User:GoldenYak/Umbra'Gan

Dungeon Journal
One of the fortresses of the Deviaan Host, hidden beneath the ice of Frostholt. The Nightmare flows through the lower reaches of the city, but the Deviaan and their Diraz allies remain largely immune, and are even conducting experiments in utilizing the power of the Nightmare for their own ambitions.

Storyline and Encounters
The Deviaan Host was driven from the surface of Frostholt by the defenders of the Emerald Dream, but deep below the surface their numbers are vast and ever-growing. The city of Umbra'Gan is one of the Deviaan Host's major stronghold, and their allies the Diraz dwell here in abundance. In the lower reaches of the city, the corruption of the Nightmare bubbles up as a filthy liquid, roiling with the malevolence of N'Zoth. Tendrils and rivulets of corruption have begun to choke the deepest reaches, but the Deviaan Host remains largely immune due to their Titan-made heritage. However, the Diraz have begun to experiment with the liquid Nightmare, attempting to harness its power and turn it into a weapon. If they succeed, the Deviaan Host will have all the power they need to wipe out all of their enemies and conquer the Emerald Dream, and it will only be a matter of time before they turn their attentions to realms beyond as part of their campaign of vengeance against all the creations of the Titans.

The Dreamguard and the Spirits of Whitechill organize an attack to clear a path to Umbra'Gan, intending to insert a strikeforce comprising of their mightiest heroes. The leader of the Diraz is their target, a wielder of shadow magic named Kurzill Shadowskin. Kurzill's wicked powers have been augmented through his experiments with the Nightmare, and he decimates the Dreamguard force, but he withdraws into Umbra'Gan itself to prepare for the heroes' assault.

Kurzill Shadowskin

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Kurzill Shadowskin gleefully experimented with the Nightmare when the Diraz learned of it upon their awakening, exposing captured members of other races to it and observing its corruptive effects. Comparing his findings with knowledge wrenched from captured Titan archives, Kurzill discovered its connection with the Old God N'Zoth. Thanks to the Diraz's natural resistance to the Old Gods and their powers, Kurzill was able to manipulate the power of the Nightmare and influence those affected by it. Trusting his own immunity to protect him, Kurzill began to consume portions of the Nightmare itself, ingesting its liquid form and letting it saturate his body to improve his control.

Span Guard Bogun

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Kurzill retreats after his first clash with the heroes, seeking refuge with Span Guard Bogun, the protector of the Span of Shadows, a bridge that leads into the heart of Umbra'Gan from the surface tunnels. Bogun is a mighty Deviaan warrior who has been exposed to concentrated Nightmare essence by Kurzill, enhancing his already formidable strength with new sorcerous power.

Spardok the Hammer, Traga the Axe, Enkor the Dagger

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Kurzill unleashes Spardok and Traga, a pair of powerful Deviaan warriors, aided by the shadowy rogue Enkor. All three have been augmented with the power of the Nightmare by Kurzill, and as the three battle their infection begins to overwhelm them, granting them increasing power as their fellows fall. The final warrior standing is overwhelmed by Nightmare corruption and mutates into a hideous abomination, absorbing the flesh of the other two.

Gaan the Colossus

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Gaan is a creation of the Titans, a Titanforged watcher created in the image of the Deviaan by Eonar. For millennia he has watched over the slumbering deviant races, ensuring the integrity of their stasis-crypts. When the Nightmare boiled up from the depths, Gaan was compromised and unable to prevent the Nightmare from shattering the warding seals. The Deviaan awoke and Gaan was overwhelmed, subdued and subjected to Kurzill's horrific experiments with the Nightmare. Now the formerly stalwart colossus is merely an engine of destruction under the Diraz sorcerer's control.

Kurzill Shadowskin and Gaan the Eternal

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At the heart of Umbra'Gan lies enormous reservoir of the Nightmare, diverted from countless underground sources to pool within the deepest depths of the city. From this vast source Kurzill draws unspeakable power. The malevolence of N'Zoth radiates from the Nightmare pool, overwhelming all but the most iron-willed. The defeated Gaan tumbled into the Nightmare pool, only to rise again in an even more hideous and mutated form, the utter slave of Kurzill. The Diraz sorcerer has been driven to madness and fallen under the Nightmare' influence, still insanely believing himself to be it's master.