TEXT: MAD MAGES 
  OF UNDERMOUNTAIN
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
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  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of 
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  by Troy E. Taylor and published under the Community Content 
  Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
  A supplement of NPC wizards for your adventures. 
  Requires: Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
  References 
  Mearls, Mike and Jeremy Crawford, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, 2016 
  Mearls, Mike and Jeremy Crawford, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, 2018 
  Kenson, Steve, Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. 2015 
  Perkins, Christopher and James J. Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee and Matt Sernett, Waterdeep Dragon 
  Heist, 2018 
  Boyd, Eric L, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds, Expedition to Undermountain, 2007 
  Cordell, Bruce R., Ed Greenwood and Chris Sims. Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, 2008. 
  MAD MAGES 
  OF UNDERMOUNTAIN
  Writing and design 
  Troy E. Taylor 
  Editing 
  Motorcycle Riding Librarian 
  Cover Illustration 
  Storn A. Cook, Image Portfolio, Platinum 
  Edition 17, Louis Porter Jr Design. 
  Interior illustrations 
  Hag and Mage Reading  
  by Dean Spencer, c. 2015 
  Dungeon Master’s Guild Art Resources 
  Interior photographs Unsplash 
  Dhaval Parmar, Xuan Nguyen, Pierrick Van 
  Troost, Alex Iby, Mitchell Griest, Jacob 
  Avanzat, Naganath Chiluveru, Sindre Alberg, 
  Claudia Ramirez, Actionvance, Mohammad 
  Metri, Joshua Filler, El Khirani Adil, Luke 
  Braswell, Aaron Mello, Andre Cuervo 
  Interior photographs Stockfreeimages 
  Shapoval, Sharlize, Creative Commons  
  Cartography 
  Dyson Logos, commercial license 
  Compass Rose by Patrick Pullen
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 3
  ike bears to honey, arcanists are drawn to 
  Undermountain. They cannot resist its 
  enticing scent. They must plumb its secrets 
  and unravel the mysteries of their art.  
  They also come, each one's hubris evident. 
  For each believes that they alone can resist the 
  madness that has afflicted so many others, 
  apprentice wizards and archmages alike.  
  It is their undoing. 
  UNRAVELING HISTORY 
  In Undermountain’s darkest and most 
  unhallowed halls, there is great power waiting to be 
  tapped. The most ambitious mages have always 
  known it to be true.  In eldritch quests, they follow 
  the unwinding of history, tracing the origins of 
  other ancient races: Elves. Giants. Drow. Dwarves.  
  Playground of the deranged
  L
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 4
  In the subterranean, after all, the Weave is 
  knotted. Upon its convergences ancient peoples 
  anchored their hopes and dreams. 
  The ancient texts all agree: Each of those 
  peoples emerged stronger after incubating in the 
  chthonic. In sculpture and architecture, in song 
  and in art, in all the expressions of imagination 
  and creativity, they crafted a testament to 
  building a civilization underground. 
  SEEKERS OF MYSTERIES 
   Even if humanity has not wholly 
  embraced the same path, it is linked 
  to it nevertheless. Does not 
  Waterdeep, its greatest city, 
  occupy the place above the 
  world’s greatest dungeon?  
  Perhaps, these are early 
  days. Perhaps, those such as 
  Halaster Blackcloak are part of the 
  vanguard of a new age. Perhaps it is 
  left to wizards, sorcerers, and 
  warlocks alike to pioneer the 
  subterranean frontier.  
  “Yes, yes!” Such a conclusion 
  has been reached and echoed 
  from many a wizard’s tower and 
  from the lectern of many 
  respected arcane academies. 
  Even high-minded spellcasters 
  find such a line of thinking 
  attractive. To traffic with great 
  power one must seek it out. And 
  who is qualified to do that? 
  MISGUIDED FAITH 
  The circle of hubris — the 
  elliptical line of madness — is 
  unbroken.   
  Those who wear robes 
  adorned with stars and comets,  
  waving wands and magic staves 
  alike, have deluded themselves into 
  thinking their researches underground serve a 
  cause greater than themselves. When in fact, they 
  only think of personal enrichment.  
  They are, in the final analysis, plunderers 
  and opportunists. In Undermountain, they hope 
  to find the secrets that will place them one rung 
  higher on the ladder of empowerment and 
  entitlement. 
    
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 5
  A GRIM PATH 
  Most will be dismayed to learn that few 
  emerge from Undermountain, let alone 
  unscathed.  
  The greater the mage, the greater their 
  detachment from reality, the faster their sanity 
  deteriorates, the more grotesque their 
  disfigurement, the more easily they become 
  unmoored from their ethical underpinnings. 
  Partnerships and friendships dissolve quickly. 
  Loved ones are abandoned.  
  What associations remains are those that 
  only reinforce their sideways decline. Twisted 
  personalities that serve only as crutch, not cure, 
  to a personal malady. A cursory reading of so 
  many journals and diaries recovered from 
  Undermountain’s depths reveals that even those 
  unhealthy relationships will dissolve before the 
  final decline sways into desperation and despair. 
  BE WARNED 
  Adventurers who seek fame and fortune in 
  Undermountain should take heed before being 
  lowered by Durnan into the Yawning Portal.  
  Undermountain isn’t only a dungeon. It is a 
  playground for deranged magic users whose 
  ideals — if they ever held any —  have been 
  perverted and whose bonds of decency swept 
  away.  
  Go into the darkness knowing that the 
  resident mages can never be trusted beyond their 
  own self-serving aims. They are creatures of 
  shadow now.  They have been made mad in the 
  depths, made complicit by the treachery of 
  Undermountain itself. 
  As one who has succumbed to a similar call in 
  another dungeon in another dark place — 
  descended into a madness that distorted magic 
  inflicts — only to be brought back from the brink 
  by the tender care of a loving husband, I hope you 
  heed my warning.  
  I was fortunate to be rescued, to be made 
  whole again. 
  But I am one of the few. 
  The many are now the stuff of nightmares. 
  Anamanue Laeral Arunson Silverhand 
  Open Lord of Waterdeep     
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 6
  Catalog  
  of the deluded 
  Undermountain harbors many mages who’ve 
  carved out tiny enclaves for themselves and their 
  cohorts in forgotten corners of its massive 
  dungeon. 
  This small tract is a catalog of this deluded 
  and dangerous lot, gleaned from interviews with 
  adventurers who’ve survived their trials and come 
  back out of the Yawning Portal with loot and their 
  lives. It also includes missives from trusted 
  agents in Skullport, who hear whispers of goings-
  on in the Apprentice levels of the dungeon. 
  Durnan has been an important source of 
  information. He seems to remember so many 
  who took their descent into the Undermountain 
  from his tavern’s entrance. He is quite 
  remarkable in this regard.  He also has other 
  reliable eyes and ears below, as do other 
  Waterdehavians, who contributed to my research 
  but who wish to remain anonymous. 
  Despite my diligence in research, a topic such 
  as this can never be truly current nor complete. 
  I’ve learned, for instance, that finding the true 
  identity of many of these mages is a difficult task.  
  Many assume new identities either before 
  they descend or once they’ve established 
  themselves. Whether this reflects their 
  changing personalities or a desire to 
  mask their true identity from rivals, I do 
  not know.  For certain, it makes it difficult 
  to know for certain that I haven’t made two 
  entries that are actually the same person! 
  Or, that a mage has assumed an identity of a 
  slain colleague — an occurrence more 
  common than I once thought.   
  While this catalog is a listing of some of the 
  more nefarious wizards inhabiting 
  Undermountain, it is not a rehashing of the likes 
  of Halaster and his original seven apprentices. I 
  think it is fair to say of them that despite their 
  notoriety, they are dead and gone from the scene.  
  It seems unlikely in the utmost that they are 
  still about. And if they yet live, the stories that 
  surround them are so exaggerated they can 
  scarcely be believed. In any case, their exploits 
  are well known, so there is no need to regurgitate 
  that information. (That is not to say Halaster’s  
  apprentices have not been influential — they 
  clearly are. Several of the mages I list have a 
  lineage of tutelage tracing back to them. But that 
  is as far as it goes.) 
  It is my hope this tract will serve adventurers 
  and historiographers alike.  
  Volothamp Geddarm, Waterdeep, 1492
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 7
  Mages Most Prominent
  Madness Sanity 
  checks
  Is the mage exhibiting 
  madness when the PCs 
  encounter them? Have the 
  NPC make a DC 20 Wisdom 
  save.  If it fails, the NPC 
  exhibits the madness detailed 
  in the entry, or roll for an effect 
  on the charts in Chapter 8 of 
  the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
  What makes one mage 
  more prominent than another?  
  Are they masters in their 
  particular school of magic?  
  Is it their ambition? Are 
  they bolder, more daring, and 
  more prone to using lethal force 
  to achieve their ends?  
  Is their renown such that  
  news of their exploits have 
  reached out from 
  Undermountain?  
  Is it the number and quality 
  of their followers? Is it the 
  security of their lair?  
  Suffice to say, encountering 
  any of the following 
  practitioners of the art is likely 
  to put adventurers on 
  dangerous ground. Be warned.
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 8
  Mozria 
  Kometez 
  Female lightfoot 
  halfling 
  KNOWN ALIASES 
  Morzria Matchstick, 
  as a member of the Cult 
  of Eternal Flame. 
  APPEARANCE 
  Morzria is about 3 
  and half feet tall. She 
  has light blond hair. She 
  is slender and prefers 
  clothes that are simple 
  and clingy, reducing the 
  chance stray cloth will 
  catch fire while 
  spellcasting.  
  MANNERISMS 
  She often stamps 
  her feet or slaps at her 
  arms and body as if she 
  were putting out invisible 
  flames.  
  A secondary trait is her overriding desire to be 
  loved and adored.  Passionate and sensual, 
  Morzria requires pledges of affection from all the 
  members of her cohort. However, she only has 
  physical relations with the fire genasi in her 
  retinue. 
  MOTIVATONS 
  Rejecting the kindhearted ways of her hin 
  kinfolk, she pursues evocation magic as if the 
  flames were emblazoned on her soul. Her quest is 
  to obtain the Mizzenstaff, a staff of fire made 
  from an ancient ship’s mast, that she believes is 
  located in the Apprentice levels. 
  EXHIBITED MADNESS 
  She suffers from bouts of short-term madness 
  lasting 1d10 minutes that leave her stunned for 
  the duration. She explains it as being overcome by 
  an all-consuming fire. She will drop to the floor 
  and attempt to roll and smother the flames. 
  LAIR 
  Twin doors at both ends of a long hallway 
  mark the beginnings of a suite of rooms that serve 
  “Love me! You will adore me or I will 
  caress you with flames and lightning!”
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 9
  as Mozria’s lair. The area is just off the known 
  southern section of the Arcturiadoom. A set of 
  balcony stairs off a foyer lead up to a living 
  quarters and a dining room/library for her and 
  her followers. Mozria practices her evocation 
  spells in a three-pillared chamber whose door 
  frame exhibits scorch marks.  A sauna and 
  latrine are to the east of the main hall.  
  COHORT 
  Prisca. a female human Chondathan 
  gladiator, serves as personal bodyguard and 
  protector, stationed in the hallway near the 
  workroom or at Morzria’s side.  
  Despirator.  A male salamander, he 
  patrols the long hallway between the double 
  doors. It is the first line of defense.  
  Sizzle. A firenewt warrior, defends the 
  sauna.  
  Narthal. A male human Damaran 
  veteran,  he guards the foyer and other rooms 
  KITCHEN
  SAUNA
  LATRINE
  STOREROOM
  LONG OUTER HALL
  BALCONY 
  STAIRS
  FOYER
  TO ACTURIADOOM
  MOZRIA’S 
  CHAMBER
  SITTING 
  ROOM
  CONSTOR’S 
  QUARTERS
  DINING ROOM / 
  LIBRARY
  WARRIOR 
  BUNKS
  WIZARD’S 
  LABORATORY
  N
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 10
  on the lower floor.  
  Gitasa and Ember. Female and male fire 
  genasi commoners, they are servants who 
  provide upkeep and meals to all in the suite and 
  are the minders for Scorch, a magma mephit 
  who powers their cooking equipment and the 
  sauna.  
  Constor. A youthful male human, he was 
  recruited as Morzria’s apprentice wizard and 
  secretary. Constor shows such promise as a 
  diviner that Morzria hopes the youth eventually 
  learns to cast divination spells to aid in her hunt 
  for the staff of fire.    
    
  ORIGIN  
  As a youth, renegades ravaged Mozria’s  home 
  halfling village in Luiren. She saw her 
  grandparents, parents and siblings burned alive.  
  Vowing never to be a victim, she left to pursue 
  evocation magic, ever-mindful of the burned husk 
  of a village she left behind.  
  For a time she fell in with the elemental Cult 
  of the Eternal Flame. Her own deeds in service to 
  the cult were a long trail of flames and 
  destruction.  
  But she left the cult in a falling out with the 
  tiefling prophet, Vanifer. Morzria cared not a whit 
  for their religious fervor, being devoted to her own 
  goals and aims. 
  NPC STATS 
  Mozria. Use evoker NPC stats from Volo’s 
  Guide to Monsters with the following exceptions: 
  halfling racial traits (DMG, p. 282); replace ice 
  storm with vitriolic sphere, cone of cold with 
  immolation and wall of ice with investiture of 
  flame. All three replacement spells come from 
  Princes of the Apocalypse which has a free 
  downloadable player’s guide at the DM’s Guild.  
  Constor. Use apprentice wizard stats 
  from Volo’s Guide to Monsters with the following 
  exceptions: replace cantrips mending and 
  prestidigitation with message and true strike and 
  1st level spells with detect magic, feather fall and 
  mage armor. 
  Dothkan Omeur 
  Male human/Turami 
  KNOWN ALIASES 
  Little Turami (a nickname bestowed by his 
  former mistress, Arcturia, that he considers 
  belittling and demeaning.) 
  APPEARANCE 
  The pigmentation of Dothkan’s dusky skin 
  turned into a patchwork of blotches akin to vitiligo 
  (except the colors were varied rather than pale).  
  MANNERISMS 
  For seemingly no outward reason, he flinches. 
  These are reactions from instances in which he was 
  transformed by Arcturia during her transmutation 
  experiments. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 11
  MOTIVATION 
  A devotee of Loviatar, Dothkan believes the 
  church’s chief clergy has gone astray from central 
  teachings, especially the congregation located on 
  the Dungeon Level of Undermountain. Dothkan 
  and likeminded allies plan to usurp leadership of 
  the church. In doing so, he also will gain control 
  of the Long Dark Stair, which connects the 
  oubliette of the Blushing Nymph festhall with the 
  Dungeon Level. 
     
  EXHIBITED MADNESS  
  Exhibits long-term madness that lasts 1d10 x 
  10 hours. He experiences uncontrollable tremors 
  and tics that impose disadvantage on attack rolls, 
  ability checks and saving throws for Dexterity. 
  LAIR 
  Dothkan controls a former dwarven temple 
  on The Storeroom Level that he has converted 
  “If your heart is steadfast, 
  then nothing else matters. 
  Change your form. Change 
  your dress. Change your 
  name. Change your 
  allegiance. All is mutable, 
  except for your heart. You 
  must stay true to that!”
  MAIN 
  SANCTUARY
  TO STOREROOM LEVEL 
  STAIRS UP TO DUNGEON LEVEL
  SANCTUM 
  BRANCH
  PRIVATE 
  WORSHIP
  HIGH 
  PRIEST’S 
  QUARTERS
  DOTHKAN 
  CELL
  ACOLYTE 
  CELL
  ALTAR 
  PLINTH
  N
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 12
  into a sanctuary for Loviatar.  Three pillars 
  support the roof of the main sanctuary with an 
  altar plinth on a raised dais accessed by stairs at 
  the north end. Dothkan and two other acolytes 
  reside in the small cells just off the main 
  sanctuary. In an antechamber, a set of wrought 
  iron spiral stairs lead up to a sanctum that 
  branches off.  The stairs, however continue up, 
  leading to an access into the Dungeon Level. The 
  sanctum has a private chamber for more 
  intimate ministrations by Loviatar priests. 
  Another small room serves as the high priest’s 
  sleeping quarters.  
  COHORT 
  Keshambala Sunleah. It is not quite clear 
  if Dothkan is the leader of the Loviatar 
  worshipers, or if he is led by the chief priestess, 
  an imperious female human cult fanatic named 
  Keshambala Sunleah.  
  Leucis and Criella. They are male and 
  female tiefling submissives who serve as 
  acolytes.   
  Loviatar’s flock. At most, there are a half-
  dozen cultists in the vicinity who worship at the 
  temple at odd hours. Desperate adventurers 
  sometimes seek a respite here, proclaiming their 
  devotion to the Lady of Pain. Sometimes a 
  handful have genuine conversions.  
  Vyark. Once every tenday Vyark, a gnoll 
  pack lord, requires the tiefling acolytes to assist 
  in his praise of Loviatar.  
  Ephigiardia and Thigian. 
  Once a year, an incubus calling 
  himself Ephigiardia makes a 
  pilgrimage to impart teachings 
  and deliver holy books sacred 
  to Loviatar.  Ephigiardia is 
  always in the company of his 
  companion, a yagnoloth 
  named Thigian. 
  ORIGINS 
  As one of Arcturia’s apprentices, Dothkan 
  fared better than most.  
  The other wizards learning from the mad 
  transmuter, herself one of Halaster’s original 
  apprentices, usually wound up being 
  permanently morphed into something other than 
  their humanoid form because it pleased her 
  whims.  
  Though Dothkan would variously be 
  reformed by her magic into having grotesque 
  appendages or given an insectoid form, she never 
  failed to restore him.  
  All those changes — and the other physical 
  punishments she inflicted — took their toll, 
  however.   
  It was during his apprenticeship, however, 
  that he became a devoted servant of Loviatar.  
  Once he completed the construction of his 
  transmuter's stone, he retreated from 
  Arcturiadoom for the relative safety of the Upper 
  Levels. 
  NPC STATS 
  Dothkan. Use transmuter NPC stats from 
  Volo’s Guide to Monsters. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 13
  Toporinikoiya 
  Ghaloughs 
  Female human 
  KNOWN ALIASES 
  She was born Tana Chemov.  The denizens of 
  Skullport refer to her Sketchy Gallows.  
  APPEARANCE 
  She appears in a ragged, unkempt shift. She is 
  gaunt with deep-set eyes and wild hair.  
  MANNERISMS 
  She speaks in clipped sentences, often 
  changing topics. She has a way of reaching for 
  things that looks like she’s lunging, as if she were 
  “The undead don’t cry. 
  Why is that?  
  Are they no longer sad? 
  They no longer worry. 
  They no longer grieve. 
  They have no worldly 
  concerns.  
  Sounds like bliss.” 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 14
  one of her grasping undead creations. She lies 
  almost unconsciously. 
  MOTIVATION 
  She is convinced she will never be great as a 
  necromancer until she achieves lichdom.  
  Before she entered Undermountain, she was 
  content to explore all the aspects of her school of 
  spellcasting.  
  She has since begun to venerate Shar in the 
  hopes her dark dreams will come true. Now all her 
  studies are devoted to the goal of lichdom. 
  EXHIBITED MADNESS 
  She suffers indefinite madness, bending the 
  truth, exaggeration and outright lies in an effort to 
  make herself more interesting to people.   
  She is prone to bouts of short-term madness 
  that lasts 1d10 minutes in which she becomes 
  incapacitated and spends the duration weeping.  
  LAIR 
  Toporinikoiya moved into a shrine off a 
  hallway on the eastern side of the Terminus Level. 
  The shrine was formally dedicated to the Raven 
  Queen.    
  It has a central sanctuary with frescoed 
  alcoves featuring paintings of the Raven Queen 
  performing various duties in the Shadowfell. The 
  western annex includes Toporinikoiya’s personal 
  shrine to Shar, a living quarters and a latrine.  
  The eastern annex includes a large laboratory 
  for her experiments and two small rooms 
  branching off a hall that serves as sleeping 
  quarters for her followers. 
  CENTRAL 
  SANCTUARY
  SHRINE 
  TO SHAR
  LATRINE
  TOPORINIKOIYA’S 
  QUARTERS
  TO 
  TERMINUS 
  LEVEL
  NECROMANCY 
  LABORATORY
  SLEEPING 
  QUARTERS
  SLEEPING 
  QUARTERS
  N
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 15
  COHORT 
  Adarla. A female ogre, she is Toporinikoiya’s 
  most devoted servant, providing the strength to 
  handle most physical tasks, including removing 
  and repositioning the stone lids of sarcophaguses.  
  For an ogre, Adarla is atypically chatty, usually 
  lamenting that this job limits her opportunities to 
  find a suitable mate.  
  Korsican. A male drider, he serves as scout, 
  usually out and about on this and adjacent levels 
  looking for bodies Toporinikoiya can experiment 
  on.   
  Allip. An allip (Mordenkainen’s Tome of 
  Foes) inhabits the main hall and is the reason 
  Toporinikoiya settled in this location. She has 
  conversations with the babbling allip, yearning to 
  learn lore of the other side. The allip, wishing to 
  escape the curse and enter the afterlife, is willing 
  to share. Unfortunately, for both, Toporinikoiya’s 
  bouts of weeping and her own lies means what she 
  gleans from the allip comes in fits and starts, 
  prolonging the process. Constant exposure to the 
  allip’s whispers and babble have only worsened 
  Toporinikoiya’s madness.  
  Orgento. A deathlock (Mordenkainen’s 
  Tome of Foes), has fallen in with the group as 
  directed by its fiendish patron, Fierna, and does 
  Toporinikoiya’s bidding.  
  Undead. The outer hall is patrolled by a 
  sword wraith (Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes), a 
  warrior forever grumbling about its fate, dying in 
  the Underdark for no good reason when it should 
  have been part of a surface army on a glorious 
  campaign.  
  Toporinikoiya has propped four mummies 
  into the frescoed alcoves. She also has placed two 
  minotaur skeletons in with the Shar shrine and 
  a flesh golem  in the east hall.   
  ORIGINS 
  Toporinikoiya was a caretaker for a funeral 
  parlor in Baldur’s Gate when her ability to cast 
  spells first manifested.  
  At first, she took up wandering, taking up with 
  adventuring companies across the Sword Coast, 
  helping or hindering their exploits as new 
  opportunities presented themselves.  
  At last, she accompanied a group into 
  Undermountain, betraying each member in turn 
  as she gained prowess as a necromancer. 
  NPC STATS 
  Toporinikoiya. Use stats for a 
  necromancer found in Volo’s Guide to 
  Monsters. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 16
  Adulthus 
  Agrador 
  Male human 
  KNOWN ALIASES 
  None 
  APPEARANCE 
  Well-groomed, with manicured fingernails 
  and a trimmed beard. His robes modest, but 
  immaculate with starched cuffs and trim. 
  “No fortification is 
  secure without a deep, 
  sure-footed foundation. 
  Nor should any mage 
  sleep soundly before 
  placing magical wards 
  about their domain.” 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 17
  MANNERISMS 
  Fastidious to a fault. He is always criticizing 
  his underlings about the state of his dungeon lair. 
  He has a habit of pulling on the cuffs of his robes 
  to test their fit. 
  MOTIVATIONS 
  Despite his philosophizing and poetry, 
  Adulthus is a treasure-seeker at heart. He entered 
  Undermountain with a bucket list of items he 
  desired, including a ring of invisibility, a robe of 
  the archmage and the Tome of Clear Thought.  
  His research indicated they could be found on the 
  Storeroom level.  
   Dismayed at not making a quick recover, he 
  retreated to his lair, a sublevel just off 
  Vankradoom.  
  EXHIBITED MADNESS 
  When afflicted by a bout of long-term 
  madness, his repeated hand-washing motion 
  prevents casting of spells with somatic 
  components for a period of 1d10 x 10 hours.  
  LAIR 
  Adulthus occupies a small dungeon complex 
  below Vankradoom accessible via a shaft.  
  TO VANKRADOOM
  N
  FIRE 
  BREATHING 
  STATUE
  FALLING NET TRAP
  LOCKING PIT 
  TRAP
  MARGANDA’S 
  PERCH
  ADULTHUS AND IDWARD QUARTERS
  GNOME 
  SERVANTS
  MARGANDA’S 
  QUARTERS
  MANTEL’S 
  QUARTERS
  DINING
  ARMORY
  LIBRARY
  GALLEY’S 
  QUARTERS
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 18
  The double doors at the bottom of the shaft 
  are labeled with warnings in many languages and 
  are double locked with a DC 20 combination.  
  The lair has two rings of corridors, the inner 
  ring being trapped. The inner hallway angles 
  north has a statue in an alcove; stepping on the 
  pressure plate activates a fire-breathing statue 
  magic trap as detailed in the DMG.   
  Following the corridor there are two silver 
  rods going floor to ceiling that are part of an 
  apparatus that holds a falling net mechanical trap.  
  The adjacent chamber contains a Locking Pit 
  Trap, again, as detailed in the DMG.  
  Adulthus’ living quarters are the 
  southwest corner of the complex.  
  The outer ring leads to living 
  quarters. With these, Adulthus places 
  arcane lock to secure his living 
  quarters. 
  COHORT 
  Galley. A female derro master thief 
  (Volo’s Guide to Monsters), Galley maintains the 
  traps (Galley’s particular madness trait is she 
  frequently licks her palms).  
  Marnte. A male human blackguard (Volo’s 
  Guide to Monsters) is responsible for patrolling 
  the halls.  
  Marganda. A female human archer (Volo’s 
  Guide to Monsters) is stationed at the end of the 
  main hall.  
  Idward. A male human bard (Volo’s Guide 
  to Monsters) serves as Adulthus’ constant 
  companion, sharing living quarters and their 
  mutual love of poetry and philosophy.    
  Gnome servants. Three well-scrubbed male 
  gnome commoners, Felick, Brader and Aditya, 
  are kept busy cleaning and preparing meals; the 
  place won’t operate without their diligence. 
  ORIGINS 
  The son of a merchant family, Adulthus 
  received training in magic at Silverymoon’s The 
  Lady’s College.  
  He excelled in abjuration magic. He also 
  became fast friends with Idward, who was 
  studying at the House of the Harp. The pair often 
  stayed up through long nights, discussing 
  philosophy, poetry and song at the city’s Dancing 
  Goat tavern.  
  Time proved Adulthus to be the more 
  powerful spellcaster of the pair as their 
  adventuring careers took them to locales across 
  The North.   
  Idward has stayed with Adulthus despite his 
  fall into madness that has prolonged their stay in 
  Undermountain.  
  NPC STATS 
  Adulthus. Use stats for an abjurer found in 
  Volo’s Guide to Monsters. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 19
  Rashida Qahtan 
  Female human/Bedine 
  KNOWN ALIASES 
  During her sojourn in Halruaa, she was 
  known as the Raspberry Mage for her love of the 
  small berries. 
  APPEARANCE 
  Most often, her attire is influenced by the 
  fashions of Halruaa, favoring embroidered silks 
  for her skirt and tops, and fine slippers for 
  footwear. 
  MANNERISMS 
  She wears a long sari draped over her 
  forearms, almost like sleeves, to hide scars on her 
  arms left from a magical testing while in Halruaa. 
  Subconsciously, she sometimes slips a hand 
  underneath to rub the scars.   
  MOTIVATIONS 
  Intelligent and self-aware, she understands 
  the mystical hold Undermountain exerts upon 
  spellcasters such as herself. She believes her 
  quest to acquire the Talisman of the Sphere, a 
  wondrous item that enables its wearer to be more 
  proficient  at controlling a sphere of annihilation, 
  nears fruition.  
  “It is time to achieve our destiny. 
   The path will soon be revealed. All has been a 
  testing for this moment. We must not fail.”
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 20
  EXHBITED MADNESS 
  She hides her affliction better than most. But 
  she is sometimes overcome by a sensory 
  overload that renders her blind (1-25 on a d100) 
  or deaf (26-100 on a d100) for a period of 1d10 x 
  10 hours when she succumbs to long-term 
  madness.   
  LAIR 
  Rashida and her crew holds a small fortress 
  that is connected by a footbridge spanning a 
  tributary of the River Sargauth on the Sargauth 
  level.   
  They keep a small boat tied up to their 
  riverside entrance.   
  On the opposite shore, they have a clifftop 
  room overlooking the river.  
  Stairs on both sides of the Sargauth lead to a 
  lower level that has plenty of living space and 
  treasure storerooms.   
  COHORT 
  The core of her pirate crew out of Nelanther 
  is still with her.  
  Lorfenzo. A male oni, Lorfenzo no longer 
  takes pains to disguise his form.  
  CREW BERTH / 
  OVERLOOK
  N
  BOAT DOCK
  STAIRS 
  DOWN
  STAIRS 
  DOWN
  KALOY’S 
  CELL
  ACCESS 
  TO LOWER 
  LEVELS
  ACCESS 
  TO LOWER 
  LEVELS
  RASPBERRY 
  MAGE
  LORFENZO’S 
  CHAMBER
  COMMON 
  ROOM
  TREASURE 
  HOLD
  VIGRAS’ 
  BERTH
  IMANI’S BUNK
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 21
  Vigras and crew. Once the captain of 
  Rashida’s vessel, Vigras is an orc war chief. He 
  commands three orc sailors, Tevit, Merch and 
  Wylo.   
  Imani. A female half-orc swashbuckler 
  (Volo’s Guide to Monsters), Imani, was the ship’s 
  navigator.  
  Kaloy. She is human priest of Bhaal who 
  was taken prisoner during one of their 
  Undermountain forays and is now forced to 
  provide healing to the company. 
  ORIGINS 
  Rashida’s mother operated a merchant 
  caravan that carried goods from the Anauroch 
  desert to trade towns in Elturgard.  
  When her magical powers began to manifest, 
  her mother made arrangements with another 
  trusted caravan mistress for her to travel to 
  Halruaa to study.  
  After her apprenticeship, she returned to the 
  Anauroch, but found she life among the desert 
  nomads too parochial for her tastes.  
  The great cities of the Sword Coast 
  beckoned. She spent time in Neverwinter, 
  Luskan and was even shipwrecked upon the 
  Nelanther isles, where she rose to prominence 
  among its pirates.  
  A handpicked crew accompanied her to 
  Waterdeep, where she decided to stake out a 
  claim to a portion of Undermountain.  
  NPC STATS 
  Rashida. Use stats for a archmage found 
  in the Monster Manual.    
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 22
  Mages 
  Petit
  This listing of mages 
  includes those whose 
  background and 
  reputation is less 
  prominent than the 
  former list. This does not 
  make them less powerful. 
  On the contrary, some 
  seem to be quite 
  formidable adversaries. 
  Certainly, they are more 
  successful at cloaking 
  themselves in a shroud of 
  mystery.  
  One thing the Mages 
  Petit lack that more 
  prominent ones possess is 
  a stronghold of their own.  
  In many cases these 
  lesser mages serve others 
  in Undermountain, 
  wander the Underhalls,  
  delve into Undermountain 
  less frequently, or simply 
  have not yet established a 
  fortified safe place.
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 23
  Novartus Owelen 
  Male human 
  Mage 
  What do you call a mage who comes out of the 
  dark hallway in disheveled robes and with a crazed 
  expression claiming to be Halaster Blackcloak?  
  Is he misguided, devious or just plain deluded?  
  Is he an imposter without malicious intent?   
  Or is he the real deal? 
  There are many reports that say a man 
  purporting to be Halaster Blackcloak has been 
  encountering adventurers in the Storeroom Level.  
  The person cuts a convincing figure, for he 
  resembles the depictions of Waterdeep’s Mad 
  Mage. Bolstering the assertion is the fact that he 
  has been assisting adventurers by casting 
  counterspell, fireball and even greater invisibility 
  so they can retreat to safe rooms in the vicinity. 
  The Arcane Brotherhood, a faction that is 
  active on the Storeroom level, is fairly certain this 
  Blackcloak is a counterfeit.  Officially, the order 
  makes no pronouncements one way or the other. 
  But sources within the order insist this 
  “Blackcloak” is one of their own wizards who has 
  “gone rogue.”  They insist the renegade is actually 
  Novartus Owelen, a mage who has simply spent too 
  much time in Undermountain.  
  However, the Arcane Brotherhood has refused 
  to offer any proof or background information on 
  “Novartus Owelen” to make their case. Are they 
  lying to cover up the fact that Halaster is indeed 
  alive and roaming the halls? Or are they chagrined 
  that this Blackcloak has eluded their attempts at 
  capture?  
  Shardiz Armature 
  Male, human 
  Conjurer 
  Shardiz, one of the Zhentarim’s most effective 
  agents in The North, appears to have relocated to 
  Waterdeep. A conjurer by trade, Shardiz remains 
  focused on researching forbidden magic about 
  Great Old Ones.  
  Reports say he is concentrating his efforts on 
  exploring the Wyllowood level, which seems a 
  contradictory choice. He has been seen in the 
  company of a dozen Zhentarim agents, all bandits 
  and thugs.  
  Teleport has always made Shardiz a cagey 
  opponent.  Unafraid of calling upon entities of 
  otherwordly origin, Evard’s black tentacles and 
  conjure elemental are always in his repertoire of 
  spells.  
  Ephigenia Rictus 
  Female, half-elf 
  Necromancer 
  Most persons who wander the Sargauth Level 
  alone come to a grim ending. They either die of 
  exposure or from starvation as they meander lost 
  in the winding corridors, sometimes not knowing 
  that they were within a few hundred feet of people 
  who could help them. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 24
  Such an ending is what many have supposed 
  has befallen Ephigenia Rictus. Yet, time and 
  again, she has managed to resurface: stumbling 
  into the Lair of the Eye, Skullport or Spiderhaven 
  on unsteady legs and exhibiting depravations of 
  food and water.  
  Some believe she is a warlock of the fiend. 
  Others think she is a necromancer. Both attribute 
  her survival to the abilities of one vocation or the 
  other.  As she had never been perceived as a 
  threat by, nor allied with, any of the level’s 
  factions, she is rendered aid. 
  Some have speculated that she is, in fact, an 
  agent working on behalf of Toporinikoiya 
  Ghaloughs (or possibly is Toporinikoiya in 
  disguise). 
  Khresiod Telgorund 
  Male human 
  Bard 
  Khresiod is a devotee of Cyric. It is thought 
  by believers that he is so favored that he is often 
  granted the privileges usually reserved for priests 
  of the god of lies.  
  Trained in the barding trade by apprenticing 
  with wandering troubadours of Amn, Khresiod 
  came to Waterdeep to spread Cyric’s message of 
  ambition and self-reliance.   
  Avoiding the authorities, Khresiod 
  established a bunker on the Dungeon level. He 
  makes use of The Grim Crawl rather than the 
  Yawning Portal as access back into the city. 
  In addition to his proselytizing, Khresiod has 
  a handful of scams going on. Blackmailing nobles 
  caught trying to double-deal on him is a favorite 
  intrigue that gives him access to the city’s ruling 
  class. 
  Under the alias of Sadiki Strummer, Khresiod 
  plays the yarting as part of the Calim Quartet, a 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 25
  band that takes the stage just before midnight on 
  the fifth day at the Three Pearls Nightclub 
  festhall.   
  Bassolomew Mharkeh 
  Male half-elf 
  Illusionist 
  Bassolomew is an illusionist working on 
  behalf of the Shadow Thieves, running 
  operations between the Dungeon level and 
  Skullport.   
  His main contact is the gnome assassin 
  Marci Vale, said to have a lavish lair on the 
  Dungeon level. 
  Because of his ability to slip unseen through 
  hostile areas, he has been used as something of 
  an emissary, relaying messages promising 
  alliances to other factions.  
  Zhent agents in Skullport report seeing 
  Bassolomew in the company of a yuan-ti cleric, 
  probably making overtures to the Iron Ring 
  slaver consortium, and a female drow of House 
  Tanor’Thal, another slave-trading family.  
  It’s said he has an agreement with the 
  Tanor’Thal drow to set aside rooms on the Maze 
  level so he can train a dozen apprentice wizards 
  and spies. 
  Ivellyn Bracetti 
  Female human 
  Diviner 
  Those who reside in Undermountain require 
  regular doses of hope, certainly more than folk 
  who live on the surface. One of the people who 
  provides that is the diviner Ivellyn Bracetti.  
  For superstitious underlings to mages who 
  wish insight into the movements of their rivals 
  and the fates of their own schemes, the door into 
  Ivellyn’s abode in the Wyllowwood is always 
  open for business.  
  Ivellyn is no stranger to intrigue. She’s 
  planted many seeds of intrigues in her fortune 
  telling. And she knows when it’s time to pack up 
  and move to safer locations in the Underhalls.  
  Never one to rely too much on her gifts, she 
  has a small army of informants that scour the 
  upper three levels of Undermountain for 
  information. Mostly she fears the return of the 
  Apprentices. She knows that a few are still active 
  and may harbor ill will toward her for peaking in 
  on their activities over the years.  
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 26
  Millicent Croughs 
  Female human 
  Enchanter 
  Beneath the silks and Millie’s sugary-sweet 
  disposition lies the hardened heart of a malicious 
  enchanter.  
  She has only recently taken refuge in 
  Undermountain, fleeing after her criminal 
  activities were at last brought to light. It is not 
  known where she is holed up, though Skullport is 
  a reasonable guess. 
  Her favorite tactic was to charm armsmen 
  and knights, sending them into the Underhalls to 
  do her bidding. Preying on their natural 
  inclination toward adventure, it was easy to 
  compel them to take on dangerous tasks. Few 
  survived to complete her little quests, but enough 
  did to make these risky charms worthwhile. 
  Though not of noble blood, Millicent has 
  many allies among Waterdeep’s upper class. She 
  makes friends easily and she has been smart 
  enough not to “take advantage” of all she’s 
  charmed. Many of these high-born folk have been 
  her staunchest defenders when accusations 
  surfaced before. She professed her innocence and 
  relied on noble testimonials to pull her away from 
  the reach of justice. All those tea parties with 
  sweets have paid off. 
  The Watch has been alerted to be on the 
  lookout for unusually large shipments of sweets 
  being smuggled into Undermountain on the 
  supposition Millie will require a stockpile. 
  Karilla Evershade 
  Female elf 
  Illusionist 
  Karilla tired of working for traveling 
  menageries and carnival sideshows and getting 
  paid in copper coin — when she was lucky — and 
  empty promises. 
   Instead, she joined up with the Blacklake 
  Bruisers, an experienced adventuring party that 
  was a dozen members strong out of Neverwinter.  
  As their name suggested, they were a company of 
  fighters and rogues. As a magic user, Karilla gave 
  them an element they’d never had before.  
  Somewhere in the course of their 
  explorations of the Dungeon Level, the Blacklake 
  Bruisers got separated. In pairs or singly, most 
  managed to make their way back to the Yawning 
  Portal.   
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 27
  Everyone except Karilla, that is. After a while, 
  Karilla was given up for lost. 
  Word has reached Durnan, however, that 
  Karilla lives. Halaster’s Heirs, arcane spellcasters 
  studying under Trobriand and Muiral, took notice 
  of Karilla’s entry into the Dungeon Level. It was 
  they who “arranged” for Karilla to be separated 
  from the Blacklake Bruisers so they could recruit 
  her into their fold.  
  Triskillain Shardly 
  of Clan Battlehammer 
  Male dwarf 
  Transmuter 
  A product of Mithral Hall who spent long 
  hours learning to cast stoneskin to perfection, 
  Triskillain is on something of a “vision quest” 
  within Undermountain.  
  Believing family legends connecting them to 
  the Melairbode dwarves, he led a small contingent 
  of friends into Undermountain. It is believed he is 
  devoted to studying excavations in Trobriand’s 
  Graveyard, formerly Clan Melaikyn’s mithral 
  mine. 
  There is no word on whether the beholder 
  Misker has tolerated Triskillain’s trespasses or if 
  they have reached some accommodation — as 
  Tiskillain’s interests are academic and do not 
  involve mining for mithral. 
  Avedra Marr 
  Female human  
  Conjurer 
  Avedra is the entrepreneur of the Dungeon 
  Level. Leader of her own adventuring company — 
  the Marr Delvers — she plans and executes 
  expeditions.  
  She drills members of the company, making 
  them into a cohesive unit, before she ever 
  embarks. No candidate knows if they’ll be selected 
  for the final team until right before the expedition 
  leaves. 
  The loot and treasure they acquire has to be 
  split pretty thinly, but Avendra’s record of 
  returning with the company intact has brought her 
  a lot of loyalty.  
  Thinking the Dungeon Level is fairly played 
  out, however, has Avedra planning a more 
  ambitious foray to the Lost Level. 
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 28
  The Lost 
  Library 
  A legend that has gained a foothold in the 
  consciousness of adventurers is that of the Lost 
  Library of Nedaria Pintus. 
  The legend refers to a repository of magical 
  tomes that Halaster collected, then entrusted to an 
  apprentice named Nedaria Pintus. Supposedly, 
  she carved out a section of the dwarf-constructed 
  The Mad Wizard’s Lair that lies deep in 
  Undermountain and established a library there. 
   At first, Halaster intended the library to be a 
  secure storehouse for his personal spellbooks and 
  those of his apprentices.  
  As time went on, however, the “dungeon” 
  began to contribute to the collection.  
  The legends disagree as to how that was 
  achieved. Some suggest intermediaries, such as 
  Halaster loyalists, gathering up magic throughout 
  the halls. Others believe the dungeon itself 
  “guides” those who possess magical tomes to the 
  library to make donations. 
  Regardless of the means, spellbooks of slain 
  adventurers, workbooks and discarded notebooks, 
  even spell scrolls and potions have found their way 
  into Nedaria’s hands.  
  These — and many other items — she dutifully 
  cataloged and shelved. 
  The cataloging itself is not straightforward. 
  There is no way Halaster would be satisfied with 
  an arrangement that is alphabetical by author’s 
  last name.  Some legends suggest the system relies 
  on a dead language to decipher it. The Old High 
  Wyrm tongue of Aragrakh is a leading candidate. 
  The Elven high magic language of Seldruin is 
  another because it uses the Hamarfae alphabet. 
  Those who believe that Halaster himself is of 
  Imaskari origin (present day Raurin, the Dust 
  Desert and the Plains of Purple Dust) suggest that 
  Roushoum, a precursor of Tuigan, is the key.   
  Others think that the numbers 1-6-8 are 
  significant, the Year of Scattered Stars in which 
  Halaster established the hold near Waterdeep 
  farms. 
  One deterrent to theft is that with the possible 
  exception of Halaster, Nedaria is the only person 
  who can make sense of the system.  
  To date, no one has ever returned from an 
  expedition to that level and returned with credible 
  proof they had actually seen the library.
  
  MAD MAGES OF UNDERMOUNTAIN | Page 29
  Mages most monstrous 
  In Undermountain, some members of monstrous races become arcane spellcasters. This chart provides 
  for such random encounters. Roll d10 to determine monster (and Int adjustment), NPC stat block from 
  Volo’s Guide to Monsters, an item in their possession, and some written material other than a spellbook.
  d10
  Race (Int. Adj.)
  NPC caster
  Item
  Written word
  1
  Drow (—)
  *Abjurer
  beaker
  almanac
  2
  Gnoll (—2)
  *Apprentice Wizard
  candle
  bestiary
  3
  Goblin (—)
  *Bard
  flask
  calendar
  4
  Hobgoblin (—)
  *Conjurer
  herbs
  diary
  5
  Kenku (—)
  *Diviner
  lens
  heretical text
  6
  Kobold (—)
  *Enchanter
  mortar / pestle
  map
  7
  Lizardfolk (—)
  *Evoker
  pipe, smoking
  star chart
  8
  Orc (—2)
  *Illusionist
  prism
  astrology text
  9
  *Tlincalli (—1)
  *Necromancer
  quill
  mathematics text
  10
  Yuan-Ti Pureblood (+1)
  *Transmuter
  tongs
  forbidden lore text
  * — from Volo’s Guide to Monsters
  
  Dive Int0 
  Waterdeep
  Seek out these and other ﬁne D&D 
  supplements by creator Troy E. Taylor 
  at dmsguild.com.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Troy Taylor/Troy Taylor - Mad Mages of Undermountain.pdf