Page 232 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

LEVEL18:VANRAKDOOM

ANRAKDOOM JS DESIGNED FOR FOUR 15TH-LEVEL still venerated Selfine aligned themselves with Lord
characters, and those who defeat the mon- Vanrak's sister, Lady Alathene, and Selfme's priesthood.
sters on this level should gain enough XP Meanwhile, Lord Vanrak and his followers extended
to advance halfway to 16th level. The level their dark influence over much of the city's harbor with
is named after Vanrak Moonstar, a Water- the aid of a small army of mercenaries bolstered by fol-
davian noble who turned to the worship of lowers of Shar.
Shar (god of darkness and loss), descended Lady Alathene appeared in open court and asked the
into Undermountain, and became a death Lords of Waterdeep to strip her brother of his title and
knight. To grasp what's happening on this level and why, banish him from the city. She also presented evidence of
one needs to know the fate that befell Lord Moonstar. her brother's numerous crimes, including slavery, arson,
theft, and murder. The Lords ordered the immediate
THE DARK FATE OF LORD capture of the Dark Ranger, but by the time the City
Watch had breached the gates of his villa, Vanrak and
VANRAK MOONSTAR his followers had already fled through a secret portal
into Undermountain. He and his followers remained
Adherents of Shar have been active in the shadow of
Mount Waterdeep ever since a disastrous expedition to there until, in the Year of the Dark Mask (1171 DR), they
the BlackJungles mounted in the Year of the Dark Dawn conquered the level of Undermountain that came to be
(1104 DR) by Lord Vanrak Moonstar, a charismatic, known as Vanrakdoom.
outgoing swashbuckler. Vanrak was but a pale shadow Operating from his new base, Vanrak extended his
of his former self when he returned. A few tendays later, influence throughout much of Undermountain and even
his father, Lord Andvarran Moonstar, the family patri- periodically dispatched elite strike teams to battle fol-
arch, died of a strange wasting disease that could not be lowers of SelOne in the city above. He achieved his most
cured by healing magic. dramatic success in the Year of the Tomb (1182 DR),
Upon assuming leadership of House Moonstar, Van- when his followers infiltrated the High House of Stars
rak publicly broke with the temple of SelOne (god of the through its cellars, slaughtered most of the inhabitants
moon), which he blamed for his father's untimely death. before they could raise an alarm, engulfed the temple in
Consumed with bitterness, the Dark Ranger, as Vanrak black fire, and burned it to the ground. The invaders also
came to be known, secretly embraced SelOne's sister: acquired enough treasure from the temple vaults to fund
Shar, the Lady of Loss. Lord Vanrak's personal quest for immortality. Within
a few years, the Dark Ranger had transformed himself
By the Year of the Howling Moon (1130 DR), House
Moonstar was in open schism. Family members who into a death knight.

l.E\'f.L 18 I VA~RAKDOOM