"Journals of Shank Stabspine: Sol B"

Shank Stabspine
The red glow and oppressive heat of the subterranean lair of Nagafen's Lair has led many a brave adventurer to refer to this place as hell, and who can blame them? The creatures who call the volcanic cone home are so foul, wicked, and powerful that they are vastly isolated in this dead land region so far from other like. These beasts rest in the great shadow of Lord Nagafen himself and ask as his servants and guardians. The most common and zealous of those guardians are the tribe of kobolds who dwell within the entrance caves of the red wyrms lair. Unlike their ridiculously weak cousins this variety of beast has been exposed to the magick of their lord and are just as hostile and unforgiving as their home. These brutes could easily fell a hill giant with their razor sharp claws and oversized canine teeth. Thou knowest not dread till thou has heard the mournful song of the Solusek Kobold, for it soon becomes a death keen for the foolish. The kobold have a strict hierarchy ruled by the strongest of their fearsome race the King, who is in turn is served by his priestly adviser, his champion, and lastly his noble. Deeper within the foul bowel of the lair lay the catacombs of twisting caves and passages which are home to the fiercest of crawling insect and vermin horrors in all of Norrath. First is the sonic bat, a crazed flying beast whose shrieks are so loud and powerful they can sunder stone. By the time a fool hardy explorers head clears from the thunderous boom of their shriek, alas it is already to late for the sonic bat is making a quick meal of them. The lava beetles call the fiery pool of Solusek home, with hard chitinous shells that turn away weapons with alarming regularity these relentless hunters are a bane to all. The creatures mandibles can chew through rock and serves it well when fighting fully armed opponents, the creatures also have enough stamina to sure the relentless assault of a full cadre of trained knight.

Chief amongst these creatures is the dread Death Beetle, a reclusive insect that has earned it title for obvious reasons. Many have sought this rare death dealer, few have ever returned to boast of their folly. I shiver as I write about the next insect pest that plagues the accursed caverns of the Lair, it is the lava duct crawler. These eight legged nightmares are perhaps the single most lethal arachnid spawned from your worst childhood tales. The fangs of this predator can easily pierce the strongest of mail forged and can rend flesh from the bone with horrify ease, no creature short of divine can face these horrors alone and hope to survive. Worse than their massive physical attack, these arachnids posses the most lethal venom known in Norrath. The venom is said to be lava itself that these creature drink as they scuttle about the catacombs! Know this well my friend, there is no agony worse than to feel your blood boil from within as a lava duct crawler gleefully chews its warmed meal! Worse still two very rare varieties of these spider can also be found within the Lord's Lair. The dread noxious spider and the fearsome stone spider. These mutated varieties of the lava duct crawler are giants among their species, it would take a legion of the bravest of heroes to fell one of these ungodly crawler. Nagafen shares his lair with one other being that could possibly be considered semi-divine, tis the Efreeti Lord. This tyrant of fire is an awesomely powerful being of magic, hateful and cunning this sultan hatches his plots from deep within the fiery bowels of Solusek. It should go without saying that this evil djinn wields powers unmatched by even the greatest of caster in the realm, his very spoke word can smite down the strongest of warriors. Nay to fight the Efreeti Lord heralds must cry out across the land for only the bravest and greatest of heroes for such a task.

Unfortunately these heroes are never heard from again! Guarding their fiery master with fiendish delight are the sultan's own imp protectors. These magical creatures are said to be a personal gift to the Lord Efreeti from one of the greater dark divine powers for his service. These winged daemons are conjured from the very essence of lore for they wield unholy might! Leave it to say that a single imp protector has been know to slay an entire knighthood of paladins just for malicious delight. As I move into the deepest part of the Lair I explain to you that information concerning the true inner sanctum of Lord Nagafen are simply conjure rumor and hear say! Tis said that giants, like no others on Norrath keep their Lord safe from intrusive outsider who may seek the wyrms fortunes. The fire giants are behemoths that dwarf their pitifully weak cousin of sand and hill. These fire giants are rumored to be led by Nagafen lieutenant Skalron. A fire giant so fierce and so powerful that Nagafen rewarded him with an artifact from his personal hoard, the Razing Sword. If such a fiend does exist than it would only be folly to think that any being or army of the above could hope to set eyes upon such and live. Finally is the old red wyrm himself, Lord Nagafen. This ageless master of intrigue has lounged upon his hoard for ages uncounted. His wealth and trove of magical items cannot be matched if all of Norrath's wealthy kingdoms were to pool together their troves. Lord Nagafen is a semi divine drake who commands of the powers of a god, so to even discuss his prowess is sheer folly. Aye these are me tales of the Lords Lair, mark them well for the information within can spare ye life, for this is a place that The Syndicate call home and only we are true rulers of the Lair!