#DESCENT TO UNDERMOUNTAIN

[p0kern1ght]

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[forbiddenacademia]

I fathom not what fears are stirring, for peace has stilled my quivering breast.

A study in the loss of friendship, self sacrifice, the lure of the shadows, godly spite.

Bio Below

This blog contains dark themes, 21+ only. Open to writing with non-mutuals.

RULES PROMO

Name: Haleth Xinthiri

Race: Half-Elf

Background: Sage

Class: Wizard

Age: Appears mid thirties

Sexuality: Bisexual

Affliction: Tainted by the Shadow Weave

~Appearance~

Hair: Black, long layers, ending just below her chest. Large voluminous curls. Typically worn down but pulled back when she is focused on her studies. Front section of her hair is stark white, in younger iterations she would dye these pieces black in an effort to hide her heritage.

Eyes: Emerald Green

Complexion: Pale with an amethyst undertone.

Notable markings: Dark circles around eyes. Sharp cheeks, prominent collar. Unnaturally long tongue. Bruised knuckles. Wears glasses occasionally.

Build: Toned muscles. Muscles are prominent when engaged.

Height: 5'10"

Images

~Celestial~

Alignment: Neutral (Good inclined)

Patron Deity: Mystra

Scent: Juniper and jasmine, soft fresh earthiness.

Skills Proficiencies: Quarterstaff, grappling, wrestling, dark vision.

Skills Disadvantages: Casting from the weave (she can access the shadow weave far more easily but avoids it due to the ill-effects). Swimming.

Hobbies: Ice skating, sketching. Particularly interested in studying how the Shadow Weave affects flora. Participating in underground fighting rings.

Profession: Professor of the Shadow Weave and chief Shadow Weave Archaeologist at Blackstaff Academy

Afflictions: Heals slower than normal due to the influence of the shadow weave. For this reason she is careful to avoid injury.

Dislikes: Haleth tries to hide her Drow heritage. When she was younger she would dye the white patches of her hair black, but no longer does this. Most of the habits to hide her heritage are ingrained into her. A closed lip smile to hide her sharp teeth, hair to cover the points of her ears, using candles even though she can see extremely well in the dark. Haleth detests when folk point out that she's half drow, in fact she often looks surprised when folk bring it up.

Musical Aesthetic: Infinite Waters

Str : 12

Dex: 12

Con: 14

Int: 18

Wis: 11

Cha: 10

~Biography~

A woman spurned by her goddess for the love of a friend.

As a toddler she was found by a group of adventurers abandoned in the Undermountain. An orphan, her skill for magic was discovered and she was granted a charitable scholarship to Blackstaff. She excelled in all aspects of her schooling, specifically in the physical courses - yet struggled to grasp swimming.

Haleth's magical abilities were stunted by Mystra after her attempts to sway Gale from the Goddess's influence. She turned to studying the Shadow Weave out of spite. Her prowess and willingness to uptake such a dangerous study earned her an in-house residency at Waterdeep's Blackstaff Academy. Her study and lodgings take place deep in the bowels of the school where she is most often visited by the cats who mouse the winding halls of the basement.

In an attempt to fend off the ill effects of the Shadow Weave, the Headmaster of the Academy arranged for clerics and healers to visit her weekly with blessings to fend off the dark.

Haleth studies artefacts and the properties of the Shadow Weave, and keeps vigil documentation on how the energy affects her; a biography of her descent into madness.

**If interacting with Gales (other than my own rendition,) the background connection/any familiarity to Gale is completely optional and up to the writer. I'm happy to talk things out and clarify any connections.

~Variants~

Wriggling Mess (Typical BG3 start)

Convenient Timing (Recruited as a Companion in the Shadow Lands - I almost always write her this way.)

~Bonds~

And you, my forest of calm : Haleth x Vigor

Son: Florian

[blackladisdestrcz]

I played The WORST DnD Game of the 90's | Descent to Undermountain Retro...

[pulse-skeleton]

Found this guy in a video about Descent to Undermountain. Not sure if that's the actual source.

[swordquest]

[techturd]

[theconqueeror]

Neverwinter codes for sale

I have a bunch of these and I don’t play the game so. you can offer any price you see fit on these if you’re interested in them. all are PC codes unless noted otherwise. If you want more info on what each pack contains feel free to ask and i’ll give you the details!

“Just Thayan” Title and Pack

Uprising Gatherer Title and Pack

Uprising “Wild Rover” Title and Pack

Wanderer Title and Pack

Innkeeper Title and Pack

Sole Survivor Title and Pack

Undermountain Cloak (Cloak of the Vine)

Pack of the Yeth Hound

Infernal Descent Messenger’s Pack

Trader Title and Trader’s Double Trim Cloak (XboX)

ps. I also have bunch of steam codes for games if you’re interested in those instead i have a huge list here

[halasters-tower]

Halaster's Descent

So! It's been a while. Hi, how've you been? Let's go to hell. Specifically Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells.

In the new D&D book, Descent into Avernus, the party goes to Avernus and finds it to be a blasted wasteland. A hellish wasteland one might say. But how do you traverse this wasteland? Infernal war machines, baby. Mad Max in hell, complete with warlords of the Avernian wastes. The book details several great ones and highly encourages dungeon masters to come up with a few of their own. That's where this blog comes in because I've had quite possibly the worst idea in history: throw Halaster into Avernus on a hell motorcycle with his face on it, searching for some artifact of great evil to bring back to Undermountain. This way, he could actually end up becoming a temporary ally of the party in their trek through hell, and I could use more of the Mad Mage I love so much. The only thing I'm most unsure of is what exactly he should be looking for down there. The Book of Vile Darkness perhaps? Who knows, all I know at this point is that I really want to use this idea.

So yeah! I guess this post is just looking for a second opinion on whether this is a terrible idea or not. I may add more detail to it later. We'll see!

[kayawagner]

The many faces of Durnan the Wanderer

Looking for danger and excitement, are you? Well don’t be so eager to hunt it down it often finds you soon enough in this city. If you ever want to ever live to see your first gray hair, you’ll learn to not rashly seek out peril at every opportunity. I don’t mean you should stop seeking adventure, but Waterdeep provides enough amusements and thrills for men and gods alike all on its own without stirring any more up. – Durnan, circa 1352 DR (City of Splendors boxed set)

This is a post nobody has asked for and won’t make your D&D game any better, but I feel like writing it because I find it interesting.

Let’s talk about Durnan, venerable owner of The Yawning Portal, leader of the Red Sashes, one time Masked Lord of Waterdeep, and of the way he has been presented throughout various editions of D&D and other products. Then let’s talk about D&D as an IP and why I think Durnan is slated to be a major player for the brand moving forward.

We first meet Durnan in FR1 Waterdeep and the North Forgotten Realms supplement for 1e Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, where he is described as a “closemouthed, prudent man who hates unfairness and injustice, but is tolerant of the differing interests of others, until they draw a weapon in his inn, whereupon he promptly punishes them severely on the spot.” 

Definitely not someone you’d want to mess with. There are no images of Durnan in FR1, so his look is left up to your imagination. There are a few nuggets of backstory there, suggesting that he’s been wandering the world alone ever since hobgoblins killed everyone he knew when he was just a child.

In TSR 1060 “Ruins of Undermountain” for 2e AD&D, Durnan is expanded upon a bit. He’s described as being about 45 years old, and with a family. The unfortunate part is that the wife is described as being 30, and his daughter 16…..yuck….

There was no picture of Durnan in this product either, so he was left to our imagination.

The “TSR 9525 Heroes’ Lorebook” for 2e AD&D, we’d get our first image of Durnan the Wanderer:

HIs appearance in that book is described as such: “While he is no longer a young man, Durnan’s shoulders are broad and unslouched. His dark hair is spotted with gray, and he is starting to go bald. His usual garb is a bright tunic (with his magical armor beneath it) and dark trousers tucked into his favorite (magical) boots .”

Durnan even appeared in a D&D computer game in the later 2e era, “Descent to Undermountain”

In 3e Dungeons and Dragons, Durnan’s appearance starts to deviate a bit from what we saw in 2e.

In a 2003 computer game, “Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark”, we get a new image of Durnan!

Looking good, Dur!

In a 2005 article for the Wizard’s web site titled “Return to Undermountain”,  Durnan is described as:

“Durnan built the Yawning Portal with wealth taken from the Undermountain, and he has run the inn since his retirement from adventuring more than seventy years ago. Now approaching a hundred years of age, the white-haired Durnan is nevertheless a powerful presence behind the bar, and many consider him an institution in Waterdeep. With muscles like catapult shots and a great sword hung among the racks of mugs and bottles, few make trouble in the inn, and those who do quickly come to regret it. ” 

100 years old? White hair? What happened to him being 45 as stated in the ruins of Undermountain boxed set? Or the description found in the Heroes’ Lorebook that read “His dark hair is spotted with gray, and he is starting to go bald.”? Or that look in the Neverwinter Nights computer game?

Best not to think about it.

3.5 D&D gave us “Expedition to Undermountain”, where Durnan once again shows up. Here, the authors explicitly set the date as 1375DR, and provide an updated image of Durnan. One would expect a near-100 year old man with white hair, right?

Think again.

Wut?  Here, Durnan is described as:

“…gruff, square-jawed, burly man, close-mouthed and prudent. His shoulder-length russet hair is graying, his eyes are icy blue, and he looks physically strong and ready for battle. He is confident and alert, and he usually wears a leather jerkin, breeches, and boots, with a cotton shirt.”

His family, as described in 2e’s Ruin of Undermountain, is still around.

Lets talk about Lords of Waterdeep, a FANTASTIC D&D branded board game featuring the oddest depiction of Durnan yet…

Dafuq? He looks like Bono. While no year is mentioned as to when this game takes place, it’s safe to assume it is set in the 3e era of the Forgotten Realms, based on some of the organizations and people included in the game.

But really, that picture? Why is Durnan so inconsistent?

Anyway, moving on… In 4th edition D&D, set 100 years after 3e, Durnan is no longer around. He either died or disappeared.

What happened to Durnan isn’t even spelled out for us. But it doesn’t matter, because “Halls of Undermountain”, a 4e adventure, includes a writeup of a direct descendant of Durnan named “Durnan the Sixth”.

He’s basically a Durnan stand-in, and is described as such:

“DURNAN THE SIXTH A direct descendant of the Yawning Portal’s founder, Durnan the Sixth runs the inn in the same manner his forebears did. Like the original Durnan, he backs his policies with the point of a sword if necessary. Durnan understands the tradition established and honored within the Yawning Portal’s walls, and he knows adventurers of all shapes and sizes are vital to that history. A practical fellow, Durnan shows great respect for all dungeon delvers who enter his tavern through its doors and exit it through the well into Undermountain. Despite that respect, Durnan does not tolerate violence or suspicious behavior in his establishment.”

So, no mention of what happened to Durnan, so it’s probably best to assume that he died, right?

Not so fast.

Cut to 5e’s “Tales from the Yawning Portal”, where the original Durnan, not the 4e stand in, is back behind the bar at the Yawning Portal, running the show.

He’s also featured on the cover of the book. Joining some iconic D&D personalities such as the fire giant King Snurre, the arch lich Acererak, the Xanathar, along with other iconic characters of the game.

Here, We’re told that Durnan has returned from Undermountain once again, paid off Durnan the Sixth (handsomely) to go away, and retook ownership of the bar. Obviously magical shenanigans are at play here in regards to his survival, but he’s definitely the original Durnan from the early days of D&D.

Was it necessary to retcon the 4e version of Durnan? I don’t think so, but they felt that they had to. Mike Mearls even acknowledged it on twitter…

Honestly, it’s a weird retcon. Would new players to the game know that Durnan the Sixth is a different Durnan? And would older players care that it isn’t? Odd.

And his aesthetic is… quite different from what we’ve seen. But at least it’s consistent.

In miniatures…

And even in WOTC’s Stream of Many Eyes event…

@rutywoot as Durnan, pic by Greg Tito

So what’s up with Durnan? Well, in my opinion, WOTC is setting up Durnan to be an important character for the brand. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that we’ll see him on the silver screen, and having a defined aesthetic and story is important for IP purposes. And that’s what D&D is, an IP beyond just the game. And every IP needs characters, rights? He’s featured on the cover of a book, and has been explicitly brought back from the dead to take his rightful place in Waterdeep. His backstory is definitely more interesting than 4e’s Durnan’s the Sixth, who basically had none. He was a cardboard stand-in.

I think that we’re going to see this guy in a D&D film…. I mean, we already know that the Yawning Portal will feature in it.

And I think that he’s destined to be a major character… let’s see.

Anyway… hope you enjoyed this trip down Durnan memory lane.

If you would like to support NewbieDM.com, perhaps you’d consider visiting Amazon.com for your next rpg related purchase. All links to Amazon in this article are linked to my Amazon Associates account.

If you’d like, also check out the following products:

D&D: Tomb of Annihilation

D&D Tomb of Annihilation Dice

Dungeon Master’s Screen Reincarnated

Tales from the Yawning Portal

The many faces of Durnan the Wanderer published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[idontthinkitwillhurtifyousmile]

old school pc rpgs are going to kill me

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[retrocgads]

USA 1996

[theconqueeror]

Neverwinter codes

for those who asked, here’s all the Neverwinter codes/packs I have that I wanna get rid of for cheap since I don’t really play the game.

“Just Thayan” Title and Pack

Uprising Gatherer Title and Pack

Uprising “Wild Rover” Title and Pack

Wanderer Title and Pack

Innkeeper Title and Pack

Sole Survivor Title and Pack

Undermountain Cloak (Cloak of the Vine)

Pack of the Yeth Hound

Infernal Descent Messenger's Pack

Trader Title and Trader’s Double Trim Cloak

Let me know if you’re interested!