Drunder, Fortress of Zek

The Fabled Planes of Power Lore - Part 15



Drunder, Fortress of Zek

Also known as the Plane of Tactics, Drunder is the large stone stronghold that towers above the Field of Blood within the Plane of War, fitted on a scale appropriate to the home of the Zek deities.

The graveyard of the Drunder can be viewed from the main entrance. Off the entry way, a long hallway leads to quarters where Rallos Zek's most trusted generals, Tallon and Vallon, reside. Two large towers, each containing a series of chambers, house the Warlord's generals. Within each are grand war chambers, dedicated to each of Rallos Zek's children.

Beyond the fortress gates and the two towers, a large arena lies in a lower courtyard. From the arena, several paths branch out to other areas of the stronghold. One passage leads to the war boards and their keepers. Penned in a system of caves, these vicious beasts are bred specifically for bloodlust and destruction.

Another path leads to the barracks, dining hall and armory. The barracks are fairly large and open, suitable to house immense army befitting of the divine warlord. The dining hall is mundane, for its only purpose is to sustain the soldiers; a task that Rallos Zek and his generals regards as an inconvenient necessity. Connected to the dining hall is the kitchen where food is prepared for the troops.

The armory is fairly large and filled with a multitude of weapons. Behind the armory the war forge can be found, a forge of magic that produces the superior weaponry and armor of Rallos Zek's army.

The last passage leads to stairs going up to the second floor. The main hallway on the second floor ends at the War Room of Zek. Here, all tactical considerations are played out before The Warlord himself. Connected to the war room are balconies that overlook the arena. Inside the stronghold and the coliseum further out in the Plane of War.

The upper halls of Drunder are protected by the Diaku, the elite unites of Rallos Zek's grand army. The Diaku is divided into three district sub-groups, each overseen by one of the Zeks. Under Tallon Zek, the Gindan are unmatched in long range combat ability. They deploy bows as their primary tool of war, but are also deadly with all manner of melee weapons. The Hendin are commanded by Vallon Zek. They are the highly trained assassins of the Diaku, adept at attacking their victims quickly and without warning. Lastly, and arguably the most fearsome force in all of existence is the Decorus, led by none other than Rallos Zek himself. The Decorus are the most brutal and deadly warriors history has ever know, and are typically seen wielding great axes in battle with pinpoint accuracy unmatched strength.

Background Story

A dark figure stood brooding silently over a table filled with maps and diagrams of all kinds. The firelight flickered around him throwing exaggerated, twisted shadows of a hulking silhouette. His fingers tapped slowly on the hilt of his giant flaming axe. White hot flames twisted and turned up the handle of the axe, dancing across black spiked gauntlets, but the figure didn't heed them the slightest attention as he remained completely engrossed in the charts on the table. For a brief moment he glanced towards the giant stone door behind him. He turned back toward the table and his left arm carelessly. The door slid open, grinding, against the granite floor.

A smaller figure strode silently through, masked in shadows thrown from the torches. The outline of a great war bow was barely visible in the low light. "What is it?" said the first figure flatly.

"They're behind schedule; the weapons may not be ready for the onslaught of mortals we were promised," the shadowed figure responded, continuing to enter the large chamber.

"I don't like to be kept waiting," said the first, his voice rumbling in the stone chamber.

"Like all incompetent creatures they assure us that the fault does not lie with them. The one I spoke to blamed the interference of a group of mortals. I still do not understand why we need the help of fools. The might of the Diaku needs no assistance to complete our goals."

In a single motion, the giant figure spun to face the smaller, and, with is steel-clad first raided his subject into the air by his throat. The second figure squirmed slightly in a sudden moment of respectful fear of his master's abrupt irritation.

"Take care of it," breathed the dark from, "or I will."

The other nodded as best he could against the stone grasp of the black gauntlet. "As you command, sire. I shall attend the situation relentlessly, and without fail."

The captive spoke clearly, his voice unhindered by the impossible grip of his master but respectful still. The iron first released and the shadowed figure dropped to the granite floor, landing without effort upon his feet as if he had choreographed the fall. He gave stiff, short nod of his head and in respectful salute and recognition of his master's will and then quickly turned and marched out of the cambers, through the stone doors from which he had entered.

The dark hand rose again toward the door and it began to grind shut behind his department event and once again, the dark figure stared silently at the charts on the table before him. The flames around his axe radiated more brilliantly now, curling up and around the figure's massive arms like the tendrils of sentient fire basking in the radiance of its divine master. His right hand left the hilt of the axe and pointed upward toward the ceiling. The massive axe floated through the air with the sound of a raging flame and spun above the opened hand. In a blinding flash of a rage, the iron hand took hold of the axe and brought it down across the table, shattering the stone into a thousand fragments and igniting all of the parchment charts in a burst of flame.

The figure turned and walked out onto the balcony overlooking the giant sandy floor far below him. The sounds of battle echoed up across the stone walls - a sound eternal in this place. The great axe spun quietly in front of him, beckoned by the slow motion of a single digit of the black gauntlet. The hand opened, and the axe moved anxiously back to its master's grasp. In a simultaneous motion, the great hand closed around the handle of the axe as he crouched to the ground and jumped off the balcony, falling silently through the air.

The figure hit the ground hard, causing ripping shockwave to arch across the sandy floor throwing every battling figure violently to their knees. As they collected themselves from the sudden impact, a great bellow roared through the arena, piercing the very souls of all bearing witness. The massive form then began to cut through every living thing in a whirlwind of destruction.

Tallon and Vallon Zek

When the first Rallosian forces led by the great ogre Murdunk invaded the Plane of Earth, the elder son of Rallos, Eriak - who was said to have instigated Murdunk into invading the planes of power - was forced back to the Plane of War. He was thrown from the plane by the wards of the Council of Rathe who ruled and defended the Plane of Earth. Rallos was not content to wait for Eriak to recuperate and chose to speak directly to a particularly gifted pair of orc warriors by the names of Tallon and Vallon.

With the power of the warlord behind them, Tallon and Vallon rallied the legions of the children of Zek and entered the Plane of Earth. This invasion was ultimately successful with the Rathe council being captured and executed on Norrath. Where rhe Rathe fell, the Rathe Mountains were raised. During the executions Rallos himself journeyed to the Plane of Earth where he attempted to take control of the plane as his own.

But while Rallos was unquestionably the greatest warrior ever to exist, he knew little of the inner working of the Planes of Power as his very own son Eriak did. Rallos was ultimately scarred and disfigured by the same wards that had banished Eriak and he lay silently regenerating in the Plane of War while the reborn Rathe exacted vengeance on the army's leaders. The leader of the ogre nation and Zek army, Murdunk was slain. The curse of the pantheon was soon to follow, sweeping the lands of Norrath and striking down any child of Zek that it touched.

Tallon and Vallon sensing their inevitable demise at the hands of the curse of the pantheon called out to Rallos to deliver them. Rallos was sufficiently renewed by this time to summon Tallon and Vallon to his plane to escape the curse of the pantheon, but was unable to save the rest of his creations. Realizing that Eriak surely knew of the ward that protected the Plane of Earth and had failed to tell him of it, Rallos brought the crippled form of Eriak before him.

Rallos tore from him the essence of warfare, tearing it into its more base elements and imbuing them to the two mortals who were able to succeed where Eriak had failed -- Tallon and Vallon. Eriak still retains a piece of the essence of war in his shattered and disfigured frame, but was banished to the lower levels of Drunder, the Fortress of Zek, to help in the menial tasks of forging weapons for his father's armies. To this day the great form of Rallos bears the scars from the ward of the Rathe beneath his blackened war armor, a silent reminder of the failure of his only son.

The Diaku

The upper halls of Drunder are constantly guarded by the Diaku, the elite units of Rallos Zek's grand army. The Diaku is divided into three distinct sub-groups each overseen by one of the Zeks. The Gindan are overseen by Tallon Zek, the Beholder of Battle, and unmatched in their long range combat abilities. They generally stick to their bows as their primary weapons, but are also deadly with all manner of melee weapons. The Hendin are overseen by Vallon Zek, the Governor of War, and are the highly trained assassin of the Diaku. They are adept at attacking their victims quickly and without warning and most of their victims are usually unaware of what killed them as their spirit departs their body. Arguably the most fearsome force in all of existence is the Decorus lead by none other then Rallos Zek himself. The Decorus are the most brutal and deadly warriors that existence has ever known and are generally seen wielding great axes in battle with deadly accuracy and strength.

The Fabled

Rallos Zek, the Warlord

As the God of war, Rallos Zek delights in the action and aggression of battle, valuing strength and victory above all. The Warlord deals swiftly and mercilessly with those who fail him, but rewards his champions greatly. He created the giants, ogres, orcs, and goblins - fierce beings who, like their lord, seek fighting and conquest.

The ogres once held dominion over much of Tunaria and even went so far as to invade the Plane of Earth, governed by The Rathe. In this campaign, they were joined by the other children of Rallos and were personally led by the deity himself. The greater gods turned back Rallos' army and then took vengeance on him by cursing his creatures. The ogres were struck with weak minds, unable to think and reason as they once had, while the giants were largely killed or dispersed.

Rallos resides in Drunder, the enormous fortress that dominates the western edge of the Plane of War. He occasionally goes to watch the chaotic battles of his plane, choosing the best of the warriors to serve him personally in his lair.



Tallon Zek, the Beholder of Battle

Tallon is called the Beholder of Battle, a master of strategy. He delights and excels in planning and designing large scale battles, frequently playing his forces against those of his alter-ego, Vallon Zek. He is a tall, older-looking orc-like being, who appears to be very wise, with good cause. He wears a set of sturdy steel plate armor without a helm, and carries his famed obsidian war bow.



Vallon Zek, the Governor of War

Vallon is called the Governor of War, a master tactician. Along with his alter-ego Tallon Zek, Vallon resides in the Plane of War with Rallos Zek. He is more skilled at directing small sets of troops and making brilliant moves to swing the balance of a fight in his favor. Vallon's manifestation is that of an older, muscular, physically strong male orc-like figure who wears blackened chain covered by an emerald and black cloak. His appearance is that of a regal general at arms, upright and stern, wise and aristocratic. At his belt, he bears a silvery saber, which he has been said to wave when explaining tactics to others.



Glykus Hemir

Glykus is in charge of the war boar pens. He is fiercely protective of his boars and will viciously attack anyone who tries to do them harm. The war boars are generally tame while they are in their pens, but will attack viciously if provoked. If attacked, Glykus will feed the war boars with a special meal that will cause them to grow to a larger progressively more powerful form.



Tagrin Maldric

Targin Maldric oversees the forge complex. Targin is assisted by an odd creature by the name of Eriak the Oblique. Rumors linger in the house of Zek that Eriak was once a high servant of Rallos who failed his master in one form or another and was cast down and cursed to work the forge for all eternity. Through the course of adventuring through the zone the players will uncover hints and obscure information that tells the true story of Eriak.



Stampeding Piglet

The Stampeding Piglet is one of the more famous of the wild war boars that stampedes throughout the area.