Gibbering Gate

There can be nowhere more terrifying and dreaded in all of Iuz's empire than this citadel of insanity. It is ruled by the illusionist Jumper when he is here, which is not often. The ghastliness of Iuz's evil impresses itself on all who serve him willingly or under duress, and many break under the strain. They are then usually sent to become members of the Legions of the Deranged, but again, some are sent here on a whim.

Fiends are the day-to-day rulers of this madhouse. A great balor presides over the Court of Delirium, where he bellows his judgements and commands over the shrieking demented babble of the lunatics who feast on all manner of unspeakable detritus. Hordlings stalk the corridors of the castle and wretched, mindless manes and dretch are ripped apart by stalking vrock, nabassu and babau for no reasons other than it pleases them to do so. Demented humans and humanoids lie slumped, gibbering, in the corners of rooms and hallways, feebly fending off the predations of imaginary persecutors. The screams and moans which echo endlessly around this forsaken place would harrow the soul of any who might enter with their mind and spirit intact. There is no need for the hideous torture dungeons of the fiends to draw such shrieks and cries from the souls abandoned in this place.

However, Gibbering Gate is not just a lunatic asylum without any order or purpose. The commanding balor organizes his troops with a malign, morbid relish. Those afflicted by paranoia become officers, decked out in garish and absurd uniforms. Those overwhelmed by despair, hopelessness and like afflictions are the common troops and infantry. Those driven into hallucination and psychosis are acclaimed as shamans, their pitiful and absurd babblings treated as if divine inspirations. Homicidal maniacs are organized into shock troops. When the Legions of the Deranged march out into the Northern Barrens before their fiendish and paranoid leaders, they are a force to be reckoned with. They fight with no fear of death, for death is a blessed release for most of them .

Also, Iuz keeps some of his most important prisoners in the dungeons below Gibbering Gate, since it lies so far from any land hostile to him. Noble Tenhas, Shield Landers, and Knights of the Hart all lie within Gibbering Gate's walls.

The castle itself is a place to be feared. Its great wooden gates bear a thousand skulls inlaid in their wood and their eye sockets glow with a malign radiance should any creature of non-evil alignment or non-insane status approach. The balor can create a symbol of insanity on these gates 5/day with a wave of a hand. He can also attack or use another spell-like power on the same round. The insanely grinning stone gargoyle faces scattered around the walls and towers can create a variety of magical effects, such as radiating confusion, spitting fire or acid, breathing lightning or causing fear. Add the warriors, fiends, humanoids, and undead of this place, and Gibbering Gate strikes fear into the hearts of any who approach.