1. Locations

The Karda (The Throne)

District

Population: The Karda is the home of the Flayer Guard and the Znir Pact barracks. Orcs, ogres, minotaurs, and gnolls make up the bulk of the population, while the troop of war trolls form an impressive (if small) segment of it. Aside from the soldiers, goblins and orcs can be seen performing menial tasks and civilian jobs. Foreigners are not welcome here, and few humans or other easterners are visible.

Character: For all that it can be seen as a center for trade, Graywall is a military outpost on the border of Droaam and Breland, and the Karda is the fortress at the heart of the town. High, thick walls surround the district. Foot soldiers patrol the streets, and harpies and gargoyles circle overhead. The gates are open, but the minotaur sentries question any who wish to enter, demanding to know the business that takes them to the Karda. Foreigners are treated with suspicion and might be questioned by patrols.

Inns: None.

Taverns: None.

Supplies: None.

Dragonmarked Services: Ghallanda; Jorasco; Kundarak; Orien; Phiarlan; Sivis; Tharashk.

Temples: No public temples, though there are shrines in the barracks.

Key Locations

No businesses are in the Karda. There is a grist mill for the soldiers, but no public amenities. It is a fortress, with barracks for the Flayer Guard and Znir Pact, armories, and other facilities needed to hold the citadel in the face of a siege.

The Keep: The seat of Xorchylic’s power, the Keep is the strangest building in Graywall. The mind flayer took a personal hand in its design, and its walls are whorled and rounded; at times they gleam with an iridescent sheen. Fifty elite troops are garrisoned within the tower, and it is fortified to withstand a siege. Xorchylic’s throne sits on the third floor, and he spends most of his time in this great seat, listening to the thoughts of the town and plotting an incomprehensible revenge against the lords of Xoriat.

The Last Tower: This is the courthouse of Graywall. It is also the last place many of those who come before a magistrate ever see. The tower serves both as a prison and as a center for torture. Droaamish law doesn’t believe in incarceration as a form of rehabilitation, and prisoners are only held if they are waiting for transfer, execution, or serving a sentence in the arena (which can last days or weeks). Public executions are held in the plaza, and statues are also arranged around the tower—these are victims petrified by the medusa magistrate and left as a warning to others. Typically, the justice has the right hand of a petrified victim removed, to ensure that if the victim is restored it is at least maimed.

Adventure Hooks

  • The PCs are hired to rescue a petrified victim (possibly a friend, or a spy from their nation who has learned vital information) from the courtyard of the Karda. They have to identify the target among the stone menagerie and then either remove the statue from the Karda or perform the Remove Affliction ritual in the Karda—all beneath the watchful eye of Xorchylic and his Flayer Guard!