Deeper Sargauth Proposal


The original Deeper Sargauth would have connected Wyllowwood to Skullport through an additional length of the River Sargauth flowing through UTM. The new proposal for the Deeper Sargauth will do the same but I'm removing some connections to 'grander concepts' of UTM that in all likelihood I'm never going to get around to building.
The Deeper Sargauth zone is a connecting zone that will tighten the connection of Wyllowwood to Skullport and the rest of Undermountain (I'm considering a similar zone for UTM I and II - to revitalize interest in those zones). The zone should also connect to the Duergar Stronghold currently under revision by Fire (although the zone should stand alone if necessary).
The zone is primarily a killing-zone although it does contain a few shops in the Duergar Harbor areas. The zone can be separated into 10 sub-areas:

The zone also contains rooms dedicated for 3 ships: Rolling Skull(a Duergar merchant ship), River's Lady(Human Slave ship), and a drow boat.

Map - Click Map for Full-Size

Sub-Zone Descriptions
River Sargauth
The stretch of Sargauth in Deeper Sargauth connects Wyllowwood's southern end to the Sargauth branch northwest of the Drow Isle and west of the Common Town harbor in Skullport. The river will have the same inhabitants found in the river around Skullport.

Duergar Harbor on Sargauth's Black Lake
The Duergar have established a harbor on a small lake just off the Sargauth. The harbor allows the duergar to carry on commerce with the drow and Skullport. Ships carry the treasures of the duergar mines and craftsman to the city in exchange for food, supplies and occasionally slaves.
The Harbor is hospitable to merchants but few are allowed west past the gates of the duergar caverns. The Harbormaster oversees the trade of goods and the two shops: a simple trade store and a tavern/inn. The trade store offers generic goods of many types. The Inn and Tavern offer a resting place for ship's crew while captains and the Harbormaster haggle over trade prices. Duergar guards and dockworkers wander the Harbor.

Black Lake
The Black Lake is a cavern flooded by the Sargauth providing a harbor for ships traveling on the river. A Black Fin Bass inhabits the lake waters along with the usual denizens of the Sargauth. Bats occasionally fly down from the cavern ceiling overhead.

Dwarven Ruins
The Dwarven Ruins are much like those found in the upper levels of UTM - great remnants of the clans that once ruled the caverns before the conquests of Halaster and the subsequent chaotic rule of the duergar, drow and the other random inhabitants of the upper levels of UTM. These particular ruins are inhabited by an ancient shadow dragon surrounded by elemental warriors and the occasional dwarven ghoul still wandering the halls.

Rust Hive
The Rust Hive is a looping cavern near the connection to Wyllowwood. The cavern is inhabited by a hive of rust monsters. The rust monsters inhabit the ancient armory of a lost dwarven clan working their way through the priceless armor and weapons. The vast store of ready prime food is the only reason this cavern is inhabited by many rust monsters. The only useful treasure in the armory now is non-metallic in nature and mostly gemstones.

Slave Harbor
The Slave Harbor answers a question: how do the slavers and buyers gather for their trades - surely not through the Pit in Skullport and most likely not through Xuzuon's private connections to various cities. The Slave Harbor is a small harbor just west of the connection to Skullport and a short cavern connecting the harbor to the slave caverns. Slaves are received and shipped on the harbor docks. Buyers travel up the cavern to Xuzuon's camps to view his wares.

Duergar Caverns
The Duergar Caverns run west past the Harbor and theoretically into the Duergar Stronghold or its primary mines. A north passage from the caverns leads into newer expansions of the mines into areas below the Sargauth.

Mines I, II, and III
The three levels of the mines are new expansion and exploratory mines of the Duergar exploring the stone around and below the Sargauth. The third level provides another connection to Wyllowwood by connecting to the Duergar mines in the Wyllowwood Additions - a logical but non-obvious connection that may be interesting for players to discover.

Ships
The three ships are basic ships with some crew to be slain by the players - each ship will travel using paths or progs between Wyllowwood, Duergar Harbor, Slave Harbor, Skullport and Araken's Harbor. All three ships will visit different harbors on different paths.

-- Ego