Another sound rises above the burbling cries of the kuo-
toa. The dark surface of the water farther out bubbles
and begtns to foam. A thick, oily tentacle bursts forth.
followed by another. Then two monstrous heads break
the surface, both resembling hideous, angry baboons
wtth wickedly curved tusks. Both heads are attached
to a single torso, and the monster's red eyes burn with
b•oodlust and madness. The creature rising from the
Darklake must stand thtrty feet tall or more, with water
cascadtng down its back and shoulders. Upon reaching
•ts full height, the great demon throws back both its
heads and roars!The kuo-toa offerings and the fervor of his worshipers in
·he Darklake have drawn the attention of Demogorgon
see appendix D). Upon witnessing the rise of the
Prince of Demons, each party member must succeed
on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or gain a level of
~adness (see '"Madness" in chapter 2). The kuo-toa
:>ecome incapacitated for ldiO minutes, crying out
Leemooggoogoon!" over and over again.
Demogorgon wades toward Sloobludop, heads roaring
-nd gibb(-ring. tentacles flailing and smashing the water.
o 4 rounds, he comes within reach of the shoreline and
_c:;hes out, smashing docks and sending bodies flying
- ith each sweep of his tentacles. When the demon lord
tacks. some kuo-toa recover their wits enough to flee,
•hile others cower. paralyzed with fear.
!:SCAPTNG THE DEMON LORD
-lopefully, the players exercise the better part of
a lor and flee as soon as they see the demon lord. lfthey confront him. they arc almost certainly doomed.
Fortunately for them. Dcmogorgon is focused on
smashing the kuo-toa settlement and pays little heed
to the puny c reatures fleeing from him. The characters
thus have a good chance of getting away if they act
quickly. They might first need to deal wilh companions
0\·ercome by bouts of madness. however. and they need
to decide bow they intend to escape.
Escape by Land. Fleeing by land requires dodging
terrified kuo-toa. and e\en fighting fish-folk driven to a
killing frenzy against the characters for having drawn
this doom down upon them. Roll a d20. On a 17 - 20. 2d4
kuo-toa attack the characters during their escape.
Escape by Water. The adventurers can steal boats
from the docks and paddle them along the shore
away from the attacking demon lord. The ixitxachitl
attack anyone in the water, but most are occupied with
slaughtering kuo-toa fleeing into the Dark lake. A near
miss from one of Demogorgon's tentacles might require
each character to make a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity
saving throw (player's choice), with failure indicating
that the character has been thrown overboard by a wave.DEVELOPMENT
The adventurers end this chapter with a terrible
realization: Demogorgon is loose in the Underdark!
Initially. they might blame the kuo-toa ritual or the
ixitxachitl. But as they learn more about what has
happened, the need to escape the Underdark becomes
even more urgent.XPAWARDS
Tn addition to the XP awards earned for the creatures
the party overcomes in this chapter, the characters earn
400 XP (divided equally among all party members) for
surviving the encounter with the Cull of the Deep Father
and their brush with the Prince of Demons.