Seven-Pillared Hall

The Seven-Pillared Hall, originally called Saruun Khel, was an underground city located beneath Thunderspire Mountain, on the eastern border of Cormyr.

Description
The Seven-Pillared Hall was once the market square and meeting place of the original minotaur city. It was bedecked with dozens of lanterns that glowed from pillars and walls like soft yellow stars against the eternal dark. Stone facades chiseled in the symmetrical style of ancient minotaur craftsmen cut into the natural cavern walls. Near the city were a series of tunnels that provided an access to the Underdark.

Government
As of 1479 DR, the Seven-Pillared Hall was ruled by the Mages of Saruun.

Economy
The Seven-Pillared Hall was a black market city where merchants of the Underdark traded with a few lucky merchants of the surface.

History
Saruun Khel was originally a satellite city of the minotaur civilization from the Labyrinth. When minotaurs fell to war with their neighbors and a brutal civil war, the conflict left the city a devastated ruin.

In 1454 DR, three wizards discovered the ruins of Saruun Khel in the Thunderspire Mountain, while seeking forgotten treasures. Among the magic items they recovered were several magic amulets, which allowed them to control the bronze warders, minotaur constructs built in the city's heyday. The wizards used the bronze warders to clear the upper level of the ruins, establishing a stronghold there—the Seven-Pillared Hall, and founded the order of the Mages of Saruun.

Notable Inhabitants

 * The Mages of Saruun, a secretive order of wizard merchants.
 * Gendar, a drow merchant and treasure collector.
 * Kedhira, a duergar swordmage.
 * Terrlen Darkseeker, a former Purple Dragon knight.
 * Bennik the Wanderer, a traveling minstrel from Waterdeep.

Appendix
The Seven-Pillared Hall was designed originally for the default setting of the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, but was later adapted to the Forgotten Realms in Dungeon 155.