Out of the Abyss

arp behind the disturbance, dismissing anything else as
usions, ignorance, or outright lies.
;o his paranoia, Gartokkar wants the characters to
nfirm the Gray Ghosts' involvement and to bring back
v.;;atever powerful magic the thieves used to cause the
-turbance. The Keepers have idemified a Gray Ghost
_em-a derro called Droki. who carries messages and
pplies for the thieves· guild (see ··Droki"' in the ''Blade
3a.zaar"' section). Droki uses the West Cleflto contact
-employers. and Ganokkar wants the party to follow
lfu.s derro and locate the Gray Ghosts.
[!the characters accept his offer, Gartokkar gives
em a holy symbol of Laduguer after an acolyte arrives
:ili gold pins featuring Themberchaud's profile. The

• "'lbol and the badges grunt characters the right to
  .. ··cl beyond the Oarklukc District, though they a re
  
  
  • limited from moving freely in the city (see the
    Lashing Badges·· sidebar). If they refuse, they a re
    cnied over t o the Stone Guards for arrest a nd delivery
    Overtake J lold.
  
  
  
  

\ ''lHORLSTONE TUNNELS

~ Wborlstone Tunnels are a cavern system extending

rtially underneath Gracklstugh, away from the mines

passages the city's inhabitants use regularly. The

~o savants who first found the tunnels didn't reveal

· .r discovery to anyone, and to this day only a handful

og the Council of Savants and the Gray Ghosts

" about them.

The long. gently curving !Unncls have relatively

~ .. ar dimensions. They arc known for their unusual

-formations and abundant patches of fungi. and for

~~suffused with faerzress (sec chapter 2).

There are currently two factions using the tunnels for

r own ends. The Gray Ghosts have an alchemical

ratory and a fungal garden supplying them with

• ns. and the leaders of the guild conceal a secret
  ,. form of a mysterious black obelisk in the farthest
  ,.. see area 16). The other group is a budding cult of
  -o demon worshipers led by a renegade member of
  Council of Savants. Sensing that the demon lo rds
  -omehow using faerzress to spread chaos and
  .:ness, the demon worshipers have begun conducting
  u..tls to infect Gracklstugh.lnrent on weakening
  ~ity and breaking the power of King Horgar


• dshadow V, the cultists plan to inflict a curse on
  ::.lODe giants of Clan Cairngorm that causes them to
  second heads. driving them insane.

~ERZRESS-SUFFUSED FUNGI

'Ahorlstone Tunnels are home to two unique

~of faerzress-suffused mushrooms: bigwigs

~ygmyworrs. Any character who studies these

-hrooms can identify their magical effects with

essful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check. an

'J/} spell, or by trial and error. A single nibble of a

~hroom alters a character's size by a few inches for 5

.. tes. so characters foraging for food might discover

mshrooms' magic by accident. The size-altering

•s of eating multiple bigwigs or pygmyworts

, t cumulative, although their durat ions a rc. These

mushrooms Jose their properties if they arc taken

outs1de the Whorlstone Tunnels for I hour or more.

BIGWIG

A bigwig is a four· inch-tall mushroom with a thin stem

and a wide purple cap. A creature that eats one can

choose to make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw to

not be affected by the mushroom's magic. If the creature

fails or forgoes the saving throw, it grows in size as

though under the enlarge effect of an enlargejreduce

spell. The effect lasts for 1 hour. Ten minutes before

the effect ends. the creature feels a tingling sensation.

at which point it can sustain its current size by eating

another wurple. The effect ends if the creature eats a

pygrnywort mushroom or is magically reduced to its

normal size (using the reduce effect of an cnlargcjrcducc

spell, for example).

PYGMYWORT

A pygmywort is u mushroom with a one-inch-long s te m

and a stubby blue cap with white dots. A creature that

eats one can choose to make a DC 12 Constitution

saving throw to not be affected by the mushroom's

magic. If the crt~ature fails or forgoes the saving th row.

it shrinks in size as though under the reduce effect

of an enlarge/ reduce spell. The effect lasts for 1 hour.

Ten minutes before the effect ends. the creature feels

a tingling sensation. at which point it can sustain its

current size by eating another pygmywon. The effect

ends if the creature eats a bigwig mushroom or is

magically enlarged to its normal size (using the enlarge

effect of an enlaq}ejreduce spell, for example).

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

As the characters explore the Whorl stone Tunnels, they

can run into various creatures or hazards. Check for an

encounter whenever the characters arc moving along a

stretch of tunnel or at the end of a long rest. Roll a d2 0

and consult the Whorlstone Tunnels Encounters ta ble to

determine what, if anything, they encounte r.

WHORLSTONE TUNNELS ENCOUNTERS

d20 Encounter

1- 10 No encounter

11-12 l carrion crawler

13 Demon pack

14 1 tlumph

15 l gray ooze

16 ld4 moldy quaggoth spore se rvants

17 1d4 two·headed grimlocks

18 1 s wa rm ofinsects (centipedes)

19 1 xorn

20 Yellow mold

CARRION CRAWLER

There's a 50 percent chance that the carrion crawler

is feasting on the putrid flesh of a dead grim lock and

ignores the party unless disturbed. Otherwise, it is

scouring tunnels for food and attacks the party on sight.

ll prefers to attack while clinging to the ceiling.

CJH\PTFR ~I (;RAOKT.ST\JGH