Shadow of the Veiled Sun
Shadow of the Veiled Sun
“Darkness is not the absence of light, but a presence that hungers.”
— Hook · mystery
“The unnatural silence of the Underdark is broken by a rhythmic thrumming in your bones. Before you lies a site of absolute shadow, where the very air feels like heavy oil against your skin. A dying drow reaches out from the darkness, pointing toward a ring of black glass pillars.”
— Hook · mystery
The bioluminescent fungi of this cavern have been choked out by a viscous, unnatural ink. In the center of the gloom stands a ring of jagged obsidian pillars that hum with a vibration that makes your teeth ache. A faint, rhythmic chanting echoes from the stone itself, though no living soul is in sight.
Bel-Garaad
The dying drow scout pulls the party close with his last strength, coughing up a black, ichorous fluid. He begs the party to look into the glass pillars to see 'the face of the ending.'
Rumours
d3 · table- 01The glowing moss in the Deepest Maw has turned black and started screaming.
- 02A caravan of deep gnomes disappeared near the Obsidian Ring, leaving only their shadows burnt into the stone.
- 03The Betrayer's marks have been seen pulsing with a cold, violet light near the ancient rift.
If the party fails to identify the ritual's purpose, the surrounding Underdark region will be permanently consumed by a Void Zone, and the villain will successfully mask their movements for the next year.
Background Lore
The obsidian pillars are a Siphon of Sorrows, ancient conduits used to channel energy from the Shadowfell. A rising cult has reactivated this site to facilitate the return of a forgotten avatar of the Shadow Betrayer.
A group of cultists is using an ancient Underdark site to gather power and must be stopped before they launch an attack on the surface world.
