from issue 1 of Threshold)
41777 BC: To prevent Kosmoteiros from
falling into the hands of Thanatos, the priests of Nyx destroy the city with a terrible earthquake. Thousands die and the place is abandoned for many years as seismic activity increases in the area.
1664 BC: After the destruction of Taymora,
fairies of the Unseelie court, ancient inhabitants of Krystallac exiled long ago, build their city of Kudrak over the ruins of Kosmoteiros and try to use the Starlake, but do not know of the hidden temple of Ixion below.
1597 BC: Lord Keiros, a Tal nosferatu and
follower of Nyx, conquers Koskatep from the dark fairies. Keiros rebuild the city as Ieronyx (sacred to Nyx). Vampiric followers of Thanatos attack several times but are defeated. Former Kundrak is used as storage
and laboratories, but from time to time someone disappears in its strange halls.
1412 BC: After the time of the Nosferatu
Kings ended with the Traldar crusades against the undead, hutaakans took the city from Lord Keiros, exterminating his followers, and renaming the city Ranekek (Light over the Darkness). Hutaakans and Traldar settle the city, which over four centuries establishes peaceful relations with nearby giants and fairies. The hutaakans build over Ieronyx, using the original city of Lord Keiros as storage and treasury, and are unable to locate his hiding place. Kundrak is sealed as the hutaakans perceive some evil oozing from it.
1021 BC: The red orcs sack and conquer
Ranekek, renaming it Rak. The orcs make the former storage and treasury of the temple of Pflarr their main city. Below, the dark fairies begin to reappear in Kundrak, trying to exploit the red orcs’ superstitions for their purposes.
954 BC: Despite the successful campaign of
the Traldars against the gnolls, the west is still in their hands and orcs still rule the city of Rak. In these years a large dwarven expedition sent by Loktal Ironshield of the Glittering Realm reaches the Cruth Mountains under the guide of general Wyrlum Lokar. After several battles, a dwarven army defeats the red orcs and conquers Koskatep-Rak, renaming it Karrast. The dwarves are soon in constant warfare with the gnolls that rule over the region. Level 5 is sealed by the dwarves who are unable to completely eradicate the undead orcs that infest it, and so are the levels below it. 4 S e v e r a l d e t a i l s o f t h i s h i s t o r y c o m e f r o m m y H i s t o r y o f T r a l a d a r a. O t h e r h i s t o r i e s m a y d i f f e r , a s t h e o n e p r e s e n t e d i n i s s u e 1 o f T h r e s h o l d m a g a z i n e d i d ( H i s t o r y o f K a r a m e i k o s b y S i m o n e N e r i , p a g e 3 7 ) , b u t t h i s t i m e l i n e c o u l d e a s i l y f i t i n t o t h e m t o o .
Shadows of Kundrak
912 BC: The dwarves are finally defeated by
the gnolls, who build their own city of Ranesh over the ruins. Shamans of Ranivorus and Thanatos begin to study the Starlake5, and establish pacts with the dark fairies of Kundrak.
841 BC: Followers of Nyx, aided by ogres
and giants, attack Koskatep but are unable to conquer it from the gnolls. Yet they succeed in killing the most powerful shamans of Thanatos and burning their notes.
603 BC: The ogre king Kulfan conquers
Koskatep in the name of Nyx and ogres rule over the area for centuries. Human priests of the Lady of the Night live in the city along with them. Dark Fairies are again driven away from Kundrak, but they linger in the dark and so the ogres and the followers of Nyx use only some areas of level 6.
95 AC: The Darkers almost complete the
ritual to use the Starlake and bring forth the Eternal Night, but are stopped at the last moment by an army of priests of Ixion, from all over the Known World, who drive out the ogres and occupy Koskatep for years. Soldiers of the Duchy of Achelos join the attack and establish good relations with the temple of Ixion that is consecrated in the akropolis of Kotesh. The priests try to cleanse all the level up to the seventh, so the Dark Fairies must abandon Kundrak completely and are only able to occasionally torment the humans with nightmares.
227 AC: The priests of Ixion have repelled
several attempts by ogres, giants and followers of Nyx trying to reclaim the ruins, but are destroyed at last by a very powerful and ancient vampire sent by Thanatos, The Last One. Some of them escape to the lowest level and become defenders of the inner temple. In the following centuries ogres, giants, followers of Nyx, and even adventurers sent by Ixion try to reclaim Koskatep, but The Last One destroys them all.
The Last One discovers the existence of the Dark Fairies in Level 6 and calls them back, forging an alliance with them.
445 - 788 AC: Adventurers from Achelos,
ogres and giants or agents of Nyx and Thanatos sometimes reach Level 6, only to be slain, their souls captured by the Dark Fairies.
818 AC: Lord Vudar’s expedition6 eventually
reaches Level 6 but is decimated by the Dark Fairies.
856 - 934 AC: Groups of adventurers,
humanoids and later Traladaran rebels and Thyatian explorers manage to reach Level 6, but are slain as the others before them.
944 AC: Thyatian priests of Ixion reach Level
6, but are repelled by the Dark Fairies and minions of The Last One. Shortly after they are all slain by orcs on Level 1.
955 AC - present days: Other adventurers,
ogres and followers of Nyx manage to reach Level 6 but are slain or repelled to the levels above.
5 A s e x p l a i n e d i n i s s u e 1 o f T h r e s h o l d
m a g a z i n e ( M i r r o r o f E t e r n a l N i g h t , p a g e 1 4 4 ) ,
Shadows of Kundrak
The Random Critters table of level 2B (in issue 3 of Threshold magazine) and the
Wandering Parties table may apply here if
the DM wishes so. In this case there is a 1% chance in each room that a Wandering Party will be encountered.
The Followers of The Last One encounter table of level 1 (in issue 2 of Threshold magazine, page 122), can also still be used here if the DM wishes so. One such follower could try to join the PCs to explore this level. Any Follower of the Last One will likely be allied with the Dark Fairies of this level, and will lead the PCs into a trap or will try to capture and bring them in the presence of The Last One himself (in Level 7). After the Darkers take control (see issue 1) any Follower of The Last One will obviously keep a much lower profile and maybe even aid the party against the Darkers to use them or lead them to their deaths.
The layout of this level is strange and completely different from anything that humanoid creatures would build. There are rooms without doors, strange shaped halls, massive walls that apparently serve no purpose, refined constructions alongside unfinished ones and so on. The city of the Dark Fairies reflects indeed their chaotic and unpredictable nature, and nothing built in it seems to make any sense.
A strange mist lingers everywhere in the halls and the place is always gloomy and creepy. More often anyway people walking in Kundrak do not see, hear, smell or feel what’s really around, but rather the multiple and unpleasant illusions that the Dark Fairies left there. Each room or area has therefore different possible appearances that the explorer could perceive, depending on different factors as described in each room.
This level can be entered from area 7 of Level 5 through stairs in area 8 of this level. In area 14 another staircase goes down to Level 7, where The Last One dwells.
Spells that provide magical transportation,
such as teleport, passwall, dimensional door, magic door, travel, gate and spells such as clairvoyance and find the path do not work on this level, the above and Level 7 below due to powerful wards placed by The Last One and others before him. The DM could decide to apply the same rule to the levels above, at least from Level 2 and below, particularly if the PCs are of high level. Beside that, in this particular level casting such spells could also be extremely dangerous, opening portals to the Nightmare dimension and/or the Unseelie Court.
Depicted in grey on the map is solid stone which is very difficult to dig. In white are the open areas. The azure stream is the arrival point of the nixies’ ways that run inside Koskatep from Level 1 to this one, touching Level 3 too, as described in the past issues of Threshold magazine. “Open areas” should be considered a relative term as much of the terrain is rugged and full of debris. The area could be partially illuminated by eerie fairy lights or completely dark as described in each area, if PCs do not bring light. If they do bring light, of course, it makes the party quite visible.
Shadows of Kundrak