Campaign: Shadowstone: Seeds of Retribution (Levels 6-10)

Campaign: Shadowstone: Seeds of Retribution (Levels 6-10/11)

Mission 1: The Spreading Blight & Perilous Descent

Campaign: Shadowstone: Seeds of Retribution Levels: 6

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Overall Premise: The PCs, having just thwarted Matron Malice Mizzrym's immediate plans in Narathzul, are now the direct targets of her furious, personal pursuit. Their flight leads them through the treacherous Narathzul's Periphery, where they receive crucial, if desperate, aid from the Deep Gnome resistance. This harrowing journey sets them on a path of immediate heroism in the Grimstone Quarry, revealing the true, tragic nature of a terrible curse afflicting the Deep Gnomes of Shadowstone and solidifying their new purpose.

Setting: Narathzul's Periphery. This colossal, 100-mile subterranean expanse functions as the Drow city's dangerous frontier, used for resource gathering and military projection. The mission specifically traverses Area 3: The Bioluminescent Groves, moves towards Area 2: Resistance Territory / Hidden Encampments (The Moonless Grotto), and culminates in Area 7: The Grimstone Quarry.

Hook: Having just defeated (but not killed) Matron Malice Mizzrym in Narathzul, the PCs witnessed her desperate escape, grabbing a nearby Drow guard as she vanished. Now, they are the prime targets of her wrath. As they plunge into the Periphery, the relentless pursuit by Malice herself, accompanied by her elite forces, is immediate and personal. Their every step is haunted by the echoes of her fury, pushing them onward into the vast, dangerous Underdark. They have only vague knowledge of Shadowstone as Malice's new stronghold, making it a destination of both dread and desperate hope.

Goals:

1. Execute a harrowing escape through Area 3: The Bioluminescent Groves, using its unique environment to evade Malice's direct pursuit.
2. Benefit from the Deep Gnome resistance's diversion, specifically Mouse's attack on Malice, allowing the PCs to push ahead.
3. Meet Cynthia in Area 2: The Moonless Grotto, receiving immediate news of a disaster at the mines.
4. Descend into The Grimstone Quarry (Area 7) to rescue trapped miners from a cave-in and confront a lurking fiend.
5. Defeat the fiend threatening the miners, enabling their escape and, crucially, learning the true, tragic nature of the lycanthropic curse directly from a Deep Gnome victim.

Key Encounters:

• Scene 1: Flight Through the Bioluminescent Groves (Area 3)

  • Encounter: A high-stakes chase sequence with Matron Malice Mizzrym (using Drow Matron Mother stats, focused on pursuit/delay) and her elite Drow pursuit squad (2-3 Drow Elite Warriors, 1 Drow Mage/Priestess, 1-2 Giant Spiders). PCs use environmental skill checks (Acrobatics, Stealth, Athletics) to evade.
  • Dynamic Element: Just as Malice closes in, Mouse, leading a small Deep Gnome resistance strike team, launches a dramatic ambush on Malice's forces. This diversion draws Malice's full attention, allowing the PCs to escape her immediate sight. Mouse points them urgently towards Area 2.

• Scene 2: Respite and Urgent Plea at the Grotto (Area 2)

  • Encounter: PCs find temporary sanctuary in The Moonless Grotto, encountering Cynnthia (Drow Cleric of Eilistraee) performing a ritual.
  • Plot Twist: Desperate, dust-covered runners from Area 7: The Grimstone Quarry burst in, reporting a massive cave-in, trapped miners, and a terrifying "grinding beast" preying on survivors. Cynthia urgently implores the PCs to go to the quarry, stating she will follow as fast as possible to provide healing.

• Scene 3: Rescue in the Grimstone Quarry (Area 7)

  • Encounter: PCs arrive at the chaotic scene of the cave-in, with Drow overseers present but largely indifferent.
  • The Descent: PCs must perform skill checks (Athletics/Acrobatics) to climb down a treacherous mine shaft into the main pocket of trapped miners.
  • The Fiend: At the bottom, they confront a powerful Hezrou (Demon, CR 8), agitated by the cave-in and preying on the miners. The Hezrou's Stench ability is a continuous environmental threat.
  • Simultaneous Action: While PCs fight the Hezrou, enslaved miners desperately work to dig themselves out (represented by a background timer or skill challenge for the miners themselves).
  • The Revelation: Upon the Hezrou's defeat, grateful Deep Gnome miners (e.g., "Shift-Slave" Elara or "Dusty" Gorgrim) reveal the chilling truth: "Thank you, outsiders... but go no further towards Shadowstone! That city... Malice's plague... it makes our people monsters. Not just the Drow, but us. During the full moon, we... we change. It's a curse, worse than death. Malice... she's bringing more of our people there, to be changed." Cynthia arrives shortly after, confirming the horror and solidifying their alliance.

Mission 2: Shadowstone's Outer Veil (Levels 6-7)

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• Overall Premise: Having reached the perimeter, the PCs must now breach this heavily patrolled and highly dangerous outer zone of occupied Shadowstone, which includes the formidable Drow border outpost. The focus here is on infiltration and navigating the immediate dangers.
• Setting: Shadowstone's Shadow (Zone 1 of the Shadowstone module), the immediate perimeter around the main city, specifically including the Drow border outpost in Periphery Area 11. This zone is explicitly described as "perpetually cloaked in a pervasive shadow that seems to drain light and warmth." The Drow maintain constant patrols and watch posts throughout this area, attempting to control access.
• Hook: The air here is thick with gloom and an unsettling aura of unnatural energies. Their objective is to push through the Drow border outpost and the initial Drow surveillance and control, and locate a suitable point to infiltrate the more central, ruined city. They might encounter small, terrified groups of enslaved Deep Gnome laborers or hidden Deep Gnomes in the ruins, who are too wary to trust outsiders immediately but can offer desperate pleas or tiny, hidden clues, without revealing the curse's specific nature yet.
• Goals:
  1. Infiltrate Shadowstone's Shadow (Zone 1) by bypassing or neutralizing the entrenched Drow border outpost and subsequent Drow patrols.
  2. Navigate the complex traps (such as The Crumbling Remnant Pit, The Disorienting Rune-Trap, and Drow Razor-Wire Snares described in the module). These Drow are clearly Matron Malice's forces, maintaining strict control.
  3. Scout potential hidden or less-guarded entry points into the main city of Shadowstone proper, ideally avoiding the main Drow command centers.
• Key Encounters: A challenging stealth/infiltration scenario focused on the Drow border outpost. Subsequent stealth/infiltration encounters against Mizzrym Drow patrols. Environmental hazards like the pervasive traps. This mission ends with the PCs finding a viable path into the heart of occupied Shadowstone.

Mission 3: Desperate Foothold & The Curse Revealed (Levels 7)

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• Overall Premise: Having successfully infiltrated the main city, the PCs find the ruins, not swarming with an army, but with Drow patrols and evidence of desperate struggle. They must now establish a temporary safe zone and, critically, discover the Deep Gnome survivors and the true, tragic nature of the curse.
• Setting: Shadowstone (Zone 1: The Shattered Threshold, leading deeper into the main city, toward defensible initial caverns like Zone 2: The Heartstone Library's outer reaches or similar secure ruin). This is a city under complete Drow occupation, with patrols moving through its shattered thoroughfares.
• Hook: The PCs will find evidence of recent, brutal attacks on Drow targets. The city feels desolate and ruined, not like a military camp. They must now fight to secure a temporary, hidden safe zone for themselves – a place where they can rest, regroup, and plan their next move without immediate Drow intervention. As they establish this foothold, they discover and rescue a small, terrified group of Deep Gnome survivors. These gnomes, traumatized and desperate, finally reveal the grim truth: they are afflicted by a lycanthropic curse. They are gnomes most of the time, poor and crushed, but during the full moon, they involuntarily transform into feral, rage-filled monsters (were-rats), driven by an instinctual hatred for their Drow oppressors. They recount the horror of their transformations and the despair of their situation. This is the moment the PCs truly understand the nature of the "problem."
• Goals:
  1. Navigate the initial ruins of Shadowstone's proper city, engaging in skirmishes with Mizzrym Drow patrols.
  2. Identify and secure a defensible, hidden location within the city (e.g., a sturdy, defensible building within Zone 1 or a nearby, cleared portion of Zone 2). This requires tactical combat, stealth, and perhaps some ingenuity to make it defensible and secret.
  3. Discover and make contact with the Deep Gnome survivors, and learn the true, tragic nature of the lycanthropic curse – that the Deep Gnomes transform into feral were-rats only during the full moon, driven by rage against Drow, and are otherwise suffering gnomes.
  4. Hold their ground against potential Drow patrols investigating the disturbance, emphasizing their independent survival.
  5. Gather initial intel on the Drow's command structure and Malice's presence within the city proper through observation or captured Drow.
• Key Encounters: Encounters with Mizzrym Drow patrols (organized but dispersed throughout the ruined city). The critical encounter is the discovery and rescue of the Deep Gnome survivors, leading to the revelation of the curse's true nature. The tension is high, emphasizing the PCs' isolation and resourcefulness within the occupied city. This mission ends with the PCs having established a precarious but functional temporary hidden base and made contact with the Deep Gnome survivors, understanding their terrible plight.

Mission 4: Mouse's Arrival & The Mines (Levels 7-8)

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• Overall Premise: The Deep Gnome resistance, led by Mouse, arrives to establish a secure base and enlist the PCs' aid in investigating sinister activities in the mines.
• Setting: The PCs' temporary foothold in Shadowstone, leading to a new, more secure Deep Gnome enclave (likely in a part of Zone 2 or a fortified area not immediately on the map but accessible from it). The mission will then proceed into Zone 6: The Deepstone Mines.
• Hook: Just as the PCs feel they've established a precarious foothold, they are approached by scouts from the Deep Gnome resistance. The scouts, impressed by the PCs' resilience and their evident animosity towards Mizzrym, lead them to a more secure, hidden enclave. Here, the PCs meet Mouse, the formidable leader of the Deep Gnome resistance, who was led to them by Fizzlebop (a known contact/ally who found a shortcut). Mouse immediately begins setting up vital services with her support personnel (Click, Cynnthia, Thalin). She has urgent news: there's serious trouble in The Deepstone Mines (Zone 6); strange abyssal energies are bleeding through, and the Drow are exploiting something far more sinister than minerals. She tasks the PCs with investigating and disrupting this exploitation.
• Goals:
  1. Meet Mouse, Fizzlebop, and the core Deep Gnome resistance leaders (Click, Cynnthia, Thalin). Witness the rapid establishment of their services (healing, potions, crafting, resurrection).
  2. Receive a comprehensive briefing from Mouse on Matron Malice's objectives and the escalating threat from the mines, confirming Malice is in direct command.
  3. Infiltrate Zone 6: The Deepstone Mines to investigate the "trouble."
  4. Discover "Abyssal Bleed-Through" (sickly violet fungi) and identify its connection to Malice's continued abyssal pacts.
  5. Confront the "colossal, biological source" of the grinding noise (the burrowing creature mentioned in Shadowstone's Shadow Cavern #6 description), which has become increasingly aggressive due to the spreading madness and Malice's influence.
  6. Locate "The Corrupted Vein" within the mines, which is clearly affected by abyssal energy and ties directly to the Forge of Endless Night. This confirms Malice's deeper objective.
  7. Experience the madness fog's presence more directly and learn how to temporarily alleviate its effects.
• Key Encounters: A high-stakes social encounter with Mouse and her lieutenants, establishing trust and resources. Combat encounters with Drow overseers and enslaved Deep Gnomes/Duergar in the mines. A terrifying combat encounter with the burrowing creature (e.g., a powerful formian, xorn, or custom beast) and corrupted elementals guarding "The Corrupted Vein," likely reinforced by Malice's arcane wards.

Mission 5: The Rat King's Gambit & Notes on the Cure (Levels 8-9)

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• Overall Premise: Mouse, having gained trust in the PCs' unique capabilities, directs them to confront the source of the lycanthropic curse – The Rat King – to gather crucial intelligence on a cure.
• Setting: Shadowstone (Zone 5: The Deepstone Warrens), leading to Zone 10: The Veiled Maw and ultimately The Rat King's Lair Dungeon.
• Hook: Mouse confirms that The Rat King's power base and his main concentrations of afflicted Deep Gnomes are in Zone 5: The Deepstone Warrens. She needs the PCs to go in, assess his full strength, and, crucially, gather information to pinpoint his hidden lair. Mouse knows The Rat King is the orchestrator of the curse upon the gnomes and believes he holds the key to its understanding, if not its cure. She emphasizes that the city cannot be truly liberated while the curse afflicts her people. She directs them to investigate Zone 5, noting that this area is where the afflicted gnomes are often found, particularly during the full moon when they may be prone to uncontrolled, violent outbursts against the Drow. This mission specifically instructs them to find The Veiled Maw (Zone 10), making it clear this is the secret entrance to his lair, which they are now explicitly looking for.
• Goals:
  1. Infiltrate Zone 5: The Deepstone Warrens to observe the afflicted Deep Gnomes and gather clues about The Rat King. Witness potential bursts of chaotic action by the transformed Deep Gnomes on Drow patrols, especially during a full moon ("The Scent of the Moon").
  2. Discover compelling evidence of The Rat King's identity, his mastery of necromancy, and his personal vengeance. ("The Sacrificed Sanctuary" might be a site of his twisted rituals, or reveal his gnomic background).
  3. Find the initial, subtle clues pointing towards the secret entrance to his lair (Zone 10: The Veiled Maw). "The Whispering Fungi Trail" and "The Discarded Ritual Component" (which should now be explicitly tied to Mizzrym's abyssal connections discovered earlier) are key.
  4. Confront The Rat King directly in his inner sanctum (after navigating the lair's defenses).
  5. Crucial Decision Point: The Rat King reveals his full story: his Deep Gnome kin were enslaved or tortured by Matron Malice Mizzrym's agents, leading him to master necromancy and the curse as a twisted act of vengeance against her. He uses the transformed Deep Gnomes as a weapon against his Drow tormentors, but he is fundamentally a Deep Gnome, albeit twisted by grief and dark power.
     • Option A: Fight The Rat King. If the PCs see him as too far gone, or a threat to innocent Deep Gnomes (even in his current, twisted form), they must defeat him in a challenging boss battle.
     • Option B: Enlist The Rat King. If the PCs can appeal to his Deep Gnome heritage and offer a more effective path to Malice's destruction and gnome liberation (perhaps promising a true cure for his people, or a more direct assault on the source of abyssal corruption that Malice is drawing upon), they might convince him to use his forces and knowledge against her. This would be a high-stakes social encounter or a difficult negotiation, possibly requiring a demonstration of their own commitment to fighting Malice and the Abyssal corruption.
  6. Regardless of the outcome, discover notes or information about a cure or suppression for the lycanthropic curse within The Rat King's lair. These are not a definitive cure, but crucial clues (e.g., specific rare components, ancient gnome rituals, insights into the curse's magical components).
• Key Encounters: Navigating through areas where transformed Deep Gnomes may sporadically cause chaos for Drow in the Deepstone Warrens. A gauntlet of intelligent undead, deadly arcane traps, and corrupted Deep Gnome constructs in The Rat King's lair. If fought, a multi-phase boss fight against The Rat King. A high-stakes social or negotiation encounter if befriending him.

Mission 6: Malice's Foothold – Scouting the Fortress (Levels 9-10)

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• Overall Premise: Mouse needs crucial intelligence for the final assault. The PCs must infiltrate and scout Malice's primary Drow fortress in Shadowstone's Shadow.
• Setting: Shadowstone's Shadow (specifically Cavern #8: The Guarded Way, and potentially the Drow Barracks within it), as well as the immediate surrounding areas leading to it from the city proper.
• Hook: With information about the cure (or at least its components) in hand, and The Rat King dealt with (or allied), Mouse now shifts focus to the ultimate goal: driving out the Drow. She informs the PCs that Matron Malice has fortified a significant command post within Shadowstone's Shadow (Cavern #8), serving as her main logistical and defensive hub. Mouse explains that a direct assault would be too costly without detailed intel. She tasks the PCs with a critical reconnaissance mission: scout the Drow fortress, identify key personnel (like Captain Vharn Xarann, Illyana Phaere, Priestess Morwen Vi'Dra if they are there), patrol routes, weak points, and supply lines. She wants to know how deeply Malice's forces are entrenched and if there are any new demonic influences apparent.
• Goals:
  1. Infiltrate the Drow fortress/command post in Shadowstone's Shadow (Cavern #8), bypassing its external defenses and patrols.
  2. Gather detailed intelligence on the Drow's command structure, key Drow personnel (their routines, strengths, weaknesses), patrol patterns, and defensive layouts (e.g., trap locations, guard rotations, magical wards).
  3. Identify crucial targets for the upcoming combined assault (e.g., communications arrays, high-ranking officers, supply depots).
  4. Determine if any new abyssal elements or rituals are being conducted within the fortress, as Malice might be drawing more power.
  5. Extract safely with the gathered intelligence.
• Key Encounters: Complex stealth and infiltration challenges against highly vigilant Drow patrols and potentially new Drow constructs or abyssal-infused guards. Opportunities for observation, eavesdropping, and using diversions. Potential for a direct (but optional) skirmish with a key Drow lieutenant if a critical piece of intel can only be gained through confrontation. The emphasis is on intelligence gathering and tactical navigation rather than a full-scale assault.

Mission 7: Shadowstone Liberated! (Levels 10-11)

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• Overall Premise: The final, decisive assault on Shadowstone. The PCs lead a multi-pronged attack to drive out the Drow, defeat Matron Malice, and begin the cure for the Deep Gnomes.
• Setting: Matron Malice Mizzrym's Main Command Post within Shadowstone (e.g., The Echoing Council Chambers (Zone 13), or a final heavily fortified position like The Sunken Warehouses (Zone 3), or even a desperate last stand near Zone 1: The Shattered Threshold as she attempts a ritual or escape). The entire city will be an active war zone.
• Hook: With the reconnaissance complete, Mouse has sent out word to all Deep Gnome resistance cells, gathered the Deep Gnome survivors within Shadowstone, and (if allied) coordinated with The Rat King and his controlled transformed Deep Gnomes. The time for the final, decisive assault has come. Mouse assigns the PCs to lead the most critical prong of a three-pronged attack, striking directly at Matron Malice's main command post while the other forces create city-wide diversions and engage the Drow on multiple fronts. The very fate of Shadowstone and its people hangs in the balance.
• Goals:
  1. Lead the direct assault against Matron Malice Mizzrym and her elite forces within her primary command post.
  2. Engage and defeat Matron Malice Mizzrym herself. This is the climactic boss fight of the campaign, leveraging all Malice's resources and her direct connection to the Abyss. She will utilize her full cunning, magic, and her demonic pacts. She will be fiercely guarded by her elite Mizzrym Drow forces.
  3. Dismantle her primary command and resource centers throughout the city (as part of the overall multi-pronged assault), breaking the Drow's occupational grip.
  4. Coordinate with Mouse's Deep Gnome army (and potentially The Rat King if allied) to ensure a full-scale uprising and finally turn the tables on their oppressors, freeing the enslaved Deep Gnomes.
  5. Work with Mouse, Glimmer, Cynnthia, and any rescued Lore-keepers/alchemists (and possibly The Rat King, if allied) to discover and implement a cure for the lycanthropic curse. This will be a complex skill challenge or multi-stage ritual, potentially requiring a rare component from the Deepstone Mines or a ritual performed at a cleansed Hallowed Grotto (Zone 9), now freed from Malice's taint. This provides a truly satisfying resolution for the Deep Gnomes.
• Key Encounters: A multi-phase, high-stakes battle against Matron Malice Mizzrym (CR 9-10 Drow Matron Mother, enhanced by abyssal powers). The battle should feel epic, with the Deep Gnome resistance fighting fiercely around the PCs, demonstrating the fruits of their alliance. The triumphant culmination of the cure ritual, representing the mechanical resolution of the curse.

Aftermath & Future Campaign Hooks (Level 11+)

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• Shadowstone Reborn: The Deep Gnomes, under Mouse's leadership, begin to rebuild, becoming powerful allies and a beacon against Drow tyranny. They remember the PCs as their saviors. Click, Cynnthia, and Thalin will continue their vital work, becoming key contacts and providers of services.
• The Greater Web: The Forge of Endless Night (first hinted at in The Corrupted Vein, Zone 6 of Shadowstone) becomes the central focus for a Tier 3 (Level 11-16+) campaign. The PCs now have irrefutable evidence of its connection to Mizzrym's plots, the curse, and Torog's awakening. Their next grand task is to venture into the Abyss to seal this planar wound and confront the demonic entity responsible for fueling these corruptions across Valeria's Underdark. Mouse and the Deep Gnomes (and potentially a reformed Rat King) are key allies in this larger fight.
• Narathzul's Ongoing Chaos: The civil war they ignited continues. House Vrael might need their continued aid, or other Drow houses (now vying for power after Mizzrym's fall and Malice's defeat) could rise as new threats from Narathzul's Periphery, seeking revenge or a new path to power.
• The Madness Fog: Now an established and understood threat, the pervasive madness-inducing fog in the deepest Underdark levels will be a constant factor in any future excursions into Level 2 and Level 3 of the Abyss, requiring new tactics or magical countermeasures.