Paths of the Doomed

The Paths of the Doomed was a dangerous labyrinthine cave system located in the deepest parts under the ancient Citadel in Thaymount.

"Many years ago, a successful group ventured into the bowels of the Citadel and discovered a near-endless series of subterranean tunnels and caverns. The area came to be known as the Paths of the Doomed and there are supposed to be horrendous creatures that inhabit those tunnels."

- Naglatha, the Black Flame

Description
The Paths were ancient, dangerous, and confusing to most. The Paths themselves could be divided into two parts. One, created by the original inhabitants of the Citadel and the Red Wizards, crafted into the dangerous chambers defending the heart of the ancient stronghold. The second part was the convoluted, mostly unexplored tunnel system that permeated the mountain under the Citadel and housed countless horrors, unique creatures, riches of natural resources, and volcanic streams of magma, later controlled by Eltab who was imprisoned within Thaymount.

Geographical Features
The tunnels of the Paths of the Doomed trenched into unknown subterranean depths. The tunnels were ripe with lava flow chambers and heated rock, as well as occasional tremors of volcanic activity. The tunnels had occasional but rich deposits of crimson gold and kings' tears, that were mostly untouched during Szass Tam's time as the de facto master of Thaymount.

The underground paths stretched from Thaymount to the Sunrise Mountains, even though navigating through them was almost impossibly due to the dangers of disorienting and monstrous creatures. The Paths also were connected to the dreaded demoncyst which imprisoned Eltab and was home to some of the more unique monsters that came to be under the demon lord's control during his battle with Szass Tam in 1373 DR.

Flora & Fauna
Many subterranean cave vegetation species could be found in various tunnels of the Paths, including the gently glowing ormu that survived in warm temperatures and volcanic steam.

The tunnels were said to be home to deep and isolated communities of duergar and drow.

A unique species of rock worms inhabited the hot caves of the Paths. The tentacled creatures expanded their bodies to the size of the tunnel, waiting for the victims to stride into their gaping maws.

Through the connection to demoncyst, and its corrupting influence, the deep and unexplored parts of the Paths were inhabited by fiendish albino troglodytes, glowing red darkenbeasts, and bloated slug-like poisonous lamia nobles.

Entrances
The Paths of the Doomed had several access points from within the Citadel. The main entrance was just past the Citadel gates, in the stronghold's twelve-sided room. Each side was a doorway, each marked with a different arcane rune. The rune of the labyrinth opened the way into the Paths of the Doomed. To gain entrance, one had to trace the symbol and say the command word "Thola Vos," which caused the door to disappear, allowing the passage. Another entry of note was located just beyond the Citadel's main banquet hall, often used by Szass Tam to host Zulkir and Tharchion meetings. Said chamber descended low into the deeper levels of the structure and, eventually, reached the Paths of the Doomed.

When entered from the 12-sided room, the first chamber of the Paths of the Doomed was known as the Main Hall. Just like the other side of the entry door, the Main Hall's door was decorated with the same labyrinth rune. The command word that reopened the door was dahlal. The Main Hall was a long room covered in pristine marble with pale green columns of stone on its sides and a wagon vault ceiling. The chamber's floors were obsidian black, and the room was lit with magical sources of light. The room ended with ceiling-high double doors that led to the Hall of Statues. That hall was similar to the Main Hall but with matted black statues places between the many columns. The tall statues depicted the Citadel's original highly advanced lizardfolk creators. The black alloy the statues were made out of was virtually indestructible and proved to be too heavy to move. The Hall of Statues ended in a similar double door to the ones found in the Main Hall and led to the Guardian Hall. The Guardian Hall was a comparatively smaller chamber carved out of gray stone. This room served as the guard post for the Chambers of the Earth that laid beyond the door. The room was always guarded by a robed baneguard who collected a passage payment of one single gold coin.

The Chambers of Earth
The Chambers of Earth were separated from the Guardian Hall by a door and a short hallway. The main triangular-shaped room was known as the Stone Chamber. All the rooms inside the Chambers of Earth were of similar shape and carved out of nondescript grey stone, with walls being covered in countless arcane runes. The rooms in the Chambers of Earth were all doorless and not lit, giving them a sinister claustrophobic feel, sure to affect any creatures not used to the life underground. The first room, the Stone Chamber, held three guardian stone golems, each in the triangle room's corners. Past the Stone Chamber were the Copper Chamber to the left from the entrance and the Iron Chamber to the right.

The Copper Chamber was plated in green oxidized copper and led directly to the Gold Chamber but was blocked by a metal column made of copper and covered in an unknown arcane script. The column left only a small opening, not more than wide. Some old legends of the Paths of the Doomed held the solution to the impassible situation. The column could be removed with the incantation "sholik'na," triggering the old mechanisms that lowered the obstruction out of the way. The mechanism's locked panel could be found to the lest of the wall.

The Gold Chamber was plastered in gold, driving figuratively mad any creature prone to avarice. The room was enchanted with powerful magic that attempted to absorb any instantly kill anyone and anything attempting to chip or scrape gold off the chamber's walls.

The Iron Chamber had three iron golems guarding it and asking the same questions as in the Stone Chamber. The room held a chest with a ruby, an emerald, and a diamond, all part of the Chambers of Earth defensive puzzles.

Past the Iron Chamber laid the Gem Chamber guarded by three more golems: an emerald golem, a ruby golem, and a diamond golem. Each golem stood behind a manger filled with corresponding gemstones. In order to successfully pass through the room, one needed to deposit a ruby, an emerald, and a diamond into the mangers. If the deposit was not made or the passing creatures attempted to steal the gems, the golems attacked.

Beyond the Gem and Gold Chambers, the Chambers of Water laid behind the converging halls.

The Chambers of Water
Just like the rooms in the Chambers of Earth, all rooms in the Chambers of Water had the same shape, square in this case. The chambers were created using aquatically-hued blue-veined marble and were deeper than the Chambers' of Earth rooms. The Water part of the dungeon was appropriately filled with murky water. The main square room was the biggest in size and was referred to as the Green Chamber, filled with about of water. The Green Chamber's two exits, to the Blue Chambers and the Aqua Chambers, were guarded by caustic aballins who rose out of the water and waited to hear who the visitors served.

The Blue Chambers were the two rooms to left behind a hallway passage. The hallway that led to the first room abruptly ended with a drop down into the pool of warm water. The waters were filled with hungry sharks in the first Blue Chamber, and a giant octopus in the second. In order to avoid the watery death, the passersby needed to chant the command word "thralliq," which summoned a transparent bubble that carried the visitors over the perilous pools. These two chambers connected to the High Chamber I of the Chambers of Air.

To the Green Chamber's right laid two Aqua Chambers that eventually reached the High Chamber II of the Chambers of Air. The entrance to the Aqua Chambers was at the top of the two completely submerged deep pools with exits at the very bottoms of each of the two rooms. Additionally, the second Aqua Chamber was separated by a long ascending submerged hallway from the Air elemental chambers. The safe traversal can be done via the command word "ekkala" inside a bubble, similar to one found in the Blue Chambers. The rooms, however were fiercely guarded by aquatic yugoloths, namely, two hydroloths in the first chamber, and a piscoloth in the second.

The Chambers of Air
The Chambers of Air were separated from the Chambers of Water by upward tilted sloped hallways. The halls and the entirety of the Chambers of Air were enchanted to cause visitors vertigo that got stronger the further they ventured. This was likely to affect any creatures not used to flying or living in places high in the mountains or the skies. The rooms in the Chambers of Air were pentagonally shaped. The High Chambers on the left and right sides of the dungeon had long ceilings. The room to the left was guarded by air elementals who attacked anyone not stating their loyalty to the Zulkir of Necromancy, and the High Chamber to the right - by a djinn vizier Amul al-Habn demanding the same proclamation.

Following the High Chambers, laid two identical Sky Chambers deep, one on each side of the dungeon. To cross one of the rooms, one had to use the command word "aekos!" and be carried by minor air elementals who continued on to the voluminous enchanted bottomless room known as the Endless Chamber. There, if held by an elemental without uttering the command word, visitors were dropped down and were trapped in the infinite fall within the endlessly enchanted chamber. Without the elemental's help, the visitors had to climb down the entrance wall and then climb back up moon the opposite side to continue on through the Sky Chambers.

The Endless Chamber appeared not to have a ceiling or floor and was effectively endless, looping the falling victims via teleport. The only way through the room was through two passageways to the Chambers of Fire in the center of the walls opposite the entrance.

The Chambers of Fire
These chambers consisted of hexagonal rooms, connected on both ends to the two passages from the Endless Chamber, and eventually converged on the middle Fiery Chamber. The Chambers of Fire were carved out of dark-red marble with orange molts and covered in small arcane runes that glowed with yellow magic, reminiscent of the fiery radiation. The closer the rooms were to the Chambers' center, the hotter they were. These chambers were home to various elemental vermin like mephits and imps who, essentially, were there to irritate intruders rather than exterminate them. The left path from the Endless Chamber led to the Glowing Chamber, followed by the Smoldering Chamber, and the right one - to the Smoking Chamber followed by the Burning Chamber.

The Glowing Chamber appeared to be red hot with its walls radiating visual indicators of hellish heat, and the room was only uncomfortably hot. The room was guarded by four iron golems, magically heated to a red-hot state, making them considerably more dangerous than the others of their kin. Like before, the golems waited to attack anyone failing to declare their service to Szass Tam. The room was also home to a swarm of magma mephits. Past it laid the Smoldering Chamber, heated up even more than the Glowing Chamber. Its rooms were charring to the touch, and the air was heavy and painful to breathe in, making it hard to fight or even function within, without a protection from fire or similar effect. The room was guarded by a magically bound efreeti who, alongside a dozen fire mephits, attacked intruders who failed to declare their allegiance to Tam and did not use the command word "khalos."

On the opposite side of the Chambers' of Fire entrance was the Smoking Chamber, appropriately filled with thick smoke that choked visitors and burned their lungs and eyes. The room held a nabassu, hidden by the swirling smoke, who attacked the intruders unless they mouthed the password "olash." Apart from babassu, the room was a home to fifteen smoke mephits who taunted and harassed choking and asphyxiating visitors. Past it was the Burning Chamber that was hot enough to ignite anything inside. The rooms had four magically paralyzed salamanders and more annoying fire mephitis. When an intruder was noticed, one of the motionless salamanders moved forward and asked the visitors' allegiance. The only acceptable response to them was that of service to Kossuth.

The Fiery Chamber was located in the middle of the dungeon's perilous region and was accessible via the Burning and the Smoldering Chambers. The entire room was filled with blazing fires and incinerated any unprotected creature attempting to pass through. Two fire elementals and four fire mephitis could be found within its roaring flames, as well as five lava mephits. The center of the engulfed room had a hexagon teleportation panel made out of gold-like alloy that led to the Halls of Devouring and the Citadel's inner chambers. The safe passage through could be achieved via arcane invocation "hala vikk thora" at the room's entrance. The spell extinguished the flames for a short period of time and trapped the fire elemental sentries in place.

The Devouring Chambers
The final area of the dungeon before accessing the Citadel's inner sanctums was known as the Devouring Chambers. The five rooms in this section of the dungeon were heptagonal in shape. The chambers were created out of a black alloy streaked with blue and red. Unlike other areas, these chambers did not have passwords nor command words, with the sentries attacking indiscriminately everyone who was not personally identified by Szass Tam allowing them access.

The teleportation device in the Fiery Chamber led to the center of a guarded room overseen by two bound tanar'ri servants of Szass Tam, a marilith named Xabb'arrnah and a molydeus Th'kalar. The creatures had enough free will and dislike for the Zulkir of Necromancy to freely allow the unauthorized visitors to simply leave, compelled to attack only if the intruders attempted to proceed into the next chamber. Past the tanar'ri guarded room laid the Feyr Chamber. The room was filled with feyrs who were compelled to attack anyone who was not allowed entrance by Szass Tam personally. Following that was the Fiend Room where a glabrezu stood between invaders and the next chamber. Unlike other creatures, the tanar'ri was a well-paid hireling rather than a magically compelled guardian. The following Great Feyr Chamber held a single bound great feyr, and the final chamber was the Devouring Portal that led to the Citadel's heart and the Halls of Twin Burnings.

The Devouring Portal had devious protection ensorcered upon it by the Zulkir of Necromancy. The portal tested every passing creature, except the lich himself, with images of terrible past deeds of the creatures attempting to leave them emotionally damaged and unwilling or unable to continue the pursuit. The portal created illusions of the most heinous deeds, guilt, pain, and fears of the visitors, projecting all the images onto the chamber's walls. The mentally damming effects of the Devouring Portal's defenses affected chaotic aligned creatures less, while lawful creatures were much more likely to fall victim to it. The effects could be crippling, leaving the trespasser comatose. The portal itself was in the center of the chamber of an obsidian black reflective wall and consisted of seven tall columns that met together in the center above the portal, akin to a steeple. The portal radiated blue and white magic in its center.

Defenses
The part of the Paths of the Doomed designed to lead to the Citadel's heart and hide various chambers of value was designed to confuse and protect against intruders. Very few knew of the ways, shortcuts, and protections against the dangers of the Paths. These protected areas of the Paths were divided into four elemental regions, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, all converging on the Devouring Portal. Each elemental region was filled with guardians and traps so dangerous that Szass Tam himself worried don't for possible trespassers.

Eleven baneguards defended the Guardian Hall and five direguards who were hidden from sight but attacked anyone who refused to pay the toll or attacked the hooded door sentry.

The Chambers of Earth held guardian stone and iron golems of Thayan creation that questioned the passersby of whom they serve (Szass Tam), what gods they serve (Cyric or other evil deities), and why they were there. The golems waited for all three answers and attacked if the answers were incorrect. Fearsome gem golems guarded a room deeper into the Chambers of Earth.

The Gold Chamber in the Chambers of the Earth was enchanted with deadly magic that punished anyone trying to steal the room's gold. The room attempted to absorb the transgressor, which would complete within two to eight minutes, and pulling the victim out of the wall's grasp was not an easy task. Any creature that was completely absorbed by the wall was turned into gold and could not be rescued by any means but the wish spell.

In the Chambers of Water, acidic aballin served a similar purpose to the previous rooms' golems. They would attack anyone attempting to proceed forward without declaring their servitude to Tam. As well as submerged chambers guarded by aquatic yugoloths.

The Chambers of Air were defended by the magical traps of endless flights and a bound djinn, and the Chambers of Fire - by environmental hazards of high temperatures, imps, mephitis, efreeti, and salamanders.

The Devouring chambers were well guarded by various tanar'ri as well as the Devouring Portal's crippling magics that could render invaders comatose.

History
Many years before 1368 DR, a group of adventurers found a way into the Paths of the Doomed and discovered not just the tunnels and elemental chambers that served at the access point to the Citadel's heart but also the vast wild and dangerous winding tunnels, and almost infinite subterranean caves. The adventurers managed to map the paths. Later, the maps were confiscated by the Zulkir of Necromancy of Thay.

Several years prior to 1368 DR, Szass Tam took control of the Thaymount region and the Citadel, turning it into the seat of his power. The lich survived the dangers of the Paths of the Doomed, reaching the Devouring Portal and aging access to the citadel's hart, where he subsequently performed the ritual of twin burnings, trapping the demon lord Eltab on the Thakorsil's Seat.

On the 3 of Ches, 1373 DR, Adnama Stoneblood, a duergar researcher found a way into the Paths of the Doomed, guided by his research of ancient duergar and dwarf tomes. He tattooed the map on his arm to lead him through the wild tunnels towards what he thought to be a long lost duergar colony, rumored to exist in the depths of Thaymount. He encountered fiendish albino troglodytes, deposits of crimson gold, kings' tears, but died at the hands of ghouls and shadows, patrolling he caves under Szass Tam's command.

On the 3 of Kythorn, 1373 DR, a Sembian rogue Thazienne Uskevren and her duergar ally Justikar Stoneblood were sent into the depths of the Paths of the Doomed in search of a spellbook that was confiscated by Szass Tam years prior. Allegedly, the book held powerful binding spells, and the rebellious Red Wizard Naglatha wanted to use them to remove the lich from the position of power. The rogue managed to survive the descent and infiltrate one of the lich's studies hidden in the tunnels, retrieving a handful of scrolls while fleeing from a cave-in. One of the retrieved scrolls was used the following day to accidentally free the demon lord Eltab, who unleashed the monstrous inhabitants of the Paths and the demoncyst against his nemesis Szass Tam.

Rumors & Legends
The stories and rumors about the Paths of the Doomed were many, and most originated from the group of adventurers who mapped the tunnels and told the stories of the forbidden magics, gemmed walls, and monstrous creatures, including troglodytes, and drow.

There were historical evidence of a secluded community of grey dwarves that lived in the unexplored depths of Thaymount that lost contact with the  rest of their kind a very long time ago.

Inhabitants
The part of the Paths of the Doomed that stood between the Citadel's inner chambers and potential invaders were guarded by various creatures of mundane and magical origins such as baneguards, direguards, stone, iron, ruby, emerald, diamond golems, aballins, sharks, giant octopus, yugoloths, air elementals, djinn, mephitis, imps, and fire elementals.

A djinn vizier Amul al-Habn was stationed in the Chambers of Air and bound to serve the Thayan Red Wizards for one 500-year long term, to his grand displeasure. He reluctantly attacked anyone failing to proclaim their allegiance to Szass Tam while traversing one of the High Chambers. He hated his tasked duty and attempted to manipulate the visitors into vocalizing their allegiance to the Zulkir of Necromancy to stop himself from committing a massacre.

The salamanders who were magically trapped within the Chambers of Fire were once rebels who participated in the Salamander War, punished by Kossuth, banished from the Elemental Plane of Fire to serve the Red Wizards for one thousand years.

In the direct vicinity of the Devouring Portal, several powerful creatures could be found, including tanar'ri Xabb'arrnah and Th'kalar.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Runes of Chaos
 * Novels
 * The Crimson Gold
 * The Mage in the Iron Mask
 * The Mage in the Iron Mask