The Ghostwalk

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).

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

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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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the Veil of Souls—perhaps a better reward in the afterlife—or that they may be atoning for some sin committed in the distant past by their forebears. As mentioned earlier, the dwarves are not talking—so speculation is the only thing available.

Most folk in Manifest will never see Deathwarden dwarves unless they go near the Grand Portal—where the dwarves gather to escort dead bodies down to the Veil of Souls. This journey takes about three days, for the Veil of Souls is very deep underground. The way is fraught with danger; various forces (necromancers looking for bodies, yuan-ti attacking out of spite, and subterranean monsters acting from pure instinct) wait in ambush. From time to time, when activity along the Ghostwalk is particularly heavy, the Deathwarden dwarves hire adventurers or mercenaries to help them guard their “cargo.” The Deathwarden dwarves seem to have a very good sense of when there is danger on the Ghostwalk and when there is not. People who develop a rapport with the dwarves (quite a difficult task—it takes years for an outsider to prove his or her reliability to the Deathwarden dwarves) use them to gather information regarding current goings-on in the Undercity as a whole (and along the Ghostwalk in particular).

Members of the Guild of Morticians manage when (and which) bodies are brought to the Grand Portal and take their “charges” only just that far. At the Grand Portal, the dead are placed into the Deathwarden dwarves’ care. This is where friends and family (if any) pay their last respects. The dwarves, as always, are acutely respectful of the dead and of the mourning of loved ones. Although some have described the Deathwarden dwarves as cold, it would perhaps be more accurate to simply say “somber,” or even just “dedicated.”

The dwarves pull narrow carts on which they arrange the dead bodies as reverently as possible. These carts have iron wheels and flexible axles, making them very efficient for moving underground.

The passages, tunnels, and caves that make up the Ghostwalk, however, are usually wide and clear of debris, so the carts can move along easily. When a cavein happens, the dwarves are quick to repair it or devise an alternate route.

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The Great Pillar Cave

The Ghostwalk leads right through a natural cavern of great size (well over 1,000 feet across) filled with natural rock columns that extend from the cave floor to the ceiling, almost 100 feet overhead. The cave is the home of a colony of hundreds of darkmantles, making it dangerous—and usually deadly—for anyone attempting to pass through.

However, those accompanied by the Deathwarden dwarves pass through the cavern unmolested. Some time in the past, the dwarves must have made a pact with these creatures, although it’s difficult to imagine how. Nevertheless, the darkmantles never attack the dwarves or anyone journeying with them.

The Magma Dome

In one sulfurous, foul-smelling cave that the Ghostwalk passes through, it becomes quite apparent that there is volcanic activity deep below Manifest. In the middle of the cavern lies a tremendous crater about 75 feet across. Rising from the crater is a dome, the surface of which glows yellow and white hot, making the air in the room uncomfortably sweltering.

Those brave enough to approach the dome may hear the sounds of superheated liquid rock bubbling below its surface—every once in a while they might even see a blast of the material splashing against the inside of the dome. As gas rises from the earth, it becomes trapped in the dome and forces it to stretch higher and thinner. In living memory, the formation has grown from a man-sized magma bubble into the towering dome it is today. Someday, this dome will fill the cave and continue pressing onward (or perhaps even burst, filling this and surrounding caves with a lake of lava) and the Ghostwalk will have to be rerouted.

It’s not unheard of to encounter creatures like thoqquas, magma mephits, steam mephits, magmin, and even salamanders here.

River of Wind

As one gets closer to the Veil of Souls, the terrain becomes more and more unnatural. It is an undeniable fact that one is drawing close to a place of great mystical and metaphysical importance—the land of the dead. One such unnatural wonder is the River of Wind.

As the Ghostwalk nears its end, travelers hear a rushing, babbling sound and see a deep trench running through the middle of the cavern ahead. Most people mistake the sound for a fast-moving underground stream, and this thought seems to be borne out by the fact that the Deathwarden dwarves have built a sturdy, somber-looking bridge to span the chasm.

But those who look down while on the bridge see no river. They hear it, though—the unmistakable sound of water rushing over rocks. Many a visitor has taken out a copper piece, dropped it from the bridge, and watched as, only a few feet above the ground, it strikes some invisible thing and is suddenly swept away.

It’s a river of air. More than just a tunnel that channels the wind, this underground phenomenon flows around the caves near the Veil of Souls, acting in all ways like a river—except that it is made of air, not water. There is even said to be a cave where there is an “airfall” rather than a waterfall, where the river of wind plunges down into a deep pool of churning air. But the Ghostwalk does not pass through such a cavern, and the Deathwarden dwarves do not break from their duty for a fool’s errand, such as seeking it out.

The Null Zone

Right before reaching the Veil of Souls, the Ghostwalk passes through the Null Zone—a wide expanse, covering many caves and passages, where magic does not function. The entire area is gripped in what seems to be a naturally occurring antimagic field. While outsiders traveling along the path often consider this to be a major inconvenience, the Deathwarden dwarves clearly breathe a sigh of relief once they reach the zone. Not only does it mean that they are almost to their destination, it also means that attack from necromancers and their animated dead servants is no longer likely. Even foes as dangerous as the yuan-ti are much less threatening without their spell-like abilities and psionics.

What causes the Null Zone? No one knows for sure.

Likewise, no one has ever made an effort to map the zone’s boundaries, though it is assumed to surround the Veil of Souls in a ring roughly a quarter-mile in radius. It may very well be the presence of the land of the dead itself that causes this effect. However, the

Zone ends before the Ghostwalk reaches the Veil of

Souls.

No one has ever found a way to the Veil of Souls that doesn’t pass through the Null Zone first—the effects seem to extend even into the Astral Plane. Teleport and other spells that allow magical transport always deposit people on the far side of the Null Zone.

The Veil of Souls

The gatehouse known as the Veil of Souls is actually a vast underground fortress, home to hundreds of

Deathwarden dwarves. The Veil of Souls is shaped like a horseshoe, with the entrance on the inside of the curve. The back end of the curve is built into a huge stone wall, beyond which lies the land of the dead.

Once through the well-guarded entrance, a Ghostwalk caravan takes its cargo into the Moribund Passage, a long hall, 80 feet wide, lined with statues of heroes, kings, queens, and other people of import— all dead and all having passed through the Veil of

Souls (both in body and spirit). Here, a great many ghosts pause, not quite ready to make the final pas-