CHAPTER 1: PRISONERS OF THE DROW
Dee-p beneath the '>urfac~ of the world lies the
Underdark. a realm of t>ndles!> labyrinthine tunnels and
Ca\·trn~ where the '>Uil never shines. The Underdark
i-. filled with ract·., and creatures too numerous to
count or list. and foremost among these are the dark
elves-the drow. llated and feared C\en by their fello·w
dweller:. in darkness. the drow ra1d other settlements
in the Underdarli. a<, \CII as the surface world. taking
prisoner.. back with them. Rendered unconscious
with drow po1<,on. then collared and shackled. these
prisoners are eventual!} :.old as :.laves or entertainment
in the dnrk elves' subterranean cities.
The adventurers have nil had the misfortune of
falling to such a fate. Captured by the drow, rhcy are
prisont'rs at one of the clark elves' outposts, awaiting
transportation to Mcnzobcrranzan. the City of Spiders.
Whether they came into the Underdark seeking
knowledge or fortune~. ur were just in the wrong place at
the wron~ time, they were ripe prey for a drow raid.
The setup of Out of tile Abyss is such that the
characters need haw no connections with events in the
Underdark. or wilh each other. prior to the stan of the
ad\enture. The) can meet and get to know each other
as pri~oncrs of tht> drow. Players who would like their
characters to haH~ a stronger Underdark connection can
choose from the backstround options in appendix A.
MPri!-.oners of the Oro\\" a-. .. umC!> the characters start
at )<,t bd, and that the) \\Ill achieve 2nd level (if not
3rd) b) the end of th1s chapter of the adventure. Gi\'en
the chalh:n~es of the .td\t!nturc and the dangers of the
Underdark you c.'<lll start the characu."rs at a higher level
(2nd or Jrd} to rnake thm~s a bit c;u,ier for the players.ESCAPE!
The characters' r.toalm th1s chapter of the adventure
is straightforward: escape from the drow outpost of
Velkynvehe. with an eye tO\\ard escaping from the
Uncltrdarli.. llowcvcr, t h b goal is complicated by the
adventurers' lack of familiarity with their surroundings.
Even if th e prisoner~ cun get away from the drow, where
wilt they ~o and how will they survive?RESTRAINTS
All the tlmw·~ prisoners, inrlucling the characters.
wear iron ~lave collars along with manacles connected
ro iron be-lt~ by a short length of dlain. This leaves
the pr1soners restrained, but clot•sn't affect their
movemt'nt or speed.
Tn addition to being manaded. peUcastcrs don't have
any spell components or focuses. initially limiting their
spellca.,unr.t ability. (W1zard fharacters don't need their
spell books to ca t pel h. but \\ill be unable tO change
their prepared spell" wnhout them. As such. gi'-'e wizard
characters some; leeway 10 determimng which spells
they had pre\•iou~ly prt>part"d before being captured.)
Moreover. spcllca'>ting isn't possible inside the slave pen
because of it~ magical ward~ (see area 11).
Slipping out of manacles requires a successful DC
20 Dexterity check, while breaking them requires