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Beneath the desolate landscape of Argonnessen's southern tundra lies a series of labyrinthine caverns whose name was legendary before the earliest histories of the dragons were set down -- Khesavuthir, the Black Well. Though its history and dark purpose are long lost, the Black Well remains one of the most sought-after sites in Argonnessen. The legendary Khesavuthir promises lost lore, dark secrets, epic magic -- and unspeakable madness to all who seek it.
Approach
Fractured tundra broken by wild zones and upthrust plains of razor-sharp rock surrounds the Black Well for nearly a hundred miles in any direction, making an approach by land all but impossible. The sky here is perpetually beset with shadowy storm clouds, though flying creatures take no penalties to movement as a result.
Terrain Features
The Black Well has remained hidden for uncounted centuries, and for good reason. Powerful magic infuses the very landscape here, interfering with teleportation magic. Teleportation effects that normally have no chance of failure (such as a greater teleport spell) are given the chance of failure of a normal teleport spell (PH 292) if their destination lies within fifty miles of the Black Well. For destinations within ten miles of the site, decrease the familiarity of the destination by one category when determining the chance of failure. Teleportation effects that normally have a chance of failure fail automatically within one hundred miles of the site.
In addition to its effect on teleportation, the lingering magic of cursed Khesavuthir plays havoc with the senses. Whether a party approaches by air or ground, the tundra around the Black Well appears to constantly shift and reshape itself. It takes a DC 50 Survival check to locate the Forgotten Gate from a distance of a day's march, and a subsequent DC 50 Survival check to lead a party to it. On a failed second check, a party becomes lost (DMG 86, but add +10 to the DC of the Survival check to determine the correct direction of travel).
Whether a party approaches by ground or air, cold dangers (DMG 302), heat and lava dangers from randomly erupting volcanic vents (DMG 303 and 304), and windstorms (DMG 93) are a constant threat.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion, as is the composition of guardian forces.
Khesavuthir's Pets: The power of the Black Well has long been a magnet for debased and evil draconic creatures. These now prowl the wasted landscape around the site, feeding on each other and any creatures foolish enough to linger here. A party that approaches within fifty miles of the Black Well (whether by land or air) must check each hour for random encounters on the Black Well Encounters table, below.
A party that approaches the site with any degree of secrecy has the normal 10% chance of an encounter each hour. However, the servants of Khesavuthir have an instinctive mystical connection that aids them in their efforts to keep the Black Well free of intruders. For each wandering monster encounter the party faces, the chance of a subsequent encounter the next hour increases by 5%. A party that leaves the area for 72 hours or longer has its chance for a random encounter reduced to 10% when it next returns.
Sinkhole Shelves: The landscape of wind-etched rock that spreads across the nondescript tundra surrounding the Black Well has been undercut and weakened by the erosion of centuries-old volcanic vents. Each round that a party moves through these areas, there is a 1% chance per Medium creature in the party that the ground collapses in a sinkhole with a 15-foot-radius bury zone and a 15-foot-radius slide zone (DMG 66). It takes a DC 30 Search check or a DC 30 Survival check to note a sinkhole shelf. (For the purpose of triggering a sinkhole, two Small creatures equal one Medium creature, a Large creature equals two Medium creatures, and so on.)
Guardposts: The Forgotten Gate that leads to the Black Well is surrounded by a number of caverns wherein dwell the site's most devoted guardians. These abyssal drakes (Dr 145) maintain a sleepless watch over land and sky. The low caves from which they scan the surroundings are well concealed (Hide +22), and the drakes are difficult to surprise (Listen +17, Spot +17). Whenever intruders approach within 100 feet of a single abyssal drake's position, it takes to the air, using its breath weapon and frightful presence to drive intruders toward other guardposts where its allies wait to attack.
The Forgotten Gate: Obscured by shifting landscape and shadowy fog, three crumbling onyx archways rise within a series of cinder cone peaks. Seemingly carved of single blocks of stone, these great arches must once have stood more than 50 feet high. Now, only their bases remain, surrounding a perfectly circular portal leading straight down. The entrance to Khesavuthir was designed for dragons in flight, the shaft dropping some hundred feet before ending in a vast circular chamber. From here, dozens of tunnels lead off at different angles, twisting as they plunge deep within the earth.
Chambers of Shadow: The labyrinthine corridors of Khesavuthir are a seemingly endless web of unmappable passageways and caverns. All are dragon-sized and are subject to the same sense of shifting landscape that affects the surface above the Black Well. This effect does not impede forward movement or a party's ability to explore, but it takes a DC 30 Survival check to successfully backtrack along the same route. On a failed check, a party becomes effectively lost (DMG 86, but add +10 to the DC of the Survival check to determine the correct direction of travel).
These chambers might be home to guardians from the Black Well Encounters table, to artifacts that bestow the half-dragon template or other effects, or to draconic undead or fiends lost here since the Age of Demons.
The Library of Khesavuthir: Among a small number of secretive draconic scholars, it is known that the Black Well was once home to a draconic cult whose members interpreted the Prophecy in ways eventually forbidden by the Chamber. Though knowledge of their beliefs has been lost to history, whispered rumors speak of the cultists drawing great arcane power from blood sacrifice. The transgression that saw the cultists eventually hunted down and destroyed involved the appearance of dragonmarks among the lesser races -- and the cultists' belief that the dragonmarked had been created as fodder for dark rituals of sacrifice and consumption.
The heart of the Black Well lies some three miles beneath the surface, and it consists of an interconnected set of caverns wherein can be found the greatest secrets of the cult. The full extent of those secrets -- as well as whatever lore and artifacts the cult abandoned here -- is left to the DM's determination.
The Hold of Danazharil: For more than thirteen hundred years, the Black Well has been the lair of the shadow dragon Danazharil (Dr 191). Once a high-ranking leader of the Talons of Tiamat, Danazharil fled the cult centuries before, though he sends his minions on endless missions to keep track of its activities. Now a great wyrm of unparalleled power and malice, Danazharil has designs on taking control of the Talons of Tiamat using the lore and magic of the Black Well. A trio of Io'lokari explorers corrupted by the site's foul power (see the High Cultists encounter, DoE 62) are his eyes and ears within the upper echelons of the cult.
Danazharil relishes the opportunity to destroy those who seek the Black Well's forbidden knowledge. He can move freely through the labyrinth of twisting corridors and caverns, using his shadow blend and create shadows abilities to attack with total concealment as he carefully destroys his foes with tooth and claw. He uses his breath weapon to strip away the power of any foes who present a serious challenge. Dragonmarked characters and those who outlast their allies in direct combat are given special honor by being left alive -- so as to be consumed in the dark rites that were forged here.
Black Well Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance; see text)
d% Encounter EL
01-20 1d4 wyverns (MM 259) 6-10
21-25 2d6 zombie young adult white dragons (Dr 198) 7-12
26-35 2d6 ice drakes (Dr 154) 9-14
36-45 1d6+6 whitespawn hunter (MM4 158) 10-11
46-55 1d4+4 ambush drakes (MM3 8) 10-11
56-65 1d4 adult white dragons (MM 77) 10-14
66-75 1d4+4 whitespawn berserkers (MM4 158) 11-12
76-80 1d4 hill landwyrms (Dr 170) 11-16
81-85 1d4+4 skeletal mature adult black dragon (Dr 192) 12-13
86-90 1d4 young adult silver dragons (MM 87) 12-17
91-00 1d4 tundra landwyrms (Dr 174) 13-18
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The Burning Beach
The traditions of the Seren are a mystery to most. These wild humans have lived below the dragons' talons for thousands of years. The tribes are many, and each has its own unique and often savage culture. The firebringers have long worshiped the red dragons of Argonnessen as living gods, and they sacrifice their holiest in a baptism of fire to send their smoking souls into the skies, there to dance alongside the dragon lords. They do not always wait until these chosen ones are dead. A willing soul burns bright, they say, and a true devotee of the dragon watches his or her flesh melt without fear. The pyres, wherein these holy ones burn, stand on a mournful stretch of ebon-sand beach below the petrified head of great wyrm red dragon. Though long ago calcified, the dragon's soul is far from departed -- in fact its mighty breath produces the flames that burns the firebringers' holy dead, or so the firebringers believe. Every new moon, a holy one (usually a mighty warrior, chief, or shaman) ascends the pyres and looks his stone god in the maw. The holy one then asks for the blessing of fire, and either gouts of flame erupt forth to consume him, or the stone remains cold (in this case it is viewed that the holy one's time has not yet come, and they have more work to do before his soul-smoke can ascend).
Approach
Hazy black smoke rises off the beach night and day, and it covers the entire stretch of dark sand in an otherworldly pall. This smoke grants concealment to any and all who wander there. The smoke thins to nothing about 10 feet off the ground (thus the raised pyres and prayer platforms are not shrouded in it). The beach is difficult to access by land or sea. Treacherous ridges descend from cliffs above, and the churning shoals smash inbound ships to driftwood and offer up their passengers to a host of coastal predators. A successful DC 30 Swim check is necessary to avoid being raked over razor coral on the way in, and failure results in a character taking 2d6 points of slashing damage per round until she succeeds on the check. A successful DC 30 Climb check is necessary to descend to the remote beach from the 180-foot-tall cliffs above without falling.
A volcano was ground to pebbles here by the eternal onslaught of wind and sea. Now a haze-filled beach of glossy black sand stretches out below crags of volcanic rock. Rising from the sand is a tremendous statue of a dragon's head, and its obsidian toothed maw opens wide. Before the beastly visage stands a stone pyre with a set of carved steps leading up to it. The only sound is the lash of the sea against the shoals and the howl of a haunting wind.
Terrain Features
A strange, chalky, black mineral called blackfire grows on the cliff walls behind the Burning Beach. Blackfire is highly combustible, and when heated it explodes into a gout of flame. Blackfire deposits around the beach make carrying torches dangerous, so anyone moving about the area with a source of flame runs the risk of detonating the unstable mineral (4d6 points of fire damage in a 10-foot-radius blast). If blackfire is added to the material components of any spell that inflicts fire damage, there is a 30% chance the spell inflicts an additional 1d6 points of fire damage.
Blackfire is harvested by the firebringers' shamans and used to make the petrified dragon's head "breathe." In truth the fiery outpouring from its maw results when blackfire is tossed into the magma well roiling deep beneath the beach. An eruption belches out fire very soon after that.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion.
Forlorn Rift: Below the waves, a deep rift stretches into the darkness of Khyber. Aquatic horrors abound in its depths, but the most common threat is a clutch of chuuls that prowl the upper reaches of the sea crater. Rumor has is it that a powerful sea drake king named Kaarlgrun the Usurper makes his home inside Forlorn Rift, but the cantankerous sea dragon has not been spotted for a hundred years.
Smoking Sand Warrens: The smoke that pours from the black sand rises from a nest of vents and dark tunnels. This dizzying network of underground passages serves as a warren for a feral band of magmin led by their chief, Sizzralg (male magmin barbarian 9). The superheated gases in these vents inflict 1d6 points of fire damage per round to any creature traversing them.
Bones of the Usurped King: This well-worn sea drake skeleton was once Kaarlgrun's elder brother, the rightful king of Forlorn Rift named Haagbarl, before the younger sea drake's treachery ended his life. According to the firebringers' tales, Haagbarl crawled from the sea and thrashed his last on the Burning Beach while calling upon the stone dragon's head to curse his traitorous younger sibling. Many believe Kaarlgrun's disappearance is the result of Haagbarl's dying devotions to the petrified red dragon.
The Prayer Platform: Every new moon, when a holy one offers to be bathed in the dragon god's breath, a host of firebringers ascends this platform to writhe and chant along with the ceremony. The warriors of the clan engage in self mutilation with burning brands -- they scar their arms and chests both to prove their might and supplicate themselves to the red dragon god. Tribal youths are sent to the Burning Beach as a rite of passage, where they must spend 24 hours here alone and sleep on the platform. They often dream of themselves as powerful dragons, kin to their great god. Anyone who sleeps upon this platform dreams similar dreams and is immune to the frightful presence ability of all dragons for the next week.
The Pyre: This obsidian dais rising 30 feet off the ground is positioned directly beneath the petrified red dragon's maw. When blackfire is hurled into the dragon's magma core, gouts of lava erupt from the maw, showering any creatures positioned here and causing 20d6 points of fire damage (DC 25 Reflex save for half). The fire is presaged by a sputtering sound and a slight tremor on the round before the eruption.
Shaman's Alcove: A passage at the base of the red dragon's neck is a well-kept secret of the firebringer shamans, passed down from father to son. The shamans have always controlled the breath of the dragon from this secret chamber, where they hurl blackfire into the depths before ascending to the top of the dragon's head via the secret stair noted on the map. The eruption usually takes a few rounds to build up.
The current shaman is a twisted, malformed young man named Ulthig. Ulthig is in love with the chief's daughter, but she is promised to a great warrior named Kintergos (and is repulsed by the drooling shaman's deformities in any event). Ulthig has violated the sacred code of his ancestors and now scorches every single warrior who presents himself to the dragon god on the pyre (working his way through the ranks to Kintergos). Unless someone intervenes soon, Ulthig is bound to decimate the entire tribe with his obsession. Besides wiping out their bravest and strongest, Ulthig's unremitting eruptions have awakened fell fiery monstrosities long slumbering deep in the magma, whose ire could destroy the firebringers to the last clan member.
Burning Beach Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance)
d% Encounter EL
01-15 1d6 azers (MM 21) 1-7
16-30 1 dragonne (MM 88) 7
31-45 1d4 large fire elementals (MM 99) 5-9
46-60 2d10 firebringers (ELQ 54, 51) 9
61-75 1 noble plus 4 average salamanders (MM 219) 12
76-90 1 cinder swarm (MM3 29) 13
91-00 2d6 dracotaur ragers (MM3 43) 9-14
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The Caged City of Vreen
Sentinel pines scrape the sky and deep shadows hide the dragons' darkest secrets in a towering forest on the southern edge of Fang Crater. Thousands of rust-covered iron cages hang from the branches here like grim fruit. Twisting and creaking in the wind, the cages imprison long-dead skeletons, who seemingly scrape at their bars with bony talons. Long ago, as the giants grew to majesty on the far shores of Xen'drik, the trees here ringed the great city of Vreen, a civilization of Sarlonan humans and Aerenal elves thriving in the shadows of dragons' wings. Now all that remains is a hanging, rusted legacy of horror and cruelty.
Invited as guests of the dragon-stewards of Argonnessen, the residents of Vreen lived in a paradise -- their godlike hosts provided for every need and satisfied every whimsy. However, this utopia was a ruse. As the giants rose to might across the sea and twisted Argonnessen's gift of magic into a terrible instrument of cataclysm, the dragons already began to plot the destruction of the titan-kings and the utter erasure of their civilization.
The Du'rashka Tul, also called the madness of crowds, was a mighty curse that when leveled at an entire civilization spelled the doom of a thousand generations and plunged a whole continent into an endless cycle of inescapable savagery. This potent magic took more than mere moments to make, however. Vreen served as the laboratory where the Eyes of Chronepsis shaped this dark curse to perfection. A few years after Vreen was peopled with "chosen" Sarlonan and elven peoples, the dragons began to work their epic power on the remote city, shielded from prying eyes by the great surrounding forest. The people there changed. Fear and mistrust spread like disease. Paranoia shouted down reason, and hatred bloomed in the hearts of the city's denizens. The trials began -- terrifying inquisitions to root out "evil" in which the accused were always found guilty and consigned to a slow death in a hanging iron cage. Food for crows and vermin, these starved, insane people twisted far above the ground, their screams echoing through the branches. As the dragons perfected their mighty curse, the city tore itself apart. None survived, and the Eyes of Chronepsis allowed the forest to claim Vreen, either to hide the secrets of their powerful weapon, or to shield future generations from this horrible deed. The rusted cages remain to this day, and even though the curse lingers still and many of the dead prisoners rest uneasily, the promise of the city's unspoiled treasure vaults as well as the arcane secrets of the dragon's curse-crucible draw many intrepid souls to the dark woods -- there to hunt gold and power, but most likely finding only paranoia and death.
Approach
Overlooking Fang Crater, the old growth forest surrounding Vreen is a place of deep shadows even at high noon. A shroud of nettles and jagged branches scorn the sun, and darkness reigns within. Steely pine needles that pierce even leather cover the ground, making movement through the forest a delicate process. Rain clouds favor the woods here (perhaps accounting in part for the trees' freakish size) and downpours cascade through the groaning cages hanging within the trees. Rust-tainted rain water often forms blood-red pools on the forest floor.
The trees loom close here and stretch up into the boundless sky. The cold wind yields no sound of rustling branches -- only the scrape and whine of rusted metal hinges, the clink of old bones, and an occasional piteous moan fill the silence. Shadows dance among the branches like spiders -- sometimes sinister and sometimes hypnotic as they flit among the leaves.
Terrain Features
The Du'rashka Tul flows from the land here like a tide of savage hate and mistrust. The longer one wanders the nettle-floor of Vreen's dark woods, the colder her heart turns. Love flees the soul as it embraces fear and ire instead. For every 6 hours spent in Vreen, a living creature must make a DC 25 Will save. The first failure results in a mounting sense of anxiety and the inability to trust even her closest loved ones and companions. The second failure escalates these base fears to murderous hate, and the person believes that those it travels with are secretly planning to destroy her. The first chance she gets, she launches a preemptive attack. The third failure results in her going permanently insane (as the insanity spell) and assuming that every creature she encounters is a dire foe bent on her annihilation.
The curse aside, Vreen is fraught with demented undead and spellwarped predators. More than a few mad dragons lurk here as well, either driven to distraction while questing for power in Vreen's accursed borders, or drawn here in the throes of some nameless guilt over their ancestors' horrid experiments on the people of the Caged City.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion.
Trees of Rust and Woe: These great trees serve as a graveyard of sorts, holding thousands of dead Vreens in their rusted iron cage-coffins, all hanging from the branches. Some red, bone-filled cages hang as low as 5 feet off the ground, and the fingers of their inhabitants clutch at the rusted bars of the cage. In the heights of the branches, hundreds of these cages sway in the strong wind, occasionally snapping free and careening to the earth. Below the trees, broken cages lie strewn upon the ground like rotten fruit. Many of these fallen cages are disturbingly vacant -- their skeletal prisoners long gone.
Carrion District: One of the only sections of Vreen still standing, this ruined district is a ghost town of half-demolished marble monuments and once lavish estates now caved in by time's crushing hand. In the grips of the deepest paranoia of the curse, Vreen inhabitants ran out of trees and began hanging traitors from the gates of their estates. The cages still hang here today, adorning ruined archways like macabre ornaments. Now this district is the prowling ground of a tremendous charnel hound (MM3 26) made up of dozens of Vreen's former residents. A successful DC 20 Survival check reveals the hound's hunting trails and allows a PC to track the undead menace to its lair, which is a large carnival for the district's children. This playground of magically powered marble and steel rides has the remains of several children hanging in rusty wrought-iron cages -- a testament to the height of paranoia that befell the city.
Temple to the Benefactors: Once the people of Vreen loved their dragon-gods and built great temples in their honor, where they offered sacrifices to the Eyes of Chronepsis who provided for them and sheltered them from all harm. One such temple still stands here -- a towering tribute of pristine white marble with silver tracery and spires. As the city fell in the grips of madness, the high priest here tore his golden locks from his head, taking his scalp with them, and then gouged out his own eyes with an ear-splitting screech. His wailing never ended. The high priest rose as a deathshrieker (MM3 33) and still stalks the temple grounds.
Circle of Truth: In better times, this tremendous amphitheatre was a venue for players, acrobats, and wonders. Then the curse's evil tendrils found their way into the hearts and minds of Vreens, and the amphitheatre, as the largest central gathering place, became the backdrop for the inquisition. These mockeries of justice became the best-attended events in the city as the curse drove people to feed their darkest urges. In later years at the height of the curse, the accused numbered in the dozens every day, and the average trial lasted a mere handful of minutes. The verdict was always guilty. Now the ruined amphitheatre is haunted by a ghostly court of inquisitors, their victims, and a spectral malingering crowd of leering onlookers. Anyone who ventures here becomes accused and is thrown in with the haggard ghostly prisoners that await their trials. The proceedings are overseen by the former inquisitor, who is now a deranged lich named Penthralos (MM 166). He views any new arrivals as treacherous heretics and accursed traitors doomed to be bound in iron and planted high in the trees to wither and rot.
Terrace of Fire: These terraced farms were once replete with a bounty of vegetable, fruit, and grain staples that magically sprung from the earth to provide for all of Vreen's needs. As the curse's hold grew stronger, the people converted these plateau farms to forges wherein they wrought the iron cages of pain. The surrounding crops and trees fueled the hateful flames until these terraces were left desolate. When the forges could no longer keep up with the number of condemned, the "heretics" were fed to the fires. Now in the dark of night, ghost fires still rage on the hearths, and burning effigies (MM 89) wander these terraces moaning out in horrid torment from within their death-flames.
Palace of the Caged King: The last king of Vreen was a drooling simpleton of a child who ascended the throne when his father was condemned to a rusty cage. The power behind the throne at the end was a mad wizard named Karthaxilar, and he still rules here, now a horrid undead (male grimweird wizard 12). Karthaxilar commands a host of blasphemes (LM 85), two grisgols (MM3 77), and of course his young liege, now a slaymate (LM 122).
Grimgnarl's Cave: An insane great wyrm black dragon, named Grimgnarl, makes his home in this giant subterranean lair. No one is sure why he came to Vreen, but his mind snapped under the strain and he now prowls the ruined city, searching either for power or redemption.
Caged City Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance)
d% Encounter EL
01-15 2d10 boneclaws (MM3 17) 7-12
16-30 1 boneyard (LM 89) 14
31-45 2d4 wheeps (LM 132) 13-17
46-60 1 angel of decay (LM 83) 14
61-75 1 sorrowsworn demon (MM3 36) 17
76-90 2d10 spellwarped rocs (MM 215, MM3 162) 12-19
91-100 1 insane very old red dragon (MM 77) 21
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The Children of Varstaryinax
Among the dragons of Argonnessen, few are as well respected as those who willingly sacrifice themselves to stand guard within the Pit of Five Sorrows (DoE 35). However, while not all dragons accept summary execution at the end of their guard shifts with the same level of dignity, only one is known to have cheated that fate. In a remote corner of the Vast, a complex of caverns dating back to the Age of Demons is the lair of the descendants of Varstaryinax -- a black dragon who escaped execution after his sojourn as the warder of Tiamat's prisons.
Approach
The home of the Children of Varstaryinax lies deep in the Vast. Like many areas of that untamed land, it is virtually inaccessible except by air. The dominion lords shun this territory, both for the dark magic still operating here and out of revulsion for Varstaryinax's name and his descendants' reputation as fiend worshipers. However, a party seeking the children of Varstaryinax must pass through a half-dozen other dominions first -- none of which typically welcome visitors.
Terrain Features
The territory claimed by the descendants of Varstaryinax is an arid waste of mountains shattered to rubble by the battles of dragons and fiends. Weather and the hazards of mountainous terrain (DMG 89) are a constant threat to travelers. More dangerous, however, are the widespread pockets of fiendish magic that erupt without warning when approached. Treat these as living spells (ECS 293) of 9th level or higher, but increase spell resistance to 15, increase damage reduction to 10/--, and add the evil descriptor.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion, as is the composition of guardian forces.
The Shadowland: Even before Varstaryinax was hunted down and slain by the Eyes of Chronepsis, his betrayal of his duty shamed the immediate members of his flight into exile in the Vast. There, they occupied an empty land of shattered peaks and rubble-filled valleys uninhabited since the Age of Demons. The Shadowland now stands as a buffer zone around the fortress that Varstaryinax's heirs have raised for themselves. Young adult black dragons (MM 72 or Dr 202) constantly patrol the area in groups of six or more. They brook no intrusion into their lands, attacking without provocation or warning. Unsubtle opponents, they rely more on direct combat (preferably from the air) than spellcasting. However, the patrols have an exacting knowledge of the locations of the fiendish living spells that dot the area, and they attempt to herd intruders toward them.
The Burning Tower: In the center of the Shadowland, a smooth-walled tower of black obsidian rises nearly a thousand feet from a rocky island set within a steaming lake of acid. In the long centuries after their self-imposed exile, the descendants of Varstaryinax built this place -- some say in response to orders given by Varstaryinax's own spirit. When the tower was near completion, a group of warrior dragons undertook a century-long flight across the Vast to reclaim the bones of Varstaryinax where the Eyes of Chronepsis had scattered them. When the black dragon's remains were laid to rest in the glacial lake surrounding the island, its water turned to a potent acid that now boils ceaselessly. The area around the tower is a nightmare zone of acidic rain and noxious fumes. Creatures not immune to acid who approach by air or ground within 500 feet of the tower take 2d10 points of acid damage per round, and each must succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude save each round or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Creatures coming into contact with the dripping walls of the tower take 10d10 points of acid damage per round, while creatures who enter the acid lake take 20d10 points of acid damage per round.
The Burning Tower is guarded by a flight of ten adult black dragons (Dr 203). Unlike their younger siblings who patrol the Shadowland, these guardians rely on spell power to neutralize intruders before they get anywhere near the tower itself.
The Warrens: Within the Burning Tower, multiple levels of living space open up around a central flight core that rises to the very top of the fortress. The lingering effect of the atmosphere outside means that creatures within must succeed on DC 13 Fortitude saves or take 1 point of Constitution damage. All such creatures must succeed on a second save 1 minute later or take another 1d4 points of Constitution damage.
Unlike the tower's harsh exterior, the interior is clean and spare, consisting mostly of nesting space, temples, and draconic libraries with works etched on acid-resistant stone slabs. Characters who explore the interior of the tower can note evidence hinting that the residents of this place tend to neutral and good, not evil. Signs can be found that the descendants of Varstaryinax worship Chronepsis, Io, and Tamara exclusively.
None of this knowledge helps improve the mood of the dragons when they discover that their sanctum has been defiled, however, and the residents of the Burning Tower fight to the death against any intrusion. More than a hundred black dragons lair here, including thirty juvenile and younger dragons that fight as ferociously as their elders.
Varstaryinax's Secret: At the top of the Burning Tower lairs the leader of Varstaryinax's children. Arvaslanax is the great wyrm matriarch (Dr 207) of the extended flight, and she alone knows the full truth of her line -- Varstaryinax's time in the Pit of Five Sorrows gave him unique insight into the plans of the Lords of Dust in Argonnessen. Over long centuries, his children have expanded on Varstaryinax's dead knowledge, studying and researching the Prophecy and the lore of the Lords of Dust in complete isolation from the rest of dragonkind. Today, the lore found in the cavernous lair of Varstaryinax's descendants offers great insight to PCs fighting those who would see the rakshasa rajahs restored to power.
In recent years, Arvaslanax has discovered that the Eyes of Chronepsis knew what Varstaryinax had discovered in the Pit of Five Sorrows even before he was hunted down and slain. She knows now that the Eyes of Chronepsis are watching the children of Varstaryinax, hoping that their research bears fruit but afraid that it might lead others to seek dangerous knowledge within Tiamat's tomb.
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Io'vakas Outpost
Io'lokar, City of Knowledge, is perhaps the most unusual location in Argonnessen. A humanoid settlement deep within the draconic free-for-all that is the Vast, Io'lokar is home to warriors, spellcasters, and scholars of unparalleled ability. The bright history of the city had dark beginnings, however. On the empty plain to the east stands the ruin of the city from which Io'lokar was built -- Io'vakas, Gate of Knowledge. Centuries before, Io'vakas was razed as a result of the deceit of the yuan-ti -- the same yuan-ti who even today hide within the city's ruins, kept hidden by powerful psionics from the dragons who would destroy them.
Approach
A party seeking to explore Io'vakas faces danger on two fronts -- the yuan-ti who secretly live there, and who will kill to keep their presence hidden; and the dominion lords of the Vast, many of whom still rage at what the ruined city represents. See Io'lokar on page 40 of Dragons of Eberron for more information.
Keyed Locations
The following features correspond to numbered areas on the map. The many smaller yuan-ti outposts that surround the ruined city share similar features and defenses, but only this outpost features the chamber of the Serpent's Mask (see below).
1. The Sounding Sands: The destruction of Io'vakas by the dragons of Argonnessen left the lands around the city a blasted ruin of fire-fused stone. Over long centuries, the yuan-ti have subtly altered the nature of this brittle plain with permanent psionic effects. The ground in a mile-wide strip around the heart of the ruins echoes and amplifies the movement of any creatures on it. This bestows a -10 penalty on Listen checks to creatures in the area, but grants yuan-ti guards in the scout post (see below) a +20 bonus on Listen checks to hear those creatures approaching.
2. Scout Post: A force of six yuan-ti halfbloods (MM 264) led by a pureblood slayer (MM4 184) are stationed here at all times. The yuan-ti guard against any approach across the sounding sands and watch for the passage of creatures in flight. In the case of anything but a casual dragon flyover, two halfbloods reveal their presence in the open, hoping to catch the attention of flying intruders and draw them within range of the area's psionic turret traps.
3. Psionic Turret Trap: The yuan-ti have dotted the ruins with these automated traps (akin to the spell turret traps of DMG2) designed to harry and thwart those seeking to reconnoiter or approach the ruins of Io'vakas. The yuan-ti concealed the traps in shattered statues that reveal a serpentine visage on close examination. It takes a DC 32 Search check to notice a psionic turret trap and a DC 32 Disable Device check to shut it down.
Each psionic turret is programmed to react to all creatures except yuan-ti and dragons within 120 feet, and each can sense those creatures as with a true seeing effect.
Creatures attempting to teleport into the area of a psionic turret have their teleport diverted some three hundred miles into the Vast in a random direction. Flying creatures are targeted with mass ectoplasmic cocoon, while targets on the ground are subject to ultrablast or energy wave.
Like a spell turret trap, these psionic turret traps have AC 7, hardness 8, and 200 hp. They cast one spell each round in the order given below, and they self-repair 4d8+20 points of damage every fifth round.
Io'vakas Psionic Turret (7th-level shaper powers):Divert teleport, mass ectoplasmic cocoon, energy wave, ultrablast.
4. Living Quarters: Yuan-ti guarding the approach to Io'vakas live rough in the ruins, and each outpost consists of little more than sheltered nesting sites surrounding a feeding chamber. Some two dozen halfbloods and abominations (MM 264) occupy the outpost under the leadership of three pureblood slayers (MM4 184) and three abomination cult leaders (MM4 186).
5. Feeding Chamber: This foul stone chamber serves as the yuan-ti's abattoir, meat locker, and mess hall. Additionally, the yuan-ti take no chances on the dragons discovering their presence in Io'vakas as a result of the actions of would-be explorers. Any creatures caught trespassing within the secure perimeter established by the outposts are brought here, interrogated, ritually slain, then eaten so as to leave no trace of their presence.
6. Vault: The yuan-ti place all treasure and magic taken from captured creatures in the special vault adjoining the feeding chamber. The rough walls of the vault are lined with lead so as to prevent detection of the magic stored here, whether by explorers or dragons making casual flyovers of the area. Yuan-ti patrols shun the use of these magic items for the same reason.
In recent years, the presence of secret yuan-ti agents in Io'lokar (see Sura, DoE 48) has allowed the yuan-ti of Io'vakas to clandestinely traffic in those magic items coveted by the folk of the City of Knowledge. However, a wealth of weapons and relics can still be found here, as determined by the DM.
7. Mask Chamber: This chamber is the most well-protected part of the outpost, and it is guarded by six yuan-ti abominations (MM 264). However, all the yuan-ti know that if the dragons ever discover the chamber's existence or the power it grants the serpent folk, Io'vakas would be razed anew and its hidden population destroyed. In the event that intruders gain access to the mask chamber, the yuan-ti of the outpost fight to the death to prevent them from ever leaving.
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/4e/20071015_drfe_3.jpg)
Beneath the desolate landscape of Argonnessen's southern tundra lies a series of labyrinthine caverns whose name was legendary before the earliest histories of the dragons were set down -- Khesavuthir, the Black Well. Though its history and dark purpose are long lost, the Black Well remains one of the most sought-after sites in Argonnessen. The legendary Khesavuthir promises lost lore, dark secrets, epic magic -- and unspeakable madness to all who seek it.
Approach
Fractured tundra broken by wild zones and upthrust plains of razor-sharp rock surrounds the Black Well for nearly a hundred miles in any direction, making an approach by land all but impossible. The sky here is perpetually beset with shadowy storm clouds, though flying creatures take no penalties to movement as a result.
Terrain Features
The Black Well has remained hidden for uncounted centuries, and for good reason. Powerful magic infuses the very landscape here, interfering with teleportation magic. Teleportation effects that normally have no chance of failure (such as a greater teleport spell) are given the chance of failure of a normal teleport spell (PH 292) if their destination lies within fifty miles of the Black Well. For destinations within ten miles of the site, decrease the familiarity of the destination by one category when determining the chance of failure. Teleportation effects that normally have a chance of failure fail automatically within one hundred miles of the site.
In addition to its effect on teleportation, the lingering magic of cursed Khesavuthir plays havoc with the senses. Whether a party approaches by air or ground, the tundra around the Black Well appears to constantly shift and reshape itself. It takes a DC 50 Survival check to locate the Forgotten Gate from a distance of a day's march, and a subsequent DC 50 Survival check to lead a party to it. On a failed second check, a party becomes lost (DMG 86, but add +10 to the DC of the Survival check to determine the correct direction of travel).
Whether a party approaches by ground or air, cold dangers (DMG 302), heat and lava dangers from randomly erupting volcanic vents (DMG 303 and 304), and windstorms (DMG 93) are a constant threat.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion, as is the composition of guardian forces.
Khesavuthir's Pets: The power of the Black Well has long been a magnet for debased and evil draconic creatures. These now prowl the wasted landscape around the site, feeding on each other and any creatures foolish enough to linger here. A party that approaches within fifty miles of the Black Well (whether by land or air) must check each hour for random encounters on the Black Well Encounters table, below.
A party that approaches the site with any degree of secrecy has the normal 10% chance of an encounter each hour. However, the servants of Khesavuthir have an instinctive mystical connection that aids them in their efforts to keep the Black Well free of intruders. For each wandering monster encounter the party faces, the chance of a subsequent encounter the next hour increases by 5%. A party that leaves the area for 72 hours or longer has its chance for a random encounter reduced to 10% when it next returns.
Sinkhole Shelves: The landscape of wind-etched rock that spreads across the nondescript tundra surrounding the Black Well has been undercut and weakened by the erosion of centuries-old volcanic vents. Each round that a party moves through these areas, there is a 1% chance per Medium creature in the party that the ground collapses in a sinkhole with a 15-foot-radius bury zone and a 15-foot-radius slide zone (DMG 66). It takes a DC 30 Search check or a DC 30 Survival check to note a sinkhole shelf. (For the purpose of triggering a sinkhole, two Small creatures equal one Medium creature, a Large creature equals two Medium creatures, and so on.)
Guardposts: The Forgotten Gate that leads to the Black Well is surrounded by a number of caverns wherein dwell the site's most devoted guardians. These abyssal drakes (Dr 145) maintain a sleepless watch over land and sky. The low caves from which they scan the surroundings are well concealed (Hide +22), and the drakes are difficult to surprise (Listen +17, Spot +17). Whenever intruders approach within 100 feet of a single abyssal drake's position, it takes to the air, using its breath weapon and frightful presence to drive intruders toward other guardposts where its allies wait to attack.
The Forgotten Gate: Obscured by shifting landscape and shadowy fog, three crumbling onyx archways rise within a series of cinder cone peaks. Seemingly carved of single blocks of stone, these great arches must once have stood more than 50 feet high. Now, only their bases remain, surrounding a perfectly circular portal leading straight down. The entrance to Khesavuthir was designed for dragons in flight, the shaft dropping some hundred feet before ending in a vast circular chamber. From here, dozens of tunnels lead off at different angles, twisting as they plunge deep within the earth.
Chambers of Shadow: The labyrinthine corridors of Khesavuthir are a seemingly endless web of unmappable passageways and caverns. All are dragon-sized and are subject to the same sense of shifting landscape that affects the surface above the Black Well. This effect does not impede forward movement or a party's ability to explore, but it takes a DC 30 Survival check to successfully backtrack along the same route. On a failed check, a party becomes effectively lost (DMG 86, but add +10 to the DC of the Survival check to determine the correct direction of travel).
These chambers might be home to guardians from the Black Well Encounters table, to artifacts that bestow the half-dragon template or other effects, or to draconic undead or fiends lost here since the Age of Demons.
The Library of Khesavuthir: Among a small number of secretive draconic scholars, it is known that the Black Well was once home to a draconic cult whose members interpreted the Prophecy in ways eventually forbidden by the Chamber. Though knowledge of their beliefs has been lost to history, whispered rumors speak of the cultists drawing great arcane power from blood sacrifice. The transgression that saw the cultists eventually hunted down and destroyed involved the appearance of dragonmarks among the lesser races -- and the cultists' belief that the dragonmarked had been created as fodder for dark rituals of sacrifice and consumption.
The heart of the Black Well lies some three miles beneath the surface, and it consists of an interconnected set of caverns wherein can be found the greatest secrets of the cult. The full extent of those secrets -- as well as whatever lore and artifacts the cult abandoned here -- is left to the DM's determination.
The Hold of Danazharil: For more than thirteen hundred years, the Black Well has been the lair of the shadow dragon Danazharil (Dr 191). Once a high-ranking leader of the Talons of Tiamat, Danazharil fled the cult centuries before, though he sends his minions on endless missions to keep track of its activities. Now a great wyrm of unparalleled power and malice, Danazharil has designs on taking control of the Talons of Tiamat using the lore and magic of the Black Well. A trio of Io'lokari explorers corrupted by the site's foul power (see the High Cultists encounter, DoE 62) are his eyes and ears within the upper echelons of the cult.
Danazharil relishes the opportunity to destroy those who seek the Black Well's forbidden knowledge. He can move freely through the labyrinth of twisting corridors and caverns, using his shadow blend and create shadows abilities to attack with total concealment as he carefully destroys his foes with tooth and claw. He uses his breath weapon to strip away the power of any foes who present a serious challenge. Dragonmarked characters and those who outlast their allies in direct combat are given special honor by being left alive -- so as to be consumed in the dark rites that were forged here.
Black Well Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance; see text)
d% Encounter EL
01-20 1d4 wyverns (MM 259) 6-10
21-25 2d6 zombie young adult white dragons (Dr 198) 7-12
26-35 2d6 ice drakes (Dr 154) 9-14
36-45 1d6+6 whitespawn hunter (MM4 158) 10-11
46-55 1d4+4 ambush drakes (MM3 8) 10-11
56-65 1d4 adult white dragons (MM 77) 10-14
66-75 1d4+4 whitespawn berserkers (MM4 158) 11-12
76-80 1d4 hill landwyrms (Dr 170) 11-16
81-85 1d4+4 skeletal mature adult black dragon (Dr 192) 12-13
86-90 1d4 young adult silver dragons (MM 87) 12-17
91-00 1d4 tundra landwyrms (Dr 174) 13-18
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The Burning Beach
The traditions of the Seren are a mystery to most. These wild humans have lived below the dragons' talons for thousands of years. The tribes are many, and each has its own unique and often savage culture. The firebringers have long worshiped the red dragons of Argonnessen as living gods, and they sacrifice their holiest in a baptism of fire to send their smoking souls into the skies, there to dance alongside the dragon lords. They do not always wait until these chosen ones are dead. A willing soul burns bright, they say, and a true devotee of the dragon watches his or her flesh melt without fear. The pyres, wherein these holy ones burn, stand on a mournful stretch of ebon-sand beach below the petrified head of great wyrm red dragon. Though long ago calcified, the dragon's soul is far from departed -- in fact its mighty breath produces the flames that burns the firebringers' holy dead, or so the firebringers believe. Every new moon, a holy one (usually a mighty warrior, chief, or shaman) ascends the pyres and looks his stone god in the maw. The holy one then asks for the blessing of fire, and either gouts of flame erupt forth to consume him, or the stone remains cold (in this case it is viewed that the holy one's time has not yet come, and they have more work to do before his soul-smoke can ascend).
Approach
Hazy black smoke rises off the beach night and day, and it covers the entire stretch of dark sand in an otherworldly pall. This smoke grants concealment to any and all who wander there. The smoke thins to nothing about 10 feet off the ground (thus the raised pyres and prayer platforms are not shrouded in it). The beach is difficult to access by land or sea. Treacherous ridges descend from cliffs above, and the churning shoals smash inbound ships to driftwood and offer up their passengers to a host of coastal predators. A successful DC 30 Swim check is necessary to avoid being raked over razor coral on the way in, and failure results in a character taking 2d6 points of slashing damage per round until she succeeds on the check. A successful DC 30 Climb check is necessary to descend to the remote beach from the 180-foot-tall cliffs above without falling.
A volcano was ground to pebbles here by the eternal onslaught of wind and sea. Now a haze-filled beach of glossy black sand stretches out below crags of volcanic rock. Rising from the sand is a tremendous statue of a dragon's head, and its obsidian toothed maw opens wide. Before the beastly visage stands a stone pyre with a set of carved steps leading up to it. The only sound is the lash of the sea against the shoals and the howl of a haunting wind.
Terrain Features
A strange, chalky, black mineral called blackfire grows on the cliff walls behind the Burning Beach. Blackfire is highly combustible, and when heated it explodes into a gout of flame. Blackfire deposits around the beach make carrying torches dangerous, so anyone moving about the area with a source of flame runs the risk of detonating the unstable mineral (4d6 points of fire damage in a 10-foot-radius blast). If blackfire is added to the material components of any spell that inflicts fire damage, there is a 30% chance the spell inflicts an additional 1d6 points of fire damage.
Blackfire is harvested by the firebringers' shamans and used to make the petrified dragon's head "breathe." In truth the fiery outpouring from its maw results when blackfire is tossed into the magma well roiling deep beneath the beach. An eruption belches out fire very soon after that.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion.
Forlorn Rift: Below the waves, a deep rift stretches into the darkness of Khyber. Aquatic horrors abound in its depths, but the most common threat is a clutch of chuuls that prowl the upper reaches of the sea crater. Rumor has is it that a powerful sea drake king named Kaarlgrun the Usurper makes his home inside Forlorn Rift, but the cantankerous sea dragon has not been spotted for a hundred years.
Smoking Sand Warrens: The smoke that pours from the black sand rises from a nest of vents and dark tunnels. This dizzying network of underground passages serves as a warren for a feral band of magmin led by their chief, Sizzralg (male magmin barbarian 9). The superheated gases in these vents inflict 1d6 points of fire damage per round to any creature traversing them.
Bones of the Usurped King: This well-worn sea drake skeleton was once Kaarlgrun's elder brother, the rightful king of Forlorn Rift named Haagbarl, before the younger sea drake's treachery ended his life. According to the firebringers' tales, Haagbarl crawled from the sea and thrashed his last on the Burning Beach while calling upon the stone dragon's head to curse his traitorous younger sibling. Many believe Kaarlgrun's disappearance is the result of Haagbarl's dying devotions to the petrified red dragon.
The Prayer Platform: Every new moon, when a holy one offers to be bathed in the dragon god's breath, a host of firebringers ascends this platform to writhe and chant along with the ceremony. The warriors of the clan engage in self mutilation with burning brands -- they scar their arms and chests both to prove their might and supplicate themselves to the red dragon god. Tribal youths are sent to the Burning Beach as a rite of passage, where they must spend 24 hours here alone and sleep on the platform. They often dream of themselves as powerful dragons, kin to their great god. Anyone who sleeps upon this platform dreams similar dreams and is immune to the frightful presence ability of all dragons for the next week.
The Pyre: This obsidian dais rising 30 feet off the ground is positioned directly beneath the petrified red dragon's maw. When blackfire is hurled into the dragon's magma core, gouts of lava erupt from the maw, showering any creatures positioned here and causing 20d6 points of fire damage (DC 25 Reflex save for half). The fire is presaged by a sputtering sound and a slight tremor on the round before the eruption.
Shaman's Alcove: A passage at the base of the red dragon's neck is a well-kept secret of the firebringer shamans, passed down from father to son. The shamans have always controlled the breath of the dragon from this secret chamber, where they hurl blackfire into the depths before ascending to the top of the dragon's head via the secret stair noted on the map. The eruption usually takes a few rounds to build up.
The current shaman is a twisted, malformed young man named Ulthig. Ulthig is in love with the chief's daughter, but she is promised to a great warrior named Kintergos (and is repulsed by the drooling shaman's deformities in any event). Ulthig has violated the sacred code of his ancestors and now scorches every single warrior who presents himself to the dragon god on the pyre (working his way through the ranks to Kintergos). Unless someone intervenes soon, Ulthig is bound to decimate the entire tribe with his obsession. Besides wiping out their bravest and strongest, Ulthig's unremitting eruptions have awakened fell fiery monstrosities long slumbering deep in the magma, whose ire could destroy the firebringers to the last clan member.
Burning Beach Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance)
d% Encounter EL
01-15 1d6 azers (MM 21) 1-7
16-30 1 dragonne (MM 88) 7
31-45 1d4 large fire elementals (MM 99) 5-9
46-60 2d10 firebringers (ELQ 54, 51) 9
61-75 1 noble plus 4 average salamanders (MM 219) 12
76-90 1 cinder swarm (MM3 29) 13
91-00 2d6 dracotaur ragers (MM3 43) 9-14
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The Caged City of Vreen
Sentinel pines scrape the sky and deep shadows hide the dragons' darkest secrets in a towering forest on the southern edge of Fang Crater. Thousands of rust-covered iron cages hang from the branches here like grim fruit. Twisting and creaking in the wind, the cages imprison long-dead skeletons, who seemingly scrape at their bars with bony talons. Long ago, as the giants grew to majesty on the far shores of Xen'drik, the trees here ringed the great city of Vreen, a civilization of Sarlonan humans and Aerenal elves thriving in the shadows of dragons' wings. Now all that remains is a hanging, rusted legacy of horror and cruelty.
Invited as guests of the dragon-stewards of Argonnessen, the residents of Vreen lived in a paradise -- their godlike hosts provided for every need and satisfied every whimsy. However, this utopia was a ruse. As the giants rose to might across the sea and twisted Argonnessen's gift of magic into a terrible instrument of cataclysm, the dragons already began to plot the destruction of the titan-kings and the utter erasure of their civilization.
The Du'rashka Tul, also called the madness of crowds, was a mighty curse that when leveled at an entire civilization spelled the doom of a thousand generations and plunged a whole continent into an endless cycle of inescapable savagery. This potent magic took more than mere moments to make, however. Vreen served as the laboratory where the Eyes of Chronepsis shaped this dark curse to perfection. A few years after Vreen was peopled with "chosen" Sarlonan and elven peoples, the dragons began to work their epic power on the remote city, shielded from prying eyes by the great surrounding forest. The people there changed. Fear and mistrust spread like disease. Paranoia shouted down reason, and hatred bloomed in the hearts of the city's denizens. The trials began -- terrifying inquisitions to root out "evil" in which the accused were always found guilty and consigned to a slow death in a hanging iron cage. Food for crows and vermin, these starved, insane people twisted far above the ground, their screams echoing through the branches. As the dragons perfected their mighty curse, the city tore itself apart. None survived, and the Eyes of Chronepsis allowed the forest to claim Vreen, either to hide the secrets of their powerful weapon, or to shield future generations from this horrible deed. The rusted cages remain to this day, and even though the curse lingers still and many of the dead prisoners rest uneasily, the promise of the city's unspoiled treasure vaults as well as the arcane secrets of the dragon's curse-crucible draw many intrepid souls to the dark woods -- there to hunt gold and power, but most likely finding only paranoia and death.
Approach
Overlooking Fang Crater, the old growth forest surrounding Vreen is a place of deep shadows even at high noon. A shroud of nettles and jagged branches scorn the sun, and darkness reigns within. Steely pine needles that pierce even leather cover the ground, making movement through the forest a delicate process. Rain clouds favor the woods here (perhaps accounting in part for the trees' freakish size) and downpours cascade through the groaning cages hanging within the trees. Rust-tainted rain water often forms blood-red pools on the forest floor.
The trees loom close here and stretch up into the boundless sky. The cold wind yields no sound of rustling branches -- only the scrape and whine of rusted metal hinges, the clink of old bones, and an occasional piteous moan fill the silence. Shadows dance among the branches like spiders -- sometimes sinister and sometimes hypnotic as they flit among the leaves.
Terrain Features
The Du'rashka Tul flows from the land here like a tide of savage hate and mistrust. The longer one wanders the nettle-floor of Vreen's dark woods, the colder her heart turns. Love flees the soul as it embraces fear and ire instead. For every 6 hours spent in Vreen, a living creature must make a DC 25 Will save. The first failure results in a mounting sense of anxiety and the inability to trust even her closest loved ones and companions. The second failure escalates these base fears to murderous hate, and the person believes that those it travels with are secretly planning to destroy her. The first chance she gets, she launches a preemptive attack. The third failure results in her going permanently insane (as the insanity spell) and assuming that every creature she encounters is a dire foe bent on her annihilation.
The curse aside, Vreen is fraught with demented undead and spellwarped predators. More than a few mad dragons lurk here as well, either driven to distraction while questing for power in Vreen's accursed borders, or drawn here in the throes of some nameless guilt over their ancestors' horrid experiments on the people of the Caged City.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion.
Trees of Rust and Woe: These great trees serve as a graveyard of sorts, holding thousands of dead Vreens in their rusted iron cage-coffins, all hanging from the branches. Some red, bone-filled cages hang as low as 5 feet off the ground, and the fingers of their inhabitants clutch at the rusted bars of the cage. In the heights of the branches, hundreds of these cages sway in the strong wind, occasionally snapping free and careening to the earth. Below the trees, broken cages lie strewn upon the ground like rotten fruit. Many of these fallen cages are disturbingly vacant -- their skeletal prisoners long gone.
Carrion District: One of the only sections of Vreen still standing, this ruined district is a ghost town of half-demolished marble monuments and once lavish estates now caved in by time's crushing hand. In the grips of the deepest paranoia of the curse, Vreen inhabitants ran out of trees and began hanging traitors from the gates of their estates. The cages still hang here today, adorning ruined archways like macabre ornaments. Now this district is the prowling ground of a tremendous charnel hound (MM3 26) made up of dozens of Vreen's former residents. A successful DC 20 Survival check reveals the hound's hunting trails and allows a PC to track the undead menace to its lair, which is a large carnival for the district's children. This playground of magically powered marble and steel rides has the remains of several children hanging in rusty wrought-iron cages -- a testament to the height of paranoia that befell the city.
Temple to the Benefactors: Once the people of Vreen loved their dragon-gods and built great temples in their honor, where they offered sacrifices to the Eyes of Chronepsis who provided for them and sheltered them from all harm. One such temple still stands here -- a towering tribute of pristine white marble with silver tracery and spires. As the city fell in the grips of madness, the high priest here tore his golden locks from his head, taking his scalp with them, and then gouged out his own eyes with an ear-splitting screech. His wailing never ended. The high priest rose as a deathshrieker (MM3 33) and still stalks the temple grounds.
Circle of Truth: In better times, this tremendous amphitheatre was a venue for players, acrobats, and wonders. Then the curse's evil tendrils found their way into the hearts and minds of Vreens, and the amphitheatre, as the largest central gathering place, became the backdrop for the inquisition. These mockeries of justice became the best-attended events in the city as the curse drove people to feed their darkest urges. In later years at the height of the curse, the accused numbered in the dozens every day, and the average trial lasted a mere handful of minutes. The verdict was always guilty. Now the ruined amphitheatre is haunted by a ghostly court of inquisitors, their victims, and a spectral malingering crowd of leering onlookers. Anyone who ventures here becomes accused and is thrown in with the haggard ghostly prisoners that await their trials. The proceedings are overseen by the former inquisitor, who is now a deranged lich named Penthralos (MM 166). He views any new arrivals as treacherous heretics and accursed traitors doomed to be bound in iron and planted high in the trees to wither and rot.
Terrace of Fire: These terraced farms were once replete with a bounty of vegetable, fruit, and grain staples that magically sprung from the earth to provide for all of Vreen's needs. As the curse's hold grew stronger, the people converted these plateau farms to forges wherein they wrought the iron cages of pain. The surrounding crops and trees fueled the hateful flames until these terraces were left desolate. When the forges could no longer keep up with the number of condemned, the "heretics" were fed to the fires. Now in the dark of night, ghost fires still rage on the hearths, and burning effigies (MM 89) wander these terraces moaning out in horrid torment from within their death-flames.
Palace of the Caged King: The last king of Vreen was a drooling simpleton of a child who ascended the throne when his father was condemned to a rusty cage. The power behind the throne at the end was a mad wizard named Karthaxilar, and he still rules here, now a horrid undead (male grimweird wizard 12). Karthaxilar commands a host of blasphemes (LM 85), two grisgols (MM3 77), and of course his young liege, now a slaymate (LM 122).
Grimgnarl's Cave: An insane great wyrm black dragon, named Grimgnarl, makes his home in this giant subterranean lair. No one is sure why he came to Vreen, but his mind snapped under the strain and he now prowls the ruined city, searching either for power or redemption.
Caged City Encounters
(Check 1/hour, 10% chance)
d% Encounter EL
01-15 2d10 boneclaws (MM3 17) 7-12
16-30 1 boneyard (LM 89) 14
31-45 2d4 wheeps (LM 132) 13-17
46-60 1 angel of decay (LM 83) 14
61-75 1 sorrowsworn demon (MM3 36) 17
76-90 2d10 spellwarped rocs (MM 215, MM3 162) 12-19
91-100 1 insane very old red dragon (MM 77) 21
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The Children of Varstaryinax
Among the dragons of Argonnessen, few are as well respected as those who willingly sacrifice themselves to stand guard within the Pit of Five Sorrows (DoE 35). However, while not all dragons accept summary execution at the end of their guard shifts with the same level of dignity, only one is known to have cheated that fate. In a remote corner of the Vast, a complex of caverns dating back to the Age of Demons is the lair of the descendants of Varstaryinax -- a black dragon who escaped execution after his sojourn as the warder of Tiamat's prisons.
Approach
The home of the Children of Varstaryinax lies deep in the Vast. Like many areas of that untamed land, it is virtually inaccessible except by air. The dominion lords shun this territory, both for the dark magic still operating here and out of revulsion for Varstaryinax's name and his descendants' reputation as fiend worshipers. However, a party seeking the children of Varstaryinax must pass through a half-dozen other dominions first -- none of which typically welcome visitors.
Terrain Features
The territory claimed by the descendants of Varstaryinax is an arid waste of mountains shattered to rubble by the battles of dragons and fiends. Weather and the hazards of mountainous terrain (DMG 89) are a constant threat to travelers. More dangerous, however, are the widespread pockets of fiendish magic that erupt without warning when approached. Treat these as living spells (ECS 293) of 9th level or higher, but increase spell resistance to 15, increase damage reduction to 10/--, and add the evil descriptor.
Important Features
No detailed map is provided for this location. The placement of the following features is at the DM's discretion, as is the composition of guardian forces.
The Shadowland: Even before Varstaryinax was hunted down and slain by the Eyes of Chronepsis, his betrayal of his duty shamed the immediate members of his flight into exile in the Vast. There, they occupied an empty land of shattered peaks and rubble-filled valleys uninhabited since the Age of Demons. The Shadowland now stands as a buffer zone around the fortress that Varstaryinax's heirs have raised for themselves. Young adult black dragons (MM 72 or Dr 202) constantly patrol the area in groups of six or more. They brook no intrusion into their lands, attacking without provocation or warning. Unsubtle opponents, they rely more on direct combat (preferably from the air) than spellcasting. However, the patrols have an exacting knowledge of the locations of the fiendish living spells that dot the area, and they attempt to herd intruders toward them.
The Burning Tower: In the center of the Shadowland, a smooth-walled tower of black obsidian rises nearly a thousand feet from a rocky island set within a steaming lake of acid. In the long centuries after their self-imposed exile, the descendants of Varstaryinax built this place -- some say in response to orders given by Varstaryinax's own spirit. When the tower was near completion, a group of warrior dragons undertook a century-long flight across the Vast to reclaim the bones of Varstaryinax where the Eyes of Chronepsis had scattered them. When the black dragon's remains were laid to rest in the glacial lake surrounding the island, its water turned to a potent acid that now boils ceaselessly. The area around the tower is a nightmare zone of acidic rain and noxious fumes. Creatures not immune to acid who approach by air or ground within 500 feet of the tower take 2d10 points of acid damage per round, and each must succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude save each round or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Creatures coming into contact with the dripping walls of the tower take 10d10 points of acid damage per round, while creatures who enter the acid lake take 20d10 points of acid damage per round.
The Burning Tower is guarded by a flight of ten adult black dragons (Dr 203). Unlike their younger siblings who patrol the Shadowland, these guardians rely on spell power to neutralize intruders before they get anywhere near the tower itself.
The Warrens: Within the Burning Tower, multiple levels of living space open up around a central flight core that rises to the very top of the fortress. The lingering effect of the atmosphere outside means that creatures within must succeed on DC 13 Fortitude saves or take 1 point of Constitution damage. All such creatures must succeed on a second save 1 minute later or take another 1d4 points of Constitution damage.
Unlike the tower's harsh exterior, the interior is clean and spare, consisting mostly of nesting space, temples, and draconic libraries with works etched on acid-resistant stone slabs. Characters who explore the interior of the tower can note evidence hinting that the residents of this place tend to neutral and good, not evil. Signs can be found that the descendants of Varstaryinax worship Chronepsis, Io, and Tamara exclusively.
None of this knowledge helps improve the mood of the dragons when they discover that their sanctum has been defiled, however, and the residents of the Burning Tower fight to the death against any intrusion. More than a hundred black dragons lair here, including thirty juvenile and younger dragons that fight as ferociously as their elders.
Varstaryinax's Secret: At the top of the Burning Tower lairs the leader of Varstaryinax's children. Arvaslanax is the great wyrm matriarch (Dr 207) of the extended flight, and she alone knows the full truth of her line -- Varstaryinax's time in the Pit of Five Sorrows gave him unique insight into the plans of the Lords of Dust in Argonnessen. Over long centuries, his children have expanded on Varstaryinax's dead knowledge, studying and researching the Prophecy and the lore of the Lords of Dust in complete isolation from the rest of dragonkind. Today, the lore found in the cavernous lair of Varstaryinax's descendants offers great insight to PCs fighting those who would see the rakshasa rajahs restored to power.
In recent years, Arvaslanax has discovered that the Eyes of Chronepsis knew what Varstaryinax had discovered in the Pit of Five Sorrows even before he was hunted down and slain. She knows now that the Eyes of Chronepsis are watching the children of Varstaryinax, hoping that their research bears fruit but afraid that it might lead others to seek dangerous knowledge within Tiamat's tomb.
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Io'vakas Outpost
Io'lokar, City of Knowledge, is perhaps the most unusual location in Argonnessen. A humanoid settlement deep within the draconic free-for-all that is the Vast, Io'lokar is home to warriors, spellcasters, and scholars of unparalleled ability. The bright history of the city had dark beginnings, however. On the empty plain to the east stands the ruin of the city from which Io'lokar was built -- Io'vakas, Gate of Knowledge. Centuries before, Io'vakas was razed as a result of the deceit of the yuan-ti -- the same yuan-ti who even today hide within the city's ruins, kept hidden by powerful psionics from the dragons who would destroy them.
Approach
A party seeking to explore Io'vakas faces danger on two fronts -- the yuan-ti who secretly live there, and who will kill to keep their presence hidden; and the dominion lords of the Vast, many of whom still rage at what the ruined city represents. See Io'lokar on page 40 of Dragons of Eberron for more information.
Keyed Locations
The following features correspond to numbered areas on the map. The many smaller yuan-ti outposts that surround the ruined city share similar features and defenses, but only this outpost features the chamber of the Serpent's Mask (see below).
1. The Sounding Sands: The destruction of Io'vakas by the dragons of Argonnessen left the lands around the city a blasted ruin of fire-fused stone. Over long centuries, the yuan-ti have subtly altered the nature of this brittle plain with permanent psionic effects. The ground in a mile-wide strip around the heart of the ruins echoes and amplifies the movement of any creatures on it. This bestows a -10 penalty on Listen checks to creatures in the area, but grants yuan-ti guards in the scout post (see below) a +20 bonus on Listen checks to hear those creatures approaching.
2. Scout Post: A force of six yuan-ti halfbloods (MM 264) led by a pureblood slayer (MM4 184) are stationed here at all times. The yuan-ti guard against any approach across the sounding sands and watch for the passage of creatures in flight. In the case of anything but a casual dragon flyover, two halfbloods reveal their presence in the open, hoping to catch the attention of flying intruders and draw them within range of the area's psionic turret traps.
3. Psionic Turret Trap: The yuan-ti have dotted the ruins with these automated traps (akin to the spell turret traps of DMG2) designed to harry and thwart those seeking to reconnoiter or approach the ruins of Io'vakas. The yuan-ti concealed the traps in shattered statues that reveal a serpentine visage on close examination. It takes a DC 32 Search check to notice a psionic turret trap and a DC 32 Disable Device check to shut it down.
Each psionic turret is programmed to react to all creatures except yuan-ti and dragons within 120 feet, and each can sense those creatures as with a true seeing effect.
Creatures attempting to teleport into the area of a psionic turret have their teleport diverted some three hundred miles into the Vast in a random direction. Flying creatures are targeted with mass ectoplasmic cocoon, while targets on the ground are subject to ultrablast or energy wave.
Like a spell turret trap, these psionic turret traps have AC 7, hardness 8, and 200 hp. They cast one spell each round in the order given below, and they self-repair 4d8+20 points of damage every fifth round.
Io'vakas Psionic Turret (7th-level shaper powers):Divert teleport, mass ectoplasmic cocoon, energy wave, ultrablast.
4. Living Quarters: Yuan-ti guarding the approach to Io'vakas live rough in the ruins, and each outpost consists of little more than sheltered nesting sites surrounding a feeding chamber. Some two dozen halfbloods and abominations (MM 264) occupy the outpost under the leadership of three pureblood slayers (MM4 184) and three abomination cult leaders (MM4 186).
5. Feeding Chamber: This foul stone chamber serves as the yuan-ti's abattoir, meat locker, and mess hall. Additionally, the yuan-ti take no chances on the dragons discovering their presence in Io'vakas as a result of the actions of would-be explorers. Any creatures caught trespassing within the secure perimeter established by the outposts are brought here, interrogated, ritually slain, then eaten so as to leave no trace of their presence.
6. Vault: The yuan-ti place all treasure and magic taken from captured creatures in the special vault adjoining the feeding chamber. The rough walls of the vault are lined with lead so as to prevent detection of the magic stored here, whether by explorers or dragons making casual flyovers of the area. Yuan-ti patrols shun the use of these magic items for the same reason.
In recent years, the presence of secret yuan-ti agents in Io'lokar (see Sura, DoE 48) has allowed the yuan-ti of Io'vakas to clandestinely traffic in those magic items coveted by the folk of the City of Knowledge. However, a wealth of weapons and relics can still be found here, as determined by the DM.
7. Mask Chamber: This chamber is the most well-protected part of the outpost, and it is guarded by six yuan-ti abominations (MM 264). However, all the yuan-ti know that if the dragons ever discover the chamber's existence or the power it grants the serpent folk, Io'vakas would be razed anew and its hidden population destroyed. In the event that intruders gain access to the mask chamber, the yuan-ti of the outpost fight to the death to prevent them from ever leaving.
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/4e/20071015_drfe_3.jpg)