Lords of the Cruth Lowlands - Vaults of Pandius

Atlas of the Lowlands
corpse of a fallen Traladaran adventurer.
The elves recognized the powerful magic
aura of the weapon, but do not use it, as
they favor bows and spears.
Orcish vision quest site
This site is a place of religious significance
for the nearby Orcish tribes -- encounters
with Orc shamans and warriors are more
frequent here. The vision quest site might
be used by people of other races, provided
they know the rituals and have the
stomach for them.
Performing the exhausting ritual dances
and sacrifices required by the shamanic
Orc religion leads to prophetic visions. It is
also the place where Orc Shamans and
Wicca come to perform the ceremonies
that enable them to increase their magical
prowess.
The Nithian Obelisk and the
Tomb of Chardastes
The Nithian Obelisk is an old Nithian ruin
from the times of the Traldar migration. It
is the only visible remains of an ancient
Nithian (and later Hutaakan) settlement.
The mortal body of Chardastes was buried
here, in a pyramid originally built for the
Hutaakan High Priest of Achelos, the
original mortal identity of Chardastes
himself. The pyramid, nowadays, is
completely buried under a small hill.
Barrow of the Giant King
More than three millennia ago, an ancient
race of Giants (perhaps the last legacy of
the Bromdignag) ruled what is now
Karameikos. Their kingdoms across Brun
had been weakened, but toppled, by the
rise of Blackmoor and the Great Rain of
Fire. However, soon a new threat arose, as
the human nation of Taymora amassed
great amounts of arcane knowledge. The
Taymoran magicians discovered that the
Giant kingdom included several points
where the flow of magic was much
stronger than the usual, allowing certain
magics to be wielded with increased power
and effect.
The Taymorans coveted greatly this
power, which the Giants did not seem able
to or interested in using. By 2400 BC, the
Taymorans had expanded further north
and west around the borders of the
Giantish kingdom. There, they discovered
Nightpeak, a site high in the mountains of
the modern Five Shires, where
necromantic magic was greatly increased.
Many Taymorans revered Nyx, the
Immortal patron of the night and the
undead, and craved to extend their
lifespan through magic. The power of the
Nightpeak allowed them to make their
dream true, transforming powerful wizards
into the first Necromancer-Kings of
Taymora. With the power of undeath at
their disposal, and the availability of
mercenary armies in the form of the
Sheyallia elves, which arrived by 2250 BC
on the western borders of the Taymoran
lands, the Necromancer-Kings turned once
more their eyes to the rich magics of the
Giant kingdom. One of the turning points
in the war was a battle fought in the
Western Cruth Lowlands, where the
Taymoran armies and their elven allies
brought down a mighty Giant King, and
obtained control of the Turnwood, another
high magic point which allowed them a
tremendous increase in magic research in
shapechanging, leading to the creation of
Taymoran Lycanthropy in 2100 BC.
The defeated Giant King was entombed in
a great barrow, which rests (almost)
undisturbed to this day.
Steading of the Hill Giant Chief
and Dwarves of Kurest
Hurgon
More than two centuries ago, the hill
giants created a permanent settlement in
the Cruth region, cutting the
communications between Kurest Hurgon, a
dwarven mine in the Black Peaks, and the
Kingdom of Achelos, the primary
Traladaran dominion in the Cruth
Lowlands. Traladaran warriors and
adventurers led by the Vampire Wars
veteran Moira the Pure, a priestess of
Petra, attempted to breach the siege and
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