Voor Darayn & the Dread Sorcerer Tur Nyaan

The Dread Sorcerer Tur Nyaan

Many strange and forgotten things lie lost amid the
jungle-covered karsts of the Daray Peninsula, but none
are as mysterious as the ruins of Voor Darayn—the
“Jewel of the Daray” in the language of the serpentmen.
An alabaster palace perched atop a great stone outcropping,
Voor Darayn is surrounded by crumbling walls,
artificial lakes, and stone plazas overgrown by dense
jungle. The white palace atop its hill is only one small
part of a whole hidden city now swallowed by the forest.
The overgrown temples and plazas ringing the hill
were once a sacred city of the serpentmen who ruled
over Thule before humans ever set foot on the primeval
continent. They are covered in weathered glyphs and
disturbing carvings that depict the rites and gods of
the serpentmen. The hilltop palace and its surrounding
buildings are of more recent origin: They were constructed
about four hundred years ago by the legendary
wizard Tur Nyaan, a prince of Katagia who dabbled
in black magic. No wizard in centuries has equaled
Tur Nyaan in the dark arts, and during his lifetime
all of Katagia lived in dread of his powers. A devoted
worshiper of the foul god Tsathoggua, Tur Nyaan
eventually tired of the suspicions (and clumsy assassination
attempts) that troubled him in Katagia. He left the
city with his slaves and servants, and chose the isolated
Daray Peninsula for his hidden retreat. Legends say that
the alabaster palace of Voor Darayn was built in a single
night by enslaved elementals or genies.

Tur Nyaan laid heavy demands for tribute on all
nearby cities, and used terrible summonings and curses
to punish those who did not pay. Katagia, Imystrahl,
Ikath, and other cities all were forced to accede to his
demands. For two centuries or more, Voor Darayn was
known as a place of dark sorcery and mocking evil. More
than a few heroes came here to slay Tur Nyaan (or to
pillage his fantastic riches) and died, slain by his demonic
servants or trapped in webs of enchantment and illusion
that surrounded the palace and its gardens. Then, in the
year 2052 AR, the tribute caravan from Katagia arrived
and discovered no living person at Voor Darayn waiting
for their treasure. The wizard’s summoned minions were
gone, and his human servants—most of them torn to
pieces—were lying dead in the lower city. Of Tur Nyaan
there was no sign. In terror, the tribute-bearers dumped
their treasure at the palace gate and led.
For the last hundred seventy years, most travelers have
avoided Voor Darayn. By all accounts a vast amount
of treasure must still be hidden in its vaults, but many
of Tur Nyaan’s old magical defenses still ward the
palace—dreadful monsters summoned out of thin
air have been known to appear and attack any who
venture too close. Whether Tur Nyaan was destroyed
by some reckless spell he cast, devoured by his patron
Tsathoggua, or left Thule altogether to explore strange
and distant spheres, no one can say.

Tsathoggua