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The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho
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In the ancient days of the world, Tsathzar Rho was an
ambitious sorcerer of considerable power. He forged
gates between worlds, bent demons to his will, and cultivated
magical abilities the likes of which the world has
not since seen. Yet, as the saying goes, power corrupts,
and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Tsathzar Rho
mastered magics of the ninth circle, enslaved the
demon-generals of the murkiest abyss, and shattered
the Silver Gate of the Eighth World, yet still he desired
more. While his successes grew his power, so too did
they cultivate his arrogance. In time, he sought out
power and magic beyond the reckoning of men, gods,
and even the demons that whimpered at the mere mention
of his name. He sent prayers and supplications to
the Outer Gods, the Old Ones, the Lords of Infinite
Emptiness, and other mighty beings that existed outside
of planes. In his hubris, Tsathzar Rho believed he
had the skill and cunning to bind such unspeakable horrors.
Delving into texts judged ancient even in his distant
epoch, he called forth the Keeper of the Gate and
demanded that the Outer Ones appear before him.
In doing so, he sealed his fate for all eternity.
The Outer Gods did indeed answer Tsathzar Rho’s call,
but they came neither to hear his appeals nor to witness
his magic. Their very nature warped and twisted the
fabric of reality, causing a tremendous explosion that
disintegrated Tsathzar Rho’s tower and turned the
region around it into an ashen waste. The local men and
elves breathed a sigh of relief and continued with their
lives, thankful that the tower’s ominous presence had
been expunged from the horizon.
However, such an intrusion into the mortal realms could
not pass without leaving a permanent stain on the fabric
of reality. Tsathzar Rho and his vaults were not
destroyed. Rather, they were drawn into the Outer
Gods’ realm and forever altered to those dread beings’
needs. Before Tsathzar Rho had drawn their notice,
they had never before cast their baleful glance upon the
world. Now, the time has come for the Outer Gods to
announce their presence and demand faithful prayers
from the creatures of the world. The fabric of the planes
has realigned, allowing Tsathzar Rho’s demesne to
appear once again. Tsathzar Rho now sleeps within,
preparing to enter the world as the Outer Gods’ prophet
and high priest. As his spirit gains power, the world shall
fall under the Outer Gods’ domain.
Yet not all hope is lost. The Outer Gods know little of the
mortal realm. By happenstance or fate, their plans have
spiraled beyond their control. Tsathzar Rho’s vault
materialized within a mountain that long ago arose from
the land. The sorcerer’s spirit lacks strength and stands
upon the edge of oblivion. Only one portion of the Outer
Gods’ plan of conquest has worked properly. The black
chrysalis at the tower’s center exerted a reality-warping
field of energy that transformed creatures into evil servants
of Tsathzar Rho’s new form. A tribe of kobolds that
lives within the caves where the vault materialized,
along with the vermin and creatures that also dwell
there, have been physically and psychically altered to
defend the chrysalis and worship it as a god. When
Tsathzar Rho is born, he shall find a small cadre of
fanatics waiting to assist him.
Into this situation step the characters. The sudden
change in the alignment and demeanor of the creatures
in the cave has not gone unnoticed. A brutish ogre who
lived there has begun to raid neighboring villages and
waylay travelers. Previously, the ogre relied on extortion
and intimidation to rob merchants and dominate the
kobolds. The change has driven the creature mad,
transforming it into a psychotic marauder. The characters
are asked to track down this creature and slay it. In
doing so, they discover that something is amiss. Further
investigations lead them to the caves now altered by the
coming of the Outer Gods’ prophet.
The caves consist of three levels. The first level, the
outer caves, is inhabited by insects, rats, and other vermin
that have been turned into evil, predatory creatures
by the Outer Gods’ influence. They attack intruders and
fight to the death. The second level consists of the
kobold tribe’s caves. For years, these creatures subsisted
on lizards and rats they hunted in the deep
caves. Once a year, they supplemented their diet with a
raid into the countryside, seizing a traveler or small
band of merchants to add to their larder. Now, they are
a bloodthirsty cult dedicated to the Outer Gods. They
harbor dreams of conquest and epic blood sacrifices to
appease their overlords. Tsathzar Rho’s vault is the final
dungeon level, its remaining chambers and galleries
having displaced the earth. Within its halls are the
kobold’s leaders and the current avatar of Tsathzar Rho,
first prophet of the Outer Gods.
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