The Citadel
The Citadel was already carved into the peak of one of the highest mountains in the Thaymount when the first humans explored this strange and marvelous region. The identity of the place’s original owners has been lost in the swirls of time, but murals and carvings found in its lowest halls depict an advanced lizardfolk civilization destroyed so long ago as to be forgotten. It’s possible that the lizardfolk of the Surmarsh are descendants of this ancient people, but if so, their fall from grace was particularly hard. The primitive lizardfolk wouldn’t have the first idea how to go about creating such an amazing place.
The Citadel—not to be confused with the dozens of lesser citadels scattered about the country—has long been off-limits to the Thayan people. Foreigners are not even supposed to be told of its existence. In earlier years, the Red Wizards sent expeditions into the place to explore as much of it as they could. Some returned with treasure, including gold, artwork, and even powerful magic items. However, more often than not, the parties of explorers never returned at all. Those brave (or simply lucky) souls who did return spoke of a vast network of tunnels beneath the mountain, infested with the more notorious subterranean races, including troglodytes and drow.
One of the more successful ventures retrieved a tome that describes the lower levels of the Citadel in detail. A portion of the place, known as the Paths of the Doomed, is a maze of tunnels occupied by all sorts of monsters. How they got there and why they stay remains a mystery to this day. Zulkir Szass Tam has confiscated the book for his own studies, and few outside of his direct circle of peers—the other zulkirs—have ever actually seen it, much less read from it. Today, only a select few of the most prominent Red Wizards are permitted anywhere near the known entrances to the Citadel. Whether the zulkirs are trying to keep intruders out or keep something even more dangerous in, only they can say.
