Dungeons of the Necromancer's Domain: Underdelve
v1.0
by Rich Carlson
http://www.digital-eel.com/blog/

 + 20 challenging levels.
 + All of DND's classic tricks and traps, and more.
 + More dungeon layout variety - not just mazes.
 + The mad wizard's Orb is hidden on Level ???

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Filename:  UNDER.DGN

How to use:  Place UNDER.DGN in the same folder as DND.EXE.  Underdelve will appear on the list when you are given a choice of dungeons to explore.

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A portion of a bard's curious story overheard at the Salty Tooth Alehouse:

"...Then, the mad wizard's apprentice, Sorkar, fled Anacalagon, finding refuge for a time in the deep mazes of Dorthonion.  Many years passed...  Eventually, Sorkar was presumed to be dead, for surely no man alone could survive as long in such a place.

"Meanwhile, the mad wizard's mystic Orb changed hands many times.  First wrested from the depths of Anacalagon, it was stolen, lost, recovered, stolen again, lost and then, at last, forgotten.  Not surprising, since a magic bauble of such legendary stature cannot be held for long, although men, dragons and dwarves would guard it jealously and fiercely.  It is the nature, and the curse, of a gem of power to wander both world and underworld with a subtle will of its own.

"Truth be told, it was Sorkar who last possessed the Orb.  Having gained a measure of its power, he sought to hide it once again from the sight of mankind.  However, Sorkar also knew that if he were to cunningly spread rumors about the location of the Orb, many bold adventurers would seek it.  Hence, if it could be hidden in a dangerous enough place, many heroes, perhaps all of them, he thought, would meet their demise.  So much the better for the forces of evil!

"In his travels after leaving Dorthonion, Sorkar had ventured far and wide across the land, visiting strange locales and many places of infamous legend.  Finally, in the farthest reaches of the northern wastes, in a place even more desolate and forbidding than ancient Telengard, Sorkar found a crystal cave, and within, an entrance to Underdelve, the vast underground complex of the "immortal" king of the goblins whom they called Graal the Everlasting.

"Of course, the time of Graal had long passed, even by then.  Although long-lived, Graal proved, in the end, to be mortal after all.  Reavers came from Westgate; he perished in combat.  Bereft of leadership, the goblins were easily defeated, their race was diminished and their deep labyrinth became the domain of scavengers, subhumans and creatures even more dangerous and powerful.

"So, while assuming the form of a wraith, Sorkar penetrated Underdelve, seeking its deepest and most secret chamber for the resting place of his master's Orb.  It is unknown whether he accomplished his goal or not, although rumors suggest that he did.  Regardless, Sorkar's scheme seems to be working.  Even now, heroes and adventurers seeking battle prowess, wealth and fame brave the trek across the snow-drifted wastes to find the crystal cave and enter Underdelve.  To date, none have returned.

"By the way, Sorkar did turn up again a few years ago in Hain Town.  Drunk, raving and living in the gutter, apparently he had witnessed too many unspeakable horrors while exploring Underdelve.  His mind was gone, and with it, his power, and not a shred of his sanity remained.

"Sorkar had tempted death and flirted with evil too many times, just as his master had done, and since that is always a losing gambit in the end, he paid the same great price.  For the safety of the townsfolk, Sorkar was captured.  He spent his last days, senseless, powerless and confined to a dark, damp, rat-infested cell in the Willowmere madhouse; a horrible fate, don't you think?"

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RC 03.05.05