Prince Derendil
Table of Contents
minLevel: 2
maxLevel: 3
A large, powerful quaggoth who claims to be Prince Derendil of the Duchy of Nelrindenvane, cursed into his current form by the drow wizard Terrestor. He maintains noble bearing and speech despite his bestial body, met as a fellow prisoner at Velkenvelve.
Description
Appearance
Derendil has the appearance of a quaggoth — a large, powerfully-built creature of the Underdark resembling an enormous white-furred ape or bear. His claws are formidable weapons, and his sheer size makes him a physically imposing presence. Despite this, he carries himself with an unusual dignity that is at odds with his monstrous form.
Personality
Derendil speaks with the bearing and vocabulary of a noble — formal, precise, and theatrical. He maintains his claim of being a cursed elven prince even when challenged, and genuinely believes (or insists) it to be true. He can sometimes be overwhelmed by his quaggoth nature, becoming aggressive or bestial in moments of stress or combat.
Played as Matt Berry's Laszlo Cravensworth (What We Do in the Shadows, US series). Pompous, theatrical, absurdly self-assured, and absolutely convinced of his own magnificence — while being an enormous white ape. The contrast between his grand aristocratic delivery and his horrifying physical form is the joke. He would describe ripping someone's face off with the same casual elegance as choosing a wine. "I am a prince. I have always been a prince. The fact that I am currently covered in someone's viscera does not change that."
Role in Campaign
Velkenvelve
Prince Derendil was encountered at Velkenvelve, the drow prison-outpost. He was imprisoned as a curiosity and trophy — a powerful quaggoth who claims noble heritage. The drow find his delusion amusing; whether the curse is real remains ambiguous.
Inside the Tarrasque
When the party split after entering the Tarrasque (Session C09 into the Arc D detour), Prince Derendil remained with the Tarrasque-interior group alongside:
He is confirmed present in the Tarrasque interior group as of Session C14 (after the party reunited following the Arc D detour).
Key Moments
| Session | Moment | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Velkenvelve | First encountered as a prisoner | Noble captive; specific circumstances unknown |
| Session C09 | Party splits; Derendil remains inside Tarrasque | Part of the "left-behind" group with Othorion, Lireal, Caspian, Stool |
| Session D01 | Listed as absent from Kefkas's returning group | Confirmed still inside Tarrasque during Arc D detour |
| Session C14 | Listed in "In Tarrasque" group | Still present and accounted for at Arc C resumption |
Background
The Curse of Terrestor
Derendil claims he is Prince Derendil of the Duchy of Nelrindenvane — an elven prince who was polymorphed into quaggoth form by a drow wizard named Terrestor. The transformation was a curse, according to his account, meant to strip him of his royal status and trap his consciousness in a bestial form.
He speaks eloquently and maintains the bearing of nobility, insisting that his true self — his mind, his memory, his identity — remains an elf, even as his body is undeniably quaggoth. The other prisoners at Velkenvelve treat this as a delusion born of captivity. Whether the curse is real or whether Derendil is simply a quaggoth whose mind broke under imprisonment is deliberately ambiguous.
Derendil's Reality: Derendil is unmoved by contradiction. Even when the party or others point out the implausibility of his claim, he does not waver. He knows what he knows about himself, and any evidence to the contrary is simply part of the curse — another layer of the illusion meant to break his mind.
Imprisonment at Velkenvelve
Derendil was a prisoner at Velkenvelve under Mistress Ilvara's authority. He was among the party's fellow captives when they escaped the drow outpost.
Relationships
| Character | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Othorion | Tarrasque companion | Shared the interior group during Arc D separation |
| Lireal | Tarrasque companion | Same group throughout Tarrasque interlude |
| Stool | Tarrasque companion | Same group throughout Tarrasque interlude |
| Caspian | Former companion | Was in same group; Caspian absent by C14 — fate unknown |
| Mistress Ilvara | Former captor | Imprisoned at Velkenvelve under her authority |