The Obsidian Web: Session 9+ - Echoes of the Underdark

 

The Obsidian Web: Session 9+ - Echoes of the Underdark

Player Level: 5 (The campaign concludes at this level, but future adventures can easily scale upwards). Session Goal: Provide closure to the main narrative arc, detail the immediate consequences of the party's actions in Narathzul, present opportunities for continued roleplaying and character development, and introduce compelling hooks for new, distinct campaign arcs.

Key Themes: Consequences, New Beginnings, Legacy, Open World, Lingering Shadows.

Atmosphere: A mix of relief and lingering tension. The immediate threat of Narathzul is behind them, but the experience has undoubtedly left its mark. The world outside Narathzul (be it surface or deeper Underdark) feels vast and full of new, unknown challenges and opportunities.

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Opening Hook: The cold, unadorned stone of Narathzul is finally behind you. Whether you emerged blinking into the alien glow of the surface world or plunged deeper into the labyrinthine darkness of the Underdark, the weight of the Drow city, its terrors, and your daring act of defiance begin to recede, replaced by the uncertainty of what lies ahead. You are heroes, for now, to a select few, and despised enemies to many. The web has been untangled, but its echoes resonate, calling you to new adventures, or perhaps, to face the lingering shadows you left behind.

Recap from Session 8 (DM's Note):

• PCs have successfully escaped Narathzul, likely after a final confrontation with Matron Malice Mizzrym or her most formidable forces. They chose to exit either via The Grand Gate (Area 13) to the Surface (Beleriand) or The Sunken Ascent (Area 22) deeper into the Underdark Periphery.

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Core Scenarios & Hooks for Future Adventures:

The direction of this session largely depends on the party's chosen escape route and their immediate desires.

Scenario A: Emergence onto the Surface (Beleriand/Valeria)

1. Immediate Aftermath & Reporting:

   • Location: The desolate, rugged terrain of the Desolate Peaks (eastern Valeria), likely far from major settlements.
   • Challenge: Survival for a short period (Survival checks to find food/water, navigate the mountains), and avoiding any lingering Drow scouts who might have followed them out.
   • First Contact: They might encounter a remote surface outpost, a solitary trapper, or a desperate patrol sent by a concerned local lord (especially if they learned Mizzrym's target city).
   • Objective: Report their findings about Narathzul and the were-rat curse to surface authorities or influential figures.
   • Encounter: A tense social encounter with suspicious surface dwellers who might not believe tales of a hidden Drow city and a magical plague. Requires Persuasion (DC 14-16) or compelling evidence (e.g., a cursed item, a rescued, bewildered non-Drow slave).

2. The Lingering Shadow of the Curse:

   • Hook: Even if Mizzrym's plot was thwarted, a small, contained outbreak of the were-rat curse might have already begun in the target surface city (or a remote settlement).
   • Mission: PCs are tasked by surface authorities (or feel compelled) to help contain the outbreak, find a full cure (using information from Krylla/Spire of Whispers), or hunt down rogue were-rats.
   • Theme: Confronting the Consequences. This could be a mini-arc focused on investigation, tracking, and fighting transformed creatures, and seeking a definitive cure.

3. Drow Retaliation / Cold War:

   • Hook: Narathzul, humiliated, will seek revenge. While a full invasion might be averted, Drow raiding parties (perhaps from the Iron Citadel, Area 19) begin to harass surface communities or trade routes, seeking to retrieve lost prestige or gather new slaves.
   • Mission: PCs are hired as scouts, anti-Drow specialists, or protectors of trade routes. They might need to infiltrate smaller Drow outposts or counter-raid.
   • Theme: Defending the Realm. Focuses on tactical combat, wilderness survival, and a broader conflict against the Drow.

4. Reclaiming Lost Lore / Surface Connections:

   • Hook: The knowledge gained about Narathzul could lead to inquiries from surface scholars, mages, or even religious orders interested in Drow lore, the Underdark, or specific artifacts rumored to be in Drow hands.
   • Mission: PCs are asked to help decipher Drow prophecies, retrieve specific magical artifacts, or explore forgotten Underdark entrances for academic purposes.
   • Theme: Exploration & Scholarship. Focuses on puzzles, lore, and less direct combat, perhaps leading to new Underdark delves.

Scenario B: Plunging Deeper into the Underdark (Periphery/Echoing Spires)

1. Immediate Survival & New Territories:

   • Location: The vast, chaotic, and largely uncharted Underdark Periphery, potentially near the Echoing Spires (Area 22).
   • Challenge: Survival in a truly wild, hostile environment. Encounters with wild Underdark creatures (Hook Horrors, Gricks, Umber Hulks, Fungi).
   • First Contact: They might stumble upon a lost Deep Gnome community, a nomadic group of Myconids, or even a small, struggling surface-dweller colony.
   • Objective: Establish a safe base of operations or find a clear path to a known, if still dangerous, Underdark settlement.

2. House Vrael's Underdark Network:

   • Hook: Matron Nyssia (House Vrael) might send a message or an agent into the Periphery, seeking to re-establish contact. She needs the PCs for further, highly covert missions to undermine Lolth's influence in other Drow cities or to rescue key individuals targeted by the Spider Queen.
   • Mission: Explore other Drow cities, establish contact with hidden resistance cells in the Underdark, or disrupt Lolth-worshipping cults in remote caverns.
   • Theme: Expanding the Rebellion. Focuses on continued espionage, multi-city intrigue, and fighting a larger, covert war.

3. The Echoing Spires & Ancient Mysteries:

   • Hook: The Echoing Spires (Area 22) might be a geological anomaly with hidden, ancient secrets. Perhaps they lead to the ruins of an older, non-Drow civilization, or a source of powerful magic.
   • Mission: Explore the Spires, uncover ancient artifacts, face guardians of forgotten tombs, or discover a deeper secret about Valeria's history.
   • Theme: Dungeon Crawl & Ancient Lore. Focuses on exploration, environmental puzzles, and combating unique dungeon threats.

4. The Abyssal Connection:

   • Hook: The Drow's proximity to the Abyss, mentioned in Narathzul's introduction, is a constant threat. The party might discover that Lolth's influence extends beyond mere worship, with minor demonic incursions or cults trying to open further rifts.
   • Mission: Seal minor Abyssal rifts, fight demonic incursions, or gather intelligence on the true nature of Lolth's connection to the Abyss.
   • Theme: Planar Threats. Focuses on combating extraplanar entities and dealing with cosmic horrors.

Common Threads & Player Choices:

• Character Development: Allow players time to reflect on their experiences. How have their characters changed? What are their new goals?
• Resource Management: How do they replenish their resources after such a draining campaign? Do they need to work, or can they leverage their new contacts?
• The Unseen Circle (Mystery): Regardless of their path, the mysterious Unseen Circle (mentioned as meeting in Area 2, Noble Housing) could make a move. They are an intelligence-gathering lounge. They might reach out, having observed the PCs' disruption of Mizzrym, and offer them a place in a broader network or reveal deeper conspiracies within Valeria. This provides a grand, overarching plot for a truly long-running campaign.
• Reputation: The party now has a reputation. Whether as defiant heroes or notorious fugitives, their actions in Narathzul will precede them.

This Session 9+ is designed to be a flexible bridge, allowing the DM and players to collaboratively decide the next great adventure, drawing from the rich tapestry woven during "The Obsidian Web."