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really were no more than bungling fools. But to this day, no one knows to which of the many subterranean dangers they fell prey (see The Devil’s Cellar adventure in Chapter 6: Adventures of this book).
THE CITY OF MANIFEST
CHAPTER 2:
Xastarcholos’ Hoard
It has long been rumored that an ancient black wyrm named Xastarcholos lives in the caverns beneath Manifest. Rather than draw attention to himself, however, they say he always comes to the city in his human guise, buying what supplies he needs, then disappearing underground for years or decades at a time. As it turns out, these rumors are true, except for the fact that Xastarcholos is not a black dragon—he is gold. Unfortunately for the dragon, rumors have also begun to spread that he has gathered a vast hoard in his lair. These rumors are also true, but the last thing that Xastarcholos wants is greedy explorers plumbing the depths of the Undercity, looking for some evil dragon’s hoard. In order to keep such meddlesome treasure seekers away, the good-aligned Xastarcholos has put in place a great number of illusions and nonlethal trickery traps designed to divert adventurers away from his lair. When particularly determined parties come around, he has been know to approach them in his human guise. Claiming to be an experienced treasure hunter himself, he offers to join the group (for a share of their booty) and subtly diverts their attentions away from his horde and toward one of the other valuable finds hidden in the Undercity.
THE GHOSTWALK Below Manifest there is an underground path that was ancient before the city was first built—a path known around the world as the Ghostwalk. It was well worn when the now-buried buildings of the first city were shining and new—and it is still functioning and in good repair centuries after those same buildings crumbled and were buried from living memory. More ancient than the Grand Portal that serves as its entry, the Ghostwalk leads from the surface world—the world of the living— to the land of the dead. It passes through collapsed abandoned streets and natural caves, but it also passes through corridors and huge chambers whose architects remain a complete and utter mystery. It is possible that the Deathwarden dwarves created these places—created the Ghostwalk path itself—but no one knows for sure. For their part, the dwarves do
not give any indication one way or the other. In fact, the Deathwarden dwarves steadfastly refuse to discuss with outsiders any of the details pertaining to the Ghostwalk. The Deathwarden Dwarves
The Deathwarden dwarves are truly the key to the enigma of the Ghostwalk, and perhaps to the secrets of the land of the dead itself. “When the world was young, the mountains were tall and straight. The rivers were shallow, but the sea was very deep. Animals and beasts played amid the trees for the sheer joy of existence. The gods looked down upon their creation, the land of the living, and they were pleased. Other gods looked upon their creation, the land of the dead, and they, too, were pleased. Only one thing was missing—a path to join the two worlds. Unguarded and untended, the gods of life and death saw that much chaos would ensue if this were not rectified. So Chaniud came to Durann and spoke with her of her charges, the dwarves. “‘Give to me, give to the world, some small number of these mortals. I will set them apart from the others and give unto them great gifts in return for their service.’ “But Durann said no. ‘For such a request, one such as I cannot make the decision. You must ask the dwarves themselves.’ “So Chaniud came to the dwarf king named Thunar and said to him, ‘I want your people to become the guardians and wardens of the gate of life and death. This is the most important of all tasks, and we can trust no one else to do it, for the path lies deep within the earth and rock from which you were born.’ “Thunar thought long and hard. ‘We will do this for you, but only after our own fashion. We will gird the entrance in an impregnable fortress, and we will guard the path that leads to it. We will not enter the land of the dead, at least not until our own times come.’ “So Chaniud took Thunar and his people and brought them to the border of life and death, which the dwarves named the Veil of Souls. Thunar became the first of the Deathwarden kings, a line that continues unbroken to this very day.” – From the Libram of Death Lore Not everyone believes that this tale is accurate. Some claim that the Deathwarden dwarves took their position upon themselves and continue their service only because of a sense of pride. Others say that the dwarves gain some sort of benefit from their work at
pqqqqrs WHY STEAL A CORPSE? The most common answer is to sell it to a necromancer. Since the Morticians’ Guild ensures that dead bodies are extraordinarily well guarded while they wait in Manifest, necromancers must steal (or pay others to steal) the materials necessary to work their magic and animate the dead.
But there are other reasons. Sometimes, thieves “kidnap” bodies and hold them for ransom, particularly if they know that there is a loving family member or a ghost willing to pay to protect a body. This can be a tricky proposition, since ghosts have a natural sense of where their bodies are at all times.
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