Chapter 10: Descent into the Depths - Out of the Abyss

Chapter 10: Descent into the Depths. Having survived Mantol-Derith and obtained Ghazrim DuLoc's ring, the adventurers and their allies continue on into the Underdark. This time, rather than escaped prisoners looking for a way out, they are at the head of an expeditionary force ready to challenge whatever the Underdark has to offer. Much of this middle section of the adventure is free-form, dictated largely by the characters' decisions and tactics. The adventurers' immediate destination is the legendary library of Gravenhollow (see chapter 11), where they gain information that likely takes them to the tower of Araj, home of the mysterious drow archmage Vizeran DeVir. However, the characters are free to explore and visit different places before and after they explore Gravenhollow and unlock its secrets. The events described in chapters 13 through 16 can be interspersed among the material in this part of the adventure, as the characters work to fully understand the new menaces that have appeared in the Underdark, seek new allies and information, and ultimately attempt to create a plan to end the demon lord threat. Character advancement through this section of the adventure is important. The journey from Mantol-Derith to Gravenhollow should involve sufficient encounters and challenges for the characters to reach 10th level by the time they visit the stone giant library. As the characters travel from place to place, check for random encounters as normal (see chapter 2), but swap out the creature encounters with ones presented in this chapter. Ideally, the characters should be 14th level by the time they crash Zuggtmoy's wedding (chapter 16, "The Fetid Wedding"), and 15th level for the final showdown against the demon lords (see chapter 17, "Against the Demon Lords"). Fellow Travelers The characters initially traveled through the Underdark as a small group, perhaps joined by a few of their fellow prisoners from Velkynvelve and other allies they met along the way. Now,...