DND Encounters 12

ADVENTURE
BACKGROUND
Shadowdale. This realm and the town with which it
shares its name are better known for the past than the
present. Ancient battles and the ruins they left behind
draw historians and adventurers alike to these lands.
Storm and Sylune Silverhand once dwelled here, and
sly Elminster still does. His protection has long kept
Shadowdale safe, and even ifElminster's power has
greatly diminished since his time as Mystra's Chosen,
who would dare attack his home?
The white granite hill called Old Skull has loomed
over Shadowdale for ages, but its significance has varied
over time. When drow controlled the town, it was a
sign of danger and domination. When their kind were
forced out, the people ofShadowdale went back to
seeing the hill as nothing more than a fascinating landmark.
Sheep graze around it now, while children play
atop its slopes ofbare white stone.
A famed tavern takes its name from the landmark.
The Old Skull Inn is known throughout Faerfm as a
haven for adventurers. It is said that secret tunnels lead
from the tavern's basement into catacombs under Old
Skull-and from there into the Underdark. Adventurers
gossip that a bribe to the innkeeper, Ghessla Silvermane,
can gain an honest traveler access to the realms
below the earth.
Lady Addee Ulphor rules Shadowdale, presiding over
a land that has been peaceful for the twenty years since
Lord Azalar Falconhand retired. The symbol ofleadership,
the Pendant of Ashaba, is Lady Ulphor's by right, and
she keeps it secured in the Twisted Tower of Ashaba.
You have come to Shadowdale, as have your fellow
adventurers, to delve into the caverns of the Underdark.
Jaelre Drow
The drow of House Jaelre have infested the forest of
Cormanthor for a century. Originally a band of renegades
banished from Menzoberranzan for the heresy
of worshipping Vhaeraun (the drow god of thievery and
patron of drow males) instead ofLolth, House Jaelre
tried to lay claim to the elven ruins of Myth Drannor.
As the elves rose to power once more in Cormanthor,
shortly before the Spellplague, House Jaelre allied with
the forces ofZhentil Keep to defeat the elves. The death
ofVhaeraun, however, left the drow shaken and their
forces scattered. Myth Drannor was reestablished and
the drow driven out.
A self-styled aristocrat of House Jaelre, the wizard
ValanJaelre leads a band of drow that now inhabit the
Underdark beneath Shadowdale. This band includes
citizens of several minor drow outposts and settlements
conquered by House Jaelre. Family and house rivalries
are a significant source of conflict within the band, and
many drow resent Valan's rule even as they continue to
do his bidding.
Like most members ofHouseJaelre, Valan is now
a dedicated follower ofLolth, and lately he has seen
visions that he believes to be messages from the Spider
Queen. There is a new place for wizards among the

drow, she tells him, as Lolth spins her webs into a
new Weave-a new fabric of magic to replace the one
destroyed in the Spellplague. With Lolth's Demon
Weave in place, she will have control over all arcane
magic, and her followers will rise up. Valan is inspired
by this vision and seeks to help bring it about.
Valan believes he can aid Lolth's ascension by collecting
items of magical power, and he has set his sights
on the most renowned artifact of the Dales: the Pendant
of Ashaba. If the theft of the Pendant also weakens the
defenses ofShadowdale, leaving the town vulnerable to
drow attack, so much the better.
The Pendant of Ashaba

Created by Ashaba, the first lord ofShadowdale, this
pendant is worn by the lord or lady of the dale (currently
Addee Ulphor). On command, it speaks the
phrase "The bearer of the token be the one and true
lord ofShadowdale." The silver pendant is shaped like
a crescent moon with its two horns pointing upward. It
hangs from a fine silver chain.
Lady Ulphor keeps the pendant secured in the upper
levels of the Twisted Tower. This structure was created
by the drow when they controlled Shadowdale. After
the town was freed, it was renamed the Twisted Tower
of Ashaba in honor of the realm's first lord.
Not everyone realizes that the pendant reinforces
powerful magical wards when worn by the lord or
lady ofShadowdale. In particular, Lady Ulphor seems
unaware of this, since she keeps the pendant in the
tower. She has been manipulated by one ofValan
Jaelre's spies, who has convinced Lady Ulphor that the
amulet is best put away for safekeeping rather than
worn. The spy, Maedra, appears to be a human but is a
doppelganger on theJaelre payroll.
The pendant can be activated through other means,
albeit ones that are more difficult than simply having the
lord or lady wear it. The most important ward lies under
the Tower of Ashaba, where it seals underground passages
that connect to the cellars beneath the tower. The drow
used these tunnels when they occupied Shadowdale, and
Valan has long been planning to attack through them.
Outpost Zadzifeirryn
Valan and the other House Jaelre expatriates now call
the remote drow outpost Zadzifeirryn (zad-zihjairihn)
home. Before Valan's arrival, the small contingent
of drow living there maintained an austere lifestyle.
Poorly trained and few in number, they rarely traveled
far from their outpost.
When Valan took charge, he changed all that. Now,
the drow under his command attack the other races of
the Underdark to claim food, treasure, and slaves. The
elite warriors ofHouseJaelre lead the raiding parties,
and their success has earned them great fame among
the drow. They have also made strategic alliances with
weak and isolated drow outposts. Valan is no fool, however.
He realizes that as the weaker drow gain strength
from his example, they will eventually move against
him. Betrayal is the drow way. One of the reasons he
has chosen to raid Shadowdale is to cut away some of

the dangerous competition, allowing him to solidify his
position in Zadzifeirryn.
The outpost is a sprawling, ancient settlement
sparsely populated even after House ]aelre's takeover.
Many of its chambers are simply mortared stone extensions
built into cave walls. The outpost's residences are
connected through "the Flycatcher Tangle," a twist
ing maze of crisscrossing tunnels deliberately built to
confuse intruders. Spiders swarm through this web of
passages, waiting for prey to become lost and trapped.
Valan has focused his raids on capturing slaves, and
the slave pits ofZadzifeirryn teem with new acquisitions.
The drow of House Jaelre are known for their
expertise at taming slaves and breaking the will of prisoners.
They have converted a large amphitheater in the
outpost into a torture chamber. When Valan's militaristic
forces are not training, resting, or on patrol, they
come to this theater of torture for entertainment.
Several tests and barriers lie between Shadowdale
and Zadzifeirryn. The most prominent is a hollowedout
stalactite outpost called the Demons pur. The drow
have blocked all other paths down, so that anyone
coming from above needs to travel through the Demonspur,
fighting drow guards and the monstrous spiders
whose web spans the cavern surrounding the outpost.
Khara Sulwood
The great-granddaughter ofDoust Sulwood, a former
lord ofShadowdale, Khara has become a prominent
figure in the realm. Shadowdale has not had many
defenders in recent years, nor has it often had need of
them. Still, Khara has pledged to protect her land from
any threats.
Khara is described in more detail where she appears
in Session 4, page 20.
MAPS AND CANON

The maps featured in this adventure, particularly those
of the Old Skull Inn and the Twisted Tower of Ashaba,
don't match the standard maps of those locations.
Instead, they've been adjusted to fit the D&D ENcOUNTERS
format. This typically means that maps are smaller
and less complex than the actual locations.
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
The following is a summary of each session.
Chapter 1
Session 1: Drow attack the Old Skull Inn where the
characters are staying. The party needs to secure the
inn against the incursion.
Session 2: Elminster tasks the adventurers with
getting past drow guards at the Tower of Ashaba and
retrieving the Pendant of Ashaba.
Session 3: After discovering that the pendant has
been taken, the adventurers venture into the cellars
of the Twisted Tower. As they battle drow guards, they
first hear the name ofValanJaelre, the drow wizard
behind the attacks.
Session 4: Khara Sulwood and her elf companion
Tharinel, both working with Elminster's guidance, help

the adventurers push into the tunnels of the drow.
Session 5: The drow,led by Valan]aelre, counterattack
in an attempt to end the adventurers' threat.
Chapter 2
Session 6: The adventurers must navigate trapped
passageways as they descend into the Underdark
Session 7: A drow strike force comes after the
heroes, dropping hints that they have captured Khara
Sulwood and Tharinel.
Session 8: The adventurers enter the Demon spur,
a spider- and drow-infested hollow stalactite hanging
over a giant web.
Session 9: At the gates of the drow outpost ofZadzifeirryn,
the characters must convince a pair of ogre
slaves to let them in, then fight a contingent of guards.
Chapter 3
Session 10: As they navigate the twisting tunnels of
the drow outpost, the adventurers find Khara's companion
Tharinel. He describes how the two of them were
captured, and reveals that the Pendant of Ashaba has
been broken into two pieces.
Session 11: The first piece of the pendant is held by
a drow torturer. The adventurers travel to the torture
theater to defeat its masters and the drow spectators
who join the fight.
Session 12: In the outpost's slave pens, the adventurers
defeat a web golem warden, rescue Khara
Sulwood, and find the second piece of the Pendant of
Ashaba. Khara explains the pendant's capabilities.
Session 13: Back on the surface, the adventurers
battle the drow leader Valan ]aelre, only to discover that
he is a simulacrum. After the battle, the heroes can seal
the Tower of Ashaba using the pendant.

DND Encounters 12

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DND Encounters 12

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ADVENTURE

Queen. There is a new place for wizards among the

The Pendant of Ashaba

has chosen to raid Shadowdale is to cut away some of

MAPS AND CANON

Tharinel, both working with Elminster's guidance, help

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