City of the Spider Queen

"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 the player characters respond to the summons of Randal Morn, who asked 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 characters stumbled 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 galvanized the natives of the outpost into increased activity against the surface world.

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

At Maerimydra, in Part 3, the characters found the drow city a burning ruin as the forces of Kurgoth Hellspawn's army had overrun the former metropolis. While the cult of Kiaransalee still defended the Castle Maerimydra, strengthened by large numbers of undead minions, the summoning of the Undying Temple by their leader, Irae T'sarran, had created a growing local corruption in the Weave of magic. The majority of the adventure took place within Maerimydra (the City of the Spider Queen) as the PCs battled the servants of Irae T'sarran, in addition to the invading armies of the Kurgoth Hellspawn

Part 4, the final act of the adventure took 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 stood at the heart of an expanding area of disruption in the Weave. Inside this shrine, the PCs confronted Irae's fiendish and undead servitors and lastly even the priestess herself.

Characters

 * Alisannara Morcane • Badrazel • Cabrath Nelinderra • Chahir • Chiirikk • Claw • Dessa sik-Morcane • Dorina T'sarran • Duneth Wharreil • Filzaur • Flenser • Ghindul • Ghunda • Glouroth • Gok'llak • Guk • Hamadh • Irae T'sarran • Jhorganni • Kâras • Khumarr • Kurgoth Hellspawn • Lady Quallem • Laerekh • Larala Dumian • Latar • Logala Thenduk • Maas • Mort • Nobruzzal • Paelinn • Phikkul • Quthnorak • Randal Morn • Ripper • Sekrr • Skred • Solom Ned'razak • Sshumath Daerindra • Susztam Mar-Shinn • Taharak • Theod • Thulk • Thurrak • Tierak Morcane • Tooman Thendrik • Umaerh • Velasta T'sarran • Velina T'sarran • Wisp • Wyrruth • Yashar • Zedarr T'sarran


 * Chaumyk Vorn • Dulwar • Imaerphil Clovenshield • Indrizil • Maalthiir • Rhavanz • Shevaril Starcloak • Tunfer • Vaustal Urle • Vournoth

Creatures

 * Abyssal ghoul • Aranea • Balor • Bebilith • Beholder • Black dragon • Black pudding • Blood fiend • Bugbear • Chuul • Cornugon • Death tyrant • Deep Rothé • Dire bear • Dire lion • Displacer beast • Doomsphere • Dracolich • Draegloth • Drider • Drider vampire • Drow • Duergar • Elephant • Fire giant • Ghast • Ghost • Giant spider • Goblin • Gray render • Grimlock • Half-dragon • Half-drow Half-fiend • Hamatula • Hezrou • Human • Iron golem • Jade spider • Keening Spirit • Kir-lanan • Kraken • Kuo-Toa • Lich • Lizard • Maurezhi • Medusa • Mind flayer • Mohrg • Nightmare • Nightwalker • Nycaloth • Ochre jelly • Ogre • Ogre Mage • Orb wraith • Phasm • Quasit • Revenant • Roper • Quth-maren • Salamander • Shade • Shadow dragon • Skeleton • Silverwraith • Spiderstone golem • Spirit naga • Stone giant • Troglodyte • Vampire • Vampire spawn • White dragon • Vrock • Wererat • Wraith spider • Yrthak • Zombie


 * Half-elf • Gnoll • Svirfneblin

Locations

 * Buildings & Sites: Castle Maerimydra • Coliseum of Maerimydra • Courtyard of Lolth • Dordrien crypts • Fane of Lolth • Grand Boulevard • Inverted Tower • Lake of Blood • Lair of the Hidden • Naga Crawls • Shattered Tower • Shrine of the Claw • Undying Temple • Vournoth's Mire
 * Settlements: Dagger Falls • Maerimydra • Szith Morcane
 * Wilderness: Dagger Hills • Deep Wastes • Lake of Shadows • Wailing Cliff • Underdark
 * Realms: Daggerdale
 * Planes: Ethereal Plane • Material Plane


 * Ch'Chitl • Dagger Falls • Cormanthor • Hillsfar • Jhaamdath • Mines of Tethyamar • Plane of Shadow • Shade • Temple of Tyr • Twisted Tower

Magic items

 * amulet of dark blessing • claw of the revenancer • death spear • eyes of the spider • fang scarab • folding boat • 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

Organizations

 * Families: House Morcane • House T'sarran • Quallem family
 * Groups: Hidden • Howling Wing • Church of Kiaransalee • Screeching Wing


 * House Chûmavh

Religions

 * Priests: Ghaunadaur • Laogzed • Lolth • Kiaransalee • Umberlee • Vhaeraun
 * Temples: Courtyard of Lolth • Fane of Lolth • Shrine of the Claw • Undying Temple


 * Temple of Tyr • Tyr

Spells

 * forbiddance • guards and wards • planar ally • scrying • ''true resurrection


 * great revenance

Miscellaneous

 * Silence of Lolth • Drow poison • Faerzress • Silence of Lolth • Weave disruption

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