The Main City:

A grand capital carved from white and red granite and sandstone, the greatest city of the Harena desert now lies a worn husk of its former self. Long-buried beneath the dunes of quartz sand, it has risen like the dead that walk its streets. Tall obelisks and pillars worn by time stretch towards the sky as colossal stone statues with features of both man and beast hold up the arches. The painted murals and carved glyphs are now almost unreadable, their meaning lost with the passage of time. An eerie green light bathes the place, a reminder that it is no longer a city of the living.

Within the brick walls lies hordes of undead, desiccated and kept in animation by the curse placed upon the once-fertile plains. Domed towers and pavilions connect leading upward to altars which were once dedicated to now-forgotten deities and are guarded by walking corpses of the people who were buried alive in an ancient god’s wrath. Bound by the curse, they attack all outsiders on sight while others roam the sands searching for the sacrifice who escaped her fate.

In the center of the crumbling city lies a great pyramid, the source of the undead tide. Within the innermost sanctum lies a crystal of ruby red which is the cause and source of the city’s reemergence. Nearby lies the fallen corpses of two dressed differently than those of the ancient city. Their presence sheds possible insight as to what transpired here, and they are the only bodies not affected by the curse.There are rumors that a dark priest of old commands the undead to bring forth sacrifices to his crimson god.

Inside the Pyramid:

If one can make it through the hordes of undead that litter the streets of this forgotten city, they will be met with a chilling sight. For as they approach the entrance of the great Pyramid, a terrific statue depicting the original God of Chaos, Sardon, striking down current Xunatar looms. The smell of stale air litters the antechamber beyond, along with plenty more depictions of Sardon and the gods of chaos his followers deemed inferior. The favoritism is clear to see in the green fire torches that light the pyramid's worn paths, especially since all non-Sardon icons have been purposefully smudged in dirt and grime.

Many of the paths beyond these hallowed halls lead to dead ends, though scattered reports indicate the presence treasure in some. Adventurers should be cautious, however, for life threatening ordeals await them within. The winding paths up to the summit are filled with incredible dangers that only get tougher as one ascends. Even the material of the surrounding walls changes, gradually turning from worn granite and sand stone to something straight out of a fairy tale nightmare. Sarcophagi line the floors, ceiling, and walls of the upper levels, protruding from every single angle and limiting mobility; and from these sepulchers rise the servants of the high priest.

Mummies who gain in strength from proximity to the chaos crystal thrive in these tomb halls. Their sarcophagi are surrounded by the same red crystal that awaits at the summit, branching off and spreading from the mother crystal to feed the undead sentinels. Beyond their horde and the haunting maze lies the crystal's chamber, along with its final, gruesome protector: Rudjek.

Should you come across the head priest Rudjek, the lich running rampant throughout this acropolis, you will not be able to defeat him without destroying the crystal. For every time he appears to die, he will simply reform. Rudjek, even in death, continues to serve Sardon, and he will chase intruders through the pyramid, spewing flesh eating scarab from his lips and turning into sand storms to put an end to all infidels that would dare defile his lord's temple.