Into the Underdark we go...
Welcome to the Keep of Lost Honor, a traditional medieval keep located in the bowels of the Underdark. Two stone bridges afford access toward the pillar of stone holding this impressive keep, lit by flickering braziers and watched by keen eyes of the guards inside. A large gate looms before you, while the sound of water crashing against stone echoes from deep below as a waterfall cascades into the depths of a bottomless chasm surrounding the keep.
The Map Pack contains the 1st Floor of the keep, as well as a token of its owner, an exile from a royal drow family that was forced to seek refuge outside of his Underdark city home.
Click your appropriate Tier below, and you can go grab your download links!
Tier 1 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-1-dungeon-81146477
Tier 2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-2-world-map-81312503
Tier 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-3-master-87793681
Tier 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-4-master-87797001
The Map consists of [1] main level of the keep and its surrounding chasm and tunnels, which include the [2] bridges stretching across, the underground waterfall and the keep interior.
The keep interior has many different spaces, hopefully allowing for a variety of potential social and combat encounters, depending on how and why your PC's find themselves at the doorstep of this underdark location.
Here is the map:
This was a requested collaboration with James RPG Art, who provided a wonderful concept scene and animation -- leaving it up to me to provide a map and story!
James' RPG Art makes animated scenes to help players visualise environments and add immersion and tone to your games. He has created over 300 scenes from official WotC adventures and many unique locations that are often found in a D&D adventure. He releases 4 new locations each month for his patrons.
Here's the animated illustration:
While you can use the keep for whatever purpose fits your narrative, this was the backstory that I thought may provide some interesting plot hooks, as well as creates an interesting location that is inherently neither friend nor foe.
Zauvirr T’sarran was once a male noble, an unusual position within drow society. He rose in power not only through cruelty, but through discipline and principle. In stark contrast to the sadistic whims of his female siblings and mother, he developed a personal code: contracts must be honored, loyalty rewarded, betrayal punished.
We have a great portrait of Zauvir, by HIIDRA Studios:
What set him apart from others within the drow society is that he adhered to the code consistently, not only when it was convenient or beneficial to his goals. This proved him to be an effective and trustworthy ally to many, but often put him at odds with those that reveled in the chaotic nature of Lloth's priestesses.
One evening, the issue was brought to a head when he refused an order to needlessly sacrifice a loyal soldier. A rival House exploited what it saw as a weakness to gain a social advantage and Zauvir was betrayed by his family, maimed (the loss of one eye) and marked for ritual execution.
Instead of accepting his fate, he made plans. He leveraged loyal agents and hidden contingencies. Calling in favors from those that he had faithfully served and helped in his business dealings, he managed to steal a massive trove of coins, gems, magic items and, most importantly, information.
He secured not only wealth, but maps of forgotten tunnels, names of exiles, mercenaries and disgraced mages, and forbidden architectural and magical designs. He fled the city armed with the capital to make arrangements that would see him returned to a position of power. He located and made agreements with a powerful wizard, a Svirfneblin stone shaper and a few other key allies that helped him recruit, plan and build his "kingdom".
Servants and soldiers were farmed from the ranks of the forgotten and the shores of banishment. Offered the chance for redemption, many entered into service caring more for the opportunity to feel valued than the press of coin to palm. Zauvir finally located a defensible location guild his keep, using designs and plans from within the stolen trove that seemed foreign in concept, but symbolic of his dream.
This keep now stands as the Keep of Lost Honor, a haven for the disenfranchised and ostracized members of Underdark society to find purchase and purpose. Zauvir still retains some of the cruelty inherent to his race's society, but honors the code - oaths are binding, service earns protection, loyalty is rewarded with advancement and betrayal is swiftly punished in proportion to the crime.
HOW DO I USE THIS MAP?
If you have a campaign taking place in the Underdark, this location could be a great resource for the party by providing refuge, information or even assistance depending on what they hope to accomplish and, perhaps more importantly, what they have to offer.
Zauvir is likely still hunted by his kin, so you could also tie this location into your storyline from the standpoint of other drow in Menzoberranzen or similar locations. Perhaps the PC's learn of an attempt to seek him out and assassinate him, or perhaps they ARE the assassins.
I hope you enjoy the setting and can use it to create some great adventures!
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Additional floors of the keep will be coming soon!