The ruins of Kaz Dhozgul
Where great evil now lurks underground...
The ruins of Kas Dhozgul (also known as the Black Fortress of Kas Dhozgul) was originally a large citadel Keep that went by the name of Yielden Keep. Yielden Keep was the Capital of the prosperous Kingdom of Lador before its fall during the First Great War. The Keep was a creation born from the alliance of Humans and Elves and was intended to be a monument to peace and beauty but also strength.
Yielden Keep would eventually be Conquored by evil forces and renamed Kas Dhozgul. The conquered fortress is infamous for being the main staging point for the campaign against all life in the world...
Purpose / Function
Yielden Keep was once the capital of the old Kingdom of Lador and home to the first alliance of Men and Elves. Its central tower standing tall, keeping watch of the land around it and the seas. The keep was built to protect the kingdoms people and resources and to further strengthen the bond between the Kingdom of Lador and the Elven Kingdom of Theilon. Built with both Human and Elven techniques, it was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress and beacon of prosperity.
After the fall of Yielden Keep and the Kingdom of Lador itself, in 2578, the Grim Order of Kala used the fortress for their own in their campaign against the world during the First Great War. The ruined walls and towers refortified and large foundries put back to work, making weapons and armour for its armies, until the Order of Kala was pushed back at the end of the war.
The black fortress of Kas Dhozgul, as it was known afterwards, was the lair to the remnants of the Grim Order of Kala. The tunnels beneath the fortress are home to the Orcish clans and goblin hordes who thrashed and clashed with one another as they grew in strength and numbers. The fortress was shrouded in dark magic, attracting all manner of monsters and spirits. It seemed evil itself was drawn to the Ruined tower that stood at the centre.
During the Second Great War, The Black Fortress of Kas Dhozgul was, once again, used as the base of operations for the Order of Kala and its leader. Sending out legions of orcs and beasts in the attempt to drown out good. Kas Dhozgul would also be where the Order made their last stand towards the end of the war.
Since then, the Black Fortress has been reduced to rubble and its vast tunnels collapsed and buried. While still home to Orcs and goblins, the destruction of Kas Dhozgul has left them divided, never again to rally under one sinister leader.
Alterations
During the golden age of Lador, a year after the completion of the Keep, The Dwarven king of Thindolir gifted the king and queen of Lador the large foundries, laid down by an army of dwarven builders which furthered the kingdom's prosperity.
A large number of fortifications were destroyed during the fall of Lador and crudely refortified with orcish engineering. Fire and dark magic scorched the walls and towers of Yielden Keep, burning deep into the stone which caused the dark, soot colour that gave it the new name of "The Black Fortress".
A chaotic maze of tunnels were mined out under the keep, connecting with vast tunnel systems under the Forbidden Badlands. The tunnels, caves, and casms are used to great effect by the Orc clans and Goblin hordes. Intricate underground settlements of brutality were carved into the tunnels below.
Towards the end of the Second Great War, the Fortress went under siege. Its tall central tower collapsed and fell, crushing a large section of the keep and collapsing the tunnels under Kas Dhozgul. The ruins of the Black Fortress remain today, only half of the tower still standing.
Architecture
Yielden Keep was a marriage of Human and Elven architecture. Entirely made of smooth stone and whitewashed with lime.
The keep consisted of a star shaped fortress wall surrounding the keep with a second circular ring wall behind it. This offered two layers of protection. The Keep itself stood at the centre, A large base with a tower which stood tall over the land. The exterior walls of the tower had intricate carvings, pillars and arches.
Attached to the Keep was a large Dwarven foundry, built by the Dwarves of Thindolir as a gift to the King and Queen of Lador.
History
The alliance between the Kingdom of Lador and the Kingdom of Theilon began with the love and subsequent marriage of Prince Avon of Lador and Princess Lierin of Theilon. The marriage and the alliance that followed gave birth to an unprecedented era of prosperity for the people of Ladon. And, thus, the golden age of Ladon began.
Ten years after their marriage, the old king of Lador passed away from illness. Prince Avon ascended to the throne as the new King of Lador with Lierin as his queen, making her the first Elven queen of a Human kingdom.
In celebration of the alliance that has resulted in a decade of prosperity, the King ordered the design and construction of a strong and beautiful Keep of Human and Elven design. Built of the grassy plains of the kingdom and close to the coast to look over the ocean, The Keep would stand as a monument to Ladon's continued prosperity. Not long before its completion, great news would reach the King. Queen Lierin was pregnant and would later give birth to a baby boy at the top of the tall central tower. The boy, a half elf, would be called Yielden.
Overcome with joy, the King would later name the Keep after his son and make it the capital of Ladon. He declared that all the future Kings and Queens of Ladon, along with their heirs, would forever call Yielden Keep their home.
News of Prince's birth would spread far and wide. The news eventually reaching the great halls of Thindolir receiving attention from the Dwarf king, Foril, who was close friends with King Avon. King Foril would send a large workforce of his best builders to congratulate the Royal Family of Lador and build for them a massive Dwarven foundry for which they can produce massive quantities of quality equipment for their people. A kingly give which King Avon happily accepted.
Yielden Keep along with the Kingdom of Lador would remain prosperous and highly influential for over a decade. Then came the great war.
To this day, no one really knows where the Grim Order of Kala amassed its forces. They came from underground, vast legions of orcs and goblins. All manner of creatures took advantage of the chaos to terrorize, unchecked by any authority. The Kingdom of Lador was the first target of evil. One by one each villiage, town and great city quickly fell in rapid succession until only Yielden Keep was all that remained of the once great kingdom. The few survivors became refugees and fled to the Keep for Protection. For months the great walls and fortifications of Yielden Keep held strong against the legion and kept the evil at bay while the people of Lador desperately waited for help to arrive from their allies. But it would not last forever.
The dark Lord Nal'loth, Leader of the Grim Order of Kala, unleashed a wyvern upon the Keep. The already dwindling army protecting the keep were kept distracted by the largest siege of orcs. By the time they realized, it was too late. The wyvern swept across the walls and streets of Yielden Keep, scorching everything and everyone who stood beneath the beast as it flew overhead. Making no distinction between guard and peasant. The explosive fire of the beast weakened the defences to a critical extent.
Finally, the wyvern was slain. Lord Edwin, leader of the guard, Commanded the last surviving ballista and fired upon the beast. His keen eye and control resulting in a perfect shot, hitting the wyvern in the chest under its wing before its flame could reach the emplacement, killing Lord Edwin along with the operators of the ballista.
Despite the death of the wyvern, it was too late for Yielden Keep. Burnt and its walls damaged beyond repair, the legions of orcs were easily able to overcome the broken defences. Storming the streets and massacring its people. The king and his royal guard protected the tower while his Queen and son made their escape.
The Queen and her son made their way to the entrance of the Towers exit tunnel before getting cut off from their escape. Queen Lierin, in defence of her fifteen year old son, took up her sword in a desperate attempt to fight off the orcs, ordering her son to flee. She sliced away at the foul soldiers of chaos until she was struck down by a ghoul that was let loose in the tower, becoming food for the horrid creature.
The King and the remaining royal guard retreated into the tower and began to move up to the top floor. One by one, the guard were slain until only King Avon remained. Yielden Keep was conquered, the Orc legion general already at the top of the tower by the time the King reached it. Yielden, the prince, was in the Orc's clutches for he was unable to escape in time. It was there the line of kings ended for Lador. The Orc general slayed the King's son, stabbing him in the neck. And the King, himself, was beheaded shortly afterwards.
The Kingdom of Lador fell. Yielden Keep, scorched beyond recognition, became the Black Fortress of Kas Dhozgul. Under the command of the dark lord Nal'loth, the fortress' ruined walls and bastions were rebuilt. Crude orcish structures replaced the elegant buildings and defences. The sturdy Dwarven Foundry was swiftly put to use, creating a ludicrous supply of weapons and armour for the dark armies. The Black Fortress remained the main base for the Grim Order of Kala until the end of the First Great War when Lord Nal'loth was defeated and the remains of the fowl armies were pushed back. Grassy Plains of Lador were scorched and turned to wasteland and the land was renamed the Forbidden Badlands. A vast network of tunnels and caves were carved out underground during the war and it was there the orc legions, no more than small clans now, hid and festered.
Millenia later, the Black Fortress would, once again, be used as the staging ground for the Second Great War. The Spirit of Nal'loth remained and created himself a new body from flesh and steel. The fires of the foundery would once again be lit and the drums of war could be heard throughout the land. For the next couple of years, Kas Dhozgul would be the main base for the new Grim Order of Kala until Lord Nal'loth would be slain for good and his armies annihilated. The Black fortress would suffer a massive siege that would see the destruction of the Keep. The collapsing tower ruined the ground under it, causing earthquakes that buried most of the orcish tunnels. The orcs and Goblins would be left divided amongst themselves.
And thus the tragedy of Yielden Keep came to an end.
RUINED STRUCTURE
10th November 2056 (2A)
10th November 2056 (2A)
Founding Date
8th May 2563 (1A)
Alternative Names
The black fortress, Yielden keep
Type
Fortress
Parent Location
Characters in Location
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