The Underdark

Prisoners of the Drow 

The last thing you remember is a stinging sensation on the back of your neck. You lifted your hand to your neck, but after that nothing. Then you woke into this underground hell. Captured by the drow! You wouldn’t wish this fate upon anyone. Here you are locked in a dark cave, the cold, heavy weight of metal tight around your throat and wrists. You are not alone. Other prisoners are trapped in here with you, In an underground outpost far from the light of the sun. Collared and wearing nothing but your underclothes and manacles in a cave with bars across the front. 

There is no night and day, but you are woken an hour before you eat, you walk to work, slave away, and then walk back and you eat again, and then you sleep. There seems to be a twelve-hour work period, two hours of walking there and back, ten hours for eating and sleeping. Interior spaces are lit by softly glowing fungi, but outside it is pitch black. The sound of water from a nearby waterfall is constant and negates the cavern’s natural tendency to amplify sounds. 

The drow outpost is located high in a cavern. Built 100 feet above the rocky floor. The· outpost consists of a series of small caves, in the cavern walls and four hanging towers, hollowed-out stalactites connected by walkways, stairs, and rope bridges. The towers are concealed by the thick webs of giant spiders that stretch below them, so that only the lowermost parts of the stalactites are visible from the cavern floor. 

With the small amount of dim light used in the outpost shielded from the cavern floor below, one might walk the entire length of the cleft without becoming aware of the outpost overhead, hidden in the darkness above the range of torches and lanterns. The giant spiders also serve as guards, dropping down on their web strands to prey upon creatures that find their way into the cavern. Similarly, drow warriors can drop to the cave floor on lines of spider silk or levitating to ambush enemies. 

Three caves and two hanging towers surrounding a platform make up the main part of the outpost for the drow warriors. The largest of the hanging towers is reserved for the priestesses and the shrine of Lolth, while the other is a guard tower opposite the cave used to hold slaves. North of the slave pen is the den of the outpost’s quaggoth servants. Watch posts lie at either end of the outpost. near the northern and southern entrances to the cavern. 

Your captors include a cruel drow priestess who calls herself Mistress Ilvara of House Mizzrym. Over the past several days, you’ve met her several times, robed in silken garments and flanked by two male drow, her current favorite, Shoor, and Jorlan, who has a mass of scars along one side of his face and neck. 

Mistress llvara likes to impress her will with scourge in hand and remind you that your life now belongs to her. “Accept your fate, learn to obey, and you may survive.” Her words echo in your memory, even as you plot your escape. 

You’ve been almost everywhere in Velkynvelve with two notable exceptions. The cave where the quaggoth sleep. Even the drow don’t go in there, but who would want to? A collection of quaggoth nests, bones, rotting flesh, scraps of cloth, fur and shroom pulp that they use for beds, or nests, or whatever they are. The other place is the stalactite that holds the temple to Lolth, and the chambers of the high priestess, Mistress llvara. 

You do the most menial of chores, the drow use the quaggoth as aides and attendants, but somebody must empty and clean the chamber pots, scrub the floors, carry barrels of water from the waterfall, and more cleaning. If there is no work, they make work for you, moving stones, or stacking them, but never to the overseer’s satisfaction. The pen has a locking iron gate, is fifty feet long and forty feet wide. A clump of yellow mushrooms grows in the back corner. At some point, nearly every slave tries to eat them out of hunger and promptly throws up.

Slaves are taken from the pen in groups of three or four and put to work supervised by quaggoths. These groups are rotated constantly to keep people from getting too chummy. 

 There is a very motley crew in the slave that consists of Buppido, a talkative and cunning derro, Prince Derendil, a quaggoth who claims to be a cursed elven prince, Eldeth Feldrun, a dwarven scout from Gauntlgrym, Jimjar, a svirfneblin with a gambling problem, Ront, a hulking orc bully, Sarith Kzekarit, a twitchy drow accused of murder, Shuushar the Awakened, an outcast kuo-toa hermit and mystic, Stool, a myconid sprout, and the twins, Topsy and Turvy who are feral little svirfneblin.. The the newcomers; Obelisk, a burly bruiser of a minotaur, Werv, a skeevy, foul-mouthed goblin, a strange looking humanoid with pale, almost drow-like eyes named Tammuz, Baern Ironbrew is an entertaining dwarf-halfling mix, Crab is a tiefling with curving horns and a crabby attitude, and a barbarian of vague description.

Mistress Ilvara seems keen on humiliating her former consort, Jorlan, making him feed the slaves, or stand guard, anything to make him miserable. Crab stares at her whip that ends in tiny snake heads. He reaches out, speaking soothing words that have worked on serpents in the past. Sadly, Crab’s animal handling skills are wasted on serpents from a magic whip. The tiny snake opens wide and bites Crab. Drops of yellow poison leak from the bite. “That was foolish,” Ilvara snaps, grinning. Crab does not succumb to the poison, which sours the drow’s joy a bit.

The slaves are taken out in groups of three or four and put to work, guarded by quaggoth and the occasional drow. This day it is filling barrels of water by the waterfall, and carrying them to where water is needed. If there is no work, the slaves are put to work moving piles of rocks from one side of Velkynvelve to the other, and the next crew moves them back. The work is never done to the overseers’ satisfaction. At the end of the shift, slaves are returned to the pen, fed an hour later, and the cycle repeats.

Tammuz has been in Velkynvelve for five days before the other arrive. He as taken as he returned to deliver his cargo to Jexmin Tlabbar, wizard of the House Tlabbar, the fourth ranked noble house of Menzoberranzan. Working for the drow is risky, but usually the worst is that they don’t pay. Tammuz is still trying to figure out who poisoned him and why. While working, everyone keeps a sharp eye out to scavenge anything of use. Tammuz has made friends with a tarantula the size of his hand, and Baern also finds one he can tame. Stool has an iron bar about four feet long he some how picked up and later regurgitated. Buppido has a gold coin,

Baern, Crab, Barbarian, Wall and Wev arrive five days later in one batch from the surface world. As soon as they awake, they are put to work. It is soon clear that Ront is a bully, and Stool, the little myconid has pretty much everyone else in the slave pen for a protector. There is something about the young myconid, not least of all the fact that he can exude spores that let everyone nearby communicate telepathically. This is how discussions and plans for escape are made. When the drow look in, the prisoners are quiet, and the fact that they are sitting around the myconid without seeming to speak is a great help.

At feeding time, the scarred drow, Jorlan brings in the slop and bowls. He moves to the back of the cavern where the group and some others sit around Stool talking telepathically. Jorlan does not come close enough to enter the telepathic spore field. Using a controlled voice that won’t carry far, he asks,”If I could give you a means to escape from here, would you take it?” The group looks at him suspiciously, trying to discern his motives, and expecting a trap. The drow seems earnest though, “There will be a distraction later, and I will unlock the slave pen. Go quick and quiet to the guard tower,” he points to the stalactite across the the pens, “Upstairs are armor and weapons. Take them and flee.” After he leaves, the group continues their telepathic conference. “Is this guy for real,” Baern asks? “He seemed to be telling the truth,” Crab says and Tammuz agrees, “as far as that goes.” Eventually, they come to the conclusion that his is the best shot they have. They wait for the diversion.

A few hours later, during what would be the middle of their sleep period, a huge gout of violet flame appears at the opposite end of the compound just past the temple to Lolth. A loud screeching sound follows just past the far guard post. The guards in the tower opposite the slave pen rush off towards the flame and commotion. Seconds later, another drow and the company of quaggoth follow. As they pass a shadow steps up, unlocks the slave pen gate, and disappears after the quaggoth.

The escape is on. None of the slaves stay behind, but keeping low and quiet, except Ront, who nearly trips, they move across the rope bridge to the guard rooms. Inside, they search the place, opening a locked wardrobe and stealing the contents. Only the furniture is left when they finish. Climbing the ladder, they loot the store room, putting on armor and cloaks, and loading hand crossbows, armed with dagger or shortsword.

Tying up ropes, they climb down the seventy or so feet, pushing past strands of spider web. Buppido sips, but OB grabs the svirfneblin and carries him down. Baern is last, and seeing people begin to fall, uses a demon feather he found to cast feather fall and transport the fallen, and himself to the ground, untying the rope as he goes. The water of the pool is cold, but not deep here, only a foot and a half of cold water.

There are three ways to go out of Velkynvelve; straight out from the cliff outpost is a wide tunnel towards the dark lake. Shuushar says, “The Darklake is closer,” in his bubbling kuo-toan voice, “however, I cannot accompany you there. I am outcast from my people,” he says shamed. When question, he relents that he is a pacifist, and that is the horrible offense his people expelled him for. A few hours up the tunnel, he takes his leaves, “Fair well,” he watches the motley group leaves, and then heads downward into a ravine that heads off to the right of the road.

The way is wide, from twenty to fifty feet, and the ceiling never comes closer than thirty feet from the floor. The road, and after walking a few hours, you realize it is a road, is smooth, wide, and looks maintained, with holes filled in and sealed with some dark substance. There is no light. Only the heat glow from the bodies of those around you lets you see anything. The goblin, Werv, stole the table lamp from the drow guard tower, but no one wants it out. For the first time since arriving, the darkness is preferable. The group is not sure when their escape will be discovered, “The drow WILL pursue,” Buppido says, “Buppido knows this, yes.” Sarith nods, “A team will be dispatched to recover us, and they cannot return in failure. The punishment for such failure is a painful death.” This seems to make him morose again, and he is silent for a long time.

Talk is discouraged on the trek, with Tammuz and his excellent eyes taking the lead with the huge minotaur, “Call me OB,” he says as he steps in behind the chronomancer. “I’ve got your back,” he says in his deep, measured voice. He picks up the myconid sprout, Stool, and follows. Behind him is Baern, Crab, Barbarian, Buppido, Eldeth, Sarith, Prince Derendil, Topsy & Turvy, Jimjar, Werv, and the huge Orc Ront bring up the rear. “Hush, I hear something,” Crab hisses, her sharp ears picking up sounds!! “Hide!” Everyone moves off the road looking for a stalagmite to hind behind.

Soon everyone can hear the clinking of chains approaching. Shuffling, and a low word followed by a grunt of pain. A group of four armored duergar leading a string of six orc slaves pass by ahead, crossing the road, clearly avoiding it as the duergar look up and down carefully before crossing. The move on quickly, and group waits a good ten minutes before proceeding. Before too long, some are too tired to go on as exhaustion sets in. Searching for a place off the road, Tammuz finds a sheltered V of rock just large enough for the group. Watches are set, and folks bed down. Tammuz, on the first watch, senses something just in time. He looks up as six huge, black spiders the size of ponies come into view out of the darkness above. “SPIDERS!!!” He kicks people awake, and takes out his hand crossbow.

The Spiders attack, one drops down and sinks venomous fangs into Jimjar, who collapses, poisoned. The spider immediately begins wrapping the svirfneblin in silk. The fight rages back and forth, Buppido and OB strike after the first spider hits, then a spider, Baern, spider, Tammuz, spider, Barbarian Spider, Crab spider. Round and round, spiders spraying webs, but the slaves are quick, and manage to stay clear. Spider fangs scrape across drow armor, but Baern and Tammuz do not feel fang on flesh. The group strikes back, and in short order, five spiders are killed, and one flees into the darkness heavily wounded, dripping black ichor. “Can we eat these,” OB asks looking at spider as his stomach rumbles, “Buppido tells you they are delicious,” but he leaves out this is cooked. Raw, they are fairly disgusting, but they are food. Pretty much everyone turns away as Buppido pops spider eyes into his mouth,

“Best part, Buppido loves that pop!” People quickly look away as Buppido eats three more eyeballs as the meat harvesting goes on.