Tharkgun Dhak

An ogre tribe twenty-five strong has found a way to live beneath the notice of Tharkgun Dhak’s undead guardians. However, their self-styled rule over the ruined citadel (and their relations with the emissaries of Khyber beneath it) have not gone unnoticed.

Ogres: The primary residents of the ruins of Tharkgun Dhak are a tribe of ogres led by a cunning thinker (in ogre terms, at least) named Khort (NE male ogre rogue 5). When the ogres first discovered the ruin, the guardian skeletons slew several of the tribe’s best warriors, including its then-chieftain. Khort noticed that the skeletons avoided him and two other ogres from the scouting party, though, and deduced that the guardians had been ordered to attack those whose uniform color did not match their own. By convincing the remainder of his tribe to trust him and approach again (this time with everyone wearing garments hastily dyed blue), Khort was able to secure the ruins. Claiming the title of chieftain, he has been using Tharkgun Dhak as a secure base to fulfill his own agenda ever since.

Khort has dreams of achieving great personal power, and he sees the remnants of giant civilization as the key to that dream. He was disappointed to find so few giant artifacts in the handful of structures still standing in Tharkgun Dhak, but has a strong feeling that the ruins that fell into Khyber will hold more valuable lore. His alliance with a trio of dolgaunts who dwell in the depths of the rift is built around the idea that if they come to view Khort as a trusted ally, he will someday be allowed to investigate the giant ruins below the surface. Until then, he is happy to make money off the loathsome creatures and live in relative safety.

More and more often, Khort’s ogres are not returning from their dragonshard gathering. When their corpses are found, they often bear signs of poisoning. Khort suspects the drow, but cannot find any other trace of their presence.

Dolgaunts: Three dolgaunt monks (see page 281 of the EBERRON Campaign Setting) regularly make the climb from Khyber to Tharkgun Dhak, ferrying money and other trinkets to the ogres in exchange for the valuable Siberys dragonshards Khort’s tribe collects. No one knows what dark purpose the creatures’ masters have in store for the dragonshards, but no matter how many the ogres collect, the dolgaunts demand more.

The dolgaunts find it easier to pay the ogres’ relatively insignificant fees than to dredge a few dozen dolgrims to the surface in order to search for shards on their own. The ability of the ogres to operate under the seeming protection of the ancient giant skeletons also guarantees the monks a steady supply of Siberys dragon shards with minimal interference from the drow.

Sara’tyia: This lone forest giant (see page 110 of Monster Manual II) does not live in Tharkgun Dhak at all, but her interest in the area is strong. She is a preservationist of giant culture, interested in learning the secrets of her ancestors and keeping them out of the hands of lesser races. Nothing would make her happier than seizing Tharkgun Dhak herself, but she has not yet figured out a means of safely passing the undead sentries.

Sara’tyia has attempted to enter the fortress twice, and been forced to flee both times. She would prefer not to have to destroy the skeletons because they are a direct link to the giant nations of old, but is becoming increasingly aware that she may have no other option. While she racks her brain to figure out how a group of lowly ogres have managed to pass when she, a true giant, cannot, she satisfies herself with ambushing groups of ogres—using her poisoned arrows against those who venture into the jungle in search of dragonshards.

In places where they rise above the rift, the remains of Tharkgun Dhak feature construction typical of many of Xen’drik’s giant ruins.

1. Stairs: Partially broken stairs rise 40 feet to the ruin’s main archway and the raised floor of the stronghold beyond. Built to accommodate Huge giants, each step is 4 feet tall. Any creature smaller than Medium must make a DC 10 Climb check to scale the stairs.
   
   At the top of the stairs, massive columns stand before a stone wall with six evenly spaced niches. Five of these niches contain Tharkgun Dhak’s undead guardians—an armored stone giant skeleton from ages past. Each is clad in plate armor and rotted blue tabards and wields a halberd.
   
   Whether these skeletons were used as undead sentries during the Age of Giants or were cursed with undeath as a result of the cataclysm that broke the fortress is unclear. What is known is that the skeletons follow a very specific set of instructions. They only allow giants (including ogres) who are wearing the color blue to pass freely up the stairs and into the fortress. Blue was presumably the color of the uniforms of their ancient nation, and even today, creatures dressed in any other color who proceed to the top step of the ruin will be attacked.
2. Ogre Camp: The ogres who live in Tharkgun Dhak have established their camp here—a village of seven huts put together using wood and vines from the jungle. Though they rely on the proximity of the giant skeletons for protection, they are careful to set their own watch as well. More than once, a band of hostile drow have slipped into their camp from the north and wreaked havoc. The ogres will generally ignore any sounds of battle from the stairs, confident that the skeletons can handle any intruders. However, if the fight continues for more than a minute or so, a few will cautiously approach the archway to see what creatures are besting their undead allies.
   
   The camp contains twenty-two ogres and two 4thlevel ogre barbarians (see Monster Manual page 199).

1. Fortress Rooms: These sections of the fortress were once the northeast tower, but exist now only as ruin and rubble. The ogres tend to avoid this area, preferring the comfort of their own camp. A very thorough examination of the floor (Search DC 30). will reveal a long-forgotten trapdoor beneath some 2 feet of plant growth and mud. Whether the giants excavated levels beneath Tharkgun Dhak (and what secrets of the giant civilization might be found there) remains to be seen.