Adventure Title
DDHC-DMM Dungeon of the Mad Mage Level 18

ACP
5

Location Played
Roll20

Notes
UNLOCKS: Sun Blade STORY AWARD: > 1st AWARD: > Word reaches Lady Wylynd Moonstar, matriarch of the Moonstar noble family of Waterdeep, that a party of adventurers has had some success in Undermountain of late. She learns all she can about these adventurers before sending her grand-nephew, a well-mannered half-drow named Helion Moonstar, to meet with them. Helion is Wylynd's heir apparent, and this mission is as much a test for him as it is for the adventurers. > > Lady Wylynd is well over a hundred years old and senile, but she has never forgotten the dark blemish on her family's honor left by Vanrak Moonstar, who lorded over House Moonstar long ago. Vanrak and his small army of Shar worshipers fled into Undermountain to escape punishment for their many crimes in the city. It's Lady Wylynd's recollection that a longtime ally of the Moonstar family, a bronze dragon named Glyster, was asked or told to find Vanrak and bring him back to Waterdeep to face justice. The dragon found Vanrak but could not wrest him from the depths of Undermountain. Instead, the dragon became corrupted by Shar's magic and was transformed into a shadow dragon named Umbraxakar. In this evil form, the dragon fought by Vanrak's side for years, even serving as his mount from time to time. > > Lady Wylynd believes it's her family's responsibility to free the dragon from Shar's evil grasp one way or another. She asks Helion to meet with the adventurers and convince them to find the shadow dragon in Vanrakdoom, one of the deeper levels of Undermountain, and break Shar's hold over him. Failing that, they should put the dragon out of his misery. In exchange for their help, Helion promises the friendship of House Moonstar, which comes with tangible benefits: > > - Characters can trade magic items with representatives of House Moonstar, allowing free exchanges of magic items of similar rarity (subject to your approval). > - House Moonstar offers to fund any future expedition the characters decide to mount, providing maps, caravan services, and NPC followers as needed. > - House Moonstar can put the characters in touch with people who can give special training (see "Marks of Prestige" in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). -> Mark of Prestige for Proficiency in Arcana. > > 2nd AWARD (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 Delvingstone, whom the letter's writer describes 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 resource at their disposal to discourage and thwart investigations into the letter writer's identity. With enough luck and patience, however, characters might come to learn that "A.M." stands for Artor Morlin, the Baron of Blood, a powerful vampire who dwells in a dungeon complex under Waterdeep and can't abide other vampires 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") 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.