nergy into the obelisk might activate its latent magic.
pending a spell !>lOt of any level while touching the
.Jelisk activates it and telcports everyone on the mesa
a location in the Undcrdarkjust outside the northwest
~te ofGracklstugh.
The character who expended the spell slot knows the
teleport effect can be repeated. but th at this power is
only temporary a fluke due to the recent disruption of
faerzress throughout the Underdark. Both the potency
and the nature of the effect could change within a week
r two. and this teleport effect likely hears no relation to
e obelisk's actual purvose.
If the characters took the lump of metal from Droki or
,. Gray Ghosts. they notice the obelisk is made from
- same material. If th e lump is touched to the obelisk.
ts instantly absorbed, repairing a crack on its surface.
RED DRAGON ECG
-he egg atop the northeast mesa is Hn unhatched dragon
1!g that the Gray Ghosts stole from the Keepers of
1e Flame. The 4-foot-tall, 3-foot-diameter egg weighs
0 pounds. and without fire to keep it warm. the egg
-n't hatch. Tf and when the egg does hatch, a red
dragon wyrmling emerges and bonds with the first
.. ,.ature it see!>.TREASURE
The derro savant carries a single gold coin. a stick of
harcoal. and a battered notebook with pages made
fr m trillimac (see "Fungi of the Underdark" in chapter
_ The coin is a shilmaer, an ancient gold coin traded
among su rface elves. The notebook contains Dwarvish
\\ruing. specifically a long list of random items. mostly
c:c ns and jewelry. There are no dates. but some entries
a1 pear in different handwriting. The last entry describes
tl: Mmiraculous" appearance of the gold coin.DEVELOPMENT
If the characters capture and interrogate Pliinki.
:Jo laughs at their folly as she tells them that the
\\ horlstone Tunnels are nowh~re near the surface. She
b lieves the obelisk was hidden her e by Diirinka, the
rro god, and that it contains " unimaginable power."
F inki and her fel low savants hope to harness the
elisk's power and use it to conquer Gracklstugh.
If the characters take the dragon egg to
T~embcrchaud, he destroys it and rewards the party
.h a magical potion or oil plucked from his hoard.
f he characters return tht> egg to the Keepers of the
F ame. Gartokkar Xundorn promises them safe passage
rough Gracklstugh if they mention nothing about the
~~to Themberchaud.XPAWARDS
T "mg the coin and the notebook to VIsa H enstak in the
de Bazaar fulfills her quest and earns the characters
1 0 XP each.
lithe characters describe the obelisk to Gartokkar
Xundorn, he assumes that is what the Gray Ghosts are
, ng to wreak havoc in Gauntlgrym and dispatches
orce to study it. Each character earns 100 XP for
mpleting the task set for them by the Keepers.
" ·ard each character an additional 150 XP if the parrydeliver.; the red draJ,!on eJ,!J,! to either the Keepers or to
Themberchaud.14A. FUNGI-COVERED DOORS
A set of doubk doors arc hidden by a patch of fungi that
includes 2d6 bigwiJ,!s and 2d6 pygmyworts. Characters
wcc;;t of the doors muo;t succeed on a DC IS Wisdom
( Perception) check to notice the doors behind the fungi.
The doors are fashioned from planks of zurkhwood and
barred from the cac;;t side. A successful DC 20 Strength
check allows a character to brcttk through the doors, but
this alerts the derro -;avant and the spectator in area 14.LEAVING GRACKLSTUGH
The charact(·rs can gnin the means to leave the city-
and inform<~tion to guide them on their journey-from
a number of different sources. depending on the NPCs
they interac:l with and th e quests they undertake.
E rrclc Blackc;;kull is true to her word. nnd she lets the
characters It" ave the <·it y frrcly if they fulfilled the tasks
she set for them. Working for Themberchaud or the
Keepers of the f lame leaves the characters in a position
where they can at least avoid arrest in the city.
Deciding the next step for the characters depends on
what information or quesrc;; the characters picked up in
GracklstuJ,!h. Heading for^1 t>verlight Grove (see chapter
5) or Blingden'itone (sec c-hapter 6) are the obvious next
steps. ac; both places hold the promise of a route to the
su rface world. Alternatively, the characters can try their
luck in the Labyrinth or the Wormwrithings.
Some of the quec;ts the <'haractcrs complete have the
potential to change the power structure of Graeklstugh.
For example, aiding Emit> Blackskull and the Stone
Guards mi~ht grant the tharactcrs the privilege of an
audience with Kin!l Horgar Steelshadow Vat some
later time. If the chara<·tcrs press Errde. Gartokkar, or
S10nespeaker IIJ,!raam for a meeting with the Decpking.
use the following section to run an encounter in the
Deepk ing's palace.