Deep Vault of the Lost Queens (Patreon)

The lower tier of the Vault of the Lost Queens betrays that this space was once something different than a home for the undead queens of ancient Zorisz. Here we find that the caves again haven’t been completely converted into finished halls and chambers. The majority of the 11 queens hold primarily to this level, coming up only when a princeling has made a claim for the throne of Kazhkul in order to judge them. Some of the queens wander the level with their attendants, acting much as they did in life. Others have essentially given up the charade and remain in their sarcophagi (like the four sarcophagi along the passage on the centre-right of the map).

Ten of the Eleven Queens of Lost Zorisz are exactly what they claim – the nigh-immortal undead remains of some of the most potent queens of the empire before it fell. The eleventh is a newer arrival – one of the “77 Trapped Between” – a number of extradimensional entities (who like to be referred to as “gods”) who failed to make the transition entirely to this world during the great war. What small part of this being that has made it through to this world manifests similarly to a banshee – a wailing and pained apparition that is nigh impossible to restrain or control. After two centuries trapped within the vault, she has begun to think she is one of the Queens of Lost Zorisz… one in eternal pain and torment.

And of course, godlings, especially trapped godlings, can be “tapped” as a source of power by those who know the right magics. Thus the 77 Trapped Between are often seen as a source of power… and should a sage put together the list of queens of lost Zorisz and figure out that the eleventh is not what she seems…

Because this map was specifically designed to fit on a pocketmaps.com credit-card-sized 4×3 format map, it doesn’t match up perfectly for VTT use. The squares are, as typical for most of my recent work, 300 pixels across, but the design includes required bleed and trim space for the pocketmap format.

https://dysonlogos.blog/2021/11/18/deep-vault-of-the-lost-queens/