Derendil

**Derendil**, also known as **Prince Derendil**, is a quaggoth who claims to be the polymorphed gold elf prince of Nilrindenvane, a kingdom within the High Forest. He only speaks Urbane Elvish and acts like a polite elvish noble rather than a quaggoth, though being put into dangerous situations often causes him to act bestial. At some point in the year 1487 DR, he was taken captive at Velkynvelve, where his insistence at being elven royalty was seen as a source of amusement by the drow. Derendil went on the participate in the escape from Velkynvelve, though he perished soon after at Sloobludop during the *Deep Father's Rise*. At some undetermined point after this demise, he was resurrected by Ilvara Mizzrym to help her recover all the escaped slaves of Velkynvelve.

Derendil is an NPC present in the ongoing *Out of the Abyss* adventure.

## Description

Derendil is a male quaggoth, covered in long, shaggy, light blue fur. As a result of his desire to present himself as civilized, Derendil walks on two legs, something uncommon among quaggoths. As a result, Derendil stands at nine feet tall (2.7 meters) and weighs about 300 pounds (136 kilograms). During his time at Velkynvelve, he was given torn rags to wear, which set him apart from the other quaggoths at the outpost, as they wore nothing at all.

If his story of being a cursed gold elf prince is true, his true appearance would be wildly different and more in line with a noble gold elf.

## Personality

Due to his sincere belief in the story of his curse and exile from the kingdom of Nelrindenvane, Derendil is a well-intentioned and polite individual. He despises killing, especially when he has to do it with his own claws, as he hates his quaggoth traits. Although he takes any opportunity to explain his history and tell others of his true highborn nature, he often finds himself being pushed aside and his story is usually ignored. When interacting with his friends among the escaped prisoners of Velkynvelve, Derendil is kind and protective, even putting aside his distaste for using his quaggoth abilities so he can contribute to the party's defense.

However, when put under an extreme amount of stress or seriously damaged, Derendil acts with the bestial fury of a quaggoth. In any fight that sees him getting extremely injured, he enters a violent and murderous rage, only coming back to his senses once he has torn his enemy apart (unless he's already been knocked unconscious before the fight's conclusion). As a result of these outbursts, he fears that one day he will lose all of his elven identity.

## History

According to the history told by Derendil before his death, he was once the Prince and ruler of Nelrindenvane, a Kingdom within the borders of the High Forest. His crown was usurped by an evil wizard named Terrestor, who used his magic to polymorph him into a Quaggoth. The former prince was then exiled to the depths of the Underdark, where he was eventually captured by the drow of Velkynvelve.

Shortly after his capture in 1487 DR, he participated in a a successful escape with thirteen others, and the Quaggoth Prince found some acceptance among that group. Only eight days after the escape from Velkynvelve, this traveling group of ex-slaves found themselves at the kuo-toa village of Sloobludop, where Derendil would go on to meet his end. After the party agreed to aid the Cult of Blibdoolpoolp in deceiving their rivals, a combat broke out at the Shrine of the Leemooggoogoon that caused the deaths of two archpriests. In response to this, the demon lord Demogorgon rose from the Darklake, causing many in the kuo-toa village to succumb to madness. Derendil was among this group, being placed into a murderous rage none of his companions could snap him out of. In his final moments, Derendil attempted to tear his friend Elaxalim apart- causing the gold elf sorcerer to send him into a critical condition. Unable to recover his unconscious and large companion before the demon lord reached the docks, Elaxalim was forced to leave the dying Derendil behind.

At some undetermined point after the *Deep Father's Rise*, Derendil's body was discovered by drow pursuers from Velkynvelve. The Mistress of Velkyvelve, Ilvara Mizzrym, gave him a chance to live again, and he accepted the offer due to the bleak reality of the fugue plane. Not accepted into Arvandor like a gold elf worshiper of Corellon, he knew that denying Ilvara's resurrection attempts would mean throwing away his chances of being restored to his true form. Following this resurrection, Derendil would be tortured and questioned by his captors, who used his knowledge of the Velkynvelve party's plans to continue pursuing Derendil's allies throughout the Northdark.