As long as Vizeran possesses the gem, the death slaad
mu::.t obey him and can't be charmed.
GRTN OusSTYL
The only other person in A raj is Grin Ousstyl. Vizeran·s
drow mage apprentice. A clever troublemaker from
an out·of-favor house, Grin worked his way into the
outlawed alliance of drow mages known as the Council
of Spiders. but was careless and nearly executed for his
ambition. Exiled from Menzobcrranzan, he was taken
in by Vizcran. who plays the role of a shadowy patron of
the council. The young drow ha~ continued his magical
training under the archmage's tutelage.
Grin is loyal to his master but not well suited to such
a solitary existence. lle longs for the opportunity to
return 10 Menzoberranzan, supporting the notion of an
uprising to overthrow the matron mothers and end their
rule. Ht' is less enthused about the potential of turning
his old home into a battlefield for the demon lords.
however. and he eventually betrays Vizeran·s confidence
VIHIII\N OeVIRCl! \PTf.R 12 J THF. 10\1 I R OP \'t:t-.CEA!'CEto the ad\-enturers in an effort to prevent that outcome
(see chapter 15. "The City of Spiders'').OTHER INHABITANTS
o other living creHtures dwell in Araj, but the
tower feature& a number of magical inhabitants the
adventun·r& might interact with.
Each l<•vel of the tower has a permanent unseen
servant in effect to attend to Vizcran. Grin. and the
archmage's guests. Two dozen decorative suits of
armor are also on display throughout the tower, all of
which are suits of animated armor that move and fight
at Vizeran's command. Between one and three suits
guard each room and corridor of the tower. Tf Vizeran
is threatened. he uses them to run interference. buying
him time to escape or counterattack.
A character who pokes around the tower and succeed ..
on a D C 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notes signs that
other humanoid creatures were recently present in Araj
including discarded clothing, moldering foodstuffs. and
chains and manacle!> embedded into the walls in some
of the tower's rooms. Vizeran dismisses any questions
about such matters, but Grin Oussryl confides to the
character s that Yizeran once kept bound minor demon~
and humanoid slaves in his service. Vizeran banished
the demons with the arrival of the demon lords in the
Undcrdark. fearing ~ome hidden connection between
the creatures of the Abyss. The slaves held by the drO\\
archmagc (most of them acquired from Gracklstugh)
are all dead-either lost to madness and killed by
Yizcran, or sacrificed as part of the preparations for
the archmage·s dark ritual. Grin Ousstyl doesn't speak
directly of that latter fate, saying only that Vizeran's
work can be hard on his assistants.V tZERAN^1 S TOWER: GENERAL FEATURES
The follow•ng features are found throughout the tower.
Light. The cavern outstde the tower is dark, for the
inhabitants of Araj require no light. Inside the tower,
occasional driftglobes shed dim light, with the rest of the
place in darkness.
Guards and Wards. The interior of the tower is under
the effect of a permanent guards and wards spell to thwart
intruders. Vizeran suspends the spell's effects for his
guests, allowing them to enter unhindered, but those
trymg to sneak into the tower must deal with the spell's
effects (see "Stealing mto Araj"). Additionally, the tower is
warded agamst scrying. Divination spells cast from outside
cannot cross the tower's walls unless Vizeran allows it,
and he immediately knows tf the tower's wards thwart a
divinataon spell.
Levitation Shaft. The central shaft of the tower has a
permanent levium spell in effect, such that any creature
that steps into the shaft (or that falls off the stairs) is
suspended tn midair. A creature that speaks the command
word aluhal'kafion ("descend") drops 20 feet per round
until it reaches the bottom of the shaft. If the word ku'/am
(" rise") ts spoken, a creature nses 20 feet per round until
reachtng the top level. Movement stops immediately
if the creature says ilkalik ("halt"). While in the tower,
Vizeran can deacttvate or reactivate the levitation effect as
an action.