World of Kralis

The Ruins of Castle Du Mac

Special Site Information
Name	The Ruins of Castle Du Mac
Type	Cursed ruin; corrupted bog; former savaruter stronghold
Original Founder	Szodrin
Built	1,755 B.F.A.
Fell	970 B.F.A.
Location	Near the center of present-day Alisanos
Terrain	Foul bog, thick peat, heavy mist, ruined walls, toppled spires, sucking mud, quicksand
Known Dangers	Undead, demons, fiends, disease-bearing insects, noxious gases, cursed ground, corrupted magic
Associated Realms	Alisanos, Tav Aeduhn, Prax Dyn
Associated Factions	Cults of Szodrin

Built in 1,755 B.F.A. by the savaruter Lord Szodrin, Castle Du Mac was raised from dark sandstone that the spellcaster caused to magically rise from the plains. Situated near the center of present-day Alisanos, it was built upon a small, isolated ridge of blue sandstone.

For nearly 800 years, Castle Du Mac stood as the seat of power for the savaruter, where he commanded legions of united giant-kind, oracs, hazor, and firvulag. It was also the location where he experimented on cursed, dark magic and the creation of corrupted life and undead things.

In 970 B.F.A., in a last stand of Fhen Khanur and barbarian human tribes, Szodrin’s enemies drove and scattered the savaruter’s forces across present-day Alisanos and brought the castle down around him as he attempted to open a portal to one of the hellish layers of Prax Dyn. The failing magic could not contain the portal and exploded as the very stone crashed inward.

This brought the castle down and left vast sprawling ruins, high crumbling walls, and toppled spires above the depths below the castle. These lower levels were the dungeons of the dark lord, where many of his creations, both alive and undead, survived and escaped into the depths of Tav Aeduhn.

For nearly a mile around the ruins, the ground melted into a thick, foul moor and slowly became cursed land. Over the past thousand years since its fall, the ruined fortress has become home to undead things, monstrous creatures, and perhaps fiends or demons that made their way through broken magical portals.

The ruins of Castle Du Mac have become a dark and cursed location. The ground around the ruined castle has over time become a deep, foul bog. The bog is dominated by undergrowth, with precious little clear, dry land to be found anywhere, most of it being comprised of thick peat. The ground heaves occasionally as though a giant beast breathes beneath the surface.

A thick mist clings to the peat, making travel along the few paths through the swamp difficult. Corrupted by the foul magics of the savaruter, the ruins are populated by foul denizens and many deadly natural hazards, from disease-transmitting insects to clouds of noxious gases, patches of quicksand, and sucking mud.

Castle Du Mac Traits

Trait	Effect
Arcane Fury	The land is accursed against casters. All spellcasters in the area suffer a -50 penalty to all attempts to cast spells.
Bad Karma	The land holds a dark, festering anger. All beings in the area suffer double the cost when using Heroic Luck.
Blood of the Fallen	Any damage done during combat is increased by +10.
Death Aura	The land is cursed. All critical hit ranges gain a +10 bonus.
Diseased	Unlike many areas in the world where disease has a strong presence, this area is highly infectious. Every hour that characters remain in the area, their chance of contracting a disease increases by 2% per hour until they can no longer resist infection.
Without the Gods	The land is accursed against the gods. All divine power users in the area suffer a -50 penalty to all attempts to cast or call upon divine power.

Castle Du Mac Abilities

Ability	Effect
Dark Earth	Through this ability, the land can attack those within the area when it becomes aggravated or distraught. The land attacks through barbed, thorned plants. It has an Attack Skill of 130 and Base Damage 5. It can attack every target it chooses 4 times per turn.
Blight	This ability allows the area to suddenly burst into dark green flame and sweep outward in a circular fashion at a rate of 90 feet per turn. The fire damages only Fatigue and has Base Damage 10 for each turn that a character remains within the area. The fire lasts for 5 turns.
Summon Undead	Through this ability, the area is able to cause all dead within the area to awaken and attack those nearby. These undead are generally skeletons, ghouls, and zombies. The area can summon up to 30 undead every hour.
Wild	The area cannot be tamed and remains wild. There is a sense of ancient forbidding power and untapped energies. This energy can sabotage travel routes, navigation skills, and similar attempts, causing those in the area to suddenly become lost and confused. Any being chosen by the land suffers a -100 penalty to navigation, sensing direction, and survival attempts.