Durgam's Folly

Ancient Fort Where Gnome Technology Was Found

General Summary

Durgam's Folly has long stood guard on the frontier between civilized lands and the chaotic wilderness. Originally founded ages ago by the famous military captain Durgam Volmsmer, the fortress was disdained by many who said it would never stand, that it would quickly succumb to the evil creatures of the surrounding wilds. Though the fortress was a constant target of orc and goblin attacks, with each successive victory the forces of man drove the encroaching humanoids farther and farther into the wilderness. It is now said that Durgam's Folly is unconquerable, proof against any external threat.
Unfortunately while the fort has repulsed all attackers, it is not, as its guardians recently found out, immune to internal treachery.
Theodocious the Forger was a powerful wizard, known for his unmatched skill in creating and devising new magical items. Not only was his workmanship unparalleled, but his ingenious application of magical principles in creating new items earned him an important position in the royal court, that of chief artificer. Theodocious had been charged by the king to devise innovative magical defenses for the kingdom. To this end, Theodocious set up a magical workshop at Durgam's Folly, both to escape the prying eyes of the kingdom's rivals and to work in an environment Where he could gain a firsthand glimpse into the workings and needs of the king's army.
Soon after arriving at Durgam's Folly, Theodocious hit upon a brilliant scheme. While golems are powerful, the cost and work needed to build them make fielding the constructs in an army prohibitive. Instead, Theodocious went to work on building a new type of golem, the clockwork colony. This magical construct is made up of a horde of tiny golems. Individually, these golems are hardly more powerful than a bug. When working together, however, the golems can combine to form powerful fighting units. Furthermore, the golems are adaptable, capable of modifying their colony unit to react and adjust to changing conditions. Each clockwork colony is guided by a single communal intelligence centered on a brain gear that receives orders from a human master and directs the colony accordingly.
Theodocious's creation was a success. Unfortunately, it proved too successful. Soon after the wizard created his first clockwork colony, the brain gear achieved self-awareness. Following up on the military doctrine and tactical guidelines dictated to it, the colony overwhelmed the fort's garrison while it slept, taking many soldiers prisoner, including Theodocious. The colony then claimed the fortress as its lair.
Little did Theodocious know that deep within the crypts beneath Durgam's Folly there lurked an ancient evil. Years ago. the original builders of Durgam's Folly chose the fort's site because of the ruined structure that stood there, giving them a head start on construction and providing them with at least some fortification to rely on as they worked to raise the fort. The builders never suspected that the ruins were once a temple dedicated to dark and blasphemous gods. As Theodocious used his magic to expand the cellars where he pursued his research beneath the fort, he eventually opened up a passage to the long-sealed inner sanctum of the dark temple. It was at this time that the brain gear, influenced by the sudden influx of dark magic, achieved sentience.
While traveling the borderlands a party of adventurers happened upon Theodocious' apprentice who was heading towards the fort with supplies. The party assisted the apprentice and her retinue defend against an ogre attack. Afterward they all traveled to the fort only to find it had been overrun with more ogres. The adventurers offered to help rid the fort of it's current occupiers. After several attempts they were able to clear out the fort.
When they searched the lower levels for survivors they found it littered with clockwork horrors, mechanical golems fused with the bodies and souls of Theodocious and the soldiers who occupied the fort when the ogres arrived. Theodocious, now a sad thing barely recognizable in his new twisted form, begged for an end to his pain and was given his request. The adventurers then found the brain gear and destroyed it, stopping the spread of more mechanical nightmares.
Among Theodocious' notes two books were found. One was a book of gnomish construct creation named the Mechanicus Anima, the other was a magical book of children's stories called the Tome of Tales. The party returned the Mechanicus Anima to the apprentice and kept the Tome of Tales. It is unknown what became of the former. Durgam's Folly has remained closed to outsiders for many years, guards from Hammersfiel now populate the fort. Whether or not the apprentice continued the same work as Theodocious remains to be seen.