OUT OF THE SHADOWFELL
If Umbraxakar dies or turns back into a bronze dragon,
all areas ofVanrakdoom currently in the Shadowfell
immediately return to the Material Plane and become
subject to Undermountain's magic-altering effects (see
"Alterations to Magic," page 10). The light-dimming
effect of the Shadowfell is also lifted, and natural colors
are restored, but the stench of death lingers (see "Into
the Shadowfell," page 233). The fog encountered
throughout Vanrakdoom is not a byproduct of Umbraxa-
kar's despair and remains until Keresta is destroyed.
33. DRAGON'S HOARD
Altar and Rift. Above an altar of black stone in the mid·
die of this 30-foot-high vault floats a 10-foot-tall, dag-
ger-shaped rift of wispy shadow that moans.
Statues. Steps climb to alcoves in the north, west, and
south walls. At the back of each alcove is a wooden
statue with coins piled around its base.
ALTAR AND EXTRADIMENSIONAL RIFT
A detect magic spell reveals auras of conjuration magic
around the altar and the moaning rift above it. If the
altar comes in contact with bright light, four cloakers fly
out of the rift and attack all other creatures in the room.
Once the cloakers emerge, the rift stops moaning.
Altar. Inscriptions carved into the altar are written
in a secret language known only to Shar's faithful. A
comprehend languages spell or s imilar magic reveals
that these inscriptions spell out the core tenets of
Shar's faith:
- In darkness, act. Never wait for the darkness to pass
before making your move.
- Quench the light of the moon when you can. Hide
from it when you can't.
- Keep secrets from all except Shar's faithful.
- Only a fool believes in hope.
The altar is a Large object with AC 17, 50 hit points,
vulnerability to radiant damage, and immunity to poison
and psychic damage. If the altar is destroyed, the shad-
owy rift collapses, and any creatures trapped in the ex-
tradimensional prison beyond are released. They appear
in random unoccupied spaces throughout the room.
Extradimensional Prison. Any creature that enters
the rift's space is transported to an unoccupied space
in an extradimensional prison that takes the form of a
30-foot-diameter cave with no light sources and no exits.
If the cloakers haven't been released, they attack any
creature that appears in their prison.
Characters can escape the prison with a plane shift
spell or similar magic. Destroying the a ltar also releases
any trapped creatures, as described above.
LEVEL 18 I VANRAKDOOM
STATUES AND TREASURE
The statues and their treasures are as follows:
North Statue. This painted wooden statue, 8 feet
tall, depicts Keresta Delvingstone with her claws out-
stretched and her fangs bared. Around its neck, the
statue wears a large ruby pendant on a gold chain (750
gp), and draped over its shoulders is a cloak of the bat.
Piled around the base are 13,700 sp.
South Statue. This wooden statue, 10 feet tall, de-
picts Umbraxakar in humanoid form, appearing as a
muscular man with charcoal-colored skin, bronze-col-
ored eyes, and dragon wings. Piled around the statue
are 9, 300 gp.
West Statue. This stone statue stands 9 feet tall and
is painted jet black. It depicts Shar as a cloaked woman
with a dagger in each hand. A character who searches
the statue and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Percep-
tion) check discovers that one of its daggers is a lever
that opens a compartment at the base of the statue. The
compartment contains a rolled-up painting of Shar (250
gp) and a vial containing 2 doses of midnight tears (see
"Poisons" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).
Piled around the statue's base are 22 ,150 ep.
AFTERMATH
Destroying Keresta Delvingstone puts one last nail in
the coffin of the cult of Shar. Any remaining cultists and
vampire spawn disperse like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Several months later, the characters (if they're still alive)
receive the deed to a run-down estate in Waterdeep
worth 15,000 gp along with an official property transfer
notice signed by a magistrate and authorized by the
Lords of Waterdeep.
Accompanying the deed is a brief letter written in
human blood that thanks the characters for destroying
Keresta Delviogstone, whom the letter's writer de-
scribes as a "thorn in my side for more than a century."
The letter is signed with the initials "A.M."
Several Masked Lords of Waterdeep use every re-
source at their disposal to discourage and thwart inves-
tigations into the letter writer's identity. With enough
luck and patience, however, characters might come to
learn that "A.M." stands for Artor Mortin, the Baron of
Blood, a powerful vampire who dwells in a dungeon
complex under Waterdeep and can't abide other vam·
pires preying on his city. The baron's presence is one of
Waterdeep's most closely guarded secrets.
Freeing Umbraxakar from his curse completes a
quest (see "Save the Dragon," page 9) and earns the
characters the friendship of a powerful bronze dragon
eager to leave Undermountain and return to his coastal
lair, helping the characters as he goes.
Ha laster doesn't mourn the loss of the shadow dragon
or the cult of Shar. He simply cordons off large sections
of Vanrakdoom until he can restock them with new
monsters and traps.
