The Grail Tombs

art by Wayne Snyder

When I was writing Krevborna, I wanted there to be an in-setting rationale for the existence of dungeons--even megadungeons, if I felt like running one. The Grail Tombs fit that bill; you just can't beat "remnants of an ancient fallen civilization" as the justification for all sorts of weirdness.

The Grail Tombs

Dungeons Left Behind by a Lost Empire

The Grail Tombs are ancient catacombs found deep within the earth throughout Krevborna. These labyrinthine dungeons and burial vaults belonged to a long-dead civilization known as the Vlaak Empire. Chalice motifs and frescoes depicting the alien Vlaak nobility dominate the walls of the Grail Tombs, revealing them to have been tall, gaunt beings with mottled gray flesh and hauntingly large, pupil-less black eyes. They were well-versed in the use of arcane sorcery, artificer magic, and psionics, but their empire fell when it embraced a death cult that ultimately transformed Lithka, the last empress of the Vlaak nobility, into an undead abomination. 

     The Vlaak Empire left behind many artifacts of advanced technology and magic in the Grail Tombs. These treasures command exorbitant prices from collectors, but obtaining them is fraught with peril—the Grail Tombs are guarded by antediluvian constructs, cunning traps, and baleful curses. Additionally, unnatural phenomena, such as warped time, impossibly convoluted architecture, and sentient machines, have been encountered in their stygian depths. 

Hallmarks

The following elements and aesthetic notes define the Grail Tombs:

    • The Grail Tombs are subterranean catacombs left behind by an inhuman empire. 

    • These dungeons are known as Grail Tombs because they tend to be decorated with images of chalices and visual allusions to rites involving the imbibing of blood.

    • The Vlaak who created the Grail Tombs are depicted as tall, gaunt figures with mottled flesh and pupil-less eyes.

    • Uncanny phenomena frequently occurs within the Grail Tombs due to the ancient magic that lingers within them

    • Treasure hunters often seek powerful artifacts within the Grail Tombs.