Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
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Dungeons in the<br />
<strong>Unapproachable</strong><br />
<strong>East</strong><br />
A “dungeon” is traditionally an underground chamber in<br />
which prisoners are incarcerated, but adventurers in Faerûn<br />
use the term more loosely. To them, just about anything underground<br />
is a dungeon, preferably populated with monsters<br />
rather than prisoners. Mines, ruins, caves, subterranean<br />
homes, and passages all qualify.<br />
By the adventurer’s definition, there are dozens of dungeons<br />
across Faerûn, many of which have long ago been looted, while<br />
others have lain undisturbed for centuries. When it comes to<br />
dungeons, the <strong>Unapproachable</strong> <strong>East</strong> is no exception. <strong>The</strong> most<br />
notorious of these are listed here.<br />
Citadel Rashemar: Once the home of a large Rashemi army<br />
charged with keeping watch over the Golden Way, this fortress<br />
was destroyed by the Tuigan horde when it passed through in<br />
1359 DR. It has since been taken over by the hag Chaur and<br />
her partner in evil, the dreaded half-orc cleric Durakh. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
have moved a small army of goblins into the area, under the<br />
charge of eight ogre barbarians. See Chapter 10: Rashemen.<br />
City of Weeping Ghosts: North of Kront lie the ruins of a<br />
great city along the shore of Lake Ashane. This was Shandaular,<br />
capital of the realm of Ashanath, a petty Nar kingdom<br />
destroyed by the Nentyarch of Tharos almost two thousand<br />
years ago. Many powerful undead haunt the place, and few adventurers<br />
care to remain in the ruins after the sun goes down.<br />
Clymph Tower: <strong>The</strong>se ruins were sealed off long ago. Today,<br />
the only way into them is via the portal in Tower Threespires.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tower, and especially the vaults beneath it, is infested with<br />
evil creatures from other planes. Many adventurers have tried<br />
to clear out this infestation of evil, only to be crucified by the<br />
fiends they were arrogant enough to believe they could destroy.<br />
Dun-Tharos: Formerly the capital of ancient Narfell, this<br />
great ruin sits near the center of the Rawlinswood (see Chapter<br />
9: <strong>The</strong> Great Dale). Great plazas and wrecked temples devoted<br />
to demonic powers lie half-buried in the boggy forest,<br />
and the treasures of Narfell’s sinister lords are said to lie in<br />
buried storehouses and conjuring chambers beneath the old<br />
ruins. Dun-Tharos is virtually unexplored by adventurers;<br />
the powerful druid known as the Nentyarch raised his own<br />
living fortress of magical trees over the evil ruins and for<br />
centuries chased off explorers. <strong>The</strong> Nentyarch is gone now,<br />
displaced by the Rotting Man and his blightlords. Impudent<br />
adventurers hoping to plumb the royal vaults of Narfell<br />
must contend with the Talontar and their army of blightspawned<br />
creatures.<br />
Fortress of the Half-Demon: This old Nar fortress lies in<br />
Rashemen’s North Country, overlooking the northernmost<br />
arm of Lake Ashane. It is named for its great brazen gate,<br />
forged in the shape of a demonic face. Squat and strong, the<br />
keep remains intact, and its surface levels have been taken<br />
ADVENTURING IN THE EAST<br />
86<br />
over by a band of brigands led by Losk, a hagspawn warriormage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> marauders harry travelers along the lonely,<br />
windswept stretch of the Long Road that passes nearby. Deep<br />
conjuring chambers lie beneath the keep, still haunted by<br />
things summoned almost twenty centuries ago.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Great Barrow: About seventy miles east of Uthmere<br />
along the Great Road stands a mysterious barrow-field dominated<br />
by the Great Barrow—an artificial mound the size of<br />
a small hill, heaped up in three concentric steps. <strong>The</strong> barrow,<br />
said to predate ancient Narfell, might be five thousand years<br />
old or more. If anyone has found an entrance, it has not been<br />
reported, but the whole area has a bad reputation as a place<br />
where old and hateful undead lurk. See Chapter 12: <strong>The</strong>sk.<br />
Ring of Gray Flames: Three days’ ride east of Mulptan, hard<br />
on the borders of the Endless Waste, stands this ancient Raumathari<br />
ruin. Five broken towers stand in a ring, each crowned<br />
by a flickering gray flame. Strange and perilous magic taints<br />
the landscape surrounding them, including magical constructs<br />
that seem to be spells given life, longevity, and dire purpose.<br />
See Chapter 10: Rashemen.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sunglade: <strong>The</strong> Sunglade actually covers an incredible<br />
dungeon that stretches for miles beneath the Yuirwood. <strong>The</strong><br />
only way to get into it, however, is by means of one of the<br />
menhir circle portals. Only the masters of the Yuirwood can<br />
activate them, and they rarely poke around in the environs<br />
below. <strong>The</strong>y know some things in this world are better left<br />
undisturbed. Some scholars theorize that this complex is where<br />
the ancient Yuir elves escaped to when they found humans encroaching<br />
on their ancestral lands, but there has been no proof<br />
of this as of yet. See Chapter 8: Aglarond.<br />
Telflamm Harbor: What is now Telflamm harbor was<br />
once a proud cliff face in ancient times, where the powers<br />
of the region ruled. <strong>The</strong> cliff was destroyed in a massive<br />
magical accident that hurled it almost intact into the sea.<br />
Heroes who can breathe water might find all sorts of treasure<br />
beneath the harbor’s waves, assuming they can pry it<br />
out of the hands of the locathahs that have moved in. See<br />
Chapter 12: <strong>The</strong>sk.<br />
Thaymount: <strong>The</strong> mountains that form the center of Thay<br />
are riddled with all sorts of underground passages. Many of<br />
these merely connect the homes and dungeons belonging to<br />
the most powerful of the Red Wizards. Others sink deeper into<br />
the earth, into regions best left alone. <strong>The</strong> zulkirs have been<br />
beating back an incursion from below over the past few years,<br />
another reason they don’t wish to be engaged in a battle along<br />
their borders.<br />
Umbergoth: This massive mountain on the border between<br />
Aglarond and Thay is currently home to Nartheling, an ancient<br />
fang dragon. <strong>The</strong> creature has welcomed all sorts of evil<br />
creatures to the mountain under a loose alliance. None are individually<br />
strong enough to challenge the mighty dragon, but<br />
they should be sufficient to handle most intruders foolhardy<br />
enough to brave the steep slopes of lonely Umbergoth.<br />
Umlaor: This island was once the center of civilization<br />
throughout the Wizards’ Reach and the Alamber Sea. It was<br />
the most important shipping port in the region, and thousands<br />
of people lived there—right up until the day the place’s rulers