Castle Perilous
Vaasa became a cauldron of evil decades ago when, through the labors of demons, a dark stone fortress arose in a single night. The Castle Perilous on the shores of the Lake of Tears was the seat of the lich Zhengyi, who styled himself the Witch-King of Vaasa. With the aid of his demons, he assembled hosts of dire wolves, giants, goblins, orcs and undead to conquer Damara.
The ironbound castle is a crumbling ruin today, roamed by lurking monsters and hopeful adventurers seeking Zhengyi’s magic. The castle collapsed when Gareth Dragonsbane led heroes into Vaasa to break the lich’s power.
Dragons often lair atop Castle Perilous, only to be slain or driven out by adventurers or a lurking, terrible something that evidently feeds on things even as large and powerful as great wyrms.
When the Witch-King fell, so did his stronghold, the Castle Perilous. What was once an iron extension of Zhengyi's power crumbled swiftly into ruin. Today, Castle Perilous is just a blasted mound of rubble on a lonely crag in the Vaasan wasteland. But those who believe that the perils of the evil fortress fell away with its iron walls would be rudely awakened were they to venture there!
Evil dragons lair amidst the broken stone and shattered iron. The flights that have been seen soaring northward over Damara chose the ruined castle to be their base from which to hatch their wicked plans. Huge reds occupy the top of the crag, lairing in the rubble-strewn foundations of the castle. The blues, greens, and blacks each have taken a slope of the crag for their own. The northern face of the crag remains unoccupied thus far. Cautious observers speculate that the space is reserved for the enormous flight of whites that is believed to be coming down from the Great Glacier.
Castle Perilous should be avoided by all but the most powerful of adventurers; even these might find themselves overwhelmed. Yet if some group fought their way through the gathered dragons, they would find their work just beginning!
Under the rubble of the castle lies a vast underground dungeon. Here Zhengyi housed his darkest champions, creatures of unspeakable evil and power. Many were tied to the lower planes, and so banished by the Wardstone that Bahamut gave to the heroes of Bloodstone. But many hideous things remain, monsters of this plane little known among surface dwellers.
Anyone powerful, brave and stupid enough to challenge the foul inhabitants of Castle Perilous will find threats aplenty. Before his demise, Zhengyi laid glyphs and wards and wicked traps throughout his dungeons. One of the Witch-King's favorites is reputedly an oil-slick tilting floor which ends in a pitfall. An adventurer worthy of Castle Perilous would not find a twenty-foot drop too discomforting, but when such a pit is blocked, halfway down, by a hungry gelatinous cube...
RUINED STRUCTURE
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