CHAOS IN THE CITY
The innucnce of the demon lords grows ever stronger
in Grarkl<;tugh. Paranoia and fear are rampam, with
duergar barricading themselv<>s in their homes and
stronghold<;, afraid to venture out into the streets- even
invisibly. Rumors abound of creatures active in the
Darklake. and of secret rituals and offerings made to the
dark water<; to appease them. A number of foreigners
have disappeared. and incoming trade to the city has
slowed as outsiders depart or stay away.
Conflict between th<" Keepers of the Flame and
the Gray Ghosts thieves· guild comes to a boil. Each
sidt> blames the other for recent happenings in the
City of Blades and believes it can use the situation
to its advantage. Keepers turn up dead, murdered by
mysterious assailants. while agents of that order usc
increasingly brutal methods to ferret out and eliminate
the Gray Ghosts-or anyone believed to associate
with them.
DARK PLOTS
If the characters spend much time in Gracklstugh. they
becomt> caught up in a rush of destructive events. A
secret alliance of factions within the Council of Savants
and the Keepers of the Flame, driven by demonic
madness. comes to the conclu ion that Gracklstugh's
salvation liec; in eliminating Themberchaud before he
becomes a bigger threat. ln the process, both factions
plan to acquire a new and far more powerful patron.
The duergar and derro hatch a scheme to sacrifice
Thcmberchaud as an offering to Demogorgon,
drawing the demon prince to their city and pledging
themselves to the Prince of Demons. A few of them
even have delusions that they can somehow bind or
innucnce the demon lord's power, or that the demon
lord will lead them in conquerinJ:t the whole of the
Undcrdark. Meanwhile, rumors mount that the drow
of Menzobcrranzan are behind the demonic incursion.
Tales range from the drow rc1ising a mighty army of
demons to a summoning sp<>ll gone terribly wrong. A
demonic rampage is said to have nearly destroyed the
City of Spiders, and characters with knowledge of the
situation in Menzoberranzan arc of great interest to
all the factions of Gracklstugh. Any evidence that the
drow are rrsponsible for the presence of the demon
lords stokes the already blazing embers of animosity
against the dark elves. with the more militant factionsWhether clur to the intervention of the adventurers,
the recent evc>nts in the Underdark, or both.
Themberchauclth<" Wyrmsmith knows that the Keepers
are deliberatc>ly oppressing him, and he plots to thin
their ranks and we<lken their power. Though the dragon
knows that he> is efft>ctivcly trapped in the caverns of
Gracklstugh evf'n if he wins his freedom, he hungers for
it nonetheless. just as he hungers for revenge against
those who oppost> him. ofGracklstugh calling for a renewed war of vengeance
, ----against Menzobc-rranzan.