City of the Spider Queen

City of the Spider Queen, designed by James Wyatt, is an adventure module set in the Forgotten Realms using the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition ruleset. It focuses on drow, the Silence of Lolth, and the cult of Kiaransalee. "The Fate of Faerûn Lies in Shadowy Darkness!

Daggerdale is reeling from a sudden series of murderous drow raids. As a grave threat to the entire surface world develops in the war-torn dark elf city of Maerimydra, intrepid heroes must discover its source and destroy it, if they can.

Designed to take 10th level characters as far as 18th level, City of the Spider Queen draws the heroes into the deepest reaches of the Underdark and plunges them into an epic adventure with dire consequences.


 * 13 new monsters
 * 13 new magic items
 * 16-page full-color map booklet"

Summary
The adventure starts off as adventurers respond to the summons of Randal Morn, who asks them to investigate recent drow raids on Daggerdale. In Part 1, their hunt takes them through ancient Dordrien crypts in the Dagger Hills to the drow outpost of Szith Morcane, founded long ago by drow from the nearby city of Maerimydra. Within Szith Morcane, the party stumble across the true cause of the raids, a newly installed cult of Kiaransalee. The cult used the Silence of Lolth to take control of Szith Morcane and is galvanizing the natives of the outpost into increased activity against the surface world.

Within the Commoners level of Szith Morcane, a tunnel leads off to the northeast, toward Maerimydra. In Part 2 of the adventure, an expedition through roughly 100 miles (160 km) of winding Underdark tunnels is embarked upon. Navigating past numerous dangerous locales and evil denizens, including the Lake of Shadows, the Wailing Cliff, and Vournoth's Mire, the adventurers eventually find their way to the besieged city of Maerimydra.

At Maerimydra, in Part 3, the adventurers find the drow city a burning ruin as the forces of Kurgoth Hellspawn's army have overrun the former metropolis. The cult of Kiaransalee still defends Castle Maerimydra, strengthened by large numbers of undead minions. The summoning of the Undying Temple by their leader, Irae T'sarran, has created a growing local corruption in the Weave of magic. The majority of this part takes place within Maerimydra (the City of the Spider Queen) as the adventurers battle the servants of Irae T'sarran, in addition to the invading armies of the Kurgoth Hellspawn.

Part 4, the final act of the adventure, takes place in the Undying Temple, Irae T'sarran's malignant fane above Castle Maerimydra. Constructed partially in the Material Plane and partially in the Ethereal Plane, the temple stands at the heart of an expanding area of disruption in the Weave. Inside this shrine, the adventurers confront Irae's fiendish and undead servitors and lastly even the priestess herself.

Characters

 * • •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Flenser •  •  •  •  •  •  • Irae T'sarran •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Paelinn •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Sshumath Daerindra •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Umaerh •  •  •  •  • Yashar •


 * • Chaumyk Vorn • Dreveth the Gray • Dulwar • Gurdren Myrinn • Imaerphil Clovenshield • • Larynda Telenna • Maalthiir • Shevaril Starcloak • Tunfer the Stout • Vaustal Urle •

Creatures

 * • •   •  •  •  •  • Black pudding •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Draegloth •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Human •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Medusa •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Orb wraith •  •  •  •  •  •  • Salamander •  •  •  •  •  Spiderstone golem •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Wererat •  •  •  •


 * Half-elf • •

Locations

 * Buildings & Sites: •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • Undying Temple •
 * Settlements: Dagger Falls • •
 * Wilderness: Dagger Hills • •  •  • Underdark
 * Realms: Daggerdale
 * Planes: Ethereal Plane • Material Plane


 * • • Hillsfar • Jhaamdath •  • Plane of Shadow •  •  • Temple of Tyr •  •

Magic

 * Magic:
 * Magic items: amulet of dark blessing • claw of the revenancer • death spear • eyes of the spider • fang scarab • • hand of Kiaransalee's glory • piwafwi • ring of see invisibility • ring of silent spells • robe of gentle repose • rod of the twisted Weave • spectral dagger
 * Spells: •  • planar ally • scrying • ''true resurrection


 * great revenance

Organizations

 * Families: •  •
 * Groups: •  • Church of Kiaransalee •



Religions

 * Priests: •  • Lolth •  •  • Vhaeraun
 * Temples: Courtyard of Lolth • Fane of Lolth • Shrine of the Claw • Undying Temple


 * Temple of Tyr • Tyr

Miscellaneous

 * Drow poison • • Silence of Lolth •

Trivia

 * This adventure was ranked the 24th greatest adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine for the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2004.