12B. !RON SPIDER
Several tunnels leading to this 30-foot-high cave are fes-
tooned with web cables. The south tunnels slope down
gently to areas 11 and 18.
Guards. Four male drow are on guard here.
Iron Spider. A giant iron spider stands motionless in
the middle of the cave.
The drow (named Freb, Rylzzt, Urlimar, and Vanal-
fein) all carry s ignal horns that sound an alarm loud
enough to be heard in areas 10 through 19. They raise
the alarm at the first sign of intruders, bringing rein-
forcements from areas 12a, 12c, and 12d.
The iron spider is a Large unaligned construct that
stands 7 feet tall. It has AC 19 , 80 hit points, and immu-
nity to poison and psychic damage. Its ability scores are
as follows: Strength 18, Dexterity 10, Constitution 10,
Intelligence 3, Wisdom 3, and Charisma 1. Its climbing
and walking speeds are 30 feet, and it can climb difficult
surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without
needing to make an ability check. It has blindsight out to
a range of 60 feet and is blind beyond this radius.
As an action, the iron spider can shoot out a 6 -inch-
thick web cable up to 50 feet long, attaching the far end
of the cable to a solid surface up to 50 feet away from
it. As a bonus action, it can detach the other end of the
cable from itself and attach it to a solid surface within
10 feet of it. Once it creates 200 feet of web cable, the
spider can't produce any more cable until the next dawn.
The iron spider exists solely to produce web cables. It
has no attacks and no instinct for self-preservation.
Like a scaladar, the iron spider has a control ring
(possessed by Drivvin Freth). The iron spider obeys the
commands of whoever wears its control ring. The spider
is incapacitated in the area of an anti magic field spell. If
targeted by a dispel magic spell, the spider must succeed
on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell
save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.
12C. QUAGGOTHS
This 30-foot-high cavern and the tunnels leading to it
are s trung with web cables (see the "Web Cables" side-
bar). Nine quaggoth s creep along the cables, attempting
to hide from any creatures that enter the area. The quag-
goths drop to the floor or crawl down the walls to attack
intruders they don't recognize.12D. GIANT LIZARD PEN
Monsters. Ten docile giant lizards are tethered to iron
spikes pounded into the cave floor. Five drow, one fe-
male and four males, watch over the lizards.
Fungi. The 20-foot-high walls are covered with ripple-
bark (see "Fungi," page 59), which the drow feed to
the giant lizards.
The leader of this group is a female drow named
Talabsyn Freth, the youngest of Erelal's seven daugh-
ters. The others are unfaithful male subordinates
named Beleth, Cazimir, Ryldgar, and Zakth. At the first
sign of trouble, Talabsyn untethers the nearest giant
lizard and tries to escape on its back, fleeing to her fam-
ily's fortress by the safest route while the males cover
her escape. If her escape routes are cut off, Talabsynsurrenders and orders the males to do the same, hoping
her captors try to ransom her. She betrays any of the
male drow in a heartbeat to save herself-and the males
do the same to her. '
Drow scouts use the giant lizards as mounts. Each
comes equipped with a saddle, reins, stirrups, and sad-
dlebags containing 30 days of rations (dry moss and
mushrooms). The giant lizards have the Spider Climb
trait (see the "Variant: Giant Lizard Traits" sidebar in
appendix A of the Monster Manual), which allows them
to climb over the web cables and exit this area.
Treasure. Fastened to Talabsyn's cloak is an ob-
sidian scarab engraved with the insignia of House
Freth (25 gp).- ROUNDABOUT
A bore worm- a metal construct similar in size
and shape to a purple worm-hollowed out this
donut-shaped chamber as part of excavating the
passage that leads down to level 13. Characters who
descend to level 13 encounter the worm (see "Bore
Worm," page 171).
Once an hour, the bore worm makes its way up the
tunnel from level 13 and circles this area clockwise
before returning below. The worm doesn't fill the entire
tunnel, so smaller creatures can try to slip past it. When
the worm enters a smaller creature's space for the first
time on a turn, that creature must make a Dexterity
saving throw. On a successful save, the creature avoids
being crushed between the worm and the tunnel wall.
On a failed save, the creature takes 22 (4dl0) bludgeon-
ing damage.
14. DEAD END?
This 15-foot-high cave extends beneath area 15. It con-
tains the following features:
Web Cables. Web cables crisscross the tunnel that
leads into this area.
Rock Form ation. A 10-foot-high, 10-foot-wide rock
formation shaped like a huge clawed hand thrusts up
from the floor in the west end of the cave. (A secret
door is built into the ceiling directly above the claw.)
The claw is a natural rock formation and shows no
sign of having been sculpted. Creatures can easily climb
up onto it. Lying on the floor next to the claw, in plain
sight, is a stubby iron key with a head shaped like a tiny
bulbous nose. This key unlocks the iron doors of Zox
Clammersham's palace (see area 7 on level 13).
The secret door in the ceiling can be reached by any-
one who stands atop the rock formation. The door is
an 8-foot-square, 1-foot-thick slab of stone that pivots
on a central axis. Pushing or pulling it open from be-
low requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics)
check. The secret door remains open until it is manually
closed again.- CRICKETS
The characters hear the incessant chirping of crickets
as they approach this 20-foot-high cavern. The area has
the following features:
LEVEL 12 I MAZE LEVEL