Chapter 16: The Fetid Wedding - Out of the Abyss

Chapter 16: The Fetid Wedding. Zuggtmoy, Demon Queen of Fungi, plots to "wed" Araumycos, an enormous fungus occupying a large area of the Underdark. After uniting their powers in an unholy mockery of matrimony-in truth, a demonic rite of domination-Zuggtmoy will gain the power to transform the whole of the Underdark into her new Abyssal domain. The only things in her way are a core of resistance in the myconid community, the rage of her rival Juiblex, and the determination of the adventurers. The characters receive a warning about Zuggtmoy's plans from Basidia, one of the myconid sovereigns of Neverlight Grove. After traveling to the caverns of Araumycos, they reach out to Araumycos's alien mind with the aid of Basidia's rapport spores, and try to free it from Zuggtmoy's demonic influence. Juiblex seizes the opportunity to crash the wedding, and the two demon lords do battle. When the characters sever Zuggtmoy's link with Araumycos, Juiblex destroys her material form, leaving the adventurers to face the remaining (and weakened) demon lord in battle. Wedding Invitation The adventurers become caught up in Zuggtmoy's plots when they experience a vision from the rebel myconids of Neverlight Grove, delivered by Sovereign Basidia. The characters know of Basidia and the myconids' struggles if they visited Neverlight Grove (see chapter 5). Otherwise, the myconids reach out to them if they sheltered Stool or Rumpadump for a time. Basidia's vision can come at any point, whether the characters are asleep or awake. You can choose to have the vision affect all or some of the player characters, or to have some of their NPC followers affected as well. Read the following text aloud, making adjustments as necessary if the characters have not met Sovereign Basidia. A soft, glowing light rises from ahead, emanating from a vast cavern. The entire surface of the cave-floor, walls, and ceiling-is blanketed in moss and fungi, all in shades of white and soft pastels of pink, violet, gre...