Out of the Abyss

202

WEST WALL

West Wall (also called "the Old Quarter'') is a primarily

residential neighborhood. Largely untouched by

Demogorgon's assault on the city, West Wall is a quiet

district, as its residents like to keep their dark schemes

and vile indulgences behind closed doors. Amid the

twisted streets and quiet mansions of West Wall stand

scores of s tone monuments dedicated to important

figures and mome nts in the city's history. as well as

numerous statues and graven images of Lolth.

Between West Wall and Narbondellyn is a residential

neighborhood called Lolth's Web. Its residents built

their homes upward. c rafting streets of magically

calcified strands of spider silk from the cavern floor to

the vaulted roof above. Hollow. cocoon-like dwellings

a re constructed both above and below th e layers

of webbing.

Roll for random encounters as the characters c ross

this district. You can roll a d20 and consult the West

Wall Encounters table. or choose an encounter that

you like. The party can avoid random encounters in

Wesl Wall by succeeding on a DC 13 Dexte rity (Stealth}

group check.

WEST WALL ENCOUNTERS

d20 Encounter

1- 3 Bandersnatches

4-7 Bregan D'aerthe spy

8- 14 Drow foot patrol

15- 17 Slave abuse

18-2 0 Statue oflolth

BANDERSNATCHES

The characters draw the unwanted attention of the

Bandersnatches, a gang of young. demon-worshiping

drow who. in the wake of Demogorgon's attack, are

eager to c reate further unrest in the city. Gang members

send coded messages to one another by tapping hollow

rocks togelher, creating eerie clicking sounds that

echo throughout the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

Initially. ld4 drow bandits follow the party. scuttling

through dark alleys and across web·strung rooftops

while tapping their stones. urging more gang members

to converge on the party's location. At the e nd of each

round of clicking stones. anothe r ld4 drow bandits

appear. If the number of gang members grows to twe nty

or more. the bandits surround the party and demand

payment of 100 gp per party member for safe passage.

If the characters kill four or more bandits. the resr flee

before a drow patrol (see below) shows up.

Development. The consequence of killing one or

more bandits is retaliation. The gang organizes a

hunting party to find and kill o ne party member for

every gang member s lain. This hunting party is bold

e nough to leave the West Wall district, and you might

have th e Dandersnatchcs try to ambush the characters

as they make their way out of Menzoberranzan. The

hunting party consists of the gang's leader. her quasit

advisor, and thirty drow bandits.

The leader of the Bandersnatches is a capricious

and nil1ilis tic female drow named Viln Tirin. She has

CHAPTER 15 I THE CITY OF SPIDERS

the statistics of a bandit captain with the following

modifications:

• Viln is c haotic evil and has drow features (see the
  "Statistical Modifications to Drow NPCs'' sidebar).


• She w ields a scimitar of speed and can ma ke one
  attack with it as a bonus action on her turn. AU of
  Viln's attac ks with the weapon are +7 to hit a nd deal 8
  (1d6 + 5) slashing damage on a hit.
  Viln carries four daggers coated with purple worm
  poison (see ''Poisons" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon
  Master's Guide). The poison on a dagger's blade
  is good for one hit only, whether the poison takes
  effect or not.
  She has a challenge rating of 5 (1.80 0 XP).

BREGAN D'AERTHE SPY

See ··o ut hcloi m" for more information.

DROW fOOT PATROL

This patrol consists of 2d4 drow. If one or more party

members appear to be anything other than drow or

s laves in the company of its drow master, the patrol

confronts the party and starts asking questions. lf any

of the answers arouse suspicion or come across as

insolent, th e d row attack.

SLAVE ABUSE

The characters see a drow noble flogging one of a

handful of s laves (commoners of any race) while ld4

bugbear bodyguards keep an eye ou1 for trouble. Unless

the charac ters intervene, the me rciless noble has the

s lave dragged to the Westrift and unceremoniously

tossed into it. The poor s lave falls 3d6 x 10 feel before

being caught in a web and cocooned by a giant spide r

(to be devoured later). If the c haracters come to the

s lave's defense. the bugbears attack t hem.

STATUE OF LOLTH

See "Duthcloim" for more information.

UNEXPECTED ALLIES

As hostile as Menzoberranzan seems to outsiders. there

are powerful figures within the city who want the demon

lords expelled from the Underdark and a re willing to

help the characters accomplish this goal.

HousE BA E N RE

The matron mother of House Baenre is the voice of

Lolth in Menzoberranzan, and despite recent events.

maintains absolute comrol of the city. Quenthcl knows

how Demogorgon made his way from th e Abyss to the

City of Spiders. She wasn't surprised to learn that he r

brother Gromph-the Archmage of Menzoberranzan-

was behind it, for she's seen evidence of hi s growing

unhappiness in recent months, and she a lso knows

that Lolth was behind it. Qucnthel assumes that Lolth

is making some sort o f power play in the Abyss.

If Quenthellearns that advemurers are trying 10 rid

the Undcrdark of its de mon lord menace, s he doesn't

stand in the ir way (see ''Private Meetings") and even

allows them to travel through the city unmolested.