For decades, the Erdukr dwarves have been a dwindling folk. But now, all contact with their ancient hold has ceased. What doom has befallen the dwarves? Did they dig too deep, did their ancient enemies, the Orcs of the Flayed Skull, finally triumph, or did some other doom befall them? Whatever the cause of their fall, the answer lies in the Blasted Donjon of the Erdukr Dwarves!

Dungeon Background

The Erdukr clan have never been a numerous people. Like so many of their dwarven brethren, the clan is cursed with a low birth, and so they feel each death among their own more intensely than would humans. For decades, the Erdukr have been a dwindling people locked in a death struggle with their hereditary enemies—the Orcs of the Flayed Skull—who grow ever more numerous and rapacious.

Desperate for help, the dwarves believed the honeyed words of Ninazu Urusilim—a self-proclaimed “puissant worker of the mystic arts”. Ninazu promised the dwarves he could help them defeat the orcs and bring peace to the clan. Ninazu Urusilim is a necromancer and demonologist steeped in the blackest of the arcane arts and used the dwarves as unwitting assistants to help him summon a powerful otherworldly creature into the world. Instead, his magical doings—which reached a climax a few days ago—brought disaster, death, and destruction to the Erdukr clan when he lost control of the summoned entity.

Sample Adventure Hook

Searching for Ninazu: The necromancer and demonologist Ninazu Urusilim is a reviled and hated worker of magic wanted in several kingdoms for his blasphemous doings. The characters have been hired to investigate a recent sighting of the man. Their search brings them into the adventure when they arrive at a nearby village. The locals provide the party with rumour #6. Alternatively, if you have a suitable reoccurring villain in your campaign, you could use them instead of Ninazu.

Whispers & Rumours

A character can use Diplomacy to gather information about the Blasted Donjon of the Erdukr Dwarves.

1. The Erdukr clan are in decline. The dwarves are skilled artificers and miners, but their numbers have been dwindling for decades—perhaps centuries. They are the implacable enemies of the (far more numerous) Orcs of the Flayed Skull tribe.

2. The Erdukr clan of dwarves are fabulously wealthy. Deep mines below their clan hold yet hold much gold and silver for the industrious dwarves to extract.

3. The Orcs of the Flayed Skull tribe are foul even by orcish standards They use the skulls of their enemies as decorations and eat the flesh of their slain foes.

4. A stranger was seen climbing in the hills near the Erdukr clan hold months ago. The man spoke in a strange fashion and wore clothes of exotic cut. He had the air of a magician about him. He has not been seen since; perhaps he is staying with the dwarves.

5. When the Erdukr were more numerous, they delved deep and built themselves a vast underground hold. As their numbers declined, they retreated from the hold’s deeper reaches. Who knows what could lie forgotten in the dark, waiting to the found?

6. The Erdukr dwarves are desperate—they fear eventual defeat at the hands of their hereditary foes, the Orcs of the Flayed Skull. To swing the balance in their favour, they sought out a wizard to work great magics on their behalf.

Notable Locations at a Glance

The dungeon has several notable locations.

1. The Twin Gates: Twin Gates warded the Donjon of the Erdukr Dwarves. Now, only one of the passages is traversable.

2. The Grand Hall: Built to amaze visitors and celebrate the Erdukr’s glorious history, this grand chamber is replete with carvings of dwarven victories over their foul foes.

3. The Processional: This chamber once provided access to the dwarves’ deeper halls. A huge cave-in now blocks such access.

4. Chamber of the Gate Warden: Herein dwelt Fargrim Erdukr, the Gate Warden.

5. Guardroom: Two dwarf warriors charged with watching over the Twin Gates dwelt here.

6. Ransacked Storeroom: This once-organised storeroom has been comprehensively ransacked and looted.       

7. Chamber of Summoning: This chamber was one of two required by Ninazu Urusilim to complete his ritual. The other chamber is location 10.

8. Shattered Armoury: The dwarves kept a goodly supply of weapons and armour here for use in the defence of the Twin Gates.

9. Bedchamber: Herein dwelt another important dwarf charged with protecting the Erdukr’s home.

10. Hidden Summoning Chamber: The characters may never realise this hidden chamber exists.

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).

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