97 rooms · levels 1–14
This is a room constructed from fine obsidian, with ethereal runes giving off faint light and providing protection. Whether that protection is for those within, or for the world from any denizens left here is still a matter of point of view....
This is the middle of a long flight of stairs, leading up the side of the plateau towards the south. From here, the silhouettes of a handful of oddly shaped buildings can be seen on top of the plateau, each one a rather unique piece of architecture. Some figures scurry about that area as well, dark shadows on a darker background.
The long staircase ends here, trailing away north down the plateau and back towards the distant city of Golothaer. This appears to be the entrance to the mysterious dark elf academy, a place where young scions of the various houses are taught valuable lessons for their future lives. A handful of statues almost seem to stand sentry for this place.
This is the northern end of a large open area in between the main buildings of the mysterious drow academy. A handful of students wander around, talking quietly in small groups or silently plotting their diabolical schemes upon one another. Dark shapes of the main buildings appear on the east, south, and western ends of this area.
This is the northwest corner of a small plateau, rising several hundred feet above the main sections of the drow city to the extreme north. The looming spires of Sorcere cast a long shadow over this spot, and as such make this place a common meeting point for young drow lovers, or younger drow schemers. The plateau continues south and east.
This is the western end of the academy courtyard, which ends just shy of the archway leading into the mage school of Sorcere. Only a few dark elves wander about here, mostly younger mage students getting fresh air from the myriad odors of spellcasting components. The courtyard continues away from this building, heading towards the other training schools and the exit from the academy.
This seems to be the corner of the courtyard wedged in between the schools for mage aspirants and younger fighters. The shadows are dark and thick around here, probably concealing many dangers or perceived dangers. The plateau continues to the north and east, with covered entrances to the mage and warrior schools just short steps away.
This is the southern end of the large courtyard lying between the three monolithic buildings of the Academy. Just to the south of here rises the blocky structure of Melee-Magthere, the school for young drow fighters. A handful of young dark-elf males mill around the entrance, looking for some unfortunate youngster to torment and bully.
This is the southeast corner of the academy courtyard, nestled between the monolithic structure of the warrior's school, and the spider-shaped college of clerics. It's rather quiet here in the shade and very little stirs, probably trying to avoid notice if anyone is even here.
This is the eastern edge of the academy courtyard, just west of the entrance to the school of Arach-Tinilith, the school for priestesses. A handful of younger drow noblewomen congregate here, gossiping or hatching their plots for less fortunate classmates. When one of the mistresses approaches, however, they quickly disperse and continue along their way.
This is the northeast corner of the courtyard, overlooking the city of Golothaer to the distant north. This area of the plateau seems to be rather deserted, as the students seem more apt to congregate elsewhere in the deep shadows to set their conspiracies in motion. Nearby to the south and just a tad to the east lies the school for clerics.
This seems to be the commons area of the courtyard between the buildings of the drow academy. Much of the area is softly lit by faerie fire which hugs the curves and lines of various sculptures and statues standing freely around a small well. Buildings lie on the east, south, and west sides of the courtyard, the exit from the academy seems to be a ways to the north.
This is a spherical shaped room made entirely of black onyx. Apparently, this serves as a holding cell for those people caught rummaging through the private offices and rooms of the masters and mistresses of the academy, as you must have been doing to get tossed here. A small sign hangs along one of the walls.
This is a dome-shaped room serving mostly as the archway into the clerical school of the drow academy. Just west of here lies the courtyard, bathed in deep shadows and concealing many dangers. To the east, a long hallway extends deep into the building, fading into darkness in the distance.
This is a wide hallway leading east-west through the clerical school of the drow academy. The area is very dark, reinforced further by the black material of the walls, either onyx or obsidian. To the north and south lie large chambers of some sort, while west of here seems to be the main entrance to this building.
This appears to be part of the housing for the drow clerical students, most likely for the lower level students given the austerity of the furnishings. Beds are lined up in bunks and rows, with bare mattresses and a ragged blanket being all that is available for bedding. None of the students seem to be presently here, probably out doing whatever it is clerical students do when they're awake.
This is a small, dimly lit room filled with rows of small beds. Most of the beds are only made up of a simple wooden frame, upon which lies a dirty mattress and torn blanket. A doorway lies along the northern wall, leading out into the dark hallways of the Academy.
This corridor continues east and west through the clerical academy, dimly lit only by ethereal runes that writhe and dance along the walls, almost as if alive. The halls are generally empty as the students spend much of their time either in class or studying elsewhere. A handful of spiders string their webs along the curved ceiling.
The dark corridor branches in four directions here, each leading into a different section of the academy. A dim faerie fire flickers along the ceiling above the intersection providing ample light to travel by, but dark shadows for those who wish to plot or hide for some reason. The smell of warm stew drifts in from the south.
The smell of burning stew is quite strong here, implying that one is nearing the kitchen in this wing of the Academy. Much of this corridor is otherwise abandoned, running north and south into the thickening shadows and gloom.
The hallway runs by a small kitchen just to the east of here, with both horrifying and delightful odors emitting from it at once. Other than the scant light that the cook needs to see his or her work, the area is very much dark, though the hallway can be seen running both north and south from here.
This is the end of the short, dark corridor. Only to the north does there seem to be exit down this way, and the kitchen seems to be near there as well given the unsavory odors pouring from it. A handful of faerie fire globes hang from the ceiling but they do little to light this place, instead serving only to thicken the shadows.
This appears to be the small kitchen of the drow clerical school, as evidenced by the setup of the area. A handful of kettles lie about, brewing stew and other foods to feed the students, all emitting some rather awful odors. To the west lies a doorway into the main hallway, while the large pantry room lies to the south.
This appears to be a small room mostly taken up by shelves with various food and drink items upon them. A small ladder lies along what little free space exists to enable the slaves to get any items that were carelessly left on the higher shelves. The only exit is north to the kitchen.
Carvings line the walls of this rather narrow hallway, depicting the Spider Queen Lloth in all her unholy glory. Some of those pieces or artwork flicker with faerie fire, providing some light to the higher level students who work their way through here towards the classrooms of the school. To the west lies a broad intersection.
This is the eastern end of the main corridor through the academy. Just to the north and south of here are large classrooms, used for the majority of the important classes that young clerics take during their decades of study here. To the east lies a small chapel, shrouded in deep shadows and inky darkness.
This is a small classroom with seating for students arranged in tiers of semi-circular benches, allowing many more students than normal to view a lecture. The classroom seems rather empty, enough so that the echoes from passing traffic in the hallway can be heard in here.
This is another classroom, larger than the one across the hall, used more for the major coursework that female students must become adept in, in order to serve Lloth better. Most of the area is taken up by rows of benches and tables facing the front of the room where a teacher would probably lecture from in giving out instruction. Right now the room seems rather abandoned, though some darker presence lurks.
This is a small chapel designed for those clerical students who wish to offer up their prayers and sacrifices at various times during their stay here at Arach-Tinilith. A few holy symbols and other ceremonial items lie on the altar at the eastern end of the room, discarded for the time being as there is no one here to use them. To the west of here lies the main corridor leading through the academy. There seems to be more student traffic in that area.
The dark corridor extends north and south from here, running through the back halls of the academy. Most of the area is rather quiet, and it seems that few drow stir in the shadows. A major intersection is just south of here, while openings in the hallway lie to the north as well.
Two rooms branch off the main corridor at this point, to the east and west, but dimly enough lit that not many details can be seen from this location. The hallway itself runs north and south, but most likely not through an important region of the academy given the lack of student traffic.
This is a rather well-furnished room, split into three different living chambers with a common entry and foyer. From appearances, the instructors here at Arach-Tinilith must use this as their in-school residence, particularly given the tidiness of these quarters, most likely maintained by students and slaves. To the east lies the hallways that run through this academy.
This room is divided into subsections, seemingly to permit multiple academy instructors to share this rather large living space. The area seems surprisingly clean, perhaps maintained by some students or slaves elsewhere within the academy.
This is the northern end of the hallways, ending at a tall but narrow staircase ascending to the upper floor of the clerical school. The hall is all but deserted here, as few people seem to have a need for whatever lies on the next level. To the south, the hallway seems to lead back to the main part of the academy.
This is the top of the staircase from the lower floor of Arach-Tinilith. Like much of the lower floor, the area is constructed from black marble and onyx, and decorated with runes and carvings illuminated by faerie fire. A small doorway lies open to the east, apparently leading into the offices of the Mistress of the Academy.
This is a small office, rather sparsely decorated and spartan in its appearance. It looks like this is where the Mistress of the Academy meets with other instructors and the rare student who has reason to be up here. A few tapestries hang about, proclaiming devotion to Lloth. An exit lies to the west.
This appears to be the private quarters of the Mistress of the Academy. This is a rather luxurious room, seemingly more fit for a Matron Mother than a simple priestess. A small faerie fire globe hangs from the ceiling, winking off and on in some sort of silent alarm.... despite all the massive furnishings, there would be nowhere to hide if guards came to investigate.
This appears to be the main entrance to the mages' school of the academy. The hallways are constructed from black marble, probably magically built given the lack of seams in the stonework. Flickering faerie fire lights the area for those students traversing the halls, while a dim glow shines from the main courtyard to the east.
This is a bend in the hallways of the mage school. Like much of the rest of this building, the stonework is black marble, left almost entirely blank as not to distract the mage students from their studies and thoughts. The hall runs west and north from here, dimly lit by flickering faerie fire.
The hallway continues its east-west path through the lower floor of Sorcere here, with openings in the north and south walls leading to various other rooms. The halls are primarily deserted, though a few students can be seen quietly plotting against one another in the shadows created by the flickering light high above.
This seems to be a neat and quiet room, sparsely occupied at present, but built and furnished to house many students of the magical arts here at Sorcere. Most of the area is divided up into small quarters wherein the students sleep and study, furnished with the bare necessities to keep those mages focused on their work. A large doorway leads out into the main halls to the north.
The hallway bends here, north to east, as it travels through the lower level of the mage school. The hall itself is finely crafted of some dark stone, though decorations are non-existent outside of some faerie fire to simply light the way without hurting drow eyes. A few students can be seen congregating here and there, but doing their best to avoid notice.
A small opening appears along the west side of this rather dark hallway, leading into what appears to be a large room. A handful of students lurk in the shadows of the hall, either practicing their hiding and eavesdropping skills, or simply staying out of the way of everyone else.
This is a mid-sized chamber, subdivided to allow for room for many students to sleep and study. Right now, the chamber is rather empty, as if many of the students were in class or out elsewhere doing whatever it is drow mage students do. The hallway through Sorcere lies through a doorway to the east.
The hallway bends here, leading away south and east through the lower floor of Sorcere. Most of the area is cloaked in deep shadows, with the only visible light coming from faerie fire globes hovering in mid-air. A few students can be seen milling about, but melt into the shadows at a glance.
This is an intersection in the east-west corridor, with both a small hallway leading south and a room to the north of here. Not much can be seen about either in the shadows and darkness of this area, but both seem to end in rooms a short distance away. A dim, flickering glow comes from all directions, possibly magical in origin.
This is a small, square room that seems to be used primarily to house some of the mage students. Each small area of the room is occupied by a bare bed and a small desk, the latter covered with parchments of all sorts. To the south lies a hallway through the lower level of Sorcere.
The hallway turns here, south to west as it runs through the backways of Sorcere. Much of the area is cloaked in deep shadows, further darkened by the ebony color of the stonework. A handful of drow stand here and there, talking and plotting quietly in small groups.
This is a narrow passageway, running north and south through the heart of Sorcere. Very little of note lies in the area, save a narrow and twisting staircase ascending to the upper floors. A handful of magical blue runes glow from the wall, though whether they signal danger or serve some other purpose is unknown.
This is the middle of the stairwell through the center of Sorcere. Much of the area is very quiet and empty, carrying the echoes of nearby students quite a distance. Corridors lie north and south of here, though they too lie empty.
This is a narrow east-west corridor, running between two dimly lit rooms to the north and south. A few students stand in the shadows, quietly forming alliances or just gossiping to one another, while others walk quickly through towards their destination.
This appears to be a small laboratory, quite possibly a classroom where the mage masters teach students the rudiments of alchemy. A handful of glowing beakers sit on tables throughout the room, letting off an ethereal and unworldly glow, enough to light the room sufficiently. The main hallway lies to the south.
The upper hallways of Sorcere curve gracefully here, south and west from this location. The hallway itself is rather dimly lit, mostly by faerie fire flickering from various spots along the dusky walls. Other than a few students here and there, the corridor is empty.
This appears to be a hallway running north and south through the upper level of Sorcere. Very little of interest lies here, though a small window, magical in nature, looks out upon the courtyards below, allowing one to see the younger drow milling about.
The hallways of Sorcere curve again here, leading north and west into other sections of the mage school. Only a little light exists here, given off by a pair of disembodied eyes hanging from the ceiling, probably a magical spy of some sort. The few drow in the vicinity seem to avoid its line of sight as much as possible.
This is another intersection in the dark hallways that wind through the upper level of Sorcere. To the south of here looks to be a small classroom or laboratory where young mage students learn the basics of the magical arts, while to the north lies a staircase. A few drow walk east or west through the corridor.
This is a small room, arranged in concentric tiers around a table in the center, probably where a professor teaches beginning mage students. Right now, class is not in session, so only a few drow use this area as a place to study or plot against their fellow students. A doorway lies to the north, leading out into the hallways.
The halls of Sorcere curve gracefully, east to north, as they stretch through the darkness of the upper floor of Sorcere. The voices of some of the students carry even to this part of the school, discussing politics and magic and other normal student topics. Rooms of some sort seem to be further along the corridor in both directions.
The wide, dark corridor continues north and south here, leading by a shadowy room just to the west. Much of the hallway is empty, and a slight chill hangs in the air. Very few drow students hang about, many of them give worried glances towards the nearby room and hurry along their way.
This is a dank, dark room that looks built to almost exact specifications. The floor is etched with gold dust into a dark pentagram, and scorch marks imply that mage students might use this place to practice the summoning of various demons. A doorway leads out into the hallway just east of here.
This is a bend in the dark hallway, which heads away south and east further into the academy of Sorcere. A small globe of faerie fire illuminates the area just enough to reveal rooms further along the hallway in both directions, but not a lot more.
This appears to be the top of the staircase, leading into a considerably more comfortable area of the mage academy. A light carpeting covers much of the floor, and dim lighting shows off marvelous carvings on the walls. A mid-sized office lies through a doorway to the north.
This appears to be the entranceway into the offices of the master of the mage academy. A handful of faerie fire globes hover in mid-air, casting a glow over piles of journals and parchments, and revealing the outline of a secret door to the east. The main part of the office lies just north of here, while a staircase is a few paces to the south.
This very clearly is the office of the Lord Magus of Sorcere. A large oaken desk lies in the center of the room, covered with various papers and other assorted paraphernalia that the magus has gathered in his time at this position. Much of the room crackles almost audibly with magical energies, probably the various magical wards put in place by the master. A doorway lies south, leading into the entrance to this level of the academy.
This appears to be a plush, private room, hidden within the upper level of Sorcere. The room is very luxuriously decorated, seemingly more appropriate for a Matron Mother than a simple drow mage. Many powerful magical items lie on shelves or tables scattered around the room, a virtual treasure trove of power. The air seems to shimmer, however, as if some magical spell were taking effect.
This is a small antechamber, sort of like the foyer to a grand mansion, that also serves as the entranceway into the warrior school of the drow. The room itself is rather austere, devoid of both furniture and decoration outside a small area for visiting drow nobles to put their stuff. The exit lies north while a corridor leads south into the school itself.
Two corridors cross into a four-way intersection here within the darker reaches of Melee-Magthere. A handful of male students congregate quietly, but quickly disperse anytime they see one of the masters of the academy heading towards them. The corridors themselves are rather plain, with very little light to indicate where they might be headed.
This is a narrow stone corridor running east and west throughout the warrior school of the academy. Only a few male students, mostly young, congregate in the deeper shadows, but quickly scatter when anyone comes near. Hushed drow voices can be heard from somewhere nearby.
This is the eastern end of a corridor, opening north into a large, communal housing room. Very little seems to be rather remarkable about the area on the whole, but the corridor does run to the west.
This is a wide, dark room, with rows of beds lining the walls. A few of them look recently disturbed, as if drow were sleeping just a short time ago before waking for class or combat practice. Through the darkness of this room, a corridor can be seen through the doorway to the south.
This is a narrow stone corridor which runs east and west through the darkness of the warrior academy. What little light exists comes from faintly flickering faerie fire globes hovering well above the reach of any of the few dark elves that walk through. An intersection in the corridor appears to be just a short walk to the east.
This is the western end of the corridor, just south of the upperclassman barracks here at the warrior school. The area is deserted, though from the appearance of this end of the hallway, it was recently cleaned. The hallway disappears into the shadows to the east.
This appears to be the upper-level students' barracks here at Melee-Magthere. Unlike the barracks for newer students, this area is amazingly clean and orderly, probably recently tended to by slaves of some kind. A hallway lies just to the south of here.
This corridor runs north and south through the inner halls of Melee-Magthere, the warrior school of the dark elves. Many students seem to be discussing affairs of state animatedly here, striking out new alliances or dissolving the old before they continue on their way. An intersection lies north, while classrooms can be seen nearby to the south.
This appears to be the end of a north-south hallway. To the east and west lie large rooms able to hold many drow as they learn the necessary lessons before they go practice their swordplay. A few older dark elves mill about, trying to decide if they wish to take some time and spar in the arena just to the south of here.
This is a spacious stone room with seats arranged in tiers of semi-circles around the loremaster's desk on the eastern wall. The desk is covered with papers, probably notes for rehearsed lectures that are the lessons for the first-year drow students. Just west of here lies the main hallway.
This appears to be a mid-sized classroom, sufficient for teaching many eager drow the tactics necessary to survive in the hostile Underdark. A large map is spread out on a huge table in the center of the room, with pewter figurines arranged in some sort of hunting formation. There is a doorway along the eastern wall, heading out into the corridor.
This appears to be the opening of a truly massive cavern, once a city from the large silhouettes of structures visible, but now an arena for younger drow students to practice the arts of warfare and fighting against one another. A corridor leads off to the north towards the other parts of the school, while a fighting area is just south of here.
This appears to be the ruins of an old street, leading east and west towards other parts of the dark elf arena. Students can be seen sneaking in and out of the shadows, trying to get the drop on their associates and improve their class standing in the eyes of their masters. Just north of here starts a hallway through the warrior school, the arena continues to the east and west, and the ruins of a temple lie just south of here.
The shadows of this narrow roadway seem to shift and move as if alive, implying that drow might be hiding there waiting for the perfect ambush chance. The street itself leads to the east and west, into dark shadows that cloak other dangers of the roadway. A small alleyway empties out from the south, but there appears to be no obvious way back in.
The ruins of this old street end here, though they lead away back to the east through shadows and darkness. A narrow gateway seems to lead into a passage to the south, perhaps other ruins of the ancient dark-elf city this arena was built upon. The area seems quiet, perhaps too quiet given the love of the drow for ambush.
This appears to be a narrow passage leading through the ruins of an old alleyway. The gate that let one in to this region from the north has slammed shut, allowing access only to the south. The shadows along the walls seem to be moving, implying that drow warriors practicing the art of surprise attack might be here.
This is the southwestern end of the arena cavern, leaning up against the ruins and rubble of one of the great houses of the dark-elf city once known as BerKotok. The narrow chute that allowed access to this area from the alleyway to the north is impassable the other way, preventing one from returning to that cover. High above this region of the arena, a handful of intersecting catwalks appear, probably where the masters observe their students busily fighting one another.
This appears to be some sort of east-west thoroughfare through the back of the fighters' arena within the drow Academy. From appearances, this might once have been some sort of street running between buildings that have since been reduced to rubble. A narrow alleyway lies just to the north of here, and the cavern also allows passage to the east and west.
This appears to be a narrow alley running alongside the ruins of some ancient building. Like the rest of this cavern, it has been converted into a makeshift arena for the young drow warriors of Melee-Magthere to test their overall skills in. The shifting piles of rubble at the southern entrance to the alley are dangerous enough as to be impassable, and the relatively fresh bloodstains seem to indicate that someone tried and failed to exit in that way.
This appears to be the ruins of some old, dark-elf street running between the cavern wall to the north and a narrow alley to the south. A layer of thick shadows cloaks most everything more than a dozen feet away, making it hard to tell what dangers lie in any direction. Masters can be seen observing the arena from catwalks high above the arena, ranking their students on their fighting merits.
The ancient drow street dead-ends here, just south of a pile of rubble that must have been a powerful drow house. Thick shadows conceal anyone who might be standing nearby, making this an excellent spot for drow students to prepare and practice the fine art of ambush. A narrow alley empties out over a huge pile of rubble from the south, but that same pile is too loose and dangerous to climb back over and re-enter that alley from this point.
This appears to be the ruins of a narrow alley running between two destroyed mansions to the east and west of here. Now, this place serves as a narrow corridor perfect for drow students to use as grounds to prove their warrior superiority over one another. A narrow passage leads out of here to the north, while the southern entrance has been blocked by a massive rockslide.
The narrow streets end here at a large pile of twisted rubble and stone that must once have been the gates of old BerKotok. A handful of dark-elf students can be seen fighting in the shadows, under the watchful eyes of masters high above. The street continues to the west, while a narrow alley runs along what must once have been another street just to the north of here.
The ruins of a narrow street form a corridor here within the southern reaches of the drow arena, a perfect battleground for young fighters to test their prowess using terrain to their advantage. A handful of dark figures seem to scurry about the rubble, fighting for position or just planning an ambush for their fellow classmates. The street runs to the east and west.
This is a narrow alley running along the east side of a demolished drow temple from the former city of BerKotok. The shadows lie thick here, not only from the ruins of the city, but also from the catwalks that soar high above the cavern, for the masters of the warrior school to observe their pupils fight one another on unfamiliar terrain such as this. The only apparent exit from this alleyway is to the south.
The narrow passageway through the arena cavern runs just south of a demolished temple here, providing a narrow corridor perfect for drow students to practice their arts of ambush. Right now, the alleyway seems kind of quiet, but the sounds of combat ring out from nearby, implying that the arena is not empty.
This appears to be the inside of a demolished temple, somewhat rebuilt at least enough for the masters to use this room as a way to ascend to their catwalks far above. The north wall seems a bit loose, as if it were having some structural trouble as a result of the aftermath of the destruction of the city around.
This is a narrow catwalk several dozen feet above the caverns of the Melee-Magthere arena far below. From here, and on the narrow paths that lead east and west from here, masters of the school can follow the fights of individual students, often useful in ranking their underlings in a general class order. A small but sturdy ladder leads downwards towards the floor of the cavern.
This is the eastern end of the catwalks on which the masters observe their students fighting in the battle caverns far below. From here, the destruction of the old city of BerKotok can be seen in all of its hideous glory, creating cul-de-sacs and narrow ambush areas for the young students to take advantage of in learning tactics and fighting one another. The lone apparent exit from here is west.
This is the western end of the catwalks that overlook the caverns housing the Melee-Magthere fighting arena. From here, nearly half the cavern is within view, and several pairs and trios of dark-elves can be seen duking it out with one another. There appears to be no way down, but the catwalk extends back towards the east.
This is a dark and eerily silent room. The silhouettes of drow can be seen lining the walls, waiting for tortured spirits to infest them and give them unholy life as Dalamar wishes.