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 investigate a lost universe through the Crumbling Vestige.
Crumbling Vestige
The Crumbling Vestige is a leftover from a previous universe. How it survived is a mystery to everyone, except perhaps the ancient race of aboleths. The place is a nexus for magical power, as if whatever power enabled it to survive the destruction of a previous universe was somehow distilled here, and slowly leaks out into the current world, infusing those who spend time here. Why only some are affected and others not, remains a mystery.
Lay of the Land
The Crumbling Vestige consists of part of an aqueduct, that rests on a floating island. Sitting at the bottom of a waterfall, scholars have theorized that it ended up there because the area resembled wherever it originally came from. Arcane scholars have pointed out that the aqueduct wasn’t created to carry water, but seems to have been part of an artificial leyline. Leylines are naturally occurring, and are conduits for magic. The aqueduct, which is over 200 feet tall must have been an attempt to divert one of these leylines and transport the magic elsewhere, though it’s impossible to say if that was successful or where it was diverted to.
The area is generally not one that’s easily accessed. Not only is it remote, but the waterfall is actually underground, illuminated seemingly by the ambient light that emanates from the Crumbling Vestige itself — a sort of faint echo of the sun that must have once shone upon the aqueduct. It lies near a city ruled by aboleth called Deep Kag’Droz, and it is heavily guarded by their minions as if it contains something that they do not want others to know. Considering how the aboleths are reluctant to even acknowledge the existence of a power greater than their own, this has raised many unanswered questions.
Dangers
Aboleths (5e / PF2) live very near the crumbling vestige, in a city that holds nearly 100 of these ancient horrors. Their minions, especially the faceless stalkers (5e / PF2) have infiltrated the lands above and warn their masters whenever a new group of explorers heads down to investigate the area. They also have thousands of enslaved minions of all kinds, housed within the city, many of whom are often assigned to guard the Crumbling Vestige.
Should a group of lucky, or good, adventurers make their way to the vestige, they’re not necessarily safe yet. The magic that permeates the area, from when it was part of an active leyline, empowers and potentially destroys any spellcasters, literally blowing them apart with magical energies as they struggle to contain them. Those with little magical ability find themselves invigorated here but are still at risk if they stay for long.
And that concludes our visit. See you back next time. 😊
Kim Frandsen
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- Finder’s Archive – Crypt of the Eternals - June 2, 2023
