Level 14: Arcturiadoom - Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Level 14: Arcturiadoom. Arcturiadoom is designed for four 13th-level characters, and adventurers who defeat the monsters on this level should gain enough XP to advance halfway to 14th level. The lich Arcturia, who dwells on level 23 of Undermountain, is one of Halaster's most accomplished apprentices, arguably the most powerful of the Seven, and a master of transmutation magic. Arcturiadoom is her personal retreat ("doom" being an archaic term for a lord's domain). Hidden on this level is Arcturia's phylactery, and adventurers would be wise to find and destroy it before facing the lich in battle on level 23. What Dwells Here? Arcturiadoom has been taken over by fire giants in the service of Halaster. The fire giants are accompanied by a large force of hobgoblins. Drow have also infiltrated this level of the dungeon, though they have no quarrel with adventurers. Fire Giants Emberosa, a fire giant, has come to Undermountain with six of her kin on a mission to raise fire giants to the top of the giant ordning, dethroning the mighty storm giants. Emberosa hopes to obtain a lost rune of power created by the giants more than forty thousand years ago. She believes dwarves stole the rune from the giants and hid it under Mount Waterdeep. Halaster found the rune and hid it in on level 23, but he has agreed to part with it if the fire giants use their exceptional metal-forging abilities to build a giant construct for him. Work is under way, with the construct being assembled in area 15. For more information on the giant ordning, see the "Giants" entry in the Monster Manual. Death's Head Phalanx The Death's Head Phalanx is a force of hobgoblins that came to Undermountain along with Emberosa and her fire giants. This force is commanded by a hobgoblin warlord named Doomcrown, who is the estranged son of Warlord Azrok (see level 3). A devout follower of the godslayer Maglubiyet, Doomcrown wants fire giants to ascend to the top of the giant ordning, envisioning their brutal tyra...