The Sinister Spire

The Sinister Spire follows Barrow of the Forgotten King, but can quite successfully be used as a stand alone adventure.

Pedestal is an Underdark community, a city once ruled by the Drow. Many years ago, a disaster befell Pedestal, The Plagueburst, a disaster that killed many people, unleashed an undead plague upon the city, and toppled the Drow from their thrones of power.

The heroes quest leads them hear, pursuing the tomb robbers who looted the Forgotten King.

The adventure is broken down into eight sections. The first, the introduction gives the Adventure Background, the Adventure Synopsis, and a series of Adventure Hooks to integrate the adventure into your campaign, if, like me, you did not take your players through The Barrow of the Forgotten King.

The second section is Into the Depths, details the path from where the adventures are to the Great Grotto. The characters pass through an Earth Node, being transported across great distances, so you can set the adventure wherever you please.

The third section details The Great Grotto, a vast cavern containing the Sullen Sea, an deep aquifer, and the city of Pedestal. The Sullen Sea is linked to deeper bodies of water, and contains an Aboleth. If one wants to expand the adventure, this aberration makes a brilliant puppet master villain. Remember it is a super genius. It should retreat rather than allow itself to be destroyed.

The fourth section is Pedestal the city. Pedestal is controlled by three different factions; The Assassin's guild, a force within the city now by virtue of being one of the few hierarchies to survive the plague burst, The Inheritors, a group of derro, grimlock and koa-toa led by the mysterious Blue Knight. They seek to oust the drow from power completely. Lastly there is House Dusklorn; a drow house composed of ragtag survivors of old houses and lowborn drow. They have the one thing that they need to be a House, though, a single priestess of Lolth. The last player in the game of thrones in Pedestal is Es Sarch, the mysterious owner of the Dripstone Inn, an undead information broker. He can be very useful to the players.

The city is lightly detailed, leaving plenty of room for a Dungeon Master to add his own embellishments. Here the characters can learn of the plague, the undead, and the tomb robbers. They will also be directed to the next section where they will find things that will prove helpful to their survival.

The fifth section involves a trip out onto the Sullen Sea to Rikaryon's Isle, where a rare fungus grows, vital to treat those infected with the plague. Es Sarch the owner of the Dripstone Inn is willing to trade these mushrooms for information. Don't forget that the Aboleth could make another return appearance.

The sixth section closes in on the object of the quest; Fedheela the tomb robber. She is laired in the Necromancer's Spike, the vast column that rises from floor to ceiling of the Great Grotto, and gives Pedestal its name.

The Spike is a classic dungeon, an ancient wizard's lair, full of traps and guardians. It leads in a fairly linear fashion to the final showdown with a delightfully wicked villain. It also contains several features that add color but no value to party treasure, because they can not be removed.

The seventh section is Adventure's End. It deals with the aftermath of the adventure, and the big treasure, Banrhialorg. This is a Legacy item, a staff intended for wizards or sorcerers. It also contains the links for the next adventure.

The eighth section is composed of Encounter sheets. As you progress through the adventure, each encounter will trigger a "turn to page 34". Here, you find everything you need for the encounter; the Monsters stats, a small map of the scene with enemy placement marked, and sections labeled set up, (including descriptive text of the area.) Tactics (which tells you what each monster will do, making sure they use their full abilities,) Development, (which discusses what happens after the heroes win, or loose.) and Features (Which include features that might affect combat, and treasure.) Some encounters also include things like Negotiation, if diplomacy is called for.

These are a wonderful feature for the harried Dungeon Master. While flipping back and forth is a tiny bit awkward, this is one of the best ways I have seen in all my years playing, and I started when it was called Chainmail! This lets even a novice DM handle himself like a pro.

Overall, this game is well written. There is a lot of meat for expansion, and the module is somewhat adaptable. While it is an Underdark adventure, that doesn't mean it can't be worked over. For instance, my party was composed entirely of Drow Male Wizards. They came in, and decided to settle. I have had to work like a Trojan to fit that into the campaign, but they are setting up a sanctuary for any Dark Elf who wants to live free of the Theocracy of Lolth. The link to the surface world opens up real possibilities.

Overall, this is an excellent module; challenging, but not a total party killer. My group certainly had fun in it. Give it a try.
In fond Memory of Gary Gygax, Father of Dungeons and Dragons.
27 July, 1938 -4 March, 2008
"You enriched my life."