LEVEL18:VANRAKDOOM
ANRAKDOOM JS DESI GNED FOR FOUR 15TH-LEVEL
characters, and those who defeat the mon-
sters on this level should gain enough XP
to advance halfway to 16th level. The level
is named after Vanrak Moonstar, a Water-
davian noble who turned to the worship of
Shar (god of darkness and loss), descended
into Undermountain, and became a death
knight. To grasp what's happening on this level and why,
one needs to know the fate that befell Lord Moonstar.
THE DARK FATE OF LORD
Moonstar
Adherents of Shar have been active in the shadow of
Mount Waterdeep ever since a disastrous expedition to
the BlackJungles mounted in the Year of the Dark Dawn
(1104 DR) by Lord Vanrak Moonstar, a charismatic,
outgoing swashbuckler. Vanrak was but a pale shadow
of his former self when he returned. A few tendays later,
his father, Lord Andvarran Moonstar, the family patri-
arch, died of a strange wasting disease that could not be
cured by healing magic.
Upon assuming leadership of House Moonstar, Van-
rak publicly broke with the temple of SelOne (god of the
moon), which he blamed for his father's untimely death.
Consumed with bitterness, the Dark Ranger, as Vanrak
came to be known, secretly embraced SelOne's sister:
Shar, the Lady of Loss.
By the Year of the Howling Moon (1130 DR), House
Moonstar was in open schism. Family members who
still venerated Selfine aligned themselves with Lord
Vanrak's sister, Lady Alathene, and Selfme's priesthood.
Meanwhile, Lord Vanrak and his followers extended
their dark influence over much of the city's harbor with
the aid of a small army of mercenaries bolstered by fol-
lowers of Shar.
Lady Alathene appeared in open court and asked the
Lords of Waterdeep to strip her brother of his title and
banish him from the city. She also presented evidence of
her brother's numerous crimes, including slavery, a rs on,
theft, and murder. The Lords ordered the immediate
capture of the Dark Ranger, but by the time the City
Watch had breached the gates of his villa, Vanrak and
his followers had already fled through a secret portal
into Undermountain. He and his followers remained
there until, in the Year of the Dark Mask (1171 DR), they
conquered the level of Undermountain that came to be
known as Vanrakdoom.
Operating from his new base, Vanrak extended his
influence throughout much of Undermountain and even
periodically dispatched elite strike teams to battle fol-
lowers of SelOne in the city above. He achieved his most
dramatic success in the Year of the Tomb (1182 DR),
when his followers infiltrated the High House of Stars
through its cellars, slaughtered most of the inhabitants
before they could raise an alarm, engulfed the temple in
black fire, and burned it to the ground. The invaders also
acquired enough treasure from the temple vaults to fund
Lord Vanrak's personal quest for immortality. Within
a few years, the Dark Ranger had transformed himself
into a death knight.
l.E\'f.L 18 I VA~RAKDOOM
