Tier Breche

The Great Stair of Tier Breche rises from the floor of Menzoberranzan to the cavern housing the three branches of the Academy: Melee-Magthere, a pyramid-shaped edifice where drow warriors are trained; Arach-Tinilith, a spider-shaped cathedral where drow priestesses worship their demon goddess; and Sorcere, a magnificent tower where drow mages learn to master the magical arts. Non-drow are forbidden from entering this part of the city.   The stone steps are some three hundred feet wide and rise nearly the same distance. A pair of giant jade spiders flanks the stairway at the top, ready to animate to attack non-drow that climb the steps. The two jade spiders have the statistics of stone golems with the following statistical modifications:

• The jade spiders have 250 hit points each.
• They have a climbing speed of 30 feet.
• They have truesight out to a range of 120 feet.

  Roll for random encounters as the characters explore the Academy grounds. You can roll a d20 and consult the Tier Breche Encounters table, or choose an encounter that you like. The party can avoid random encounters by succeeding on a DC 17 Dexterity (Stealth) group check. Sounds of battle are common at the Academy; however, drow guards are trained to tell the difference between training exercises and the sound of real combat. The latter attracts reinforcements in the form of 1d4 drow elite warriors every round until the perceived threat is eliminated.