Defeating the Knot - Dungeon of the Mad Mage

About the adventure

Where Waterdeep stands today, there once stood Aelinthaldaar, the capital city of the ancient elven kingdom of Illefarn. When the elves left, they used a powerful spell to erase all traces of their capital. This spell had the unintended side effect of creating a permanent knot in the Weave, the fabric through which all magic is channeled. This knot lies deep underground and isn’t something that can be seen, felt, or undone, but it can cause madness to bloom in the minds of mortal beings who dwell near it for too long. The knot permeates Undermountain, and the madness it causes typically manifests as an obsession with the dungeon itself. Those affected by the knot in the Weave exhibit a subconscious desire to remain in or near the dungeon. Halaster and several of his apprentices fell prey to this obsession, as did many Melairkyn dwarves and Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawning Portal. Not all creatures that dwell in Undermountain succumb to its madness, and those who do aren’t even aware that the dungeon has them in its clutches. Recently, attention in Waterdeep has become even more centered upon the mysterious dungeon beneath the thriving metropolis. Creatures seem to be flowing out of the dungeon almost as swiftly as they flow into it, and divinations of the most powerful reveal the dungeon is at the center of an incoming threat , but at what scale? This ongoing campaign allows for a no-restrictions exploration of the enormous expanse of Undermountain. Something sinister lies over the dungeon and is coming to a head, with or without your intrepid band of explorers. Played weekly, this campaign has world-saving repercussions added in to the famous megadungeon as adapted from the published material. Able to be played anywhere from gritty to high-fantasy, your heroes will become the center of the machinations of powerful factions and will face dangerous foes and devilish traps as you delve ever-deeper into the dungeon. Starting at 5th level, or at 1st with Waterdeep: Dragon Heist as a prequel, this adventure goes past the usual capstone event of facing Halaster himself and is projected and designed to allow a significant number of sessions of play at 20th level, playing with all the tools at your disposal and pushing your epic heroes to their very limits.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Microphone is a definite must as we will be communicating via Discord. You will also need an account on forge-vtt.com to access the virtual tabletop (it's a simple, and free, signup process).

What I provide

I provide the virtual tabletop and all D&D Beyond material.

Gameplay details

Undermountain is, naturally, designed as a primarily exploration pillar adventure with significant combat opportunity. Kick in the doors and take the loot if that's your preferred style of play! However, there are also innumerous factions and potential allies and enemies to make within Undermountain, allowing any style of play to prosper and the game to travel in completely different directions.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

(none)

How will character creation work

Characters will start at 5th or 1st level (if using the optional Waterdeep: Dragon Heist start) and will be created beforehand using D&D Beyond (I share ALL creation material with my players). I'm available to help with creation via Discord.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.