- ANY MOONSTARS IN HERE?
Furnishings. Along the room's perimeter are padded
wooden chairs and fine tapestries that have fallen
apart with age, leaving piles of moldy lumber and tat-
tered cloth. An oval rug covering much of the floor is
tattered and severely worn with age.
Projection. The first time any creature steps into the
room, a menacing draconic form takes shape in the
fog. The draconic form looms in the middle of the
room and tries to frighten away interlopers with its
foreboding presence. Like the shadow dragon's other
projections, this one is harmless.
A character who examines the rug and succeeds on a
DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that it bears
a large, faded crest of a silver crescent moon and four
silver stars set against a field of royal blue. A successful
DC 15 Intelligence (History) check reveals that the crest
belongs to the Moonstar family of Waterdeep, presided
over by the venerable Lady Wylynd Moonstar.
21. CLUTTER
This 10-foot-high room is cluttered with decaying fur-
nishings and the skeletal remains of adventurers and
monsters killed long ago. Because of the detritus, the
floor of the room is difficult terrain.
- UNDER BLACK SHEETS
Sheets and Statues. Black sheets are draped over six
wooden statues in the northern portion of the room.
(Each statue is a painted, life-size representation of
Lord Vanrak Moonstar as a death knight.)
Vision. Any character who lifts or pulls away a black
drape experiences one of Umbraxakar's visions.
DRAGON'S V I SION
In this vision, the character is in the presence ofVanrak
Moonstar, a death knight wearing a mithral chain shirt
and clutching a bladeless sword hilt. "This is not the fate
either of us deserved," he says mou rnfully. "In darkness,
we have lost our way." With that, he causes a blade of
light to spring from the sword hilt and drives it down his
own throat, reducing his skeletal form to dust. The blade
is snuffed out, and all goes dark as the hilt clatters to the
floor alongside the death knight's mithral chain shirt.
The vision ends with a dragon's anguished roar.
- DECREPIT DINING HALL
Two rusty iron chandeliers hang like giant spiders
from the 20 -foot-high ceiling, their chains attached to
winches mounted to the east wall. Beneath the chan-
deliers stretches a long wooden table surrounded by
twelve high-backed wooden chairs. The furnishings are
decrepit and draped in cobwebs.
- DECREPIT KITCHEN
T he centerpiece of this 10-foot-high chamber is a free-
standing stone oven that was once heated by magical
flames but now stands dark and unused. Lining the
walls are worktables and cupboards piled with dishware
and utensils that haven't seen use in years.
/
- PRISONER O F DARKNESS
--------~
The characters are not the only adventurers to have re-
cently explored this level. One of those who came before
them has succumbed to the Shadowfell's despair.
25 A. VAMPIRIC GUARDS
Corroded, broken weapons litter this hall, as if a battle
had been fought here long ago. Clinging to the ceiling
above the eastern door are three vampire spawn named
Darvanos, Hekella, and Tozu. They guard the prisoner
in area 25b and attack anyone they don't recognize.
Hekella carries the key that unlocks the prisoner's
shackles in area 25b.25B. P ANTRY
Mold. Black mold clings to the walls, and the air is
heavy with the scent of rot.
Prison er. A human adventurer named Portia Dzuth is
chained up to the north. Her armor and equipment lie
in a heap to the south.
Portia Dzuth hails from Rashemen. She is the sole
survivor of an adventu ring party hired by Lady Wylynd
Moonstar ofWaterdeep to find Umbraxakar the shadow
dragon and transform him back into Glyster the bronze
dragon, friend of House Moonstar. Portia thinks
Umbraxakar's curse can be u ndone by ridding the
dragon of its despair, but she has no idea how to accom-
plish this. She and her companions were captured less
than a month ago, but Portia has lost track of time and
believes she has been imprisoned in Vanrakdoom for
much longer. The vampire spawn feed on Portia when-
ever blood is in short supply, and she has the bite marks
to prove it. After each feeding, Keresta charms Portia to
keep her calm and under control.
A character can free Portia from her shackles using
the key in area 25a, or by picking the lock with thieves'
tools and a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. A char-
acter can also free Portia by snapping her chains with a
successful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check.
Portia sank into madness and despair after she was
forced to watch Umbraxakar devour the corpses of her
slain companions one by one. She stays close to her res-
cuers, serving as a loyal follower until she is safely out
of Undermountain or until Keresta asks her to betray
them. While fighting on the party's side, Portia claims
an equal share of all XP gained. She is a champion (see
appendix A), with these changes:- Portia is lawful neutra l and speaks Common.
- She is magically charmed by Keresta and regards
the vampire as a trusted friend to be heeded and pro-
tected. This effect wears off in 12 hours unless Ker-
esta charms her again. - She suffers from Shadowfell despair manifesting as
unshakable dread. Until the despair ends, she has
disadvantage on all saving throws and gains the fol-
lowing flaw: "I'm convinced that I'm going to die in
Vanrakdoom." She can attempt to end her despair
each time she finishes a long rest, doing so with a suc-
cessful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. A calm emotions
spell also ends her despair, as does any spell or other
magical effect that removes a curse.
LEVEL 18 I V;\NRAKDOOM
?.39