

TO BE CONTINUED...


DM Notes-

This was a fun week. No fights, all role-playing. Lots of improvisation.

Grinn just kind of worked out to be someone who crumpled easily under the slightest pressure, which made him terrible at keeping secrets. His backstory seems to support that. It also allowed me to redirect all the role-playing to the players. There's nothing I hate more as a DM than having two NPCs interact with each other. NPCs should interact with players only.

I really improvised a lot of the Menzoberranzan political machinations on the spot. In the original book, once the factions know what you are doing, they just decide to help you. That's it. I wanted to make it deeper, more layered. I wanted the factions to be scheming against each other and I wanted the PCs to get caught up in that - or not as they saw fit.

So I added the quest that the Matron Mother is looking for her brother. She believes that her brother was secretly a member of the Council of Spiders and that the summoning of Demogorgon was part of a plot to destabilize the matriarchy. She wishes to interrogate her brother and arrest his co-conspirators and eliminate the Council of Spiders once and for all. 

I also added Jarlaxle's quest for SPOILER reasons. 

We're heading into the end-game. I want the finale to be a full-session battle royale. This means I'm going to pad out the Menzoberranzan schemes for another full session before that. So we're probably looking at two sessions left in this campaign.