Decaying Citadel of the Fated Warlock
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Lost to time and battered by the foulness of its surrounds, the decrepit and mouldering Decaying Citadel of the Fated Warlock slowly sinks into the Salt Mire. Wreathed in lurid tales of legendry and foul doings, the lonely citadel is now little more than a crumbling shell, yet peasants tell of its mistress’s great power and great wealth. Atavistic lizardfolk haunt the surrounding fens and bogs and keep casual explorers away, but the legend of the Fated Warlock refuses to die. What yet lurks in her ruined castle? Are unfound treasures lurking therein waiting for those brave and clever enough to find them? And what befell the Fated Warlock herself? Only brave adventurers can answer such questions…
What Has Gone Before
Centuries ago, the feared warlock Loviisa Tapavaino built for herself a lonely fortress in the depths of the Salt Mire. There, far from prying, superstitious eyes, she carried out all manner of hideous and blasphemous experiments, summonings and bindings. The place quickly developed a fell and unwholesome reputation and common folk eschewed the dismal surrounds.
The primitive lizardfolk of the Salt Mire took note, however, of the warlock’s hideous and unnatural doings. Whipped into a frenzy by their shaman, who sensed unnatural vibrations emanating from the fortress, they fell upon the place and, in one terrible night of orgiastic, atavistic violence, stormed the citadel and slew Loviisa and her servants.
None of Ashlar’s peasants witnessed the warlock’s fall, and her fate remains a mystery; the surrounding rank marshland and the numerous dangers lurking therein conspire to keep all but the most stubborn visitors at bay.
Adventure Hook
Cavorting Demons: Strange sounds, an unnaturally chill, vaporous mist, and missing travellers in the Decaying Citadel’s vicinity have combined to spawn whispered rumours of hideous, half-glimpsed demons seen cavorting on the ruin’s crumbling walls and of the rising threat they present to the surrounds. Brave heroes strong in the cause of good and law are needed to end this nascent threat.
Notable Locations
The ruin has several notable locations:
Courtyard of Ruin: Rank weeds, vines and creepers grow about and over the forlorn, crumbling citadel.
Crumbled Tower: This tower was once three stories high, but the upper levels have long since collapsed.
Procession of Fiends: Six hideous, ivy-strangled statues watch over the entrance to the Crypt of Dank Shadows.
Crypt of Dank Shadows: Herein are interred the Fated Warlock’s dead servants; they served her in life, and here they linger on.
Maw of Sodden Darkness: The pungent odour of dampness and decay wafts from this stairwell. Beyond lies the Chamber of Sunken Doom.
Chamber of Sunken Doom: A stagnant pool of foul-smelling water fills the lower part of this sunken chamber.
The Sodden Stair: Water dripping through the walls and ceiling has partly flooded this short passage.
Redoubt of Shadows: This stout tower served as the warlock’s final redoubt; it has not been breached since her disappearance.
Credit
Words Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos
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