Darkhold
BASIC HISTORY:
The keep was constructed by elementals working for a Netherese wizard who used Giants to guard the keep. As time passed and the wizard became a lich he passed into obscurity in his personal stronghold that he dug deep within the citadel. The Giants assumed that thier old master was dead or gone and carried on until they met thier end. Since then, various occupants have set up shop in the citadel. Most have not discovered the deep and secret ways into the liches doom and as a result he has been mostly forgotten. On rare occasions he has been discovered. Once by a druid and another spellcaster he has brought into his service.
3 Structural layers:
Citadel Layer -> Hidden Lich Lair
Escape Tunnels and Storage Cairns
ACCURATE TIME LINE- (numbered by event, DR Given when able)
(1)Sometime between DR -460 and -340 Netherese wizard creates darkhold using the labor of fire elementals as a citadel to guard the entrance to his own stronghold.
(2)The wizard occupies the citadel with this (Fire?)giant servants and retreats to magical study in his stronghold deep within his new stronghold.
(3)The Giants hear less and less of the wizard, and eventually the wizard becomes a legend among the giants that claim rule over the surrounding lands. It is durring this time that the wizard achieves lichdom.
(4)Halflings from the nearby settlement of Hill's Edge attack the keep and are soundly defeated by the giants.
(5)Internal strife destroys the family of giants that had developed over the generations. The Keep is abandoned.
(6)A dragon moves into the keep.
(7)The dragon is killed by a dwarven hero andagain passes into obscurity.
(8)A band of wild men and a druid move into the keep. Up until this time it is known as The Far Hills Keep. The keep now becomes known as The Wild Keep. The druid becomes curious with things below the keep and secretly begins to explore the depths.
(9)The leader of the wildmen is killed with most of his men. The druid disappears soon after.
DR 1090 The Battle of the Bones. Varalla arrives at The Battle of the Bones soon after.
In this time the Keep becomes known as Sunset Keep.
DR 1190 The next ruler of the keep, a necromancer named Varalla who spent most of her natural life exploring necromancy in the Battle of the Bones discovers the lich below and becomes his disciple, eventually achieving lichdom herself. Durring this time she directs the activities of a bandit lord and his men who she hired into service as guard and suppliers as she makes the transition to undead.
DR 1312 The Zhentarim learns of this lichqueen's magical research (under the direction of the lich below of course) and arrives to take the keep and learn her secrets.
THE NOT SO ACCURATE HISTORY OF THE KEEP:
[Commentary by Trismegistus, the sage of the Grey Manor of Waterdeep]
In the Far Hills, in the heart of the Heartlands, there looms a castle of immense proportion. Its walls are streaked red by the rusting iron bars upan the windows; its chimneys spew forth a smoke as foul as the men who call the place home. This is Darkhold, base of the evil Zhentarim. [Quite a flowery description... not like the writer has biases against the Zhentarim]
The solemn towers of Darkhold have only recently become one of the Zhentarim's main bases. Like most ancient structures in the Realms, the castle has passed through the hands of numerous masters since its construction. To relate the tale of every master would reqire an entire volume. These pages, therefore, provides only the "high points" in Darkhold's history.
[I do detest shoddy history such as this! Would it have been so much of a task to create a comprehensive work? Indeed a true scholar would. I advise the gentle reader now that this simple history was probably written by some no name hack Bard that tacked togeather whatever story he heard about the Keep into this abominable piece.]
According to legend, Darkhold's story began more then a millennium ago, when it was knon as the Keep of the Far Hills. [Well he got that part right] It was built as a summer capitol for the "Gaint Empires" ( empirers run by giants ). [BALDERDASH! This is utter nonsense. Every good scholar knows that the Empires ruled by giants existed more than 20,000 years ago! Long before the rise of Ntheril (the true creators) and long before this Keep appeared. The Keep dates to the last centuries of Netheril. One only needs study the architechture. The style of the keep is a common one from that period.] Most current scoholars agree [We do nothing of the sort.] that the rulers of those empires were nothing more than bandit kings, whose control was as long as their reach. ( of course, as giants, they had a longer reach than most other bandits.) Situated in the Far Hills, the castle was in a position to dominate trade down the Yellow Snake Gorge. [This last sentence is the only truth that has been written in this entire paragraph!]
The role of the so-called "Gaint Emperors" is still a matter of conjecture and discussion today. [It is fairly settled that there was no Empire run by Giants in the two mellinia before or after DR0. I wish people would learn thier history before trying to write it!] However, there are some, scattered among the gaint tribes of the North, who claim to be heirs to the ancient thrones. [They claim to be heirs to pretty much anything...what else is new] Whatever the truth of the empires may be, the castle itself was definitely built for giant races. Its size and construction support no other explanation. [Idiot. There is a perfectly good explanation. What follows is the true story of the construction of the keep. Indeed Elminster himself will agree to THIS account (like me, he was there for most of it): The keep today known as The Darkhold was crafted by fire elmentals commanded by a Wizard from Netheril sometime between the year DR -460 and -340. The Wizard designed it to be his stronghold, not a summer Capitol for Giants as the author of this piece would have you believe. (as an aside I have seen this habit with several humans exploring old ruins. I once saw what I would consider a capable man claim that the remainsof the room he stood in was the "The Great Hall" of the keep. In fact he was standing in the kitchen. A good kitchen it was too as I rmember it fondly... The great hall was upstairs and since the floors and interior walls of the upper rooms were made of wood the "Great Hall" had long since fallen into the first floor. But I digress... The structure of the keep betrays it as an isolated fortification, not a place to run a kingdom durring the summer months. What bandit has a summer home (even if he is a giant)?! The stone used for construction material came from another plane and were fused together by the elementals into one solid piece. I would not dismiss that there is some connection to the elemental plane of fire somewhere in the strongholds depths. The keep was staffed by giants (posibly of the fire variety) and thus it was sized to fit them (and most other giants) with 20ft wide corridors and doors ten feet wide and twenty-two feet high.]
The keep was originally unguarded. [This is again more idiocity. The keep portion of the stronghold was a guardpost staffed by giants, hence the size.] With no wall to stop them, the reblious Far Hills halfling tribes attempted to besiege the castle. The giants repelled the diminutive barbarians, but found their inital construction laking. As a result, they added the Massive keep wall, deepened the moat, and installed the gate and drawbridge. [I doubt that the writer of this work has ever even been to Darkhold. For one, there is no "wall" except the ones on the actual keep. These have always been there since the keep construction. Secondly there is no moat, and there never was, and looking at the construction of the place on its high rocky spur of the Grey Watcher, it is a safe bet to say there never will be one. However he is right that there was an attack of halfling barbarians on the keep in the days after Netheril. By this time the Wizard had retreated deep into his stronghold and was rarely if ever seen, and the giants soon forgot that they were the servants and began to act like the masters. This probably is what gave rise to the mistake that this writer made assuming this was the Giant Empire.]
In the end, the giants' castle fell to internal strife as opposed to outward armies. The legends say that a pair of brothers-princes of the local lord quarreled over their inheritance. Though poison, magic, and mercenaries, the brothers thinned the castle's population (including their father). In time, only the brothers themselves were left. The two fought and mortally wounded each other. According to legend, each dragged himself off to die alone, in a hiding place concealed in the castle walls. The brothers' spirits are still said to stalk the castle. Even seeks the other's destruction. [Everything but the part about the spirits is as it happened, as I clearly remember this conflict threatening to cause damage in the surrounding lands.]
The giant's keep was abandoned by all. With the toppling of the last giant emperor[Sic.], the keep became an empty shell. Human and elvish adventurers looted whatever treasures remaind. [Well most of this is true, I am sure that the wizard was still rummageing around in there somewhere.]
Over the next few centuries, the castle saw a variety of owners. Not all of them were human. For a time, Darkhold's courtyard became the home of the dragon Cryomantipelica. The central hall became the creature's lair. The dragon remaind in residence untill it was slain by the dwarven hero Harristor Thunderswing. [True, as a certain mage talked Harrister into it... we all have those we would prefer to not be around... or have around.]
Castle Darkhold later was known as the "Wild Hold." It served as the base of the hero Brundar Tigerbane and his adventuring company, the Wildmen of the North. It was under Brundar's rule that the outbuildings beyond the keep wall [What outbuildings?!] and the outer permeter wall were built. [I know not of the castle of which he speaks! Surely it is not Darkhold. Remember folks, when writing history, check your sources!] The thick pine forest at the base was planted by Brundar's advisor, the druid Callidox. [True] It is said that Callidox engaged in additional, unauthorized diggings deep beneath the castle. [Indeed he did] But this kind of story revolves around every castle built in the Realms-i.e.,that below the castle are myraid secret passages and rooms.
Brundar died in combat, along with most of his Wildmen. Callidox disapeared shortly thereafter, never to be seen again by mortal men. The major trade routes passed to the south of the Far Hills, and the castle was abandoned once more. Once again, dark things began to make their lair in the fortress. [Dark things attract dark things and train them in new ways.]
It was within living memory that the castle came to be called Darkhold. [Duh.] The name arose from the rule of a lichqueen, Varalla, who brought all manner of dark monsters and creations to the fortress. [A nasty habit of Liches.]
Varalla's own past is shadowy. According to some, [This version is wrong.] she was present at the battle of the Bones [Not at the battle per se, but she did live at the battle site for some time studying necromancy...], where she was buried "alive" by the other dead. [Sheer nonsense.] She spent nearly a century digging her way out [If you believe this I have a wizards tower in Shadowdale to sell you... however she did spend about a century there doing research], and then came to Sunset Keep (as darkhold was called then). Within the year, she had conquered the lesser monsters within, killing all who refused to follow her. [A group of bandits followed her into undeath when she became a lich after learning the secret from the wizard who built the blasted place.] With Varalla as leader, the keep gained a dark reputation and became known as "the Darkhold" or simply "Darkhold."
Under Varalla's reign, Darkhold soon was filled with undead minions and dark magic. [really? As if she brought it there.] Reputedly, Varalla herself was still preoccupied with spell research and new magic. [As most wizards would be who have a Netherese Wizard as a mentor] Legends spread as to the wonders she had discovered within the old walls.
These legends brought the attention of the Zhentarim, also known as the Black Network. The Zhentarim's star was already on the rise in the Moonsea area, and they were seeking to expand their influence westward. Varalla had already destroyed several parties of explorers and adventurers (good and Evil) [Some sent by the Zhents themselves.] who had challenged her in her lair. The Black Network chose to lay siege to Darkhold, taking the castle fully force of arms. [Notice how he gets more correct as he gets closer to the present day? Legends are not truth, they simply hold tiny bits of it.]
By the time, Brundar's outer walls were in serious disrepair. [Indeed they were non existant!] Lead by Lord Manshoon of Zhentil Keep (a member of the Inner Ring of Power), the Zhentarim's forces easily bypassed the decaying walls. [Again, there were no walls such as this.] Their forces consisted of goblin recruits, Zhentil Keep militia, and some highly trained mercenaries who were woefully misinformed about the opponent's true nature. After a hard-fought battle in the halls of the Keep itself [Where else would it be?] (in which most of the goblinoids and mercenariees perished), Fzoul Chembrl killed Varalla with a mace of disruption. (Fzoul, a 13th level priest, also belongs to the powerful Innre Ring.)
Since that battle, the Black Network has used Darkhold as a base, taking advantage of its remote location as a secure postion for planning, experimentation, and holding of prisoners. Drakhold has an important advantage over zhentil Keep: it lacks a nearby town or city, which could serve as cover for infiltratrators (as well as provide a population that must be protected). On the other hand, this remoteness means the Keep requires constant supply, either from local sources, or by supply trains which thread thier way south from Zhentil Keep.
The Black Network has restored the Keep itself to livable status. They have also rebuilt the parimeter wall to repel anticipated attackers. [An amazing task considering there is no wall to repair.] Zhentarim leaders assume the Darkhold will provide a refuge if their fortunes ever turn sour on the Moonsea. The castle is also ment to serve as a base of operations from which the Zhentarim can harass and attempt to control trade between the Inner Sea Lands and the Sword Coast. [Well there you have it, the truth about Darkhold.]
THE CURRENT HAPPENINGS AT THE KEEP-
Intrigue - The leaders of darkhold are plotting against each other, however they are cautious when it comes to making a final strike as weakness may cause the Baneite Zhents of Zhentil keep to strike the largely Cyricist Zhents of Darkhold.
Surveilence - The leaders of darkhold are trying to learn everything they can about the shadowvar. They have sent agents far and wide to learn as much as they can, agents return and leave daily, some are reported missing, and reports arrive by other methods all the time.
Unsettled horrors - The Zhents have never really taken the time to fully explore Darkhold. And in truth, few of the Zhent higher ups have a good understanding of its true nature (The leaders Manshoon, Smemmnon and Fzoul undoutedly do, but not the current commanders though they probably have a suspicion. In fact, no one can find Smemmnon and he was in charge of Darkhold the longest.) Certain stranger corridors are kept under close guard as these have been sites of disappearances and odd events.
SUGGESTIONS FOR USE:
(I would say that the Zhents only control about 20% of Darkhold proper. The other 80% is whatever the DM can come up with to house ancient magic created by a powerful wizard who may now very well be a demilich. Consider making the other 80% superdimensional. This allows for lots of room to do all sorts of strange things. The limit here is your imagination.)
There are several historical layers to work with here. Have each inhabitant leave somthing to color the citadel. This can even work in the lich part as the lich may have taken whathe needed when he needed it. Dragon eggs experimented on, A druidic grove in the caves below, necromantic magics, natural magics, Fire Giant weapon caches etc...
Enjoy.
