tential victims and if any more creatures were taken from their stock it would leave them unable to function effi- ciently and effectively. Matron Maelora ordered her House Backstory to start trawling the Underworld for more slaves and liv- ing bounty to be used to power the Vidrefacte. In the mean- The city of Holoth has long been a nexus of power while, she sacrificed a few medium ranking members of in the Underworld, both naturally and when forged the house (including some immediate relatives she had by those who desire it. It is a wealthy city of never much cared for because they’d stood in her way power-hungry drow families with various houses as she rose through the House ranks) and the forma- constantly vying for position and prestige at the tion of her new home was virtually complete, with the expense of each other. For years, a house by the exception of the ornamentation that would name of Gullion struggled for power only to lose cement its position as the grandest ever con- footing with each conflict. After slaying her moth- structed. She named it Tolgorith Tower, er, the drow priestess Maelora came to lead the and magically secured the now-hovering family; the new Matron Maelora struck a deal Vidrefacte above the top of the struc- with a race of crystalline beings called the Vi- ture, as instructed by the crystalline beings. dre. This magically-sealed pact between her house and the Vidre would facilitate House The Vidre were rather pleased about the situation. Gullion's rise to preeminence in Holoth. To They had been able to trick House Gullion, as the guarantee this progress, the Vidre granted channeling of souls from their artifact, although House Gullion an item called the Vidrefacte; a bonded to Maelora, gave them a steady supply of crystal shaped like an enormous carved gem, life force, a free source of the energy they required the Vidrefacte is a powerful artifact capable in order to survive and thrive. Little did Mother of draining souls from the dead or dying and Matron Maelora know, but she was obtaining transferring their life force into energy which only half the energy from each soul while the can be stored in the crystal and used at a later Vidre fed on the rest. The more energy the Vi- time. When granting the artifact to Matron dre absorbed, the stronger they became; this vi- Maelora, the Vidre performed an incantation cious circle continued for many years until House which permanently bonded the crystal to House Gullion became a force to be reckoned with. The Gullion and its insignia. family had agents installed in all the other houses and every chain of command. They were poised to strike Matron Maelora ordered the ritualistic sacri- and strike they did; House Gullion took the throne fice of many of House Gullion's slaves and low of Holoth for its own, grasping the seat of power ranking members in order to fill the magi- to control the entire city. But Matron Maelora cal crystal with energy. After the foul deed was was far too power-hungry to stop there; she done, hundreds of souls were added to the Vi- wanted to dominate the entire region, both drefacte, causing it to glow and pulsate with a above and below ground. She ordered a blinding white light. The Matron prayed to the lockdown of the Underworld. Within the last Spider Goddess while holding the gem aloft; as twelve months, she ceased outside relations with she finished her spell, she set the crystal atop the mercane, the dwarves, and the other races which a large stalagmite within close proximity of the traded and dealt with the drow. She found new sourc- city's central structures. The stalagmite magically es of goods through raids on outlying villages and towns grew until it almost touched the ceiling of the gigantic and instead of asking for what they needed, the drow now cave while at the same time the pulsating light from the Vi- took what they wanted. This change in lifestyle (disdained drefacte diminished. Matron Maelora ordered the sacrifice by some) has been accepted by the general populace in and of more members of House Gullion and the light returned. around Holoth; many see Matron Maelora as a gift from the The Matron summoned the crystal's power again and cir- Spider Goddess herself, someone who will, “Guide us to vic- cular windows appeared; she created a grand entrance tory and dominance over the other races with their weak dedicatedSample to the Spider Goddess, finding yet more sacrifices file and mewling gods!” were required. After a dungeon to keep prisoners and train beasts was created, the light in the gem flickered out. The Matron was furious that the crystal continued to require 1 these sacrifices; the House was now in short supply of po tance from the Spider Goddess. In another vision, granted to the whole family, the Goddess agrees to help but only with the promise of the expansion of her power; House Gullion Changes in the must dominate all of the region around the city (both below and above ground). They must spread the word of the Spider Goddess and force the humans above to bow before her or Underworld die, that they might know her strength and might. The change in drow behavior has adversely affected most of All those involved acquiesce and the Spider Goddess severs the Underworld, throwing the status quo into utter chaos. the link between House Gullion and the Vidre. The back- Trade routes have been severed, drow raids have increased ripple of energy from the Vidrefacte is felt by every drow of and the stability of the entire Underworld is teetering on House Gullion as the mystical threads seen in the first vision the brink of destruction. Most affected by the new changes are torn asunder, while those who took part in the second rit- are the dwarves of Embla, a large subterranean city in close ual feel a personal blessing from the Goddess (something that proximity to Holoth. Over the past few months Embla has comes with a price to pay). Enraged, the Vidre prepare an all- lost numerous warriors, merchants, and officials to drow out assault on Tolgorith Tower; if House Gullion will not ful- raids on both trade shipments and the city itself. Embla sent fill their agreement, the Vidre will take their souls with force! word to the nearby major dwarven capital of Stoneholme but was turned away; their sister settlement had already closed its borders and barred its gates when the dark elves took to their raiding activity in the area. The beleaguered dwarves of Adventure Embla are now virtually defenseless and are prepared to beg outsiders for help. Hook This part of the adventure begins in Rybalka (or any remote Current Events village that is on the edge of civilization). The Matron’s Decision to If the party has played through The Darkness Arrives they will be aware of the drow and the plan to take prisoners into Further Betray Those Around Her the Underworld (they may even have taken on the drow and saved some of the prisoners.) What they don’t know is that After a consultation with her daughter Maltorya (the Oracle the drow, cunning to the last, mounted several raids and of Tolgorith Tower), Matron Maelora suspects that her deal members of many different races were captured and taken with the Vidre is no longer working to her advantage; the to Holoth. Having found themselves back in the original thirst of the crystal is increasing despite the fact that she has village after chasing the drow, the players will have come decreased her reliance of it. House Gullion’s consumption across Miah, either as one of the prisoners OR having been of energy from the Vidrefacte has also dropped, so whatev- approached by Quorron and Miah (who managed to flee the er is being drained from it is going somewhere unknown. drow in the confusion caused by the PCs) back in the home The Matron Mother prays to the Spider Goddess and per- village as they ask the PCs to help resist the dark elves. forms many bloody and taboo rituals requesting guidance and clarity; Naraneus grants her a vision in which Maelora If the party is fresh to the adventure, they find themselves in sees threads of life force trailing off each member of House Rybalka as rumors have begun to spread of a previously un- Gullion. These threads all coalesce at the Vidrefacte where, known enemy - Underworld elves! At present, the humans of using Tolgorith Tower, the energy is being channeled down the village don’t feel threatened and may even dismiss news through the earth and directly into the bodies of the Vidre; of the drow as feytales, but others are concerned. Because the they are hidden below Holoth and as the crystalline beings reputations of the PCs are spreading and they are one of the growSample in size and power, they require more of the artifact’s file very few bands to have had success in the region recently, soul-driven energies. Suddenly everything becomes clear they are approached by the dwarven blacksmith Quorron and to the Matron; she knows what she must do. Gathering the his cousin Miah (a representative of Embla, an Underworld children of the House who she sees with threads coming city) in a request for assistance with the growing problem. from them, they perform a ritual requesting further assis- Other agents like Miah have been sent all over the known 2 realms, above and below ground. The forces that agree to well, but the PCs don’t know that yet). While traveling to help the dwarves could easily be a very mixed bunch, bring- this entrance to the Underworld, the party is attacked by ing all the inter-species tensions that such gatherings can surface creatures before passing through the upper-floor engender. The dwarves realize this but hope the over-riding remains and still-intact dungeons of a ruined keep. A num- issues concerning the drow will draw these myriad allies and ber of undead minions of the building’s former owner are mercenaries together. encountered; among these undead are zombie drow, former members of a spy team which had been following Miah as Other hooks to draw your players into the adventure can the dwarf headed for the surface to ask for help. There are include: also indications that the dark elves had been planning to use the old keep for reconnaissance of the Upperworld. • Tales tell of the moonshard, an artifact that brings light into darkness or covers the world with night, whichever As they delve deeper into the ruins of the keep, the PCs may its owner desires. find a way to travel to a representative of the dead, the un- • A frontier village that was meant to be in need of ad- dead, and the unliving. The Ossuary Collaborative is a cabal venturers looks surprised when the party turns up; all is of supporters of the non-living (in all their forms) and its well there. But they are approached by a dwarf, a former leader can prove to be a valuable ally if the players have their adventurer himself, who has kept a sinister rumor to wits about them. himself for a few weeks, and now has to share it. • The PCs return to a frontier village in dire traits,s pur- Finally returning to the keep, the PCs may come across evi- sued by sinister shadows. The place is meant to be a ha- dence of the previous inhabitants from long ago, as well as ven but they are soon approached by villagers with tales discover just how established the followers of undeath are of woe. in this area. Eventually the path down “The Long Road” is • An eclipse makes traveling dangerous, not least because taken, during which a drow raid on a dwarven trading trans- this one has lasted much longer than usual. The crea- port team is disrupted by the PCs. Clues can be found point- tures of the night (both natural and supernatural) have ing to “House Gullion” (a name that may have been previ- forced the party to seek fortified shelter. ously encountered) being responsible for the raid (itself part • Juriendor, a remote cleric of renown has sent word back of a wider plan). After the PCs have arrived at Embla they to his headquarters, asking for help with a delicate mat- are greeted by the remaining town officials and merchant ter (itself part of a strange request for assistance). Nor- circle, who convene to discuss the current dire straits; it is mally Juriendor the High Priest wouldn’t worry about understood that these sweeping changes to the Underworld the concerns of a dwarf, but Quorron supplies weapons came with House Gullion’s rise to power. The PCs are asked and armor to the congregation of a god of war and has to infiltrate and uncover additional information on House piqued Juriendor’s interest. Gullion and (if possible) dispatch whoever is responsible for • A tome found by the party tells of a time when the the death and enslavement of so many innocents in the Un- Underworld and Upperworld will swap places at “the derworld. home of two peoples by the ophidian waters”. Investiga- tions have led to Rybalka. At any stage before leaving for Holoth, particularly after • A boom in the timber trade at a remote village means what they find in the keep, the PCs may choose to return increased protection is required from unexplained at- to the village to warn the authorities - the choice they make tacks, thefts, and even disappearances; there is coin to here will have implications on how events play out later in be made! the adventure. If the PCs choose to return to the surface, it allows the drow the opportunity to move in and sack Em- After any of these, Quorron becomes the link between the bla, enslaving its citizens. They will lose Miah’s help and village and the Underworld. Not long after he tells of his re- must take the main route into the drow city of Holoth, lead- lations that still live there, Miah appears on the scene and ing to them engaging in a frontal assault on the drow city, will lead the PCs further on. which may very well result in their deaths. If the party de- cides to press on without help from their village, they will Samplesave lives; the guards are good at theirfile job, but it is unlikely many would survive more than an encounter or two with Synopsis the drow. Continuing to work with Miah gives them access to the “Back Road”, a less-traveled route to Holoth and com- The PCs decide to enter the Underworld and head for a paratively lightly-guarded way into the city. 3 secret entry point known by the dwarves (and the drow as Sample file In the final part of the adventure, the party will have de- cided to either take part in a full-frontal assault of Holoth or enter the city via the “Back Road” (after a more dangerous journey). Whichever route they choose, as the PCs make Village of their way into Holoth, they find it under assault from huge crystalline creatures (the Vidre) that focus their attacks on Tolgorith Tower. The PCs must make their way through the Rybalka city to Tolgorith Tower, and as they approach it they will find themselves targeted by the enraged creatures. As they The adventure begins in Rybalka where the PCs are either enter the structure itself, all the while suffering the attacks drinking at the Thirsty Serpent Tavern, staying overnight of the Vidre, they must decide how to deal with the tower’s at Rybalka Lodge or returning after facing the drow in The drow guards, defeat the children of House Gullion and fi- Darkness Arrives. nally confront the power behind the city, Matron Maelora!

If the PCs can succeed in their mission and remove the ma- tron from power, they will loosen her stranglehold on the Request from region and return life in the Underworld to what it was. If they fail, House Gullion will defeat the Vidre, rebuild and restructure its house, and then make its move against the Below Upperworld, but others will have to deal with that particular menace!

If your players wish to continue fighting the drow, the Epi- Quorron and Miah logue to the Rise of the Drow brings the party face-to-face The PCs are approached in the middle of the night by the with Maelora on the Demiplane of Venom in The Com- dwarven blacksmith Quorron. His cousin Miah has pre- mander of Malice. sented him with dire news and a request for assistance after arriving in one of three ways: 1. From the city of Embla in the Underworld 2. With the PCs after they release him from imprison- ment by the drow 3. After escaping from the drow in the confusion caused by the party (2 and 3 if the PCs have completed The Darkness Arrives, the prologue to The Rise of the Drow) Miah has previously journeyed to several Underworld out- posts (as well as a handful of Upperworld sites) searching for aid and allies. He has finally ended up in Rybalka (either after capture by and escape from the drow or after a number of fruitless stops along a circuitous winding route) and is now making what he knows will be his last attempt at secur- ing assistance. Whatever the history, he intends to return to Underworld the next day in order to help with the defense of Embla.

Miah recounts that something significantly changed over the last few months as relations with the drow became strained before being cut off altogether. This happened right Samplearound the time the drow of Housefile Gullion took power as the new ruling party in the city of Holoth. One by one, all of the Underworld races withdrew from their treaties and severed ties with the dwarves. Miah suspects that the drow of House Gullion are to blame for these new changes; he be- 5 lieves they are planning something (he is unsure of exactly what that might be) because shortly after the isolationist RYBALKA policy started, drow began to raid dwarven caravans meant LN small town for other locations in the Underworld. In order to maintain Corruption +0; Crime -1; Economy +1; their food supply and economy, the dwarven town of Embla Law +1; Lore +0; Society +0 had to delve deeper and establish new relations with distant Qualities insular, racially intolerant (elves, half- races. This angered the drow, who responded with force, kill- elves, half-), strategic location ing or capturing every dwarf they came across, along with Danger +0 hijacking or looting caravans. As far as Miah knows, the dwarves who survived the attacks were enslaved and dragged DEMOGRAPHICS back to the drow city of Holoth (none have returned). Government autocracy Population 328 (325 humans; 1 gnome; 1 half-; 1 By now Embla has nearly run out of able warriors and is sit- ) ting virtually defenseless while the drow city of Holoth grows Notable NPCs ever stronger. Since Miah has relations in the Upperworld he Mayor Igor Leonid (LN male human fighter 6) was sent to meet with his cousin Quorron and request help Sage Yuri Statel (LE male human cavalier 1, lore- from the tall ones. The Upworlders may be the dwarves’ last master 4, wizard 6) hope from this part of the world and asking for assistance High Priest Juriendor (LG male human cleric 10) from them is a first for Embla and Miah truly hopes he is acting in a right-and-proper manner when requesting assis- MARKETPLACE tance. He cannot promise anything up front but nevertheless Base Value 1,100 gp; Purchase Limit 5,000 gp; begs the PCs for their help and pledges that Embla will be in- Spellcasting 4th debted to them for their efforts. Miah wishes to return home Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 1d6; as soon as possible. Major Items 1

Sample file Quorron's Offer If the PCs agree to help Miah, Quorron offers to give them some standard items in his shop free of charge (once his fellow dwarf is out of earshot). He knows how difficult it is to ask for help from Upperworlders and doesn't want Miah to feel any further in debt as a result of his actions. Part of the deal for being given these items is not revealing anything about it to Miah (under any circumstances); Quorron is adamant about this.

Most standard weapons and armor from the 3.5 PHB or Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook™ can be found here. In addition there are a few magical weapons and pieces of armor Quorron is willing to loan to the PCs if they specifi- cally promise to help the dwarves; he doesn't go into how they became magical if asked and a few of them have a rather exotic or ancient feel and look. Each PC is offered the loan of one item if they choose the enchanted pieces or given four items if they pick non-magical equipment. Magical items on offer are as follows:

Item Age Source Plus Other Magic Appearance Longsword About 5 Klavekian +1 1/day, light CL5 Phases of the moon are etched into the blade Dagger 150+ Drow +3 None 1 inch tip of the knife is made of cold iron Light mace Unknown Gnomish +2 5/day, cure minor wounds Single piece of thin but strong metal Longbow 2,000+ Elven +2 1/week, improved critical Only true elves recognize its heritage Shortbow About 200 Vikmordere +1 None Made from elk antler (not composite) Quarterstaff About 500 Klavekian +2 1/week, death knell CL12 Contains a thin core of wight powder Chainmail About 2 Klavekian +1 None In perfect condition, no dented links Chain shirt 400+ Dwarven +2 1/week, interposing hand CL11 Many misshapen links but still very strong Breastplate Unknown Gnomish +1 1/day, zone of truth CL6 Fits females, chased with odd symbols Leather About 4 Vikmordere +2 None Excellently made (-1 round to put on) Buckler About 2 Dwarven +2 None Darkwood marked with a druidic oath Iron shield 3.000+ Giant +1 1/week, reduce person CL11 Plain but with a mimic-skin arm strap

Quorron is rather secretive about these items; the dagger, the light mace, the longbow, the chain shirt, the breastplate and the buckler aren’t on show. He has been waiting for “the right types” to come along, knowing through a mix of his skill and age-old wisdom that there is more to the PCs than meets the eye. He hasn’t even had these items identified (to maintain the secrecy of his stock) but if anyone offers to cast it (or a similar spell) for free, he’ll give the PC concerned their choice of any item to keep in exchange, in addition to the loan. The party may be able to find out something about the items in other ways, but this is entirely up to the GM; it hasSample no direct influence on this adventure. file After leaving town, Miah will lead them to a ruined keep and into its dungeon where an entrance to the Underworld can be found. After they entered it, he will take the PCs to 7 directly to Embla to meet with the town leaders. Item Skill DC Information Longsword Knowledge (geography) 28 The etching is clearest and deepest when the moon is full. Dagger Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 33 Daggers like these are used to perform ritualistic assassinations. Light mace Search/Perception 30 The mace head is hollow, spaced to be the same size as a standard vial Longbow Knowledge (history) 25 This type of bow was common among elite archers hundreds of years ago. Shortbow Knowledge (nature) 22 Made from the antlers of a local beast. Quarterstaff Knowledge (religion) 25 This type of staff was often used at secretive Klavekian funerals. Chainmail Knowledge (local) 15 This looks like an unused piece of Klavekian equipment. Chain shirt Knowledge (local) 12 Quorron says the design is to put off those with ideas of theft. Breastplate Knowledge (religion) 35 The symbols represent an ancient god of Balance and Equality. Leather Craft (armorsmithing) 20 This is very well made and simple to fasten or remove. Buckler Speak Druidic 20 An ancient etching: “As a coin has two sides, Nature gives two choices.” Iron shield Knowledge (nature) 28 This has all the hallmarks of an item made for giants; the skin of the Knowledge (dungeoneering) 30 arm-strap is made from a mimic and the shield has been struck by very Craft (armorsmithing) 27 large hammers.

army off, then gazed through his crystal ball, watching the assault from the safety of his keep. Then the crystal ball went History of black; something had blocked his scrying spell. Soon he heard the terrible roar of an enraged dragon outside his keep but before he could reach a position to defend his home, the Krelgar Keep creature crashed into the building, knocking down years of work with a few well placed blows. Tathious’s anger knew no Krelgar Keep was constructed almost 300 years ago as the bounds and soon the keep was once again a pile of rubble. Klavekian Kingdom's first effort to gain a secure foothold Yul sought cover deep in the dungeons of his keep, where he in the Vikmordere Valley. It was named after a Klavekian thought his safety was assured; on the surface, the dragon military general named Krelgar Thorntalon who was respon- changed into human form and (with a smile playing across sible for routing the barbarians once living in these lands and her lips) descended the stairs where she taught Yul a lesson overseeing the construction of this fortification. The Klave- on the proper place of man amongst dragons. kian Kingdom efforts failed miserably when a massive Vik- mordere retaliatory assault on the partially-constructed keep Although thoroughly defeated by the dragon, Yul possessed decimated the Klavekian forces stationed here; neither the a considerable measure of determination and his sorcerous keep nor a single Klavekian survived the revenge attack. spirit refused to leave the keep. At first it existed as noth- ing more than a bitter wraith-like form bound to the torture Years later a driven, slightly-crazed Klavekian necromancer room where he had met death at the hands of Tathious, but named Yul made the ruined keep his home and animated all over time it grew and changed; the ghost of Yul poured over of the dead Klavekian soldiers, ordering them to serve him his own books and scrolls (somehow maintaining his ability and finish building the fort. When he had trouble control- to read and use them) yet continued to be agonizingly frus- ling the large number of undead he asked for the help of Ta- trated at the events that had taken place and his inability to thious, an old white dragon. She agreed to help him on one properly control his undead army when he was alive. Eventu- condition; he would be at her beck and call whenever she re- ally he understood his error; as a living creature he was never quired a favor for the next 5 years. He agreed and she granted “one of them” and therefore had to rule by fear (a weak and him a magical necklace that enhanced his ability to control fragile tool) as opposed to authority (a strong and powerful undead (via vastly improved charisma). one). Yul found a way to make amends for his mistake and Sampleonce again work to control the region;file he was destined to do After many years of construction, the keep was nearly com- so, something he believed more fervently after establishing plete, although Tathious had begun to call upon Yul far too ways to command more undead. Besides, what was the death often for his tastes; he had amassed quite the undead army and undeath of a few inconsequential humanoids compared and decided to gather his troops to destroy her. Yul sent his to the rise of a rightful ruler of the region? He re-entered his 8