Dungeons & Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark

Dungeons and Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark is an expansion pack for Dungeons & Dragons Online released in June 2012. The expansion is primarily set in the Forgotten Realms, and focuses on a drow plot to conquer the town of Eveningstar and find the Thread of the Weave.
==Plot==
===Web of Chaos===
Beyond the Rift introduces Faerûn proper, as the various forces of Eberron assign the player with the goal of entering the Rift Between Worlds to the Demonweb Pits and finding out what lies on the other side, in the hopes of closing the portal before it devours Eberron whole. It also introduces Ana Brabener, an Evenor commoner who is rescued from drow captivity when the players emerge in Faerûn's Underdark.
===The Darkening===
Impossible Demands sees Helena Falagon call for aid in rescuing the Midler family from the mercies of Vicala Szind, a cruel priestess. The situation is complicated by Vicala's ritualistic life-draining, which lets her sacrifice the Midlers and her own followers in order to restore her own health. This requires the players avoid combat with her and instead slay her followers and free the prisoners first, then confront her.
The Unquiet Graves has Barana Talmere send out the player to Deep Glen in the King's Forest and stop a team of House Szind necromancers from raising not just slain villagers, but the entire contents of the ancient graveyard.
The Lost Thread is started by Cormul Haythorne, who begs the players to go rescue Ana Brabener for a second time. Cormul, Ana, and Torin Betrich had explored the Temple of Mystra in the hopes of finding the "Thread of the Weave" the drow were demanding, only for Ana to be caught by them a second time. The players thus have to go rescue her from the depths of the ruins, fighting off many drow and breaking their barriers thanks to her unexpected powerful magical talent.
The Battle for Eveningstar is introduced by Swordcaptain Garwyn Thane. The drow return to Eveningstar to finish it off in one great attack, and the player has to turn it into defeat for them. Fighting through the combined forces of Szind, Dun'Robar, and Avithoul, the players take the fight to their base camp and encounter the field commander Draya Dun'Robar riding atop the bebilith Red Weaver. With their forces scattered and their commanders dead, the drow forces are unable to continue fighting and give up on attacking Eveningstar, at least for the time being.
===City of Portals===
The next story arc sends the player into the Underdark below the King's Forest in search of the drow city of Sschindylryn, accessed by a portal opened near Eveningstar. After a lengthy journey, the player can finally find the city itself and strike at the three main houses that support the drow invasion, wounding them and setting them against each other.
The House of Broken Chains is started by Mirini Elemys, escaped slave. She sends the player into House Avithoul's estate disguised as a slave in order to start a break-out for the other slaves, destroy the house's treasures, and kill Overseer Solul. This breaks the power base of House Avithoul, and causes them to regard their former allies with suspicion that they were behind the sabotage.
The House of Rusted Blades is performed on behalf of War Wizard Traegar Vadamore, who seeks to cripple House Dun'Robar, the most militaristic of the three houses. The player is illusioned to resemble a drow servant, giving them the opportunity to sneak about the estate and sabotage Dun'Robar's prized weapons. On the way out, the player encounter and defeat Matron Jyr Dun'Robar and her High Battlemaster Teblyn Dun'Robar. With their weapons ruined and champions defeated, Dun'Robar loses both power and prestige and looks with suspicion on its allies.
The House of Death Undone is prompted by priestess Oryne Belamadin, who wishes to remove House Szind's force of undead and necromancers. Using captured flashstones, the player is able to destroy Szind's necromantic cauldrons and stop their undead production, in addition to wrecking the household the normal way. The player also has an option to get into intra-house politics by overhearing Priestess Silan Szind plotting with the wizard Relig about overthrowing her mother Matron Zhivsha Szind, who is surprisingly grateful to be told about it by the player. Whatever happens, Szind's capabilities are ruined and their ability to project power is crippled.
The Portal Opens occurs once all three houses are weakened and infighting, and the diviner Jenneth Gosmere sends the player on a mission with Elminster and Ana Brabener into the Temple of Lolth atop Sschindylryn to stop High Priestess Hekta Szind. The team fights through the Sschindylryn Ziggurat, overcomes its elite defenders, and has Elminster break through the temple defenses while the others move on without him. Meeting Hekta, she identifies Ana as the Thread of the Weave and magically compels her to step into a portal to the Demonweb Pits. After a fierce fight, Hekta is overcome and begs Lolth for mercy, who responds with disgust and sends a demon to execute her.
===The Queen of the Demonweb===
With the immediate material aspect of the drow threat resolved, the player is next sent into another portal near Eveningstar that leads directly into the Demonweb Pits to oppose Lolth and her servants in their home territory. The ultimate goal is the rescue of Ana Brabener (for a third time) before Lolth can take Mystra's power from her, preventing her from becoming the new goddess of magic. Do do so, the first step is the capture of several orbs of Lolth, which weaken Ana and prevent her from escaping.
Trial by Fury is started by War Wizard Walak, who sends the players into the Domain of Lord Grulemith, where Grulemith protects an orb of Lolth. Fighting through a labyrinth of acid-drenched islands filled with mental and physical challenges, Grulemith is eventually challenged directly and slain, leaving the orb vulnerable.
The Deal and the Demon involves the arcanaloth Ymris, who has already been hired to kill the demon Kishnaurac, and invites the players along to steal the orb of Lolth while his mercenaries assist. After fighting through the icy Realm of Ruin, Kishnaurac offers the yugoloth mercenaries a higher pay, causing them to instantly flip and attack the players.
Reclaiming the Rift sends the players back to the Rift Between Worlds, where the draegloth Khaszlokhar guards the Rift as well as an orb. The sage Valana has devised a magical enchantment that will stop the Rift from growing, though it requires a significant blood sacrifice on the players' part. Despite this handicap, the players are able to slay Khaszlokhar, stabilize the Rift, and take the orb.
===Caught in the Web===
Caught in the Web has Elminster send the players into Lolth's domain to rescue Ana and get her out before Lolth steals Mystra's divinity. After breaking Ana out of her bonds, she is escorted to more orbs of Lolth in order to steal back Mystra's power and diminish Lolth's, even while Lolth personally intervenes to crush the players. After finding a portal back to the Prime Material plane, the players and Ana escape into the Underdark and face Lolth one last time before Ana blasts her back into the Abyss.
===Other Quests===
Several quests are disconnected from the main plot, and are stand-alone stories that run alongside the ongoing war.
Murder by Night leads the player to the Eveningstar War Hospital, where Delethir Mistveil requests aid in an investigation of the murdered head priest Hurim Jaskyr. The player quickly finds that lycanthropy is spreading from infected soldiers brought from the King's Forest, leading to a running battle as patients try to escape. The leader of the pack, Ogiyon Tomain, eventually appears to avenge his kin, only to fall in turn.
The Riddle starts with Ingval Muth, who sends the player to investigate a burnt-out ruin on the edge of town that Wizard of War Barthand disappeared into. The threat within turns out to be the night hag Frelga, working with the drow attackers to plague the local's dreams and try to find the Thread of the Weave. Barthand turned out to have been transformed into a large toadstool and kept as a trophy by Frelga's coven of green hags. After rescuing Barthand and destroying Frelga's detached magical eye, the night hag was caught and destroyed, bringing an end to her prophetic ramblings.
Don't Drink the Water is prompted by the mason Unmar Halberg, who's determined that Eveningstar's well has somehow been poisoned. He sends the player down to the cavern it draws from, only to find a team of yuan-ti agents behind it. After passing some maddened subterranean dryads, the player discovers the true source of the toxins: the green dragon Tharmalos, hired by the drow to weaken Eveningstar from within.
In the Belly of the Beast has Sorina Parnock send the players into the Underdark to find the Cay'Vorym Fighting Pit, where captured Purple Dragons are being thrown into death matches for entertainment. On arrival the player is welcomed as a potential customer, and has the opportunity to interfere and commit intrigue among the other contestants and customers. After finding the imprisoned Purple Dragons, Feryl Cay'Vorym drops everyone into the pit, setting them against various gladiators and prisoners, culminating in purple worms being attracted to the battle. Finally, the massive worm Sineater tears into the arena, eats most of the audience, destroys the structure, and swallows both Feryl and the players. The players are forced to navigate the cavernous guts of the worm, dodging pools of digestive acid, roaming parasites, and corrosive phlegm, until they find Feryl and his sword earthcarver, which they use to cut their way out of the worm and finally kill it.
===Challenges===
A variety of small, arena-style encounters are available around Eveningstar for the acquisition of treasure and experience.
Dryad Grove: The Great Tree involves defending the dryad grove of the Great Tree in the King's Forest, which is under heavy attack by malevolent drow forces. The grove must be protected while it builds up enough energy to blast away the drow and reinvigorate the land.
Dryad Grove: Defenseless has the player repeating a similar feat, though without any supporting defensive trees as the drow forces converge on the Great Tree.
Ruined Keep: The Sunset Ritual sends the player to the ruined keep in the King's Forest, where the War Wizard Arganon is performing a ritual to turn away threats. Before he can complete it, he must be protected from a small army of bandits and werewolves that seek to stop him.
Ruined Keep: The Daybreak Ritual has the player aiding the wizard Zenyff as he performs a second ritual, only to be attacked by waves of furious natural and druidic forces.
Underdark Arena: Fight to the Finish is a gladiatorial fighting pit represented by the duergar agent Djir Garpeth, run by Azena'ar the drider for House Cay'Vorym.
Underdark Arena: Ring of Fire follows from the previous, and has the red dragon Aptoryx get involved. Having taken an interest in the sport of death matches, Aptoryx got his own arena and filled it up with lava.
==Index==
===Characters===
===Creatures===
===Items===
===Locations===
===Events===
===Organizations===
===Religion===
==Appendix==
===External Links===
* Menace of the Underdark on DDO wiki
===References===
===Connections===
Category:Video games
Category:Published in 2012