Thoughts on I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill

  

“What cause have you to fear the darkness of the night, when within your own heart is darkness itself?

Why then judge you my works so harshly.”

– COUNT STRAHD VON ZAROVICH [I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill – 2]

I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill

The master of Gryphon Hill bids you welcome and hopes that you have a pleasant stay. Please forgive him if he does not greet you, for he is rather involved in a little experiment at the moment. No doubt he will call upon you when your services are required. [I10 – 2]

If the above quote doesn’t inform you that this sequel is very different from the original, nothing will. Unprepared, you probably wouldn’t like this adventure, especially if you were enamoured with I6 Ravenloft. I6 is very much an AD&D adventure module steeped with gothic elements. It attempts to be a horror story; and it succeeds in that regard only so far as the mechanics of the game allows it. It’s dark. It’s moody. A storm rages. Cobwebs and dust cover corners and every surface. But its castle is far more Victorian that Mediaeval. And there’s an organ in it, for God’s sake. One imagines Toccata in D minor echoing throughout. I do, anyway. But it is still D&D. One gets what one expects: spiders, gargoyles, an abundance of undead. And vampires. It’s an homage to Dracula, after all. Count Strahd von Zarovich, by any other name…. But is it scary? Not really. Like I said: it’s D&D. The only terror the players are probably going to feel is the likelihood that their characters are going to die. And they are very likely going to, too. Note undead, above. A great many drain levels.

Baravia

Is its sequel as potentially lethal as its predecessor? It might be. In that it is very much alike Ravenloft. But it is also very different, too. It’s almost twice as long as the original. It’s far more detailed. There’s more of a story. And it is also decidedly more Gothic. Where the first is a vampire hunt (and a battle for survival), this adventure is as much a mystery to be unravelled as it is – again – a vampire hunt. There are allusions to Robert Lewis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and to Author Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles – or to the film adaptations of these classic works, anyway. And to Lord Byron, too, to name drop.

The premise: The citizenry is being preyed upon – a la Orlane in N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God – but not in the way you think. The people are frightened, or oblivious to their danger, or vacant and supposedly skeptical of any at all. But this is not the reason why the PCs were lured to the sleepy village of Mordentshire. It all began when a certain noted Alchemist, one Count Strahd von Zarovich, came to town….

The High Faith received a letter a short while ago from Lord Byron Weathermay of Mordentshire, a small seacoast hamlet. Lord Byron’s daughter, Lady Virginia Weathermay, is set to marry a newcomer to the region, named Count Strahd Von Zarovich. While this Strahd fellow seems to be an appealing chap, Lord Byron feels there is something unnatural about him, and before giving up his only daughter has asked the Faith if they would dispatch some investigators for some discreet checking. The Faith has in the past received large building donations from the Weathermays, and so dispatched your party to deal with the matter. [I10 – 10]

Were it that simple. It never is, is it?

At the start of the adventure, the player characters are recovering from a raging fever and may not remember all the circumstances of their recent mission. [I10 – 10]

They have no recollection of their travels, only this horrific encounter:

A Black Figure

A darkness clouds this room and the essence of evil permeates the very air. The smell of freshly turned earth is here. This room appears to be 50 feet long from east to west and 30 feet across. There are three empty alcoves in the south wall. Settled into the dirt on the floor, lies a shining black coffin of finely waxed wood. The coffins fittings are of polished brass. The lid is closed.

There is a strange feeling to the room as though you are looking at it through a fog.

Suddenly, a resounding shriek of metal fills the tomb! A heavy steel portcullis crashes down, blocking the stairs to the north by which you entered this room. The lid to the coffin is flung open and a black figure flies high into the air, hovering near the darkened ceiling! [I10 – 12]

They fought. They may even have died!

You have been defeated!. You see the dark, twisted visage of the vampire moving toward you, his hand outstretched. You cannot move! You cannot even scream! He smiles at the terror in your eyes... his hand reaching out toward your throat as he seeks to steal the last of your life from you… as you…

…suddenly awaken, sitting bolt upright in your bed. The dying echo of your screams resound around you. Cold sweat soaks the bed sheets and trickles down your back.

It seemed so real! The great towers of some place called Ravenloft ... the misty vales and the terrible tragedy of a man who had sold his soul to unlife. Too much to drink? Och, last night! Perhaps the mutton was not quite done.

Cold Sunlight

The cold sunlight of a dying fall streams into your window. The inn room comes slowly into focus around you. Hovering over you are people you have never seen before. They look concerned, yet pleased that you are awake. Weakly looking about the room, you see your companions, sprawled in cots lined against the wall of the room. None of them look as if they had much better sleep than you. Each lies weakly in bed, occasionally moaning or breaking into feverish starts. [I10 – 12]

Then they awoke, the past three days blank!

The player characters will discover when they check that their gear is missing from their room. They can learn from Marion Atwater, the servant girl attending them, Dominic the Innkeeper or Docteur d’Honaire, that when the fever overtook them they were first overcome with delirium and threw their gear about and attacked phantoms, damaging their weapons and equipment. All their gear was thus removed for safekeeping elsewhere. Damages have [already] been paid for by Lord Weathermay, and he instructed that the heroes' equipment was to be repaired and cleaned at the various businesses around town. [I10 – 13]

Our PCs, after a period of rest, will obviously want to retrieve their equipment. They descend from their sickbeds, where they meet the good Docteur d’Honaire, the resident physician of Saulbridge Sanitarium. He knows all the PCs by name, as he has been attending them ever since the onset of the malady. [I10 – 13]

They then encounter a madman who raves: “Thieves! Murderers! You’ve taken them . . . You’ve taken [,] taken them all! The village is empty . . . desolation! Despair! Where are the people? Where are the childrennnnnnn!?” [I10 – 13]

Thus their ordeal begins. As they collect their gear, they may note that some of the good people of Mordentshire are not quite right….

Mordentshire was once an open and happy community, a friendly place to live. More and more lately, [however], the people here have become standoffish. Many used to say that it was all the cause of that new fellow moving into the old Gryphon Hill estate. Now few wish to talk at all. [I10 – 19]

They have reason to be afraid. They can be grouped into three categories:

1. The Unknowing: These include those good citizens who are unaware that something sinister is happening. They believe that life is proceeding normally, save for occasional isolated cases of fever and delirium the affect some of the citizens.
2. The Fearfully Silent: These residents know something of what is happening… some more than others… but fear the same fate so greatly, they keep their silence. These will react with fear and distrust of all who are strangers, and will hide behind a mask of rudeness, apathy, and anger.
3. The Converted: These residents are no longer truly human, for an evil spirit now occupies this body, the human soul trapped elsewhere in the evil form. These all act quite differently from the other townspeople. They always have a rather vacant expression and often seem as though they are not paying any attention. They will answer questions but will find some excuse to then leave. Their manner may easily be mistaken for stubbornness or a distrust of strangers. They speak in slow and lifeless flat tones. Any work which they are observed performing is always without enthusiasm or even progress. For example, an innkeeper might clean the same glass repeatedly. However, these same people will. on the command of their master, become a fierce and terrible force for evil. [I10 – 19]

Can the PCs save the good people of Mordentshire? That remains to be seen. The clock is ticking! They have only five days to do it!

Luckily, there’s a timeline chart within to help the DM keep track of what goes on, hour by hour for those days. That will truly be a godsend, because there’s a lot going on in this module, and far too little help in my opinion keeping it all straight – it’s going to require extensive reading and a nimble memory for retention!

Why?

• Weather plays a part in the story and the PCs reactions.
• There’s a detailed Cargo Roster of 20 shipments, but only 12 noted shipping times.
• Times for “Conversions,” otherwise called Transpossessions. Some are marked with asterisks, although I can’t for the life of me discover why that might be.
• There are 52 NPCs; and 52 potential transpossessions with noted “Creatures of the Night.” Few NPCs are given alignment, only the most important: Lord Byron Weathermay, Lady Virginia Anne Weathermay, and Mistresss Ysilda Gemanine Ardent; the rest are detailed in an exhaustive list beside the “Creatures of the Night.” This list is important as printed because each has a “Match” column where their transpossessions can be noted.
• And of course, there is Strahd: his manifestation, his motivation, and the placement of the McGuffins to be predetermined, and potentially swapped out (much as they might be in the original Ravenloft). Where this was done using dice rolls and Tarot cards in I6, this is done with dice rolls and The Mesmerist’s Pendulum in I10. (Back in 1986 this might have necessitated the partial destruction of the trifold cover – or the meticulous copying onto menu cards, or some such – if a copier was not available to you.) It’s cumbersome, and not as well realised as was the Tarot card reading in the original.

This adventure is VERY fluid and freeform. It is not a railroad. Although it is best if the PCs proceed by chapter, as presented.

I’m not going to go into the adventure. That would spoil the fun, and it would make this a very long post indeed. But I will say that the plot plays out in the town, the moors, and then in the manors of Gryphon Hill and Heather House. And that the PCs have McGuffins to search for, just as they did in the original. Last time is was the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and the Sunsword, this time it’s The Alchemist’s Diary, The Missing Entry, The Soul Searcher Orb, The Ring of Reversion, The Rod of Rastinon, and The Apparatus. Their placement (aside from the Apparatus) is randomised, much like Strahd’s state and motive, much like they were in I6, presumably to make the module replayable. The town is laid out, but none of the buildings. Gryphon Hill and Heather House are fully realised, being the most important locales of the adventure.

Is this a good adventure? I think so. It is gothic in the extreme, inspired by some of the most evocative classic literature, and I believe it does its damnedest to live up to its inspirations.

Is this a great adventure? It could be, but it has its flaws. It is almost twice as long as I6, and much like a lot of modules of its era, it is not laid out as efficiently as it might be. The plot is presented as a series of Events; then the chapters follow, where the town buildings and manor rooms are detailed as all adventures are.

I especially love the Pregens listed.

ROGOLD GILDENMAN

LG 8th-level Cleric

Rogold Gildenman is one of the Clerics of the High Faith in Osterton, three days journey to the north. The church has received numerous building donations over the years from the Weathermays of Mordentshire, so when a plea for aid arrived from Lord Byron, head of that family, the Church was more than eager to lend whatever help available. This aid consists of charging Rogold with the task of assembling a hardy crew of seasoned adventurers and investigating the matter. Most of the party owes the High Faith in one degree or another, and this mission should clean up a lot of old debts. (In Rogold’s case, a rich parish to the East has been awarded by the Crown to the High Faith, and suitable candidates to settle the area are being scouted. A good report on this adventure will ensure his commission.) Rogold’s firmest ally in the party is Brother Summer, and only Rogold knows Summer’s secret: this fellow cleric of the Faith is a half-orc and a fighter. [Inner fold]

THADEUS MONT BREEZAR

LN 10th-level Magic-User

Thadeus Mont Breezar feels old. A lot of the fun has gone out of crusading across the countryside, counting on the fighters to preserve your hide. The key to Thadeus’s irritation, however, is his new glasses. His vision has deteriorated to the point he cannot hit anything at over 30 feet away (treat spells as grenades for area struck). Though the thick lenses he wears correct the problem, he is irritated that he must wear them. Thadeus carries two pair of glasses, one in a solid metal box, to prevent them breaking. He is, however, unhappy with his advancing age, and when the High Faith in Osterton put out a call for adventurers to investigate a small matter in Mordentshire, it appeared a perfect opportunity to prove that Thadeus the Magnificent can still twist a spell or two, even if the High Faith is playing politics and putting one of their own, a young puppy named Rogold, in charge. Thadeus is bringing his own student and scribe, a half-elf named Mysti Tokana, with him. [Inner fold]

PHILLIPE DELAMANA

LG 9th-level Paladin

Phillipe Delamana is a very depressed Paladin. As a fighter of the first water, the leader of the holy armies against evil, and a stalwart foe of darkness in all its forms, he has in his long career come upon a depressing fact: Evil keeps coming back. It may be defeated, it may be repulsed, or it may be driven off, but over the long term evil in some form will return to an area. There seems to be as much evil in the world as there are waters of the ocean, and their attack upon order and good are as relentless as the sea pounding on the shore. Still, were it not for noble fighters such as he, evil would wash over the land without resistance. For this reason, when Rogold’s faith put out a call for adventurers to investigate odd doings in Mordentshire, Phillipe signed up. There probably will be a greater devil holding the entire coast under his sway, or a mad chaotic wizard turning people into waterfowl. Anyway, it beats waiting for the forms of darkness to attack in one of their ever-insidious forms. [Inner fold]

AMAR BORI SANDFLINGER

TN Gnome 6th-level Illusionist/Thief

Amar Bori Sandflinger hails from the prestigious Sandflingers of the far-off Misty Hills, or at least that is what he says. Amar Bori has never been known to lie, but he has a reputation around Osterton of stretching the truth into some rather odd configurations. He states that his present circumstances result from a long and complicated tale (which he will gladly tell to any who does not get out of the room) involving his being entrusted to safeguard the family treasures across the desert, only to be kidnapped by evil nomads, and all the moneys he earns will be used some far time in the future to recover those lost artifacts, and to reward the Holy Man who came to his rescue. Rogold, a cleric of the High Faith, recruited Amar Bori from the local jail, where Amar was currently residing after trying to explain why he was creating illusions of small flying elephants in a local bar, inspiring a small riot on the previous evening. [Inner fold]

BRENDA OF THE CRIMSON BLADE

NG 10th-level Fighter

Brenda of the Crimson Blade likes sharp objects, in particular swords. Her favorite current implement of destruction is Troll-Cleaver, a massive blade that, combined with her specialization in battling with it, makes Brenda a deadly combatant. Brenda believes in a relentless and continual persecution of evil, wherever it may be found. She does not agree with more pristine ordered definitions of Good-Law, and in fact tends to look down on Cavaliers, Paladins, and their ilk as over-specialized dinosaurs. As a result of her desire to smite the foe, she has run up a rather large tab with the High Faith in Osterton, and needs the gold to pay for a large number of cures, heals, restorations, and one raise dead. When Rogold set forth the proposal for investigating this Strahd fellow, and offered to clear up her debts in return, she reached for her backpack sheath and readied Troll-Cleaver for battle. [Inner fold]

BROTHER SUMMER

LN Half-Orc 5th-level Fighter/4th-Level Cleric

Brother Summer's name at birth was Kregash Garzalla, as for the first twelve years of his life he was raised by his mother’s people, the Orcs of the Blue Hills. In his twelfth year a party of adventurers destroyed his encampment, but, as Garzalla appeared nearly human, assumed he was a captive thrall from the surrounding area. Given a choice between passing for human or ending up meeting the swords of the party, Garzalla feigned memory-loss and was turned over to the clerics of the High Faith as their ward. There Garzalla took his present name of Summer, met Rogold Gildenman, and entered the priesthood. Rogold is the only living being to know of Summer’s past, his true race, and his fighting ability. Summer protects the last two jealously, and though he will attack on the fighter chart, will not readily admit to his skill, nor pick up an edged weapon unless the situation is critical. [Inner fold]

T.G. REDANTO

TN 8th-level Thief-Acrobat

Mysti Tokana is the scribe, student, and (it is rumored, though not to her face), the half-elf daughter of Thadeus Mont Breezar. The last is untrue, though the human rabble needs explanations as to why a crotchety old human mage takes on a young half-elf as an assistant, and rumors of being a daughter are better than accusations of being a paramour. Thadeus agreed to train the raven-haired half-elf as a favor to her mother, a former fellow-adventurer who retired after reaching her maximum racial levels. She is intensely interested in her studies, though maintains her fighting abilities in order to protect her mentor. She respects her mentor Thadeus, but is at a loss to explain his most recent behavior. Despite having achieved high rank among his brethren and sufficient power to spend the rest of his short human days engaged in research, he instead intends to drag his fragile form into the hinterlands on an adventure for some damnfool cleric named Rogold. [Inner fold]

MYSTI TOKANA

CG Half-Elf 5th-level Ranger/Magic-User

T.G. Redanto has been known to tell people his initials stand for “Terribly Good” – not a preference for alignment, but rather his own assessment of his abilities. Redanto tends to be flashy in his work and in his mode of dress. Possession of his bracers allow him a bit more variety than the standard patterns of leather armor, and allow him a little more leeway in his thiefly abilities. He enjoys fine wine, good company, and brandy and cigars in the drawing room following a excellent meal (usually something out-of-season and prepared by a master chef). There have been rare times he has been in dire straits, and on one of those occasions (he thinks it was the Adventure of the Balor’s Eye, but that was another time), made the acquaintance of Rogold Gildenman. Now that Rogold is setting off for the hinterland to investigate a young suitor, it seems like the time to take in the country (and case a few manor houses on the way. [Inner fold]

Love these! Truly.

So far so good.

Mordentshire-on-the-Sea

But Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill is not as fondly remembered as the original, if at all. Indeed, some may even revile it. I do not. I do love its vision and scope. Its ambition. But not its application. It will be hard to run without extensive preparation, and only a seasoned DM should even attempt it, to my thinking, as its details and backstories are scattered throughout. That might be because of how many cooks were in the kitchen. The cover states that I10 is written by Tracy & Laura Hickman, but that was not truly the case, apparently. It was based on an outline by Tracy & Laura Hickman. The design team is noted as: David Cook, Jeff Grubb, Tracy & Laura Hickman, Harold Johnson, and Douglas Niles; but rumour has it that the Hickmans had very little to do with it; in fact, rumour has it that they left very few notes at all concerning their outline before Tracy departed the project to write his Dragonlance novels, and that the remaining members of the design team were each given a part to pen. That might explain some of what lies within its covers. One wonders, for instance, how the townsfolk could not help but notice members of their community being abducted to a place about two miles distance. Etc.

I particularly dislike the central cardstock fold at the centre where the town map, the Heather Hill map, the Pregens, the Adventure Plot Event Chart, the Cargo Roster, the Player handouts, and the NPC list are all crowded together – on a single twice-fold sheet of heavy paper – double-sided! It had to be cut up to be useful, preferably copied (not an issue now really, PDFs being easily printed). But if were cut up, then the map was divided in four pieces….

If that were its greatest flaw.

There are other even greater flaws, to my mind.

Shall I list them? 

***

Spoilers!

My major criticisms would be:

Gryphon Hill

There are red herrings galore: the Godefroys’ tragic history of Gryphon Hill, for one. This is not much of a criticism, per say, but I expect that a great many of these herrings will never make much of an impression on the players, and if they do, they might only confuse them, regardless how insightful they are – perhaps more if they are. Those who put everything in their path to the sword probably won’t even know they are there.

The most damning flaws, to my mind, are:

•  Heather House is infested with undead. Not possible with the Weathermays living there.
• The lich Azalin is wasted here. Azalin is the Creature’s most powerful, and least trusted, ally. [I10 – 45] He’s an 18th Level Lich and would never – should never – be second-fiddle to anyone or anything, in any form. And it seems improbable to me that he should need aid from Strahd to achieve his goals: The vampire discovered Azalin soon after his arrival in this area, and has promised the lich a new body in return for his aid. [I10 – 45]
• The PCs are relegated to side-show status in the climax, and they cannot affect the final confrontation between Strahd the Alchemist and Strahd the Creature. Not a good design choice.

***

One wonders then, why I should even bother to draw your attention to this ill-remembered adventure module?

Because it’s October, and it’s the season we delve deeply into all things that go bump in the night. So, why shouldn't we hold a holy wafer and cross up to it?

Besides, I really don’t believe this to be the turkey some might baste to be. It dared, however successfully, to follow in the footsteps of one of the most beloved modules of all time – maybe that might have been to capitalise on the original adventure’s popularity, perhaps not. And because it can be run in sequence with, or in tandem with, that most beloved module.

DREAMS of BAROVIA

THE DREAMS of BAROVIA

To really challenge your players you may play RAVENLOFT and RAVENLOFT II: The House on Gryphon Hill as a single linked campaign. Instead of playing the modules separately, in order, your players will explore the two simultaneously! For Barovia and Mordentshire, while miles and perhaps centuries apart, are mystically linked to each other, creating a bridge between the two worlds.

The way heroes cross this bridge is through the strange and mystical delirium episodes they suffer. When struck down by this ailment, the heroes awake to find themselves in a different land, faced by new challenges. Your players may begin in Mordentshire, fall into a fever and awake to find themselves in Barovia! Then, after adventuring for a time, they suffer a relapse and regain their senses in Mordentshire. There, the innkeeper tells them how they lay in a coma for several hours, babbling and murmuring. But, when they once again return to Barovia, the frightened innkeeper there tells them the same thing! The heroes will never know which world is the dream and which “real.” [I10 – 41]

That would be an epic campaign, to be sure. One worth considering, anyway.

“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Postscript

Like its predecessor, this is not a Greyhawk module. Indeed, it’s a Ravenloft® adventure, a gothic adventure, a sequel to Ravenloft before there even ever was a Ravenloft® setting, as that began in 1990.

So, what to so with it?

Place it!

But where? My choice for the original adventure was to place it in the Theocracy of the Pale, betwixt the Rakers and the Troll Fens. It’s isolated. Few would travel there, given its dangerous local and its isolation. Even the Pale’s patron deity Pholtus fit its tone, standing in for the sun god in question.

That locale does not suit as well for I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill. The town’s full name is actually Mordentshire-on-the-Sea [I10 – 1], and there is no sea in the Pale.

LORD BYRON MERRILL WEATHERMAY

He serves as the local magistrate in court, though lets the mayor handle the day to day ruling of the sleepy seaport. [I10 – 45]

A bank of dense fog rolls in from off the sea blanketing the land in cool, wet grey. [I10 – 15]

A crisp autumn breeze, rich with the tang of salt, blows from the sea. [I10 – 15]

Where else then might suit if Mordentshire is a town on the sea? Might I suggest the Prelacy of Almor?ALMOR, PRELACY OF

His Venerable Mercy, the Prelate of Almor (Cleric, 12th level)

Capital: Chathold (pop. 4, 789)

Population: 150,000+

Demi-humans: Few

Humanoids: Few

Resources: foodstuffs, cloth, copper

[Folio – 8]

The trip south has been uneventful, traveling along well-mapped road through lands filled with the rich bounty of the autumn fields of golden-colored grain, brown fields of harvested corn, and gardens ripe with gourds, tomatoes, and pumpkins. [I10 – 10]

Almor is/was fruitful, cultured, religious, and on a sea. As is Mordentshire.

You and your party have been requested by the Church of the High Faith in Osterton, a major city three days travel to the north, to investigate a small matter. [I10 – 10]

The religious nature of the “Player Character Background” would certainly suggest Almor.

Originally a clerical fief of Aerdy, Almor grew in power and independence as the Great Kingdom became weak and decadent. The various petty nobles and the Lord Mayor of the town of lnnspa swear allegiance to the reigning prelate – usually a high priest. The state is only loosely organized, but it has a strong spirit of freedom and justice based upon religious precepts. [Folio – 8]

Prelacy of Almor LN, LG [WoGG – 31]

Alignments: NG, CG, N [WoGA – 44]

As to which faith would factor prominently, none is mentioned in early sourcebooks – and none later, given Almor’s later fate – but given Almor’s close ties with Nyrond, I can only assume their faith would be similar.

Religions: Heironeous*, Beory, Rao, Pelor, Zilchus, Norebo, Pholtus, Ralishaz, Boccob, Delleb, Celestian [LGG – 75]

The Temple of Heironeous should be the most likely stand-in for the High Faith in Osterton, but my preference would again lean towards Pholtus, the Blinding Light. Mainly because I chose Pholus as the most suitable stand-in for the Sun God in I6 Ravenloft.

Pholtus

ALIGNMENT: Lawful good (neutral) [WoGG – 45]

Also, The High Faith’s choice of agents ties in well with the Pregens admirably.

The One True Way is a strict path, but guarantees rightness. Show no tolerance for those who do not give all for the cause of Law, Fanaticism in the name of the Blinding Light is praiseworthy, and Law's champions shall be rewarded in the era when chaos has been vanquished. [LGG – 179]

Thoughts? Do you agree? Where might you place this disparate adventure?

One must always give credit where credit is due. This post is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them.

Nor could this post exist without the wizardry of Tracy and Laura Hickman, without whose inspiration and tenacity, this adventure would not have seen the light of day.

The Art:

Cover art, by Clyde Caldwell, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

Castle Strahd, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Strahd, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Bedroom by vitaj

Evil Eye, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

The Alchemist & The Creature, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

Mordentshire-on-the-Sea, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

Gryphon Hill, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

Cover art, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Mordentshire map, by David S. LaForce, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

Greyhawk map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

Pholtus, by Anthony Granato, from Dragon #294, 2002

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2009 Monster Manual 1st Ed., 1977

2011 Players Manual 1st Ed., 1978

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

9075 I6 Ravenloft, 1983

9181 I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Thoughts on D3 Vault of the Drow, Part 2

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.”

― Aristotle

D3 Vault of the Drow

Is D3 Vault of the Drow a great module? Is it even a good one?

That depends.

I can hear the cry of “Sacrilege!” even as I type this. There are even those who believe, “All things penned by Gary Gygax are brilliance personified!” Were they?

That too depends.

On what? Perspective.

As an adventure module, D3 is mediocre, at best. That’s my opinion. Yours may differ. I believe the G series if far superior, personally. They are focused, to the point, and brief. So too are D1 and D2 – brief. But where each of the G modules are a mission, D1 and D2 are a journey. I’m not sure why D2 even exists, to be honest, except to introduce the Kuo-Toa.

Why am I critical of D3? D3 feels like a tournament module, to my mind. There are 2 or 3 challenges leading up to a “finale,” a Big Bad Boss battle at the end of a dungeon crawl, in this case the Great Fane of Lolth.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with tournament modules; indeed, they were the bread and butter of golden age D&D; but if D3 is indeed akin to a tournament module, then there is surely a lot of bloat betwixt its covers leading up to that battle with its Big Bad. There’s even a fair amount of bloat in the Great Fane, as well. Most of its 2^nd through 4^th floors are superfluous, bedrooms and barracks stocked with “innocent” guards and priestesses of Lolth – innocent because they were never the reason why our heroes delved so deeply into the Oerth, in the first place. Our heroes descended into the depths of the Oerth to discover and put an end to the threat facing the nations on the surface.

Giants have been raiding the lands of men in large bands, with giants of different sorts in these marauding groups. [G123 Against the Giants – 2]

They are to follow any clues discovered if such point towards the sinister hand suspected of guiding the rising, but to return at once if they should determine exactly the reason or force behind the unholy alliance. Some relic of great evil might be at hand. [G123 – 2]

Eclavdra was always, or should have always been, the focus of the adventure.

Not Lolth. There, I said it. Crucify me.

But if we set that aside, there is genius within, too. But only if you’re willing to invest in it.

If the D series is an introduction to the Underoerth, it’s quite inspired – despite its faults. Gary Gygax packed a ton of lore into those few pages available to him in that era of super-slim volumes, D3 even more so than the other D modules – even though a fair chunk of it is regurgitated encounter tables and “race” exposition. To truly succeed, though, D3 should have been a tome as weighty as those that eventually followed: Greyhawk Adventures, and the like. But Gygax being Gygax, Erelhei-Cinlu lore is not confined to D3 alone. Evidence of faction fighting and religious division dates back as far as the G series.

The Drow

These 8 guards protect Nedylene, a cleric/fighter noble generally opposed to anything Eclavdra attempts. She is here to check up on her rival, and she will be suspicious of any creature entering her current abode. On the other hand, she will not be adverse to seeing her rival's plans go wrong. Nedylene is an 8th level cleric/7th level fighter [.] [G123 – 28]

It is there, I believe, that we need to focus, as it ought to have: Not on Lolth; but on the dramatis personae: the Merchant Houses, the Nobel Houses, the people, their factions, their alliances, and their inevitable betrayals.

Where to begin? With the city and its people, I suppose.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.”

― Obi-wan, Star Wars”

“Here pity only lives when it is dead – Virgil”

― Dante Alighieri, Inferno

Scum, villainy and the dead, indeed.

Between 8,000 and 9,000 Drow live in the city, and double that number of half-casts, servants, and slaves. To this permanent population can be added a thousand or so creatures visiting for purposes known only to themselves. [D3 Vault of the Drow – 15]

That’s dense, regardless its modest footprint. Let’s assume that these 8,000+ drow are residents of the city proper, excluding any who reside in the merchant villas or the noble estates. If Erelhei-Cinlu is roughly 20,000 square yards (100 x 200 yards), then its mean population density is about 0.5 persons per square yard (roughly twice the population density of Manhattan). That’s a lot of persons in close quarter. One imagines them one atop the other.

The main ways of this ancient and depraved city are thronged with as unlikely a mixture of creatures as can be imagined. Green cloaked Illithids and Kuo-Toans rub shoulders with Dark Elves. Ghosts and ghouls roam freely, and an occasional shadow or vampire will be seen. Bugbears and troglodytes are common, as are other various servants and slaves of the Drow (dwarves, goblins, half-orcs, humans, and orcs are sometimes free inhabitants of the place). All are pale from dwelling in the sunless Vault. Trolls slink by evillooking men wearing the green garb. None are disturbed to pass a lesser demon or succubus, a night hag or mezzodaemon. These crowds part hurriedly for Noble Drow riding nightmares or the more powerful demons or nycadaemons (see special section at the end), but those of the Dark Elves with pack lizards must slowly force their way through traffic. Beggars of all sorts are seen, and half-Drow thieves, pimps, and harlots are as common as the enslaved human and elven prostitutes displayed before certain establishments. [D3 – 15]

Daemons and Dark Elves and Spies, oh my!

Kuo-Toa

Kuo-Toan spies will always be in or near the water. […] If not in the water, they will be clad in black Drow cloaks and make every attempt to avoid being detected. [D3 – 9]

Drow nobles

Noble parties will stop to converse with unusual groups 75% of the time. If they see anything which appears dangerous to the welfare of the Drow, they will immediately act (attack, summon a passing creature(s) to aid them, arrest, etc.). [D3 – 16]

Rakes roaming the streets in Erelhei-Cinlu are bands of bitter youths, often outcasts. The band will be composed of either Drow, Drow-elves, and half-Drow (human cross) or Drow, half-Drow, and (1-2) half-orcs. The former sort of group is 40% likely, the latter 60%. Drow crosses will have magic resistance equal to their Dark Elven heritage but no spell ability. The bands with elven-Drow members will be hostile to all they perceive as part of the system which prevails in their world, and the Dark Elves with them are of the few who are neither totally degenerate nor wholly evil—they are haters of the society around them and see no good in it. All rakes will be fighters of 4^th-7^th level of ability (or in the case of groups with half-orcs, fighter/thieves of 3^rd-5^th/4^th-7^th or fighter/assassins of 4^th-6^th/4^th-6^th level are 50% likely for half-Drow and half-orc rakes). The first sort of group will wear chain shirts under their garments (+1 or +2) and have +1 weapons. The latter groups will not wear armor, and they will be likely to have a few +3 weapons. Rakes encountered inside will be seated so as to appear to be several smaller groups. Those outside will be in 2 or 3 groups so as to surround and surprise their victims. All will scatter when a patrol or nobles appear, for they are greatly disliked by the Drow military and upper class. (See Thieves below.)

If the party manages a friendly meeting with a group of Drow/Drow-elves/half-Drow rakes the youths will tell them about the worship of the Demoness Lolth and the way to her "Egg." The rakes will accompany the party to the area in question if a plan which seems reasonable to them is put forth. They will also leave the Vault-Egg areas in the course of adventuring. [D3 – 16]

Thieves will be of several racial types. [D3 – 16] Most are either drow or half-drow, but they can also be dwarf (I’d expect that duergar or derro might better suit than any surface variety), gnome, human, half-elf, or half-orc.

There are other encounter types, far more; but maybe the most curious persons our heroes might meet are those humans who are not slaves.

Human cleric party will be […] evil (chaotic or neutral) [.] These groups will be likely to attack and slay any humans they meet—such as explorers—who are of good alignment. [D3 – 16]

That would go without saying, wouldn’t it?

This intrigues me far more, though:

Human magic-user party

The alignment of these magic-users will be as follows:

neutral – 25%

neutral evil – 20%

chaotic evil – 50%

lawful evil – 05%

If the magic-users are evil, they will attack good parties if discovered. Neutral magic-users will be open to any reasonable offers, of course… [D3 – 16]

Neither of these parties would advance the plot, probably; but thoughts do rise concerning them, don’t they? Drow were still altogether unknown on the surface when the G and D series were published, so one wonders who did know about them, and for how long, and to what purpose they ventured this deeply to seek them out for? To elicit their help? To conspire with them?

Nedylene

Human parties aside, that’s quite a stew of chaotic ambition and discontent ready to boil over.

How will our heroes navigate such a motley mess? With caution, I don’t doubt.

And with a guide, hopefully. Fortuitously, Gygax had already introduced one such person who could be deemed made to order….

Nedylene – 8th/7th cleric/fighter female (House Despana) [D3 – 17]

She hates Eclavdra, after all; and her House has already tasked her with “spying” on her/their “rival.”

It would be best that our heroes were allied with her, because even before entering the city proper, they are going to have to pass into the vault, where even there, trip cords cross their pass, and factions lurk beneath the surface.

The Black Tower will be their first true test.

Drow medallions and badges which would allow them relatively unquestioned passage in most areas [.] [D3 – 2]

But they are coded: blue enameled prism, white enameled morel mushroom, bronze coiled whip, silver crescent [D3 – 5], etc.

Our heroes would never know whether one might be a boon or a bane without help.

Aliens with a brooch of one of the merchant clans or noble houses are allowed to keep their special pins and need not wear a green cloak either, but they will be required to display their special pass (the brooch) whenever requested, and woe to the adventurer who fails to have a glib tongue if the interrogator happens to be of the clan or house of the pass (or worse still an enemy of that clan or house). [D3 – 11]

The Black Tower

THE BLACK TOWER:

Divolg, the High Bailiff

Behind him are two chests of wood, one with green cloaks, the other with 4 metal boxes inside — one with 17 medallions, another with important papers (all pertaining to trade), one with 4 sets of cinnabar cusps, and the last (triple locked) holds 120 p.p., 6 100 g.p. gems, and (in a secret space in the lid) a small piece of parchment with Drow script saying: "The bearer is my most trusted servant and must be speeded and aided as is his need. Eclavdra". With this message is a brooch of copper formed in the likeness of a staff with tentacled end, engraved on the back, EILSERVS. [D3 – 11,12]

Merinid, the Bailiff

He hides these in a secret compartment in a leg of his desk, and therein also is a broach of an adamantite mace bearing the engraved name DESPANA on the reverse. [D3 – 12]

Tension must be high in the Black Tower, I imagine; unless each is not aware of the other’s loyalties; but drow being drow, I suspect they would be suspicious of one another, regardless, as a rule, even if they were brothers.

One can only imagine what it might be like in the FEMALE FIGHTERS SOCIETY:

This military sisterhood supposedly counters all other factions in direct service of Lolth. [D3 – 13]

One would think that, but drow being drow….

Each sorority of fighters represents one of the 8 noble houses, although not all of the members are by any means of that particular noble family. [D3 – 13]

General Telenna, a 9th level fighter [D3 – 13]

Lieutenant General Drisinil, an 8th level fighter [D3 – 13]

Gygax does not say which House each of its top brass is aligned with, but I can only imagine that top ranked Eilservs would have maneuvered one of their own into its command. It would only stand to reason then that either the Kilseks or Despanas, or both, ensured one of theirs would be placed next to the General to keep careful watch over their hated Eilserv rival.

The MALE FIGHTERS' SOCIETY would be of lesser importance to that decidedly matriarchal society. But no House would ever allow another to hold complete dominion over their scions, regardless how inconsequential a male might be in the grand scheme of things.

Just as the female organization is a neutral instrument of the Drow clerical hierarchy, so too is the fraternity of male fighters an instrument to counter any destructive feuding or power seizure by one or more of the merchant clans at the expense of the others. Of course, the society also furnishes troops for guard duty, patrols, etc. [D3 – 14]

General Istolil, a 7th level fighter [D3 – 14]

Commander Captain Relonor, a 6th level fighter [D3 – 14]

Relonor is secretly in the service of the House of Tormtor. [D3 – 14]

I would expect that Istolil is in service to Godeep, that low House countering Tormtor’s ambitions there.

Merchant clans are as ambitious as the noble houses. And presumably as scheming, influential, and powerful, too, no matter how low or weak even the lowest of noble houses may perceive them to be. They survive, after all. And thrive in the drow’s drider eat drider world.

Merchant clans are nominally allied in pairs to a noble house, thus making a perfect balance of power, but due to intrigue and feuding between the merchants and nobles, there is an uneven balance. Feuding and raids are fairly common. Merchant clans and alliances are shown below:

a.      PRISM (Tormtor) allied with h. and c. (Eilservs)

b.      MOREL (Godeep) allied with d. (Aleval)

c.      COILED WHIP (Eilservs) allied with a. (Tormtor)

d.      CRESCENT (Aleval) allied with b. (Godeep) and i. (Noquar)

e.      PUFFBALL (Kilsek) allied with f.

f.       HOOK (Kilsek) allied with e. and m. (Despana)

g.      SHELF FUNGI (Despana) allied with m.

h.      CHAIN (Tormtor) allied with a.

i.       MUSHROOMS (Noquar) allied with d. (Aleval) and o. (Everhate)

j.       BARS (Eilservs) allied with p.

k.      URN (currently uncommited)

l.       HORSETAIL MUSHROOM (Noquar) allied with o. (Everhate)

m.    GEM (Despana) allied with g. and f. (Kilsek)

n.      STAR (currently leaning towards Eilservs)

o.      LOZENGE (Everhate) allied with i. (Aleval) and I. (Noquar)

p.      BONE (Eilservs) allied with j (Bars).

Noble family names are shown in parentheses. The members of each clan wear the appropriate emblem as a broach […]. [D3 – 14]

One wonders whether they are loyal to the nobility as all; or whether they are just playing one against the other to keep them “weak” and “balanced.”

I can’t for the life of me, understand why the bugbears and troglodytes were treated to as many lines as they were I this volume; but they were. I suppose they are as much a faction as any, however irrelevant.  They are useful though. Someone has to do the dirty work, after all. It’s not like the bugbears or trogs would harbour any resentment or ill-will towards their “masters,” would they?

COMPLEX OF CAVES

Kreffok, the Bugbear hetman [D3 – 10]

TROGLODYTE TUNNELS

Ttirssslup the Chieftain [D3- 10]

Neither would aid our heroes, to my mind. The risk would be too great to them if they did.

I suppose one might consider their lairs a couple of “side dungeons.”

The more I think on it, the more I think that allying with Nedylene would be our heroes best chance for success. She’s a female. She’s nobility. She’s a member of a powerful House. None would oppose her, regardless who was with her.

THE GREAT GATE 

THE GREAT GATE TO THE CITY:

Overall commander of the gate is a male fighter/magic-user of 3^rd/6^th level [….] He is an ally of the House of Eilservs, so any person possessing an Eilservs or Tormtor badge will be passed with only minimal questioning by him. [D3 – 15]

It matters not a whit that the Gate Commander is opposed to House Despana. What’s he going to do, incur the wrath of one of the most powerful houses opposed to his own? That smells like suicide to me. Besides, he lets all manner of human cleric and magic-user parties to gain entry to the city already.

ERELHEI-CINLU:

The Noble Gate guards the access to the flying bridge which spans the Pitchy Flow and leads to the high plateau upon which the noble families have their estates. [D3 – 15]

The commander of the Noble Gate is a female of 8th/4th cleric/fighter level. She is Jysiln, a member of the Servants of Lolth, wearing her gold spider broach proudly (and openly hostile to any bearing the Eilservs or Tormtor device). [D3 – 15]

The Flying Bridge and Plateau Beyond: As mentioned previously, the only persons permitted to leave the city by the Noble Gate are those on business of the noble families, i.e. those with the proper devices and a good reason (fabricated or real) are allowed to pass over the bridge to the area north. [D3 – 16]

As I noted in my earlier post, I can’t, for the life of me, imagine why this temple is required if the true enemy is Eclavdra and House Eilserv; but these NPCs are named, and could presumably be of use in the campaign.

Lolth

THE EGG OF LOLTH & THE GREAT FANE OF LOLTH:

High Priestess of Queen Lolth, Charinida, a 14th level cleric [D3 – 22]

Baltana, 10th level high priestess [D3 – 19]

Vlondril, 9th level female cleric [D3 – 19]

Inidil, another 9th level cleric. She conforms in all respects to Vlondril [D3 – 19]

Commander Pellanistra, an 8th level female fighter [.] Pellanistra is of the House of Noquar originally, so she is exceptionally hostile to any of the Eilservs ilk. [D3 – 19]

Behind the secret door is a cell wherein is chained an insane human of great strength (9th level fighter; H.P.: 73; 18/81 strength, 11 intelligence, 9 wisdom, 16 dexterity, 18 constitution; 17 charisma) kept here by Charinida for whatever purposes please her at the time. [D3 – 22]

One presumes these NPCs are not in league with Eclavdra and House Eilserv, who’ve abandoned Lolth for the Elemental God. They’d harbour Bad Blood towards them, to be sure.

That said, which noble Houses would aid in defeating Eclavdra and House Eilserv?

Probably not ALEVAL.

14. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF ALEVAL: […] Rank: 8th. This weak family is primarily bent on gaining more power. As they are relatively unimportant, they can manage a semi-independent position, waiting for the Kilsek-Despana-Noquar faction or the Eilservs-Tormtor axis to wax supreme and then join with the victors. [D3 – 17]

They’re too weak to commit, one way other the other until the outcome is obvious.

There would be little help (probably none) from EVERHATE, as well.

11. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF EVERHATE: […] Rank: 5th. Nominal supporters of the noble houses worshipping the demoness Lolth, but seldom active against the Eilservs-Tormtor faction, as they prefer to wait to see the eventual outcome of the contest. [D3 – 17]

EVERHATE would have too much to lose.

Most others would, though. I’ll list them in descending order.

15. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF KILSEK: […] Rank: 2nd. Hatred and jealousy has always existed between Kilsek and Eilservs, and the Kilsek family is more than happy to be able to play off the Despanas and Noquars against their rivals. [D3 – 18]

There’s no honour among drow, it would seem. Not that we ever expected otherwise. No wonder their “war” has been going on as long as it has.

12. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF DESPANA: […] Rank: 3rd. The House of Despana is closely leagued with that of Kilsek and Noquarto bring ruin upon the Eilservs, for each of these families imagines that their house would then gain first precedence. [D3 – 17]

Nedylene – 8^th/7^th cleric/fighter female [D3 – 17]

13. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF NOQUAR: […] Rank: 4th. These close allies of the Despanas and Kilseks secretly hope that the struggle with the Eilservs will weaken their allies so that Noquar will be the greatest noble family. [D3 – 17]

16. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF GODEEP: […] Rank: 6th. The Godeep nobles are also committed to the anti-Eilservs faction, for they perceive that they will gain greater rewards from the victorious Kilsek combination, and thus displace the Everhate House as 5th in precedence. [D3 – 18]

Those who oppose our heroes would be:

10. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF TORMTOR: […] Rank: 7th. Actively allied with the House of Eilservs (17.), rising, and thus incurring the enmity of the other nobles, the Tormtors are very powerful despite their current low rank. [D3 – 17]

ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF EILSERVS

Ultimately, though, Eclavdra and the EILSERVS are really the only House that’s going to have to be dealt with.

17. ESTATE OF THE HOUSE OF EILSERVS: […] Rank: 1st. The Eilservs have long seen a need for an absolute monarch to rule the Vault, and as the noble house of first precedence, they have reasoned that their mistress should be Queen of All Drow. When this was proposed, the priestesses of Lolth supported the other noble families aligned against the Eilservs, fearing that such a change would abolish their position as the final authority over all disputes and actions of the Dark Elves. Thereafter, the Eilservs and their followers turned away from the demoness and proclaimed their deity to be an Elder Elemental God […]. Although there is no open warfare, there is much hatred, and both factions seek to destroy each other. An attempt to move worship of their deity into the upper world, establish a puppet kindom [sic] there, and grow so powerful from this success that their demands for absolute rulership no longer be thwarted, was ruined of late, and the family is now retrenching. [D3 – 18]

Eclavdra – 10^th/4^th cleric/fighter female [D3 – 18]

Lyme – 5^th/12^th fighter/magic-user male consort [D3 – 18]

Eclavdra

In the interest of beating a dead horse to… well… death: Why was the Great Fane of Lolth mapped and detailed, and not the Eilserv estate? It is on Eclavdra’s mushroom patch that the final confrontation will be. Why in fact, is so much of this adventure unmapped? And, as per the expectation with Gygax modules, why are so few NPCs named? Might it be because this adventure is akin to a tournament module? Was the expectation that the PCs should only spend a session of two in Erelhei-Cinlu’s vault? Were they expected to skulk past its main thoroughfare with minimal engagement, to strike a surgical blow and slip away, its loft vault never to see the dark of day ever again? If that were true, then little need be mapped; none of it, in fact. But why then were its gambling dens, bordellos, taverns, drug saloons, and even less savory shops [D3 – 15] dwelt upon? To paint a picture?

The back streets and alleyways too boast of brothels, poison shops, bars, and torture parlors. Unspeakable things transpire where the evil and jaded creatures seek pleasure, pain, excitement, or arcane knowledge, and sometimes these seekers find they are victims. All visitors are warned that they enter the back streets of the city at their peril. [D3 – 15]

It almost as if Gygax were trying to scare us off…. Perhaps we were meant to linger only as long as necessary, and escape while we still could. It does seem as though the Free City’s worst neighbourhood is palatial by comparison….

The Temple

If that were true, and it might surely be, the story as it could unfold might be thus: Our heroes come to mutual understanding with Nedylene while in Snurre’s stronghold, and descend into the depths of the Oerth with their drow “ally.” They creep through the vault and past the city, and after pleading their case to the Despanas, assault the Eilservs’ stronghold – or more likely, they assault the temple of the Elder Elemental God, while the anti-Eilserv Houses attack the Eilservs, and put an end to Eclavdra’s schemes, once and for all.

Maybe that’s too simple. Drow are drow, after all; so, I wouldn’t dally in the underoerth for long, after dealing a blow to any drow. I expect they would wish to reward the PCs’ efforts by serving their heads up on a platter, for their trouble. Because, you know… drow….

And Nedylene is without doubt about as trustworthy as Eclavdra, no matter how you slice her up. She probably deserves such a fate, anyway.

Then again, she’s the lesser of the two evils, and our heroes ally; isn’t she…?

“Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.”

― Mae West

One must always give credit where credit is due. This post is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable.

The Art:

Eclavdra, by Erol Otus, from D3 Vault of the Drow, 1980

Drow, by Bill Willingham, from D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth, 1980

Erelhei-Cinlu map, by Jason Engle, from Drow of the Underdark 3e, 2007

Kuo-Toa, by Tony DiTerlizzi, from Monstrous Manual 2e, 1995

Drow by defcombeta

The Black Tower, by David A. Trampier, from D3 Vault of the Drow, 1978, 1980

Vault of the Drow map, by Christopher West, from Dragon Magazine #298, 2002

Erelhei-Cinlu, by Tomas Giorello, from Drow of the Underdark 3e, 2007

Lolth, by David A. Trampier, from D3 Vault of the Drow, 1978, 1980

Underdark-River-Fort by vyerran

You-have-been-a-very-bad-Boy by helmuttt

Underdark Ziggurat, by Adam Paquette, from Underdark 4e, 2010

Sources:

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2009 Monster Manual 1e, 1977, 1978

2011 Players handbook 1e, 1978

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979

9018 G3 Hall of the Fire Mountain King, 1978

9019 D1 Descent Into the Depths of the Earth, 1978

9020 D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, 1978

9059 D1-2 Descent Into the Depths of the Earth, 1978, 1981

9021 D3 Vault of the Drow, 1978, 1981

9058 G123 Against the Giants, 1978, 1981