Kasmarkin

The lost troll capital of Kasmarkin lay sunken beneath the murky depths of the Mannaseh Swamp for centuries, until the Occultists Shakti and Silverstorm suceeded in raising it in the year 298 AF through a complex quest.

Emperor Rakmarkha III, known to history as "the Mad Emperor," was the last troll to lead this empire. It was he who recieved visions of the "Goddess Unborn" (actually Eris, Goddess of Chaos, traveling through time in Her meditations) on how to further his power by summoning the chaotic demon prince Pazuzu to this realm.

Secretly, Pazuzu met with Babel, God of Chaos, and they devised a plan to usurp the throne from Jy'Barrak Golgotha, the Chaos Lord, and restore Pazuzu to his place as ruler of the Chaos Plane. Under the alias of Taug, the demon ruled over Kasmarkin with an iron claw, until the archmage Alcibiades and the Senator Schlastan devised a way of trapping him in crystal and summoning a Kx'Khrah warrior from the Crystal Realm to ensure his imprisonment.

All would have gone as planned, were it not for the Mad Emperor and those still loyal to him. Just as Alcibiades and Schlastan had encased Taug in crystal through his acceptance of a prism as a gift, the loyalists sacrified their hearts to Lord Taug, lending him enough power to unleash his wrath. Crystal shards flew in all directions, striking the loyalists and turning them to hideous creatures of ooze. This release of power also triggered an earthquake, which led to the eventual sinking of Kasmarkin into the muck of the Mannaseh.

In modern times, the city of Kasmarkin may still be risen from the depths, but it sinks again after a time, as the magic fades. One entering the city might find the mummified guards and ghosts of the senators still lurking about, as well as the loyalists-turned-oozes of Lord Taug in his Black Fortress. Furthermore, it is rumoured that both the demon lord Taug and a Kx'Khrah guardian by the name of Sh'fah might still be summoned here, through means esoteric and arcane, though woe betide he who attempts to bind them endlessly to his will.

On a somewhat less related note, a locked door leading downwards from the city serves as the entrance to the tomb of Overlord Gruul, leader of the Arcanian mercenaries during the Chaos Wars. It was opened only briefly, and the discovery of the Prosperion Bazaar, the temple of Prospero, God of Wealth, and the meeting of Prospero Himself followed shortly thereafter. The key has since been lost.