An otherworldly evil festers in the bowels of the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King. And now that evil has attracted a powerful servant—a servant wreaking death and destruction on the surrounding countryside and villages. The local villagers need adventurers to eradicate this terrible threat, but will the heroes realise that something even worse lurks in the eternal dark of the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King?

Dungeon Background

A century ago, a pack of ferocious and depraved harpies dwelt in the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King and terrorised the surrounding area. The Eyrie served as a secure lair for the harpies, as most humans could not reach it.

The place was sacred to Pazuzu—the so-called King of Demons and the harpies’ master. The Eyrie had another secret, however. Deep in its depths, the harpy sorcerer, Gyrtuskarr, opened a small portal to Pazuzu’s Abyssal realm. Gyrtuskarr believed she was descended from her king’s own seed and sought to prove herself to her father by expanding the portal from the Abyss to the Material Plane through bloody veneration and sacrifice. Eventually, a group of heroic adventurers slew most of the pack, drove the survivors far away and put an end to Gyrtuskarr’s insane plan.

For long years, the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King lay forgotten and abandoned. Set halfway up a sheer cliff, it was a difficult place to reach for those without the ability to fly. The Eyrie’s exact location was eventually forgotten, and the place—and its harpy mistresses—gradually faded into lurid and fanciful folklore. The Eyrie lay quiet and abandoned until a new threat claimed it as its own. This new threat—perhaps a young dragon, wyvern or manticore—has begun to threaten the locality and prey on the peasants eking out a living in the nearby settlements.

Sample Adventure Hook

Rampaging Monster: A ferocious and powerful winged predator is using the Lost Eyrie as a base from which to prey upon the surrounding settlements. The characters discover the aftermath of an attack on a nearby village. The peasants know where the beast lairs, they just can’t do anything about it…

Whispers & Rumours

A character can use Diplomacy to gather information about the Lost Eyrie of the Demon King.

A long time ago, adventurers slew a pack of foul, half-bird/half-women who dwelt in a lair piercing a high cliff. The dungeon’s location has been long lost.
The King of Demons is said to have once dwelt in the Lost Eyrie of the same name.
An adventurer reported spying a dragon emerging from a small cave high up on a cliff. (Potentially false rumour depending on your design.)
A century ago, a gang of harpies despoiled the countryside before being driven away.
No one and nothing lives in the vicinity of the cave…now.
Ten years ago, a hunter claimed to have climbed up to a cave high on a cliff. She claimed the cave was some kind of temple, but she did not explore too deeply inside.

Notable Locations at a Glance

The dungeon has several notable locations.

The Climb Perilous: A vertiginous cliff, and a perilous climb, protect the Lost Eyrie from casual exploration.
Lair of the Eyrie Lord: Herein did harpies of old worship the demon lord, Pazuzu. A large, winged predator now lairs in this hall.
Altar of the Demon King: Centuries ago, the harpies eviscerated uncountable sacrifices to venerate the King of Demons on this altar.
Into the Abyssal Depths: The spiral staircase here descends to a deeper sub-level.
Empty Antechamber: This empty chamber lies about 20 feet below location 4.
The Abyssal Font: This chapel was built around a planar portal linking the Prime Material Plane to the Abyss.
The Choked Stair: This staircase once led to a larger complex; it is now choked with rubble and impassable.

About Dungeon Backdrops

You are a GM, but you are busy. You want to write your own modules, but you just don’t have the time. And you don’t want to use commercial modules. You want to make your campaign your own. That’s where the Dungeon Backdrop line comes in! Each Dungeon Backdrop presents a fully fleshed out and lovingly detailed self-contained dungeon ready for you to use as you see fit. Stock the dungeon with your own monsters (and—perhaps—their treasure), decide their back story and you are good to go.

Every Dungeon Backdrop is carefully designed to be easily inserted into almost any fantasy campaign and is compatible with virtually any fantasy roleplaying game.

Dungeon Backdrops: we describe the dungeon, you add the monsters (and the treasure).