Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder 2 or 5e for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This time we consult the dead sages at the Crypt of Agadeem.
Crypt of Agadeem
The Crypt of Agadeem is a structural marvel built almost a millennium ago. It is dedicated to a now-forgotten god of knowledge, and yes the caretakers are aware of that irony. Entombed within the Crypt are thousands of sages, and the caretakers reach out to those that are dying and worthy of being interred here to obtain their consent to being added to the repository of knowledge. Those that are entombed here become a sort of hivemind that is able to absorb knowledge and pass it on. The only restriction the caretakers have found so far is that the hivemind cannot develop new information or put it together in new ways. It can only provide the information that it already has – though it can easily absorb information back in the normal way if it is informed of any new information that has come to light – I.e. it cannot draw new conclusions unless it already knows that they exist.
Lay of the Land
The Crypt of Agadeem lies deep within one of the biggest mountain ranges on the continent, and it is not easy to reach. The area is relatively safe, but the terrain isn’t, as the mountains are difficult to climb, and the passes that cut through them often snow under, or get buried in avalanches.
Once you travel there, there is another obstacle, called the “Rite to Passage, Right to Knowledge.” Each entrant must be judged by the caretakers to judge if the applicant is worthy of the knowledge found within. What exactly the caretakers judge this based on is unknown, but it seems to be whether the applicant will further the existence of knowledge or developer new magic or technology – anything that keeps civilization going forward. But it does not seem to matter to the caretakers if the applicants plan on using their knowledge for good or evil. Only that it is used, and spread.
Dangers
The caretakers of the Crypt of Agadeem are dangerous in and of themselves, as they are a type of Denizen of Leng (PF2 / 5e), though, unlike their counterparts, they’re neutral in alignment and only interested in obtaining and preserving knowledge.
Outside of the Crypt’s walls though and in the mountains there are other dangers lurking. A tribe of stone giants lives here, as does a rare linnorm. No one has seen the linnorm in decades, and it is believed to be a myth at this point, but no one is quite sure.
And that concludes our visit. See you back next time. 😊
Kim Frandsen
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