Six hexes north of Alakran.
To contemporary people in Dulsharna, Nathrak is a noted and notorious ruin, the palace of the long-established Dezhen-El family. In the last generation the family was condemned and dissolved for their well-known embrace of necromancy cults; the walls of the upper structure of Nathrak were torn down from their foundations, but these were the least important rooms of the vast underground complex beneath.
Nathrak was the largest "dungeon-like" environment of the campaign and is an adaptation of Jennell Jaquays' classic Caverns of Thracia to the setting. Below the spoiler cut is a timeline of the various cultures and factions in my world that contributed to Nathrak, linking them to the protagonists in the original module.
A brief history of Nathrak (YA = years ago)
15,000 YA
1. Saurian Race (lizardfolk/Khilan) builds winding passage down from surface to the 53 complex and natural caves 42-46
8,000 YA
1a. Saurian survival into the Silver Age: goals to revive the race and dominate others. They find and occupy the deeper cave and create the Stolen Sky in the large cavern -- a magical sky that corresponds to an area above the ground some 50 miles to the south and east, "stealing" the sun and sky and leaving out there an area of darkness.The decorations and portals/teleportation in the 53 area are theirs, as is the cold door. Their cause is joined by the half-saurian, half-black dragon necromancer Urrummittu who learned his lore from the Snake People. Urrumittu's final attempt at making himself a lich was partly successful - he enjoyed 8 years of active rule, then must spend 8000 years asleep, a limit that is about to end ...
2,500 YA
2. Men of Copper (Thracians): King Agumenez conquered the primitive saurian remnants, created beastmen and hybrids to serve, found deeper cave, built all remaining area. He re-dedicated all temples to animal-headed gods identified with the Urig gods - yes, the hybrid images of the gods are not as they were always seen. Hall of gem statues and Stone King (41) created. Initial establishment of the non-undead tomb area, 40. Area 45 complex created.
2,100 YA
3. Beast-Man revolt under lion-man Kallorg. Dog, hyena, goat, vulture, and bull hybrids take over the complex.
2,000 YA
4. During the Hepatizon Interregnum (between Age of Copper and Age of Bronze), the rising native human House of Dezhen-El puts the Beast Men to the sword, reconsecrating all statues to the Urig gods (human heads replaced). They never accept Mitra. Eventually they repurpose the area 40 crypts for their own dead.
900 YA
Replacement for the giant gnome: Alemayehu the giant dwarf outcast from the Alimazi clan, improves the underground but is cheated of her pay and murdered by Katarzya Dezhen-El on her own bridge, bones floated downstream. Her ghost will only rest when her clan is paid 1000 gp from the looted riches of Dezhen-El; as architect of most of the complex's secret doors, knows their location, and specifically the tombs of area 40.
600 YA
5. Worship of the Dead, both the superficial Nergal-Ereshkigal cult and the gnosis of the true Death, level 3a and 1, rediscovery of the necromantic texts Papyri of Khepri, which is now stored in the tomb area (40) from which they made the Guardian and Throne, and the Regrets of Urrummittu, now in level 3a.
300 YA
6. Anathema and destruction of the Upper Palace, earthquake seals the destruction.
10 YA
7. Present day: Death cult revival by men of Gheenatru, level 1, rebuilt over earthquake. They never found the chapel area or the lower crypts and temple and are stopped in their understanding at the worship of the demon-god Nergal.
1 YA
8. Present day: The caverns, except for the necromantic area and hidden areas, are taken over by two allied factions: the Boss (Bosmaritus), minotaur gladiator who built an empire in Tjehenu and leads an army of gnolls, Dog Brothers and harpies, and Gruk, dry Khilan shaman building a lake of electric sand to the northwest of the palace while seeking the secrets of the lost Saurian race.
Electric sand? Yes, also known as dehydrated water. More on that elsewhere.
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