Raudor
Nestled in the Raurin Alta is the ancient ruin of Raudor. This ill-fated place was believed to have been built during the age of the Manetho Empire.
Raudor was once a city resting beneath a cliff at the end of a green vale. With the coming of the desert most of the city is now buried in sand or covered by rock slides from above. Buried under the sand and stone, the buildings have remained intact. Monsters and explorers have dug down to these chambers, creating a maze of ancient rooms and crude tunnels.
Raudor has been deserted for as long as man or elf can remember. No sane man visits Raudor, for the rumors of what happens there are too terrible. Mind-numbing monsters slither through dark passages, statues drive men insane with their horrid visages, gaping pits open to unfathomable depths, and the very air reeks of a putrefying stench.
Nor is Raudor rumored to be fabulously wealthy, rich with lost treasures. Those that have explored its mazelike passages (and retained their wits) have had little to show for their efforts. It is felt by most old hands in the adventuring trade that Raudor was picked over long ago.
There is, however, one group of people that do seek out Raudor. Evil wizards and priests, drawn by hints and suggestions in ancient books, have sought out Raudor. There they hoped to learn the secrets of Raudor’s innate evil or searched for hideous artifacts rumored to be hidden far beneath the surface. Raudor has been no kinder to these explorers. Many have died. Others come back mad, their minds ruined. A few have actually returned more corrupt and powerful than before their journey. Such men have risen to terrifying heights of evil, causing suffering on an untold scale. In a way they have served as inspiration for others to go and seek their destiny in the ruins.
Just what now inhabits Raudor is a mystery, one that few men wish answered. Whatever it is, it is powerful enough to twist men’s minds inside out, releasing their basest desires and passions on the world.
