Known also as the Deep Mines, this level of Undermountain originally revealed its riches to dwarves and, later, to warmongering duergar. The gray dwarves have long controlled the mines, first depleting them of mithral, then excavating the iron to supply their forges. Now, Halaster’s whims and depraved planar influences have supplanted the duergar as the most dangerous inhabitants of the level.
The Terminus Level is designed for four 16th-level characters. Those who overcome this level’s challenges should gain enough XP to reach 17th level.
Because duergar feature prominently on this level, consider familiarizing yourself with their entry in the Monster Manual.
What Dwells Here?
The Terminus Level is where Halaster dumps his failed monster experiments. Some time ago, a planetar named Fazrian slew most of these blasphemous horrors, but succumbed to its own blood lust. The fallen angel has since claimed the level as its own and judges all intruders who enter its domain. Those found guilty are slain and fed to a trio of otyughs—denizens of the Terminus Level that the planetar deigned to spare.
The planetar’s “court” is full of evil sycophants, including yugoloths that were sent by Halaster to advise Fazrian and duergar under the command of a conniving despot named Valtagar Steelshadow.
Fazrian the Planetar
Fazrian is a planetar formerly in the service of Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice. The planetar was summoned to Undermountain months ago by an adventuring cleric. Sickened by the foulness it beheld, Fazrian sought to cleanse the Terminus Level of corruption, but the magic suffusing Halaster’s abominations corrupted the planetar’s divine zeal. The more horrors it destroyed, the more joy Fazrian took in their slaughter. Fazrian’s fall from grace was swift, culminating in the murder of the cleric and her companions. The planetar now passes judgment on all who stand before it. Those who lack the willingness to sacrifice themselves for a greater end (such as greedy treasure-seekers drawn to Undermountain for no other reason) are found guilty and executed.
A mote of goodness still burns within the planetar. If the characters can make Fazrian realize that it has become what it sought to destroy, the planetar will end itself and, with its self-sacrifice, earn Torm’s forgiveness.
Regional Effects
The Terminus Level has been warped by Fazrian’s presence, which creates the following magical effects that end when the planetar dies:
- A faint breeze bears the scent of roses mixed with sulfur. Characters who try to track the breeze to its source are led toward Fazrian in area area 23b. Warm blood oozes from the walls and drips from the ceiling, starting and stopping for no apparent reason. (The blood might attract ravenous, blood-drinking creatures such as stirges or vampire spawn.)
- The song of an unholy choir echoes through an area whenever a fight breaks out, then fades away when combat ends.
Yugoloths
Halaster recently sent Fazrian a host of yugoloths to command. They include a pair of arcanaloths named Aximus and Exekarus; the nycaloth, Raxxus; and the ultroloth, Xindulus. Why Fazrian spared these yugoloths and destroyed the others is uncertain, but one could speculate that the planetar didn’t want to seem entirely ungrateful. The survivors wormed their way into Fazrian’s evil graces, coming to believe that the fallen angel is destined for glory. In Fazrian they see the potential for great rewards—or, at least, compensation beyond the modest sum the Mad Mage promised them.
The yugoloths place their own welfare above all others. If more profitable prospects come along, they don’t hesitate to abandon Fazrian in favor of whatever lucrative offer catches their attention.
Duergar Calassabrak
A duergar prince named Valtagar Steelshadow traveled to Undermountain to plunder its mines and use the wealth to buy his way back into the court of his older brother, King Horgar Steelshadow V, the Deepking of Gracklstugh (see the adventure Out of the Abyss for more information on this subterranean duergar city). Valtagar’s problems began years earlier, when he led a hunting expedition into a region of the Underdark patrolled by the drow houses of Menzoberranzan. Valtagar was captured by drow scouts, and Horgar was forced to pay a king’s ransom in coin and slaves to free him. Hungry for vengeance, Valtagar and his followers began attacking drow outposts, hoping to foment war between Gracklstugh and Menzoberranzan. When drow ambassadors confronted Horgar with proof of Valtagar’s plot, Horgar banished Valtagar and his co-conspirators, who would henceforth be known as calassabrak—outcasts no longer welcome in Gracklstugh.
After long holding the Deep Mines, Valtagar and his duergar followers were forced back into the Underdark by the planetar’s sudden arrival and subsequent bloody crusade. Weeks after retreating, they returned to discover that the mines were much changed and even deadlier than before. The planetar slaughtered a number of Valtagar’s followers until the prince stood before the planetar alone, empty-handed and daring the fallen angel to kill him. Valtagar’s gesture of self-sacrifice moved Fazrian, who judged him worthy of remaining alive. Valtagar now holds a tenuous position as Lord of the Mines, one of the fallen angel’s advisors. Despite now being “vassals” of Fazrian, all the duergar on this level remain loyal to their prince and follow Valtagar’s orders without question.
Valtagar intends to overthrow Fazrian, buy off the yugoloths, and seize control of the Terminus Level. Toward that end, he is quick to forge alliances with adventurers who are also interested in bringing about the planetar’s downfall.
Wandering Monsters
Halaster continues to use the Terminus Level as a dumping ground for stray monsters. Duergar also patrol the mines.
Beholder Zombies
Four Beholder Zombie, set loose by Halaster, wander the Terminus Level. Once they’re destroyed, no more are encountered.
Duergar Patrol
The characters encounter six duergar (three males and three females) on patrol, their heavy helms and armor dripping with blood (see “area Regional Effects"). These duergar have orders to deliver adventurers to Valtagar Steelshadow unharmed. If a fight breaks out, they use Enlarge and defend themselves. If the battle goes poorly for them, the duergar turn
Remorhaz
Released here by Halaster, this remorhaz creeps up on the characters and attacks. There is a 50 percent chance that a passing duergar patrol (see above) hears the ruckus and arrives on the scene at the end of the third round of combat. If the remorhaz is still around, the duergar help defeat it. Afterward, the duergar grumble that the remorhaz is but the latest monstrosity the Mad Mage has loosed in the mines. They otherwise behave as any other duergar patrol.
Exploring This Level
All location descriptions for this level are keyed to map 21. The walls, floors, and ceilings are streaked with blood (see “area Regional Effects"), and the air is warm and dry.
1. Entrance
The tunnel from level 20 leads to a featureless, 20-foot-high cavern with four tunnel exits, two of which contain iron tracks. An empty mine cart rests at the end of the northern track.
Mine Tracks and Carts
The Terminus Level has iron tracks throughout, and iron mine carts ride the rails. Since the tracks are built on slopes, carts are secured with chocks—two sets of two zurkhwood blocks attached to one another by a length of rope. If its chocks are removed, a cart begins to roll. Its initial speed of 10 feet increases by 10 feet every round until it comes to the end of its track or reaches its maximum speed of 60 feet. A cart stops if it hits a stopped cart or the iron guard barrier at either end of the track.
Each cart weighs 300 pounds empty and is equipped with a hand brake. A creature inside a cart or next to one can use its action to pull the hand brake to reduce the cart’s speed by up to 30 feet, bringing it to a stop if its speed drops to 0.
Moving out of the way of a rolling cart requires a successful DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, and any creature struck by a cart takes 10 (
3d6 ) bludgeoning damage.
2. Ore-Filled Cart
This 20-foot-high cavern has tracks running through it. A mine cart laden with iron ore has chocks holding it in place. If these wooden blocks are removed, the cart rolls down the tracks toward area 1, building up speed as it goes (see “Mine Tracks and Carts”).
3. Depleted Mine
This area was once a mithral mine, but picks and hammers no longer ring out here.
3a. Large Chamber
Iron tracks run through this 20-foot-high cave. A few abandoned mining tools lie scattered on the floor.
3b. Discarded Mining Gear
The floor of this 10-foot-high cave is strewn with rusty mining gear, including helmets, picks, shovels, and an iron sled for dragging ore.
4. Deeper Mines
Driven out of the Underdark by rampaging demons, two fomorians have taken refuge in this depleted mithral mine. The duergar are spying on the fomorians to determine whether they should be eradicated or enslaved.
4a. Invisible Spies
Silt. The floor of this 20-foot-high cave is covered in a 2-inch-thick layer of fine silt in which can be seen giant-sized bare footprints and smaller boot prints.
Duergar. Three
invisible duergar lurk in the cave’s eastern alcove.
The duergar are spying on the fomorians and trying to remain unseen. If a battle erupts between the characters and the fomorians in these caves, the duergar use the distraction to skulk away and report to Valtagar in area area 15. If the characters detect them, the duergar explain their purpose and offer to escort them to Valtagar.
Characters who succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (
4b. Something Wicked
Two fomorian dumped here by Halaster rest at the back of this 20-foot-high cave. These hideously misshapen giants are new to Undermountain and believe the mines are haunted by dwarven ghosts. In actuality, they have been rattled by the sounds of
The fomorians are tired of licking blood and slime off rocks to fill their bellies, prompting them to attack smaller creatures on sight.
Treasure
At the back of the fomorians' cave are two sacks made of gas spore hide. One sack contains 2,100 cp, 1,590 sp, 480 gp, and the broken pieces of a wooden rocking chair. The other contains thirteen misshapen chunks of yellow quartz (50 gp each) and a rusty iron rowboat anchor that weighs 30 pounds.
4c. Dead-End Loop
This mine tunnel loops back on itself. The floor is littered with slime-covered rocks, which the fomorians have been licking for nourishment.
4d. Dead-End Fork
This tunnel terminates in two dead ends, both heaped with piles of rubble. The west fork once connected with a tunnel to the south, but the roof caved in. The collapse looks recent—within the past month or so.
5. Rubble-Strewn Cavern
Dust and Debris. Dust falls from cracks in the 15-foot-high ceiling, covering a rubble-strewn floor.
Noise. A tunnel to the south (leading to area areas 16 and area 18) echoes with the sounds of hammers and picks striking stone.
6. Duergar Outpost
Areas area 6a through area 6c have 10-foot-high ceilings. Streaks of blood cover their tiled floors and walls.
The duergar stationed in these areas have orders to escort visitors to Valtagar Steelshadow in area area 15. If combat erupts in one room, the occupants of the other two rooms join the fight. The duergar in areas area 17a and area 17b also hear the commotion and investigate, moving 50 feet per round. Valtagar and others in nearby areas might also hear the activity, but they remain where they are.
6a. North Watch Post
Two female duergar named Kavalra and Nisha guard this chamber.
6b. South Watch Post
Four duergar, two males named Duldor and Grimdor and two females named Marna and Ukzorra, maintain a guard station here.
6c. Command Post
The northern half of the room contains a stone desk and a high-backed chair—furnishings brought here from area 16d. Seated behind the desk is Valtagar’s captain of the guard, Rojkarn Ironhead, a duergar with 40 hit points. He wears a tall helm bristling with spikes and fitted with a scowling iron mask. He is flanked by two female duergar bodyguards named Brona and Ubrix.
Rojkarn is cruel, cantankerous, and blindly loyal to Valtagar Steelshadow. It pains him to see Valtagar submit to the evil planetar’s will. Rojkarn spends much of his waking hours complaining about how the planetar is nothing but a mad tyrant and ranting about how duergar are meant to rule, not be ruled. With each new tirade, Brona and Ubrix roll their eyes in exasperation.
7. Cleric’s End
This tunnel slopes up toward the northeast, intersecting multiple rubble-strewn passages along the way. A mine track runs the length of the passageway.
When the characters first arrive, a silent, spectral scene plays out before them: a middle-aged human cleric wildly swings her
8. Mining Equipment
This 10-foot-high room contains rusty helmets, picks, hammers, and pitons on stone shelves along the walls.
9. Miners' Quarters
This 10-foot-high room is constructed of interlocking, blood-streaked stone tiles. Rectangular stone slabs lie in neat rows against the east and west walls. These slabs once served as beds for dwarf miners, but they have not been used in centuries.
A thick layer of dust covers everything.
10. Common Areas
Most of the ceilings in this area are 10 feet high. Blood-smeared tiles cover the floors and walls throughout.
10a. Dining Hall
This room has a vaulted ceiling, rising 15 feet high. The guards in area area 10b notice any light or noise here and quickly investigate. The room has the following features:
Table and Benches. A 25-foot-long stone dining table is in the middle of the room, flanked by two equally long stone benches.
Hutch. A stone hutch against the west wall contains assorted iron plates and flatware.
10b. Den
This room is largely empty, having been stripped of furniture. Two male duergar guards named Malgorn and Zelk stand watch here. They have orders to escort visitors to Valtagar Steelshadow in area area 15.
Malgorn is one card away from owning a complete deck of Three-Dragon Ante cards made of thin-pressed gold. He has begun obsessing over the missing card (“The Thief”) and complains about it incessantly. He has found the other cards scattered throughout the Terminus Level and is storing them in a pouch tied to his belt. He’s not optimistic about finding the last card, though. Sick of hearing about the situation, Zelk adds to Malgorn’s misery by repeatedly asking him if he has searched in places he knows Malgorn has already thoroughly checked.
Treasure
Each of the sixty-nine gold cards in Malgorn’s incomplete deck is worth 10 gp, but the set is worth 2,500 gp once the deck contains all seventy cards. The characters can find the missing card in area area 23c.
11. Kitchen and Pantry
Food is stored and prepared here. The blood that leaks from the walls and floors makes little of it appetizing.
11a. Kitchen
Fireplace. This 15-foot-high room is warm and smells of cheap spices. A large fireplace dominates the west wall. A bed of hot coals fills the hearth with smoke and orange light. Suspended above the coals is a covered iron cauldron.
Duergar Cook. An old, hunchbacked duergar wearing what amounts to a dusty gray sack stirs the cauldron with an iron spoon. He is without armor or weapons.
Preparation Area. Short stone tables in the middle of the kitchen are used for food preparation. Utensils hang from hooks above them.
Sink. A stone faucet and handle jut from the south wall, just above a semicircular basin enclosed by a 2-foot-high retaining wall.
The cook, Lorga, prepares bland mushroom stew. Despite his blinding cataracts, he knows his way around the kitchen and the adjoining pantry. If he hears one or more characters enter, he shouts in Dwarvish, “The stew will be ready when it’s ready! Get out, lest ye taste none of it!” If they don’t leave at once, he says, “My eyes are clouded, but my ears and nose work fine. Test not my resolve!”
A
Lorga poses no threat (0 XP). He merely wishes to die serving Valtagar, whom he has known since the prince was a child. Lorga isn’t holding out hope that he’ll ever hear the belching forges of Gracklstugh again, but it infuriates him that Valtagar—a duergar prince—must kowtow to the “mad giant” Fazrian. Lorga suggests that the characters locate Valtagar and forge an alliance with him before they all fall to the giant’s sword.
Once the hot coals are doused or swept from the fireplace, the chimney can be climbed easily. After 90 feet, it breaks into a damp, soot-stained natural cave roughly 50 feet square. The cave contains nothing of interest.
Turning the handle on the faucet opens a valve that allows fresh, cold water from an underground stream to pour into the basin and mix with the blood pooling there (see “area Regional Effects"). A stone plug covers the drainpipe in the bottom of the basin.
11b. Pantry
Fifty gray sacks rest atop stone shelves carved into the walls of this 10-foot-high room. The sacks contain edible fungi and dried moss.
12. Miners' Potty
Thin, crumbling brick walls divide the northern half of this 10-foot-high room into three stalls, each one tucked behind a rusty chain-link curtain that hangs limply from the ceiling. Cut into the floor of each stall is a circular hole that leads to a cesspit.
13. Grand Vestibule
Blood. Blood leaks down the walls and across the decor of this once grand hall.
Pillars. Four stone pillars buttress the 30-foot-high vaulted ceiling. The middle third of each pillar is carved to look like a scowling dwarf with bulging muscles that supports the column’s upper third on its broad shoulders. Blue sapphires glitter in the dwarves' eyes.
Double Door. The doors in the east wall stand 18 feet high, a carving of a mighty waterfall spanning their surfaces. Mithral inlays make the carved falls look like they are running with molten metal.
Curtain. A 40-foot-long, 20-foot-high curtain of black dragon scales hangs from an iron rod bolted to the west wall. (The scales have become brittle with age and are not valuable.)
Hanging Horn. Suspended from the ceiling by iron chains is a 20-foot-long iron horn with etched Dwarvish runes coiling around it.
The giant horn weighs 2 tons. It dangles 20 feet above the floor on three thick, 5-foot-long iron chains. The Melairkyn dwarves forged the horn and placed it here to guard the treasure in this hall (see “Treasure” below). A
Removing one or more gemstones from the pillars causes the horn to magically emit a somber tone. As the horn sounds, the spirits of thirteen dwarf warriors appear in unoccupied spaces throughout the hall and attack all other creatures in the area. These unaligned spirits use the champion statistics (see appendix A), except that they wield greataxes instead of greatswords. They understand Dwarvish but can’t speak, and they can’t leave the hall. They disappear after 1 hour or when they drop to 0 hit points. Once the horn has sounded, it can’t sound again until 7 days have passed. If no gemstones remain in the pillars when this time elapses, the horn becomes nonmagical and can no longer summon dwarven spirits. Removing the instrument from the hall also renders it nonmagical.
Treasure
Eight blue star sapphires (1,000 gp each) are embedded in the eyes of the dwarf carvings—two gemstones per pillar. Each gem is set 18 feet above the floor and can be pried out with a dagger or similar tool.
14. Shrine of Laduguer
As a gesture of goodwill toward its new duergar allies, Fazrian had this waiting chamber converted into a shrine of Laduguer, the duergar god of labor and slavery. Presiding over the shrine are two Arcanaloth named Aximus and Exekarus. These fiends use
The room has a flat, 10-foot-high ceiling. Although blood often flows from gaps between the room’s wall tiles (see “area Regional Effects"), Aximus and Exekarus regularly use
Haze. A thin, smoky haze fills the room. (The haze doesn’t obscure the room’s other features.)
Braziers. Alcoves in the north wall contain two braziers fashioned from melted-down iron armor and weapons. Each is alight with burning coals that shed bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
Altar and Shield. Between the alcoves, an iron altar traced with silver and shaped like a giant anvil rests beneath a round, 10-foot-diameter iron shield mounted on the north wall. The shield bears the symbol of a broken arrow with a jagged arrowhead. Standing before the altar are a pair of duergar (Aximus and Exekarus) in drab robes.
To prepare for their roles, the arcanaloths learned everything they could about Laduguer’s principles of conduct. To their surprise, Aximus and Exekarus found these principles compelling. Some of the arcanaloths' favorite maxims include:
- “No matter how much wealth and power you have, it’s never enough.”
- “The fight never ends. Take what you deserve and destroy all who stand in your way.”
- “Let no emotion rule you. Abandon joy, love, pride, anger, and ambition, for they are signs of weakness. Know your role and perform it to the best of your ability.”
Laduguer’s dogma guides Aximus and Exekarus as much as it does any duergar, and the yugoloths try to impose these principles on all who claim to serve Fazrian. If the characters haven’t encountered Fazrian, Aximus and Exekarus insist on taking them to meet the planetar, whom they admire. Those who refuse to accompany the arcanaloths are left behind as Aximus and Exekarus proceed to area area 23b to inform Fazrian that visitors have arrived. Obedience to Fazrian is all that matters to Aximus and Exekarus—at least until someone convinces the arcanaloths to switch allegiances.
The arcanaloths' attitude toward the characters is indifferent at the start, though the fiends quickly turn hostile if attacked. The arcanaloths' attitude changes to friendly if the characters appeal to their love of magic by giving them a single very rare magic item, multiple rare magic items, or a spellbook containing at least one spell of 6th level or higher. Aximus and Exekarus make their love of all things magical known to anyone that seeks their assistance. If their attitude toward the characters is changed in this way, the arcanaloths repay the party’s kindness any way they can—short of placing themselves in harm’s way. Their helpfulness doesn’t last long, however. After 24 hours, the arcanaloths' attitude toward the party becomes indifferent once more, and further bribes are needed to regain their assistance.
The large iron shield hanging on the wall weighs 750 pounds and bears the broken arrow symbol of Laduguer. Any duergar recognizes the symbol right away, while non-duergar recognize it with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (
Treasure
Aximus and Exekarus hide their spellbooks in the folds of their robes. Each book contains all the spells the arcanaloths have prepared, plus
15. Valtagar’s Quarters
The walls and floor of this 15-foot-high chamber are covered with interlocking stone tiles. The room contains the following:
Valtagar. When the characters first arrive, Valtagar Steelshadow (see below) is reading his spellbook—a bound stack of mithral plates. The book rests atop a stout, stone lectern in the middle of the room.
Golem. Standing in the south corner is an iron golem that looks like a 10-foot-tall duergar. The golem understands Dwarvish and obeys Valtagar’s commands.
Masks. Dozens of iron masks hang from hooks on the southeast wall (see “area Iron Masks” below).
Other Furnishings. Against the northwest wall stands a low double bed. In the middle of the room, a locked iron strongbox rests atop a low marble table flanked by two stone chairs.
Valtagar Steelshadow
Valtagar wears a black robe with a cowl that obscures his face. Suspicious and volatile, he is a duergar archmage, with these changes:
- Valtagar is lawful evil.
- He has the
Otiluke’s resilient sphere spell prepared instead ofbanishment . - He has these racial traits: He speaks Common, Dwarvish, Infernal, Terran, Troglodyte, and Undercommon. His walking speed is 25 feet, and he has
darkvision out to 120 feet. He has advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage. He gains the Enlarge and Invisibility action options described below.
Enlarge (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest)
For 1 minute, Valtagar magically increases in size. While enlarged, Valtagar is Large, doubles his damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks, and makes Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. If Valtagar lacks the space to become Large, he attains the maximum size possible in the space available.
Invisibility (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest)
Valtagar magically turns
Archmages are exceedingly rare in duergar society, and Valtagar’s gift for wizardry never sat well with the clans of Gracklstugh. He doesn’t put himself in harm’s way unless he has a clear tactical edge. If the characters threaten him after they gain entry to his quarters, he orders his golem to attack while he grabs his spellbook off the lectern, casts
Valtagar has faced adventurers before and has a healthy fear of them. If the characters are willing to engage in civil discourse, he tries to hire them to slay Fazrian. The patience of his duergar followers is wearing thin, and he loses nothing by setting the adventurers loose against the planetar. In exchange, Valtagar guarantees safe passage through his domain whenever they need it and promises to tell them the location of a secret staircase that descends to the next level of Undermountain (see area area 19a). To establish trust, he tells them about the secret vault hidden behind Fazrian’s throne (see area area 24) and shares what he knows about Fazrian and its allies:
- A powerful cleric summoned a celestial being of immense power named Fazrian, then directed it to slay a host of monsters that once haunted the Deep Mines.
- That act of slaughter corrupted Fazrian. After slaying many monsters, it decapitated the cleric and installed itself as lord of the Deep Mines. Fazrian rarely leaves its throne hall and keeps the cleric’s headless corpse as a memento.
- Fazrian takes advice from four yugoloths. These fiends arrived shortly after Fazrian’s madness took hold. Aximus and Exekarus can be found in the nearby shrine of Laduguer (area area 14). Raxxus is at Fazrian’s side (area area 23b). Valtagar says that Xindulus roams where it will, choosing not to reveal that the ultroloth guards the secret staircase down to the next level of Undermountain (area area 19a).
Iron Masks
The iron masks are visors taken from the helmets of duergar warriors who followed Valtagar throughout his exile, only to fall in battle. Valtagar displays them not for sentimental reasons, but to reinforce his determination to return home.
Treasure
The mithral spellbook on the lectern weighs 30 pounds. It contains all the spells Valtagar has prepared. Its cover is embossed with a broken arrow, the symbol of Laduguer.
The iron strongbox contains 600 pp. Minted in Gracklstugh, these coins bear the stern visage of Deepking Horgar Steelshadow V on one side, the mind flayer skull symbol of Deep Duerra (the duergar god of conquest and psionics) on the other, and a Dwarvish motto on the rim that translates as “As low as we can go.”
16. Fire and Iron
The duergar use the forges in area areas 16a and area 16b to mold iron into 10-pound bars, which are stored in area 16c. Area 16d is an old overseer’s office that the duergar have turned into a barracks. A total of fifteen duergar work and sleep in these areas.
The floors and walls are covered with interlocking, blood-streaked stone tiles. The ceiling is 10 feet high throughout.
16a. Northern Smelter
Smoke and Heat. Smoke fills this room, making the area lightly obscured. The temperature inside the room is a searing 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Forge. Roaring flames fill a stone forge that protrudes from the north wall.
Smiths. Two sweaty, unarmored duergar are working the forge, smelting iron. Both wear tinted goggles and thick gloves.
Buckets. Piled around the forge are buckets of iron ore.
The duergar are a male named Brok and a female named Fumira. Brok uses long-handled iron tongs to place chunks of iron ore in the forge. Once the iron melts, Fumira scoops out the molten iron with a long-handled ladle and pours it into two iron molds, which Brok clamps shut. They then take the clamped molds to area area 16c to cool. Afterward, they return to the forge with two empty molds and repeat the process.
Without their armor, Brok and Fumira have AC 10. They keep their war picks and javelins close by, but fight only in self-defense. If they detect intruders, they stop working and grouchily offer to escort the new arrivals to Rojkarn Ironhead, the captain of the guard (area area 6c)—leading the party through areas area 16c, area 6b, and area 6a. The duergar have nothing much to say to visitors, preferring to let Rojkarn answer any questions they might have.
If a fight breaks out, the duergar in area areas 16b and 16d quickly join the battle. (The duergar in area area 16c is deaf.)
The forge puts out tremendous heat thanks to a fire elemental magically trapped inside it. Runes carved on the inside walls of the forge prevent the elemental from escaping or harming anyone outside the forge. Destroying the forge releases the elemental, whereupon it attacks everyone in sight. The forge has AC 17, 80 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
16b. Southern Smelter
This room is identical to area area 16a except that the forge protrudes from the south wall, and the two unarmored duergar working here are a pair of females named Krinxa and Wolthra.
16c. Iron Stockpile
Duergar. In the north half of the room, an elderly male duergar carrying an iron cane and an ear horn sits in a stone rocking chair next to a pile of iron molds and clamps.
Iron Bars. The south half of the room contains four uneven stacks of iron bars, each stack nearly filling a 6-foot cube.
Old age has rendered the duergar smith, Ghorso, deaf and nearly immobile. His walking speed is 10 feet with the cane or 5 feet without it. Despite his age, he is fully armed and armored. He would rather die in combat than succumb to the ravages of age, but he fights only in self-defense. If the characters try to talk to him, he plays dumb and is not the least bit helpful. A
Clamped iron molds from area areas 16a and area 16b are brought here to cool. Once they reach room temperature (50 degrees Fahrenheit), Ghorso unclamps the molds, opens them, pries out the hardened iron ingots, and stacks them atop the existing piles. It’s a tedious, thankless job.
Treasure
Stockpiled here are 12,800 iron bars, each worth 1 gp and weighing 10 pounds.
16d. Barracks
This room contains two dozen iron cots arranged haphazardly in the middle of the space. Ten duergar, five males and five females, are asleep here at any given time, snoring loudly. The males are named Bulborm, Daarsh, Krod, Mranhaim, and Muzdrok. The females are named Azgra, Narlith, Roxinda, Sorka, and Svilla.
The duergar sleep in their armor and keep their weapons within reach. They awaken to sounds of combat in area areas 16a or area 16b. A creature that succeeds on a DC 10 Dexterity (
17. Hammers and Anvils
This part of the dungeon rings with the sound of hammers on anvils. As one approaches the forges (area areas 17c and area 17d), the sound grows louder and is joined by the roaring and crackling of flames. The light of the forges spills out into the main hallway and, when the door is open, into area area 17e.
The duergar guards stationed in these areas have orders to escort visitors to Valtagar Steelshadow in area area 15. If combat erupts in one room, the occupants of the other rooms join the fight. The duergar in area areas 6a, area 6b, and area 6c hear echoes of the commotion and investigate, moving 50 feet per round. The inhabitants of other nearby areas go about their business.
The stone floors and walls are covered with bloody tiles. The ceiling is 10 feet high throughout.
17a. Western Guard Post
Two male duergar, Kalrog and Klang, keep guard here. Klang is Kalrog’s older brother, and the two are highly competitive.
17b. Eastern Guard Post
Smoke and heat from the forges billow into this chamber, keeping it a sweltering 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Two duergar—a male named Prax and a female named Torga—mind this watch post, incidentally standing guard over a variety of extra supplies that are stored here. Driven into the south wall are twelve stone pegs on which soot-stained leather aprons and tinted goggles are hung.
17c. Western Smithy
Smoke and Heat. Smoke fills this room, rendering everything in the area lightly obscured. The temperature here is a scorching 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Forge. Crackling flames fill a stone forge that protrudes from the north wall. An iron anvil squats in front of the forge (which is similar to the one in area area 16a).
Smiths. Two sweaty, female duergar are fashioning an iron javelin. Both are unarmored, wearing leather aprons and gloves. One of them wears tinted iron goggles as she hammers the javelin into shape. The other has an iron eye patch and uses tongs to hold the metal in place as it’s struck.
Iron. The floor is covered with small stacks of iron bars and loose piles of scrap iron.
The duergar, Falthra and Helgra, craft weapons here. Years ago, a flying piece of molten iron put out Helgra’s right eye; an iron eye patch bolted to her skull covers the empty eye socket.
Without their armor, Falthra and Helgra have AC 10. They keep their war picks and javelins close by, but fight only in self-defense. Visitors who trouble them are told to seek out Rojkarn Ironhead, the captain of the guard. “He wears a big helmet,” one says with a sneer. The other can provide directions to area area 6c, where Rojkarn’s office is located.
Treasure
Sixty iron bars are stacked on the floor. Each bar is worth 1 gp and weighs 10 pounds.
17d. Eastern Smithy
This room is identical to area area 17c except that the two unarmored duergar working here are males named Forn and Wulluk, and they’re fashioning shields and bits of scale mail instead of weapons. Forn is fat and lazy, Wulluk old and cantankerous. They grate on each other’s nerves and constantly put each other down. They otherwise behave similarly to the duergar in area area 17c.
17e. Armory
Stone pegs in the walls display six dwarf-sized suits of scale mail, ten helmets, ten shields, thirteen war picks, and thirty javelins, all fashioned from iron.
17f. Equipment Storage
The walls of this 10-foot-high room are lined with low stone shelves that hold worn mining picks and hammers. Rusty iron buckets, helmets, and shovels hang from stone pegs above the shelves.
18. Iron Mine
The duergar mine these tunnels for iron ore, which is taken to area areas 16a and area 16b to be smelted. The operation runs smoothly because of the merciless oversight of Stalagma Steelshadow, Valtagar’s wife.
The area is filled with the sounds of hammers and picks striking stone. The ceiling is roughly 10 feet high throughout.
18a. Old Scaffolding
A mine track passes through this cave, which is filled with torn-down iron scaffolding. Duergar miners can be heard to the west (area area 18b) and the south (area areas 18c and area 18d).
18b. Duergar Miners
Seven duergar—three males named Greorx, Hwahl, and Uzwurn, and four females named Awmok, Nezza, Proxna, and Warda—mine iron ore here. Eager for any distraction, the miners attack intruders on sight. Given the noise that echoes throughout the tunnels, the sound of clashing steel is unlikely to be noticed by the duergar in area areas 18c and area 18d. Magical explosions or other unusual sounds do draw their attention, though.
18c. A Miner Disturbance
Eleven duergar work here. Three of the workers are enlarged female duergar (Brakka, Korla, and Zagra) who use picks to break up a vein of iron ore that runs through the ceiling. Six normal-sized males (Hax, Mruuzdain, Oznur, Ramdrax, Tarnvur, and Yarox) work on expanding the cavern northward, while two normal-sized females (Nura and Speleosa) use hammers and spikes to separate iron from loose chunks of rock. If the miners notice the party, they attack, letting their enlarged allies barrel in first.
18d. Overseer
This section of the mine has been depleted of mithral and iron ore. It contains the following:
Stalagma. Stalagma Steelshadow, a female adult steel dragon in duergar form, is mounted on a gorgon near the bend in the mine track. (If Valtagar Steelshadow escaped from area area 15, he is riding behind Stalagma on the gorgon.)
Xorn. Three xorn under Stalagma’s command are gathered around a broken mine cart filled with coins.
Stalagma Steelshadow is Valtagar Steelshadow’s beloved mate, and only Valtagar knows that his wife is a dragon in disguise. In her true form, Stalagma looks like a slender, 30-foot-long dragon with shiny steel-gray scales covering her body, steely talons, and blade-like horns that sweep back from her narrow head. She has the statistics of an adult silver dragon, with these changes:
- Stalagma is lawful evil.
- While in duergar form, she has the Duergar Resilience and Sunlight Sensitivity traits of a duergar, as well as its Enlarge and Invisibility action options. In this form, she wields a glaive and can use her action to attack with it three times (+13 to hit), dealing 13 (
1d10 + 8 ) slashing damage on a hit, or 19 (2d10 + 8 ) slashing damage in her enlarged duergar form. - Instead of Cold Breath, she breathes acid in a 60-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line. The breath weapon deals acid damage instead of cold damage.
- She speaks Draconic, Dwarvish, and Terran.
Stalagma is as miserable and conniving as any duergar. She raised the gorgon, and it allows no one except her to ride it. The beast is smart enough to obey Stalagma’s verbal commands, and it’s strong enough to bear her weight while she’s in her enlarged duergar form.
Stalagma attacks any non-duergar who aren’t under her husband’s protection. If additional reinforcements are needed, Stalagma bellows, “To arms!” in Dwarvish. Her booming voice causes the duergar in area areas 18b and area 18c to stop working and converge on her location with their weapons drawn. The battle cry also awakens the guards sleeping in area area 19b, who collect their weapons and investigate. If her gorgon mount is killed or she is taking too much damage as a duergar, Stalagma uses her next action to revert to her true form. Other duergar who see Stalagma in her true form flee unless Valtagar is present to reassure them that the dragon is their ally.
Stalagma controls the xorn by feeding them treasure from the broken-down mine cart. In addition to Dwarvish and Draconic, she speaks Terran, so the xorn can understand her.
Xorn
The xorn are initially hostile toward Stalagma’s enemies. They quickly become indifferent toward characters who offer them gems as food, preferring such delicacies to the coins that Stalagma usually feeds them.
Treasure
The mine cart has two broken axles. It contains 2,000 sp and 3,200 gp.
19. Outpost
These chambers guard the stairs to level 22. The ceilings are 20 feet high throughout.
19a. Way to Level 22
Debris. In the west side of the room lie the crumbling remains of a stone table and four stone stools.
Pillars. Three stone pillars in the east side of the room are streaked with glittering mithral veins that look like lightning bolts shooting up from the floor. (Any attempt to extract the mithral from the pillars proves futile.)
Xindulus. An
invisible ultroloth named Xindulus guards a secret door leading to a 10-foot-wide spiral staircase that descends to level 22 (see “Secret Door” below).
If anyone opens the secret door, the ultroloth appears and tries to slay them. It ignores those who leave the secret door alone, allowing them to move through the area unmolested. If threatened by three or more enemies, it tries to summon
Xindulus won’t negotiate with adventurers unless they offer it something immensely valuable, such as a legendary magic item or an artifact.
Secret Door
A fresco that depicts dwarves battling a black pudding conceals the secret door in the north wall. Bloodstains mar the carving, making the dwarves look horribly wounded and giving the ooze a disgustingly realistic sheen. The secret door stands in a section of wall that bears the image of a dwarf wizard wielding a staff. The staff is made of real iron and is partially embedded in the stone.
An
19b. Empty Barracks
This room is empty.
20. Poisonous Mine
These chambers have 15-foot-high ceilings, with 10-foot-high tunnels connecting them. The sounds of picks striking stone echo throughout, becoming louder as one approaches area areas 20b and area 20c.
Noxious gas seeps into this mine through small fissures in the walls, filling areas east of the door to area area 19a and south of the door at area area 20d, except for area area 21. The gas is invisible, but characters can smell the toxic fumes and hear a faint hissing. It takes 1 minute for the gas to build up in a creature’s system, after which the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become
20a. Halaster’s Watching!
The characters encounter one of Halaster’s scrying eyes (see “area Halaster’s Lair") in this otherwise empty cave. The scrying sensor watches them until they leave, then disappears.
20b. Poisoned Miners
Three
20c. Poisoned Miners
Eight
The cave is strewn with old mining equipment: shovels, broken picks, rusty iron sleds for dragging ore, and so forth. A casual search also yields a pair of empty water skins, a shattered wooden ale cask, and a 20-foot-long coil of hempen rope too old to be of much use.
20d. Empty Room
Dwarves dug through the south wall of this room, hoping to find rich veins of mithral. Instead, they found iron and poisonous gas. The room is empty, though characters can hear the miners working in area areas 20b and area 20c.
21. Clean Air Station
The duergar come here to shake off the effects of the poison gas. Runes are chiseled into the smooth gray walls. A character who studies the runes and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (
22. Guard Post
Walls. Interlocking stone tiles cover the floor and walls of this 10-foot-high room.
Portcullis. An iron portcullis blocks the tunnel to the south. The portcullis can be forcibly lifted by creatures who have a combined Strength of 50 or higher. The bars of the portcullis are spaced 3 inches apart.
Lever. A stone lever in the down position juts from the angled wall east of the portcullis. (Moving this lever to the up position raises the portcullis.)
23. Fazrian’s Court
Time and neglect have diminished the grandeur of these vaulted halls, wherein the fallen angel awaits.
23a. Grand Foyer
The 18-foot-high double doors to the west swing inward, revealing a stone-tiled foyer with a 40-foot-high ceiling. The area contains the following features:
Braziers. The foyer is heated and dimly lit by two 6-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide stone braziers filled with burning coals. Smoke and embers rise from each.
Statues. Extending eastward from the foyer is a 20-foot-wide, 30-foot-high arched hall lined with 15-foot-tall iron statues of armored dwarves draped in cobwebs.
Continual flame spells flicker behind the eye holes of their helms, and their iron greataxes are raised high.
23b. Hall of Final Judgment
The floor of this 40-foot-high chamber is shaped like the head of a double-bladed axe. The room, which smells of roses and sulfur, contains the following:
Fazrian and Fiend. A hairless, green-skinned planetar with white-feathered wings and eyes of molten silver sits on a bone throne in a raised alcove. Lurking in the shadows behind the throne is Raxxus, a nycaloth. (The yugoloth passively guards the wall behind it, which contains a secret door to area area 24.)
Braziers. The chamber is dimly lit by four 6-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide stone braziers filled with burning coals that produce smoke and embers.
Standing Gate. To the north stands a pair of crystal menhirs, each imprisoning a marilith.
Open Pit. A gaping pit lies to the south, its rectangular mouth measuring 10 feet wide by 20 feet long by 30 feet deep, with a 20-foot-high, 20-foot-wide passage at the bottom leading south. Characters near the lip of the pit can hear large creatures (the otyughs in area area 23c) shuffling in the darkness below.
Fazrian is a lawful evil planetar that lacks the Healing Touch action option. Unless he is
- Blood flows from Fazrian’s eyes until initiative count 20 on the next round. No creature within 120 feet of the planetar can regain hit points until the effect ends.
- Fazrian’s eyes become smoldering black voids until initiative count 20 on the next round. All other creatures within 120 feet of the planetar have disadvantage on saving throws until the effect ends.
- Blinding magical light springs from Fazrian’s eyes until initiative count 20 on the next round. If a creature starts its turn within 120 feet of the planetar and the two of them can see each other, Fazrian can force the creature to make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is
blinded . The blindness lasts until the creature receives alesser restoration spell or similar magic.
Once an exemplar of courage and good judgment, Fazrian now seeks to destroy any creature it believes is undeserving of continued existence. Fazrian’s views are a mockery of what they once were. Every creature is guilty of “deformity” in the planetar’s eyes. Unless someone can swiftly prove their innocence, Fazrian sentences that individual to an immediate death.
Persuading the planetar to render a verdict of not guilty requires at least one party member to submit to Fazrian’s judgment. That character must then offer to surrender their own life to spare the lives of the others. Any character who stands before Fazrian and shows both courage and self-sacrifice is found innocent of the crime of deformity. Denials, protests, and challenges to Fazrian’s authority are met with stern pronouncements of guilt. The planetar can tell when it is being lied to (thanks to its Divine Awareness trait), and characters who lie to Fazrian are immediately judged guilty.
The planetar has delusions of raising an army to sweep through Undermountain and purge it of those it deems abhorrent. Before letting innocents off the hook, Fazrian demands that they each swear an oath to serve it henceforth. Those who refuse to take the oath are found guilty of the crime of cowardice and sentenced to death.
Once judgment is rendered, Fazrian orders Raxxus to step forth, slay the guilty party or parties, and cast their bodies into the pit (see area area 23c). After the guilty have been punished, those found innocent are escorted by Raxxus to the arcanaloths in area area 14 for indoctrination. If the nycaloth is killed, the planetar takes up its sword and attacks the guilty.
Only a character judged innocent by Fazrian can alter the planetar’s disposition enough to make it realize how corrupt it has become. Such a character can use an action to call on the planetar to look inward and judge itself, making a DC 26 Charisma (
If the planetar dies by its own hand or at the hands of the characters, Torm bestows on each character a blessing of protection (see “Supernatural Gifts” in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). This blessing is permanent if its receiver is a worshiper of Torm; otherwise, the blessing lasts for 10 days. Torm’s blessing is not bestowed on any character who releases one or both mariliths that are trapped in the crystal menhirs (see “Standing Gate to Level 19” below).
Nycaloth
Raxxus serves as the planetar’s executioner, ready to step forward and slay whatever Fazrian commands it to kill. Raxxus can summon other yugoloths (as described in the “Variant: Yugoloth Summoning” sidebar in the “Yugoloths” entry in the Monster Manual) and tries to do so if reinforcements are needed. Characters who defeat the planetar can tempt Raxxus with a bribe. Treasure in the amount of 10,000 gp or more can change the nycaloth’s attitude toward the party from hostile to indifferent; treasure in the amount of 25,000 gp or more changes its attitude to friendly. Raxxus won’t hurt the characters if it’s indifferent toward them and helps the characters if it’s friendly toward them. The nycaloth’s disposition reverts to hostile if the characters threaten it or fail to make payment in a reasonable amount of time.
Standing Gate to Level 19
The crystal menhirs are indestructible and form one of Halaster’s magic gates (see “area Gates"). Striking either menhir with a hard object or targeting one or both with a
The first thing an awakened marilith does is free itself using its Teleport action option. The mariliths are hostile toward all creatures that aren’t demons, and they despise angels most of all. If a marilith is released in Fazrian’s presence, the demon and the angel fight until only one is left standing. If the planetar is forced to fight one marilith by itself, assume that Fazrian emerges victorious with 60 hit points remaining. If forced to fight both mariliths by itself, Fazrian is killed and each demon is left with 60 hit points.
After being released from its menhir, a marilith can be magically compelled to divulge the command word that activates the gate. A
- The gate opens for 1 minute if a creature speaks the proper command word within 10 feet of it.
- Characters must be 15th level or higher to pass through this gate (see “area Jhesiyra Kestellharp"). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “area Elder Runes").
- A creature that passes through the gate appears in area area 7 on level 19, in the closest unoccupied space next to the similar gate located there.
23c. Garbage Disposal
A 20-foot-wide, 20-foot-high tunnel at the bottom of the pit in area area 23b leads south before coming to a dead end. The floor of the tunnel is covered with bones, bits of adventuring gear, and other debris.
At the end of the tunnel lurk three hungry Otyugh. When they detect other creatures in the pit, they rush forth and attack while using their Limited Telepathy to taunt prey.
Treasure
Scattered among the bones at the south end of the tunnel are 1,300 sp, 600 gp, and a thin gold playing card stamped with the image of a masked man and titled “The Thief.” The card is worth 10 gp and completes a deck of cards found in area area 10b.
24. Secret Vault
This oval chamber has a domed ceiling 20 feet high, as well as the following features:
Bloody Hand. Dry blood stains every surface except for a patch in the shape of a giant hand on the back wall.
Head and Mace. Piled in the middle of the room are ten shattered stone chests. A mace and a headless human corpse lie on the floor next to this rubble. The corpse’s severed head lies a few feet away. Maggots feast on the rotting remains.
Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (
Characters who witnessed the ghostly scene in area area 7 recognize the corpse as that of the cleric in the vision. Brythia Mulspeer and her adventuring companions were exploring Undermountain when the perils became too much for them. Brythia petitioned Torm for aid, and Fazrian answered the summons. The planetar provided much-needed assistance and healing, then chose to remain by Brythia’s side as the adventurers descended deeper into Undermountain. When blood lust finally took hold of the planetar, it turned on the adventurers and decapitated Brythia with its greatsword. This former cleric of Torm can be questioned using
Treasure
The mace is a
The stone chests once contained coins hidden here by Melairkyn dwarves. The duergar broke open the chests and dumped the coins in a mining cart in area area 18d.
Aftermath
Fazrian’s death enables the duergar to regain control of the Terminus Level. Valtagar has no immediate plans other than to fortify the level and prepare for his eventual return to Gracklstugh.
Any yugoloths that remain make the best of a bad situation. Aximus and Exekarus are more likely to ally with the duergar than with a band of adventurers, while Raxxus prefers to accompany the adventurers rather than stay with the duergar. If Xindulus is alive, the ultroloth takes its chances in Shadowdusk Hold (level 22), trying to forge an alliance with the death knights there.
Regardless of what happens, the Mad Mage continues to use the Terminus Level as a dumping ground for failed monster experiments. Characters who leave the level and later return might encounter one or more of these horrors.