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Auvryndar and the conquest of Undermountain. A string
of military defeats has left Erelal in no mood to enter-
tain visitors, and her brother has yet to make good on
his promise to enslave the minotaurs of the Maze Level.
Visitors who have business or grievances with Erelal
are dealt with as quickly as possible. Those who come
to her with frivolous affairs are scolded, threatened, and
sent away with a stern warning not to trouble her again.
If she is threatened, Erelal tries to summon a yochlol
demon to defend her. If the shrine of Lolth in this cham-
ber is intact, the demon summoning has a 90 percent
chance of success. Erelal then hinders her enemies with
a darkness spell before taking the safest exit. Giant spi-
ders that she summons with the conjure animals spell
use their blindsight to target enemies that are engulfed
in magical darkness. If her defeat is inevitable and es-
cape proves impossible, Erelal makes whatever conces-
sions she must to save herself and her unborn child.
Erelal's older brother is clad in a long gray robe with
black, web-like tracery. Drivvin has convinced his sister
that he has the power to enslave the minotaurs, which
would enable House Freth to defeat the forces of House
Auvryndar and secure its power in Undermountain.
But, having realized that he can't summon a goristro
demon alone, the archmage understands that accepting
Halaster's offer and his promise of assistance is the
only way his plan will succeed. Drivvin knows that if he
leaves his sister to become Halaster's apprentice- even
though that act is ultimately for her own gain-he will
be cast out from his family. Drivvin is looking for the
right time to break the news to his sister, whose recent
defeats at the hands of House Auvryndar have made her
despondent.
Drivvin is a drow archmage, with these changes:- He is neutral evil.
- He has these racial traits: He speaks Abyssal, Com-
mon, Dwarvish, Elvish, Goblin, and Undercommon.
He has advantage on saving throws against being
charmed, and magic can't put him to sleep. He has
darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. He can innately
cast dancing lights at will, and can cast darkness,
faerie fire, and levitate (self only) each once per day.
His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC
15). While in sunlight, he has disadvantage on attack
rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that
rely on sight. - He has cast mind blank on himself.
- Once per day as an action, Drivvin can summon a
demon that has a challenge rating of 6 or lower. The
summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space
within 60 feet of him, acts as his ally, and can't sum-
mon other demons. The summoned demon remains
until Drivvin dismisses it as an action or until the de-
mon is reduced to 0 hit points.
If a fight breaks out here, Drivvin uses his first action
in combat to cast time stop. He uses the extra time
granted by the spell to summon a barlgura and cast fire
shield on himself, as well as mage armor and stoneskin
if he hasn't done so already. Drivvin fights to the finish
to defend his sister.
LEVEL 12 I MAZE LEV.ELShrine of Lo/th. This shrine resembles a 6-foot-tall
cage of polished silver webbing with delicate hinged
doors. The silver cage is fused to the wall and can't be
detached from it. Inside the cage is a 3-foot-tall obsidian
statue of Lolth in her drow form. The statue is smeared
with sacrificial blood, and a blood-caked obsidian dag-
ger rests at the statue's feet.
Any creature that removes the statue from the shrine
immediately contracts a disease called slimy doom.
The disease lasts for 7 days or until cured with a lesser
restoration spell or similar magic. A creature afflicted
with slimy doom begins to bleed uncontrollably, and has
disadvantage on Constitution checks and Constitution
saving throws. In addition, whenever the creature takes
damage, it is stunned until the end of its next turn.
Treasure. Erelal wears a platinum web necklace with
tiny black crystal spiders dangling from it (2 , 500 gp).
The statue of Lolth weighs 250 pounds and is worth
2, 500 gp as an art object. The obsidian dagger at the
shrine is worth 250 gp.
The delicate crystal decanter in the wine cabinet is
worth 250 gp, but it shatters easily.
Drivvin wears an iron ring that serves as the control
ring for the iron spider in area 12b.Aftermath
If the characters fail to defeat Drivvin Freth, the drow
archmage agrees to serve Halaster as an apprentice in
exchange for the Mad Mage's help in summoning and
binding a goristro. The summoning ritual takes 30 days
to prepare, and it is performed by Drivvin and Halaster
in the courtyard of the drow fortress.
When the demon appears, Halaster traps it in a 5,000
gp ruby and gives the gemstone to Drivvin. Under the
cloak of an invisibility spell, Drivvin takes the gem
to area 8a and breaks it, releasing the goristro there.
Mistaking the demon for an emissary of Baphomet,
the minotaurs watch as it devours the carrion in area
8a. When it has no more carrion to feed on, it begins
devouring whatever it can kill. Once its hunger is satis-
fied, the demon sends its new minotaur lackeys to kill
everything on level 11 and bring it more food to eat. The
goristro considers any drow wearing the insignia of
House Freth to be its ally, and orders its minotaurs to go
forth and slay all other creatures.
If Erelal Freth survives, she gives birth to her eighth
daughter, Amalica, and continues to wage war against
House Auvryndar and its allies. Amalica's birth is
viewed as a sign of Lolth's favor, renewing House
Freth's resolve and turning the tide in its favor. Several
houses formerly allied with House Auvryndar switch
sides and send emissaries to Erelal with gifts for her
blessed newborn.
If Erelal and Drivvin perish, House Freth's allies aban-
don the house out of fear that Lolth has forsaken them.
Without these allies, House Freth becomes too weak
to defend itself against even its minotaur neighbors.
The survivors hole up in the fortress while envoys are
dispatched to the Underdark to secure reinforcements.
Those reinforcements won't arrive in time if Vlonwelv
Auvryndar (see level 10) has her way.