Realms of the Underdark

Realms of the Underdark, edited by J. Robert King, is the fourth anthology of stories from the Forgotten Realms.

"''The Underdark

Beneath the surface of Faerûn lies a whole different world.

A world of drow, deep gnomes, and other denizens of the dark.

A world of cities like Menzoberranzan and Skullport, of warriors and rogues like Drizzt Do'Urden and Liriel Baenre and numerous others.

Leave the security of the surface world and seek out the darkness that lies below.

Welcome to the Realms of the Underdark.''"

The Fires of Narbondel
By Mark Anthony

A story of Zaknafein. It is almost the 'Festival of the Founding' in Menzoberranzan and Matron Malice Do'Urden has a plan to raise her house's station in the city. Legend has it that Lolth appears somewhere in the city every year during the upcoming festival. Malice has summoned a yochlol that told her of a surefire way that Lolth would appear in House Do'Urden. Malice tasks Zaknafein with finding the Dagger of Menzoberra. Using a magical spider gem, Zak succeeds in finding Menzoberra's tomb beneath the city via a staircase that winds down the length of the inside of Narbondel. He retrieves the dagger from a magic-impeding web that falls apart as soon as the dagger is in his hand and is about to escape Narbondel just as Gromph Baenre lights up the stone pillar with his daily fire spell. But Zak, long harboring a hatred of Lolth decides to defy his matron and casts the dagger back down the staircase before escaping with his life.

Malice knows of his betrayal and sentences him to be turned into a drider. Zak escapes though, thanks to a tiny clay golem cutting his bonds. Zak kills a yochlol, some driders and several priestesses before escaping into the Dark Dominion. The golem leads him to a teleportation circle which transports him to the quarters of Jalynfein the Spider Mage who tells him that the best way to defeat Lolth is to pretend to serve her and then strike at her once favored, like he has done for so long. He also informs Zak that the dagger was not destroyed by Gromph's spell and that he must retrieve it to regain favor in his house. Zak goes to do just that.

Meanwhile, a young Drizzt Do'Urden, while doing a pointless and tedious chore for Briza Do'Urden stumbles upon his family's secret stash of treasure, including a scrying bowl. He commands it to show him something important and he is shown the dagger. Drawn to do so, Drizzt places his hand within the bowl's waters and withdraws the weapon.

Zak discovers the blade is not where he dropped it and uses the spider gem to track it back to House Do'Urden, where Malice is entertaining Yvonnel Baenre. He knocks down Drizzt, thinking him a thief but realising his mistake. When Drizzt finishes telling Zak of how it happened, Zak realizes that by knocking down Drizzt, he has inadvertently activated the houses defenses and soon has to battle three jade spiders. Zak observes Drizzt's natural fighting skill and realises that he is his son, not Rizzen's as Malice had told him. He pushes Drizzt into an antechamber right before Malice and Yvonnel come to investigate the disturbance. Malice deactivates the constructs and demands an explanation. Zak tells her he knows where the dagger is and opens the antechamber door only to find Drizzt empty-handed. They demand to know what happened and Drizzt explains that the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, wearing a dress made of spiders took it, saying his mother would be happy that she did. Yvonnel declares that House Do'Urden is favored by Lolth. Malice is ecstatic and takes Zaknafein back as her weapons master, but decides that it would not be a good idea to explain what happened to Drizzt.

A Slow Day in Skullport
By Ed Greenwood

A company of three adventurers (two Masked Lords of Waterdeep among them) are tricked down into the Underdark under the pretense of a rescue of a Waterdhavian noblewoman. They walk into a beholder's trap&mdash;only to receive help from somewhere they don't expect.

Mentions: Lords of Waterdeep, Durnan, Mirt, Asper, lamia, behir, beholder, illithid, Halaster Blackcloak, Elminster Aumar

Rite of Blood
By Elaine Cunningham

Young Liriel Baenre, daughter of Gromph Baenre, has reached the age for her Blooding. While her instructor, Xandra Shobalar, prepares a Red Wizard to be able to overcome the drow maiden and rid her of the hated disciple, Liriel meets her father for the first time since she left his household.

Mentions: Thay, Red Wizards, Sorcere, Blooding

Sea of Ghosts
By Roger E. Moore

Two runaway slaves&mdash;the deep gnome Wykar and the derro Geppo&mdash;journey back to the place of their calamity to find and destroy an egg that they were forced to bury while enslaved by the drow. Along the way, they have to face the dangers of the Underdark and nature itself.

Mentions: derro, deep gnome, cloaker, drow, kuo-toa

Volo Does Menzo
By Brian M. Thomsen

The once renowned Waterdhavian chef Percival Gallard Woodehous, (or simply Pig, the cook of one of Skullport's not so renowned taverns,) gets in trouble along with the legendary traveler Volothamp Geddarm (alias Volo). As prisoners of the drow, their path leads them to Menzoberranzan.

Mentions: Volo, drow, kuo-toa, Skullport, Menzoberranzan