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For high-level play, Mordain the Fleshweaver (NE male elf transmuter 18; EBERRON Campaign Setting page 167) arrives at the Aal’drash Seals just after the PCs. Unless they are extremely stealthy, the Fleshweaver, whose tower lies just to the east, learns of the PCs’ presence. He teleports in his personal security force (3 beholders, 2 mind flayer sorcerers, and 4 umber hulks; see the Monster Manual) and assaults the party from behind. If the PCs fell half of his team, Mordain bargains. He is willing to offer up to 100,000 gp in gems, tomes, and magic in exchange for unrestricted access to the Seals.
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Ideally, the PCs are able to defeat the Cultists without breaking any of the Aal’drash seals. A Morgrave University professor may require them to make a second visit, however, after learning that the hobgoblin soul encased in Aal’drash’s rib cage is Mhashak Raal, the last known wielder of a Dhakaani artifact, the Ash Spear of Thakash Rin (EBERRON Campaign Setting page 271). The professor wants to question Raal, but a speak with dead spell does not work until Aal’drash is slain and the hobgoblin’s spirit freed.
Aal’drash was a hobgoblin prince who ruled the fertile plains of what is now northern Breland during the Age of Monsters. Not content with his kingdom of wheat, Aal’drash betrayed the Dhakaani to side with the daelkyr invaders, who promised him an empire of lamentation. He rode with his honor guard of five tentacled monstrosities, the Hand of Corruption, and slaughtered many orcs and goblins before the Gatekeepers sealed the six here in Aal’drash’s former stronghold.
Tilbor Gruun was a disgruntled ladle goblin, portioning out the molten steel in the open hearths of the Cogs under Sharn, who longed for the glory of his goblinoid heritage. One day, under a discarded foundry plate, Tilbor found an ancient Dhakaani map etching describing “this nest of Aal’drash, before whose might magic itself is but a slug on a boy’s stick.” Tilbor assumed that this “nest of Aal’drash” was a cache of powerful items dating to the Age of Monsters. He quit his job, bought a stick and a bandana, hopped the lightning rail to Wroat, and tramped his way through Droaam to the Shadow Marches.
Lands: The Gatekeeper monument capping the prison of Aal’drash lies 20 miles south of Goldmire and 30 miles north of the nameless bog-wood that dominates the central Shadow Marches. Marshes teeming with all manner of fen-dwelling aberrations surround the prison.
Getting There: The safest and easiest route to the Aal’drash Seals is through the air by means of a Lyrandar airship or through the interstices of the planes by using teleportation. If neither of those options is available, the wise traveler seeks to minimize his overland travel as much as possible, for a trek through Droaam, the Byeshk Mountains, or the Shadow Marches is nothing to be undertaken lightly. To reduce the time spent walking, then, the best route is to take a boat up Zarash Bay to Zarash’ak, board a skiff and pole through the nameless bog-wood of the central Marches to the marsh southwest of Goldmire, and walk from there.
Appearance: The swamp around the Gatekeeper obelisk constantly buzzes with blackflies and gnats. Tufts of tall marsh grasses rise higher than an orc’s head. The few tiny islands of solid earth are spongy and suck at the foot with each step. The Gatekeeper obelisk bears an inscription written in the secret language of the druids (Decipher Script DC 30): “Here lies the Aal’drash, sealed in Vvaraak’s name.” A DC 25 Search check reveals a loose stone block in the obelisk. If the stone is removed, the gap is just large enough for a Medium creature to squeeze through. Large creatures must find some other entrance.