perience such visions within an antimagic field or while
under the protection of a dispel evil or good spell.
Characters also encounter magical projections of
Umbraxakar. These shadowy images take the form of
harmless, dragon-shaped clouds of black fog. A projec-
tion that is targeted by a dispel magic spell or touched
by an antimagic field is destroyed instantly. It otherwise
cannot be har med.
CULT OF SHAR
The cult of Shar in Vanrakdoom consists mainly of
vampire spawn under the command of Keresta Delving-
stone. Living cultists also find their way here from time
to time, guided through Undermountain by the dark
grace of Shar herself. Keresta turns the most promising
acolytes into vampire spawn. Those deemed unworthy
of Shar's blessing nouris h Keresta and her spawn with
their blood, after which Umbraxakar devours the exsan-
guinated corpses.
Cultists are neutral evil huma ns who wear dusty gray
robes over their armor. These robes bear the symbol of
Shar: a black circle bordered in dark purple.
Into the Shadowfell
Areas^19 through^33 ofVanrakdoom are ensconced in
the Shadowfell and remain there as long as Umbraxa-
kar is alive. In these areas, bright light is reduced to dim
light, and dim light to darkness. In addition, all color
has been drained from these areas, and a deathly stench
hangs in the a ir. The walls are severely cracked, the
floor tiles are buckled and broken in numerous places,
and the ceilings have begun to sag as though they won' t
remain in place much longer.
Areas within the Shadowfell are no longer part of Un-
dermountain and therefore aren't subject to its magical
restrictions (see "Alterations to Magic," page 10).
The shadow dragon's despair can cause other areas
of Vanrakdoom to slide in and out of the Shadowfell
at irregular intervals- sometimes for a few seconds or
minutes, sometimes for hours. Any such s hift happens
at your discretion and lasts as long as you want. When
a n area slides into the Shadowfell, all colors and lights
within the area become muted as described above.SHADOWFELL DESPAIR ~~~~~~~~
Characters who linger in the Shadowfell might become
fraught with despair (see "Optional Rule: Shadowfell
Despair" in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).EXPLORING IBIS LEVEL
All location descriptions for this level are keyed to
map 18. Areas ofVanrakdoom that have shifted into
the Shadowfell have darker shading around them
on the map.- ENTRANCE
Characters who descend the tunnel from level^17 come
to a series of rough-hewn tunnels that open into a
10-foot-high corridor of smooth worked stone.
2. DUSTY EMPTINESS~~~~~
This room and its connected corridors have 10 -foot-high
ceilings and floors covered with dust. - STATUE OF SHAR
Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
Statue. The east corner holds a black marble statue of a
cloaked woman wielding two daggers. Three dust-cov-
ered human skeletons lie at the statue's feet
Robed Figure. Kneeling before the statue is a human-
oid figure in a purple and black robe.
The kneeling figure is an empty robe that collapses
into a pile on the floor if it is disturbed or targeted by a
dispel magic spell.
The skeletons lying at the statue's feet are the remains
of long-dead adventurers placed here as a warning
not to disturb the 7-foot-tall statue. A character who
succeeds on a DC^15 Intelligence (Religion) check can
ascertain that the statue depicts Shar. - OL D FRIENDS
Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
Tapestries. Shredded tapestries that once depicted
coastal scenes lie in heaps near the walls. Disturbing
the tapestries causes a harmless, smoky projection of
Umbraxakar to appear in the middle of the room. It
rushes toward intruders, hoping to scare them away.
Vision. Any character who moves more than halfway
into the room experiences one of the shadow dragon's
fleeting visions.
DRAGON'S VISION
In this vision, the character is standing before a cloaked
nobleman (Lord Vanrak Moonstar) on a windy cliff over-
looking the sea. The noble asks the character to join
him on a dangerous quest into the BlackJungles. Put-
ting a hand on the character's shoulder, the man asks,
"We a re the best of fri ends, Glyster, are we not?" With
that, the vision ends.- UMBRAXAKAR'S GIFT
~~~~~
Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
Bas-Reliefs. The walls are covered with bas-relief carv-
ings of jumbled human skeletons.
Vision. Any character who moves more than halfway
into the room experiences one of the shadow dragon's
fleeting visions.
DRAGON'S VISION
In this vision, the character i s camped in a jungle with
a handsome nobleman (Lord Vanrak Moonstar). The
character hands the knight a polished coral ring as a
token of their enduring friendship. Putting the ring on
his hand, the nobleman smiles and says, "I will treasure
this gift forever." With that, the vision ends.
Treas ure. The first character to receive this vision
steps on a ring lying on the floor. Close examination
reveals that the ring is the one from the dragon's vision:
a polished coral band that glimmers with a rainbow of
color. The ring is nonmagical and worth^250 gp.LEVEL 18 I VANRAKDOOM