I
18C. NORTHWEST TOWER
This tower has a male drow m age named Vrebbeth Im-
phiz'zal on the roof and eight male drow inside. In addi-
tion to defending the tower, these drow are responsible
for quelling uprisings in the nearby slave pen (area 18h)
and gardens (area 18i).
Treasure. Vrebbeth carries a spellbook bound in
stitched grimlock flesh that contains all the spells he
has prepared, plus arcane Jock, gust of wind, and sleep.
Fastened to his robes is a bone scroll tube that holds a
spell scroll of telekinesis.18D. SOUTH TOWER
This tower has a male d row mage named Yrrlcheb
Beltorzza on the roof and eight male drow inside.
Treas ure. Yrrlcheb carries a spellbook bound in sup-
ple fiumph hide that contains all the spells he has pre-
pared, plus jump, mirror image, and sending. Fastened
to his robes is a spider silk pouch holding^31 pp.18E. SOUTH BARRACKS
This 20-foot-high curved structure has a stone door with
no lock. The building houses ten off-duty male drow
who are variously spending their idle hours sharpening
and poisoning their weapons, eating, or meditating on
curved stone benches spaced along the walls.18F. NORTH BARRACKS
This building and its residents are identical to area 18e.18G. GARDEN SLAVE PEN
The foul stench of troglodytes is obvious to any char-
acters who approach this 40-foot-square enclosure,
which has 20-foot-high walls of smooth stone, an iron-
barred gate, and a 5-foot-thick roof of sticky webs with
five giant spiders atop it. The pen currently holds five
adult troglodytes and four troglodyte children (Small
noncombatants), as well as a minotaur chained to the
ground. The minotaur's horns have been sawed off, and
prolonged exposure to the troglodytes' stench has ren-
dered the minotaur immune to its effects.
The spiders attack anyone who tries to tear through
the webs or free the slaves trapped in the pen.
Any creature that enters the webs or starts its turn
in them is restrained. A restrained creature can use its
action to try to pull itself out of the webs, doing so with a
successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Ac-
robatics) check. Each 10-foot-square section of webs has
AC 10, 10 hit points, vulnerability to fire, and immunity
to bludgeoning, piercing, and psychic damage.
The pen's sturdy iron gate is held shut with an arcane
lock spell that only drow (including drow characters)
can ignore. Forcing it open requires a successful DC^25
Strength (Athletics) check.
Pris oners. The drow use the troglodytes to tend their
gardens (area 18i). The minotaur is too violent to be
enslaved, so the drow are starving it until it either capit-
ulates or grows so weak that the troglodytes can kill and
devour it. The minotaur is restrained but can butt foes
with its head instead of making gore attacks, dealing^11
(2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage on a hit. Its thick chains
require a successful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check
to break, or they can be attacked. The chains have ACFORTRESS DEFEN SES
The 30-foot-tall outer walls and the 40-foot-high towers
that stand along them are fashioned from smooth black
stone. The tops of the walls are tapered and lined with
5-foot-tall stone spikes spaced^10 feet apart. The spikes
have sticky webs strung between them like barbed wire to
hinder creatures attempting to cross over. Fo r the effects
of s ticky webs, see "Dungeon Hazards" in chapter S of the
Dungeon Master's Guide. Each tower has a flat roof encir·
cled by crenellated battlements.
If an alarm is raised, the residents of the fortress mo-
bilize quickly. Twenty d row emerge from the barracks in
areas l 8e and l 8f, joining Riina Freth (from area l 9c) and
four drow elite warriors (from area 19a). These drow take
up defensive positions in the courtyard, spreading out to
dilute the effect of area attacks. Against unusually strong
foes, Riina releases the prisoners in areas 18g and l 8h,
forcing them to fight for House Freth. But the moment
the fight turns against the drow, the prisoners turn against
their capto rs.
In add ition to the drow in the courtyard, invaders must
contend with the drow in the guard towers, who can target
creatures both inside and outside the courtyard. Each of
the guard towers (areas l 8a through l 8d) is utilitarian
and unfurnished. A tower has the following features
and defenses:- The tower's stone doors are reinforced and barred
from the inside. Siege weapons are needed to break
them down. - Arrow slits on the first and second floors provide
three-quarters cover to those standing behind them. The
rooftop ba ttlements provide variable cover, depending
on the a ng le of attack. - Iron lad ders and trapdoors connect each level of a tower,
and the trapdoor in the roof can be bolted shut from
below. Breaking through a bolted trapdoor requires a
successful DC^27 Strength (Athletics) check. - Each tower contains eight male drow (four on each of
the first and second floors) who fire light crossbows
through the arrow slits. This attack is the same as the
drow's hand crossbow attack, except it has a range of
80/320 feet and deals 6 (ld8 + 2) piercing damage. - A male drow mage stands watch on the rooftop.
Characte rs who have House Freth escorts or who wear
clever d row d isguises can approach the fort ress o penly.
The mage atop the gate tower (area 18a) demands to
know who they are and why they have come, granting entry
only if their answers raise no suspicions. As the visitors
make their way through the tower, the drow mage sum·
mons a quasit and instructs it to notify Riina Freth of the
new arrivals. The quasit assumes bat form and flies to area
19c to deliver the news. Riina decides what to do with any
visitors and leads those who seek an audience with her
sister, Erelal, to area 19k.
19, 30 hit points, resistance to fire and piercing damage,
and immunity to poison and psychic damage.18H. GOBLIN SLAVE PEN
This pen has the same features as area 18g, except that
the stench of troglodytes is absent here, and there are
no giant spiders on the web roof. The contents of the
pen are as follows:
Goblins. Twelve armed but weary-looking goblins are
gnawing on bones and resting on straw pallets.LEVEL 12 I MAZE l.EV!::l.