Utter Randomness (pt 1) - History of Krag Dungeon

The Tale Thus Far

Using a copy of the random Dungeon generating tables from the DMG, I have rolled up four levels of a dungeon for an up coming game. The rooms are evolving organically with assistance from a few documents. Namely, DM1 and DM2 aids from Hackslashmaster.blogspot.com. This is aiding in populating interesting treasure and fleshing out the trick/trap/special sections beyond what came up on the rolls. I populated the monsters with randomly generated monsters from the Sword and Sorcery encounter tables. They are dungeon level appropriate but not PC level appropriate encounters. The levels were divided into zones and the monster room assigned via these logical zones.

I am now looking over the levels and zones and playing archeologist for this site trying to determine a baseline history for the area. From this I will build my legends and rumors/hooks to draw the PCs here. This isn't strictly necessary as the PCs won't ever have all this info, but for my own curiosity I couldn't resist.

History - Third Age Legend - Wolfgang Von Schmauch (Smoke)

The lowest reaches were once part of a keep. I know that my players are looking for a cure for lyncanthropy due to events in the small village where our campaign originated. The cleric of Yero (Dwarven forge God) sent a missive to her small temple. It came back saying that the only mention of a cure in the temple's record was an old legend. The Legend of Smoke de Krag.

 

The warlord Smoke de Krag locked his beloved wife in a tower of his keep, high above the Azure River. His wife suffered from a rare form of lunacy. She was oft heard to howl at the full moon from the tower. A few times she had escaped her confines and was found naked the next morning laying in a house of some villager that had been partially devoured. Despite this Smoke could not bear to judge, nor slay her. He gathered his bravest and most loyal knights and set out on a quest to find a cure for her. For six years he searched. His quest brought him to Isles of Gaidan and to the Witches of the Amon Ka. The Amon Ka hunted lycanthropes near to extinction fifty years earlier during the Purging. Smoke sent an envoy to them seeking any knowledge they had of a cure. The envoy was well received and three of the senior most Amon Ka with six Alia Tai guards agreed to accompany Smoke back to his keep to cure his wife. Smoke had never seen the small Kinder guards before, and was amazed by the silver pikes set with lodestones of earth magic they wielded. Smoke returned home and sent word to his knights still far abroad that a cure was found. The witches spent three weeks sequestered preparing rites for the coming full moon. When it came they unleashed their magics. Smoke and all in his Keep where brought low by a magical sleep. The Alia Tai went to the Northern Tower. There they drove their pikes into the sleeping werewolf and slew her. The screaming broke the spell and Smoke rushed to his wife's aid wielding arms against the witches and their guards. A deadly battle ensued. Enraged by the betrayal Smoke destroyed the witches, but this act was not without consequence. The elder witch laid a dark curse on the warlord with her last breath, and the Alia Tai drove his pike into the ground opening a great rift in the cliff side. The Keep sank deep into it. The knights returned to find their Lord's broken body in the rumble. They built a crypt for him in the natural caverns the rift had revealed and sealed the true cure for lyncanthropy they found within. It is said that the craggy rift that swallowed the Keep still smokes from the fires of his anger on the night of the full moon.

 

So what does this mean?

From this tale I know the lower two levels of the dungeon are the crypt, the natural caves that were discovered and the remnants of the Keep and it's north tower. I also know that the cursed Wolfgang is somewhere about these levels. Lastly I know that the undead wandering about could be cursed spirits and animated corpses of these witches and Wolfgang's court. I still need to know what happened to cause the other two levels to show up.

History - Fourth Age - Byzantine City of Blaewen

In 1219 4A a bustling town stood here. At that time the Kuln Dwarves were just moving into the mountains, driven here by events in Torvin. (Ties to previous campaigns my players will be aware of) The ruler of the town was Orelius Magnumnus. He was a poor leader, but a brilliant politician. On the cliff top above the city he had a colleseum built for his gladiatorial games. Around the colleseum were buildings of pleasure, training and relaxation for his guests to enjoy. Even a temple to Krum was raised so that offerings could be made before the contests. Orelius coffers were low due to extensive taxes from Cartha. His mines were not producing, his fields would not grow due to the drought. He was in dire times, so he hatched a plot. He gathered the slaves from the fields and the mines to train as gladiators or to feed to the magical beasts. He sent invites far and wide to dignitaries from all over the Republic to come and witness his games. Meanwhile he slaughtered the local thieves guild and had his grain and ore clerks to pose and bookies. He rightly guessed that Byzantines loved to gamble on the gladiatorial sport. He weighted the odds heavily in his favor and garnered much coin in the first days. High ranking officials found themselves on the winning side more oft then naught. With their masters winning the lower officials did not dare to depart. For the first ten days the plan worked perfectly then came two Minotaur brother Nurn and Garn. They had been bought from duergar slave traders in the newly formed Kuln. The two Minotaur's could not be defeated, despite Garn being only one handed. The carefully orchestrated odds quickly turned as the other slaves took heart from the brothers example. Orelius became infuriated, he thru more and more men into the arena against the brothers. Still they won. Amused by the turn of events a long time rival wrote to Cartha and soon the Emperor himself had arrived. It was at this moment that Nurn and Garn launched their attack. The numerous slaves now trained, seized arms and revolted. The emperors forces retaliated to quell the uprising.Thousands died, the city burned and few escaped the onslaught. The city was abandoned its gladiatorial complex all that remained. The emperor left it standing as a reminder to those who would defy their duty and weaken the empire.

Rumors

In the early years of the fifth age countless copies of Blaewen's maps circulated. An Adventuring Party heard the legends of the rich that died here and came seeking their fortune. Amongst the treasure they found a silver pike and were never heard from again.

The Wolflord Smoke hold's court on a cliff above the Azure River. It's said on a full moon you can hear his call lamenting her death.

 

Three witches still stalk the ruins of Krag Dungeon the clank of their halfling skeletal guards following behind them.

 

The Warlord Wolfgang Smoke was buried with a witch killing blade.

 

The ghost of Orelius Magnumnus haunts the cliff sides, seeking the descendants of the gladiators that turned against him.

 

Any other rumors I missed from these tales?