Vault of the Forgotten

"Turn back from this place. Sorrow is all you shall find within." - A phrase wrought upon the stone entrance to the Vault, in Common

Huge thanks to Tim Warnock for the cover art!

Buried beneath the unbecoming village of Farnworth, the Vault of the Forgotten is an ancient relic from the early days of the Age of Rebirth. It was constructed by the kingdom that dominated the Ioturan Heartland even before the rise of the sorcerer-queen Agormith: the Ethorith Kingdom. When Agormith began to grow in power and subsume their control over the region, the Ethorithians hid their most powerful weapon within this hidden vault, constructed underground in the middle of nowhere. The weapon, a warhammer called Cometfall, was enchanted with unbelievable strength and blessed by Yamma himself to be used in the defense of the people of Iotura.
The Ethorithians left many arcane defense mechanisms behind should the secrecy of the vault be compromised, but time and decay has caused many of these to become weaker or defunct entirely. Of the hundreds of golems and other constructs that dot the vast complex, few remain working, but those that do are fierce in their devotion to their goal: eradicating any and all intruders. The secrets within the Vault of the Forgotten are meant to be just that, forgotten, never seen or touched again. This goal was established both in greed, as the Ethorithians sought to protect what they considered the most valuable, but also genuine concern for their people and any people who would call the Heartland their home.

The Entrance

The vault is accessed by way of a set of large stone gates, wrought from the natural stone of the cavern the entrance rests within. The cavern itself is one large, submerged lake, which the Ethorithians built a massive stone bridge over; however, with the eons passing, much of this bridge has collapsed, save for the portion directly in front of the entrance. Because of this, where this bridge led to is unclear, as the cavern is extremely large and pitch black, with many branching off cave systems to get lost within.
The gates themselves sit within a large stone gateway, carved from the cave face. This gateway has a set of four decorative stone pillars, each emblazoned with the ancient, faded heraldry of the Ethorithians carved upon their surface: a rising phoenix atop a kite shield. Carved upon each door is a warning, repeated in many languages, some still recorded, and others long lost. The warning reads as follows in Common, "Turn back from this place. Sorrow is all you shall find within."
While opening the gates is the most immediate answer to gaining entry, the method of doing so is rather difficult. The gates are locked by an arcane lock, which can be dispelled either through the use of dispel magic or accessing an arcane key: a warm blue, fist-sized gem which sits at the bottom of the lake beneath the gates. The lake is pitch-black, nearly 50 ft. deep, and inhabited by various subterranean and aquatic horrors, including a hydra which has claimed the gem as its own and nests over it. Nevertheless, should the lock be dispelled by either means, the doors then swing open, revealing the vault itself.

The Vault

Once the gates have been opened, the vault itself is laid bare. A stout complex of tall halls, gaping stone archways, and the vestiges of grandeur from a millennia-old civilization. One immediately enters into the central chamber, where there are series of libraries and smaller storages spreading out in a eight-pronged star from the center, circular clearing. These eight halls once held various treasures and vestibules of knowledge, but with time and decay many of these things have been lost, a process hurried along by the now haywire constructs which have guarded the halls.
The central clearing is an open area where the eight halls converge which is rimmed by a line of runes. Underneath the central clearing is where Cometfall is hidden. This is accessed by forcing the runes to illuminate, at which point the floor of the clearing will begin to turn to a ninety degree angle, revealing the circular stairs down to Cometfall's location. Getting the runes to do so can be achieved in a number of ways. For one, a cumulative eight spell slots can be poured into them to force them to activate. They must all be used within the same hour of each other, but do not have to be from the same caster. Alternatively, one could use the Ethurithian gem refractors at the end of every hall. Each one activated (and they do have their different means) reduces the spell slots needed by one.
Once all the runes are illuminated, Cometfall is revealed.

Arcane Armaments

The Vault of the Forgotten was once defended by a small army of arcane wards, golems, and other traps, but with each passing century these defenses have withered. From the arcane locks on the gates to the golems standing watch, the magics binding the mechanisms within the vault have faded. Now, they are but a vestige of their former strength. Only a handful of golems still stand, and even they are weakened greatly and some have even gone haywire, destroying portions of the vault before being put down by the other vigilant defenders. It is likely only by the secret location of the Vault that it has not yet been breached; however, it is just below the village of Farnworth, the crypts of which come dangerously close to the cave of the vault. It is a miracle the location of the vault wasn't revealed during their construction.

Type

Acropolis / Citadel