The ten other prisoners of the drow that the player characters share a holding pen with.
Tropes common to all prisoners:
- Aborted Arc: Each has a backstory that tends to be tied to one of the major settlements the players will visit. However, they may die well before the player characters discover any of their history.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Depending on DM fiat, poor choices on the players' part, the cruelty of the drow, or just bad luck, any of them might not make it out of Velkynvelve alive. Some tend to be in more danger than others; Stool, with a mere 7 hit points, is quite possibly the easiest to lose without direct player protection.
Buppido
A derro originally from Gracklstugh, the city of the duergar. Friendly and talkative, he is surprisingly level-headed compared to other members of his ilk.
- A God Am I: He secretly sees himself as a derro incarnation of the God Diinkarazan.
- Ax-Crazy: Subverted. He's got quite the keen mind, and even with his talkative nature is quite pleasant. Doubly subverted; this is a façade to hide his murderous insanity from the players and his fellow prisoners.
- Fearless Fool: Despite his friendly personality, he tends to prefer going head first into trouble. Subverted in that he's actually not as foolish as he presents himself.
- Mask of Sanity: Buppido is good at projecting himself as a completely sane and rational person. In reality he's perhaps the most evil and vile member of the party. He's also unquestionably the only prisoner who has no qualms killing the party later even if they've been helpful.
- The Sociopath: Buppido is a ruthless and calculating derro, lacking any care for others even when it's the only thing keeping him alive. He has no problem seeming friendly and helpful before stabbing someone in the back.
Prince Derendil
A gold elf prince of the kingdom of Nelrindenvane, cursed into the form of a quaggoth by an evil wizard and subsequently exiled.
- Death of Personality: He fears that this is slowly coming to pass, as his outbursts threaten to subsume his elven mind altogether. He's absolutely right, but not for the reason he thinks.
- Mighty Glacier: His quaggoth body makes him a fairly good damage sponge, especially during the escape from Velkynvelve.
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: While under stress, or when threatened, his mind gives way to the violent nature of the body he is cursed into. He only snaps back when reminded of his identity, or when the threat has passed.
- Tomato in the Mirror: There is no Prince Derendil, nor was there ever a kingdom of Nelrindenvane. He is a quaggoth that's been given a false personality/memories by Fraz-Urb'luu, the Demon Prince of Deception. Should this ever be proven to him beyond a shadow of a doubt, it will not end well.
Eldeth Feldrun
A shield dwarf originally hailing from Gauntlgrym. High spirited and stubborn, she takes pride in her ancestry and despises "corrupt dark dwellers" like the drow, duergar, and derro.
- Crutch Character: When reequipped with her hammer, shield, and some chain mail, her Armor Class of 18 and decent bludgeoning damage will make her a valuable member of the party's frontline fighters for some time; though this does require stealing her effects back from Ilvara's personal quarters and the chain mail from Velkynvelve's armory. She's also the only member of the group who, by default, is listed as having a class (Scout), meaning she serves as a strong ally early on.
- Death Seeker: Downplayed in that she isn't suicidal nor does she actively want to die, but she lacks a strong sense of self-preservation, and tends to throw herself into battle as if she will die each time.
- Enemy Mine: She and Ront's tribe/families are at war with each other, but ultimately they can be convinced to work together to escape.
- Genki Girl: She's spirited and energic, always trying to look on the bright side no matter what.
- Last Request: Should she perish, she will ask the player character she trusts most to bring the news to her family in Gauntlgrym, along with her warhammer and shield.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Part of her gear, but in the hands of the drow captors at the start of the adventure.
- Token Good Teammate: She's the only prisoner that's actively altruistic.
Jimjar
A deep gnome who wishes to return to the settlement of Blingdenstone. Surprisingly gregarious when compared to the usually dour deep gnomes, he is nevertheless just as fond of treasure.
- The Bet: Loves to suggest these.
- The Gambling Addict: A functional example. He is able to keep an exact count of just how much he owes, or is owed, in his head at all times, and always pays up once he's got the coin.
- I Gave My Word: Always true to his word; if he loses a bet, he will pay up. This does not, however, mean he is above pocketing some loot that the adventurers stumble onto.
Ront
A male orc from the Iceshield tribe. He was part of a losing battle against Eldeth's people, and fell into the Underdark while fleeing, being subsequently captured by the drow.
- Dirty Coward: The Dark Secret he has. He fled into the Underdark after his battle with the Dwarves, which is considered offensive to the Orc God Gruumsh.
- Dumb Muscle: Not especially bright, but a decent fighter and a good option for Strength checks.
- Enemy Mine: He and Eldeth's tribe/families are at war with each other, but ultimately they can be convinced to work together to escape.
- Fish out of Water: The only member of the prisoners (besides the players, naturally) who is not an Underdark native (or, in Derendil's case, in the body of one).
- Flat Character: Not connected to any of the settlements of the Underdark and their associated arcs, has no ties to the demon lords, his Dark Secret is mundane compared to the rest of his fellow prisoners, and he happens to be a bully through-and-through. This tends to bump him up the DM's list of which characters to kill off.
Sarith Kzekarit
A drow who was originally part of the forces at Velkynvelve (he was the one who captured Stool, in point of fact). Sarith has been imprisoned by his fellow drow for a murder he has no memory of, and thus is in just as much need of an escape as the rest of the prisoners.
- Enemy Mine: He'll help the other prisoners in the escape effort, though more to get away from the other drow than out of any altruism.
- Your Head Asplode: If not purged of Zuggtmoy's spores by the time of arriving in Neverlight Grove, the back of his head explodes outward and he becomes a puppet of the demon lord.
- Zombie Infectee: He is infected with spores of Zuggtmoy, causing him to be an Unwitting Pawn to her. He isn't aware of this at the start, and can potentially never know until it is too late.
Shuushar the Awakened
A kuo-toa native to the village of Sloobludop. Unlike other kuo-toa, he is calm and peaceful to the point of seeming enlightenment, hence his title.
- Actual Pacifist: Again unlike other kuo-toa. Being the kind of place the Underdark is, this makes him a liability in combat, though very helpful as a guide to his village.
- Token Heroic Orc: He's the only Kuo-toa that is friendly and kind-hearted. This makes him one of the only kind of his race that will help the heroes without a reason.
Stool
A myconid sprout, kidnapped from the settlement of Neverlight Grove. Can exude special spores to allow telepathic communication with other creatures.
- Non-Action Guy: Justified. Being a young Myconid means he isn't at all able to fight, having a tiny amount of health.
- Tagalong Kid: A slightly unusual version, but applies all the same. He's technically closer to a child, and is kindhearted.
- Telepathy: His rapport spores enable a short-range version of this. Incredibly useful for the party, given the variety of creatures they will be encountering in the Underdark.
Topsy and Turvy
Twin (fraternal) deep gnomes originally from Blingdenstone, they were captured while picking mushrooms outside the city.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: Both have been infected by a wererat, and they cannot yet control the transformation, which means that whenever the full moon occurs they become dangerous and feral. This can come as a nasty shock to the rest of the party, given that in the Underdark it is nearly impossible to track the cycles of the moon.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: They can take far more punishment than their stature may imply, due to their wererat curse.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: While both are dour and slow to trust, Topsy is more talkative than her brother, while Turvy mostly prefers muttering darkly to himself.
Where the player characters find themselves at the start of their adventure, Velkynvelve is a drow outpost in the northern Underdark occupied by drow loyal to Menzoberranzan. Listed below are notable personnel.
Ilvara Mizzrym
A drow priestess of Lolth, and the fort of Velkynvelve's acting commander. Vain, cruel, and arrogant, she sees her current posting as a mere stepping stone for her rise to power.
- Arc Villain: Acts as the party's main source of conflict during their efforts to escape the Underdark.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Fought at the climax of Part 1 of the adventure, and is the party's final obstacle to reaching the surface.
- It Amused Me: Will often torment the prisoners with pointless tasks or using them for her entertainment. An especially dangerous version, too, as failing to amuse her might lead her to use an NPC prisoner as a reminder to fall in line.
Asha Vandree
A junior priestess of Lolth, and distant cousin of the drow warrior Shoor.
- Broken Pedestal: After seeing how casually Jorlan was abandoned by Ilvara, she realized that loyalty wasn't going to earn her any rewards in drow society.
- Manipulative Bastard: Offers comfort to Jorlan, but only to make him a threat to Ilvara while keeping deniability.
- The Starscream: Is well aware of the fact that without Ilvara in the picture, she could have control of Velkynvelve.
Shoor Vandree
A drow warrior who is Ilvara's current lieutenant and lover, having taken Jorlan's place after his maiming. Distant cousin to the junior priestess Asha.
- Drunk with Power: His advanced position within the outpost has given him quite the high opinion of himself...
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: ...but he's also desperate to prove his skills and stay in Ilvara's good graces.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Ilvara is using him for her own means, Asha ignores him to focus on her own schemes, Jorlan despises him for being the one he was cast aside for, and the rest of the drow warriors hate him for lording his recent authority over them.
Jorlan Duskryn
Formerly the field commander of Velkynvelve and Ilvara's trusted lieutenant/lover, he was disfigured by an attack by a black pudding. While his life was saved, Ilvara turned her back on him both personally and professionally, leaving him with a career in shambles...and a burning hatred for his commander.
- Enemy Mine: Can be a potential avenue for escape; if the prisoners escape the pen, it would be a huge embarrassment for Ilvara. This can even come into play during the final showdown with Ilvara, depending on how the fight plays out.
- Facial Horror: Once handsome in a roguish way, the run-in with the black pudding left his face melted and scarred.
- Fingore: The black pudding's acid burned off two fingers of his sword hand, and twisted the flesh of what was left.
- Woman Scorned: Gender-flipped version. He despises Ilvara's abandonment of him, and her immediately taking another warrior to her bed sure as hells didn't help matters.
A kuo-toa settlement that borders the Darklake, it appears much like an inhabited tangle of reeds, having been built with the underwater mindset of the kuo-toa. Recently two factions have formed within it; a traditionalist faction that worships the Sea Mother Blibdoolpoolp, and a faction that worships a new deity called Leemooggoogoon the Deep Father.
Ploopploopeen
Archpriest of the Sea Mother, and leader of the traditionalist faction.
- The Fundamentalist: Is unshakably devout in his worship of the Deep Mother, and intends to kill the archpriestess of the Deep Father to stamp out the threat to his power.
- Offing the Offspring: He is dead-set on killing the archpriest and all the clergy of the Deep Father. That his daughter is the archpriest in question does not faze him in the slightest.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Is willing to slay his daughter and all of her followers for their worship of the Deep Father. While this does indirectly advance the cause of good given that the Deep Father is actually Demogorgon, he's doing it out of religious fervor rather than any altruism.
Bloppblippodd
Daughter of Ploopploopeen and archpriest of the kuo-toa's newest deity, the Deep Father.
- Unwitting Pawn: Is completely unaware that the "deity" she has been making sacrifices to is the demon lord Demogorgon, and has already been taken in by his madness.
- With Us or Against Us: Anyone who doesn't follow her is considered a prime candidate for sacrifice.
Hemeth
A duergar trader, originally from Gracklstugh, who was captured by Bloppblippodd and is being prepared as a sacrifice by the time the player characters meet him.
- Arms Dealer: Was attempting negotiations with the kuo-toa to smuggle one of the factions (or both) some of Gracklstugh's weapons, but found himself captured for his trouble.
- I Owe You My Life: If the player characters manage to save him, he's willing to return the favor, especially if it gets him back to Gracklstugh in the bargain.
A duergar city that borders the Darklake, the "City of Blades" is said to have the finest weapons and armor throughout the Underdark. Ruled by an absolute monarch known as the Deepking, it is a bastion of civilization and commerce in the Underdark...assuming new arrivals don't find themselves enslaved. Faction leaders and other important characters are detailed below.
Themberchaud
The Wyrmsmith of Gracklstugh. This red dragon provides his fiery breath to keep the city's forges and smelters running at all times, and is supplied with a steady flow of treasure in exchange. However, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. He's given everything he wants but not allowed to leave, and he's starting to take notice.
- Fat Bastard: He's overwight due to his years of pampered status, but he is still a powerful adult red dragon. His official sketches
show his enormous girth, implying that he'd be too big to fly. Even so, he has an enormous ego, and he's Chaotic Evil (like most red dragons). - Gilded Cage: Has a very impressive hoard of treasure, barely needs to lift a claw to get food, and has plenty of attendants to see to his every whim. But he has also never set foot outside the City of Blades, nor do his handlers have any intention of letting him. Unfortunately for them, he's starting to notice this, which does not sit well with him.Themberchaud: (in Themberchaud's Lament) And now I am far too large to ever leave. Even if I tore the entire place down around me, I could not claw my way to the surface from here. Instead, I remain buried in a prison of my parents' making, far beneath a sky I've never seen.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: The situation between him and the duergar is morally ambiguous, no matter what the players do. If they help Themberchaud by showing him proof that the duergar are planning to kill him, the party will free Themberchaud from his Gilded Cage and possibly gain his help. But he's a red dragon and thus Always Chaotic Evil like the rest of his kind, so it's a tenuous promise at best. The duergar can be helpful in navigating the Underdark, but they're still willing to enslave a sentient being, even if it's with all the comforts he could ever want.
- Playing with Fire: As a red dragon, this comes naturally. His fire breath is so strong that he's used as the Wyrmsmith, keeping the city's forges burning forever hot. Trouble for the duergar is that Themberchaud is getting too strong for their liking, and they intend to have him killed, but the red dragon egg they need to replace Themberchaud was stolen.
- Smug Snake: He's so egotistical that he considered it impossible that someone would not agree with his orders. When someone did manage to refuse to carry out a request, Themberchaud simply burned them and carried on as normal.
- Spanner in the Works: The Keepers of the Flame intended to have him killed long before the time the players meet him, but the Gray Ghosts made off with the egg that was supposed to hatch his replacement. Also can act as one for the Keepers of the Flame, should the players decide to act as his agents and deliver him the red dragon egg.
- Unwitting Pawn: He is not the first Wyrmsmith of Gracklstugh, nor will he be the last; the duergar slay the Wyrmsmith before they can grow too strong, replacing them with a newly hatched red dragon and starting the cycle again. He remains unaware of this, and his handlers hope dearly to keep it that way.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He is marked for death before he can grow too powerful, and will be replaced with a freshly hatched red dragon. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the city), their egg's been missing for some time.
Stonespeaker Hgraam
Leader of the stone giant clan Cairngorm, who lives in Gracklstugh. Wise and knowledgeable about matters of the Underdark, he can sense something strange going on outside of the city's walls, but his commitments to the city and his clan leave him unable to learn more.
- Have We Met Yet?: Thanks to the magic of Gravenhollow, he actually first met the player characters while he was in his prime, whereas they meet him for the first time while he's getting on in years.
- Hermit Guru: He, along with Clan Cairngorm, mostly keep to themselves. Normally Hgraam only meets directly with the Deepking, though he makes an exception for the player characters.
- It May Help You on Your Quest: Has a crystal to give to the party that will come in handy during their second journey through the Underdark, when they're seeking out Gravenhollow.
A settlement of deep gnomes (or "svirfneblin" in their own language) not far from Menzoberranzan. After being crushed by the drow a century prior, it has only recently (within the last forty years) been slowly resettled. However, little of the city has been fully secured, meaning the player characters could stumble upon all manner of dangerous beings. Faction leaders and other important characters are detailed below.
Dorbo Diggermattock
One of the de facto co-leaders of Blingdenstone, along with his wife Senni. He leads the mining expeditions that the city undertakes, as well as organizing patrols and keeping watch over the settlement's defenses.
Senni Diggermattock
One of the de facto co-leaders of Blingdenstone, along with her husband Dorbo. She leads the settlers in the slow, steady process of securing more of the city proper and distributing supplies.
Chipgrin Goldwhisker
Leader of a clan of deep gnomes afflicted by the curse of the wererat. While aware he and his kind are feared and hated by the other deep gnomes, he hopes to secure a truce with them against the oozes and that his pack can one day be accepted as residents of the city.
- Affably Evil: His character alignment is
Lawful Evil, but he is especially polite to the player characters and hopes that they can broker an allegiance between the wererats and other deep gnomes. - Elite Mooks: He and his fellow wererats can act as this during the Battle of Blingdenstone if their support is secured; they can take a lot more punishment than their fellow deep gnomes, and with their transformations in control they can dish out more punishment as well.
- Enemy Mine: His offer to the leaders of Blingdenstone. He'd rather the wererats be accepted properly, but he's willing to start with this if it means their safety and place in the settlement.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: While he's not a big fan about Dorbo wanting to expel/exterminate his brethren, Blingdenstone is his clan's home, and he has no intention of letting the oozes overrun it if he can help it.
Burrow Warden Jadger
Honored protector of Blingdenstone, he was killed during the drow attack that drove the deep gnomes from their home. This was not enough to shake his sense of duty, however, and his ghost lingers on to keep watch over the city and aid his living kin.
- Cavalry of the Dead: If the players assist him, he can get one of these put together for the Battle of Blingdenstone. While not able to deal damage in the battle, they can fit the role of scouts/messengers quite well, given that walls pose no problem for them, and can distract the enemies during the battle.
- Ghostly Goals: His number one goal is to act as sentinel to Blingdenstone, with no intention of passing on any time soon, especially with the conflict it is currently embroiled in.
- The Ghost King: While not really a king in name, he fits this given that he leads the ghosts of Blingdenstone's dead and often acts as their representative.
The Pudding King
A mysterious figure that resides somewhere in the ooze-occupied section of Blingdenstone. He seems to have an odd affinity with the oozes, and acts as their leader.
- Deal with the Devil: He pledged himself completely to Juiblex, demon lord of oozes, when Gromph Baenre's ritual pulled it and the other demon lords into the Underdark. In exchange for his loyalty, he was granted power to summon and control oozes.
- Keystone Army: His presence gives the oozes greater intelligence, a united purpose and a cohesion amongst their ranks. Should he be killed, the oozes, while still being dangerous monsters, would lose their unity and revert to their mindless state.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can transform into ooze form and back again. Interestingly, this doesn't seem to prevent him from casting most of his spells.
- Was Once a Man: While he was never really the sanest, he used to be just a weird deep gnome that was ostracized for disturbing practices (and deliberately spoiling food stores). Now he's basically just an ooze in a human skin that can be shed whenever needed, highlighted by the fact that he knows sorcerer spells rather than warlock ones; whoever he was before, that person is gone.
A library within the Underdark, which has stood since the dawn of giant-kin and whose location can only be reached by those it chooses. Outside the normal flow of time, it is said to hold a record of every event that has ever occurred in the Underdark, making it a valuable resource for the characters in their quest.
The library itself provides examples of:
- Anachronic Order: Gravenhollow "remembers" all those that ever have or will visit it. Echoes of these individuals can appear to those that wander its halls, which means that someone using the library might see an echo of someone from up to hundreds of years in the past or future.
- Bigger on the Inside: The interior constantly expands to fit any knowledge added to it, yet the exterior remains the same as it was carved eons ago.
- Eldritch Location: A benign example. Navigation through it is more of an effort of will than of the body, and of course there's the whole "outside the normal flow of time" thing.
- The Prophecy: The "archives of the future" section contains many of these. Unfortunately for the PC's, all of them relate solely to the future of giantkind, meaning they won't be much help for their own problems.
- Translator Microbes: While in the library, all creatures operate as if under the comprehend languages spell.
Keepers of Gravenhollow
Three stone giants, by the name of Ulthar, Urmas, and Ustova, that act as the custodians of the library.
- Gentle Giant: Quite literally.
- The Stoic: As helpful as they can be, they're not the most cheery lot.
The Society of Brilliance
A sect of highly intelligent individuals dedicated to finding solutions for the many different problems ailing the Underdark.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: All members are from otherwise monstrous races.
- Omniglot: Fluent in multiple languages, though the mind flayer member prefers to communicate with telepathy.
- Rogue Drone: Grazilaxx, by nature of being a mind flayer that is not bound to a colony.
- The Smart Guy: Regardless of character or race, all members have an Intelligence stat of 18.
Vizeran DeVir
A drow wizard with a chip on his shoulder against Lolth, the City of Spiders, and the drow in general. He knows a little bit about the ritual that summoned the demon lords in the first place.
- Enemy Mine: He's a drow, so he's naturally a schemer. And even a slightly savvy adventurer can tell that Vizeran DeVir is up to something beyond what he says, since his words are full of bile for Lolth. But since his ritual is the only way to stop the demon lords, it's him or nothing.
- Mr. Exposition: The party meets him in the Gravenhollow library, where he takes them to his tower and explains how the demons got to the Underdark in the first place and how they can be stopped.
- Spanner in the Works: He serves as this for Lolth's plan to cause chaos, since his ritual will force all the demon lords back to the Abyss. He can also be this for the City of Spiders, since his dark heart amulet is intended to be placed there and cause the city even more destruction. That said, he can be Out-Gambitted by the players if they place the dark heart amulet somewhere other than Menzoberranzan. Like, say, right next to his tower as the demon lords go into a murderous frenzy.
Gromph Baenre
A member of House Baenre, the ruling house of Menzoberranzan. An accomplished wizard, he seeks to summon a demon lord to control and gain even more power for his house.
- The Ghost: Despite being an Unwitting Instigator of Doom regarding the whole affair with the demon lords, he never makes a physical appearance in the module as-written. There's not even a description of what he looks like. Though given that he got a wrench thrown in his plans by Lolth and summoned massive Chaotic Evil Demon Lords and Archdevils within just a few yards of himself, there's probably not much of Gromph left to find.
- Uncertain Doom: It's unclear exactly where Gromph is or what happened to him after he started the ritual to summon the demon lords. The text, as written, provides no hints as to where he is during the adventure. But considering the sheer level of power of the demon lords that he summoned, Gromph's prospects of survival are not very high. Even his sister, the Matron Mother of the ruling house of Menzoberranzan, isn't going to waste the time and energy to find him after she learned what's happened.
- Unperson: His sister is Quenthel Baenre, the Matron Mother of the most powerful house of the City of Spiders. And she is all too happy to keep it very hush-hush as to what happened to him. This is both out of embarrassment and a political move, since Quenthel Baenre doesn't want word to get out that her house is in any kind of trouble, especially to the other Matron Mothers, who will see this as a sign of weakness and come for her next.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Granted, Vizeran DeVir mentions that trying to summon a demon lord was an incredibly stupid move, all on its own. But it's thanks to Lolth's interference that Gromph summoned all of them instead, causing the demon lords to wreak havoc across the Underdark, including to the City of Spiders that his sister rules.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: His ultimate fate is left up in the air. The DM guide even mentions that it's a potential sidequest or another adventure to figure out what happened to him.
