Skrellingshald

Once known as Tostenhca, the ruined city of Skrellingshald looms high in the Griff Mountains, its flattened peak crowned with towering pyramids and noble structures carved from the mountain's greenish-black stone.

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Ancient Flan legends tell of a great civilization that thrived here, a people skilled in jade craftsmanship and goldwork, their roads and tunnels stretching across the mountains. Yet, Skrellingshald is no lost paradise—it is a place of doom and horror, cursed by the wrath of the exiled wizard Keraptis, and now home to cunning kobolds, diabolic entities, and vengeful stone guardians.

A Legacy of Tyranny and Betrayal

Over two millennia ago (-1400 CY), the Flan city of Tostenhca prospered under the rule of its so-called protector, the wizard Keraptis. He kept monstrous depredations at bay, but his protection came at a steep price—crushing taxes and unyielding obedience. Over time, as dissent was stamped out, his demands became more sinister. By -1100 CY, he imposed his most heinous decree: a third of all newborn children were to be surrendered to him. The people, led by the high priest Gethrun Shoiraine and his ranger allies, rose in rebellion, storming Keraptis’ keep and driving him into exile.

But Keraptis’ vengeance would come centuries later. Around -800 CY, he unearthed the mysterious Null Enigma beneath White Plume Mountain. Using its fell power, he unleashed a terrible curse upon Tostenhca, wiping out its people in a single night. The once-great city was abandoned, its name lost to history, save for legends of a city roofed in gold hidden deep in the Griffs.

A City of Death and Cursed Gold

Skrellingshald is a place of eerie preservation—its murals remain vividly painted, its towering statues of Flan rulers stand unweathered by time, and its streets remain eerily intact. Yet, few who enter ever return. Those who do speak of malicious kobold warlocks, diabolic sentinels, and stone golems that awaken to crush intruders. The tunnels beneath the city, once leading to terraced farmlands, now echo with the howls of restless dead and demonic laughter.

Among the few treasures recovered from Skrellingshald are jade artifacts, green ceramic idols, and the infamous golden spheres—each the size of a man's double fist. These golden orbs, believed to be remnants of the city's wealth, are said to bring a horrific wasting curse upon those who take them. Many whisper that the Great Kingdom’s coinage still carries this deadly taint, a plague unleashed upon the realm by a single act of greed.

Hradji Beartooth and the Return of the Curse

In 520 CY, the Frost Barbarian chieftain Hradji Beartooth led an expedition in search of the lost city. He returned months later, his ranks thinned, his silence unsettling, but his hoard filled with the golden spheres of Skrellingshald. Within a year, Hradji and his men were dead, their bodies wasting away from an incurable rot. Worse still, anyone who had prolonged contact with the gold suffered the same fate. Hradji’s heir, desperate to be rid of the cursed wealth, sold it to merchants in the Great Kingdom, spreading the malady further. To this day, it is whispered that some of the empire’s oldest coins still carry the affliction.

A Fortress of Ice and Blood

Skrellingshald is more than a haunted ruin—it is a fortress. Its current masters are the kobold clans, ruled by a chieftain allied with devils. This warlord wields a medallion allowing him to summon an ice devil once per year, provided an intelligent sacrifice is offered. His forces include shamans, witch-doctors, and undead servitors, alongside the stone golems left by the Flan.

The city itself is nearly unreachable, surrounded by deep gorges, high cliffs, and freezing winds. Even skilled mountaineers struggle with the thin air and bone-chilling cold. The roads built by Tostenhca’s ancient architects are still used by the dwarves of the Griffs, but if they know the true location of the city, they do not speak of it.

A Land of Peril and Riches

Few who seek Skrellingshald ever return, and fewer still leave unscathed. The city offers immense wealth, but at the risk of death, madness, or eternal damnation. The jade treasures, the cursed gold, and the secrets of the Null Enigma remain buried within its black-stoned walls, waiting for the next foolhardy adventurer to claim them.

Will you be the one to unlock the secrets of Skrellingshald… or will your bones join the countless others lost to its curse?