a lot of backstory for a probably immediately doomed char

A terrible plague was sweeping her home city, and all around her people were dying every day, even ones who seemed fine mere days ago. Clerics and healers could only do so much, and none of the other cities wanted to risk the spread of the plague so wouldn't send aid, and the parts of the city that the plague hadn't hit yet were afraid of it spreading to them as well. Rumors spread that they planned to cut off whole parts of the city, or even the city itself, and eradicate it entirely, until not even the ash remained.

Fearing death, and perhaps the horrible sickness even more so, "Pellania" took what she knew of Necromancy and turned to it in an effort to bolster herself, first only beyond the reach of illness, but soon the idea struck her to use it to escape, even conquer, death itself. As the rumors of the coming destruction only grew, she was spurred on with a restless, desperate need, and eventually entered into a pact with the Undying.

It was not long after this that she overheard the worst news: the rumors were true, and they would all be killed to stop the plague. She went home and packed immediately, though when she tried to leave, she found both a small crowd of other drow who were also trying to leave along with an official who refused to let them. The official, a young wizard, ordered them all back to their homes, while the crowd got more and more agitated. Behind them, something exploded, and the wizard was signalling behind her for support, and she saw the window of escape closing. Her dagger sank into the wizard's back, and that was all the crowd needed to push them into a mob, attacking both the wizard and the two others who had come to hold them back.

Pellania struck out a few more times before the sound of alarms and shouting reached her ears, and she regained some of her senses. More guards were coming, and the whole city was filled with the presence of powerful magic, the sound of the magical alarms that would sound out at any trouble, and another explosion. She fled, running as fast as she could, leaving the paths behind and ducking behind outcroppings of boulders and giant mushrooms, not stopping until she collapsed against the side of a giant stalagmite. As she regained her breath, she finally realized she was alone, that no one had followed her, perhaps hadn't even noticed her escaping.

The city was gone. She knew it, just like she knew the other cities would refuse to take her in, having been refusing even the idea of refugees in fear of even one carrying the plague with them, and while she could sneak inside one of them it would end in her death if she was ever so much as suspected. The relief she felt of having survived, just as she'd wanted, was tainted only by her exhaustion and the question of what to do next. She hadn't done all of this just to die in the shadows like a cowering rodent.

That answer came to her as she slipped into a trance, her mind drifting until it was suddenly seized. She saw a route laid out before her, the walls and tunnels of the Underdark seeming to disappear, and she felt almost as if she was looking at a map while standing upon the map. At the end of the route was the gaping maw of a cave opening, and beyond that were shadows that seemed to beckon to her, seemingly more a demand than a request. Though she had no memory or awareness of moving towards it, she was all at once in front of the exit to the cave, and no matter how she squinted and strained she could see nothing outside besides the shadows. Then, suddenly, a hand reached out for her, splitting away from the shadows, light catching on the silver rings along each finger as it reached, as if to grasp-

And she awoke. There was a weight in her lap that hadn't been there before. A book? The vision was burned into her mind, but fading, and she hurriedly flipped to the last page, scrawling out the map as best she could on the blank paper. She understood where it was leading her. With a slow, determined nod, she stood, gathering up her backpack and other supplies, and began her journey to the surface.