Dwarven Ruins

Remnants of a civilization long since passed, dwarven ruins lay scattered across Vestria.
Points of interest for scholars as well as those seeking to explore their depths for coin, ruins stand as mysterious as they are dangerous.

Purpose / Function

The purpose of a given ruin is often debated and studied.
Due to differences in culture as well as era, it can often be difficult to determine what might have been a relatively simple storehouse or dwelling and what once was a cache or guarded library.
Such ambiguity is a major contributer as to why such sites are of high interest to archeologists and scholars.

Alterations

Some ruins have been reclaimed and renovated to suit modern needs. It is rumored that the Kingdom of Roldara's capital was originally built as a Dwarven stronghold only to fall into Human hands when the former fell from their prosperity.

Architecture

As dwarven constructions, most ruins have weathered the passage of time remarkably well. Often made nearly entire of stone, divers often liken sites they've explored to crypts.

Defenses

If their secrecy alone did not earn the Dwarves their reputation as a paranoid and cautious people, their apparent love of laying traps in their ruins more than accomplishes the feat.
Rarely has a Dwarven ruin been found that did not have at least one trap of some sort laying in wait for some unexpecting victim.
What devices await within the ruins vary, some seemingly constrained by the space available while others take advantage of the surrounding environment.
Example of such traps include:

Traps	Description
Mud Pools	A chamber's floor is covered with murky, muddy, shin-deep water hiding gaps and snares beneath the muck.
Spike Pits	Beneath concealed trapdoors, pits filled with spikes designed to impale victims.
Swinging Blades	Hidden within crevases in the walls and ceiling of the ruin are single-use mechanisms that swing a blade or hammer when triggered by a tripwire.
Fire Traps	Glass/ceramic containers holding volitle compounds set to break/explode when triggered.
'Watch Your Head'	Horizontal swinging beam or hammer at approxiamtely head-height for the average human.

Type

Ruins