Eagol Ruins
Type | Dungeon |
---|---|
Status | Explored circa 833 TA |
Location | The Netherworld |
Hex | n/a |
Campaign | Netherworld Campaign |
Adventure # | 57 |
The Eagol Ruins were located in The Netherworld - not the Realm. The Netherworld was destroyed in 833 TA.
Introduction
At the time of the Suel invasion, Eagol Castle was a strategic military fortress protecting vital supply lines for the Imperial armies. A small village sprung up around the castle, and a thriving trading bizarre was established. The castle and village were destroyed by a plague in the early years of the Dragon Wars, and a degenerate type of wayward dwarf now haunts the ruins of the once proud castle. Nameless, at least to outsiders, they sneak through rubble and underground passages full of contaminated waste. Hideously deformed, these "Eagols" have developed their powers of telepathy to reach over large distances between their own kind. Their skin is poisonous to touch, and the creatures are quite unpredictable. The once great source of power that controlled the wonders of the Aouatad Temple, though long thought lost, is rumored to be still intact and protected by the Eagols. Historians claim that this weapon is based on telekinetic principles and can cause great destruction. It is also believed that diamonds of great value can be found littering the lower reaches of the Eagol Ruins.
Several hundred years ago, a small pub, known as the Green Hole Inn, was built on the present site of Briar Forest as a resting place for travellers making the dangerous journey along the eastern edge of the Dismal Swamp. The first proprieter, Janvel the Hangman, was reported to sell pardons to those journeying to Owenglen. For those unfortunate enough to be caught by brigands on the road through the swamp, the pardons could be used to buy safe passage. It is doubtful Janvel's pardons worked very often, for the road between Briar Forest and Owenglen is still known as Dead Man's Walk. Around the Green Hole Inn, the present town of Briar Forest emerged. The small hamlet of Briar Forest lies at the southern end of the Dismal Swamp some thirty miles to the east of Brimstone Mountain and ten miles north of the ruins of Eagol Castle. The present day village lies in small wooded valley near the edge of the pit. Among the notable shops in Briar Forest is the wine cellar of one Otton Bushem, a wine maker and collector of great renown. It is said that Otton's shop is the first stop of most travellers to the area. An ancient vine covered cemetery lies at the northern end of the town. Long abandoned, recently rumors have surfaced that a pack of twenty werewolves, forced by spell still holding from a long-deceased evil priest, are guarding his tomb in the entangled graveyard. To the west lies the Dismal Swamp and the smoking volcanic ruins of Brimstone Mountain. Few travellers and no villagers venture into that god-forsaken part of Ariandor.