CHAPTER 7: ESCAPE FROM THE UNDERDARK
This chapter marks the midpoint of Outoflhe Abyss
and sees the characters finally make their way out of the
Underdark. Before their final push to freedom. howe,•er.
the vengeful drow pursuing the adventurers catch up to
them, intent on dragging them back to their domain of
perpetual darkness.
If they survive this final confrontation, the characters
reach the surface in a place of your choosing. After
all their arduous adventures, they are finally safe to
return to their homes, and must say goodbye to many
of the NPCs who've been traveling with them. Though
the characters don't yet know it, their exploits in the
Underdark will bring them to the attention of the
dwarves of Gauntlgrym, set ling the stage for chapter 8
and a new call to adventure.
By the time they reach this point. the characters
should be at least 7th level, having overcome countless
challenges in their wild and dangerous journey through
the locations described in chapters 1 through 6. They
should also have reached a terrible conclusion: multiple
demon lords of the Abyss are at large in the Underdark
and could soon threaten the surface world.
THEWAY 0 U T
Since their escape from Velkynvclve in chapter 1, the
characters have sought a way out of the Underdark.
Given the somewhat free-form nature of chapters 2
through 6, which the characters can undertake in any
order, it's up to you to determine how and where the
adventurers finally find their escape route. as best suits
the story of their journey through the Underdark.
FINDING THE WAY
Escaping the Underdark is no simple matter. Characters
who try to find their own way out might wander for years
without stumbling upon the right series of passages
to take them to the surface. As the DM, you determine
where and when they find the way out. The characters
can visit the places described in chapters 3 through 6,
using the interconnecting material in chapters 2 and 3,
in virtually any order. This makes it problematic to put
the way to the surface world in a particular place, since
the adventurers could just as easily bypass it as stumble
upon it prematurely. instead, the characters' escape
is made possible by a set of conditions that you can
implement when the time is right.BLINGDENSTONE
The deep gnome settlement (see chapter 6) has the most
dealings with the s urface world of any community in
this region of the Underdark, and the adventurers can
find the resources there to guide them out. However,
the deep gnomes are dealing with a number of looming
threats to their settlement, and they can't afford to help
the characters unless the characters help them first.
Since Blingdenstone is the most obvious and reliable
location from which to find a way out of the Underdark,
you might want to steer the campaign to other locations
first. This can be done by treating the other chapters as
side adventures to the characte rs' main journey. with
many of those side adventures focused on the characters
helping their NPC companions return to their homes in
the Underdark.