Drunder
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Drunder, Forturess of Zek
Also known as the Plane of Tactics, Drunder is the large stone stronghold that towers above the Field of Blood within the Plane of War, fitted on a scale appropriate to the home of the Zek deities.
The graveyard of the Drunder can be viewed from the main entrance. Off the entry way, a long hallway leads to quarters where Rallos Zek's most trusted generals, Tallon and Vallon, reside. Two large towers, each containing a series of chambers, house the Warlord's generals. Within each are grand war chambers, dedicated to each of Rallos Zek's children. Beyond the fortress gates and the two towers, a large arena lies in a lower courtyard. From the arena, several paths branch out to other areas of the stronghold. One passage leads to the war boards and their keepers. Penned in a system of caves, these vicious beasts are bred specifically for bloodlust and destruction.
Another path leads to the barracks, dining hall and armory. The barracks are fairly large and open, suitable to house immense army befitting of the divine warlord. The dining hall is mundane, for its only purpose is to sustain the soldiers; a task that Rallos Zek and his generals regards as an inconvenient necessity. Connected to the dining hall is the kitchen where food is prepared for the troops.
The armory is fairly large and filled with a multitude of weapons. Behind the armory the war forge can be found, a forge of magic that produces the superior weaponry and armor of Rallos Zek's army.
The last passage leads to stairs going up to the second floor. The main hallway on the second floor ends at the War Room of Zek. Here, all tactical considerations are played out before The Warlord himself. Connected to the war room are balconies that overlook the arena. Inside the stronghold and the coliseum further out in the Plane of War.
The Diaku
The upper halls of Drunder are constantly guarded by the Diaku, the elite units of Rallos Zek's grand army. The Diaku is divided into three distinct sub-groups each overseen by one of the Zeks. The Gindan are overseen by Tallon Zek, the Beholder of Battle, and unmatched in their long range combat abilities. They generally stick to their bows as their primary weapons, but are also deadly with all manner of melee weapons. The Hendin are overseen by Vallon Zek, the Governor of War, and are the highly trained assassin of the Diaku. They are adept at attacking their victims quickly and without warning and most of their victims are usually unaware of what killed them as their spirit departs their body. Arguably the most fearsome force in all of existence is the Decorus lead by none other then Rallos Zek himself. The Decorus are the most brutal and deadly warriors that existence has ever known and are generally seen wielding great axes in battle with deadly accuracy and strength.
Inhabitants of Drunder:
Glykus Hemir
Glykus is in charge of the war boar pens. He is fiercely protective of his boars and will viciously attack anyone who tries to do them harm. The war boars are generally tame while they are in their pens, but will attack viciously if provoked. If attacked, Glykus will feed the war boars with a special meal that will cause them to grow to a larger progressively more powerful form.
Tagrin Maldric
Targin Maldric oversees the forge complex. Targin is assisted by an odd creature by the name of Eriak the Oblique. Rumors linger in the house of Zek that Eriak was once a high servant of Rallos who failed his master in one form or another and was cast down and cursed to work the forge for all eternity. Through the course of adventuring through the zone the players will uncover hints and obscure information that tells the true story of Eriak.
Stampeding Piglet
The Stampeding Piglet is one of the more famous of the wild war boars that stampedes throughout the area.
Background Lore Story
A dark figure stood brooding silently over a table filled with maps and diagrams of all kinds. The firelight flickered around him throwing exaggerated, twisted shadows of a hulking silhouette. His fingers tapped slowly on the hilt of his giant flaming axe. White hot flames twisted and turned up the handle of the axe, dancing across black spiked gauntlets, but the figure didn't heed them the slightest attention as he remained completely engrossed in the charts on the table. For a brief moment he glanced towards the giant stone door behind him. He turned back toward the table and his left arm carelessly. The door slid open, grinding, against the granite floor.
A smaller figure strode silently through, masked in shadows thrown from the torches. The outline of a great war bow was barely visible in the low light. "What is it?" said the first figure flatly.
"They're behind schedule; the weapons may not be ready for the onslaught of mortals we were promised," the shadowed figure responded, continuing to enter the large chamber. "I don't like to be kept waiting," said the first, his voice rumbling in the stone chamber. "Like all incompetent creatures they assure us that the fault does not lie with them. The one I spoke to blamed the interference of a group of mortals. I still do not understand why we need the help of fools. The might of the Diaku needs no assistance to complete our goals."
In a single motion, the giant figure spun to face the smaller, and, with is steel-clad first raided his subject into the air by his throat. The second figure squirmed slightly in a sudden moment of respectful fear of his master's abrupt irritation. "Take care of it," breathed the dark from, "or I will."
The other nodded as best he could against the stone grasp of the black gauntlet. "As you command, sire. I shall attend the situation relentlessly, and without fail."
The captive spoke clearly, his voice unhindered by the impossible grip of his master but respectful still. The iron first released and the shadowed figure dropped to the granite floor, landing without effort upon his feet as if he had choreographed the fall. He gave stiff, short nod of his head and in respectful salute and recognition of his master's will and then quickly turned and marched out of the cambers, through the stone doors from which he had entered.
The dark hand rose again toward the door and it began to grind shut behind his department event and once again, the dark figure stared silently at the charts on the table before him. The flames around his axe radiated more brilliantly now, curling up and around the figure's massive arms like the tendrils of sentient fire basking in the radiance of its divine master. His right hand left the hilt of the axe and pointed upward toward the ceiling. The massive axe floated through the air with the sound of a raging flame and spun above the opened hand. In a blinding flash of a rage, the iron hand took hold of the axe and brought it down across the table, shattering the stone into a thousand fragments and igniting all of the parchment charts in a burst of flame.
The figure turned and walked out onto the balcony overlooking the giant sandy floor far below him. The sounds of battle echoed up across the stone walls – a sound eternal in this place. The great axe spun quietly in front of him, beckoned by the slow motion of a single digit of the black gauntlet. The hand opened, and the axe moved anxiously back to its master's grasp. In a simultaneous motion, the great hand closed around the handle of the axe as he crouched to the ground and jumped off the balcony, falling silently through the air.
The figure hit the ground hard, causing ripping shockwave to arch across the sandy floor throwing every battling figure violently to their knees. As they collected themselves from the sudden impact, a great bellow roared through the arena, piercing the very souls of all bearing witness. The massive form then began to cut through every living thing in a whirlwind of destruction.
References
Source: EQ Website (Fabled PoP Lore)
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