While some of the Underdark quests are still in the module for those brave enough to delve down, it's just a slice of what used to be there.
There's no real objective associated with this thread, other than satisfying my curiosity. What quests or areas did you consider "icons" of the Underdark setting?
For me, it'd have to be Lights Below. It was a fairly simple concept given a local spin, a great way to introduce the feel of the setting without dumping a lot of lore on you; even though there was some lore in the quest that could hook you if you let it.
How about you: what quests or non-NPC areas defined your EFU experience, or were "perfect" examples of the setting?
Trolls on the Low Road. (Kidding)
Mine would have to be Drow Caravan.
As someone who only stopped in a few times back then I can say that I very quickly remember some clown quest. I believe they brought me just to fill the party size requirement but we did pretty well and I even survived although it was rather terrifying at the time.
I nominate the Chosen quest. In retrospect, I imagine there was quite a bit of telling clues there.
I don't know how defining they were, but two quests I really enjoyed was the Red Smiles and the Brewery Quest.
As for a non NPC area, I always liked the Windy Canyon.
In no particular order:
1. Ettercaps - When spiced, this quest was the quintessential Underdark experience. While protecting Sanctuary from ettercaps you're also pissing off the illithid who is trying to breed them.
2. Zombies on the Stairs - So many adventurers, who were inexplicably intimately familiar with the Battle of Thermopylae, gave their lives and precious consumables to save those stairs from destruction. It was a real shame when they finally had to go.
3. Chosen in the Sewers - This quest was pure Sanctuary: distilled, refined, rolled into a joint and smoked.
4. TS.cdp - 'Nuff said.
EDIT: One more thing: "Good dark."
Wizard's Lab...
Honestly, though. The Chosen quests were great for introducing the illusive enemy of Sanctuary.
Other than that, Pig Farm and Drunken Hobgoblins.
Seers - A true show of how deadly and disgusting the world below is.
Svirf Temple - Probably the coolest quest ever, giving hints towards the previous settlers.
Seer, it's my very favorite quest.
Everything about it, start to finish, is perfect.
You start with foreboding build-up, hinting at a terrible evil.
You descend with hardy adventurers into one of the most dangerous areas, fighting off spawns that can easily wipe out lesser, unprepared adventurers, or avoid them cunningly.
Finally, you find your destination, making an uneasy camp.
You descend, finding these perhaps not very deadly, but horribly, horribly fast, grotesque monsters that still send shivers down my spine just thinking about them.
You descend further, facing more dangerous, but survivable adversaries and encountering horrific experiments and strange clues.
Finally, you make it, and you know you're where you want to be.
You prepare, knowing this will be harsh.
A battle ensues, often killing many and very often inviting DM possession of the boss. It rages, and you are either dead, or loot the very interesting and strange spoils.
And it doesn't end there- you are faced with a choice- go all the way back through the dangers, or leap into the unknown?
It's a perfect quest, and I plan to take it as soon as possible once more!
Jafar's Pie. (Best delivery ever, gave you gold even if you ate the pie)
Ah, nostalgia. *sighs*
Mary's, Clowns and Sewer Town Chosen.
My favorite quests were:
- Elemental in the basement of the Blue Mushroom
- Rat Barricade
- Rothe Hunting
I happen to know Metropakt's favorite:
- Eyeballs (in the tunnels)
The first Chosen Quest, the Lights Beneath. Both were fantastic introductions to server secrets, and established an excellent feel in spite of being relatively simple design wise. I'll never forget that pit.
My favourite area would have to be Dunwarren. It felt like a character in and of itself, which is something I don't think any PW has achieved.
I miss the staircase quest with all those zombies! Also who are we to forget the Orog Fortress?
Red Smiles, Sewer Town Chosen, Seer, Orog Fort, Drow Caravan, Urdlen quest in that order.
Terrifying Cave. Thank you very much.
Man, I will never forget smashing HOOK HORRORS with Auto Lawnmower.
Honestly my favorite one was the Portal to the Surface Quest.
It showed the desperation of the setting and just how even when you thought you were safe, you were really in a worse place than you began.
It was also the only quest that I remember that you couldn't transition out of. Once you started it, you had to finish it somehow.
Some of the others above (stairs, orog fort, etc) were great epic battles, but the portal quest was classic desperation, trapped, no way home, sorta idea that being in the Underdark really embodied.
Seer with Howland's twist remains forever in my memory.
Dark Lake areas.
Zuhrkwood factory.
I loved the motivational signs.
Harvesting Fire Beetles, The Duergar Cannibal Family, Urdlen quest, and some more. I remember something always happened in those places to set my character's motivation, or inspired some great plots.
I think it was the fire beetle harvest that started a large part of the Tobereski plot. Meldread as Melrick, ScottyB's Spellguard Agent(pre-Spellguard), and my tiefling Kyle Briar. It was an awesome time, and I still remember the dialogue, sparingly.
I liked the Seer's quest, and sand caverns. I also liked the Intryzz dream quest a lot.
These things made the server feel like there was actually an overshadowing incredibly baneful and hostile environment force, and a solid existing history that you could actually see into, respectively.
It actually characterized a lot of the server back in the underdark days as a facet in an interesting way, that I would rarely care for otherwise.
Jubals was a pretty good QA, even if the traps were a bit overdone. Don't know if it had too much to do with the storyline or history at all but it was pretty well designed, and you'd get big gawdy piles of gold things if you survived which is pretty damn pro.
Seers was suitably epic. More of this plz.
Unfortunately I know of one or two I didn't get the chance to see which is something I regret, despite how badly my characters would have perished on them.
I'd have to go with the Staircase. Loved that quest.
Mary. Clown. Seers.
And Flying Furniture for the lols.
I will always remember the moment I step out to the Sanctuary and it's open cave-like area. Could feel you are within a hold and below in deep ground, almost hearing the salty water dripping from rocks, the small cracks and noises lingering in the soft echoes in the vast darkness - And then at you would do the very first little quests in your first hour; deliveries, the lights at mausoleum. I mean, it's the whole first expression that captured you from the moment you got in.
Mary and Boggs!
I really miss ogres and lizards. These quests killed me time and time again, but I loved doing them, when I had the chance to.
I would have to say the Clowns quest; not because it had the Underdark feel, but because it had the 'EFU' feel. Crazy, but utterly dangerous. A haunting feel that everything looked okay, but shit was going to hit the fan at any minute.
Bobo the Clown and his possé were brutal.
I only did a few from my trip down as franco. But Seers was amazing.
I wonder if anybody who has answered "Seer(s)" even knows the quest name.
Quote from: TheImpossibleDream;180828Red Smiles, Sewer Town Chosen, Seer, Orog Fort, Drow Caravan, Urdlen quest in that order.
That was your quest train, in the order, you mean.
Bobo the clown was greatly exagerated. I would compare clowns part 1 to trogs. The boss crit for like 70 which is pretty meagre considering his crit. Knock back a blur and maybe a clarity or two for the bearded ladies (i just knocked them down) and that quest was a breeze <_<
I think the reason that quest is remember was because it was spammed to oblivion and required "basic tactics or die" meaning a lot of folks have memories of being new and dying there.
Quote from: Snoteye;180888I wonder if anybody who has answered "Seer(s)" even knows the quest name.
"A perilous evil" iirc.
Oh I forgot the Dream Room... especially when it came to sharing the loot or a DM possessed one of all that -people- there ;).
My favorite quests were:
- Jafar's Pie Quest: This was the beginning of the delivery quests that would take you all over Sanctuary. However, what I enjoyed about this quest was the multiple ways that you could complete it. Before the goblin who gave out stones and wrote poetry got chased away, you could even give it to him! Jafar must have eaten thousands upon thousands of pies.
- Zombie Staircase Quest: This was a fun quest to do at a low to mid level. It was straightforward. All you had to do was hold the staircase against wave, after wave, after wave of zombies. It had an epic feel for a low level character, and made it feel like they were contributing something to the settlement.
- Portal to the Surface: This quest was awesome it seemed to capture the desperation of the situation of Sanctuary. People wanted to leave, and therefore it just made sense for there to be a con man. It was also one of the few quests that once started, you had to complete. There was no turning back, and even once you completed it, you still had to trek back to Sanctuary.
- Beetle Meat Quest: This quest gave me the opportunity to RP with lower levels. It gave you a good idea of the main staple of Upper Sanctuary's diet (Beetle Meat), and allowed you to contrast it with the main staple of Lower Sanctuary's diet (Rat Meat). It also allowed low level characters to be useful to the settlements survival (you were helping provide food). Depending on my character it gave me the chance to RP with new PC's. I took them to do beetles to "observe" their combat skills, to "train" their combat skills, etc. Beetles were like a step above the combat dummy.
- The Lights Below: As others pointed out, this was a good introduction to some of the lore behind the server.
- The Rat Barricade: Because it was fun. So many rats!
- Purst Pig Farm: I loved this quest because it was not only fun, but it embodied the EfU theme rather well. Dark ironic humor with a dash of horror. On the quest, you discover that the Duegar that runs the Settlement's pig farm is not only killing people and feeding them to his pigs, but the entire family was indulging in a little cannibalism themselves.