Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Shadowdusk Emissaries

Two low-ranking members of the Shadowdusk family (see level 22) arrived at Spiderwatch Keep a few days ago, claiming to be emissaries from Shadowdusk Hold who were seeking an alliance with House Freth. Tendra Nightblade and Maleen Shadowdusk have been feted and flattered by Erelal Freth since they arrived. The drow priestess recognizes the potential benefit of an alliance, although she is also trying to ascertain whether Shadowdusk Hold has made similar overtures to House Auvryndar.

What Erelal doesn't realize is that House Shadowdusk has no interest in an alliance, and Tendra and Maleen have come to the Maze Level on a secret mission. Beholden to Halaster Blackcloak, the Shadowdusks have been ordered to convince Drivvin Freth to accept an apprenticeship under the Mad Mage. They have secretly informed him of Halaster's interest and of Halaster's offer to help him perfect the ritual that will bind a goristro to House Freth's service. They now wait for Drivvin's decision, while doing everything they can to ensure that he makes the right choice.

Baphomet the Horned King

Baphomet is worshiped by those who strive to break the confines of civility and unleash their inner bestial nature. All minotaurs on the Maze Level seek to emulate him through their blood lust and savagery. He appears as a great, black-furred minotaur with iron horns, burning red fire in his eyes, and a massive bloodstained glaive. Fervent human cultists of Baphomet are sometimes transformed into minotaurs as a reward for their devotion and sacrifice.

1a. Rusty Head

The rusted, severed head of a shield guardian lies on its side in the middle of the cave, under the fog. The minotaurs destroyed the construct and carried off its body for use in fashioning weapons, leaving its head behind.

1b. Foggy Alcove

The fog obscures the skeleton of a duergar lying on the floor near the back wall of this alcove. The duergar was impaled through the back with a broken-off stalactite by one of his kin and the body hidden here. The stalactite is still lodged in the duergar's skeleton, which has been picked clean by vermin.

2a. Will-o'-Wisp

Two columns of rock support the roof of this 15-foot-high cave, the walls of which are spattered with blood from recent battles between drow and minotaurs.

An invisible will-o'-wisp dwells here, the dark essence of a female drow priestess named Z'reska, who was butchered by minotaurs. As the characters move through the cave, the will-o'-wisp flies into the tunnel that leads northwest out of this area and illuminates itself. It whispers, "Follow me!" in Elvish, trying to stay at least 50 feet ahead of characters who do so. It attempts to lure creatures into x and provoke a battle with the minotaurs. If the characters refuse to follow the will-o'-wisp, it turns invisible and trails them instead, waiting until one or more characters are near death before attacking them in an attempt to finish them off.

2b. Broken Lute

Hidden under the fog in this 10-foot-high alcove is a lute carved of pale wood. The instrument has been smashed beyond repair. A silver-inlaid Elvish inscription on its broken neck reads "Korynn."

Madness of Baphomet

Any humanoid that enters the area between the pillars or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or manifest a character flaw that lasts until the victim is subjected to a remove curse spell, a greater restoration spell, or similar magic. The flaw supersedes any conflicting flaw and is determined by rolling on the Madness of Baphomet table. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw can't be affected by the pillars again for 24 hours.

6a. "Help Me!"

The first time a character reaches this intersection, a faint call for help is heard coming from the tunnel opening to the north, which ends at a cave-in. The cry for help is an illusion, and characters who dig through the rubble find nothing in it.

6b. Rattling Chains

This 10-foot-high tunnel slopes up gradually to the north, so that its floor rises above the fog. Characters who pass this point hear rattling chains when they get to the fork in the tunnel. The sound clearly comes from the left passage. Further investigation reveals no source; the sound is one of Halaster's illusory regional effects. The passage to the right contains nothing of interest.

6c. Giggles

The earthen floor of this 20-foot-high cave is slightly concave, causing the fog to pool to a depth of 4 feet.

Whenever two or more creatures are inside the cave, the sound of an old man giggling can be heard everywhere in the area. No one outside the cave can hear the giggling, which ends as soon as the cave is no longer occupied by two or more creatures.

7a. Southern Cave

The minotaurs are stationed throughout the cavern, guarding against a drow attack. They are famished, having been forced to sacrifice their food for Maku's ritual (see x). They spring out when they see or hear any creatures in this area, charging intruders and ignoring any attempts to parley. The minotaurs fight to the death and loudly devour their kills if they are victorious. Any sound of combat in this area brings the five minotaurs in x as reinforcements.

7b. Northern Cave

This cave has the same features as x. Five minotaurs stand watch in this area and attack in response to any intrusion. The sound of combat here brings the seven minotaurs from x as reinforcements.

7c. Minotaur Graveyard

The minotaurs place their dead in this wedge-shaped cave, which has the following features:

8a. Keep Calm and Carrion

The stench of death that permeates the dungeon is strongest here. As the characters approach this 50-foot-high cave, they hear minotaurs chanting and stomping. This area contains the following:

The minotaurs are led by Maku, who has 117 hit points, wears a shawl made of drow entrails, and clutches a brass horn (see "Treasure" below). The minotaur shaman treats all intruders as enemies to be carved up and added to his pile of dismembered bodies. His first action in combat is to blow his brass horn while the other minotaurs try to hack intruders to pieces.

Baphomet does not answer prayers, nor does the demon lord have any interest in Maku's tribe. As such, the minotaur shaman's ritual has no chance of working. But the sacrifices performed in this area have saturated the cave with evil power, such that any humanoid that makes a weapon attack in this area must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be cursed with blood lust. While cursed in this way, the creature is hostile toward all other creatures it can see and must use its action each turn to attack the creature closest to it. (If multiple targets are equally close, the target is determined randomly.) Greater restoration, remove curse, or similar magic ends the blood lust on a creature. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw against this effect is immune to it for the next 24 hours.

The altar is made out of two minotaurs that were killed and devoured in a cannibalistic ritual. Any creature that touches the altar experiences a ghastly vision of being torn apart and eaten by minotaurs.

8b. Behind the Secret Door

9a. Ambush Point

The fog in this otherwise empty 10-foot-high cave conceals a group of sentries from Spiderwatch Keep. Two drow elite warriors, a female named Llorelve Dalambra and a male named Vorljas Imphiz'zal, are on guard here with two incubi disguised as a pair of unarmed, scantily clad, supremely handsome male drow named Ezvir and Zaldo. All four are crouched down in the fog.

Llorelve and Vorljas spring up at the first sounds of creatures approaching this area, and they attack anyone they don't recognize. Any humanoids they don't know are assumed to be allied with House Auvryndar.

When either incubus is reduced to 30 hit points or fewer, it uses its next action to become ethereal and doesn't rejoin the battle. It might reappear later to exact its revenge on those who harmed it, in a place and form of your choosing.

9b. Shapes in the Fog

As the characters move through this 10-foot-high cave, the fog here rises and coalesces into threatening, minotaur-like forms wielding greataxes. These fog minotaurs are regional effects created by Halaster Blackcloak (see "x"). Each apparition takes a harmless swing at any creatures that pass through the area before sinking back into the fog.

9c. Unpleasant Descent

This 10-foot-high passage slopes down gently as it runs northward. At its final bend, the fog fills the entire passage, the last 20 feet of which are heavily obscured.

At the end of the tunnel, hidden beneath a breakaway floor, is a 30-foot-deep pit with stone spikes at the bottom. A creature that steps on the breakaway floor falls into the pit, taking 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and 10 (3d6) piercing damage from the spikes. The pit remains open once the breakaway floor falls away. A character can spot the breakaway floor with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check, but only if the fog has been cleared away.

9d. Arch Gate to Level 6

A stone arch is embedded into the wall at the northeast end of this cavern. Carved into the arch's keystone is an image of a hand pouring ale from a flagon. The arch is one of Halaster's magic gates (see "x"). The rules of this gate are as follows:

• If one pint or more of any liquid is poured on the floor within 5 feet of the arch, the gate opens for 1 minute.
• Characters must be 9th level or higher to pass through this gate (see "x"). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see "x").
• A creature that passes through the gate appears in x, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.

12a. Standing Gate to Level 14

House Freth posts guards here to watch for trouble that might ascend from level 13. Several tunnels leading to this 20-foot-high cave are strung with web cables. One such tunnel slopes down gently to x.

If a battle erupts here, the drow in x use signal horns to sound the alarm before joining the fight. They are quickly joined by reinforcements from x and 67a.

These drow are well trained, and their loyalty to House Freth is beyond question. Their leader, Tanimar Freth, is the second of Erelal's three sons. He lost his right eye in a sword fight against a House Auvryndar rival; his empty eye socket and scar are plain for all to see. One consequence of his injury is that Tanimar has been relegated to guard duty. He fights alongside his younger brother, Xaphtal Freth. The other two drow are named Hexab Do'ett and Moltar Barrek'zorn.

If the battle turns against them, the drow use darkness spells to cover their retreat to the fortress (area 18). They know the tunnels well enough to navigate them blindly. Xaphtal seizes any opportunity to dispose of his older brother, provided the risk to himself is minimal. The other drow are not surprised by Xaphtal's treachery—Tanimar least of all.

12b. Iron Spider

Several tunnels leading to this 30-foot-high cave are festooned with web cables. The south tunnels slope down gently to x and 689.

The drow (named Freb, Rylzzt, Urlimar, and Vanalfein) all carry signal horns that sound an alarm loud enough to be heard in x through 69a. They raise the alarm at the first sign of intruders, bringing reinforcements from x, 679, and 67a.

The iron spider is a Large unaligned construct that stands 7 feet tall. It has AC 19, 80 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Its ability scores are as follows: Strength 18, Dexterity 10, Constitution 10, Intelligence 3, Wisdom 3, and Charisma 1. Its climbing and walking speeds are 30 feet, and it can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. It has blindsight out to a range of 60 feet and is blind beyond this radius.

As an action, the iron spider can shoot out a 6-inch-thick web cable up to 50 feet long, attaching the far end of the cable to a solid surface up to 50 feet away from it. As a bonus action, it can detach the other end of the cable from itself and attach it to a solid surface within 10 feet of it. Once it creates 200 feet of web cable, the spider can't produce any more cable until the next dawn. The iron spider exists solely to produce web cables. It has no attacks and no instinct for self-preservation.

Like a scaladar, the iron spider has a control ring (possessed by Drivvin Freth). The iron spider obeys the commands of whoever wears its control ring. The spider is incapacitated in the area of an antimagic field spell. If targeted by a dispel magic spell, the spider must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

12c. Quaggoths

This 30-foot-high cavern and the tunnels leading to it are strung with web cables (see the "x" sidebar). Nine quaggoths creep along the cables, attempting to hide from any creatures that enter the area. The quaggoths drop to the floor or crawl down the walls to attack intruders they don't recognize.

12d. Giant Lizard Pen

The leader of this group is a female drow named Talabsyn Freth, the youngest of Erelal's seven daughters. The others are unfaithful male subordinates named Beleth, Cazimir, Ryldgar, and Zakth. At the first sign of trouble, Talabsyn untethers the nearest giant lizard and tries to escape on its back, fleeing to her family's fortress by the safest route while the males cover her escape. If her escape routes are cut off, Talabsyn surrenders and orders the males to do the same, hoping her captors try to ransom her. She betrays any of the male drow in a heartbeat to save herself—and the males do the same to her.

Drow scouts use the giant lizards as mounts. Each comes equipped with a saddle, reins, stirrups, and saddlebags containing 30 days of rations (dry moss and mushrooms). The giant lizards have the Spider Climb trait (see the "Variant: Giant Lizard Traits" sidebar in appendix A of the Monster Manual), which allows them to climb over the web cables and exit this area.

17a. Northeast Perch

The vrock perched here focuses its attention on the ramp leading up to this area.

17b. North Perch

In addition to guarding this section of the ledge, the vrock here watches for trouble in the east moss garden of area 18i, and listens for intruders in x and 682. Web cables in the tunnels leading to those two locations prevent the vrock from exploring them.

17c. Northwest Perch

The vrock perched here is gnawing on a dead troglodyte. It has fashioned a nest for itself from the bones of troglodyte children snatched from the fungi gardens 30 feet below (x).

17d. South Perch

The vrock here pays close attention to the entrance to the minotaur caves south of it. The main cavern is strung with web cables, with the tunnels beyond descending to x. The vrock is too large to move through the cables.

17e. Southeast Perch

The vrock stationed here keeps a close eye out for intruders moving west from x. Slumped against the back wall of a small cave behind it are the skeletal remains of an ettin that was killed by adventurers long before the drow fortress was built. Six gnome skulls hang from the skeletal ettin's loincloth.

18a. Gate Tower

This tower serves as the primary entrance to the fortress. A male drow mage named Llaxdorl Freth (Erelal's cousin) stands watch on the roof, and eight male drow are on guard inside.

Characters brought to the fortress as prisoners are stripped of their weapons and spellcasting implements as they pass through the tower. They are then detained in the courtyard until Rilna Freth (see x) decides their fate. Prisoners with no obvious value to the drow are sent to the slave pens (x and 697). Everyone else is brought to Erelal Freth in x for further questioning.

18b. Northeast Tower

This tower has a male drow mage named Ulvir Barrek'zorn on the roof and eight male drow inside. In addition to defending the tower, these drow are responsible for quelling uprisings in the nearby slave pen (x).

18c. Northwest Tower

This tower has a male drow mage named Vrebbeth Imphiz'zal on the roof and eight male drow inside. In addition to defending the tower, these drow are responsible for quelling uprisings in the nearby slave pen (x) and gardens (x).

18d. South Tower

This tower has a male drow mage named Yrrlcheb Beltorzza on the roof and eight male drow inside.

18e. South Barracks

This 20-foot-high curved structure has a stone door with no lock. The building houses ten off-duty male drow who are variously spending their idle hours sharpening and poisoning their weapons, eating, or meditating on curved stone benches spaced along the walls.

18f. North Barracks

This building and its residents are identical to x.

18g. Garden Slave Pen

The foul stench of troglodytes is obvious to any characters who approach this 40-foot-square enclosure, which has 20-foot-high walls of smooth stone, an iron-barred gate, and a 5-foot-thick roof of sticky webs with five giant spiders atop it. The pen currently holds five adult troglodytes and four troglodyte children (Small noncombatants), as well as a minotaur chained to the ground. The minotaur's horns have been sawed off, and prolonged exposure to the troglodytes' stench has rendered the minotaur immune to its effects.

The spiders attack anyone who tries to tear through the webs or free the slaves trapped in the pen.

Any creature that enters the webs or starts its turn in them is restrained. A restrained creature can use its action to try to pull itself out of the webs, doing so with a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Each 10-foot-square section of webs has AC 10, 10 hit points, vulnerability to fire, and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and psychic damage.

The pen's sturdy iron gate is held shut with an arcane lock spell that only drow (including drow characters) can ignore. Forcing it open requires a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.

18h. Goblin Slave Pen

This pen has the same features as x, except that the stench of troglodytes is absent here, and there are no giant spiders on the web roof. The contents of the pen are as follows:

The drow use these goblin slaves as laborers. Each goblin suffers from two levels of exhaustion. The goblins cower and beg for their lives when faced with possible harm. Despite their pitiable appearance, they can't be trusted and will do anything to survive, including betraying and eating their liberators.

18i. Gardens

These earthen fields provide much of the food that feeds House Freth's forces in Undermountain. Edible moss is grown in the east garden, while the other two gardens contain rows of barrelstalks and bluecaps (see "x").

Tending each garden are two adult troglodytes and three troglodyte children (Small noncombatants) that work under the watchful gaze of a male drow overseer. The vrocks in x and 686 swoop down and attack any slave that refuses to work or any creatures that threaten the overseer.

19a. Elite Barracks

Four off-duty female drow elite warriors are stationed here: Ilanlue and Sabatrin Freth (the third and fifth of Erelal's seven daughters), Iymn Vrindolin, and Mircolar Do'ett. They spend their idle hours sharpening and poisoning their weapons, eating, sparring, or meditating on curved stone benches spaced along the walls.

19b. Stores

The stone door to this curved structure has an arcane lock spell cast on it that only drow wearing the obsidian insignia scarabs of House Freth can ignore. This chamber contains stone shelves lined with provisions for the guards of the stronghold: two hundred spider silk packets, each containing 10 days of rations (dry moss and mushrooms), and one hundred full water skins.

19c. Castellan's Quarters

The stone door has an arcane lock spell cast on it that only drow wearing the obsidian insignia scarabs of House Freth can ignore. These well-appointed quarters belong to the fortress castellan, Rilna Freth, a drow elite warrior with 110 hit points, and the younger sister to Erelal Freth. This area has the following features:

Rilna carries the key to the padlocked chest, or the lock can be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check using thieves' tools.

19d. Armory

The stone door has an arcane lock spell cast on it that only drow wearing the obsidian insignia scarabs of House Freth can ignore. The back wall is lined with boxes arrayed on shelves. Inside these boxes are thirty shortswords, thirty hand crossbows, and several hundred hand crossbow bolts.

19e. Hall of Spiders

This dark hallway crawls with hundreds of harmless spiders.

Visitors to the keep are led down the hall to x to meet with Erelal and Drivvin. The footfalls of passersby alert the guests in area 19f, who emerge from their quarters to greet and assess new arrivals.

19f. Guest Bedroom

Maleen and Tendra have come from Shadowdusk Hold (level 22) on the orders of Halaster Blackcloak. Under the guise of seeking an alliance between Shadowdusk Hold and House Freth, they have extended an offer to Drivvin Freth to become the Mad Mage's newest apprentice. Drivvin has told the two that he needs time to make his decision, and now the emissaries have grown anxious waiting for his answer.

Both emissaries show evidence of their (false) interest in currying favor with House Freth by coming to its defense if Spiderwatch Keep is attacked, but they flee the fortress if Erelal and Drivvin both fall in battle.

19g. Kitchen and Pantry

The main room of this area is a kitchen, with counters and cupboards lining the outer wall. Two unarmed and unarmored male drow named Elendar and Farril prepare meals here for the residents of the keep. Geas spells regularly cast by Drivvin prevent the two cooks from poisoning the food or drink.

The smaller room east of the kitchen is a well-stocked pantry.

19h. Bath

An iron tub stands in this area, with an iron pump nearby. The pump draws water from an underground hot spring beneath the fortress to fill the tub.

19i. Drivvin's Study

19j. Erelal's Sanctum

Erelal uses this area to engage in numerous dark pleasures. The room contains the following:

Both prisoners have been strung up to face the wall, their bare backs covered in blood from the cuts inflicted by Erelal Freth's scourge.

One of the prisoners is Hatchrin Alet'taz, consort of Erelal Freth and the father of her unborn eleventh child. He is unarmed and unarmored, and has 3 hit points remaining. Erelal is torturing him because she received a report that someone close to her was planning to poison her child after its birth, then found a vial of poison on his person. (The false report and the planting of the poison are both the work of Drivvin Freth, who wants to get Hatchrin out of his sister's life.) Hatchrin promises any service to characters who can help him regain Erelal's trust and thus enable him to see the birth of his child.

The other drow prisoner is a House Auvryndar spy named Varrn Telenna. He is unarmed and unarmored, and has 6 hit points remaining. Erelal has finished interrogating him, and Varrn is beyond caring whether he lives or dies. If he is set free, Varrn thanks the characters, praises Lolth for sparing his life, and plots his escape.

19k. Mother and Brother

As the characters approach any of the doors to this area, they hear a female voice shouting in Elvish, followed by a male voice's muted responses. Erelal Freth is chastising her brother Drivvin for his repeated failures to bring the minotaurs of the southern caves under drow control. The western door has an arcane lock spell cast on it that only drow wearing the obsidian scarab insignia of House Freth can ignore. The room's occupants and contents are as follows:

Erelal wears a flowing black and silver gown instead of armor, giving her AC 12, but is still armed with her scourge. The male drow with her are Chaszantar and Ulgreth, two sycophants vying to become her new consort. They both wear spider silk togas instead of armor, giving them AC 12.

Erelal is a mere thirty days away from giving birth to her eleventh child, but she refuses to let her pregnancy interfere with her work: the destruction of House Auvryndar and the conquest of Undermountain. A string of military defeats has left Erelal in no mood to entertain visitors, and her brother has yet to make good on his promise to enslave the minotaurs of the Maze Level. Visitors who have business or grievances with Erelal are dealt with as quickly as possible. Those who come to her with frivolous affairs are scolded, threatened, and sent away with a stern warning not to trouble her again.

If she is threatened, Erelal tries to summon a yochlol demon to defend her. If the shrine of Lolth in this chamber is intact, the demon summoning has a 90 chance of success. Erelal then hinders her enemies with a darkness spell before taking the safest exit. Giant spiders that she summons with the conjure animals spell use their blindsight to target enemies that are engulfed in magical darkness. If her defeat is inevitable and escape proves impossible, Erelal makes whatever concessions she must to save herself and her unborn child.

Erelal's older brother is clad in a long gray robe with black, web-like tracery. Drivvin has convinced his sister that he has the power to enslave the minotaurs, which would enable House Freth to defeat the forces of House Auvryndar and secure its power in Undermountain. But, having realized that he can't summon a goristro demon alone, the archmage understands that accepting Halaster's offer and his promise of assistance is the only way his plan will succeed. Drivvin knows that if he leaves his sister to become Halaster's apprentice—even though that act is ultimately for her own gain—he will be cast out from his family. Drivvin is looking for the right time to break the news to his sister, whose recent defeats at the hands of House Auvryndar have made her despondent.

Drivvin is a drow archmage, with these changes:

• He is neutral evil.
• He has these racial traits: He speaks Abyssal, Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Goblin, and Undercommon. He has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put him to sleep. He has darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. He can innately cast dancing lights at will, and can cast darkness, faerie fire, and levitate (self only) each once per day. His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). While in sunlight, he has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
• He has cast mind blank on himself.
• Once per day as an action, Drivvin can summon a demon that has a challenge rating of 6 or lower. The summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of him, acts as his ally, and can't summon other demons. The summoned demon remains until Drivvin dismisses it as an action or until the demon is reduced to 0 hit points.

If a fight breaks out here, Drivvin uses his first action in combat to cast time stop. He uses the extra time granted by the spell to summon a barlgura and cast fire shield on himself, as well as mage armor and stoneskin if he hasn't done so already. Drivvin fights to the finish to defend his sister.