MENZOBERRANZAN
The characters might decide to visit Menzoberranzan
before heading to Gravenhollow. either to Jearn what the
drow know about the a rrival of the demon lords or LO
assess th ei r involve ment in recent e ve nts.
MARC H O N MENZOBE RRANZAN
If the characters advance their expeditionary force
toward the drow city. word of their approach re:.ches
Menzoberranzan two days befon· their arriva l, and the
drow dispatch a well armed defense force to destroy
the surface dwellers. Racing ahead of this drow force
is a high elf from Silverymoon named Khalessa Draga.
A deep cover agent of the Lords' Alliance. Khalessa
has been spying on the drow for years-so long. in fact.
that her superiors are beginning to wonder if she's
a defector. Khalessa is a loyal alliance spy with the
following s tatistical modifications:
- Khalessa's alignment is neutral.
She has dark vision out to a range of 60 feeL
She s peaks Common. Elvish. and Undereommon.
Khalessa's fey ancestry gives her advantage on saving
throws against bein~ charmed, and magie can't put
her to sleep.
- She can cast the dancing lights cantrip at will.
- She owns a hat of disguise. which s he uses to appear
as a fe male drow while in the company of drow, and
s he wears a piwafwi (see appendix 8 ).
Khalessa urges the characters to turn back. If they
don't, she fears that the drow fo rce will overwhelm
them. Having blown he r cove r to wa rn the characters.
she asks to stay with them until they reach Gauntlgrym
o r an alliance settlement.
The leaders of the drow force arc a female elite drow
warrior named Ryzliir Symryvvin and her consort. a
male dro w mage named Velgor Zolond. They a rejoined
by a prisoner in manacles-an unarmed and unarmored
male human knight of the Order of the Gauntlet named
Aljanor Keenblade. Sir Aljanor was captured during a
s urface raid months ago. and th e dro w have beate n him
s uc h that he has only 3 hit points remaining. Members
of the order traveling in the party's expeditio nary force
recognize Sir Aljanor instantly and are surprised: they
assumed he had been killed.
Ryzliir vows to e xecute Aljanor unless the characters
withdraw their expeditionary force immediately. Under
no circumstances will she willingly release her prisoner.
If the characters refuse to turn back. Ryzliir kills Aljanor
and orders her own force to attack. If the characters
leave Aljanor behind or allow him to die. members of the
party's expeditionary force in league with the Order of
the Gauntlet who make it back to Gauntlgrym report the
incide nt to Sir Lannive r Stray! (see c hapter 8).
Ryzliir and Velgor arc mounted on giant riding
lizards (sec the end of chapter 8 for statistics). and
Aljanor rides behind Vclgor. Ryzliir commands a fo rce
of six dro w warriors. twelve bugbear s laves. and sixty
goblin s laves. If all the drow arc killed. the goblinoids
Aee as their morale breaks.
Sir Aljanor has made his peace with Tyr and expects
10 die. He is disappointed if good lives are lost in a
fooli<;h auempt to rescue him. If he survive'>. he accepts
any offer to join the party's expeditionary force and is
quick to assume a leadership role.
NEVERLIGH T GROVE
lf the ch:1racters return to Neve rlight Grove. myconids
loyal to Sovereign Bn<;idia (including Stool and
Rumpadump if they remained behind) try to intercept
them hefore their arrival and warn them off. The
myconids say that matters have· hecome gnwe. and that
the cha racters s hould avoid the grove at ;~1 1 costs.
If the adventurers don't leave> immediately. six
myconid adults. four qua ggoth s pore ser vants. and
four awak ened zurkbwoods (c:.ec> appendix(') loyal to
Sove reign Phylo cut off their retreat. They surround th<·
c haracters and thei r followers. offeri ng to e<;cort them to
Phylo ac:; the sovereign's honored lluests.
Sovereign Phylo i fric'ndly and offers all vic:.itors food
and drink; however. hie; offerings arc poisoned. Each
creature that consumes tht> food or drink mu'>t c:;ucceed
on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become
poisoned for 8 hour<;. T he creature is a)<;o uncon cious
while poisoned in this way. Any cn·ature that remains
unconscious in the grove for I hour or more is <Jffiicted
by Zuggtmoy's spores. as described in chapter 5.
If the characters take Basidia'<; advice and turn
back. the myconid so\ereign prom•<,e to conta<'t them
again when "the time ic:. riF(ht to oppose Zug!{tmoy" (as
described in chapter 16. "The Fetid Wedding").
V ELKYNVELVE
If the adventurers return to the drO\\ outpost where
they wert· imprisoned. they find Velkynvelve under the
command of a dro w mage named Servan Llarabbar.
Six male dro w report to him. while three more male
drow and one female drow elite warrio r have been
Locked in the s lave pf'n. The pri<;oners are affiicted
with various forms of indefinite madness {roll on the
Indefinite Madne<;s table in <"haptcr 8 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide). Even Scrvan i<; beginning to show
heightened megalomania and paranoia. seeing
enemies ev<·rywhe re. He has delusions of p;randeur
a nd fantasies about declaring Velkynvelve indcpf'ndent
of Menzoberranzan. rallying followers to h is o.;ide and
eventually toppling the matriarch<; of the ~reat houses.
C HAPll .R 10 I OLSC.:II'T l:o-;To IIIF. DEPTH~
