Wizards of the Coast announced their next storyline would be Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. In it, characters would take on one of four powerful villains in a running urban treasure hunt. It would be enough to get heroes up to level six. The next day, in The Stream of Many Eyes, they announced the second part. The Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a dungeon crawl, of sorts, and would take heroes from 6th level all the to 20th. If they survive.
We’re promised a cleverly structured dungeon that has different foes, politics and atmospheres on each level. The Undermountain is expandable too which allows DMs and groups to explore and tailor to suit their own needs.
But who is the mad mage of the dungeon? Who is Halaster Blackcloak of Waterdeep? Didn’t he die in 1375? My lack of hands-on knowledge of D&D 5e may be showing here.
Halaster is well over a thousand years old. He was once known as Lord Hilather, a surviving Imaskari artificer lord, who escaped the Mulhorandi and Untheric pantheons by using a hidden temporal stasis vault. By 168 DR he had emerged into the world again and with this apprentices, The Seven, built Halaster’s Hold.
He came across a lost level of the Undermountain in 275 DR and set about trying to capture the whole dungeon. By 309 DR he had managed to do so. Since then he has tried to rescue Elminster from Hell and worked with the Crystal Labyrinth. The adventure Expedition to Undermountain in 1375 DR led many to believe he had died in a ritual gone wrong. Source.
Did you miss the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist announcement? Here it is:
Are you looking forward to these adventures? Let us know in the comments below.
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