Mordryn's Lair

The Arch-Lich Mordryn set up his lair in the rocky hills close to Glagshine Quarry, where he stayed hidden for a very long time. This lair remained hidden for many, many years before the Twin Comets attacked the lair and attempted to slay Mordryn in his lair

## Lair Layout

The lair itself is built into the rocky hills by Glagshine Quarry, and the cave that eventually leads to the entrance is covered by vines. There used to be additional illusory magics in place to obscure the entrance and deter unwanted guests, but most of the magic inside and around the lair was dispelled after Mordryn's defeat at the hands of Lilith and Alexander Mage-born.

The doorway to the Arch-Lich's lair was a large circular door with separate rings that seemed to rotate in a complex locking mechanism, backed by magic. Above the entrance, there is written (in Celestial): “*May no god of this or any realm enter this place. The secrets of Mordryn are for mortals alone.*” The interior sports a large antechamber with two giant columns for support, dull dark marble for flooring, and smooth Fiori stone for walls. To the right of the entrance, there is a second level that is slightly raised and connected by stairs. Most of this antechamber and its contents have been charred black, presumably by the battle with the Twin Comets.

The back wall of the antechamber has a grand mural composed of colored stones and precious metals, depicting a woman in black and silver gifting a skeletal figure a box. At the spot where it would show the contents of the box, there is a hole blown in the wall, leading to the lich's throne room.

Inside the throne room, there is a giant intricate throne with a ceiling that has been cracked.

## In the Campaign (405 FR)

The Party and their companion Matthew Fulgin journey to Mordryn's Lair to acquire the Emerald Ring of Sealing for Duke Farlswarth. They find a lair mostly dismantled and broken open by the battle between Mordryn and the Twin Comets. In the antechamber, they battle some undead and animated armor. Upon entering the lich's throne room, the Party finds a magic greatsword (Mordryn's Sword) piercing a box made to look like a phylactery. The group manages to acquire and identify the sword without touching it, discovering that it is cursed to steal the life force of whoever wields it, channeling it into the gem in the hilt. When Elius drips some blood on the gem, it awakens the phylactery, represented by a blue eye inside the gem with crisscrossing runes on the interior of the gem, moving around. This presence begins to ask Elius for blood and life, claiming that is it "bound", later saying "Life given, life returned".

They additionally find part of the Emerald Ring of Sealing, missing half of its emerald gemstone, inside the box with a note that reads: "Nice try, Soglier". Upon saying the name "Soglier" aloud, the air vibrates, the sky light flickers momentarily, and Modryn's Sword reawakens in a bit of a frenzy. Elius encourages the sword to take Matthew (jokingly?), but then Elius cuts his arm to give the sword plenty of his own blood instead.

The blood drains into the gem of the sword, and Mordryn reanimates before the Party in a flurry of black lightning. He takes the sword up, cuts a Dimension Door in space, telling Elius that they "have a gem to find", and exits through the Door.

The Party then takes a long rest in the Lair before leaving to return to Tarney.